Chapter 61: First Arrival at Twin Moon Island!
The strange voice echoed, as if a demonic trial, striking directly at Shen Yan’s spirit. In the void, dark mist surged like a tide, demonic energy boiling as in a cauldron. If it had been an ordinary cultivator, they would have succumbed to a demonic tribulation. But Shen Yan was no ordinary man, not an average cultivator. Even so, under the assault of the demonic voice and test, he too was affected, unable to remain untouched.
The waves of demonic sound mingled with the chanting of sutras, stirring the demonic energy, which writhed like tadpoles and earthworms, or perhaps like flood serpents and dragons. Not only his flesh and blood, his inner essence and magical power, but even his soul and sea of consciousness were undergoing strange transformations.
In that instant, Shen Yan awoke with a start and roared in fury—a thunderous sound that shook the air.
His shout scattered the thunderclouds, and before him appeared the Elder of the Azure Lotus Sect. Had he traversed the void with some secret technique, or was it simply that Shen Yan’s distraction had allowed the elder to draw near? There was no time to ponder this, for the elder had already struck.
The Azure Lotus Sect Elder bore no face; his hollow skull was crowned with a blood-red talisman pressed upon his brow. At the brink of life and death, Shen Yan held nothing back.
A thunderous clang resounded as the lightning shattered, dragon shadows dissipated, and blood spattered across the sky. A figure was thrown into the air, twisting mid-flight before exploding in a flash of crimson, fleeing with the wind and thunder.
Earth-Evading secret art!
At that moment, Shen Yan employed two arts simultaneously—stimulating his body to unleash its potential, matching the elder’s blow with increased power at the cost of his own lifeblood. Burning his life, he performed the secret art and fled with desperate speed, leaving only the elder standing in silence.
Moments later—
“Damn it!”
Elsewhere—
A metallic clang rang out as a body streaked like a rainbow, the wind and thunder accompanying it as it crashed into a small island. The figure collapsed and shattered upon landing—it was Shen Yan.
His clothes were in tatters, soaked in blood. Beneath the rags, his blood oozed thickly, seeping from countless wounds and pores, swiftly pooling beneath him into a crimson lake.
A tremor shook his body, and he spat a mouthful of blood, flecked with fragments of flesh—the mark of internal injuries.
“Immortal Master?” Aruo, still unaware of what had transpired, was startled to see Shen Yan sitting there, drenched in blood. Her expression changed dramatically.
“What happened to you…?”
Shen Yan paid her no heed, continuing to channel his power, forming a glowing shield to heal his injuries.
Another tremor wracked his body, blood once more spilling from his lips. His wounds were too grave—his vitality depleted, his lifespan diminished, his body grievously injured. Anyone else would have died long ago. Only his dual cultivation of essence and body, his unparalleled physical strength, allowed him to withstand such devastation. Though he yet lived, death was not far off.
But the wounds to his body were not the most severe. The gravest, most terrifying harm was to his soul.
Within his mind, the demonic voice resounded endlessly. Though the Azure Lotus Sect Elder had failed to claim his life, he had still planted the seed of demonic energy within him. Now, that seed had taken deep root in his flesh, threatening to corrupt his soul and erode his mind. Should he falter for even a moment, he would fall to the path of demons.
He was cornered, with no escape above or below. Time slipped by, death drawing ever closer.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Yan forcibly suppressed the turmoil within him. Then, choosing to stake all, he drew forth every ounce of spiritual energy from the Heavenly Emperor Seal and sent it surging through his body.
In an instant, spiritual energy erupted, lightning coursed through him. A current of power rose behind him, tugging at his very being.
Aruo watched in stunned silence. Shen Yan sat cross-legged amid his blood, lightning leaping from his body, illuminating his skin from within.
With a thought, Shen Yan channeled his power, forming a vortex around him. Countless spiritual objects were crushed, transforming into pure Five Elements’ energy. A torrent of five-colored light poured toward him, grand and unstoppable.
The Five Elements Spiritual Root!
The True Scripture of the Five Heavenly Emperors was not only for cultivation and battle—it possessed miraculous healing properties as well, allowing one to draw the Five Elements’ energy from all things under heaven to restore oneself. In theory, so long as enough of these spiritual objects existed, any loss could be restored.
Shen Yan circulated his cultivation method, drawing the five-colored stream into his body, filling the voids, soothing the pain. The power of the Five Elements coursed through him, activating the secret techniques for healing, rapidly mending his battered flesh.
The Five Elements replenished his essence, and secret arts forged his rebirth. Lightning flashed, illuminating his form. The blood that had poured from him had already crusted and scabbed, and now those scabs fell away in layers, revealing new, restored flesh—reborn as if by the sword’s edge, returned from death.
Shen Yan continued, crushing the remaining spiritual objects, refining their Five Elements’ power to replenish himself. Time passed—how long, he did not know—until his healing was complete, his strength restored.
But he did not stop. He could delay no longer; it was time to establish his foundation and further strengthen himself.
Without hesitation, Shen Yan took the five spiritual treasures he had set aside and activated them.
With a surge of power, the five treasures shattered.
A dragon’s roar echoed. The path of cultivation, the way to ascend as an immortal, began here. He did not even need to guide the process; the Five Elements Spiritual Root operated of its own accord, fusing naturally, as if it were preordained by the very laws of the heavens.
In that instant, Shen Yan felt his understanding of the human body, of the world, of yin and yang and the Five Elements, deepen by another layer. It was as though a mysterious veil had been lifted, revealing a wondrous new truth.
The Five Elements revolved, forming a system, merging together. Blue, yellow, red, white, and black condensed, exuding an awe-inspiring force.
All fell silent. Shen Yan opened his eyes, gazed at his hands for a long while, and then smiled, murmuring to himself, “So this is it—the mystery of the Heavenly Emperor Seal lies within. Hahaha!”
His laughter echoed, unable to conceal his joy. The delight of sudden enlightenment could not be hidden.
The Spiritual Root of the human body, the yin and yang of the Five Elements—this was the purified foundation born of the Five Elements Spiritual Root and the True Scripture of the Five Heavenly Emperors.
Closing his eyes, Shen Yan focused his mind and immediately began to perfect the Heavenly Emperor Seal.
On the small island, Shen Yan opened his eyes once more, his aura transformed—profound, inscrutable, as if it echoed the will of heaven itself.
“The Elder of the Azure Lotus Sword Sect—it’s time to meet again.”
Shen Yan had done all he could; now it would be a direct clash of strength, and further calculations were meaningless.
“Man’s efforts are at their limit; from here on, it is up to fate!”
Wind and thunder erupted, sword light flashed like lightning, and he sped toward the edge of the island, as if cleaving through the dark curtain of night.
Shen Yan was a man both open-minded and adaptable. In his view, a gentleman’s vengeance could wait a thousand years or be taken in a single night. This night was not yet over. Before dawn, he would break through the demonic encirclement.
Jiangning Prefecture, atop the city tower.
A few men stood gazing into the distance, worry etched on their faces. Far away, dark currents surged, forming a demonic presence.
It was—
“The Azure Lotus Lake!”
“The demons have arisen; there is no hope.”
“Little Lanshan has no master of Core Formation to suppress the world; there’s nothing to be done against these demons.”
After some discussion, the cultivators dispersed, leaving only two to watch from afar, keeping vigil over the demons’ movements.
Meanwhile, over the waters of Azure Lotus Lake, the Elder of the Azure Lotus Sect strode atop the waves.
Suddenly, a brilliant sword light shot forth.
No words were needed; the moment he arrived, Shen Yan launched a fierce attack—one sword strike, aimed straight at the Elder of the Azure Lotus Sword Sect.