Chapter 121: The Legendary First Battle

In the brief moment it took Han Yi to turn around, a cultivator unexpectedly obtained a Grand Void Token Fragment. Before his elation could fully surface, countless violent streams of Spirit Light rained down upon him, annihilating him instantly. Yet no matter the assault, the fragment remained untouched, as if shielded by another dimension.

Amidst this terrifying battle, even seasoned Ninth Layer cultivators dared not intervene. Only those at the Peak Qi Refining Stage had a sliver of a chance to claim a fragment.

Han Yi witnessed Zuo Lie clutching a fragment, his face flushed with wild joy as he prepared to swallow it. But in that instant, a blood-colored sword light pierced through Zuo Lie's chest. His expression twisted with shock and rage before he dissolved into nothingness.

A youth with a murderous aura snatched the fragment from Zuo Lie's hand, tucked it into his robes, and stood there trembling with feverish excitement.

Fu You of the Southern Dipper Divine Palace.

As Han Yi prepared to enter the forest, a thought struck him. Zuo Lie was about to swallow that fragment whole? What kind of method is that?

Instead of immediately consuming his own fragment, Han Yi turned and plunged into the forest. He resolved not to ingest it until he learned more about the Grand Void Token's effects. What if it doesn't enhance my Root Bone? I'd regret it forever.

In truth...

From the moment the Black Demon Chieftain of the Cang Tribe exploded before the Ancestral Temple, Han Yi's speed had reached its peak. His Light Body Technique, unaffected by Magic Artifacts, propelled him to velocities rivaling even the Sword Immortals and surpassing all other Legendary Qi Refining cultivators.

He seized the Grand Void Token Fragment and landed in less than three breaths. Within half a breath, he eliminated the cultivator who attempted to snatch it, then surged into the mountain forest using his Light Body Technique. Covering ten li (five kilometers) while evading pursuing cultivators took him less than twenty breaths.

Reaching the forest's edge, Han Yi glanced back to see Zuo Lie's lifeless body a kilometer away, barely a minute after the cataclysmic explosion.

Before turning away, he noticed Fu You, the Southern Dipper Divine Palace cultivator who had stolen the other Grand Void Token Fragment, suddenly raise his head and glare directly at him.

Without hesitation, Han Yi turned and plunged into the forest.

Just then—

Boom!

A terrifying wave of killing intent descended from the sky, engulfing Han Yi in an instant as if he were drowning in an overwhelming torrent of Fiend Qi.

This Fiend Qi differed from the innate Fiend Qi exuded by the Blood Bone Spirit Flower. It was Battle Fiend Qi, forged in the clash of countless armies and the bloodlust of generals leading charges.

Though acquired rather than innate, this Battle Fiend Qi possessed a raw power and ferocity far greater than its innate counterpart.

A battle banner descended, blotting out the sky.

Han Yi instinctively looked up. In a mere fraction of a kshana, the banner, originally less than a foot long, had swelled to over seven meters tall, looming just three meters above him.

A young cultivator rode the banner, his eyes blazing with martial fervor. Han Yi felt as if he were witnessing a grand spectacle: a hundred thousand fearless soldiers charging into battle, their thunderous war cries shaking mountains and rivers.

Xie Jingshan of the Spirit Battle Sect, a Legendary Qi Refining expert.

Without a word, Xie Jingshan unfurled the banner, intending to engulf Han Yi and refine him into nothingness with its baleful military aura. The Grand Void Token Fragment would then fall into his hands.

In that fleeting moment, Han Yi's thoughts raced. He realized Xie Jingshan had locked onto his aura.

He didn't know how Xie Jingshan knew about the Grand Void Token Fragment, but this was no time for questions. Survival was paramount.

No.

Against any other Legendary expert, Han Yi might have been able to escape using his Light Body Technique. But this cultivator from the Spirit Battle Sect could ride the banner through the air, matching the speed of even the two Sword Immortals.

No matter how fast he ran, escape seemed impossible.

Then let's fight.

Clang!

A sword light erupted.

The Seven Stars Sword erupted with frenzied energy, its speed surging to its absolute limit in an instant. A faint crimson aura bloomed around the blade as it slammed into the battle flag, which had swelled to over seven meters tall in the wind.

The flag was a verdant green.

The clash of crimson and green merely caused the flag to shudder slightly before it resumed its relentless advance.

The Mid-Grade Sword Artifact, the Seven Stars Sword, was silently repelled.

Crack. A hairline fracture, sustained during its earlier battle with the Black Demon, rapidly widened under the impact.

A fierce glint flashed in Han Yi's eyes.

He unleashed his divine sense, channeling all his energy into the Seven Stars Sword.

Explode! Explode! Explode!

Propelled backward, the sword hurtled toward the battle flag with even greater speed, a brilliant light shimmering from its blade.

Boom!

Crimson light flooded the sky as the battle flag finally faltered, jolting violently.

The young cultivator standing high above paled slightly.

It wasn't the power of Han Yi's attack that startled him, but the youth's audacity. His meticulously calculated plan, designed to leave Han Yi no time to react, had been foiled by the youth's desperate gamble. By detonating the Seven Stars Sword, Han Yi had bought himself a fleeting moment.

He hastily swallowed the Grand Void Token Fragment in his hand. To his astonishment, the fragment vanished without a trace the instant it touched his tongue, as if he had swallowed nothing but air.

If Zuo Lie could consume a Grand Void Token Fragment, why couldn't I? he thought. After all, facing this Legendary Qi Refining expert, escape was impossible.

"Hmph!"

Xie Jingshan's fury reached its peak. With a flick of his azure battle flag, he swept away Han Yi, who was still reeling from detonating the Seven Stars Sword and too slow to escape the backlash.

Boom!

The banner's passage obliterated everything in its path, leaving only fragments of sword artifacts clattering to the ground.

Fu You of the Southern Dipper Divine Palace, who had been closing in on Han Yi, saw his chance. But realizing the battle was lost and no Grand Void Token fragments remained beneath the flag, he glanced at Xie Jingshan, murderous intent flashing in his eyes. Realizing this was no time for recklessness, he swiftly darted into the forest from the opposite side, chasing after the scattered fragments.

Xie Jingshan, hovering in mid-air, casually waved his hand. The massive, sky-obscuring battle flag instantly shrank, settling into his palm.

"An unfamiliar Qi Refining cultivator at the eighth layer? How intriguing."

His anger vanished as he stowed the flag. Scanning the surroundings, a chilling Fiend Qi flickered in his eyes. Then, he turned and swiftly plunged deeper into the forest in pursuit.

Han Yi's eyes snapped open. This time, mentally prepared, he fared much better than before. Though his heart raced momentarily, the palpitations quickly faded as he suppressed them.

The more he died, the more accustomed he became to it.

First, Han Yi checked his physical body for any abnormalities, finding none. Then, he looked up at the True Ascension Mark floating in mid-air.

"Huh?"

Han Yi murmured in surprise, noticing a distinct change in the True Ascension Mark's appearance.

Its color.

Previously, the ethereal orb had constantly shifted through a spectrum of hues, never settling on a single shade. Now, it glowed purely crimson red.

"The only possible explanation is the Grand Void Token Fragment."

"When whole, the Grand Void Token, like the True Ascension Mark, would continuously change colors. But when the fragment shattered and fell into my hands, it solidified into a tangible form with a fixed crimson hue."

"Now that I've died, the True Ascension Mark has also stabilized at red. There's definitely a direct connection between them."

Han Yi's thought flickered, and the True Ascension Mark instantly transformed into a Grand Void Body. He transferred his Divine Soul, examining the situation from the Grand Void Body's perspective, but still found nothing of use.

"Never mind. Once I enter the Cave Heaven World and find the Shaman of the Primitive Tribe, I'll learn the truth."

"It's a pity about my two sword artifacts, especially the newly acquired one."

"Still, obtaining the Grand Void Token Fragment on this trip is a great windfall."

Han Yi briefly reviewed his gains, his understanding of the Cave Heaven World deepening. He then retrieved another sword artifact from his Storage Pouch—his second Mid-Grade Sword Artifact. He had originally possessed only two such artifacts: the Seven Stars Sword, which self-destructed during his last venture into the Cave Heaven World, and this one, named the Crimson Haze Sword.

With the sword artifact slung across his back, Han Yi turned and stepped through the Light Gate, vanishing from the Grand Void Illusionary Realm.