He opened his mouth and spat out saliva so thick it had almost frozen solid, then waved at Yi Chen, flinging him away as though shooing off a mosquito before vanishing into the distance like a wisp of smoke.
Yi Chen tumbled away in a sorry heap. Rubbing his backside and cursing a few times, he sprang up and dashed toward another passage in the castle.
Hurrying along and weaving past one enormous sculpture after another, Yi Chen finally reached the castle's innermost area, where he stared in astonishment at a towering pillar that pierced the clouds.
Heavy chains coiled around the pillar, and a hundred and eight massive swords pinned its base firmly in place. Every sword had been forged from a special alloy and weighed at least tens of thousands of jin. For an ordinary cultivator to try to budge one would be a fool's dream.
A naked man stood atop the pillar, a broad greatsword roughly ten feet long strapped to his back, his eyes closed as he regulated his breathing. His skin bore an unhealthy reddish flush, and a circular opening three feet across gaped at the crown of his head, black droplets continually streaming down from it.
Yi Chen stepped onto the stairs and walked up to the man atop the pillar.
The man opened his eyes slightly, and a cold gleam shot from them. Yi Chen instinctively tilted his head aside to evade it. He could feel the murderous intent in the man's gaze; if he dared make even the slightest reckless move, the man might cut him to pieces without mercy.
Yi Chen sighed. "You still remember me, don't you?"
The man paused in surprise, then slowly turned. Holding a broad, heavy greatsword in his left hand, he pointed it at Yi Chen