Chapter 190 - 188: Shocking a Hundred Li (1)

Chapter 190: Chapter 188: Shocking a Hundred Li (1)

Within Fangcun Mountain, the battlefield’s safe zone steadily shrank as time went on.

After one day, the battlefield had shrunk by half.

By the end of the second day, only a tenth of its original size remained. The leftover area was located at the convergence point of the various nations’ capitals.

As the final countdown drew near, the battlefield shrank even further, leaving an area only a hundred li in radius.

Even this remaining hundred-li area was gradually collapsing inward.

The ring would only stop shrinking once the fighting had determined a sole victor. After that, the final five survivors could divide the remaining Light of the Mind.

In the basement, Fang Can, now back to his normal state, was slowly stretching his muscles to warm up for the great battle ahead.

As he moved, he contorted his body into a series of poses that defied human limits. From within his blood vessels came the sound of a great river surging without end.

After warming up for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Fang Can stood still. Thanks to the warm-up, the number above his head settled at 11,000.

He tilted his head slightly to look at the young woman. "I’ve given you two days to cultivate inside my body. Are you ready?"

"Don’t worry," Xiang Ziyu replied. "Since you truly haven’t broken through to the First Turn, I’ll naturally honor my promise to compose a poem for you."

The young woman then blinked her purple eyes. "But I must admit, I’m very curious how a mere Profound Gate Tenth Layer like you plans to turn the tables."

Fang Can said nothing, merely walking toward the steps.

He shoved open the sealed hatch overhead, letting the outside light flood in.

...

At that moment, in the very center of the safe zone.

Hundreds of Martial Artists were gathered together, staring speechlessly at the overcast sky.

They had searched for two solid days without finding a single trace of Fang Can. Meanwhile, the other Great Inference Martial Artists had been killed off one group after another.

By now, basically all the Martial Artists remaining in the grand competition had joined their ranks.

Anyone who had refused to join was already dead.

’Where the hell is that Fang Can? He didn’t pick some invisibility legacy ability, did he? Is he just standing by, watching us kill each other off?’

A Martial Artist sighed, looking up at the sky. He picked up a small stone and tossed it into a distant pool of water.

"Where’s the Daoist? Have a Daoist perform a divination! Find out where that Fang Can is hiding."

"Enough of that," said a youth in a Daoist robe. "I already tried yesterday. I performed over twenty divinations, and the result was completely different every single time."

As they spoke, a few drops of rain fell from the sky, sprinkling across the crowd and dampening their clothes.

"Ugh, this is so annoying. As if my mood wasn’t bad enough, now it’s starting to rain." ℴℴ𝘮

One of the Martial Artists looked up at the fine, drizzling rain as droplets slowly began to wet the ground.

At the feeling of the raindrops, the Daoist who had just been lying down shot to his feet. He pulled a Compass from his robes and began a divination.

A moment later, a delighted cry escaped the Daoist. "Aha! This rain corresponds perfectly with the Xu Hexagram!"

"What does that mean?" the surrounding Martial Artists asked, looking over with curiosity in their eyes.

"The upper trigram of the Xu Hexagram is Kan, which represents clouds, and the lower trigram is Qian, which represents the heavens. Clouds gathering in the sky, waiting to release the rain... The symbolism of this hexagram is a sign of great fortune!"

"We specifically chose this lakeside as our gathering point. Encountering water is incredibly auspicious for us."

"Plus, it’s like welcome rain after a long drought. This downpour couldn’t have come at a better time. As long as it keeps raining, our good fortune will be as endless as the living waters of the lake!"

The Daoist’s excited tone instinctively soothed the frayed nerves of the surrounding Martial Artists.

As Xiang Longtao watched the unceasing drizzle and listened to the Daoist’s explanation, a smile unconsciously spread across his face.

"Fang Can, the heavens themselves want you dead! Let’s see how your Great Sun Undying Demon Body is supposed to work in the rain!"

Just as the crowd was rejoicing, a voice as crisp and clear as a ringing bell reached everyone’s ears.

"Desert Journey"

The Gobi sun flows like fire,When will the searing waves of yellow sand ever cease?Steam rises from the vast, shadeless desert,The sun scorches all living things, turning their sweat to oil.Heaven and Earth are a furnace, and men are its charcoal,As mirage vapors rise, the shadows deepen and writhe.Suddenly, the distant chime of camel bells across the sandy sea,Camels lie buried in gravel, their pale skulls exposed to the sky.

...

’That voice!!!’

Hearing that familiar voice, Xiang Longtao’s expression changed dramatically.

The moment the voice faded, in the very next instant—

The thick curtain of overcast clouds was pierced by a blinding, sword-like ray of golden light. Sunlight once again bathed the earth.

The land, which had just been soaked in a steady drizzle, was now rapidly covered by light and heat. The moisture on the surface began to evaporate, sending up wisps of steam.

The air filled with the fresh, fragrant scent of sun-baked earth.

The sunlight grew increasingly intense, coating every inch of the land in a dazzling golden sheen. The earth itself began to transform into dry sand!

At the same time, the Daoist who had just made the prediction let out a pained shriek. "Damn it all! Who interfered with my Xu Hexagram?! My great fortune has turned into a great calamity!"

Everyone instinctively looked to the sky. They saw that, stirred up by the poem, the sky was now completely cloudless.

The sun’s rays beat down, completely unobstructed, and steam rose from all around.

In the distance, a young man holding a long spear could be seen walking across the surface of the lake, treading on the waves as he approached.

The young man’s pace was unhurried, yet the water beneath his Cloud-Stepping Shoes behaved like solid ground, actively supporting his weight and carrying him forward.

Watching the young man approach through the rising steam, Xiang Longtao’s eyes blazed with fury. The humiliation from two days prior flooded his mind.

Consumed by absolute rage, Xiang Longtao ignored Fang Can at first.

His gaze traveled past the young man to the slender figure in the pavilion at the center of the lake. He spoke, enunciating each word with fury:

"Xiang Ziyu! Are you still part of the Great Chu’s imperial family? Have you betrayed our Imperial Father?"

Compared to Fang Can, who had been an enemy from the start, the betrayal of his own sister was far more painful to Xiang Longtao, so he immediately confronted her.

Xiang Ziyu, for her part, was far more composed.

’If I hadn’t endured humiliation and shouldered this burden to delay Fang Can’s breakthrough these past few days, my dear Imperial Brother would have probably been beaten to death like a dog on the side of the road by now.’

’Delaying Fang Can’s breakthrough to the First Turn for the benefit of Great Chu—this is loyalty!’

’Obeying my father’s command to disregard danger and help my Imperial Brother hunt down Fang Can—this is filial piety!’

’Living with a Great Inference demon and, though tempted, never overstepping the bounds of propriety—this is etiquette!’

’Following my heart and keeping my promise even to an enemy—this is righteousness!’

’With these four virtues of loyalty, filial piety, etiquette, and righteousness all intact, even a Confucian sage would have to declare me open and honorable, beyond reproach!’

And so, with a perfectly composed mind, the young woman faced her brother’s accusations as if they were nothing more than a gentle breeze.

Her gaze pierced through the mist, landing on Xiang Longtao. Seeing his current state, Xiang Ziyu couldn’t help but ask in confusion,

"Imperial Brother, why is your head... so pointy?"

Furious, Xiang Longtao yanked his hood over his bald head. His gaze then shifted to the approaching Fang Can. He stared, stunned for a moment, before blurting out,

"What’s going on? How can your power be so pathetically weak?"

Everyone stared at the young man standing on the surface of the lake. The number ’11,000’ floating above his head filled them with shocked suspicion. ’Something’s wrong with that number!’