Chapter 539: The Abstruse Force Response Call

“Allow me to introduce you. This is Fellow Daoist Li Hanmu, and this is Fellow Daoist Cui Heng. They, too, are from the Huan Family.”?He Changying?gripped his fly-whisk and smiled. “Young friend… would you like to try again?”

The withered Li Hanmu stood with his hands behind his back. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

Cui Heng raised his palm, and the snow-white sword revolved non-stop, emitting wisps of killing intent.

When he saw this, Ge Qian took a deep breath, then said calmly, “I’ll just have to try again.”

Boom!

He waved Divine Peak and charged at the expert closest to him, Li Hanmu.

Were this a one-on-one fight, Ge Qian was confident that his trump cards would have been enough to kill any of the three Spiritual Manifestation Realm cultivators present.

But under the current circumstances, that was obviously impossible.

If he wanted to live, his only hope was to blast one of them with all his might. Only then could he create a chance at survival.

Thus, when Ge Qian attacked, he fought like his life was on the line!

His apricot-yellow?Daoist?robes fluttered around him, and his lean figure burst with ink-black Dao light. The indistinct roaring of a Xuanwu Tortoise emanated from within him.

His early-stage Gathering Stars Realm cultivation burst around him, leaving nothing in reserve.

Whoosh!

When he swung Divine Peak, dense and boundless light descended alongside the ruler.

Li Hanmu’s eyes shone with disdain. He stretched out his hand and slapped the air.

Bang!

The ruler was forced back.

“How can the light reflecting off a grain of rice compete with the brilliance of the moon and sun?” Li Hanmu jeered and shook his head.

He Changying?and Cui Heng weren’t far away, but neither moved. They just watched as if all of this were perfectly normal.

When a cat toyed with a mouse, it had enough power to one-sidedly suppress its target.

That was true for one cat, let alone three cats sharing a single mouse!

“That so?” Ge Qian grinned broadly and swung Divine Peak once more.

“You overestimate yourself.” Li Hanmu sighed, raised his hand, and grabbed. He seized the descending jade ruler firmly, then drew out his voice. “Is this… all you’ve got?”

Boom!

A moment later, a tremendous, terrifying force emanated from Ge Qian. The ruler lit up with an invigorated blast.

Bang!

Li Hanmu’s wrist was in agony, and he relaxed his grip as if he’d been shocked. The impact sent him staggering back, and he almost fell.

His expression changed immediately.

An illusory, indistinct figure had appeared above Ge Qian, shrouded in mists. It emanated an appalling, terrifying aura.

Not far away, He Changying and Cui Heng’s gazes turned serious.

When they first targeted Ge Qian, they anticipated a young genius like him would have no shortage of life-saving trump cards.

However, they wouldn’t have guessed that such a terrifying soul hid within Ge Qian’s body!

Ge Qian and his illusory companion didn’t give them time to react. They attacked immediately, aiming for Li Hanmu.

Li Hanmu let out a strange shout, and a blue Daoist seal flew through the air and bore down.

Boom!

A deafening boom rang out.

Li Hanmu staggered back, blood flowing from the corners of his lips. The Daoist seal shook as if about to fall.

Ge Qian and the illusory silhouette seized the opportunity to charge into the distance.

“I’ll break the restriction while you take this opportunity to flee! Quickly!” The illusory figure bellowed, and his hands formed seals.

Dark light coursed through the skies, becoming an enormous creature with a turtle’s head, a snake’s tail, and four legs, each like a pillar supporting the heavens. The creature’s body was as enormous as a mountain.

The first stance of the Xuanwu Overlord Seal: the Overturning Heaven Seal!

From afar, it really did seem as if a Xuanwu True Spirit divine beast had appeared out of nowhere, intent on overturning heaven and earth and throwing the universe into disarray.

“Go!” Not far away, He Changying’s eyes flashed with ruthlessness, and he raised a bronze treasure mirror.

The mirror was round and shiny, and when it floated into the air, the smooth, glassy surface opened like an eye, revealing a blood-red iris. It was like a devil staring at you from the pits of hell: cold, indifferent, and heartless.

Whoosh!

A strange crimson beam shot out of the blood-red eye, striking the distant blurry figure at unbelievable speeds.

The blurry figure suddenly trembled, then let out a pained grunt. The Heaven Overturning Seal dispersed before it got the chance to reveal its true power.

“Old-timer!” Ge Qian cried out in alarm. His heart clenched.

The old man was already blurry and indistinct, but now, his silhouette showed signs of imminent collapse. There was no doubt that the mirror’s overly terrifying attack had dealt enormous damage!

The nearby He Changying put away the bronze mirror and said with a carefree expression, “Young Friend Ge, your backer doesn’t quite seem reliable.”

Cui Heng and Li Hanmu couldn’t help but laugh.

Ge Qian’s expression shifted erratically.

The blurry figure sighed. “A streak of Spirit-Swallowing Light, that’s all. In my prime, power like that wouldn’t have even made me itchy. Just as a tiger risks being bullied by dogs after leaving the mountains, I too have fallen from glory. Even a bunch of ant-like things can push me around now…”

“Ants?”?He Changying?and his companions couldn’t help but laugh.?This blurry figure is neither human nor ghost, but he’s got quite a mouth on him!

“Old-timer, this is no time for boasting! Worst-case scenario, we die. I, Ge Qian, am not afraid of death!” Ge Qian took a deep breath, then grinned. “Just like you’re always harping on about. A cultivator should face both life and death with calm equanimity. If there’s really no way out, we’ll just die!”

“I’m really not afraid of death,” the blurry silhouette whispered. “But I’m unwilling to die before clearing up my doubts…”

He suddenly raised his head and let out a boundless, vigorous chant. It sounded as if he were reciting obscure Daoist scriptures. His voice rumbled throughout heaven and earth.

He Changying?and his companions furrowed their brows in confusion.

The chanting didn’t seem the least bit dangerous, so they couldn’t help but wonder just what this blurry figure was up to.

Meanwhile——

Azurecloud Court.

Su Yi was seated cross-legged in his room when he suddenly opened his eyes, his expression a bit bewildered.

“The power of the Abstruse Force Response Call…”

In his past life, in his capacity as the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force, he'd created this secret art personally. He then taught it to his nine legacy disciples and said that, should they encounter danger while wandering the outside world, all they had to do was circulate this art with their souls. He’d know immediately, and he’d rush to their aid.

This was the Abstruse Force Response Call. It got its name from his Daoist title, “Xuanjun” or “Abstruse Force”!

However, he would never have expected to sense this particular technique’s energy fluctuations here in Nine Tripod City!

He felt as if his heart were the tranquil surface of a lake, and someone had just hurled a boulder into it, stirring up enormous ripples!

“Could it be that little turtle…?” As he muttered, Su Yi rose and left Azurecloud Court.

…

“Go stop him! I’ll capture the kid!” He Changying said gravely.

Although he wasn’t sure what that indistinct silhouette was chanting, delays would only lead to trouble. Thus, He Changying decided to take action immediately.

“Alright.” Li Hanmu and Cui Heng agreed, then acted immediately.

The former activated a blue seal, while the later used a snow-white flying sword. Both shot toward that indistinct silhouette.

Boom!

A grand battle broke out.

The blurry silhouette fought two against one. Even though he went all out, he was no longer a match for two Spiritual Manifestation Realm opponents at once.

His injuries were severe, and he was in a highly weakened state to begin with. Under the circumstances, never mind protecting Ge Qian; he himself might die at any moment.

Meanwhile, He Changying was charging toward Ge Qian.

Ge Qian naturally wouldn’t just sit back and wait to die. He wielded his jade ruler and circulated his cultivation to its upper limit.

“Young Friend, I have no desire to clash head-on with a genius of the present day like you.”?He Changying?chuckled.

Suddenly, a glittering golden rope flew out of his sleeves, shot through the air, and formed a giant golden net, which descended upon Ge Qian.

Ge Qian’s?pupils constricted. Divine Peak burst with holy light, and he swung at the net.

Against all expectations, the ruler didn’t so much as shake the net. On the contrary, it got stuck, like a bug trapped in a spider’s web. The golden net held it fast.

This is bad!?Ge Qian’s expression changed dramatically. He promptly gave up on the ruler and retreated explosively.

“Young friend, no cultivator beneath the Spiritual Manifestation Realm can escape the power of my Spirit-Capturing Rope. There’s nowhere to run and nowhere to hide,” said He Changying with a playful look on his face.

The net expanded under his control, covering a thousand feet and sealing off every possible escape route on all sides.

Ge Qian felt as if his eyes were about to burst. He struggled with everything he had, to no avail. In the blink of an eye, he was completely trapped, unable to move a muscle.

“Young friend, in a one-on-one confrontation, this humble Daoist couldn’t necessarily capture a genius of the present day such as yourself. However, with the Spirit-Capturing Rope, one of the Huan Family’s nine great demonic treasures, capturing you is as easy as turning over my hand.” He Changying smiled as he drew near.

He snapped his fingers.?Bang!

Everything went black as Ge Qian fell directly unconscious.

“My apologies, little friend. You’re very important to the Huan Family, and I’m worried you’ll commit suicide. I could only knock you out.” As he spoke, He Changying picked Ge Qian up off the ground.

Then, he looked over to where his companions were fighting.

The blurry figure was beset on both sides, and he was already covered in wounds. He looked like a patch of fog on the verge of dispersing. It seemed he might fall apart at any moment.

“You two, the Sky-Obscuring Shade Formation has almost run out of power. Please end this quickly,” He Changying reminded his allies.

The formation they’d placed over the surrounding area, the Sky-Obscuring Shade Formation, could only last just long enough to brew a cup of tea. Its purpose wasn’t to trap Ge Qian, much less his blurry companion. Rather, it was to avoid triggering the Nine Tripod Suppression Barrier covering the city.

“Alright, I’ll send him on his way!” Li Hanmu smiled hideously, then straightened his back. His majestic aura surged, and the blue seal he was using slammed into the blurry figure.

Bang!

The blurry figure was sent flying backward. He seemed even closer to following apart.

When he saw that Ge Qian had already been captured, his indistinct features revealed a trace of melancholy and despondency. He muttered, “Could it be that…?I?was mistaken? And that Su Yi isn’t…”

“Die!” Cui Heng controlled his snow-white flying sword, which slashed through the air.

Its sword qi was so flourishing that the blurry silhouette could only sigh and give into despair.

But it was then that—

The formation covering this stretch of heaven and earth shook, then boomed.

Clang!!!

Immediately afterward, a collision rang out, as if something were piercing metal and splitting stone.

A sharp edge hurled the white flying sword away. Its wails shook the heavens.

His unexpected survival caught the blurry silhouette off guard. It was then that he realized that a tall, lean figure had appeared beside him.

The indistinct figure wasn’t sure when he’d gotten there, but he was dressed in blue, with a calm, detached bearing.

“You… You’re…” The indistinct silhouette’s eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.

When he saw him, Su Yi’s heart swelled with emotion too, and he found it hard to stay in control. He couldn’t help but sigh, “Foolish child.”