Chapter 73: Heavenly Net

Even though he had received Master Qin’s warning in advance and knew an omen would appear when the Human Elixir was finally refined, Fang Cun didn’t expect it to be so astonishing. A single tiny pill suddenly erupted with intense light, as if a moon had bloomed within the cauldron. Its radiance flowed and spread into the void, a surge of vibrant life bursting from the cauldron, imprinting itself onto the misty vapor in the sky.

Countless people in Willow Lake City saw the pillar of light shooting into the heavens, and countless Qi Refiners felt a sudden, instinctive stir within them at that moment, as if some primal energy source hidden deep in their heart was abruptly triggered, making the surge of energy in their chest impossible to suppress!

…

“The Human Elixir worked?”

Not just the common people and Qi Refiners of Willow Lake City, even the dark figure who had fled moments ago and was now miles away was abruptly shocked. Overwhelmed with despair and rage, he had prioritized saving his own life, yet the depths of his reluctance and bitterness were truly inexpressible. Suddenly sensing that dazzling beam rising behind him, he froze entirely.

“How could it be? It was lacking the final step… the Innate Qi of over a dozen people…”

His first reaction was disbelief; he simply couldn’t grasp the situation.

But the instant after that, an indescribable, wild joy surged within him: “The Human Elixir succeeded! There’s no faking it! Neither that brilliance nor that aura can be forged! It’s a fully formed Human Elixir—and one of the finest grade possible…”

This discovery nearly caused him to lose all reason.

Clenching his teeth, he suddenly spun around and hurtled back with desperate haste towards the Mortuary.

He knew well the immense danger involved in turning back now to seize the Elixir.

But he didn’t care anymore!

He knew all too well how fraught with peril and difficulty this entire refinement process had been. Recreating the Alchemy Cauldron, then employing every possible means to kidnap enough ordinary people without alerting the city’s Qi Refiners or anyone else… Gathering sufficient rare medicinal ingredients as supplements… Meticulously overseeing every step… He truly didn’t know if he’d ever get another chance to attempt this again if this batch failed…

Holding onto that obsession, even though he had already escaped to the deep mountains and seemed moments away from freedom, he finally couldn’t resist returning to gamble everything. His form dissolved into a wisp of shadowy smoke, crossing hundreds of yards in an instant as he sped back towards the Mortuary.

“The Human Elixir… it’s done?”

“Oh no! The cultist is charging back!”

Meanwhile, Meng Zhixue and the others, risking their lives trying to pursue the cultist refining the Human Elixir, were abruptly distracted and thrown into disarray by the dazzling pillar of light erupting behind them. They realized the terrifying significance of it. Before they could fully gather their wits, a thick, black fog suddenly enveloped the space before them, obscuring the view. Within that fog, a dark figure streaked back toward them like lightning.

“He’s after the Elixir…!”

“Stop him…!”

All the Academy Disciples – or rather, the Nanshan Alliance Disciples – roared together. Facing this shadow who evidently possessed far greater power than them, they didn’t retreat. Instead, gritting their teeth, they each unleashed their most potent abilities, rushing straight toward him…

While he aimed to seize the Elixir, they sought to exploit this moment to capture him.

At the very least, hold him back and prevent his escape!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Meng Zhixue’s Flying Sword instantly multiplied into over ten dazzling streaks of sword-light, interweaving in the air to block the dark figure’s path. Behind her, He Zhenzhang, Yu Qingli, Meng Qing’er, Nie Quan, and the others rushed forward, shouting angrily. One waved a vermilion brush, unleashing seven or eight Divine Talismans. Another strained every ounce of his Cultivation Power to cast the Art of Object Manipulation, his magical energy instantly flooding the entire space before the dark figure. Another bit down so hard his lips almost bled as he channeled the Soul Captivation Art, desperately trying to disrupt the dark figure’s will.

“Scram…!”

Faced with the onslaught of the Academy Disciples, the dark figure merely gave a cold, sharp shout, seemingly genuinely angered. With a sweep of his sleeve, he conjured layers of black mist that effortlessly blocked Meng Zhixue’s sword light. And within these swirling layers of mist, several streaks of golden light intertwined, darting with bizarre speed toward each Academy Disciple like lightning. These were, unmistakably, golden scarabs!

Bearing strange poison and moving with lightning speed rivaling Flying Swords, they instantly plunged all the disciples into danger, forcing them back with cries.

Meng Zhixue, in particular, narrowly avoided tragedy. If not for a small jade pendant hanging from a red cord breaking on her snow-white neck, releasing a milky-white radiance that repelled the golden scarab, the insect would have struck her forehead, tearing a gaping hole in her skull.

Nevertheless, each of them was forced back by the dark figure’s attack, allowing him a clear path forward.

Shrouded in thick, roiling black mist, his form like a fleeting stream of light, he arrived at the front of the Mortuary.

His eyes, deep within the fog, seemed to blaze with boundless ecstasy as they fixed upon the brilliant light surging up from within its walls.

But precisely at that moment, a sigh suddenly echoed from the surrounding darkness.

A faint, distant, and melancholy sigh. The dark figure’s body jolted violently upon hearing it.

He sharply looked up. The deep night itself seemed to have become formless water, suddenly stirred. It swirled silently outward. And there, emerging from that disturbed darkness, walking unhurriedly upon the void, was the figure of a man. He wore ancient, immaculate robes and a tall hat… yet he rode upon a large, strangely imposing blue goat.

The Academy Dean, Gongyang Yanqing!

His pace wasn’t especially fast, but the moment the dark figure laid eyes on him, an invisible power surged forward. It was as if the night itself had become tangible matter, layer after layer rolling toward him like silk threads seeking to bind him completely.

“Curses…!”

The dark figure snarled sharply. Even though he was mere steps from the Mortuary, even though the Human Elixir felt within arm’s reach…

At this critical juncture, his mind understood clearly: he had no chance to take that final step. If he stepped forward now, he would only fall deep into the enemy’s magical power, utterly helpless. Therefore, he let out only one fierce, piercing shriek, filled with endless, unspeakable resentment and fury. Hurriedly, he retreated! His surging black mist pushed back against the opponent’s power, allowing him to pull back like a kite, shooting rapidly backwards!

He channeled immense speed, covering scores of yards with his retreat, seemingly poised to vanish back into the mountains instantly.

Yet, right at that moment, the distinct sound of something slicing through the air came from behind! His heart lurched; he whirled around. A stream of light hurtled toward him! In a split second, all the black mist surrounding him surged towards that deadly streak, barely diverting its course slightly. Seizing upon the hair’s-breadth chance born from that fleeting, intense spark of conflict, he twisted his body violently to dodge, just barely avoiding it. He saw clearly what it was: a Flying Sword.

Elder Zhong Yue, stepping across the void toward him, his expression frigid: “Cultist! Still thinking of escape?”

Shocked, the dark figure instinctively looked north – only to glimpse fluttering wide sleeves. Several Instructors, led by Master Lan Shuang, had already arrived to block that path.

His mind raced, contemplating escape southwards instead. But there he immediately sensed a powerful aura erupting skyward, mingling with an overwhelming divine will. They wove together like a vast net. He understood instantly that the south offered no chance either. The Qi Refiners aligned to the City Governor had sealed all roads south.

The Heavenly Net had been laid… and he was caught within its strands!

Or rather, perhaps he had been granted an escape route… but the moment the Human Elixir was completed and his greed arose, his fate was sealed!

…

“It’s over…”

Seeing all parties making their appearance, trapping the Human Fiend in the center, Fang Cun, positioned behind the Mortuary, raised his umbrella and made ready to slip away unnoticed. In Fang Cun’s estimation, both the Academy Dean and the City Governor had reacted slightly slower than necessary. But regardless, now that they had reacted, capturing the Human Fiend was an absolute imperative; they no longer had any alternative.

…

“Hahaha! You lot think you can capture me?”

“Since I dared come today, I’m here to see just who among you is up to the task!”

Seeing himself completely surrounded, trapped within what seemed like a Heaven-covering net, the Human Fiend gritted his teeth and let out a burst of frenzied laughter.

Abruptly, with a sharp tug, he tore open his black robe. Shaking it loose, the surging black mist that Elder Zhong Yue’s sword had previously shattered suddenly coalesced once more around him.

Only now it was ten times denser than before! A vast, resonant drone echoed in all directions.

This “black mist” was actually composed of countless tiny insects, flapping their wings furiously. Blending into the deep night, they were nearly impossible to distinguish clearly.

With a loud roar from the Human Fiend, the swarm of insects scattered violently in every direction, attacking everyone surrounding him! And he himself, gritting his teeth, didn’t even contemplate escape. Instead, he threw himself directly back towards the Mortuary, crashing forward with absolute disregard for the consequences…

Even now, he was still singularly focused on seizing the Elixir!

“Ai…”

Facing this insidious, nearly intangible “black mist” – this swarm of poisonous insects – Academy Head Gongyang Yanqing sighed softly. He lifted his hand and then casually turned his palm downward.

In utter silence, the heavens and the earth seemed to grow incredibly heavy. A vast power quietly unfanned, permeating the entire atmosphere. It pressed down relentlessly. Under this invisible force, all the minuscule insects hidden within the night were instantly squeezed into powder and viscous fluid. The deafening drone vanished instantly. Even the dark figure racing toward the Mortuary froze stiffly in his tracks.

Buffeted by the unseen power buffeting them, the hood concealing his head was violently ripped away.

Revealing a face contorted with fury and resentment.

An ashen, grim face radiating wrath, yet still bearing traces of youthful beauty.

It was Instructor Lingxiu!

…

For a moment, everyone simply stood frozen. Silence hung heavy over them.

Whether it was the Academy Elders and Instructors who had just arrived, or Meng Zhixue and the other Nanshan Alliance Disciples, all were struck utterly speechless.

Similarly, within the Mortuary’s darkness, Fang Cun had seen Instructor Lingxiu’s exposed face. He too stood still, rooted to the spot. A torrent of questions and thoughts exploded through his mind instantaneously… Then, his expression tightened sharply…

And in that exact instant, he made a momentous decision.

Swiftly reaching out, he grabbed the Human Elixir, whose intense light was already rapidly subsiding, tucked it under his umbrella, and slipped away silently into the shadows.