The Cloud Water Chart and Talismans Appears

Two voices rang out at once, echoing before Taiyi Hall. "Impossible! How could you possibly come out of that hellhole alive?" they cried in unison, their faces filled with utter disbelief. Before the Forest of Swords, Li Fan stood with arms crossed, watching the pale-faced Sikong Yi and Baili Chen. He sneered, offering no reply. Instead, he simply stepped onto a sword hilt, seemingly giving chase. An illusory phantom pierced through him, followed instantly by agonizing, heart-wrenching pain. Li Fan nearly lost control of his body and almost fell off. Falling from the sword hilts would not kill him; it would merely teleport him back to the outermost perimeter of the Forest of Swords to start over. Of course, if someone was foolish enough to try flying over the forest... Then they would experience firsthand what it felt like to have ten thousand swords pierce their heart. This was the trial of the Forest of Swords before Taiyi Hall. Unlike other places in the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace ruins, as long as one did not court death, there was no fatal danger here. At most, one had to endure the sensation of sword after sword piercing through the heart. In his previous life, quite a few cultivators had gritted their teeth through the excruciating pain, crossed the Forest of Swords, and entered the interior of Taiyi Hall. Yet... The hall had been completely empty—there was nothing inside! *Could it be that the treasures inside Taiyi Hall were taken by Sikong Yi right from the start?* *Is the opportunity inside Taiyi Hall the Cloud Water Chart and Talismans?* Although he could use the Insect Binding divine ability to subdue the two right now, he had no guarantee he could force them to reveal how the Cloud Water Chart and Talismans was obtained. As far as Li Fan knew, the ancient cultivation world possessed vicious soul searching techniques capable of forcibly extracting a cultivator's memories. Unfortunately, Li Fan did not know such methods yet. Therefore, to be safe, it was better to wait until they retrieved the Cloud Water Chart and Talismans. As Li Fan weighed his options, the Blue Flame phantom spirit flared within his sea of consciousness. His body temperature gradually dropped, and Li Fan felt himself become incomparably calm and rational. No external factor could disturb his state of mind. He stepped forward onto another sword hilt. Though he could still feel the pain... Li Fan had no fear. He took several strides forward in succession. Then, so as not to startle Sikong Yi and Baili Chen too much, he paused, pretending to rest. Sikong Yi and Baili Chen were already profoundly shocked to see Li Fan alive. Now, seeing Li Fan draw closer and closer to them, their shock turned to panic. Steeling their resolve and gritting their teeth, they lunged forward several steps. Four sharp swords struck them simultaneously; the pain inflicted was far more than a simple sum. The agony multiplied severalfold in an instant, making it nearly impossible for the two to keep their balance. Fortunately, just as they were about to tumble off, they supported each other and barely managed to steady themselves. Seeing this, Li Fan also took three steps forward, then put on a show of barely being able to hold on. In this manner, Li Fan kept a measured distance behind them, lowering their vigilance, yet maintained the appearance of being determined to overtake them, exerting relentless pressure. Like prey pursued by a hound, step by step, Sikong Yi and Baili Chen drew closer and closer to Taiyi Hall. Eventually, they reached the end of the Forest of Swords. Leaping down from the sword hilts, the two collapsed to the ground as if completely drained. Yet with Li Fan closing in behind them, step by step, they could not afford to rest. In desperation, Baili Chen pulled a blue spirit tablet from his robes and shouted toward Taiyi Hall: "One hundred and sixty-fifth generation direct disciple of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, Baili Chen, requests an audience with Patriarch Taiyi!" Baili Chen's voice echoed continuously. Li Fan abruptly froze in his tracks, staring fixedly ahead. The magnificent Taiyi Hall seemed to come alive, trembling continuously as it slowly rose into midair. The ground beneath their feet began to quake. *Thump!* *Thump!* Four massive legs, thick as pillars of heaven, extended from beneath Taiyi Hall and slammed down onto the ground. A hideous, monstrous head materialized before Li Fan's eyes like an apparition descending into the world. The broken swords in the Forest of Swords vibrated unceasingly. "Roar!" Accompanied by a bizarre howl, an enormous turtle finally revealed itself completely. Upon the giant turtle's back rested Taiyi Hall. And as the giant turtle roared, two giant black serpents slithered out from within the hall. One coiled forward, entwining with the turtle's head. The other reached backward, gaping its bloody maw to serve as the turtle's tail. If the sight of this colossal hybrid beast of turtle and serpent was already visually staggering, then the scene across its body gave Li Fan a feeling of visceral revulsion. Every single inch of the monster's body was impaled with broken swords. Densely packed, it was impossible to tell how many thousands of blades were thrust into its flesh. At first glance, the beast seemed to be made entirely of swords. And the small Forest of Swords before Taiyi Hall appeared to be nothing more than an utterly insignificant fraction shed from its body. *Patriarch Taiyi of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace? After all these years, is he still alive? Or has he turned into an anomaly like Qin Tang and Daoist Chong?* Li Fan could not be sure. In his previous life, there had not been the slightest rumor concerning this Patriarch Taiyi. Li Fan dared not act rashly for the moment, simply observing from a distance. Seeing the patriarch's true form, Baili Chen was beside himself with excitement. He dropped to his knees and kowtowed repeatedly. "Your name is Baili Chen? A direct disciple of our Cloud Water Heavenly Palace?" An ancient voice resonated. The turtle-serpent beast slightly lowered its head, seemingly trying to get a clear look at Baili Chen. "In reply to Patriarch Taiyi, this disciple belongs to the lineage of Fuyun," Baili Chen answered with a trembling voice. "Fuyun, is it..." The ancient voice seemed lost in memory. "Mm, yes, the aura of Fuyun's lineage indeed." "So that lad still has descendants alive in this world?" The turtle-serpent monster faintly felt something was amiss. Yet he was simply too old. So old that even simple thoughts posed a struggle. The pain inflicted by the countless broken swords covering his body acted like a virulent curse, constantly clouding his mind. Thus, after a moment of fruitless contemplation, he slowly spoke: "Then why have you awakened me?" Baili Chen seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Suppressing his ecstatic expression, he hastily said, "This disciple wishes to beg the patriarch to bestow the Cloud Water Chart and Talismans." "The Cloud Water Chart and Talismans? What is that? Let me think..." After a moment. "Oh. That thing. It's nothing of great consequence." A hint of nostalgia surfaced in the beast's voice. "Back then, Hanhai said that this item could only be given to a disciple of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace." "Since you are a descendant of Fuyun..." At this point, the turtle-serpent monster hesitated briefly. Then he spoke slowly once more, "Then there is nothing wrong with giving it to you." Wild joy washed over Baili Chen's face, and he kowtowed incessantly. "Thank you, Patriarch! Thank you, Patriarch!" Just as the turtle-serpent monster was about to hand over the Cloud Water Chart and Talismans to Baili Chen, a voice suddenly rang out. "Wait!" Baili Chen and the monster turned toward the sound. They saw Li Fan leaping across the sword hilts, closing the distance at high speed. Illusory swords pierced through him one after another, yet the pain seemed to have no effect on him whatsoever. Taking several steps in a single bound, Li Fan quickly traversed the Forest of Swords and drifted down smoothly. Catching his breath, Li Fan cupped his hands toward the turtle-serpent monster. "I am Li Fan, also a direct disciple of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace. I, too, wish to beg the patriarch to bestow the Cloud Water Chart and Talismans!" As he spoke, he began circulating the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Technique.