Archfiend

Silence.

Xu Yangyi was unable to voice his emotions. This was a shock that reconstructed his worldview. He never expected that he was living underneath a massive array all along.

In stepping into the cultivation world, he had neither complaints nor regrets. But he still hadn’t expected that such a great secret was hiding below the so-called End of Days.

“Dare I ask the Dao Master how you know?” Several seconds later, he sighed and clasped his hands.

“Do you see those Secondary Realm Anchors?” Yue Congrao pointed above him. “You can call them magnets.”

“The fragments dispersing over Earth can be understood as magnet bits. After they are re-magnetized by qi to a comfortable state, they’ll fly towards the magnets.” He laughed and pushed up on the glasses on his face. “In order to search for the Mother-Child Yin-Yang Mirror, I even hid in China for a whole thirty years. It has no other effect, but it can gather any kind of qi together, no matter if it is visible or not, and then condense it.”

Xu Yangyi seemed pensive. “With it… you can make the qi emitting from these magnet bits gather together and form a pointer? But Daomaster Yue, I still don’t understand. What does this have to do with the Holy Relic under Saint John’s Cathedral?”

“What do you think?” Yue Congrao laughed heartily, “I think you already have an idea.”

Xu Yangyi was silent as he nodded and said in a low voice, “Could the Holy Relic be… a fragment?”

“That’s right!” In the next second, Yue Congrao appeared in front of Xu Yangyi like the wind. He towered above Xu Yangyi as he looked him in the eyes. “But there’s something a little different.”

He waved his hand, and the screen of light with words on it disappeared. It was replaced with a gradually enlarging design of Saint John’s Cathedral.

But at this moment, the image was pulled out to a delicate extreme. Xu Yangyi shockingly discovered… 

That the thumb-thick green light didn’t pass through the cathedral! Instead, it was obstructed by some unknown object outside. A layer of faintly discernible talismans followed in the wake of the green light’s illumination and rippling. However, from beginning to end the green light wasn’t able to shine in.

“This is… a restriction?” Xu Yangyi said gravely, “Someone… is imprisoning this fragment?”

“Correct… this fragment once fell into someone’s hand, and this person was incomparably strong. He forcibly imprisoned the Tree of Eden’s fragment.”

Xu Yangyi sighed, bestirred with emotion.

In the world’s grandness, nothing was too bizarre. Within the four seas, anyone could come forth.

The Tree of Eden, the mother of western humanity, had actually been imprisoned by a cultivator. This was simply hard to believe!

Nonetheless, this was already the past. The person who imprisoned the fragment was definitely dead by now, otherwise he wouldn’t let it wander out.

“This imprisonment left Vatican City with no way to move it. They could only let it be.” Yue Congrao extended a finger. “And this, is where I need your help.”

Swoosh… Just as his voice fell, the ancient scroll that Xu Yangyi had once seen appeared again. It fluttered open in the wind, no less than three meters in size.

“The Spirit Forbiddance Pill.”

“This is the strongest medicinal pill that I was able to find which can break restrictions. In addition, I can tell you that the restriction sealing this fragment was done by a Chinese cultivator.”

Xu Yangyi mumbled to himself as he studied the ancient scroll. Eventually he said, “There’s not enough time.”

“To concoct this pill, I can roughly see that the technique is very complicated. It’ll take more or less than half a year. And the Holy War is about to start. Besides…” he cupped his hands and said, “Daomaster Yue, how is this fragment useful? What was worth spending a hundred years to search for?”

Yue Congrao laughed. He very clearly understood that if you wanted a horse to run you had to make it graze. He wouldn’t do something like killing a chicken to take an egg, thus ruining an opportunity. On top of that, he really did favor Xu Yangyi.

Not to speak of talent, Xu Yangyi’s status as the inheritor of the Pill Dao was enough to instantly eliminate 99% of cultivators. All that remained was a genius among a handful of the most supreme geniuses.

His gaze vaguely brushed over Xu Yangyi, and he inwardly sighed. Originally, the other was a genius among geniuses who could likewise gain the kind of brilliant treatment like Sunnihilator. It was a pity… that China presently didn’t even know that someone had reached middle Foundation Establishment in decades.

It could only be said that fortune made fools out of men.

“I’ll tell you that it’s still not out of reach.” He smiled. “In fact, the answer is simple.”

“How much spiritual force does a fragment absorb? How many heavenly treasures does it engulf? How can this dry up an area’s qi? Suppose if…” A blazing wisp flash through his eyes. “It is carried on one’s person?”

“Suppose… if it was fused into the body?”

Xu Yangyi was dazed. Afterwards, he took a deep breath. While Daomaster Yue was easy-going on the surface, his heart was so crazed!

This… was equal to the Earth providing him with qi!

Moreover, according to the laws based around magnets, if he had one piece, he would likely attract a second piece! A third pierce!

Although the qi was enough, the heart was lacking. However, Yue Congrao had already lived for centuries. In kind, his heart had no gaps. It could be said… that if he truly found a piece, perhaps… in less than thirty years he could assail Nascent Soul!

This was a true supreme treasure!

“If you help me undo the seal, I promise…” As if steeling his heart with extreme resolve, Yue Congrao said in a deep voice, “To split a third with you. But…” His gaze switched directions. “If you take Angel as your wife, I am willing to split half.”

Xu Yangyi didn’t reply. He only lowered his head and cupped his fist.

He didn’t have the faintest desire to marry Angel, but he needed to get his hands on a fragment.

The spiritual force to advance to Core Formation is far, far less than the spiritual force to advance to Nascent Soul. Right now, I need this all too much. Although I’m not able to cultivate, and can only wait for the Clearcloud Realm’s festival once every ten years, each advancement is a struggle for spiritual force.

How many people are there that lack that final bite of spiritual force to advance to Core Formation?

In addition… my circumstances right now are completely different. The Voidspirit Immortal Physique doesn’t have the step of condensing the core from liquid. Even the amount of spiritual force I’ll need in the end is unknown… A bitter smile appeared on his face. Even now… my body already contains two times the amount of spiritual force. Even if I’m strong, the amount of qi I’ll need when I advance will also be two times. And this isn’t to advance to Core Formation… this is to assail Core Formation…

His thoughts fell in place. He was already determined to win the Holy Relic. This was the greatest assurance to assailing Core Formation since he didn’t understand his body!

“Have you decided?” Upon seeing Xu Yangyi’s ruminating expression and following easiness, Yue Congrao laughed, “So you have… then let’s add to the fire of the Dracul and the Corvinus’s Holy War…”

“How are we going to do this?” Xu Yangyi said heavily.

“It’s quite simple… In these coming days, I will activate a magik treasure for you. This treasure is named ‘Flowing Light, Harmonious Splendor’. It can force a time differential within the region that it shrouds and the outside world. At most, it can cover an area of ten meters.” A flash of pain appeared on his face, and then he unwittingly shook his head and said grimly, “Four months.”

“It can give you four months of time. No matter what, you must refine the Spirit Forbiddance Pill in four months. Another day more won’t do.”

Solemn-faced, Xu Yangyi nodded. Space-time magik treasures were the most robust treasures. There had no peer. In all likelihood, this was Yue Congrao’s hidden ace.

“After four months, the treasure will be automatically scrapped,” Yue Congrao said sorrowfully. “Remember at all costs… you must not waste a single day. This magik treasure… throughout the world, perhaps there are no more than five. This is something that I exchanged for more than half my assets. There can be no mistakes.”

“The Holy War just happens to start as soon as your come out. All you need to do is win… Keep winning, no matter what, you must enter the top three. As long as you win the opportunity to study the Holy Relic, strike the Spirit Forbiddance Pill towards the restriction after you enter. The seal should very likely break.”

Xu Yangyi raised a brow. “Dao Master, it might not definitely break?”

“How definite must it be?” Yue Congrao’s face was heavy like water, and searing heat flashed through his eyes. “When things come to a head, one needs to act boldly. This is already the strongest seal-breaking technique I could find. If this move doesn’t work, I will also have to give this up.”

Xu Yangyi didn’t reply. He said a few seconds later in a heavy voice, “In that case… what about me?”

“If I don’t succeed, and I lose, won’t I die to the Holy Whip?”

“Of course not. I am different from that master of yours who lives and dies for justice. I am not fond of burning bridges,” Yue Congrao snickered loudly. A few seconds later, he schooled his features. “When the time comes, even if we don’t succeed, I will still pull you out. Hehe… Holy Whip Lawrence and the two legendary-rank devil-hunters are permanent watchers of the Holy Relic, but he is not my opponent.”

Xu Yangyi wasn’t excited. Instead, he stared into Yue Congrao’s eyes, neither haughty nor humble. “Conditions.”

“Hehe… I like to talk with smart people. There’s no need to waste words.” Yue Congrao held his hands behind him and said, “Relax, I said that I would, so I will. The conditions, like I said, are simple.”

“First, become the Yue Clan’s pill master. The Yue Clan only has four people. Apart from myself and Angel, I will refer you to the two others before the Holy War.”

“The second…” he laughed, “you must marry Angel.”

Xu Yangyi was silent.

The Grand Dao of Core Formation and extreme danger.

There would be a Core Formation master, Holy Whip Lawrence, and two half-step Core Formation cultivators, devil-hunters Gowers and Van Helsing. There was also a Marquis. Under the watchful eyes of Paladin Jenny, he needed to break the restriction. This truly did require immense courage.

No… that wasn’t all. Most importantly, he needed to pass through the gauntlet presented by the Holy War and kill his way to the top three!

Would Bloody Moon participate?

Would Pale Dragon participate?

If the peak experts of the vampires and the lycans joined in, it would absolutely be a battle between dragons and tigers!

No… they shouldn’t. If they did, Daomaster Yue wouldn’t look for me. Right now I’m definitely not a match for those two old monsters. He clenched his fists. But… America’s peak battle powers aren’t any worse than China’s. Maybe there’ll be a second Savidean, or a second so-and-so… 

Yue Congrao didn’t urge Xu Yangyi, instead peacefully standing with his hands behind his back. After no less than half an hour, Xu Yangyi raised his head and said seriously, “I agree to these conditions.”

“Good!!!” Yue Congrao reared his head back and burst into hearty laughter. As they gazed at the cloudbank, they felt as if their bosoms were cleansed. Unexpectedly, the surrounding clouds were tidied away little by little. “Well said! Well said!”

“For we cultivators, does destiny not depend on ourselves to go venture our everything? One has to seize it for themselves. Could it be that we wait until the heavens fall?”

“To fear the head and be scared of the tail, to be stuck between two extremes, one will never be able to break through to Core Formation for all eternity!”

Once he had his fill of laughter, Yue Congrao lowered his head and looked at Xu Yangyi. His hand waved, and the giant scroll for the Spirit Forbiddance Pill flew over like a funnel into Xu Yangyi’s storage ring. “Go, and prepare. You’ve just become a master spirit-technician, you certainly have too many things you must take care of. I will give you a week. In half a month, the Holy War will officially begin. In this week, no one will harm you.”

For the first time, his voice carried the heroic aura of Core Formation. “This Dao Master truly wants to see if Vatican City’s headquarters is not coming to New York. I shall walk straight through! Let’s see who will even dare to stand before me!”