Chapter 1378: A Blessing in Disguise
"Actually, this Vast Sea originally also belonged to a part of Wandering Dragon Star, but for some unknown reason, it was cut off by this bank of mist and became an independent world like a Secret Realm. Outsiders can hardly come here. Even if someone accidentally breaks in occasionally, it is almost impossible for them to leave." Ling Chongzi said in a deep voice, giving Yang Yan a long, heavy look.
Yang Yan, hearing this, only nodded lightly.
He certainly understood that what Ling Chongzi said was actually directed at him.
"But a blessing in disguise is still a blessing; in fact, the cultivators living here ought to thank this mist." Ling Chongzi continued, "Because of this sea, the Spiritual Qi here has not been exhausted. But now..."
At this point, Ling Chongzi let out a heavy sigh and did not go on.
"What is it like now?" Yang Yan hastily pressed him.
Ling Chongzi showed a wry smile. He looked at Yang Yan and said, "Now that the mist has dispersed, the Spiritual Qi will inevitably drain away rapidly. Even more terrifying is that those Ancient Times creatures that were originally sealed within have lost their restraints and will surely bring calamity to this place. At that time, all living things will be plunged into misery and suffering, and no one will be able to escape this tribulation!"
When Yang Yan heard this, his heart skipped a beat.
Back then, the reason he came here was also because of the so‑called great calamity of Heaven and Earth, risking himself to explore the Tomb of Ten Thousand Graves; otherwise, he would not have ended up here by accident.
Yet in Yang Yan’s heart, he feared that the so‑called great calamity of Heaven and Earth was far from merely this.
This sudden disappearance of the mist—the reason behind it might be the very clue to unraveling the great calamity of Heaven and Earth.
Yang Yan said nothing, only raised his head to look at the sky shrouded in mist, falling into a long, silent contemplation.
What exactly would this great calamity of Heaven and Earth be?
...
At this moment, in a region where Demonic Qi roiled skyward, a figure was somewhat wretchedly dodging the attacks of demonic beasts in this stretch of heaven and earth.
The owner of that figure was none other than Fu Xingyun, whose body had been destroyed and whose Primordial Spirit had escaped by sheer luck.
With his father’s help, he had successfully reshaped his fleshly body, only to be thrown into this place by his father for tempering, to prepare him to rise abruptly during the future great calamity of Heaven and Earth and harvest the greatest possible benefits.
"Yang Yan, one day I will surely make you live a life worse than death."
After evading an attack from a Frenzied Demon Bear, the erosion of Demonic Qi caused him to spit out a mouthful of blood. Pain and hatred flashed across his face, his gaze twisted into a ferocious snarl.
Roar!
With a heart‑rending bellow, streams of Demonic Qi danced around his body. The flesh that had only just been reborn kept shattering and then reforming.
Under the repeated tempering of the Demonic Qi, his physical strength gradually increased. Fu Xingyun’s features were contorted, and the bloodshot in his eyes made him ever more hideous and terrifying.
Boom—
As his body madly swelled, his flesh suddenly exploded over a large area, and Fu Xingyun’s pain was drowned in a cloud of surging blood mist.
At this time, scenes of everything that had happened to the Feather Spirit Sect flashed continuously through Fu Xingyun’s mind, until they froze at the instant when Yang Yan severed his head.
Fu Xingyun’s Primordial Spirit was wrapped within that blood mist, his Soul Fire blazing fiercely.
As the blood and flesh were tempered again and again, the first thing to reappear was a pair of crimson eyes.
Within those eyes burned a frantic flame, and from the Void came a beast‑like low growl:
"Yang Yan! Yang Yan! It’s all because of you, all because of you! If not for you, why would I have to suffer such torment? I will make you live a life worse than death. Ah—"
As more and more Demonic Qi poured into Fu Xingyun’s soul, his body also continued to coalesce.
When his body first stabilized, Fu Xingyun appeared almost deranged. The Demonic Qi on his body surged wildly, and the Frenzied Demon Bear that had been eyeing him covetously now lay prostrate on the ground, trembling.
In the end, when Fu Xingyun locked onto it, the bear let out a shrill wail and turned to flee.
Unfortunately, it had just taken a few steps when its massive body was suddenly lifted off the ground by an invisible force.
Then, amidst its miserable howls, its body swelled rapidly and finally burst like a balloon, turning into a cloud of blood mist.
Fu Xingyun’s figure flickered, and he plunged headfirst into the blood mist.
In an instant, the blood mist was completely devoured by him, and the aura on his body grew ever more violent.
Roar!
Suspended in mid‑air, Fu Xingyun spread his arms and howled toward the sky, yet what came out was the Frenzied Demon Bear’s roar!
Just then, a streak of light flashed through his mind.
The Demonic Qi instantly melted away like snow under a blazing sun; only a few strands of Demonic Qi managed to escape from Fu Xingyun’s mind.
Fu Xingyun gradually sobered, regaining his own Divine Sense.
A voice from his father echoed in his mind, shaking his sea of consciousness like a great bell or a mighty drum.
"Remember this! You are the son of the Hidden Sect Leader, yet you were defeated by Yang Yan. Though Yang Yan is a peerless genius, that is no excuse for your weakness."
"This place is your land of fortune. If you can come out alive, Yang Yan will be nothing but a clay chicken, a pottery dog, to be slaughtered at your whim."
"Your vision must not be so narrow, completely blinded by hatred, allowing Demonic Qi to so easily erode your Spiritual Sense."
"You must keep one thing firmly in mind: this world is about to fall into chaos. As the saying goes, Chaotic Times forge heroes. Your ambition should be to stir up storms in this Chaotic Times and become a hegemon."
Listening to his father’s words, Fu Xingyun silently endured the agony, waiting for the moment to soar into the heavens once more and trample Yang Yan beneath his feet.
Yet he still could not forget his boundless hatred for Yang Yan, only vowing viciously in his heart:
Yang Yan! Though I was defeated at your hands, remember this: the day I walk out of here will be the day your life ends.
I will seize your Primordial Spirit, refine it into a puppet, and make it serve at my command, to torment at my leisure!
...
Yang Yan was now carefully examining the jade token in his hand, sending his Spiritual Sense into it to inspect in detail the fragmentary map within that recorded the route to Wandering Dragon Star.
He had not expected his luck to be so uncanny, that he would actually encounter that eerie Ghost Ship and then come across an immortal who was gravely wounded, leading to his current state.
Thinking back on that encounter, Yang Yan could not help but sigh at the impermanence of the world.
However, a blessing in disguise is still a blessing.
This too was not without its benefits.
He had, in a sense, walked the path of cultivation all over again, yet this time he advanced one steady step at a time, eliminating the flaws in his previous cultivation and making every step more solid.
With a thought, a strand of Spiritual Power with a faint golden glow appeared in Yang Yan’s hand, and he could not help but show a gratified smile.
After going through this calamity, he was not crushed; instead, his own Spiritual Power became even purer, and his control over Spiritual Power with his physical body grew far more adept.
Of course, most important of all was this process of Refining Heart; he could clearly feel that his Dao Foundation had already become even more profound and solid.
Yang Yan withdrew his Spiritual Power and once again urged his Spiritual Sense to carefully probe that map.
After about an hour, Yang Yan suddenly closed his eyes and pondered silently for a moment.
Another quarter of an hour later, when he opened his eyes again, a trace of sudden realization flashed through his sharp gaze.
He fixed the jade token that contained the map in mid‑air and urged the Spiritual Power in his body to continually temper it.