"Dao Tian Jian?"
Seeing the magic tool sacrificed by the immortal infant, Yang Hong muttered in confusion.
It was a mirror!
"Junior, you have discerning eyes. This is the Dao Tian Jian, an invincible existence in the mortal realm. You cannot possibly harm me."
Even with the incessant roaring of flying swords and the ten-mile distance between them, the immortal infant Li Ding'an could still hear Yang Hong's words.
" Has the Heavenly Dao of the Taiyuan Continent disappeared?"
Yang Hong did not inquire about the Dao Tian Jian, but abruptly changed the subject again.
"Hahaha~ Kid, you've noticed the problem too.
Indeed, indeed, the Heavenly Dao of this Taiyuan Star is indeed having issues, but Heavenly Dao does not disappear. It has been immortal and indestructible since its birth, only manifesting or hiding, never vanishing."
"Who tampered with the Heavenly Dao of this world?"
"Heh heh~ Naturally, it was Buddhism."
Upon hearing this, Yang Hong sneered contemptuously, "Hmph~ That's a lie to fool idiots.
If Buddhism had truly altered the Heavenly Dao, why would their cultivation's cardinal element, merit, be so restricted?"
"Ying~ There are smart people in this world~ Not bad, not bad.
But why should I tell you the truth?"
Li Ding'an's voice held a hint of schadenfreude, as if he had forgotten his predicament.
"..."
Seeing the immortal infant suddenly become arrogant again, Yang Hong didn't say another word and charged forward, unleashing his full power.
The flying sword beneath Yang Hong's feet was a sixth-tier wind-attribute flying sword, the [Swift Wind Sword], most adept at short-distance flight. In just three breaths, he arrived beside the immortal infant, enveloped by sword energy and intent.
He extended a hand into the sword energy, and Yang Hong began to adjust his breath and aura. An ancient and profound Dao charm slowly flowed.
The wild and chaotic self-detonating sword energy began to rapidly calm and dissipate.
"You~ What did you do? What is happening?"
Li Ding'an, who had been ecstatic seeing the sword energy dissipate quickly, suddenly his face changed drastically, and he asked with a trembling voice.
Unfortunately, Yang Hong did not answer him, or rather, Yang Hong didn't even have the strength to speak.
"Power of time!
This is the power of time!
You, a mortal, can actually wield the power of time!
Which great being have you reincarnated from?"
Li Ding'an shouted in terror. He finally understood why the violent sword energy was rapidly dissipating; it was because over time, the sword energy would naturally dissipate.
And Yang Hong was now using it, his immature [Time Domain] accelerating the flow of time within a certain area.
"Senior~ Senior, spare my life! This humble one is willing to hand over the Dao Tian Jian, this humble one is willing to hand over the Dao Tian Jian, only begging the senior to spare this humble one's life."
Li Ding'an perfectly embodied a pathetic wretch. As soon as he saw danger, he prostrated himself and begged for mercy, raising the bronze mirror high with both hands.
This scene was identical to when he knelt and offered three jade slips before his physical body was destroyed by Yang Hong.
It was a pity that Yang Hong could now see and hear, but could not move or speak.
His Time Domain was only 13% complete. Although he could activate it briefly, he lacked the power to control it, let alone with a powerful immortal infant disrupting it within the domain.
Large drops of sweat rolled down Yang Hong's cheeks, landing on the ground and forming shallow pits.
"Senior, spare my life! As long as the senior spares this humble one's life, this humble one is willing to reveal the greatest secret of the Immortal Realm, the greatest lie!"
"This concerns a great secret that impacts countless beings and countless races in the entire Immortal Realm!"
"Once you know this secret, the senior can decide the life and death of all immortals with a single word!"
"This secret..."
Li Ding'an pleaded rapidly, throwing out the so-called great secret, attempting to bribe and threaten Yang Hong, but it was all in vain.
Yang Hong's face was etched with a wry smile. He could no longer control the power of the [Time Domain]. He could only let it continuously accelerate time within a small area, wildly surging forward.
"Ant! I remember you! You had better not ascend to the Immortal Realm, or I will surely dismember you, refine your soul into an oil lamp, and you will never be reborn!"
With that, the immortal infant, which had been shining brightly, became dim and lusterless. Then, Li Ding'an conjured lotuses with his hands. The immortal infant disintegrated, lifting a point of golden spiritual light, and pierced through space, disappearing.
Bang~
Concurrently, the storage ring where Yang Hong had placed the three immortal method jade slips exploded. Three white lights pursued the golden spiritual light and vanished.
The bronze mirror also attempted to escape into the spatial rift, but unfortunately, its size was too large compared to the rift. It could only spin in place.
And Yang Hong's [Time Domain] completely ceased to function amidst this spatial turmoil.
Pfft~
"Husband~ How are you? Are you injured?"
Seeing Yang Hong suddenly spit out a mouthful of blood, Zhu Yuyan quickly flew over to support him.
"That was close, I almost killed myself!
Next time, unless absolutely necessary, I will never use this incomplete Time Domain."
"Husband, please never take such risks again. What would we do if something happened to you?"
Song Yuzhi tightly clutched Yang Hong's arm, tears already streaming down her delicate face.
"Alright~ alright~ With this experience, I will be more careful in the future.
Let's see what this so-called immortal artifact is useful for first?"
Not wanting Zhu Yuyan and the others to worry, Yang Hong forced down the blood welling up in his throat and changed the subject, while simultaneously waving his hand to retrieve the [Dao Tian Jian] that was fixed in mid-air.
It was an ancient bronze mirror, the size of his palm, warm and smooth to the touch, yet its material was neither jade, gold, nor wood.
The circular mirror had no discernible front or back, both sides being equally smooth but unclear reflective surfaces. One-fifth of the mirror's edge was carved with simple yet divine patterns.
After a careful inspection, besides being hard, there was nothing special about it. Even as a mirror, it couldn't clearly reflect his face.
"Wait, Husband, let me!"
Just as Yang Hong was about to inject spiritual energy to test the mirror's effect, Zhu Yuyan interrupted forcefully and snatched the mirror from his hand.
"Husband~ You are already injured, don't exert your spiritual energy recklessly. Let me test this mirror."
"Mm~~ Alright, you do it, but be careful."
"I will."
Unfortunately, the Dao Tian Jian disappointed Zhu Yuyan. Not only she, but also Wan Wan and Song Yuzhi took turns attempting to activate it, but there was no reaction.
Finally, the Dao Tian Jian returned to Yang Hong's hand.
Looking at the peculiar bronze mirror in Yang Hong's hand, Zhu Yuyan said with reluctance, "Husband, you try it again."
"Heh heh~ I may not be able to either~~
Eh! There's good news like this?"
Just as Yang Hong was injecting spiritual energy into the Dao Tian Jian, a prompt sounded in his mind:
"Ding~ Detected a mergeable item. Host's abilities will increase upon merging.
Do you wish to merge?"
Did he even need to ask?
Of course, he wanted to merge!
Immediately, a golden light emanated from Yang Hong's hand, enveloping the bronze mirror. It visibly transformed into a pool of bronze liquid and slowly flowed into his eyes.
"Hiss! This is so magical! This [Dao Tian Jian] is truly an immortal artifact.
Dao Tian Jian~ Dao Tian Jian, this should be Dao Tian Jian!"
It was a long while before Yang Hong opened his eyes, which were gleaming with golden light, and exclaimed.