Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao
Chapter 354 - 006 Heavenly Thunder Ancient Array

Chapter 354: Chapter 006 Heavenly Thunder Ancient Array

Guan Qiushui no longer harbored any sense of apprehension in front of Zhou Yan, feeling utterly at ease as she prepared to immerse herself in cultivation.

For all of her being seemed utterly unshackled by any force in the presence of Zhou Yan. If Zhou Yan truly intended to do something, she would be powerless to stop him.

Thus, after being subjected to Zhou Yan’s uninvited advances, she simply stopped defending herself, since it was utterly futile.

At the same time, after gradually understanding Zhou Yan’s capabilities, the man became even more enigmatic, like a riddle, deeply capturing her heart.

Not only that, but this Cultivator named Zhou Yan also possessed mysteriously formidable powers, and his appearance was so striking that it shocked women, so much so that after going through certain events with him, Guan Qiushui found that she actually quite liked him. So much so that, subconsciously, she had allowed these events to unfold.

The world of Cultivators is inherently brutal; finding a suitable Daoist couple isn’t easy. Now that she felt a flicker of emotion, Guan Qiushui decided to just let things take their course.

But when she thought about how Zhou Yan’s aid to her and the others was merely to repay the favor of Lan Ruo and Xian Yue saving him, and that his ultimate aim was actually to marry the Holy Daughter...

Thinking of these things, Guan Qiushui couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss again.

However, she hid these thoughts well and focused on cultivating.

Now, with her internal dilemma suddenly resolved, she felt a rare peace of mind relying on Zhou Yan. It seemed that the arrival of the Three-Eyed Clan and the Moonwater Tribe didn’t frighten her at all.

"A woman, it seems, really needs a powerful man to rely on to have a moment of relief... It’s just a pity that I am not the Holy Daughter."

Guan Qiushui thought, and her mind wandered again.

She seemed on the verge of making a tough decision, but at that moment, the voice that had previously angered and embarrassed her, yet now somehow lingered in her dreams, suddenly interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey, Fairy, now’s not the time for whimsical thoughts. Wait until I’ve helped you condense your realm and slain those Outer Realm Cultivators, then we can have a proper discussion about the grand art of life’s evolution."

Zhou Yan said with a smile.

He found it strange that he could faintly grasp others’ thoughts, even the simplest emotional fluctuations, from which he could infer a lot of information. This ability was truly extraordinary.

Thus, Zhou Yan often thought to himself that he must have been a fearsome person in the past.

However, without his past memories, why did he always feel so joyful and relaxed in body and mind?

Zhou Yan was somewhat puzzled, but he didn’t dwell on it, for in his previous sensing of his body, he could feel that the Sealing power that was invincible had intentionally relaxed a strand of energy, allowing him to gradually unravel the Sealing in his cultivation.

This had taken a great deal of effort. The Ancient Array had condensed a lot of Essence Blood, clearly indicating that someone had thought everything through for him.

Therefore, Zhou Yan understood that someone who cared for him had arranged all this to prevent him from remembering certain events from his past.

Zhou Yan chose to accept it; he didn’t want to let down the person who had done all this for him—even though he didn’t know who it was, he knew that everything they did was for him.

This feeling was incredibly strong, impossible for him to ignore.

So, he put aside his doubts about the past and became more casual and detached, letting everything take its natural course. Hence, his own nature began to reveal itself bit by bit.

"Are... are you peering into my thoughts?"

Guan Qiushui was somewhat startled and embarrassed, yet there was a hint of shyness and eagerness in her voice.

Naturally, deep in her heart, there was a sliver of hope—for some things were difficult to voice. If Zhou Yan could sense them... Even if she would be ashamed, at least there would be an outcome.

"No, you’ve simply written everything on your face. Just look at yourself; who wouldn’t figure it out?"

Zhou Yan chuckled and casually cast a Sword Illusion Realm to project Guan Qiushui’s appearance.

Guan Qiushui got a glimpse of herself and was startled by her own expression. Her complexion turned slightly pale, and sadness crept into her eyes. She sent a telepathic message, "Zhou Lingzhe, do you think I’m really pathetic?"

"That... Of course not. I was just joking with you; don’t take it to heart."

Zhou Yan felt a bit embarrassed, then quickly changed the subject, "Don’t dwell on it. Concentrate on your cultivation. Becoming powerful is the only truth."

"Mhm."

Guan Qiushui knew that now was not the time for impulsiveness. So, she composed herself and found her inner peace.

Simultaneously, the energy within her body finally gathered to a tipping point and began to transform into her Sword Spirit.

This time, she was striving to reach the Sword Soul Three Heavens Realm. The Sword Soul Three Heavens represented the last transformation of the Sword Spirit, and its significance for a Cultivator went without saying.

This time, even if Guan Qiushui’s thoughts were somewhat distracted, she still fully gathered her complex emotions and became incredibly focused in front of her own Realm.

The flush on her face quickly faded as the energy condensed, and her own Realm became increasingly stable, revealing a unique charm.

At this moment, the sweet fragrance that Zhou Yan initially smelled began to dissipate again with her Cultivation, little by little.

Others couldn’t smell it, but Zhou Yan could clearly sense this fragrance, which made him involuntarily experience a moment of stupefaction and bewilderment.

It seemed as if he had smelled this scent somewhere before.

Not only that, he had previously mentioned wanting to see this woman’s body; subconsciously, it seemed as though he had already witnessed such a scene, which felt extremely familiar, like it happened only yesterday.

"Time? Reversal? Or have I met this person before? Had contact?"

Zhou Yan’s mind was struck by a strange thought, but as it was a critical moment for Guan Qiushui’s Sword Spirit to converge to an extreme, Zhou Yan didn’t allow himself to be distracted and began to condense his own energy.

His Constitution was of the Thunderflame Physique, so with a thought, his body began to nurture myriad of Thunder Sword Intent, an ancient power resembling Divine Punishment from Heaven and Earth.

The moment this aura manifested, Lan Ruo and Xian Yue immediately felt overwhelmed.

They were there merely to act as guardians, preventing any disturbances during this process, but this energy and majestic will made it impossible for them to stay any longer.

As a result, both women involuntarily stepped back, watching Zhou Yan with eyes filled with fear and palpitations.

"You needn’t worry. This aura is controlled within this room. In a moment, I will condense an Ancient Heavenly Thunder Array to lock down this area, so there is no need for you to leave. Just endure it for a short moment."

Speaking thus, Zhou Yan’s hands fluttered like butterflies, forming many strange Sealing patterns, and ancient Rune marks appeared, summoning various energies of thunder and lightning from unseen places to converge here.

In a brief moment, a small, semi-circular Array appeared. Within this arched Array, like a world of Thunder, the sky teemed with Thunder — albeit on a much smaller scale.

If any knowledgeable Cultivator were here, they would be astonished to find that Zhou Yan’s casual Heavenly Thunder Array resembled a miniature Thunderflame Breaking Path Mountain!

But all this eluded everyone else, and even Zhou Yan, despite having condensed such a Heavenly Thunder Ancient Array, did not understand it fully. Therefore, when he excluded Lan Ruo and Xian Yue from the Array, the two women no longer felt any discomfort.

However, the situation with Guan Qiushui was slightly different at this moment.

Because Guan Qiushui was being refined by layers of delicate Power of thunder and lightning, as if she were undergoing a Heavenly Tribulation.

Although this force was not one ten-millionth of that of a Life Tribulation Cultivator, this was, after all, only an advancement to the Sword Spirit Realm!

To have the assistance of Heavenly Tribulation in advancing through Sword Soul Realm — the potential increase in Combat Power after the breakthrough was unimaginable.

Zhou Yan was cognizant of all this and lent his help to Guan Qiushui because he could control everything. At the same time, it was also that inexplicable sense of familiarity that prompted him to offer her some extra assistance.

If it were merely to repay a debt of gratitude, he need not have gone through such trouble.

...

"Szzzz—"

Endless Heavenly Tribulation, though only a miniature version, was still excruciating for Guan Qiushui.

Her Spirit Armor disintegrated bit by bit within the Heavenly Thunder Ancient Array, turning into Tribulation Ash, ceasing to exist.

Thus, her body was gradually revealed.

Zhou Yan’s actions in condensing the Ancient Array and the Heavenly Thunder Seal Array momentarily froze, his gaze unintentionally shifting over, losing focus for an instant.

Startled for a moment, Zhou Yan then reined in his wandering thoughts, continued condensing the Array, and sent strands of Purple Flame thunder and lightning into Guan Qiushui’s body to purify the impurities in her Soul.

This process lasted for about ten minutes, and with a mind calm as still water, Zhou Yan’s rebellious member gradually settled down, humbly lowering its prideful head from a state of eager readiness.

At this point, Zhou Yan, as if nothing had happened, concluded condensing the Purple Flame.