Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“Not working, not working! It’s still not working!”

Twelve hours had passed. There were only 24 hours in one day. Half of the day was gone, and Jiang Yi still couldn’t get the gist of the sorcery.

If it was an ordinary man-tier martial skill or earth-tier inferior-grade martial skill, Jiang Yi would grasp them easily. He would also have a chance if it was an earth-tier superior-grade martial skill or even a heaven-tier martial skill.

Jiang Yi found this sorcery a hundredfold times more difficult than heaven-tier martial skills because it involved the Dao patterns. This was the first time that Jiang Yi learned sorcery. It was definitely not easy for him to achieve enlightenment within a short time.

Half a day was left. Jiang Yi started to struggle. Should he change to the other two ancient sorceries instead? What if those two sorceries were easier?

“Never mind! Let me focus on this one. These ancient sorceries are probably similar in the level of difficulty. There is no shortcut in learning this. I should keep on with the Puppet Mud Humanoid.”

Jiang Yi woke up to reality shortly. He emptied out all the distracting thoughts and concentrated on the realization.

The sense of urgency became more pronounced as the hours passed away. The feeling of having a machete hanging above and slowly falling towards him was really distressing. A Vajra Realm martial expert would probably not be able to compose himself, let alone Jiang Yi.

It was human nature to feel scared, flurried, and uneasy when facing a life-and-death crisis. There was no way to overcome such instincts, not even for those with the most powerful mind.

Though many people did not fear death—including Jiang Yi, when facing death in real life, all sorts of thoughts would come up.

This kind of slow torture was most agonizing. At this moment, Jiang Yi had to overcome these distractions and devote to comprehending the ancient sorcery. In addition, his body was wounded. Most importantly, his mind was tired from the incessant instant-shifting while he was hunting for Yun Lu. The more agitated he became, the more difficult it was to understand the ancient sorcery.

It was a vicious circle. He became more and more anxious and bewildered, leading to more distracting thoughts—which wasted more time. Then he got tenser, knowing that more time was squandered. If this cycle continued, half of the day would pass in a blink of an eye.

“No more realizations. If I have to die, so be it.”

After studying the sorcery for another hour, Jiang Yi opened his eyes and lied on his side. Cleared his mind, he fell into a heavy slumber.

He was so exhausted and in need of a good rest. He would certainly die if he continued the realization. Rather than dying in anxiety, he could sleep for a good five or six hours—so that he could relax his mind and body and make a final push.

It had to be said that Jiang Yi was truly a weird person. Probably no one would believe that he actually fell asleep when the machete was dropping in less than half of a day.

What if he overslept? When the time was up and the restrictions were set off automatically, he would be history.

He slept soundly and even snored a bit. Two hours after he was asleep, the restrictions in the central hall suddenly brightened. The heaven and earth essence force circulated silently and congealed into a faint image. It was the Witch God!

The image of the Witch God looked really palpable. This time, it moved. His head swung towards Jiang Yi. Then, the image faded slowly and disappeared. It was exceptionally strange.

“Hoo… chuu…”

Jiang Yi’s rhythmic snores resounded from time to time. He slept for a full six hours and woke up leisurely.

Rubbing his face, he felt rejuvenated. He had no idea how long he had been asleep. He stretched himself and went on studying the sorcery unhurriedly.

As time went by, Jiang Yi was no longer in panic. Unexpectedly, the closer he was to death, the calmer he became. Four hours later, he opened his eyes and stopped the realizations.

Though he did not know the exact time, he had a feeling that one day had passed; and he did not manage to comprehend the ancient sorcery. So peacefully, he waited for his death.

He conjured up images of many people—Su Ruoxue, Jiang Xiaonu, Jiang Yunhai, Qian Wanguan, Zhan Wushuang, the Demon Empress, the little fox, and the blurry faces of Yi Piaopiao. He had only one regret. He was uncertain of the whereabouts of Yi Piaopiao. If she was still alive—and he could see her for one last time, he would die without regret.

Tsk-Tsk!

It was not long before the restrictions in the palace illuminated. The heaven and earth essence force congealed into a faint image. The image of the Witch God reappeared. A dim sound echoed in the central hall. “Young man, the time is up. Have you comprehended one ancient sorcery? If not, you will forever be trapped here… along with me.”

Jiang Yi took a look at that image and found that it did not move at all with its eyes staring at the previous direction. He thought it was an image produced by the restrictions, just like the image before. He did not pay much attention to it. Pursing his lips, he said, “Senior, go on. I am worthless and did not attain realizations. I am willing to die!”

He did not care whether this image could understand him and how it could decide whether he had comprehended the ancient sorcery. Jiang Yi sat cross-legged on the ground. He was peaceful and content to die.

“Willing to die? You are longing for death at such a young age? Or you don’t enjoy living and are desperate for a quick end?”

To Jiang Yi’s astonishment, the voice came out again. It seemed to be talking to him? He opened his eyes instantly and gaped at the image. The image did not turn to him and was still looking at the front. Jiang Yi was stupefied.

The Witch God should be dead. The image was left by him and spontaneously congealed by the restrictions. Then whose voice was it? Who was talking to him?

Although his mind was blown, Jiang Yi came to his senses swiftly and replied in a low voice, “I naturally do not want to die. Instead, I am very eager to stay alive. I have so many things to accomplish—so many people to protect and so many enemies to kill! However, I am really not talented enough and cannot comprehend the ancient sorcery. So if Senior wants to end my life, just do it.”

“Very well!”

That voice called out in a short time. The image of the Witch God moved as well and spun to Jiang Yi. He nodded and said, “Very well, young man. I like your nature very much. Congratulations on passing all the tests. You’ll be my descendant. I hope you can live up to my name. And, you must promise me one thing. As long as you are still alive, you must try your best to protect my Yun Clan.”

“Ah?”

This time, Jiang Yi was indeed startled. His body shot off. He stared at the image of the Witch God in horror. After a fairly long time, he swallowed and asked, “Senior, are you human or… er, I mean you’re still alive?”

“What are you panicking for?”

The Witch God glimpsed at Jiang Yi blandly and said apathetically, “Of course, I’m dead. Though I attained the Heaven Monarch Realm when I was alive, I did not manage to take the final leap or achieve immortality. The reason why I’m still conscious is that I used restrictions and sorceries to retain a trace of my soul before I died. Two thousand years passed, the soul strength of this remaining soul is almost used up. I will die thoroughly in at most half a year.

“That’s so powerful. One strand of remnant soul can last for 2000 years!”

Jiang Yi was shocked in secret. His mind was full of questions. He paused and could not help asking, “Senior, I am baffled. I did not comprehend the ancient sorcery; why did you say I have passed the tests? Why didn’t you kill me?”

“Hur-Hur!”

The Witch God let out a sign of banter at a corner of his mouth. Coldly, he said, “It is impossible to comprehend this ancient sorcery because the secret manual is fundamentally wrong! You will never gain realizations even if you are given hundreds or thousands of years—let alone one day.”