The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 363 - 227 Xiling’s Enlightenment_2

Chapter 363: Chapter 227 Xiling’s Enlightenment_2

The mountain wind howled with rain and fog, but it vaguely sparked some inspiration in him.

During this time, he had been studying the Art of Escaping.

In the "North Emperor Divine Travel Technique," besides the Armored Horse, there was also the Dangerous Crossing Skill, which involved using the Armored Horse to traverse hazardous areas.

One key aspect was utilizing the power of the Five Elements.

He hadn’t quite understood it before, but his previous experience of escaping on water by using the Armored Horse had led to an epiphany.

The so-called use of the Five Elements’ power was not about relying on the elements themselves, but on their momentum.

All things under heaven could be divided into Yin Yang and the Five Elements, especially the situations formed by Astral Bane Energy; Astral Bane could be divided into Yin Yang, and its momentum changes could be divided into the Five Elements.

The crux was in borrowing and going with the flow, not in controlling.

The river waves surged on their own, which was a force in itself; using Hidden Energy to borrow power and slap the water surface to rise was the most rudimentary method.

If he could harness this momentum, it would be much easier.

"Armored Horse" was originally for worshiping deities, decorated with Divine Statues on top, symbolizing the Northern Ghost Emperor, donned in armor and riding on horseback, traveling by borrowing this Divine Power.

Likewise, wasn’t this also a form of escaping armor?

The deities as armor, escaping by borrowing momentum, that was the Divine Crossing Dangerous Skill.

That was the strength of the "North Emperor Divine Travel Technique," not only could it overlay Hidden Energy, but it could also escape by harnessing momentum.

And the "North Emperor Divine Travel Technique" was also the foundation of the Escape Technique.

Thinking of this, Li Yan formed the Yang Jue with his hands, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

Indeed, the Yangtze River was the Dragon Vein, especially here in the Xiling Gorge, where the rolling waves inherently carried a force of Gang Qi, churning and rushing.

Of course, it hadn’t formed a "situation," but rather a "force."

As the saying goes, when the momentum ends, it scatters.

If he could merge the Armored Horse into this force, he might not need to use Hidden Energy at all and could ride the waves at high speed.

Of course, his Armored Horse was made of ordinary yellow silk, and it couldn’t withstand this advanced technique; perhaps as soon as he tried to harness the momentum, it would collapse and burn.

But this technique was now beyond doubt; he just needed to find some better materials to make a formidable Armored Horse, then he could practice and employ it.

Not only that, but the "North Emperor Divine Travel Technique" was the basis for the "North Emperor Mysterious Water Escape," and with this connection, he also had some clues about the Mysterious Water Escape technique.

Similarly, this method was not about control, but about harnessing momentum.

Human strength has limits; with a mortal body, how could one control the Five Elements?

All spells are about harnessing momentum. For example, the Thunder Technique, claiming to command the heavens, could not really control the Heavenly Mechanism; it merely harnessed existing forces, connecting heaven and earth to summon lightning.

Just like ordinary people using a lever.

The so-called Escape Technique was about using the strength of Storing God as a fulcrum, the surrounding situation as a lever, leveraging the changes of the Five Elements, thus achieving stealth!

In an instant, a burst of spiritual light flooded his mind.

Without a word, Li Yan stepped out of the cave.

The mountain winds in the gorge chanted furiously, water mist churned, rushing towards him, quickly soaking him through.

Li Yan paid it no mind, instead, he closed his eyes, formed the Yang Jue, and tuned in to the flow of the Astral Bane Energy around him.

He could feel the mist fine and soft, the Gang wind forming a force, water rising with the wind, continuously churning in the air.

Li Yan’s hands began to change, first with the fingers of his left hand pointing upwards, then the middle and ring fingers bent into the palm, thumb, index finger, and pinky, each stretching up‌.

This was the Three Purities fingers, used for purifying water or talisman water spells, and also the hand seal employed during the Mysterious Water Escape.

Once the hand seal was formed, Li Yan began to step Gang and chant, "Nuogao! Heavenly purity and Taisu, essence of Ren and Gui. Inwardly corresponding to the kidney storage, upwardly relating to the planet Mercury. I now practice transformation, all things follow shape. Hiding or revealing, with intent it takes form, urgently as the decree commands!"

Whoo~

In a flash, a thick fog of water churned towards him.

The fog was so dense it almost turned white, and Li Yan’s figure was completely engulfed by it.

This spectacle immediately drew the attention of everyone inside the cave.

Wang Daoxuan, upon seeing this, his eyes filled with delight, "An Escape Technique!"

Before he could finish, he quickly covered his mouth.

He knew how important an Escape Technique was for a Magician, and he couldn’t believe that Li Yan, with a Dao at the Second Layer, had already begun to grasp it.

It was likely due to the peculiar weather that he had this realization.

Thinking of this, he gestured for everyone to keep silent, so as not to disturb Li Yan’s cultivation.

Sha Lifei and Lv San naturally made no sound, and even the ship workers widened their eyes, daring not to breathe loudly.

Li Yan was shrouded in white fog, and it was impossible to see what he was doing.

However, the white fog seemed to come alive, rising and falling, moving left and right, unpredictable as ever.

Whoo~

Suddenly, a gust of wind arose, and the campfire flickered erratically.

The white fog instantly dispersed, filling the entire cave, blinding everyone with white; yet the sound of the wind whistling, and the white fog churning followed.

In the thick fog, a trace of surprise appeared in Li Yan’s eyes.

No wonder Escape Techniques are important to a Magician.

Utilizing the ever-changing Astral Bane Energy within the fog, he managed to conceal his aura. Unless a Magician with higher Dao and Divine Skills arrived, they wouldn’t be able to find his trace at all.

With this technique, he could not only escape but also use it to kill his enemies!

Of course, he had only grasped the surface of the "North Emperor Mysterious Water Escape," and this Escape Skill consumed an astonishing amount of energy.

He could distinctly feel the power of Storing God diminishing bit by bit.

Shortly after, a sense of enlightenment rose in Li Yan’s heart.

What he did was no different from creating fog. Although he took advantage of the canyon’s special weather, it was extremely exhausting. With his current level of Dao, he couldn’t sustain it for long.

Thinking of this, Li Yan’s hand seal guided the dense fog in the cave to rapidly disperse, but a part of it converged and again circled around him.

However, this time, it was somewhat fainter and merged with the surrounding mist, making his figure only a faint outline visible to everyone.

Especially as the sky darkened, it became even more indistinct.

Finally, Li Yan withdrew his hand seal, his face filled with joy.

"Brother Yan, congratulations."

Sha Lifei beamed with joy, hurrying to offer his congratulations.

Although he wasn’t clear on what the implications of the Escape Technique were, he knew that Li Yan’s strength had increased again.

Wang Daoxuan and Lv San at his side also showed delighted expressions, while the ship workers were gobsmacked, staring at Li Yan with eyes full of awe and fear.

"Congratulations, Young Hero Li."

Yuan Baihu’s look was somewhat complex.

Under normal circumstances, he would have offered plenty of flattering words, to have assistance when carrying out tasks, but now he was in no mood to do so.

"It was just a stroke of luck."

Li Yan too wore a smile, sitting down by the campfire.

Actually, his gains were far from just that.

After reaching the peak of Hidden Energy, he practiced the Force Transformation daily. In fact, he had already stepped one foot into the door; it just required a long time of practice.

After all, mastering Force Transformation took place in the heart. To thoroughly control it and achieve "effortless touch that dissolves," it required years of accumulated experience, similar to perfecting a skill through repetition.

Gaining complete mastery was just a matter of time.

But now, Li Yan had a new inspiration.

What is Force Transformation, if not a way of leveraging force? Force can be divided into Yin Yang and Five Elements, and different types of energy represent different forces.

As long as one grasps the key to leveraging force, one could not only transform...

But even use that leverage to attack!

It was somewhat similar to Taiji, not in the sense of using techniques to dissolve moves but rather twisting the direction of energy once it entered the body to launch an attack.

The idea sounded fantastical.

After all, traditional Force Transformation training involved years of practice, reaching a level akin to muscle memory, where one could use an opposing force to neutralize any kind of energy attack from the adversary.

And Li Yan, he wanted to leverage it, to strike with both parties’ energy combined.

This method was more like a Cultivation Technique he remembered:

The Indestructible Seal Technique!

In this world, no one would be so insane.

After all, Hidden Energy was dangerous. Introducing it into the body, one might suffer serious injuries before even figuring out how to leverage energy.

A Martial Artist’s body is as precious as gold. A single mistake could lead to being bedridden, taking a long time to recover, or even a halt in their martial arts journey.

But he had the assistance of the Daluo Dharma Body.

He had reached his current level by sustaining injuries time after time.

However, to leverage force, he feared he would need stronger Hidden Energy.

Looking at the campfire before him, Li Yan fell into deep contemplation.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the cliff where they were, a boat took advantage of the night and slowly sailed on the river surface.

Far away on the water, a line cut through the surface.

Splash!

The men in black on the boat, faces filled with panic, tipped basin after basin of powder into the water. Accompanied by a pungent stench, toxic smoke immediately bubbled up from the water.

The line was a river monster, which, sensing the poison, swung its tail to stay far away but still reluctant to leave, following behind.

As the poison diluted in the Yangtze River’s waters, it quickly rushed back.

The men in black on the boat, helpless, had to dump more powder to drive it away again.

And at the bow, an old beggar sat cross-legged, the very remnant of the Longxiang Army who had attacked Li Yan...