Chapter 716: Making Arrangements Again

Chapter 716: Chapter 716: Making Arrangements Again

The relief of survival brought little joy. Han Shi’s heart was filled with only an icy numbness and an even deeper fear of Xu Yunfan. But that was quickly replaced by a burgeoning rage and a mind that was beginning to scheme once more.

’I’m far from the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm now. There must be a way to break free from Xu Yunfan’s control.’

He looked down at the Destiny-Defying Profound Mirror in his hand. It was completely unscathed, still radiating a soft, clear light. He remained silent.

Just then, Xu Yunfan’s cold, emotionless command, transmitted via Divine Thought, echoed directly in his mind.

"The Qiu Long is on White Bone Island, three hundred miles to the southeast. Approach it, but stay hidden. Survey the surrounding area and be on guard for any traps."

Han Shi didn’t hesitate for a second. He temporarily suppressed all his burgeoning schemes—or rather, he had long since lost the ability to hesitate at all.

According to Xu Yunfan, the Destiny-Defying Profound Mirror was a time bomb. If he dared to resist, the Profound Mirror would surely take his life.

Still, he was secretly astounded that Xu Yunfan could transmit messages across different realms.

Such an ability should be beyond even a True Monarch of the Golden Core Realm.

’Is the Cloud Scripture Incarnation Technique truly so miraculous?’

As he pondered this, he did as instructed and pressed the Destiny-Defying Profound Mirror into his chest. The Ancient Mirror’s soft radiance receded inward, perfectly concealing the aura of a living being and allowing him to blend into the deathly still backdrop of the Netherworld.

His form flickered, transforming into a shadow that nearly dissolved into the dim surroundings. He sped along the Blood Coastline, heading in the direction Xu Yunfan had indicated.

The speed and stealth of his Innate Sword Body were on full display.

Soon, an island appeared at the edge of his vision—White Bone Island, an isle piled high with countless colossal skeletons that emanated a heart-stopping pressure.

However, when Han Shi—or rather, Xu Yun, who was monitoring him—got a clear look at the situation on the island, a sharp sense of alarm rose within him.

The Bitter Sea Qiu Long—the same one that had battled both True Monarch Tong Xuan and the White-haired True Daoist with such terrifying might—was now coiled beneath a gnarled, grotesque tree at the highest point of White Bone Island.

But its condition was exceptionally wretched.

Its vast, skeletal dragon body was covered in massive, tearing wounds. In many places, jagged bone fragments protruded, gleaming with a dim luster.

The raging flames of blood that once burned in its eye sockets had grown dim, looking as if they might be extinguished at any moment.

Its aura was feeble, a far cry from the might it once held as a Golden Core-level Fierce Beast. It gave off the impression of a spent force, like a lamp whose oil had run dry.

The crucial Taiyin Nether Dragon Dao Fruit still hung from the branches of the grotesque tree, radiating a cold, clear light and looking as if it were ripe for the picking.

This was all too strange.

How could an overlord of the Sea of Suffering, a Golden Core-level beast symbiotically tied to a Dao Fruit, become so grievously wounded in such a short time?

Xu Yunfan refused to believe this was a natural decline or the reopening of old wounds.

His thoughts immediately turned to the White-haired True Daoist, that master of stealth and the Secret Technique of Life and Death Reincarnation.

This was most likely an elaborate trap.

The grievously wounded, dying Qiu Long and the seemingly unguarded Dao Fruit were the bait, meant to hook anyone who coveted the prize.

Or perhaps the Qiu Long itself was faking it.

Xu Yunfan refused to believe that a Fierce Beast evolved from a Dao Fruit would have such weak Recovery Power.

Besides, the Sea of Suffering was its home turf.

"Halt your advance. Observe from maximum distance."

Xu Yunfan’s Divine Thought command was laced with utmost caution.

"Circle White Bone Island at a distance of three hundred miles. Move stealthily and scout for any hidden Arrays or residual traces of special energy."

"Pay close attention to any abnormal fluctuations related to the reversal of Life and Death or the Dao Rhyme of Reincarnation. They should be similar to the fluctuations from the Destiny-Defying Profound Mirror, so you should be able to sense them clearly."

Han Shi halted as instructed, suppressing the opportunistic thought that had instinctively risen upon seeing the Qiu Long’s wretched state and the nearby Dao Fruit. He fully activated the Stealth Secret Technique Xu Yunfan had taught him, moving silently above the churning waves of blood and through the shadows of the jagged reefs.

As a Sword Cultivator, his powerful Spiritual Sense was exceptionally sensitive to danger, sweeping over every inch of suspicious space like the most precise radar.

"I haven’t detected any obvious fluctuations from Array nodes, nor have I sensed any other powerful life forms or Divine Souls besides the Qiu Long. The Death Qi concentration is distributed almost identically to other areas of the Sea of Suffering."

Han Shi relayed his findings through their spiritual link.

But he added one more detail.

"In a reef area a hundred miles southwest of White Bone Island, there are residual fluctuations of exceptionally pure Life and Death Magical Power. I suspect they’re traces of recent spellcasting, but there are no further clues. I can’t track where they went."

In the Divine Sky Palace, Xu Yunfan narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t surprised by this information.

’The White-haired True Daoist is indeed skilled at Concealment and exploiting situations to lay his traps,’ he thought. ’This trace of leftover Magical Power must have been left intentionally.’

Beneath this seemingly safe facade, a lethal danger was surely lurking.

Xu Yunfan had no intention of letting Han Shi risk walking directly into the heart of a potential trap.

After all, if his clone, Han Shi, were to die in there, his plans for the Taiyin Qiu Dragon Dao Fruit would be shelved for a considerable amount of time.

"For now, just follow my commands."

Xu Yunfan issued a new command, and Han Shi had no choice but to obey. He wanted to resist, but the subtle, almost imperceptible threat he felt kept him from making any unnecessary moves.

"Take out the Array Banners I gave you. Following an astral pattern, circle five hundred miles out from White Bone Island and deploy them at seven locations where the spatial nodes are relatively stable and there are fewer Death Qi Vortexes."

"Deploy them covertly. Once they are activated, get away immediately."

Han Shi immediately retrieved ninety-nine Small Banners from his Storage Magical Artifact. They were palm-sized, triangular, and so pitch-black they seemed to absorb all light.

These were the Shadow Escape Banners, Array Banners that Xu Yunfan had spent the last three years personally Refining. During his explorations of the Sea of Suffering, he had combined the Primordial Sect’s Array Dao Secret Manual with his own understanding of space and Yin Evil to create them specifically for this mission. Their primary functions were Concealment, misdirection, and temporarily disrupting space.

They would be remarkably effective for seizing the Taiyin Qiu Dragon Dao Fruit.

Moving like a bolt of lightning, he followed Xu Yunfan’s pinpoint-accurate Divine Thought guidance, zipping through the sky above the Sea of Blood and between the crevices of the reefs.

Each pause was fleeting. With a blur of his fingers, he precisely embedded one black Small Banner after another into the spatial nodes Xu Yunfan had calculated.

The moment an Array Banner left his hand, it was like a drop of water falling into the ocean. It instantly blended with the surroundings and vanished without a trace, not even causing the faintest ripple.

Once all ninety-nine Array Banners were in place, Han Shi didn’t linger for a moment and immediately retreated to a safe distance.

He didn’t want to die, either.

The Sea of Suffering Reincarnation was a treacherous and bizarre place. The Sea of Blood below teemed with countless vengeful souls and withered bones, and the sight of it sent a chill through the depths of his being.

Moreover, at the edge of his vision, the Netherworld lay dormant, like a Divine Mountain and Giant Peak.

This was the world of the dead; the longer one stayed, the greater the danger.

If it were up to him, he wouldn’t be doing any of this.

Finally, Xu Yunfan ordered Han Shi to a position above a massive vortex of bloody waves, approximately eight hundred miles from White Bone Island.

Here, the Death Qi churned violently, forming a natural screen of chaos.

"Take out the Yin Nether Cloud Qi."

Xu Yunfan issued the command methodically.

As commanded, Han Shi took out a murky gray, constantly roiling mass of mist. It emanated the pure aura of the Netherworld.