Eternal Sacred King Chapter 141 to150
Chapter 141: Dead Quiet Ancient City
The moment little crane heard those people looking down on Su Zimo’s speed, it was displeased on the spot.
It wasn’t feeling unfair for Su Zimo. Instead, it was because if Su Zimo backed off and did not go, it would not be able to join him to have fun.
Little crane cried and bent down.
The spirit tiger was the first to understand what was happening as it hopped onto little crane in a delighted manner.
Little crane’s body trembled slightly and it felt disgusted for a moment. However, it did not chase the spirit tiger away and instead looked at Su Zimo, signaling for him to hop on as well.
This time round, it wasn’t just Su Zimo – everyone understood what was happening!
Little crane wanted to carry Su Zimo on it!
The speed of a Foundation Establishment realm spirit demon was much faster than Lu Yangrong and the others!
Furthermore, who would have imagined that the child of the Mystical Guardian Beast would actually be willing to lower its dignity and carry a Qi Refinement Warrior?
What kind of treatment was that?
Lu Yangrong and Guan Jin were both red with envy.
If it was the both of them, they would have hopped on eagerly!
However, Su Zimo frowned. Hesitating for a moment, he said deeply, “I’m quite heavy. Are you able to carry me?”
Su Zimo was wearing the Mystic Gold Silk Armor which weighed a full 5 tons!
If he wanted to take off the Mystic Gold Silk Armor, he would have to remove his green robes. However, that wasn’t convenient with Leng Rou around.
Little crane believed none of that. Pouting its lips, it raised its head and lamented internally, ‘How much can a mere Qi Refinement Warrior weigh?’
“Caw, caw!”
Little crane chirped and urged Su Zimo to hurry up.
Coughing gently, Su Zimo reminded, “Be careful.”
With that said, Su Zimo leaped onto little crane’s back.
Thump!
Instantly, little crane fell to the ground head first, eating a mouthful of dust.
Instantly, it was enraged and nearly cursed out in human tongue.
How was that a little heavy? That was damn bloody heavy!
In truth, due to little crane’s unique bloodline and its cultivation, it could carry objects of that weight without any issues.
However, it was caught totally off guard and naturally fell when something that heavy leaped onto it all of a sudden.
Embarrassed, Su Zimo said, “Why don’t I come down?”
“Caw, caw!”
Little crane was upset.
That was obviously questioning its ability!
Channeling its blood, little crane flapped and slowly flew up. Under Lu Yangrong and Guan Jin’s envious stares, it flew out of the sect.
Little fatty summoned his flying sword and declared while waving, “Let’s go!”
Before long, little crane adapted to the weight on its body. Even though it wasn’t fast, it was still far ahead of the other four.
The seven of them headed towards Linfeng City.
The distance between Ethereal Peak and Linfeng City was not too far apart. It would take approximately a day to arrive given the speed of early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
Along the way, the group of them came across other cultivators as well.
When the outsiders caught sight of their sect badge, all of them gave way respectfully.
Be it itinerant cultivators or minor sects, all of them have heard of Ethereal Peak.
To them, Ethereal Peak was a massive entity that no one wanted to offend.
In the blink of an eye, a day had passed.
Nearing dusk, an ancient city gradually appeared in front of them. That was their destination, Linfeng City.
Little crane slowed down gradually. Looking at the ancient city in the distance, Su Zimo narrowed his gaze as though in deep thoughts.
Leng Rou and the others caught up from behind.
Lu Yangrong walked over to little crane and took out an elixir from his storage bag. Smiling, he asked, “Little crane, my friend. You must be tired, right? How about taking an elixir to replenish your energy?”
Little crane turned slightly and instantly, its eyes lit up. Reaching out, it picked up the elixir in Lu Yangrong’s palm and raised its head, swallowing it in one go.
When Lu Yangrong saw little crane consuming the elixir, he was elated.
He had been extremely envious of the fact that little crane was willing to carry Su Zimo on its back.
Being carried by a spirit demon was much more flamboyant compared to sword kinesis flight – also, it was less tiring.
Lu Yangrong coughed gently and asked, “Little crane, my friend. How about giving me a ride so I can rest too?”
Little crane spun its head away and ignored him completely.
“You, stupid...!”
Lu Yangrong swallowed back his words.
Even if Su Zimo dared to call little crane stupid bird, he did not have the guts.
Watching Lu Yangrong make a fool of himself from the sidelines, Guan Jin scoffed coldly.
Right then, Su Zimo suddenly said, “Everyone, watch out. Something isn’t right about Linfeng City.”
“What’s wrong?”
Humiliated by little crane, Lu Yangrong was fuming. The moment he heard Su Zimo, he retorted, “Don’t give instructions if you don’t know anything! You’re just a Level 9 Qi Refinement Warrior!”
“Exactly.”
At this moment, Guan Jin was on the same side as Lu Yangrong. He had no intention of letting Su Zimo off as he continued, “What’s wrong with Linfeng City? Everything feels normal to me.”
“Even though it’s already evening time, there’s no lights in the city. It’s strange,” Su Zimo shook his head.
Leng Rou furrowed her brows, clearly realizing this.
Lu Yangrong snorted lightly, “It’s not actually night yet. What kind of lights do you want?”
In a short while, all five of them arrived at the skies above Linfeng City and descended slowly.
This time, even Lu Yangrong and Guan Jin noticed something odd about the city.
It was too quiet!
The ancient city’s streets were empty without a single person.
Even at dusk, it shouldn’t be this quiet. It was as if the entire city was empty and everyone had disappeared, leaving it in dead silence!
The five of them landed in Linfeng City and looked around.
Shops on either side of the streets were tightly shut, as though they hadn’t been open yet. The atmosphere in the ancient city was strange and even... sinister!
Su Zimo’s nostrils flared but he could not smell any blood.
“What’s going on?”
Little fatty asked with a stern expression.
In theory, the city lord of Linfeng City should have prepared long ago to send someone to welcome them.
Yet, there wasn’t a single person to be seen in Linfeng City right now!
Lu Yangrong shook his head. He gripped his flying sword tightly with a tense expression.
The spirit tiger’s ears flapped as it looked around, its claws digging the ground constantly with unease.
Little crane behaved the same way and flapped its wings.
After pondering for a moment, Lu Yangrong made a decision and said in a low voice, “Let’s go. We’ll check out the city lord’s residence first.”
His cultivation was the highest among them. Even though no one said anything, it was a silent agreement to accept him as the leader.
This time round, none of them used sword kinesis flight.
Apart from Su Zimo, everyone had expended a lot of spirit qi to get here. That was why they chose to walk now.
Walking along the quiet streets, all five of them looked around and listened to everything, taking note of any activity.
All of a sudden!
A sudden noise sounded out behind them.
Instantly, Lu Yangrong felt the hair on his neck stand on end. He spun around furiously and looked back.
Not far away, a gigantic triangular flag with the word ‘wine’ flapped in the wind, letting out sounds.
It was a false alarm.
Lu Yangrong and the others heaved a sigh of relief.
Yet another strange gust of cold wind blew by and suddenly, Lu Yangrong realized – he had broken out into cold sweat before he knew it.
“This is freaking weird!”
He cursed and continued walking.
Chapter 142: Discovery
They hadn’t walked far when Lu Yangrong stopped in his tracks.
There were two people lying on the street not far ahead. Motionless, their faces could not be seen.
One of them was holding a gong in his hand while the other had a tool. From the looks of it, they were probably the night watchmen of Linfeng City.
However, why would they be here since night had yet to truly arrive?
Why were they sprawled on the ground as well?
“Hey, night watchmen. Are you guys dead or alive?” Lu Yangrong grabbed his flying sword. He did not rush forward and merely asked on the spot.
Guan Jin scoffed coldly at the side, “What could be up with an ancient city full of mortals to deserve such caution from us?”
Even though he said that, Guan Jin clasped a protective talisman in his hand. Heading forth, he flipped one of them over.
“Ah!”
Guan Jin exclaimed and stumbled a couple of steps back.
Su Zimo and others at the back could clearly tell that the person was dead.
All of them had seen dead people before.
Yet, this was the first time they had seen such a horrifying death.
The night watchman’s face was shriveled and his skin stuck to the bones. It was as though his flesh and blood were drained, leaving only grey eyeballs that watched ahead confusedly.
Even when he died, that person most likely did not know the reason why.
Guan Jin heaved a deep breath of air before flipping the other person over – it was an almost identical death.
It felt as though the both of them were on their way to start on the night watch when they met with bad luck and were killed on the spot without any chance of reacting at all!
Su Zimo narrowed his gaze and pondered for a moment. Suddenly, he walked to a house at the side and kicked the door open before looking around inside.
The people inside were already dead.
Regardless of gender or age, most of them died in slumber in an almost identical manner as the two outside!
By the time Su Zimo returned to the street, Leng Rou and the others came forth from the other houses with a grim expression. Their hearts were filled with lingering fear.
“Everyone’s dead!”
Little fatty gulped.
Even though the five of them were cultivators and there were even four Foundation Establishment Cultivators, none of them had come across anything as such.
Furthermore, if they hadn’t guessed wrongly, everyone in the ancient city should have most likely met with the same fates!
A general picture formed in Su Zimo’s mind.
In the previous night, Linfeng City was peaceful and serene as ever with most people in the ancient city asleep. As the night watchmen patrolled, bad luck descended upon them!
No one was spared from it!
Most people must have died in their sleep.
There were at least 100,000 people residing in the city!
Overnight, all of them perished!
Lu Yangrong remarked grimly, “It must be done by a fiend cultivator!”
“Yes, fiend cultivators are ruthless and unscrupulous. It’s clear that their deaths were not committed by anyone on the orthodox path,” Guan Jin nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, Su Zimo asked, “The disciple who discovered the spirit mine near here. What did he mention in his message?”
Little fatty replied, “Nothing much. He merely mentioned discovering a spirit mine at the northern outskirts of Linfeng City. Mining had already begun and he could be done in about two days. That junior brother mentioned discovering some cultivators near to the spirit mine and he was worried that they might covet it, that’s why he requested for the sect to send some Foundation Establishment Cultivators as reinforcements.”
After he replied, little fatty suddenly realized and asked with widened eyes, “Bro, are you going to say that the murderer of this ancient city’s tragedy is after our sect’s spirit mine?”
“It’s very likely.”
Su Zimo nodded. “Something as such happened right after a spirit mine was discovered nearby Linfeng City. It’s too coincidental.”
“What should we do then? Should we still head to the spirit mine?” Little fatty asked.
Su Zimo replied grimly, “Relay a message to the sect first telling them that a situation had arisen. You guys have expended quite a bit of spirit qi traveling here. We should recuperate before checking out the spirit mine...”
“Junior Brother Su, you’re too weak. If you’re afraid, you don’t have to follow us.”
Before Su Zimo could finish, he was interrupted by Lu Yangrong’s cold scoff.
Guan Jin eyed Su Zimo in disdain and continued indifferently, “Junior Brother Su, since you’re so worried, why don’t you hurry back? I’ve already advised you not to follow us, fufu.”
Su Zimo frowned.
Leng Rou suddenly said, “I agree with Junior Brother Su’s suggestion.”
As she said that, she retrieved a paper crane from her storage bag and wrote a few lines of words using spirit qi. Releasing the paper crane, it flew to the skies and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
When he saw that, Lu Yangrong comforted her, “Junior Sister Leng, don’t worry. There won’t be any cultivator within the Great Zhou Dynasty stupid enough to covet Ethereal Peak’s spirit mine.”
“That’s right!”
Guan Jin analyzed calmly, “It’s just an inferior-grade spirit mine containing mostly inferior-grade spirit stones that Foundation Establishment Cultivators won’t be interested in. Even if anyone wanted the spirit mine, they would merely be Qi Refinement Warriors. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
The spirit qi contained by inferior-grade spirit stones was not efficient in helping Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
If Foundation Establishment Cultivators wanted to raise their cultivation realms, they would require middle-grade spirit stones.
At Golden Core realm, they would require superior-grade or even supreme-grade spirit stones.
Although what the both of them said was logical, Su Zimo felt that things were not as simple.
“Let’s head to the spirit mine straight and check things out! Everything will be clear by then!”
Lu Yangrong waved and summoned his flying sword, leading the way.
Guan Jin followed closely behind. Carrying Su Zimo and the spirit tiger, little crane chased after them.
Before long, all five of them arrived at the spirit mine.
When they approached the pitch dark entrance of the spirit mine, Lu Yangrong paused in his track and turned around. “I’ll take the front with Junior Brother Guan. Because Junior Brother Su is the weakest, he’ll stand in the middle. Junior Sister Leng and little fatty will take the back.”
No one had any objections to that arrangement.
The entrance was narrow so little crane and the spirit tiger could not enter – they could only stand guard outside.
Su Zimo could tell that even though Lu Yangrong seemed indifferent previously, he had now become more cautious.
Summoning his flying sword, Lu Yangrong held it in front of his chest. With two shining spirit patterns, it was a middle-grade flying sword.
The five of them ventured deep into the spirit mine.
They did not walk far when a strange sound echoed from ahead. It was as though a large group of things were flying over and they could only see it vaguely through red flashes.
Taking a closer look, Lu Yangrong realized that it was a group of black crows with a strange red glow in their eyes!
“Kneel down and let them pass!”
Lu Yangrong bent down and everyone else followed suit.
The crows with bloodshot eyes sped above their heads without stopping.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Lu Yangrong shrugged his shoulders. Pretending to be relaxed, he turned back and smiled. “Puny beasts are common in places like this spirit mine. By ignoring them, we’re even conserving spirit qi.”
Suddenly, Su Zimo’s senses were alarmed as he hollered, “Watch out!”
Swash!
A sword beam flashed at an extremely fast speed and arrived before them in the blink of an eye.
Right now, everyone was at their most relaxed after those crows with bloodshot eyes had just passed. By the time Lu Yangrong heard Su Zimo’s warning, it was too late.
Chapter 143: Middle-Grade Spirit Mine
Poof!
With a crisp sound, a bloody flash appeared.
Lu Yangrong had just turned around when his head was pierced by a flying sword and he died on the spot!
The flying sword continued its momentum and continued to stab at the people behind. Su Zimo was the first to be targeted.
Su Zimo’s spirit perception had long alerted him to it as he instantly drew his Cold Moon Saber and slashed against the incoming flying sword, knocking it away.
The speed of that attack was way too fast to be from a Qi Refinement Warrior!
If Su Zimo wanted to defend using flying swords, he would have to use his sword formation. However, it would take too long to set up and he wouldn’t be able to deal with the situation on hand.
Lu Yangrong’s blood splattered all over Su Zimo and Guan Jin.
Apart from Su Zimo, the rest were stunned and their eyes were filled with shock.
Even with Leng Rou’s personality, she still looked somewhat flustered at the moment.
None of them could imagine how someone who had just been laughing and talking to them a moment ago had turned into a corpse in the blink of an eye!
Swash! Swash!
Two more flashes of light appeared, targeting Su Zimo and Guan Jin.
Standing where he was in a dazed manner, Guan Jin did not manage to shatter the protective talisman in his hands right away.
Su Zimo extended his palm and yanked Guan Jin back, hollering, “Hurry, retreat!”
Clang! Clang!
Flipping his hands, Su Zimo slashed twice and the two incoming flying swords fell to the ground.
The two swords carried quite a bit of power in them – their attacker was early-stage Foundation Establishment at least!
The change in circumstances had rendered Lu Yangrong and Guan Jin’s earlier predictions invalid.
Within the spirit mine, there were at least three Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Furthermore, all three of them did not care if they were going against Ethereal Peak. Every single attack of theirs was lethal, showing no mercy at all!
Finally, Guan Jin and the others snapped out of their stupor.
Shattering his protection talisman, a light barrier appeared around Guan Jin’s surroundings. Leng Rou and little fatty then sped towards the exit.
Clothes could be heard fluttering from the depths of the mine and by the sound of it, there were quite a number of people!
When the people inside saw that their flying swords could not kill Su Zimo and the rest, they gave chase outside.
As Su Zimo retreated, he drew out a blood-colored bow.
Before the five peaks face-off, Su Zimo had already refined the Cold Moon Saber and Sanguine Crystal Bow into inferior-grade spirit weapons.
In the blink of an eye, three arrows were loaded.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
The sound of arrows piercing through the air echoed as three flashes of light tore through the darkness of the mine.
“Ah!” “Ah!”
Two shrieks could be heard while the third arrow was blocked.
“Be careful, everyone!”
Someone yelled from the depths of the mine.
Within that narrow mine, there was not much space for cultivators to dodge and as such, Su Zimo’s arrows dealt quite a bit of damage.
Running with all their might, Su Zimo and the rest got out before long.
Outside, all of them were rattled.
The blood-eyed crows that flew by them earlier on were now surrounding and pecking at little crane and the spirit tiger.
Because it was a spirit demon after all, little crane could defend itself against the attacks of the blood-eyed crows.
However, the spirit tiger sustained a lot of injuries because it could not fly. Howling on the spot, it was trying to defend itself desperately.
“Frost Wind!”
When Leng Rou saw that, she conjured hand seals and hollered, pointing towards the skies.
A cold gust of wind appeared out of nowhere and swept through the blood-eyed crows. Instantly, a number of them were frozen and fell to the ground, shattering to their deaths.
That was the power of spirit arts!
Thanks to Leng Rou’s assistance, little crane broke out of the encirclement and panted slightly, looking somewhat fearful.
Residing in the sect most of the time, it had never seen such a bloody scene.
“Ride on little crane and leave this place for now!”
Su Zimo ordered swiftly.
“Hahahaha!”
Right then, a haughty laughter came from deep within the cave.
A group of people came forth. The leader who was donned in grey robes declared, “None of you will leave today. Stay here!”
“Late-stage Foundation Establishment!”
Little fatty’s pupils constricted as he exclaimed.
The grey robed cultivator who spoke was at late-stage Foundation Establishment!
Among them, Lu Yangrong who was at mid-stage Foundation Establishment had already died within the spirit mine.
Not only that, a steady stream of cultivators continued out of the mine. At a glance, there were more than thirty people!
However, what was terrifying was that all thirty odd of them were Foundation Establishment Cultivators!
Other than the grey robed late-stage Foundation Establishment, there were nine others at mid-stage and the rest were all at early-stage. There wasn’t a single Qi Refinement Warrior!
“It’s over!”
Guan Jin looked at the thirty odd Foundation Establishment Cultivators that surrounded them and despair gushed into his heart, draining all color from his face.
Little fatty wielded his gigantic axe in one hand and a flying sword in the other, looking nervous.
Leng Rou’s sword hovered in front of her. Even though she looked cold as usual, her palms were covered in sweat.
Of the four people present, Su Zimo was the only composed one as he surveyed his surroundings.
“We’re cultivators of Ethereal Peak! Who are you guys?” Guan Jin took a deep breath before questioning sternly.
“Fufu.”
The grey robed leader chuckled softly. His eyes were filled with mockery as he raised his brows. “Ethereal Peak? Big f*ck! Yesterday, I just slaughtered an Ethereal Peak disciple who doesn’t know what’s good for him!”
Indeed, the messenger disciple had already perished.
Back when Lu Yangrong died in the mine, Su Zimo had already sensed that today’s events would not be easy to resolve.
Still bearing a sliver of hope, Guan Jin tried to first show weakness. “Fellow daoist, what you want is the spirit mine before us. Alright, Ethereal Peak will give up on it then. There’s no need for you guys to kill us.”
“Furthermore, isn’t it just an inferior-grade spirit mine? It’s useless for us anyways, fufu,” Guan Jin forced a laugh.
“Inferior-grade spirit mine?”
The grey robed cultivator scoffed coldly, “Let me correct you. This is a middle-grade spirit mine!”
“Ah?”
Instantly, Guan Jin’s expression changed – he finally understood why there were so many Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
If it was a middle-grade spirit mine, it would definitely be attractive to Foundation Establishment Cultivators!
If they knew beforehand that this was a middle-grade spirit mine, Ethereal Peak would have sent out the strongest of inner sect disciples or even have legacy disciples lead the team!
Su Zimo remained silent and watched coldly.
Carefully, he noticed that the thirty odd Foundation Establishment Cultivators before him were all dressed differently and did not have any identification badges – they were clearly all itinerant cultivators.
What was it that gathered all these itinerant cultivators here to snatch this spirit mine?
This grey robed cultivator before them was not enough of a reason for this.
Even though a late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator is strong, he’s not compelling enough a reason for others to join him at the risk of offending Ethereal Peak.
Guan Jin forced himself to be calm and said grimly, “Fellow daoists, to be honest, we’ve already relayed a message back to the sect. Before long, reinforcements will come...”
“Fufu, by then, you’ll all be dead.”
Before Guan Jin could complete his sentence, the grey robed cultivator interrupted him.
Scoffing coldly, he continued, “Besides, we would have left long ago by the time your reinforcements arrive.”
“Hahaha!”
The surrounding Foundation Establishment Cultivators roared with laughter.
Watching Guan Jin’s expression carefully, a strange glint appeared in the grey robed cultivator’s eyes as he smiled. “Fellow daoist, haven’t you noticed anything wrong in your body?”
Chapter 144: We Can Only Kill Them All!
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
When he heard that, Guan Jin’s expression changed starkly as his body began to shudder.
Su Zimo glanced sideways and saw that Guan Jin’s face was drying at a visible speed. Wrinkles started appearing as if all his blood would be forcibly drawn away by an invisible force at the next moment!
“Ah!”
Guan Jin roared and tried his best to release spirit energy, but to no avail.
He turned and looked towards Su Zimo and the others as panic filled his eyes; his pupils had turned grey and dull.
It was an identical situation to those mortals who had died in Linfeng City!
“Ke, ke...”
Stretching his arm, Guan Jin seemed as though he wanted to say something but a strange sound came from the depths of his throat.
Little fatty was so scared that he jumped back instinctively.
No one had attacked Guan Jin but in the blink of an eye, he had become like this – it didn’t seem like he was going to survive.
It was way too creepy!
Chills ran down little fatty’s spine as he panted heavily to calm himself down.
Su Zimo furrowed his brows slightly.
He looked carefully and noticed that there were faint green spots on the skin of Guan Jin’s palm that exuded an evil aura.
Back in Linfeng City, that hand of Guan Jin had come into contact with the dead night watchmen.
If that was all it took for a Foundation Establishment Cultivator to die, it was quite a terrifying method!
They might be the next ones if they were careless!
The surrounding Foundation Establishment Cultivators looked at everything unfold calmly, as though this was an expected outcome.
Even though Leng Rou was always cold, she could not help but feel bad looking at Guan Jin’s helpless gaze. Retrieving a couple of elixirs from her storage bag, she wanted to feed them to Guan Jin.
She did not know what had happened to Guan Jin.
However, they were fellow disciples after all and she couldn’t just leave him in the lurch.
Just as Leng Rou was about to step forward, someone grabbed her arm and yanked her back.
“Don’t go!”
Su Zimo’s voice rang in her ears.
With a thud, Guan Jin fell to the ground, no longer breathing.
Leng Rou froze on the spot.
A ghastly green ball of light floated out of Guan Jin’s body and flew into the depths of the spirit mine.
A cold glint flashed across Su Zimo’s eyes as he lamented internally, ‘There should be someone else in the depths of the spirit mine. That person is the true murderer behind Linfeng City’s tragedy!’
“Hehehe!”
The grey robed cultivator said with a strange smile, “Oh, you have quite the tender heart for women. Beauty, if this punk hadn’t pulled you back, you would have been dead by now.”
Leng Rou’s heart jolted.
Even though her cultivation was higher than Su Zimo, she had not been through any life and death situations. As such, she could not but lose her cool looking at the tragic death of her two senior brothers.
Upon realizing this, Leng Rou looked at Su Zimo gratefully.
Stroking his chin, the grey robed cultivator said with a perverted look, “But, that’s good too. It’d be such a pity for a beauty like you to die here. Hey, I happen to be in need of a maidservant to warm my bed. You look pretty suitable for it.”
“Hahaha!”
The surrounding Foundation Establishment Cultivators burst out in laughter.
Swish!
Right then, a gust of wind came from the entrance of the spirit mine as another batch of blood-eyed crows swarmed out like flying locusts. In the blink of an eye, they covered half the skies above everyone’s heads.
Little fatty felt his scalp tingle as he gulped and asked softly, “Bro, what should we do?”
Leng Rou looked towards Su Zimo.
At this moment, the both of them had already subconsciously took Su Zimo as their pillar of support. They had even forgotten that their cultivations were higher than his.
“There’s no other way.”
Su Zimo shook his head and remarked indifferently, “We can only kill them all.”
Leng Rou and little fatty’s eyes dimmed.
Leng Rou sighed in her heart, ‘They are all Foundation Establishment Cultivators. Apart from the nine mid-stages, there’s even a late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Su Zimo is only a Qi Refinement Warrior. What can he do?”
Be it Leng Rou or little fatty, both thought that Su Zimo had only said that casually because he knew he was about to die.
Biting her lips gently, Leng Rou said in a low voice, “In a while, I’ll use my talismans to try and block as many people as possible. Find a chance to get out by riding on little crane!”
Little crane looked up at the blood-eyed crows that filled the skies. Chirping, it flapped its wings, ready to strike at any moment.
Even though the blood-eyed crows weren’t strong, they had the advantage in numbers. If they were to swarm little crane, it wouldn’t be able to unleash its full strength.
On the ground, the spirit tiger was of no help at all.
Right then, Su Zimo suddenly drew his Sanguine Crystal Bow from the storage bag and loaded arrows. His entire action was fluid like water, as though he had rehearsed for it countless times.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Three arrows were shot towards the crowd and appeared before them in the blink of an eye.
Initially, the thirty odd Foundation Establishment Cultivators wanted to make fun of them. Most of their attention was on the two Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the group, Leng Rou and little fatty – none of them expected that the Qi Refinement Warrior was the first to strike!
It was completely unintentional.
Three precise arrows tore through the throats of three early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators, causing blood to spurt out!
The three of them were confused. Even in their final moments, they could not believe that they had just died under the bow of a Qi Refinement Warrior.
“It’s him!”
Someone from the crowd exclaimed.
Back in the spirit mine, Su Zimo killed two people using his bow and arrows. As such, the Foundation Establishment Cultivators recognized him instantly.
Swash! Swash! Swash!
Thirty odd Foundation Establishment Cultivators summoned their flying swords at the same time, shining sinisterly with their spirit lights.
Su Zimo shouted softly, “Don’t just stand there, strike!”
Leng Rou and little fatty summoned their flying swords and talismans hurriedly, firing them towards the crowd. The light of the talismans burst forth as all sorts of spirit arts collided in reverberating booms!
“Caw, caw!”
Little crane chirped and soared to the skies, charging to fight at the blood-eyed crows.
Little fatty howled as he charged at an early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator with his gigantic axe – he wanted to make use of his melee combat strength and kill the latter on the spot.
However, he was faced with too many opponents as flying swords blocked his path continuously. With no way to advance, little fatty found himself encircled in the blink of an eye and was forced to defend.
The grey robed cultivator did not move, merely watching coldly from the sidelines with hands behind his back.
This battle was in the bag for sure – there was no need for him to make a move.
On the other side, Su Zimo had already kept his Sanguine Crystal Bow.
Even though arrows were sharp, it was difficult to continuously hit targets when the Foundation Establishment Cultivators were ready for it.
Six flying swords hovered in front of his chest and sped through the voids, leaving sword scars in the air.
“Buzz!”
A gigantic hexagonal formation pattern shone with a bedazzling, bright light!
In a swift move, Su Zimo had already set up the Hexagonal Sword Formation!
Making use of the Tripartite Sword Formation was of no use given the current circumstances.
“Sword formation?”
The grey robed cultivator’s expression changed. A look of surprise flashed past his eyes as he murmured, “That Qi Refinement Warrior’s a Sword Formation Master?”
An early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator had been targeting Su Zimo from the start. Secretly, he summoned his flying sword and sent it flying to the back of Su Zimo’s head.
Just as the flying sword was about to strike Su Zimo’s head, the latter suddenly dodged from the spot in a swift and agile manner.
“Hmm?”
The person’s expression chased. Right as he was about to change the course of his flying sword to continue chasing after Su Zimo, a gigantic hexagonal star sword formation descended, crashing upon him!
Poof!
A sanguine light flashed.
The person was split into two by the Hexagonal Sword Formation.
Chapter 145: The Power of Lightning Arts
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
That Foundation Establishment Cultivator had all sorts of tricks up his sleeves. Before he was able to use any of them, he was slashed down by Su Zimo’s sword formation!
Hum! Hum! Hum!
Sending forth waves of sword qi, the Hexagonal Sword Formation rebounded multiple flying swords and broke little fatty out of his predicament.
In just a short while, there was already a wound on little fatty’s body.
“It’s fine, my skin is thick. Bro, don’t worry about me,” Little fatty yelled as he charged forth without even turning back.
Leng Rou had indeed displayed the strength as a disciple of a major sect as well. Even though she did not cultivate any secret skills of the sect, she was able to defend against the encirclement of nine mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators using just her talismans!
But of course, it was clear that the nine of them had not exerted their full strength too. They were merely playing a cat and mouse game, taunting Leng Rou with lewd remarks while attacking.
Unmoved in the slightest bit, Leng Rou was not in any danger for now.
On the other side, a dozen or more Foundation Establishment Cultivators had shifted their attention towards Su Zimo. They surrounded him with all their might as flying swords tore through the voids while spirit arts exploded everywhere.
No matter how strong the Hexagonal Sword Formation was, it was unable to withstand the power of so many Foundation Establishment Cultivators. In the blink of an eye, it was on the verge of collapse.
“Haha!”
One of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators burst out in laughter. “I want to see how long a mere Qi Refinement Warrior like you can last!”
“Roar!”
Before he could stop laughing, a black shadow appeared beside him. It bit on that man’s throat as blood gushed out.
The spirit tiger had been waiting for an opportunity to attack and as such, an early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator’s life was ended.
Even though it was only a spirit beast, if it closed in on Foundation Establishment Cultivators, they wouldn’t stand much of a chance.
That was also the reason why Die Yue had once told Su Zimo that demon cultivators are the best at killing opponents through level gaps.
“Beast, how dare you behave so insolently!”
A few of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators cursed angrily. Invoking spirit arts, the spirit qi in the surroundings surged violently towards the spirit tiger.
With the spirit tiger’s current strength, it was unable to defend against the power of spirit arts at all.
Su Zimo narrowed his gaze and dodged a few incoming flying swords. Shifting the Hexagonal Sword Formation, he blocked it in front of the spirit tiger and defended against a few types of spirit arts.
Bam!
There was a deafening sound.
The spirit arts dispersed and Su Zimo’s Hexagonal Sword Formation could no longer hold out as well.
Struggling to form a proper pattern, all six swords fell to the ground and dimmed.
Quick-witted, the spirit tiger seized the opportunity to hide behind Su Zimo instantly and glared fiercely at the dozens of Foundation Establishment Cultivators on the other end.
“Kid, the spirit qi within you should be almost depleted by now, right?” An early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator scoffed coldly.
Even though the battle between both parties had been short, Su Zimo had blocked too many flying swords. He had expended a lot of spirit qi and was indeed running short.
“Let’s see how you can continue to be arrogant. Die!”
One of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators conjured hand seals and gestured towards Su Zimo. Instantly, a fireball the size of a fist shot out. Even while it was traveling, the air was already crackling from the heat.
Su Zimo’s eyes lit up as he suddenly reached out and grabbed the fireball.
“You must be courting death!”
When the Foundation Establishment Cultivator saw Su Zimo receiving the spirit art with his bare hands, he could not help but scoff internally.
Channeling his blood, a flash of dense lightning appeared in Su Zimo’s palm.
“Hmm?”
“What is that?”
“Power of thunder!”
Many of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators cried out in alarm as their pupils constricted.
Piak!
The fireball was crushed by Su Zimo’s palm as the spirit qi within it dissipated into emptiness.
Upon seeing that, the cultivators’ expressions changed drastically.
Even the grey robed cultivator frowned in disbelief as he muttered confusedly, “Thunder art? Is he not actually a Qi Refinement Warrior, but a Foundation Establishment Cultivator?”
Activating the Spirit Peering Art, he scanned Su Zimo once more. “No, it shows him to be at Level 9 Qi Condensation. Could he have cultivated some sort of technique to conceal his cultivation realm?”
“No, that’s not right either!”
The grey robed cultivator shook his head. “How is there no fluctuation in spirit qi when he released that thunder art?”
He would have never imagined that the source of power for Su Zimo’s thunder art came from the latter’s blood!
Even though Su Zimo’s spirit qi was indeed almost withered, the power of lightning in his blood was still present.
“Caw, caw!”
At the moment, little crane who was up in the skies was met with danger. Its body was already severely wounded by the blood-eyed crows as it shrieked anxiously.
Even though senior crane did not mention it explicitly, Su Zimo knew that the reason why little crane could join him was due to senior crane’s trust in him.
Now that little crane was in danger, Su Zimo unleashed his Power of Blood without second thoughts. Instantly, his body echoed out with reverberating sounds of waves gushing!
Under everyone’s watchful gazes, Su Zimo’s figure suddenly expanded. His body swelled and burst through his green clothes, filled with crackling electricity from head to toe.
It was as though Su Zimo was possessed by a god of thunder as murderous intent condensed in his eyes terrifyingly!
“What!”
Suddenly, the grey robed cultivator’s expression changed – he finally realized that something was amiss.
Pointing a finger into the skies, Su Zimo’s eyes exuded a wrathful killing intent as he hollered, “Instant Thunder!”
Snap!
A stark thunderbolt boomed out.
An extremely intense bolt of thunder struck the group of blood-eyed crow, extending like a python exuding a bedazzling shine. The blood-eyed crows were instantly electrocuted to death and fell from the skies like a shower of black rain.
Many of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators present were shocked by that deafening sound of thunder. Even the nine Foundation Establishment Cultivators that were surrounding Leng Rou stopped instinctively.
That gave Leng Rou an opportunity to take a breather. Covered in sweat, her spirit qi was almost depleted as well.
Little fatty seized the chance to kill an early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator before him. Swinging his gigantic axe, he cleaved the man into two as blood splattered all over him!
The power of thunder arts was so great that it nearly wiped out all the blood-eyed crows in the skies!
Little crane’s spirit was invigorated instantly – the remaining blood-eyed crows were of no threat to it.
At the moment, Su Zimo whisked out a saber from his storage bag that shimmered with a cold glint. His eyes flashed icily as he strode forth, smiling to the Foundation Establishment Cultivators. “The fight... has only just begun!”
That single step of his closed a gap of twenty feet and he appeared before the many Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the blink of an eye.
Poof! Poof!
Su Zimo slashed out in reverse. The two of them only felt a blur before their eyes. Before they could even react, both heads were lopped into the skies with blood spraying everywhere.
“Ah!”
The remaining Foundation Establishment Cultivators were frightened to death as they exclaimed and stumbled back instinctively.
“Do you think you can run?”
Su Zimo chased after them with his saber like a tiger making its way through a flock of sheep. Cleaving left and right, flashes of blood shone out continuously.
Both Leng Rou and little fatty were dumbfounded.
Against Su Zimo, early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators were like fish on a chopping board – they could not retaliate at all!
It didn’t matter whether they summoned flying swords, talismans or even conjured spirit arts – they were all killed by a single flash of Su Zimo!
At lesser mastery of the Marrow Cleansing section, Su Zimo’s power was enough to slay early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators... and that was even before he infused the Thunder Marrow Cleansing Sutra into his marrow within Thunderclap Valley.
This was a complete crushing through sheer brute strength without requiring any technique.
Even the spirit arts of early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators was not enough to deal with Su Zimo after unleashing his Power of Blood!
Chapter 146: Predicament
At the sight of Su Zimo’s unstoppable onslaught, the grey robed cultivator could no longer sit and wait. With a holler, he burst forth with the might of a late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator and summoned a middle-grade flying sword, shooting it towards Su Zimo’s back!
The two spirit patterns on the sword shone with a mysterious glow, emitting a ghastly aura.
It was an extremely swift attack. If it were Leng Rou or little fatty, they wouldn’t have been able to escape unscathed.
On the other hand, Su Zimo did not even have to turn back despite having just cleaved someone else apart. Standing on the spot, he made a small sidestep and dodged that fatal attack – it was as though he had eyes at the back of his head!
The expression of the grey robed cultivator was unchanged when he saw that, unsurprised in the slightest bit.
He could already tell that Su Zimo was a body tempered cultivator and was very agile. It was not realistic for him to capture this person within a few moves.
“Everyone, back down. Try to keep your distance as much as possible.”
The grey robed cultivator yelled as he manipulated his flying sword to chase after Su Zimo, “If not, ride on your flying swords in the air! Just try your best to not let this person get close to you!”
Suddenly, Su Zimo laughed. Striding forward, he exerted strength in his legs and burst forth with Divine Steed Fleeting, leaving a series of afterimages behind him.
“Mystify!”
Suddenly, Su Zimo reached out and a ball of lightning appeared in his palms, erupting before everyone’s eyes in a blinding manner as thunder rumbled and deafened everyone.
Instant Thunder and Mystify were thunder arts of the Void Thunder Manual.
Instant Thunder was a killing technique. It was powerful and had a large area of effect.
As for Mystify, it was a supplementary spirit art that had almost no lethality.
By making use of the Power of Thunder’s explosiveness, its aim was to confuse the five senses of the opponents and to mainly block their vision and hearing.
The many Foundation Establishment Cultivators felt their visions blur as their ears rang incessantly with echoes.
The next moment, Su Zimo was already before them.
In terms of melee combat, no one was a match for Su Zimo as blood splattered endlessly. In the blink of an eye, countless of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators on the other end were dead on the spot!
By now, all the early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators were dead!
Right then, Leng Rou who was in midair shrieked as the protection talisman around her exploded.
Immediately after, she was slammed heavily on the abdomen by a palm of spirit energy. Sent flying, she spat out a mouthful of blood and looked even paler.
Little fatty’s shoulder was also pierced by a flying sword as he fell to the ground and broke out in cold sweat.
The grey robed cultivator was the one who had struck personally. Even though he did not take their lives, it was clear that Leng Rou and little fatty were no longer able to fight anymore.
He was intelligent and quick to notice that the strength of early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators was no longer able to deal with Su Zimo. As such, he chose to get rid of little fatty and Leng Rou first.
With that, the grey robed cultivator could then reset the situation and group up with the nine mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators to fight Su Zimo together!
Standing in front of little fatty and Leng Rou, Su Zimo held his saber before his chest and his eyes shone with a sharp killing intent. He was not fearful in the slightest bit against the ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators on the other end!
As she looked at Su Zimo’s back view, Leng Rou was filled with mixed emotions.
This mission was undertaken by her, little fatty, Lu Yangrong and Guan Jin – Su Zimo did not have the rights to join.
But, if Su Zimo wasn’t here, she would have already been dead along with little fatty.
The same emotions were going through little fatty’s mind.
His initial plan was to invite Su Zimo out to relax his mind, but he did not expect that they would have encountered such an incident. Both senior brothers had died tragically and now, he and Leng Rou were severely injured and could not offer any help.
“Everyone, make use of your various flying sword and talisman methods to take down this person! Find an opening to invoke your spirit arts and injure him severely!”
The grey robed cultivator was extremely decisive as he swiftly delegated the remaining nine mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators in various directions to separate out.
Swash! Swash! Swash!
Flying swords tore through the air alongside many talismans.
Narrowing his gaze, Su Zimo gripped the Cold Moon Saber tightly and with a long howl, he swung his arms and blocked left and right.
For the flying swords, talismans and even spirit arts used by mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators, Su Zimo could deal with them head-on using his Power of Blood without losing out.
However, the grey robed cultivator was at late-stage Foundation Establishment.
Su Zimo’s Marrow Cleansing section was only at a lesser mastery. Even with the Thunder Marrow Cleansing Sutra, he was no match against that guy.
If it was just a one on one fight, he could make use of various techniques to close the distance between them so that he could take the grey robed cultivator down with his saber.
But now, the grey robed cultivator had nine other helpers and together, the ten of them restrained Su Zimo on the spot.
It was not that Su Zimo was unable to break through the encirclement.
However, if he did, Leng Rou and little fatty behind him would be killed on the spot.
Against Foundation Establishment Cultivators, the spirit tiger was no longer of much help.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sounds of the Cold Moon Saber and flying swords clashing echoed out repeatedly as sparks flew.
If one had not seen it personally, it would be hard to imagine that the ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators were actually surrounding to fight a single Level 9 Qi Refinement Warrior!
“Everyone, hold steady. That punk must have cultivated some sort of secret body tempering technique to turn his body so powerful. Once we kill him, that secret technique will be ours!”
The grey robed cultivator rallied once more.
Invigorated, the remaining nine mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators were even more motivated in their attacks.
Leng Rou and little fatty sat on the spot and could only see and hear the endless flashes of swords clashing and sparks flying. However, they had not sustained any more injuries.
Su Zimo had blocked everything for them!
During this period, Su Zimo had no choice but to fight head-on with the grey robed cultivator. He suffered slightly and his teeth were sore while his blood was shaken.
Little fatty could tell that Su Zimo was in a predicament. He could not help but yell, “Bro, don’t bother about us! Leave first!”
Leng Rou pursed her red lips without saying anything at all.
She could naturally tell that if not for her and little fatty, even the ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators on the other end may not be a match for Su Zimo!
“Hahaha!”
The grey robed cultivator could not help but laugh when he saw that the outcome was almost decided. “Punk, let’s see how long more you can last!”
The situation was clear – Su Zimo could only react. If he was careless, not only would he fail to protect Leng Rou and little fatty, he would get injured as well.
As time passed, Su Zimo’s physical strength gradually declined and it was only a matter of time before he lost.
In reality, Su Zimo was extremely calm at the moment – he was constantly watching the fight between little crane and the blood-eyed crows up above.
Thanks to the power of Instant Thunder, there were not many blood-eyed crows left.
The remaining few were also being hunted down by little crane, barely able to pose any threat.
Su Zimo needed little crane’s help.
Given the current circumstances, only little crane’s strength was of help.
Right as the grey robed cultivator laughed, little crane finished off the last few blood-eyed crows and looked down, meeting with Su Zimo’s clear eyes.
Su Zimo nodded and little crane understood.
When he channeled his blood earlier on, the green robe on Su Zimo’s body was already torn apart, revealing a thin golden silk armor.
Suddenly, Su Zimo took off the golden silk armor and tossed it on the ground.
Chapter 147: Into the Spirit Mine Once More
Everyone had seen the golden silk armor on Su Zimo’s body but none of them thought much about it.
Without any spirit patterns, it was merely a pseudo spirit weapon.
Now, the grey robed cultivator found himself stunned momentarily when Su Zimo tossed the golden silk armor on the ground – he could not understand why Su Zimo would do that.
But, at the next moment, the grey robed cultivator’s pupils constricted in horror.
After removing the golden silk armor, Su Zimo was like a completely different person! With a front dash, he slashed with the Cold Moon Saber and blocked all the incoming flying swords before charging towards the grey robed cultivator.
It was too fast!
In fact, he was at least twice as fast as before!
A black shadow flashed past like a ghost. Almost in the blink of an eye, Su Zimo had arrived before the grey robed cultivator. With a torrential killing intent, he slapped the head of the latter.
Piak!
The grey robed cultivator’s head ruptured as he fell back – even till his death, he did not understand what happened.
That golden silk armor was none other than the damaged connate Mystic Gold Silk Armor.
Wearing it was akin to carrying a burden of 5 tons. Hence, Su Zimo had not displayed his true strength the entire time.
Now that he removed the burden on his body, Su Zimo was much more relaxed as he burst forth with a massive speed boost, killing the grey robed cultivator who was caught off guard!
Right as the other nine mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators were about to attack, little crane had already seized the opportunity to descend and swoop little fatty, Leng Rou and the spirit tiger into the air with it.
The coordination between the man and crane was seamless.
In the blink of an eye, the only people alive on the ground were Su Zimo and the nine mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
Blood drained from their faces as they watched Su Zimo advance towards them step by step, fear filling their eyes.
Before this, none of them would have thought that more than thirty Foundation Establishment Cultivators would be killed mostly by a Level 9 Qi Refinement Warrior!
Swash!
Su Zimo disappeared on the spot, leaving only a flurry of afterimages.
Saber flashes were accompanied by a scarlet light.
In the blink of an eye, three more people died.
Two of them mounted their swords and wanted to flee. Squatting slightly, Su Zimo left two deep pits on the ground with a single boom!
Leaping entirely into the air, his figure remained in midair as he slashed down the two Foundation Establishment Cultivators!
There were now four remaining.
Repelling two incoming flying swords, Su Zimo charged forward and banged against someone’s chest, exerting all his might.
That person’s eyeballs popped out with blood spraying and his chest caved in. The sound of bones cracking could be heard and he died before falling to the ground.
By then, Su Zimo had already left and had caught up with another person, letting out a saber flash.
Two more remaining!
Realizing that they could not escape Su Zimo’s pursuit, the both of them dashed towards the spirit mine’s entrance.
Su Zimo was hot on their tails.
They were just about to reach the entrance when the ground trembled under Su Zimo’s lunge.
The slower person was ratified. His legs gave way as he staggered and fell to the ground.
The other person ahead had already disappeared into the spirit mine.
“N-N-No! It’s none o-of my business! N-None of this is m-my idea! It was h-him...!” The Foundation Establishment Cultivator on the ground stammered and tried to explain things incoherently, his face devoid of color.
“Who is he?”
Su Zimo interrogated with a cold gaze.
“I don’t know.”
The person shook his head but looked towards the entrance of the spirit mine instinctively – there was a flash of fear in his eyes.
Pondering for a short moment, Su Zimo continued asking, “The person in the mine is the one who killed those people in Linfeng City, right?”
“Y-Yes,” The Foundation Establishment Cultivator nodded furiously.
“What’s his cultivation realm?”
“I...”
Right as the Foundation Establishment Cultivator was about to reply, green spots appeared on his face as he smiled at Su Zimo sinisterly.
When he saw that smile, Su Zimo’s hair stood on end.
Without hesitation, he retreated immediately!
Bang!
It was a dull explosion.
The person who was alive just a few moments earlier exploded right in front of Su Zimo’s eyes. Blood and flesh splattered everywhere as a ghastly green ball floated into the spirit mine.
At the moment, little crane descended with Leng Rou and little fatty upon seeing that the fight was over.
“Junior Brother Su, are you alright?”
“Bro, are you alright?”
Both of them asked at almost the same time.
A hint of panic flashed in Leng Rou’s eyes but she returned to normalcy almost immediately.
“I am fine.”
Su Zimo nodded and replied, frowning in deep thoughts.
After a moment, he fondled little crane’s head and said, “Stupid bird, send everyone back to the sect first. This place is not suitable for you guys to linger on. If you can meet with reinforcements from the sect on the way back, that would be for the best.”
“Caw, caw!”
Little crane called for Su Zimo to hurry up so that they could leave together.
“You guys leave first. I’ll go back later,” Su Zimo shook his head and rejected.
“Bro, you’re not thinking of entering the spirit mine again, are you?” Little fatty asked with eyes widened in disbelief.
Su Zimo was silent.
Both Leng Rou and little fatty exchanged solemn glances.
“Junior Brother Su, let’s head back together.”
Leng Rou said, “The person within the spirit mine might have a powerful background and we don’t know his strength. Moreover, his techniques are so sinister. There’s no need for us to take this risk. Just let him have this spirit mine.”
“That’s right!”
Little fatty added, “Furthermore, we’ve already sent a message back to the sect and seniors will arrive soon. This spirit mine can still be ours. Bro, there’s no need for you to take the risk personally.”
“I have to go in and take a look.”
Su Zimo’s gaze was firm as he said darkly, “This is a middle-grade spirit mine, so that person shouldn’t be a Golden Core. If he’s a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, I will be able to escape safely even if I can’t fight him. That person can’t restrain me.”
There were some things that Su Zimo did not tell little fatty and Leng Rou.
When he saw the tragedy of Linfeng City, Su Zimo’s first thought was of Yan Country’s capital and his big brother, Su Hong.
Mortals were absolutely helpless in the face of such power and could only be slaughtered.
This person’s descent upon Linfeng City a day ago had caused the entire city to perish. If he were to head to the capital of Yan Country one day, his big brother and the others would definitely meet with the same ill fate!
This was his last chance. If he were to wait for the sect seniors to arrive, this person may have already left by then.
Su Zimo was worried that if he were to let this person off, he would regret it one day.
Besides, this person was accountable for the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives in Linfeng City!
“Bro, I...”
Little fatty was about to continue when Su Zimo interrupted him, “You guys are injured. You don’t have to follow me in.”
Leng Rou said, “We’ll wait for you outside then.”
Two hours.”
After thinking for a while, Su Zimo replied, “If I’m not out within two hours, leave this place immediately.”
After pausing momentarily, Su Zimo said to little crane as well, “Stupid bird, bring everyone with you further away. If you see any stranger approaching the mine, leave immediately! Do not turn back!”
Little crane nodded hurriedly, flapping its wings with a worried expression.
Picking up his flying swords from the ground, Su Zimo kept the Mystic Gold Silk Armor in his storage bag and pretended to smile casually. “There’s so many storage bags around, hurry and collect them all. We’ll split the loot secretly back in the sect!”
Su Zimo said as he entered the entrance, disappearing into the deep and dark spirit mine...
Chapter 148: Handsome Man
Su Zimo held his saber and walked through the dark mine, not daring to go too fast.
After a long time, he stopped in his tracks and his vision cleared up.
The next moment, Su Zimo was met with a shocking scene.
There were more than ten thousand strong men kneeling on the ground, forming circles after circles. In the middle of these men was a pile of spirit stones the size of a small mountain, emanating a rich scent of spirit qi.
Those strong men were dressed in plain clothes and looked terrified – they were probably mortals who came to mine the spirit stones.
On top of the pile sat an extremely handsome young man. His black hair swayed lightly by itself as he spread his arms slightly open with his eyes closed.
Green streams of air floated out of the heads of the tens of thousands of men, entering the handsome man’s body continuously.
The men’s cheeks were withering at a discernible pace and their eyes dimmed as though their blood and essence had been drained instantly!
The Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had escaped first into the spirit mine laid collapsed at the feet of the handsome man, having turned into a dried corpse.
This man was the true murderer behind Linfeng City’s tragedy!
Su Zimo scanned the person using his Spirit Peering Art.
Perfected Foundation Establishment!
Su Zimo was secretly shocked.
His current strength was not enough to even deal with a late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, let alone a perfected.
If he wanted to kill this man, he could not do it head-on – he could only rely on various techniques to close the gap!
Even though the power of a perfected Foundation Establishment Cultivator was extremely strong, his body was definitely no match against Su Zimo’s.
That was Su Zimo’s only chance!
Suddenly, the handsome man opened his narrow eyes – they were a sinister shade of green!
“Oh, it’s a Qi Refinement Warrior?”
The handsome man’s voice carried a hint of surprise. Taking a deep breath of air, he let out an intoxicated expression. “Not bad, not bad. Your body’s essence is richer than the tens of thousands of people in Linfeng City added together!”
“Demon, hand over your life!”
Su Zimo scoffed coldly and leaped up, a crackling flash of lightning shining from his palm. “Thunder Spear!”
A spear formed from lightning appeared out of nowhere and shot towards the handsome man.
“Hmm?”
The handsome man exclaimed softly, “Thunder art? A mere Qi Refinement Warrior is able to utilize spirit arts?”
“Oh!”
As it approached, a flash of realization appeared in the handsome man’s face as he smiled. “I got it. The source of power for this thunder art doesn’t come from your dantian. It’s from your blood!”
It merely took him a single look to be able to speak of the secret within Su Zimo’s blood.
Against the incoming thunder spear, the handsome man smiled gently and flicked his finger, sending a green stream of light.
The two attacks collided as the two different powers corroded one another, producing an ear-piercing sound.
Thunder spear was the strongest killing move within the Void Thunder Manual.
But now, it was countered by a single flick of the handsome man!
Su Zimo’s expression was unchanged. By now, he was already at the bottom of the spirit stones pile. With a single leap, he sprinted up.
Swoosh!
The handsome man conjured seals with a single hand. His eyes glowed with green light as he pressed down.
A gigantic and ghastly green palm descended from the sky, almost blocking Su Zimo’s vision entirely.
Not daring to fight him head-on, Su Zimo quickly retreated.
Suddenly, the palm shattered in midair, forming streams of green light that chased after Su Zimo like snakes filled with life.
In terms of spirit arts, this handsome man was many times more brilliant than the thirty odd Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
Su Zimo did not dare to clash head-on and merely continued to dodge. He ran circles around the pile of spirit stones as the snakes chased endlessly.
By now, Su Zimo was already using all his strength but he could not shake off the green snakes chasing after him.
All of a sudden!
He turned around and welcomed the incoming green snakes with a slash.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
The saber split three green snakes into two right away. However, the remaining snakes swarmed forward and coiled around his Cold Moon Saber.
That initially sharp blade turned blunt right away.
Letting go of his saber in a sudden motion, Su Zimo strode forward with the Plow Heaven Stride. Exploding with a monstrous force, he ascended the spirit stones pile in three steps and arrived before the handsome man.
Even without the Cold Moon Saber, Su Zimo’s melee combat strength was equally terrifying!
There were way too many killing techniques within The Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness. Any single one of them was more than enough to kill the handsome man before him!
Bam!
Su Zimo slammed down with his palm as if he wanted to tear the world apart.
Suddenly, a bone staff appeared in the handsome man’s palm. Crystalline, it was made from white bones with a skull on top that exuded a nefarious aura.
Chanting some weird sounds, the handsome man suddenly poked his bone staff against Su Zimo’s palm.
Bang!
The power of the Ground-rupturing Palm shot off as the handsome man’s body trembled. His palm cracked and the bone staff nearly slipped out of his hand.
All of a sudden, the skull on the top of the staff opened its mouth. As though it was alive ghastly light shone out of its sockets and it bit Su Zimo’s wrist!
“Hmm?”
Su Zimo’s expression changed.
The pain from his wrist was still bearable. However, Su Zimo could clearly feel his blood being drawn by an external force!
If this carried on, it wouldn’t be long before he ran out of blood and died like the people around him!
Bang! Boom! Boom!
Su Zimo gave a loud roar and channeled his blood with all his might, sending a reverberating sound of waves gushing from within his body.
The Power of Blood churned furiously and burst, almost shattering the bone staff.
The handsome man narrowed his gaze and channeled his spirit energy furiously as well, causing the bone staff to emit a ghastly light.
The skull on top of the staff was still biting Su Zimo’s wrist tightly, gulping blood by the mouthful.
That initially white skull was gradually turning red.
Excitement danced in the handsome man’s eyes as he laughed loudly. “What a pure power your blood contains. I really want to know how a Qi Refinement Warrior such as yourself managed to cultivate such a strong bloodline.”
The two of them fought in melee range. Even though it sounded slowly, everything happened in an instant.
Having lost the initiative, Su Zimo did not think further and grabbed the handsome man’s head with his right hand!
Even though there was no longer demonic qi in his blood, Su Zimo’s palm was no different from the claws of a spirit demon. That single palm strike was more than enough to crush rocks into dust.
The handsome man was in complete control of the situation. Without panicking at all, he conjured hand seals and hollered softly, “Blood Curse!”
In front of the handsome man’s chest, a ghastly green ball of light appeared. It revolved and expanded, separating the distance between Su Zimo and the handsome man.
Su Zimo’s right hand fell into the light ball. It was as if he was trapped in a quagmire and it was difficult to advance!
He was completely restricted!
Finally, Su Zimo’s expression changed.
At that moment, Su Zimo could clearly sense weakness coming from within his body.
If this continued, his blood essence would be devoured within 10 minutes!
Chapter 149: Blood Bone Palm
“If your bloodline was stronger, I wouldn’t be able to hold you down today. What a pity.”
The handsome man smiled sinisterly.
Su Zimo had also realized this.
If he was at greater mastery of the Marrow Cleansing section, he would be able to kill a late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator with ease. Coupled with the Thunder Marrow Cleansing Sutra, he could definitely match a perfected Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
The handsome man’s bone staff might not even be able to bite through his flesh.
At the moment, a sense of helplessness rose in Su Zimo’s heart.
With the bone staff biting his left wrist tightly, almost half of Su Zimo’s body had gone numb and weak by now.
On the other end, his right hand was covered by the ghastly green ball of light, rendering him incapable of moving.
He could see the handsome man’s face right behind the ball of light, but he did not have the strength to pierce it.
Moreover, Su Zimo’s right hand had started to corrode because of this strange power. His flesh was rotting with his skin peeled in a horrifying manner!
Behind the light ball, the handsome man smiled smugly.
Suddenly, the handsome man’s smile froze as his eyes focused on something strange.
Su Zimo’s gaze also landed on the light ball between them.
In that ghastly green light ball, the flesh on Su Zimo’s right hand was gone entirely, revealing a crimson bone palm. His bones were crystal clear and its surface burned with a fine flame – it looked like the most beautiful treasure in this world.
The bone palm’s fingertip was as sharp as a knife – it did not look like the palm of a human!
An extremely terrifying aura emanated as the ghastly green light ball shattered!
In the face of that aura, the handsome man felt as small as an ant. For a moment, his heart even stopped beating!
“W-What is this?”
The handsome man’s pupils constricted.
At the same time, Su Zimo felt a new surge of energy gush into his body from his right hand. His blood felt as though it was burning and spewing flames.
“Kill!”
Su Zimo bellowed and reached for the handsome man’s head with that blood colored bone palm.
The handsome man’s expression changed drastically as he hurriedly moved the white bone staff in front of him to block the blood bone palm.
Piak!
Su Zimo merely grabbed gently.
The handsome man’s staff was broken right away.
Poof!
The next moment, Su Zimo’s palm had descended and the handsome man’s head was crushed!
A perfected Foundation Establishment Cultivator had fallen!
Su Zimo stood where he was and looked at his right hand in disbelief.
The handsome man’s bone staff was definitely as hard as a middle-grade spirit weapon. But, his right hand had managed to snap it with ease!
Just what was that right hand of his?
Su Zimo could clearly feel that the blood bone palm was not his original palm!
It gave off a horrifying aura that seemed as though it could destroy everything in the world.
Suddenly, something came to Su Zimo’s mind.
Back in Cang Lang Mountain Range, he had fought against many cultivators of Joyful Sect and his right hand was almost crippled at that time.
After that, when Su Zimo woke up, his entire body was intact and there were no wounds.
Die Yue must have attached this blood bone palm back then.
But, what was the origin of this blood bone palm?
Why did it give him such a sense of trepidation?
At this moment, he finally found a clue to many of his previous doubts.
The reason why he was able to cultivate a Level 3 Spirit Fire right away must have something to do with this blood bone palm.
That was the reason why Su Zimo’s right hand did not change when he turned into a demon previously – it was because his strength was not enough to trigger the blood bone palm.
Even if he did not know the secret behind the blood bone palm, Su Zimo knew that many of his body’s abnormalities were related to it.
This was definitely one of the three gifts that Die Yue had left him!
Looking around, Su Zimo did not find anyone else and he heaved a sigh of relief.
The blood bone palm was clearly not a human palm. If it was exposed, he would have no way of explaining himself out of this.
Su Zimo put away the handsome man’s storage bag and rummaged through it. He found a Grade 2 Muscle Enhancing Elixir and swallowed it.
Together with Su Zimo’s already strong self-healing powers, a thin layer of flesh formed on his right palm before long. Even though he wasn’t fully recovered, it was enough to hide away the blood bone palm.
Still worried, Su Zimo removed a piece of cloth and wrapped his right hand in it.
He pondered for a moment and with a wave of his hand, all the middle-grade spirit stones were put into his storage bag.
He had come here for the sake of spirit stones so he naturally wouldn’t give any chances.
Looking at the tens of thousands of mortals around him who had died in the kneeling position, Su Zimo sighed. A look of pity filled his eyes together with a rush of emotions.
If he hadn’t met Die Yue, he would have been no different from those mortals who could only be slaughtered by cultivators.
Why?
Why did those mortals not have spirit roots?
Senior crane once said that it was a person’s fate whether or not they had spirit roots and nothing could change that.
Without a spirit root, one would not be able to cultivate.
The way these people before him met with their ends... was that their fate as well?
Su Zimo felt indignant.
He was indignant for the hundreds of thousands of innocent lives of Linfeng City; indignant for the tens of thousands of simple and plain men in front of him.
If they could cultivate, they might not have died today.
He had Die Yue to defy the heavens and change his fate by planting a spirit root for him. But, what about them? Who could change the fates of all those people?
“Ugh!”
Sighing once more, Su Zimo left the place.
...
Outside, little crane and the others were hiding nearby, watching the spirit mine for any activity tensely.
After almost two hours, a person exited from the mine.
Leng Rou and the rest focused – it was Su Zimo!
Little crane carried Leng Rou, little fatty and the spirit tiger and hurriedly flew over with little fatty cheering in midair.
“How was it, bro? Are you alright!”
Little fatty hopped down first and asked in concern.
Su Zimo nodded.
Leng Rou’s gaze landed on Su Zimo’s right hand and she asked softly, “Your hand...”
“It’s nothing. It’s just a small injury,” There was naturally no way Su Zimo would tell the truth.
Right then, a stream of light suddenly sped over from afar. It was extremely fast and appeared before them in the blink of an eye.
It was a gigantic spirit vessel!
A picture of a mountain peak was etched onto the side of the spirit vessel.
A group of Golden Cores stood on the deck of the spirit peak. The five people leading the group were none other than the five peak masters of Ethereal Peak!
Leaping from the spirit vessel, the five peak masters surveyed the scene. Looking at the thirty odd corpses of Foundation Establishment Cultivators strewn all over the place, their eyes had a slight hint of shock.
Su Zimo and the rest had not expected that Leng Rou’s message would alarm the sect’s Golden Cores.
“Greetings, peak masters. Greetings, elders.”
Su Zimo and the other two bowed.
Nodding their heads, the five peak masters asked about everything with solemn expressions.
Little fatty related the entire incident from the beginning to the end – how they realized the oddities in Linfeng City all the way to how Su Zimo entered the spirit mine alone.
Towards the end, the disheveled old man glared at Su Zimo with a look of blame.
“Alright, let’s return to the sect first.”
At that moment, Wen Xuan came out of the spirit mine. Waving his hand, he brought Su Zimo, Leng Rou, little fatty and the two beasts up the spirit vessel.Chapter 150: Foundation Establishment Meridian Unlocking
Ethereal Main Peak, Ethereal Palace.
The five peak masters brought Su Zimo, Leng Rou and little fatty here to relate everything about Linfeng City and the spirit mine to the sect master thoroughly.
Su Zimo, Leng Rou and little fatty left.
Sect Master Ling Yun closed his eyes in deep thoughts before asking, “What do you guys think?”
Wen Xuan said, “For them to deploy such cruel methods... This should be the act of fiend cultivators. Sect master, we must not be careless.”
The other four peak masters nodded in agreement.
“Pass the order down. Before the sect competition, all disciples should head out as little as possible. If they have to head out, they must be accompanied by disciples of peak Foundation Establishment cultivation or higher and the groups must be 20 or larger!”
Ling Yun continued, “Arrange properly for Lu Yangrong and Guan Jin’s funerals. Also, Leng Rou and little fatty shall be rewarded with spirit stones and elixirs. As for Su Zimo...”
The disheveled old man said hurriedly, “Sect master, if not for that lad, Leng Rou and little fatty aside, even little crane wouldn’t have returned alive! We were there and the aftermath of the battle was intense. More than 30 Foundation Establishment Cultivators died in the hands of that lad!”
“Impart him the Ethereal Foundation Establishment,” Ling Yun replied.
When he heard that, the disheveled old man’s eyes lit up and he was overjoyed. He quickly bowed repeatedly and said, “That’s for the best! I thank the sect master on behalf of that lad, Su Zimo!”
Ethereal Foundation Establishment was one of the three major secret skills of the sect!
In Qi Condensation realm, the standards for cultivation techniques were very low. Any technique could cultivate a sea of qi. As long as one had a good spirit root, they would be able to advance to Foundation Establishment realm.
However, the standards required of techniques will become much higher at Foundation Establishment.
Foundation Establishment was divided into four levels – early, mid, late-stages and perfected.
At perfected Foundation Establishment, there’s the method of meridian unlocking.
Meridian unlocking referred unlocking of the eight meridian channels with spirit energy.
Every single unlocked meridian would raise the cultivator’s strength!
At perfected Foundation Establishment, the difference in strength between a cultivator with eight unlocked meridians and another with a single unlocked meridian was like heaven and earth.
Normally, if one could unlock four of the eight meridians, they would already have a high chance of forming a golden core.
With five unlocked meridians, the chance was even higher.
If one could unlock all eight, they would definitely form a golden core!
Even though it seemed simple, it was actually extremely difficult.
Many Foundation Establishment cultivators would never be able to open up four meridians in their entire lives. In the end, they could only force their core formation. Many of those will end up failing in the process and die.
But, if one could cultivate a top-notch Foundation Establishment technique, their chances of unlocking their meridians would be much greater.
Ethereal Foundation Establishment was that top-notch technique. Any cultivator of the secret skill would be able to unlock at least four meridian channels at perfected Foundation Establishment.
Of course, in the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty, there was also a Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had managed to unlock all eight meridians.
The most recent Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had managed to do it was... that monster who walked out of Ethereal Peak a thousand years ago!
It was nearly impossible to unlock all eight meridians.
No Foundation Establishment Cultivator would deliberately aim to unlock all eight meridians since theoretically, they could attempt for Golden Core realm with just four unlocked meridians.
But of course, it was undeniable that the more meridians were unlocked, the stronger one would be and the better the quality of the formed golden core.
Therefore, there were some inner sect cultivators who were even in their forties but they were still at perfected Foundation Establishment – they wanted to unlock as many meridians as possible and were in no hurry to form a core.
However, the lifespan of Foundation Establishment Cultivators was only slightly more than a hundred years.
Once anyone passes 50 years old, their energy, qi and spirit would all diminish. If they weren’t able to unlock their meridians in the past, it would be even tougher in the future.
Therefore, most people would remain at perfected Foundation Establishment to 50 years old at most. No matter how many meridians were unlocked by then, they would attempt to form a core.
The most amazing thing about Ethereal Foundation Establishment was that it could ensure at least four unlocked meridians for a cultivator. It meant that one would cross half the threshold required for core formation!
Furthermore, with that foundation, cultivators with extremely strong endowments would be able to unlock even more meridians.
After all, Ethereal Peak had once produced a cultivator with eight unlocked meridians who was unparalleled in the northern Tianhuang region among all Foundation Establishment Cultivators!
As the five peak masters were about to leave the Ethereal Palace, Sect Master Ling Yun added, “By the way, don’t tell anyone about this incident.”
Stunned for a moment, the five peak masters nodded in agreement.
After the five of them left, a redheaded beauty appeared within the palace.
Ling Yun stood up and cupped his fists, asking darkly, “Senior, have you heard of any similar demonic techniques that enables one to suck another cultivator’s essence and blood?”
The redheaded beauty had a grim look as she shook her head.
Ling Yun frowned and murmured, “Could it be one of the seven fiend sects? If he was someone from those sects, this would be sticky for Ethereal Sect to handle. If we don’t handle it well, our sect might be destroyed!”
“It’s not someone from a fiend sect.”
The redheaded beauty shook her head and sounded certain.
Ling Yun’s expression softened. He had just sighed a heave of relief when the redheaded beauty continued, “However, that person’s background is probably not any weaker than the seven fiend sects. It might even be comparable!”
“Could it be...”
As though he recalled something, Ling Yun’s pupils constricted and he did not continue.
The redheaded beauty nodded. “Ghastly green eyes. He should have come from Tianhuang’s forbidden grounds.”
“Psst!”
Ling Yun drew a breath of cold air and was shocked. After a long while, he asked, “Why are living beings of the forbidden grounds out and about?”
“I don’t know either.”
The redheaded beauty sighed. “Chaos has started to descend upon Tianhuang Mainland.”
“Senior, your lifespan...” Ling Yun was extremely worried and could not help but ask.
“I can’t hold on for much longer. A hundred years more at most.”
The redheaded beauty said, “All these years, the other four major sects have all been coveting Ethereal Sect. Even some of the minor sects are tempted to take action. When I die, Ethereal Sect will be on the brink of life and death too. If no one is able to advance to Void Reversion realm within this hundred years and become a Dao being... Ethereal Peak would probably reach its end.”
“Senior!”
Suddenly, Ling Yun collapsed to the ground on his knees with a feeling of guilt. He looked at the redheaded beauty silently with a mournful expression.
The crane was the spirit beast of Ethereal Peak’s Founder Master and had guarded the sect for several thousands of years. It possessed strength equivalent to that of a Dao being and was the only existence in the sect at Void Reversion realm!
All these years, if not for senior crane’s protection, Ethereal Peak would have been destroyed several times!
“There’s no need for that. There are thousands of Nascent Soul Perfected Lords out there and none of them can advance to Void Reversion realm without a powerful mental cultivation technique. You don’t have to blame yourself.”
The redheaded beauty stretched her hand to help him up and said softly, “Don’t worry, I will protect Ethereal Peak till the very end. I won’t let down the task he entrusted for me back then.”
Ling Yun sighed. “Actually, the group of disciples from last year had pretty decent endowments. Feng Haoyu, Leng Rou, Su Zimo and little fatty... their potentials are limitless. It’s just a pity...”
Ling Yun did not continue.
It was just a pity that none of them would be able to reach Void Reversion realm within a hundred years to help the sect tide over this calamity of annihilation.
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