306 - Elasia Saga

The vast cavern suddenly fell silent. It wasn't just Gu Shi Daoist who was staring oddly at the figure in the light platform, even Fu Yan and Bai Yueli were filled with astonishment. This figure wore a scarlet dress, like a blooming rose — fervent and incredibly beautiful. Despite the unkempt hair, she remained breathtakingly stunning. As the three stood in shock, the figure slowly rose from the light platform. A pair of indifferent eyes finally revealed themselves beneath the cascade of black hair. Against the red backdrop, her gaze appeared strikingly clear. "This is..." Staring at the figure that had suddenly appeared on the light platform, Gu Shi Daoist froze at first. But then, something clicked, and a look of exhilaration spread across his face. He murmured excitedly to himself, "Wonderful, it's finally succeeded!" Though he didn't recognize the red silhouette in the light screen, Gu Shi Daoist suddenly understood at that moment—the awakening that the Corpse Trickster Daoist mentioned must refer to this individual. They had spent so much time here for this very moment. Although Gu Shi Daoist still didn't know exactly what the Corpse Trickster Daoist intended to do, his current excitement was unmistakable. However, he quickly composed himself. The situation was still somewhat chaotic: not only had someone intruded outside, but there were also suddenly two more people here. He had some recollection of Fu Yan’s presence; she was the one who had appeared last time in the place where the dragon resided. With that thought, Gu Shi Daoist's mind suddenly became alert. He quickly scanned the surroundings, attempting to ascertain whether the Demon Lord was concealed here too. The previous encounter with the Demon Lord had left him with lingering fear. Had they not been in a rush back then, he could have been seriously injured by the Demon Lord. During their time at the dragon's dwelling, Bai Yueli hadn’t shown her true face, so Gu Shi Daoist naturally couldn’t recognize her now. This was why he was filled with doubt. As the red sword vanished, replaced by the figure inside, Fu Yan took a while before returning to her senses. She frowned slightly and blurted, "This is... a sword spirit?" Hearing this, Bai Yueli’s expression also showed disbelief. She remarked, "But a sword spirit, how could it have a physical form?" Upon hearing these words, Fu Yan finally noticed that the red figure in the light platform was indeed a physical form, not just a spirit. And if the sword spirit had emerged, it shouldn’t have caused the red sword’s physical body to disappear. The light screens around them remained unbroken, so the red sword couldn’t possibly have flown away. Just like the magical bow in Fu Yan’s hand—White Bear always appeared as a faintly translucent spirit, able to enter or leave the magical weapon, yet unable to hide it entirely. Typically, a spirit within a weapon would be like White Bear, incapable of having a true physical body. Thinking of this, Fu Yan turned to glance at Bai Yueli, whose eyes also held a trace of confusion, clearly a bit bewildered by the situation. However, the two didn’t have much time to ponder, for at that moment, Gu Shi Daoist’s gaze returned to them. With a shift in his expression, he suddenly charged towards them, raising his hand to strike again. By now, Gu Shi Daoist was sure there was no powerful figure like the Demon Lord hidden in this cave. Even facing two of them, he wasn’t overly concerned. After all, last time, Fu Yan was only at the Great Ascension stage. She must have ascended to immortality not long ago, and the aura around Bai Yueli suggested the same. Naturally, he didn't worry much about them. The power gap among immortals greatly surpassed that of ordinary levels. In an instant, Gu Shi Daoist swung his hand, unleashing a massive energy beam straight at Fu Yan and Bai Yueli. Seeing this, neither of them panicked. Fu Yan swiftly drew back her hand, retrieving the magical bow and tightly gripping a spiritual sword. Beside her, Bai Yueli also leaped lightly to slightly widen the gap between them — staying too close could hinder their individual combat. Without hesitation, Fu Yan swung her sword, and the powerful sword blade swept forward like an army, clashing with Gu Shi Daoist’s attack and shattering it instantly. Over the past two decades of training, Fu Yan's strength had reached another peak. Seeing Fu Yan easily parry his attack, Gu Shi Daoist widened his eyes in disbelief. How could he have imagined that the person who was once as insignificant as an ant had now grown so formidable? Before he could fully absorb this, a figure suddenly appeared beside him. Bai Yueli’s form moved swiftly, and a chain formed of demonic energy descended from above, ready to ensnare him at any moment. In response, Gu Shi Daoist hastily drew his weapon, striking fiercely at the chains. His formidable energy entangled with them in an instant. Though it lasted just for a breath's time, Bai Yueli’s attack was entirely consumed. This gave Gu Shi Daoist just enough room to avoid being ensnared. He instantly vanished, leaping across to the opposite side of the cave. Swish! Swish! But before he could fully land, another sword attack was flying towards him from behind. This time, he couldn’t dodge. At the critical moment, Gu Shi Daoist quickly turned and threw something, causing an explosion with Fu Yan’s sword intent. The entire cave echoed with a violent blast. "Boom!" The three felt the surrounding mountain shake, as if it might collapse at any moment. Fu Yan deliberately held back to avoid collapsing the cave entirely; there was only one exit, and complete destruction would be troublesome. What once seemed a somewhat spacious cave now felt narrow, making it hard to fully swing one’s arms. Yet, even with Fu Yan and Bai Yueli working together, Gu Shi Daoist had little chance for a counterattack. In just a moment, he was forced to take a hard hit from Fu Yan's sword. With a "bang!", he was slammed into the stone wall behind him, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He coughed heavily twice before flipping himself upright again. As an immortal, he wasn’t so easily incapacitated; he fixed a sharp gaze on the two before him, his eyes flickering rapidly. Clearly, he realized that he couldn’t defeat Fu Yan and Bai Yueli. Continuing to fight would likely result in capture. Should he stay or leave? That became the question. Uncertain about the situation outside, he noted that the fighting seemed more intense. Corpse Trickster Daoist had been gone for a while now. As Fu Yan looked at Gu Shi Daoist, she frowned slightly. Despite her and Bai Yueli’s ability to defeat him easily, killing such a formidable immortal wouldn’t be simple. If only she still held the power of rules, then Fu Yan could thoroughly suppress him. With this thought, Fu Yan realized her power of rules was involved; she glanced once more at the center platform. There, the golden power of rules had formed a long line, extending through all the seals before landing in front of the red figure. Noticing the scene, the three of them looked simultaneously at the platform. Buzz— The red figure reached out, clasping the golden power of rules tightly. Instantly, the cave resonated with violent vibrations, the earth trembling. In that moment, realizing what was happening, Fu Yan raised her hand to reclaim her power of rules. But... it seemed too late. As the fair hand grasped the power of rules, a brilliant gold light flashed, runes swirling around. The power of rules expanded significantly. “Crack—” In the next second, the cave's seals burst from the force of the power of rules. In the time it took the onlookers to blink, a shattering sound akin to breaking glass rang out. Moments later, under their eyes, the seals exploded, raining fragments of immense power across the ground. A dazzling light flashed, followed by a crisp noise. At that same time, Fu Yan felt her power of rules fading quickly. As she instinctively grasped the void, she looked down at her hands. The power of rules had grown transparent. Before a breath had passed, it vanished completely. Gone without a trace. Fu Yan... Feeling the last bit of her rule's power vanish, Fu Yan felt a pang of loss. A whole power of rules, expended just like that. Except for its use against Fang Yu last time, she hadn’t even had the chance to use it properly. The power of the rules had been one of Fu Yan's strongest cards. It gave her confidence, even against Fang Yu, the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao. Without it now, how could she not feel a sense of loss? Inside the cavern, staring at the scene of all the light screen seals exploding, everyone felt their thoughts slow, taking a moment to fully comprehend what had just happened. The immense glow receded, revealing the collapsed light platform in the center, with the surrounding pillars now cracked and fragmented, creating a scene of utter chaos. In the next instant, a blade shot out directly towards Gu Shi Daoist. Startled, Gu Shi Daoist quickly turned to evade, but the blade was too precise, pinning one of his arms to the stone wall behind him. "Splat—" In a heartbeat, a mist of blood erupted forth, filling the cavern with the metallic scent of blood. A spine-chilling scream from Gu Shi Daoist echoed, sounding particularly harrowing. With the blood mist cleared, Fu Yan finally saw that an arm had been pinned to the wall, and the one-armed Gu Shi Daoist was clutching his shoulder in visible agony. Without wasting a moment, he hurriedly pulled out some pills and swallowed them, focusing his energy on his shoulder to staunch the bleeding. Seeing this, Fu Yan and Bai Yueli were taken aback. They hadn't expected the blade to be so formidable. If Gu Shi Daoist had reacted any slower, he might have met his end on the spot. With this in mind, Fu Yan released her spiritual energy, quickly forming a protective barrier around herself and Bai Yueli. Until they knew the identity of the red figure, she had to remain on guard. "Cough, cough..." Meanwhile, from the middle of the debris came the sound of a cough. As the remnants of light faded away, the red figure reappeared before everyone's eyes. She was slightly hunched over, coughing vigorously, instinctively bringing a fist to her lips, her entire body seeming precariously frail, as if she might collapse at any moment. Seeing this, Fu Yan couldn't help but curl her lip. How could someone who had just severed Gu Shi Daoist's arm with such force look so weak? Gazing at the red figure, Fu Yan still didn't see the red sword she had noticed earlier. It was perplexing. If this wasn't a sword spirit, what exactly was her identity? Seemingly realizing something, Fu Yan quickly summoned the spirit of her celestial weapon, Bai Xiong, from her portable space. The large white bear appeared, and without hesitation, Fu Yan sent it the mental images of what she had just witnessed. Allowing Bai Xiong a moment to process, she asked, "Is she a sword spirit?" With no other explanation fitting, this was Fu Yan's sole hypothesis. Bai Xiong first paused, then its eyes widened in shock as it stared at the red figure. After a while, it stammered, "She... she... actually..." Overwhelmed with surprise, Bai Xiong struggled to finish its sentence. Fu Yan, waiting impatiently, "..." Taking a deep breath, Fu Yan steadied herself, forming a palm of true essence that she used to tap Bai Xiong on the head. "Ouch!" Bai Xiong winced, covering its head with its paws and looked indignantly at Fu Yan. "Why did you hit me?" Knowing Bai Xiong could speak now, Fu Yan repeated her question, "What’s going on?" Rubbing its head with a paw, Bai Xiong explained, "She isn't a sword spirit. No spirit of a weapon can have a true physical form." Understanding this truth was what perplexed Fu Yan. Quickly continuing, Bai Xiong added, "Though not a sword spirit, the red sword is her true form. In other words, she cultivated from a sword into a human." "What?" This notion took Fu Yan a moment to grasp. "Like how mythical beasts or spiritual herbs cultivate to become human, she became human from her sword form, not as a sword spirit but as the sword's original form," Bai Xiong clarified further. Hearing this, Fu Yan suddenly understood. The woman in red was a sword transformed into human form, much like how the dragon transformed into a human. Fu Yan found herself deeply surprised. Though everything in the cultivation world could potentially evolve into a different form, this was the first time Fu Yan had seen a sword cultivate itself into a human. Noticing Fu Yan's silence, Bai Xiong seemed to misinterpret her thoughtfulness. Earnestly, it said, "Don’t bother thinking about it. She is her own master now. Having a body, why would she ever agree to be just someone else's weapon?" Fu Yan, understanding the misinterpretation, didn't bother to correct Bai Xiong. She had briefly entertained the idea upon entering, but understanding the truth dispelled any such notions. After all, the red sword was no longer simply an artifact but a living being. Fu Yan only had interest in Bai Yueli when it came to living beings. In the cave, Fu Yan's attention returned to the red figure, another thought crossing her mind as she sent a mental message to Bai Yueli. "Senior sister, Zhao Ping’s master... it’s likely her." Hearing this, Bai Yueli, putting together the pieces, also realized it shortly thereafter. Zhao Ping’s master had been in a deep sleep and tortured by the Corpse Sect, and now all clues pointed to this red sword being the key. The conclusion was evident. They had never imagined Zhao Ping’s master would be a sword. Suddenly, there was a loud noise from outside the cave. The Corpse Trickster Daoist was seen flying in unkempt and bloodied, looking utterly defeated. Without a moment’s pause, he darted forward and grabbed the one-armed Gu Shi Daoist, casting a light that flashed beneath them. In mere moments, both vanished, transported away. Clearly, the Corpse Sect had long prepared for a complete retreat, setting a one-time use directional teleportation array within the cavern. Sensing the deteriorating situation, they had no choice but to flee. Quickly, silence was restored around them. Barely a breath passed before footsteps echoed from the cave entrance. A familiar figure suddenly appeared. "Tian... Fang Yu?" Fu Yan halted, quickly understanding. If someone had beaten the Corpse Trickster Daoist so severely, it could only have been the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao. Over the past two decades, it wasn’t just Fu Yan’s strength that had grown; Fang Yu had also fully matured. After all, the rate at which the Heavenly Dao evolves far outstrips that of any cultivator. Fang Yu paused at the entrance, his gaze first falling on the red figure amidst the ruins, his eyes reflecting surprise. "How can it be that you..." he murmured in disbelief, but then he caught sight of Fu Yan. In an instant, he understood. "You utilized the power of the rules to break these seals." "Should I congratulate you on seeing the light of day again, Zhu Shenjian (God-Slaying Sword)." The red-clad woman coughed lightly again, lifting her eyes to him with a radiant smile. "So, so much time has passed, and now the Heavenly Dao has an embodiment." Acknowledging that she had seen through his identity in just a few words, Fang Yu wasn’t surprised. He merely smiled lightly and said, "Time indeed has passed long enough to make even me a bit restless." Listening to their conversation, Fu Yan and Bai Yueli felt as if they had suddenly become invisible. But Fu Yan paid no mind, instead sending a mental message to Bai Yueli, "Zhu Shenjian? Her identity likely predates even this Demon Lord." If her guess was correct, the Zhu Shenjian had likely existed since the Heavenly Dao began sealing this continent, though the reasons for her eventual sealing remained unknown. "Yet, how did the Corpse Trickster Daoist also know of the Zhu Shenjian?" Bai Yueli couldn’t help asking, "They were the first to find this place, after all." Fu Yan paused at that thought. Simultaneously, they realized that the Corpse Sect wasn’t as simple as it seemed, especially the Corpse Trickster Daoist, who seemed to also know Fang Yu’s identity as the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao. Even with this knowledge, why would he choose to oppose the Heavenly Dao? For a moment, Fu Yan found her doubts growing deeper, but she had no time to dwell on them. Fang Yu had raised his hand, unleashing a fearsome sword blade that swept across the cave. At once, Fu Yan and Bai Yueli snapped to, unperturbed, joining forces to block the strike. Yet, without the power of the rules, Fang Yu’s attack bore an even more intense will of the Heavenly Dao. The God-Slaying Sword's eyes flickered, and several blades shot out, shattering Fang Yu's sword intent. She then moved gracefully, stepping out from the debris. Swish! Fang Yu's form shifted, instantaneously dividing into three identical figures. One brandished its sword towards the God-Slaying Sword, while the remaining two advanced swiftly towards Fu Yan and Bai Yueli. "Senior Sister, be careful!" Seeing this, Fu Yan swiftly raised his sword, darting forward to intercept the approaching figure. Bai Yueli's eyes gleamed, and her figure disappeared like a wraith. When she reappeared, she was behind Fang Yu, launching an attack from the rear. In an instant, the cavern was alive with the brilliance of swords. Sword intents mingled with surges of demonic energy, creating a scene of utter chaos. Even after Fang Yu split into three forms, his strength remained daunting. Fu Yan struck several times with his sword but found himself struggling, the will of the Heavenly Dao constantly bearing down on him. Noticing this, he furrowed his brows tightly. Right then, a transparent aura floated to Fu Yan's side, and he heard Zhao Ping's voice ring out, “Master says you can form another power of rules." Startled, Fu Yan realized he hadn't noticed when Zhao Ping had sneaked into the cave, but hope ignited in his eyes. Before now, he had attempted to condense a second power of rules but had always failed. It was only now that Fu Yan understood—since he wasn’t the embodiment of rules, he could control only one at a time. Since the previous power had been consumed by the God-Slaying Sword, he could now form another new power of rules.