181: Chapter 181 Countless strange beasts and birds fought fiercely in the sky, staining the heavens with blood!

The boundary between past and future had long since vanished here.

Unlike his previous probes of Di Shitian or Bodhidharma—where those two could still distinguish the chronology of eras through their memories—this Qilin's memories were like a shattered mirror, scattered all over the place.

After traveling through the disordered thoughts for a long time, to the point where Su Rui himself was almost assimilated, the scene before his eyes suddenly changed.

Though no longer chaotic, it was a world-shaking battle.

Countless strange beasts and exotic birds slaughtered each other in the air, blood staining the firmament.

A black dragon, so massive its head and tail were nowhere to be seen, lay across the horizon, blotting out the sun and moon.

At this moment, Su Rui felt as if he were lodged within a tiny figure, only able to peer at this place through its eyes.

Qilins roared, Phoenixes spread their wings, White Tigers howled, and all manner of Divine Beasts crisscrossed and slaughtered one another.

Suddenly, a massive Fire Qilin soared into the air, carrying a giant bird wreathed in raging flames, and charged straight toward the black dragon.

A great war erupted.

Shrieks, roars, and wails intertwined into a single chorus, drowning out the sounds of heaven and earth.

High in the sky, far behind the black dragon, a slender white dragon floated quietly.

She was surrounded by many tiny existences, appearing to be either attendants or clansmen.

"The Upper Realm again..."

Su Rui whispered; he had actually had a premonition long ago.

It was just that the timing of this battle was likely extremely ancient.

That black dragon confronting the Qilin and the fire bird might be the legendary 'Tian'.

And that white dragon was very likely his partner.

If that were truly the case, the fact that the white dragon had not yet fallen meant the timeline was even older than imagined.

He hadn't expected this violent Fire Qilin to actually survive until the present day.

Inferring by common logic, that battle should have ultimately ended with Tian's side emerging victorious.

Su Rui watched quietly through the perspective of that tiny body.

He could feel the Host's body trembling; its vision wavered as it instinctively retreated.

At that moment, a soft voice spoke in a peculiar tone; Su Rui could not understand the meaning.

But the little Qilin he was attached to seemed to understand something.

It turned abruptly and sprinted wildly, tears blurring its vision until everything became hazy.

When it had run a great distance away, it looked back at the sky—

The massive Qilin was being torn apart by the black dragon, the bird of fire fell from the high heavens, and countless beasts charged recklessly into the clouds.

Su Rui's gaze froze for a moment, then he urged the figure to accelerate its escape.

Until the battlefield completely vanished from sight and sound, a translucent blue vortex appeared before him, and then everything returned to nothingness.

Su Rui's true body re-emerged within the chaotic Sea of Consciousness; he stood still for a moment, then took another step forward.

Stepping into the illusion once more, he made a slashing motion with his hand, and the tangled stray thoughts behind him were all severed like broken ropes.

Immediately after, he released the Fire Qilin's consciousness from the Heavenly Palace Illusion.

His body shifted slightly, his pupils turned, and his gaze fell upon the Fire Qilin's massive eyes, which were still tinged with red.

Although the crimson glow had not faded, a hint of spirituality had already faintly emerged.

Li Hanyi and Yue Yao immediately noticed this change.

"Husband, has it cleared up a bit?"

Yue Yao now called him that more and more naturally.

"Mhm, it should have recovered some consciousness.

As for to what extent it can return, we'll have to observe."

Su Rui had cut off those chaotic memory fragments, only retaining the segment before it leapt into the blue vortex.

This was his first time attempting such a method, and its effectiveness was not yet known.

"Does my husband intend to subdue it?" Li Hanyi asked with a hint of curiosity.

"I do have that intention, but there's no rush for now.

Let it calm down first; it's more important that we go get the sword."

Su Rui spoke.

The two women were startled, only then remembering the true purpose of this trip.

The Fire Qilin was merely an unexpected encounter; the xuanyuan sword was their goal for coming here.

Su Rui led the two toward a cave entrance not far away.

Behind them, the net of lightning still enveloped the Fire Qilin, but within its giant eyes, a few traces of clarity had quietly surfaced.

...

Outside Lingyun Cave.

Misty Wind was currently thanking an honest-looking middle-aged man.

The other party waved his hands repeatedly: "No... no need to be polite!"

The middle-aged man waved his hands in haste, but his gaze unconsciously drifted toward Yan Ying, who stood beside Misty Wind.

When had he ever seen a woman of such beauty?

Compared to his wife at home, whose skin was rough from years of farm work, Yan Ying was simply like a Fairy descended from the heavens.

Her skin was as delicate as snow, and her figure was lush and moving.

"Feng'er, it seems that person really did enter Lingyun Cave!" Yan Ying said in a low voice.

Hearing this, Misty Wind frowned slightly, his expression somewhat hesitant.

"Mother, the situation inside is unknown and the dangers are hard to predict. You should wait for me outside first. I will go explore, and if there are no major issues, I will come back to get you so we can pay respects to Dad."

Yan Ying pondered for a moment, then gently shook her head.

Over the years, she had been able to maneuver among various top experts and enjoy wealth and glory by relying on her decisiveness.

To her, danger was merely a risk that had to be experienced on the road to power.

And this time, according to what Misty Wind had said, that person's strength was far above that of Tyrant, making him arguably the number one in the world.

Not only was his martial arts peerless, but his appearance was exceptionally handsome, and his Aura was ethereal, like a banished immortal descended to earth.

Just hearing the description, her heart had already been stirred.

Wasn't this exactly the image of a lover that would only appear in dreams?

If she could gain his favor, then whether it was her body, soul, or the desires of her heart, all could reach Perfection.

How could she be willing to miss such an opportunity?

Seeing his mother insist on going together, Misty Wind sighed helplessly.

"Feng'er, don't worry," Yan Ying said softly. "Though my skills are not great, I have practiced some qinggong movement techniques. If there is real danger, I can still make it out in time to save my life."

Misty Wind smiled bitterly in his heart but was unwilling to expose the truth.

That bit of so-called qinggong was simply not worth mentioning in front of a true expert.

But if he left her outside alone, he really couldn't feel at ease.

After all, the scene of Su Rui flying across the sky to Lingyun Cave must have alerted many figures in the Martial Forest.

Likely, even more people would be arriving soon.

Leaving his mother to guard the outside all by herself was far too dangerous.

"Fine," he finally nodded. "If there is a change, I will block the way ahead, and you must retreat immediately. Do not hesitate."

"Good!" Yan Ying's eyes sparkled, and she couldn't hide the smile at the corners of her mouth.

Immediately after, Misty Wind carried Yan Ying across the river surface, racing toward the cave entrance at the top of the giant Buddha statue on the mountain cliff.

There were many cave entrances in Lingyun Cave; Misty Wind chose the one where his father, Nie Renwang, had been dragged in by the Fire Qilin years ago.

The rock cave, several zhang high, stood majestically, its interior deep and spacious.

Just as they stepped inside, a blast of scorching Qi rushed toward them, far exceeding the heat outside.

With Misty Wind's cultivation, he could still endure it, but Yan Ying had not walked far before fine beads of sweat seeped from her forehead.

Suddenly, the light of a torch illuminated the path ahead; the stone pillars and rock walls were covered with dense vines, vibrant with green life.

"This is..."

Legend had it that after the Fire Qilin's blood splattered onto rocks, it would give rise to a miraculous object whose fruit was named the blood bodhi.

This fruit was rumored to heal injuries and extend life; those without injuries who consumed it could also increase their cultivation. It was a rare Spirit Medicine in the world.

Misty Wind leaned down to look closely and found that fruits were missing from the vines here and there, with obvious signs of picking left behind.

"Mother, someone really did come first. It was likely that Senior; most of these fruits have already been picked!"

"Not necessarily everything was missed." Yan Ying's gaze was sharp, and she found a remaining blood bodhi in a dark corner. Her eyes instantly lit up; she reached out to pluck it and swallowed it into her stomach without hesitation.

In an instant, streaks of crimson Qi flowed between her breaths, and her entire Aura actually climbed level by level.

A moment later, she slowly opened her eyes, her face full of joy.

While she certainly pursued power, she also understood that her own strength was indispensable.

Only because her Aptitude was mediocre and she could not bear the toil of bitter cultivation did she seek another shortcut—relying on her beauty to maneuver among the strong in exchange for protection and glory.

Misty Wind did not show any jealousy, only asking with concern: "Mother, how do you feel?"

"Very good! The rumors aren't false; I indeed feel the True Qi in my body has increased." Even the parching heat in the cave had much less of an effect on her.

"Quick, look again! Maybe there are more left!" Yan Ying urged.

"Mother, the blood bodhi can only increase power the first time it is consumed. After that, it can only heal injuries and cannot provide further progress."

Yan Ying felt a slight sense of regret upon hearing this, but she still searched carefully, eventually finding three more remaining fruits. She carefully wrapped them in a silk handkerchief and hid them in her bosom.

The two continued deeper; the further they went, the more surging the heat waves became.

Finally, within the flickering torchlight, they saw a colossal creature lying on the ground—its whole body entwined with Thunder Light, it was exactly that legendary Fire Qilin.

The massive body made the two of them afraid to act rashly.

The blazing Qi surged beneath its scales; with its heavy breathing, waves of heat swept out.

In just a moment, both felt their throats go dry and their lips and tongues become parched.

"It seems to have been suppressed. Most likely that person took action; back at Northern Li's Qingyun Terrace, he once commanded thunder!"

Looking at the Fire Qilin's current state, with the Thunder Light entwined around it not yet dissipated, Misty Wind spoke in a low voice. His gaze then scanned the surroundings, and he suddenly caught a glimpse of a faint light not far away.

He supported Yan Ying as they approached.

A long saber with a chilling, sharp glint was thrust deeply into the ground.

The adjacent stone wall was covered with carved handwriting.

Beneath the stone wall lay a scattered, broken skeleton,

...·...

Only the bones were already in complete disarray.

When he saw that familiar handwriting,

"This is... Dad's writing!"

Yan Ying stared at the Snow Drinking Saber, memories flooding back like a tide, as if she had returned to the years of her youth when she leaned beside Nie Renwang.

Nie Renwang's martial arts were peerless back then; in just a few short years, he had become famous throughout the Jianghu, known as the 'Northern Drinking Mad Saber', sharing fame with the 'Southern Qilin Sword Head', a rare top-tier expert among the younger generation.

Yan Ying had once thought that the man she had entrusted herself to would eventually reign over the Martial Forest and become a Grandmaster of his generation.

But she never imagined that after marrying her, Nie Renwang would actually go into seclusion, indulging in the affections of family and no longer concerning himself with the disputes of the Jianghu.

This was the polar opposite of what she had hoped for in her heart.

How could she be content?

And so, various changes followed one after another.

After coming back to her senses, Yan Ying looked toward the remains that supposedly belonged to Nie Renwang, a trace of imperceptible contempt flashing in the depths of her eyes.

The man she wanted should not only be devoted to her but also look down upon the world, wielding power and intimidating all directions.

After pulling out the Snow Drinking Saber, Misty Wind confirmed that the writing on the stone wall was indeed left by his father. He immediately knelt on one knee, thrusting the long saber diagonally in front of him as a sign of respect.