Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao
Chapter 320 - 187 Power of Time

Chapter 320: Chapter 187 Power of Time

White Fox Bai Ying also foolishly watched the scene, shocked to the point of almost suffocating.

It looked at Zhou Yan with a terrified, unbelieving gaze, as if seeing the most horrifying thing in the world.

"This Thunderflame Body―"

"It’s alright, it’s still there!"

Zhou Yan, having poured out such a massive amount of Soul Crystals, didn’t even spare a second look, but instead was urgently sensing something until he finally felt that the Purple Flame Void was still at his forehead, which finally allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.

The moment he couldn’t sense the Purple Flame Void, Zhou Yan felt as if his soul was nearly shattered by shock. It was unimaginable.

Zhou Yan didn’t care about Magic Treasures, wealth, or anything else, but about his master’s final efforts and about Yanyan in the Purple Flame Void.

Once the Purple Flame Void was lost, it would mean losing his master’s remains forever and never having the chance to see Yanyan again!

That’s why Zhou Yan was completely unable to remain calm inside.

Now that he sensed it again, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, which even interrupted White Fox Bai Ying’s speech.

At this moment, Zhou Yan realized that his body was drenched in sweat.

"What’s wrong?"

White Fox asked caringly.

By now, it had grown even closer to Zhou Yan because its recovery depended entirely on Zhou Yan’s efforts.

No matter what changes Zhou Yan underwent, it would choose to act in a way true to its conscience.

"It’s alright, it was only the Purple Crystal that blocked my sensing ability. I thought I had lost something crucial, but luckily, it’s still there."

Zhou Yan explained.

"Ah, it seems that thing is more important to you than anything else."

White Fox responded understandingly.

"Yes, if I didn’t have it, I would have ceased to exist long ago. It’s a treasure, but it’s also a lifeline for me... Anyway, enough about that, you mentioned the Thunderflame Sword Body earlier, what is that all about? Isn’t it supposed to be a lost Sword Body?"

Zhou Yan changed the topic, as the subject involved his master and Yanyan—both painful pasts that he couldn’t bear to look back on, for reflection brought endless sorrow.

Seeing that Zhou Yan didn’t wish to talk further, seemingly having unspeakable secrets, White Fox didn’t pry further, but gently explained: "The Thunderflame Sword Body means that the body can absorb Thunder, Void Flames,, the inner flames of a planet, etc., to strengthen itself.

If it can’t absorb, it can also convert them into pure Crystal Stones.

And the stronger the constitution, the more terrifying the Crystal Stones it condenses.

Generally, only those in the Sword Tribulation Realm with a Thunderflame Sword Body can condense mid-grade Thunderflame Soul Crystals. To condense a top-grade Thunderflame Soul Crystal, it requires a genius of the True Spirit Level in the Nine Refinements Sword Tribulation Realm, and even then, it’s barely possible.

Yet, you’re only at the Sword Soul First Layer Heaven Realm, and you managed to condense a top-grade Thunderflame Soul Crystal; this is simply... unimaginable, unthinkable.

Either you possess a Thunderflame Sword Body, or... within your soul, there lies the genuine inheritance of Thunderflame, meaning, in your past life, you were possibly a true Thunderflame Sword Body!"

White Fox Bai Ying detailed carefully.

"Ah? Is that so..."

Zhou Yan fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.

After a long time, Zhou Yan still couldn’t recall any bits of his experiences during the Heavenly Tribulation nor could he remember those dream-like, inexplicably vanished memories.

At this moment, Zhou Yan knew that some things couldn’t be forced.

He sighed and said, "Still, I can’t remember anything, but based on what you’ve said, it seems possible. Anyway, currently, I am just an ordinary, singular Emperor Qi Sword Body."

Zhou Yan remarked, recalling his master who died amidst the Void Thunderflame but managed to leave behind a trace of refined Void Thunderflame merged into Zhou Yan’s soul.

So, could it be this Thunderflame or the Thunderflame within the soul of his deceased True Self that refined the Thunderflame Soul Crystals?

He couldn’t tell anymore.

Facing such immense Heavenly Dao Thunder, Zhou Yan was not confident to endure it again; it was an out-of-the-blue, irresistible feeling.

With that same feeling, Zhou Yan understood that if he faced such Thunder again, he might truly be annihilated.

A well can hold water, but a monstrous flood can obliterate the well into ruins.

Zhou Yan was like that well, capable of receiving Thunder, stronger than ordinary people but absolutely unable to indefinitely withstand the kind of Divine Thunder faced by practitioners undergoing their Life Tribulations!

"These Soul Crystals are hugely beneficial for your cultivation, and of course for any practitioner. You’d better collect them early otherwise, if a Tribulation Realm Practitioner discovers them, it’s like a starving wolf spotting a lamb."

White Fox Bai Ying did not continue to inquire further, but instead glanced at the mountainous pile of Thunderflame Soul Crystals and reminded him.

"Alright."

Zhou Yan thought but could not find an answer, so he stopped pondering and with a wave of his hand, collected all the Thunderflame Soul Crystals into the Ji Jade Cold Light Ring. Then, he transferred them into the Purple Flame Void.

At this point, Zhou Yan meticulously sensed the Purple Flame Void.

The Purple Flame Void became more substantial and truly vast as an abyss.

This whole world gradually possessed an indescribable ancient aura, seemingly undergoing a divine transformation.

Within this world, there were some low-level life forms, still in a primitive state.

These were all developing normally, and Zhou Yan didn’t pay too much attention. What Zhou Yan focused on was the Purple Flame Lotus in the Void.

The Purple Flame_lotus was still there, the Purple Flame became normal and stable. Within the Purple Flame, a small space occasionally displayed visions of creation and destruction, just like the very beginning.

Zhou Yan’s condensed Soul Consciousness formed a body here, entering within the range of the Purple Flame Lotus. He then stared at the Purple Flame Lotus, gently calling out, "Yanyan, Yanyan, are you still there?"

After this call, Zhou Yan waited approximately a moment, before a little girl, about four or five years old, dressed in a red cotton-padded jacket and with a dirty face, walked out.

In her eyes, there was a clear confusion and cluelessness.

After she came out, she still glanced around with a hint of curiosity in her gaze, slowly showing a glimmer of brightness in her eyes.

Then, her gaze fell on Zhou Yan and shifted to his face.

She paused slightly and then her eyes showed fear, saying, "Father King...have you returned? Yanyan won’t be naughty or playful anymore, Yanyan is going to cultivate now."

As Yanyan spoke, her body, like a streak of light, ’swoosh’ sound and entered into the Purple Flame.

The Purple Flame flashed, and within it, the space inside the Inner Flame broke endlessly in a horrifying manner, creating unimaginable fluctuations.

Zhou Yan witnessed with his own eyes as Yanyan’s action caused the world within the Purple Flame Inner Flame to collapse and regenerate three times almost instantly!

Zhou Yan was hugely shocked by this, but even more puzzled.

He stared blankly at the Purple Flame, watching as it gradually stabilized, still very confused.

Yanyan, still under Yao’s Sealing, seemed smaller than before, appearing a year younger than her previous five or six-year-old appearance.

...

Upon reflection, and recalling Yanyan’s fearful eyes, Zhou Yan realized something.

Immediately, almost instinctively, he extended his hand and produced a Sword Illusion Realm, deriving a mirror, and then he looked at his reflection.

In the mirror, there was a young man wearing a white Scholarly Robe, outstandingly heroic, Cold and Determined, and dignified.

This young man looked exactly like Zhou Yan, except there was a mark on his forehead resembling a Thunder Light Purple Flame Lotus.

Seeing this mark, fear burst in Zhou Yan’s heart like a thunderclap, and he was involuntarily pulled out of the Purple Flame Void.

Outside.

Zhou Yan felt a mysterious force tremor in his heart, and his face suddenly turned pale—then ’puff!’ he spewed out a mouthful of blood.

"Zhou Yan...you..."

At this moment, beside Zhou Yan, White Fox Bai Ying instantly turned deathly pale, with endless fear in her eyes, shivering tremendously and filled with immense fear while looking at Zhou Yan!

This fear was so intense that she even trembled while speaking.

"What happened? What did you see?"

Zhou Yan’s face turned cold, and his gaze sharpened as he asked Bai Ying.

"I saw... What did I see? I can’t remember... I really can’t recall. Oh... I remember now, I saw you spitting blood."

White Fox thought hard, then suddenly trembled, her fear completely vanished, and that memory completely disappeared.

"What’s wrong with you, were you hurt by Thunder? Ah, it’s all because of me that you got hurt. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you," Bai Ying said gently.

The fear she previously showed, she now completely forgot.

Zhou Yan, however, felt a chill in his heart, and even his scalp tingled.

Without thinking, he continued with his Soul Consciousness to enter the Purple Flame Void again, then formed a mirror to observe himself.

But this time, he was still himself, without that Thunder Seal resembling a Purple Flame Lotus Seed on his forehead.

He didn’t pull out of the Purple Flame Void just because he saw his own appearance.

Zhou Yan tried several times, with the same results.

He also tried calling out to Yanyan again, but the Purple Flame was calm and gave no response.

The flickering, unstable space inside the Purple Flame Inner Flame was always there, but it still created a feeling of overwhelming, terrible death whenever he thought of entering, which made Zhou Yan absolutely cautious.

After testing for a long time, still unable to find an answer, Zhou Yan had no choice but to give up his exploration.

He exited the Purple Flame Void and carefully sensed his body and examined the situation at his forehead, finding nothing unusual.

Except for spitting out a mouthful of blood, his body wasn’t injured as he expected.

"I’m fine."

Zhou Yan’s voice finally broke the silence after a while, exhaling a breath and managing a weak smile, he then said,

"Now the Thunder is calm, but the Power of Time is very complex, invisible and colorless, and without any signs. Be careful not to be touched by the Power of Time, it would be very troubling."

White Fox explained.

Then it exerted energy to envelop Zhou Yan, and flew forward with him, saying, "I’ll take you to my cave first, it’s relatively safe there. I saved a human woman there, and now her Residual Soul is also there. But she was afflicted by the Power of Time, and her body has already decayed, however, now that I’ve recovered to sixty percent, I will take good care of her. That way you’ll also have company, you won’t feel alone while I’m in seclusion."

White Fox thought for a moment, then continued.

Zhou Yan was somewhat distracted, subconsciously ignoring the latter part of the statement, but he was wary of what White Fox had said earlier.

He asked gravely, "What happens when entangled with the Power of Time?"

"The most notable signs of being entangled with the Power of Time are forgetting, hallucinations, self-denial, and inexplicable anxiety and unease," White Fox gently said.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan’s heart suddenly lurched.