Backlash

But when he was only halfway down, he saw the five vapors rising toward him, and fear gripped his heart:

How could the Nacheng Li Household possess such a profound lineage?

Though the Wu Earth path was troublesome, more than ninety percent of those who cultivated it had learned only the barest scraps. Who wouldn't have a headache facing someone who had learned its true art?

Fortunately, his opponent was only at Foundation Establishment. Though he himself had nothing to fear, Zhao Xin was casting a witch incantation and could not afford to be disturbed, so he still needed to protect him.

He made a snap decision, turned and flew back, and tore the cloth bag from his waist.

As he poured Law Power into it, the cloth bag instantly grew larger, then enveloped them both.

The next moment, the five-colored vapors intertwined as they surged upward, swallowing both men along with the cloth bag.

Inside the cave, Su Yao had only just sat down cross-legged when he suddenly felt dizzy, and his vision went black in waves.

He understood at once: someone was using witchcraft to curse him again.

His heart hardened.

Again and again-they really don't know when to stop, even when given face.

Rather than activate the Great Yin Feather Robe to shield himself, he circulated his Law Power and first drew out a trace of the Law sword Zhengji's presence. Then he sent it toward the prism in his Qi sea, imprinting both his own presence and that of the Law sword Zhengji onto its surface.

He then took out a talisman of the Mysterious Evolution path and used it to divert the incoming curse onto the presences imprinted on the prism.

He sneered inwardly.

This prism's standing is exceptionally high, far beyond imagination. Even peering into Ask Amid the Clouds, the immortal artifact in the ancestral hall, posed no problem at all.

Today, let's see whether your trifling witchcraft can withstand the backlash from an object of such lofty standing!

The next moment, countless streams of chill, sinister presence rushed toward him, but Su Yao felt no fear whatsoever.

Drawn by the talisman and his own presence, those chill streams headed straight for the prism in his Qi sea.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, every trace of that chill presence had seeped into the prism, coating its once crystal-clear surface in a layer of cold.

But the next moment, the prism merely trembled slightly. Crystal-clear, rosy light shone in every direction, and the layer of chill presence instantly dissipated. The light then grew brighter and brighter, as though sensing the source of that chill presence.

In less than a breath, the prism released a wisp of rosy light. Carrying the presence of the ancient sword Zhengji that Su Yao had sent to it earlier, it headed outside.

Once it left Su Yao's Qi sea and reached the outside world, the wisp sensed the direction at once. It flashed, and through a connection in the Unseen, appeared the next moment inside the cloth bag surrounded by five-colored vapors in the sky.

Inside the cloth bag, Que Qiu had intended to use this Law Artifact of the Balmy Wind path to protect Zhao Xin while he cast the curse, but suddenly he sensed a chill, sinister presence.

At the same time, Zhao Xin's expression changed as he cast the curse. The curse he had cast had disappeared, and the next moment, that presence appeared near him!

Without the slightest hesitation, he took out a puppet and shed three drops of Essence Blood. His face turned pale; this was bloodline Essence Blood of the Witchcraft Dao, and he had only twenty-four drops in his entire body.

The chill presence that had lingered around him then flowed entirely into the puppet.

He watched the puppet steadily wither, his heart full of joy at having survived the ordeal. But only an instant later, his expression changed again. The puppet had cracked, yet half of the chill presence remained.

"How could this be?" he murmured in disbelief.

Que Qiu had already sensed that something was wrong. Seeing this, his heart skipped a beat, and he looked at Zhao Xin in disbelief.

"When did your witchcraft become so powerful? Even this life-saving Witch Priest Puppet couldn't completely withstand it?"

Zhao Xin's face grew even paler. He shook his head and gave a bleak smile.

"It's not that I'm too powerful. That Rosy Clouds Dao Child has something of lofty standing on him..."

He paused, as though those few simple words had exhausted all his strength. Panting heavily, he looked at his ashen hands.

"Something of lofty standing, at least at the True Lord level... perhaps even an immortal..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he swayed.

Everything he had seen and done in his life surfaced before his eyes. He thought of his father and mother, and of his grandfather telling him about the humiliation of being forced to swallow the powdered bones of his ancestors...

He smiled and whispered, "Grandfather, I'm coming..."

Seeing this, Que Qiu started forward to support him, but stopped, trembling with fear. The chill presence was still growing stronger, and as soon as he approached, he felt that his own Ji Fire was showing signs of going out. His heart turned cold with dread!

Meanwhile, outside.

A palm suffused with Yellow Springs Qi appeared out of thin air and gave a gentle wave. The five-colored vapors instantly dissipated, accompanied by an aged voice.

"This Bathe in Five Vapors isn't bad, but the cultivation is too low in the end."

As the voice fell silent, the palm moved again, and the cloth bag protecting Zhao Xin and Que Qiu instantly shattered into fragments that scattered in every direction.

The palm moved once more, and Zhao Xin, his face ashen and the corners of his mouth trembling, appeared atop it.

Boundless Yellow Springs Qi then rose from the palm and wrapped around Zhao Xin, isolating him from the chill presence.

Yet the chill presence clung to them like a shadow, lingering around the palm.

The aged voice sounded again, tinged with a hint of a sigh.

"Let me borrow the Fallen Sun Joined Hearts Si Fire."

As soon as the words were spoken, a crow-shaped flame streaked with black and red floated out of the Great Void. Que Qiu looked at it and felt as though he were witnessing the Golden Crow sinking in the west, heavenly fire scattering everywhere, and all things burning.

As soon as the crow-shaped flame appeared, the chill presence lingering around them rapidly dissipated. After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, it had vanished completely.

The Yellow Springs Qi enveloping Zhao Xin dispersed, revealing him.

Que Qiu looked over and saw a thin thread of black-and-red flame descend and slowly drift to Zhao Xin's nose. Then, like a fire snake, it twisted its body and burrowed in through the tip of his nose.

After another cup of tea's time, the color of Zhao Xin's pale face gradually improved.

But it had only changed from deathly white to ghastly pale.

The thin thread of flame then emerged and returned to the crow-shaped fire.

Que Qiu gazed at the crow-shaped flame, unable to stop himself from thinking:

Whose precious treasure is that? If I could hold it for twenty years, I would definitely reach the Purple Mansion. Not possibly-definitely!

It wasn't as though he had never seen the many spirit fires of the Bing Fire path belonging to his people, but not one of them possessed such might.

This was absolutely a spirit fire of the Bing Fire path among the very finest, and it also carried a trace of the Great Yang path's might.

While he was pondering, the aged voice sounded again.

"Forgive the offense. When Rosy Clouds Immortal Mountain opens again, the Hepu Witch Tribe will surely present a congratulatory gift to express our apologies."

Hearing this, Que Qiu opened his mouth wide and stared blankly, unable to speak, his eyes full of disbelief.

The next moment, the giant hand vanished with Zhao Xin. While Que Qiu was still wondering what had happened, a blaze of fire descended from the Great Void and swept him up, then entered the Great Void and disappeared.

Below, Liu Yunhe and Li Siyi were both stunned as they watched it all.

Only after a long while did Li Siyi turn to Liu Yunhe.

"The Hepu Witch Tribe... is going to the Qixia High Sect to apologize?"

Liu Yunhe remained perfectly composed.

"The High Sect's prestige hasn't diminished."

Hearing him speak with such confidence, Li Siyi couldn't help rolling her eyes at him.