Shan Liangyi's face showed a look of astonishment.

He turned his head and looked at the deep yellow wheel behind him. He saw the Xuanwu Seed on the wheel tremble violently for unknown reasons, as if uncontrollably moving toward the simulated direction of the Vermilion Bird Seed. The simulated Vermilion Bird Seed seemed to have been affected by an invisible disturbance, reminiscent of a candle flickering in a storm, its illusory form constantly shimmering.

Most likely affected by the state of the deep yellow wheel, Shan Liangyi's own state also showed signs of fluctuation. The mana fluctuations that were originally too great for me to perceive, I could faintly sense them. It was obviously not because my perception had strengthened but because he couldn't stably maintain the level beyond the third gate.

This phenomenon itself is also very unstable; in a short moment, at most only a tenth of the interval would become extremely vague, like a hallucination state that I could sense. The influence on my side of the Vermilion Bird Seed also showed a similar degree of fluctuation, and with the extraordinary condition brought by Little Bowl's blessing, I miraculously seized this rare opportunity and unleashed towering flames.

The flames shot toward Shan Liangyi's face, and simultaneously, I pulled back and increased the distance between us.

Just by retreating a mere few hundred meters, the phenomenon of the Vermilion Bird Seed refusing to obey reached its peak again, and I once again fell into a state where I could hardly move, having to stop my actions. The flame cloud produced by the explosion also dissipated in the distance, and Shan Liangyi stood unharmed in mid-air.

He first glanced at me, then looked again at the deep yellow wheel behind him, pondering, "Xuanwu… really did me a 'favor'."

"I thought that after stagnating at the Great Success Rank for so long, I was merely a mediocre person, but surprisingly, I could make such a change to the Xuanwu Seed... It must be relying on alchemy and deep understanding of the seeds, greatly enhancing the Xuanwu Seed's counteracting tendency, right?

"It seems like it's also planning to use the mutual suppression relationship within the Five Elements to devour other seeds... I see, this change was made for this purpose? Using strong suppression to forcibly seize other seeds, subdue them, and include them as one's own? Thinking from this angle, within the generations of Liangyi Inheritors, this is indeed unique. Looks like I need to revise my evaluation of him."

I also observed the specific problem Shan Liangyi encountered.

During his lifetime, the Water Navy Xuanwu intended to devour the Vermilion Bird Inheritor through long years, leaving behind a Xuanwu Seed with a strong tendency to devour the Vermilion Bird Seed. And Shan Liangyi could simulate the Vermilion Bird Seed on the deep yellow wheel to achieve the Five Elements cycle, clearly emphasizing the relationship of Five Elements Mutual Generation, so emphasizing the suppressive relationship of the Xuanwu Seed became a discordant factor.

If the Vermilion Bird Seed were a real entity, there might be no need to worry about such influence; or if such influence came from outside, Shan Liangyi himself would surely have ways to eliminate it. But because the Vermilion Bird Seed is the simulated illusion, it became the weakest link in Shan Liangyi's Five Elements Mutual Generation cycle; moreover, since the influence comes from inside, Shan Liangyi himself is somewhat unprepared.

Then, in Shan Liangyi's current state, do I stand a chance?

Saying "yes" is really quite a stretch.

Since Shan Liangyi's mana fluctuations could be faintly sensed by me, it indicates that a tiny bit had dropped to the level that my power could affect, but relying on such conditions to fight Shan Liangyi feels like being lucky to harm him once in a hundred attempts. As for the possibility of victory, saying there's a one in ten thousand chance feels like shameless boasting.

But even so, right now, this might be the last chance in my life to battle Shan Liangyi. A once-in-a-lifetime miracle that must not be missed. As this thought flashed, the Vermilion Bird Seed showed an imperceptible tremor again. I seized the moment and charged toward Shan Liangyi without hesitation.

Shan Liangyi turned to look at me, and the violent tremor of the Xuanwu Seed on the deep yellow wheel suddenly stopped. A mass of black water waves suddenly surged around me out of thin air, pressing me like a deep-sea pressure and keeping me from moving. The simulated Vermilion Bird Seed stabilized again on the deep yellow wheel, and Shan Liangyi's own mana fluctuations rose once more to a level where they couldn't be perceived.

He seemed to easily stabilize himself in the realm beyond the third gate.

"Oh well, I wasn't planning to retrieve the Vermilion Bird Seed at this stage anyway. Since the Five Elements mutual suppression is unstable, it shouldn't be rashly retrieved." He said something peculiar.

Not planning to retrieve the Vermilion Bird Seed? Why is that?

Shan Liangyi clearly had no intention of explaining to me; he turned around and then said to me, "I'll temporarily leave my seed with you, Vermilion Bird. Soon, I'll come to retrieve it.

"Also, if there's a chance, pass a message to the Old Fist God for me.

"I, Shan Liangyi, will soon visit to wash away the shame of the past."

After saying this, the space around him suddenly expanded and contracted, like an invisible beast swallowing him, and he vanished.

Shan Liangyi disappeared right in front of me.

-

After some adjustment, I dragged my badly wounded body back to Luoshan Headquarters.

"Badly wounded body" was just a description; from the outside, there was no sign of my severe injury, and even from my soul, nothing showed damage. The real wound was to my True Spirit, with damage roughly equivalent to shortly after the battle with Xuanming, essentially near death. I even wondered if I lay down somewhere and closed my eyes, I'd never wake up again.

Why did Shan Liangyi spare me? At first, I didn't quite understand. Surely it couldn't be his dread of the one in ten thousand chance of defeat that made him rush to flee from me—even Ming Zhuo and Huang Quan wouldn't go that far.

Moreover, the aura Shan Liangyi gave off didn't match the overly cautious demeanor... It's not that he lacks caution; on the contrary, facing extremely dangerous prey, he should strive for absolute success. Choosing to act at such a crucial moment also verifies this. But Ming Zhuo and Huang Quan wouldn't choose extremely dangerous prey in the first place.

After contemplating repeatedly, perhaps the only answer is Shan Liangyi wasn't prepared to digest the Vermilion Bird Seed.

His wish is to reach Manifestation Realm, while I am Innate Manifestation; the Vermilion Bird Seed recovered from me might be of enormous value to achieve his wish. Therefore, he would surely want to consume me in the safest state rather than act hastily at the time this world just restored all his powers. If something goes wrong before "meals," wasting an unprecedented opportunity would be truly unjust.

Of course, if it were just like this, he might change his mind temporarily. The object of desire so close at hand might tempt him to impulsively consume me first. And perhaps the Xuanwu Seed's abnormality completely dispelled this thought. It seems I should indeed be thankful to Water Navy Xuanwu, this old rival who might inadvertently saved my life.

Shan Liangyi might even need to worry about me deliberately committing suicide at this moment, letting the Vermilion Bird Seed return early—normally, no one would do such a foolish thing, but if he tried to capture me alive, really reducing me to a fish out of water, then things might be uncertain.

All of these are merely my personal speculations after the fact; the actual answer can only be sorted out by questioning Shan Liangyi in person. As for whether Shan Liangyi is willing to explain, that's another matter entirely. However, at that time, I probably won't have the desire to ask this or that; instead, I'll have to think of ways to overcome this despairing barrier.

The actions of Water Navy Xuanwu might have been somewhat of a disturbance to him, but that'll be temporary at best. Next time Shan Liangyi appears before me, there will certainly be no such minor flaws. Facing an exceptional Impermanence that pushes open the third gate, I am really far from being a match.

The reason Shan Liangyi spared me so easily most likely was that in his eyes, anytime, anywhere, retrieving the Vermilion Bird Seed from me would be as effortless as reaching into a bag. Considering the deep spatial powers he possesses and the influence he has on the Vermilion Bird Seed, this probably isn't a metaphor but rather stark reality.

I was pondering future strategies while entering my mansion in Luoshan Headquarters. I slightly perceived, then moved in a certain direction. Shortly afterward, I saw a small figure in the corridor.

Little Bowl approached, seeing me, and instantly showed a look of joy, saying, "Brother Zhuang Cheng, you're back!"

"I'm back," I said.

Little Bowl quickly ran to me, seemingly wanting to say some welcome words, but her expression changed suddenly, clearly noticing the severe injuries I'd endured.