This location was already several miles away from the small town, a desolate wilderness with no one else around.
Only Han Yi and the Old Fisherman stood there.
The Old Fisherman spoke, and the question was obviously directed at Han Yi.
When a powerful cultivator asks, how could he dare not answer?
Han Yi felt his scalp tingle with fear.
But his life was at stake; he absolutely couldn’t afford to defy the other party. Reluctantly, he flew closer, landed on the ground, lowered his head, bowed deeply, and greeted, “I greet the senior.”
Unexpectedly, the Old Fisherman wasn’t appeased by such courtesy.
Frowning, he asked again, “Where are you from?”
Han Yi’s heart pounded violently as if it would explode.
As the saying goes, “Three strikes, and you’re out.” If his next response still displeased the elder, it might mean his head would part ways with his body!
Yet, his journey was guided by the fortunes in his heart, seeking his own destiny.
But how could he possibly share such a thing with others?
Though the elder before him had an unfathomable cultivation level, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t covet The Heavenly Fate Scripture.
If Han Yi revealed the truth, he would likely face a fate of having his soul searched and life essence drained.
It seemed that no matter what he did, death awaited him.
Han Yi’s mind raced wildly, and within a moment, he thought of an ambiguous answer.
Noticing the elder’s expression growing impatient, Han Yi steeled himself and forced out a response, “Junior has come here pursuing an item.”
“Following its trail for ten thousand miles, I arrived here, only to lose all traces of it.”
Afterward, he lowered his head and waited for his fate.
Unexpectedly, the strange and powerful elder didn’t reprimand him.
After a long silence, his tone grew somewhat pensive: “So, you’ve also lost something?”
“Also?”
Hearing that word, Han Yi immediately sensed a glimmer of hope. He quickly nodded, “Exactly so. This item is very important to me, so I’ve traversed mountains and rivers to retrieve it. Yet, heaven has not granted my wish…”
The Old Fisherman’s tone softened.
He gazed at Han Yi and nodded approvingly, “Precious things must be well-kept. Once lost, finding them again is no easy matter.”
“I don’t even know how long I’ve been searching, yet I still haven’t found mine.”
Han Yi dared not ask what the elder had lost.
At this moment, he felt relieved to have narrowly escaped death.
Not daring to speak recklessly, he merely replied, “Senior’s words are a lesson to remember.”
He then lowered his head and remained silent, no longer concerning himself with any opportunities, only praying the Old Fisherman would leave soon.
However, something that made his heart stop abruptly occurred again.
At that moment, he suddenly heard the elder say, “Do not move!”
Han Yi’s body froze in place.
Believing he was about to meet his end, countless images from his life flashed through his mind.
There was the ecstatic joy of discovering The Heavenly Fate Scripture in an ancient ruin shortly after entering the Qi Condensation stage.
There was the anguish of repeated Foundation Establishment failures due to the backlash of cultivating the scripture.
And there was the exhilaration of narrowly escaping death in the small world of Beast Realm, finally achieving Foundation Establishment upon his return, and feeling as though the world was his to conquer.
…
“Am I about to die?”
Han Yi thought despairingly.
Just when he had given up all hope, the Old Fisherman frowned and said, “No wonder you couldn’t find it—it’s been under surveillance this whole time?”
With a casual wave of his hand, it seemed as if the elder severed something invisible.
Instead of death, Han Yi felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
It was as if a shackle that had long bound him suddenly vanished.
“Under surveillance? What does that mean?”
Han Yi was momentarily bewildered, then realized with a start:
“Have I been watched this entire time?”
“No wonder I’ve always felt like nothing was going right. Has every move of mine been under someone else’s control?”
Recalling how he used to observe mortals daily in the small town, Han Yi broke into a cold sweat.
“Who?”
“When?”
Faces flashed through Han Yi’s mind one after another.
Each seemed suspicious, yet none fit completely.
“You young people…” The Old Fisherman shook his head at Han Yi’s pale, frightened face.
“Traveling alone, you must always be cautious. Being watched for so long—haven’t all your secrets been laid bare?”
“Perhaps the thing you’re searching for has already been stolen,” the elder lamented, as if pitying him.
“But I don’t blame you…” Suddenly, the Old Fisherman’s tone shifted.
He frowned slightly and looked up at the sky.
“The people in this area have some very unpleasant habits,” he said, narrowing his eyes as though recalling something serious.
“Senior, please save me!”
Perhaps it was the elder’s momentary display of “kindness,” or perhaps Han Yi was terrified by the realization of having been watched without knowing.
Han Yi’s composure broke, and he knelt before the Old Fisherman, kowtowing in desperation.
“Save you?”
The Old Fisherman was briefly puzzled by Han Yi’s plea.
“You needn’t worry. I’ve taught that person a harsh lesson. They won’t be able to watch you anymore.”
Hearing this, Han Yi was overjoyed.
“May I ask, senior, who was watching me, and what did they look like?”
The Old Fisherman hesitated. “They were too far away, and my eyesight isn’t what it used to be, so I couldn’t see clearly…”
“No matter, I still ask senior to help identify them!” Grasping at this lifeline, Han Yi felt he couldn’t rest easy without knowing who had been spying on him.
He used the Water Mirror Technique to recreate the faces of those he had interacted with over the years, focusing on the most suspicious ones.
“Senior, please…”
Just as Han Yi was about to speak, he sensed a strange tension in the air.
Turning his head, he felt a sinking dread.
In his panic, he had also included the scene from the sky above the Congyun Sea, where he had glimpsed the [Trapped Sword of Azure Wind].
At that moment, the Fisherman Elder was staring intently at the scene.
“Could it be that he’s recognized the characteristics of the Spirit of Heaven-Earth?”
Han Yi immediately regretted his actions.
“A sword…”
But the elder wasn’t focused on the Spirit of Heaven-Earth.
“A sword?”
Han Yi’s gaze also fell on the broken sword trapped by the Azure Wind.
“I’ve been searching for so long, yet still haven’t found it…”
The elder’s earlier words echoed in Han Yi’s mind.
“Could it be…”
A terrifying thought surfaced in Han Yi’s mind.
Before he could react, the Old Fisherman turned his cloudy gaze toward him.
The next moment, darkness enveloped Han Yi.
………………………………………………………………
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