Chapter 559: Escaping From Someone’s Grasp Is Difficult Indeed
Han Yi had thought he'd finally reached safety. He never imagined that the deep ravine below, rich with flowing spiritual qi, was home to demonic beasts.
These were nothing like the populations found within minor worlds that were incapable of absorbing spiritual qi to cultivate.
White serpents, flying kites, two-headed monkeys... they more closely resembled the demonic beasts of the ancient era.
Utterly unprepared, Han Yi plunged headfirst into the middle of the horde.
Fortunately, these creatures had lived in their isolated ravine for years without ever seeing a human. While Han Yi was nearly scared out of his wits, more than half of them were just as terrified and fled on the spot.
The rest were not so easy to reason with.
Seeing their home invaded by a strange creature, the ferocity in their blood ignited. They attacked without hesitation.
Han Yi drew a deep breath of spiritual qi, cast a protective arcane art over himself, and condensed qi into a blade. Then, he began cutting through the swarm. Blood sprayed like mist, and in an instant more than a dozen demonic beasts lay headless on the ground.
The scent of blood only drove the survivors into a greater frenzy. Fearless of death, they surged forward like a tide. In the distance, countless more were already converging on his position.
Han Yi knew he couldn't linger. Fighting as he retreated, he pressed deeper into the ravine.
The closer he got to the bottom, the more concentrated the spiritual qi became, and he felt his original final-stage Qi Refinement realm strength slowly returning.
But the demonic beasts inhabiting the depths were correspondingly more powerful.
Gritting his teeth, Han Yi pushed every ounce of strength he had, carving a bloody path through the horde. At the very bottom of the ravine, through a chaotic, indistinct opening, he finally returned to the Xuanhuang World.
He drew a long breath of the all-too-familiar, sweet air. Still shaken, he had no time to rest as a wave of inexplicable danger washed over him, as though something had locked onto him from a distance. His heart lurched.
Already a bird startled by the twang of a bowstring, Han Yi ignored his injuries and took flight immediately. Only after a long while did the unease in his chest gradually fade.
Physically and mentally spent, he found a nearby uninhabited island. He barely managed to land before he could hold on no longer, and collapsed into unconsciousness.
***
Back in the present.
Having walked through Han Yi's experiences of the past few years by means of the Cloudwater Dream Illusion Art, Li Fan's eyes carried a flicker of interest.
This kid has truly lived an eventful life.
Crises that most cultivators would never face in an entire lifetime, he stumbled into all of them on a single trip. By any ordinary measure, he should have died a dozen times over. And yet, every single time, he escaped by the narrowest of margins.
The Heavenly Providence Scripture. The Xuan Bird Feather. So these are what you rely on.
Li Fan looked down at Han Yi who was peacefully asleep and stroked his chin.
Misfortune is that upon which good fortune leans; good fortune is that in which misfortune lurks. No wonder you could win the fish betting game in your previous life, have Lan Yu's legacy treasure fall into your lap, and even obtain the Heavenly Capital Feather Transformation Pill. And yet later, when exploring ruins with my avatar, you ran into misfortune at every turn.
Li Fan paused, then smiled faintly.
What you said isn’t wrong. To advance from the final-stage Qi Refinement realm to the Golden Core realm in just over a decade, then obtain a perfectly suited Dao Unity technique from the Derivation Jade... you could have been a dragon ascending to the sky, your momentum unstoppable.
Unfortunately, you encountered me.
His eyes were devoid of warmth. He extended a finger and gently touched the center of Han Yi's brow.
In this life, your fate will follow my design.
After allowing Han Yi to experience certain scenes as dreams during his sleep, Li Fan finally withdrew his divine ability. He swept one last glance over the young man's face, and his figure gradually faded into nothing.
The Heavenly Providence Scripture is rather interesting. But I'll leave it with you for now.
Some time later, Han Yi slowly awoke.
Feels like I had a dream. Those vexing events in that minor world again.
A faint, throbbing ache pulsed in his head. He instinctively pressed his fingers to his temples. After a while, the pain subsided, and he let out a soft sigh of relief.
I truly don't know whether I'm lucky or unlucky.
Lying there, replaying his time in that minor world, Han Yi felt equal parts resentment and bitter amusement.
It must be the backlash from not having mastered the Heavenly Providence Scripture to a large degree.
He sat with that thought for a long while, and gradually an understanding settled in.
I barely escaped with my life from that mysterious person. That was heaven's favor, a stroke of luck.
But immediately after, the backlash came, and I was captured by those monsters in a daze.
Heavenly providence protected my body and preserved my life. Then I faced another backlash, and I was hunted by Si.
Even when I was in dire straits, I encountered a sliver of hope. But right after, I faced a life-or-death crisis, getting surrounded by demonic beasts...
His eyes lit up as he connected the dots.
Misfortune and fortune are intertwined, inseparable. If one only takes without restraint, it cannot last. Using misfortune to balance fortune, spending one's providence only at the most critical moments—that is the correct path.
The moment his thoughts cleared, a surge of spiritual power poured out from Han Yi. Spiritual qi rushed in from every direction. Above the uninhabited island, a faint whirlwind began to form.
Within his dantian, the originally pitch-black Xuan Bird Feather crumbled inch by inch, dissolving completely away.
At last, after years of life-and-death trials, Han Yi had returned to the Xuanhuang World and broken through in a single breath. What he had sought for years without success was attained in a single day.
Foundation Establishment, achieved.
The resentment that had pressed against his chest vanished without a trace. He threw his head back and let out a long cry to vent every last bit of frustration.
The cry lasted only a moment before Han Yi cut it off sharply. He scanned his surroundings, and when no new crisis materialized, he finally allowed himself to relax.
Enough. I shouldn't get ahead of myself.
It's only the Foundation Establishment realm. My future is set for Dao Unity, and even Eternal Life is within reach.
He felt rather pleased with himself.
After a while, his thoughts turned practical.
I've achieved Foundation Establishment, but I gave everything I had to that Foundation Establishment Master. I'm truly penniless. I need a way to earn some contribution points.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
A plan took shape.
I've heard there's something called the fish betting game out in the Congyun Sea. The lucky ones can strike it rich overnight. That's practically made for me. Just watch.
With that, Han Yi soared into the air and flew swiftly toward the fish betting island he remembered.
He never noticed the single gaze fixed on him from high in the sky, watching his every move.