Chapter 478 - Skyrocketing! The Terrifying Immortal Form, Holding His Own Against Happyland Zoo - Part 3

Mid-laugh, a chill crept up Li Yuan’s back.

He whipped around.

Nothing.

Then he looked down and saw it. In the distance, faintly illuminated by the firelight, a patch of utter blackness rippled in the air, a membrane between two Yin and Yang domains.

And surrounding Li Yuan now was a swelling, deep crimson barrier, rising like a blood tide.

Red and black membranes collided above him, high in the air—like two realms locked in open war, clashing over his very existence.

And beyond the black veil was a child... A small child, with eyes full of hatred. Standing beside her was an enormous, rotting black dog.

Both stared straight at Li Yuan, unblinking.

Li Yuan’s hand was still poking the rat.

Suddenly, the dog leapt. The barrier didn’t stop it at all. It lunged forward and bit down hard on Li Yuan’s neck, tearing away a chunk of withered flame.

At the same time, a gash opened along the dog’s jaw. But it didn’t stop. It clamped on tighter.

With every bite and claw, sparks and embers fell from Li Yuan’s golden form. But just as quickly as they fell, his flames regenerated.

The dog, too, began to melt under the heat. But each time, it reformed just as quickly.

It was a perfect stalemate.

And then, on the ground, Li Yuan saw something begin to form.

A single, sinister blood-red word.:

TEN

His eyes flicked to the ghost child.

The child stared back, its gaze icy and venomous.

And the

nine

quickly became—

NINE

Hide-and-seek had begun.

The countdown was on.

Without hesitation, Li Yuan hurled the human-headed rat back toward them and turned to run.

He’d fought enough for today.

Just from observing the clashing red and black realm membranes alone, Li Yuan could tell that he had reached a level roughly on par to Happyland Zoo.

There was no longer any need to go all-out against the entire sect.

As he ran, the countdown continued to tick away before his eyes.

EIGHT

SEVEN

SIX

FIVE...

BOOM!

Li Yuan kicked the ghost hound still clinging to his leg, sending it flying. Then, as the counter hit

three

, he dove back into his physical body.

In that brief moment of transition,

two

and

one

flashed past.

And then—utter silence.

The entire world fell still.

Without missing a beat, Li Yuan activated Phantom Body, concealing himself behind a massive boulder.

He remembered clearly. Back then, all he had to do was avoid the ghost child’s line of sight, and he was safe.

Sure enough, after a short while... soft footsteps echoed nearby.

The ghost child had arrived.

Li Yuan remained hidden, unmoving.

The child circled once, didn’t spot him, and turned to leave.

And just then, Li Yuan sprang out from behind. He grabbed the ghost child by the wrist.

Crack, crack, crack!

The child’s head twisted a full 180 degrees, locking onto him with a chilling glare.

Yin and Yang erupted between them, red and black energy colliding and collapsing into a chaotic explosion.

The attack should’ve been fatal.

Instead, it tore off half of Li Yuan’s side, but didn’t kill him.

The ghost child yanked its hand free and vanished into thin air.

Li Yuan’s body began rapidly regenerating. As he came back to himself, he chuckled and waved.

“Let’s play again next time!”

With a long exhale, he slumped down under the moonlight.

In the distance, Happyland Zoo had quieted once more. Aside from a few mountains that had been flattened and scorched earth left smoldering, all was calm again.

Li Yuan felt genuinely happy tonight.

He had reached the level of Happyland Zoo.

Seeing that dawn hadn’t broken yet, he launched himself into the air.

The full moon hung high, and beneath it, he soared like a shadow dancing across a silver disk.

As he flew, he glanced back one more time in the direction of Happyland Zoo.

He knew full well how that place had come to be.

Silkfloss Province had long been a wasteland carved up by slave traders and beggars.

In times of chaos, such horrors couldn’t be stopped.

Back then, in his pursuit of the

Path of the Hero

, he had fought many of those same beggars, even killed more than a few, all in hopes of perfecting his martial ideal, the Ruling Blade.

But in the end, it was a failure. He’d been too obsessed with success.

Now, suddenly, Li Yuan wanted to try again. Not for the Ruling Blade. Not for the sake of being a hero. Not for anything lofty... Just because he wanted to stop tragedies like that from happening again.

And maybe then, when he came back to play with the ghost child and the ghost spider of Happyland Zoo, he could truly enjoy himself.

Because every malevolent ghost represented a deep, unshakable obsession. And none of those obsessions had failed to move Li Yuan in some way.

Back then, as a weakling, he could only watch helplessly. But now that he had power. Why not try to change things?

Still, he’d need to temper himself further before that.

Whoosh!

He landed in a barren field and immediately began testing new skills.

Sure enough, every bit of finesse he’d once refined at fifth rank was gone.

He could no longer suppress his strength.

Every flick of his wrist, every twist of his palm unleashed firestorms so vast and destructive that even the ghosts of Happyland Zoo would be swallowed whole.

Precision? Gone. All that remained was devastation.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Dawn arrived.

Li Yuan returned to Swallow Cloud Province and slipped under the covers.

Hearing him, Xie Yu opened her eyes wide. Then, without a word, she curled up into a ball and tucked herself tightly into his arms.

Li Yuan could faintly hear her let out a soft, relieved sigh. So he sighed too and muttered, “I’ve gotten weaker.”

“Huh?!?” Xie Yu looked at him bewildered. Then she pursed her lips and asked, “You...what do you mean

now?

”

“My skills with the blade...I can’t use them anymore,” he said quietly.

“What happened? Were you hurt during your fight?” Her voice instantly turned tense.

Li Yuan groaned. “Because of the breakthrough, there’s too much power in me now. I can’t control it. Everything just comes out as brute force. All those precise, elegant skills I used to have, they’re gone.”

He hugged her tightly and murmured, “Yu’er...you don’t think less of me, do you? I’m a blademaster. But now, I can’t even use a blade. I...I’m nothing but a failure.”

Xie Yu immediately started coaxing him, panicked. “It’s okay, it’s okay! You’re already so powerful! Once you’ve adjusted and learned to control your new strength, you’ll definitely be able to use your blade again. I believe in you!”

The air between them softened. They drew closer again.

Li Yuan pulled her closer and ruffled her hair, sniffling as he sighed, “I really hope so. After all...I’m a man of the blade. If a blademaster can’t even wield his blade, isn’t that the biggest joke in the world?”

“I’d never laugh at you, Husband,” Xie Yu said quickly. “You’re the

best

!”

“Thank you, Yu’er,” Li Yuan whispered.

Then, Xie Yu realized something was off. Hadn’t she been worrying all night? Wasn’t she freaking out because she thought her husband might’ve

actually

gone to Happyland Zoo?

She’d

heard

of that place. It was the ultimate forbidden zone in all of Silkfloss Province. The kind of place that even the boldest cultivators avoided like the plague.

There’s no way he actually went...right?

Right?

She glanced at him and, trying to sound lighthearted, teased, “So, my husband...how did your little sparring match with Happyland Zoo go?”

Li Yuan yawned. “No winner, no loser. Called it a draw.”

“Huh...?” Xie Yu blinked, then immediately said, “Liar!”

Li Yuan replied calmly, “If I’m lying, I’m a dog.”

“Then bark twice,” she shot back.

“Woof, woof!” Li Yuan smiled.

“You

really

lied to me?”

“I’m just doing what you asked.”

“So you

did

go to Happyland Zoo?”

“If I’m lying, I’m a dog.”

“...”

There was a long pause.

“You’re the worst!” Xie Yu muttered,

She turned away in a huff. But a moment later, her voice drifted back, soft and unsure.

“Husband...should we go help my sister? You’re so strong now, you

must

be able to help her.”

Li Yuan, half-asleep already, mumbled, “Still not steady yet. Once I’ve got a firmer hold on things, I’ll go.”

“But...Husband,” Xie Yu whispered, “the Xie Clan is almost gone. Big Brother, Sister, Father...they must be losing their minds.”

Li Yuan stayed silent for a while, then finally said, “Alright. Give it a little time. Then I’ll head to the Jade Capital.”