Chapter 588: The Celestial Absolute Bright Sword Remains

They were several miles outside the small town, in an uninhabited wilderness. Only Han Yi and the Old Fisherman were present.

The Old Fisherman spoke, his question naturally directed at Han Yi. How dared he refuse to answer a query from a powerful expert? Han Yi's scalp tingled with dread. His life was at stake, and he certainly wouldn't defy the other party. He reluctantly flew closer, landed, and bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Senior?"

To his surprise, the Old Fisherman was not impressed. Frowning, he asked again, "Where are you from?"

Han Yi’s heart pounded furiously; his head felt like it would explode. It was clear that his evasive answer had already annoyed the Old Fisherman! The saying 'third time's the charm' applied here, but in reverse – if his next reply displeased the expert, he would surely be decapitated!

However, he had come all this way, guided by his inner destiny, searching for his own fortuitous encounter. How could he possibly reveal such a thing to anyone else? Although the senior before him possessed unfathomable cultivation, there was no guarantee he wouldn't covet Han Yi's 'Heaven's Will Scripture.' If he told the truth, he would likely face a fate of having his soul searched and plundered. It seemed he was in a no-win situation!

Han Yi’s mind raced, and in an instant, he thought of an ambiguous answer. Seeing that the Old Fisherman’s expression seemed to be growing impatient, Han Yi steeled himself and, biting the bullet, said, "This junior came in pursuit of an object." He continued, "I followed its traces for thousands of miles, but upon reaching this place, it vanished without a trace and cannot be found." Then, he lowered his head, awaiting his impending fate.

To his surprise, the strange, powerful expert did not reprimand him. After a long silence, the Old Fisherman’s voice held a hint of wistfulness as he said, "So, you’ve also lost something?"

"Also?" Hearing this word, Han Yi instantly perceived a glimmer of hope. He quickly nodded and said, "Precisely. This item is incredibly important to me, which is why I've traveled across mountains and rivers to retrieve it. Unfortunately, fate has not been kind…"

The Old Fisherman’s tone softened from its previous indifference. He looked at Han Yi and nodded in agreement, "Valuable things must be carefully guarded. Once lost, finding them again can be quite troublesome." He added, "I don’t know how long I’ve been searching, and I still haven’t found mine."

Naturally, Han Yi dared not ask what the Old Fisherman had lost. Feeling a temporary reprieve from danger, he breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t dare to speak carelessly, merely stating, "Your wisdom is profound, Senior." Then he bowed his head in silence, no longer thinking about any fortuitous encounters, only praying for the Old Fisherman to leave quickly.

However, something that made his heart stop suddenly occurred again. At that moment, he heard the Old Fisherman say, "You, don't move!"

Han Yi’s body froze instantly. Believing he would finally fall victim to the Old Fisherman’s lethal grasp, countless past memories flashed through his mind in that single moment. There was the ecstasy of discovering the 'Heaven's Will Scripture' in an ancient ruin, just as he entered the Qi Condensation stage. There was the pain of repeated Foundation Establishment failures due to the backlash from cultivating the scripture. And there was the triumphant feeling of having escaped death from a small world of exotic beasts, returning to successfully form his foundation, believing the world was his to conquer. 'Am I… about to die?' Han Yi wondered.

Just as he succumbed to despair, the Old Fisherman frowned and muttered, "No wonder you can’t find anything; someone has been watching you, it seems?" He then casually waved his hand, as if severing something. Instead of death, Han Yi felt an immediate lightness in his heart. It was as if a long-standing invisible shackle that had been on him had suddenly disappeared.

"Being watched? What does that mean?" Han Yi was initially bewildered, then struck with a chilling realization. "Was I being monitored too?" "No wonder everything has felt off lately. So, my every move has been under someone else’s control?" Recalling his own days spent monitoring mortals in the small town, cold sweat immediately trickled down Han Yi’s forehead.

"Who was it?" "Since when?" Faces flashed through Han Yi's mind. Each seemed highly suspicious, yet none quite fit.

"You young people, always so…" The Old Fisherman shook his head repeatedly, seeing Han Yi's pale, frightened face. "When you’re alone and out in the world, you must be cautious about everything. If you’ve been watched for so long, haven’t all your secrets been exposed?" The Old Fisherman spoke with a tone of exasperated disappointment, "Perhaps the very thing you're looking for has already been stolen."

"But it’s not entirely your fault either…" Suddenly, the Old Fisherman changed his tone. He frowned slightly and looked up at the sky. "The people in this place have some very bad habits." He narrowed his eyes, as if recalling something, and his expression grew solemn.

"Senior, save me!" Perhaps it was the Old Fisherman’s 'kind' demeanor, like a benevolent elder from next door, that put Han Yi at ease. Or perhaps it was the shock of realizing he had been monitored all this time without his knowledge. Han Yi, now completely flustered, directly knelt before the Old Fisherman, bowing his head and pleading for help.

"Save you?" The Old Fisherman seemed a bit confused by Han Yi's plea. "You don’t have to worry; that person has already been severely reprimanded by me and can no longer see you."

Upon hearing this, Han Yi was overjoyed. "May I ask, Senior, who exactly was monitoring me, and what did they look like?"

The Old Fisherman seemed somewhat troubled. "They were too far away; this old man’s eyesight isn’t very good, so I couldn't see clearly…"

"It's alright, Senior, please help me identify them." Han Yi, clinging to this lifeline, felt that if he didn't understand who had been monitoring him, he would never sleep peacefully or cultivate steadily again. So, using a water mirror spell, he conjured images of all the key suspicious individuals he had encountered over the years.

"Senior, just…" Han Yi was about to speak when he suddenly sensed a strange atmosphere in the air. Turning his head, he immediately felt a premonition of disaster.

It turned out that in his moment of panic, he had inadvertently depicted the scene of the Azure Wind confining the sword, which he had witnessed above the sea of clouds. At this very moment, the Old Fisherman was staring intently at that image.

"Oh no, the external characteristics of the Spirit of Heaven and Earth are so obvious; has he recognized it?" Han Yi was instantly filled with regret.

"The sword…" However, what the Old Fisherman was focused on was not the Spirit of Heaven and Earth at all. "The sword?" Han Yi's gaze also fell upon the broken sword confined by the Azure Wind.

"I don’t know how long I’ve been searching, and I still haven’t found mine…" The Old Fisherman’s words from earlier echoed vividly in Han Yi’s mind. "Could it be…" A terrifying thought surfaced in Han Yi’s mind. Before he could react, he felt the Old Fisherman’s cloudy gaze fix upon him. The next moment, Han Yi felt himself consumed by an engulfing darkness.