Chapter 58: Disaster is Imminent

Since then, Liang Yan had devoted himself entirely to cultivation within the thatched hut. Aside from practicing his cultivation techniques in the Spirit Spring cave at night, he spent most of his time honing two divine abilities: the "Thunder Training Technique" and the "Red Pine Needle Art."

One morning, in a valley outside the Apricot Grove, Liang Yan stood atop a massive boulder, his gray robes fluttering as he stood with his hands behind his back.

Suddenly, he flicked the wide sleeve of his right arm, and a small redwood box spiraled out. He then held two fingers of his left hand vertically before his chest and muttered a low incantation.

With a loud "Bang!", the redwood box suddenly shot out thousands of flying needles, each glowing as red as fire, forming a cloud of flame in mid-air. This fire cloud appeared abruptly and vanished even faster! In the blink of an eye, the needles shot outward in all directions, instantly embedding themselves into the surrounding cliff walls with a series of hissing sounds.

Upon closer inspection, one would notice that the cliff walls were now riddled with holes, emitting faint wisps of blue smoke.

With another sweep of his wide sleeve, the layers of the cliff walls struck by the needles collapsed one after another, turning into clouds of ash. Furthermore, the inner layers of the rock were charred black, as if they had been tempered by intense flames.

Seeing this, Liang Yan nodded with considerable satisfaction. Simultaneously, his left hand formed a hand seal, and he began to chant. *Sss-sss-sss!* Thousands of fiery red needles flew back from the cliff walls, returning to the redwood box like a hundred rivers flowing back into the sea.

"These Red Pine Needles are indeed extraordinary. The Divine Might of the Li Fire increases their explosive power for a split second; they should be able to achieve the element of surprise," Liang Yan said to himself, looking at the box with satisfaction. With a wave of his right hand, the redwood box spun back to him and vanished into his sleeve.

After more than a month, he had completely erased the original owner's imprint from the "Red Pine Needles" and successfully refined them as his own. This set of flying needle spiritual tools possessed staggering explosive power and the might of Li Fire, becoming one of Liang Yan's few trump cards.

However, these needles had one flaw: they could only be used once per battle. After use, the needles had to be retrieved and returned to the red wooden box to accumulate fire through spiritual energy. In actual combat, an opponent would never give him such an opportunity. Therefore, mastering the timing of the "Red Pine Needle Art" was of paramount importance.

Liang Yan sat cross-legged on the boulder, carefully reviewing the various hand techniques for executing the "Red Pine Needle Art" in his mind, preparing to test them once more. Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat for no reason, followed immediately by a sharp, twisting pain within his body.

"Ah!"

Even though Liang Yan considered his willpower to be strong, he could not help but let out a cry of agony under such intense pain. Thinking to himself, "This is bad!", he instinctively swept his divine sense toward the location of the red light orb within his body.

This sweep sent a cold sweat running down his back. The red light orb had actually broken through the defense of the "Two Fish Twin Array" and was now ascending through his meridians at a visible speed, heading toward his sea of consciousness. The golden light barrier protecting it had already been eroded to less than half its original thickness.

At its current speed, it would likely reach Liang Yan's sea of consciousness in less than two days. Once that happened, no one knew what would occur!

Liang Yan took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm, and began to calculate a way to save himself in his mind.

"This red light orb... my own cultivation techniques seem insufficient to suppress it. I thought about seeking help from Senior Xiumu Sheng, but through a series of mishaps, I haven't even seen his face. He and I were originally chess partners across generations—a friendship of gentlemen—and I don't even know his true identity. Where could I possibly find him?"

"My knowledge of the cultivation world is shallow. Relying on myself alone, I fear I won't even figure out the origin of this thing before I die. Right, I should go to Uncle Master Lin first to ask. At least I can figure out what kind of sorcery I've been struck by before deciding on my next move."

Having made up his mind, he immediately set off toward Lin Fei's residence.

A few hours later, Liang Yan appeared before the gate of a secluded pavilion courtyard. He stood with his hands at his sides, waiting respectfully outside the door. Before long, a maid walked out from the courtyard, but she was not the same one he had seen last time.

"Immortal Lin is in the main hall. Please follow me," the maid said, turning to walk inside. Liang Yan said nothing and followed her.

The two passed through the inner courtyard and walked straight to a vermilion main hall. The maid stood to the side with her hands clasped, making a "please" gesture.

Liang Yan nodded and stepped over the threshold. He saw two people sitting in the hall. One was a man in green scholar's robes, holding a folding fan, appearing very elegant and easygoing. The other was a woman in blue; while her beauty was not breathtaking, she was pleasant to look at, and her demeanor was poised and graceful, instantly inspiring goodwill in anyone who saw her.

At this moment, both were looking at Liang Yan with smiles on their faces.

"I didn't expect Uncle Master Zhou to be here as well!" Liang Yan thought to himself. Although he was somewhat surprised, he wasn't overly shocked. He had long since perceived the bond between these two.

"Greetings, Uncle Master Lin, Uncle Master Zhou!" Liang Yan bowed respectfully to them.

"There is no need for such formal etiquette, Nephew Liang. Speaking of which, it has been over a year since we last met. How has your cultivation been lately?" Lin Fei asked with a kind expression.

Liang Yan's face flushed slightly as he thought, *Liang Yan, oh Liang Yan, you never visit unless you have a favor to ask.* Although he thought this, the matter at hand concerned life and death, so he had no choice but to brace himself and speak

"This disciple has practiced diligently over the past few years and has not dared to slacken in the slightest. However, a few days ago during a sect mission, I was struck by a spell from a demonic practitioner, and a red light orb appeared within my body. My cultivation is shallow, and I have been unable to expel it. I have come specifically to seek Uncle Master Lin's guidance!"

"Such a thing! Do you handyman disciples not have the qualification to accept sect missions?" Lin Fei asked in surprise.

Liang Yan gave a bitter smile and said, "What this disciple says is entirely true. The reason I descended the mountain was actually at the invitation of a Senior Sister. I thought it was a simple worldly task, but I did not expect high-level cultivators to be involved."

Lin Fei and the woman in blue exchanged a glance, and he suddenly cast a hand seal. A streak of blue light shot from his hand toward Liang Yan.

Liang Yan stood perfectly still, allowing the blue light to penetrate his body.

Lin Fei's hand seals continued incessantly, but his brow furrowed deeper and deeper. After a moment, his expression changed drastically. With a pull of his hand seal, a streak of blue light flew out from Liang Yan's body, but its tail was entangled with a red light. The blue light spiraled uncontrollably in the air, while the red light bit fiercely at the tail of the blue light. The two fought relentlessly in the air before finally dissipating into nothingness.

"What is that thing!" Lin Fei said in horror.

"Did you drive that thing out of Liang Yan's body?" Uncle Master Zhou asked from the side.

"No, I only attacked the red light orb within him slightly, and it bit back, splitting off a portion of its spiritual energy to fight against the 'Mind-Seeking Art' I sent into his body. That red light orb is still inside him!"

"How can this be!" Uncle Master Zhou said in astonishment. "Could it be that the 'thing' inside him possesses its own thoughts and will?"

"It is difficult to say for certain, but this matter is too bizarre. I may need your assistance, Zhou Yan," Lin Fei said, looking toward her.

Understanding his intent, Zhou Yan nodded slightly. She took an ancient bronze mirror from her storage bag and cast a hand seal. The mirror emitted a yellow light that shone upon Liang Yan.

Liang Yan's brow furrowed slightly, revealing a hint of pain. Everyone in the hall looked toward the mirror simultaneously.

Inside the mirror, a red light orb appeared, pulsating rhythmically as if it were a heart. Upon seeing this, a strange thought surfaced in everyone's minds

"Could this be a living creature?"

Lin Fei said with a serious expression, "This object seems extremely sensitive to divine sense and intent. Just now, when I used the 'Mind-Seeking Art' to transmit an intent into your body, it met with fierce resistance the moment it touched it, directly expelling my intent. Furthermore, looking at the direction it is moving, it seems to be heading straight for your sea of consciousness. If it succeeds in reaching it, I fear... the consequences will be dire."

Even though Liang Yan had already guessed as much, hearing Lin Fei confirm it still caused a cold sweat to pour down his face.

Zhou Yan stared at the mirror for a moment, then suddenly placed both hands before her chest to form a seal, a chill emanating from her palms. With a low shout, she swept her hand toward the mirror. A burst of frost-white chill immediately emerged from the mirror. As Zhou Yan's hand seals changed, the chill gradually condensed into a pillar of frost that shot toward Liang Yan.

As soon as the chill entered his body, Liang Yan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar; his entire body felt as though it were cracking from head to toe. However, he gritted his teeth hard and endured it without a sound.

Inside the mirror, the red light orb was enveloped by the chill. Its pulsations grew smaller and smaller until it was finally frozen into an ice block, becoming motionless.

Although his body was in immense pain, Liang Yan's eyes remained fixed on the mirror. Seeing that Zhou Yan's divine ability was effective, he couldn't help but smile with excitement. Just as he was about to speak in thanks, he heard Zhou Yan shake her head.

"Do not rejoice too early. This technique treats the symptoms, not the root cause. I have not completely frozen it; I have merely slowed its movement for the time being. If it cannot be eradicated within a month, I fear the outcome will be the same."