Chapter 506: Why Bother

A resounding dragon's roar instantly filled the entire hall.

A massive black Candle Dragon burst forth from the dark light at the mouth of the crimson gourd, its body wreathed in black flames, its bloody maw gaping as it lunged at Gongshu Jiu.

“Palace Master Baili!” Luo Qinghai exclaimed in shock.

Han Li immediately understood the situation: Hu Yan had gone to great lengths to secure this Taiyi Pill, likely not for himself, but to save Baili Yan, whom he had been carrying all along.

Back when, under Xiao Jinhan’s orchestration, Baili Yan, the First Palace Master of Candle Dragon Dao, had emerged from seclusion to give a lecture, the sect had erupted in the largest internal strife since its founding. Golden Immortal Palace Masters like Ouyang Kuishan, colluding with the Northern Frost Immortal Palace, had attacked Baili Yan from within and without, not only foiling his long-prepared plan to break through to the Taiyi realm but also gravely wounding him and forcing him to flee.

Fortunately, Hu Yan, after similarly escaping the Northern Frost Immortal Palace’s pursuit and leaving Candle Dragon Dao, had managed to find Baili Yan and carry him along, his goal naturally being the Taiyi Pill in the Minghan Immortal Mansion.

But how had Hu Yan known in advance that the immortal mansion would contain such a treasure as the Taiyi Pill?

By the time Baili Yan’s Candle Dragon maw neared Gongshu Jiu, Hu Yan had already withdrawn.

From the black Candle Dragon’s massive mouth, rolling black flames spewed forth, instantly engulfing Gongshu Jiu.

Those battling the white humanoid figures then noticed that the figures seemed to have temporarily slipped from Gongshu Jiu’s control, their movements slowing abruptly.

They struck out in unison and soon vanquished them all.

Once the white mist figures vanished, the group flickered and converged around the area.

After about ten breaths, the Candle Dragon closed its massive maw, shrank rapidly to the size of an ordinary snake, and coiled atop the crimson gourd.

“Though the Taiyi Pill can help me recover and cleanse the karmic fire within me, it still takes time to refine bit by bit. This is all I can do for you now,” the Candle Dragon spoke rapidly in human tongue.

“No matter. Rest well and don’t delay your healing,” Hu Yan said immediately.

Baili Yan then crawled into the gourd’s mouth and disappeared inside.

Seeing this, Hu Yan quickly retrieved the fiery red gourd and hung it at his waist.

His actions had been so swift that Luo Qinghai and the others barely had time to react, but it had been a great help, freeing them from the reflections’ entanglement and trapping Gongshu Jiu.

“Everyone, quickly use your techniques to refine Gongshu Jiu’s physical body and then capture his nascent soul,” Luo Qinghai said gravely.

The others naturally understood the stakes and began forming hand seals, casting spells into the still-unsettled black flames.

Crimson flames, blue light, golden lightning, and blood-red radiance surged into the black flames from five directions, compressing them into a sphere of fire no more than ten feet in diameter, as various forces converged to refine Gongshu Jiu.

Han Li’s eyes glowed blue as he stared intently into the fiery sphere. He noticed that Gongshu Jiu’s body was still encased in a translucent circular barrier, blocking all flames and laws.

Moreover, the barrier shimmered with a faint red light that grew steadily brighter.

A flicker of alarm crossed everyone’s eyes, including Han Li’s, and they instinctively moved to retreat, but it was too late.

With a thunderous boom,

a violent, overwhelming blast wave surged outward in all directions, carrying black flames and multiple laws, hurling everyone nearby backward.

“Bang, bang, bang…”

The golden hall, already on the verge of collapse, finally gave way under the repeated impacts and crashed down.

Its dome shattered and scattered, its walls collapsing into rubble.

Before anyone could rise from the debris, Gongshu Jiu’s form flashed out.

“I had intended to show mercy, inviting you all to repent for a million years in the Immortal Court, hoping you might find the right path… But since you refuse my kindness, do not blame me for being ruthless,” Gongshu Jiu sighed softly and said slowly.

With that, he waved his hands before him, and five streams of colorful light emerged from his fingertips, from which flew five feather-shaped treasures of unknown bird or beast, shooting toward Han Li and the others.

Han Li stared closely, seeing the feathers shimmer with a bewildering light, indistinct, carrying faint yet palpable fluctuations of laws. Startled, he quickly raised his sword to block.

Jiao San flicked her wrist, and a silver bracelet engraved with ancient, intricate patterns slipped off, spinning before her and radiating a blinding silver light.

Chi Lijiao traced arcs in the air with both hands, summoning a golden armor plate that flashed and transformed into a gleaming square shield before him.

Sharp clashes rang out one after another within the hall.

Han Li’s sword bent to an extreme arc, the blade slamming heavily into his chest, sending him flying hundreds of feet into a mountain ridge.

Luo Qinghai’s jade fan treasure was shattered by the feather, and a massive bloody hole was punched through his shoulder, hurling him nearly a thousand feet into the ground.

Jiao San’s silver bracelet broke, and she too was sent tumbling backward, though she seemed largely unharmed.

As for Chi Lijiao, the feather shattered his shield, pierced his head, and Gongshu Jiu, with lightning speed, collected his nascent soul into his sleeve.

Hu Yan, having been slow to react as he stooped to pick up the fallen crimson gourd, found the feather already within three feet of his chest, leaving him no chance to dodge.

In that critical moment, a figure flashed in from the side, throwing itself before him in a gesture of heroic sacrifice.

“Yun Ni…”

Hu Yan and Ouyang Kuishan cried out in alarm simultaneously.

One reached to pull her arm away, while the other, his body stained red, used a blood escape secret technique to flash in front of Yun Ni at the last instant.

With a dull thud!

The feather, shimmering with multicolored light, pierced through several protective barriers and embedded itself in Ouyang Kuishan’s brow, shattering his head and sea of consciousness into pulp.

The three of them crashed together and tumbled backward, landing on the ground.

Yun Ni, stunned, quickly helped Ouyang Kuishan up, only to find his eyes already vacant, though a hint of satisfied smile lingered at the corners of his mouth.

Hu Yan’s expression was immensely complex.

“Why bother…”

Yun Ni glanced at Hu Yan, then at Ouyang Kuishan, and her eyes, which had not reddened in years, grew moist.

In Candle Dragon Dao, she had actually known Ouyang Kuishan earlier; the two had once traveled together.

She had always known of Ouyang Kuishan’s feelings for her.

But matters of the heart never follow the order of arrival, never abide by fairness or equality.

At that moment, a tiny golden nascent soul, no more than a few inches tall, flew out from Ouyang Kuishan’s dantian. Its surface glowed faintly, its aura feeble, but its small eyes were fixed unblinkingly on Yun Ni.

“Was it worth it?” Yun Ni asked, her eyes red.

“All my life, I followed the rules, toiled for immortality, hoping one day to act freely, to roam this immortal domain with a beloved… But the higher my cultivation, the greater the constraints… Today, I finally acted as I pleased for once. How could it not be worth it?” Ouyang Kuishan’s nascent soul said haltingly.

“Well said—acting as you please! Ouyang Kuishan, well done! Rest assured, I will help you be reborn!” Hu Yan laughed, reaching into his sleeve to produce a small sandalwood box.

Ouyang Kuishan glanced at him and silently flew into the sandalwood box.

By then, Han Li had flown back from the mountain ridge and landed beside Hu Yan.

He had witnessed Ouyang Kuishan’s sacrifice for Yun Ni. Though his expression remained unchanged, his heart stirred, and he gained a new respect for the man.

Jiao San glanced at Chi Lijiao’s corpse and then flew over as well. Only Luo Qinghai remained motionless, perhaps unconscious or dead.

Whether due to the heavy toll of using the feathers or some other reason, Gongshu Jiu did not press the attack but stood still, unmoving.

“Why do you keep refusing to use time law? Are you still trying to conserve strength and escape?” Jiao San’s voice was cold as she transmitted to Han Li.

“I have a trump card that might kill him in one blow, but I’ve expended too much already. I need to preserve my law power for a critical moment. Now is not the time,” Han Li shook his head and replied.

“I hope you’re telling the truth. If we get out of this alive, I’ll give you the later part of the Spirit Refinement Art. Besides, with your cultivation, don’t even think about escaping a Taiyi cultivator’s pursuit,” Jiao San said coldly, her tone unchanged.

“Then you, Daoist Jiao, should stop holding back as well.”

As he spoke, he casually glanced around. The white-faced scholar from Cangliu Palace and his companion had killed one halberd-wielding puppet but were badly injured, barely able to defend themselves, with no strength left to fight.

Xue Ying, however, showed no intention of letting them go and pursued them.

Nanke Meng had also been thrown far by the earlier blast, her whereabouts unknown.

The Golden Immortal Palace Master from Candle Dragon Dao, without Ouyang Kuishan’s aid, was being steadily pushed back by the halberd puppet and would be defeated within half an hour.

“Daoist Hu Yan, you two go help that fellow disciple. We’ll handle things here,” Han Li suddenly said to Hu Yan and Yun Ni.

“You…” Hu Yan hesitated.

“As you just saw, numbers are useless. To deal with this man, we may have to take a risk,” Han Li said with a smile.

“Fine. You’re full of tricks, and I can’t figure you out. If we survive this, I’ll definitely treat you to a jar of my newly concocted ‘Dream of Spring and Autumn,’” Hu Yan said, no longer hesitating.

“It’s a deal,” Han Li replied with a smile.