met free Chapter 51 Breakup
Chapter 51 Breakup
Just as Mu Chunfeng finished speaking, a purple-black lightning flashed across Han Li's waist, and a Thunderbolt, as black as ink and with wisps of electric arcs wrapped around its surface, was firmly grasped in his palm.
Seeing this, Mu Chunfeng raised an eyebrow, subtly increasing his spiritual energy, and said in a colder tone, "What? Junior Brother Han, are you planning to break your oath to the inner demons and fight me?"
Han Li shook his head, his voice calm and without a trace of emotion: "With your current meager cultivation at the Qi Refining stage, Junior Brother, you wouldn't even be considered to be showing off your skills in front of Senior Brother. Let alone making a move, you probably wouldn't even be able to touch the hem of Senior Brother's clothes."
He paused, his fingers tightening slightly as he gripped the Heavenly Thunder Stone, his tone now imbued with an undeniable firmness: "However, Junior Brother is confident he can activate this Heavenly Thunder Stone in an instant. If Junior Brother dies, without me, how will Senior Brother use this ancient teleportation array? After all, the oath of the inner demon clearly states that this ancient teleportation array requires both of us to use it together."
Mu Chunfeng immediately understood his meaning upon hearing this.
Han Li was by nature extremely cautious. Now that his cultivation had fallen to the Qi Refining stage, he had little ability left to protect himself. Naturally, he was afraid that if he stepped into the teleportation array and arrived in an unfamiliar place, he would be attacked.
Back then, he still had the cultivation of the Foundation Establishment stage, so even if he was no match for the enemy, he could find a way to escape. But now, he doesn't even have the means to run away.
Thinking of this, Mu Chunfeng's tone softened a bit: "Junior Brother, if you have something to say, please speak frankly."
"It seems that senior brother understands junior brother's difficulties."
Han Li looked up at him, his eyes unwavering. "I want to make another oath with you, Senior Brother, promising that after using the ancient teleportation array, you will not attack me, take anything from me, or interfere with my freedom. Otherwise, I would rather die here than let you use the ancient teleportation array as you wish."
His voice was calm, but the intent to fight to the death was clearly evident in his words.
Upon hearing this, Mu Chunfeng suddenly chuckled, his laughter tinged with helplessness and annoyance: "Han Li, Han Li, another oath from the inner demons..."
Although there will be no backlash as long as the vow of inner demons is not broken, each time it is made, it is like binding an invisible shackle to one's Dao heart.
This feeling of being constantly constrained always made Mu Chunfeng feel that it would affect his state of mind in his future cultivation.
Moreover, since Mu Chunfeng came into contact with Han Li, he has not taken any initiative to do anything that would be detrimental to Han Li. He even shared the information about the ancient teleportation array with Han Li on his own initiative. He thought that what he had done should have earned him Han Li's basic trust, but he did not expect that at this critical moment, Han Li would still force him to make a vow against his inner demons.
All the pent-up impatience finally reached its peak at this moment, and Mu Chunfeng's laughter came to an abrupt end.
His gaze towards Han Li suddenly turned cold, and he said slowly, word by word, "Junior Brother Han, I really do need to control you a bit."
"What?"
Han Li was taken aback, not understanding the meaning of those words.
The next instant, Mu Chunfeng's eyes suddenly blazed with purple light!
This was the first time he had unleashed his full power to activate his double pupils in front of Han Li.
"Certainly!"
A faint sound rang out, and Han Li felt as if the space around him had frozen, and he was completely unable to move his limbs.
What terrified him even more was that his sea of consciousness was also firmly imprisoned, and he couldn't mobilize even a fraction of the divine sense he had just released.
He gripped the Heavenly Thunder Seed in his palm so tightly that his knuckles turned white, yet he couldn't even transmit the thought of channeling spiritual power to his fingertips.
Before he could feel a surge of overwhelming horror, Mu Chunfeng's figure appeared before him like a ghost in the blink of an eye.
The two looked at each other, their eyes meeting, less than an inch apart.
Han Li could only watch helplessly as the purple light surged in Mu Chunfeng's eyes. The two strange pupils, one large and one small, in her eye sockets were like two bottomless whirlpools, as if they were about to completely devour his soul.
For the first time since facing Mo Juren, Han Li felt so clearly that death was so close to him.
In fact, he originally had no intention of committing suicide; his threatening words were merely bargaining chips for self-preservation.
In his interactions with Mu Chunfeng, he also realized that Mu Chunfeng was not the kind of person who would kill indiscriminately. Although he could not be considered a person who valued loyalty and righteousness, he had never harmed the people around him without reason.
However, he wouldn't risk his life for someone else's kindness, so he laid various traps above the ancient teleportation array and outside the cave beforehand, in case Mu Chunfeng disagreed, he would risk his life to escape.
But to his utter surprise, Mu Chunfeng actually made a move, and in a way he had never seen before, he instantly subdued him with overwhelming force.
Even though he had already released his divine sense to be on guard against the extremely strange divine sense attack that Mu Chunfeng had once displayed, it had no effect whatsoever.
Now that he can't move his body at all, it means that all his previous backup plans are useless.
Boundless fear overwhelmed his mind like a tidal wave.
He had never felt time pass so slowly, as if every second was stretched out infinitely, and he could be instantly wiped out at any moment.
He even forgot that Mu Chunfeng would never kill him at this moment. The two were bound by the oath of the inner demons. If he killed him, Mu Chunfeng himself would never be able to use this ancient teleportation array again.
At most, they'd just knock him unconscious and forcibly take him onto the teleportation array.
But to Han Li's surprise, Mu Chunfeng did not continue to make a move.
Three breaths later, Mu Chunfeng raised his right hand, his fingertips carrying a trace of cool spiritual energy, and gently touched his forehead, causing the power that had been binding him to dissipate.
With a "thump".
Han Li's body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground.
The purple light in Mu Chunfeng's eyes had not yet faded. Looking at Han Li, who was slumped on the ground, he spoke in a calm tone, but with an undeniable authority: "All your methods are meaningless in front of my eyes."
"Junior Brother Han, wake up!"
After saying that, he walked back to the stone steps and sat down, his double pupils still open, silently staring at Han Li.
Han Li sat on the ground, panting heavily, his mind reeling.
He was completely baffled by the strange methods Mu Chunfeng employed.
At this moment, he was like a mouse being squeezed tightly by an invisible hand, with no room to struggle.
Those resounding words from just now seem as ridiculous as a clown jumping around.
A deathly silence fell over the cave.
Only the ancient teleportation array emitted a faint blue spiritual light and a soft hum.
After a long while, Han Li finally managed to calm his wildly beating heart, slowly raised his head, his lips moved slightly, and he was about to open his mouth to say something when Mu Chunfeng's voice came first.
"Han Li, you should think this through. I, Mu, have never truly done anything to harm you from beginning to end. On the contrary, we've had many mutually beneficial transactions. I understand that you are cautious by nature, and that your actions are merely for self-preservation. But I'm telling you today, between us, it has always been me accommodating you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he casually flicked his wrist, and a jade slip flew to Han Li's side.
"Look for yourself, what is this?"
Han Li was still somewhat unsettled. He picked up the jade slip from the ground with a blank expression and barely managed to mobilize a wisp of his divine sense to probe into the jade slip.
But when he saw the contents of the jade slip, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he froze.
The words "Qingyuan Sword Technique Compatibility," "Three-Turn Rejuvenation Technique," "Dispersed Power Re-cultivation," and "Compressed True Essence" echoed repeatedly in his mind, causing his sea of consciousness to tremble slightly.
Three full breaths passed.
He slowly exhaled a breath he had been holding for a long time, his chest heaving violently before quickly calming down.
He lowered his eyes, concealing the turbulent emotions surging within them, and murmured to himself in an almost flat, emotionless voice, "The Three Revolutions Rejuvenation Technique... it's actually a secret technique配套 (matching) the Azure Origin Sword Art..."
The moment he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his head and looked at Mu Chunfeng. In addition to the lingering fear, for the first time there was an extremely complex expression in his eyes—there was disbelief and shock, there was extreme excitement, and there was a trace of deep-seated vigilance.
"good."
Mu Chunfeng's voice rang out again, "This secret technique is the matching secret technique of the Azure Origin Sword Art, which can greatly increase the chance of forming a core. If you can master this Three Revolutions Replenishing Origin Technique, your chances of forming a core will increase by at least 50%."
"Fifty percent..."
Han Li's hand holding the jade slip trembled slightly.
Looking at his expression—clearly a turmoil within, yet his face remained impassive—Mu Chunfeng couldn't help but scoff, "What? Don't you believe me? Or do you think I'd try to fool you with fake secret techniques?"
Han Li slowly stood up from the ground, bowed deeply to Mu Chunfeng, and said with a hint of apology in his tone: "Senior brother, it was indeed my petty mind that led me to speak so offensively. I hope you will not take offense. If you have any requests, please feel free to ask. As long as it is within my ability, I will not refuse."
He was naturally sensible.
Since Mu Chunfeng didn't kill him, but instead used the Three Revolutions Rejuvenation Technique, a secret technique that would drive the entire cultivation world of Yue Kingdom crazy, if he continued to resist, he would only be courting death.
But the feelings in his heart were far more complicated than they appeared on the surface.
If it were anyone else who dared to treat him like an ant, he would not outwardly resist in the slightest, but he would definitely remember this debt and seek revenge a thousandfold or even a hundredfold in the future.
But Mu Chunfeng was different; the relationship between the two was very delicate, containing both the camaraderie of fellow disciples and the wariness between traders.
Mu Chunfeng did take advantage of him, and he never truly trusted Mu Chunfeng, but the benefits Mu Chunfeng gave him were always genuine.
As for Mu Chunfeng's statement, "It's always me who's accommodating you," Han Li wouldn't have believed a single word of it in the past.
But now, holding the slightly cool jade slip in his palm and feeling the cultivation path in his sea of consciousness that perfectly matched the Azure Origin Sword Technique, he had to admit that there might be some truth to what he said.
However, the humiliation of being completely controlled by others still lingered like a thorn, causing a dull ache in his heart.
He still loathed this feeling of being powerless, and continued to secretly plot how he could turn the tables in the future.
As long as one is alive, as long as there is still hope of achieving the Golden Core stage, everything suffered today will be repaid in the future.
Who knows, one day in the future, this high and mighty Senior Brother Mu might actually have to ask him for a favor.
Thinking of this, Han Li felt a little relieved.