Chapter 1249: Temporarily Taken

He did not go to attack the three incoming spells; instead, he lightly pointed this faint current of air at the core node where the three people's spell energies intertwined—this was an almost instinctive intuition he had developed over three years through countless minute observations, concerning energy structures and the weak points of "Existence".

Pfft!

A soft sound, like a bubble bursting. The three seemingly fierce spells, upon touching that faint current of air, had their intricate energy structure suddenly lose its keystone, instantly becoming disordered and collapsing! The gray net dissipated, the green light was extinguished, the black light scattered! They came fast and went even faster.

"What?!"

The three attackers stared, dumbfounded and incredulous! Their full-force strike was so easily dispelled by the opponent? This is absolutely something a "Void Reclamation" stage cripple could not do!

"Wrong! He still has power!"

"Intelligence is wrong! Retreat quickly!"

The three reacted extremely quickly; seeing the situation turn bad, they instantly transformed into three strands of black smoke, seeking to flee.

"Since you've come, why rush to leave?"

Han Wuxian's calm voice sounded. He remained seated in place, not even rising. He merely extended his index and middle fingers like a sword, and in the direction the three were fleeing, he made three empty slashes in the air.

There was no dazzling sword light, no grand momentum. Yet the three He Dao cultivators simultaneously felt their connection to the world's spiritual energy instantly severed! Even more terrifying, they sensed their "sense of existence" rapidly diminishing, as if they were about to be forgotten and rejected by this space.

This is an application Han Wuxian has realized over these three years, combining his understanding of the Heavenly Dao Forbidden Seal's rules with a renewed comprehension of the Returning to Void Power's nature. Within a certain range, he guides the Returning to Void Power toward "stillness," temporarily depriving targets in the area of their "vitality" and "existence anchor," as if briefly exiling them to the edge of "Existence".

The three were as if trapped in an invisible mire; their escape light instantly dimmed, their bodies froze, their faces filled with panic and struggle, yet they could not even utter a sound.

Han Wuxian looked at the three, his gaze still calm. He did not deliver a killing blow—not because he couldn't, but because he didn't want to. Under the surveillance of the Heavenly Dao Forbidden Seal, wanton killing would likely provoke unnecessary trouble. Moreover, he needed someone to bring the news back.

He lightly flicked his sleeve.

A gentle yet irresistible force swept up the three and hurled them straight out of the Wanhun Mountain Range.

"Tell those behind you." Han Wuxian's voice was like icy cold, clearly transmitted into the ears of the three, still shaken: "Although I am bound by heavenly law, you dare not slight me. If you dare to attack again, it will be just like this peak."

Before his words faded, a distant mountain peak a hundred zhang high silently lost a section at its summit; the cut surface was smooth as a mirror, as if swallowed by an invisible maw! This was a demonstration he performed using the utmost power he could currently mobilize, combined with control precise to the tip of a hair.

The three He Dao cultivators were terrified out of their wits, scrambling away in panic, never daring to look back.

The cave abode returned to silence.

Han Wuxian slowly lowered his hand; the Heavenly Dao Forbidden Seal on his forehead warmed slightly, as if evaluating his recent actions, but ultimately it did not trigger a backlash. The level and nature of the power he used remained within the seal's permitted "baseline," merely his technique far surpassed ordinary imagination.

"It seems this path is viable." Han Wuxian murmured softly. Not seeking absolute strength, but under the limits' constraints, pursuing ultimate control, insight, and application. Using the Returning to Void Power on a more subtle level, more in tune with the operation of heavenly and earthly laws.

He glanced at the dark night sky outside the cave abode, his gaze profound.

Trouble will not stop here; it will only come in more concealed and powerful ways. But he is no longer the prisoner who, three years ago, had just been shackled and could only passively endure.

A hundred-year sentence, only now beginning.

Since that night when he startled away three He Dao cultivators, several months have passed. The probing gazes around the Wanhun Mountain Range have obviously diminished, yet a deeper, more congealed undercurrent stirs silently. Han Wuxian's seemingly offhand yet inscrutable methods, together with the warning "just like this peak," have caused many with ill intentions to reassess his danger level. A cripple limited by the Heavenly Dao, yet possessing such precise and terrifying control—this surpasses their understanding.

Inside the cave abode, Han Wuxian did not relax due to the temporary calm. The Heavenly Dao Forbidden Seal on his brow was like a sword hanging over his head, constantly reminding him of his situation. That night's repelling of the attackers, though it did not trigger the seal's backlash, also let him clearly recognize the limits of his power: against Refining Void cultivators he could still get by with skill and understanding of the Dao's essence, but if the opponent were at Union Body stage or even stronger, the power he could currently muster would be no better than a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

"We must find a way to increase our strength more quickly within the rules." Han Wuxian's gaze was deep and tranquil. He again immersed his mind in studying the Heavenly Dao Forbidden Seal. Over these three years, he has mostly been adapting to the limits, trying to use power within them. But now he needs to go further, probing the boundaries of the rules, even seeking loopholes.

His divine sense, like the finest tendril, carefully wrapped around the golden sigil on his brow. He did not attempt to strike or destroy it—that would be self-destruction. What he did was observe and analyze.

This seal is the materialization of heavenly dao rules; its structure is so complex and precise as to be unimaginable, containing supreme orderly power. Han Wuxian's divine sense before it is minuscule like dust. Yet he is not discouraged; instead, he focuses all his spirit, concentrating on the extremely fine, almost imperceptible rhythm and fluctuation when the seal's power flows.

Day after day, he was like the most patient apprentice, observing every move of this "strict teacher." He discovered that within this absolutely cold order, there also exists a near‑instinctive "response mechanism." When he employs the Returning to Void Power, the seal evaluates in real time the power's "nature," "strength," and "intention," deciding whether to intervene and with what intensity.

"Intention……" Han Wuxian seized on this key point. The seal seems to focus more on preventing him from actively altering the ultimate order, especially involving the realm of "reincarnation." Whereas for relatively "passive" applications, or those closer to the natural cycle of heaven and earth, its tolerance is comparatively higher.

A bold idea sprouted in his mind.

He took out that strand he had carefully sealed, the "ego desire" origin emanating from Yan Buji. This strand likewise contains immense power of Silence Extinction and desire, but its essence is not entirely the same as his Returning to Void Path. The Heavenly Dao Forbidden Seal mainly targets his own "Returning to Void Reincarnation"; then, for an external force that also belongs to the "termination" side but originates differently, how would the seal react?

He extremely cautiously separated a wisp of the "ego desire" origin, weak to the utmost, guiding it to approach his own Returning to Void Power, but without merging; instead, he tried to use it as a "shell" or "fuse," to simulate a process more inclined toward "natural decay" rather than "active annihilation."