Chapter 1052

Icy seawater wrapped his heavy body; the killing aura of the Myriad Bones Giant Sword was like an invisible heavy armor, pressing on the surrounding seawater and also on Han Wuxian's remaining will. He dragged the unconscious cultivator, as if dragging a heavy reef, each step stepping on soft, icy sand, leaving deep footprints tinged with faint gold blood mist.

The entrance of the trench was like the throat of a giant beast opened wide, dark and profound; only a faint dark red glimmer from the subterranean fire veins deep within seeped through, bringing a twisted glimmer of light and a faint warmth.

Han Wuxian found a relatively flat spot half-surrounded by massive twisted rock pillars. He gently placed the unconscious Xiao Ran on a relatively dry reef, then leaned against a cold rock pillar himself. The heavy Myriad Bones Giant Sword plunged into the seabed sand beside him with a clang; dark gold blood lines flowed along the blade, and the icy aura it emitted instantly drove off the small sea beasts trying to approach, while also lowering the temperature of this little shelter by a few degrees.

He gasped violently, each breath tugging at the intense pain in his viscera. At the cracks in his arms, the dark red meridians pulsed more violently, delivering vitality to the Myriad Bones while also bringing a continuous, bone‑deep chill and tearing sensation. He needed time, he needed to recover, but first he needed to figure out who this cultivator he had saved was.

「This person's strength is greatly depleted, gravely wounded and near death; otherwise he couldn't have been chased here by a few early Nascent Soul cultivators. 」 Han Wuxian thought.

Those few who had chased him before also said that this person seemed to have been injured by their sect master, and they even mentioned the peak of the Void‑Refining stage….

「In the Dongxing Sea Region… there's only the Ascending Bright Sect. For this person to clash with a big figure of that sect, his background must not be small. 」

Han Wuxian's gaze fell on this person. His complexion was as pale as paper, his lips bluish‑black, his breath weak like a candle in the wind; a tiny wound on his chest kept oozing blood tinged with an icy blue chill — exactly the dreadful wound caused by the "Profound Yin Bone‑Piercing Needle."

Though his robes were tattered, the material was still discernible as extraordinary, the embroidered star pattern, though stained with blood, still faintly visible. Han Wuxian extended a finger — almost nothing but a skeleton sheathed in dark‑gold‑black bone — and at its tip gathered an extremely faint trace of golden‑yang ember, carefully probing Xiao Ran's chest wound in an attempt to dispel the stubborn cold poison.

However, just as his fingertip was about to touch that icy blue chill, an abrupt change occurred!

At Xiao Ran's waist, a similarly water‑soaked, inconspicuous gray cloth pouch suddenly flared with a point of extremely faint yet unusually pure emerald‑green light!

This light was soft and full of vitality, like a sleeping seed suddenly sprouting; it instantly dispelled part of the icy killing aura emanating from the surrounding Myriad Bones Giant Sword, creating a small, warm field of life!

Deep within Han Wuxian's body, the star‑hub fragment that had always kept his sea of consciousness clear emitted an unprecedentedly strong resonance at this moment!

A tremor almost like joyful excitement!

A warm, spring‑like healing breath carrying the fresh scent of plants, like a trickle of water, instantly flowed through the star‑hub fragment to Han Wuxian's nearly exhausted sea of consciousness, bringing a long‑absent sense of relief and solace!

「This is…. 」

「One of the Seven Treasures of Heaven and Earth, the Azure Vermilion Fruit. 」 The unconscious cultivator suddenly spoke, his eyes scanning Han Wuxian.

Han Wuxian froze for a moment, not reacting: 「You're awake? 」

「Aren't you afraid I'll strike at you? 」

「You're so badly wounded, yet I saved your life — why would I kill you? 」

That person looked for a moment, then shook his head and smiled, rising to say: 「The world of cultivation is a place that devours people. I am a wandering cultivator, Xiao Ran. Who are you? 」

「I am Han Wuxian. 」

Xiao Ran rose, nodded slightly: 「Brother Han saved my life; I ought to repay you. But this Azure Vermilion Fruit is useful to me now, so I can't give it to you for the time being. 」

「I didn't even want this…. 」

「But perhaps this might be useful to you. 」 Xiao Ran said, suddenly producing a crimson‑red metal ingot from his storage bag.

Han Wuxian froze for a moment, then suddenly felt a strong yearning emanating from his whole body.

「This is…. 」

「Eight‑transformation Celestial Material, Great Light Divine Gold. 」 Xiao Ran said, placing the ingot into Han Wuxian's hand.

Han Wuxian stared, hesitating whether to accept it, and asked: 「Why are you giving me something so precious? 」

「Just to repay the debt of saving my life; from now on we owe each other nothing. 」 Xiao Ran stood, took a deep breath.

Suddenly, a dark‑yellow iron sword appeared in Xiao Ran's hand and in an instant was pressed against Han Wuxian's neck!

「Speak! What is your relationship with that Gray Mist Yama?! 」

「Huh?! 」

Han Wuxian's eyes widened; he instantly felt Xiao Ran's fierce, undelayed killing intent!

「Gray Mist Yama…. I don't even know him. What's wrong with you? One moment you give me something, the next you try to kill me — if you're going to act, just do it; are you toying with me?! 」 Han Wuxian said, then suddenly realized and glared at Xiao Ran in anger.

So this guy is just playing around with me for fun?

Xiao Ran frowned, and a blood line suddenly appeared in his palm.

The blood line drifted slowly in front of Han Wuxian's forehead, but no further action followed; Xiao Ran also hesitated: 「You really don't know Gray Mist Yama? 」

「If you're going to strike, just strike; your mother's old man would count a furrowed brow as giving birth! 」 Han Wuxian seethed.

I rescued him out of goodwill; even if I also hoped to gain more friends to evade the Ascending Bright Sect's pursuit, I harbored no malicious intent.

Who would have thought this guy would toy with me like this?

A scholar may be killed but not humiliated!

「That's not right; since my blood‑trace tracking technique led to you, you must have some connection with Gray Mist Yama. Otherwise, if you had none of his bloodline, why……. 」

「Bloodline? You can't possibly be saying I'm Gray Mist Yama's son, can you? 」 Han Wuxian replied with a sarcastic tone.

「Not likely; that old beast doesn't even care about the daughter he raised for over ten years, so even if you were truly his son he probably wouldn't know. 」 Xiao Ran sighed: 「Besides, you're only somewhat related to him — not enough to count as blood kin. 」

「How could that be possible? 」 Han Wuxian pondered hard, unable for a moment to figure out the connection.

Xiao Ran lowered his sword, fell silent, and looked at Han Wuxian, saying: 「Gray Mist Yama… was once considered my uncle, though we had no blood ties; he had helped me a bit back then. But later I heard he vanished, and even his household was gone. I guessed it might be… also my friend Ling Yan and my sect were killed by him. Now he has become a public enemy of the five realms, slaughtering countless…. 」

Han Wuxian frowned, looking at him: 「So you intend to go find Gray Mist Yama to avenge and settle your grudge? 」

「Naturally, I heard that Gray Mist Yama killed my friend back then in the Dongxing Sea Region, and besides I already had some grudge with the Zhao family…. I originally just wanted to gather information, but ended up being hunted instead…. And you? Why are you being pursued by the Ascending Bright Sect? 」

「How do you know? 」

Xiao Ran gave a faint smile: 「The Ascending Bright Sect is the hegemon of the Dongxing Sea Region; since you dared to rescue me, either you're not a cultivator from this region, or you simply don't fear being hunted. Now that the Ascending Bright Sect reigns supreme, even if you were a direct descendant of its high leadership, you couldn't possibly be unaware of my identity; thus, you're likely being hunted just like me. 」