Misfortune May Be a Blessing in Disguise

An old hand like Heavenly Punishment, who had gone through countless years of cultivation, how could he not constantly be on guard against sneak attacks from his surroundings?

The moment he sensed something amiss behind his back, his figure shifted sideways a few feet without a sound, effortlessly dodging the incoming surge of blazing fire.

After forcing Heavenly Punishment back with a counterattack, Bi Fang did not press the advantage. Instead, it agilely flew over to the blood-spitting Baimu, grabbed him with its massive single talon, and bolted swiftly toward the depths of the valley.

Huo Liuli, who had collapsed on the ground groaning in pain, saw that her master and Bi Fang were escaping into the valley. She immediately gritted her teeth against the agonizing pain, beat her wings, soared high into the air, and landed squarely on Bi Fang's back.

Under the watchful gaze of Sovereign Heavenly Punishment, the man and the two divine birds instantly pierced through the barrier and flew into the plum grove within Hanyuan Valley.

Once free from Heavenly Punishment, Bi Fang hurriedly placed the tightly gripped Baimu onto the ground and urged anxiously, "Quickly reinforce the formation with your Azure Dragon Sword, or else Heavenly Punishment will shatter the barrier and force his way in before an hour is up!"

Having had previous experience with forming barriers, Baimu did not hesitate upon hearing Bi Fang's urging. He immediately tossed the Azure Dragon Sword in his hand into the air and chanted softly under his breath, "Spirit of the Azure Dragon, in my name, form a spiritual realm, and protect my peace!"

Swift!

With a wave of his finger toward the valley entrance ahead, sword Qi erupted and crisscrossed wildly within the Azure Dragon Sword, its silver radiance illuminating the entire plum grove with dazzling brilliance.

The sword Qi streaked toward every corner of the valley like a torrential flood and ferocious beast. Upon merging with the formation established by the Myriad Imperial Divine Flute, it added the might of swordsmanship to the already flame-engulfed barrier. From then on, anyone attempting to break into the valley would have to endure both the ravages of the sword array and the scorching of the raging fires.

By the time the reinforcement of the formation was complete, Baimu's face was deathly pale, and blood continued to drip continuously from the corners of his mouth.

Puff...

A mouthful of fresh blood burst from his lips, splashing onto the plum blossoms ahead and dyeing the pink petals even more brilliantly and alluringly.

Baimu's body slumped uncontrollably onto the grassy ground of the valley. Aside from excruciating pain, he lacked the slightest bit of strength left to support his standing posture.

"Master, are you alright?" Huo Liuli hovered precariously above Baimu's head, her small eyes gazing anxiously at the utterly exhausted man.

"I'm fine..."

Baimu smiled at her with great difficulty, then asked Bi Fang, "Now that the formation has been reinforced by two supreme artifacts, the Azure Dragon Sword and the Myriad Imperial Divine Flute, Heavenly Punishment shouldn't be able to get in, right?"

"Rest assured."

Bi Fang glanced casually toward the direction outside the valley. Upon seeing the imposing figure of Heavenly Punishment still lingering outside the array, it couldn't help but gnash its teeth and say, "Even with Heavenly Punishment's supreme strength, he cannot shatter this formation."

"Reinforced by the Azure Dragon Sword and the Myriad Imperial Divine Flute, coupled with the assistance of my karmic fire, fewer than twenty people in this world can break this array."

"And if Heavenly Punishment wishes to break it by force, unless he joins forces with the Four Holy Sons of Guixu, he can as well forget about it relying on his strength alone!"

At this point, Bi Fang changed the subject and said in a deep voice, "Baimu, is your body completely unscathed?"

"Nothing major," Baimu lay limply on the ground, offering a bitter, self-deprecating laugh. "I originally thought that after consuming the Myriad-Year Karma-Extinguishing Red Lotus and experiencing a massive surge in strength, I would at least be able to establish a foothold in the desolate realms."

"Who would have thought that in my very first battle after emerging from seclusion, I would be beaten by Heavenly Punishment to the point of having no power to parry, and now I've even been struck by Guixu's Celestial Steel Qi. Who knows if I can even hold on."

"Humph, humph."

Standing under the plum grove to the side, Bi Fang let out a cold laugh and slowly said, "Put your heart at ease. The Qi of Supreme Goodness is Like Water within your body shares the same origin yet goes by a different name than Guixu's Celestial Steel Qi; both evolve from the Dao of Heaven, and thus their energies complement each other."

"If you can calm your mind right now and circulate the Qi of Supreme Goodness is Like Water to heal your wounds, you might just be able to completely neutralize Guixu's Celestial Steel Qi that Heavenly Punishment drove into your body, and even absorb it for your own use, thereby increasing your cultivation level even further!"

"Is that truly the case?"

Hearing this, Baimu felt a surge of joy in his heart. He hurriedly integrated his divine sense into the void cauldron within his abdomen, slowly circulating the lingering Qi of Supreme Goodness is Like Water, and met the Guixu Celestial Steel Qi spreading toward his chest.

Initially, Baimu had some concerns that the two different types of energy might clash and tear at each other upon contact, thereby causing even greater damage to his meridians.

However, the moment the gentle Qi of the Supreme Goodness Art met the ferocious Guixu Celestial Steel Qi, the two energies unexpectedly intertwined instantly. Instead of tearing at each other, they surprisingly merged into a single stream of energy, slowly flowing back into Baimu's void cauldron.

Although Heavenly Punishment had used only about twenty percent of his power in that strike, after thousands of years of cultivation and tempering, even twenty percent of his power was shockingly formidable.

Now that this twenty percent of power had been absorbed by Baimu into his void cauldron, it immediately fused with his own foundational power. Not only did seventy percent of his physical injuries heal, but his cultivation level also increased by more than half invisibly.

In other words, Baimu's strength was now a good thirty percent greater than when he left the Red Flame Ancient Cave.

If his strength had been comparable to people like Guige and Nalan just a few days ago, it was now clearly a cut above theirs.

Overjoyed in his heart, Baimu leaped up from the ground excitedly. After throwing a few wild punches with his robust fists, he found his entire body refreshed and purified, and his injuries were no longer a problem.

He immediately strode smugly to the perimeter of the valley and, separated from Heavenly Punishment outside by the shimmering sword light of the barrier, shouted to him, "Sovereign Heavenly Punishment, many thanks for bestowing twenty percent of your power upon this junior. It is truly endlessly useful!"

"Bestowing?"

Outside the array, Heavenly Punishment raised his long eyebrows and asked skeptically, "Just now, when I struck your chest with twenty percent of my power, you actually absorbed it for your own use?"

"Indeed."

Baimu grinned happily and replied, "What is bestowed by an elder must not be declined. Since the Sovereign deliberately yielded it, what reason do I have not to accept?"

Then, changing his tone, he continued, "Sovereign, everything I said just now is the absolute truth. If you truly do not believe me, wait until Senior Fansheng wakes up and ask him in person!"

"Humph."

Heavenly Punishment let out a calm and cold grunt, yet still maintained his composure as he questioned, "Was the Qi of Supreme Goodness is Like Water truly taught to you personally by Uncle-Master Fansheng?"

"I have already explained this!"

Baimu analyzed with a hint of exasperation, "Under heaven, aside from Senior Fansheng, I suppose even the God of War might not necessarily understand the methods of the Supreme Goodness Art, right?"

"Given my cultivation, I can't even defeat you, Sovereign Heavenly Punishment. Could I possibly have forced Senior Fansheng to submit against his will?"

"Anyone with even a modicum of brains should understand that this set of the Supreme Goodness Art was personally imparted by Senior Fansheng!"