270: Chapter 269: Good luck!!

Sun Mo's body suddenly stiffened.

His face turned deathly pale, and a trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. Under Great Elder Xuanjizi's suppression, the Five Elements True Intent within his body shattered inch by inch, and the cultivation he had hidden for forty years plummeted rapidly.

But he felt no fear.

He just stood there, looking at Great Elder Xuanjizi, a bizarre smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

"Great Elder Xuanjizi," his voice was raspy, like a curse coming from the depths of Hell, "do you think that by killing me, you can stop the resurrection of Dragon Slaying True Person?"

He paused, then said word by word, "It's too late. The remnant soul of Dragon Slaying True Person has already found a new host. Three days ago, it already left my Sea of Consciousness and parasitized another person."

"That person is right here within Dragon Abyss Palace."

"Furthermore, he is stronger, younger, and more gifted than I am."

"You will never find him."

As his voice fell, Sun Mo's body suddenly inflated.

Underneath his skin, that five-colored brilliance circulated frantically, erupting with a blinding light. He intended to self-detonate, taking Great Elder Xuanjizi and Master Xue Mu down with him before he died.

But Great Elder Xuanjizi was faster than him.

Great Elder Xuanjizi suddenly clenched his right hand, and golden light wrapped around Sun Mo in layers, suppressing him. Sun Mo's body crumbled inch by inch within the golden light, turning into specks of starlight that dissipated into the air.

The self-detonation was forcibly terminated.

But Sun Mo's final words before death were like a sharp blade, piercing into the hearts of everyone present.

The remnant soul of Dragon Slaying True Person had already found a new host.

That person was right here within Dragon Abyss Palace.

Moreover, they were stronger, younger, and more gifted than Sun Mo.

Standing outside the hall, Jiang Hanzhou watched Sun Mo's dissipating figure and remained silent for a long time.

Then, he turned around and looked toward the direction of Red Fire Peak.

He looked toward that brightly lit peak.

He looked toward those familiar faces.

Zhou Lie, Liu Ningshuang, Teng Yuzhi, Master Xue Mu, Great Elder Xuanjizi, and all those Disciples he knew and didn't know.

Every single person could be the new host for the remnant soul of Dragon Slaying True Person.

Every single person could be that hidden piece buried in the deepest depths.

He took a deep breath and sheathed the tiger soul saber.

"Dragon Slaying True Person," he muttered to himself, his voice terrifyingly calm, "if you want to hide, then hide. But one day, I will drag you out."

"With my blade."

...

Outside the Scripture Pavilion, the night wind was freezing.

Jiang Hanzhou stood on the stone steps outside the hall doors, watching as Sun Mo's dissipating figure turned into specks of starlight that merged into the night. Those specks of light slowly scattered in the night wind, eventually returning to nothingness, as if that old man who had guarded the Scripture Pavilion in Dragon Abyss Palace for forty years had never existed.

But his final words before death were like a thorn, deeply embedded in the heart of everyone present.

The remnant soul of Dragon Slaying True Person had already found a new host.

That person was within Dragon Abyss Palace.

And they were stronger, younger, and more gifted than Sun Mo.

Teng Yuzhi stood beside Jiang Hanzhou, her face pale. In her hand, she still held the talisman treasure gifted by Master Qingxuan; an aqua-blue light circulated on the talisman, which was the unique sealing power of the Bibo Pool lineage. She had almost used the talisman treasure to block Sun Mo's retreat just now, but Great Elder Xuanjizi had acted too quickly for her to even have a chance.

"Junior Brother Jiang," she spoke, her voice somewhat raspy, "the new host Sun Mo mentioned, could it be..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but Jiang Hanzhou knew what she wanted to say.

Could it be Master Xue Mu, could it be Great Elder Xuanjizi, could it be those familiar Elders or fellow Disciples, or could it even be one of themselves?

"I don't know." Jiang Hanzhou interrupted her, his voice calm, "But now is not the time to think about that."

He turned around and looked into the Scripture Pavilion hall.

The hall was a mess; low tables, prayer mats, and Jade Slips were scattered everywhere, and the walls were covered in scorch marks from fire and the five-colored brilliance. Master Xue Mu stood in the center of the hall, his crimson longsword already sheathed, but his expression was solemn, and his deep eyes were full of coldness.

Great Elder Xuanjizi stood with his hands behind his back in the Void Realm, no emotion visible on his aged face. His gaze fell on the spot where Sun Mo had dissipated, and he remained silent for a long time.

Then, he slowly spoke, his voice calm yet containing an unspeakable gravity:

"Seal the Scripture Pavilion. No one is permitted to spread word of today's events."

His gaze swept over the shaken Disciples outside the hall; every Disciple he looked at instinctively lowered their head.

"If even half a word is leaked, it will be treated as the crime of betraying the Sect."

As his voice fell, his figure vanished into the night.

Master Xue Mu walked out of the hall and came before Jiang Hanzhou. He looked at Jiang Hanzhou, silent for a moment, then spoke: "Han Zhou, come with me."

Jiang Hanzhou nodded and followed Master Xue Mu toward the direction of Red Fire Peak.

Teng Yuzhi watched their retreating figures, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately did not follow. She turned and headed toward Bibo Pool, her pace hurried, clearly intending to find Master Qingxuan to report everything that had happened tonight.

Red Fire Peak, Lihuo Hall.

The hall doors closed behind Jiang Hanzhou, isolating the sound of the wind outside. The hall was brightly lit, and Master Xue Mu stood in the center with his hands behind his back, his back to Jiang Hanzhou, silent for a long time.

Then, he turned around, his gaze falling on Jiang Hanzhou.

"Han Zhou," his voice was calm, "was that strike just now the Dao-Slaying Blade Intent?"

Jiang Hanzhou nodded: "After the Sword Discussion Assembly, I fused the Origin power of the Thousand Tribulations Nirvana Gu with the Divine Intent Heavenly Saber and refined the Dao-Slaying Blade Intent. It specifically slays dao seeds and dao principles."

A flash of gratification appeared in Master Xue Mu's eyes: "Not bad. To be able to reach this step in such a short time, your Comprehension Ability is even stronger than I anticipated."

But he paused and changed the subject: "But you also saw just now that the Dao-Slaying Blade Intent was ineffective against Sun Mo. It wasn't that your Saber Intent wasn't strong enough, but that the level of Dragon Slaying True Person's dao principles is too high. Your Saber Intent was comprehended from his dao principle fragments; using his dao principles to slay his dao seed is like using water to extinguish fire—the fire cannot destroy the water, but the water cannot extinguish the fire either."

Jiang Hanzhou's brow furrowed slightly: "Master, do you mean the Dao-Slaying Blade Intent is useless against Dragon Slaying True Person?"

"Being ineffective against Sun Mo doesn't mean it's ineffective against Dragon Slaying True Person." Master Xue Mu shook his head. "The dao seed inside Sun Mo's body was suppressed by Dragon Slaying True Person's remnant soul for forty years, and the suppression power came from the dao principles of Dragon Slaying True Person's original body. Your Saber Intent level isn't high enough to cut through that layer of suppression."

He walked up to Jiang Hanzhou and said word by word: "But if you can raise your Dao-Slaying Blade Intent to a higher level, such as fusing it with the Five Elements True Intent or finding a flaw in Dragon Slaying True Person's dao principles, then your Saber Intent will be able to sever his dao seed."

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a moment, then spoke: "Master, do Dragon Slaying True Person's dao principles have a flaw?"

Master Xue Mu looked at him and remained silent for three breaths.

Then, he took a Jade Slip from his sleeve and handed it to Jiang Hanzhou.

"These are the insights I've gathered from studying Dragon Slaying True Person's dao principles over the years." His voice was calm. "Dragon Slaying True Person's Five Elements True Intent has mutual generation as its core—endless, circular, and repetitive. But his dao principles have a fatal flaw: the prerequisite for mutual generation is that all Five Elements are present. If you can, in some way during battle, break the balance of the Five Elements—such as forcibly extracting one of the elements or using power that exceeds the limits of the Five Elements to strike—the mutual generation will turn into mutual destruction, and the cycle will break."

Jiang Hanzhou took the Jade Slip and sent his Divine Sense into it.

The Jade Slip was densely packed with Master Xue Mu's research on the Five Elements True Intent. One passage, marked in crimson-gold script, was particularly striking:

"The Five Elements generate each other: Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, Earth generates Metal, and Metal generates Water. This is a perfect cycle. But a perfect cycle is also the most fragile cycle. Because if you break just one link, the entire cycle will collapse."

"There are three ways to break the Five Elements cycle. First, use power that exceeds the limits of the Five Elements to strike forcibly. Second, use a seventh type of power outside the Five Elements to disrupt the order of generation. Third, find a node in the Five Elements cycle and break it at that point."

Jiang Hanzhou put the Jade Slip into his sumeru pouch and nodded: "I understand."

Master Xue Mu looked at him, a flash of worry in his eyes: "Han Zhou, Sun Mo is dead, but the remnant soul of Dragon Slaying True Person remains. It is hidden within the new host, in some corner of Dragon Abyss Palace. What do you plan to do next?"

Jiang Hanzhou was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke: "I will continue to Cultivate and raise the level of my Dao-Slaying Blade Intent. At the same time, I will secretly investigate the identity of the new host."

He paused, his gaze like a torch: "I don't believe someone can hide within Dragon Abyss Palace without leaving a trace. As long as he is still here, he will eventually show his hand."

Master Xue Mu nodded: "Good. I will help you. If you discover anything, inform me immediately."

Jiang Hanzhou gave a solemn bow: "I understand."

He turned and walked toward the exit of the hall.

When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped and said without turning back: "Master, if one day I am also parasitized by the remnant soul of Dragon Slaying True Person, what will you do?"

Master Xue Mu was silent for a long time.

Then, he slowly spoke, his voice raspy: "I will personally kill you."

Jiang Hanzhou nodded and strode out of Lihuo Hall, vanishing into the night.

Three days later.

The Seal on the Scripture Pavilion was lifted, but regarding Sun Mo's cause of death, the Sect announced to the outside world that he had "died from Qi Deviation during Cultivation, resulting in completely severed Meridians." No one doubted it, and no one dared to doubt it.

But Jiang Hanzhou knew this was just the calm before the storm.

The remnant soul of Dragon Slaying True Person hidden within the new host was like a time bomb that could detonate at any moment. All he could do was find it and sever it before the bomb went off.

He sat cross-legged in the cultivation room on Red Fire Peak, with the fragment of Dragon-Slaying True Intent he had reverse-absorbed from Sun Mo's body placed before him.

The fragment was only the size of a fingernail, glowing with a five-colored brilliance; red, gold, blue, green, and yellow colors slowly circulated within it, endless and repetitive. It was the essence of Dragon Slaying True Person's dao principles, the crystallization of a thousand years of cultivation.

Jiang Hanzhou looked at that fragment and remained silent for a long time.

Then, he closed his eyes and swallowed the fragment into his belly.

The moment the fragment entered his stomach, an unspeakable power exploded within him. That power was not spiritual energy, not True Intent, and not Divine Soul, but dao principles—the Five Elements dao principles that Dragon Slaying True Person had cultivated for a thousand years.

Five types of power crashed frantically within him, attempting to break the balance of the four types of True Intent in his body. Tide, Pure Yang, Golden Sharpness, and Heavenly Fire True Intents flickered under the impact of the Five Elements dao principles, nearly losing control.

But Jiang Hanzhou did not panic.

He took a deep breath, and in the depths of his Sea of Consciousness, the Heart Blade suddenly vibrated. The dark-gold dragon patterns on the blade erupted with a dazzling golden light that pierced through the Sea of Consciousness, flowed along his Meridians into his Dantian, and converged where the fragment was located.

Dao-Slaying Blade Intent.

It was not slashing at the fragment, but at the will of Dragon Slaying True Person contained within it. That will was the brand left by Dragon Slaying True Person in the fragment, the switch it used to control and harvest dao seeds.

What Jiang Hanzhou wanted to do was sever that switch and thoroughly refine the essence of the dao principles within the fragment, turning it into his own power.

The moment the Heart Blade struck, a shrill hiss came from the fragment.

That was the roar of Dragon Slaying True Person's remnant soul, the despair of its consciousness being slain within the fragment.

The hissing echoed in Jiang Hanzhou's Sea of Consciousness, shaking the lake of divine soul and raising massive waves. But his Heart Blade was as tough as steel, remaining motionless. The dark-gold halo at the edge of the blade grew brighter and brighter, stripping away, devouring, and purifying the will within the fragment layer by layer.

One hour.

Two hours.

Three hours.

When the final trace of will was slain, the fragment suddenly exploded, turning into countless tiny five-colored specks of light that merged into Jiang Hanzhou's limbs and bones, his four types of True Intent, and his Dantian and Sea of Consciousness.

Within his body, the four types of True Intent began to transform.

In the Tidal True Intent, there was an added touch of water's flexibility and endurance; in the Pure Yang True Intent, a touch of fire's intensity and dominance; in the Golden Sharpness True Intent, a touch of metal's sharpness and solidity; and in the Heavenly Fire True Intent, a touch of fire's changeability and agility.

Nourished by the Five Elements dao principles, the four True Intents became purer, more harmonious, and more powerful.

More importantly, his Dao-Slaying Blade Intent transformed to a new level at this moment.

Within the dark-gold halo at the edge of the blade, there was now a hint of five-colored luster. That was the trace of Dragon Slaying True Person's dao principles, the power he had gained after reverse-absorbing the fragment.

From now on, Dragon Slaying True Person's dao principles would no longer be able to suppress his Dao-Slaying Blade Intent.

Because his Saber Intent already contained Dragon Slaying True Person's dao principles.

Using the opponent's own methods against them.

Jiang Hanzhou opened his eyes, a flash of five-colored light appearing within them.

He stood up and stretched, his bones making a slight cracking sound. That was the sound of reshaping after the dao principles merged into his Foundation; his cultivation hadn't increased, but his Dao-Slaying Blade Intent had risen to a level sufficient to sever Dragon Slaying True Person's dao seed.

He walked to the stone window and looked at the night outside.

The lights of Red Fire Peak flickered in the night wind, while the direction of Heavenly Sword Peak was pitch black. In the distance, the surface of the Eastern Sea shimmered, and the sound of waves crashing against the reefs could be faintly heard.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the Immortal Cave.

The footsteps were heavy, so heavy that each step felt like it was treading on one's heart. Jiang Hanzhou's brow furrowed slightly as he reached out and pushed open the stone door.

Outside the Immortal Cave, Zhou Lie was deathly pale and panting for breath.

"Junior Brother Jiang," his voice was raspy, "something has happened."

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils constricted slightly: "What is it?"

"The Scripture Pavilion," Zhou Lie said word by word, "someone just broke into the Scripture Pavilion and stole the 'Five Elements Return to Origin' True Intent Map that Sun Mo guarded during his life. The Disciples guarding the pavilion said the person used Dragon Slaying True Person's Five Elements Sword Intent, breaking the Scripture Pavilion's defensive Formation with a single strike."

Jiang Hanzhou's face changed drastically.

"Furthermore," Zhou Lie continued, "after stealing the True Intent Map, that person left a message."

"What message?"

"Tell Jiang Hanzhou that I am waiting for him at Dragon Abyss Palace."

Zhou Lie's voice was raspy, his eyes full of fear: "The one he spoke of is Dragon Slaying True Person."

Jiang Hanzhou stood at the door of the Immortal Cave and remained silent for a long time.

The night wind blew past, fluttering his robes and the tiger soul saber at his waist. The blade vibrated slightly, emitting a low hum that contained an unspeakable killing intent.

"Dragon Slaying True Person," he muttered to himself, his voice terrifyingly calm, "if you want to lure me to find you, then I shall do as you wish."

He turned around, walked back into the cultivation room, took the tiger soul saber from his sumeru pouch, and laid it across his knees.