Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 428 - 379: Taboo

Chapter 428: Chapter 379: Taboo
The blue Karmic Fire, devoid of warmth, erupted along the blade of the spear, scorching the paper figure’s body and casting strange, twisted shadows upon the walls of the Dark River.
The semi-transparent school of fish in the river finally realized what was happening. Panicked, they thrashed their tails, fleeing the area.
Just as the Karmic Fire was about to burn through the paper, another paper figure dashed through the flames of the exploding talisman arrow, appearing directly behind Li Ang and punching towards the back of his neck.
With no time to dodge or retreat, Li Ang switched to offense, pulling back on the shaft of his Triangular Spear and jabbing its butt end into the paper figure’s chest. This, combined with a burst of Karmic Fire, forced it back.
SPLASH!
The sound of water erupted again as the first paper figure flickered to Li Ang’s left and lunged at him.
Catching sight of a shadow from the corner of his eye, Li Ang didn’t hesitate to raise his left hand, pouring Telekinesis into a forceful shove to his right.
With a splash of water, Li Ang shifted more than three meters to the right.
Yet the two paper figures alternated flickering in pursuit. They seemed to understand the danger of the Karmic Fire, constantly avoiding Li Ang’s palms and spear tip. Whenever Li Ang moved to release the Karmic Fire, the targeted paper figure would flicker away, and the other would move in to entangle him.
The two paper figures coordinated flawlessly, bit by bit pushing Li Ang toward the narrowest part of the entire Dark River.
In such constricted terrain, the Triangular Spear could not be wielded effectively.
Li Ang’s eyes shone with determination.
Karmic Fire needs intense negative emotions to fuel it and could extinguish at any moment.
What other items do I have on me that could be used against the enemy?
The Bitter Realm Lotus could only predict good or bad fortune. The Arbitrary Gate could provide escape from danger, but he had risked coming down to the Dark River just to rescue He Fanshuang and the others.
Hmm?
Ahead in the Dark River, enveloped by the Micro Light Talisman, only two figures wearing knee covers remained...
BUZZ!
The water surface was split in two by a sharp Sword Qi. A flash of sword shadow tore across the surface, piercing one paper figure’s chest and nailing it harshly to the wall.
SPLASH!
Water scattered in all directions. He Fanshuang, drenched in her cyan Clothes, a red cloth knee cover on her head, stood up from the water, her hands forming a sword technique.
So you were hiding underwater all this time?!
A sense of relief washed over Li Ang, but what he said was, "Don’t let them see you, and don’t take off the knee cover!"
"Understood."
He Fanshuang’s voice remained cool as she slashed heavily with her hand, controlling the Flying Sword to carve a deep gash across the paper figure’s chest.
Though it lacked Karmic Fire and couldn’t truly kill the Paper Groom, the attack dealt a heavy blow to the paper figure, preventing it from flickering away for a short time.
With He Fanshuang by his side to assist, the pressure on Li Ang diminished drastically.
He concentrated Telekinesis beneath his feet and surfed rapidly on the water’s surface. His Triangular Spear skimmed the water, drawing a semicircular arc, and smashed hard against the paper figure’s temple.
BANG!
The paper figure flew out heavily. Its seemingly frail paper body smashed against the rock wall, leaving a human-shaped indent.
Even its face, drawn with simple lines, caved in.
The paper figure shook its head and, with a BUZZ, flickered away once again.
It appeared in front of the other paper figure, the one pinned to the wall by the Flying Sword, and tried to pull out the Longsword to assist its comrade.
He Fanshuang’s gaze flickered, and she commanded sharply, "Submerge them in the water."
Submerge them in the water?
Li Ang didn’t understand her intent, but his body acted first.
Thrusting his spear shaft against the rock wall, his feet skimmed the water’s surface as if there were no friction, and he glided forward rapidly, propelled by the reaction force.
At the same time, dozens of Mind Needles he carried at his waist spilled out, each needle’s end connected by a Mind Thread.
WHIZZ!
The Mind Needles swiftly circled the limbs of the two paper figures. The Mind Threads tied to their ends contracted rapidly under the influence of Telekinesis, binding the paper figures’ bodies and impeding their flickering escape.
As if knowing the curse was ineffective against Li Ang, the two paper figures struggled fiercely to break free from the Mind Thread restraints, attempting to turn their heads to look at He Fanshuang.
TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!
Under their brute force, the Mind Threads, made of heavy gold, snapped, striking the rock wall and leaving deep marks.
Li Ang swung the Triangular Spear, driving it deep into the bottom of the Dark River to anchor himself. With his left hand, he grabbed all the Mind Threads, wrapping them around his hand several times before pulling hard.
PLOP!
Both paper figures plunged into the river simultaneously, their gazes sweeping over the ceiling of the Dark River.
Under the paper figures’ gaze, even the sturdy rock walls emitted crisp cracking sounds and gradually turned into white paper.
Now is the moment.
He Fanshuang cut open the palms of her hands with her fingernails, plunging her hands into the chilly flowing water and stirring it.
Using blood as ink and the river as paper—Ice River Talisman.
The flowing water suddenly froze. Branched ice extended and grew rapidly, accompanied by the dense sound of the ice surface compressing and cracking. The entire stretch of the Dark River froze solid, emitting a bone-chilling cold under the glow of the Micro Light Talisman.
Li Ang, standing on the water’s surface with the help of Telekinesis, was not swallowed by the icy river.
The two paper figures wrapped in Mind Threads, however, failed to escape; their bodies below the shoulders were firmly frozen in place.
The paper figures, with only their heads free to move, struggled for a while but remained trapped. They rigidly spoke, "Today’s saintly transformation nurtures all living beings. Where are the youths, whose affairs know no bounds..."
Do they think I’m a highway bandit?
Li Ang mused silently. In traditional weddings, as the groom brought the bride home, they would encounter people looking for fun along the way, jokingly demanding valuables. Both sides would recite Poetry, and usually, the groom’s side would give some food, wine, or cloth to secure passage.
These two paper figures are really dedicated, insisting on performing the entire ritual even now.
Li Ang stepped onto the ice, pointed the Triangular Spear at the paper figures’ heads, and released azure Karmic Fire.
"Clear the way in haste, hinder not my carriage’s path..."
Under the incineration of the Karmic Fire, the heads of the two paper figures withered and blackened. Their voices grew weaker and weaker until they vanished completely.
"Is it over?" He Fanshuang pulled her hands out of the water and asked coolly.
"Not yet, wait for me."
Li Ang dug through the ice with the Triangular Spear and used the Karmic Fire to burn the remaining parts of the paper figures to ashes. Only then did he feel at ease. He turned to He Fanshuang and said, "Now it’s over."
He Fanshuang nodded, turned, and spoke softly to the two women by the river who had regained consciousness and were panicking, "Come over here, and don’t remove the knee covers on your heads."
Having said that, she turned back to Li Ang, who was approaching, and asked in a quiet voice, "When did you learn Karmic Fire? The Academic Palace didn’t teach that, did they?"
Karmic Fire is an ominous thing. Those burned by it are utterly destroyed. It is commonly associated with the Demon Sect, so naturally, the Academic Palace would not teach it.
Li Ang rolled his eyes and spoke softly, "Aren’t you the same? The Blood Talisman technique seems to be taboo as well."
The two looked at each other for a long while, the corners of their mouths lifting simultaneously, their voices overlapping.
"Let’s keep each other’s secrets."