Chapter 219: Spiritual Harm Is Also Harm

After shattering the rock layer’s fissure, Xie Jinhuan followed A Piao for over thirty li, and ahead, firelight reappeared.

Though A Piao’s guidance made finding it simple, the three no longer dared to sigh, “It came too easily”—they only thought of how to retreat safely after filling their packs.

Bu Yuehua silently prayed to all ten Ancestral Witches, but hastily turning to them clearly wouldn’t resolve the current predicament; along the way, she pulled a pill from her waist and handed it to Nangong Ye:

“Take all the opportunities. The ground will stir. You might still face opponents when you exit. Eat this first; after we leave, we’ll find you another tiger-bone vine.”

The pill in Bu Yuehua’s hand was the “Heavenly Mechanism Pill,” which builds a bridge between heaven and earth, allowing cultivators to cross the threshold into the Heavenly Human realm and harness cosmic forces for transformation; the Break-Spirit Pill has the same effect, but is merely a side effect of the Heavenly Mechanism Pill, suitable for Witch Sect and Immortal Dao practitioners, while the Break-Spirit Pill suits martial artists.

In the Phoenix Tomb, no one could mobilize the land’s cosmic forces; the difference between Peak First Rank and Early Transcendent was negligible, but upon returning to the surface, the distinction between Immortal and Mortal would be absolute.

Nangong Ye felt that even with the breakthrough pill, the three still couldn’t defeat the second elder of the Divination Sect, but with the divine artifact and A Huan’s uncanny pathfinding, retreat wouldn’t be a problem; thus, she took out the Break-Spirit Pill she’d traded from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and handed it to Bu Yuehua, the part-time martial artist, maximizing gains.

Xie Jinhuan had originally wanted the ice lump to break through first, yet he also pulled out a pill for Sister Hua, slightly puzzled:

“Where did this pill come from?”

Bu Yuehua clearly couldn’t mention their feud, so she merely explained:

“Gifted by our sect. Myself and Sister Mu have been vying for this item; now that there are two, we don’t need to fight over it. After we exit, we’ll find you a tiger-bone vine together.”

Xie Jinhuan naturally didn’t refuse this kindness and hurried forward toward the firelight.

Nangong Ye swallowed the Heavenly Mechanism Pill; her physical qi sea showed no great change, but a vast, almost boundless spiritual force surged from within, gradually spreading to every limb and bone, giving her the sensation of sudden awakening.

The scattered cosmic forces around her now seemed to form a connection with her body, no longer reliant on the “Fire Spirit Pearl” pendant around her neck to manipulate or interfere.

Yet the cosmic forces within the Phoenix Tomb were too powerful; her slender frame couldn’t possibly control them, so no external changes occurred—while digesting the pill’s potency, she slipped into the rock fissure to refine the final opportunity.

After taking the Break-Spirit Pill, Bu Yuehua’s spiritual perception was nearly identical, but her bones and sinews were nourished by the pill’s essence; her serene brow now carried a touch of lethal intensity. She immediately took the Yin-Yang Ruler, sat cross-legged before it, and fully absorbed the pill’s power while guarding.

Because the fissure was narrow and the flames lay below, there was no room for three to stand; Xie Jinhuan spread his legs in a straddle against the rock walls, leaning his head out to peer into the irregular fissures on either side.

Hoo hoo~

A faint wind swirled through the narrow crack; the entire underground fell into silence.

Xie Jinhuan’s expression seemed calm, but he was silently praying to A Piao for protection—no more tricks, just finish quickly and return to chisel the ice lump, head to Bei Zhou; the burden of carrying a full pack of divine gear without a way to retreat was immense…

But unfortunately, heaven seemed determined to test him.

After three of them remained silent for about twenty minutes, the opportunity had yet to be fully refined when Ye Hongshang, hovering before them, furrowed her brow again:

“Why won’t this old Daoist priest leave us alone?”

Xie Jinhuan frowned, thinking that if he didn’t dig up this old bastard now, he’d be disrespecting the relentless pursuit.

He looked down—the ice lump still needed over a minute to refine; since they had to maintain the protective distance, he couldn’t directly control the Yin-Yang Ruler, so Sister Hua had to remain here to guard.

He’d spent the entire journey within the Yin-Yang Ruler’s protection, expending little of his own qi; if he left the protective range, relying solely on his true qi, he could endure for a moment—enough to delay, not return to the surface—but with A Piao’s guidance, he could buy time.

After brief consideration, Xie Jinhuan lowered his voice:

“Hurry and refine. I’ll block the path so Lu Yan can’t reach you.”

Nangong Ye frowned and turned back:

“Don’t wander off—this place’s yang fire will kill you!”

Bu Yuehua immediately ended her cultivation:

“Lu Yan’s coming? Maybe I should lure him away…”

“You don’t know the way. Leave it to me.”

“Huh?!”

Both stared in alarm, trying to call out—but Xie Jinhuan had already leapt out of the fissure.

Hoo~

As he left the Yin-Yang Ruler’s protection, an indescribable heat pressed in from all sides.

The heat felt like being inside a copper chamber, every wall glowing red-hot from flame, utterly devoid of moisture, only pure yang fire seeping in from all directions.

Xie Jinhuan had never tested it before, but now he understood why no living being could enter this place prematurely—the depths of the Phoenix Tomb were an ocean composed purely of cosmic forces.

Though invisible to the naked eye, the concentration of cosmic forces here far exceeded that within his body; the pressure was so immense, he couldn’t mobilize them, and they seeped into his flesh from every pore.

Unrefined cosmic forces were violently brutal; once they penetrated his body, he’d quickly become a desiccated corpse. To survive, he had to counter them with his own qi, forming a protective layer—but with such a vast disparity in power, once his dantian was drained, he’d die instantly.

Xie Jinhuan isolated his skin with his own qi, yet still felt as if he’d leapt from an air-conditioned room into a scorching desert; yet after being tempered repeatedly by the “Fire-Over-Oil Pill,” he barely reacted, glanced around, then slipped quietly into a fissure and drew his Heaven’s Might Mace, striking the rock wall:

Boom—

The rock layer collapsed instantly, sealing the fissure and cutting off light and the two refining within.

Half a li away.

Lu Yan held the Imperial Fire Command Token and led his juniors through the rock fissures; knowing Xie Jinhuan wasn’t a fool, he suspected a trap and moved with extreme caution, suppressing all sound.

Suddenly, a rumble echoed nearby; Lu Yan froze, and Xi Yanjun halted as well:

“What was that?”

“Shh…”

In this place, Lu Yan couldn’t sense movement through cosmic forces—he relied on ancient methods: listening.

The other side, however, made no effort to hide, speaking clearly through the winding fissures:

“You actually dared come? Xie has been waiting for you.”

?

Lu Yan’s face darkened; he swiftly scanned his surroundings for ambushes.

But in this hellish place, what ambush could there be besides collapsing rock on him?

“Xie, you have courage. I’ve already paid my respects. You refuse the wine and choose the punishment. No matter who your master is, this debt must be settled.”

“I already gave you a chance, Master Lu. You chose to stay—don’t blame me for forgetting our shared righteous path. That Imperial Fire Command Token you hold is a famed magic treasure…”

“….”

Lu Yan frowned, feeling Xie Jinhuan’s tone was too bold.

But as a master of the Five Elements Fire Dao, Lu Yan had a fiery temper—he refused to believe a First Rank martial artist could kill him, Deputy Head of the Divination Sect, with a single finger!

Seeing the other’s confidence, Lu Yan said nothing more, silently advancing toward the voice, wary of the two female companions.

Xie Jinhuan’s boldness was hollow—without the Yin-Yang Ruler’s protection, one blast of Lu Yan’s Flame True Fire would reduce him to ash; he must not let the man touch him at all.

Now, navigating the labyrinth, A Piao, for ease of guidance, held a crystal ball showing the flow of yang fire within a hundred-zhang radius.

Since yang fire filled every corner, the interwoven crimson-gold lines formed the surrounding map; Lu Yan and his companion were three intersections away, visible as gaps where yang fire was blocked.

Xie Jinhuan first lured Lu Yan far from the ice lump, then searched his person for usable resources.

He’d come prepared, bringing every odd trinket he owned—but the Ice Scale Armor, Huang Lin Seal, and Qilin Pendant were useless now; in desperation, he could only rely on Zi Su the Immortal…

The Dao Advancement Pill wouldn’t help him win; the Smile-Always and Yin-Yang Weirdness Pills could only laugh Lu Yan to death…

The Overfed Pill—take it here and cultivate furiously, you’d die instantly, but he couldn’t even get it to his mouth; the Immediate Chisel Ice Lump Pill was the same…

The Glue-Together Powder…

?

Xie Jinhuan’s gaze shifted—he doubted this could poison Lu Yan, but that annoying follower behind him had low cultivation!

Though this wouldn’t harm Lu Yan’s body, spiritual harm was still harm—if he disrupted Lu Yan’s mind and composure, wouldn’t that create an opening? Thinking this, Xie Jinhuan’s heart surged; he studied the terrain and their positions, then moved swiftly…

…

Tap tap~

Lu Yan heard distant movement and sped through the intersecting fissures; after chasing a stretch, he unexpectedly realized the boy had some skill.

He himself couldn’t fathom the paths here, yet the boy moved as if at home—twisting, turning, darting—but never entered a dead end.

They were half a li apart; Lu Yan could burn him with fire, but if the boy reacted fast and sealed the fissure, the flames would be blocked—so attacking from this distance was pointless.

Seeing the boy only running, Lu Yan spoke again:

“You only entered here thanks to the Yin-Yang Ruler’s protection. Now separated, if you don’t have it, you won’t last a minute; if you do, they won’t survive long. Do you think this circling has any meaning?”

The fleeing Xie Jinhuan seemed to realize circling was pointless; he stopped somewhere, falling utterly silent.

?

Lu Yan frowned, silently approaching the fissure where the figure vanished, pressing his back against the rock wall and listening intently—he sensed a flow of qi blocking the yang fire deep within; the fissure was straight, seventy zhang long, and the figure hadn’t moved.

Uncertain of Xie Jinhuan’s intent, Lu Yan slightly raised his hand, signaling Xi Yanjun to prepare.

Xi Yanjun, a solidly trained direct disciple, needed no order; she leaned into a recess at the fissure’s corner to avoid being injured by residual qi waves.

Lu Yan then flashed through the fissure’s entrance; halfway, his left hand flicked, and a crimson-gold fire line shot like an arrow, instantly piercing the seventy-zhang tunnel, illuminating everything.

Shhh~

Xie Jinhuan stood at the tunnel’s end, Heaven’s Might Mace ready to shatter the fissure and block the flames; seeing it was only a probing feint, he dodged aside and activated the Panlonghenggang to shield himself.

Boom—

Though the fire line was no thicker than a finger, when it struck the far wall, it blasted a crater the size of a washbasin; rock melted, and the residual flames surged instantly.

Xie Jinhuan used the Flowing Dragon Coiling Mountain technique to block the residual heat, yet still felt his robes char yellow and his skin burn; he held firm. When the heat faded, he sneered:

“The Grand Master of Five Spirit Mountain, facing a First Rank martial artist, still acts so timidly. If our cultivation levels were swapped, you wouldn’t survive one strike.”

Lu Yan saw Xie Jinhuan had no Yin-Yang Ruler and no one beside him; he felt puzzled, and replied:

“I give you one final chance: yield a portion of the Lingguang Divine Gift, and I’ll let you leave. Otherwise, even if you truly are a direct disciple of Ye Temple, dying here is your own greed and recklessness. The Divination Sect has ancestors—we don’t fear Ye Temple.”

The Divination Sect’s former Grand Master was the True Person Huang Lin, the righteous leader of Bei Zhou during the Witch Uprising, known alongside the Bei Zhou Female Warrior God and the Zhujì Sect’s Grand Priestess as the “Three Immortals of the Northern Frontier,” of the same generation as Ye Sheng and others.

According to records, the Jade Thought Bodhisattva passed away seated in meditation at Tian Tai Temple; the Bei Zhou Female Warrior God, corrupted by demonic qi while slaying the Corpse Ancestor, prevented her corruption from spreading by self-immolating on the Ascension Platform after the Storm Tower Incident; Huang Lin himself also suffered injuries and, like Qi Xia the True Person, entered a Shengsiguan —unless he died, he truly needn’t fear Ye Temple.

Fortunately, Xie Jinhuan never counted on Ye Sheng to back him; he replied now:

“What I’ve swallowed, you cannot take. But if you’re willing to compensate me with a piece of Minghe grass, I’ll keep it secret—preserve your reputation.”

Lu Yan was baffled: “What do you mean?”

“You used the Imperial Fire Command Token to seal the surroundings and, like me, held your breath to sneak in—you wouldn’t smell the scent. Of course, the substance is colorless and odorless; once it clings to clothing, it activates. A must-have for any traveler…”

?

Lu Yan frowned, suspecting Xie Jinhuan had set up a Zhuxian poison array nearby, cautiously scanning his surroundings.

But there was nothing unusual around him—instead, Xi Yanjun, leaning against the opposite fissure, grew distant-eyed, then suddenly darted forward, pressing close and wrapping him in a bear hug:

“Uncle~ I’m so hot…”

What the fuck—!!!

Xie Jinhuan stood across the fissure, his skin crawling—he’d heard enough to know Zi Su the Immortal lived up to her reputation: if you felt like hugging someone nearby, you just hugged them, no matter gender—just ask yourself, did you hug or not?

Lu Yan was caught off guard, stunned—he realized this little bastard was acting up, raised his palm to turn the brat to ash.

But he was the Sect Master’s direct disciple; he couldn’t kill him—only forced his arms to surge, blasting the scoundrel away.

Yet Xi Yanjun acted like a madman, limbs locked tight around him, desperate to squeeze himself into his uncle’s body…

Fuck me!

Lu Yan felt so nauseated he nearly vomited acid—he could only knock the useless nephew unconscious.

But though Xie Jinhuan was repulsed, he wasn’t watching passively.

At the very moment Xi Yanjun moved, Xie Jinhuan surged forward with the Tian Gang Club at full speed, crossing the seventy-zhang fissure in a blink—his sea of Qi nearly drained, he dared not waste energy; he’d planned to close the distance and strike with Black Dragon Ramming Pillar against the hidden rock corner where the two hid.

But Lu Yan sensed danger, forgot the filth clinging to him, instantly flashed away—arms pinned, he formed a fire seal with his left hand and commanded fire with his right:

“Li!”

BOOM—

Even relying solely on his physical strength, with an unstable Dao heart and disrupted technique, Lu Yan’s casual fire seal still struck with terrifying power!

As the fire command glowed gold-red, a hundred streaks of fire shot forward like a meteor shower slicing through the fissure.

Seeing he had no chance to close in, Xie Jinhuan instantly dove into the rock wall beside him—then behind him came:

BOOM BOOM BOOM…

The rock fissures were riddled like machine-gun fire—stones shattered, spraying fire-rain, leaving nearly a hundred crimson pits the size of washbasins.

Just seeing this, Xie Jinhuan knew the gap in cultivation was so vast he couldn’t force a kill even with a finger—he abandoned retaliation, switching to weaving through the maze, luring and evading.

Lu Yan was so furious his second Buddha rose to heaven—he smashed the useless nephew unconscious with one palm. Though freed from the grip, Xi Yanjun, in his dazed state, would turn to a dried corpse the moment he left cover—Lu Yan had no choice but to carry him under one arm and chase.

Though this had little physical effect, the spiritual damage was devastating—Lu Yan’s Dao heart nearly shattered; gripping the fire command, he roared:

“Cunning little thief, if I don’t turn you to ash today, what face do I have left to walk this world…?”

Xie Jinhuan darted through the maze, occasionally collapsing fissures to block paths; fearing Lu Yan might go interfere with the ice lump, he goaded:

“Come on, come on…”

After weaving for a moment, a distant boom echoed:

BOOM—

Nan Gongye and Bu Yuehua smashed through the rock pile and burst out—just hearing Lu Yan’s murderous roar, they knew today was a fight to the death, and immediately rushed to aid.

Xie Jinhuan veered toward the ice lump, simultaneously blasting the rock walls to block every route:

“Go!”

All three had depleted their Qi seas—no strength left to fight; the opportunity was seized, no need to linger.

Seeing Xie Jinhuan sprint toward the rock fissure, Bu Yuehua rode the Yin-Yang Ruler to follow, shielding him within.

Nan Gongye saw Xie Jinhuan had delayed just long enough—his lips cracked, skin burned crimson by yang fire, his heart nearly melted—but now was no time for tender words.

Xie Jinhuan was indeed drained, but not collapsed; back within the Yin-Yang Ruler’s protection, he felt reborn, striking the rock walls with the Tian Gang Club to block paths, trying to trap the mad old man Lu Yan inside.

But Lu Yan had gone berserk—he’d forgotten the opportunity, blindly smashing through collapsing rocks in pursuit.

BOOM BOOM BOOM—

Yet creating obstacles was far easier than clearing them.

The three scattered wildly, gradually increasing the distance between them, following the ghost bride’s guidance, soon nearing the surface—even without the Yin-Yang Ruler, they could barely withstand the fading yang fire now severed from its source.

Lu Yan was left miles behind, hearing only faint “BOOM BOOM BOOM” sounds, forced to detour without guidance—impossible to catch up in the short term.

Seeing starlight and moonlight ahead, nearing the exit, all three felt victory secured, a surge of “spring wind, swift hooves” joy rising in their hearts, eyes bright with delight.

But soon, they realized they’d rejoiced too soon!—

One more chapter, being revised or2!

(End of Chapter)