Chapter 86: Cloud and Water Map Talisman Appears

Two voices rang out simultaneously, echoing before the Taiyi Palace.

“Impossible! How could you have come out of that dreadful place alive?” Both exclaimed in unison, their faces filled with disbelief.

Before the Sword Forest, Li Fan stood with his arms crossed, observing Sikong Yi and Baili Chen, who had turned pale. He sneered and did not reply.

He simply stepped onto a sword hilt, as if to pursue them.

A phantom image pierced through, and an excruciating pain followed.

Li Fan almost lost control of his body and nearly fell.

Falling from a sword hilt wouldn't kill him; it would only teleport him back to the outermost perimeter of the Sword Forest, forcing him to start over.

Of course, if someone were foolish enough to try and pass over the Sword Forest...

They would then experience what it feels like to be pierced by ten thousand swords.

This was the trial of the Sword Forest, before the Taiyi Palace.

Unlike other parts of the Cloudwater Heavenly Palace, there was no fatal danger here, as long as one didn't court death.

At most, one would experience the sensation of being repeatedly pierced through the heart by swords.

In his previous life, many cultivators had gritted their teeth and endured the intense pain to pass through the Sword Forest and enter the Taiyi Palace.

However...

The main hall was empty; there was nothing at all!

"Could it be that the treasures within the Taiyi Palace were taken by Sikong Yi from the very beginning?"

"Is the fortunate encounter within the Taiyi Palace this 'Cloudwater Illustration Scroll'?"

Although he could capture the two of them now using the Binding Worms divine ability, there was no guarantee he could force them to reveal how they obtained the "Cloudwater Illustration Scroll."

As far as Li Fan knew, in the ancient cultivation world, there were malicious soul-searching techniques that could forcibly read a cultivator's memories.

Unfortunately, Li Fan did not yet possess such a skill.

Therefore, to be safe, it was better to wait until the two of them produced the "Cloudwater Illustration Scroll."

As Li Fan pondered, a blue flame phantom spirit suddenly appeared in his Sea of Consciousness.

His body temperature gradually decreased, and Li Fan felt himself becoming incredibly calm and rational.

No external influence could disturb his state of mind.

He stepped forward, placing his foot on a sword hilt.

Although he could still feel the pain, however...

Li Fan was fearless.

He took several steps forward in succession, then stopped, feigning rest, so as not to overly alarm Sikong Yi and Baili Chen.

Sikong Yi and Baili Chen were already greatly shocked to see Li Fan was still alive.

Now, seeing Li Fan drawing closer, their shock turned into anxiety.

They hardened their resolve, gritted their teeth, and swiftly took several steps forward.

The pain inflicted by four sharp swords simultaneously was not a simple summation.

The agony suddenly multiplied several times, making it almost impossible for them to maintain their balance.

Fortunately, just as they were about to fall, they supported each other and barely managed to steady themselves.

Seeing this, Li Fan also took three steps forward, then again acted as if he could barely continue.

In this way, Li Fan consistently maintained a certain distance from the two, lowering their guard.

Yet, he seemed determined to catch up, creating a sense of pressure for them.

Like prey chased by hounds, Sikong Yi and Baili Chen moved step by step, getting closer and closer to the Taiyi Palace.

Finally, they reached the end of the Sword Forest.

Leaping off the sword hilts, the two collapsed onto the ground, as if completely exhausted.

However, with Li Fan pressing closer and closer from behind, they couldn't afford to rest.

In desperation, Baili Chen pulled out a blue token from his robes and shouted loudly towards the Taiyi Palace.

“Baili Chen, 165th generation direct disciple of Cloudwater Heavenly Palace, requests an audience with Ancestor Taiyi!”

Baili Chen's voice continuously echoed.

Li Fan abruptly halted his steps, staring intently ahead.

The magnificent Taiyi Palace now seemed to come alive, slowly rising into the air amidst continuous trembling.

The ground beneath his feet began to shake.

“Thump!”

“Thump!”

Four massive legs, like heavenly pillars, extended from beneath the Taiyi Palace and powerfully stamped onto the ground.

A grotesque monster head also appeared before Li Fan's eyes, as if a phantom had manifested.

The broken swords in the Sword Forest constantly vibrated.

“Roar!”

Accompanied by a strange roar, a gigantic turtle finally fully revealed itself.

The immense turtle carried the Taiyi Palace on its back.

As the giant turtle continuously howled, two massive black snakes emerged from within the Taiyi Palace.

One coiled around its head, extending forward.

The other extended backward, its enormous bloody maw serving as the turtle's tail.

If this colossal turtle-snake creature was already visually striking enough...

...then the sight on the creature's body caused Li Fan physical discomfort.

He saw that:

Every inch of the monster's body surface was impaled with broken sharp swords.

They were so densely packed that it was impossible to tell how many swords were stuck in the monster's body.

At a glance, the monster seemed to be composed entirely of sharp swords.

And the small Sword Forest before the Taiyi Palace seemed like merely an insignificant part that had fallen from its body.

“Cloudwater Heavenly Palace, Ancestor Taiyi? After so many years, is he still alive? Or has he, like Qin Tang and Daoist Chong, turned into an anomaly?” Li Fan couldn't be sure.

In his previous life, there had been no rumors whatsoever about this Ancestor Taiyi.

Li Fan hesitated to act rashly for a moment, simply observing from a distance.

Baili Chen was immensely excited to see the Ancestor's true form.

He knelt down and repeatedly kowtowed.

“You are Baili Chen? A direct disciple of my Cloudwater Heavenly Palace?”

An ancient voice resounded.

The turtle-snake monster slightly lowered its head, seemingly trying to get a clear look at Baili Chen.

“Replying to Ancestor Taiyi, this disciple is from the Fu Yun lineage,” Baili Chen replied with a trembling voice.

“Fu Yun, ah...” The ancient voice seemed to fall into a reverie.

“Hmm, it is indeed the aura of the Fu Yun lineage.”

“So, that boy still has descendants alive?” The turtle-snake monster vaguely felt something was amiss.

But he was too old.

So old that even simple thought was a problem.

The pain from the countless broken swords embedded in his body, like a malicious curse, constantly affected his mind.

So, after a brief moment of fruitless thought, he slowly spoke: “Then, why have you awakened me?”

Baili Chen seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, suppressing his excitement, and quickly said, “This disciple wishes to ask Ancestor to bestow the 'Cloudwater Illustration Scroll.'”

“'Cloudwater Illustration Scroll'? What is that? Let me think...”

A moment later.

“Oh. So it's this. It's nothing significant.”

The turtle-snake monster's tone held a hint of nostalgia: “Back then, Han Hai once said that this item could only be given to a Cloudwater Heavenly Palace disciple.”

“Since you are a descendant of Fu Yun...”

At this point, the turtle-snake monster hesitated for a moment.

Then it slowly said, “Well, giving it to you doesn't seem wrong.”

Baili Chen's face showed wild joy, and he couldn't stop kowtowing: “Thank you, Ancestor! Thank you, Ancestor!”

Just as the turtle-snake monster was about to hand the "Cloudwater Illustration Scroll" to Baili Chen, a voice suddenly rang out.

“Wait!”

Baili Chen and the turtle-snake monster looked in the direction of the voice.

They saw Li Fan rapidly approaching, stepping on sword hilts along the way.

Sword phantoms continuously passed through his body, yet the pain seemed to have no effect on him.

Li Fan covered the distance quickly, traversing the Sword Forest in just a few strides, then descended gracefully.

Catching his breath, Li Fan cupped his hands towards the turtle-snake monster: “This disciple, Li Fan, is also a direct disciple of the Cloudwater Heavenly Palace. I also wish to ask Ancestor to bestow the 'Cloudwater Illustration Scroll'!”

As he spoke, he began to circulate the "Cloudwater Dream Illusion Art."