He could sense the little one's vitality steadily recovering inside.
Chapter 60: Shi Yi attacked
Waves of fluctuations rose from the altar and rippled through the air, currents of sacred aura flowing within those gentle undulations.
Shi Qingyun stood beside the altar and slowly extended his hand, watching the ripples pass straight through his palm.
Flecks of golden light lingered in his hand. He closed his palm and rubbed them between his fingers.
They immediately turned into fine golden threads and drifted away into the air.
He gazed at the glowing cocoon in silence.
"Breaking out of the cocoon to become a butterfly?"
Just as Shi Qingyun sank into thought, a sense of mortal danger suddenly flared in his heart.
It wrenched him from his thoughts, and in an instant, every hair on his body stood on end.
A fierce whistle of something tearing through the air reached his ears from behind, followed by a bone-piercing chill at the back of his head.
His blood surged, and power instantly flooded his entire body.
With no time to think, he hurriedly tilted his head. A spear gleaming with cold light skimmed past his ear.
The gust it raised sent his hair whipping wildly, and the spear's tail had yet to pass him.
An arm appeared before him and firmly seized the gleaming silver spear. The moment that hand gripped it, a figure appeared in front of him.
Before he could make out who it was, the figure raised a leg and lashed out with a powerful sweeping kick, heading straight for his head.
Shi Qingyun's pupils contracted. He wanted to throw a punch to block it, but it was already too late.
He could only hastily raise both hands in front of himself. Thud! A tremendous crash rang out as the leg struck his arms.
A wave of air erupted behind him, whipping his robes.
The blow sent him sliding backward uncontrollably. Runes emerged on his right hand and coiled around it.
Only by driving his right hand hard into the ground did he barely manage to stop his backward slide.
Two deep furrows had been gouged into the Dao Platform beneath his feet.
The runes on his hand dissipated. Instead, vast blood energy surged beneath his skin, its divine radiance seemingly about to spill out.
He hurriedly straightened and prepared for battle.
He looked up toward the altar and finally saw a youth standing there with a spear in hand, the hem of his robes slightly torn.
His robes swayed gently, and the spear in his hand glinted with icy light.
Shi Yi stood beneath the Luminous Cocoon. Flecks of golden light fell upon him, illuminating his sharply defined face.
Even his torn hem now seemed like a badge of honor worn by a young general returning from war.
As Shi Qingyun looked over, Shi Yi seemed only then to notice his gaze and slowly turned his eyes away from the glowing cocoon.
He raised his hand and aimed the spear tip at Shi Qingyun, regarding him without a trace of emotion. His words sounded like a decree from a god high above.
"So you're the little worm who triggered the formations!"
"You certainly made me work to find you."
The moment Shi Qingyun saw those two sets of double pupils, still shining even within the formations, he knew who had come.
He loosened his body and shook out his arms, which were still a little numb from the impact. He regarded Shi Yi without the slightest fear, even with a touch of nonchalance.
"What formations? I don't know what you're talking about."
In secret, however, he had already prepared for battle, slowly gathering runes over his hands.
Seeing Shi Qingyun act as though he did not take him seriously at all made Shi Yi's expression darken further.
He was already furious because this fellow had sneaked in and activated the formations, leaving him harried and overwhelmed by the formations in Rift Valley, forced to exhaust every means at his disposal.
Had his double pupils not possessed the ability to see through to the source, and had the formations in Rift Valley not been relatively simple,
he would surely have perished long ago in that obscure ravine.
Yet the fellow before him was still pretending to know nothing, and he could no longer suppress his anger.
While keeping a wary eye on Shi Yi, Shi Qingyun assessed his arms and felt a measure of astonishment.
Even though divine power could not be used here, Shi Yi's physical strength was no weaker for it.
He was likely only a step away from breaking through to Spirit Transformation. Otherwise, given Shi Qingyun's strength from achieving a Limit Break in the Blood Moving Realm, coupled with the increase in physical strength brought by his breakthrough to the Cave Heaven Realm,
taking just one of Shi Yi's attacks would not have left his arms aching and numb, even if his own carelessness had played a part.
Still, Shi Yi's strength was beyond question-but his own strength was nothing to scoff at either.
Besides, this place was so unusual. In a contest of flesh alone, he feared no one!
Shi Yi slowly lowered his spear, bringing the tip that had been aimed at Shi Qingyun down to the ground. Sparks flew the instant it touched.
A cold gleam flashed through Shi Yi's eyes, and his grip on the spear tightened.
"Since you don't know, let me help refresh your memory."
Although he knew Shi Qingyun was strong, he was confident he could defeat him and kill him here!
Hearing Shi Yi's icy tone, Shi Qingyun felt anger flare in his own heart.
He was already upset at being ambushed from behind, and now Shi Yi was acting so high and mighty.
Although he still looked nonchalant on the surface, his eyes remained fixed on Shi Yi.
His words met Shi Yi's challenge head-on.
"A petty scoundrel who only knows how to ambush people from behind. Let's see whether you have what it takes to refresh my memory."
Shi Qingyun's words seemed to strike a sore spot. Shi Yi said nothing more and charged at him, dragging the spear tip along the ground in a shower of sparks.
A scraping hiss accompanied Shi Yi's charge, and Shi Qingyun refused to give an inch.
Runes flickered over his hands. He pulled at the empty air before him, and a sword appeared on either side.
The Black-and-White Rune Sword instantly took shape in his hands. Gripping both blades firmly, he stamped hard against the ground and charged at Shi Yi.
Before the two could clash, their auras collided.
The resulting gusts made both their robes snap and flutter.
Shi Yi's eyes were filled with icy coldness, while Shi Qingyun's held not only the anger of having suffered a sneak attack,
but also a wild gleam, with intense fighting spirit surging within them.
The battle between them was poised to erupt.
Chapter 61: A few words before the paid release
Brothers, this book is finally going premium!!!!
First, I want to thank you all for your support and company over the past month. Some readers have also told me about the book's shortcomings and the areas that need improvement.
Thanks to your help, I've caught some mistakes in the setting, as well as typos and the like.
I never expected it to go premium so quickly. I'm both surprised and excited.
I've been reading all your comments. Honestly, I'm delighted that so many people like it, but I also feel a sense of pressure.
When I write, I clearly have my outline and everything right beside me, but once I get carried away, every plot point and outline flies clean out of my head.
By the time you reach this point, some of you may have dropped the book. I hope the earlier content brought you some enjoyment.
Next, I want to thank my editor, Green Fox. If he hadn't fished me out, who knows where I'd still be typing away.
Finally, I hope everyone can support this book by
subscribing to the first paid chapter!!!
I don't really know what else to say. This is a little jumbled.
Lastly, I wish you all:
A happy life and good health.
Chapter 62: Battle of the Two Stones
Shi Yi gripped the tail of his spear with one hand, dragging its sharp tip along the ground as he swiftly closed in on Shi Qingyun.
Terrifying force gathered at the spear tip. He intended to kill Shi Qingyun here with a single blow.
As though crossing a thousand miles in an instant, the distance between them shrank rapidly.
When only a few steps remained between them, Shi Yi tightened his right hand around the spear's tail, planted his feet, and twisted his waist, bringing his entire arm into motion.
He swung the spear with that momentum, cleaving forward with all his strength.
The sharp spear tip traced a semicircle through the air, its icy gleam reflected on Shi Qingyun's face.
Shi Qingyun abruptly halted and immediately raised his right hand above his head, holding the white sword horizontally.
He intended to block Shi Yi's cleaving strike that way.
The air wailed beneath Shi Yi's crushing blow, sliced apart as swiftly as lightning.
Clang! Crack!
The Rune Sword and the Silver Spear collided, a piercing noise ringing out from the point of impact.
The tremendous force transmitted through his right hand made Shi Qingyun's knees bend slightly. It passed down beneath him, swiftly stirring up waves of air.
Faint sounds of metal cracking reached Shi Qingyun's ears. From the corner of his eye, he could see fractures appearing across the Rune Sword in his right hand.
Those spiderweb-like cracks spread from the point where it met the Silver Spear. Amid the fractures, the runes imprinted on the blade flickered with faint light.
Seeing this, Shi Qingyun knew he could not meet Shi Yi's Silver Spear head-on. Another blow like that, and his Rune Sword would fail.
In the flash of a spark, he raised his right arm with the momentum and tilted the Rune Sword to the left.
The Silver Spear slid along the slanted blade and plunged toward the ground. Seeing this, Shi Yi was just about to kick the spear's shaft to redirect the strike straight at Shi Qingyun's waist and abdomen.
Before you continue