Chen Yan finally understood why the true qi in his meridians had momentarily gone haywire the instant he stepped into the outer court Training Grounds.
Because the enormous black serpent was coiled right beneath the Training Grounds' bluestone bricks at this very moment.
Just like back on Yuanhua Mountain, the Black Flood Dragon Remnant Soul within his body would resonate with its physical form.
This would cause the true qi in his own meridians to become turbulent.
But, when?
The physical body of this half-step Ascending to Immortality Great Demon of Dao Union Realm should have been sealed on Yuanhua Mountain.
So why was it here?
Suddenly, Chen Yan remembered the words Qiguan Jin had spoken to him in a previous Cycle of Reincarnation after the Kongshan Sect's destruction.
After the Enforcement Hall of Yuanhua Mountain and the Hall of Prudent Discipline of the Kongshan Sect had separately intervened to investigate his disappearance, Yuanhua Mountain had ultimately been completely taken over by the Supreme Imperial Law Court.
"For over a month now, I've been pondering one question," Huo Mu said.
"That is, if there is no soul, how should I resurrect this Black Flood Dragon that could potentially break through the shackles' upper limit?"
Indeed.
The Black Flood Dragon's body without a soul was just a massive, empty shell.
Yet, in the previous Cycles of Reincarnation, the Kongshan Sect was indeed destroyed because of this Great Demon's physical form.
So, why?
How exactly did Huo Mu manage it?
Chen Yan stared at the Black Flood Dragon's body beneath his feet, then shifted his gaze back to Huo Mu standing in the center of the Training Grounds.
He saw this Supreme Imperial Law Elder of the Kongshan Sect raising his hand, gently stroking the enormous black scales beneath the stone platform.
For some reason, Chen Yan sensed an extremely peculiar feeling from Huo Mu's demeanor and actions.
Because as he stroked the massive black scales beneath the stone platform, his expression looked as if he were... caressing something that belonged to him.
"This body is just an empty shell," Huo Mu said slowly.
"That means it lacks a soul. If there really is no way to utilize the Black Flood Dragon's own soul, then can a substitute be found... For example, what about the soul of a peak Divine Ability Realm cultivator?"
Chen Yan finally understood how the Kongshan Sect had been destroyed in the previous Cycles of Reincarnation.
Huo Mu, unable to find Chen Yan, would become even more crazed than before.
Using the sacrifice of tens of thousands of outer court disciples' lives as a foundation, he would fuse his own soul with the Black Flood Dragon's body, seeking to achieve a breakthrough of the shackles' upper limit.
But how could a mere peak Divine Ability Realm soul possibly control the body of a half-step Ascending to Immortality Great Demon?
Moreover, the method of circulating true qi or spiritual energy for cultivators on the Chenping Continent was completely different from that of demonic beasts.
Huo Mu's sanity, as expected, collapsed.
He completely degenerated into a Great Demon of Dao Union Realm that only knew slaughter, and his strength was far inferior to the Black Flood Dragon's original complete form.
This was what happened in the previous Cycles of Reincarnation.
The original Huo Mu only planned to use the Black Flood Dragon's resurrection to break through the true upper limit of this era where the path to immortality had been completely severed.
But now?
Watching Huo Mu's expression as he stroked the massive black serpent scales beneath him, an extremely terrifying and unrealistic thought surfaced in Chen Yan's mind.
He felt a chill run down the back of his neck.
"Do you think I wouldn't know why you suddenly disappeared, to the point where even I couldn't detect any trace of you?" Huo Mu said with a calm, smiling tone.
"Other than Li Haoran, who else could employ such methods?"
From the moment Chen Yan disappeared, Huo Mu—this peak Divine Ability Realm mighty one who had sat in the position of Supreme Imperial Law Elder of the Kongshan Sect for a full four thousand years and single-handedly integrated the Pivot Court and the Imperial Law Court—understood exactly what was going on.
It was all Li Haoran's doing.
Li Haoran wanted to use him.
Huo Mu, knowing nothing of the cause and effect, naturally also didn't know Li Haoran's true purpose.
But he was very clear that he had no way out left, and could only choose a fight to the death.
It wasn't that Qi Yi used Fu Qian and the list to force Huo Mu to personally step onto the stage and complete the Black Flood Dragon's resurrection as quickly as possible.
It was Huo Mu's plan to turn the enemy's scheme against him!
From the very beginning, Huo Mu intended to come to the Training Grounds personally to realize the Black Flood Dragon's resurrection...
No, he wanted to refine the Black Flood Dragon's remnant soul, and then achieve his own true fusion with the Black Flood Dragon!
Madman!
The current Huo Mu was already a complete and utter madman through and through!
Chen Yan's breathing involuntarily began to quicken. He raised his head to look toward the position of the sun in the sky.
The time had come.
The next instant, Chen Yan's body suddenly rose uncontrollably into the air, then smashed heavily against a stone pillar in the Training Grounds.
Immediately after, a pale blue strand of spiritual energy pierced through Chen Yan's left arm, pinning him there.
An intense wave of pain assaulted Chen Yan's consciousness, causing cold sweat to stream down his forehead almost instantaneously.
There was no time to catch his breath.
Immediately after, another pale blue strand of spiritual energy pierced through Chen Yan's right arm.
Then his left leg, right leg, both shoulder blades, chest, feet...
A total of twelve pale blue strands of spiritual energy completely impaled Chen Yan's body.
Chen Yan knew what this represented.
Back at Heavenly Summit Mountain, He Furen had once used the same technique on him.
Then, Huo Mu pulled out the strand of spiritual energy from Chen Yan's chest.
"...Kill."
A faint, ancient, and hoarse voice sounded beside Chen Yan's ear.
The projection of the black serpent began to slowly emerge from the wound in his chest that had been pierced by the spiritual energy.
As the Black Flood Dragon Remnant Soul was extracted from within Chen Yan's body, both his soul and his physical form experienced pain far exceeding that of being impaled by twelve strands of spiritual energy.
It's fine.
Chen Yan comforted himself with all his might.
He had already gathered enough intelligence, he already knew Huo Mu's true objective.
What he needed to do next was to find a method to break the situation in the next Cycle of Reincarnation.
Just one more time, if he could just have one more time...
[Reincarnation Ended.]
[This Reincarnation Rating: B- (Were you perhaps a bit too overconfident?)]
[Accumulated Cultivation: Qi Sea Realm Peak]
[Reincarnation Reward: Purple Mansion Record Minor Achievement]
[Reincarnation settlement complete. Host will return to the previous reincarnation record point, inherit the accumulated cultivation from this reincarnation, and restart life.]
...
Wind.
Chen Yan felt the sound of wind by his ear.
And the instant he regained consciousness, a violent impact sensation came from behind him.
Chen Yan instinctively turned his head to look behind him and found that what he had crashed into was precisely a pillar in the outer court Training Grounds.
Why?
Chen Yan quickly realized where his current reincarnation record point was.
Then, he turned his head to look forward.
One after another, pale blue strands of spiritual energy flew toward him, piercing through his body one by one.
Why was the reincarnation record point this moment in time?
Intense pain assaulted Chen Yan's consciousness.
If this was the case, what use was the intelligence he had gathered?
"...Kill."
The faint, ancient, and hoarse voice sounded once more beside Chen Yan's ear.
In the final moments before his consciousness faded, the face of Li Haoran from back in front of the thatched hut appeared before his eyes.
Chen Yan seemed to comprehend everything. He finally understood why Li Haoran had seen the Death Omen on his face, the face of someone with infinite save-scumming.
So that's how it is, Senior...
So that's how it is...