Chapter 547 - 326: Death (2)
Jishan had been temporarily sealed by Huan. He couldn’t even recover now, forced to remain in a weakened state, waiting for Yang An to arrive and finish him off for good.
Huan had watched the entire battle between the two just now, and the strength Yang An displayed had surprised him as well.
This fellow had not only mastered a great deal of Light Magic, but he had even fused with a Light Category Forbidden Artifact Fragment.
For such an anomaly to appear in this polluted, collapsing world was completely beyond comprehension.
If he weren’t sealed by the Stone Stele and unable to move, he could have taken advantage of the opening during their battle, using the force of Yang An’s all-out attack to kill himself.
’What a pity...’
But even though he hadn’t managed to die, Huan now found himself extremely interested in Yang An.
Yang An not only had the aura of a fire seed but also the aura of that fellow, He. He had mastered so many Light Forbidden Techniques and the Power of Light Rules, yet he was not bound by their price.
This special constitution reminded him of a certain plan from the former Five Great Celestial Sects—a cultivation physique called the Flesh Mushroom, which could suppress the price.
But he remembered that plan was supposed to have failed.
Huan seemed to have thought of something. His gaze seemed to pierce through space across a vast distance, landing on Yang An.
"He... could this boy be your handiwork?"
About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yang An staggered into the depths, arriving before Huan.
To cope with the price he was enduring, he had to halt the recovery of his Mana, keeping his power in a constant state of deficit. Only by doing so did he survive the most agonizing flare-up of the price.
He saw the lump of flesh in front of the Stone Stele. It was the last remnant of Jishan’s flesh and blood. Although it still exuded the powerful aura of the Insect Dao, at this point, even a Corpse Transformation could probably kill Jishan for good.
The flesh was enveloped in a phantasmal shadow, like an egg clutched firmly in a sharp talon.
When Yang An appeared, Jishan’s flesh began to struggle frantically. It seemed to have realized its impending fate but was completely unable to break free of its confinement, letting out a silent roar.
"I’ve been waiting for you for a long time."
Huan slowly raised his head and said, full of dissatisfaction.
If this fellow didn’t possess the ability to kill him and grant him release, if he didn’t have secrets that were surely related to He, and if his interest hadn’t been suddenly piqued, Huan probably would have lost his patience and killed him long ago.
Yang An plopped down on the ground, right next to the sealed remnants of Jishan’s flesh.
"To you, how long is a long time?"
"..."
A single sentence left Huan choked and speechless. He had been sealed in this place for a very, very long time. Compared to that, this short wait truly didn’t amount to anything.
After waiting a few breaths for the flare-up of the price to completely pass, and recovering some Mana in the process, Yang An took out the Soul-Collecting Magical Artifact the Workshop Master had given him—a box called the Soul-Stabilizing Box—from his Storage Magical Artifact.
"Why don’t you suppress the price of the Forbidden Artifact Fragment’s flare-up?"
Just then, Huan suddenly asked.
Yang An’s hands didn’t pause, but he didn’t answer either. ’Let him guess.’
This was his greatest secret; he couldn’t possibly reveal it.
BANG!
Yang An reached out and grabbed the phantasmal shadow sealing Jishan. It made a crisp sound, just like tapping on an eggshell.
Jishan’s remaining flesh struggled madly inside, repeatedly ramming against the illusory eggshell, but it was completely unable to break the Seal.
In an instant, Yang An clenched his fist with sudden force. The phantasmal shadow sealing Jishan abruptly shattered. Jishan seemed to try and seize this one and only chance to fly away, but it was a step too slow.
Yang An was prepared. He snatched Jishan’s remaining flesh in his hand. He watched as the flesh rapidly expanded, a clear sign that Jishan had anticipated its fate and was trying to launch a final, desperate counterattack.
But Yang An gave it no such chance. A blinding light suddenly erupted from his hand, instantly engulfing Jishan’s flesh.
A shrill scream suddenly echoed from within the flesh. The flesh itself was silent, but this was a roar from the soul.
"Collect!"
Yang An quickly poured Mana into the Soul-Stabilizing Box. The wooden box snapped open, and a hand formed of black shadow suddenly shot out, grasping at the void.
Only then did Yang An see what the shadow hand held: a dazed and illusory miniature figure—Jishan, shrunk down countless times over.
With its physical body completely destroyed, its soul seemed to have fallen into a state of confusion, allowing it to be seized by the shadow hand and pulled back into the wooden box.
SNAP!
The shadow hand retracted, and the wooden box closed. Yang An suddenly felt the Soul-Stabilizing Box in his hand grow much heavier.
After collecting a soul, this thing couldn’t be placed into a Storage Magical Artifact, so Yang An had no choice but to carry it on his person.
"When will you fulfill your promise?"
Seeing that Yang An was finished, Huan, who was off to the side, asked again.
"If you had to choose between death and successfully escaping this world, which would you pick?"
Yang An asked in return.
"Death."
But to his surprise, Huan’s reply was firm and without a hint of hesitation.
Huan knew very well that even the Five Great Celestial Sects had utterly failed. There was simply no hope of escaping this world. Yang An alone couldn’t possibly do it.