Daoist Competition-Chapter 179 - 59: Xuan Guang Engulfs the Sky with Blood Cloud (Part 2)
Chapter 179: Chapter 59: Xuan Guang Engulfs the Sky with Blood Cloud (Part 2)
So this time, having eluded pursuit, he could once again spend three days in peace.
Seated back in the cabin, he called out, "Su YiAng, where are you?"
"Here, master, I am here." Su YiAng quickly floated over. Now, his form was gradually stabilizing; except for his lower body still drifting in midair and exposing the illusory nature of his spiritual body, his appearance had already become indistinguishable from that of an ordinary person.
However, Zhang Yan knew that, without a physical body and lacking the nourishment of Essence Yang, he ultimately couldn’t cultivate like ordinary Demon Dao cultivators. As for how far he could progress, it depended solely on his own fate.
"Listen carefully now. This time, I am attempting a breakthrough. There can be no errors. You must stay vigilant. Do you understand?"
"Yes, master, I dare not be the least bit negligent."
Zhang Yan nodded, gesturing for him to step back, then urged the Flying Boat forward at full speed. Finally, he found a high slope of rocks and stopped there.
He surveyed the surroundings and, seeing the area was open and that dangers would be easy to spot, nodded in satisfaction and resumed his meditation for cultivation.
For the next five days, perhaps Li Weide was planning some new strategy, as he surprisingly did not come looking for Zhang Yan, allowing him to cultivate in peace.
But this time, though he had evaded a formidable enemy, he encountered obstacles in his cultivation.
The Xuan Guang within his chest, despite repeated refinement, no longer increased, and still could not push through the final critical barrier. It was like a pool filled to the brim with water, but capped with a heavy cover that no effort could dislodge.
He was forced to stop and ponder what the issue might be.
Just then, a loud voice came from outside: "Master, he’s coming again!"
Zhang Yan’s eyes flashed. He nodded, estimating the timing. If the other party didn’t come now, it would mean they had given up tracking him. Grasping the token, he flicked it, and the Dragon Tooth Flying Boat rose from the slope and floated away once more.
This time, however, he showed a look of surprise, noticing something different from before.
Li Weide must have gained some kind of support, as his speed exceeded previous attempts. Yet, he maintained a measured pace—not closing in too aggressively nor falling behind too far—keeping an ambiguous distance.
What trickery is he playing now?
"Master, someone ahead!" Su YiAng suddenly shouted.
Zhang Yan turned his head to see three black-robed cultivators flying over from three directions, releasing Blood Essences from afar as if to surround and block his escape. His heart instantly understood—so that’s their plan!
After days of pursuit, Li Weide had likely deduced that Zhang Yan dared not venture deeply into the Demon Cave, instead circling within a specific area. Believing he had grasped Zhang Yan’s patterns, he preemptively stationed Blood Essence Sect cultivators ahead to cut off his escape route. If they stalled him even briefly, Li Weide could catch up and finish him off.
Honestly, Li Weide’s method was somewhat targeted. But he had underestimated the threat ordinary cultivators posed to Zhang Yan.
Zhang Yan sneered coldly, pulling out the Harmony Carrying Pure Cover. With a pinch of the spell, he raised it above him, and a beam of light enveloped his body entirely. Not only did he not flee, but he drove the Flying Boat straight toward the Blood Essence Sect cultivators.
The Blood Essences descended in succession, crashing against the light covering his body. But as if waves smashing against a reef, each was repelled one after another.
The leading cultivator saw the Dragon Tooth Flying Boat charging forward—its thirty-zhang hull combined with its speed—who could survive such an impact? His face paled in shock. He frantically dodged aside but didn’t expect that Zhang Yan, standing at the bow, had the token in his mouth and a Beast-faced Great Saber in his hands. As the cultivator moved to evade, Zhang Yan swung, and with a single strike, "crack," split him into two.
As the Flying Boat surged past, it shattered the cultivator’s flesh, not pausing even momentarily before heading for the next Blood Essence Sect disciple.
The disciple turned pale, desperately fleeing. But how could he outrun the speed of the Dragon Tooth Flying Boat? Zhang Yan quickly caught up, roared fiercely, spat out the token, and with another strike, his saber cleaved through the disciple, taking half of his shoulder and head along with it.
Snatching the token back into his hand, he waved it once and set his sights on the third cultivator.
The last Blood Essence Sect cultivator, seeing Zhang Yan kill two of his comrades as easily as slaughtering chickens, was scared witless, crying out repeatedly, "Senior Brother, save me! Senior Brother, save me!"
Li Weide’s expression turned ugly. Gritting his teeth, he propelled his figure forward at high speed.
Zhang Yan glanced back and showed no sign of alarm. Instead, he grinned meaningfully, saying, "Finally lost your patience, have you?"
Standing with the saber in one hand, he threw back his head and laughed heartily. With a flick of the token, the Dragon Tooth Flying Boat accelerated, soon disappearing from sight.
Li Weide chased for half a day but ultimately abandoned the pursuit in frustration. As Zhang Yan’s laughter echoed faintly in his ears, Li Weide’s face turned ashen, and he roared, "You little wretch—I will kill you!"
Having traveled far enough, Zhang Yan naturally couldn’t hear his shout. Even if he did, he would dismiss it with laughter. With the Dharma Treasure Flying Boat in hand, what harm can you do me? Once I forge the Xuan Guang, I’ll come back to deal with you.
But as he thought of this, his brow furrowed again. Despite accumulating abundant Xuan Guang, why couldn’t he break through this final obstacle?
He strained to recall anything he might have overlooked, carefully probing for the underlying reason.
After an unknown length of time, suddenly, his eyelids twitched—he thought of a highly likely reason... Could it be due to Divine Intent?
The moment this thought arose, the more he contemplated, the more plausible it seemed.
The Taiyin Golden Book harnesses the gold and fire paths, both inherently bold and fervent energies—the path of aggressive progress. Yet, over these past days, cultivating within the Dragon Tooth Flying Boat, dodging left and right, though seemingly dangerous, he had remained entirely unscathed. With an avenue of retreat in his mind, he had naturally failed to awaken the fervent battle-to-the-death determination necessary.
This mismatch of Divine Intent made it impossible to achieve unity with Xuan Guang, unable to stir up the winds and clouds, and so he had stalled at this final step, unable to attain the Perfect Realm.
I’ve figured it out!
The path of our kind lies in confronting challenges head-on, in destruction followed by creation!
Now that I’ve come this far, the only choice remaining is to seek rebirth from peril!
Determination flashed in Zhang Yan’s gaze. He recalled the map in his mind before steering the Flying Boat southeastward. Before long, he found a cave with only an entrance and no outlet. Landing the Dragon Tooth Flying Boat, he settled inside.
He had cut off his escape, betting everything he had on this breakthrough!
Li Weide would catch up in three to five days at most. If he failed to overcome this hurdle, it would mean the end of his life!
...
...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to cast recommendation or monthly votes on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦
