Chapter 396: Concealing the Sword Within the Soul

Great Demons and True Immortals stand as the pinnacle of combat prowess in this world. Compared to the Flood Dragon Emperor, who follows the path of slaughter, Daoist Ling Xuan, who walks the path of illusions, is noticeably weaker in direct combat.

However, the art of illusions excels at stalling for time. Daoist Ling Xuan, risking injury to his divine soul, performed a cunning deception—creating dozens of illusory clones to neutralize the Flood Dragon Emperor’s Soul Restraining Technique. Then, he formed hundreds of illusionary arrays, entrapping the Flood Dragon Emperor in an attempt to delay as long as possible.

“What’s the point of Daoist Ling Xuan fighting like this?”

“No matter how much time he buys, it won’t change anything…” At this, Heaven Arbiter Ashen seemed to realize something. He turned to the man beside him, Gu Ning’an, and chuckled, “Mr. Gu, could it be that he’s stalling for you?”

Gu Ning’an smiled and said, “Perhaps.”

“Then he’ll be waiting in vain.” Heaven Arbiter Ashen laughed heartily, his expression playful.

Gu Ning’an said nothing in response. His gaze seemed fixed on the battlefield, but in truth, his mind had already drifted to his true body within White Jade Capital.

Before the Mountain and River Chessboard, Heaven Arbiter Ashen and Gu Ning’an sat across from each other.

Heaven Arbiter Ashen had his eyes closed, his face shrouded in gray mist, faintly carrying a smile.

Gu Ning’an opened his eyes, forming a sword gesture with his hand. Behind him, thirty-six strands of Worldly Qi separated from the Hongchen Sword and wove together like silk threads, forming a miniature sword. In an instant, the small sword merged into his forehead.

Within Gu Ning’an’s sea of consciousness, a crimson miniature sword quietly appeared. It radiated an aura of sentience, unhurriedly flying toward the small figure at the center of the sea of consciousness—an ethereal form bathed in immortal radiance.

This luminous figure was none other than Gu Ning’an’s divine soul. Upon sensing the crimson sword’s arrival, the soul’s closed eyes slowly opened, and it gently raised a hand to grasp the incoming blade.

In the next moment, the divine soul swung the sword.

Zheng!

A sword hum rang out like a dragon’s roar, and in an instant, the fierce sword light illuminated the vast and dark sea of consciousness!

This sword’s power was no weaker than the strike Gu Ning’an had once used to cleave apart the broken Heavenly Dao.

In fact, it even surpassed it!

If not for the fact that this was Gu Ning’an’s sea of consciousness—where the sword’s power was concealed by its boundless expanse—Heaven Arbiter Ashen, seated across from him, would have awakened in an instant.

If he knew that Gu Ning’an had dared to unleash such a strike within his own sea of consciousness, he would surely think the man had a death wish.

The divine soul resides within the sea of consciousness, and while a strong divine soul makes the sea of consciousness more resilient, it remains a fragile aspect of a cultivator’s being.

If the sea of consciousness were to shatter, the divine soul would become a rootless entity—if not outright destroyed, it would at the very least be gravely wounded!

“Freeze!”

A command resounded!

The sword light, which carried the force of ultimate destruction and was about to crash against the edges of the sea of consciousness, was instantly frozen in place!

From afar, the solidified sword light resembled a blood-red crescent moon, its trailing radiance akin to a long crimson cloak.

With a flick of his fingers, Gu Ning’an recalled the seemingly boundless sword light. As it flew toward him, it rapidly shrank, and by the time it reached his divine soul, it had been reduced to the size of a pendant.

Gu Ning’an raised his arm, allowing the crescent pendant to merge into his right arm.

Crack!

A faint cracking sound echoed. A fine crack appeared on his right arm where the sword light had fused—not large, but significant nonetheless, as it was on his divine soul!

This proved that even though the sword light had been forcibly restrained by Gu Ning’an’s sealing technique, it remained incomparably sharp. Even his powerful divine soul couldn’t escape unscathed, suffering a minor cut!

Having completed this step, Gu Ning’an felt the sword light within his divine soul grow silent. A faint smile curled at his lips.

“As expected, the Sealing Technique can suppress Hongchen Sword’s light. The longer this match drags on, the more sword light I can store within my body!”

With that thought, Gu Ning’an repeated the process, slashing twice more, freezing the sword light, and merging it into his right arm.

However, as two more sword lights fused into him, the crack on his divine soul’s right arm extended to half an inch in length.

Even though the Hongchen Sword’s light had been sealed, it continued to radiate its sharp, cutting aura. When he had stored just one strand, the sensation had been subtle. But now, with three, Gu Ning’an could clearly feel a constant stinging pain spreading through his entire being.

Judging by the rate at which the cracks spread through his soul, Gu Ning’an estimated that his soul could hold at most a hundred or so sword strikes—fewer than he had anticipated.

But it should be enough.

When the Hongchen Sword light rained down in a torrential storm, Gu Ning’an did not believe that Heaven Arbiter Ashen would be able to withstand it.

In the blink of an eye, more than half a year had passed. During this time, Great Wu had not undergone any major changes on the surface, appearing calm and peaceful. However, beneath the surface, danger lurked everywhere—whether within the imperial court of Great Wu or along the Northern Huangtian border.

It was New Year’s Eve.

In Four Corners Town, every household had adorned their windows with festive paper-cut decorations symbolizing good fortune. The streets were lined with red lanterns, illuminating the town with a warm glow.

Perhaps due to the disasters of the previous year, the townspeople had gone to great lengths to decorate their homes with extra joy and festivity, as if hoping that the “new year’s waters” would wash away the misfortunes of the past.

Even the outer walls of the Universal Temple in Four Corners Town were decorated with “福” (fortune) characters, each one meticulously written—likely the work of someone who practiced calligraphy diligently.

Inside the temple’s main hall, an Eight Immortals Table was set up neatly before the statue of all beings, covered with an array of home-cooked dishes.

Around the table, exactly eight chairs had been placed. Seven were already occupied, leaving just one seat still empty.

At the head of the table, Temple Keeper Huang had donned a fresh, simple set of clothes. His mustache curled slightly upward as he smiled.

“I never expected all of you to come here to celebrate the new year. I prepared these dishes in a hurry, so forgive me if the hospitality is lacking!”

“Temple Keeper Huang, you’re just being polite now,” Zhou Zhongtian waved his hand with a laugh. “Everyone here has fought demons and ghosts together—no need for formalities.”

“Exactly! Just look at this feast. While my master and I were out traveling, I wouldn’t have dared to dream of eating like this!”

Liu Feng, clad in a loose long robe, tugged at his clothes and exaggeratedly sighed, “Look at me, I’ve lost so much weight!”

“Haha!” Temple Keeper Huang let out a hearty laugh. “As long as you all thought to come back, that’s all that matters. As for you, Liu Feng, since you followed Grandpa Donkey to learn his craft, it’s only natural to suffer a bit.”

With that, the atmosphere grew even livelier.

Aside from the typically expressionless Qiao Min, everyone shared a laugh.

At that moment, Feng Wei, her hair styled in an elegant cloud bun, pointed at the empty seat beside Zhou Zhongtian and asked,

“Hey, who’s missing from this spot?”

“That seat’s for my buddy,” Zhou Zhongtian said, patting the empty chair beside him. He turned his head, looking around as he called out,

“Yao Wu! Yao Wu! Where are you? It’s time for the New Year’s feast! We already told you to come over!”

“I’m already sitting here, ain’t I?”

A deep, muffled voice suddenly echoed from the seemingly empty chair.