Chapter 105: From the Heart

Without hesitation, Yi An immediately exerted all his strength to activate the Ten Thousand Dragons Armor at its fullest power. Although this armor repels all evil and is impervious to all spells, it does not mean invincibility. Against ordinary demons, it suffices, but in this place, it was a different matter altogether.

If faced with an enemy beyond comprehension, even if the armor could withstand a few blows, it was not a lasting solution. Should the enemy exploit the armor’s weaknesses, the outcome would be entirely different.

In the next moment, a tremendous force swept over him. Yan Chixia was only at the Return to Origin realm; though skilled in secret arts, he was forced to retreat hastily in the face of such disparity.

“How can this be?”

Yan Chixia was stunned, utterly taken aback. His profound Taoist arts were the bane of ghosts and monsters—his assurance in confronting them—but now, at this critical juncture, they failed?

The once unstoppable Taoist skills faltered, casting a shadow over Yan Chixia’s expression.

Yet, Yi An remained absolutely still, calm as a mountain.

“This…”

A voice, tinged with doubt and surprise, whispered near them. It seemed the fiend had noticed something shocking, causing a slight loss of composure.

But after a brief moment of distraction, the creature regained clarity and prepared to strike again, its aura noticeably stronger than before.

Yet Yi An was unperturbed. He sought to calm his mind, focusing his spirit. At the same time, the long-dormant Azure Lotus Treasure Banner gleamed briefly, releasing a trace of serene energy.

Innate spiritual treasures wield the power of Heaven and Earth. No matter how formidable a ghost or demon might be, before the might of Heaven and Earth, they can only bow and tremble.

Though Yi An could not fully harness this cosmic force, he could borrow a fragment of it. To the ghostly fiend, this borrowed power was indistinguishable from the true Heaven and Earth’s might, for none of them had ever witnessed the genuine phenomenon. Those who have, without exception, never survived.

Yi An intended to instill fear in the fiend. Once the creature dreaded the cosmic force, his plan would naturally succeed.

Unseen, Yi An released the Heaven and Earth’s might contained within the Azure Lotus Treasure Banner.

He slowly opened his eyes, a faint smile curling his lips. “Let’s see if you can keep up your tricks now. Just don’t get so scared that you lose your wits.”

This aura was imperceptible to ordinary people but profoundly felt by ghosts and demons. The moment it was unleashed, the fiend sensed it fully.

“This… such a terrifying aura…” The creature’s heart shuddered in terror. From this faint trace of energy, it felt the threat of death, as if one more step forward would tear its soul apart.

Impossible!

The fiend’s face showed confusion mixed with complexity.

Originally, it had thought the bearded man among the two was the more formidable opponent. It never expected that the seemingly frail scholar before it could unleash such dreadful power.

After a moment, it discerned the source of this aura. What else, but the profound and unfathomable cosmic force of Heaven and Earth, could make its soul tremble so?

Damn it!

How could anyone know to wield the power of Heaven and Earth? This was not good news. If the cosmic force became widely applied, then there would be no place left in the world for creatures like them.

As this thought crossed its mind, a wave of desolation surged within—their existence was already precarious, trapped between cracks, and now even their bane had appeared. It was hard to imagine where they could go from here.

Should they submit to survive, or resist to the end?

The fiend hesitated.

After a moment’s contemplation, it spoke with a complex tone, “Wait, don’t attack.”

“This… is a misunderstanding; we mean no harm.”

As it finished, the surrounding dark winds began to withdraw. The fiend was preparing to leave.

Yan Chixia stood dumbfounded, staring at the miraculous scene before him, feeling utterly baffled. What had just happened?

The fierce ghost from moments ago had suddenly backed down?

“Don’t leave. Tell me, where exactly is this place?” Yi An quickly stopped it. He still had many questions and was unwilling to let it go so easily.

Bolstered by the deterrent power of Heaven and Earth’s might, he felt no fear.

Only ghosts feared him; he never feared ghosts.

Especially now, his confidence had to be absolute. Otherwise, if the enemy sensed any weakness, it would spell serious trouble.

After a long silence, the fiend slowly replied, “The boundary between Yin and Yang.”

The so-called boundary between Yin and Yang, as the name suggests, was a place neither belonging to the living world nor the underworld. It was truly a jurisdictionless zone.

One side was Yang, the other Yin. For ordinary people who came here, it was Yang; for ghosts and fiends, it was Yin.

When Yi An first arrived, it was the Yang side. Only later, following the strange old man, did he mistakenly cross into the Yin side.

“And the old man we followed before, who was he?”

“Merely a living being here.”

“Why is his body suffused with deathly energy, yet he moves freely, sustaining his form?”

“An undead.”

“What exactly is an undead?”

…

…

After Yi An finished asking all his questions, the surroundings suddenly brightened again, restoring the former peaceful aura, and the fiend fled like a shadow.

Perhaps compelled by Yi An’s threat, or resigned to fate, the fiend had no secrets left—it answered all questions fully, lifting the veils of mystery from Yi An’s heart in moments.

Yan Chixia eagerly asked, “Yi, how did you do that? It’s even more effective than our Taoist arts.”

“Ha! Just read more books, and you can do it too,” Yi An chuckled, a hint of meaning in his voice.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Yan Chixia was puzzled, unsure how reading related to this.

“Then, what do you think of that fiend’s strength?” Yi An countered.

“Unfathomable,” Yan Chixia replied candidly.

“And what about my strength?” Yi An asked again.

“Stronger than me, but certainly no match for that fiend,” Yan Chixia pondered. Though he had not witnessed Yi An’s true abilities, it was clear he was superior. How much stronger, he could not say, but certainly not exaggerated.

“Well, that settles it.”

“You mean…” Yan Chixia seemed to guess something but couldn’t quite articulate it.

“You must learn to adapt. If brute force won’t work, then find another path. Identify the enemy’s weakness and shatter them in one strike,” Yi An said with a smile.