Chapter 393 - 391: One Flees, One Pursues

Chapter 393: Chapter 391: One Flees, One Pursues

The Thunder Sound Sword Light shattered on contact, so fast that Li Hansi didn’t even have time to react.

The Fish Dragon Sect wasn’t known for its swordsmanship, but it had a stable means of producing Thunder Sound Swords.

Because of this, the Fish Dragon Sect had spent a great deal of effort in the past to acquire a Swordsmanship Secret Manual.

Nearly every Core Formation True Man in the Sect was equipped with a Thunder Sound Sword.

In the Ten Thousand Stars Islands, the Thunder Sound Sword had practically become the standard equipment for the Fish Dragon Sect’s Core Formation True Men.

When he was in the Central Domain, Li Hansi had sparred with True Disciples from various Sword Sects.

Even when his swordsmanship was inferior, he could rely on his superior True Essence to drag the fight into a battle of attrition and, at worst, secure a draw.

He considered Bai Zichen an opponent on par with a True Disciple from a Central Domain Sword Sect and felt he was already giving him an incredible amount of respect.

He never imagined that his Sword Light would be utterly routed the moment they clashed. The silvery-white Sword Silk sliced through his Thunder Sound Sword Light as if it were tofu, sending a chill through his entire body.

He couldn’t tell if it was the fear in his heart or the cold gleam of moonlight that was making the temperature drop.

His fingers flashed through a seal, and murky waves surged. The sound of water rippled out as if a vast ocean had breached its dams, turning the entire Cold Crow Gorge into a marshland.

From within the waves, two ancient-looking Water-Splitting Needles flew out, and two hundred-zhang-long water dragons roared, their momentum staggering.

A small cauldron also expanded, green waves swirling within. It tipped over, pouring down like a celestial river, and the surrounding water level rapidly rose.

There was also a bracelet, hazy as smoke and mist, with seven jade beads strung in a line.

It spun in the air, and a beam of azure water light shot down to envelop the silvery-white Sword Silk.

Li Hansi had only ever witnessed such mighty power from Refining Sword into Silk from a distance, displayed by the previous Saint Heir of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect—the very same True Monarch who had advanced decades ago.

How could he dare hold anything back? He immediately unleashed everything he had to stop that thread of Sword Silk.

Even though several defensive barriers still separated them, he was trembling with fear, and alarm bells were screaming in his mind.

’Such rich True Essence. As expected of the Dragon Transformation Scripture. To think he can simultaneously control four Top-Grade Magical Treasures!’

Bai Zichen praised inwardly. He possessed the complete Dragon Transformation Scripture and understood this Cultivation Technique quite well.

As the Fundamental Great Method of the Fish Dragon Sect, this Cultivation Technique could be practiced all the way to the Late-Stage Nascent Soul Realm, and its user’s True Essence was twice as abundant as that of a cultivator at the same level.

When used in an aquatic environment, it revealed many wondrous properties, and all manner of Water Element Divine Techniques were enhanced.

In the past, only the most outstanding Core Disciple of each generation in the Fish Dragon Sect was qualified to practice it.

For instance, the Bai Family’s Ancestor, as the sole heir of the Red Bright Lineage, could only practice the slightly inferior Red Bright Nirvana Technique.

If not for the fact that only cultivators with a Water Spiritual Root could truly unleash the wondrous aspects of the Dragon Transformation Scripture—while those with other Spiritual Roots would get half the results for twice the effort, and it would waste the inferior Celestial Fire Spiritual Root Bai Zichen had worked so hard to generate—he might have seriously considered switching to this Cultivation Technique in the future.

The treasures Li Hansi was using were clearly heirlooms from the Profound Clarity Main Lineage and were perfectly compatible with him. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed the environment into an aquatic domain, perfectly suited for a cultivator of the Dragon Transformation Scripture.

In the past, facing such a display from a Perfect Core Formation Cultivator would have indeed been quite troublesome.

But he had just made another breakthrough in his Sword Dao, honing his One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws technique on the Tier Three Demon Beasts of Black Mountain. Now, he finally had a worthy opponent.

Below the Nascent Soul Realm, this man could be considered among the strongest tier of cultivators, second only to the Saint Heirs and Saintesses of the Super Major Sects.

The silvery-white Sword Silk, already as fine as a hair, condensed even further, becoming incomparably pure and sharp. The water parted automatically as it drove straight forward.

The azure water light was immensely heavy; any Magical Treasure or Divine Technique it enveloped would seem to sink into a quagmire, its speed slowing to a crawl.

But the Moon Xuan Sword was a Tier Four weapon to begin with, and it was backed by the Sword Dao Realm of One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws. The azure water light was torn apart right down the middle.

Of the seven jade beads on the smoke-like bracelet, three shattered instantly.

Then, with a flash of moonlight, it pierced through the space between the two water dragons, making the surging waves seem like a joke.

What looked like a solid, airtight defense was actually riddled with openings before the Moon Xuan Sword. It slipped past the two water dragons at a cunning angle, leaving them far behind.

Only the great cauldron remained in its path. The silvery-white Sword Silk stopped dodging. A deafening CRACK echoed out, and a hole the size of a grain of rice appeared on the cauldron’s body.

PFFT!

A flower of blood bloomed on Li Hansi’s chest. He staggered, his True Essence faltered, and he could no longer maintain control of his several Top-Grade Magical Treasures, which all fell from the sky.

But surprisingly, his eyes were still clear. He seized the opportunity to spit out a cloud of blood mist that enveloped his body, instantly teleporting him several hundred zhang away.

’A Tier Four Substitute Death Jade Talisman?’

Bai Zichen had seen it clearly. When the Sword Silk was about to strike, it should have minced the man into pieces. There was no way his magical robe could have blocked a Tier Four Flying Sword.

It was the Luminous Jade Ring at his waist that had protected him, exploding in a chain reaction to absorb the power of the sword strike.

Failing to achieve a complete victory on his first attempt after mastering One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws left him slightly annoyed.

With a wave of his hand, he pulled over the fallen magical treasures, sealed them with a Forbidden restriction, and tossed them all into his storage bag before transforming into a streak of moonlight to give chase.

This Core Formation True Man from the Fish Dragon Sect had already figured out Bai Zichen’s identity and knew he had the Holy Beast Essence Blood.

If he escaped, there would undoubtedly be endless trouble later.

’As expected of a Nascent Soul Major Lineage. The treasures on him can’t be compared to what my own Ancestor possessed... Judging by the Spiritual Power fluctuations from that Jade Talisman, it could even block a direct strike from a Nascent Soul True Monarch.’

Bai Zichen locked onto the streak of blood light more than a dozen li away, pushing his Sword Flight speed to its absolute limit.

’This escape technique is incredible. His flight speed is actually a sliver faster than my all-out Sword Flight!’

The distance between them was slowly increasing and would soon exceed twenty li.

And he was riding a Tier Four Flying Sword.

Any other Core Formation Cultivator would have been left in the dust long ago.

However, this escape Secret Technique surely overdrafted one’s Primordial Qi and burned one’s Essence Blood. There was no way it could be sustained for long.

But Bai Zichen was different from other Sword Cultivators. The problem of running out of True Essence after flying at full speed for ten thousand li would never happen to him.

With his Moon Xuan Sword housed in the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box, Sword Flight consumed only slightly more True Essence than he could regenerate on his own.

Flying to the Central Domain in one go was an exaggeration, but flying for a million li would be no problem at all.

Bai Zichen refused to believe that any escape Secret Technique in the world could be sustained for so long.

Even if one could exist, the user would have long been sucked into a withered husk, their life force completely spent.

Half an hour later, Li Hansi had pulled thirty li ahead of Bai Zichen, but he was still within range of his Divine Sense, his every move crystal clear.

After flying for several hundred more li, the streak of blood light wavered and plummeted from the sky.

By the time Bai Zichen arrived, Li Hansi’s face was as pale as gold leaf, his body shriveled and gaunt.

A membrane of blood clung to the surface of his body, reducing his aura fluctuations to nearly nothing, almost as if he had entered a state of suspended animation.

Had it been a Core Formation True Man with normal Divine Sense strength, they might have genuinely missed him once he had escaped their detection range.

But Bai Zichen’s Divine Sense had been locked onto the man the entire time, making him more conspicuous than a firefly in the night sky. There was no way he would have lost him.

’What a tyrannical Secret Technique. If he’d held on for a moment longer, it probably would have drained him of all his Essence Blood and bone marrow...’

Bai Zichen looked at the unconscious Li Hansi, whose appearance had changed drastically. With a flash of Sword Light from his hand, he tore the blood membrane in two.

These kinds of self-harming, life-saving Secret Techniques all followed a basic rule: the greater the side effects, the greater the power.

Take the Pink Crystal Shattering Jade Technique, for example. It could give a Core Formation True Man the strength to contend with a Nascent Soul True Monarch for a short time.

The price was that a cultivator who had tempered their physical body to the extreme would have their Five Crystal Bones shatter into pieces and their Glazed Jade Flesh torn to shreds.

The stronger the physical body, the deeper the pain of its destruction.

Bai Zichen pointed a finger at Li Hansi’s forehead. Just as an image of a vast, misty island appeared in his Sea of Consciousness, the world spun and plunged into darkness.

He looked down. The last segment of the jade ring at the man’s waist had shattered, completely destroying its master’s Sea of Consciousness.

Seeing Li Hansi’s vacant, idiotic expression, drool leaking from the corner of his mouth, Bai Zichen knew the man’s Sea of Consciousness had been turned into a messy pulp.

’What a ruthless method. If anyone attempts a Soul Search, the Jade Talisman detonates a seed hidden deep within the Sea of Consciousness, ensuring no information falls into enemy hands...’

Bai Zichen sighed. He had originally planned to use his Taiwu Soul Searching and Soul Cutting Technique to learn more about the Fish Dragon Sect.

He hadn’t expected the Forbidden restrictions the Fish Dragon Sect placed within its Core Disciples’ Sea of Consciousness to be so tyrannical. Most sects simply tried to resist Soul Search techniques or placed self-destruct restrictions on specific High-Tier Cultivation Techniques and Top-Level Divine Powers.

If someone tried to pry using a Soul Searching and Confusing God technique, the information would self-destruct, erasing the technique directly from memory.

Although that would also damage the Sea of Consciousness, it was far better than the Fish Dragon Sect’s method, which turned its own disciples into the Living Dead.

Even if they could be saved, there was no chance of recovery. They would be crippled for life.

With a sweep of Sword Light, a head tumbled to the ground. He had beheaded the man.

The main reason was that Li Hansi had been scared witless by Bai Zichen’s One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws. Lacking even a shred of courage to resist, he had immediately used an escape Secret Technique to flee.

He had just made one more miscalculation: even with his Dragon Transformation Scripture at the Perfect Core Formation Realm, he had been unable to completely shake off a Late-Stage Core Formation Bai Zichen while the Secret Technique was active.

Otherwise, despite being severely injured and suffering from Qi and blood deficiency, he could have at least saved his life.

’He would have been better off fighting to the death. At least then I could have tested my new technique with a few more strikes...’

Bai Zichen discovered that the man had only a single Mid-Grade Storage Bag on his person, filled with some miscellaneous items and Spiritual Materials. It was completely unbecoming of a Perfect Core Formation Cultivator.

Moreover, this man was a legacy disciple of the Fish Dragon Sect’s Profound Clarity Main Lineage. In addition to the treasures he had brought when he left Hornless Dragon Island, he should have had his own savings from all these years.

His gaze swept over the body. He tapped the belt with his Moon Xuan Sword, and a metallic clang rang out.

An ordinary-looking Rhino Horn Belt was lifted by his True Essence, revealing a faint Treasure Light. It was actually a Storage Magical Treasure.

’How extravagant. They actually gave him a Storage Magical Treasure. Just how much did he take with him when he fled the Fish Dragon Sect...?’

His True Essence hovered outside the Rhino Horn Belt, unable to enter. Instead of being alarmed, Bai Zichen was pleased.

In the entire Qingfeng Sect, only Ge Cang possessed a Storage Magical Treasure. The others, at best, had Top-Grade Storage Bags.

It wasn’t just the Qingfeng Sect. Even among ancient Nascent Soul Major Sects with long histories, few would go to the trouble of refining Storage Magical Treasures.

In most cases, Top-Grade Storage Bags were more than enough. At worst, one could just use more of them; it was merely a bit more inconvenient.

Once one reached the level of a Nascent Soul True Monarch, as long as they refined their Nascent Soul Realm, they would have their own personal world for storage.

What use would they have for Storage Magical Treasures, storage bags, and the like?

Furthermore, refining a Storage Magical Treasure required precious Space Spiritual Objects. Since Nascent Soul True Monarchs had no need for them, they were typically only refined for the sect’s convenience in transporting large quantities of materials. As a result, the number produced was never very high.

After all, Space Spiritual Objects were helpful to Nascent Soul True Monarchs in Refining their Realm. How could they be wasted so recklessly?

’This whole chase has brought me almost to the edge of Black Mountain... I really wonder what realm one must reach to achieve what the ancient books describe: "to roam Beiyue in the morning and reach Cangwu by dusk."’

Bai Zichen got his bearings, tossed out a ball of Spirit Fire to burn Li Hansi’s body to ash, and then turned back toward Cold Crow Gorge.