Chapter 583: Thirty-Six Transformations
In response to Wan Zhaoyi came a piercing sword cry, followed by a streak of sword light flying straight toward him from directly ahead, moving at an extreme speed.
The reason the sword cry sounded was that the other party was warning Wan Zhaoyi, indicating it was not a sneak attack.
In reality, the speed of the opponent's sword strike far exceeded the speed of sound.
"Not good."
Wan Zhaoyi's pupils contracted rapidly. Sacred Qi within his body churned at full speed as he spread his arms. From the spine of his back, eight hundred-zhang-long dragon souls burst forth, charging forward to meet the incoming sword light.
"Boom!"
In an instant, all eight dragon souls were shredded by the sword energy.
Wan Zhaoyi spat out a mouthful of blood. His body, out of control, flew backward violently and slammed into a cliff wall twenty li away.
"Crack!"
The several-hundred-meter-tall cliff wall collapsed instantly, sending chunks of rubble tumbling down, burying Wan Zhaoyi beneath the mountain.
Wan Zhaoyi knelt on one knee, gritting his teeth. With a roar, golden light radiated from his body, shaking the mountain that held the cliff wall into pieces.
"Boom!"
Wan Zhaoyi burst out from the earth, soaring a hundred zhang into the air before landing back on the ground. Blood surged from his arms, dripping from his fingertips.
"Red Sun Sword Art, Nine Nether Sword Saint."
He had already recognized the sword technique the other had just used—it was the signature move of the Nine Nether Sword Saint, the Red Sun Sword Art.
From beyond the sky came the voice of the Nine Nether Sword Saint: "Wan Zhaoyi, since you can withstand one of my strikes, you have earned the right to live. Since Zhang Ruochen is already dead, I will take my leave here."
By the time the last word fell, the Nine Nether Sword Saint was already a thousand li away.
...
...
An ancient river, shrouded in misty smoke, flowed out from a wild primeval forest, its waters roaring. The river channel was over two hundred meters wide, and occasionally, massive barbarian beasts would burst out from the water, breathing in the world's spiritual energy.
This primeval forest was seventeen thousand li away from where Wan Zhaoyi and the Nine Nether Sword Saint had just clashed.
Now, Zhang Ruochen and the Nine Nether Sword Saint stood by the ancient river, facing each other.
Zhang Ruochen immediately knelt and bowed to the Nine Nether Sword Saint. "Thank you, Master, for saving me."
The Nine Nether Sword Saint's form and appearance gradually changed. His originally black hair turned white. His face became thinner, a long beard grew on his chin, and a few more wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes.
In just a moment, he had completely transformed into another person—Zhang Ruochen's master, Xuanji Sword Saint.
"Rise quickly."
Xuanji Sword Saint quickly extended both hands to help Zhang Ruochen up.
A smile appeared on Xuanji Sword Saint's face. "Even Wan Zhaoyi couldn't recognize me. How did you figure it out?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Master's transformation technique has reached a level of divine mastery. Of course, I couldn't recognize it. But I know that in the entire Eastern Domain, there are three Sword Saints, yet only my master would risk danger to save me."
Saving Zhang Ruochen was indeed a very risky move. If discovered, it would be a direct challenge to Empress Chi Yao's authority and would be treated as treason.
Even the Nine Nether Sword Saint might not have truly dared to kill someone whom Empress Chi Yao had personally ordered to be captured.
Xuanji Sword Saint let out a long sigh. "I thought long and hard and finally realized this was the only way to save you. Fortunately, I once studied the Nine Nether Sword Saint's Red Sun Sword Art, which should be enough to fool Wan Zhaoyi."
Zhang Ruochen looked worried. "Master, what if things go wrong?"
He was not worried for himself but for Xuanji Sword Saint.
Even with Xuanji Sword Saint's status, if it were discovered that he had killed the Imperial Guard Golden Armor soldiers and rescued a wanted criminal of the court, he would likely face dire consequences.
Xuanji Sword Saint clasped his hands behind his back, gazing at the turbulent river surface, and smiled. "No. I did this after careful consideration. The court will surely believe you were killed by the Nine Nether Sword Saint. The Nine Nether Sword Saint, in turn, will think the court, jealous of your talent, secretly executed you and framed him."
Zhang Ruochen nodded. He thought to himself, indeed, the older the ginger, the hotter it is. His master's actions were meticulous and flawless.
Xuanji Sword Saint continued, "But since Zhang Ruochen is dead, you can no longer appear under that identity. I'm sorry you have to bear this."
Zhang Ruochen shook his head with a smile. "Just surviving is already a great fortune. Even if I have to change my face and live in obscurity, what does it matter?"
Chi Yao had already taken notice of "Zhang Ruochen" in the Eastern Domain. Now, only by faking his death could he more calmly deal with the changes to come.
Moreover, Zhang Ruochen's identity as the Heir of Time and Space had been exposed. Even if Chi Yao didn't kill him, the Black Market, the Demon Sect, and other forces would likely scheme against him, plot against him, and assassinate him.
Only with Zhang Ruochen dead would they feel completely at ease.
The only thing Zhang Ruochen couldn't let go of was his family and friends. If they learned of his death, they would surely be heartbroken.
Of course, once Zhang Ruochen was dead, they would be safer, as no one would bother to harm them anymore.
Xuanji Sword Saint glanced at Zhang Ruochen and asked, "What are your plans next?"
A cold light flashed in Zhang Ruochen's eyes. "I want to go to the Eastern Domain Evil Land first and personally kill Di Yi. He injured my mother and nearly caused her death. As her son, how can I not avenge her?"
Xuanji Sword Saint pondered for a moment. "The Eastern Domain Evil Land is home to countless evil path experts, not just the Black Market but also the Demon Sect. It's a place of chaos with demons running rampant, arguably the most dangerous dark region in the Eastern Domain."
"However, with your cultivation level, you are certainly capable of venturing there. But you need to know that the Eastern Domain Evil Land is the Black Market's stronghold. There, Di Yi can mobilize countless evil path experts to deal with you, and many evil path masters secretly protect him. Are you confident you can kill him?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "Di Yi could stir up trouble in the Eastern Domain Sacred City. Why can't I go to the Eastern Domain Evil Land and kill him with my own hands? Last time, I was in the open, and he was in the shadows. Now, he is in the open, and I am in the shadows. This time, I go to take his life—success or death."
"Good!"
Xuanji Sword Saint praised him. As long as Zhang Ruochen's resolve was firm, he would fully support him.
Xuanji Sword Saint said, "Originally, I had two paths prepared for you. If you wanted to retire to the mountains, I could find you a secluded cave heaven blessed land, free from outside interference, to focus on cultivating the Sword Dao."
"But since you want to go to the Eastern Domain Evil Land, I can teach you a special martial technique that might be very useful to you."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "What special martial technique?"
"The Thirty-Six Transformations."
Xuanji Sword Saint looked at Zhang Ruochen with a smile.
Zhang Ruochen was slightly startled. He felt he had heard this name somewhere before, yet it seemed completely unfamiliar.
He tried to recall but couldn't remember at all.
He shook his head, puzzled. "Master, what are the Thirty-Six Transformations?"
Xuanji Sword Saint smiled, raised his right hand, and pointed his index finger forward.
A stream of white cold air flew from his fingertip. The turbulent river immediately began to hiss and crackle, and in an instant, it froze into a sheet of ice.
Xuanji Sword Saint walked onto the ice. With each step, his appearance changed. Sometimes he became a tall, fierce bearded man, sometimes a handsome young boy, sometimes a hunched old woman...
In just a short distance, he transformed into thirteen different people. Each transformation was flawless, and even his aura changed, fluctuating between strong and weak, unpredictable and utterly bizarre.
Xuanji Sword Saint said to Zhang Ruochen, "This martial technique is actually called the 'Formless and Formless Thirty-Six Transformations,' originating from the Chen Clan's supreme secret manual, the 'Four Nine Mystical Arts.'"
"During the Middle Ages, the Chen Clan's 'Four Nine Mystical Arts' was divided into three parts: the Thirty-Six Heavens cultivation method, the Thirty-Six Ultimate Techniques, and the Thirty-Six Transformations."
"The Chen Clan has been passed down in the Eastern Domain for countless millennia. During that time, they suffered several great calamities, some of which nearly wiped them out entirely."
"It was during those calamities that the 'Four Nine Mystical Arts' became incomplete."
"Of the Thirty-Six Heavens cultivation method, only the first three volumes, twenty-seven heavens, remain. It is said that you helped them recover the cultivation method for the later nine heavens."
"As far as I know, nearly half of the Thirty-Six Ultimate Techniques from the 'Four Nine Mystical Arts' have been lost. As for the Thirty-Six Transformations, they are completely lost."
Zhang Ruochen grew even more curious. "The Thirty-Six Transformations are already lost in the Chen Clan. How does Master have the method to cultivate them?"
Xuanji Sword Saint said, "I found the 'Formless and Formless Thirty-Six Transformations' while exploring a Middle Ages ruin. Later, through continuous research, I confirmed that the 'Formless and Formless Thirty-Six Transformations' is indeed the Thirty-Six Transformations from the Chen Clan's 'Four Nine Mystical Arts.'"
As he spoke, Xuanji Sword Saint took out a fist-sized white jade stone and handed it to Zhang Ruochen.
The jade stone was engraved with over a hundred thousand small characters. Because the characters were so tiny, the naked eye could not read the content inscribed on it.
Zhang Ruochen mobilized his spiritual power and focused his gaze.
"Whoosh!"
In an instant, white characters appeared on the jade stone, floating line by line before his eyes.
At the very top were the eight ancient characters: "Formless and Formless Thirty-Six Transformations."
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his spiritual power and carefully stored the jade book away.
Xuanji Sword Saint continued, "If you can cultivate the Thirty-Six Transformations to the Great Perfection realm, you can not only instantly change into another person's appearance but also transform into birds, beasts, flowers, fish, insects, melt into water, merge with fire—endlessly mysterious and unpredictable."
But Xuanji Sword Saint immediately poured cold water on Zhang Ruochen, adding, "Only by cultivating the 'Four Nine Mystical Arts' can you bring the Thirty-Six Transformations to Great Perfection."