Eternal Sacred King Chapter 391 to 400
Chapter 391: Unwavering
The spirit sea was definitely not a blessed place in the eyes of everyone.
This was a place where countless elites and paragons have been consumed. Right now, there were few cultivators who dared to attempt it.
Su Zimo and Bai Yu’s rush into the spirit sea one after another caused a commotion.
Initially, the water surface merely surged with waves. However, after the two of them entered, the spirit sea seemed to have been agitated and turned tumultuous!
Gigantic waves over a hundred thousand feet tall were formed, crashing down with tremendous auras.
Su Zimo and Bai Yu froze at the same time, looking at the towering wave before them with stunned expressions.
This was the power of heaven and earth and was impossible for humans to resist!
In the face of the raging wave, Su Zimo and Bai Yu appeared tiny and insignificant.
Bang! Boom! Boom!
The massive wave crashed and absorbed the two of them into the sea!
Even Golden Cores would find it hard to resist such power. Before he was sucked in, Su Zimo hurriedly took a deep breath of air and held it.
In the blink of an eye, the two of them were devoured.
Now that he truly entered the spirit sea, Su Zimo experienced the saber qi that those cultivators were talking about.
Every single drop of seawater possessed an infinitely ship intent, slicing at his body from all directions like a blade.
Even with his powerful body, he could feel slight waves of pain!
Su Zimo was secretly shocked.
If any ordinary cultivator were absorbed by the spirit sea, they would most likely be torn into pieces within ten breaths.
All of a sudden!
Su Zimo’s mind flashed with a warning as the water current behind him fluctuated unusually – it was as though an extremely sharp object was cutting through the waves towards him.
It’s Bai Yu!
Even after entering the spirit sea, Bai Yu did not give up on hunting down Su Zimo.
Su Zimo exerted all his force and leaped like a water dragon, resurfacing above the water. He tread on the water and continued sprinting towards the saber mountain.
Bai Yu was hot on his heels.
In front of them, the waves rumbled louder and louder. The ocean spray was like a white line between the sky and the sea, resembling a massive army charging at them with ferocious momentum!
In the blink of an eye, Su Zimo and Bai Yu were swallowed by the wave once more.
They resurfaced time and again only to be eaten up by the waves repeatedly.
Under the baptism of the endless saber qi, even Su Zimo was feeling pressured.
The deeper into the spirit sea, the more terrifying the power of the waves became.
The sea howled relentlessly and the waves surged, as if they could not calm down unless they ate Su Zimo and Bai Yu!
The two of them slowed down.
The distance between the two of them increased as well.
In terms of physique, Bai Yu could not match Su Zimo’s after all.
By now, Bai Yu was already feeling a little exhausted and dizzy.
The longer they were in the spirit sea, the more saber qi they would accumulate within their body.
Once the limit it could endure was reached, the body would be shredded up by the endless saber qi, causing the flesh, tendons, bones and organs to be cut up!
Bai Yu could already sense the saber qi of the spirit sea invading his organs!
With a leap, he appeared on the surface of the sea and took a deep breath of air; there was a faint taste of salt at the bottom of his throat..
I can’t chase anymore!
Bai Yu’s heart skipped a beat.
He would still have a chance if he were to return to shore right now.
If he truly entered the depths of the spirit sea, it would be too late even if he wanted to retreat at that time!
His eyes were filled with hatred as he looked at Su Zimo who was still floating in the spirit sea.
He was indignant that he could not get to kill Su Zimo personally.
However, to him, Su Zimo would definitely die if the latter continued to advance.
That was because the waves of the deep sea would only turn more ferocious and the saber qi would be even sharper!
At that thought, Bai Yu scoffed coldly and turned for the shore. As for Su Zimo, he was getting further and further from the shore...
Su Zimo did not bother about what Bai Yu did.
In the spirit sea, given Bai Yu’s physique, there was no way the latter could catch up to him!
Su Zimo’s attention was entirely focused on how he should deal with the waves crashing from all directions, on how he should pass the test to reach the saber mountain!
After arriving on the shore, Bai Yu’s face was pale as he assumed a lotus position right away to channel his bloodline so as to purge away the saber qi in his body.
...
A long time later.
Thousands of cultivators stood at the shore and watched the tiny figure. All of them were shocked with agape mouths.
Four hours had passed and that man was still struggling through the spirit sea.
This was an outcome that none of them had expected.
At this moment, even though Su Zimo appeared tiny, none of them viewed him as a pathetic being!
His unyielding will moved everyone.
It was the same for the path of cultivation as well. If one did not have a will and determination as such, how could they reach the very end?
“Could he truly be able to obtain the Saber Emperor’s inheritance?”
“I don’t’ think so. Throughout history, only one person has succeeded. This person... can’t do it!”
“By the looks of it, I don’t think he can hold out for much longer.”
Many cultivators discussed softly.
Suddenly, Bai Yu opened his eyes and let out a long breath, adding a tinge of redness back to his face.
He had finally expelled all the saber qi in his body after four hours of cultivation.
However, during this period of time, Su Zimo was still advancing against the tide, fighting against the surging waves and the sharp saber qi!
I don’t believe that you’ll be able to reach the saber mountain!
Bai Yu glared ahead coldly and mumbled with grit teeth.
Right then, another torrential wave surfaced on the sea far away, crashing heavily onto the figure.
The figure shuddered and disappeared into the sea once more.
This was a sight that the cultivators were numb and used to.
Not long later, that figure would resurface once more.
15 minutes passed and nothing happened.
After an hour, it was the same – the person seemed to have disappeared.
The joy in Bai Yu’s eyes intensified.
After two hours, the crowd was finally certain that the scholarly green-robed cultivator had perished in the spirit sea.
“Sigh, it’s a little regrettable. If that person had a high cultivation realm, he might have truly passed the test.”
“That’s right, he was only at five meridian Foundation Establishment. With that potential, his future accomplishments are limitless.”
The two cultivators spoke in a regretful tone.
When he heard that, Bai Yu who was on a reef at the front looked grim and killing intent surged within him. With a flash, he arrived before the two cultivators and cut twice without saying anything.
Poof! Poof!
Flashes of blood appeared.
The two slashes were extremely fast. Coupled with the fact that the two cultivators were totally unprepared, their necks were sliced by Bai Yu instantly and blood sprayed everywhere as they died on the shore with eyes widened in regret!
The Dao of Zenith Sect was to kill. If one wanted to kill, they killed, regardless of reason or explanation.
The remaining cultivators were shocked and dispersed hurriedly, running as far as they could from Bai Yu.
Bai Yu looked calm even after killing two people, as if he had done something perfectly normal. Returning to a reef, he continued cultivating with closed eyes.
No one else knew.
At the bottom of the spirit sea, a figure was walking forth, step by step. Stepping on the sand at the bottom of the sea, he wielded a blood-colored saber in his left hand. Although he was already covered with wounds, he continued forging ahead!
The bottom of the spirit sea was dark and cold. Yet, those eyes shone with a bright light that was unwavering like a mountain!
Chapter 392: Breakthrough!
It was getting increasingly difficult to travel on the surface of the sea.
The power of the waves was too strong and Su Zimo’s body was already breaking apart from the relentless impacts – his organs were already shaking violently!
He would definitely die if he continued that way.
As such, Su Zimo could only take a deep breath of air and sink to the bottom of the sea.
The bottom of the sea was filled with white bones.
Those were the elites that have died in the spirit sea over countless years. Stepping on their bones, Su Zimo advanced slowly.
The bottom of the sea was much calmer compared to the surface without any shocking or turbulent waves. However, there was the undercurrent!
Deep in the sea, Su Zimo had to endure even more pressure with the endless saber qi alongside going against the current.
There were countless times when he was pushed back by the undercurrent. However, each time, he got back up and continued advancing.
As time passed by, the saber qi within Su Zimo’s body was already at his limit!
Wounds appeared on his flesh, blood vessels, tendons, bones and organs as the sharp saber qi crisscrossed. Su Zimo’s skin had already split open and blood was oozing out.
There were spiderweb-like cracks all over Su Zimo’s body and it looked horrifying!
He grunted and stopped in his tracks.
If this continued, his life force would be completely destroyed by the saber qi!
Su Zimo sat on the ground and burst forth with his power of blood qi.
He was not worried about his demonic cultivation being exposed now that he was at the bottom of the sea.
The sound of tsunami, rumbling thunder, tigers and leopards as well as an odd sound that was rather familiar emanated out from his body in a terrifying manner!
Dragon’s roar!
A thought flashed through Su Zimo’s mind.
This fourth sound was the dragon’s roar that he had heard back in the primordial ruins. It possessed a vastness, majesty and solemness that came from the primordial era!
The half a dragon’s egg that Su Zimo ate left an irremovable mark in his body.
At the same time, he began to circulate the mental technique of the Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness.
If he wanted to survive, he would first have to suppress the saber qi within him!
From the initial Body Tempering section, he carried on with Tendons Transformation, Bones Strengthening, Marrow Cleansing, Organs Refinement and finally ended at Orifice Clearing.
Su Zimo chanted the six sutras internally and circulated their mantras mentally, cycling them continuously within his body.
A Wild Bovine Demon King appeared behind Su Zimo. Plowing through the heavens, its horns were sharp as spears as it raised its head furiously, threatening to tear the firmaments apart!
After a slight delay, another phantom appeared. This time round, it was a massive Bear Demon that stood upright and howled into the skies.
Right after, an anaconda circled around with cold eyes.
A towering Ape Demon stood with bloodshot eyes, roaring in an untamed manner as it pounded its chest and stomped its feet. The dull thuds produced sounded like a god drumming from the heavens.
On his back, a Divine Steed with bone spikes galloped over, cracking the voids everywhere its hooves landed in a frightening manner.
Right after, the phantoms of the white tiger and spirit leopard appeared, baring their menacing fangs as they lunged over.
Billions of lightning bolts coiled around Su Zimo’s body blindingly.
In that sea of lightning, the phantoms of countless demon kings appeared, howling into the skies with endless might as they fought against the saber qi within Su Zimo’s body!
In front of everyone, the surface of the sea that had returned to normalcy suddenly started surging once more with torrential waves without any warning at all!
It was as though a terrifying life form of the ancient era was awakening at the bottom of the sea!
“Could that man be alive?”
“I-It can’t be, right?”
The cultivators were filled with doubt.
Bai Yu’s eyes flashed with suspicion.
...
Deep in the sea.
Saber qi streaked rampantly, leaving wounds both inside and outside Su Zimo’s body.
His bloodline rumbled and wounds were healed to normal the moment they oozed with traces of blood.
Destruction and repair... destruction and repair!
The cycle continued.
Intense pain stimulated Su Zimo’s nerves.
However, his gaze was only burning brighter!
Su Zimo’s blood, flesh, tendons, bones, meridians and organs underwent a transformation once more under the cycle – it wouldn’t be long before his mouth orifice would be cleared as well!
Whether or not he obtained the Saber Emperor’s inheritance, this was not a trip in vain.
There was no way he would be able to clear his mouth orifice within a month without pressure as such!
A long time later, Su Zimo’s body shuddered and he suddenly opened his mouth, letting out a howl!
Given the terrifying pressure of his surroundings, seawater would gush in the moment he opened his mouth – doing it was simply courting death.
However, as he howled, the phantoms of the demon kings behind him howled at the same time.
A tremendous sound wave was released, causing endless ripples and forced back the seawater around him!
His mouth orifice was cleared!
At this point of his cultivation, of the seven orifices, his eye orifices were the only ones yet to be cleared.
After howling, the seawater drowned Su Zimo in an even more turbulent manner, crashing repeatedly. As though it was provoked, the saber qi turned even wilder!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The phantom of the demon kings dispersed.
The next moment, an even more terrifying aura appeared.
Behind Su Zimo, a blood-colored butterfly appeared. It seemed illusory and surreal with two crescent moons imprinted on its wings.
Instantly, the seawater calmed down, frozen solid as though it was shocked by the aura!
The blood-colored butterfly flapped its wings gently and the saber qi within Su Zimo’s body was suppressed, going silent instantly!
With that, the blood-colored butterfly disappeared, as though it had never appeared to begin with.
Now that the saber qi was no longer aggressive, all that remained within Su Zimo’s body was the purest spirit energy!
It was as vast as the sea!
The spirit energy within Su Zimo’s dantian was increasing rapidly.
He had just advanced to five meridian Foundation Establishment. But right now, his fifth spirit meridian was completely filled with pure and rich spirit energy!
As spirit energy surged, his sixth spirit meridian started to appear faintly.
A long time later, there was a loud boom!
The sixth spirit meridian was unlocked beneath his green robes!
Six meridian Foundation Establishment!
Su Zimo was stunned.
He had broken through in both his immortality and demonic cultivation. Although he was now at the bottom of the sea, the pressure he was experiencing decreased greatly.
Su Zimo continued advancing against the currents.
Before long, the spirit sea changed once more.
As though an invisible pair of hands had reached into the spirit sea to stir it forcefully, a gigantic vortex was formed, affecting the entire sea!
Su Zimo was sucked into it and merely felt the world spin; his entire body was contorted by the power of the vortex and felt like it was about to explode!
His tendons and bones sounded at the same time as his organs shifted positions.
Hurriedly, Su Zimo released his blood qi to contain the injuries within his body. He channeled the Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness and his head shone with five mysterious glows – of the seven orifices, only his eye orifices were dim without light!
If he had not broken through earlier on, Su Zimo would have been shredded after being sucked in by the vortex!
The change in the spirit sea attracted countless stares once more.
The vortex was way too terrifying, resembling a black hole that threatened to devour the entire universe.
“How could this be?”
“I heard from my master that a thousand years ago, a similar phenomenon appeared after the cultivator who obtained the Saber Emperor’s inheritance entered the spirit sea.”
“You mean to say...”
“Look! There seems to be someone inside the vortex!”
On the reef, Bai Yu’s expression turned extremely terrible.
Chapter 393: Sea Calming Manual
Initially, Su Zimo was already experiencing pressure from the water resistance at the bottom of the sea.
That pressure was the reason why he was able to clear his mouth orifice, one of the seven orifices.
After he was sucked into the vortex, Su Zimo experienced even greater pressure and with no other choice, he could only channel the Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness furiously to deal with it.
Flesh and blood expansion, twitching of tendons, trembling of bones, swapping of blood in the marrow, refinement of the five organs and clearing of the seven orifices!
Under the stimulation of the vortex, endless demonic qi rushed towards his head, striking the eye orifices again and again...
After a long time, Su Zimo, who was trapped uncontrollably within the vortex, opened his eyes suddenly and two divine lights burst forth, illuminating the entire dark sea!
All seven of his orifices were cleared!
His skin, flesh, tendons, bones, marrow, organs and orifices entered a synthetic relationship, forming a Major Heavenly Cycle within his body and attaining lesser mastery of the Orifice Clearing section!
Although the vortex was still present, Su Zimo was rooted to the spot. He did not budge no matter how the seawater washed, spun and twisted around him!
Now that his seven orifices were cleared, the feeling of dizziness vanished instantly.
In a moment of emotion, Su Zimo could not help but roar into the skies.
His roar was so high-pitched that it pierced through metal and cracked rocks. In fact, it overwhelmed the surging sound of the sea!
The cultivators who were standing at the shore could not help but shiver with shocked expressions when they heard the howl – they no longer had any doubts.
“That man is still alive!”
“Is he... going to be the second person to obtain the Saber Emperor’s inheritance?”
The fiend heir of Zenith Sect, Bai Yu, sat on the reef, looking grim in silence.
“Look!”
Suddenly, someone yelled and pointed to the depths of the spirit sea.
Everyone looked over and saw that the vortex that resembled a black hole was moving slowly towards the saber mountain, as if it was being pushed by some unknown force!
“What’s going on?”
Everyone was confused and could not understand what was happening.
If any cultivator could fly above the spirit sea and look down at that moment, they would be greeted with a shocking sight!
In the middle of the vortex, a green-robed cultivator was striding casually at the bottom of the sea. Hands behind his back, his eyes were bright and he was surrounded by demonic qi.
Each step he took pushed the vortex forward a little bit!
The entire spirit sea was being moved by him!
Time passed by slowly.
In the blink of an eye, a day and night had passed.
By now, the vortex had arrived at the foot of the saber mountain and in front of everyone, a black dot figure walked out from the spirit sea towards the mountain.
He had passed!
After a thousand years, there was another cultivator who passed the Saber Emperor’s test and was about to obtain the latter’s inheritance!
At the shore, many cultivators were dumbstruck and their eyes flashed with a hint of jealousy.
Bai Yu narrowed his eyes and his gaze shimmered.
Nobody knew that the shock in his heart was even greater right now!
It was because he had heard that a thousand years ago, the senior from Zenith Sect who obtained the Saber Emperor’s inheritance was completely exhausted by the time he crossed the spirit sea.
He had to rest for seven days to recover his energy before ascending the mountain.
But right now, this man before him actually had the energy to ascend the mountain right after crossing the spirit sea!
He has to die!
Closing his eyes, Bai Yu thought to himself.
He knew slightly more about the Saber Emperor’s inheritance than the other cultivators.
It was said that the Saber Emperor left two secret arts at the top of the mountain.
One of them was a secret mental technique and was already obtained by the senior from Zenith Sect.
It was said that the other one was a saber technique with five stances.
In other words, the inheritance that Su Zimo was about to acquire was the five stances.
The more profound a saber technique was, the harder it would be grasp it. Furthermore, there were different levels of mastery to the saber technique as well.
Bai Yu believed that even if Su Zimo managed to learn the five stances in the short term, he would not be able to master the essence of it.
“Since his cultivation realm is still low and he isn’t familiar with the saber technique yet, now is the best chance to kill him!”
Taking a deep breath of air, Bai Yu assumed a lotus position. He planned on waiting by the shore to kill Su Zimo the moment the latter returned with the inheritance!
...
Mountain peak.
It was empty and desolate with a single stone tablet.
The stone tablet was etched with a vivid painting.
It was a burly man baring his chest uninhibitedly as he sat alone by the seaside. With a saber laid horizontally across his knees, he held a jar of wine in his left hand and watched the sea wistfully with a hint of worry.
Although he had never seen the Saber Emperor in person, Su Zimo knew the moment he saw the painting that the burly man was the Saber Emperor!
Walking forward, Su Zimo stroked the stone tablet gently with his palm. The coarse surface of the stone tablet related to him the signs of time passing by.
Suddenly, Su Zimo froze on the spot.
A thought surged into his mind.
“Somebody else has finally arrived here after a thousand years, sigh.”
That sigh was one of gratification and emotion, but mostly of relief.
“The ancient war destroyed the Dao of the hundred weapons, leaving the sword to reign supreme. I am about to cross far beyond the South Sea and I don’t wish for the way of the saber to be lost in Tianhuang Mainland. As such, I’ve left behind my inheritance. There are two manuals here that await those with affinity.”
Su Zimo knew that this was only a remnant thought left behind by the Saber Emperor.
“The first manual, the Tidal Manual, is a secret mental technique that has already been imparted to that person a thousand years ago.”
“The second manual, the Sea Calming Manual, is a saber technique with five stances. Today, I shall impart it to you.”
Suddenly, the voice vanished and an image appeared before Su Zimo’s eyes.
The burly man stood on the saber mountain, holding the saber casually as he leaped into the spirit sea. His eyes shone brightly and the wistfulness in his eyes was gone, replaced with a sharp glint as he charged against the current and slashed forward!
Swoosh!
The seawater split to the sides, creating a blank area!
Whipping the saber to cut the water!
At the same time, the Saber Emperor’s voice sounded, “First stance of the Sea Calming Manual, Countercurrent.”
After Countercurrent, the Saber Emperor waved the saber and circled around his body. Instantly, the seawater stirred up huge waves that splashed in all directions!
“Second stance of the Sea Calming Manual, Raging Tides.”
Immediately after, the Saber Emperor retracted his saber and slashed forward once more.
The angle of this slash was unique, as if it was striking thin air as it twisted and spun.
As the slash landed, the spirit sea started spinning, forming a gigantic vortex as though it was pulled by something!
“Third stance of the Sea Calming Manual, Vortex.”
Upon seeing this, Su Zimo suddenly had an epiphany.
He had experienced those stances personally in the process of crossing the spirit sea.
Crossing the spirit sea was not just a test, but also an inheritance on its own!
“Fourth stance of the Sea Calming Manual, Ripple.”
“Fifth stance of the Sea Calming Manual, Sea Calming.”
In the blink of an eye, all five stances were performed.
The Saber Emperor’s voice continued ringing, “Although there are only five stances to the Sea Calming Manual, my life’s knowledge has been infused in them. It’s the great Dao of the saber created by simplifying everything and returning to the basics. If you are able to comprehend the first four stances, that will be enough for you to roam freely in the cultivation world.”
“If you can comprehend the final stance... even the world will be your oyster!”
Chapter 394: Imminent Danger
“In the Dao of the hundred weapons, be it the sword or the saber, there are three levels of mastery to them, form, force and intent.”
The Saber Emperor’s voice continued sounding, “By form, it means the stance of the saber techniques. This is the most superficial of the mastery levels and as long as a cultivator is willing to practice diligently, they will be able to attain proficiency and utilize it naturally.”
“Force is the second level and is rather abstract. It could be understood as the force of the qi, aura or sound and it’s not something that everyone can achieve. Some people spend their entire lives without understanding the meaning behind the idea of force.”
“At the level of force, the might of your saber technique will be even mightier, reaching a whole new tier of mastery!”
“The third level is intent. Similar to sword intent, the saber has saber intent as well. Simply put, this is the realm of one’s intent and it’s formless and ethereal. A single slash can contain the might of the universe! The obscurity of the intent realm can only be understood after one cultivates their Essence Spirit.”
One had to be at Nascent Soul realm at the very least if they wanted to achieve the third level of mastery. For now, Su Zimo did not have to think about that at all.
Right now, all he had to do was master the first two levels of cultivating saber techniques.
Whipping out Blood Quencher, Su Zimo recalled the five stances performed by the Saber Emperor and began practicing on the mountain peak.
As the Saber Emperor had said, even though there were only five simple stances, executing a perfect version of even one of them was extremely difficult!
At the same time, Su Zimo finally understood why the Saber Emperor had to lay down a test as such.
The Sea Calming Manual’s requirement on one’s physique was way too high!
Although Countercurrent was a starting move, a person’s arm would explode if their physique was not strong enough!
Even after lesser mastery of the Orifice Clearing section, Su Zimo could only use it while channeling his bloodline.
That single slash required every single muscle on his body to move!
Of course, that was not the only difficulty to executing a perfect version of the stance.
There must not be any deviations to the degree of his motions, the timing and angle of his slash as well as the strength used. Any single mistake and the saber technique would not be able to be executed.
Su Zimo practiced repeatedly.
Fortunately, he had experienced Countercurrent, Raging Tides, Vortex and Ripple personally while crossing the spirit sea and they were comparatively simpler to understand.
After ten days of not resting and sleeping, Su Zimo could finally manage to perform the first four stances.
Although he was not entirely familiar with the first four moves, a little inexperienced in fact, he had still succeeded.
However, during this period of time, no matter how Su Zimo adjusted, recalled and practiced, he could not perform the final stance, Sea Calming.
Although it was a simple slash, Su Zimo could not do it no matter what.
He was not discouraged. According to the Saber Emperor, Sea Calming was the essence of the Sea Calming Manual and the world would be one’s oyster if they could comprehend it!
What sort of a level was that?
It was most likely beyond everything that Su Zimo knew.
In that ten days, apart from Su Zimo, there was also a burly man on the peak, watching Su Zimo practice silently without saying a single word.
After ten days, when he saw that Su Zimo was able to perform the first four stances of the saber technique completely, a look of comfort finally flashed through the burly man’s eyes.
“Very good, you are very good.”
The Saber Emperor nodded and his voice gradually dimmed. At the same time, his figure faded rapidly and disappeared from the world.
Retracting his saber, Su Zimo bowed deeply in the direction where the figure of the Saber Emperor disappeared.
The next moment, the saber mountain collapsed and the spirit sea evaporated.
Standing on thin air, Su Zimo felt a sense of sadness fill him.
After imparting the Tidal and Sea Calming Manual, the final traces of that supreme paragon of the ancient era had disappeared from Tianhuang Mainland as well.
On the shore, many cultivators looked at the scene unfold with shock and remained silent for a long time.
The Saber Mountain Spirit Sea disappeared before their very eyes at a visible speed!
The saber mountain crumbled into rubble and the spirit sea dried up, with spirit qi returning to nature.
From this day forth, the Saber Mountain Spirit Sea no longer existed in Tianhuang Mainland!
It was fortuitous that everyone managed to witness it.
Descending on the ground, Su Zimo fell into deep thought, pondering about the second level stated by the Saber Emperor, force!
Under normal circumstances, there was no need for Su Zimo to try and comprehend the second level since he was still very amateurish with the first four stances and had yet to achieve the first level.
However, he felt a sense of déjà vu towards the comprehension of force.
Back when he was studying in Ping Yang Town, Su Zimo often practiced calligraphy.
In calligraphy, there was a saying of the nine forces, relating to the movement of the brush tips and the way of writing.
The nine forces were about mastering the landing, reverse, hiding of the tip, protecting the body, weakening the stroke, raising the brush, the ending stroke and the horizontal finish. Even without the guidance of a master, one can arrive at the sweet spot of calligraphy as long as they practiced diligently.
In reality, the forces mentioned by the Saber Emperor as well as the nine forces of calligraphy were rather similar.
In the world, there were many theories that were interconnected.
That was also what the common saying in the cultivation world, all things come together, meant.
Under normal circumstances, ordinary cultivators wouldn’t be able to comprehend the meaning of force, much less attempt at that level, without first familiarizing themselves with their saber techniques.
However, Su Zimo was a scholar before entering the cultivation world and had studied the nine forces of calligraphy before.
The concept of force was not one that Su Zimo was foreign with.
Therefore, he attempted to comprehend the meaning of force before he was familiar with the saber techniques of the Sea Calming Manual, trying to grasp at something.
Closing his eyes, Su Zimo entered an indescribable state of bliss.
This was an extremely rare state of enlightenment.
He would definitely gain something the moment he awakened!
After the Saber Mountain Spirit Sea vanished, Su Zimo had already attracted everyone’s attention.
When he entered the enlightenment state, everyone was in an uproar.
Entering that state right now was definitely trouble rather than blessing for Su Zimo!
There was no one around Su Zimo to protect him and any external stimulation could disrupt his enlightenment process, putting his efforts to vain!
Furthermore, that was secondary.
The most important thing was that someone was out to take his life!
Since the heavens want you to die, you can’t blame me!
Bai Yu smiled sinisterly and in a flash, pulled out a cold gleaming saber from his storage bag, speeding towards Su Zimo.
When he approached, Bai Yu slashed horizontally.
That slash was not fast nor was it strong. Furthermore, it did not have any killing intent at all.
Bai Yu was worried of alarming Su Zimo who was in his enlightenment state, changing the current situation.
He wanted to kill in stealth!
Su Zimo’s eyes were still tightly shut, as if he had not realized that danger was knocking right on his door!
At the sight of that, many cultivators shook their heads and sighed.
Initially, Su Zimo was the envy of many after obtaining the Saber Emperor’s inheritance.
However, who would have thought that he would die in the blink of an eye – at the end of the day, fate had played a trick on him.
Bai Yu smirked in glee when he saw that the blade was about to slice Su Zimo’s throat.
“You’re still going to die in my hands even if you’ve obtained the Saber Emperor’s inheritance!”
Bai Yu sneered.
Just as the blade was about to cut Su Zimo’s throat, the latter’s figure suddenly retreated without warning and narrowly avoided that fatal strike!
“Hmm?”
Narrowing his gaze, Bai Yu’s expression changed.
Chapter 395: Countercurrent Force!
Bai Yu could clearly see that the blade had already cut off the hair on Su Zimo’s skin. A slight inch forward was all that was required to slice the latter’s throat.
However, the attack had still missed.
It was a mere centimeter gap!
The strangest thing was that Su Zimo had not opened his eyes throughout the entire process.
It was as though he had dodged the attack subconsciously!
With a lowered head, Su Zimo resembled a meditating old monk, immersed in his own world and totally oblivious to his surroundings.
“Still trying to gain enlightenment?”
Bai Yu sneered and no longer concealed the killing intent in his heart. Channeling his bloodline, his spirit saber buzzed and trembled, cutting towards Su Zimo with full force as it shimmered brightly with spirit light!
The attack was extremely fast and was almost instant!
Swash!
Su Zimo’s expression was unchanged and his body fluttered like a willow catkin, evading that murderous attack from Bai Yu with his eyes still closed!
“Hmm?”
Bai Yu frowned.
He truly could not comprehend Su Zimo’s current state.
Su Zimo’s eyes were closed and could not see the trajectory of the saber.
Even if he was making use of his hearing to judge the wind, there was no way he would be able to dodge the attack as such. However, for some reason, he avoided it again.
If the first time was a coincidence, the consecutive two attacks...
“Dodge? Let’s see how long more you can manage to dodge!”
Bai Yu strode forward and his saber trembled, giving off the faint stench of blood and enveloping Su Zimo within it.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Bai Yu struck consecutively, unleashing Zenith Saber, his sect’s secret skill. The slashes were relentless, fatal and came at sinister angles!
Despite the circumstances, Su Zimo did not open his eyes and continued retreating.
However, as time passed by, the available space for Su Zimo to dodge diminished and he was gradually shrouded by Bai Yu’s saber technique with nowhere to run!
All the cultivators watching were puzzled by the fight.
To be exact, it wasn’t a fight. After all, one party was dodging right from the start without attacking at all.
“That person sure has guts. To think that he’s still trying to get enlightened at a time like this! He really has a death wish!”
“His eyes are clearly closed, but it seems as though he can sense danger. It’s as though he’s got some divine sense!”
“How did he do it?”
To everyone, it seemed as if Su Zimo had keen senses that allowed him to dodge with ease.
In truth, Su Zimo was currently in a pseudo state of slumber.
The moment Bai Yu attacked him, his spirit perception had already warned him and he could have awakened completely from his state of enlightenment.
However, this was an extremely rare opportunity.
Su Zimo could sense that he was just a little bit away from understanding the secret of force!
Therefore, Su Zimo forcefully ignored the disruptions of the outside world, dodging subconsciously with his sharp spirit perception while wholeheartedly focusing on his enlightenment.
It was an extremely dangerous decision and one that was overly mad.
Any single mistake and he would be dead on the spot. By then, whether or not he was enlightened would no longer have any meaning.
The reason why he could hold out for so long against the attacks of Zenith Sect’s heir was because he had cleared his seven orifices and attained lesser mastery of the Orifice Clearing section, resulting in an increase of his strength and speed.
However, he was bound to fall if this carried on.
Bai Yu’s saber techniques turned increasingly lethal as the blood stench of his blade increased. Su Zimo’s available space to retreat shrank repeatedly and he was now only moving around an extremely limited radius.
It was a highly dangerous situation!
However, he had yet to comprehend the secret behind force.
He had to make a decision!
All of a sudden!
A thought flashed through Su Zimo’s mind.
Bai Yu’s attacks resembled the undercurrent at the bottom of the sea, surging forward wave after wave relentlessly.
Su Zimo recalled the difficulty he had advancing at the bottom of the sea against the undercurrent and suddenly, thoughts of realization entered his mind.
Countercurrent stance.
The secret of the stance was mostly in the word ‘counter’.
What was counter?
The fact that cultivators wanted to abandon their mortal bodies to become immortal and break free from the constraints of the universe... that was counter!
Counter meant not retreating and fighting furiously forward!
Su Zimo’s entire journey had been one of countering!
Back in Ping Yang Town, his knees refused to buckle and his spine refused to bend against Perfected Being Cang Lang’s bullying... that was his counter!
Countering meant an immensely fearless aura!
In truth, everything that happened in Ping Yang Town back then could not be hidden from Die Yue’s senses.
Back then, if Su Zimo had chosen to kneel and submit...
Die Yue would have killed Perfected Being Cang Lang on the spot, ending her karma with Su Zimo before leaving.
However, the ‘counter’ that Su Zimo made was the reason why he received Die Yue’s acknowledgment and changed his fate!
One could only change their fates by countering the heavens!
One could only obtain the rights to change their fates if they dared to counter even the heavens!
Those who obeyed the will of the heavens would become mortals while those who countered it would become immortals.
Countering meant not bowing down, not retreating, not fearing, not buckling. It was an invincible march of courage and strength forward!
The Countercurrent stance could counter the situation!
At that moment, Su Zimo no longer had anywhere to run or hide.
When he saw that, Bai Yu’s eyes shone with a frenzied glint as he laughed menacingly. “Nowhere left to hide, eh? Now, die!”
Swoosh!
The saber in Bai Yu’s hands slashed forward with multiple afterimages and blood qi spread, filling the skies with the stench of blood!
All of a sudden!
Su Zimo’s eyes jerked open.
His eyes were clear and bright, like crystals deep in the sea that shone with a mysterious luster.
There was no trace of fear nor panic in them.
When he saw those eyes, a sense of uneasiness flashed through Bai Yu’s heart.
Unknowingly, perhaps when Su Zimo opened his eyes, a blood-colored saber had appeared in his hands.
Its blade was gigantic and shone with five spirit lights in a bedazzling manner!
“Countercurrent!”
Su Zimo said calmly and waved casually.
Swoosh!
As Blood Quencher moved, there was a sound of tides surging in a reverse current coming from its blade!
Initially, Bai Yu had the advantage with his domineering momentum. However, the situation between them was instantly reversed with Su Zimo’s slash!
A torrential force crushed forward like a surging tide alongside Blood Quencher!
All the afterimages from Bai Yu’s saber disappeared instantly.
The blood stench emitted from his saber was washed away completely by the invisible tide as well.
Against that massive force, Bai Yu’s saber technique appeared simple and weak!
“Saber force!”
Bai Yu’s eyes widened in shock.
How was that possible?
He joined Zenith Sect when he was five years old and had been practicing with a saber since then.
After being immersed in the way of the saber for dozens of years, he had merely reached the peak of the first level of mastery of the saber and had not managed to reach the secret of force yet.
However, the person before him had comprehended the meaning of saber force after cultivating for a mere ten days!
In the face of the saber force, all saber techniques were merely in form no matter how precise they were.
The two sabers collided.
Clang!
Bai Yu’s body shuddered and his face turned incomparably pale. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he flew away limply and his gaze dimmed.
Psst!
The cultivators watching were dumbstruck!
A single slash!
Bai Yu’s initial advantage was gone after Su Zimo opened his eyes and within a single slash, he was the one that was sent flying and severely injured!Chapter 396: Change in Xuantian City
The difference was too great.
Initially, Bai Yu’s only advantage was in his saber technique.
But now, after Su Zimo comprehended the Countercurrent force, Bai Yu’s advantage was non-existent.
Furthermore, Su Zimo’s strength had increased significantly after attaining lesser mastery of the Orifice Clearing section. Right now, he was crushing Bai Yu completely.
Even though it was just a single slash, he had already injured Bai Yu severely!
With a cold gaze, Su Zimo flashed forward and raised his saber, chasing after Bai Yu!
Bai Yu’s face was ghastly pale with fear. Looking at Su Zimo who was charging over, his eyes flashed with determination as he bit his tongue gently, spitting out a stream of essence blood.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
Bai Yu’s chest heaved up and his heart pounded furiously.
With every single pound, new blood would course through his limbs.
On the surface of the blood burned a thin layer of flames that possessed endless energy!
“Blood Escape?”
Su Zimo narrowed his eyes.
He knew the best about the secret skill used by Bai Yu.
In that ancient coffin underground, Su Zimo obtained the Blood Refinement Fiend Sutra and this secret skill was recorded in it.
Back then, during the battle at Dongling Valley, Su Zimo also relied on Blood Escape to escape, ending up in the capital of Great Zhou by chance and avoiding his disaster.
Once released, Blood Escape would burn up a third of the body’s bloodline in exchange for a momentary speed burst, allowing one to escape hundreds of kilometers away!
Pshew!
Bai Yu turned into a streak of blood and sped off into the distance. In the blink of an eye, he had already fled a thousand feet away!
It was too fast!
Back then, Su Zimo even managed to shrug off Golden Cores with the speed he gained by using Blood Escape.
Right now, Su Zimo had two options if he wanted to chase Bai Yu.
First, turn into his demon form and unleash his blood qi!
Second, unleash Blood Escape as well in pursuit.
After considering carefully, he found neither options feasible.
The first option would bring him too much trouble since there were thousands of cultivators around.
The second option was not worth it.
After a slight delay, Su Zimo gave up on hunting Bai Yu and put away his Blood Quencher, pulling out a gigantic moon-white bow from his storage bag.
The fact that he did not continue chasing did not mean that Su Zimo was going to let Bai Yu off.
He bent the bow and loaded an arrow.
Five spirit lights shone in Su Zimo’s embrace, as if he was hugging a full moon.
Swoosh!
A sharp arrow tore through the air.
It was a heart-piercing arrow!
Given Su Zimo’s arm strength, coupled with the quasi-connate spirit weapon, Moon Concealment Bow, the arrow shot out at lightning speed, piercing towards Bai Yu’s back.
Bai Yu, who was in Blood Escape, sensed something and crushed a protection talisman.
Boom!
The arrow exploded with a loud bang after striking the protection talisman.
Bai Yu’s body shuddered and he coughed out blood once more, staggering and nearly falling.
Laughing into the skies, Su Zimo declared loudly, “Alright, you’re lucky since you’ve managed to dodge that arrow. I’ll spare your life today. Also, it’s all thanks to your help that I’m able to comprehend the Countercurrent force.”
If it wasn’t for Bai Yu’s relentless attacks that forced Su Zimo to have nowhere to retreat, he might not have been able to gain enlightenment on the force that could counter that desperate situation.
Bai Yu paused slightly and turned to look at Su Zimo with a hateful gaze.
Sensing Bai Yu’s gaze, Su Zimo smiled faintly. “You had better hide yourself in the ancient battlefield from now on. Don’t let me see you again or you won’t even get the chance to release Blood Escape the next time we meet!”
Gritting his teeth hatefully, Bai Yu roared and turned forward to continue sprinting. That speck of blood in the air disappeared from everyone’s sights before long.
In reality, Bai Yu was most likely doomed even without Su Zimo chasing him.
The sequela of Blood Escape was rather terrifying.
Be it humans or demons, burning up a third of their bloodlines would cause them to turn extremely weak.
Dangers lurked everywhere in the ancient battlefield.
Unless Bai Yu manages to find an absolutely safe place before Blood Escape ends, he would be dead without a doubt!
Putting away the Moon Concealment Bow, Su Zimo left leisurely in front of everyone’s shocked gazes.
He had received immense gains for this trip.
Right now, the only things left to do was to familiarize himself with the five stances and comprehend the force of the other four stances.
Every stance corresponded to a different force.
Naturally, the intents were different as well.
Taking a deep breath of air, Su Zimo compared against the map and sped towards Xuantian City.
I’ve only left the city for ten-some days. I hope nothing has changed.
That was what Su Zimo hoped.
...
North of Xuantian City.
Back Hall of Elixir Yang Sect.
It was a hubbub of noise, with cultivators berating occasionally in a seemingly furious tone. There were even the roars of spirit beasts mixed in and it was shocking!
In a corner of the back hall, a woman was leaning to the side. She had a petite frame, her face was pale, her lips were purple and her eyes were tightly shut – it was unknown if she was alive.
That was Su Xiaoning!
In front of Xiaoning was a tall and strong demon beast with pitch-black scales all over its body. It resembled a wolf and a tiger with extremely sharp claws and teeth as it surveyed the surrounding with its pitch-black eyes in hostility!
That was none other than Night Spirit.
Night Spirit stood in front of Xiaoning and its tail swayed gently with traces of blood shimmering at its tip!
Not far in front of Night Spirit, a corpse laid on the floor with Elixir Yang Sect’s badge on his waist. There was a bloodied hole in his glabella with warm blood oozing out of it.
It was clear that the person was just killed by Night Spirit not long ago.
Yan Jun stood opposite Night Spirit along with a group of Elixir Yang Sect disciples, all of them looking furious and agitated.
“D*mned beast, you truly don’t know what’s good for you, just like your master!” Yan Jun scolded coldly.
A cultivator shouted, “Beast, how dare you kill a disciple of Elixir Yang Sect! You’ll pay for his life with yours!”
The other cultivators pointed at Night Spirit and scolded as well. Although each of them wielded their flying swords, none of them dared attack recklessly.
Everyone had witnessed the way the cultivator from earlier died.
He was killed by Night Spirit before he could even take out his flying sword!
Sensing the hostility from everyone present, Night Spirit’s gaze was cold as it opened its mouth slightly, letting out a chilling growl from the depths of its throat!
Given Night Spirit’s violent character, it should be engaged in a massacre right now instead of enduring the scoldings and humiliation of these cultivators.
There were multiple times when Night Spirit lowered its body, entering a stance prepared to pounce. However, it swallowed everything back inside!
It turned back and glanced at Su Xiaoning from time to time, worried about her safety. In fact, there was a trace of worry and guilt in its eyes.
Night Spirit patrolled around Xiaoning.
From that angle, it could block against any incoming threats!
Right then, an Elixir Yang Sect disciple came beside Yan Jun and said deeply, “Senior Brother Yan, let’s ignore that Su Zimo and join hands to kill this demon beast! No matter how strong this beast is, there’s no way it can defend against so many of us, right?”
“That’s right!”
Another cultivator nodded. “We can’t let Junior Brother Pu die just like that! Everyone, let’s work together to kill this beast as revenge for Junior Brother Pu!”
With a darkened expression, Yan Jun pondered for a moment. Suddenly, he raised his palm and said coldly, “Everyone, prepare...”
Chapter 397: Good Kill!
“Hold on!”
A figure strode in swiftly from outside the door. Although she wore mens’ clothes, her eyes resembled a painting and her features were delicate – that was none other than the commander of Elixir Yang Sect, Tang Yu.
Sweeping her gaze, she frowned when she saw the dead Elixir Yang Sect disciple on the floor.
When she finally caught sight of Xiaoning, her expression changed starkly as she yelped, “Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison!”
Uncle Liang nodded with a grim expression. “Her face is pale and her lips are purplish. That’s right, it should be one of Poison Sect’s Seven Lethals, the Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison!”
Tang Yu was initially in seclusion cultivation but only found out that something big had happened after she was summoned urgently.
She heard from her fellow disciples that Xiaoning was met with an attack on the long street at the city’s north. Although the attacker was killed by Night Spirit on the spot, Xiaoning was inflicted by the poison.
“To think that it’s Poison Sect!”
Tang Yu’s face darkened with a terrible expression.
Right now, the north side of Xuantian City was watched over by Elixir Yang Sect and Thousand Crane Sect. As such, Tang Yu was initially puzzled as to who would attack so brazenly in the city’s north.
She did not expect that it would be one of the five heretical doctrines, Poison Sect!
Although Poison Sect disciples were not strong in head-on combat, many factions and cultivators were unwilling to be enemies with them.
Poison Sect had Seven Lethals.
Every single Lethal was extremely fatal and one would die upon touch!
Furthermore, Poison Sect disciples were extremely cunning and ruthless. They specialized in hidden weapons and were very stealthy.
It was way too simple if Poison Sect disciples wanted to kill anyone.
A casual contact while eating, drinking or even breathing...
Every common action could cause one their lives!
Even for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, if they were careless, they could be poisoned by the Qi Refinement Warriors of Poison Sect and die unexpectedly – these were not uncommon examples.
Most cultivators would run far away if they caught sight of Poison Sect disciple since they did not want to be enemies or befriend the latter.
Tang Yu did not understand why Su Xiaoning would be targeted by disciples of Poison Sect.
Any cultivator that could release the Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison definitely held a high status in Poison Sect!
Why would Poison Sect send such a disciple to kill an Elixir Refinement Master at late-stage Foundation Establishment personally?
Right then, Uncle Liang exclaimed softly, “That’s strange. Given the toxic nature of the Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison, this girl should have already turned into a puddle of blood. Why is her corpse still intact without any signs of corroding?”
Anyone who was inflicted by the Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison would die within ten breaths. Their bodies would corrode, turning them into a puddle of blood and even immortals would have difficulty saving them.
Furthermore, the blood would also contain a rich amount of the Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison and anyone tainted by it would die as well!
Tang Yu looked at Xiaoning for a while, deep in thought.
She’s still alive?
It might have been an illusion, but the paleness of Xiaoning’s face and her purple lips seemed to have faded a little.
How is that possible?
Tang Yu had some understanding of the Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison. Even eight meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivators would most likely die if they were tainted by the poison, let alone a late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator like Xiaoning!
That was also the terrifying aspect of Poison Sect!
“What’s going on?”
Pointing at the corpse on the floor, Uncle Liang turned around and asked.
A cultivator stood forth and pointed at Night Spirit who was standing not far away, declaring hatefully, “Junior Brother Pu wanted to check on Su Xiaoning’s condition out of goodwill upon seeing that the latter was poisoned. However, this beast killed him straight away!”
Tang Yu frowned.
That statement didn’t sound like a big deal. To begin with, Night Spirit was a demon beast. It was highly likely that it might be triggered after its owner was injured and turn feral, attacking anyone wildly.
However, Tang Yu felt that something was amiss.
With a stern expression, Yan Jun shouted, “Uncle Liang, Junior Sister, Elixir Yang Sect is one of the four unorthodox groups! How can we let our disciples be killed wantonly, especially by a beast? Since it killed a fellow disciple of ours, it’ll have to pay with its life!”
Pausing for a moment, Yan Jun continued, “That’s Su Zimo’s beast. Since his beast got into trouble, he can’t escape responsibility after returning as well!”
“That’s right, we’ve got to take revenge for Junior Brother Pu!”
“Kill that beast!”
“Kill it!”
Everyone from Elixir Yang Sect chanted agitatedly.
The development of the events have gone far beyond Tang Yu’s control.
No matter what, Su Zimo’s group were still outsiders.
If she sided with Night Spirit, she wouldn’t be able to convince the masses and quell their bloodthirst. Instead, it might lead to internal bloodshed within the sect!
Biting her lip gently, Tang Yu frowned and felt flustered. For a moment, she did not know how she should handle this.
Uncle Liang sighed internally when he saw this.
Tang Yu was a talent of Elixir Yang Sect’s younger generation. Brilliant and smart, there were few things that could be hidden from her.
However, she lacked decisiveness and dominance.
There was no way for her to control the situation without those things!
Suddenly, a figure appeared in Uncle Liang’s mind.
“That man truly is...”
Uncle Liang could not continue.
It was difficult for him to give an accurate evaluation of that person.
Although he looked like a meek and demure scholar on the surface, he exuded an air of dominance deep from his spine! With sharp methods, he was decisive to kill!
Everything else aside, that particular trait alone would rank him as the top ten of the younger generation!
Suddenly, a voice sounded from outside the Main Hall.
“Who do you guys want to kill?”
The voice was calm, neither loud nor soft. However, it suppressed the chaos in the Main Hall.
Tang Yu shuddered and turned around with a flicker of joy in her eyes.
An elegant green-robed cultivator strode in. The moment he entered the Back Hall, he swept a look with his lightning-cold gaze and the place went quiet instantly!
It was a mighty aura. Although it was indescribable, it could suppress everything!
Su Zimo had returned!
The moment they saw him, everyone recalled the sight from the bloody battle on the long street and their courage weakened unconsciously.
Everyone’s gaze was on Su Zimo.
Uncle Liang could make out a hint of fear and awe in the eyes of the disciples.
“Hmm?”
After entering the Back Hall and witnessing Xiaoning’s weak state, Su Zimo’s eyes flashed coldly and killing intent surged!
Tang Yu whispered, “Fellow Daoist Su, I was careless and did not send any sect disciples to watch over Xiaoning. I truly hadn’t expected that she would be attacked by someone from Poison Sect.”
Su Zimo shook his head in silence with a dark expression.
This matter was not Tang Yu’s fault. If Xiaoning could be poisoned even with Night Spirit guarding her, nothing would have changed even if Elixir Yang Sect disciples were assigned to accompany her.
Although Tang Yu could not ascertain if Xiaoning was alive, Su Zimo had already cleared his seven orifices and could clearly hear a faint heartbeat coming from Xiaoning’s chest.
Furthermore, her heartbeat was growing increasingly stronger!
In other words, Xiaoning’s condition was turning for the better!
Su Zimo turned and walked to Xiaoning’s side. He had barely taken a few steps when Yan Jun blocked his path in a flash, sneering provocatively.
“Su Zimo, you had better stop with that attitude!”
Yan Jun shouted, “It’s true that your sister is dead but that was done by Poison Sect! It has nothing to do with us! However, all of us witnessed your beast killing our fellow disciple. Regarding that, you have to be accountable to Elixir Yang Sect!”
“Is that so?”
Expressionlessly, Su Zimo nodded. “Good kill!”
“What did you say?” Yan Jun’s eyes were widened.
“Get lost!”
“You... ”
Before Yan Jun could complete his sentence, Su Zimo reached out and slapped Yan Jun with his backhand. Instantly, Yan Jun was sent flying and landed in a corner, fainted.
The place fell into an uproar!
Chapter 398: Night Spirit’s Blood
“Su Zimo, what are you doing?!”
“Audacious!”
“How arrogant!”
Many Elixir Yang Sect disciples shouted emotionally.
No matter what, Yan Jun was a disciple of the sect’s Battle Hall and Tang Yu was the only one who was above him in status. He was not somebody that an outsider like Su Zimo could compare to!
Tang Yu could clearly see that although Yan Jun’s cheeks were swollen, he had merely fainted and did not sustain any severe injuries.
Given Su Zimo’s strength, if he truly wanted to kill in that distance, Yan Jun’s head would have been smashed by that single slap!
In other words, Su Zimo had already shown mercy.
Taking a deep breath of air, Tang Yu declared, “Silence!”
“Young Master, he’s only an outsider! How can he act so brazenly in our territory!”
“That’s right! He would have been killed by Glass Palace and Malevolent Earth Sect long ago if not for the protection of Elixir Yang Sect!”
“Fufu, Glass Palace and Malevolent Earth Sect are not the only ones. These two siblings seem like they’ve even offended Poison Sect!”
In the crowd, voices of dissent against Su Zimo continued sounding incessantly.
“Shut up!”
With a dark gaze, Uncle Liang suddenly shouted.
Although he was old with white hair and beard, his eyes were still bright and exuded a sense of authority. The chaotic place quietened gradually.
All the Elixir Yang Sect disciples knew very well about the background of the old man before them.
It was possible that they might protest against Tang Yu’s decisions.
However, even if the masses disagreed with the old man, the most they would do would be to grumble a little internally.
Tang Yu said deeply, “This matter will definitely be accounted for in a bit. Everyone, please quieten down.”
After a brief pause, Tang Yu called back Su Zimo and frowned, “Xiaoning is afflicted with the Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison, one of the Seven Lethals of Poison Sect. Be careful, the poison is extremely toxic and it’s easy for you to get tainted if you are careless.”
Su Zimo nodded and walked to Xiaoning’s side.
“Growl.”
Night Spirit slumped its head and let out a deep growl, feeling a little guilty.
Su Zimo patted Night Spirit on the head while shaking his own. “It’s not your fault.”
If it was an ordinary assassination attempt, there was no way it would have gotten past Night Spirit. However, Poison Sect cultivators were way too scheming and there was no way to guard against them.
In that short while, Xiaoning’s expression had gotten much better. In fact, her cheeks were now redder and her heartbeat was getting stronger – her condition was improving.
Uncle Liang was amazed when he saw that.
The Seven Lethals of Poison Sect could not be cured by any cultivators outside the sect!
Throughout his life, Uncle Liang had never heard of anyone who had survived against the Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison.
Furthermore, by the looks of it, the Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison seemed to be disappearing bit by bit from within Xiaoning’s body!
The purple color on Xiaoning’s lips was fading and there were merely a few drops of blood left on it.
Although there were only a few drops of blood, Su Zimo could sense an extremely powerful energy!
That was definitely not Xiaoning’s blood!
Su Zimo swept his gaze and looked at Night Spirit’s wrist where there was a deep gash that had yet to fully recover.
“No wonder.”
Back when they just entered the ancient battlefield, Night Spirit had already displayed the terror of its bloodline where it could ignore the poison of the Blood Centipede and was immune to it.
The reason why the Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison was being purged from Xiaoning’s body should be because she drank Night Spirit’s blood.
“That’s not right either,”
Su Zimo thought again. The Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison was extremely toxic and would activate within ten breaths.
Although Night Spirit’s blood could purge the poison from Xiaoning’s body, it required a relatively longer time – how did Xiaoning manage to survive in between that period?
After clearing his seven orifices, Su Zimo’s five senses turned even sharper!
Now that he was closer, he could vaguely sense a warmth emanating from Xiaoning’s chest along with a faint medicinal scent.
That’s it!
Su Zimo was enlightened.
The mysterious Elixir Furnace that Xiaoning possessed was still kept at her chest area.
If he was not wrong, that warmth and medicinal scent should be emitted by the Elixir Furnace.
The Elixir Furnace was also the reason why Xiaoning’s heart artery was preserved until it could take in Night Spirit’s blood to purge away the poison within.
Su Zimo finally heaved a long breath and calmed down after ensuring that Xiaoning was alright.
Turning around, he glared at the corpse on the ground.
The bloodied hole on the glabella of the corpse was clear evidence that Night Spirit did it.
“You want an explanation? Sure, I’ll give you an explanation,”
Surveying his surroundings, Su Zimo said indifferently, “Night Spirit won’t harm anyone for no reason. If that person is dead, it must be because he crossed Night Spirit’s bottom line.”
“Bullshit!”
An Elixir Yang Sect cultivator with a long face hollered, “Junior Brother Pu was trying to head forward and check out of goodwill. However, your beast killed him without any reason at all! We saw it for ourselves and you’re still trying to deny it?!”
Su Zimo smiled and glared at that guy sharply with a cold gaze, replying with a deep intent, “It was true that he came forward to check things out. However, we don’t know whether it was out of goodwill.”
“What do you mean by that!”
A hint of panic flashed through that person’s eyes.
Su Zimo turned towards Tang Yu and asked, “Young Master Tang, you mentioned that the Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison is extremely toxic and contagious, right?”
“That’s right.”
Tang Yu nodded and her eyes flashed, as if she had thought of something.
“Even you would be afraid of going forward casually, am I right?” Su Zimo continued asking.
“Yes.”
Tang Yu admitted with a nod.
Indeed, she did not dare to get close after realizing that Xiaoning was inflicted with the Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison. It was not because she was cold blooded, it was merely logic.
Suddenly, Tang Yu’s heart jolted and she realized what was wrong.
She murmured softly, “Why would Junior Brother Pu be the first to head up and check something that even I wouldn’t dare to?”
Uncle Liang nodded in silence.
Tang Yu continued, “Most importantly, there’s no antidote available for the Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison. There’s no reason for Junior Brother Pu to head forward at all.”
Many Elixir Yang Sect cultivators came to their senses when they heard that.
They wouldn’t have gone forward if it was them in that position.
Furthermore, what was the point of risking their lives to head forward and check when they wouldn’t be able to do anything about the poison either?
Tang Yu’s gaze turned cold as she glared at the corpse on the floor without saying anything more.
Su Zimo’s gaze flashed like lightning towards the long-faced cultivator and said slowly, “I’m guessing that the reason why the person went forward to check wasn’t because Xiaoning was poisoned. It was because Xiaoning didn’t die from the poison!”
The long-faced cultivator’s expression changed slightly as his eyes flickered; he did not dare to meet with Su Zimo’s gaze.
Squinting his eyes, Su Zimo said word by word, “That person’s killing intent appeared after finding out that Xiaoning wasn’t dead and that was why he was killed by Night Spirit!”
“Fellow Daoist, am I right?” Su Zimo was intimidating.
The long-faced cultivator forced a laugh. “H-How would I know?”
Walking slowly towards the long-faced cultivator, Su Zimo asked with a sinisterly dark gaze, “What are you afraid of?”
“I’m not...”
“In this short period of time, your heart has been racing and your breathing turned hurried. You’re clearly panicking. Also... I sensed your killing intent towards me a moment ago!”
By the time he was finished speaking, Su Zimo had already arrived in front of the long-faced cultivator.
The person’s face was frightfully pale as he stumbled backwards instinctively. Even the other cultivators could tell that he was looking guilty.
Chapter 399: Go and Die Then!
The long-faced cultivator had not expected that Su Zimo would possess a spirit perception and had extremely keen senses towards something such as killing intent that was immaterial!
It was logical that the other cultivators would feel hostile towards Su Zimo.
However, the long-faced cultivator felt a killing intent!
Uncle Liang sighed. “Xi Yushan, come clean and you might still have a chance to live.”
The long-faced cultivator named Xi Yushan was thoroughly panicked. He realized that his fellow sect mates that were standing beside him a moment ago had backed off, looking at him warily.
Gulping, Xi Yushan looked towards Su Zimo instinctively.
Su Zimo’s gaze was sharp as a knife, emitting a piercing glint with occasional flashes of lightning. It was unusually sharp and instantly penetrated the last line of defense in Xi Yushan’s heart.
This was the invisible power of his gaze.
This was a level that Su Zimo achieved after clearing his eye orifices and tempering them with demonic qi.
In the mortal world, some hardened killers would often let out savage gazes such that ordinary people would feel fear upon meeting with their eyes.
The eyes were interlinked with one’s guts.
Therefore, in a fight between two people, one might lose his courage if he was intimidated by the latter’s gaze, revealing openings.
In the pugilistic world, among postnatal and connate experts, there was a saying that one had to cultivate their eyes before cultivating their guts and that technique was known as the gaze technique.
In the cultivation world, techniques that could cultivate one’s eyes were all secret skills!
The Bewitching Eye from the Pure Maiden Sect of the fiend sects and the Enraged Vajra Gaze of the Buddhist monasteries were renowned supreme Dharmic techniques.
Demoness Ji rarely had to dirty her hands personally to kill; it was normal for her opponents to commit suicide after receiving a single gaze from her.
Before clearing his seven orifices, Su Zimo did even dare to look at Demoness Ji straight in the eyes casually.
That was also why Su Zimo had headaches each time he saw Demoness Ji and tried to avoid her as much as possible.
“Speak!”
Su Zimo took a step forward, his eyes sparkling like lightning as he shouted.
He added a small portion of Thunderclap Kill into saying that word.
Coupled with the fact that Su Zimo had already cleared his mouth orifice, that word exploded like thunder in Xi Yushan’s ears.
Xi Yushan was already extremely rattled by Su Zimo’s gaze. Now that he was shouted at, he almost broke down as he knelt on the ground with a thud and a frightfully pale face.
“I was wrong! I was wrong!”
With a quivering voice, Xi Yushan spoke, “Du Kai of Poison Sect used the Life Severing Powder on me and Junior Brother Pu and he’s the only one with the antidote! We had no choice either!”
Du Kai of Poison Sect!
Tang Yu frowned slightly and explained to Su Zimo, “Du Kai is the commander of Poison Sect’s current expedition. At seven meridian Foundation Establishment, his mastery in poison is deep and he’s a savage person.”
Su Zimo was expressionless and nodded.
When he saw that everyone ignored him, Xi Yushan turned even more fearful and said hurriedly, “Furthermore, I haven’t done anything that betrayed the sect or harmed our fellow disciples! Du Kai was merely targeting Su Zimo’s group and said that he’ll give us the antidote as long as can kill one of them.”
By that point, most of the doubts that everyone had were answered.
The Elixir Yang Sect cultivator that was killed by Night Spirit was also inflicted by the Life Severing Powder of Poison Sect – that explained his actions earlier.
Uncle Liang laughed coldly. “You’ve already betrayed the sect by waiting until now to tell us everything! I’m afraid that you probably won’t hesitate either if Du Kai asked you to kill your fellow sect mates in exchange for the antidote.”
Many Elixir Yang Sect disciples felt their hearts skip a beat and lingering fear.
“No, I won’t!”
Xi Yushan was frantic and shook his head repeatedly.
Tang Yu said with regret in her face, “Junior Brother Xi, you know that the Life Severing Powder isn’t one of Poison Sect’s Seven Lethals. Although we don’t have the antidote, we can ensure you won’t lose your life until we return to the sect. Given the capabilities of our sect’s seniors, they will be able to help you remove the Life Severing Powder with ease. But you...”
“I was wrong! I know that now!”
Xi Yushan begged continuously.
Tang Yu frowned in reluctance when she saw his wretched state.
Uncle Liang sighed internally.
Tang Yu still lacked the determination to kill at the end of the day.
No sect would spare someone like Xi Yushan easily!
Just as Uncle Liang was about to step forth and make the decision to kill Xi Yushan on the spot for Tang Yu, Su Zimo’s voice sounded darkly, “Since you’re so afraid of death...”
“Go and die then!”
Suddenly, Su Zimo raised his leg and kicked Xi Yushan heavily against the chest.
Snap!
Xi Yushan was sent flying and slammed against the wall completely before sliding down with a trail of blood.
His entire chest was sunk in as his eyes glazed over. With a tilt of his head to the side, he was dead on the spot!
The cultivators watching were dumbfounded.
Tang Yu opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something. However, in the end, she merely sighed without saying anything.
“Yes...”
Right then, in the corner, Xiaoning, who was initially sleeping let out a drowsy sound.
Su Zimo hurried over and squatted down. He placed his palm against Xiaoning’s forehead before asking gently, “Xiaoning, how are you feeling?”
“Brother?”
Xiaoning opened her eyes slightly and could not see what was before her clearly yet, merely replying instinctively due to the familiarity of the voice.
“It’s me.”
Su Zimo gripped Xiaoning’s hand.
A familiar warmth surged into her heart and instantly, Xiaoning felt much more awake. She tried her best to open her eyes and her lips twitched as she smiled. “Brother, you’re back? I’m fine, don’t worry.”
Su Zimo found himself smiling uncontrollably when he saw Xiaoning’s smile. Pushing her fringe away endearingly, he asked with a slightly reproachful tone, “Why were you so careless?”
Xiaoning stuck out her tongue and blinked multiple times.
Coming towards them, Tang Yu took out a jade bottle. “This is a Great Essence Nourishing Elixir. Let Xiaoning consume it. Her body has just only purged away the poison and is still weak.”
“Thank you so much.”
Su Zimo nodded and received the jade bottle before pouring out an elixir the size of a fingernail and feeding it to Xiaoning.
There was still something on Tang Yu’s mind as she could not help but ask, “Fellow Daoist Su, did you guys have any feuds with Poison Sect?”
Standing up, Su Zimo could not help but recall the Poison Sect cultivator he killed in the Golden Core’s cave abode back at the borders of the ancient battlefield.
“If you kill me, all of you will have to die on the ancient battlefield!”
Those were the last words of the Poison Sect cultivator.
Su Zimo did not hide anything and nodded. “I killed a Poison Sect cultivator previously.”
“No wonder.”
Enlightened, Tang Yu said deeply, “Poison Sect cultivators are sinister and vengeful. Any cultivator that’s able to use the Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison must have a high position within the sect. That person has most likely arrived at the city’s north to poison all of you to death. It’s just a pity...”
In truth, Tang Yu’s guess was rather close.
The Poison Sect cultivator’s name was Lu Ang and he was also at seven meridian Foundation Establishment. He was sent here to poison Su Zimo’s group to death but he ended up coming across Night Spirit.
The Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison was completely useless when used on Night Spirit!
Lu Ang could not even survive a single round before he was killed by Night Spirit on the spot!
Chapter 400: Meet Yama!
Su Zimo asked, “Why haven’t I seen anyone from Poison Sect previously?”
“Poison Sect only entered Xuantian City a few days ago. I reckon it should be for the Elixir Pool Sect ruins as well.”
Tang Yu looked at Su Zimo and said, “Although they only have slightly over a hundred people for this expedition, all Poison Sect cultivators are filled with poison and they specialize in killing opponents above their levels. Even super sects such as Glass Palace and Malevolent Earth Sect don’t want to provoke them.”
In reality, Tang Yu’s statement was a reminder for Su Zimo to not offend Poison Sect lest he attract trouble and get himself killed.
Su Zimo smiled but did not say anything.
Upon seeing that Su Zimo did not seem to have taken anything in, Tang Yu continued, “Actually, Poison Sect was the one who suffered an immense loss this time round. Not only did they lose a strong cultivator of the sect, Xiaoning is completely fine. I’m sure that they must be feeling cautious after that failure. In the coming period, as long as we strengthen our defenses, Poison Sect will not dare to attack us rashly.”
After a slight pause, Tang Yu added, “Furthermore, even if you go and kill a few Poison Sect cultivators and return safely, so what?”
“It’s only for a moment of pleasure. Instead, you form a deep grudge with them that cannot be resolved. Thereafter, you will have to live life fearing that they might take revenge at any moment. It’s not worth it.”
“Yes.”
Su Zimo nodded after pondering for a moment. “You are right.”
Tang Yu finally heaved a sigh of relief after Su Zimo replied. She relaxed and revealed a bright smile.
A glint flashed across Su Zimo’s eyes as he asked, “What are the Seven Lethals of Poison Sect?”
“Poison Sect’s Seven Lethals refer to the seven most powerful hidden weapons or poisons of Poison Sect. For Qi Refinement Warriors and Foundation Establishment Cultivators of Poison Sect, they can only make use of two of the Seven Lethals, the Heart Seeking Spike and the Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison.”
“The Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison is a purplish-green powder and anyone who touches it will most likely di—”
Glancing at Su Xiaoning at the side, Tang Yu suddenly stopped speaking.
There was someone in front of them that managed to survive against the Purple Corpse Corrosion Poison!
Tang Yu knew that Su Xiaoning must have some sort of a secret on her body. However, she was smart and chose not to ask about it.
“Heart Seeking Spike?”
Su Zimo asked reminiscently, “Is it a blue colored spike that is as thin as a cow’s hair?”
“That’s right!”
Tang Yu nodded. “The terrifying part of the Heart Seeking Spike is not the poison coated on the needle, but itself.”
“Itself?” Su Zimo furrowed his brows slightly.
Tang Yu explained, “The Heart Seeking Spike is thin as a cow’s hair. After entering one’s body, it would flow along with the bloodstream until it ruptures the heart! It’s useless even if one purges away the poison on the needle, the Heart Seeking Spike will still find its target and kill it.”
Su Zimo nodded.
That explained why he felt his heart skip a beat when he was faced with that blue needle the other day.
The feeling did not come from the poison on the Heart Seeking Spike, but the needle itself.
In that short while, Su Xiaoning had fallen asleep. With a flushed face and steadied breathing, she was looking better.
“Young Master Tang, help me take care of Xiaoning. I’ll go out for a walk.”
“Alright.”
Tang Yu nodded and did not think much about it, merely reminding Su Zimo to not wander far and be careful.
It was noon when Su Zimo left Elixir Yang Sect.
Standing at a street corner at the city’s north, Su Zimo raised his head and looked at the sun expressionlessly. Instead of fearing the blinding sunlight, his eyes revealed coldness in them.
“Poison Sect.”
Su Zimo spat out two words.
He walked south along the long street of Xuantian City.
...
The south of the city was originally guarded by two of the five heretical doctrines, Puppet Sect and Tomb Sect.
A few days ago, Poison Sect entered Xuantian City and forcefully took over a part of the city’s south territory.
Originally, this place was green and filled with weeds growing rampantly. However, within a few short days after Poison Sect settled down, the grass had all withered and died!
The entire place turned sinister and desolate and even insects and ants disappeared, as if there were no signs of life apart from those of Poison Sect.
This noon, a green-robed cultivator arrived. He looked elegant and scholarly, walking with one hand behind his back.
“Eh? That guy seems a little familiar?”
“I think he’s the one from the bloody battle on the long street. Su Zimo, was it?”
“Yes, that’s him!”
“Strange. What is he doing at Poison Sect’s territory?”
Far away, some cultivators noticed Su Zimo.
After all, he was the only person in the territory of Poison Sect and he was strikingly obvious with his green robes that did not match the attire of Poison Sect.
Before long, in front of everyone’s watchful eyes, Su Zimo arrived before the residence of Poison Sect.
Two Poison Sect cultivators whose faces looked pale and yellow stood on each side of the door. They stared at Su Zimo who was approaching with disdain in their eyes.
To them, Su Zimo looked extremely weak and did not seem like a threat.
Furthermore, Su Zimo was not wearing a sect badge on his waist. In other words, this was not somebody from a super sect.
“What are you doing here?”
The Poison Sect cultivator on the left asked with a raised brow.
Smiling gently, Su Zimo pointed to the residence and asked instead, “This is Poison Sect, right?”
“So what if it is?” The other cultivator sneered.
Without replying, Su Zimo asked again, “Is Du Kai here?”
“Insolent!”
“You must have a death wish!”
The Poison Sect cultivators were enraged and shouted.
The cultivator on the left hollered coldly, “The name of Senior Brother Du isn’t something the likes of you can casually call out!”
The other cultivator added with a dark, sinister gaze, “Punk, you had better give me a reason not to kill you. Otherwise, I’ll let you meet Yama[1] in a moment!”
“Yama?”
Su Zimo grinned. “Why wait a moment? I’ll send you guys to meet him right away!”
Taking a step forward, Su Zimo suddenly extended his palm and swung it in reverse.
With a thud, his arm whipped out like the trunk of a mystic elephant and smashed heavily against the head of the cultivator on the right!
The person’s brain juices splattered and he died on the spot without uttering a single word!
The cultivator on the left was flabbergasted – he had not expected Su Zimo to try and kill them in Poison Sect’s territory.
“You... ”
He had just said a single word when Su Zimo had already closed in. Without saying anything, Su Zimo pushed him palm down on the person’s head and exerted strength!
Poof!
The person’s head was shoved inside his chest with his neck snapped; he was dead before his body even collapsed onto the ground.
Indifferent even after killing two people, Su Zimo entered Poison Sect’s residence with a calm expression.
The cultivators that were watching from afar had agape mouths – they had yet to react to what just happened.
After a brief moment, there was an uproar!
Something is happening!
Those three words were the only things left in the minds of those cultivators.
They did not know what grudge Su Zimo had with Poison Sect.
However, they knew that something shocking was about to happen in Xuantian City once more!
Exchanging glances, the cultivators deployed movement techniques and scattered everywhere.
Before long, the entire Xuantian City was about to find out about this!
[1] King of Hell. It’s easier to think of him as the Chinese counterpart to Hades.
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