Chapter 88 – Killing Si Kongyi

Sending one’s spiritual sense shuttling through this seven-colored model felt just like personally touring the Cloud-Water Celestial Palace of old.

But…

Beyond that, 《The Cloud-Water Chart》 truly seemed to have no other special use.

“This Cloud-Water Chart—perhaps calling it the Cloud-Water Record would be more fitting.”

“Or perhaps there are other secrets hidden within? Otherwise, why would someone offer a bounty of one hundred thousand contribution points?”

Quite a few doubts surged through Li Fan’s mind.

But now was not the time to investigate further.

Storing the seven-colored model in his storage ring, Li Fan cupped his hands toward the turtle-snake creature. “Ancestor Taiyi, please send me away from here as well. I still have business with Junior Brother Baili Chen.”

A moment later, Taiyi’s ancient voice sounded: “Mm, leaving is good. Leaving is good indeed…”

The reaction was exactly the same as when he had sent Baili Chen away.

A blue light enveloped Li Fan.

Then Li Fan’s figure vanished as well.

Before Taiyi Hall, a long silence fell once more.

After an unknown stretch of time, a strange sound broke the stillness.

“Szzz…”

“Szzz…”

“Szzz…”

…

It was like blades scraping endlessly against a whetstone, or like a great serpent shedding its old skin.

And with each sound, countless phantom swords appeared from the void and drove themselves into the turtle-snake creature’s body.

“Boom!”

Taiyi Hall plunged downward violently, and the turtle-snake creature’s limbs were forced to retract.

The two black serpents at head and tail let out an agonized shriek, their hideous heads twisting together as they retreated into Taiyi Hall.

“Pain…”

“Such pain…”

Taiyi’s ancient yet maddened voice thundered across the entire Cloud-Water Celestial Palace.

From the various buildings shrouded in white mist, terrible sounds seemed to rise in response, echoing ceaselessly.

The phantom remnant swords fell like a violent downpour, suddenly intensifying.

“Roar!”

The turtle-snake creature’s form finally disappeared.

All that remained was an empty Taiyi Hall, and before it, a forest of swords growing ever more vast—silently bearing witness to Taiyi’s eternal agony.

…

The Layered Cloud Sea.

Li Fan’s vision blurred, and he found himself back above the azure ocean.

He had already left the central sea region and the ruins of the Cloud-Water Celestial Palace.

Sensing the positions of Si Kongyi and Baili Chen, Li Fan activated the Shadow Trace Technique and followed closely behind.

At the same time, the Formless Killing Intent—hidden and held in reserve all this while—suddenly erupted.

Si Kongyi and Baili Chen immediately encountered interference, and their speed was greatly reduced.

Meanwhile, Li Fan’s speed continued to increase.

The distance shrank rapidly, and before long, he could faintly make out the two figures ahead.

“Who are you really? I already gave you 《The Cloud-Water Chart》—why are you still hounding us?” Si Kongyi’s furious voice rang out.

Li Fan said nothing, only accelerating further.

“This is going too far!” Seeing Li Fan’s response, Si Kongyi abandoned his flight and turned to face him head-on.

Streaks of golden sword qi materialized around him.

They coiled and drifted like serpentine dragons.

With a thrust of Si Kongyi’s finger, the sword qi erupted—like a sky full of soaring dragons, they hurtled toward Li Fan.

Baili Chen, on the other hand, employed some unknown secret technique, and his speed suddenly multiplied several times over.

He was trying to seize the opportunity to flee toward a distant island.

“Trying that cicada-shedding trick again? Planning to use the island’s teleportation array to return to Ten Thousand Immortals Island?”

“Not a bad idea.”

“Too bad I came prepared.”

Li Fan watched the two, an inscrutable light gleaming in his eyes.

Ever since he had learned from Jiao Xiuyuan that Si Kongyi and Baili Chen always acted together—

To deal with them more reliably, Li Fan had specifically purchased several targeted artifacts in the Celestial Mystery Realm.

For instance, right now—

A shield wreathed in flames materialized before him, blocking every last streak of Si Kongyi’s golden sword qi.

The Blazing Fire Shield. Three hundred and fifty contribution points.

Against Si Kongyi’s metal-attribute sword qi, it held an innate suppressive advantage.

Li Fan then drew a black chain from his storage ring.

One end aimed at Si Kongyi, the other at Baili Chen.

He gave it a gentle toss.

The black chain extended rapidly, and with lightning speed, shackled Si Kongyi and Baili Chen together.

The chain contracted violently.

Baili Chen, who had been fleeing at breakneck speed, was jerked backward so hard he tumbled end over end, dragged back toward Si Kongyi.

The Soul-Locking Chain.

Li Fan had spent nine hundred and fifty-eight contribution points to have a Foundation Establishment stage artifact refiner from the Myriad Immortals Alliance custom-make it.

Once two people were bound by the chain, neither could stray too far from the other.

Finally, looking at the two shackled together, Li Fan produced a formation diagram.

The Verdant Wood Purple Fire Formation.

A full fifteen hundred contribution points.

Its power was formidable—once activated, an ordinary Qi Refining stage cultivator would be reduced to ashes in under forty-five minutes.

Li Fan’s expression was impassive as he activated the grand formation, enclosing both Si Kongyi and Baili Chen within.

Though the description was long, in reality—from the moment Li Fan blocked Si Kongyi’s golden sword qi to trapping both of them in the formation—it all happened in the blink of an eye.

The two had no time to react before they became turtles in a jar, with no hope of escape.

“Who are you?!”

Seeing that Li Fan’s every move was precisely targeted, Si Kongyi instantly understood that this had been premeditated for a long time.

Li Fan did not answer. He used his Insect Binding technique to immobilize Baili Chen.

Ignoring Si Kongyi’s curses, Li Fan activated the formation to burn Si Kongyi alive.

“Ahhh!”

Amid agonized screams, Si Kongyi was reduced to ash.

But…

No anomaly appeared in the sky above.

Then, just as Li Fan had anticipated, the expected scene unfolded.

Beside Baili Chen, a phantom slowly materialized.

After a bout of squirming, the phantom gradually took on solid form.

Si Kongyi had been resurrected!

Li Fan narrowed his eyes and activated the formation once more.

Screams rang out ceaselessly.

Si Kongyi died yet again.

This time, after reviving, his cultivation had fallen from the late Qi Refining stage to the mid Qi Refining stage.

Li Fan seemed to grasp something.

Purple flames danced, and Si Kongyi met yet another round of death.

And Si Kongyi’s curses gradually gave way to pleas for mercy.

Then to tearful, anguished begging.

But Li Fan remained unmoved.

Si Kongyi was unpredictable and possessed extraordinarily powerful life-preserving methods.

Having seized 《The Cloud-Water Chart》—worth one hundred thousand contribution points—from him, Li Fan had already forged a mortal enmity.

Even if he couldn’t extract Si Kongyi’s secrets, Li Fan would never let him leave alive.

The Verdant Wood Purple Fire Formation fired again and again.

Before long, Si Kongyi’s cultivation had deteriorated to merely the early Qi Refining stage.

Despair surfaced on his face.

He broke down completely, begging Li Fan for mercy.

To survive, he chose to reveal every secret he carried.

Li Fan listened in silence, his expression shifting constantly.

In the end, the purple flames blazed once more.

After dying three more times in succession, Si Kongyi did not revive again.

And Baili Chen, once Si Kongyi was gone, also crumbled to dust and vanished from the world entirely.

Where Si Kongyi had vanished, a black token floated silently in the air.

Li Fan picked up the token, and a message immediately surfaced in his mind.

“He who bears this token shall command the Steal-the-Heavens, Swap-the-Sun Sect.”