Yan Xingyun

Holy crap! Could I have triggered a death trap? But this... this doesn't make sense!

Li Fan was absolutely panicked.

All night long, the moon was completely obscured by dark clouds, and the sky was pitch black with not a single ray of light!

If this were Qingyue's true form, he could probably visualize a bald head and worship the moon. However, although Daoist Qiongqi's cultivation speed is quite fast, he has absolutely no talent for Moon Worship! The mere dark clouds obscuring the False Moon did not replenish any of his malevolent energy!

What's even more frustrating is that by dawn, the dark clouds had actually dispersed! And then the sun came out! The sunlight shone brightly overhead, and the reflection from the surrounding snow was dazzling. The malevolent energy on Li Fan's wounds, which were being repaired, was scattered and disappeared into the world. Black smoke billowed and sizzled, making it look like he was frying pork chops!

Damn it! This is ridiculous!! Calm down, calm down, calm down! At least he still has some killing intent left! Healing can continue! The situation isn't dire yet! At worst, we can just wait out another night; it can't be cloudy every night, right?

Indeed, the moon was still obscured by dark clouds the following night!

However, Li Fan calmed down instead.

After all, he had been lying in the ground for two nights and couldn't go anywhere else, so he could only think things through carefully. Li Fan had calmed down.

He then realized that something was wrong with the dark clouds; they were probably not a natural phenomenon, but most likely the effect of the sword formation.

If you think about it carefully, these days the False Moon high in the sky, and evil energy permeates everywhere. Even the monsters in the Arctic Moon Worship have all cultivated into demon gods. So how did your sword formation manage to maintain its operation for five hundred years in the icy wilderness?

A more logical explanation is that when the Sword Sect set up the sword formation, they had already taken into account the problem of avoiding the invasion of evil energy and the destruction of the sword formation. Therefore, they used dark clouds to cover the False Moon and prevent the generation of evil energy.

This gives Li Fan a chance.

Fortunately, after repeated testing, the sword formation of the Beichen Sword Sect was found to be extremely sensitive to the fluctuations of spiritual energy caused by the gale and escape techniques. In addition, when Li Fan used the Heavenly Armor made of black evil energy, he was also attacked by the Sword Light, but the sword formation did not react to the white evil energy!

It seems that the substance that Canglong has been developing over the years is indeed something new that has never been seen before in this world. The sword formation of the Sword Sect, set up in a place like the Arctic, although it has been optimized for the Tai Su Devil Embryo, is still beyond the scope of its understanding of white evil energy. It's like exploiting a bug.

So Li Fan took advantage of this only advantage and first pieced his body back together. Yes, although he couldn't Moon Worship, he used the white baleful energy to form arms and picked up all the limbs, Fourth Department, and internal organs that had been cut off by the Sword Light. Without having to regrow, he assembled and stitched his broken body back together, and quickly restored his human form.

Although Li Fan's body was covered in red and white patches, resembling a Frankenstein monster with bits of flesh stuck together, he was at least able to support his body and jump up from the snow.

With a soft "clang!", Li Fan had just stood up when a flash of Sword Light swept across the spot where he was standing, leaving a sword mark on the snow! He was also struck by the sword, which severed his thigh!

However, Li Fan was quick-witted and nimble. He grabbed the severed leg in his hand, squatted on one leg in the snow, and then quickly glued the severed leg back onto his body.

Well, obviously, making too big of a move will directly trigger the sword formation's defensive mechanism, which is not surprising given its conventional nature.

Moreover, the number and scale of Sword Light he activated with a single jump this time were far less than those he had previously activated when he flew into the formation. According to common understanding, the faster the intruder is, the higher their cultivation level will be, and the more Sword Light will be triggered. It's not like a rabbit hopping in would trigger a powerful move like the Falling Star Sword Formation to kill it.

So as long as you walk slowly and move carefully, you should have a chance to dodge one or two Sword Light and avoid being sliced into pieces by a flurry of swords.

Since he was going to stick to his legs anyway, Li Fan wasn't in a hurry. He picked up some snowballs on the spot and threw them out at varying speeds to test the triggering mechanism of the sword formation.

Zzzzz! Zzzzz! Zzzzzzz!

As expected, on the vast white ice plain, Sword Qi appeared out of nowhere. No matter which direction the snowball was thrown, it would be shattered into dust by the thorny thicket of Sword Qi Sword Light.

By observing the trajectory of the scattered snowballs, Li Fan calculated and deduced the sword path within the formation, as well as his own path to survival.

Yes, it's obvious. With the Blood God Child blocking the way, the only way out is to the north.

Moreover, as a disciple of the Sword Sect, no, as the sect leader of the Sword Sect, Li Fan understood the traditions of Beichen all too well.

To break this sword formation of the Sword Sect, you absolutely cannot turn around and run away!

To put it bluntly, this is a sword duel! It's a duel between those who enter the formation and those who set it up! Only by moving forward, charging forward, relentlessly advancing! Breaking through all laws with a single sword strike! Charging into the formation! Breaking this sword formation! Winning the battle! Only then can one become a sword master! Only then can one have a chance to survive!

Okay, the leg is reattached.

So Li Fan took a deep breath and stepped forward...

Zzzzz!

A burst of Sword Qi severed Li Fan at the waist.

Damn! I inhaled too deeply, this doesn't count...

So Li Fan lingered for a while, then reattached himself and carefully took one step forward. Good! Two steps, three...

Zzzzz!

A burst of Sword Qi severed Li Fan's thigh.

Damn, I made a mistake in step three...

Well, Li Fan realized that his computing power was really lacking, since without the system's assistance, he could only rely on his intelligence to deduce things.

Moreover, whether it was psychological or not, Li Fan felt that even his photographic memory had decreased in his clone, and he had to recall some formulas and algorithms for a while... No way, could Li Yi's original body really be that good? Perhaps it's just a psychological effect from excessive blood loss...

In short, Li Fan now deeply understands the Sword Sect disciple's motto of "calculating for a hundred years first." So he carefully walked into the formation while calculating. Not only did he expend countless mental energy, but he also had to be careful not to be cut to pieces by the sudden, out-of-the-sky Sword Light. He was truly exhausted and his primordial spirit was greatly depleted!

Now Li Fan understands what it means to have to make up for missed lessons sooner or later. He didn't study arithmetic properly back then, and now he's getting caught in this sword formation, taking two steps and getting slashed every two steps. Sigh, so tiring...

Despite the many difficulties and the occasional missteps, Li Fan steadily moved forward step by step, heading towards the center of the sword formation!

Fortunately, although he was frequently attacked in the first three days, it was still the Beichen Sword Array, which was their own sect and they knew it well. Li Fan also had some basic knowledge of the formation and wasn't at the point where he couldn't move without being killed. Gradually, he deduced the secrets of the formation.

This formation borrows the power of the sun, specifically the solar Sword Light from the Nine Heavens Sword Art. During the day, it uses the reflection from the entire snow and ice surface to charge itself, and at night, it uses the solar sword power to melt the ice and snow, generating mist that blocks the power of the False Moon from eroding the sword formation. The principle is simple, but to be able to use the great power of nature to set up such an exquisite sword formation that has been operating normally for over five hundred years is truly the work of a master among masters.

What's even more terrifying is that the power of the Sun Sword is renowned for its intense light and heat, and its unparalleled power. If Li Fan's calculations are correct, if this sword formation were still in its original form five hundred years ago, the moment he charged into it, he would have been reduced to ashes in an instant, and a single blow from the Sun Sword would have charred him. It's just that five hundred years have passed, and the Sun Sword's power has been severely depleted, which is why it could only shred him into pieces.

Another expert, another use of solar sword energy, and yet it's on the icy plains...

Li Fan already had a guess in his heart, and when he finally walked to the center of the sword formation after nine days and nights of travel, his guess was confirmed.

A humanoid skeleton covered in blood sat on the ice, holding a bluish-white jade sword box in its arms, identical in style to the large sword box in Li Fan's hand. Clearly, this skeleton was the core of the Sun Sword Array Formation.

This Sword Sect disciple... is probably... that Brother Yan?

Having reached this point, Li Fan had already grasped the essence of the Sun Sword Array. He could even break the formation simply by throwing a snowball at the remains. Of course, he wouldn't do that.

Although he knew it was pointless, Li Fan continued forward until he reached the skeleton, where he bowed deeply.

"Brother Yan, I am Qingyue. I have inherited the lineage of the Sword Ancestor Xuantian and succeeded to the position of the eighteenth generation sect leader of the Bei Chen Sword Ancestor. I hope that your spirit in heaven can bless our Sword Sect so that it can be rebuilt, the Sword Star will never be extinguished, and the Dao Fire will be passed on forever."

After he finished speaking, he bowed three times to the skeleton. Just as he was about to get up to collect his Brother Yan's remains, he suddenly noticed something under the snowdrift that had been swirling up when he bowed, in the ice layer in front of the remains.

Li Fan reached out and swept away the snow, revealing a scripture hidden within the ice. He read it aloud, word by word, and realized it was indeed a scripture.

"The Scroll of Diligent Practice for Enlightenment..."

"Ha!"

The sudden burst of laughter beside him sent a chill down Li Fan's spine, as if he had been struck by lightning. But he was already exhausted and had no time or ability to react.

With a "whoosh!" sound, Li Fan's wounds burst open! A fountain of blood gushed from his chest, knocking over the remains at the core of the formation and shattering the Sun Sword Array!

"Cough cough! Cough cough cough!"

Li Fan also collapsed to the ground, helplessly watching as blood uncontrollably gushed from his chest, coalescing into a shape resembling a humanoid Blood God Child draped in a crimson robe! This thing had already silently infiltrated Li Fan's body!

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Blood God Child shattered the ice layer with a palm strike, seizing the <Scroll of Diligent Cultivation and Enlightenment> in his hand. He roared to the sky, "The Heavenly Book of Ancestor Luo! I actually found it! Ha! Yan Xingyun! Qin Tianjue! Manifest! Let's see who wins! Let's see who wins! Hahaha! Hahahaha!"

Li Fan: "Damn it, you old lunatics, you all act like lunatics when you're fighting over the Heavenly Book... Ahhh--!"

"Why aren't you dead yet!"

With a wave of his hand, the Blood God Child almost instantly drained all the blood from Li Fan's body, staining his crimson robe a bright, glossy red. The robe floated down to Li Fan's feet, revealing an empty space beneath, as if an unseen face were present. The face approached Li Fan and spoke...

"I never imagined you were a remnant of the Beichen Sword Sect. Today, I will fulfill my duty as the Dharma King of the Divine Sect and sever the Sword Sect's lineage!"

"Wait!" Li Fan shouted.

"Heh heh heh, afraid of dying?"

"No..." Since there was no one to turn to for help anyway, Li Fan let loose and simply lay down on the ground. "I just want to ask, who are you?"

Blood God Child was taken aback, "... Huh?"

"Yan Xingyun, Qin Tianjue, Manifestation..." Li Fan counted on his fingers, "But who are you? I am the 18th generation sect leader of the Sword Sect. Can't you at least ask who killed me? Don't tell me it's some Xiba Chanyu! That would be pointless."

"Hmph! Fine, I'll let you die knowing why. I am Zhang Xun, formerly the Great Strength Dharma King of the Divine Sect!"

Li Fan: "... What, you're really strong?"

The Great Strength Dharma King roared, "Fool! Purity, light, power, and wisdom are the four fruits sought in the doctrines of my Ten Absolutes God Sect! Only a leader who possesses all four fruits and is exceptionally enlightened can be revered as Four Dharma Kings! It's one thing for others not to know, but you claim to be the head of the Sword Sect and a direct descendant of the Sword Ancestor, yet you don't even know this! Hmph! Ignorant! Fine! Prepare to die!"

Li Fan, "Wait!"

"What is it now, Great Strength Dharma King!"

Judging from the other party's posture, Li Fan said, "No, this Zhang Great Strength Dharma King... are you perhaps planning to kill me with your palm? What happened to the body-seizing scheme?"

"Hehe, hehehahaha!" Zhang Xun laughed loudly, "You want to trick me into entering the Divine Court and then settle things once and for all, don't you! Hehe! I've already seen through you! There's a strange white qi within your body, not among the Nine Qi, and incompatible with demonic energy! This kind of primordial spirit filth! Once you're tainted, you can't escape. How could I fall for your trick! Die!"

Li Fan, "Wait!"

Zhang Xun flicked his sleeves, "Hmph! You're just afraid of death after all! Since you claim to be from the Beichen Sword Sect, stop being so hesitant and cowardly. Learn from Yan Xingyun! You were expelled from your sect and still came here to die. If you don't have a brain, at least have some backbone!"

Li Fan couldn't help but roll his eyes. "It's not that I'm afraid of dying, it's just that dying so inexplicably, with so many questions unanswered, is really making me feel suffocated. Zhang Dali, you understand that feeling, right?"

"Aren't you happy to have seized this heavenly book? Aren't you thrilled to have destroyed my Sword Sect? But you can't just tell anyone about this. Wouldn't it be incredibly frustrating to keep it all bottled up inside? With so many important matters to discuss, you need to find someone to talk to and vent to, right? Otherwise, it's so unbearable to keep it all inside!"

Zhang Xun: "Who the hell is Zhang Dali... What do you want to ask!"

Li Fan was equally straightforward, pointing at the skeleton, "Is he really Brother Yan? I mean, how can you be so sure?"

Li Fan had been certain just moments before, but now he was less so, because upon closer inspection after the skeleton was overturned, it was clearly a human body...

Didn't they say he was reborn into a demon's womb? Or did he disintegrate again?

Zhang Xun: "Hehehe, besides Yan Xingyun, who else could set up a Sun-Golden Light Array of this scale! I heard that this kid once associated with the Luo Sect, was expelled from the sect by the Sword Ancestor, and later the Luo Sect was destroyed. No one from the Three Great Sects has been able to catch him. It is said that the five volumes of heavenly books passed down by the Ancestor Luo have all fallen into his hands. The whole world is hunting him down!"

It wasn't until the Sword Sect was destroyed and Yan Xingyun died on the icy plains that this chapter came to an end! Now, the Ancestor Luo's Heavenly Book! The <The Scroll of Diligent Practice and Enlightenment> is here! The Golden Light Array of the Sun is here! He is not Yan Xingyun, but who is he!

Hahaha! For the Heavenly Book! For Yan Xingyun! So many people died! In the end, I won this calamity for the Luo Sect! Ahahahaha!

Li Fan asked curiously, "Zhang Da... Dharma King, what exactly is the Hall of Light of this Luo Sect's Heavenly Book? Don't your Divine Sect and Xuanmen both have their own Heavenly Books? The Luo Sect has long since disintegrated. What is there about this Heavenly Book that's worth fighting over? What exactly happened back then?"

Zhang Xun was probably genuinely happy. He floated in front of Li Fan and said, "Hehehe, alright. Come to think of it, you were the one who did me a favor. Although I can't let you off so easily, I can at least let you die knowing why."

Do you see what's written on this scripture? "The Scroll of Enlightenment!" It allows one to attain enlightenment! It's more than just "enlightenment"! It allows one to ascend to immortality! It allows one to fly away!

I've been lurking in the North for years, always believing that the opportunity to ascend to immortality lay in the battle against Qin Tianjue at the peak of Yinshan. But alas! This destiny has actually come to fruition here! The Sword Sect, long since exterminated, has unexpectedly produced a successor to its sect leader! He was able to break Yan Xingyun's sword formation and inherit his legacy!

Hahaha! Heaven is helping me, no, kid, you're helping me! Hahaha!

Li Fan frowned. "Wasn't Ancestor Luo insane? And I heard that all seven of Ancestor Luo's Enlightened Disciples and forty-nine Divine Transformation Disciples were killed..."

The red-robed figure lunged forward so suddenly that Li Fan was almost startled, thinking the creature was about to possess him. But Zhang Xun simply circled him excitedly once.

"Yes, they were all wiped out! So you still don't understand why the Three Great Sects were determined to exterminate the Luo Sect!"

Even with the protection of their sects and the nourishment of rare and Heavenly Treasure disciples from the Three Great Sects can truly comprehend the Dao? As for the Luo Sect! My Ten Absolutes God Sect, having exploited the flesh and blood of all the Western nations, still dares not claim to be a match for the Xuanmen! Because talent is so rare!

But this mere Luo Sect! Originating from the common people! They merely Ancestor Luo the Void Star in Luo Zu's dream! And read the Five Scriptures he passed down, yet they broke through their cultivation realms without any obstacles! Just think about it! How long did it take you to reach the Nascent Soul Realm! (Li Fan, "Hmm...")

How long did it take the disciples of the Luo Sect to comprehend the Heavenly Dao?! They were merely disciples of Ancestor Luo!

Can you imagine? Back then, how many people from the Xuanmen—no, the Three Great Sects— abandoned their own sects and joined the Luo Sect! The Three Great Sects had been fighting each other openly and secretly for so many years! And yet, this little-known evil cult swept away all their carefully trained disciples in one fell swoop!

If that's the case, then so be it! It's just a contest for the Heavenly Book, a chance to see what secret techniques it contains, and some friendly exchanges and exchanges of skills.

But Yan Xingyun! Especially Yan Xingyun and his group! They were all elites trained by the Three Great Sects, and were originally sworn enemies for generations! They actually came together by such a coincidence! They actually opened up to each other over a cup of wine! They wanted to forgive and forget! They actually wanted to become sworn brothers! They wanted to completely end the conflict Three Great Sects! They wanted peace in the world!

What the hell?! All is well? Hahaha! All is well! Hahahaha! Hahahaha! This is fucking hilarious!

The man in the red robe laughed maniacally, dancing wildly around the remains in the snow, his laughter echoing across the snowfield.

"Nonsense about peace! Only a bunch of naive fools think this will bring peace! Do you know how many people have died?! Do you know how many people died because of these drunken fools trying to achieve peace?!"

My sworn brothers at the same table! My fellow disciples! My blood brothers! I must sever all ties! I must become their enemies! I must choose between my sect and my brothers! If I don't choose, I die! It's either you or me! Go cut off your brother's head! Are you going or not? Are you going or not? I'm going! Hahaha! I'm going! Anyway, let's fight! It's either you or me, it's over!

But those madmen! Those madmen still considered you a brother! They considered you a true brother! They wanted peace! They were truly willing to die at your hands! Before they died, they even said they could go back to their hometown and seek true peace...

Ah--! Madmen! It's all these madmen! These self-righteous! Selfish madmen! Ahhh--! What peace! Where is there peace! Where is there peace?!

Li Fan had no idea how long Zhang Dali Daojun had kept these thoughts bottled up inside.

He simply watched the red robe hover between heaven and earth, laughing heartily, whether he was happy to have obtained the heavenly book and could comprehend the Dao, or happy that he finally had the opportunity to see true peace.