Sending divine sense shuttling through this multicolored model felt as if one were personally touring the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace of yesteryear.
But...
Other than this, the Cloud Water Chart and Talismans truly seemed to have no other special purpose.
"Perhaps calling this Cloud Water Chart and Talismans the 'Cloud Water Illustrated Record' would be more fitting."
"Or is there some other secret hidden within? Otherwise, why would someone put up a bounty of a hundred thousand contribution points for it?"
Many doubts arose in Li Fan's mind.
Yet now was not the time to investigate deeply.
Putting the multicolored model into his storage ring, Li Fan cupped his hands toward the turtle-serpent creature. "Patriarch Taiyi, please send me away from here as well. I still have business with Junior Brother Baili Chen."
After a moment, Taiyi's aged voice sounded: "Mmm, leaving is good. Leaving is good..."
It was the exact same response as when he had sent Baili Chen away moments ago.
A swath of blue light enveloped Li Fan.
Then, Li Fan's figure vanished as well.
Before Taiyi Hall, a long silence fell once more.
After an unknown time, a strange sound broke the quiet.
"*Skrrr...*"
"*Skrrr...*"
"*Skrrr...*"
...
It sounded like blades grinding ceaselessly against a whetstone, or a giant serpent shedding its old skin.
And with every sound, countless phantom swords manifested from the void and plunged into the turtle-serpent creature's body.
*Boom!*
Taiyi Hall suddenly sank, and the turtle-serpent creature was forced to retract its limbs.
The two giant black serpents at its head and tail let out agonized hisses, their ferocious heads writhing together as they retreated back into Taiyi Hall.
"It hurts..."
"It hurts so much..."
Taiyi's aged, frenzied voice reverberated through the entire Cloud Water Heavenly Palace like thunder.
From within each of the structures shrouded in white mist, horrifying sounds also seemed to echo in response.
The storm of broken sword phantoms suddenly intensified like torrential rain.
"*Roar!*"
The turtle-serpent creature's figure finally disappeared.
Leaving only the empty Taiyi Hall and the ever-expanding Forest of Swords before it, silently bearing witness to Taiyi's eternal agony.
...
The Congyun Sea.
Li Fan's vision blurred, and he found himself back above the azure sea.
However, he was already outside the perimeter of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace ruins in the central sea area.
Sensing the locations of Sikong Yi and Baili Chen, Li Fan circulated the Shadow Following Art and pursued them closely.
At the same time, the Formless Killing Intent he had kept concealed suddenly sprang forth.
Sikong Yi and his companion were immediately intercepted, their speed slowing drastically.
Meanwhile, Li Fan's speed continued to increase.
The distance closed rapidly, and before long, he could vaguely make out their silhouettes.
"Just who are you?! I already yielded the Cloud Water Chart and Talismans to you—why are you still relentlessly dogging us?!" Sikong Yi's furious shout carried over.
Li Fan did not answer, merely quickening his pace.
"You push people too far!" Seeing this, Sikong Yi actually gave up fleeing and wheeled around to confront Li Fan.
Streaks of golden sword qi manifested around him.
They slithered and coiled like flood dragons.
With a point of Sikong Yi's finger, the unleashed sword qi surged toward Li Fan like a sky full of flying dragons.
Baili Chen, on the other hand, employed some unknown secret art, his speed abruptly multiplying several times over.
He attempted to take advantage of the distraction to flee toward a distant island.
"Still trying to use that cicada-shedding-its-shell trick from before? Hoping to use the island's teleportation array to return to Wanxian Island?"
"A fine idea."
"Pity that I came prepared."
Li Fan watched the two, a strange gleam flashing in his eyes.
Ever since learning from Jiao Xiuyuan that Sikong Yi and Baili Chen almost always moved together, in order to deal with them more securely, Li Fan had specifically purchased several targeted magical instruments from the Heavenly Mystery Realm.
Such as right now...
A shield wrapped in swirling flames appeared before him, blocking every last bit of Sikong Yi's golden sword qi.
Red Fire Shield, 350 contribution points.
It inherently countered Sikong Yi's metal-attribute sword qi.
Li Fan then drew a black chain from his storage ring.
One end was aimed at Sikong Yi, while the other targeted Baili Chen.
With a gentle flick, the black chain shot outward, binding Sikong Yi and Baili Chen together with lightning speed.
The chain contracted violently.
Baili Chen, who was fleeing like lightning, was yanked so hard that he tumbled backward toward Sikong Yi.
Soul Locking Chain.
Li Fan had spent 958 contribution points to have a Foundation Establishment stage artifact refiner in the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals custom-make it.
Once two people were bound by this chain, they could not stray too far from one another.
Finally, looking at the pair locked together, Li Fan took out an array chart.
Azure Wood Purple Fire Formation.
A full 1,500 contribution points.
Tremendously powerful; once activated, ordinary Qi Condensation cultivators could not hold out for more than an hour before turning to ash.
Expressionless, Li Fan activated the grand formation, trapping Sikong Yi and Baili Chen within.
Though it took time to describe, from the moment Li Fan blocked Sikong Yi's golden sword qi to trapping the two in the formation had taken merely the blink of an eye.
The pair had no time to mount any defense before finding themselves trapped like turtles in a jar, with no hope of escape.
"Just who are you?!"
Seeing how every move Li Fan made was specifically calculated against them, how could Sikong Yi not realize that this had all been premeditated long ago?
Li Fan did not answer, using the Insect Binding divine ability to immobilize Baili Chen.
Ignoring Sikong Yi's curses, Li Fan activated the formation to scorch Sikong Yi.
"*Ahhh!*"
Amid shrieks of agony, Sikong Yi was reduced to ash.
Yet...
No anomaly appeared in the sky above.
Immediately afterward, the scene Li Fan had anticipated unfolded.
Beside Baili Chen, a phantom slowly surfaced.
The phantom wriggled and gradually solidified into flesh.
Sikong Yi had revived once more!
Li Fan narrowed his eyes and activated the formation again.
Agonized screams rang out continuously.
Sikong Yi died once more.
After reviving this time, his cultivation dropped from the late Qi Condensation stage to the middle Qi Condensation stage.
Li Fan seemed to understand something.
Purple flames leapt, and Sikong Yi met another round of death.
And Sikong Yi shifted from his initial curses to begging for mercy.
Then into tearful, agonizing pleas.
Yet Li Fan was unmoved.
This Sikong Yi was enigmatic and possessed formidable life-saving methods.
Having snatched the Cloud Water Chart and Talismans—worth a hundred thousand contribution points—from his grasp, Li Fan had already formed a blood feud with him.
Even if he could not pry out the secrets on his person, Li Fan would never allow him to leave alive.
The Azure Wood Purple Fire Formation was unleashed again and again.
Soon, Sikong Yi's cultivation fell all the way to the early Qi Condensation stage.
A look of despair emerged on his face.
Breaking down completely, he begged Li Fan for mercy.
To save his life, he chose to divulge all of his secrets.
Li Fan listened in silence, his expression shifting continuously.
In the end, purple flames flared.
After dying three more times in succession, Sikong Yi could no longer revive.
And Baili Chen, following Sikong Yi's death, also crumbled to dust, vanishing completely between heaven and earth.
Where Sikong Yi had vanished, a black medallion floated quietly in the air.
Li Fan took up the medallion, and a piece of information immediately surfaced in his mind:
*He who holds this token shall command the Stealing Heaven Changing Sun Sect.*
Chapter 88