noffsinger Chapter 164 Guarding a thatched hut and a lonely grave for him
Chapter 164 Guarding a thatched hut and a lonely grave for him
"What's the panic! We have the Prison-Suppressing Golden Bell, what are we afraid of? Keep increasing the pressure, I don't believe we can't suppress this kid!" The middle-aged man in black, who was in the lead, gritted his teeth, his eyes revealing a fierce determination.
The two sides clashed again. Han Yi's flames burned fiercely, growing ever more intense. The giant's muscles bulged high, seemingly containing boundless power, each one taut and brimming with explosive force. The light of the Prison-Suppressing Golden Bell was also dazzling. The power of punishment and the laws of confinement within the prison patterns surged wildly towards the giant like a raging tide.
Everyone held their breath in tension, their eyes glued to the life-or-death struggle. Just then, Han Yi suddenly unleashed his Devouring Power, instantly draining the spiritual energy of the many Nascent Soul stage monsters who had been watching from the sidelines.
"Watch me break your golden bell!" Han Yi shouted, concentrating his spiritual power. A huge nascent soul phantom freed one hand, clenched its fist, and swung it fiercely towards the bottom of the golden bell.
With a "crack," a crack appeared in the golden bell. The four guardians of Qingmu City were dumbfounded; they never imagined that Han Yi would have such ability to break the golden bell.
"Haha, your darlings are no good anymore, today is your death day!" Han Yi laughed wildly, his laughter echoing through the dense forest, sending chills down people's spines.
Outside the dense forest, the old monsters, their spiritual energy drained, plummeted to the ground like kites with broken strings. They never expected such a reversal; they all thought Han Yi would be suppressed by the Prison-Suppressing Golden Bell, but Han Yi actually managed to turn the tide and even drain the spiritual energy of them, the onlookers.
"This kid is too strange. Quickly use the entire city's fortune and use the Prison-Suppressing Golden Cauldron to completely suppress him!" Seeing this, the four no longer held back and decided to go all out and risk the entire city's fortune.
"Alright! Since that's the case, I won't hold back anymore! Green Ivy, old man, forget about that broken formation, come and help me!" Han Yi shouted.
With the blessing of good fortune, the cracks in the golden cauldron instantly healed, and its oppressive power became even more terrifying.
With the help of Green Ivy and Fan Spirit, Han Yi also underwent an amazing transformation.
The enormous nascent soul phantom instantly more than doubled in size, and now wielded a giant axe over a hundred feet long. Han Yi, his eyes bloodshot, could no longer suppress the immense killing intent within him; his gaze turned crimson. The phantom formed from the nascent soul swung the giant axe, cleaving fiercely towards the golden bell.
The moment the metal clashed, a deafening roar shook the heavens, and powerful energy transformed into a shockwave that swept across the surrounding area like a tidal wave.
The flying sand and stones were rolled into earthen walls dozens of meters high, which raged around with the air currents.
The place where Han Yi was located formed a deep pit several tens of feet deep, in a hemispherical shape, with a radius of several tens of miles around him.
And it continues to expand under the impact of the shockwave, seemingly about to approach Aoki City. Such destructive power, if it were to affect Aoki City, would result in utter devastation, with no one spared.
"Stop!" Just at this critical moment, a powerful voice rang out, and at the same time, a mysterious force that transcended all restraints quietly appeared, forcefully suppressing the unstoppable shockwave.
In the center of the battlefield, the two sides faced off again, the atmosphere tense like a taut bowstring, ready to snap at any moment.
In the previous contest, Han Yi clearly had the upper hand, but although the four guardians of Qingmu City were at a disadvantage, they still had the strength to fight again.
"I heard that old fellow Xuan Kongzi has taken on another extraordinary disciple. Seeing him today, he is indeed remarkable! To have such strength at the Nascent Soul stage is quite impressive!"
A melodious sound of approval rang out, clear and pleasant, yet carrying a mysterious majesty.
With the sound, a gray figure appeared out of thin air. A young man dressed in a gray robe slowly appeared, with delicate features, but his eyes revealed an undeniable majesty.
"Do you know my master?" Han Yi asked, sizing up the young man in front of him.
The young man looked to be about the same age as him, but he couldn't see through him.
Upon seeing the gray-robed youth, the earth spirit darted to him and transformed into a small beast the size of a palm, perching on his shoulder.
The young man did not answer immediately, but slowly said, "May I ask you something?"
Although Han Yi was puzzled, he still nodded.
The young man sighed softly and said, "This Earth Spirit was sent by me five hundred years ago when Qingmu City encountered demons to quell the disaster. Now that you have destroyed those demons, this calamity can be considered resolved. Giving you this Earth Spirit as a reward is not out of the question."
Han Yi's heart skipped a beat: "So, you're willing to give it to me?"
The young man nodded and said, "Of course I'm willing to give it to you."
"You must have some other request, right?" Han Yi asked.
"Of course, but rest assured, you will be able to accomplish what I ask."
"What do you think!"
"You can take the Earth Spirit with you, but you must promise me that after I am gone, you will protect this city, as well as the grave and thatched hut outside the city."
"This..." Han Yi hesitated. He really wanted to obtain the Earth Spirit, but he also felt that it was a bit of a loss.
The young man before me possesses unfathomable strength, and he even knows Xuan Kongzi, daring to call him an old codger—clearly, he's no ordinary person. The thought of guarding a city or a grave for someone like that seems utterly unreliable.
“I know you have concerns and worries. If you agree, I can also teach you a great supernatural power and a spell.” The gray-robed youth added another condition when Han Yi did not agree.
"Okay, I promise you."
Han Yi agreed without hesitation. He knew the power of supernatural abilities; some could even be combined with laws, making them incredibly powerful.
The "Heaven and Earth Transformation" technique he used before was one of his supernatural abilities, but he hadn't fully mastered it yet.
The gray-robed youth smiled slightly: "Since that's the case, our karma is now sealed. Young man, remember your promise!"
Han Yi nodded and said, "Don't worry, I keep my word."
The gray-robed youth didn't hesitate; with a wave of his hand, the earth spirit transformed into a small beast that floated down onto Han Yi's shoulder.
"Little one, from today onwards, you shall follow him. This may be the best outcome for you."
Upon hearing this, the Earth Spirit transformed into a golden light and entered Han Yi's body.
As the power of the Earth Spirit continued to flow into his body, Han Yi's body shone brightly, and his strength steadily increased. However, to his bewilderment, despite expecting to break through to the Nascent Soul Realm, his cultivation remained at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm.
Just as he was wondering, two beams of light entered his mind.
The gray-robed youth said, "I see that you have already grasped the basics of the laws of life, so I will teach you a divine power of life blessing and a spell of scattering beans to create soldiers. Study them carefully, and they will surely be of great use in the future!"
"Thank you, senior!" Han Yi bowed gratefully to the young man.
"There is still one thing I don't understand. My cultivation should have broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm long ago, so why haven't I broken through yet?"
"In my opinion, the cultivation method you practiced when you formed your core was extraordinary, and your physique and innate talent far surpass those of ordinary people. These are probably the reasons why you have been unable to break through for so long. Young man, to transform into a spirit, one must first transform into a mortal; to transform into a mortal, one must first transform one's heart... You still need to calm your mind!"
Upon hearing this, Han Yi felt as if he had been enlightened, and couldn't help but recall Xuan Kongzi's admonition at Qingluan Peak: "Cultivate your nature in the mortal world, without being attached to appearances or trapped by emotions; cultivate your mind amidst all things, experience the myriad aspects of human life, and cultivate a righteous spirit... Have the well-being of all people in your heart, and help the world and save people!"
He seemed to understand but not quite, and in a daze, it was as if he had dreamt of returning to Qingluan Peak, the royal palace in Qingfeng Village, and the Netherworld Forest...
After a long while, Han Yi seemed to understand something, calmly bid farewell to the gray-robed youth, and turned to fly out of the destroyed dense forest.
Looking at Su Yao and the others, he smiled and said, "Let's go back to the courtyard in the south of the city!"
After Han Yi and his group had gone far away, the four guardians of Qingmu City came to the gray-robed youth's side and bowed.
“Master, that was the best time to kill him. I don’t understand why you let him go, and even gave him the Earth Spirit and taught it to him…”
"Shut up! What do you know? When did it become your place to interfere in my affairs? My feud with Xuan Kongzi is a matter between us, how can you involve my disciple? If that old man finds out I've laid a hand on his disciple, wouldn't he laugh at me!"
“I admit his apprentice is outstanding, so outstanding that I even want to compete with that old man for him. When we get back, don’t tell Bing’er and Huo’er about this kid, lest those two girls come looking for trouble for him.”
"Is Master afraid that the two young masters will kill him?"
"Bullshit! I'm afraid my two kind-hearted disciples will be seduced by this kid! This kid is obviously no good, just like his master!"
Since returning to his small courtyard in the south of the city, Han Yi's life has become more regular. Every morning, he goes to a tavern in the city.
Stepping into the tavern, head straight to a corner seat, sit down slowly, order a few delicate dishes, and a pot of fragrant wine.
He sat there quietly, occasionally taking a sip of wine, sometimes picking up a piece of food with his chopsticks and putting it in his mouth, chewing slowly, while his ears keenly caught the idle chatter of the people around him.
The people were talking about the trivial matters of the city and the strange tales of the cultivation world, while he listened without showing any emotion.
In the afternoon, he would head to the outskirts of the city. Following the winding path, he would soon see the thatched hut mentioned by the gray-robed youth.
The thatched hut was somewhat dilapidated, and not far from the door was a solitary grave with the words "Xiuer" prominently engraved on the tombstone.
When Han Yi first saw it, he couldn't help but chuckle.
Beside the lonely grave, he rolled up his sleeves, picked up a hoe, and cultivated a vegetable garden on that barren land.
After that, he would come here every day to carefully tend to the seedlings.
Watering, fertilizing, weeding—their movements were skillful and focused, as if they had forgotten everything around them.
Do you think he's lost his mind?
In a secluded corner not far from the thatched hut, Su Yao looked at Han Yi, who was busy in the vegetable garden, with a puzzled expression, and asked Lin Yue, who was wearing a white dress beside her.
Lin Yue rolled her eyes at her and replied irritably, "You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"
Lin Yue found Han Yi's behavior somewhat strange, but she didn't care. As long as she could stay by Han Yi's side, her cultivation would be much smoother; nothing else mattered.
“The auction at Jubaozhai is starting in three days. Doesn’t he want the Dragon Soul Sword anymore?” Su Yao asked again, frowning.