Zhang Yan stepped out onto the railing and glanced back, only to see a crimson light tailing closely behind him. It was clear this was a cultivator in the Xuan Guang Realm. Moreover, occasional flashes of golden light emerged intermittently from the red gleam, repeatedly striking the tower’s prohibition. Judging from the intensity, it was undoubtedly a Dharma Treasure. Yet after just a few hits, the treasure light surrounding the tower dimmed slightly. At this rate, the prohibition might completely collapse in less than two hours.
Zhang Yan chuckled lightly and said, "I was initially planning to have Luo Xiao set up an array, but since you’ve outright delivered yourself to me, you can’t blame me for this." With a wave of his talisman, he directed the tower to fly toward the direction indicated by his senses, completely ignoring the actions of the individual behind him.
The tower’s prohibition, if actively maintained, would make it difficult for the opponent—regardless of the quality of their treasure—to breach it. However, Zhang Yan worried that, upon finding the prohibition impenetrable, the individual might return to summon reinforcements. If that happened, the situation could spiral out of his control.
Dealing with one person was always preferable to facing a crowd. Thus, he merely toyed with the pursuer at a distance, allowing the Spirit Light from the prohibition to be gradually stripped away, yet taking no further action.
In a cultivator’s eyes, the tower remained visible from several dozen miles away. He Fang, noticing that the tower’s trajectory had suddenly shifted while he was closing in, immediately suspected something was amiss and hastened to catch up.
However, mid-flight, it was inconvenient for him to communicate. Thus, he tested the situation with his Heart-Hitting Hammer. At this moment, seeing that the tower did not stop but instead continued to fly toward another direction, he became even more convinced of his earlier suspicions.
Inside the tower was Su Yihong’s younger brother. This mission was also regarded as the first "important task" Su Yihong entrusted to him. Not wanting to fail, He Fang, in his mounting urgency, disregarded any reservations and directed his hammer to strike the Qi-gathering Gourd at the tower’s top with full force. If the gourd were damaged, the tower’s prohibition would lose half its strength.
Zhang Yan, however, remained composed. Returning to the tower’s interior, he first rummaged through the Qiankun Pouch, retrieving numerous items and casually pocketing them. Then, he searched Su YiAng’s decapitated corpse. Before long, his hand grasped a round jade pendant.
He thought to himself, "Could this perhaps be the treasure that just deflected both the Ruyi Divine Shuttle and the Proclamation Pen?"
After examining it for a few moments, he noticed that the treasure light on the pendant had dimmed, as though covered by a layer of haze. Clearly, the item had sustained damage in the earlier skirmish. With its original master dead, the Essence Blood within had dissipated. This realization sparked a thought in his mind. Reaching into his sleeve, he pulled out the copper mirror, inspecting it before nodding faintly.
Dharma Treasures inherently possess spiritual nature. Once refined with Essence Blood, they usually require only a trace of Spiritual Energy for seamless control. Clearly, the copper mirror had only recently fallen into Su Yihong’s possession and had yet to be properly refined. Otherwise, today’s battle might not have been so effortless.
At this moment, Zhang Yan cast a seemingly casual glance toward a particular corner of the room, a faint smile crossing his lips. He retrieved a piece of beautiful jade from the Qiankun Pouch and tossed it onto the ground, saying, "Junior Su, stop hiding. If you wish to avoid soul scattering, come here and lodge your Primordial Spirit within this."
As his words echoed, a flickering Primordial Spirit wavered hesitantly before emerging from the corner of the room. It floated toward the jade and burrowed into it.
This was Su YiAng’s Primordial Spirit. In his haste to pursue Wu Zhen earlier, Zhang Yan failed to annihilate it completely. Now, upon reflection, he realized this fragment might still serve some purpose.
Holding the beautiful jade in his hand, Zhang Yan gazed at the tiny figure within. It bore an uncanny resemblance to the original Su YiAng, yet now it looked at him with palpable fear. Zhang Yan smiled, carrying the jade to the edge of the railing. Pointing upward, he asked, "I have a question for you. Do you recognize the individual up there? If you dare utter even half a falsehood, I’ll scatter your soul to oblivion."
Having lost his physical body, Su YiAng’s Primordial Spirit could only endure for seven or eight days without a vessel, even as a cultivator. Furthermore, he knew that Zhang Yan could erase his existence at any moment. Thus, after one glance, he obediently answered, "I don’t know this person well. But judging from his appearance, he resembles He Guo, my elder brother’s subordinate. If I am correct, this must be his younger brother, He Fang. I’ve heard that he’s a Xuan Guang First Realm cultivator, though I don’t know his current level of cultivation."
Pointing toward the golden light relentlessly striking the tower, Zhang Yan continued, "What is that treasure?"
Su YiAng replied, "That should be the Purple Pattern Calming Hammer. It originally belonged to He Fang’s elder brother, He Guo, and was specifically designed to counter Flying Swords."
Zhang Yan cast him a glance before suddenly stating, "If I were to use your Primordial Spirit as leverage to demand this individual to back off, do you think he would comply?"