117: Chapter 118 Hutian One-on-One

"That feeling again..."

In an instant, Yi Shukuang felt Shen Moyan's Eternal Dao Rhyme.

An unprecedented sense of crisis surged in his heart.

"An Innate Divine Ability? Heh, since it's a Divine Ability rich in Dao Rhyme, it can definitely be broken!"

"Still trying to hide? Did you think this True Disciple wouldn't be able to find you just because you're hiding within a plane?"

Yi Shukuang's offensive grew even more rapid, certain that Shen Moyan was at the end of his rope.

With the strength of the Four Paths Realm, he reached out with a massive hand, instantly tearing through the barrier of that D-rank plane and destroying everything on its surface.

"Found you!"

He saw Shen Moyan; although he had used Black Sun Veiling the Face to shroud himself, Shen Moyan was the only one who could have survived this world-ending strike.

For secrets often only reveal themselves after destruction.

However, at the very moment Shen Moyan's figure was about to be swallowed by the torrent...

Buzz!

At Shen Moyan's chest, the phantom of the qingming inkstone suddenly emerged.

In the next instant, an incomparably powerful suction force erupted, enveloping Yi Shukuang.

"Oh no..."

Yi Shukuang's expression changed drastically; he felt the suction force dragging him, weakening his connection to the Six Desires Heavenly Realm.

He hadn't been hiding to escape, but to set a trap for him?!

Both shocked and enraged, Yi Shukuang tried to stabilize his connection with the external plane.

The qingming inkstone radiated brilliant light as space twisted violently.

Yi Shukuang felt his entire body tighten as if gripped by an invisible giant hand, and the surrounding scenery rapidly faded and changed!

The vast Sea of Planes and the Origin sensations from the several planes he had devoured and refined... all became blurred and distant in an instant, until they were completely severed!

In the next moment, the world spun!

Yi Shukuang found he had left the Sea of Boundaries and was now in a strange space no more than a hundred feet across, filled with a hazy green mist.

He looked up to see an Ever-Burning Lamp hanging in the sky, the sole light source in this space.

The flame flickered, its outer edge a verdant azure and its core a dark gold.

Opposite him, Shen Moyan's figure slowly solidified. Though his face was pale and his aura unstable, his gaze was cold as a blade, carrying the absolute confidence of a Dominator on his home turf.

"Where have you taken me?!"

Yi Shukuang immediately circulated his mana, attempting to reconnect with the outside world.

But there was no response.

This space was completely independent; its connection to the external Sea of Boundaries had been utterly severed!

What terrified him even more was that the power of the four paths within him—forcibly elevated by devouring the Origins of several planes—the four great Realms of Demon King, Nascent Soul, True God, and True Demon, had lost the continuous support of the external planes' Origins. They were now like a fire without fuel, beginning to dissipate rapidly.

Yi Shukuang violently spat out a mouthful of black blood. The phantoms of his four path avatars flickered unsteadily, and his aura plummeted like an avalanche!

From the pseudo-Guizang Realm, he fell all the way back to the Late Stage of the Purple Mansion, and it was still dropping. The terrifying side effects of using the true blood of the heavenly demon to forcibly raise his Realm were now exploding in full force.

"No! Impossible!"

"A mere Purple Mansion like you couldn't possibly have a Grotto-Heaven! Could this be..."

Yi Shukuang roared in frustration, trying to stabilize his power, but in this Qing Ming Space where the rules were set by Shen Moyan, he was like one stuck in a quagmire, finding every step difficult!

"Heaven and earth are the furnace, creation is the craftsman, Yin and Yang are the charcoal, and all things are the copper."

"No matter how treacherous your demonic ways are, once you enter this sealed Hutian, there is no escape."

Shen Moyan looked coldly at the wretched Yi Shukuang, whose aura was plummeting, as if looking at a turtle in a jar.

"Is this the Hutian world within the qingming pearl? You refined the qingming pearl?" Yi Shukuang's expression was grave.

A Hutian is a space formed by a Magic Treasure, different from a Grotto-Heaven cultivated by a Cultivator themselves. In a Grotto-Heaven, every blade of grass and tree is controlled by the Cultivator's will, but that isn't possible in a Hutian.

"What? Is True Disciple Yi afraid now?"

"Afraid? The qingming pearl is an Object of Fate, an Innate Supreme Treasure of the Mountains and Seas; it never recognizes a master." Yi Shukuang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and slowly stood up straight.

"As long as I kill you, this True Disciple will have his own ways to take back this treasure."

"Kill me? What boastful words!"

With a thought from Shen Moyan, the mist within the Qing Ming Space surged, and the Ever-Burning Lamp shone brilliantly. Streaks of azure light, like chains, coiled toward Yi Shukuang!

"Child's play!"

Yi Shukuang's Physical Body expanded violently, covered in demonic runes, as rolling Devilish Qi transformed into a viscous Domain of interwoven dark purple and murky black, like a quagmire of desire.

Purple Mansion Domain: Six Desires Demon Pond!

The chains plunged into the demon pond and were instantly corroded and neutralized.

The phantom of Shen Moyan's own Purple Mansion Holy Court unfolded once more.

Purple Mansion Domain: Mountain and Sea Four Extremes Imperial Court!

Though not as grand as in the outside world, within this small Qing Ming world, it was more solid and his control was stronger.

The power of order spread out, continuously suppressing and wearing down Yi Shukuang's Domain.

Shen Moyan's expression was calm, his eyes devoid of joy or sorrow. He stepped on the void, standing in the center of his Purple Mansion Domain. Facing the surging Demonic Path Divine Abilities, he did not meet them head-on but instead moved his mind.

"black sun, Concealment!"

Shadows in the north fluctuated, and the aura of Shen Moyan's true body instantly became elusive. Yi Shukuang's certain-kill strikes missed several times, as if hitting only illusory bubbles.

"jade Sun, Suppress Evil!"

A jade-colored rising sun rose within the Purple Mansion Domain; wherever it passed, the Devilish Qi melted like ice and snow.

"Demon Seed, Manifestation!"

Within the underworld soil, the black Qi of the Demon Seed rose, transforming into countless distorted demonic shadows that assimilated, counter-eroded, and devoured the purer portions of Demonic Essence within Yi Shukuang's demonic Domain to strengthen itself!

"Xuan Ming, Purification!"

The fire in the southern Azure Flame Cauldron surged. As the azure-gold flames swept through, they burned the chaotic and mottled Devilish Qi of desire, showing a faint tendency to convert it into pure Spiritual Qi to nourish the Purple Mansion Domain.

The momentum of offense and defense instantly reversed!

Shen Moyan seemed to have no limit; with every clash, his control over the Domain and his application of power improved!

As one waxed and the other waned, the Six Desires Demon Pond Purple Mansion Domain was already on the verge of collapse.

Yi Shukuang was dumbfounded.

"So this is Seeing Xiyi, the Seeing Xiyi that can grow by infinitely mimicking Dao Rhymes..."

After understanding the essence of matter and Dao Rhymes, a Cultivator can use the Xiyi Perspective to have a photographic memory and mimic any Divine Ability or Spell they have seen.

Shen Moyan was like a rapidly growing learning machine, evolving at high speed during the battle.

And Yi Shukuang was essentially feeding him moves, making his Dao Rhymes increasingly solid.

"As expected of a Seeing Xiyi Cultivator..."

"Then let's decide the winner in one move!"

"Heavenly Demon Eye, open!"

Yi Shukuang covered his eye as blood-tears flowed, successfully seeing through the obscuring black sun to find Shen Moyan's figure.

But just as he saw Shen Moyan, that feeling of time being about to pause returned.

"Still trying to pause time?"

[Sky-Slaying Demon Lattice: Counter-Fate Self-Refining]

Yi Shukuang roared, and a complex dark red demonic rune on his forehead suddenly split open. A drop of demonic kernel essence blood, containing his life Origin and Karma Dao marks, began to burn, causing his aura to surge once again to the Half-step Guizang Realm.

In the final instant before time froze, Yi Shukuang's thoughts unleashed a killing move.

Death Demon: Soul Chase, Life Pursuit.

A strange fluctuation that transcended the limits of time and space and pointed directly at the Origin of Karma instantly enveloped the entire Qing Ming Space.

This Divine Ability was a lock on the level of the law of causality; Yi Shukuang used it to forcibly perform a deep "Karmic Binding" between his own "existence" and Shen Moyan's!

Karma transcends time.

At this moment, any attack he launched against Shen Moyan would ignore the process and defense, acting directly on the "effect"! That is, the killing move he delivered to Shen Moyan would, in some incomprehensible way, directly make that "result" a reality!

"Die!" Yi Shukuang grinned hideously.

"Even if you pause time, it's still..."

Puchi—

A longsword coated in azure-gold flames pierced through his chest.

Shen Moyan's figure appeared behind Yi Shukuang like a ghost.

Blood leaked from Yi Shukuang's seven orifices. The "Shen Moyan" he had just discovered was hit by Soul Chase, Life Pursuit, and scattered into fragments.

Paper Cutting to Form Humans—that was just a paper figure.

Shen Moyan naturally understood the Heavenly Demon Eye very well; it wasn't difficult for him to use Dao Rhyme to disguise a paper figure as his true self for a short time.

"How bitter..."

Realizing the outcome, Yi Shukuang gave a dazed smile and tremblingly raised his hand to grasp the longsword piercing his chest.

But it was too late; the Xuan Ming Azure Flame had already burned through his entire body.

Shen Moyan looked at the frozen horror and resentment on the other's face, his eyes devoid of any pity.

One sword strike, decapitation.

Yi Shukuang is dead!