Chapter 26
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Chapter 26: Bai Lian, This Is What You Owe Me!
He Bukong wasn’t confident.
If he were, he wouldn’t have resorted to these small tricks. He would’ve gone straight to the Duxian sect, sword in hand.
But deep down, he knew he had no choice.
From the moment the conflict escalated, time was running out for him.
If he did nothing, death would inevitably follow.
But if he gambled here, perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope.
He Bukong closed his eyes, finding solace in the darkness around him.
The world outside was pitch black, so dark that he couldn’t even see his own hand. In that void, his mind felt clearer, allowing him
to dig deeper within, layer by layer, to understand his own turmoil.
He understood now.
He had come not for orders from Immortal Emperors.
In the Immortal World, he still had to fear their judgment. But once he descended into this world, no one in the Path of Wanjie
Dharma could punish him, save for Dao Xingyuan.
If he withdrew, Dao Xingyuan would likely be pleased.
But…
“I have no way out,” He Bukong sighed.
Despite his handsome and suave appearance, He Bukong felt the weight of his years. His memory, once as firm as rock, had
started to fade. He could no longer remember his past, nor even his age.
Everything had changed one morning, decades ago.
That day, he had fallen asleep while immersed in the Way of the Silent Void Sword Style.
For someone so dedicated to his cultivation, this was nearly impossible.
He Bukong summoned a water mirror, staring at the man within. His reflection seemed both familiar and strange. The white hair
falling from his forehead stood out.
“Is this day finally here?” he muttered.
He knew his time was up. All of it was due to his practice of the Silent Void Sword Style. If he couldn’t break through the barrier,
death would claim him.
Although he had anticipated this end, when it arrived, he felt a deep fear.
It was the nightmare of death itself.
Desperation overtook him as he pushed himself harder in his sword practice, cutting one sword after another, each faster than the
last.
“Look at my sword, so fast! How did I age so quickly?” he thought.
He began trying all sorts of flashy clothing—nothing too concerned with style, only things that made him appear younger.
He wandered aimlessly, a stark contrast to the quiet cultivation he once preferred. Now, he craved attention, as if to prove he was
still full of energy.
But none of it mattered.
At night, he would return home, only to fall asleep in a few moments, his mind consumed by the overwhelming feeling of despair.
It felt as if he was trapped in a vast, desolate wilderness with no end in sight.
Breaking through to the Immortal Emperor realm seemed the only way to escape this cage, but how could he do so with just
determination?
He thought his life would end like this—ridiculous to be born, and just as ridiculous to die.
But one day, everything changed. He received an order from an Immortal Emperor. He was tasked to assist Dao Xingyuan in
finding the Ten Thousand Poison Pearl.
This news struck him like a bolt of lightning.
Inside the Ten Thousand Poison Pearl was a path that could lead him to Immortal Emperor status.
This was his one chance in life!
He clenched his fist tightly.
This was his opportunity, and he wasn’t going to let it slip away.
“I will grab it firmly!” he declared.
In that moment, all his hesitation shattered. His resolve was ironclad, a blazing fire that ignited within him, starting from his Tao
Heart and spreading throughout his body.
His sword field ignited.
A blue-tinted fire rained down, and He Bukong, wrapped in this fiery embrace, looked like a king returning from the abyss.
He was tall, powerful, and cold-hearted.
With ease, he tore through the Tide of Representation.
The blue fire illuminated the calm face of An Lan, as well as the distant Xiwu City.
“What happened?” the people in Xiwu City wondered.
He Bukong didn’t care about the “ants” in the city; his eyes were locked on one person—Bai Lian.
To obtain the Ten Thousand Poison Pearl, Bai Lian was the mountain he had to cross.
He moved.
An infinite sword Qi shot out, a roar that shook the mountains and cracked the earth.
But An Lan merely waved her sword, effortlessly suppressing his attack.
With a simple motion, she ripped open a massive hole in the Tide of Resentment.
He Bukong stepped back, eyes narrowing as he fixed his gaze on An Lan.
From the rumors, he had already elevated Bai Lian’s strength in his mind, but now he realized he had vastly underestimated her.
However…
Since he was here, what did he have to fear?
“Bai Lian!” He Bukong suddenly shouted.
An Lan looked at Bai Lian, then back at He Bukong, clearly puzzled.
He Bukong’s voice rang out again, as if both a declaration and a challenge.
“I have come for the Ten Thousand Poison Pearl. Surrender it now, and I will leave with the Hate Cauldron, never to return.”
An Lan’s brow furrowed.
It had been a long time since anyone had dared to threaten her.
Two hundred years? Three hundred? Longer?
It didn’t matter.
She’d long since killed anyone who dared threaten her, including Immortal Emperors.
Now, a mere mortal dared challenge her?
An Lan’s lips curled into a cold smirk.
“Who gave you the authority to speak in my presence?” she asked icily.
The pressure of her words struck He Bukong like an ice-cold arrow, freezing his soul.
Was this the weight of an Immortal Emperor’s gaze?
He felt like a mountain was looming over him, and all he wanted was to run.
But there was no retreat. His only path was forward.
He Bukong raised his sword, determined.
“I will not die here. This is just the beginning!”
An Lan’s face tightened with anger.
“Fuck you!”
Who cared if He Bukong lived or died?
She only cared about one thing—Bai Lian.
He Bukong, oblivious to An Lan’s growing frustration, continued his declaration.
“Today, I will break free from this wilderness. No one can stop me. Not Dao Xingyuan, not Bai Lian, and certainly not the heavens themselves!”
What arrogance.
An Lan couldn’t help but smirk at He Bukong’s bravado.
Could he really strangle the heavens?
Did he not understand that no one could transcend the Othershore, let alone challenge the Way of Heaven?
At that moment, He Bukong moved with all his might.
He summoned all his courage and hope, and with a mighty sword strike, the world seemed to bend under his will.
A towering sword light rose from the ground!
It was like wind, rain, clouds, and thunder.
It cut through the wilderness, ripping the universe apart.
“Demigod?” An Lan paused.
If not for Dao Xingyuan’s teachings, she might not have been able to face this challenge.
Without her here, Bai Lian wouldn’t stand a chance.
As the sword light surged, An Lan felt a wave of fear. If Bai Lian was gone…
She could not imagine what the future would hold.
With a heavy heart, An Lan turned to Bai Lian, her gaze softening as she pinched her cheeks gently.
“I will always be here for you, and I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Then, with a simple gesture, An Lan raised her right hand.
A soft white light spread from her palm.
It expanded, enveloping An Lan, Bai Lian, the desert, He Bukong, and the entire darkened world.
And just like that, the world fell silent.
An Lan’s eyes, calm as a frozen lake, met Bai Lian’s.
He Bukong stood frozen, his pupils contracting in disbelief.
Su Youwei and Hong Yi, both staying in Xiwu City, tightly held hands, their bodies trembling with tension.
The blinding white light forced more and more people to shield their eyes.
Even though the members of the Path of Wanjie Dharma were far away, they couldn’t resist rushing out from the stone chamber
at this very moment.
They all stared at the brilliant light that seemed to burst from the stars, exchanging looks with one another.
Could it be that He Bukong was really going to die at Bai Lian’s hands?
If that were the case…
A feeling of regret swept over them all.
He Bukong’s fall had been so swift, leaving no chance to delay Bai Lian. Had they known this was coming, it might have been
better to prevent him from leaving in the first place.
But in reality, He Bukong was still alive—barely.
His Sword Field, accumulated over years of cultivation, crumbled under the relentless erosion of the white light. His body began to
dissolve, and what made his despair worse was the binding that he could not escape.
He was forced to helplessly watch as his body was “eaten” away.
“No, no, no, no…”
He Bukong shook his head forcefully.
Not yet.
He still hadn’t obtained the Ten Thousand Poison Pearl, and without it, he couldn’t become an Immortal Emperor.
Su Youwei was close—right there in the city, just behind Bai Lian. If only he could get past her, there was still a chance to seize the Ten Thousand Poison Pearl and free himself from this agony.
How could he die here?
“Come on, He Bukong, get moving!”
He clenched his teeth, trying to turn the pain into strength, trying to rise once again.
But the truth was, human strength had its limits!
[Am I really going to die here?]
As death loomed closer, He Bukong’s thoughts grew clearer.
He had been gambling from the moment he chose to descend into this world.
If he was going to die anyway, why not go all in?
With his Divine Sense, a purple crystal drifted out.
This crystal, a Void Crystal crafted by an Immortal Emperor, contained a grain of Erosion Sand sealed within.
It was He Bukong’s last trump card.
Although Erosion Sand could kill even an Immortal Emperor, it had strict conditions.
It could only corrode the Immortal Emperor’s soul when it touched their body.
It wasn’t easy to make it land on Bai Lian’s body.
But He Bukong didn’t care anymore.
If he lost the bet, at least he could drag Bai Lian down with him.
“Go, my last hope!”
With a burst of Divine Sense, the Void Crystal shattered, and a gust of wild wind surged from the crack.
In an instant, the shattered pieces scattered, revealing a grain of deep brown, fine sand.
This was Erosion Sand!
It appeared ordinary, but the corrosive force it unleashed was monstrous—like a ravenous beast.
Anything it touched, be it An Lan’s spirit Qi or the Tide of Resentment, would immediately vanish.
He Bukong’s broken body was now soaked in blood, like a small boat caught in a violent sea—about to capsize at any moment.
But he laughed instead.
He could move again!
Bai Lian, who had previously held the advantage, remained motionless. She stood still, as if under a spell.
Got it!
He Bukong’s gaze narrowed as he saw the smaller figure of Bai Lian.
She was protecting her own avatar!
This had to be a plot, and that avatar was the key to it. She was willing to risk her life for that avatar.
“Haha!”
He Bukong burst into laughter, exhilarated.
He won the bet!
Even in his despair, he had found Bai Lian’s weak point.
Bai Lian’s Immortal Emperor status stemmed from her past cultivation, but she had a long way to go before reaching the Human Immortal realm.
“Bai Lian, let’s see how you struggle now!”
“Ha ha ha ha!” He Bukong’s laughter echoed, triumphant. “This is Erosion Sand, capable of killing even an Immortal Emperor. Bai Lian, you’re dead!”
An Lan stood silently.
She wanted to slap He Bukong in the face, but now wasn’t the time for that. She needed to protect Bai Lian’s body and find a way to restore her consciousness.
An Lan gritted her teeth.
Once this was over, she would crush He Bukong’s past, present, and future, ensuring he would never return from the river of time!
With a vow burning in her heart, she spun around and opened her arms, embracing Bai Lian tightly in front of He Bukong.
If this had happened in the past, she would have struggled to do this, but now it was effortless.
Bai Lian was no taller than her, making it easy to wrap her arms around her.
She shielded Bai Lian, ensuring that not even a crack of daylight could slip through.
Clinging to Bai Lian, she left almost no space between them.
The warmth radiating from Bai Lian made An Lan’s heart race.
Could it be…?
This was the first time?
She whispered, “This is what you owe me.”
Warm breath spilled onto Bai Lian’s ear.
An Lan unconsciously moved her hand, pulling Bai Lian even closer, her fingers brushing the curve of her hips.
“You have to pay me back double what you owe me in the future!”
She knew Bai Lian couldn’t hear her, so she dared to say it.
She knew Bai Lian couldn’t feel it, so she whispered the words.
And just as the wind from the Erosion Sand brushed her back, she gently bit Bai Lian’s earlobe.
In that moment, time seemed to freeze.
Heaven and Earth fell silent. The world no longer seemed noisy or chaotic.
An Lan’s mind wandered back to a poem she had once heard, though she didn’t know where it had come from.
O, Heaven above!
I’d take her in my heart,
And we shall live forever without decadence of love.
Only when mountains had crumbled,
Rivers and seas gone dry,
Thunders in winter roared,
Snows fell from summer skies,
And when Heaven and Earth merged as one,
Would I have my love to her severed and undone!
He Bukong was still laughing coldly.
The Erosion Sand was drifting toward “Bai Lian.” Though He Bukong himself had been affected, he still believed that “Bai Lian” would die before him, and that his chance would soon come.
“I need to add some more weight.”
Determined to avoid any mishaps, He Bukong contacted those who remained in the stone chamber.
He quickly briefed them on his situation and mobilized them for battle.
[“Kill Bai Lian today!!!”]
At the entrance to the stone chamber, the members of the Path of Wanjie Dharma exchanged glances.
No one spoke.
The atmosphere felt… off.
A few seconds later, a grim-faced cultivator raised his arm and shouted loudly:
“Kill Bai Lian today!”
His words, though just a repetition of He Bukong’s, ignited a spark of fighting spirit in the others.
It was burning now!
If even He Bukong was willing to risk everything for the Ten Thousand Poison Pearl, what were they afraid of?
This was their closest chance to success.
As long as they could unite and help He Bukong kill Bai Lian, the Ten Thousand Poison Pearl would finally be within reach.
If not now, then when?
After this, there wouldn’t be another chance.
“Surround and kill Bai Lian today!”
Another cultivator raised his arm, and soon, the rest followed.
“Surround Bai Lian, kill Bai Lian, surround…”
The loud chants echoed through the pitch-black night.
Their enthusiasm was contagious, and soon, after a brief discussion, one person remained to watch over the Tide of Resentment while the others rushed toward He Bukong.
In the Tide of Resentment, a long crimson-red dragon suddenly appeared.
It emerged from the west, and though it was miles away, the people in Xiwu City could see it clearly.
But their focus was elsewhere now.
“It’s broken open!”
A cry of surprise rang out.
Near the West City Gate, the once-unbroken white shield shattered, and the Tide of Resentment surged in.
Crisis.
Here it comes again!
