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Kapitel 9

Han Zheng was completely stunned as she stared at Gui Eting standing outside the formation.

"Eting? How come you're outside the formation? Don't you know you'll die if you do this!" Han Zheng asked in shock.

"Your Excellency Hanzheng, once the Heavenly Annihilation Formation is set up, nothing can interfere with the people inside. However, they will also be unable to break out. Therefore, I must obtain the forbidden artifact you mentioned. I believe that since it possesses such great power, it can definitely be used to break this Heavenly Annihilation Formation," Gui Eting said with a determined expression.

"Eting, you're so foolish! That forbidden artifact is a demonic object that even the patriarch couldn't completely refine. With your current cultivation level, you simply can't subdue it," Hanzheng said sadly.

Han Zheng knew that with Gui Eting's current strength, attempting to subdue the forbidden artifact would be tantamount to suicide. In truth, Han Zheng had initially desired the forbidden artifact, but he hadn't anticipated its immense power. Now, with less than a third of his power remaining, he was no longer capable of protecting his three disciples, let alone subduing the artifact. Furthermore, Han Zheng's physical condition was precarious. Externally, he was being invaded by demonic sounds; internally, his prized disciple, Sheng Mengcun, had been crippled. Beset by internal and external troubles, he didn't want Gui Eting and Xin Xue to suffer the same fate. Therefore, in order to save his own life, he decided to use this formation, the most taboo in the Illusion Sect, to resist external threats. He had only thought of this formation out of self-preservation; there were no other options. As the saying goes, "Where there's life, there's hope."

However, Gui Eting and Han Zheng both knew that once the Heavenly Annihilation Formation was set up, although there would be no longer any danger to their lives and no external force could penetrate it, those protected within the formation would also be unable to break free, ultimately facing certain death trapped inside. Gui Eting, however, thought of a possible way to break the Heavenly Annihilation Formation: obtaining the legendary forbidden artifact. This was a desperate measure, a "last resort." Although death was inevitable, at least the forbidden artifact offered a sliver of hope compared to the Heavenly Annihilation Formation itself—perhaps a case of being trapped by one's own actions.

“Your Excellency, I have no choice now. Your power is less than a third of what it used to be, and you can no longer withstand the demonic sound. My power, on the other hand, has not been depleted much, and I think I can hold out for a while. Didn’t you say there would be experts nearby? I want to find them to help me. I must obtain that forbidden artifact and then come back to save you all,” Gui Eting said innocently.

“However, the closer you get to the seal of the forbidden artifact, the stronger the demonic power becomes. You can’t even withstand this demonic sound, so how can you obtain the forbidden artifact?” Han Zheng said in pain and helplessness.

"I've already thought it through. There's only one way to resist the demonic sound." A resolute glint flashed in Gui Eting's eyes as she calmly stated.

Suddenly, two silver lights appeared in Gui Eting's hands, and two three-inch-long embroidery needles appeared in her hands.

“That is… losing my hearing!” A hint of pain flashed in Gui Eting’s eyes as she spoke with extreme calm.

At the same time, she raised the two embroidery needles in her hands and pierced them into her ears. Gui E'ting's body convulsed violently, and her face contorted with intense pain. Gui E'ting gritted her teeth, stubbornly refusing to scream, but still couldn't help letting out a muffled groan before tightly closing her eyes.

When Gui Eting forcefully pulled out the silver needles inserted into her ears, two streams of blood spurted out simultaneously.

Gui Eting's face turned even paler, and two streaks of blood slowly flowed down her pale face, making her look miserable and desolate, and even more so, pitiful.

Han Zheng was on the verge of collapse as he watched Gui Eting do everything. He couldn't bear to look at the bloodstains on Gui Eting's temples or her face, which had turned pale from the intense pain. He lowered his head in resentment, and two lines of helpless and bitter tears streamed down his old face. His heart was filled with deep self-blame.

Xin Xue was completely stunned when she saw Gui Eting deafen herself. She never expected that Gui Eting, who had cultivated to the "Refining" realm but was still a gentle and weak girl, would do something so strong that even a tough man might not dare to do.

"Your Excellency, please take care. I'm off." Gui Eting said loudly, her eyes filled with unwavering conviction, before turning and disappearing into the darkness, rushing towards the morgue sealed with the forbidden artifact.

"Eting~~~~~~~~!" Han Zheng cried out in anguish, looking in the direction where Gui Eting had disappeared.

But no matter how loudly he shouted, Gui Eting couldn't hear him anymore. Han Zheng's haggard old face was completely soaked with tears, while Xin Xue, kneeling beside Meng Cun, wept uncontrollably. The cries of pain from the man and woman pierced through the demonic sound coming from the darkness, making it even more poignant and tragic. And what these cries were telling was the story of a female hero who sacrificed herself for her country.

※ ※ ※

The medical university—the morgue, the location of a forbidden artifact trapped by the Illusion Sect's "Innate Evil-Trapping Array".

The morgue was now completely shrouded in a deathly white light, with occasional wisps of light, like ghosts, drifting out and disappearing. The weeds at the base of the morgue walls had all withered, while the morgue door was wide open, emanating an extremely strong malevolent aura, as if preventing any external force from entering.

Li Zhanghao watched all this quietly. He had been standing there for nearly half an hour, with a samurai sword in his mouth and another in each hand. The "Three-Sword Style" Li Zhanghao looked somewhat anxious, and the transcendent aura that a cultivator possessed had faded considerably.

"Damn it, what is this thing? How come it's impossible to break through even a little bit!" Li Zhanghao said angrily.

"Three streams unite, demonic thunder and arcane intent slash!" It was another incomprehensible Japanese phrase. It seems that Li Zhanghao's Japanese aptitude is beyond redemption.

Actually, that's not the case. Only by pronouncing sword techniques in authentic Japanese can the power of the sword reach its full potential. This is the mystery of Li Zhanghao's sword cultivation method. He doesn't cultivate demonic, Taoist, immortal, divine, or demonic paths. Instead, he cultivates entirely through swordsmanship, a method of weapon crafting that forms its own unique lineage. Although he doesn't outwardly display any of the qualities of a cultivator, whenever he wields these three swords, he becomes one with them, just like the "man and sword as one" in the martial arts world. However, these three swords are "cursed swords" formed from the resentment of his ancestors. This resentment has assimilated Li Zhanghao's body, giving him his own foundation and consciousness for cultivation. He has now completely transformed from being controlled by the "cursed swords" to controlling them.

These three swords were forged by his ancestors, the founders of the Senchen Itto-ryu school. Years ago, the Senchen Itto-ryu and the Yagyu Shinkage-ryu clashed due to differences in martial arts. The Senchen Itto-ryu fought to a standstill, and in an effort to elevate their martial arts to a higher level, they used the souls of all ninety-nine disciples to forge these three "cursed swords," causing the school to become extinct, leaving only Chiba Toichiro, now known as Li Zhanghao, as its lineage. However, no matter how hard his ancestors tried, they could never have imagined that Li Zhanghao would use these three "cursed swords" to develop his own cultivation method, reaching his current level of power—what the Illusion Sect calls the "refinement" stage—something even he himself probably never imagined.

As Li Zhanghao combined the three streams, countless sword shadows transformed into several deep blue lightning bolts that swirled in the night sky. Suddenly, Li Zhanghao released his grip and swung three swords towards the morgue door. The deep blue lightning bolts in the night sky followed the trajectory of the swords and struck the morgue.

"Boom!" A powerful tremor shook the entire medical university, causing the air to freeze. The shockwave from the impact created invisible ripples in the air, making the buildings throughout the university tremble. If the Innate Evil-Trapping Array hadn't sealed the university, Li Zhanghao's "Three Streams Combined" technique might have affected the entire city, causing it to tremble.

The malevolent energy at the morgue entrance was due to this "three-flow convergence"...

2004-12-7 22:54:00

The malevolent energy at the morgue door was breached by the combined force of the three streams, creating a small crack through which a stream of chilling black yin energy gushed out like a spring.

"Be careful, it's Soul-Condensing Yin Qi! Illusionary Technique Returns to Origin, Five Elements Defense Against Enemies, Wood Element Transformation Qi, Formation in Front!" Just then, Gui Eting appeared behind Li Zhanghao and quickly set up a defensive array between Li Zhanghao and the "Soul-Condensing Yin Qi," preventing the Yin Qi from harming Li Zhanghao.

Li Zhanghao broke through the formation, and the burst released from the opening was none other than "Soul-Condensing Yin Qi," capable of freezing even a cultivator's nascent soul. However, Li Zhanghao was completely unaware of this, foolishly believing that the black energy released from the breach was an initiation force to welcome him in and allow him to explore further. It seems the Japanese need to improve their understanding of the situation. Gui Eting's sudden appearance saved his life; otherwise, Li Zhanghao would have died a truly unjust death.

Gui Eting still used the traditional methods of the Illusion Sect, directly using hand gestures and her own cultivation energy to create the basic elements of the formation. Then, by adding incantations, she integrated the hand gestures and cultivation energy, the effect of which lay in the attributes of the formation and its function. This formation used the wood attribute from the Five Elements to block threats that caused damage in the form of gas. However, the effectiveness of the formation was linked to the cultivator's realm; formations set up by cultivators at each level had different levels of effectiveness. Now that Gui Eting had reached the mid-to-high realm of the "Refining" stage, her ability to set up formations to resist Yin Qi had significantly improved, her defensive index had increased exponentially, and she was fully capable of blocking the invasion of this "Soul-Condensing Yin Qi."

Gui Eting swiftly made four different hand gestures, her incantations and hand gestures changing simultaneously. Four gray phantom flags appeared in front of Li Zhanghao, representing the four directions of "Taiyin," "Liuhe," "Jiudi," and "Jiutian," hidden underground. At these four locations, a silver-gray wall of energy appeared. The "Soul-Condensing Yin Qi" could only create a few ripples when it struck the wall, but these were gradually dissolved by the Qi-Controlling Array. The silver-gray wall of energy, created by the array, continued to evolve, moving back and forth between the four directions of "Taiyin," "Liuhe," "Jiudi," and "Jiutian," achieving a continuous cycle.

"What are you doing?" Li Zhanghao asked, puzzled.

However, Gui Eting only knew that he was talking, but she didn't know what he was saying. She thought that Li Zhanghao was thanking her.

"No need to be polite. We're all cultivators. If you had forced your way in, you'd be a dried-up corpse without a nascent soul by now," Gui Eting said with a light smile.

"That's too exaggerated!" Li Zhanghao asked, his mouth agape.

"I already told you there's no need to thank me, you're really too polite. My name is Gui Eting, and I'm a disciple of the Illusion Sect," Gui Eting introduced herself.

"I wasn't being polite! It seems this woman has some issues with her head." Li Zhanghao looked at Gui Eting with a suspicious gaze, then said, "My name is Li Zhanghao."

"Your name is Li Zhanghao?" A man's voice suddenly rang out behind Gui Eting.

The feng shui had appeared behind Gui Eting without her noticing, and Li Zhanghao only discovered it after hearing the sound. However, Gui Eting only discovered the feng shui behind her from the reflection in Li Zhanghao's eyes.

"I never expected that the second son of the Senshin Ittō-ryū family in Japan would become Li Zhanghao," Feng Shui said with a slight smile.

"Times have changed. The former Haramune Chiba Toichiro is dead. Now there is only Li Zhanghao," Li Zhanghao said with a self-deprecating smile.

"I never expected you to break through the Three-Sword Style and achieve the unity of the three styles," Feng Shui exclaimed.

"As you get older, you naturally come to understand some things that you couldn't figure out before over the years. This is probably what they mean by 'no pain, no gain,'" Li Zhanghao sighed.

"Hehe, you've indeed gained some new insights into life. So what are you still doing here?" Feng Shui said.

"I just want to see the true face of the thing sealed here, so that my life won't have been in vain," Li Zhanghao said, his eyes filled with excitement.

“No one in this world who practices orthodox cultivation has ever seen it with their own eyes,” Feng Shui suddenly said very seriously.

"What do you mean by that?" Li Zhanghao asked, puzzled.

"What I mean is that people who aim to cultivate Taoism, immortality, or divinity would never be able to see this sealed thing," Feng Shui said while using the 'Consciousness Transmission Body'.

Feng Shui had already seen that Gui Eting had completely lost her hearing, which was why they used the 'consciousness propagation body' to tell her this. At the same time, they also wanted her to know that the 'forbidden artifact' sealed here was not something that she and Li Zhanghao could obtain with their abilities.

"Why?" Li Zhanghao and Gui Eting asked at the same time.

"Because it is something that only those with demonic nature can access. For cultivators like you who have not yet reached the realm of immortal cultivation, it is impossible to completely control your inner demons. You will be invaded by the demonic nature of this forbidden artifact, which will then transform the orthodox immortal-like energy within you into demonic energy, causing it to stagnate within you and be refined into a part of you by the forbidden artifact." Feng Shui said very carefully while using the 'consciousness propagation body'.

"That's too exaggerated, brother. So you're saying that only those who have reached the realms of immortal cultivation and godhood can possess this forbidden artifact?" Li Zhanghao asked, puzzled.

“That’s right, but there’s another type of person who can acquire this forbidden artifact,” Feng Shui chuckled.

"Who?" Li Zhanghao and Gui Eting asked at the same time.

"The owner of the forbidden artifact." Feng Shui's smile became unpredictable once again as he spoke softly.

"People from the Demon Realm!" Li Zhanghao and Gui Eting exclaimed in shock, having reached a tacit understanding once again.

Feng Shui simply smiled and said nothing, implying, "You two can leave now."

Li Zhanghao shrugged helplessly and put away his three samurai swords, seemingly preparing to give up the opportunity to see the forbidden weapon. Gui Eting, however, looked on with suspicion.

"Could it be that you're from the Demon Realm?" Gui Eting asked, her eyes filled with murderous intent.

“I am not. Little girl, I know your purpose, but with your abilities, you are simply incapable of achieving your goal. You have already lost your hearing, so even if you obtained the forbidden artifact, it would be useless,” Feng Shui said.

"What does obtaining the forbidden artifact have to do with hearing?" Gui Eting asked, puzzled.

"Because this forbidden object is a musical instrument," Feng Shui said with a smile.

Gui Eting and Li Zhanghao were both startled at the same time.

"I know absolutely nothing about music, so it seems this forbidden artifact is not meant for me," Li Zhanghao said with even more helplessness.

"Your name is Gui Eting, right? I know your purpose. Don't worry, the Heavenly Annihilation Formation you set up is not unbreakable." Feng Shui smiled as he looked at Gui Eting, who had a disappointed expression.

Upon hearing Feng Shui's words, Gui Eting's hope was rekindled. Suddenly, a four-inch square "astrology chart" appeared in Feng Shui's left hand, while a piece of unbranded "chewing gum" appeared in his right. Feng Shui handed these two items to Gui Eting. Gui Eting took them, looking at the two items, completely puzzled, wondering what use Feng Shui had given her.

"This 'astrological chart' is specially made by me. It can break any formation in the world. As long as you follow the reverse direction of the Heavenly Annihilation Formation and use it to make seventy-two variations, you can break the Heavenly Annihilation Formation you set up. Don't underestimate it, I put a lot of effort into making it. This thing that looks like chewing gum on the surface, I won't tell you exactly what it is, but once you eat it, I think you'll know its effects," Feng Shui said with a smile.

Gui Eting looked at the feng shui with skepticism, but couldn't suppress her curiosity. She ladylikely unwrapped a piece of unbranded chewing gum and put it in her mouth. The gum melted instantly, requiring no chewing. Gui Eting felt waves of blissful sensation spread throughout her body, as if a gentle spring breeze was blowing through her meridians. Every organ and cell in her body began to function abnormally. Gui Eting felt as if her body had gained its own consciousness, autonomously beginning to move, completely healing all the injuries she had suffered and the aftereffects of her menstrual cycle.

These were all just Gui Eting's own feelings, and the changes on her face were something she herself couldn't see. However, Li Zhanghao was shocked by the changes in Gui Eting.

After eating the chewing gum, Gui Eting gently closed her eyes, as if she had fallen asleep. A faint, cloud-like blue mist enveloped her, floating up and hovering about half a meter above the ground, where it began to rotate. At the same time, Li Zhanghao saw countless blue shadows appear on Gui Eting's body, like tiny sprites dancing on her skin. Gui Eting seemed oblivious, her eyes still closed, but her complexion grew increasingly rosy, her skin more radiant and fair, and her features more delicate and exquisite than before.

When Gui Eting opened her eyes, she was already inside the Heavenly Annihilation Formation. Han Zheng and Xin Xue were both looking at her, their eyes filled with anxiety.

"How did I get here?" Gui Eting asked curiously.

“We don’t know either. Just now, a blue light suddenly appeared in the formation, and we saw you surrounded in it. Then the light disappeared, and you are here.” Xinxue said, equally puzzled.

"A blue light? Huh? How come I can hear sounds?" Gui Eting quickly raised her hands and touched her ears, saying excitedly.

"Not only that, but look at yourself in this mirror, you'll see an even bigger change." Xinxue took a mirror out of her pocket and handed it to Gui Eting, saying with a hint of jealousy.

Gui Eting took the mirror and saw a woman in it with willow-leaf eyebrows and eyes that shone with a bright, clear light like a spring, seemingly capable of captivating the soul. Her beautiful face was even more unforgettable, as pure and elegant as plum blossoms reflected in snow. Such a beauty should only exist in heaven; how often can one see such a woman on earth?

"Is this me?" Gui Eting asked in shock.

2004-12-7 23:01:00

Chapter Fifteen: The Dance of the Artists

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The morgue—Li Zhanghao's eyes always revealed a strong desire to go inside and explore. Feng Shui, standing beside him, looked at him with an impatient gaze, making Li Zhanghao's expression unnatural.

"Am I handsome?" Li Zhanghao turned to the feng shui master beside him and asked.

"You're not handsome at all!" Feng Shui speaks the truth.

"Then why are you still staring at me so intently?" Li Zhanghao asked, puzzled.

“At this point, I think you should leave!” Feng Shui said.

"If you're telling me to leave, then why are you still here?" Li Zhanghao asked, dissatisfied.

“I need to go in, so I’m still staying here. But if you don’t leave, I won’t be able to go in,” Feng Shui said.

"Are you afraid I'll steal your skills?" Li Zhanghao asked with a sly smile.

"No, I'm afraid that if I open the barrier leading to the forbidden artifact, your nascent soul might be frozen by the yin energy surging out from inside, and you'll say goodbye to this world forever," Feng Shui said helplessly.

"You have absolutely no idea about my strength!" Li Zhanghao said, somewhat annoyed.

Upon hearing this, Feng Shui was taken aback, because the aura emanating from Li Zhanghao did not suggest that he possessed any significant cultivation level.

Li Zhanghao's face suddenly turned violent, his muscles tensed up rapidly, veins bulged on his body, and a strong resentment emanated from him like a wild horse released from its stall, even driving away the surrounding darkness by more than ten meters.

This aura, seemingly invisible, transformed into several air blades condensed from the air around Li Zhanghao, forming a full-body protective shield. Enveloped within this shield, the veins on Li Zhanghao's protruding skin appeared to flow subtly, and his acne-covered face looked strangely eerie, yet the aura emanating from him was not to be underestimated.

"I didn't expect you to have a trick up your sleeve." Feng Shui said admiringly, looking at the changes in Li Zhanghao.

"When you're in the martial world, how can you not carry a knife? If I didn't have some skills to protect myself, would I still be alive today? With my current cultivation level, I should be able to enter the sealing formation with you, right?" Li Zhanghao said smugly.