Chapter Fourteen: The Hope to Survive

In the past, Lei Yan had believed that cultivators were simply warriors who had advanced their prowess, not fundamentally different from ordinary martial artists. But now he realized how gravely mistaken he had been. The scenes that had just played out in his mind, as wondrous as something from a fantastical epic, gave him a new understanding of cultivators—and awakened a faint yearning within him.

Suddenly, a dazzling bolt of lightning split the sky. Lei Yan’s mind jolted violently, and all the images in his head dissipated like bursting bubbles, leaving behind only a brilliance as blinding as daylight—so intense he couldn’t even open his “eyes.” After a moment, the white light ebbed like a receding tide. When it faded, Lei Yan was left with five tiny points of light, each a different color, swirling around the blue light he had cultivated within himself.

At the same time, Lei Wanchun lay on the ground, coughing fiercely, glaring resentfully at Xue Dan, who stood opposite, panting for breath. Lei Wanchun hadn’t expected Xue Dan to use medicine to dramatically boost his cultivation. In order to withstand Xue Dan’s fierce assault, Lei Wanchun had already exhausted all the demonic energy within his body—yet still, the Blood Soul Banner had been broken. Now, even lifting his hand was a struggle.

“Do I have to use the Heavenly Demon Dissolution again?” A trace of hesitation flickered in Lei Wanchun’s eyes. The last time he invoked the Heavenly Demon Dissolution to possess Lei Wanchun’s body, luck had played too large a role. To try again, he could not be certain of success.

But Xue Dan gave him no time to hesitate. Forming a seal with his hands, Xue Dan shouted, “Return of Ten Thousand Swords!”

No sooner had the words left his lips than over a hundred flying swords in the sky converged at a single point, merging into a single longsword that slashed downward toward Lei Wanchun. Brilliant beams of light burst from the sword, forming a blade of energy nearly ten meters long, cleaving down from above.

“Damn it, do or die!” Seeing the verdant energy descending upon him, Lei Wanchun could no longer afford to hesitate. He bellowed, “Heavenly Demon Dissolution!”

At his shout, Lei Wanchun’s body seemed to explode, flesh and blood scattering in all directions. In that moment, a black ray of light shot out from the flying debris straight toward Xue Dan, aiming for his body—after all, Lei Yan was, in Lei Wanchun’s eyes, nothing but a useless wretch.

Just as the black light was about to reach Xue Dan, the massive sword of energy in the sky struck down. Sensing the oppressive force of the blade, the black light veered sharply, as if unwilling, and shot toward the supine Lei Yan instead.

Lei Yan, still pondering the mysterious white light, was suddenly invaded by the black ray, which barreled into his mind. He could see it clearly: the black light, upon entering, momentarily faltered before ravenously attacking the newly appeared points of light nearby.

Pain! Each time the black light tore a fragment from the new points of light, Lei Yan felt a wave of agony that seemed to reach his very soul. Watching the black light devour the points, Lei Yan knew he could not endure this any longer. If he did nothing, the pain would kill him. Yet he didn’t know how to resist. Gritting his teeth, he willed the blue point of light to envelop the black ray.

The black light seemed terrified, battering against the blue glow—gelatinous like jelly—but with each assault, the black light grew dimmer. Gradually, it faded, slower and slower, until black and blue could no longer be distinguished.

At the same time, Lei Yan felt a flood of foreign things rushing into his mind, as if his brain would burst from the pressure. The swelling, aching sensation was unbearable. After a brief moment of endurance, Lei Yan could withstand it no longer, and fell unconscious.

After Lei Wanchun’s self-destruction, Xue Dan was utterly spent. He staggered over to Lei Yan, dragging him beneath the shelter of a great tree.

“You old venom, you got off cheap this time!” Xue Dan muttered, still unwilling to let go of his bitterness.

The ink-black sky seemed to sense Xue Dan’s mood and began to weep. Fine, dense rain drifted down, carried by the breeze in droplets that speckled Xue Dan’s face.

He gazed up at the heavens for a long while before lowering his eyes to look at Lei Yan, lying before him. In a low voice, he murmured, “To think, in seeking a disciple, I’d end up in this mess! Ah… If only one of my other disciples had amounted to anything…”

“Disciple… disciple…” Xue Dan suddenly chuckled, as if struck by a thought. “Old venom, even if I die, my disciple will still be here to contend with you for the leadership… Hahaha…”

With that, he placed his hand on Lei Yan’s wrist, his expression growing grave as he felt for a pulse. After a long moment, he sighed, “What a pity! The Body of Nine Suns… Ordinary medicine might keep you alive for thirty years, but I can grant you a century’s life! That should be enough time for you to restore your Nine Suns Body…”

With that, Xue Dan drew a purple pill from his belt. Staring at it, he shook his head helplessly before swallowing it himself. He knew that once the effects of the previous two pills wore off, he would die—his potential so depleted that even his nascent soul might dissipate. If he didn’t take this pill, which would grant him a day’s reprieve, he wouldn’t have time even to give his final instructions.

After feeding Lei Yan a regular medicinal pill, Xue Dan watched as Lei Yan slowly regained consciousness. His mind was still ringing, flooded with inexplicable new knowledge. After a long while, Lei Yan felt normal again. Seeing Xue Dan covered in blood didn’t shock him—he was numb to such things by now.

“You possess the Body of Nine Suns, but your meridians are withered,” Xue Dan remarked with a faint smile, seeing that Lei Yan was awake.

Lei Yan nodded. “Yes.”

“I have a way to give you a hundred years of life. Would you like to hear it?” Xue Dan tempted, surprised even himself at his talent for persuasion.

“Go ahead,” Lei Yan replied. He’d read medical texts on his own and knew enough about withered meridians to spot a lie.

“I can only grant you a hundred years of life—I can’t cure you outright. Perhaps only the legendary Nine Dragons Stone could do that. But a century is enough for you to seek your own solution.” Xue Dan’s words were slow and measured.

Lei Yan’s eyes brightened at this, and for the moment he set aside the strange new things occupying his mind. The possibility of survival was enticing enough.