Chapter 1017: A Brand New Mask

Rumble...

Thunder raged wildly.

The multicolored thunder tribulation bombarded the center of the tribulation crossing, but upon sensing an outsider entering the tribulation zone, it gathered another portion of its power and struck out.

Whoosh!

Huang Quan gripped the Shang Xuan Jian from his back, which was one of his sword and blade pair.

He paused briefly, waiting until the thunder tribulation was upon him, then swung his sword upward, splitting the thunder in two on the spot.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...

Electric serpents danced across his body, but Huang Quan showed no sign of distress.

The invasive force of the tribulation did no harm to his body.

As one of the Nine Supreme Divine Artifacts, the greatest power of the Shang Xuan Jian was its ability to ignore all defenses, slicing through thunder as easily as cutting vegetables.

With one swing, it could rend mountains and split seas.

Its claim as the sharpest in the world was no empty boast.

Apart from the famed sword Tian Jie, no weapon in the current era could withstand an attack from the Shang Xuan Jian.

"Tian Ren Wu Shui... how could you be here?"

Sheathing the Shang Xuan Jian on his back, Huang Quan murmured in quiet doubt, then swiftly flew toward the center of the tribulation crossing.

The deep sea failed to form a water sphere around him, and the water pressure could not crush his body—this demonstrated Huang Quan's capabilities.

Even within the forbidden seal barrier, where space-time attributes were sealed, his Space-Time Sacred Body still allowed him to exist as if in another dimension, untouched by external forces.

For offense, he had the Shang Xuan Jian and Hun Jie on his back—one the pinnacle of physical attacks, the other of soul attacks.

This was the confidence that enabled Huang Quan to venture into the sea alone and even entertain thoughts of slaying a Ban Sheng.

"Meng Po has already been found.

"Tian Ren Wu Shui clearly fell into the deep sea some time ago and ended up in this position...

"What on earth did he encounter?"

Up to this point, Huang Quan only knew that he had gone into the water to find Meng Po because she had encountered Jiang family Ban Sheng on Gu Yin Ya.

But Tian Ren Wu Shui had been acting with Meng Po, yet they were separated, with him falling into the deep sea first.

The events in between still needed careful consideration.

If not for Meng Po currently being in a comatose state due to sealing...

If not for the urgent situation requiring him to find someone quickly...

Huang Quan would have desperately wanted to awaken Meng Po and have her recount everything that had happened in detail.

Of course, that would waste too much time.

He also couldn't be sure if, after pulling Meng Po out from his internal second space-time world, a water sphere would still appear to protect her.

If not, the water pressure would assault her the moment she appeared, and she would surely die!

So, the priority remained finding someone.

As long as he found Tian Ren Wu Shui, all questions would have answers!

Whoosh!

He sped like the wind.

With spatial power unusable, naturally he couldn't teleport in the deep sea.

However, his Space-Time Sacred Body negated the water pressure's restrictions, so Huang Quan's pure speed in rushing forward was already at its peak.

Before long,

After slashing through thunderbolts with his sword, he finally reached the center of the tribulation crossing.

At the same time, the thunder tribulation force from the nine heavens showed signs of dissipating, no longer sending down lightning.

"Has it ended?"

Huang Quan looked up.

In the deep sea, the dissipation of the tribulation force meant two possibilities.

Either the one crossing the tribulation was dead,

Or the one crossing had succeeded, causing the Nine Deaths Thunder Tribulation to retreat on its own, adding another Tai Xu to the world.

Glancing around,

Huang Quan quickly spotted a floating figure not far away.

—An orange robe, tattered and torn, the mask on his face shattered, revealing a blood-streaked face that belonged to Tian Ren Wu Shui.

There was no water sphere.

But the water pressure hadn't crushed his body.

Because Tian Ren Wu Shui hadn't yet weakened to the limit, so the water sphere protection mechanism hadn't triggered.

"Huff..."

Huang Quan relaxed slightly upon seeing this.

As long as he wasn't dead, that was good.

He quickly approached Tian Ren Wu Shui, thought for a moment, then drew the Shang Xuan Jian from his back and gave it a slight shake from a distance.

Buzz!

The sword hummed, rippling the water.

Under the external shock, Tian Ren Wu Shui's eyelids trembled, showing signs of awakening.

The next second,

"Cough!"

He coughed up blood, flipped his body upright.

Seeming to have slept too long, his limbs were somewhat stiff. After twisting his neck and clenching his fists, he turned his gaze, somewhat uncoordinated, toward the face of the one who had awakened him.

"...Huang Quan?"

Tian Ren Wu Shui's pupils contracted, then he blinked rapidly, his throat bobbed, and with a hint of surprise, he called again: "Huang Quan... sir?"

In the first call, Huang Quan sensed some strangeness in Tian Ren Wu Shui, even a hint of wariness on his face.

But after the second call, with the familiar tone returning, Huang Quan set aside his doubts.

In the deep sea, Tian Ren Wu Shui must have gone through something, so wariness was normal.

"How did you end up here?" Huang Quan asked.

Tian Ren Wu Shui tilted his neck and moved his limbs slightly, as if trying to awaken his body's strength. He shook his head in response:

"I don't know..."

He paused for a long time, his eyes filled with recollection, before adding after some time:

"I only remember that while acting with Meng Po, we encountered a sealing-attribute ghost beast host...

"He was very strong. He knocked Meng Po out, and when I tried to take her away, he chased me into the spatial fragmentation flows and knocked me out...

"That's right!"

Tian Ren Wu Shui seemed to recall something and looked up: "Before being sealed, I called your name... but you didn't seem to sense it?"

Sealing attribute...

Huang Quan finally understood how Meng Po's powers had completely vanished.

As for "calling the name"...

"Under the sealing force, your call probably couldn't reach my ears." Huang Quan sighed deeply, then changed the subject: "Do you know who he was?"

"Feng Tian..." Tian Ren Wu Shui hesitated, then said evasively: "It's that one."

"Then I understand."

Huang Quan nodded, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Clearly, he hadn't expected Feng Tian Sheng Di to still be alive, existing in the form of a ghost beast.

In that case, it was normal that Tian Ren Wu Shui and Meng Po couldn't defeat him.

No!

His thoughts settled, and a cold light flashed in Huang Quan's eyes as he asked in shock: "After he sealed you, how did you end up here? And from what I can see, your powers don't seem to be in a sealed state?"

After observing closely, Huang Quan realized that, unlike Meng Po, Tian Ren Wu Shui's powers were actually at full strength.

If he had been sealed, a water sphere would surely have appeared, right? Otherwise, the water pressure would have crushed Tian Ren Wu Shui long ago!

"I also... don't know..."

Tian Ren Wu Shui seemed to have even his memories sealed and needed to awaken them bit by bit.

After a long pause, he said helplessly: "I really can't remember anything after being sealed. I only know that when I woke up, I was already in this deep sea."

Huang Quan's eyes filled with more suspicion.

Had Tian Ren Wu Shui been thrown here by Feng Tian Sheng Di?

And after throwing him, what had happened to break the sealing force?

It couldn't be that after their battle ended with Tian Ren Wu Shui's defeat, Feng Tian Sheng Di had simply not sealed his abilities, could it?

"What about him?" Huang Quan didn't press further and shifted his gaze to the deep sea.

"He's dead." Tian Ren Wu Shui responded calmly, knowing Huang Quan meant the one who had been crossing the tribulation.

"How did he die?"

"The Nine Deaths Thunder Tribulation is already difficult, let alone forcing it in a forbidden seal barrier with nine hundred and seventy-two bolts... Ha! In the end, he tried to drag me down with him, but he clearly picked the wrong person."

Tian Ren Wu Shui's lips curled up, as if recalling something amusing.

From just a few words, Huang Quan could already picture the scene: the one crossing the tribulation desperately trying to pull someone down with him, only to drag in a body of decay, making the Nine Deaths Thunder Tribulation even more terrifying.

He laughed too.

But soon, his smile faded.

Because after chatting for a bit, Huang Quan smelled a foul stench on himself.

"As expected, I can't talk to him too much..."

His last trace of doubt vanished.

Tian Ren Wu Shui was still the same Tian Ren Wu Shui, the kind even he found somewhat daunting.

With the conversation heating up, Huang Quan knew he couldn't continue it, so he changed the topic: "How about it? Have you adapted to the power of the San Yan Tong Mu?"

"San Yan Tong Mu?" Tian Ren Wu Shui was slightly startled.

"Hmm?" Huang Quan looked over. "Is there a problem?"

Tian Ren Wu Shui furrowed his brows slightly, paused, then said: "No problem, but I just tried—it still won't open."

"Still can't adapt..." Huang Quan murmured softly, not minding much.

The power of the San Yan Tong Mu was too strong, after all, and Tian Ren Wu Shui hadn't deliberately tried to integrate it. Just being able to implant it was already quite an achievement.

As for opening it... let time slowly erode the barriers.

"Wear a mask."

While Huang Quan was still thinking, Tian Ren Wu Shui had already smirked, showing a somewhat kindly smile.

He bent down, scooped up a handful of water, and washed away all the remaining blood from his face.

Once done, he pulled an orange mask from his spatial ring and slowly put it on, covering the stiff expression from his earlier words.

"All set."

Straightening up, Tian Ren Wu Shui adjusted his hands slightly, as if adapting to this new mask.

Huang Quan smiled as he watched.

Members of Yan Wang were used to wearing masks, so showing their true faces occasionally felt uncomfortable.

Even he was now accustomed to not revealing his true appearance.

But he hadn't noticed before that Tian Ren Wu Shui would have this issue too...

"Huang Quan... sir." Tian Ren Wu Shui adjusted the mask on his face, his tone now more composed, and asked: "What do you plan to do next?"

Sensing that Tian Ren Wu Shui's internal power was at full strength, Huang Quan joked: "You're recovering quite well. If Meng Po had even a tenth of your strength, she probably wouldn't have fainted."

After the jest, he got to the point: "There's a forbidden seal barrier here. Next, I might have to face a major enemy. Do you want to stay or go up first?"

Going up meant leaving the deep sea and returning to Gu Yin Ya.

Fighting alongside Tian Ren Wu Shui would indeed be helpful, as he was a great force, but deep down, Huang Quan didn't really want to.

Because if the battle dragged on...

He and Jiang family Ban Sheng might both end up with unexpected troubles!

"Who are you dealing with?" Tian Ren Wu Shui asked.

"Jiang family Ban Sheng—I mentioned him briefly before. Right now, he should have entered the water and is on his way chasing me." Huang Quan said calmly.

Under the mask, Tian Ren Wu Shui's brows shot up in surprise, but he quickly regained his composure and said steadily: "Then I'll stay and lend you a hand, Huang Quan sir."

He actually won't leave... Huang Quan sighed inwardly.

Tian Ren Wu Shui wasn't one to meddle in affairs.

Normally, without a mission, he was nowhere to be found.

But now, since he knew the opponent was a Ban Sheng, he probably couldn't just walk away.

However, from the moment Huang Quan raised the question and left the choice to him...

He had decided that cooperation was optional.

Even if Tian Ren Wu Shui wasn't the best battle partner,

This time, they were facing a Ban Sheng, so Huang Quan still felt some apprehension.

Tian Ren Wu Shui's abilities were very strange, and in this deep sea, if used well, they might even counter a Ban Sheng better than the Shang Xuan Jian or Hun Jie.

Since he wanted to stay...

Then they'd bear the burden of Tian Ren Wu Shui's aura and see whether Jiang family Ban Sheng died first or if Huang Quan met misfortune sooner!

"Is it him?"

While Huang Quan was pondering, he saw that Tian Ren Wu Shui had already turned his head, looking toward the left front, and pointed remotely.

"Someone?"

In the forbidden seal barrier, spiritual sense couldn't be used, so when Huang Quan turned to look, he couldn't see anyone at first.

But in less than a few breaths,

A black dot appeared in the distance, transforming into a figure that stopped directly in front of them.

"Ban Sheng Jiang Buyi!"

Huang Quan's heart skipped a beat as he felt the immense Ban Sheng pressure, but he couldn't help glancing at Tian Ren Wu Shui beside him.

He hadn't expected that, without spiritual sense, this old fellow Tian Ren Wu Shui had better eyesight than him, spotting Jiang Buyi's arrival so much earlier.

Clang—

With his hands behind his back, the seals on the Shang Xuan Jian and Hun Jie—the two of the Nine Supreme Divine Artifacts—were released, and Huang Quan slowly drew them.

In the forbidden seal barrier,

Spiritual energy failed, sacred energy failed;

Spiritual sense failed, sacred sense failed;

Attribute powers couldn't be used, and various spiritual techniques couldn't be cast...

The gap between Tai Xu and Ban Sheng shrank from an insurmountable chasm to just the difference between a true Ban Sheng body and a naturally sacred body.

And this gap, the Shang Xuan Jian could already make up for.

What's more, Huang Quan had an additional Hun Jie.

In such a situation, what was there to fear in a Tai Xu fighting a Ban Sheng?

"Jiang Buyi..."

Holding the Shang Xuan Jian in his left hand and Hun Jie in his right, Huang Quan's gaze under the golden mask turned wild as he sneered: "I hear you're looking for me and want to take all of Yan Wang's Lei family pupils?"

When Ban Sheng Jiang Buyi arrived and saw Huang Quan's true form, unlike his space-time clone that had been suppressed into silence, daring to face him with blade and sword,

He was momentarily stunned.

"Shang Xuan Jian? Hun Jie?"

Flames ignited in Jiang Buyi's eyes. He never imagined that, besides Huang Quan himself and the Lei family pupils, this operation could yield two Supreme Divine Artifacts.

These were treasures on par with Ai Cang Sheng's Evil Sin Bow!

But soon, Jiang Buyi shifted his gaze from Huang Quan.

Before arriving, he had felt a sudden intuition.

Now, facing Huang Quan's true form, he vaguely sensed that the source of that intuition wasn't this person, but...

Jiang Buyi's gaze turned and fell on the unassuming orange-masked figure behind Huang Quan.

With just one look, he detected a familiar aura.

The power of San Yan Tong Mu!

His own bait!

Ban Sheng vision was incredibly sharp; even at this distance, in the pitch-black deep sea, even with the orange-robed figure wearing a mask...

Through all these obstacles,

Jiang Buyi could still see, in the shadows under the orange mask at the right eye, traces of gray three-petal flowers turning.

This was the sign that San Yan Tong Mu had already begun to open!

But...

"How could it open so quickly?

"I set up multiple seals—how did he adapt this fast?"

Jiang Buyi's heart clenched as he suddenly realized the source of his intuition.

If a Tai Xu fully mastered the Lei family pupil San Yan Tong Mu, the objects it could control...

"Huang Quan sir."

At the same time, Tian Ren Wu Shui turned to Huang Quan and asked: "Do you need me to take the first strike for you?"

Huang Quan's gaze was still fixed on the distant Ban Sheng Jiang Buyi. Hearing this, he turned and was about to nod in agreement...

Suddenly,

His gaze froze, and his words came out haltingly:

"No need... I'll take the... charge, you... hold the line..."