Desperate Struggle

The Star-Bewildering Mist Formation surrounding the island shattered completely under the impact of Li Yan's oppressive aura. The gray mist dissipated at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The lake churned violently, and Star Soul Fish leaped out of the water from time to time.

Li Yan seemed oblivious to the strange changes in the lake. He stood with his hands behind his back, his red robe snapping in the wind, and looked at Lin Ye like a turtle trapped in a jar—unable to escape, with nowhere to run and no choice but to let him do as he pleased.

"What's wrong, loach? Scared stiff?" Li Yan sneered. "This young master has limited patience. Hand over the legacy within three breaths. Once they're up, I'll do it myself. Then you'll wish you were dead."

Lin Ye's fingers tightened around his sword until they turned faintly white, his thoughts racing frantically.

Run? The lake surrounded him on all sides, and beneath the surface, Star Soul Fish swarmed in waves. There were also unknown terrors lurking below. He had nowhere to go.

Fight? He had less than twenty percent of his True Qi left and was wounded. Facing Li Yan, who was several realms above him, his chances of winning were slim—and he still had to watch out for the danger beneath the lake.

As for offering up the treasure and begging for mercy? That was out of the question. With Li Yan's character, even if Lin Ye handed over the inheritance, he wouldn't be allowed to live.

Three breaths was too little time. Lin Ye wouldn't even be able to recover a trace of True Qi, let alone absorb the inheritance or prepare a backup plan.

What could he do?

Lin Ye's gaze swept over the scattered objects on the ground: jade bottles, ore, and the incomplete formation manual left behind by Daoist Xinghe...

A flash of inspiration burst in his mind.

He looked at the fist-sized Meteorite Crystal. It was the finest source of energy for formations!

"Three!"

Murderous intent surged in Li Yan's eyes. He abruptly vanished, and in the next instant appeared in front of Lin Ye. His crimson fist crashed forward with a thunderous boom, its force warping even space.

"Red Sun Burning Mountain!"

Li Yan had used seventy percent of his strength in that punch—enough to kill an ordinary third-level True Qi Realm cultivator. He intended to crush Lin Ye on the spot with overwhelming force.

"Now!"

Lin Ye suddenly bent down, snatched up the Meteorite Crystal with his left hand, and jabbed two fingers of his right hand hard into a damaged rune at the edge of the altar!

"Voom!"

Some of the runes around the altar, dormant for ages, suddenly lit up, releasing a dazzling burst of starlight!

The starlight intertwined, space twisted, and a chaotic force field instantly formed around the two of them.

"What?" Li Yan's expression changed drastically. His sure-hit punch plunged into the force field. The crimson fist force was wrenched aside again and again, until it finally brushed past Lin Ye's ear and slammed into the black rocks behind him.

"Boom!"

The boulder exploded, sending fragments flying in every direction.

"You're courting death!" Li Yan was furious and shocked. He hadn't expected Lin Ye to have such a trick. The Red Sun Force erupted as he tried to shatter the field of starlight by force.

"Pfft!"

The chance had come.

Lin Ye suddenly flung the paper packet he had prepared, along with several nearby objects, toward the lake. At the same time, a spark flicked from his fingertip.

The packet caught fire in midair.

"Idiot! Is your brain broken..." Li Yan first froze, then burst into laughter. But as his smile began to form, it stiffened on his face.

The surface of the lake exploded!

The Star Soul Fish, drawn by the mixture of Meteorite Crystal and Soul-Bewildering Incense, went completely berserk. They surged forth like a death tide that blotted out the sky!

"Bastard! He's trying to make the disaster someone else's problem!" Li Yan's eyes nearly bulged from his head.

He tried to flee, but the tide of fish sealed off every escape route. Worse still, the aura of the Hua Yuan Realm presence beneath the lake was drawing closer in response to the disturbance!

"Red Sun Body Protection!"

Li Yan roared as True Qi erupted from his entire body, forming a shield of flames. The Star Soul Fish that leaped at him were instantly burned to nothing, but the swarm pressed on relentlessly. Every impact drained more of his True Qi.

A wisp of smoke seeped in, leaving him dizzy and making his reactions a beat slower.

"Rip!"

A Star Soul Fish seized its chance, broke through the fiery shield, and tore a chunk of flesh from his left arm!

Blood sprayed. The wound was icy to the bone, and a spiritual attack struck straight into his sea of consciousness.

"Damn it!" Li Yan was both shocked and enraged. He was a prodigy of Chiyan Peak, and yet a mere ant had driven him into such a sorry state!

"I'll make you suffer the agony of having your soul burned and your spirit refined!" He raged like a madman, slaughtering the swarm while keeping his eyes locked on Lin Ye.

Lin Ye, meanwhile, had stopped paying attention to him.

The instant he drew the swarm away, Lin Ye knew he had won himself a moment to catch his breath.

He took every Qi Recovery Pill on him and swallowed them at once, then circulated the Qingyun Art and Star-Drawing Art with all his might, guiding the medicinal power into True Qi.

The different medicinal energies clashed inside him. The Qingyun Art and Star-Drawing Art followed entirely different paths, and forcing them to work together risked a deviation that could drive him mad. But he had no choice.

"Pfft!" He spat out a mouthful of blood.

Li Yan's battle against the swarm had reached a fever pitch.

The tide of fish was endless. The fiery shield around him kept shrinking, his wounds multiplied, and his aura surged wildly. The Hua Yuan Realm pressure beneath the lake drew closer and closer.

"I can't let this drag on!" Li Yan gritted his teeth. Ignoring the swarm, he forced his way through their attacks and transformed into a streak of crimson fire, charging straight for the altar.

"Die!"

Li Yan's hideously twisted face filled Lin Ye's vision. His hand formed a claw and reached straight for Lin Ye's crown.

Lin Ye opened his eyes and gripped the Star-Shattering Sword. He poured every last trace of True Qi into its blade!

He thrust forward!

There was no elaborate technique.

Only an unwavering resolve to press on and stake his life in the fight.

"Voom—clang—"

The sword moved so fast it was like a meteor plunging from the sky!

"Shhk—"

A faint sound pierced the eardrums.

Time seemed to freeze in that instant.

The smile on Li Yan's face stiffened, and shock filled his eyes.

"No!"

The sword's radiance surged forward like a force breaking through bamboo, piercing his palm and bursting out through his right shoulder in a spray of blood and bone!

"Ah—ah—"

A shrill scream rang out. Li Yan's entire right arm had been pierced by the sword. Sword Qi rampaged through him, devouring his meridians and dantian, and his cultivation plummeted on the spot!

"Bang!"

The force of the recoil sent Lin Ye flying. He slammed heavily into the ground and spat out another mouthful of blood. His True Qi was completely drained.

"My hand! My cultivation!" Li Yan stumbled backward, blood pouring from his left shoulder.

"Hsss—hsss—hsss—"

The Star Soul Fish went berserk again, swarming toward the gravely wounded and weakened Li Yan to devour him!

"Get away! I'm a True Disciple candidate of Chiyan Peak! My master is..."

His terrified, despairing screams were swallowed by the sound of tearing flesh.

In just two or three breaths, only a twitching remnant remained at the edge of Lake Heart Island, being devoured by the Star Soul Fish. A faint, venomous growl lingered in the air:

"Lin Ye... Even as a ghost, I'll..."

The voice cut off abruptly.

Li Yan, prodigy of Chiyan Peak and fifth-level True Qi Realm cultivator, died without a complete corpse.

At the center of the altar, Lin Ye leaned against the skeleton, propped himself up with his sword, and watched coldly.

He felt no pity, only relief at having survived and a desperate longing for strength.

If not for the inheritance, the Star-Shattering Sword, and his all-or-nothing gamble, he would have been the one lying dead.

"Hah..." He gasped for breath, pain wracking his entire body.

But he didn't dare relax for even an instant.

Li Yan was dead, but the Star Soul Fish hadn't dispersed. After devouring his flesh, they grew even more savage, their crimson eyes turning in unison toward Lin Ye on the altar.

The threat of death had arrived.

Beneath the lake, the terrifying Hua Yuan Realm presence had been roused completely by the surging energy and the stench of blood. It locked onto him.

"Glug, glug..."

The ink-blue water swirled into a black vortex, centered on the heart of the lake.

A tide of fish before him, a giant beast behind him.

The real dead end had only just begun.

"Looks like I won't be taking this inheritance without paying for it with my life..."