Chapter 52 – Breaking Mountains, Splitting Seas

As Fang Yang watched Cao Xirui take out one Water Soul Bead after another, he thought: It’s great to have money.

While chasing after them, Lu Chengye’s attacks were blocked again and again. Seeing that the golden arrow that had just been filled with spiritual power was almost empty again, Lu Chengye thought: Damn rich people!

Lu Chengye reached out and grabbed the golden arrow as it flew back to him. After filling it with spiritual energy, he had shot two more arrows. There was no telling what kind of magic weapon Cao Zirui held in his hands. It was like a hard turtle shell, and wouldn’t break no matter how many times it was hit.

The spiritual power in the golden arrow was only enough for one more strike. The power of this one would be weaker than the first two, and the first, most powerful strike, hadn’t been able to break through the magic weapon in Cao Zirui’s hands. It would be even more impossible for the weaker third arrow to do so.

This isn’t working, Lu Chengye thought as he weighed the spirit stones in his storage bag.

He wasn’t as wealthy as Cao Zirui. This time, even if he took out every last penny, it wouldn’t be enough to charge the golden arrow with spiritual power again.

The few spirit stones he had left could only restore a little over half of the golden arrow’s spiritual power, which only had one third left. That wasn’t even enough to shoot two arrows.

He only had one last chance.

Lu Chengye gritted his teeth. If he failed to kill Cao Zirui and he escaped the Floating Island Secret Realm to expose this matter, forget the sect leader, Xue Ren would be the first person who wouldn’t let him off.

Even though he had sworn a solemn oath that he wouldn’t tell anyone about Xue Ren’s instructions, given Xue Ren’s level of caution, he wouldn’t leave a powder keg behind that could explode on him at any time.

He had no way out. He had to succeed!

With this in mind, Lu Chengye no longer hesitated. He took out all of the spirit stones on him and unreservedly replenished the golden arrow’s spiritual power. 

This strike would consume all of the spiritual power in the golden arrow, even the amount he added later. He was placing all of his hopes on this last strike, hoping that this arrow, which was more powerful than all of the previous ones, would penetrate Cao Zirui’s endless supply of magic weapons.

He had no idea that at this moment, Cao Zirui was on his last legs, completely unable to use the Water Soul Bead to defend against attacks. The bell could only tell him the location, not his opponent’s situation.

Lu Chengye held the golden arrow in one hand and the spirit stones in the other, waiting for the final opportunity to present itself.

Fang Yang, with Cao Zirui on his back, didn’t dare relax for a moment as he continued to run. He looked toward the east. Just like Lu Chengye was placing all of his hopes on the last arrow, Fang Yang was also placing all of his hopes in the Mysterious Big Brother in the bamboo slip. 

Both his and Cao Zirui’s lives were on the line.

He was risking everything on one throw, like a desperate gambler.

“Cao Zirui, wake up! Don’t fall asleep!” Fang Yang felt the hand gripping his shoulder begin to slide down, and quickly tightened his hold on Cao Zirui as he shouted.

Cao Zirui said nothing, but his hand stopped its downward slide.

It was good that he could still react. Fang Yang was constantly worried that Cao Zirui would fall asleep without him realizing. He’d heard that once a grievously wounded person fell asleep, he might never wake up again.

Regardless of whether this was true or not, he simply tried his best to keep Cao Zirui awake. He still needed to surpass him. Cao Zirui must not die!

So even though Fang Yang was panting and out of breath, he still spared some energy to talk to him: “Come to think of it, everyone calls you a walking iceberg behind your back, but you can obviously smile. This shows that rumors can’t be trusted.”

Cao Zirui didn’t respond.

Fang Yang said again: “What level magic weapon is your spiritual sword? It looks extremely sharp, much better than my iron sword.”

Cao Zirui still didn’t speak. His eyes were shut, and his body shivered from time to time.

Fang Yang could feel the form against his back growing colder and colder. It was unknown if it was blood or sweat soaking his clothes, but he looked as if he had just been fished out of water. 

Even though Fang Yang tried his best not to think about it, all sorts of terrible scenarios filled his mind. His voice contained a trace of uncontrollable tears: “Cao Zirui, I’ve run so far carrying you on my back, but I don’t work for nothing. You have to treat me to a good meal once we’re out of here.”

There was still no sound.

The forest was silent, devoid of birdsong or the chirping of insects.

There was only the sound of the young man’s hurried footsteps, not daring to stop for a moment.

As for the increasingly weak sound of breathing, it was nearly inaudible.

Fang Yang sniffled. He wanted to rub his eyes, but couldn’t free his hands to do so.

He could only hold Cao Zirui firmly, clutching him tighter and tighter.

The moisture in his eyes showed signs of spilling over, but just as the tears were about to fall, there was a sound in his ear, so soft that it could only be heard if he listened carefully.

“Okay.”

Cao Zirui’s eyes were still closed. His brow was furrowed in pain, but when he spoke this word, it relaxed a little.

Fang Yang’s tears turned to laughter. He raised his head again and looked ahead at the path that seemed to have no end.

But there was no path in this world that was truly endless. The farthest one was just…..the Yellow Springs road.

Lu Chengye crushed the last depleted spirit stone in his hand. He once again took out the Burning Sky bow and nocked the now-replenished golden arrow.

He drew the bow. The tail of the arrow moved backward cun by cun, and the dark red totem on the bow ignited once more as the heavenly fire that had burned Jianmu appeared on earth again.

The flames spread from the increasingly fiery totem to the golden arrow, and an aura more powerful than any before spread in all directions as the flames danced.

There were no more living creatures in the jungle. They had already fled far away under that terrifying aura.

Lu Chengye’s fingers turned white from exerting so much force. The stronger the force he used, the harder it was to draw this heaven-grade magic weapon.

But no matter how difficult it was, he was finally about to draw it into a full moon shape.

The fire blazed, and each time it flared, the flames rose up nearly a meter high.

Lu Chengye searched for the bullseye through the rising flames, but didn’t use his eyes.

He didn’t need them. The bell in his hand had already pointed out the direction of the other party’s escape.

East.

The moment he locked onto his prey, his fingers released.

It was no longer the same as before, leaving the string with a whoosh.

This time, all of the energy stored in the magic weapon was used as fuel to ignite the golden arrow, and when it left the bowstring, it was with a deafening roar.

Kaboom – a column of fire one meter in diameter shot eastward at high speed.

The branches and leaves in its path were immolated from the heat, leaving only golden-red ashes on the ground.

Wherever it passed, everything became scorched earth.

Fang Yang turned his head back as he ran. The golden arrow was actually still some distance away, but he had noticed something strange. 

Because he heard an increasingly sharp droning sound, as if something was approaching at high speed.

He didn’t know what that droning sound meant yet, but Feng Ye did.

Hao Chen had just attacked him with a hundred-meter wide waterspout, but Feng Ye paid no attention to the danger in front of him.

He was focused on the surface.

He still wasn’t able to make it to Fang Yang after all. The problem that had seemed to be solved still remained, and in the end, it was all up to his decision.

Was it worth risking his identity being exposed to rescue Fang Yang and Cao Zirui?

It really wasn’t.

Compared to the peace of the millions of lives in this world, the fate of two individuals was insignificant.

But…..Feng Ye closed his eyes and listened to the conversation between Fang Yang and Cao Zirui.

There was no question of whether their lives were worth it or not.

For Feng Ye, this had never been a multiple-choice question.

After all, he couldn’t be indifferent to life and death.

As the raging waves drew closer and closer, dazzling flames appeared in the distance. Fang Yang finally discovered the source of the droning sound – a stream of red fire more powerful than ever before.

The violent waves had already swept in front of Feng Ye, and his sleeves waved in the currents. The monsters commanded by Hao Chen consciously withdrew from the battlefield, realizing that they had no place here with these two fighting like gods.

As the center of the vortex approached, the current grew stronger and stronger. This chaotic flow of water now turned into sharp knives, tearing at the living creatures within it.

There was a ripping sound, and Feng Ye abruptly opened his eyes. Regardless of the tear in his sleeve, he shouted to Fang Yang in his sea of consciousness: “Run toward the light! Don’t look back!”

He could understand “don’t look back,” but the other part left Fang Yang perplexed.

He looked up at the bright, cloudless sky full of sunshine…..and as soon as he did so, dark clouds appeared in the previously sunny sky.

These were not ordinary rain clouds. They were much darker, and even though they were far away, looking at them from below filled one with a sense of horror.

No, those weren’t clouds after all! Fang Yang stared at the sky with widening pupils. What rolled through the sky was more like black mist, generating from an unknown source to swallow the sunlight. In the blink of an eye, the sky and earth were plunged into darkness.

The black mist covered the sky like bared teeth and claws, appearing unstoppable. But there was a gap of less than one meter. The black mist didn’t pour into this gap, and golden light shone through it.

Fang Yang immediately realized that he needed to go in that direction.

He ran toward the ray of sunlight breaking through the heavy mist. He was weak from running for so long, but he bolstered himself. Cao Zirui’s life depended on him. He couldn’t stop.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t outrun the golden arrow flying behind him.

Trees that had been standing tall for decades collapsed at the golden arrow’s passing, trunks turning to ashes under the heat before crumbling to the ground.

The flames devoured everything; any combustible organic matter was immolated under the flames.

Even the hardest bones in the human body couldn’t stand up to such temperatures. They would turn to dust in a matter of moments, with no pain being felt.

Sweat broke out on Fang Yang’s forehead. Although he had been sweating all along, it was unusually heavy at this moment, and his lips were slightly chapped due to the loss of moisture.

The heat came faster than the speed of the golden arrow, and Cao Zirui’s cold body was warmed up by the soaring temperature.

Even though Feng Ye had told Fang Yang not to look back, he couldn’t stop the desire to turn and look at the situation.

Looking back would inevitably bring his speed down a bit, so just as he was about to turn his head, Feng Ye shouted sternly: “Don’t look back!”

“But…..” Fang Yang didn’t think it would hurt anything. And if he looked back at the arrow’s flight path, maybe he could dodge it like he had last time?

However, Feng Ye knew that these two incidents could not be compared at all. The arrows shot before had been far less powerful and devastating than this one.

No matter where Fang Yang ran, he would be engulfed in the huge column of flames and surely die.

So Feng Ye interrupted him: “Trust me.”

He didn’t use his usual harsh tone, and was almost gentle.

But despite his gentleness, his tone was also firm, giving one an inexplicable sense of peace. It made one believe that even in a desperate situation with no chance of survival, he would create a glimmer of hope.

Fang Yang pursed his chapped lips. In any case, he had already placed his and Cao Zirui’s lives on the gambling table, so what was wrong with one more bet?

So he put looking back out of his mind and just kept running forward with his head down, drawing closer and closer to the gap in the sky.

Far from the battlefield, Hao Chen’s brow began to furrow. His external incarnation had transformed into raging waves, but Feng Ye had no intention of evading them, and was swallowed up.

He simply let the knife-like water rip his sleeves to tatters, and they hung on his body like rags as he stood there motionlessly and raised his right hand.

What is this guy going to do? Hao Chen thought doubtfully.

He suddenly felt a chill – a chill very different from the bone-piercing coldness of the North Sea.

It was impossible to distinguish colors in the pitch-black sea, so he couldn’t see the black mist in Feng Ye’s hand.

This mist filled with icy killing intent seemed familiar.

The black mist in Feng Ye’s hand took on the shape of a sword.

The temperature had reached a terrifying level, and Fang Yang’s heart had never beat so fast before. With every pulse, he feared it would leap out of his chest.

His skin was burned red by the heat. There was no need to be burned alive by the flames. If he remained in this high temperature for much longer, his brain would melt.

He estimated the distance between him and the sunlight. There were still three steps left!

But he had no time to celebrate, because the fatal golden arrow was only thirty meters behind him.

Judging by the sharp whistling sound as it cut through the air, it was still uncertain who would get there first.

Fang Yang paid no attention to this. Not only did he not look back, but he even closed his eyes.

This was his gamble, betting that a man whose name he didn’t know would save him. 

His right foot stepped into a pothole in the ground. It should have been a depression filled with water, but the soft soil had become hard and cracked under the high temperature. There were two steps left. With Cao Zirui on his back, Fang Yang silently counted the steps.

Another old tree succumbed to the flames, and black woodsmoke billowed into the sky, mixing with the swirling black mist until it couldn’t be clearly distinguished. The arrow was still twenty meters away.

His left foot came down on a nearly carbonized branch. Fang Yang shifted Cao Zirui slightly on his back, more toward the middle so that it would be more convenient for movement. 

The golden arrow flew over the grass, turning it into sparks that scattered and flew into the air. It was ten meters away.

One last step!

Fang Yang stopped running. He jumped up and switched positions with Cao Zirui midair, using his body to completely shield the unconscious youth.

This move was of no use – how could the fragile human body withstand such fierce flames?

When the golden arrow passed by, there would be nothing left but ashes.

But Fang Yang still did it. He actually had no time to think of the usefulness of his actions. He just wanted to save Cao Zirui, even if he couldn’t save himself.

The two boys flew through the air, rushing toward the narrow beam of light, and then fell heavily to the ground.

As they rushed toward the middle of the column of light, the golden arrow also reached the light’s perimeter.

A dot of light appeared in the deep sea. It was so small, so weak, but it was unable to be ignored.

Because that light had never been seen before in the dark depths of the sea.

The spot of light flickered amongst the dark mist, but showed no signs of dying out. Instead, it grew brighter and brighter. 

Something broke through all obstacles, whether it was the black mist or the floating island’s three hundred meter base of rock, as if summoned.

It was…..a ray of light in the sky, penetrating the darkness.

Miraculously, the light from the sky shone down into the dark depths of the sea, echoing the ray of light in Feng Ye’s hand.

Golden light flared, and the blade of a sword took shape!

This was an unparalleled sword!

The moment the blade manifested, an invisible sword glare shot out, and the sword that could cut through anything split through the three hundred meter base of rock above. But it didn’t stop there. The golden arrow flying toward Fang Yang, only one meter away, was also in the middle of the sword glare’s trajectory.

The instant the sword glare came into contact with the golden arrow, it shattered. With no spiritual power to fuel it, the raging flames were extinguished at the same time.

The shattered golden arrow fell to the ground, bouncing against Fang Yang and Cao Zirui’s sides. Apart from the scratches they suffered from their fall, the two of them were unharmed.

The crisis on land had been solved, but the same could not be said for the crisis in the sea. Feng Ye looked at the roaring waves in front of him. The chaotic currents were about to tear him apart. He abruptly swung his sword, and the raging water split in two before him, just the same as the rock formation above his head.

The rest of the people on the floating island just saw a flash of light, and then the earth shook.

The enormous floating island split in half, and the ground shook as the rock collapsed.

The surface of the sea split open and the waves rolled to both sides, surging into curtains of water hundreds of meters high.

Several li away, Hao Chen abruptly opened his eyes. His external incarnation had been completely destroyed by the sword, but this was not the end. The sword glare was heading toward his actual body!

With no time to think, Hao Chen instinctively opened his folding fan to withstand this crisis. It was made out of his hardest tail feathers, and would definitely be able to block a sword glare that had traveled such a distance.

He was full of confidence, and that confidence was justified. The sword glare that could break mountains and split the sea was blocked by the small folding fan held in front of him.

After waiting for the flash of the sword glare to dissipate, Hao Chen went to wave the fan with some pride, and his eyes widened. When he raised the fan horizontally in front of him, the seemingly intact fan suddenly cracked down the middle, the gap growing wider and wider.

Then, the severed halves of the fan fell from his hand.

The cultivators on land were bewildered. The sword glare was so fast that it was difficult to see. They only felt the floating island jolt, followed by an earthquake and a tsunami, as if it was the end of the world. 

Qi Refining stage disciples held onto the trees around them, trying to keep their balance amid the shaking.

And Foundation Establishment disciples took to the air on their magic tools, where they witnessed a horrifying scene: the entire island had split in half. And the fracture was incredibly smooth and flat, as if…..someone had cut it with a sword!

But what kind of person, and what kind of sword, could do something as extreme as this?

No one knew the answer, except…..

Ling Yun suddenly lifted his head toward the fleeting light in the sky, which reflected in his dark eyes as he murmured: “That is…..”

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Chapter 51 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 53