Chapter 82: nine profound Breaking Barriers
The star chart on the dome of Taiyi Pavilion suddenly twisted. Li Chang'an stumbled, crushing the green jade floor tiles, his robes still imbued with the lingering pressure of a Nascent Soul.
He wiped the golden blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. The 'Cangfeng' sword, his Natal Sword obtained from the nine profound Cave Heaven, pulsed with an ethereal blue Sword Qi from his waist, but two of the three lightning patterns on its spine had already dimmed.
"Fellow Daoist, your disheveled appearance pleases this old man even more than the Sword Formation just now." Nine bronze lamps flew out from the purple-robed elder's sleeve; each lamp's wick imprisoned the living soul of a Cultivator.
"Why don't you offer your Nascent Soul to this old man for Artifact Refining? It will spare you the pain of soul extraction."
Li Chang'an's knuckles turned white as he clenched his fist, but his Divine Sense swept towards the Taiyi Cauldron in the corner, which was bound by Talisman chains. The dark golden liquid oozing from the cracks in the Cauldron's body was precisely the taichu true dew, capable of repairing the Origin of a Sword Spirit.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and a greedy glint flashed in his eyes, completely oblivious to his left arm being charred black by the Nether Ghost Fire.
"Does this old fool know what a life-buying fee is?" He suddenly bared his teeth in a smile, and three blood-colored Talismans slid from his sleeve. "The Heart-Burning Talismans I ‘borrowed’ from the Hehuan Sect Saintess last year are just missing a Cauldron to test them on."
The purple-robed elder's expression changed drastically. As he formed a hand seal, eighteen bone banners had already formed a Blood Fiend Array. However, Li Chang'an suddenly stomped his foot, shattering the Jade Pendant at his waist, and instantly, tens of thousands of sword threads shot out from the Azure Nether stone pillars.
This fellow had actually used his Natal Sword Qi to rewrite Taiyi Pavilion's mountain-protecting Sword Formation during the fight!
The myriad stars in the sky transformed into a rain of swords, and the bronze lamps offered by the elder exploded one after another. Li Chang'an seized the opportunity to bite his tongue, spitting out essence blood to activate the Heart-Burning Talismans.
Blood-colored runes condensed into the phantom of a nine-tailed demon fox in the air. The moment its sharp claws tore open the Blood Fiend Array, he suddenly spun and threw the Cangfeng Sword. Its tip did not aim for the enemy's head, but instead pierced directly into the Talisman chains on the Taiyi Cauldron.
"You brat, how dare you!" The elder's eyes were bloodshot. His Nascent Soul Avatar had just appeared when it was entangled by the demon fox. Li Chang'an had already flashed before the Cauldron using his Flowing Cloud Steps.
He crushed three High-Grade Spirit Stones with his right hand, while his left hand reached into the Cauldron to seize the True Dew. The scalding liquid burned his palm to the bone, but he ignored it, guzzling it down with a beast-like growl from his throat.
The shockwave from the collision of the Sword Formation and Talismans ripped off the roof of the hall. Amidst the smoke and dust, a Dragon's roar suddenly resounded through the sky.
Li Chang'an, covered in blood, rushed out of the ruins, holding half of the Taiyi Cauldron's ear which he had forcibly broken off. Behind him, the elder's Avatar shattered, and all his Natal Lamps were extinguished. Yet, he saw that fellow suddenly turn and throw ten Thunder Fire Talismans.
"These will pay for your coffin!" Before his words finished, he had transformed into a sword rainbow and fled. The Thunder Fire Talismans, however, spelled out "Have a good journey" in the air before exploding with a roar.
A mushroom cloud rising from the peak of Taiyi Peak could be seen a hundred miles away, interspersed with the elder's hysterical curses.
Three days later, in an ancient cave on a desolate mountain. Li Chang'an slumped in a spiritual spring, with seven vein-sealing golden needles stuck in his chest, grumbling as he applied True Dew to his wounds: "I should have stolen that old geezer's Storage Pouch... Hiss! How did this Cauldron ear get embedded in my flesh?"
A light laugh suddenly came from the spring's edge. Su Yue Li, the Saintess of the Hehuan Sect, approached barefoot, treading on the waves, her snow-white skin faintly visible beneath her gauze dress. Li Chang'an, however, grabbed his Daoist robe to cover himself, his face full of vigilance: "Let's be clear first, I, Li, am so poor now I only have half a life left, so Dual Cultivation..."
"Fellow Daoist, do you know that you are on the Demonic Path's kill list?" Su Yue Li flicked a Jade Slip towards him. "Taiyi Pavilion is offering a reward of one hundred thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones to skin you alive, you Cauldron-stealing thief."
Li Chang'an scanned the Jade Slip, and his eyes suddenly gleamed: "One hundred thousand? Why didn't you say so sooner!" He suddenly formed a hand seal, summoning the Cangfeng Sword and placing it against his neck. "Fairy, quickly go report it. How about I give you thirty percent of the reward?"
Su Yue Li was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter, shaking like a willow branch. Then, a sword light flashed, and Li Chang'an actually used his Sword Qi to cut off half a sleeve and threw it to her: "This item has been soaked in taichu true dew, consider it a deposit..." Before he finished speaking, he had already vanished underground, leaving only ripples spreading in the spring.
Three hundred miles away, deep within an Earth Vein, Li Chang'an coughed up blood while calculating his position. The newly acquired Storage Pouch at his waist was bulging—he had conveniently stolen the Saintess's Heavenly Silkworm Slippers while escaping underground.
He licked the remaining True Dew from his lips, golden light swirling in his eyes. His shattered Golden Core was slowly reorganizing in his Qi Sea, faintly showing the prototype of a Nascent Soul.
"Boom!"
The ground suddenly collapsed, and ten thousand rays of colorful light burst forth from the earth. Li Chang'an cursed loudly as he fell into an unknown Secret Realm, but he did not forget to throw out thirty-six Formation Flags to protect himself.
Amidst the swirling dust, an ancient stone tablet could vaguely be seen standing tall, its inscription shimmering with the words "nine profound"...