Chapter 1017: A Brand New Mask

“Boom…”

Thunder raged.

As the vibrant nine-colored lightning tribulation struck the center of the tribulation, it simultaneously sensed outsiders entering the tribulation's range. It gathered another portion of its power and blasted towards them.

“Whoosh!”

Huang Quan backhanded, gripping the Sorrowful Profound Sword, one of the sword and saber on his back.

He hesitated for a mere moment. Just as the lightning tribulation was about to hit him, he raised his sword, cleaving the tribulation in two on the spot.

“Zzzzzz…”

Arcs of electricity crackled over his body, but Huang Quan showed no unusual signs. The invasion of the tribulation's power failed to cause any discernible effect on him.

The Sorrowful Profound Sword, one of the nine supreme divine artifacts, possessed the most potent ability: it could disregard all defenses, cleaving through the lightning as easily as slicing vegetables. A single strike could split mountains and sunder seas. Its reputation as the sharpest weapon in the world was not merely an empty boast.

Aside from the renowned Heaven-Cleaving Sword, it was likely that no other weapon in the current era could withstand an attack from the Sorrowful Profound Sword.

“Heavenly Human… how could he be here?”

Sheathing the Sorrowful Profound Sword back on his hip, a flicker of doubt crossed Huang Quan’s mind as he rapidly flew towards the center of the tribulation.

The deep sea failed to form a protective water sphere around him, and its immense pressure couldn’t crush his body. This demonstrated Huang Quan's capabilities. Even within the Forbidden Law Barrier, where spatial and temporal attributes were sealed, his Spatial-Temporal Saint Body still allowed him to exist as if in another plane, unaffected by any external force.

For offense, he had the Sorrowful Profound Sword and Soul Sever on his back — one representing the pinnacle of physical attacks, the other the ultimate in soul attacks. This was the confidence that allowed Huang Quan to venture into the sea alone, even entertaining the thought of slaying a Half-Saint.

“Meng Po was already located. Heavenly Human, however, clearly fell into the deep sea some time ago, reaching such a low position… What exactly did he encounter?”

Up to this point, Huang Quan only knew that Meng Po had descended into the water because she had encountered a Half-Saint of the Jiang clan on Solitary Sound Cliff. Yet, Heavenly Human of Five Declines, who had been moving with Meng Po, was separated and fell into the deep sea prematurely. The situation here still required careful consideration.

If Meng Po wasn't currently in a sealed, unconscious state… If the situation wasn't so critical, requiring him to locate Heavenly Human of Five Declines quickly… Huang Quan would have immediately woken Meng Po to have her recount everything that had happened.

Of course, doing so would waste too much time. Huang Quan also couldn't be sure if a water sphere would appear to protect Meng Po after retrieving her from his Second Space-Time World. If not, the moment Meng Po appeared, the crushing water pressure would surely kill her!

So, the top priority remained finding Heavenly Human of Five Declines. As long as he was found, all questions would have answers!

“Whoosh!”

He moved with astonishing speed. Spatial power was unusable, so teleportation was naturally impossible in the deep sea. However, his Spatial-Temporal Saint Body negated the limitations of water pressure, and Huang Quan’s travel speed was already extremely fast, even for a Supreme Void.

Not long after, having cleaved lightning bolt after lightning bolt with his sword, he finally arrived at the tribulation's epicenter. At the same moment, the power of the lightning tribulation from the nine heavens began to dissipate, no longer sending down lightning bolts.

“It's over?” Huang Quan raised his gaze.

The fading tribulation power in the deep sea implied two possibilities: either the tribulator had died, or the tribulator had succeeded, causing the Nine Deaths Lightning Tribulation to recede naturally, thus adding another Supreme Void to the world.

His gaze swept around. Soon, Huang Quan spotted a floating form not far away—tattered orange robes, a broken mask revealing a blood-stained face: Heavenly Human of Five Declines.

There was no water sphere around him, yet the water pressure hadn't crushed his body. This indicated that Heavenly Human of Five Declines hadn't weakened to his limit, thus not triggering the protective water sphere mechanism.

“Phew…” Seeing this, Huang Quan let out a small breath of relief. It was good that he was alive.

He quickly went to Heavenly Human of Five Declines’ side. After a moment's thought, he drew the Sorrowful Profound Sword from his back and lightly vibrated it from a distance.

“Om!”

The sword hummed, sending ripples through the water. Under the external vibration, Heavenly Human of Five Declines’ eyelids fluttered, showing signs of waking.

The next second, “Cough!”

He coughed out a mouthful of blood, and Heavenly Human of Five Declines’ body flipped upright. Seemingly having slept too long, his limbs were slightly stiff. After twisting his head and clenching his fists, he somewhat uncoordinatedly turned his gaze to the face of the person who had woken him.

“…Huang Quan?” Heavenly Human of Five Declines’ pupils constricted. Then he quickly blinked his eyelids, and after a gulp, he called out again with a hint of surprise: “Lord Huang Quan?”

At the first call, Huang Quan sensed an unfamiliar, wary expression on Heavenly Human of Five Declines’ face. But after the second call, the familiar tone returned, and Huang Quan released his doubts. Given what Heavenly Human of Five Declines might have endured in the deep sea, a wary reaction was entirely normal.

“How did you end up here?” Huang Quan asked.

Heavenly Human of Five Declines twisted his neck sideways, while his limbs also moved slightly, seemingly trying to awaken his body's strength. Hearing the question, he merely shook his head and said, “I don’t know…”

He paused for a long time, memories flickering in his eyes, before finally adding, “I only remember that during an operation with Meng Po, we encountered a ghost beast host with sealing attributes… He was very strong. After he knocked Meng Po unconscious, I tried to take her and leave, but he chased us into a spatial turbulent flow and knocked me out… Oh, right!”

Heavenly Human of Five Declines seemed to recall something, raising his eyes. “Before I was sealed, I called your… your name, but you didn’t seem to sense it?”

Sealing attributes… Huang Quan finally understood what had happened to Meng Po’s completely vanished power.

As for "calling his name"… “Under the power of the seal, I’m afraid your call couldn’t reach my ears,” Huang Quan sighed, then changed the topic. “Do you know who he is?”

“Feng Tian…” Heavenly Human of Five Declines paused, then evasively said, “That one.”

“Then I know,” Huang Quan nodded, surprise in his eyes. He clearly hadn't expected Saint Emperor Feng Tian to still be alive, and in the form of a ghost beast, no less. In that case, it was normal for Heavenly Human of Five Declines and Meng Po to be unable to defeat him.

Wait! His thoughts solidified, and a cold light flashed in Huang Quan’s eyes. He asked in surprise, “After he sealed you, how did you come here? And I observe that your power doesn’t seem to be in a sealed state?”

After looking closely, Huang Quan realized that unlike Meng Po, Heavenly Human of Five Declines’ power was actually at its peak. If he were also in a sealed state, a water sphere would surely exist, right? Otherwise, the water pressure would have crushed Heavenly Human of Five Declines long ago!

“I also… don’t know…” Heavenly Human of Five Declines seemed to have his memory sealed, needing to recall it little by little. After a long pause, he said helplessly, “I really can’t remember. I don’t know what happened after I was sealed. I only remember waking up again in this deep sea.”

Huang Quan's eyes showed more surprise and doubt. Was Heavenly Human of Five Declines thrown here by Saint Emperor Feng Tian? If so, what did he encounter after being thrown here that broke the sealing power? It couldn't be that after Heavenly Human of Five Declines and Saint Emperor Feng Tian fought, ending in defeat, the latter wouldn't seal Heavenly Human of Five Declines’ abilities, could it?

“Where is he?” Huang Quan didn't ask more, shifting his gaze towards the deep sea.

“Dead,” Heavenly Human of Five Declines calmly replied, knowing Lord Huang Quan was referring to the tribulator.

“How did he die?”

“The Nine Deaths Lightning Tribulation is already difficult, let alone forcibly crossing nine hundred seventy-two lightning bolts within a Forbidden Law Barrier… Haha! He tried to drag me down with him in the end, but clearly chose the wrong person.”

Heavenly Human of Five Declines’ lips curled, as if thinking of something amusing. With just a few words, Huang Quan could already imagine the scene: the tribulator, before dying, wanting to drag someone down with him, but helplessly pulling an entity of decline, resulting in being plagued by bad luck and making the Nine Deaths Lightning Tribulation even more terrifying.

He also smiled, but his smile quickly froze. After exchanging a few sentences, Huang Quan already smelled a foul stench on himself.

“As expected, I still can’t talk to him too much…” The last trace of doubt in his heart vanished. Heavenly Human of Five Declines was still the same Heavenly Human of Five Declines as before, the kind that even he was wary of. Now that the conversation was getting lively, Huang Quan knew he couldn't continue this topic, so he changed the subject again and asked, “How is it? Have you adapted to the power of the Three-Disgust Eye?”

“Three-Disgust Eye?” Heavenly Human of Five Declines slightly froze.

“Hmm?” Huang Quan looked. “What, is there a problem?”

Heavenly Human of Five Declines slightly furrowed his brow, paused, then said, “No problem, but I just tried, and I still can’t open my eye.”

“Still haven’t adapted…” Huang Quan murmured softly, unconcerned. The power of the Three-Disgust Eye was too strong, after all, and Heavenly Human of Five Declines hadn't deliberately tried to integrate with it. It was already difficult enough to have him equipped with this Tear Clan Eye. As for opening the eye… let time slowly erase all barriers.

While Huang Quan was still pondering, Heavenly Human of Five Declines had already pulled up the corners of his mouth, revealing a somewhat amiable smile. He bent down, scooped a handful of water, and completely washed off all residual bloodstains from his face. After doing all this, he took an orange mask from his spatial ring, slowly put it on, covering all the stiff expressions from his previous words.

“Done.”

Straightening up again, Heavenly Human of Five Declines subtly adjusted his hands, seemingly adapting to this new mask. Huang Quan watched and smiled. Members of Yama were used to wearing masks, and indeed occasionally felt uncomfortable when showing their true faces. Even he was now accustomed to not revealing his true identity. But he hadn't noticed before that Heavenly Human of Five Declines would also experience this.

“Lord… Huang Quan.” Heavenly Human of Five Declines pinched the mask on his face, his tone much calmer, and asked, “What do you plan to do next?”

Huang Quan felt Heavenly Human of Five Declines’ peak power and smiled. “Your condition has recovered quite well. If Meng Po had even ten percent of your strength, she probably wouldn’t be unconscious.” After a light jest, he got straight to the point: “There’s a Forbidden Law Barrier here. Next, I might have to deal with a formidable enemy. Do you want to stay, or go up ahead?”

Going up, naturally, meant leaving the deep sea and returning to Solitary Sound Cliff. Fighting alongside Heavenly Human of Five Declines was indeed good, as he was a major combat force, but Huang Quan didn't truly wish for it. Because if the battle dragged on… perhaps then, both he and the Half-Saint of the Jiang clan would face some unfortunate outcomes!

“Who are you fighting?” Heavenly Human of Five Declines asked.

“The Half-Saint of the Jiang clan. I mentioned him to you before. Now, he should have already descended into the water and is on his way, pursuing me,” Huang Quan calmly stated.

Under the mask, Heavenly Human of Five Declines’ eyebrows rose high, seemingly very surprised, but he quickly regained composure and calmly said, “Then I’ll stay and lend Lord Huang Quan a hand.”

He wasn't leaving… Huang Quan sighed inwardly. Heavenly Human of Five Declines was not one to interfere in others' affairs. Normally, if there was no mission, he was nowhere to be found. But now, since Heavenly Human of Five Declines knew that his opponent this time was a Half-Saint, it was indeed awkward for him to just leave.

However, by posing the question and giving him the choice, Huang Quan had decided that he was prepared for either cooperation or refusal. Even if Heavenly Human of Five Declines wasn't a very good combat partner, this time, after all, he was fighting a Half-Saint, so Huang Quan still harbored apprehensions. Heavenly Human of Five Declines’ abilities were very strange. In this deep sea, if used well, they might even restrain a Half-Saint more effectively than the Sorrowful Profound Sword or Soul Sever.

Since he wanted to stay… Huang Quan would brave the inherent misfortune of Heavenly Human of Five Declines’ presence and see whether the Half-Saint of the Jiang clan would perish first, or if he himself would prematurely invite disaster!

“Is that him?”

While pondering, Huang Quan saw that Heavenly Human of Five Declines had, at some point, turned his head, looking towards his left front, his finger pointing in the distance.

“Someone?”

In the deep-sea Forbidden Law Barrier, spiritual senses couldn't be used. After Huang Quan turned his head, he couldn't even see anyone. However, in less than a few breaths, a black dot appeared in the distance, then transformed into a figure, stopping far away directly in front of them.

“Half-Saint, Jiang Buyi!”

Huang Quan's heart skipped a beat. Feeling the extremely strong Half-Saint pressure, he couldn't help but turn his head to look at Heavenly Human of Five Declines beside him. He hadn't expected that, with spiritual senses unusable, this old fellow, Heavenly Human of Five Declines, actually had better eyesight than him, being able to detect Jiang Buyi's arrival so much earlier.

“Clang—”

With his hands clasped behind his back, the sealing ribbons on the Sorrowful Profound Sword and Soul Sever—two of the nine supreme divine artifacts—were undone, and Huang Quan slowly drew them out.

Within the Forbidden Law Barrier, Spiritual Essence was nullified, Saint Essence likewise; Spiritual Sense was nullified, Saint Sense likewise; Elemental powers were unusable, and various spiritual skills couldn't be released. The gap between a Supreme Void and a Half-Saint, which was once an unbridgeable chasm, had now narrowed to merely a true Half-Saint Physique versus an innate Saint Physique. This small gap, the Sorrowful Profound Sword could already compensate for. What's more, he, Huang Quan, also possessed a Soul Sever.

A Supreme Void fighting a Half-Saint, under such circumstances, what was there to fear now?

“Jiang Buyi…”

Sorrowful Profound Sword in his left hand, Soul Sever in his right, Huang Quan's gaze behind the golden mask held more madness. He sneered, “I heard you were looking for me, and wanted to take all of Yama’s Tear Clan Eyes?”

The Half-Saint Jiang Buyi’s true body had chased to this place, only to see that Huang Quan’s true body wasn't suppressed to the point of silence like his spatial-temporal clone. On the contrary, he dared to face him with swords and sabers. For a moment, Jiang Buyi was momentarily stunned.

“Sorrowful Profound Sword? Soul Sever?” Flames ignited in Jiang Buyi’s eyes. He truly hadn't expected that, besides Huang Quan himself and the Tear Clan Eye, his current mission would also yield two supreme divine artifacts. These were treasures comparable to the Wicked Sin Bow of Loving All Beings!

But soon, Jiang Buyi’s gaze moved away from Huang Quan. Before arriving here, he had experienced a sudden premonition. But facing Huang Quan's true body this time, he vaguely sensed that the source of his premonition didn't seem to be this person, but…

Jiang Buyi’s gaze shifted, landing on the inconspicuous orange-masked figure behind Huang Quan. With just one glance, he noticed a familiar aura: the power of the Three-Disgust Eye! The bait he had released! A Half-Saint’s vision was incredibly sharp. Even at such a distance, even in the extreme darkness of the deep sea, even with the orange-robed figure wearing a mask… yet, despite so many layers of restriction, Jiang Buyi could still see with one glance that beneath the orange mask, at the position of the right eye, within the shadow, there were traces of a swirling gray three-petal design. This was a sign that the Three-Disgust Eye had already awakened!

But… “How could it awaken so quickly? Didn’t I set up multiple restrictions? How did this fellow adapt so quickly?” Jiang Buyi’s heart clenched, and he suddenly understood the root of his premonition. If a Supreme Void fully mastered the Tear Clan’s Three-Disgust Eye, then the object that could be controlled…

“Lord Huang Quan.” At the same time, Heavenly Human of Five Declines had already turned to look at Huang Quan, asking, “Do you require my assistance in making the first move?”

Huang Quan’s gaze was still fixed on the distant Half-Saint Jiang Buyi. Hearing the question, he turned his eyes, about to nod in affirmation…

Suddenly, his gaze froze, and his voice became broken and halting: “No need… for that. I’ll… charge. You… hold the line…”