Chapter Fifty: Escape to Heaven

"However, since we've already entered into a partnership, Senior, I believe you should show some sincerity as well," Liang Yan suddenly changed the subject.

"Oh? And what do you want?"

Liang Yan turned and pointed at Tang Diexian, who was still lost in the blood fiend puppet realm, and said, "I must trouble you to withdraw your magic."

The man in red laughed heartily, giving Liang Yan a meaningful look. "I didn't expect you to be such a sentimental fellow!"

Liang Yan remained impassive and simply clasped his fists. "Please, Senior, cast the spell."

"Very well! As you wish!" The man in red nodded. "And stop calling me 'Senior' this and 'Senior' that. It's annoying. Remember, my name is Blood Fury!"

With that, he made a gesture toward Tang Diexian. Immediately, swirls of red and black miasma began to pour from her mouth and nose, drawn to gather in Blood Fury’s palm by his incantation.

Liang Yan watched as the red and black vapors left Tang Diexian's body. The furrow in her brow slowly relaxed, and her breathing grew steady, though she did not wake.

"No need to worry. She has left the illusion, but having been trapped so deeply, it'll be some time before she awakens," Blood Fury remarked.

Liang Yan nodded and, after a moment of silent calculation, stepped forward to gently lift Tang Diexian. He placed her by the wall, dusted her off with care, and then returned to face Blood Fury.

Blood Fury raised his hand and cast a powerful spell on the teleportation array. Several pillars of light flared from the formation, and a blue, circular portal appeared at its center.

"Everything's ready. Are you prepared, boy? Let me warn you—if you try anything deceitful, I’ll annihilate you, body and soul!"

Liang Yan replied respectfully, "I wouldn’t dare. Please, break the array!"

"Good!" Blood Fury roared, spitting a red orb of light from his mouth. The orb spun in the air, and the ground beneath them began to rumble.

Cracks split across the stone platform, and blood surged from the fissures as if a volcano were about to erupt.

Blood Fury’s hands moved in intricate patterns, and with a gesture, the red orb exploded, revealing a silver ring-shaped magical artifact.

With the shattering of the red orb overhead, the blood beneath the platform gushed out violently, coalescing into a vast crimson sea.

The sight was eerie in the extreme. The stone platform, no more than thirty feet square, was now the source of a blood sea stretching above it.

"A platform just thirty feet across, yet it supports an endless sea?" Liang Yan thought in amazement. The idea was absurd, yet the scene before him was undeniable, burned into his mind.

Thunder rumbled.

The blood sea began to change once more. Seven tombstones rose from different spots within the sea, and the aura of bloodlust intensified.

Although Liang Yan stood at the shore, just a glance at the blood sea filled him with an overwhelming urge to kill. Alarmed, he quickly circulated his "Chaos Technique" to shield his mind, regaining some composure.

Blood Fury stood proudly above the blood sea, wreathed in murderous energy, like a war god from the underworld, charging toward the edge of the platform.

The four magical treasures encircling Blood Fury reacted instantly, soaring into the air as if challenged. Each emitted a golden beam, weaving together into a golden barrier that tightly imprisoned Blood Fury.

Blood Fury's face twisted in madness. He shouted, "You damned monk! You can't kill me, nor can you seal me! Break!"

The blood sea rose in crashing waves, battering against the golden light above. Scarlet and gold clashed in the air with thunderous explosions.

Though the blood sea was fierce, the four Buddhist treasures maintained their radiant glow, unmoved and unbroken. The two forces were equally matched, and a stalemate ensued.

Watching, Liang Yan thought, "These four treasures are truly extraordinary. They operate with their own spiritual power, without a master. The Buddhist master who left them must be far more powerful than Blood Fury claimed."

But before he could ponder further, the situation changed.

Blood Fury suddenly bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the silver ring artifact, which instantly blazed with crimson light. He then cast spells at each of the seven tombstones, causing a blood-red figure to emerge from each. Armed with blades and swords, the seven figures attacked the four treasures floating in the air.

Clang after clang rang out as the blood figures battered the golden barrier, which gradually shrank. The crimson light grew brighter, and it seemed the defense would soon be breached. At that moment, the white jade vial above the platform began to tremble, shooting a stream of white light into the four Buddhist treasures.

The golden barrier instantly stabilized, and faint chanting could be heard in the air.

Blood Fury narrowed his eyes, changing his incantation. The seven blood figures merged into one giant, wielding a massive axe, which he swung at the alms bowl among the four treasures.

With a deafening crash, the axe struck the bowl, knocking it several inches from its position and leaving a gap in the formation. The blood giant, spent, faded from the air.

"Now!" Blood Fury roared.

Liang Yan, already prepared, leapt forward. Silently reciting a nameless spell, he pushed his "Eightfold Origin" technique to the limit. His body emitted a faint golden glow, giving him an almost divine appearance.

Nervously, he charged at the golden barrier. To his surprise, he felt no resistance; it was as if he belonged within it. The golden light welcomed him, and he found himself standing where the alms bowl had been.

The displaced bowl hovered nearby, eager to return, but the formation had already adjusted, leaving no room for it.

Within the formation, Liang Yan felt himself united with the jade vial above and the three remaining treasures. He stepped onto the golden light, climbing upward as each step conjured a lotus blossom beneath his feet.

One step, two, three...

At last, Liang Yan stood before the white jade vial. His face lit with greedy excitement, his breath quickened as he reached for the treasure.

He failed to notice Blood Fury, still resisting the seal below, wearing a cold, mocking smile.

Boom!

As Liang Yan seized the vial, the entire formation shook. The golden light overhead began to fade. Though Blood Fury gave the appearance of struggling, the pressure on him was steadily lessening.

"Congratulations, young Liang, on such a great fortune! Surely you will soar to greatness!" Blood Fury called out.

Liang Yan turned, vial in hand, brimming with satisfaction. "I owe it all to your efforts, Senior. My deepest thanks!"

Blood Fury laughed. "You are too modest. Your mind is sharp and your will unyielding. In the past, you only lacked talent, but now your body has been remade, your fate reversed. Someday, you may surpass even me. If you wish, I’d gladly call you a friend across generations..."

He was about to say more when he caught Liang Yan’s sharp, ambiguous gaze. Blood Fury’s heart skipped a beat. "Not good!" he thought.

Before he could react, Liang Yan spun around and, without hesitation, hurled the jade vial toward the distant portal. At the same time, he darted in the opposite direction, withdrawing from the sealing formation in a matter of breaths.

No sooner had he left than the displaced alms bowl returned to its place. The four treasures blazed with renewed golden light, once again imprisoning Blood Fury.

"You dare!"

The turn of events was as swift as lightning. One moment, Liang Yan had looked triumphant; the next, he discarded the true dragon’s blood as if it were refuse. Even Blood Fury was caught off guard.

After throwing the vial, Liang Yan dashed toward Tang Diexian. Forming a spell with both hands, he chanted under his breath and sent a blue light spinning into the rocks above, where it vanished from sight.

Blood Fury’s eyes bulged with fury. With a thunderous roar, he shattered the four treasures, which, without the true dragon’s blood to sustain them, lost their cohesion and flew off in four golden streaks.

In mid-stride, Liang Yan leaped up, snatching one of the fleeing lights. In his hand, it became a purple-gold glass lamp.

Blood Fury, having scattered the treasures, spat blood and staggered, clearly injured by the effort.

Steadying himself, he flicked his sleeve, sending two streams of red light flying—one toward Liang Yan, the other straight at Tang Diexian.

Sensing danger, Liang Yan dodged aside, barely evading the attack. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the other red light racing toward Tang Diexian.

Panicked, he didn’t think—he threw himself in the path of the red light.

With a sickening thud, the red light struck him. Blood sprayed from Liang Yan’s mouth as he tumbled to Tang Diexian’s side.

At that moment, a ring of blue light shot down from a crack in the cave’s ceiling, landing nearby.

Though injured, Liang Yan managed to scoop up Tang Diexian and roll them both into the blue circle. A flash of light—and they vanished.

"The Minor Shift Array!" Blood Fury exclaimed in shock.

He glared viciously in the direction Liang Yan had escaped, then turned to the portal where the jade vial had been thrown, torn by indecision.

But in the next instant, gritting his teeth, he charged into the portal after the vial and disappeared.

Outside the spirit mine, it was deep night. Starlight bathed the world in silence.

Suddenly, blue light shimmered at the entrance, and two figures appeared—Liang Yan and Tang Diexian.

The array Liang Yan had prepared before entering the mine was the Minor Shift Array!

From the start, he had never trusted Blood Fury. Practiced in blood magic, Blood Fury coveted the true dragon’s blood above all else—there was no way he’d let anyone else touch it.

Liang Yan had long seen through Blood Fury’s intentions. His earlier conversations were mere distractions as he calculated the position of the Minor Shift Array.

He gambled that Blood Fury would choose the treasure over revenge, and so tossed the vial toward the portal, forcing Blood Fury to make a choice.

It seemed his gamble paid off. As for what was on the other side of the portal—whether it truly led to a great Buddhist sect as Blood Fury claimed—Liang Yan no longer cared.

Though he had escaped the depths, he dared not linger. Scooping Tang Diexian into his arms, he raced down the mountain.

That night, people in Yongle Town saw a young man carrying a girl in white hurry into the Fortune Inn. Not long after, he rode out on a fine horse, galloping along the main road out of town. And on his shoulder perched a snow-white, big-faced cat...