Two voices cried out simultaneously, echoing before the grand Taiyi Hall.
"Impossible! How could you possibly have survived that cursed place?" They spoke in unison, their faces masks of utter disbelief.
Before the forest of swords, Li Fan stood with his arms crossed, watching the pale-faced Sikong Yi and Baili Chen. He offered only a cold smirk in reply.
Then, he placed one foot upon a sword hilt, as if preparing to give chase.
A sword phantom stabbed through him, immediately bringing an intense pain that felt as if it were drilling into his very heart.
Li Fan nearly lost control of his body, almost tumbling from his perch.
Falling from the sword hilts wouldn't kill him; it would simply teleport him back to the very edge of the sword forest, forcing him to start over.
Of course, if anyone were foolish enough to fly over the sword forest, thinking they could bypass it, then they would learn firsthand the true meaning of being pierced by ten thousand swords.
This was the sword forest Trial one had to go through before reaching Taiyi Hall.
Unlike other areas of Cloudwater Palace, this place held no mortal danger unless one willfully sought it.
At worst, one would experience the sensation of being pierced through the heart by one sword after another.
In his past life, many cultivators had gritted their teeth, endured the agonizing pain, traversed the sword forest, and entered Taiyi Hall.
However, the great hall was empty. There was nothing inside!
Could Sikong Yi have taken the treasure that lay in Taiyi Hall from the very beginning?
Is the opportunity within Taiyi Hall actually the Cloudwater Model?
Although he could use his Insect Binding divine ability to subdue the two of them right now, he couldn't guarantee he could force them to reveal how exactly the Cloudwater Model was obtained.
From what Li Fan knew, vicious soul-searching techniques that could forcibly extract a cultivator's memories existed in the ancient cultivation world.
Unfortunately, Li Fan had not yet learned such a method.
Therefore, to be safe, it was better to wait for these two to retrieve the Cloudwater Model first.
As Li Fan pondered this, the Blue Flame phantom spirit flickered to life within his sea of consciousness.
His body temperature gradually dropped, and he felt himself turn completely calm and rational.
No external influence could disturb his mental state.
He stepped forward, planting his foot on another sword hilt.
Though he could still feel the pain, Li Fan feared nothing.
He took several steps forward in succession, then stopped, pretending to rest so as not to overly alarm Sikong Yi and his companion.
Sikong Yi and Baili Chen were already greatly shocked that Li Fan hadn't died.
Now, seeing Li Fan drawing closer and closer to them, their shock began to morph into urgency.
Gritting their teeth, they hardened their resolve and fiercely pushed forward several steps.
The pain inflicted by four sharp swords striking simultaneously wasn't additive. Instead, the agony multiplied severalfold in an instant, making it almost impossible for the two to maintain their balance.
Fortunately, the moment they were about to fall, they supported each other and just barely managed to stabilize themselves.
Seeing this, Li Fan also advanced three steps, then once again adopted the appearance of someone struggling to maintain his footing.
The “chase” continued in this manner.
Li Fan always maintained a certain distance from the two to lower their guard. At the same time, he appeared determined to catch up, applying constant pressure on them.
Like prey driven by hounds, Sikong Yi and Baili Chen moved step by step, drawing closer and closer to Taiyi Hall.
Finally, they reached the end of the sword forest.
Leaping from the sword hilts, they collapsed to the ground, completely spent.
But with Li Fan closing in relentlessly from behind, they had no time to rest.
Baili Chen urgently drew a blue token from his robes and shouted in the direction of Taiyi Hall.
"I am Baili Chen from the 165th generation of Cloudwater Palace’s direct disciples. I seek an audience with Patriarch Taiyi!"
His voice echoed through the air.
Li Fan abruptly halted his advance, his gaze fixed intently ahead.
The majestic Taiyi Hall seemed to come alive, trembling violently as it slowly rose into the air.
The ground beneath their feet began to shake.
Thud!
Thud!
Four pillar-like legs extended from beneath Taiyi Hall, slamming forcefully onto the earth.
A monstrous head emerged like a phantom manifestation, appearing before Li Fan’s eyes.
The broken swords in the sword forest trembled incessantly.
Accompanied by an unearthly bellow, an enormous turtle revealed itself in full, with Taiyi Hall resting upon its shell.
As the giant turtle continued its roars, two massive black snakes slithered out from the hall.
One moved forward, coiling around the turtle’s head.
The other stretched backward, jaws gaping wide, serving as the creature’s tail.
If the sheer visual impact of this turtle-snake monstrosity wasn’t overwhelming enough, the scene upon its body evoked a visceral reaction in Li Fan.
Every inch of the creature’s surface was pierced with broken, jagged swords.
They covered it so densely that it was impossible to tell just how many blades were embedded in its flesh.
At a glance, the monster seemed as though it were entirely constructed of sharp steel.
The small sword forest before Taiyi Hall appeared to be nothing more than a small fraction of the swords that had fallen from its body.
Cloudwater Palace... Patriarch Taiyi? After all these years, is he still alive? Or has he become an Oddity, like Qin Tang or Daoist Chong? Li Fan couldn’t be sure.
In his previous life, there had been no rumors whatsoever about this Patriarch Taiyi.
For now, Li Fan didn’t dare act recklessly. He remained at a distance, observing cautiously.
Once the true form of the patriarch appeared, Baili Chen was overcome with emotion.
He dropped to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly.
An ancient, weathered voice spoke, "You are called Baili Chen? A direct disciple of my Cloudwater Palace?"
The turtle-snake monster lowered its head slightly, as if trying to get a better look at Baili Chen.
"Reporting to Patriarch Taiyi, I am of the Fuyun lineage," Baili Chen replied, his voice trembling.
"Fuyun..." The ancient voice seemed lost in memory.
"Yes, this is the aura of the Fuyun lineage.
"So, that boy actually has descendants remaining in this world?"
The turtle-snake monster faintly sensed something amiss. But it was already far too old, so old that even thinking had become a struggle.
The pain from the countless broken swords piercing its body acted like a vicious curse, constantly clouding its mind.
After a moment of futile pondering, it slowly spoke again: "Then, why have you awakened me?"
Baili Chen seemed to exhale in relief, suppressing his excitement as he hurriedly said, "I humbly request the Patriarch to bestow the Cloudwater Model upon me."
"The Cloudwater Model? What is that? Let me think..."
A moment passed.
"Ah. So it’s that. It’s nothing particularly significant."
The turtle-snake monster’s tone carried a hint of nostalgia. "Back then, Hanhai once said...this item can only be entrusted to a disciple of Cloudwater Palace.
"Since you are a descendant of Fuyun..." Here, the turtle-snake monster hesitated for a moment.
Then it continued slowly, "Then entrusting it to you seems... not entirely improper."
Baili Chen's face erupted with ecstatic joy, and he couldn't stop kowtowing. "Thank you, Patriarch! Thank you, Patriarch!"
Just as the turtle-snake monster prepared to hand over the Cloudwater Model to Baili Chen, a voice suddenly cut through the air.
"Hold it!"
Both Baili Chen and the turtle-snake monster turned to look in the direction of the voice.
They saw Li Fan stepping swiftly atop the sword hilts, moving closer at incredible speed.
Sword shadows pierced through his body continuously, yet the pain seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever.
In three great strides, Li Fan swiftly crossed the sword forest and landed gracefully.
Catching his breath, he cupped his hands in salute toward the turtle-snake monster. "I, Disciple Li Fan, am also a direct disciple of Cloudwater Palace. I too request the Patriarch to bestow the Cloudwater Model upon me!"
As he spoke, he began operating the Cloudwater Dream Illusion Art.