Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Darkened Sun Yan

After some time on the road, Tianming finally arrived at Heavenly Lake, the place Xi Ren had mentioned. He couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer size of the sect’s territory—it was no wonder this was considered one of the continent’s top sects.

“Whew...!”

The moment he caught sight of the scene before him, Tianming’s eyes lit up, and he suddenly felt that everything in the world was wonderful.

The dim environment overflowed with spiritual energy, bringing peace to the soul. A wooden bridge stretched across the immeasurably wide lake, at the center of which stood a vast pavilion shaped like a cross. Countless insects chirped at the lakeshore.

The night sky and the lake mirrored each other, and the whispers of flowing water faded in and out, elusive and distant. The joyful chorus of insects rose and fell in the night, while above, in the pale dome of the heavens, stars and moon shone in brilliance.

Swoosh!

Suddenly, a black arrow shot at him from afar, the sound of it piercing the air sharp and grating.

Sensing a strange danger behind him, Tianming didn’t turn his head.

“Evasion Cloak,” he murmured softly, instantly taking the crimson cloak from his dimensional space and draping it over his shoulders.

Though Tianming was curious who would dare make a move within the Tianyan Sect, there was no time to wonder.

In that split second, before the black arrow could reach his back, the cloak fluttered and instantly deflected the attack.

A faint sound of flesh being pierced followed, and a splash of blood sprayed in the shadowy grass.

Frowning, Tianming tensed, his senses on high alert. Why didn’t his attacker dodge? Could it be one of those shadowy demon cultivators?

Cough, cough.

“I am Tianming, an inner disciple of Tianyan Sect. Who are you, and why do you lurk in the shadows to ambush me?” Tianming’s eyes darted as he shouted.

He had judged from the arrow’s rebound that the attacker had only suffered a minor wound; the cloak could not turn arrows around, only deflect them. He hoped to bluff his opponent with his imposing manner.

Rustling...

In a dark corner, footsteps rustled over the grass, loud in the silence.

“So, it seems you have quite a few secrets,” a shadow clapped slowly, his tone tinged with surprise.

Upon hearing this voice, Tianming tensed. There was only one person with such a familiar tone—Suoyang Can. It seemed Brother Chu had been right after all.

“Heh, you flatter me, Brother Suo,” Tianming sneered, biting off the words.

If it was just Suoyang Can, Tianming wasn’t worried; with the Evasion Cloak, he was nearly invincible against anyone at the Foundation Establishment level. What concerned him was the possibility of allies, especially since Brother Chu had warned him that Suoyang Can had a powerful brother in the inner sect.

“Hmph, words alone can’t save you now,” Suoyang Can snorted coldly.

Clutching his arm, he glared venomously at Tianming’s red-cloaked back.

He’d thought to settle things in one strike, but to his shock, the arrow he’d shot with all his spiritual power had been deflected with ease and returned upon him, giving him no chance to react.

Oh?

Hearing this, Tianming turned, his deep gaze settling on Suoyang Can.

“I wonder, just what are you relying on?” Tianming asked curiously.

Suoyang Can grunted. “You’ll know soon enough.” Blood trickled from his lips, his face twisted in a snarl as he wrenched the arrow from his arm.

“Is that so?” Tianming shook his head and smiled faintly at the endless starry sky. His eyes fell on the arrow in Suoyang Can’s hand. Though he wasn’t an expert, he could tell it was made from exceptionally hard materials, the shaft black as ink, flickering with a sinister glow. He had to admit, Suoyang Can was ruthless at his core.

“I beg you, master, lend me your aid!” All the while, Suoyang Can’s shifty gaze swept the surroundings. Suddenly, he knelt toward a shadowy spot.

As soon as the words left his lips, a strange silence fell.

That familiar form of address made Tianming realize something—these people again.

He pressed his pale lips together, gripping the cloak tightly. This had just become much more dangerous.

Though the night remained calm, he felt certain a hidden gaze was fixed upon him.

Cold sweat streamed down his face as Tianming raised the Evasion Cloak defensively, his wary eyes darting all around, heart pounding. This cloak was his only hope; it might not save him, but at least it gave him some confidence.

“Heh heh... Pathetic,” came a harsh, chilling laugh as a bitter wind howled around him.

In the next instant, a hunched, pitch-black figure materialized before Tianming, icy energy swirling around him, his features obscured by a haze of dark energy.

The moment the shadow appeared, Tianming felt an immense pressure bear down on him, as if ten thousand pounds of frozen stone pressed upon his head. Cold sweat poured from him as he desperately circulated his colorless energy to resist the soul-piercing oppression.

“Colorless energy? Interesting,” the hoarse voice rasped.

Ignoring the shadow’s words, Tianming stared fixedly at the hunched figure.

But then he noticed—the shadow was beginning to fade.

Frowning, Tianming’s eyes flickered as he considered how this ancient fiend might strike. He knew that beings who had cultivated for many years would not attack rashly; when they did, it would be a matter of life and death in an instant.

With that in mind, Tianming closed his eyes.

...

“So, you’ve decided to give up?” sneered Suoyang Can as he watched Tianming.

He did not regret his choice. When that old man had come to him, Suoyang Can had been both shocked and terrified.

Besides shock, there was lingering dread...

“Look, isn’t that Suoyang Can, the one who got cursed out by a rookie?”

“Ha! Who knew he’d dare show his face here?”

“If I were him, I’d die of shame—always picking on newcomers like a clown, but look at him now, he finally ran into someone he couldn’t bully.”

As Suoyang Can walked along the Heaven’s Avenue, shame and anger twisted his face. His fists clenched tighter with every mocking voice he heard, his expression growing more venomous, but in the end, all he could do was lower his head and hurry out of the sect.

Throughout the past year, he had gone out of his way to suppress newcomers, provoking conflicts and exploiting dueling rules for personal gain. Who could have guessed the sect itself would set a trap for him this time? It seemed those people had laid the snare and waited for him to fall.

As for why they hadn’t dealt with him sooner, he’d heard from his brother that the sect wanted to temper the arrogance of the new disciples, forcing them to refine themselves through hardship. There were plenty like him who bullied newcomers.

But now, he had become the example meant to warn the others, and those he’d bullied wasted no time kicking him while he was down.

“Suoyang Can?”

As he was pondering his next move, an ancient voice echoed in his mind.

Frowning, Suoyang Can suddenly felt the world fall silent, the scene before him spinning and reversing. In the blink of an eye, he found himself suspended high in the sky.

“No, please, spare me, senior!” he cried, struggling.

A glance downward made his legs go weak with terror, and he shut his eyes in pain.

Below his feet, mountains towered above the clouds, ethereal mist drifting around him. Fierce winds howled, pressing painfully against his body.

Unable to endure it, he tried to move, but it was as if countless mountains bound him in place...

Defeated, Suoyang Can gave up struggling.

“Who are you?” he stammered, drenched in cold sweat.

His face turned deathly pale, body shaking—his life hanging by a thread.

“Heh heh, does it matter who I am? Do you really wish to leave in such disgrace?”

“Of course not! Senior, can you help me?” he asked desperately.

A familiar, chilling laugh made Suoyang Can’s face turn even whiter. There would be no turning back for him. Now he finally understood how the Southern Wilderness continent had been so thoroughly swept away by these outsiders...

Yet, even knowing this, Suoyang Can would not turn back. All he wanted now was to save himself, nothing more.

As the mournful laughter faded, Suoyang Can, powerless to resist, allowed himself to be swept away like wind, dissolving into a blast of black wind that vanished without a trace.