C17 He Said That It Was a Pity That the Mute and the Deaf Were Innocent

After dismissing the servants, Le Yang turned to An An with a look of regret. "I'm sorry, I didn't even manage to keep the promise I made to you."

While Ye Fan was immersed in his sorrow, he thought he saw An An stir. Filled with sudden hope, he moved closer, only to find himself locked in the gaze of the charred corpse's dead, ash-gray eyes. "It was just a hallucination," he realized.

Le Yang, suppressing the ache in his heart, began to manipulate An An into performing various actions. But the newly created zombie's body was exceedingly rigid. When Le Yang tried to make her throw a punch, she could only lift her arm and charge clumsily into the training post.

An An, now a green-haired zombie, was oblivious to pain, but that did nothing to ease Le Yang's distress.

Eventually, Le Yang stopped the haphazard training. He opened the sword manual his master had given him and began to practice the techniques. These were top-tier sword skills of the mortal realm, characterized by their sheer power and ferocity. After just one reading, Le Yang had committed every move to memory.

The courtyard came alive with the sound of whooshing as Le Yang, gripping the golden ring blade in both hands, began his dance. Golden light crisscrossed the space, and the faint sound of a dragon's roar could be heard.

Yet, Le Yang was still young and not very strong. The golden ring blade weighed a hefty 820 Jin, and even with his physique enhanced by Hua Shang Ji, he couldn't maintain the practice for long. Soon, he was leaning on the blade, gasping for breath.

Chu Yunrou approached, gently dabbing at the sweat on Le Yang's face with a fragrant towel. "You must be exhausted," she said with concern. "Look at how sweaty you are. Why put yourself through this when you're already a cultivator?"

Le Yang kept his secrets close to his chest, offering only a smile in response. "It's better to be strong," he said. "Besides, this is what my master instructed, and I intend to give it my all."

After resting briefly, Le Yang felt his strength returning, aided by the nourishing star power within him, which allowed him to recover much faster than an ordinary person. He picked up the saber and resumed his practice.

Chu Yunrou watched from the side, understanding that Le Yang was driven by a desire for vengeance and was seeking to master more techniques. She had no place to comment, so instead, she instructed the kitchen to prepare a hearty meat dish for his lunch.

Le Yang was so engrossed in practicing his saber technique that he lost track of time. Without Chu Yunrou's intervention, he probably would have forgotten to eat or even sleep.

The stars above cast a brilliant glow, illuminating the figure of the young man who continued to practice his saber moves in the courtyard.

Chu Yunrou noticed the strain on Le Yang's face, yet he persisted, swinging his saber tirelessly despite his hands being visibly fatigued and the blade trembling even when still.

"Brother, that's enough for today. Go back and get some sleep," Chu Yunrou suggested.

"Not yet. I'm sure there's something I'm still not grasping. Sister Chu, don't mind me. You should get some rest," Le Yang replied.

Le Yang knew the saber technique by heart, having committed every move to memory and practiced them to near perfection. Still, he couldn't seem to unleash the full potential of the technique.

If a hundred strikes weren't enough, he'd swing a thousand times. If a thousand strikes fell short, he'd swing ten thousand times.

"Madmen, all of them! Every cultivator is a madman!" Chu Yunrou exclaimed in frustration, stamping her foot. After watching Le Yang for a moment longer, she turned and went back to her room.

"Where am I going wrong?" Le Yang pondered, never ceasing the motion of his saber. As he continued, the cultivation within his Qi Sea began to spread throughout his limbs with his movements.

Le Yang thought to stop it, but when the stellar power entered his limbs and bones, he felt the weight of the heavy golden saber lighten in his hands.

"What's happening?" he wondered.

Tempted by the comfort of the stellar power coursing through him, Le Yang hesitated to draw it back into his Qi Sea. In mere moments, the weariness from his relentless practice vanished.

Gazing thoughtfully at the stars, Le Yang felt the stellar power within him traveling actively through his meridians, almost as if urging him to quickly cultivate his technique and absorb the celestial light.

After careful consideration, Le Yang concluded that as long as no one spoke of it, his actions shouldn't bring any trouble to the sect. After all, how could anyone know which cultivation technique he was practicing if he kept it to himself?

Yue Yang resolved to focus on his training, sitting cross-legged with the golden blade laid out before him as he began practicing the Starlight Blinding Technique. His cultivation had already gradually shifted into the power of the stars, and now he felt the pace of his training quicken significantly, exceeding his previous speed by more than 30%.

Completely engrossed in his practice, Yue Yang failed to notice An An, who was supposed to stand quietly to the side, approaching him without his command. An An positioned herself in front of Yue Yang, and despite supposedly lacking any consciousness, she opened her mouth and began to draw in the star power Yue Yang had accumulated around him.

Yue Yang sensed a decrease in the surrounding star power but dismissed it, assuming that clouds might have obscured the stars' light, and thought nothing more of it.

The following morning, Yue Yang emerged from his meditative state, bemused by his own behavior. Despite having a house, he had spent each night sitting outside. He pondered the idea of making a hole in his roof to facilitate practicing the Starlight Technique indoors.

Lifting the heavy golden blade, which now seemed less burdensome, Yue Yang reveled in his newfound strength, oblivious to the strange behavior of An An beside him.

"This is the sensation I've been seeking," he exclaimed, gripping the golden blade and swinging it down to leave a two-finger-wide gash in the earth. Although it lacked the destructive force of An An's reckless charges, Yue Yang was elated by his personal display of power.

His strength was comparable to that of a cultivator in the middle stage of Qi Refining. And with the advantage of wielding a weapon, he knew that as long as he was swift enough, he could easily outmatch any cultivator at the same stage.

A sudden urge to confront his enemies and exact revenge surged within Yue Yang, but he recognized that the timing was not yet right. Setting aside other considerations, he didn't even have a clear understanding of who his enemy was or their capabilities.

Recalling the day he had taken on a master on the mountain, Yue Yang remembered how the Skull Monster had escorted him back to his home for a final visit. To his despair, he found his house reduced to ashes, and his neighbors had vanished without a trace.

Passersby spoke of a lightning bolt from the heavens that had struck down the Yang family home several weeks prior, speculating on the grievous sins they must have committed to warrant such divine retribution. The ominous event had prompted nearby residents to relocate, their new whereabouts unknown.

The words of passersby were nothing but rumors. Yue Yang had witnessed his entire family succumb to poison, and he couldn't allow others to recklessly cast blame and spread falsehoods.

The Skull Monster, with his extensive knowledge, suggested to Yue Yang that a cultivator was likely involved, and not just any cultivator, but one at least at the Foundation Building level.

He speculated that this cultivator practiced lightning techniques, which were notoriously powerful within the realm of magic, possessing a might more than twice that of ordinary techniques.

At that time, the Skull Monster had not yet achieved the Golden Core state and lacked any leads, so he took Yue Yang back to the Order of Duality.

"To seek vengeance, I must reach the Foundation Building level," Yue Yang resolved. He could not be content with his current strength. As long as his revenge went unclaimed, his heart felt as though it was being devoured by millions of ants, leaving him no peace.

"Whoever you are, I swear I will crush you to dust!" Yue Yang's eyes snapped open, a fierce and unwavering light shining within them.

"Crash! Tinkle! Smash!" The sound of breaking porcelain echoed. Chu Yunrou, who had come to visit Yue Yang, had dropped the breakfast tray to the floor, apparently startled by something.

Time passed swiftly. Yue Yang honed his swordsmanship by day and practiced the "Starlight" technique by night. Within a mere week, he had perfected the "Water Dragon's Cry." The Skull Monster believed that Yue Yang, if he chose to become a Martial Master, could easily rise to the rank of a great general among mortals.

One day, while Yue Yang was practicing his sword technique, a disciple came to summon him on behalf of the Skull Monster, who requested his presence at his place of cultivation.

Yue Yang followed the disciple to the base of the mountain where the Skull Monster practiced his arts.

This mountain, shrouded in chilling winds and dismal clouds, was unlike Yue Yang's unchanged verdant peak or the golden mountain where Murong Xuan secluded himself. It was a desolate place, blanketed with graves as far as the eye could see.

Yue Yang had never before visited the Skull Monster's mountain of cultivation and had not anticipated it to be such a forbidding and ghostly domain.

Yue Yang followed the disciple through the dense woods, his ears assaulted by sinister laughter and a cacophony of soul-shaking roars. He was about to inquire about the source of these monstrous sounds when he realized the disciple had vanished without a trace.

Gripping his golden chain saber tightly, Yue Yang used his mental prowess to ensure An An stayed close behind him. Lost and uncertain of which direction to take, a sudden, chilling laugh pierced the silence, sending shivers down his spine.

"Who's there? Stop hiding and show yourself!"

Yue Yang spun around, but saw nothing. The laughter taunted him from behind once more. Clenching the golden chain saber, he steadied his nerves.

Whoosh!

In that instant, a dark figure lunged at him. Yue Yang attempted to intercept it with his saber, but was too slow. Struck in the abdomen, he staggered backward from the intense pain. Thankfully, An An was there to brace him, preventing a fall.

Such incredible speed!

Yue Yang was inwardly alarmed. He had assumed his saber training had greatly enhanced his strength and speed beyond that of ordinary cultivators, yet he hadn't even caught a glimpse of his assailant's face.

"Try that again!"

Regaining his composure, Yue Yang surveyed his surroundings with vigilance. He knew that any rash move could plunge him into greater peril.

"This must be the trial my Master intended for me."

With newfound clarity and understanding the situation, Yue Yang's fear subsided significantly.

"Judging by that attack, the creature is swift but not particularly strong."

Yue Yang analyzed, still clutching his saber.

The shadow, however, afforded him no time for contemplation. Seizing any opportunity, it darted towards Yue Yang with ferocious speed. Despite An An's assistance, Yue Yang struggled to match the shadow's velocity.

It was as if the shadow possessed the power to see through illusions. Had Yue Yang not stayed close to An An, he would have likely been fatally wounded from behind.

Yue Yang realized that simply waiting was not an option; his accumulating injuries would eventually overwhelm him.

Eerie owl calls echoed through the dense forest, as if they were celebrating in anticipation of the Taotie's forthcoming banquet.