Eternal Sacred King Chapter 321 to 330
Chapter 321: I Can’t Rest
When they heard that Su Zimo was going to participate in the Spirit Ranking competition, many Golden Cores at the spectator area felt a chill run down their spines.
Perfected Being Cang Lang and the True Fire Sect elders were contemplating about how to deal with Su Zimo – they did not expect a great opportunity to present itself right before them.
In the eyes of everyone, Su Zimo’s entry into the Five Elements Umbrella as a three meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator was merely courting death!
If they could kill Su Zimo within the Five Elements Umbrella, they ensured that they would eliminate all future troubles forever.
As for Perfected Being Yun Shan and other cultivators, killing Su Zimo meant that they would be able to get their hands on that perfect-grade Blood Quencher!
In reality, Su Zimo had always been at the center of the storm.
However, this was the Great Zhou Dynasty. With the might of the emperor suppressing the entire area, no one would dare to act rashly even if they harbored evil designs.
Yet, Su Zimo’s decision was akin to planting himself in the midst of danger, allowing everyone a chance to steal his treasures!
Perfected Being Cang Lang and Sima Zhi exchanged glances and tacitly walked towards the square.
Perfected Being Cang Lang said in a low voice, “Si Yutang, all five of you, listen up! The moment you enter the Five Elements Umbrella, the first thing to do is to meet up with cultivators of True Fire Sect and join forces with them. No matter which region Su Zimo is assigned to, you have to try your best to kill him there! Do you understand?”
“Yes!” Si Yutang and the others nodded.
Shen Mengqi lowered her head with a conflicted expression; she did not say anything.
Even though she had long severed her relationship with Su Zimo, she still could not bear to kill him personally.
Perfected Being Cang Lang narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “Mengqi, I don’t care what sort of a relationship you had with Su Zimo in the past. However, he killed your sect mates and is bent on being enemies with your master. You should know what you need to do!”
“Yes,” Shen Mengqi lowered her head even further and responded.
When Perfected Being Cang Lang heard Shen Mengqi’s perfunctory tone, a baleful aura appeared on his face instantly. However, his tone turned calmer instead as he said indifferently, “If you can’t do it, I can arrange for someone to replace you.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Mengqi’s heart skipped a beat.
Even though she was only a four meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator, she had a chance of obtaining a spot in the Spirit Ranking.
If someone were to replace her to enter the Five Elements Umbrella, she would lose the rights to fight for a spot completely as well as a chance to enter the ancient battlefield.
Hurriedly, Shen Mengqi replied, “Don’t worry, master. I know what to do.”
“Yes.”
It was only then that Perfected Being Cang Lang nodded in satisfaction.
On the other side, He Jiang let out a chilling laugh. “Don’t worry, master. Once I meet Su Zimo, I’ll definitely take his life and seek revenge for my younger brother!”
Perfected Being Yun Shan was also talking to Shi Jian, a legacy disciple of Southern Mountains Sect.
However, Shi Jian frowned slightly as if he was against it. After a moment of silence, he finally nodded.
The Blood Crow King said darkly, “Haoyu, I’ve got a mission for you.”
“Please speak, sir.”
“If you truly encounter Su Zimo in the Five Elements Umbrella, capture him alive. Remember, I want him alive, not dead!”
“Understood!”
...
Spectator area.
Xuan Yi shook his head. “Zimo, you can’t go. The difference in strength between you two is great. Furthermore, Feng Haoyu has already cultivated all three of Ethereal Peak’s major secret skills and you’ve only cultivated Ethereal Peak Foundation Establishment. There’s no advantage you have against him.”
“Furthermore, you will have too many enemies once you enter the Five Elements Umbrella! Zimo, everyone is targeting you right now. Blood Quencher is a perfect-grade spirit weapon, something that can cause people to lose their minds!”
“That’s right.”
Liu Hui persuaded as well, “Zimo, you’re still young. Don’t act rashly for that moment of impulse.”
Su Zimo replied, “Peak masters, please do not dissuade me. My mind is set. I’m not being impulsive, I’m just glad to have the chance to seek revenge. I can’t rest as long as Feng Haoyu’s alive!”
Xuan Yi and Liu Hui exchanged glances – both could tell of the helplessness in the other’s eyes.
Ji Yaoxue could feel Su Zimo’s determination and knew that it would be futile even if she tried to dissuade him.
Shaking her head, she looked at the emperor in a pleading manner.
Even though the emperor could not openly be biased towards Su Zimo, he could still render some subtle help.
In all honesty, the emperor was rather curious. He wanted to make use of the Spirit Ranking competition to check out the extent of Su Zimo’s strength.
First, there was the assassination attempt from two Golden Cores of True Fire Sect.
Next, there was Dai Xu’s death.
Both incidents were extremely strange and indicated that Su Zimo’s strength was far from what it seems on the surface.
However, Ji Yaoxue’s pleading eyes softened the emperor’s heart as he lamented internally, “Forget it.”
Demoness Ji remained silent the entire time as she quietly moved her seat back beside Gu Xi.
Obtaining a jade talisman from the emperor, Su Zimo came before Ji Chengtian and little fatty. He secretly stuffed a storage bag in both their hands and whispered, “There’s an offensive and defensive supreme-grade spirit weapon within the storage bags.”
Upon hearing that, the eyes of both Ji Chengtian and little fatty lit up.
He was a five meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator to begin with. Now that he had an additional offensive and defensive supreme-grade spirit weapon on hand, as long as he was not surrounded, no one should be a match for him one-on-one.
Little fatty blinked his beady eyes. Just as he was about to ask, Su Zimo spoke first, “Yours is a gigantic axe and shield.”
A broad smile filled little fatty’s face – those two weapons were clearly customized for him!
With the gigantic axe and shield, his strength would also be nothing to scoff at!
The emperor’s eyes flickered and a small thick rod the size of a finger shot out from the emperor’s glabella.
When the rod landed in the square, it expanded rapidly, forming an umbrella-like weapon.
With a bang, five different colors of umbrella cloths that represented metal, wood, water, fire and earth spread from the top of the umbrella, covering half of the skies!
Dharmic weapon, Five Elements Umbrella!
On the square, the five thousand odd cultivators who wanted to participate in the Spirit Ranking competition looked up instinctively.
Everyone’s gaze could not help but be drawn into the multicolored umbrella cloth as their hearts pounded.
That umbrella cloth was like a world of its own!
“Everyone is ready. Let the Spirit Ranking competition officially begin.”
The moment the emperor said that, the Five Elements Umbrella started to spin.
The first people to be drawn into the umbrella were the five meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the square.
The respective five meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the five major sects were separated into different regions.
Ji Chengtian was placed in the water region.
Including Feng Haoyu, there were four other five meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivators left on the square.
This meant that there would be a region within the Five Elements Umbrella that would only have a single five meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator!
That way, the pressure provided by the five meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator of this region would be extremely small and basically, anyone could obtain a spot on the Spirit Ranking as long as they held through to the end.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Four figures rose into the air and entered four regions.
Su Zimo kept his eye on Feng Haoyu and saw him enter the gold region.
Apart from Feng Haoyu, there was another five meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the gold region – He Jiang of True Fire Sect.
As for the water region where Ji Chengtian was located, he was the only five meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator!
Everyone knew what was going on when they saw the allocation – it meant that the emperor intended to take care of Ethereal Peak.
The Five Elements Umbrella continued spinning.
The cultivators in the square flew into the world within the Five Elements Umbrella.
A massacre was about to begin!
Chapter 322: Disregard
The remaining five thousand odd people flew into the sky at the same time and were drawn in by the Five Elements Umbrella that was spinning beneath the heavens. At a glance, it seemed like those five thousand odd people were being devoured by another world.
Of the hundred thousand odd cultivators that were spectating, more than half of them were paying attention to Su Zimo.
After all, his appearance in this sect competition had caused great commotion.
Furthermore, there was already a repressed killing intent that was emanating from the square before the Spirit Ranking competition; many factions were already trying their best to contain themselves.
The moment they entered the Five Elements Umbrella where outsiders could not interfere, massive clashes were bound to erupt!
As for Su Zimo, whichever region he was sent to would definitely result in the most intense clashes!
“Look! Junior Brother Su has entered the water region!” Xue Yi pointed to the sky and said excitedly.
Leng Rou’s expression relaxed and she heaved a sigh of relief.
There were no other five meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the water region apart from Ji Chengtian of Ethereal Peak – it was the region with the least threat and was relatively safer.
As long as Su Zimo and Ji Chengtian could meet in time and join forces, they should be able to last till the end in the water region.
Perfected Being Cang Lang and the others frowned.
It was clear that the emperor’s arrangements were to protect Su Zimo.
The Blood Crow King scoffed coldly.
Xuan Yi and Liu Hui looked at the emperor gratefully, but they could not express their feelings directly.
After the five thousand odd cultivators were sucked into the Five Elements Umbrella, the emperor’s glabella shone with a divine light and an invisible force landed on the Five Elements Umbrella.
It gradually stopped spinning and the umbrella surface spread in all directions, expanding as though it was fusing into one with the heavens!
“Ah, look!”
“There’s Senior Brother He!”
“Wow! A golden bird just flew across the sky!”
On the surface of the umbrella, the five regions shone with different lusters, forming a gigantic screen of light.
Through that gigantic screen, the cultivators outside could see everything within the Five Elements Umbrella clearly, including the flora, fauna, birds and beasts.
In fact, they could even observe every single action of the cultivators within.
Cultivators who were taking part in the sect competition for the first time were deeply amazed when they witnessed such a scene.
“Look, Su Zimo is there!”
“Fufu, his luck is truly bad. To think that he would have landed in the forest.”
The landing location for everyone that entered the Five Elements Umbrella was random.
Upon landing, it was very common to see fights break out immediately if they were close to other people.
Of course, that was still a considerably alright situation.
Landing in the forest was the most fatal!
The forest could be considered as a lair for spirit demons where dangers lurked everywhere. All kinds of powerful spirit demons awaited and one could not guarantee that they could walk out alive if they were descended upon the forest!
If one was unlucky and landed right beside a powerful spirit demon, they might be crept on stealthily by the latter and die without a chance to even crush their escape jade talisman!
“Eh? There seems to be a spirit lion not far behind Su Zimo and it’s staring at him!”
“If the number one Weapon Refinement Master of the Great Zhou Dynasty were to be bitten to death by a spirit demon in the Five Elements Umbrella, that’s going to be the greatest joke in the entire cultivation world! Hehe!”
A gentle breeze blew past and the leaves behind Su Zimo swayed lightly, producing a sound.
He seemed oblivious to it.
All of a sudden!
A massive black shadow lunged over with an opened mouth, baring its white fangs and howling deeply as it bit towards Su Zimo’s neck!
The ferocious face of the spirit lion seemed as though it was right in front of everyone!
“Ah!”
In the square, the crowd exclaimed.
Many cultivators felt as though they were witnessing the grisly sight of Su Zimo’s neck being snapped!
Even though the spirit lion was about to close in, Su Zimo did not even turn back. Suddenly, he swung his arm backwards as though it was boneless like an elephant’s trunk.
Piak!
The sound of bones cracking could be heard from the spirit beast’s chin when it was struck.
Right after, everyone watched as the spirit lion was sent flying back even faster than it was lunging forth.
By the time it landed on the ground, its face was already smashed to bits and was unrecognizable. Twitching unconsciously on the ground, it was clear that the spirit lion was dead.
As for Su Zimo, he continued walking forth without even turning back, as though nothing had just happened.
In the square, the crowd was dumbfounded.
What sort of strength did he possess to be able to smash a spirit demon’s jawline?
Before that question could be answered, another bloodthirsty wolf pounced forward only to be punched by Su Zimo. Its brains split, splattering juice all over as it died on the spot!
Right after, everyone watched as Su Zimo barged through the treacherous forest with dominance, leaving nothing but a trail of corpses and blood in his wake.
A gigantic spirit crocodile that was covered in spikes had been lying in ambush for a long time and had just emerged from the waters.
With a single stomp on the spirit crocodile’s head, Su Zimo created a massive crater the size of a footprint.
The gigantic body of the spirit crocodile sank into the water again; its corpse attracted other spirit crocodiles to feast on it and before long, there was nothing left but a pile of bones.
Su Zimo had no intention of concealing his tracks in the jungle at all as he barged forth with complete disregard!
“Holy f*ck! What’s going on?”
“Is that person a Weapon Refinement Master?”
“Bloody hell... he’s a ferocious beast in human form!”
In the square, the hundred thousand odd Foundation Establishment Cultivators were stunned.
Wasn’t it said that it was the most dangerous in the forest of the Five Elements Umbrella?
Wasn’t it said that the spirit demons in the Five Elements Umbrella were extremely strong and were close to the peak of Foundation Establishment realm?
“I suspect that the emperor must be afraid of trouble, so he merely put together some large-sized wild beasts into the Five Elements Umbrella to scare everyone...”
“Yes, that’s possible. It’s not easy to capture spirit demons but wild beasts are everywhere.”
“Man, he’s the emperor but this is an utter scam.”
In the crowd, many cultivators whispered among themselves and looked at the emperor with strange gazes.
Although they were very soft, the emperor could naturally hear them clearly given his cultivation.
Even though he was expressionless, his eyelids were twitching uncontrollably.
It was true that the spirit demons in the Five Elements Umbrella were mighty and not to be underestimated.
However, they were the most common types of demon beasts
The strength of a demon beast was directly related to its bloodline!
Simply put, the strength of an ordinary demon beast at the peak of Foundation Establishment realm was way inferior compared to the strength of an ancient remnant beast at the same cultivation realm.
The difference between ordinary spirit beasts and pure-blooded ferocious beasts was even greater.
For Su Zimo who had cultivated The Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness, Void Thunder Manual and even devoured half a dragon, none of those ordinary spirit demons were a match for the might of his terrifying physique.
If the emperor had caught some ancient remnant beasts, they might have been able to pose some threat to Su Zimo.
However, there were indeed no ancient remnant beasts within the Five Elements Umbrella and the emperor could not be blamed for that.
Every ancient remnant beast out there would typically be protected by monstrous fiend demons and it wasn’t easy to capture them.
A cultivator was right in his statement.
Those spirit demons in the Five Elements Umbrella were not facing a human... they were facing a ferocious beast in human form!
Chapter 323: Unusual
In the spectator area, Demoness Ji was the most composed towards Su Zimo’s performance.
“Was he already so strong in melee combat back in the Blood Fiend’s grave three years ago?” Gu Xi asked with a voice transmission of her spirit consciousness.
“No.”
Ji Yaoxue made use of a voice transmission technique unique to the fiend sects and replied, “This nerd is even stronger than three years ago!”
In the spectator area, some Golden Cores were also discussing quietly.
“Hmph, what’s the point of having a strong physique? He won’t be able to defend against the sharpness of a sword nevertheless.”
“That’s right. If he comes across cultivators, who’s going to engage in melee combat with him?”
The emperor sat alone in the middle and frowned as he looked at Su Zimo who was speeding forward.
“The direction that lad is heading... what’s he trying to do?”
...
Five Elements Umbrella, Water Region.
After dashing out of the forest, Su Zimo determined his direction and brushed his palm across his storage bag, summoning a flying sword before injecting spirit energy into it.
Buzz!
The sword quivered and four bedazzling lights shone from it.
“Supreme-grade flying sword!”
Right then, a shriek was heard beside him.
Su Zimo glanced at that person and was not bothered. Leaping onto his flying sword, he sped ahead on it.
Pshew!
Sounds of sharp blades tearing through the void rang behind him.
“Hmm?”
Narrowing his gaze, Su Zimo turned his head slightly and a cold light flashed past his ears, emitting a sharp killing intent.
That sword was aimed at taking his life without any mercy!
Su Zimo paused and turned behind.
Not far behind him, the cultivator who exclaimed earlier stood with a murderous aura, his eyes shining with a deep lust and ferociousness.
“You want to kill me?” Su Zimo’s gaze turned cold.
Normally, one would not kill within the Five Elements Umbrella and would let their enemies escape using the jade talisman if they did not bear any deep grudges.
After all, the Golden Cores and the Emperor of Great Zhou were watching the battle from outside. Killing enemies would sow grudges with them and it was not a wise move.
However, Su Zimo did not expect that apart from Iridescent Clouds Palace, True Fire Sect and Feng Haoyu, there were other cultivators who wanted to kill him!
“Su Zimo, I’m not asking for your Blood Quencher either. As long as you hand over that supreme-grade flying sword in your hands, I can spare your life.”
That person was wearing gray robes and because he was at four meridian Foundation Establishment, he was naturally confident.
“You want the supreme-grade flying sword? Sure.”
Su Zimo nodded and slapped his storage bag, changing the topic. “However, I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it!”
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Waving his robes, three sword beams shot out in three different directions, surrounding the gray-robed cultivator and blocking all paths of escape!
“Ah!”
The expression of the gray-robed cultivator changed as he yelped, “Three supreme-grade flying swords!”
Outside the Five Elements Umbrella, a series of commotion broke out from the square and spectator area as well.
Not to mention the Foundation Establishment Cultivators present, even most of the Golden Cores who had cultivated for hundreds of years did not possess a single supreme-grade spirit weapon.
However, as a three meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Su Zimo had summoned three supreme-grade flying swords in one go!
The gray-robed cultivator was calm as spirit energy surged within him rampantly. Bursting forth with his power of four spirit meridians, he retrieved his flying sword and used it to defend against an incoming supreme-grade flying sword.
“Break!”
Right after, the gray-robed cultivator conjured a spirit seal and released his spirit art to defend against another incoming supreme-grade flying sword.
Against the third supreme-grade flying sword, the gray-robed cultivator’s left arm shone with a bedazzling light, revealing a steel bracer – it was a middle-grade defensive spirit weapon.
Waving his arms, the gray-robed cultivator defended against the trajectories of the three supreme-grade flying swords.
All who dared to enter the Five Elements Umbrella for the Spirit Ranking competition were the elites of their respective sects – none of them were easy kills.
The crowd could not help but gasp when they saw the gray-robed cultivator unleash three consecutive attacks to deflect the three incoming supreme-grade flying swords.
In the spectator area, the Golden Cores of Starlight Sect stroked their long beards and nodded repeatedly, remarking in calm tones, “Not bad. He did not embarrass Starlight Sect.”
The moment they said that, the situation within the Five Elements Umbrella changed.
Right as the gray-robed cultivator defended against three supreme-grade flying swords, Su Zimo swiped his storage bag expressionlessly and another three flying swords appeared before him!
Buzz!
The swords quivered gently, illuminating four spirit patterns.
Another three supreme-grade flying swords!
Upon seeing this, the crowd was in an uproar.
Many Golden Cores were filled with envy and wished that they could rush into the Five Elements Umbrella to snatch Su Zimo’s storage bag so that they could check how much treasures were hidden within.
In the final year of Mo Spirit Weapon Workshop, after Su Zimo was able to refine supreme-grade spirit weapons, he refined one daily.
In other words, there were more than 300 supreme-grade spirit weapons within his storage bag!
Of the 300 items, Su Zimo had customized a set of supreme-grade flying swords for himself.
The six flying swords that were sent out were merely a part of the set.
On the battlefield, the gray-robed cultivator could not even catch his breath after defending against three flying swords when he was greeted with another patch of sword lights.
“Why are there more...”
Poof!
Before he could finish his sentence, his chest was penetrated by a flying sword. Blood gushed out relentlessly as he fell to the ground with an indignant expression. The greed in his eyes had yet to dissipate and he muttered while frothing with blood foam, “Supreme-grade flying sword, supreme-grade...”
Upon seeing that, the Golden Cores of Starlight Sect harrumphed coldly with terrible expressions.
No matter what, the gray-robed cultivator was the one who attacked Su Zimo first; even if he were to die in the Five Elements Umbrella, he could not blame anyone.
Waving his sleeves, Su Zimo retrieved the six supreme-grade flying swords and sped into the distance.
He hadn’t set off for long when he was blocked by another four meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Without a single word, Su Zimo waved his hand and six supreme-grade flying swords flew out!
The person on the other end had just summoned his flying sword when his vision blurred and six shimmering flying swords with four spirit patterns on them charged at him.
Immensely frightened, the person dropped his flying sword and swapped out a gigantic shield. He channeled his four meridian spirit energy and the shield expanded, defending in front of him.
Clang!
The six flying swords struck the shield at almost the same time and gave out a loud bang.
Poof!
The person spat out fresh blood and was sent flying, his face extremely pale. He crushed his jade talisman in midair.
A power radiated from the jade talisman, teleporting that man out of the Five Elements Umbrella.
Landing in the square slowly, the cultivator’s mouth was still flowing with fresh blood.
A Golden Core of Aqua Mirror Sect rushed forth and took out an elixir to stuff in that person’s mouth.
“Master, I’ve let you down. I...” The cultivator’s eyes dimmed as he slumped his head dejectedly.
The Golden Core of Aqua Mirror Sect sighed and replied exasperatedly, “It’s not your fault, that Su Zimo is way too despicable! He’s clearly being a bully by summoning six supreme-grade flying swords at one go! No one would be able to take that!”
Even though that person was a four meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator and was much stronger than Su Zimo in terms of spirit energy, the difference between them was compensated by the brute force of the six supreme-grade flying swords.
Apart from Ji Chengtian, there were no five meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivators within the Five Elements Umbrella who could stand in Su Zimo’s path.
As time went by, not only did cultivators fail to kill Su Zimo, they were sent out one after another, losing their chance of vying for a spot in the Spirit Ranking.
At the same time, some Golden Cores were frowning as they gradually realized that there was something unusual about the direction Su Zimo was heading in.Chapter 324: Sword Formation Master
“Su Zimo has already crossed more than half of the water region. What is he trying to do?”
“By the looks of it, he seems to be sprinting towards the boundaries of the region.”
The wood region was right beside the water region and Feng Haoyu’s metal region was after the wood region!
“Could it be...”
Many cultivators looked on with shock as they thought of a possibility. However, they agreed that their deduction was way too absurd.
Xuan Yi and Liu Hui exchanged glances – both could tell of the seriousness in the other’s eyes.
They had a slight understanding towards Su Zimo’s character as well.
This was a man with a heart of a tiger and was decisive in his kills.
If Su Zimo could say something like ‘I can’t rest as long as Feng Haoyu’s alive’, there was a possibility that he would truly cross the regions and hunt Feng Haoyu down... to the death!
But, was that possible?
The disparity in strength between the two of them aside, the Grade 4 killing formations between the regions were enough to block anyone!
Grade 4 killing formations far exceeded the scope of spirit energy and contained supreme Dharmic powers. Even Golden Cores would be destroyed in body and spirit if they were to enter!
...
Five Elements Umbrella, Water Region.
Su Zimo sped the entire way without concealing his tracks at all. At the same time, the number of cultivators he attracted were increasing – there were more than a hundred by now!
The hundred odd Foundation Establishment Cultivators were all at higher cultivation realms than Su Zimo at four meridians.
Even further away, other cultivators were rushing over.
As everyone expected, he had turned into the greatest target the moment he entered the Five Elements Umbrella!
The intersection of the wood and water region was not far away.
A gigantic light screen stood erected between Heaven and Earth, extending boundlessly into the distance.
There were waves of light shimmering on the screen in a mysterious and beautiful manner. It exuded a frightening aura, as though it was warning the cultivators within the Five Elements Umbrella to stay away from it.
Su Zimo slowed down and gradually stopped.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
In the blink of an eye, more than a hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators surrounded him from all directions. Unfriendly and murderous, they sealed all of Su Zimo’s escape paths!
There were even more cultivators waiting outside the encirclement, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Su Zimo was expressionless as he swept his gaze across the crowd. He paused for a brief moment when he caught sight of a familiar figure in the crowd.
Shen Mengqi was among the hundred odd cultivators that were surrounding him!
She looked at Su Zimo with a complicated expression and sighed gently. “Su Zimo, even a five meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator is doomed if he were to get encircled by more than a hundred four meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivators. You... won’t be able to escape.”
Su Zimo scoffed coldly with an indifferent expression without even looking at her. “For certain people, I only have a word of advice. Don’t seek trouble for yourself and scram as far as possible!”
Zeng! Zeng! Zeng!
Waving his robes, a sword glow flew out of his storage bag and hovered before him.
Everyone focused their gazes and shuddered.
18 flying swords!
The 18 flying swords were neatly arranged, shining with resplendence and sharpness – they were all supreme-grade flying swords!
“Kill him and those supreme-grade flying swords would be ours!” A Foundation Establishment Cultivator was so jealous that he was almost losing his mind.
“Everyone, let’s strike together so that he doesn’t have a chance to crush the jade talisman!”
Right then, a four meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator of True Fire Sect shouted and summoned his flying sword. It shone brightly and had a frosty cold aura.
The hundred odd Foundation Establishment Cultivators that were in the encirclement were already lusting with greed to begin with. When they heard that shout, they struck immediately without hesitation.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Instantly, countless spirit lights shone and many flying swords interweaved in the air, forming a huge net that engulfed Su Zimo.
Outside the Five Elements Umbrella, many Golden Cores were stunned when they saw that Su Zimo had summoned as many as 18 supreme-grade flying swords.
The emperor narrowed his eyes and exclaimed softly.
He noticed that the 18 flying swords were identical in terms of length, width and etched patterns!
Could it be...
The emperor’s gaze landed on Xuan Yi.
Xuan Yi of Ethereal Peak was one of the rare few Sword Formation Masters out there and Ethereal Peak’s Hexagonal Sword Formation was also renowned through the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Before the emperor could finish his thought, he heard a cry from the crowd.
“Goodness, what is that?”
“That seems to be a formation?”
“Sword Formation Master! Su Zimo is a Sword Formation Master!”
Within the water region, Su Zimo controlled 18 supreme-grade flying swords, dividing them into three groups of six flying swords each. Each flying sword shuttled through the air, leaving behind streams of sword qi.
In the blink of an eye, the six flying swords formed a star-shaped sword formation that shone with a bedazzling light.
Hexagonal Sword Formation!
Three Hexagonal Sword Formations spun around Su Zimo like gigantic spinning wheels. They circled and blocked off all the incoming flying swords!
“Everyone, don’t give up. Su Zimo’s spirit energy expenditure must have reached the limit for controlling 18 flying swords! If we continue persisting, he’ll definitely have no strength left to retaliate and will die!”
The moment that Foundation Establishment Cultivator of True Fire Sect spoke, Su Zimo’s voice sounded indifferently.
“Instant Thunder!”
Su Zimo conjured a spirit seal and pointed towards the sky with one finger while controlling his flying swords.
Snap!
A giant thunderbolt struck the crowd, bursting forth with a dazzling ball of lightning.
“Ah!”
More than ten Foundation Establishment Cultivators were caught off guard. They were struck by the thunderbolt and fell to the ground, shrieking continuously.
Even though that cultivator of True Fire Sect had crushed a protection talisman preemptively and defended against the thunderbolt, he looked clearly wretched and was filled with lingering fear.
He was right – Su Zimo indeed did not have much spirit energy left to release spirit arts.
However, Su Zimo’s power of thunder originated from his bloodline! The energy contained within was even more terrifying than his three meridian spirit energy!
“Go!”
Su Zimo waved his hand and a Hexagonal Sword Formation sped off, deflecting a series of incoming flying swords and piercing into the crowd!
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Blood spurted out and the air was filled with the stench of blood.
Some cultivators were already injured after barely withstanding the might of thunder – how could they have enough energy left to resist the Hexagonal Sword Formation made up of supreme-grade flying swords?
It crushed everything in its path!
Some of the more alert cultivators crushed their jade talismans preemptively and left the Five Elements Umbrella. Even though they were indignant, their lives were spared.
As for some of the cultivators who were greedier and still harbored designs on Su Zimo’s supreme-grade spirit weapons, most of them died under the Hexagonal Sword Formation.
There was also a portion of powerful cultivators who managed to defend against the might of the Hexagonal Sword Formation. However, they were left severely injured and completely lost their chance for a spot in the Spirit Ranking.
In the blink of an eye, more than a hundred four meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivators were destroyed by Su Zimo and were in a complete mess!
In the square, the hundred thousand odd Foundation Establishment Cultivators gasped with agape mouths.
The scene before them had completely exceeded everyone’s expectations.
No one would have expected that a three meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator would be invincible within the Five Elements Umbrella and even cause such a bloody storm!
One of the cultivators lamented, “I’ve heard that Sword Formation Masters are almost invincible amongst cultivators of the same realm. Seems like those words were not exaggerated at all.”
18 supreme-grade flying swords and a Grade 2 formation... Su Zimo’s combat strength was not weaker than five meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivators!
Chapter 325: Crossing Regions
“Go!”
Suddenly, a figure dashed over at lightning speed, radiating a powerful aura. Beneath his clothes, five spirit meridians shimmered and spirit energy gushed.
It was the only five meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator in the water region – Ji Chengtian of Ethereal Peak!
Pshew!
Before Ji Chengtian had even arrived, a sword beam shot out through a tremble of his sleeves.
The strange thing was that just as the sword beam flashed, it disappeared without a trace along with the flying sword; it was as though the sword beam was just an illusion.
“Everyone, watch out! That’s one of Ethereal Peak’s secret skills!”
One of the Foundation Establishment Cultivators exclaimed in shock.
The moment he finished speaking, a sharp blade penetrated his shoulder blood and fresh blood gushed out as he fell.
Even till the end, that person had not managed to discover any traces of the flying sword!
There were three levels to Ethereal Sword. First was Shadows and second was Void.
The fact that Ji Chengtian had summoned his flying sword and yet it was hidden and almost undetectable meant that he had already cultivated to the Void realm.
But of course, the so-called Void was not without a trace; it was merely extremely difficult to detect.
With Ji Chengtian’s spirit energy as a five meridian coupled with the secret skill of Ethereal Peak, ripples appeared in the void wherever his flying sword passed. It appeared unpredictably followed by flashes of blood and repeated shrieks.
Initially, the hundred odd Foundation Establishment Cultivators who were surrounding Su Zimo were already massively defeated by his Hexagonal Sword Formation. Now that they were being harvested by Ji Chengtian’s flying sword, they were instantly annihilated.
While more cultivators were gathering in the surroundings, none of them dared to act rashly.
Ji Chengtian heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that Su Zimo was fine. “Thankfully, I wasn’t too late.”
“Thank you, Senior Brother Ji.”
Su Zimo nodded and expressed his thanks.
Scanning his surroundings, Ji Chengtian said in a low voice, “There are still hundreds of Foundation Establishment Cultivators left in the water region. If we were to get trapped, it’ll be easy for us to get hurt as well. Junior Brother Su, follow me closely. We’ll leave this place first!”
Su Zimo shook his head. “Senior Brother Ji, hurry and leave first. You don’t have to bother about me.”
“Junior Brother Su, what do you mean by that?” Ji Chengtian frowned and was perplexed.
Pausing for a moment, he came to a realization. “Don’t worry, Junior Brother Su. I’ll guarantee your safety with me around!”
Su Zimo turned to look at the gigantic light screen not far away and kept silent.
“Junior Brother Su, you...”
Ji Chengtian’s lips slowly opened as though he had thought of something.
Nodding with a smile, Su Zimo retracted his 18 supreme-grade flying swords and walked towards the gigantic light screen. His footsteps were firm without any hesitation!
Before participating in the Spirit Ranking competition, Su Zimo had already understood that his only chance of killing Feng Haoyu was within the Five Elements Umbrella!
After the end of the sect competition, the Blood Crow King would accompany Feng Haoyu and they were in the capital to boot – Su Zimo would have no chance of striking.
If they were to enter the ancient battlefield, no one could predict what would happen in that completely unfamiliar environment.
Therefore, Su Zimo had already made a decision the moment he entered the water region – he would kill Feng Haoyu even if it meant that he had to cross two Grade 4 killing formations!
“Ah!”
At the spectator area, Ji Yaoxue jolted up and exclaimed in shock as her expression changed.
“Seems like Su Zimo is really going to cross the regions.”
“Fufu, he’s honestly too naive and doesn’t listen to advice. He can’t blame anyone for having a death wish.”
Ji Yaoxue turned around hurriedly, hoping that the emperor could teleport Su Zimo out.
Noticing Ji Yaoxue’s actions, Perfected Being Cang Lang said all of a sudden, “Third princess, the Spirit Ranking competition has already begun and outsiders can’t interfere casually. Otherwise, what integrity is there to speak of for the sect competition?”
“That’s right,” The elders of True Fire Sect chimed in hurriedly.
Back when the emperor allocated Su Zimo into the water region, Perfected Being Cang Lang and the others were already dissatisfied. However, they could not express their displeasure clearly.
Now that Perfected Being Cang Lang made that statement in front of everyone, it would be hard for the emperor to save Su Zimo even if he wanted to.
“What should we do, senior brother? Think of something!” Liu Hui looked anxious.
Pondering for a moment, Xuan Yi suddenly said, “Junior sister, do you remember that year’s Five Peaks Face-off where Zimo attained number one of four peaks? Array Peak was one of them.”
“So what?”
Liu Hui frowned. “If you tell me that Zimo is talented in array formations and is already able to set up and dispel Grade 3 formations, I can believe that. However, Grade 4 formations can only be set up by Nascent Souls and they delve into the profoundness of Dharmic powers. Even you can’t deal with them, let alone Zimo!”
“The Five Elements Umbrella is the emperor’s Dharmic weapon and those are Grade 4 killing formations inside! Zimo’s practically headed for death!” Liu Hui sighed deeply again.
“There’s something that none of you know.”
Xuan Yi replied, “Back when Zimo crossed the Ten Formations Pagoda, he dispelled the killing formations at the fastest possible speed!”
“What do you mean?” Liu Hui was taken aback.
Xuan Yi lamented, “It’s hard to say if it’s other types of array formations. However, Zimo might have some unique method of dispelling killing formations.”
“Look, he’s already inside!”
A wave of shock and astonishment could be heard from the crowd.
In the water region, Su Zimo had already entered the gigantic light screen into a Grade 4 killing formation!
Ji Yaoxue and the others watched the Five Elements Umbrella nervously with fixed gazes and bated breaths.
The moment Su Zimo crossed the light screen, the scenery before him changed. Suddenly, he was located in a huge valley with thick, steep walls on both sides.
Before he could think about it, there was a loud boom in front of him and the mountains shook.
A huge torrent rushed over from the front and gushed into the valley, rumbling in a furious manner!
Su Zimo summoned his flying sword and soared into the skies hurriedly.
While it seemed like a simple torrent, Su Zimo’s spirit perception alerted him that the torrent was extremely dangerous.
Even a single splash could not be underestimated.
The moment Su Zimo rose into the air, everything above him was pitch-black as though his vision was blocked.
Raising his head, he saw that the valley was shaken; rocks slid down and the flowers and trees on both sides of the valley were falling along in the mudslide!
This killing formation was situated between the water and wood regions. Every single drop of water and piece of wood within the formation was condensed with supreme Dharmic powers.
Even a single drop of water or leaf was more than enough to destroy a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!
Endless pieces of wood fell from above, covering the skies while a torrential current surged beneath him – Su Zimo was in a hopeless situation!
Right then, Su Zimo closed his eyes.
By now, his five senses were useless – the only way for him to get out of the valley alive was to use his spirit perception!
Killing formations were immensely powerful. However, in a similar fashion, the flaws within killing formations were the most obvious out of the few types of formations.
Su Zimo rode on his flying sword, maneuvering within an extremely narrow space. Occasionally, he would accelerate to dodge an incoming wave.
Sometimes, he would pause suddenly and manage to dodge falling branches before him.
Between the water and wood formed by the supreme Dharmic powers and everyone’s shocked gazes, Su Zimo advanced through the narrow gap carefully and closed in towards the wood region.
Chapter 326: Honest Man
The torrent and fallen trees formed from the supreme Dharmic powers shook the entire world, exuding an imposing aura. Even the audiences were able to feel that power of annihilation as though they were experiencing it personally!
In the square, some of the cultivators were so scared that their faces were pale despite merely watching.
That was the power of Grade 4 killing formations!
That was the power that belonged to the Dharma.
Be it spirit energy, art or weapons, none of them could be stronger than Dharmic powers, arts and weapons.
One can only understand the secrets of the Dharma after entering Nascent Soul state and cultivating an Essence Spirit; even Golden Cores can’t comprehend them!
Between the endless falling trees and torrential waves, the figure that was moving forward was so tiny. In fact, it looked a little humble, as though it could be crushed into nothingness at any moment.
However, for some reason, everyone was feeling a deep sense of shock that was even more intense than the impact of a Grade 4 killing formation!
What sort of a willpower did that man possess?
Despite the arduous dangers that were laden with killing intent, no one could stop his intentions!
If he wanted to kill someone today, they would not get to live till the next day!
Peak Master Wen Xuan’s wish was finally going to be fulfilled by someone.
In the battle at Dongling Valley, many Ethereal Peak disciples perished... someone was going to have to pay for that debt!
“I can’t rest as long as Feng Haoyu’s alive!”
Die Yue was not wrong. There was indeed a ferocious tiger hidden within Su Zimo’s heart that was sleeping.
Back when Die Yue brought Su Zimo onto the path of cultivation, that ferocious tiger had already awoken.
Naturally, people were meant to be eaten when a ferocious tiger was awake!
Both in the square and at the spectator area, more than a hundred thousand pairs of eyes watched that figure cross the treacheries of a Grade 4 killing formation. It was extremely silent and no one spoke.
“How did he do it?”
Even as a Nascent Soul, the emperor could not understand what was going on.
“Hehe, that nerd’s full of surprises. He’s truly getting more interesting by the day,” Ji Yaoxue pursed her lips together and smiled, her bright eyes curving into crescent moons.
Gu Xi gave a half-smile and rolled her eyes at Demoness Ji; her gaze shimmered.
“Look, he’s about to cross it.”
Finally, under everyone’s gaze, Su Zimo crossed to the wood region from the water region.
Everyone from Ethereal Peak heaved a sigh of relief and looked invigorated.
Discussions rose from the crowd again.
“By the looks of it, perhaps only five meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivators are able to stop Su Zimo now.”
“There are two five meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the wood region, Shi Jian of Southern Mountains Sect and an itinerant cultivator.”
“Su Zimo must be absolutely tuckered out after crossing a Grade 4 killing formation. He will most likely die if he were to encounter a five meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator.”
At the spectator area, Perfected Being Yun Shan of Southern Mountains Sect gloated and lamented, “Seems like Su Zimo’s storage bag is about to land in the hands of Southern Mountains Sect!”
...
Crossing the Grade 4 killing formation, Su Zimo arrived at the wood region.
Even though he survived the dangerous journey, Su Zimo’s mental and spirit energy were extremely taxed and his green robe was drenched in sweat.
That was a Grade 4 killing formation. If it was a Grade 5 killing formation, Su Zimo reckoned that even with his keen spirit perception, his body would not be able to react in time and he would die within!
It was way too dangerous!
Behind him was the Grade 4 killing formation and there were no other cultivators nearby.
Retrieving two superior-grade spirit stones from his storage bag, Su Zimo sped forward while recovering spirit energy.
He had to recover his spirit energy completely before arriving at the next Grade 4 killing formation. As such, Su Zimo chose to conserve spirit energy by sprinting on the ground instead of riding his flying sword. However, his speed was not compromised.
Along the way, he encountered many signs of fighting.
There were even some corpses on the ground with warmth – the cultivators had died without being able to crush their jade talismans in time.
“Eh?”
After a while, an exclamation was heard.
A figure flashed forward and blocked Su Zimo’s path.
Raising his head, Su Zimo saw that it was the legacy disciple of Southern Mountains Sect, Shi Jian. He was one of the hot favorites for the Spirit Ranking competition and it was said that he was also at five meridian Foundation Establishment.
“Greetings, Mr. Mo. I am Shi Jian.”
To Su Zimo’s surprise, Shi Jian was unlike other cultivators and did not attack him right away. Instead, the latter cupped his fists and greeted.
When he saw that this person looked simple and honest, Su Zimo had a better impression of him and nodded in response.
“Are you also located in the wood region, Mr. Mo? I’m seeing you for the first time,” There was no way Shi Jian would know that Su Zimo had crossed over from the water region.
Su Zimo did not explain and merely smiled.
Shi Jian looked uneasy. He wanted to say something but stopped himself, as though he was too embarrassed to do so.
“What’s the matter?” Su Zimo raised his brow slightly.
Shi Jian hesitated for a moment before replying, “Well, I’m also here for your Blood Quencher, Mr. Mo.”
Su Zimo’s gaze turned cold.
Bowing hurriedly, Shi Jian explained himself, “However, that was not my intention. I can’t defy my master’s orders. I seek your understanding in this, fellow Daoist.”
Su Zimo noticed that Shi Jian’s words were sincere and did not seem like he was lying – he truly had no choice.
It was only then that Su Zimo’s expression relaxed and the killing intent in his heart dissipated.
Shi Jian continued, “Mr. Mo, don’t worry, I will definitely not harm your life. Furthermore, as an exchange, I will do my best to help guarantee a spot in the Spirit Ranking for you!”
There were two slots for every region.
By saying that, Shi Jian was implying that he would try his best to help Su Zimo obtain the other spot in the wood region.
Su Zimo smiled but did not say anything.
Shi Jian did not know what happened in the water region nor did he know of Su Zimo’s motives.
When he saw Su Zimo smile, he misunderstood and thought for a long time before saying, “Mr. Mo, I know that perfect spirit weapons are priceless. However, there’s not much I can do. How about this? Apart from helping you obtain a spot in the Spirit Ranking, I’ll give you all the treasures in my storage bag?”
“There’s no need to say anything more, let’s fight.”
Su Zimo said with a calm expression.
“Ah?
Shi Jian was stunned for a moment and asked confusedly, “Mr. Mo, do you want to fight me? If I didn’t see wrongly, you only just advanced to three meridian Foundation Establishment while I’m at five meridian Foundation Establishment. You’re not going to be my match.”
Su Zimo smiled and replied, “If you beat me, Blood Quencher will naturally be yours.”
Shi Jian pondered for a long time before nodding. However, his expression was still somewhat lost, as though he could not understand Su Zimo’s intentions.
Retrieving an alloy steel rod that was engraved with complicated patterns from his storage bag, Shi Jian injected spirit energy into it and the rod shone with three spirit patterns!
It was a superior-grade spirit weapon!
“Mr. Mo, you have to be careful. Southern Mountains Sect prides ourselves in our strong physique and melee combat is our forte.”
As if afraid that Su Zimo would not know of his prowess, Shi Jian reminded again.
Su Zimo nodded.
After waiting for a while, Shi Jian noticed that Su Zimo’s hands were still empty and the latter had not summoned any flying swords or other spirit weapons!
Coughing gently, Shi Jian reminded him kindly, “Mr. Mo, you’ve got to use flying swords or other weapons against cultivators like us who specialize in melee combat. That way, you can increase the distance between us and prevent me from getting close.”
Shi Jian gestured in a serious manner and continued, “Look, the way you are right now, I’ll be able to reach you within a few steps. It’ll be too late for you to summon a flying sword by then. Within a single move, you will be defeated.”
Outside the Five Elements Umbrella, the hundred thousand odd cultivators stared in bewilderment.
Xue Yi could not help but lament, “This Brother Shi is truly a honest man!”
Chapter 327: Something Impossible
Su Zimo did not continue explaining to Shi Jian. Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he took a step forward.
Boom!
With that single step, the ground shook.
It was the stance of the Plow Heaven Stride – at its maximum extent, it could even plow a ravine in the heavens!
In the blink of an eye, Su Zimo had truly arrived nearby.
Shi Jian’s heart skipped a beat and he had no time to think. Sensing the danger, he subconsciously struck out and the alloy steel rod in his hands shone brightly, sweeping towards Su Zimo!
With an unchanged expression, Su Zimo welcomed the attack with his soft palm.
Su Zimo’s palm looked to be fair and weak as his long, slender fingers slid on the surface of the incoming long rod. With a sudden burst of strength, he coiled and trembled!
“Ah!”
Shi Jian exclaimed and his hand cracked, blood dripping from his palm.
That moment of distraction was all it took for Shi Jian’s alloy steel rod to end up in Su Zimo’s hands instead.
That gigantic steel rod was pressed against Shi Jian’s throat, emitting a cold and chilling aura.
As long as Su Zimo exerted strength, Shi Jian’s throat would be smashed to pieces!
As Shi Jian had said, a single move was all it took.
However, the one that lost was him, not Su Zimo.
Throughout the entire process, Shi Jian was dumbfounded; he lost without even understanding anything.
Even when Su Zimo returned the alloy steel rod by stuffing it in Shi Jian’s hand, the latter could not really react to it and muttered instinctively, “Thank you.”
Shi Jian had a simple and honest character that was a little cute even. He did not have much animosity towards Su Zimo and merely had no choice.
As such, Su Zimo would naturally not hurt his life.
“How many cultivators are left in the wood region?” Su Zimo asked.
Shi Jian’s mind was in a mess – he was still thinking about what had happened earlier – and replied, “I’m not sure about the exact figure. However, I’m certain that more than half have been eliminated.”
Su Zimo frowned.
In other words, if he lingered too long in the wood region, it might already be too late by the time he crossed this region and another Grade 4 killing formation to reach the metal region.
After all, the battle royale in a region would end when there were only two people remaining.
Those two would also be teleported out.
Therefore, Su Zimo had to get to the metal region as soon as possible to get a chance to kill Feng Haoyu!
Some cultivators were already noticing the activity around the area and were watching from afar – it looked like more were gathering.
If he was surrounded by those cultivators again, Su Zimo might truly not make it in time.
At that thought, his figure flashed and he tunneled into a dense forest at the side.
“Mr. Mo, where are you going?” Shi Jian asked.
“The metal region!”
After a while, Su Zimo’s voice could be heard from deep within the forest.
“Mr. Mo, you really love to joke. Metal region, huh? You might as well say that you’re flying into the heavens.”
Shi Jian rubbed the back of his head and mumbled before turning to leave.
After walking for a while, when no one was around, Shi Jian retrieved his alloy steel rod from his storage bag all of a sudden. He had a grave expression as though he was met with a great enemy.
With widened eyes, Shi Jian stared at the alloy steel rod in his hands for a long time. After a while, he slapped his head in realization. “I got it! During that fight earlier on, my rod was snatched away by Mr. Mo and he returned it to me thereafter!”
“Mr. Mo is truly a nice guy!” Shi Jian lamented.
At the spectator area, Perfected Being Yun Shan frowned as he covered his face and gave a long sigh.
...
In the wood region, there was a sumptuous variety of plants and leaves.
Ancient trees, bushes, vines and grasslands were connected together, green and full of vitality.
Of course, that seemingly peaceful place also possessed endless killing intent!
The forest was practically a paradise for spirit demons and one would die there with a single misstep!
Some cultivators had discovered Su Zimo’s traces but he burrowed into the forest before they could strike.
Everyone had no choice but to chase after him.
The onlookers outside the Five Elements Umbrella were seeing things more clearly. In their eyes, cultivators were being lured into the forest repeatedly without being able to escape.
Those cultivators would often chase endlessly before losing track of Su Zimo.
By the time they realized what was happening, they would already be surrounded by spirit demons!
“Is that Su Zimo born in the year of the monkey? Scurrying left and right, he’s gone in the blink of an eye.”
At the spectator area, some of the Golden Cores grumbled indignantly when they saw their disciples being played like fools.
When he heard that, Xuan Yi chuckled internally.
Back when he joined Ethereal Peak, Su Zimo’s skills were truly similar to a monkey’s as he scaled the walls of the steep mountain like he was on the ground.
The emperor frowned.
He realized that he could no longer see through Su Zimo.
How did a scholar from a remote town of a vassal state gain such capabilities?
In the wood region, Su Zimo arrived at the edge without wasting too much time and dived headfirst into the Grade 4 killing formation.
He was still cautious as ever, inching arduously towards the metal region step by step as though he was on thin ice.
It was only then that the audience realized... Su Zimo was truly able to cross two regions and killing formations to enter the metal region!
However, was it possible for him to kill Feng Haoyu?
Many cultivators had caught a rough glimpse of how Feng Haoyu was killing others as well – it was a one-sided crush!
Apart from five spirit meridians and Ethereal Peak’s three major secret skills, Feng Haoyu seemed to be in possession of some unique secret skills that were sinister and mysterious.
All of those methods not only showed how terrifying Feng Haoyu was, it enabled him to crush the other cultivators completely as well!
One would not even consider killing someone like Feng Haoyu.
In fact, even if Su Zimo merely wanted to defeat Feng Haoyu, it would be as difficult as ascending the heavens given his current capabilities.
Perfected Lord Ming Ze pondered deeply. “If Su Zimo can close in to Feng Haoyu, there might be a chance of him winning.”
“It’s too difficult.”
The emperor shook his head. “Feng Haoyu possesses Ethereal Wings. Be it in terms of speed or agility, he is far superior compared to Sword Kinesis Flight. There’s no way Su Zimo will be able to close in.”
Pausing for a moment, the emperor continued, “In other words, even if Su Zimo could close in, the most he can do is defeat Feng Haoyu. How is he going to kill that guy?”
Perfected Lord Ming Ze nodded as well.
In the worst case scenario, even if Feng Haoyu was not a match for Su Zimo, he had the escape jade talisman in his possession that he could crush as long as he sensed something amiss about the situation.
There were not many cultivators remaining in the metal region.
Apart from Feng Haoyu, the other five meridian cultivator, He Jiang of True Fire Sect was inside as well!
Furthermore, both of them were enemies with Su Zimo!
Even if Su Zimo could barge into the metal region, it would be impossible for him to kill Feng Haoyu given such circumstances.
“Auntie Gu, guess what will happen in the end?” Demoness Ji whispered.
Gu Xi’s gaze swept past the face of the Blood Crow King who was nearby and shook her head. “The outcome inside isn’t important. Su Zimo has already offended that person from Blood Crow Palace and he’s doomed!”
Chapter 328: Final Battle
The battle royales in the five regions were gradually coming to an end.
The thousand odd cultivators in each region had whittled down to less than hundred – these remaining cultivators were the strongest ones with the most methods.
At the edge of the metal region, there was a huge, shimmering light screen that connected Heaven and Earth. There was no one nearby; even spirit demons would not linger around this area.
All of a sudden!
A figure slowly walked out of the light screen. His green robes were almost drenched in sweat and he could not conceal his fatigue.
After crossing the killing formation, the green-robed cultivator’s eyes were still closed as he sensed the long-awaited peace and tranquility around him. Letting out a deep sigh, he savored the feeling of life after escaping a calamity.
A long time later, the green-robed cultivator opened his eyes and stared into the distance with a deep gaze, murmuring, “Here I come!”
...
In the Five Elements Umbrella, it was impossible for one to hide until the end.
There were countless birds and beasts within every region of the Five Elements Umbrella. If any outsider were to linger in a certain place, they would definitely attract spirit demons to hunt them and that would result in a battle, revealing their location.
Even if they were lucky enough to escape the initial chaos, once a region has less than 50 people remaining, all of them would be teleported to the very core of the region for a final battle no matter where they were located.
This was the final battle and at the end of the day, everything depended on one’s strength.
Metal region, core area.
50 beams of light flashed as figures appeared out of nowhere. Most of them were soaked in blood and some were even injured.
Only a rare few looked idyllic and were neatly attired.
Among them, a corpse had been teleported here as well. It laid on the ground motionlessly, its body plump and its face mangled such that its appearance could no longer be made out. There was a deep gash on its neck that was horrifying to look at.
In reality, if it was truly a corpse, it would not have been teleported over.
However, now that the 50 cultivators were gathered all of a sudden, all of them became extremely nervous as though they were faced with great enemies. All of them pulled their distance away and no one noticed the corpse on the ground.
He Jiang of True Fire Sect held a small tripod cauldron in his left hand while his right index finger controlled a flying sword that scanned the surroundings. Suddenly, his gaze landed on someone and froze with a deep killing intent!
Feng Haoyu’s hands were behind his back and he had a haughty expression as he looked around casually. All of a sudden, his eyes narrowed and he smirked.
The rest of the cultivators’ attention was initially on Feng Haoyu and He Jiang, the two five meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
Now that everyone saw the strange expressions on their faces, they could not help but look in the same direction.
Not far away, a green-robed cultivator stood with a calm expression. He had delicate features, looking like a frail scholar.
“Su Zimo!”
“Mr. Mo!”
Cries of surprises came from the crowd.
The flesh on the corpse’s face suddenly twitched.
“Su Zimo, I didn’t expect you to persevere till now. I’m truly impressed,” Feng Haoyu laughed as he clapped his hands.
With Su Zimo’s appearance, a magical change suddenly occurred on the battlefield.
Many cultivators began to harbor designs on Su Zimo.
The attraction of a perfect spirit weapon was too great for everyone!
If they could steal Su Zimo’s storage bag and crush their jade talismans to escape from the place, they would benefit even if they lost the rights for a spot in the Spirit Ranking!
“Su Zimo, you killed my younger brother! I’m going to make you pay with blood!” He Jiang’s voice was chilling to the bones with endless hatred.
The surrounding cultivators summoned their flying swords and stared at Su Zimo with greed in their eyes.
Feng Haoyu looked at the situation calmly and shrugged his shoulders gently, saying in a relaxed manner, “Seems like I don’t even have to make a move myself. Su Zimo, you’re now the common target. No one is going to help you.”
The moment Feng Haoyu said that, the corpse on the ground suddenly jumped up.
That rotund body was surprisingly agile as it rolled across the ground. Arriving in front of a cultivator, it extended a chubby palm and slapped the escape jade talisman that was hanging on the cultivator’s waist.
The person had a blank look on his face. Before he could even react, he was teleported out of the Five Elements Umbrella by a beam of light.
Extending its sleeves to wipe away the blood on its face and the gash disguise on its neck, the corpse revealed a round face – it was little fatty of Ethereal Peak.
Little fatty pointed at Feng Haoyu and shouted, “What nonsense are you spouting, traitor? Am I not a person?!”
He ran to Su Zimo’s side and whispered, “Bro, don’t worry! I’m here! If that doesn’t work out, we’ll crush the jade talisman and escape!”
In reality, little fatty could have continued with his disguise and held on to the end if not for the fact that he was worried Su Zimo had to fight alone.
Little fatty was not the only one who had thought up such a method.
However, he was the one with the thickest skin.
There were more than a hundred thousand cultivators and Golden Cores of various sects spectating outside – which cultivator would want to disguise themselves as such and fake death to sail through the competition?
Su Zimo patted little fatty’s shoulder to reassure him before turning around and replying coldly, “Feng Haoyu, don’t waste time talking. Prepare to die!”
Right after he said that, Su Zimo walked towards Feng Haoyu at a decent speed.
“Go!”
The eyes of one of the cultivators ahead lit up and he suddenly struck. Using his flying sword in one hand, he stabbed towards Su Zimo’s glabella while conjuring a spirit seal with his other hand.
Using Divine Steed Fleeting, Su Zimo suddenly accelerated, leaving a series of afterimages in the air as he dodged the incoming flying sword by a hair’s breadth and appeared before that person instantaneously.
That person merely saw a flash before his eyes as a massive fist landed on his head heavily.
The next moment, that person felt a sharp pain in his head and lost consciousness completely.
Everyone was shocked.
Within a single round, that four meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator died on the spot before he could even conjure his spirit art!
Everyone had heard that Su Zimo was strong in melee combat, but no one expected him to be this strong!
Everyone dispersed one after another, distancing themselves from Su Zimo.
Su Zimo’s gaze was burning and was locked on Feng Haoyu right from the beginning. His killing intent was intensifying and a chilling aura emanated from him, as though he was a ferocious beast that was treading through a sea of corpses!
Swoosh!
All of a sudden, a shimmering pair of spirit wings flapped from Feng Haoyu’s back. He soared into the air and looked at Su Zimo with a fake smile, his eyes filled with mockery.
On the other side, He Jiang of True Fire Sect hollered and his five meridian spirit energy exploded. The flying sword in his hand quivered slightly, shining with three spirit lights – it was a superior-grade flying sword.
“Go!”
He Jiang hid far away and pointed forward.
The sword seemed to be burning with a layer of flame as it streaked across the void. Even the air burned and produced an explosive sound.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
At least dozens of flying swords shot out with ferocious auras and they were all aimed at the same target – Su Zimo!
Stunned, little fatty was rooted on the ground as the sight of everything sent chills down his spine.
“Bro, crush the jade talisman!” Little fatty yelled.
The only way for them to survive such an intense attack was to crush the escape jade talisman!
Chapter 329: Might of Candlelight
There was naturally no way Su Zimo was going to crush the jade talisman.
For this moment, he had crossed two major regions and Grade 4 killing formations. Everything he had experienced within was a hundred times more precarious than the current situation – there was no way he was going to give up.
Buzz!
With a wave of his sleeves, 18 flying swords flew out from his storage bag. Each of them shone with four bedazzling spirit lights and vibrated vigorously.
18 supreme-grade flying swords!
Many cultivators’ eyes lit up.
Even if they did not manage to obtain the perfect spirit weapon, it would be worth it if they could get their hands on a single supreme-grade spirit weapon.
Perfected Lord Ming Ze said in a deep voice, “Although there are fewer cultivators this time round, they are much stronger. Furthermore, the two five meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivators are too much of a threat for Su Zimo even with his Hexagonal Sword Formation. He’s going to get injured.”
The emperor nodded as well.
Given the two of their cultivation realms, their judgment was naturally not wrong.
However, the two of them were wrong about one thing.
The 18 flying swords were not there to create the Hexagonal Sword Formation; they were there for the Candlelight Sword Formation that Dao Lord Extreme Fire had obtained from the mysterious ruin!
Zeng! Zeng! Zeng!
Speeding through the air, the 18 flying swords left behind streams of sword qi that shone brightly.
“Candlelight Sword Formation!”
Su Zimo hollered and pointed forward.
Right after, the 18 flying swords gathered together with their tips pointing outwards in unison, forming a gigantic sword-shaped circular disk. 18 rays of sword qi were released like a blazing sun and was extremely dazzling!
“Ah!”
The surrounding cultivators narrowed their eyes and exclaimed.
As soon as the sword formation was released, everyone felt a sharp pain on their bodies and their five senses went blurry.
It was hard to tell if the pain was due to the searing heat released from the sun rays or the sword qi cutting through the body.
The Foundation Establishment Cultivators in the square could not sense it clearly either.
As for the Golden Cores that were at the spectator area, they were alarmed when they caught sight of the Candlelight Sword Formation.
Even with the Five Elements Umbrellas between them, everyone could sense the terrifying power of the Candlelight Sword Formation!
“This sword formation... is so powerful!”
The emperor’s gaze froze as he secretly inhaled.
Gu Xi was stunned as her beautiful eyes stared unblinkingly at the Five Elements Umbrella. She leaned forward slightly without even realizing that her bosom was exposed as she tried to discover the origins of the Candlelight Sword Formation.
As Nascent Souls, they could vaguely sense another aura from that sword formation.
Vicissitude, desolate, ancient and vaguely perceivable...
That was an aura that was from the ancient era, or even beyond it!
As the only Sword Formation Master present, Xuan Yi had a different perception of the Candlelight Sword Formation.
Through the sword scars left behind by the flying swords, Xuan Yi could tell that what Su Zimo released was a Grade 2 sword formation.
While they were both Grade 2 sword formations, the Candlelight Sword Formation was much stronger than the Hexagonal Sword Formation!
On careful thought, even if it did not form a sword formation, the mere presence of 18 supreme-grade flying swords was a threat not to be underestimated.
Now that such a terrifying sword formation was condensed, how powerful would that be?
Clang! Clang!
The two flying swords collided against the Candlelight Sword Formation and let out crisp sounds.
Right after, in front of everyone, those two flying swords were minced into fragments by the Candlelight Sword Formation and fell to the ground in shatters!
Psst!
Outside the Five Elements Umbrella, the crowd was in an uproar.
Those two flying swords were not scrap metal – they were middle-grade flying swords!
However, they were ground into pieces and wasted right after they collided with the Candlelight Sword Formation!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Candlelight Sword Formation circled around Su Zimo’s body and emitted an extremely strong sword aura. With a flash of sword light, it smashed all the incoming flying swords!
Middle-grade flying swords were shattered on the spot, turning into useless weapons.
Only the superior-grade flying swords remained intact. However, they were still sent flying by the power of the Candlelight Sword Formation, dimming and falling to the ground.
This was the first time that Su Zimo had released his Candlelight Sword Formation against enemies and its power was far beyond his imagination!
Little fatty’s mouth was agape and his jaws nearly fell to the ground.
Although the light of the sword formation dimmed significantly upon receiving such an impact, it was still spinning.
The sound of the swords never ceased, but instead resounded clearer, piercing through metal and stone!
The way it spun was as though it wanted to tear through the heavens and crush the earth!
When the cultivators who attacked saw that, blood drained from their faces and they were quiet as cicadas in winter, afraid that Su Zimo would toss the sword-shaped circular disk at them.
At that instant, Su Zimo actually closed his eyes. His mind calmed down immediately, filled with emptiness.
Time seemed to have frozen around him as Su Zimo’s thoughts were churning at high speed.
Every choice that followed was going to affect the final result.
It was as the emperor and everyone else had said – it was impossible for him to kill Feng Haoyu within the Five Elements Umbrella.
It wasn’t because Su Zimo wasn’t strong enough – it was because Feng Haoyu had an escape jade talisman that he could use to leave at any time.
Therefore, Su Zimo only had a single window of opportunity if he wanted to kill Feng Haoyu!
Feng Haoyu was no fool and would definitely escape with his jade talisman if Su Zimo missed his strike.
While the might of the Candlelight Sword Formation was great, it might not kill with a single hit.
First, Feng Haoyu was at five meridian Foundation Establishment. Furthermore, his eyes were faint green, as though he had cultivated some secret skill of Blood Crow Palace – there was the chance that he might have other trump cards as well.
Second, Feng Haoyu had cultivated Ethereal Wings and was extremely agile – there was a high chance he could avoid the sharpness of the Candlelight Sword Formation.
While the Candlelight Sword Formation was not enough to kill Feng Haoyu, it was more than enough to kill someone else!
All of a sudden!
Su Zimo opened his eyes and sped towards Feng Haoyu with Divine Steed Fleeting. However, his arm was pointed at He Jiang of True Fire Sect as he shouted, “Instant Thunder!”
Snap!
There was a deafening sound.
A bolt of lightning as thick as an adult’s arm descended on He Jiang’s head. However, the latter was extremely alert and had already crushed a protection talisman beforehand.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The power of the Instant Thunder collided against the protection talisman, causing the barrier that was formed by the talisman to disintegrate.
Clang! Clang!
Before He Jiang could catch his breath, the Candlelight Sword Formation released an extremely sharp sword qi and charged at him, tearing through the void as if it was ripping through a large cloth!
He Jiang’s expression changed in shock, his eyes filled with endless horror.
It was only then that he realized.
Su Zimo had no intention of killing him with that Instant Thunder earlier on – it was to keep him on the spot!
The true killing move was the incoming Candlelight Sword Formation!
The Candlelight Sword Formation was within reach and it was too late to dodge by then.
He Jiang’s flying sword was already ground to pieces by the Candlelight Sword Formation. Thankfully, he had a superior-grade Weapon Tripod in his hands that could be used.
Whoosh!
He Jiang channeled the spirit energy in his dantian fanatically and five spirit meridians shone with light like a river. The Weapon Tripod illuminated and expanded instantly, blocking in front of He Jiang.
At the spectator area, many Golden Cores watched the scene unfold fixedly.
Sima Zhi and everyone else from True Fire Sect were nervous and could not contain their emotions. In fact, they were even standing up uncontrollably.
Although they were Golden Cores, they knew too little about the Candlelight Sword Formation and thus, none of them could determine the outcome of this head on battle using their naked eyes alone.
Chapter 330: Secret Skills Fight
The Candlelight Sword Formation transformed into a blazing sun that shone with endless sword qi as it shot towards the Weapon Tripod that He Jiang brought out.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sword qi struck the surface of the Weapon Tripod repeatedly, letting out a deafening sound of metal clashing against each other. The brilliance emitted by the Candlelight Sword Formation was bedazzling and almost engulfed He Jiang along with his Weapon Tripod!
Boom!
It was yet another deafening sound.
The sword beam faded and dimmed. Finally, the Candlelight Sword Formation broke apart as 18 flying swords scattered from midair and fell to the ground.
Inside and outside the Five Elements Umbrella, all of the cultivators were staring intently.
The massive Weapon Tripod was still blocking He Jiang’s body as it emitted a weak glow. Although it was covered in white sword slashes, it was not destroyed.
After all, it was a superior-grade spirit weapon and was only a single grade lower than supreme-grade.
He Jiang was safe and sound behind the Weapon Tripod, merely looking somewhat pale with listless eyes.
Everyone from True Fire Sect heaved a sigh of relief.
“Thankfully, whew.”
“What a relief.”
Sima Zhi, Elder Zhang and the others exchanged glances of relief. What mattered was that he survived; it didn’t matter if he suffered some shocks.
“He Jiang’s a legacy disciple of True Fire Sect at the end of the day. He is rather capable.”
Some Golden Cores nodded silently.
Of everyone present, only the Nascent Souls such as Perfected Lord Ming Ze and Gu Xi did not speak.
The emperor was expressionless as he shook his head.
Right then, streaks of blood appeared on He Jiang’s initially pale face, opening up and expanding!
Shing!
The clothes on He Jiang’s body were ripped apart without any warning. It was as if his body was penetrated by countless blood qi, leaving wounds all over his body in a horrifying manner!
The clamor in the crowd disappeared.
Under countless terrified gazes, He Jiang’s face, neck, arms, legs and every other part of his body spewed blood, forming a huge mist of blood!
In that blood mist, He Jiang collapsed to the ground with dimmed eyes – he was no longer breathing.
Even though the Weapon Tripod had managed to defend against the sharpness of the Candlelight Sword Formation, He Jiang was still sliced from head to toe by the sword qi of the formation.
He was dead!
A legacy disciple of True Fire Sect who was initially able to secure a spot in the Spirit Ranking for sure had died in the Five Elements Umbrella just like that – he did not even have the chance to release his escape jade talisman.
Sima Zhi and everyone else swayed and sat down weakly while their minds were in a daze.
Initially, True Fire Sect was going to have confirmed spots in the Elixir, Weapon and Spirit Rankings. However, He Xing was slain by Su Zimo in the capital before the sect competition. Tao Feng attempted Mo Clan’s Spirit Gathering Technique and was severely injured. Now, even He Jiang was dead.
True Fire Sect had truly suffered an immense loss in this sect competition.
“Look!”
Someone pointed to the screen of the Five Elements Umbrella and yelled.
In the metal region, Su Zimo charged towards Feng Haoyu at an extremely fast speed, leaving a series of bewitching afterimages in his wake.
Feng Haoyu scoffed coldly.
If they were on the ground, he would be wary towards Su Zimo.
But now, he had Ethereal Wings and could maneuver in the air freely without the use of any external objects like Golden Cores – there was no way Su Zimo would be able to get close.
Ethereal Wings was a secret skill after all. Even if Su Zimo were to ride on his flying sword, he would be inferior compared to Feng Haoyu in terms of speed and agility!
Buzz!
Waving his robes, Feng Haoyu summoned three flying swords – all of them were superior-grade!
The fact that he possessed three superior-grade flying swords as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was a clear sign of his importance to Blood Crow Palace.
Ever since he was defeated by Su Zimo in Ethereal Peak, Feng Haoyu had been cultivating diligently and practiced wielding multiple flying swords. Even though he could not create sword formations, his strength coupled with the use of Ethereal Sword was something not to be underestimated.
The light on the swords brightly but all of a sudden, they vanished.
Level 2 of Ethereal Sword, Void!
Su Zimo did not stop and kept closing the distance between him and Feng Haoyu. A bright light shone in his eyes while the middle finger and thumb of his left hand connected, forming a strange hand seal.
The moment the hand seal was conjured, the spirit energy in Su Zimo’s dantian channeled fanatically. Three spirit meridians were faintly visible as spirit energy surged into the hand seal!
Boom!
Suddenly, a massive crack appeared in the skies and a golden palm reached out and descended. It emitted a holy aura as though it was about to suppress all the sins in the world!
Fiend Suppression Seal!
The spectator area was filled with Golden Cores with sharp gazes – all of them could sense the power of that hand seal.
In midair, Feng Haoyu was completely unaware as he hollered, “Good timing! I’ll let you have a taste of my capabilities!”
Controlling the three flying swords in midair to stab towards Su Zimo’s charging figure, Feng Haoyu retrieved a white bone staff from his storage bag.
He bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of essence blood that sprayed on his bone staff.
When the essence blood landed on the bone staff, it strangely disappeared as though it was consumed!
Right after, streaks of blood appeared on the staff. Crystal clear and transparent, they were like the veins on the body of a living being and exuded an extremely vile aura.
Feng Haoyu waved the bone staff and muttered something under his breath in an indecipherable language. Instantly, his eyes shone with a frightening shade of faint green.
“Condense!”
He gripped the bone staff tightly and pointed it towards the descending golden palm, shouting.
“Roar!”
A huge blood-colored skull appeared out of nowhere with a dark red glow of blood shining from its hollow sockets. Opening its massive mouth, it made a deafening roar towards the crushing golden palm!
Through that roar, the blood-colored skull smashed violently towards the golden palm, as if it was going to devour it.
As he watched everything unfold, the emperor was expressionless. However, a glint streaked through his eyes.
Perfected Lord Ming Ze’s expression was grave as he voice-transmitted with his spirit consciousness, “It’s truly a successor of the forbidden grounds.”
Gu Xi’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly and the faint smile on her lips had disappeared as well.
On the battlefield, although the three flying swords had disappeared, three faint waves of ripples appeared in midair like reeds tapping on water.
Su Zimo lowered his height and was almost sprawled on the ground as he slithered forward like an anaconda without any speed reduction.
Feng Haoyu seemed to have expected it as one of the flying swords changed trajectories all of a sudden, sticking to the ground headed for Su Zimo’s back!
Poof!
A flash of blood light appeared.
Was the outcome already decided?
Everyone focused and saw that Su Zimo’s figure had merely paused for a brief instant before continuing to charge forward. While there was a wound on his back, his vitals were not hurt.
“Without those 18 supreme-grade flying swords, Su Zimo’s unable to create a sword formation. He’s going to be beaten badly.”
“If this drags on, he’ll sustain more injuries and bleed even more. Su Zimo’s definitely going to lose.”
Many cultivators discussed softly.
“Hmm?”
The emperor’s eyes narrowed.
There were some details that even Golden Cores might not be able to spot.
However, since the Five Elements Umbrella was his Dharmic weapon, the emperor could naturally sense every slight change within.
To his surprise, Su Zimo did not lose much blood from the wound on his back.
The muscles around the wound stuck together instantly and Su Zimo was already showing signs of recovery!
“What a terrifying physique!”
The emperor’s heart jolted.
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