Volume One: A Young Man Enters the World Chapter One Hundred and One: Spirit Locking Formation

“Unbelievable!”

After hearing the Grand Elder’s explanation, Huo Chen turned his gaze back to the one-eyed man before him. Once he realized who the man was, the shock in his heart was no less than anyone else’s. He, too, had heard rumors about this person, and as far as he knew, Zhao Guangji should have vanished ten years ago. Yet here he was, standing before them now. It was truly baffling.

For a moment, doubt swarmed Huo Chen’s mind. He wanted to know exactly what was going on. Fixing his eyes on Zhao Guangji, he asked, “Since you are not dead, why did you not return to the Zhao Dynasty? Why come here and become a pirate?”

Zhao Guangji let out a string of cold laughs, as though long-suppressed resentment had finally burst forth. His gaze was icy, sweeping over the crowd. “Return? Island Lord, why not ask the Grand Elder beside you how I ended up buried in the sea?”

Huo Chen turned to look at the Grand Elder and urged him to explain immediately. From Zhao Guangji’s tone, it was clear the matter was not as simple as it had seemed.

The Grand Elder could only sigh inwardly. At this point, he had no choice but to make everything clear. It would be disastrous to offend Huo Chen now. After all, they were on the same side at present, and their common enemy was Zhao Guangji.

Taking a breath, the Grand Elder said evenly, “Island Lord, ten years ago, the Second Imperial Uncle was nearly killed and buried in the sea because of His Majesty, Zhao Guangran. It was done in order to seize the throne. He had no choice.”

At those words, Zhao Guangji’s fury deepened. “No choice? What a fine excuse! To fight for the throne, Zhao Guangran, that hypocrite, took advantage of the voyage I made with him and struck me down on the ship. He even blinded one of my eyes. Such hatred can never be reconciled. Once I deal with all of you, he will be next!”

After hearing those words blazing with rage, Huo Chen and the Grand Elder both sank into heavy silence. They exchanged a wordless glance, and from Zhao Guangji’s tone alone they knew he had no intention of letting them go.

At that moment, the Second Prince, who stood behind the Grand Elder, thought for a moment and then stepped forward. His eyes were filled with what seemed like nostalgia as he said, “Imperial Uncle, since you are still alive, I’m sure Father would be glad to know it. I often hear him speak of you. His words are full of regret. If I may say so, why not return with us to Ice Spirit Island, sit down with Father, and talk things through? Would it not be better to let bygones be bygones?”

Zhao Guangji snorted coldly and scoffed at him directly. “He regrets it now? Why did he not think of that when he made his move? Nephew, do you really think these words still mean anything? You would do best to put away those naive ideas, lest you make a fool of yourself.”

The Second Prince refused to give up and pressed on. “Imperial Uncle, are you certain you want to go your own way and make an enemy of us?”

“Enough. It is already as it is. Nothing more needs to be said. It is far more practical to see things on the battlefield,” Zhao Guangji said sharply, waving his hand.

Seeing that the Second Prince’s attempt at persuasion had failed, the Grand Elder reached out and pulled him back, signaling him not to speak further. With the rage burning in Zhao Guangji’s heart, words could not extinguish it. Their only option now was to take him down first.

Then the Grand Elder and Huo Chen exchanged a glance, ready to strike at any moment. If one wished to seize the thieves, one must first seize their leader. They intended to capture Zhao Guangji directly.

Sensing what was coming, Zhao Guangji leaped lightly backward, retreating several paces. “It seems you are preparing to make a move. Heh, that is more like it.”

Huo Chen snorted. “I do not care what internal conflicts your dynasty may have, but you dared ambush and kill my Blazing Fire Island’s people. For that alone, I will never spare you.”

“I understand. But do you really think you can defeat me with so many people?”

“A swarm of rabble,” the Grand Elder could not help but interject, his eyes full of disdain. “With Island Lord Huo Chen here, a powerful Spirit Seed Realm expert, what do you have to stand against us?”

To his surprise, Zhao Guangji’s smile only grew more arrogant. Spiritual power rose around him, driving his aura to its peak. He gave a cold snort and said quietly, “And now?”

What?

He is also in the Spirit Seed Realm!

Seeing the aura surging from Zhao Guangji’s body, the Grand Elder and Huo Chen both exclaimed in shock.

Noticing the astonished expressions on their faces, Zhao Guangji felt greatly pleased. He continued, “Do not rush to be surprised. There is more.”

As he spoke, he took out a round disc from within his robes. Spiritual power roiled violently around him, and his aura shot up like a pillar into the sky, seemingly no weaker than the clash Huo Chen and Fang Tian had once had. Rubble and loose stones scattered in all directions. He extended a finger and continuously poured his spiritual power into the disc. After a while, he stopped, looked at the light flowing across its surface, and slowly lifted it above his head.

Then he murmured, “Spirit-Sealing Array, rise.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the disc began to tremble. The radiance upon it spread outward like countless threads, drifting above the heads of the Grand Elder, Huo Chen, and the others. After another moment, those threads intertwined with one another and gradually formed a formation diagram covered in intricate patterns. The diagram then revolved, and from above their heads descended strands of translucent, invisible power, falling into their bodies.

Huo Chen, the Grand Elder, and the others only felt as though something had entered their bodies, but after checking themselves, they found nothing unusual.

Huo Chen thought Zhao Guangji was merely putting on a show. He stepped forward and said coldly, “I thought you had something earthshaking. So this is all?”

“Is that so? Try circulating your spiritual power,” Zhao Guangji said with a faint smile as he put the disc away.

Frowning slightly, Huo Chen tried to do as instructed. Yet after a while, he discovered that he could hardly stir any spiritual power at all. What was going on? Shock surged through him. He stared at Zhao Guangji in disbelief and shouted, “What have you done to us? Why can we not use a shred of spiritual power?”

Zhao Guangji shook his head. “Nothing much. I merely sealed the spiritual power within your bodies for the time being.”

“Sealed our spiritual power?” The Grand Elder was equally shaken. No matter how he tried to circulate his energy, he could not use any spiritual power. The same was true for the others behind the two of them.

“Enough. No more nonsense. Men, move,” Zhao Guangji said indifferently, as though the lives of these people were beneath his notice. After a moment, as if remembering something, he added hastily, with a trace of urgency, “Oh, and my two nephews—you must not kill them by mistake. I still need to take them to see my dear imperial brother.”

“Understood, Boss.”

The pirates around them showed faint, cruel smiles. One by one, they raised their sabers and rushed straight toward the Grand Elder and Huo Chen.

Seeing the pirates charge with blades in hand, the Grand Elder and Huo Chen shouted toward Zhao Guangji, “Tell your men to stop at once! Do you know the consequences of killing us?”

“Consequences? Ever since I became a pirate, I have killed without blinking. Do you think such words still matter? If you ask me, you had best wait obediently for death, hahaha...”

“Zhao Guangji, are you truly not going to stop? You must know I am a Spirit Seed Realm cultivator. I might be of some use to you,” Huo Chen said, unable to believe how decisive Zhao Guangji was being.

“No need. If I kept you at my side, I would have to worry about this and that. It would be rather troublesome.”

A mocking expression appeared on Zhao Guangji’s face as he slowly shook his head.

Huo Chen felt his heart turn cold. He knew Zhao Guangji would not spare him. Seeing that all hope of survival was gone, a trace of weariness surfaced on his face, and he sighed helplessly. “I spent my whole life in bitter cultivation. At last I reached the Spirit Seed Realm, and yet before I could even clash with a powerful enemy, I am to die so miserably on this island. I truly cannot rest in peace.”

“You are not the only one who will die with regrets. One more makes no difference, and one fewer does not matter.”

“You!” Huo Chen roared in fury.

“Island Lord, look behind you,” Zhao Guangji said, pointing toward him.

Huo Chen turned back and saw the people behind him screaming one after another as they fell beneath the pirates’ sabers. His heart felt as though it were being torn apart. Half of those people were from his own island.

His gaze and hands trembled uncontrollably. He knew there was no escape, yet he did not wish to die at the hands of those pirates. Turning his head to look once more at Zhao Guangji, he then moved suddenly, charging straight at him.

Watching Huo Chen struggle in his final moments, Zhao Guangji felt nothing at all. When Huo Chen reached him, he closed his eyes, circulated his spiritual power, and thrust out his palm, piercing through Huo Chen’s body.

Huo Chen spat out a mouthful of blood. With both hands, he gripped Zhao Guangji’s arm tightly and stared at him with deadly intensity, forcing out his final words before death: “You will die without a grave!”

A short while later, all life drained from Huo Chen, and he closed his eyes forever.

“I seem to have said those same words ten years ago. Yet my imperial brother is still alive and well. I truly do not understand what good such dying curses can do,” Zhao Guangji said. He circulated his spiritual power, shook his arm, and flung Huo Chen’s corpse aside. Looking at the blood on his palm, his expression became even more excited.

Seeing Huo Chen dead, the Grand Elder, who had been struggling desperately to hold on, lost all hope. In his moment of distraction, a pirate’s saber plunged into his body, and before long he too perished.

After a little more time, all the others were slain by the pirates’ blades, leaving only the two princes alive. Seeing that the deed was done, Zhao Guangji said to the men standing beside the pile of corpses, “You, you—take the two of them away first. The rest of you, take out the storage artifacts on their bodies and keep them. Once that is done, use tools to haul these corpses into the sea and feed them to the fish.”

“Yes!”

At their boss’s command, two pirates stepped forward. Glancing at the Second Prince and the Third Prince, who seemed to have fallen into a daze, they hauled them up and dragged them toward the pirates’ lair.

The remaining pirates took out sacks and carts from their storage artifacts. After stuffing the bodies into the sacks, they pushed the carts away in a certain direction.

Before long, the scene was left with nothing but a pool of blood and not a single corpse in sight. Seeing that the cleanup was nearly done, Zhao Guangji called to his men and prepared to return.

Just then, dense footsteps sounded behind him. Turning around, he saw Fu Cang leading a group over.

Fu Cang quickly came to Zhao Guangji’s side and said, “Big Brother, have you finished here already?”

Zhao Guangji replied casually, “Mm. What about your side? Did you handle it?”

“Yes, but I only had them locked up for now.”

Zhao Guangji frowned. “Did I not tell you to kill them as soon as you had the chance? Why did you leave them alive?”

“Big Brother, I wanted to come support you as quickly as possible, so I did not bother dealing with them. Besides, it is not the same once we go back, is it?” Fu Cang explained.

“All right, all right. Still, this time we succeeded thanks to your warning in advance. Otherwise, we would not have been able to deal with them so easily.”

After Fu Cang warned him, Zhao Guangji had immediately begun breaking through to the next realm. Originally, he had intended to remain at the Ninth Layer of the Spirit Gathering Realm for a while longer, so that he could properly temper and stabilize his cultivation. But when all three islands sent people at once, he realized the situation was urgent and had no choice but to break through. Only then could he use the spiritual disc that had sealed Huo Chen and the others’ spiritual power.

“Big Brother, you flatter me. It is only right that I do this.”

“Enough. Let us go back.”

“Very well.”

With that, Zhao Guangji and Fu Cang led their subordinates back toward their base.

Meanwhile, after running for some distance, Fang Tian spotted the mark left behind by Mu Qiaoqiao. Following it all the way, he came to the point where the trail ended. Looking at the rows of stone houses before him, Fang Tian concealed himself and observed the situation ahead.