Dragon Canon

Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, a ring of light suddenly descended from the sky and landed precisely on a certain part of the body that had raised a banner of rebellion.

The halo possessed immense power to subdue demons and devils, as well as the ability to suppress the primordial spirit and cloud the mind. Trapped within it, the newly awakened innate wisdom in that part of the body vanished, and the immortal spell it had just learned was completely forgotten.

Wei Yuan finally let out a sigh of relief, but immediately remembered that the aura of mystic energy within the halo felt strangely familiar. In fact, he had faced it time and again[1] during his ten years’ study at the Palace of Absolute Beginning. It was his Big Senior Sister’s technique.

Had she... seen everything?

For a while, Wei Yuan wanted nothing more than to smash his head against the jade hill and die. However, a faint voice inside him stubbornly insisted, “What’s the big deal? It’s not like she hasn’t seen it before... more than once....”

Fortunately, that voice was eventually suppressed. Wei Yuan took a deep breath, feeling more nervous now than when he had faced down the Shamans’ army of over one hundred thousand. If there was a silver lining about this situation, the one who found him first was his Big Senior Sister. If it had been Master....

For now, Wei Yuan could only wait for the sentience within each part of his body to fade before he could regain control. Since this process would take a little time, he decided to take stock of his gains.

As he looked up, he saw the girl.

She stood motionless with her back to Wei Yuan, as if nothing had happened. But after absorbing all of Wei Yuan’s otherworldly fortune, the details of her body had become richer, and she now resembled a living person rather than a statue.

Unlike other face warriors, the Dao Foundation Yin Yang wore no clothes. Previously, apart from her face, the rest of her body had been a seamless whole. But after she activated this time, the details had become more pronounced.

What was that idiom from Xu Wenwu’s world again? Right—the devil is in the details.

His hands behind his back, Wei Yuan strolled around aimlessly until he found himself standing before the girl.

Taking in the surroundings, Wei Yuan mused that if she were to be deployed again in the future, he would likely need to prepare some clothing for her. But unless it was a matter of life and death, Wei Yuan did not dare let her see the light of day at all. If the Shamans were to detect her, it would spell a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions.

Moreover, using this activation as the baseline, it had cost 18 wisps of otherworldly fortune just to activate her one time. It wasn’t even enough. Wei Yuan had a feeling that the stunning sword strike she had unleashed—one that seemed to connect heaven, earth, and even time itself—had consumed far more than 18 wisps of otherworldly fortune; she had probably borrowed the remainder from the shadow in the moon.

The sword strike was so expensive that it made his heart ache; he felt his own life was not worth such a massive expenditure.

Wei Yuan kept walking, passing in front of the girl and circling around to the Red Lotus Bodhi. The area surrounding the Bodhi tree was now covered in fine, fertile soil. As he drew near, his mind cleared, and his thoughts became remarkably lucid.

Suddenly, Wei Yuan realized that the Dao Foundation Yin Yang technically belonged to him. Why did he need to sneak peeks? Why couldn’t he just look at her openly and examine her from every angle?

That said, Yin Yang truly lived up to her reputation as the finest under heaven. In terms of physical appearance alone, she was on par with the First Consort.

The next second, Wei Yuan realized his mind was wandering off to who-knows-where once again. It seemed that the influence of that rebel ran deep and would require a thorough eradication.

Meanwhile, in another miniature world, Ji Liuli and Zhang Sheng were standing side by side. Ji Liuli was wearing an exceedingly strange smile on her face as she twirled a halo with a fingertip. It was identical to the one that had ensnared Wei Yuan.

The woman praised, “To harbor such thoughts even after he was injured so badly. He really is a young man, isn’t he?”

His hands behind his back, Zhang Seng suddenly said, “My disciple has grown up.”

At that moment, his silhouette looked somewhat desolate and lonely.

Ji Liuli replied, “Isn’t that a good thing? You can—”

Before she could finish, a fissure suddenly appeared in the space beside them, followed by an endless spray of saber light. Then, Feng Tingyu leaped out of the fissure. Spotting Ji Liuli and Zhang Sheng, she gave them a brief greeting before gauging the direction. Then, she raised her eight-chi-long saber once more.

Zhang Sheng’s expression shifted slightly. The strike contained enough power to cleave a hole in space. If it landed, judging by the direction, it would lead straight to the miniature world where Wei Yuan resided[2].

As soon as Feng Tingyu cut a hole in space, she darted inside—or at least, she tried to. A flawless hand appeared behind her at the last moment, caught the back of her neck, and lifted her up. Feng Tingyu’s legs kicked impotently in the air, but she remained where she was. By then, the spatial fissure had already closed.

Zhang Sheng loosened his grip, and Feng Tingyu landed on her feet. The girl looked at him with a puzzled expression, asking, “What are you doing? I’m going to save Wei Yuan!”

Ji Liuli suppressed a smile and said with a straight face, “You’re going the wrong way. That place isn’t suitable for children right now.”

Feng Tingyu glanced at Zhang, then at Ji Liuli. Realization seemed to dawn on her. She was clearly unhappy, though. Glaring at Ji Liuli, she puffed up her chest a couple times and said, “Apart from my age, I’m not small in any other way. Watch your mouth next time[3]!”

Ji Liuli’s smile stiffened visibly.

Feng Tingyu swung her long saber, cut a new fissure in space, and headed off to another miniature world.

Her expression darkening, Ji Liuli suddenly said, “That girl harbors ill intentions. We’ll have to keep an eye on her. Hmph! She best watch her back, or I’ll make sure to teach her a lesson on behalf of her founder!”

Zhang Sheng remained standing with his hands behind his back. He said calmly, “She’s from the Bright King Hall. What evil intentions could she possibly have[4]?”

Meanwhile, Wei Yuan had finally returned to his body. He felt an extraordinary sense of familiarity, as if reuniting with a lover after a long separation. The only downside was the faint chill in his lower body—an aftereffect left by that ring of light. While the chill was calming and soothing, it also left the rebel utterly demoralized. For now at least, it would be unwise to meet with the First Consort again.

After all, he had no idea when the lingering chill would dissipate.

Wei Yuan’s wounds had largely healed at this point. Outwardly, everything looked normal, but internally, his body was still a riot. After all, after the sentience in various parts of his body had faded, some fragments inevitably ended up in the wrong places and even took up residence there. As a result, they had to tear themselves away from their current locations and return to where they belonged.

There were of course fragments that, despite clearly being in the wrong places, refused to admit their fault and return to their proper domains. That was when blood came into play. It killed them outright and expelled them as waste to the organs where they belonged.

At the moment, it felt as if countless ants were crawling and biting all over Wei Yuan’s body, itchy and painful. It was an unbearably uncomfortable sensation.

It was only now that Wei Yuan had the chance to reflect on the battle that had just taken place, and the more he thought about it, the more he sensed that something was amiss.

The plain-clothed swordman’s Avatar had been a step away from achieving perfection. It had also discarded everything that was unnecessary and concentrated all of its essence into the sword. As a result, its power was so immense that it exceeded many perfected Avatars.

Moreover, the Myriad Vicissitudes Sword had reached a state of primal simplicity in the plain-clothed swordsman’s hand, embodying the principle that true mastery lay in unadorned simplicity. Forget a Dao Foundation stage cultivator, even an ordinary Avatar would likely be unable to block a single strike from his sword and would perish within three strikes.

How could someone like this—who was practically destined to become a True Lord—have been abandoned in this grotto-heaven fragment? Although the plain-clothed swordsman’s state was a bit unusual, and he did not appear to be sentient, he was still priceless as an array guardian. It was utterly inconceivable that he would be cast aside in a grotto-heaven fragment.

Wei Yuan glanced over and saw that the massive sword was still embedded in the white jade square. The detached hilt was lying next to it. He started walking toward the weapon, but was forced to stop after only two steps. It was because several sections of his intestines were missing and hadn’t been fully connected yet. The sudden movement had caused them to tear open once more.

Clutching his lower abdomen, Wei Yuan slowly shuffled over to the giant sword. At the moment, the blade looked dull, lifeless, and blunt. It hadn’t been honed at all.

However, the scene of the plain-clothed swordsman flicking the blade and dropping countless flying swords to the ground was still fresh in Wei Yuan’s mind. So, mimicking the plain-clothed swordsman’s gesture, he tried flicking the blade as well. Nothing happened.

Wei Yuan grunted, pretended as if nothing had happened, and picked up the hilt next. He examined it closely.

The hilt was made of wood and wrapped in the tendons of an unknown spirit beast. It felt coarse and hard to touch, as if he were gripping a piece of wrong. Wei Yuan probed the hilt with his perception, and the next moment, he found himself standing in a vast, seemingly boundless space. Standing in the middle and holding his sword, the plain-clothed swordsman said to Wei Yuan, “... You’ve finally arrived.”

1. Time and again? You naughty little.... ☜

2. Whoever thought Feng Tingyu is weak needs to reconsider the power of MUSCLE. ☜

3. OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ☜

4. Oh, Zhang Sheng. Who do you think was the rebel’s staunchest ally? ☜