Chapter 116: Weiyang Bathed in Fire

The Five Yin Immortal Fire burns not only the bones but the soul as well. As Grandmaster Hu San burned my physical body with this fire, he was simultaneously incinerating the soul that had been forced out of it; this was the terrifying nature of the Five Yin Immortal Fire.

Weiyang watched this scene unfold.

She charged toward us in a frenzy, her twin red ribbons striking out like razor-sharp blades, radiating a dark, scarlet light as she slashed at Grandmaster Hu San.

Grandmaster Hu San noticed her and shifted the trajectory of the Five Yin Immortal Fire, incinerating her red ribbons in a single burst. However, behind the ribbons, Weiyang had somehow retrieved the Qingping Demon-Suppressing Sword. She lunged at him, slashing with the blade. A flash of azure light erupted, forcing Grandmaster Hu San to retreat several steps.

Yet, the moment he steadied himself, he unleashed a blast of murky black energy, sending both Weiyang and the Qingping sword flying.

Grandmaster Hu San stared at me, preparing to unleash the Five Yin Immortal Fire once more, but Weiyang pushed herself up from the ground, casting another ribbon technique at him.

Grandmaster Hu San struck out with his palm.

Weiyang’s ribbons were shattered into pieces, scattering across the ground.

Following the broken ribbons, Weiyang attacked him again with the Qingping sword. A surge of rage flickered in Grandmaster Hu San’s eyes as he let out a roar.

"Die!"

Weiyang was blasted away by another surge of murky energy. The Qingping sword flew from her grasp, landing somewhere out of sight.

She collapsed to the ground, her lips turning a deathly black. She lifted her right hand and saw that her entire palm had blackened as well.

The murky energy just now was a combination of the true essence and toxic miasma cultivated by Grandmaster Hu San. As a spirit-bodied being, Weiyang was immune to the poison, and the impact of the true essence was limited. Her current state, therefore, was not caused by his attack, but by the activation of the Six-Yao Insect venom attacking her heart.

When the Six-Yao Insect venom reaches the heart, it ravages the soul. For Weiyang, who possessed a forged spirit body, the damage was catastrophic, for the soul is the foundation of the spirit body; if the soul is grievously wounded, the spirit body is utterly destroyed.

Looking at her hand, Weiyang whispered to herself, "I could not overcome the venom after all."

Then, she glanced at my body, her expression filled with sorrow. "Lin Yi, I am sorry. I cannot stay by your side any longer."

At that moment, Grandmaster Hu San unleashed the Five Yin Immortal Fire once again.

The flames surged forth, blotting out the sky and turning the heavens a blood-red hue. If this fire were to descend fully, it would extinguish every living thing beneath it. Whether dead or alive, all would be reduced to ash.

Weiyang rose once more. She did not attempt to fight Grandmaster Hu San again, knowing that no matter how hard she tried, she was no match for him. Furthermore, with the Six-Yao venom ravaging her heart, her spirit body was failing. Instead, she threw herself onto my body, holding it in a tight embrace.

The Five Yin Immortal Fire descended, engulfing her entire being and incinerating her soul.

Even so, she gritted her teeth and shielded my body. Gradually, a flame ignited within her eyes. She was burning her own primordial spirit, converting its essence into yin energy to block the fire from consuming my physical form.

The agony of the Five Yin Immortal Fire burning one’s soul is beyond imagination.

Yet, Weiyang endured, gritting her teeth, remaining motionless as she protected my body.

Grandmaster Hu San paused, frowning. "To think there is such a devoted soul left in this world. Very well, I shall send you and Lin Yi into oblivion together!"

***

Weiyang fought desperately to hold on.

Grandmaster Hu San formed new hand seals, summoning an even more powerful torrent of Five Yin Immortal Fire to consume her and my body. Weiyang’s soul grew weaker and weaker, her form becoming translucent—a sign that her spirit body was shattered and her soul was on the verge of dissipation. Yet, she did not retreat a single inch.

"Lin Yi, you must wake up!"

Weiyang used her final ounce of strength to cry out to my body.

At that moment, I was in deep meditation, following the method my mother had taught me to return my soul to my body.

Suddenly, I felt an intense, scorching heat, as if I were being burned by a raging fire. Then, I heard a voice calling to me.

"Lin Yi, you must wake up!"

I did not know where the voice came from, but I heard it clearly—it was Weiyang’s voice. I was overcome with dread. Grandmaster Hu San was still there; Weiyang was in danger!

"Child, follow that voice and return quickly!" my mother urged.

I stood up and ran toward the origin of the sound.

In the haze, I saw a red, ghostly silhouette—it looked like Weiyang, right before my eyes.

I chased after it, and after a dizzying sensation, I felt the searing pain of fire on my skin. I opened my eyes, but Weiyang was nowhere to be seen, though the air still held the faint trace of her presence.

A blast of Five Yin Immortal Fire surged toward me again. I rolled to my feet and saw a scrap of red ribbon near me, scorched by the flames.

I grabbed the ribbon and, pushing off the ground, dodged to safety. As I avoided the fire, I looked at the fragment in my hand and searched desperately for Weiyang.

But she was gone.

The ground where my body had been lying was scorched black. I checked myself; although I had suffered burns, they were minor.

If Grandmaster Hu San’s fire had truly hit my body, I would not be alive.

When Grandmaster Hu San saw that I had been resurrected, he was stunned, his face twisting with rage. "Lin Yi, you are truly tenacious. How are you not dead? Very well, if you keep coming back, I will kill you again and again. Let us see how many times you can resurrect!"

I did not hear his words. A terrible premonition filled my heart. Weiyang’s ribbon was here, but she was nowhere to be found. Where was she?

Was it possible that I was still alive because...

I dared not finish the thought.

I looked back at Grandmaster Hu San as he approached. He was shrouded in murky black energy; the wind howled, the stones flew, and the very earth trembled beneath his power.

"Where is Weiyang?" I demanded.

Grandmaster Hu San sneered. "Are you speaking of that devoted woman?"

***

"Where is she?" I roared.

"Lin Yi, you are a grown man, yet you needed a woman to save you. To protect your body, she was incinerated into ash by my Five Yin Immortal Fire. The ribbon in your hand is all that remains of her. But I never expected that even with her shielding you, you would actually survive!"

I stared at the ribbon in my hand. My mind went blank, and I found myself unable to stand steady.

Weiyang was...

Seeing my reaction, Grandmaster Hu San gave a sinister smile. *If I had known that killing this woman would leave you so broken, I would have destroyed her sooner.*

"Do not grieve, Lin Yi. I shall send you to join her right now!"

As he spoke, he gathered the murky energy in his hands, forming a terrifying vortex. He lunged, appearing before me in an instant, and struck at my forehead with both palms. In that moment, my mind was so empty that I didn't even know who I was.

I only knew that Weiyang had been killed trying to save me!

Grandmaster Hu San had killed her. The only thing I could do was to avenge her! Only one word remained in my mind: *Kill.*

"You old fox spirit, I will have your life!"

I roared, my aura surging violently as I raised my hands to block his strike. The murky energy collided with my fists. I was knocked back four or five steps, but there was not a hint of fear in my heart. I roared again, shifted my stance, and unleashed a flurry of blows.

A terrifying power boiled within me, flowing out through my fists. Despite the ferocity of the murky energy, it was shattered by my desperate, furious strikes.

I charged at Grandmaster Hu San.

I would not stop until he was dead!

Grandmaster Hu San unleashed a wave of Five Yin Immortal Fire. Seeing this fire—the same fire that had killed Weiyang—ignited an even greater fury within me.

I charged straight through, driven only by hatred and the singular command to *kill*. The aura of my rage dissipated the flames.

Breaking through the fire, I gathered all my strength and struck at his forehead.

However, Grandmaster Hu San’s expression turned cold. Before my fist could connect, he vanished. A second later, I felt a sharp impact in my chest.

He had reappeared, and his strike sent me flying.

I crashed to the ground. In the grass nearby, a dim azure light shimmered—it was the Qingping sword. I gritted my teeth, scrambling up to grab it.

But Grandmaster Hu San was already there.

He slammed his fist into my back, pinning me to the ground, and stepped firmly on my hand, preventing me from reaching the sword.

Grandmaster Hu San bent down and picked up the Qingping sword.