Chapter 64 Just one step away from rebirth...
The two rushed toward the ghost messenger, and Li Hongyi only paused for a moment before rushing forward to grab him.
Li Qingyun originally wanted to hurry over as well, but then she realized that her cultivation level was far inferior to Li Hongyi's, and that going over might only cause trouble. So she changed the direction of her steps.
Moreover... Ghost Island is not a place for the living. He had only stayed there for a few breaths when he was already feeling trembling and panicked.
The sign "Keep Out of the Living" on Ghost Island is not just for show. Cultivators who can step into this place are either those whose souls wander during a breakthrough and are drawn into the chaotic land of Ghost Island; or those who have been framed, had their bodies destroyed, and were beaten half to death before being forcibly thrown into this barren land.
Although the former's physical body was destroyed, it was undoubtedly for the purpose of breaking through to the Great Perfection Realm. If he succeeds, reshaping his physical body will be a matter of a wave of his hand, and whether he lives or dies will no longer matter.
If it is the latter, with neither the mind to suddenly understand nor the strength to resist, once they enter Ghost Island, they would be considered old if they could survive even one day.
Li Qingyun's cultivation level is not high, and he doesn't seem to be the former at all.
Li Hongyi wasn't sure how long the treasure in his young master's hands could last, so it was best to finish the battle quickly.
He activated the Dragon Soaring Movement Technique. The ghost messenger's figure was originally unpredictable and difficult to pinpoint his next move. However, in just a few blinks, Li Hongyi was able to block the ghost messenger's path.
Seeing that things were not going well, the ghost messenger once again transformed into black smoke and fled, but this time he was trapped by a bright magic circle that suddenly rose up under his feet and could not escape.
Li Qingyun snorted coldly, and with her fingertips, she guided the runes to form, completely locking down the Ghost Messenger's range of movement.
"Be careful!" Li Hongyi warned as he saw a group of ghosts rushing towards Li Qingyun.
Li Qingyun: "It's nothing."
Then, the defensive items floating around him also lit up with white light, deterring some of the timid ghosts. When some bold and greedy ghosts rushed up, the purification runes were activated and attacked the evil spirits one meter away, shattering the ghosts' condensed souls with a single blow.
While Li Qingyun was battling the horde of ghosts, Li Hongyi was also continuously unleashing his attacks against the ghost messengers.
It's unclear where this ghostly messenger got his abilities from, but he actually withstood Li Hongyi's three bursts of fiery attacks without sustaining any damage.
"Hiss... This fire should be effective against souls." Li Hongyi suddenly sensed something was wrong, and a guess flashed through his mind, which he then exclaimed, "You were sent by the God of the Underworld!"
This statement may seem like nonsense at first glance, since the Ghost Messenger is an existence below the Ghost Island's soul and above all other souls, analogous to the elders among humans. Often, they either follow the orders of the God of the Underworld or make their own decisions and devise schemes to carry them out.
Ghost messengers are not common in the other six domains, but Li Hongyi knew that these guys had stirred up trouble in various regions, trying to create a mess.
Especially with the return of his memories, Li Hongyi suddenly recalled a secret about ghost messengers unknown to the mortal world—ghost messengers are never independent spirits. All ghost messengers designated by the God of the Underworld are deeply connected to the God of the Underworld in origin.
In other words, he was not only fighting the Ghost Messenger, but also the Underworld God behind the Ghost Messenger, who possessed the cultivation level of the sixth level of the Venerable Martial Realm!
This is troublesome.
I wonder when Chang Yubai's side will be able to end the battle.
The battle between Li Hongyi and the Ghost Messenger was fierce. The Ghost Messenger was also anxious because he could not accomplish his task. He began to melt a part of his soul to erode the magic array, trying to let the ghostly energy corrupt the imprisoning runes.
Li Hongyi, on the other side, clenched his fist, thought for a moment, and decided to take a gamble. He held his breath and then stretched out his right arm toward the ghost messenger, palm facing each other.
Then, an even denser ghostly aura than that emanating from the ghost messenger suddenly arose, and Li Hongyi's entire body was shrouded in black mist, making him unrecognizable.
The ghost looked up in panic, but before it could reveal its shocked eyes hidden under its hood, it was gripped by the powerful ghostly aura and turned into an insect stuck in a spider web, losing all means of resistance.
Moments later, a strong ghostly aura enveloped the ghost messenger. When the black mist dissipated, the ghost messenger had vanished, leaving only a tattered hood and tattered clothes on the ground.
"Cough!!!" Withdrawing his ghostly aura, Li Hongyi knelt on one knee, instinctively covering his chest with one hand to try and relieve the pain.
The forced swallowing of the ghost was more painful than he had imagined, but fortunately, this body had been tempered and refined and could still withstand the pressure from the source of the Venerable Martial Realm.
Refining the ghost messenger... This is something that has never been done before, no matter where you are.
Putting aside the fact that the risk is too great and could easily backfire, this act alone means waging war against the God of the Underworld. Since Li Hongyi is going to challenge the Venerable Martial Realm, he will certainly not allow his body to fall into a state of weakness.
His cultivation level was only at the Profound Martial Realm. The moment he refined it, he felt the pressure from the Underworld God's side, which almost made him vomit blood. Fortunately, it must have been the White Emperor who made a move, and the Underworld God's side was too busy to bother him, which allowed Li Hongyi to escape a calamity.
White Emperor, White Emperor... Yes, we're just missing one White Emperor.
Li Hongyi smiled, but there was a hint of madness in his expression.
The more hope they discover, the more they want to save their own lives.
Could he be the person you've been looking for?
Will he be the one to end everything?
Li Tiansheng, if we succeed, will you still keep me after this?
Li Hongyi couldn't fathom the man with his gloomy expression, nor did she dare to speculate too much.
If you guess too much and he notices your curiosity, you'll inevitably be criticized for acting on your own initiative.
But he was still delighted.
If everything can truly come to a successful end, he will still be happy for Li Tiansheng.
From Li Qingyun's perspective, Li Hongyi, having used some forbidden technique, was kneeling on the ground after defeating the ghost messenger, essentially crippled.
Li Qingyun: !!!
At this critical juncture! Are you, the main combat force, going to withdraw from the battlefield?!
"Can you still move?"
“…That won’t work.” Li Hongyi’s weak voice came through. “The Ghost Gate has to be blocked to prevent them from rushing out.”
"Nonsense!" Li Qingyun retorted rudely.
Knowing that relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself, Li Qingyun cursed inwardly, but his expression did not change much, and his moves to resist the ghosts remained unshaken.
Li Hongyi, panting, advised him, "Go out first. Being blocked outside is still a problem. The ghostly aura of Ghost Island will erode your vitality. Now that the ghost messengers are dead, there's no need to worry about them causing a riot."
He was afraid that Li Qingyun, a living person, would be corrupted into a useless person by Guiyu, which would be a great loss. He also didn't want to harm others for no reason.
“I don’t have Chang Yubai’s abilities, and it’s too risky for me to block the outside,” Li Qingyun retorted.
He had not yet learned Chang Yubai's "Law of Heaven and Earth" and did not have a purifying artifact to condense illusory images. The Black Scale Sword could suppress the Ghost Gate by suppressing evil spirits. Even if Li Qingyun searched his entire fortune, he could not find a second Black Scale Sword, let alone suppress all the ghosts and evil spirits in the sect.
Only by entering the gate oneself and activating all the purification treasures can these ghosts be made to retreat.
The downsides are also very obvious—the malevolent energy of Ghost Island has begun to make it difficult for him to breathe.
Fortunately, he was prepared.
Li Hongyi: "Are you crazy?! How am I supposed to explain to your master if you die here?!"
Who told you I was going to die?
Li Hongyi: "Your life force has begun to fade!!!"
Li Hongyi didn't expect that Li Qingyun would still argue with him at this critical moment.
But as he staggered to his feet, he met Li Qingyun's unhurried gaze.
He heard Li Qingyun ask him, "Do you think I look like a fool?"
Li Hongyi stopped in his tracks as he was about to push the person away.
"I'm not like you, who's only focused on accepting his fate and courting death."
Li Hongyi didn't believe it, but his eyes didn't lie. The life force that had been eroded around Li Qingyun had actually been restored to a rich color.
Can life return?
Li Hongyi hurriedly tried to recall what kind of person Li Qingyun was, and finally found a clue about Li Qingyun's background in a corner - the successor of the Tree God.
Li Hongyi: ……
That's alright then.
No wonder you made a special trip to the Forest of Ten Thousand Spirits, and no wonder Lingfeng took you to see the Tree God.
"How long can you use this trick?" Li Hongyi asked.
Li Qingyun ignored him.
He realized he was about to be promoted.
He had just activated his original essence ginseng, which regenerated a vibrant life force. His spiritual energy surged within him, and he suddenly directed all his power into the depths of his spiritual sea.
The only cultivation technique he had practiced over the years was the Yuanjue, and his spiritual sea was a fertile land with endless vitality. This mutual reflection led him to gain new insights into the Yuanjue.
Chang Yubai once said that the Yuanjue is being improved every year. Although he taught the last move, it does not mean that the Yuanjue is finished.
Li Qingyun didn't know how his grandmaster had created this technique, nor could he understand why the technique created by the human race was so well-suited to him, a Wood Spirit. But the moment the ghostly aura forced its way in, he comprehended the meaning of life force, which made him realize the flaws in the technique.
Spring comes and autumn goes, and new buds constantly sprout in the mulberry fields. Vibrant life is radiating in every breath. The blossoming and fruiting of the spiritual energy in the fields is also a process of life ripening and falling from the tree.
At the end of death, one returns to one's roots and sprouts anew.
The end of the secret formula should be a period of death followed by rebirth.
“Strange…” A moment of confusion appeared on Li Qingyun’s face. “Why would Grandmaster…”
No, that's not right. Our master isn't a Wood Spirit, so he shouldn't be able to think of any way to survive.
That's right, that must be the reason. It must be because the Grandmaster lacked the unique vitality of the successor Tree God, and was unable to comprehend the method of rebirth under the pressure of death. That's why he couldn't completely perfect the secret technique, and couldn't survive in the face of death.
"..."
Li Qingyun herself couldn't say whether she was happy or sad.
The death of his master should have been a good thing for him, but... he was just one step away.
Li Qingyun was not without empathy; he admired the strong and would lament the demise of the strong.
When he realized that his master was only one step away from being reborn, all he could think was absurdity.
If Chang Yubai had grasped this final step, he wouldn't have lost the one he loved.
With just one last step remaining... Chang Yubai would no longer weep in the desolate land, but would instead place all his hopes on a substitute.
Will Chang Yubai know that Yuan Jue is only one step away from being completed?
If he found out, that guy would go crazy.
They will surely regret that they were not skilled in cultivation back then, that they failed to buy enough time for their master, and that they failed to help their master comprehend the path of rebirth.
He knew Chang Yubai too well; if he were to tell Chang Yubai about this, all he would get in return is the man's despair and breakdown.
Why... why does fate always seem to fall just short of my goal?
He was just one step away from winning over Chang Yubai, but Chang Yubai realized his own true feelings, completely extinguishing any possibility.
Chang Yubai was just one step away from being able to stay with the person he truly cared about forever, and to protect the peace and tranquility that constantly flowed in his heart.
Just one step away!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
