Chapter 1155: Battle Will

It was neither starlight nor a lamp, but a… continuously rotating, twisted vortex of space composed of innumerable shattered space fragments!

At the vortex's edge, light warped, the laws were chaotic, emitting extremely unstable, terrifying fluctuations. Yet at the vortex's core, a faint Return Ruins aura—familiar and heart‑pounding to Han Wuxian—drifted in! It shares the same origin as his Sword‑Origin, but is far more vast and ancient!

The lamp‑shaped mark on his forehead flared again, pointing unmistakably at this dangerous spatial vortex!

Could this be the "Return Path" the ferryman spoke of? A spatial fissure leading to an unknown land of the Return Ruins?

Just as Han Wuxian stared at the vortex, hesitating whether to enter this extremely unstable passage,

the distant lake behind him, the void behind the lake, was ripped apart like a curtain!

A figure shrouded in a sea of blood‑fury and a figure riding a pallid bone‑spear, one ahead of the other, bearing endless rage and murderous intent, surged forward!

It was the Sect Master and the black‑robed guide!

They had somehow escaped the entanglement of the reincarnation tribulation fire and found this place! Moreover, both seemed badly wounded, their aura weaker than before, yet the murderous intent and greed in their eyes burned even hotter!

"You brat! See where you're running!" the Sect Master's voice was hoarse, clearly having taken a heavy hit in the tribulation fire.

"Surrender the celestial treasure, or I'll take your whole soul!" the black‑robed guide said coldly, his bone spear locking onto Han Wuxian.

Ahead lay unknown perils, behind strong foes in pursuit!

A flash of fierce resolve crossed Han Wuxian's eyes; without hesitation, he turned to face the two great Transformation Spirits!

He inhaled deeply, the newly awakened Transformation Spirit cultivation merging perfectly with the power of his Starlight Torch, a majestic momentum far surpassing his former strength soaring skyward!

"Want it? Take it yourself!"

He launched the attack, raising the Starlight Torch with his left hand; a column of starlight burst forth again, purifying the universe! With his right hand he pointed, the Silence Extinction Star Vortex Sword Intent tore through the darkness, slashing straight ahead!

Boom!!!

The power of three Transformation Spirit Level beings collided violently at the edge of this fragile space!

The terrifying explosion churned Star Lake into chaos! The spatial vortex, struck by the blast, spun even more wildly, its edges beginning to collapse!

"Pfft!" Han Wuxian, one against two, ultimately couldn't match their strength, was blasted backward, blood spilling from his mouth, flying straight toward the wildly rotating vortex!

Yet a cold glint of a successful scheme flashed in his eyes!

Use their force against them!

"Not good!" the Sect Master and the guide's expressions changed, seeing his intent; they tried to stop him but it was already too late!

Han Wuxian's figure streaked like a meteor, using the recoil from the collision, and without hesitation… plunged into that raging, dangerous spatial vortex!

"Don't run!" the two great Transformation Spirits, enraged and terrified, could not even mind the danger, turning into a red and a black streak of light, and rushed into the vortex!

The vortex twisted violently, unable to bear the three Transformation Spirits' power, let out an overburdened groan, and then… collapsed inward!

In the next instant, the entire spatial vortex vanished completely.

Star Lake returned to deathly silence, only a ruined monument standing quietly; in the distance, the ferryman's small boat still drifted alone, its prow lamp dim and yellow, as if nothing had happened.

Only that collapsed, vanished space testified to the recent peril.

…

A violent sensation of space tearing returned, stronger than ever before!

Han Wuxian felt as if he were thrown into a storm of chaotic laws, his body and soul on the verge of being torn apart!

After an unknown amount of time, just as he was about to lose consciousness, the pressure around him eased!

Plop!

He crashed heavily onto the hard, cold ground, the massive impact causing him to spit out another mouthful of fresh blood.

He struggled to lift his head, scanning his surroundings.

Before him was not the imagined Return Ruins, but a… desolate, deathly silent ancient battlefield strewn with massive wreckage?

The sky was a murky yellow, drifting with ever‑lasting smoke. The earth was charred, riddled with bottomless cracks and huge pits. Everywhere lay broken massive weapons, shattered war chariots, and colossal skeletons long eroded into stone—some humanoid, some bizarrely shaped beasts. The air was thick with a strong scent of death and an ageless, lingering, heroic battle will.

Where… is this place?

Why does the ferryman's "Return Path" lead to such an ancient battlefield?

Before he could comprehend, the space behind him surged violently again!

Puff! Puff!

The Sect Master and the black‑robed guide also tumbled miserably out of the void, crashing heavily onto the ground, evidently having taken a sizable loss in the spatial teleport.

The three landed almost simultaneously, and in this unfamiliar ancient battlefield they again formed a standoff!

The charred earth exuded a foul stench of sulfur and rotting blood; the cold wind swirled up ash like whispers of the dead, moaning over this endless ancient battlefield. The sky remained eternally dim, oppressively suffocating.

Han Wuxian knelt on one knee, breathing heavily; gray‑white blood dripped from his split palm, carving tiny pits into the scorched earth. His newly awakened Transformation Spirit cultivation surged within, yet could not instantly heal the heavy wounds from relentless battles and spatial jumps. The Starlight Torch trembled slightly in his arms, its azure glow flowing, continuously nourishing him and keeping watch over the surroundings.

Almost the very next second after he landed, the space behind him shattered like a broken mirror, and two figures wrapped in overwhelming rage and murderous aura slammed onto the ground!

"Cough… pfft!" the Sect Master struggled to rise, hair disheveled, his once‑splendid blood‑stained robe torn to rags, exposing the charred wounds burned by the reincarnation tribulation fire; his aura was far weaker than before, yet the greed and brutality in his eyes burned even brighter.

The black‑robed guide on the other side was equally disheveled; his bone spear shattered in half, the surrounding ghostly aura thinned considerably, the shadow masking his face faded, revealing a pale, sinister middle‑aged face that stared at Han Wuxian like a venomous snake.

The three Transformation Spirits, on this deathly silent battlefield, again faced off, the tension sharper than before, even more dangerous. All parties were heavily drained and blood‑shot with fury.

"You little mongrel… I will tear your soul and strip your spirit, melting the celestial treasure into a blood pool!" the Sect Master's hoarse voice sounded like a broken bellows.

The guide replied coldly: "Surrender the Starlight Torch, and the Nether Path may grant you a chance to become a wandering ghost‑immortal."

Han Wuxian slowly straightened his body, wiping the blood from his mouth, his gaze as cold as ancient black ice, sweeping over the two: "Enough chatter, show me your true skill." He rapidly calculated in his mind; the environment was unfamiliar, the laws seemed different from the outside, saturated with fierce battle will and death energy, perhaps… could be exploited.

Just as the battle was about to erupt,

Wooo…

A mournful, ancient horn sound, as if from a distant era, echoed across the entire battlefield without warning! The horn was not a physical sound but acted directly on the spirit, carrying a battle will that made blood boil and hairs stand on end!

As the horn sounded, the deathly silent battlefield seemed to suddenly come "alive"!