Chapter 155: Journey to Another World (1)

Seemingly sensing Su Fan's abnormality, Li Mingxuan hurried to his side, gripping his long sword tightly. Glancing coldly in all directions, he whispered, "Fellow Daoist Su, are you all right?"

Su Fan frowned deeply, touched his storage pouch, and replied, "I'm fine."

Hearing that Su Fan was unharmed, Li Mingxuan resumed his lookout. Feng Shan and Xue Yun did not pay much attention to the previous commotion, as this place was far from comfortable; the damp environment made their clothes stick uncomfortably to their skin, causing immense irritation.

Perhaps due to water seeping through the mountain, the sound of dripping water echoed continuously. Following the sound, Su Fan's gaze was drawn to a puddle formed by rainwater at some unknown time.

Walking closer to inspect it, he saw the surroundings were covered in thick, muddy mire. Ordinary people naturally could not get close, but how could Su Fan be considered ordinary? With a light step, his entire body was suddenly suspended above the puddle.

Xue Yun's expression turned slightly cold. He glanced briefly at Su Fan and quietly began to close the distance toward him. His movements were so light that even Feng Shan failed to notice.

Su Fan crouched down gently and plunged his hand into the water. A piercing coldness traveled up from his fingertips, stabbing deep into his bone marrow. Then, a vivid image flooded his mind.

A demonic-looking man dressed in a crimson robe danced through the void, until a mountain suddenly blocked his path.

Whereupon, the man produced a dagger. The dagger was entirely ordinary, yet it was embedded with a ruby, making it look both vulgar and completely unremarkable.

As the man's slender hands formed incantations in the wind, the dagger spun rapidly. Soon, it was engulfed in dense lightning, the flashes growing fiercer and the roaring thunder deafening.

The man gently tossed the dagger, and it flew forth at high speed, embedding itself directly into a specific spot on the mountain. Instantly, the heavens and earth underwent a drastic change. A pall of dark clouds swallowed the entire sky, and the red-robed man paused briefly before plunging into the clouds.

When the clouds parted and the mist cleared, the man was nowhere to be seen, leaving only the dagger still lodged deep within the mountain. Uncounted time passed until a cultivator retrieved the dagger, and gradually, water began to pool within the crevice left behind.

After yet more time passed, the original crevice vanished, leaving only a depression. As the rain fell, this depression was gradually covered over and lost to sight.

A sharp throbbing filled his mind. Forcing himself to anchor his willpower against stray thoughts, his mind slowly stabilized, and the scene before him returned to normal.

Xue Yun cast a pensive glance at Su Fan and quietly stationed himself before the puddle.

Perhaps because he had just recovered and his spiritual sense had not yet fully restored, Su Fan failed to notice Xue Yun's stealthy approach. In a trace of a trance, Su Fan reached into his storage pouch and pulled out the dagger.

Xue Yun's expression drastically shifted in shock as he let out a low cry, "That dagger..."

Seemingly startled by Xue Yun's exclamation, Su Fan suddenly realized that three gazes were locked onto him. Feng Shan stared fixedly at the dagger and said coldly, "Did you kill Ye Yang?"

Though his tone was cold, it remained remarkably indifferent, as if Ye Yang's death had nothing to do with him at all. Asking the question served merely to confirm a suspicion.

Without waiting for Su Fan's answer, as though he had already discerned certain anomalies, Feng Shan commanded flatly, "Hand me the dagger."

Given no room for refusal, the bluntness of the demand left Su Fan momentarily stunned.

"Why should I give it to you?"

Even Feng Shan had not anticipated Su Fan uttering such words. In his eyes, Su Fan was nothing more than an ant that could be crushed at will. The only reason he hadn't eliminated him yet was simply because there was no need.

He had grand affairs to attend to; how could he waste time on a minor character? It wasn't as though he hadn't heard the rumors, but he dismissed them all as jokes, refusing to believe that in this world, anyone could possess the ability to resist across realms of cultivation.

Feng Shan suddenly smiled—a strange, twisted smile. "That item originally belongs to my Yongle Sect. What is wrong with me taking it back?"

Su Fan burst into laughter, his voice freezing cold. "Your Yongle Sect's? Does this object truly belong here?"

Indeed, this dagger had been taken from the Qingming Valley, so it naturally belonged to the valley. Yet, to whom did it truly belong? Ultimately, strength dictated the answer; whoever emerged victorious would command the ownership of the dagger.

Abruptly, Feng Shan flashed right in front of Su Fan, pressing his finger toward Su Fan's glabella. With a swift slap to his storage pouch, Su Fan drew a rusty, broken sword and slashed downward fiercely. Feng Shan was forced to withdraw his finger instantly.

An overwhelming sense of irresistible pressure gripped his heart, and a flicker of realization stirred within Feng Shan—that broken sword possessed extraordinary power. If he could seize it, it would not be a bad outcome. Thinking of this, Feng Shan lunged forward with fierce determination.

Su Fan's face was deathly pale. Even with his current cultivation, wielding that broken sword at will demanded an unbearable consumption of spiritual energy. Yet Feng Shan was already upon him.

Hardening his resolve, he raised the sword once more and swung it fiercely. Instantly, an indescribable curtain of light erupted, shooting straight toward Feng Shan. With an icy expression, Feng Shan formed hand seals, preparing to meet the strike head-on.

Following a deafening crash, Su Fan collapsed into a pool of blood. A ripple of crimson stained the ground before flowing into the puddle, while Feng Shan was blasted backward, slamming hard against the stone wall of the cavern before crashing to the floor, glaring at Su Fan with lingering dread.

Seeing this, Xue Yun silently glided to Su Fan's side, his robes fluttering as he reached out to snatch the dagger and the broken sword. Unexpectedly, Li Mingxuan lunged forward out of nowhere, thrusting his sword straight at him.

In a daze, Su Fan groped for the dagger and tossed it gently into the puddle. Then, he formed the exact incantations he had witnessed the red-robed man perform in his flash of enlightenment.

The moment the final seal was cast, the tiny puddle began to roil violently, surging upward like a water dragon that coiled tightly around Su Fan.

Xue Yun, suddenly struck by Li Mingxuan's thrust, abandoned his clash with Li Mingxuan and hurled himself directly into the twisting water dragon. The water pillar churned wildly, surging toward an unknown destination.

Facing this sudden and dramatic transformation, Feng Shan was paralyzed, unable to move even a single muscle. He could only stare blankly as the water pillar grew larger and stronger, while Li Mingxuan found himself completely unable to approach.

Finally, the water pillar slowly subsided, shattering into a spray of fine raindrops that fell back into the mud. Su Fan and Xue Yun vanished completely into thin air. Even for men like Li Mingxuan and Feng Shan, who had witnessed countless strange marvels, the shock in their hearts took a long time to settle.

"How did they just vanish?" Feng Shan murmured softly.

Li Mingxuan snapped out of his daze and glanced at the fallen FengShan. Suddenly curious as to why Su Fan had wielded such terrifying power earlier, his thoughts naturally drifted back to the dagger.

"What was that dagger?" Li Mingxuan asked softly.

Feng Shan burst into laughter. He scoffed, "How would I know what it is?"

Li Mingxuan frowned slightly, saying in a deep voice, "It was brought back by your Yongle Sect."

"Absurd!" Feng Shan immediately retorted. "My Yongle Sect brings back countless treasures. Must we investigate what every single one of them is?"

Nodding indifferently, Li Mingxuan's eyes turned sharp. He cast a casual glance at Feng Shan and said softly, "Rest assured, I will not kill you."

Feng Shan looked at Li Mingxuan with a sneer of derision. "Everyone knows of Li Mingxuan's peerless benevolence and righteousness. Yet in my eyes, he is nothing more than a pedantic, rigid fool."

With a calm smile, Li Mingxuan's expression froze back into an icy mask—as cold and desolate as the permafrost of the extreme north. As he walked toward the exit of the cavern, he said, "Once your injuries heal, you and I are destined to fight again."

...

Within the imperial city of the Great Song Empire.

Amidst this majestic city stood an inconspicuous building known as the Hall of Heavenly Seers.

The interior of the Hall of Heavenly Seers lacked any luxurious decoration; it contained only a crystal-clear jade wall. The wall was entirely devoid of inscriptions, emitting a faint, ethereal blue glow.

No lamps were lit within the room, yet one could clearly make out an elderly man in Daoist robes standing before the jade wall. Beside him stood a younger man dressed in opulent attire, exuding an air of imperial authority.

The old man was the Grand Preceptor of the Great Song, and the only person in the entire empire permitted to enter this Hall of Heavenly Seers. His brow was furrowed tightly, his fingers moving rapidly through incantations before pressing gently against the jade wall.

In an instant, the jade wall burst into surging purple radiance. The old man's face flushed with excitement, and the young man standing beside him cried out eagerly, "Master, can you sense where that person is?"

Without answering the youth, the old man pressed a finger to his own glabella. A moment later, the purple light dissipated. With a face full of doubt, the old man murmured in surprise, "He can no longer be found."

The youth was startled, asking in alarm, "Does Master mean that person is already dead?"

The old man hurriedly waved his hand and smiled faintly. "Not necessarily. It is said that this wordless jade wall has its limits; there are places it simply cannot reach."

The youth nodded silently, then asked again, "Might I know which places those are?"