Chapter Twenty: Time Reversed

Chuyou Cai swung his Tuolong Palm with a swift, tiger-like motion, striking as thunder might. Yet Lei Yinyang’s body flickered aside at a speed far surpassing that of the swordswoman, leaving Chuyou Cai unable to keep up. Now, Chuyou Cai observed Lei Yinyang closely: a gaunt figure, eyes sunken as if a starving ghost, draped in a yin-yang Taoist robe, exuding a chilling aura. As Chuyou Cai drew nearer, the scent pouch at his chest grew increasingly hot.

Disregarding the pouch, Chuyou Cai brandished his dagger at Lei Yinyang once more. Chaos reigned throughout Lei Lord’s mansion; no one paid heed to their confrontation. Sunlight spilled like gold, leaving no shadows on the second floor—this was Chuyou Cai’s best chance.

After his cultivation within the Tuolong Mountain and River Pearl’s realm, Chuyou Cai realized that his palm technique surpassed his spearwork. He had thus honed both dagger and palm skills, wielding the blade with consummate mastery, sending streaks of cold light flashing, Tuolong energy woven within, intent on killing his foe as swiftly as possible.

Just then, a cold snort rang out. Lei Yinyang’s body shuddered, lips murmuring a spell. A dizzying sound swelled all around, tempting Chuyou Cai toward sleep, as if to seize his mind.

Fortunately, his training within the Tuolong Mountain and River Pearl rendered him resistant to such effects. He paused but a moment before accelerating his attack.

Seeing this, Lei Yinyang’s expression darkened. Black mist gathered about him, then burst outward. He gripped his fish-scale blade, activating some secret art, and the surroundings suddenly dimmed. He formed a shadow blade that darted through the gloom.

Chuyou Cai felt as though his adversary had become a shadow; his counterattack with Tuolong skills struck only air. Instead, a sharp blade cut into his right arm, blood streaming, his dagger falling to the floor.

“How can this be? I thought I blocked him!”

“This must be what Hongyu meant—an attack without form or substance, impossible to defend!”

“But isn’t this shadow art supposed to fear strong light? Why can he still use it under the sun?”

A surge of shock filled Chuyou Cai. If his enemy’s magic had reached such heights, all his plans seemed naught but folly.

At that moment, the fish-scale blade flashed again, slashing toward Chuyou Cai’s neck. He retreated desperately, but Lei Yinyang was faster. Chuyou Cai raised his hand to block, yet the blade passed straight through, slicing into his throat.

His carotid was severed; blood spouted forth, staining the surroundings. Chuyou Cai felt life ebbing rapidly. He tried to draw himself into the Tuolong Mountain and River Pearl’s inner world, but his strength failed him, unable to activate the cursed treasure.

“Am I going to die?” Chuyou Cai fell into deep despair.

“Honggu must have told you my cursed treasure only works in shadow, yes? But she could not know that three days ago it ascended to bronze rank!” Lei Yinyang sneered, his secret kept even from the steward, reserved as his trump card.

Chuyou Cai now understood. The enemy’s cursed treasure had upgraded—no wonder he no longer feared sunlight!

A wave of despair crashed over him; wounded, dying, he was nothing but prey.

Yet a thought flashed through his mind: If his adversary’s bronze treasure was this strong, what of his own brocade-ranked artifact? Might there yet be hope?

Suddenly, the scent pouch at his chest blazed with light. The scorching energy surged into his left hand, restoring his strength in an instant. Without hesitation, he activated the Tuolong Mountain and River Pearl.

Fight to the death!

This time, he fueled the artifact not with yang energy, but with the brocade pouch’s heat.

As its energy erupted, the Tuolong Mountain and River Pearl shone forth with boundless brilliance, light streaming everywhere.

Seeing the artifact, Lei Yinyang was stunned. “What? A brocade-level treasure?”

He lunged greedily at Chuyou Cai.

But the pearl’s radiance intensified, forming a halo, as if some temporal power had been triggered, and then suddenly retreated ten beats.

Time raced backward. The world around them shifted wildly.

Chuyou Cai found himself returned to the moment ten breaths earlier—just after he had slain the steward and Lei Yinyang was casting his spell.

He sensed no wound at his neck; the near-fatal injury seemed naught but a dream. Yet his lifespan had decreased by one year, leaving him with four. The blood fox fur had vanished.

Chuyou Cai was deeply shaken: the Tuolong Mountain and River Pearl was a time-class artifact—an unparalleled rarity among cursed treasures, a supreme brocade-level power!

Why had this ability not manifested before? Was it triggered by the blood fox fur?

These thoughts flickered through his mind, but his hands did not falter. He struck at Lei Yinyang.

Having regained the chance to reverse fate, he would not squander it.

Lei Yinyang continued his sinister incantation, unaware.

Chuyou Cai knew that in the next instant, black mist would surge from Lei Yinyang, scattering and forming shadow blades to strike at his right arm.

Without hesitation, Chuyou Cai unleashed Tuolong skills, and as Lei Yinyang activated his cursed treasure, he struck him with the Tuolong Mountain and River Pearl.

His yang energy diminished once more; his life reduced to three years.

The pearl’s light enveloped Lei Yinyang, preventing him from unleashing the shadow killing. His aura dispersed, completely covered by the artifact’s radiance.

Lei Yinyang struggled, but the pearl’s power was overwhelming; despite repeated efforts, he could not escape.

At last, he watched helplessly as he shriveled like a deflated skin, transformed into a scorpion, then immediately split apart.

Nothing remained save a black fish-scale blade, still exuding an eerie chill under the sunlight.

Chuyou Cai had not expected that Lei Yinyang was a transformed scorpion, but seeing his death, he breathed a long sigh of relief.

As Lei Yinyang perished, a surge of energy flowed from the scorpion into Chuyou Cai, nourishing his body. Yet he had no mind to tally the increase in yang energy; his thoughts returned again and again to the Tuolong Mountain and River Pearl’s reversal of time.

This was a priceless treasure, a supreme curse artifact of temporal power!

But why had he never triggered it before? Was it due to the blood fox fur crafted by Hongyu?

He must find Hongyu and learn the truth!