Chapter 555: Han Yi Falls Into A Trap Once More
Or perhaps a fragment of the Heaven-Scorning Sword.
A sharp gleam lit Li Fan's eyes.
A Soul Arbiter of heaven and earth, using its own body as a cage to imprison a broken sword radiating overwhelming baleful qi.[1]
Long Yueyou's account instantly called to mind the scene Li Fan had witnessed: Azure Wind, holding a broken sword captive.
But where that encounter had played out over the Congyun Sea, Long Jiuyuan's opportunity for Dao Unity had come in Tianling Province. The Soul Arbiter involved was Black Marsh, not Azure Wind. And yet the central figure was strikingly the same, a broken sword seething with baleful qi.
Li Fan was almost certain that the sword above the Congyun Sea and the one in Tianling Province were both fragments of the same weapon: the Heaven-Scorning Sword.
The Heaven-Scorning Sword, Old Man Fisher's weapon, shattered into pieces and scattered across the land.
But even these incomplete fragments can contend with a Soul Arbiter of heaven and earth.
Moreover, the Heaven-Scorning Sword's hilt later managed to break free from Azure Wind's confinement. Over at Cloudwater Palace, the turtle-snake Taiyi was forced into deep slumber, struggling immensely to suppress a fragment.
If just its fragments possess such power, how formidable must the complete Heaven-Scorning Sword be?
Li Fan's heart trembled.
He knew of three fragments so far. How many more were out there?
What secret did the Heaven-Scorning Sword hold, that Soul Arbiters of heaven and earth manifested one after another to suppress it? And what level of cultivation had its owner, Old Man Fisher, reached?
Old Man Fisher. The Heavenly Physician. Fuzi.
Li Fan's eyes narrowed.
These three were clearly old acquaintances, yet the history surrounding them was shrouded in impenetrable mystery. He couldn't see through any of it.
And he had the nagging sense that whatever secrets bound those three together were of great importance to him!
When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with fury. If those three ever clash in this lifetime, I might catch a glimpse of the truth.
He kept his attention on Long Yueyou's situation through Formless Killing Mechanism locked onto Zhou Kebao, and continued flying toward his original destination.
According to Long Yueyou's account, Long Jiuyuan had been profoundly shaken when he first witnessed the stalemate between the sword fragment and Black Marsh. But even with a Dao Unity opportunity within reach, he hadn't lost his reason.
He understood that a delicate balance had formed between the two. Rashly intervening and breaking that equilibrium would likely produce the opposite of what he wanted. He might even draw the combined assault of both the broken sword and Black Marsh. For a Spirit Transformation cultivator to interfere in a conflict between Dao Unity entities was nothing short of provocation.
So Long Jiuyuan made his decision in an instant, and fought his way free from Black Marsh's sea of mire, sustaining severe injuries in the process.
After a brief recovery, he set up the Heaven-Severing and Earth-Isolating Grand Array around the area. The array had one purpose: to sever the connection between the Soul Arbiter and the world itself.
A Soul Arbiter was a manifestation of natural laws, but once isolated from its source, it was like water without a spring, a tree without roots. Its power would gradually weaken through constant expenditure. Black Marsh and the sword fragment had been evenly matched, so as Black Marsh weakened, the sword would gain the upper hand.
Long Jiuyuan concealed himself nearby and waited.
Several months later, the black marsh deep in the mountains began to churn violently, as though brought to a boil. The phenomenon lasted nearly half a day. At its end, a sword silhouette tore free from Black Marsh's prison, shot into the sky, and vanished.
The sea of mire receded like melting snow, rapidly contracting until it coalesced into Black Marsh's humanoid form. After briefly discerning the direction the Heaven-Scorning Sword had fled, Black Marsh prepared to give chase.
That was when Long Jiuyuan moved.
He struck at full power from the very first move, holding nothing back.
The outcome had already been decided before the battle began.
Black Marsh was destroyed.
Long Jiuyuan achieved Dao Unity!
If I recall correctly, a Dao Unity powerhouse fell during the great war of Tianling Province in my previous life. I wonder if this newly ascended Dao Unity Immortal Venerable can escape that calamity.
The thought faded as Li Fan's destination came into view.
It appeared to be a deserted, uninhabited island.
The island was beside the point. What drew Li Fan there was who was on it—none other than Han Yi, who had been missing for so long.
Ever since the day he had narrowly escaped Li Fan's hands and fled into the undersea ruins, Han Yi had not resurfaced. Only recently had Li Fan sensed his return to the cultivation world, not through the original undersea cavern, but from some ruins thousands of li away.
He had crawled out looking wretched, clothes bloodstained and in tatters, clearly sustaining severe injuries, and had dragged himself to the nearest island to rest.
The moment Li Fan sensed this, he changed course.
He concealed his presence and observed from a distance.
Han Yi was still at the final-stage Qi Refinement realm after all this time, no closer to Foundation Establishment than before. But something had changed. A strange, intangible aura now clung to him, one that had not been there before, and with Han Yi unconscious from his injuries, it surfaced on its own, quietly working to repair his body. Color returned to his pallid face with visible speed. His faint, ragged breathing steadied and grew strong.
Curiosity stirred in Li Fan's eyes.
After a moment's consideration, he revealed himself. He restrained Han Yi first with his Insect Binding divine ability, then activated the Cloudwater Dream Illusion Art and entered Han Yi's dreamscape.
Perhaps because Han Yi had only just barely escaped calamity, his mental defenses were unexpectedly fragile. Li Fan breached them without much difficulty.
Within the illusory dream, he finally learned what Han Yi had gonen through.
That day, after being pulled into the undersea vortex, Han Yi had lost consciousness. When he came to, he found himself naked, bound hand and foot. Around him stood a group of terrifying creatures with human bodies and beast-like faces. They were arranged in a circle, dancing and gesticulating wildly as though performing some ritual. A fierce fire blazed at the center.
It seemed they intended to offer Han Yi as some kind of sacrifice, throwing him into the great flames.
The blood drained from Han Yi's face. He struggled frantically, only to discover that there wasn't a trace of spiritual qi anywhere in the surrounding area, and that the spiritual power within his own dantian had long since run dry.
Han Yi, now no different from a mortal, could only watch helplessly as the human-bodied, beast-faced monsters joyfully hoisted him up, preparing to carry him into the roaring fire.
Just as he was convinced he was doomed, the sky suddenly darkened.
A torrential downpour arrived without warning and extinguished the flames in an instant.
Han Yi was ecstatic. The creatures were terrified. They dropped him and threw themselves to the ground, kowtowing frantically.
The rain fell for nearly half a day. For that entire stretch, the monsters remained prostrate in the deluge, trembling in supplication. Only after the rain finally stopped did they slowly disperse.
Han Yi, the intended sacrifice, was locked away once more.
1. not sure if I already mentioned this but I’ve changed baleful aura to baleful qi ☜