Eternal Sacred King Chapter 534 to 545
Chapter 534: Green-robed Fiendcelestial
“Who is this man? How is he so domineering?”
“I don’t know, but I think I saw him shoot the paragon of Stellar Luna Sect, Qian Xinyu, to death earlier on!”
“What!”
Many cultivators were shocked.
Qian Xinyu had cultivated Solar Luna Stellar Lumen, the 92nd rank of the previous Phenomenon Ranking and was a famous paragon of the Tianhuang North Region – to think that he would be slain in the Great Qian Ruins.
“He’s only at early-stage Golden Core realm with a bow. Even if the bow is a quasi-connate spirit weapon, can he defend against so many of us?” Someone hollered with a cold expression.
The meaning of that Golden Core was clear.
He wanted to turn Su Zimo into everyone’s target!
“Heh!”
Smirking, Su Zimo turned towards that person and said coldly, “Of course, I can’t defend against everyone with a single bow. But... it’s more than enough to kill you!”
Raising his Moon Concealment Bow, Su Zimo drew the bowstring.
Splash!
His bloodline surged with a torrential might, akin to raging tsunamis.
Many cultivators were shocked.
“Tsunami blood!”
Some cultivators exclaimed.
“Squeak, squeak!”
The bowstring quivered and was gradually drawn, letting out a squeaking sound.
The Moon Concealment Bow was not heavy by itself, but one would not be able to draw its bowstring unless they possessed shocking divine might!
That was also the reason why the killing power of the Moon Concealment Bow was so terrifying.
A single arrow that was shot out did not only possess the might of the quasi-connate Moon Concealment Bow itself, but also the burst of the bloodline that was used to draw the bowstring!
An arrow tore through the air with a tremendous might at lightning speed.
The moon shone brightly up in the night skies.
As though it was sucked in by some mysterious power, moonlight streamed into Su Zimo’s embrace continuously, letting out a shuddering energy shockwave.
Su Zimo looked like he was hugging a full moon!
The cultivator that spoke and was now targeted by the Moon Concealment Bow felt his hairs stand on end and gasped.
In fact, he saw a hallucination from the depths of his heart.
There was no way for him to avoid that arrow at all!
Instantly, cold sweat poured down from his forehead.
The sweat trickled into that man’s eyes but he did not dare to blink at all.
He was afraid that he would never open his eyes again after blinking!
His line of sight was turning blurry after being covered by sweat.
Su Zimo’s figure seemed like it had already vanished, leaving only a full moon in midair with a chilling killing intent!
Buzz!
Su Zimo released his fingertip and the bowstring quivered violently.
A divine light burst forth and delved into the voids.
The pupils of that Golden Core constricted fiercely. Just as he withdrew a defensive spirit weapon from his storage bag, his chest was pierced by an arrow with blood gushing out!
That person fell from midair and died on the spot.
Fast. It was too fast!
Although he was mentally prepared, he could not dodge it at all!
“This man is so ruthless and evil in his ways. He’s definitely someone of the fiend sects. Cultivators, let’s work together and kill an evildoer like him!”
Another cultivator yelled.
There was no distinction of right or wrong and immortals or fiends in the Great Qian Ruins.
The reason why the cultivators harbored killing intents towards Su Zimo was because of the medicinal field, the 10,000 Year Vermilion Fruit and the Moon Concealment Bow in his hands!
“You just want to kill me for my treasures, why do you have to look for some self-righteous excuse?”
Su Zimo was clear about the situation and did not waste time exchanging nonsense with the cultivators. With a sneer, he drew his bowstring once more.
Another divine light flashed.
Bang!
The Golden Core that yelled exploded in midair, turning into a mist of blood after being penetrated by that arrow. He did not have time to react and was dead without a corpse!
Pshew!
The fifth arrow!
A Golden Core that was charging over held an intricate mountain peak in his palm and he summoned it instantly.
“Go!”
The mountain peak expanded rapidly and shone with a bright light, blocking in front of that person with a majestic aura!
Boom!
A deafening noise echoed!
That mountain peak was pierced by the Moon Concealment Bow’s arrow and exploded on the spot.
The Golden Core that was hiding behind it was struck by countless debris and his tendons and bones were broken. Coughing huge mouthfuls of blood, his gaze dimmed and he fell from midair.
That superior-grade defensive spirit weapon was destroyed by a single arrow from the Moon Concealment Bow!
Pshew!
The sixth arrow!
It tore through the air and emitted an endless killing intent!
“Golden Core phenomenon, Sand Pagoda!”
A Golden Core hollered with a sharp gaze.
The power of phenomenon surged and an endless sandstorm raged before that person, transforming into a towering pagoda in the blink of an eye.
Poof!
The arrow was extremely sharp and pierced the Sand Pagoda with an unparalleled power.
A bowl-sized hole appeared on the pagoda with cracks spreading out like a turtle’s shell!
Even so, the arrow used up all its power and fell weakly, buried in the sandstorm.
The Golden Core was so scared that he broke out in cold sweat. Finally, he took a deep breath of relief and could not help but rear his head in laughter.
As long as his towering Sand Pagoda could defend against Su Zimo’s Moon Concealment Bow, it meant that Su Zimo would not be able to break his Golden Core phenomenon!
After all, the Sand Pagoda possessed regeneration capabilities.
As long as his spirit energy was not depleted, the endless sandstorm would surge in and repair the damage on the Sand Pagoda, closing that massive arrow hole on its body.
Buzz!
There was another sound of a gentle bowstring flick.
That person’s laugh came to an end.
The seventh arrow was shot.
It pierced through the bowl-sized arrow hole that had yet to close fully, turning into a dark streak of light and entering that person’s mouth.
The person’s head was penetrated and he fell stiffly, causing the entire Sand Pagoda to collapse!
Seven consecutive arrows.
Six Golden Cores died one after another as blood stained the skies!
Among them, there was even a cultivator with a Golden Core phenomenon that was killed with two arrows!
A group of cultivators that were initially charging over were stunned.
Although they were swarming forward together and could kill that scholarly green-robed cultivator, who could defend against his arrows in that period of time?
None of them wanted to be the next dead person against the Moon Concealment Bow.
Poof!
The eighth arrow flew.
A stream of blood spurted and the Golden Core right at the front was dead!
The massacre was continuing!
Su Zimo did not hesitate at all and was decisive to kill. With a resolute gaze and a cold expression, he repeated the same actions continuously.
Arching the bow, loading an arrow and aiming to kill!
In reality, he was in an extremely bad condition.
He did not have time to rest at all after being severely injured by the Scarlet Armored Gigantic Crocodile in the underground cave and fought the cultivators of the three sects immediately after.
After that intense battle, Su Zimo’s spirit energy was already dried up.
Even if his spirit energy was full right now, he had just released the divine turtle and soaring serpent phenomenons earlier on and could not release another Golden Core phenomenon in a short interval.
Therefore, Su Zimo had to maintain an aggressive stance to suppress and kill everything so that he could shock everyone!
The shimmer of the Moon Concealment Bow shone repeatedly and the bow quivered, letting off a haunting sound.
With every single sound, there was bound to be a dead Golden Core!
Su Zimo stood in midair with his black hair dancing and a sharp gaze. Emitting a cold killing intent, he was like a murderous fiendcelestial that gave off a shuddering aura!
In the blink of an eye, there were already more than 20 corpses on the ground.
Gradually, cultivators at the back started dispersing.
An atmosphere of fear infected the crowd rapidly.
More and more cultivators at the back retreated.
Nobody was willing to rush in front and be murdered by that merciless green-robed fiendcelestial!
Chapter 535: Departure
Many cultivators retreated one after another at the back and had already created a distance with Su Zimo in the blink of an eye.
Everyone watched from afar, not daring to advance.
Even so, none of them left.
The entrance of the underground palace that was buried for 10,000 years was exposed and everyone wanted to explore it.
Sneering internally, Su Zimo put away the Moon Concealment Bow and entered the underground palace once more in a flash.
Sprinting the entire time, he arrived at the medicinal field before long.
“Zimo, are you alright?”
Xuan Yi and the other two hurried over when they saw Su Zimo return.
All of them were severely injured and did not have the chance to do anything for the previous battle.
Now that they had rested for a while and consumed a few elixirs, Xuan Yi and the others recovered some stamina and their injuries were stable for the moment too.
Seeing that they were in acceptable conditions, Su Zimo said darkly, “We can’t stay here for too long. Let’s take away the spirit herbs in this medicinal field and leave the Great Qian Ruins as soon as possible!”
Wang Yan had already escaped.
There were many more cultivators surrounding outside and even more were gathering towards them.
This underground palace could not remain hidden!
There was another month to go before the 10,000 Year Vermilion Fruit ripened.
A storm was bound to break out in the North Region within this month and many more Golden Cores would be attracted towards the Great Qian Ruins, making the situation even more complicated!
Any single misstep could cause them to die here.
Even Su Zimo could not dare to guarantee that he could escape unscathed, let alone Xuan Yi and the other two.
Xuan Yi and the other two agreed.
The four of them split up and took away the spirit herbs in the medicinal field, keeping as much as possible in their storage bags.
During this period of time, Su Zimo consumed a stalk of Blood Ginseng and a Scarlet Flame Fruit directly, leaving Xuan Yi and the other two dumbfounded.
There were many spirit herbs that could not be consumed directly.
That was because their medicinal powers and energies were too intense and often required other spirit herbs to moderate their effects. It was the first time that the three of them were witnessing someone consume the Blood Ginseng and Scarlet Flame Fruit directly.
“Zimo, i-is your body going to be fine consuming them as such?”
Xuan Yi could not help but ask.
“Ugh... ”
Burping, Su Zimo released a heatwave with a blood stench from his mouth.
“It’s fine, they taste rather alright.”
He sucked his lips with a relaxed expression.
Ordinary Golden Cores would truly not be able to withstand the Blood Ginseng and Scarlet Flame Fruit.
However, Su Zimo cultivated both as an immortal and demon and had formed a core for both Daos. His blood qi and physique was terrifyingly strong and could absorb the energy of both spirit herbs completely!
Right now, he was severely injured and his spirit energy was depleted while his blood qi was weak – the most direct method for him would be to consume the spirit herbs directly.
After devouring the Blood Ginseng and Scarlet Flame Fruit, Su Zimo’s bloodline circulated violently and absorbed the energies of the two different spirit herbs continuously.
Coupled with his body’s strong regeneration capabilities, his condition was getting increasingly better!
When he saw that it was working, Su Zimo continued consuming spirit herbs as he collected them.
It did not matter how they tasted, how tough they were or whether they had shells – he munched on them and ate everything.
Li Ziyue broke out in sweat looking at Su Zimo.
He had a hallucination.
Su Zimo did not seem like he was human. Instead, he was like an ancient demon that was extremely hungry, grabbing food greedily!
Although he sensed the strange gazes of Xuan Yi and the other two, Su Zimo did not stop.
They were surrounded by strong foes outside – this was the only way for him to recover in the fastest possible time!
Before long, Su Zimo and the other three collected most of the spirit herbs in the medicinal field other than those that were nearby the Vermilion Fruit.
Prior to this, Su Zimo had instructed Xuan Yi and the other two to not get close to the Vermilion Fruit no matter what.
At that moment, Li Ziyue was a little reluctant to let those spirit herbs go to waste and could not help but inch forward, wanting to collect them. However, he was held back by Su Zimo.
“Don’t go!”
Su Zimo had a grim expression and frowned slightly, saying with a soft voice, “The Vermilion Fruit has already started absorbing!”
Instead of a great tonic, an unripened Vermilion Fruit possessed immense poison.
Before it was ripe, the Vermilion Fruit would absorb all the life essence of nearby living beings, whether they were humans or demons!
A surging heatwave started spreading.
The first to be implicated were the many spirit herbs in the vicinity of the Vermilion Fruit.
Under the shroud of that aura, the spirit herbs withered at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In less than ten breaths, many spirit herbs turned into ashes!
When he saw that, Li Ziyue gulped and felt a sense of trepidation.
If Su Zimo had not held him back earlier on, he would be engulfed by that heatwave when he charged forward and would most likely be doomed!
“Let’s leave this place first,”
After consuming many spirit herbs, Su Zimo was clearly in a much better condition, looking refreshed with rosy cheeks.
After leaving the underground palace, Su Zimo ignored all the other cultivators and headed in the direction to exit the ruins along with Xuan Yi and the other two.
Xuan Yi and the other two were still carrying injuries that had yet to heal and it was not convenient for them to battle.
Su Zimo did not barge through the palace. Instead, he made use of his powerful vision, hearing and spirit perception to avoid the patrol of the otherworldly soldiers, leading the other three to leave the palace stealthily.
Outside the palace, countless malevolent ghosts swarmed over when they sensed the stench of blood from Xuan Yi and the other two.
A sinister wind gusted and specters surrounded them.
However, before long, the malevolent ghosts were scared out of their wits and dispersed when they caught sight of the green-robed cultivator at the front, never appearing again.
Su Zimo only stopped when he led Xuan Yi and the other two outside the Great Qian Ruins.
At that moment, daybreak was slowly arriving on the horizons.
A resplendent ray of light spilled onto the ruins, making it seem desolate and mysterious.
Su Zimo turned back and surveyed the ruins for a short moment before nodding. “No one’s following us anymore. Peak Master Xuan Yi, the three of you can leave from here. Head straight back to the sect and don’t stop!”
Along the way, Su Zimo made use of his Moon Concealment Bow and killed many cultivators that were following them.
Gradually, the cultivators realized that they could not hide their tracks from Su Zimo’s senses and wisely chose to give up.
“Zimo, you’re not coming back with us?”
Xuan Yi frowned tightly with a worried expression.
He had lived for hundreds of years and could naturally sense that a blood storm would breakout at the Great Qian Ruins a month later when the 10,000 Year Vermilion Fruit ripens!
Once news of the 10,000 Year Vermilion Fruit was spread, all the Golden Core paragons of the North Region would definitely gather here!
In fact, there might even be people from the immortal and fiend sects coming forth!
At that time, there would definitely not be any one-on-one bouts.
Although Su Zimo was strong in combat, he had only just formed his core – how could he deal with so many peerless foes from powerful factions?
“Zimo, we’ve benefited immensely from this trip. It’s time for us to stop.”
Liu Hui said meaningfully, “In the cultivation world, most cultivators die because of their greeds.”
“You have an Extreme Foundation Establishment and have cultivated such a powerful Golden Core phenomenon. There’s a long way ahead for you. There’s no need for you to risk your life over a Vermilion Fruit.”
Those words came from the bottom of her heart and was also the most logical and safe decision.
Xuan Yi added, “There are many factions that are stronger than us in the North Region. Furthermore, we are too far from the sect. Even if you meet with danger, the sect won’t be able to come to your rescue. Zimo, you must be careful!”
Su Zimo smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry, peak masters. If the situation doesn’t seem right, I’ll give up on the Vermilion Fruit.”
Chapter 536: Domineering Vermilion Fruit
Xuan Yi was only relieved when he heard Su Zimo’s remark.
After pondering for a moment, Su Zimo said again, “However, I’ve got to return because I’ve still got something on. Peak masters, please return to the sect first. Don’t wait for me.”
Su Zimo had to get his hands on the 10,000 Year Vermilion Fruit.
However, what was even more important to him was the connate spirit fire that was hidden in the depths of the underground palace!
Utmost treasures of the universe as such were often sentient, rare and way too difficult to create.
Since he came across it, there was no way Su Zimo would miss it.
He was not only going to reforge a new set of 27 supreme-grade flying swords, he even wanted to make use of the connate spirit fire in the cave to try and repair the Mystic Gold Silk Armor and five Black Gold Arrows in his storage bag.
If he managed to succeed, he would be in possession of a connate defensive spirit weapon.
Even just at early-stage Golden Core, Su Zimo was confident that he would not be defeated!
As for the connate-grade Black Gold Arrows, coupled with his Moon Concealment Bow, the killing power released by them would be even more terrifying!
If someone of a similar combat strength as himself was using the Moon Concealment Bow and fired the Black Gold Arrows, Su Zimo would not dare guarantee that he could escape unscathed.
“Zimo, you...”
Xuan Yi frowned slightly but did not continue.
He knew that Su Zimo had a decisive character – it was hard for outsiders to change a decision made by him.
After a moment of hesitation, Xuan Yi instructed, “Be careful. Don’t push beyond your limits.”
“Alright!”
Su Zimo nodded.
Xuan Yi and the other two had many spirit herbs tucked in their storage bags and they were injured. Fearful that circumstances might change the longer they delayed, they did not dare to linger on.
Summoning a spirit vessel, the three of them leaped on it and waved farewell to Su Zimo before turning into a streak of light that gradually vanished by the horizons.
Taking a deep breath of air, Su Zimo turned and headed towards the palace.
He was not worried that someone else might have gotten their hands on or destroyed the Vermilion Fruit during this period of time.
Now that the Vermilion Fruit was about to ripen, this was the most dangerous period of time!
Any living being that approached the Vermilion Fruit would have their life essences drained.
Along the way, Su Zimo noticed that there were many cultivators speeding away from the ruins.
To be precise, they seemed like they were scared out of their wits and were scurrying off!
“This is bad! It’s bad!”
A cultivator panted in a pathetic manner. “Everyone, run! The Vermilion Fruit’s eating people!”
Some cultivators had disheveled hair and were only left with one arm – the flesh on their other arm had disintegrated, leaving a hanging white bone as they fled for their lives.
Su Zimo sneered internally.
There were still ignorant and greedy cultivators that tried to pluck the Vermilion Fruit, resulting in their life essences drained and their fleshes taken in as a nutrient for the Vermilion Fruit!
Before long, Su Zimo reentered the underground palace.
After walking for a while, he paused in his tracks and looked at the medicinal field.
After Su Zimo and the other three collected the spirit herbs, it became bare and barren, leaving a single stalk of Vermilion Fruit that was extremely striking.
And now, fresh white bones were scattered in the vicinity of the Vermilion Fruit!
Every single set of skeleton on the ground had a hand that was reaching forward, as though it was trying to pluck the Vermilion Fruit.
A rough calculation showed that there were around a hundred corpses around the Vermilion Fruit!
The Vermilion Fruit seemed to have gotten even more vibrant.
Sparkling, translucent and bright red, it emitted an intoxicating fragrance that attracted nearby living beings!
All living beings possessed spirit.
Humans had the innate capability to kill other living beings; demon beasts had the innate capability of hunting and certain spirit herbs had the innate capability to lure and kill other living beings too!
The life essence draining radius of the Vermilion Fruit was expanding rapidly!
Initially, it was only around the vicinity of the medicinal field.
But now, it was extending outwards wildly!
The Vermilion Fruit swayed and a scarlet mist spread, shrouding in all directions. Ten, twenty, a hundred feet...
There were only a few people left in the underground palace.
The few cultivators had wary expressions and were hidden far away, shifting their gazes between the 10,000 Year Vermilion Fruit and Su Zimo, only retreating after ensuring that no one could pluck the Vermilion Fruit in advance.
Before long, Su Zimo was the only one left in the underground palace.
Of course, that was only for the time being.
He was certain that the Great Qian Ruins would definitely not be peaceful in the coming month!
The closer it was to the ripening of the Vermilion Fruit, the more cultivators would be gathered in the underground palace and the atmosphere would turn even tenser and chaotic!
The draining radius of the Vermilion Fruit expanded continuously and its mist surged, sealing any exit paths.
If Su Zimo wanted to reenter the underground cave, he would have to pass through the mist!
Although he was confident in the strength of his body and regeneration capabilities, he did not dare to take the risk to fight against this universal spirit fruit.
Looking at the advancing mist, Su Zimo pondered for a moment and suddenly extended his left fingertip. Slowly, he touched the edge of the mist carefully.
Psst!
The moment his fingertip made contact with the mist, Su Zimo’s expression changed starkly.
The flesh on his finger was disappearing at a speed visible to the naked eye, devoured by the scarlet mist!
What a domineering Vermilion Fruit!
The veins of the fingers were connected to one’s heart.
A wrenching sharp pain almost caused Su Zimo to yell.
Shuddering, he retracted his palm and looked at his left hand with a sense of trepidation.
That momentary contact already caused the flesh on his finger to vanish, revealing stark-white bones beneath.
Su Zimo’s gaze shimmered and extended his right hand, touching the fog in an experimenting manner.
It was perfectly fine!
He could clearly sense a mysterious energy trying to drain the life essence of his right hand, but retreated in shock as though it was met with something fearful!
Although the Vermilion Fruit was strong and its mist was domineering, it could not do anything to the divine phoenix bone.
Unfortunately, only Su Zimo’s right hand had the divine phoenix bone.
He could not make it through the scarlet mist still.
Su Zimo frowned.
If he was stuck at the corner, unable to enter the cave, he would have to wait an entire month for the Vermilion Fruit to ripen and the fog to dissipate before he could refine his flying swords and repair the connate spirit weapons.
However, there would be many additional factors by then!
No, I’ve got to think of a way.
Su Zimo paced around the underground palace and contemplated deeply.
After a moment of silence, he paused in his tracks and slapped his storage bag, withdrawing a battered bronze square tripod that was filled with cracks.
Since this bronze square tripod was able to withstand the corrosion of the Scarlet Armored Gigantic Crocodile, it should have no issues dealing with the mist.
Su Zimo placed the bronze square tripod into the mist.
True enough!
The scarlet mist shrouded around the bronze square tripod but was unable to penetrate it.
Success!
Smiling gently, Su Zimo leaped into the bronze square tripod and became one with it, traveling through the scarlet mist until he arrived beside the spirit spring.
After exiting the bronze square tripod, Su Zimo turned to look at the mist that was turning thicker and thought to himself, ‘Actually, it’s not a bad thing that the mist is around. At the very least, it would ensure that no one would cross it for a month and discover the secret of the cave!’
Surveying his surroundings for a while and twitching his ears to ensure that no one was hidden here, Su Zimo pressed the switch on the wall of the pool.
The stone slab beneath his feet slid to both sides silently, revealing a pitch-black passage way.
Leaping down, Su Zimo’s figure disappeared.
The underground palace went silent once more.Chapter 538: Coffin in the Lava
Su Zimo was already drenched in sweat by the time he arrived before the volcano.
The temperature of this place had already surpassed the limits of ordinary cultivators; even his body that had undergone both immortality and demonic cultivation was feeling a burning pain.
Slapping his storage bag, Su Zimo withdrew a superior-grade spirit weapon.
The moment he withdrew the superior-grade spirit weapon, the spirit patterns on it dimmed slightly.
After ten breaths, cracks appeared on the superior-grade spirit weapon – it was already showing signs of melting!
“That’s amazing!”
Su Zimo’s pupils constricted slightly and he was secretly shocked.
If ordinary Golden Cores were cast here, they would burn to death without even touching the sparks of the flames!
If the temperature in the air was already so high, it was even more terrifying in the lava gushing at the side!
Su Zimo was certain that a connate spirit weapon would melt into molten liquid if it was thrown inside without even creating a bubble.
The closer it was to the mouth of the volcano, the higher the temperature.
Su Zimo truly could not stand it and his Inner Core and Golden Core was churning slowly, causing his blood qi to rise and ancient demons to appear around him one after another.
Feeling slightly better, he rose into the air and gazed at the mouth of the volcano not far away.
A golden lava was floating in the mouth of the volcano, letting off a shuddering aura and a scorching heat!
In fact, Su Zimo suspected that even a Nascent Soul would be melted by the golden lava, leaving no corpse and a destroyed Essence Spirit!
“This is way too scary!”
With a shocked expression, Su Zimo lamented internally, “This golden lava is good stuff and it’s even more terrifying than a connate spirit fire! If I can store away some of this stuff, it’ll definitely be of great use in the future!”
Thereafter, Su Zimo smiled.
His lips cracked, trickling with a trace of blood that evaporated instantly.
That single thought was naturally just a casual one.
The golden lava could even melt a connate spirit weapon – what could store it?
Just as Su Zimo was about to turn and leave, a thought struck him.
There was truly an item in his storage bag that he could make an attempt with!
The bronze square tripod.
Although it was only a battered weapon, it could withstand the corrosion of the Scarlet Armored Fiend Demon’s digestive fluids and was extremely tough – could it be able to withstand the melting power of the golden lava?
Su Zimo hesitated for a long time before deciding to give it a shot.
He would first place a leg of the bronze square tripod into the golden lava and see if it would melt.
Even if it was melted and lost a leg, that would not affect a bronze square tripod that was already abandoned to begin with.
At that thought, Su Zimo withdrew the bronze square tripod and flew towards the mouth of the volcano.
When he arrived at the vicinity of the mouth of the volcano, the heat of the flame became even more terrifying and Su Zimo felt his head spin as though he could faint at any moment!
The longer he stayed at this place, the more danger he would be in.
Gazing at the moving golden lava beneath him, Su Zimo did not dare to hesitate as he directed the bronze square tripod slowly into the mouth of the volcano.
A leg of the bronze square tripod was about to make contact with the golden lava.
Suddenly, the surface of the lava bubbled, as though something was trying to come forth from beneath it. Shocked, Su Zimo hurriedly controlled the bronze square tripod to rise into the air.
Even so, some golden lava splashed onto the walls of the tripod before sliding down.
“Hmm?”
Su Zimo focused his gaze.
It was perfectly fine!
There was no mark on the spot where the bronze square tripod was splashed by the golden lava!
Success!
Su Zimo was elated.
The bubbling golden lava calmed down once more, as though that was only an ordinary reaction.
Su Zimo controlled the descent of the bronze square tripod, only turning to leave after it was filled with the golden lava.
While the golden lava was terrifying and berserk, as if it could incinerate and destroy everything, it was calm when stored inside the bronze square tripod, as though it was isolated from the world.
Su Zimo did not sense any heat when he carried the bronze square tripod.
The body of the tripod was cold as always – the heat of the golden lava was trapped within completely!
Leaving the mouth of the volcano, Su Zimo placed the bronze square tripod carefully into a separate storage bag and hung it on the side of his waist.
Not long after he left, the golden lava in the mouth of the volcano began rumbling and spewing once more.
There was something that floated on the surface of the lava.
Faintly visible, it seemed like it was a coffin!
The coffin was transparent and was made of some unknown material such that there were no signs of burns even as it was immersed in the golden lava.
Floating on the surface of the lava, it could be vaguely seen that a woman laid within the coffin!
Her palms were closed together and rested before her chest, revealing two smooth, jade-like arms that resembled the texture of an elephant’s tusks.
The woman had an exquisite figure and exuded a lazy, charming aura as she laid there, seemingly asleep.
As the coffin swirled slowly along with the lava, a peerless face appeared and was frighteningly seductive!
The peerless woman’s eyes were initially closed.
All of a sudden!
Her long lashes twitched slightly and her beautiful eyes showed signs of opening!
A shuddering aura began to emanate.
The peerless woman could awaken at any moment!
There was a slight pause.
Going silent again, the peerless woman seemed like she returned to sleep once more.
The transparent coffin sank gradually, entering the golden lava and disappearing within.
Silence returned to the mouth of the volcano, as though nothing had happened.
...
Su Zimo knew nothing about the changes in the deepest part of the cave within the mouth of the volcano.
Initially, he did not feel comfortable with the temperature inside the cave.
But now that he was returning from the volcano along his original path, he felt cool and could not help but lament internally, “The mouth of that volcano is truly purgatory hell. This place is paradise compared to that!”
The little fox waited at its original position and heaved a slight breath of relief upon seeing Su Zimo return safely.
After all, he was her benefactor.
Even though she was guarded against him, the little fox did not wish for him to meet with misfortunes.
Furthermore, she had witnessed the scene of Su Zimo in his demon form.
In her heart, he was also someone of the demon race.
Su Zimo only paused in his tracks upon returning to the vicinity of the cave’s entrance. Assuming a lotus position, he began to heal up and recuperate his stamina.
He did not have the chance to rest at all the entire night.
From the fight against the otherworldly soldiers up till daybreak, he had not rested for the entire night and even nearly lost his life in between fighting against a fiend demon.
Be it in physically or mentally, Su Zimo was at his limits.
Prior to this, he consumed many spirit herbs directly in the underground palace.
Not much of the tremendous amount of energy contained within those spirit herbs were absorbed by Su Zimo and they were accumulated within his body.
Now that he was healing his injuries, all of those energies surged forth and entered every single fiber of his.
Su Zimo’s injuries and stamina were rapidly recovering!
In the blink of an eye, an entire day had passed.
With a bright gaze and rosy cheeks, Su Zimo rose with vigor and roared into the skies!
“Ah!”
The roar was loud, clear and robust and no injuries or signs of fatigue could be seen on his body anymore.
Feeling the condition of his body, Su Zimo could not help but break out into a faint smile.
Those spirit herbs carried fire attribute spirit energy and coupled with the environment of this place, he discovered that his cultivation had advanced by quite a bit!Chapter 539: Success
Of course, Su Zimo was still quite a distance away from mid-stage Golden Core although his cultivation had advanced.
He had just only formed his core.
Disregarding the journey taken to reach the Great Qian Ruins from Ping Yang Town, only two days had passed.
If he hadn’t experienced the intense battles in the Great Qian Ruins and was merely cultivating in seclusion, he would need years to reach his current point of cultivation!
The best way to grow was to grind between the borders of life and death, battling through blood.
Furthermore, he was in such a favorable environment and had the help of spirit herbs that were more than 10,000 years old.
This was also the reason why many cultivators would choose to explore outside after they reached a bottleneck in their cultivations.
While explorations were filled with danger, there were also accompanying opportunities!
Calming himself, Su Zimo was ready to attempt to fix his connate spirit weapons.
Not far away, the little fox sat on the Fire Blocking Basket quietly, gazing over with black, bright gem-like eyes.
It had been watching Su Zimo for the entire day.
Although it did not get close, Su Zimo could sense that the little fox was much less guarded towards him.
If it was previously, given the distrusting nature of that little fella, it would definitely be lifting its Fire Blocking Basket with bot paws, ready to hide inside at any moment rather than be as relaxed as it was now.
Smiling, Su Zimo said, “Little fella, I’m preparing to refine spirit weapons. You must not disturb me during this period of time.”
When she heard Su Zimo refer to her as ‘little fella’, a look of indignance flashed through the little fox’s eyes.
However, immediately after, the little fox was touched internally upon thinking deeper.
That statement revealed a form of trust.
The demure scholar was extremely terrifying in combat and could easily restrain her in captivity. That way, she would not be able to interrupt his weapon refinement process at all.
But now, the other party chose to give her his trust instead.
Could that person... have ulterior motives?
The little fox blinked and was still a little worried.
After being locked here for dozens of years by the Scarlet Armored Gigantic Crocodile, the little fox was fragile mentally and was easily suspicious.
Other than her deceased mother, she was constantly guarded against others.
She was truly way too terrified.
Just as she was imagining things, the demure scholar on the other end had already withdrawn a Black Gold Arrow from his storage bag and began with refinement.
Before entering the elementary ancient battlefield, Su Zimo obtained a Connate Spirit Weapon Forging Technique from the Great Zhou palace as a reward for the sect competition.
Within it was a method that allowed one to repair a damaged connate spirit weapon.
The so-called damage did not refer to the spirit weapon itself, but the breaking of the sixth spirit pattern.
There were no impurities within a damaged connate spirit weapon.
In other words, by using a Connate Spirit Fire to forge a connate spirit weapon, one could ignore the first four steps of weapon refinement completely and head straight to spirit gathering once the spirit weapon was heated to a scarlet red state.
After gathering five spirit patterns, the connate spirit fire will then be used to rejoin the broken sixth spirit pattern!
A single failure in the process would result in the connate spirit weapon being destroyed.
Throughout history, even the top Weapon Refinement Masters could not guarantee that they could gather six spirit patterns in a single attempt.
In other words, this weapon forging technique was an impossible task in the eyes of other Weapon Refinement Masters.
However, in the hands of Su Zimo, there was a chance of repairing the connate spirit weapon!
With the use of his spirit perception, he could ensure a 100% success rate of spirit gathering!
Back in the Elixir Pool Sect ruins in the elementary ancient battlefield, Su Zimo discovered five damaged Black Gold Arrows.
There was only one of the Mystic Gold Silk Armor and it was an extremely precious defensive connate spirit weapon.
Su Zimo planned on testing things out with the Black Gold Arrows first.
He controlled a Black Gold Arrow and placed it above the connate spirit fire, receiving the continuous heat.
As time passed by, the arrow was heated to a red state and shone transparently from inside out like a fiery ruby.
Su Zimo began spirit gathering.
One spirit pattern.
Two spirit patterns.
Three spirit patterns!
Three spirit patterns were formed in a single attempt without any pauses.
Given his talent in weapon refinement, there was a high chance that he could condense the first three spirit patterns even without his spirit perception.
Su Zimo did not rest at all and started condensing the fourth spirit pattern.
His spirit perception sounded.
Give up!
Another attempt.
Not good, give up!
Just like that, the fourth spirit pattern was only condensed after the 17th attempt of back and forth.
Taking a breath of relief, Su Zimo began condensing the fifth spirit pattern.
His luck and condition were both decent and his fifth spirit pattern was condensed on the third attempt!
That Black Gold Arrow was a connate spirit weapon to begin with and contained no impurities even though it was damaged. That was the reason why Su Zimo was able to condense the fifth spirit weapon with such ease.
If he had to choose his own materials, smelt, forge and temper personally, he would definitely not have been able to refine such a flawless arrow.
Therefore, the reason why he was able to create the perfect-grade Blood Quencher the other time was due to the confluence of multiple factors and a little bit of luck.
Right now, the Black Gold Arrow was already a perfect spirit weapon.
However, Su Zimo was not pleased yet.
The final step was the most critical.
While perfect spirit weapons were rare and possessed extraordinary strength, there was a massive difference between them and connate spirit weapons.
It was a leap in quality!
Connate spirit fires were innately sentient. Su Zimo attempted to condense a spirit pattern on the foundation of the broken sixth spirit pattern on the Black Gold Arrow, repairing it slowly.
The process was arduous and repetitive.
In fact, he did not even know if he could succeed.
However, Su Zimo had never thought about giving up and he continued trying relentlessly with a resolute gaze.
An entire day passed.
Far away, the little fox was tired of watching and dozed off with heavy eyelids, sleeping a few times.
Each time she reopened her eyes, Su Zimo was sitting there in the same position and repeated the same motions over and over again.
Not only did Su Zimo not take a break throughout the entire day, he maintained the same focus and it was a great test of his stamina and determination.
Of course, all of his efforts were worth it.
Su Zimo could clearly see that the sixth spirit pattern on the Black Gold Arrow – its originally broken connate spirit pattern – was showing signs of reparation and was turning brighter!
The spirit energy fluctuation on the Black Gold Arrow was also getting more obvious.
Two hours later.
The drowsy little fox was awakened suddenly by a brilliant glow and instinctively opened its eyes to look over.
In front of Su Zimo, the initially dim Black Gold Arrow was shining with six resplendent glows at the moment, emitting a terrifyingly sharp intent that could pierce anything!
The little fox knew that Su Zimo succeeded.
For some unknown reason, she felt elated as well and smiled, making her eyes seem like crescent moons.
Su Zimo put away the Black Gold Arrow and was delighted when he looked at the spirit patterns.
Success!
With the Black Gold Arrow, coupled with the Moon Concealment Bow, his killing power would rise to another level!
If he could repair the Black Gold Arrow, he could naturally repair the Mystic Gold Silk Armor.
This meant that apart from the Coiling Dragon Seal, Su Zimo was now in possession of other connate spirit weapons, the Mystic Gold Silk Armor and Black Gold Arrows! At the same time, he also had the quasi-connate Moon Concealment Bow!
Even legacy disciples of Tianhuang Mainland’s super sects, ancient aristocratic families or top factions might not be as wealthy as him.
Chapter 540: Four Gentries
When the news of the 10,000 Year Vermilion Fruit spread, countless gazes were attracted.
Various other news, real and fake, accompanied it.
There was talk of an underground palace hidden beneath the Great Qian Ruins.
There was talk of a medicinal field with countless treasures in the underground palace.
There was talk of a cultivator obtaining an extremely powerful connate spirit weapon in the ruins...
The entire North Region was shaken!
The interest towards the Great Qian Ruins from the cultivation world of the North Region had gradually died down in the past 10,000 years.
But now, with the massive spread of news one after another, it proved that there were possibly undiscovered secrets in the Great Qian Ruins!
Furthermore, the allure of the 10,000 Year Vermilion Fruit was way too great for Golden Cores.
Nobody could resist such a temptation.
Cultivators from the four dynasties of the North Region started moving.
The successors of multiple major sects and factions came out of seclusion, claiming boldly that they wanted to fight for the Vermilion Fruit.
Even some of the reclusive cultivation gentry clans declared that they were sending their respective Golden Core paragons towards the Great Qian Ruins.
Right away, the world was moving!
In less than half a month, a storm gathered in the vicinity of the Great Qian Ruins with countless heroes. Instantly, the atmosphere turned tense and murderous!
There was only one Vermilion Fruit.
Who in the North Region could obtain it?
15 days later.
Two cultivators arrived in the vicinity of the Great Qian Ruins, a man and a woman.
The man had a face full of beard and rough facial appearances, striding widely while wearing heavy armor.
The woman had extraordinary features and carried a long sword on her waist. Her black hair fell like a waterfall and her robes were white as snow, extremely graceful.
They were Mu Dongqing and Bai Yuhan, leaders of the capital of Great Zhou’s Azure Falcon and White Hawk squads respectively.
Both of them had already cultivated to perfected Golden Core realm and were here on the orders of the emperor.
The Emperor of Great Zhou saw through the situation clearly and knew that the Great Qian Ruins would definitely be filled with paragons competing – the Great Zhou Dynasty did not stand a chance at all.
That was the reason why the Great Zhou did not send any army of cultivators but instead, only Mu Dongqing and Bai Yuhan. They were not here for the Vermilion Fruit, merely to check out the secrets of the Great Qian Ruins and see if they could come across any opportunities.
There were many sects and factions bearing the same thoughts.
There were also a number of itinerant cultivators that headed over, wanting to take advantage of the chaos.
All of those itinerant cultivators were not strong and would not have dared to venture into the Great Qian Ruins alone. Now that there were many paragons of various major sects and gentry families opening the path, the malevolent ghosts and otherworldly soldiers were not a threat at all!
Those itinerant cultivators could also seize the chance to explore the Great Qian Ruins.
Mu Dongqing and Bai Yuhan looked at the desolate, mysterious ruins ahead with hesitant expressions.
Normally speaking, the two of them should enter and explore it first.
But now, the situation at the Great Qian Ruins was overly chaotic and they had already witnessed much fighting along the way here.
The closer they got to the Great Qian Ruins, the more tense the situation became!
All of a sudden!
Mu Dongqing’s expression changed and he pulled Bai Yuhan down to squat as the both of them hid in the wild grass around them that was taller than a man’s height.
“Someone’s here!” Mu Dongqing whispered.
Not long after he spoke, a series of figures appeared in the distant horizon. A single glance showed that there were more than a thousand of them and they were all floating on thin air – all of them were Golden Cores!
Each of the Golden Cores wore heavy armor and bore cold expressions.
They were in an orderly formation and were clearly disciplined.
Bai Yuhan frowned slightly and whispered, “That seems to be the army of the Great You Dynasty.”
“Yes.”
Mu Dongqing nodded. “Someone leaked the news that the other three dynasties made their move as well. To think that the Great You Dynasty would send this many people.”
“Their leader seems to be the Golden Core genius of the Great You Dynasty, Gu Luonan.”
“It’s him!”
Mu Dongqing had a stern expression. “By the looks of it, the Great You Dynasty seems to want to fight badly for the Vermilion Fruit.”
Arriving before the Great Qian Ruins, Gu Luonan paused for a moment and waved his arm, leading the Golden Cores behind him to charge into the ruins.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
All of a sudden!
A shuddering sound could be heard from the distant horizons, rumbling like thunder as though a massive army was arriving.
Before long, dozens of ancient war chariots appeared, pulled by divine steeds prancing in the air. The chariots charged over with an endless killing intent!
War flags flew everywhere, fluttering loudly.
There were around three people on each chariot, all wearing battle armor and emitting a steely aura with sharp gazes.
The arrival of the dozens of ancient chariots was majestic and instantly attracted countless gazes. The cultivators nearby the ruins could vaguely feel their hearts thumping.
Two gigantic words were written on the war flags – Taba!
“They’re from the Taba clan!”
Mu Dongqing’s heart skipped a beat.
Apart from the four dynasties, there were four gentry clans in the North Region – the Murong, Yuwen, Dugu and Taba clans.
These four gentry clans existed at the establishment of the Great Qian Empire and had a long lineage.
When the capital was destroyed overnight 10,000 years ago, leading to the split of the Great Qian Empire, the four gentry clans left the control of the Great Qian Empire one after another as well.
The four gentry clans were cultivation clans with immense strength and deep foundations that even surpassed Great Zhou and the other three dynasties!
“To think that even Golden Cores of the Taba would be here!”
“I heard that paragons of the four gentry clans have arrived, wanting to claim the Vermilion Fruit and reign over the North Region!”
“Their leader seems to be the peerless genius of the Taba clan, Taba Feng. With a nasty temper and a cruel character, he loves to fight!”
There were other cultivators hiding nearby Mu Dongqing and Bai Yuhan, discussing in hushed whispers.
Among the dozens of chariots, only one of them led by the front. Pulled by five extremely long divine steeds, the sounds of their neighs were shuddering.
A single person stood on the chariot with a mighty figure and a haughty aura, letting off a feeling of savageness!
When Gu Luonan of the Great You Dynasty caught sight of that person, his expression changed and he took a breath of air before revealing a faint smile, cupping his fists. “It’s you, Brother Taba. I’ve long heard of your great name.”
This was a common pleasantry between cultivators but it attracted stifled laughter from the Taba clansmen.
Taba Feng swept his gaze over and hollered, “Where did this ant come from? How dare you call me on equal terms!”
His words showed no respect for Gu Luonan at all.
Gu Luonan was also a top-tier expert of the Golden Core realm and had never endured such ridicule before. Instantly, his expression darkened.
Upon seeing that, Taba Feng sneered, “Good, good! How dare you give me such an attitude! Don’t leave then! All of you shall stay here!”
“Kill!”
Slapping his storage bag, Taba Feng retrieved an extremely domineering halberd. Waving his arm with a holler, he whipped the ropes and his chariot charged over!
The Taba clansmen behind him followed his orders and dozens of chariots moved at the same time.
The war drums echoed deafeningly.
The aura was so immense that it seemed like it could crush everything!
“Prepare for battle!”
Gu Luonan’s expression changed.
He had not expected that a single statement from him would cause a huge battle to break out!
Boom!
The dozens of chariots charged into the Great You army murderously, tearing apart the Golden Core army that had more than a thousand people.
That single charge caused nearly a hundred Golden Cores to be trampled into meat sludge by the chariots!
At the front, Taba Feng was even more terrifying, standing at the front of the chariot waving his halberd with frightening strength – none of the Golden Cores could survive a single round against him.
Everywhere the chariots passed, a trail of blood would appear!
One after another, figures fell from the skies helplessly.
Chapter 541: Grand Gathering
It was too tragic!
In the ruins, the lives of Golden Cores were akin to grass.
In less than 15 minutes, that orderly Golden Core army of the Great You Dynasty was trampled by the dozens of chariots from the Taba clan and more than half were injured or dead!
Corpses were strewn everywhere and tragic cries howled.
The Great You army had broken apart completely and the remaining cultivators fled far away without turning back.
The Golden Core genius of the Great You Dynasty, Gu Luonan, was defeated by Taba Feng within three blows. Slicing Gu Luonan’s head off with his halberd, Taba Feng held the head in his hand.
With a torrential aura, he stomped on Gu Luonan’s corpse and smacked his lips, sneering, “What dogsh*t genius is this? There are no lack of geniuses in this generation!”
Mu Dongqing and Bai Yuhan were horrified when they witnessed the scene and shivered uncontrollably.
The two of them witnessed Gu Luonan releasing his Golden Core phenomenon to try and flee. However, it was destroyed with a single slash of Taba Feng’s halberd and his head was severed!
Without even using his Golden Core phenomenon, Taba Feng killed Gu Luonan while destroying the Great You army.
He tossed the bloodied head of Gu Luonan casually on the ground and scoffed coldly. “You’re not even fit to ride on my chariot with your strength!”
Narrowing his gaze, Mu Dongqing could vaguely see dozens of heads scattered on Taba Feng’s chariots. Most of them were dried and only a few were stained with fresh blood.
“I heard that Taba Feng loves to murder geniuses. Each time he murders a genius, he would sever the latter’s head and place it on his chariot.”
“I’ve heard that he claimed brazenly he was going to slaughter all paragons of Tianhuang Mainland and fill his chariot.”
A hushed whisper sounded from the grass nearby.
Mu Dongqing and Bai Yuhan exchanged glances – both of them could see the shock in the other’s eyes.
There were dozens of chariots from the Taba clan arriving for this expedition. At the most, they had less than a hundred people. However, they were able to destroy an army with more than a thousand Golden Cores.
The strength of the Taba clan was clear.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Not far away, another group of ancient chariots charged over with war flags raised, etched with the word Yuwen.
Another of the gentry clans, the Yuwen clan, had arrived!
“Humph!”
The leader of the Yuwen clan was scrawnier like a bamboo pole and sneered, “Taba, those are merely ants with mediocre strength. What’s there to flaunt about?”
“Yuwen Wujia!”
Taba Feng turned the chariot and whipped his rope with a raring battle intent in his eyes, hollering, “You’ve come at the right time! Killing those ants wasn’t enjoyable at all! I’ve still kept a spot on my chariot for your head!”
Without a second word, Taba Feng led his chariot and charged towards Yuwen Wujia.
“Do you think I’ll be afraid of you?”
Yuwen Wujia was clearly unafraid and retrieved a golden three-pronged spear from his storage bag. It looked extremely heavy and unbefitting with his scrawny size.
“Kill!”
The two of them soared into the air at the same time and bellowed.
The halberd and golden three-pronged spear collided fiercely, releasing a shuddering shockwave in midair.
A burst of light shot forth, blazing like the sun with a blinding radiance!
There were more cultivators gathering in the vicinity and alarmed yells could be heard from the crowd.
Mu Dongqing was a body tempered cultivator with immense strength. He wielded a gigantic hammer and was unstoppable.
However, compared to the two paragons before him, Mu Dongqing felt that he was way too weak!
“This is a true paragon,”
Mu Dongqing could not help but shake his head and lament, “Either of them could kill me in less than three moves!”
Deafening sounds could be heard as the paragons of the two gentry clans, Taba Feng and Yuwen Wujia, fought in midair and it was hard to determine the victor.
The voids would quake with every single clash!
As the attacks continued, Taba Feng got increasingly serious and the ferocity in his eyes shimmered. Circulating his Golden Core furiously, a terrifying aura spread out from around him!
It was a Golden Core phenomenon!
Yuwen Wujia’s pupils constricted rapidly and he withdrew right away, hollering, “Taba Feng, you’re insane! How dare you try and use a Golden Core phenomenon!”
Golden Core phenomenons were the strongest means available to Golden Cores and they wouldn’t be able to reuse it within a short period of time upon release.
In other words, if someone activated their Golden Core phenomenon during an intense battle, it meant that they were determined to go for the kill!
While Yuwen Wujia was displeased with Tada Feng, he retained his sanity.
The Vermilion Fruit had not ripened yet. If the both of them were to reveal all their trump cards and release their Golden Core phenomenons here, it would only result in an internecine outcome and allow outsiders to gain the advantage.
Taba Feng’s Golden Core phenomenon had not formed fully and in reality, he was hesitant internally as well.
But when he sensed the gazes from the surroundings, Taba Feng was pumped and declared coldly, “F*ck that! I’ll kill you today!”
“The both of you, cut it out!”
Suddenly, a cold and charming voice sounded.
Bang! Boom! Boom!
A series of ancient chariots arrived with a formidable aura, causing the clouds to disperse and the firmaments to quake!
These ancient chariots were only available for the gentry aristocratic families.
It was the arrival of yet another major cultivation clan!
The war flag on the chariots displayed a striking word – Murong.
A woman stood on the chariot at the front, wearing blue palace robes with a tall, slim and voluptuous figure.
Although she did not have makeup on, she possessed flawless fairy-like features with an arrogance that was unique to the gentry clans.
The person who spoke earlier on was this woman.
When he saw the woman, Yuwen Wujia yelled hurriedly, “Murong Wushuang, you’ve come at the right time! Help me control this madman!”
“Hmph, none of you shall control my actions today!”
Although that was what Taba Feng said, it was clear that his tone had softened.
“Our four gentry clans are related through history. We can spar, but there’s no need to get into a life-and-death bout,”
Murong Wushuang commented indifferently, “Besides, the Vermilion Fruit isn’t ripe yet. What’s the point of you guys fighting? To let outsiders laugh at us?”
Sweeping his gaze towards the cultivators watching from the surroundings, Tada Feng hollered with a cold killing intent in his eyes, “Who would dare to laugh at me? All of you, scram further!”
The many cultivators were shocked and retreated hurriedly.
Mu Dongqing and Bai Yuhan seized the chaotic moment to escape outside as well.
The ruins were way too scary.
This battle was merely a scene that was replicating similar battles in other parts of the Great Qian Ruins!
Before they even caught sight of the Vermilion Fruit, people were fighting till rivers of blood were formed!
Once the Vermilion Fruit truly appeared, what sort of a blood storm would that be?
The group retreated, leaving a single person walking forward silently in a striking manner.
Instantly, everyone’s gazes focused on that person.
That person wore black robes and had black hair. Expressionless and stiff, there were no emotions in his eyes as he walked towards the depths of the Great Qian Ruins holding a long sword in his pale left hand.
“Who is that? How dare he ignore the threat of Taba Feng?”
“I think his brains must be dead. It’s easy to tell that he’s an idiot with a paralyzed face.”
“He truly doesn’t know what’s good for him. How dare he challenge the three gentry clans alone!”
Many cultivators nearby discussed in hushed voices with mocking expressions.
The person did not move quickly. To be precise, compared to the speed of cultivators, he was extremely slow.
The black-robed sword cultivator walked slowly towards the depths of the ruins like a mortal, ignoring the many chariots of the three gentry clans in the air and the strong cultivators.
One step after another...
Chapter 543: Trust
All of a sudden!
A shuddering aura surged from the edge of the horizon.
The weather had changed!
“Ow...”
A long horn sound rang through the world.
Many cultivators looked over and their expressions changed.
At the edge of the skies, gigantic spirit vessel warships a few thousand feet long with mysterious patterns etched on them hovered and shone brightly!
Tearing through the air, the spirit vessels had a domineering aura and a rampant might. One after another, figures with powerfully shuddering auras stood at their bows.
The successors of Upper Sects have arrived at the ruins!
“That’s the spirit vessel of one of the Ten Upper Sects, Heaven Motion Sect.”
“Their leader should be the paragon of Heaven Motion Sect, Long Wenyu.”
The spirit vessels passed over the cultivators one after another, forming gigantic shadows that covered the skies!
Not long after Heaven Motion Sect passed, many more spirit vessels tore through the clouds. The vessels were pitch-black and eerie, resembling Hell Boats floating in the seas of Hell.
“One of the Ten Upper Sects, Dark Ghost Sect!”
“Be careful not to be targeted by anyone from Dark Ghost Sect or you’ll definitely live an existence worse than death!”
“There are countless malevolent ghosts and otherworldly soldiers in the Great Qian Ruins. That’s a complete terrain advantage for Dark Ghost Sect.”
The spirit vessels of Dark Ghost Sect steered into the Great Qian Ruins.
Not long after, more battleships arrived.
The first ancestors of the gentry clans were cultivation warriors that conquered deserts. Therefore, their clansmen would travel with ancient chariots.
The Upper Clans were different from the North Region gentry clans.
Most of them traveled using spirit vessels.
“That’s the warship of one of the Ten Upper Sects, Blaze Columbus Valley!”
Raring flames blazed on the newly arrived warships and the clouds in the air were burned scarlet, displaying a dismal beauty.
“I heard that the paragon of Blaze Columbus Valley, Wang Yan, came here previously and was nearly killed!”
“Who could be so strong?”
“I’m not sure. It’s probably the legacy disciple of another Upper Sect. I heard that the paragon of Stellar Luna Sect died. There’s no way Stellar Luna Sect is going to let this go.”
“There’s already three of the Ten Upper Sects here now and I garner the other seven should be arriving soon. Seems like the rumors are for real.”
Needless to think, a great battle would definitely break out in the Great Qian Ruins once the Vermilion Fruit was ripe 15 days later!
At that time, paragons would be drenched in blood and no one knew who would survive the massive storm.
This could be considered as a test.
Only paragons that survive bloodbaths could truly be considered as peerless paragons and leave an unshakable name in the intermediate ancient battlefield 20 years later!
With a stern expression, Mu Dongqing contemplated for a long time before saying slowly, “The situation is getting way too complicated in the Great Qian Ruins.”
“Why do you say that?” Bai Yuhan could tell that he had more to his mind.
Mu Dongqing frowned. “Have you noticed that despite the grand commotion at the Great Qian Ruins, a single Nascent Soul has yet to appear?”
Bai Yuhan nodded – she had noticed this long ago too.
“The Vermilion Fruit doesn’t have much effect for Nascent Souls and they’re probably not attracted by it,” Bai Yuhan deduced.
“While that is true, it’s impossible that none of them appeared at all! That doesn’t make sense!”
“What do you have in mind?”
Mu Dongqing mulled deeply. “I’m guessing that some of the Nascent Souls have already arrived!”
“What do you mean by that?” Bai Yuhan’s eyes widened.
Mu Dongqing replied, “There are too many factions involved in this fight for the Vermilion Fruit. If Nascent Souls interfered, they would definitely destroy the balance. As you’ve mentioned, it’s truly not worth it for Nascent Souls to fight for a single Vermilion Fruit.”
“Therefore, I garner that there’s most probably a silent agreement between the Nascent Souls of the various major factions to not interfere so that the younger generation can take a truly decisive battle to see who could reign supreme among the Golden Core realm!”
“It’s very likely that all the Nascent Souls are hidden and watching to see the outcome of this battle.”
Bai Yuhan frowned and fell into deep thought upon hearing his guess.
...
Underground cave.
A resplendent light shone above the scarlet lava and a faint yellow inner armor hovered in midair beautifully.
On the shore, a demure green-robed cultivator wiped away the sweat on his forehead and heaved a sigh of relief, finally letting off a faint smile.
The green-robed cultivator was none other than Su Zimo.
After entering the underground cave, he merely spent five days repairing the five Black Gold Arrows.
However, it took him 10 days to repair the Mystic Gold Silk Armor!
For the past 15 days, Su Zimo did not rest for a single moment and was tense – he was already at his limits physically and mentally by doing spirit gathering continuously.
However, it was all worth it.
The five Black Gold Arrows and the Mystic Gold Silk Armor were all connate spirit weapons – Su Zimo’s combat strength had just climbed yet another level!
Su Zimo stretched and removed his green robes, preparing to don the Mystic Gold Silk Armor.
However, his actions caused the furry, red ball beside his feet to wake up.
The little fox yawned and pushed against Su Zimo’s thigh with its head and groggy eyes, expressing its displeasure.
Su Zimo smiled.
Over the past 15 days, the little fox had let down its guard towards him entirely.
Initially, this little thing hid and watched him from afar.
When it was tired, it slept and continued watching after it woke up.
After a few days, when the little fox saw that Su Zimo ignored her, she advanced and closed in.
When she realized that she was still not in danger after another day, she closed the distance again.
...
A few days later, the little fox laid down beside Su Zimo’s feet directly.
She used his thighs as her pillow and felt extremely comfortable – she had never had a sleep as good as this for dozens of years.
After waking up, the little fox rubbed her eyes and the first thing she saw was Su Zimo changing his clothes. Instantly, she blushed and grumbled internally, “Everything about this man is good except the fact that he loves to be nude...”
Su Zimo was indifferent and wore the Mystic Gold Silk Armor; it felt cooling on his skin and extremely comfortable.
The Mystic Gold Silk Armor was thin as the wings of cicadas but it was unyielding and could adjust to the figure of any cultivator – it was truly a rare Utmost treasure!
After successfully repairing the connate spirit weapon, Su Zimo was in great spirits and wore his green robes once more. Looking at the little fox beside him, he could not help but reach out and touch her furry body.
Initially, the little fox wanted to dodge by instinct. However, she blinked and stayed where she was, allowing Su Zimo to rub her body gently.
“Little fox,”
Grinning, Su Zimo said with a playful look in his eyes, “Do you know that when you sleep... you snore really loudly?!”
“Damned scholar! How can you say something like that aloud!”
The little fox froze up with an embarrassed expression and turned to Su Zimo’s palm before biting down viciously!
Yelp!
The little fox exclaimed.
Su Zimo’s palm was fine but her teeth nearly cracked as she gasped coldly.
When he saw that, Su Zimo could not help but burst out into laughter.
Pursing her lips and blinking, the little fox’s alluring eyes misted up and bean-sized teardrops rolled around, looking pitiful as if she had suffered great grievances.
Su Zimo put away his smile hurriedly and fondled her forehead, saying with a fake sternness, “But to be honest, your snoring is unlike ordinary snoring. Yes... it’s nicer.”
The little fox bawled and broke out into tears.Chapter 544: Gathering of Nascent Souls
The little fox bawled and lifted the Fire Blocking Basket with her tiny paws, running away in a huff.
Smiling, Su Zimo sat down and laid backwards, using his arms as a pillow for his head. Closing his eyes, a faint demonic glint flickered as he fell into thought.
After crying for a little while, the little fox hid in a corner and drew circles on the ground, grinding her brain juices to insult Su Zimo.
“Stupid scholar, y-you really suck!”
“Stupid scholar, you’re a bad person!”
“You’re even badder than that stupid dead crocodile!”
The little fox spent her entire life in this underground cave and had never seen the outside world or come into contact with anyone. Although she was wary by nature, she was also innocent and naive like a virgin.
The most vicious words she could come up with were to compare Su Zimo as being worse than the crocodile.
Even though she had lived for dozens of years, it was a negligible amount of time compared to the long lifespans of demons and her mind was similar to a human child.
Before long, she was bored.
Turning around, the little fox looked at Su Zimo instinctively.
His eyes were closed and he was motionless except for his ears that were twitching.
“What is he doing?”
The little fox was curious and tiptoed over, completely forgetting that he made fun of her earlier on.
Because her cultivation realm was not high enough, she could not hear the sounds coming from the palace above the cave. However, Su Zimo possessed universal hearing.
Even thousands of feet underground, he could vaguely hear the sounds above in the palace.
The palace had not been peaceful for the past half a month.
Furthermore, the commotion was clearly getting bigger!
All the Golden Core paragons of the North Region might have gathered here with the birth of the Vermilion Fruit!
Although Su Zimo managed to defend against strong foes of the immortal, Buddhist and fiend sects singlehandedly when the Human Emperor’s Palace descended in the ancient battlefield, the current situation was not looking good for him.
At that time, he was a seven meridian Foundation Establishment Cultivator for his immortality cultivation and had attained greater mastery on his Orifice Clearing section for his demonic cultivation. He was almost at the peak and was a single step away from forming a core.
At that time, he was comparable to the paragons of the immortal, Buddhist and fiend sect paragons in terms of cultivation realm.
But now, he was at early-stage Golden Core and had yet to attain lesser mastery of his Inner Core.
The weakest of the paragons that gathered were at late-stage Golden Core and there might even be perfected Golden Cores!
There was a difference of up to three minor realms.
Of course, those three minor realms did not mean much to Su Zimo who had both immortality and demonic cultivation.
He was still confident that he could suppress everyone in a one on one battle.
However, there’s a high chance he might make enemies with all the paragons of the North Region by fighting for the Vermilion Fruit!
At that time, it would be hard to stand victorious against the combined attacks of countless paragons.
He managed to cultivate twin phenomenons and both of them were lost primordial phenomenons.
However, at the end of the day, he only had two.
At that time, there would be hundreds or thousands of Golden Core phenomenons by paragons and that was a destructive power that was unimaginable. He might not be able to handle everything with his spirit energy as an early-stage Golden Core...
Furthermore, there were Golden Core phenomenons stronger than the Soaring Serpent and Divine Turtle as well.
Glass Palace of the nine immortal sects and Malevolent Earth Sect of the seven fiend sects were located in the North Region. If the paragons of those two super sects were to head over, it would definitely be a threat for Su Zimo!
Of course, there was something else he was wary about.
Would any Nascent Souls appear for the appearance of this Vermilion Fruit?
How would things end if Nascent Souls interfered?
Su Zimo’s wild thoughts made his eyelids heavy.
He was truly way too tired and right now, the only thing he wanted was to have a good night’s rest.
His comprehension on weapon refinement had advanced again as he repaired the connate spirit weapons.
“There’s another 15 days left. That’s enough for me to refine a set of 27 supreme-grade flying swords.”
With that thought, Su Zimo drifted into sleep.
The little fox had just arrived beside Su Zimo when she saw that he had fallen asleep. Furthermore, there was a strange sound coming from his nose.
It sounded like tigers, leopards and thunder.
“Humph!”
Pouting, she thought to herself, “How dare this stupid scholar laugh at me when he snores so loudly!”
Even though those were her thoughts, she did not disturb Su Zimo.
She could tell that he was tuckered out.
The sound from Su Zimo’s nose was naturally due to the Marrow Cleansing section.
The breathing and expiration method of the Mystic Classic of the Twelve Demon Kings of the Great Wilderness was already infused in Su Zimo’s marrow and would activate instinctively even if he was asleep.
Body Tempering, Tendons Transformation, Bones Strengthening, Marrow Cleansing, Organs Refinement, Orifice Clearing, Core Formation...
The seven sutras reverberated within his body, forming a cycle.
His rich demonic qi rose and started spreading.
“Eh?”
The little fox watched everything with widened eyes in disbelief.
“Is this scholar a human or demon?”
She could not figure it out at all.
To her shock, she realized that her exposure to the demonic qi that was released from Su Zimo’s cultivation moved her cultivation that had been stagnant for a long time!
“Hehe!”
Delighted, the little fox inched forward again and stuck closely to Su Zimo’s arm before starting to cultivate.
...
There was a big pavilion five kilometers away from Great Qian Ruins.
Unlike the desolate ruins, this place was lush with greenery and willow trees stood in rows, filled with life.
There were four stone tables in the pavilion.
Beside each table sat three to four cultivators in weird attires. Some of them wore robes, some of them wore armor and others wore tight exercise attire...
More than ten people sat by sipping tea idly with relaxed expressions, discussing with soft voices.
Outside the pavilion, there were more than a hundred cultivators waiting.
Standing outside, all of their expressions were much worse as they looked at the people inside the pavilion with deep fear and wariness.
If Mu Dongqing were to see this, he would definitely be shocked.
Be it the ten odd people inside the pavilion or the hundred odd outside, all of them were Nascent Souls!
As he had expected, the Nascent Souls made their moves for the Vermilion Fruit!
In the pavilion, three people sat around one of the stone tables with badges on their waists that stated Murong, Yuwen and Taba!
They were from the four gentry clans!
There were emblems on the waists of the Nascent Souls sitting around the other three stone tables.
Stellar Luna Sect, Blaze Columbus Valley, Heavenly Piercing Sword Sect, Heaven Motion Sect, Seven Kills Sect, Blood Mist Sect, Mystic Firmament Divine Cult, Dragon Tiger Sect and Shadowless Sect...
Those were nine of the Ten Upper Sects other than Dark Ghost Sect!
The Nascent Souls in the pavilion were either from the Ten Upper Sects or the four gentry clans.
As for the Nascent Souls that stood obediently outside the pavilion, they were from ordinary sects and factions as well as some unknown itinerant cultivators.
Among them, the Nascent Souls of the Great Shang and Great Xia Dynasties stood outside as well, not daring to have any opinions.
Earlier on when the Golden Core army of the Great You Dynasty was murdered by the Taba clan, the Nascent Soul of Great You was enraged and wanted to head for the Great Qian Ruins.
However, a Nascent Soul of the Taba clan attacked and killed him in three moves!
Up till now, the blood of the Great You Nascent Soul’s corpse had yet to dry. Laying in front of the pavilion, his body was still warm from his indignant death.
That was not the only corpse around the pavilion.
In the North Region, the combined force of the Ten Upper Sects and four gentry clans was almost absolute!
Chapter 545: Revenge!
“Seems like Dugu of the four gentry clans is not going to send forth any Perfected Lords.”
The Perfected Lord of Stellar Luna Sect sipped his tea and said idly.
“Dugu Jian has an introverted nature and was born from a servant. He doesn’t even carry the bloodline of the Dugu clan in him, it’s only normal that there’s no Perfected Lord coming for him,” The Perfected Lord of the Murong clan said.
“Born from a servant and yet, he managed to climb his way through a gentry clan such as the Dugus to reach where he is now, defeating every other Perfected Being of the same realm. That’s not an easy feat,” The Perfected Lord of the Yuwen clan lamented.
“Humph!”
Heavenly Piercing Sword Sect’s Perfected Lord scoffed with an unfriendly expression, “That lad is cold and heartless. He killed a few of my sect’s geniuses! If that lad manages to get lucky and survive this Vermilion Fruit fight... hehe!”
The Heavenly Piercing Sword Sect Perfected Lord revealed killing intent through his words.
The entire North Region was shaken with the appearance of the Vermilion Fruit.
The Ten Upper Sects and four gentry clans had a silent agreement and sent forth news that Nascent Souls were not allowed to get involved in the fight for the Vermilion Fruit so that the younger generation could fight for it and determine victory themselves!
The reason why the Nascent Souls of the Ten Upper Sects and four gentry clans were here was to prevent accidents and stop other Nascent Souls from entering the Great Qian Ruins.
The fight for the Vermilion Fruit this time round had an extraordinary meaning to it.
Whoever got their hands on the Vermilion Fruit would become the number one Perfected Being of the North Region!
The Ten Upper Sects and four gentry clans joined forces to prevent any Nascent Souls from interfering and breaking that balance.
Therefore, even if Heavenly Piercing Sword Sect wanted to kill Dugu Jian, they would have to wait till the fight for the Vermilion Fruit was over.
The hundreds of Nascent Souls standing outside the pavilion were stopped by the Nascent Souls of the Ten Upper Sects and four gentry sects – anyone that resisted ended up as a corpse on the ground.
For the Vermilion Fruit fight this time round, the Perfected Beings of the younger generation would have to depend on themselves. It was a massive storm and paragons would be drenched in blood to see who would last till the very end!
Suddenly, the sound of robes slicing the air could be heard.
The person that arrived wore blue robes and was extremely fast!
Another Nascent Soul had arrived!
While Nascent Souls may not be tempted by the Vermilion Fruit, the appearance of the underground palace might lead to treasures within.
Built in the middle, the pavilion with hundreds of Nascent Souls gathered around was way too striking.
Glancing over, the blue-robed Perfected Lord’s expression changed and he swerved to the side, wanting to take a detour around the pavilion.
Buzz!
The sound of swords swooshing filled the heavens!
A white streak of sword light flashed from the pavilion like a white divine chain, almost slicing the void into half as it blocked the blue-robed Perfected Lord’s path forward.
“Where are you going, fellow Daoist?”
The voice of the Heavenly Piercing Sword Sect’s Perfected Lord was sinister and shuddering.
“Come over here. No Nascent Souls are allowed into the Great Qian Ruins!” Stellar Luna Sect’s Perfected Lord remarked coldly.
The blue-robed Perfected Lord was rather calm as well and cupped his fists towards everyone with a smile. “I truly did not know of that rule. I’ll leave right now and not disturb you guys.”
“You want to leave after coming here?”
Suddenly, a phantom shrouded by a black mist appeared behind the blue-robed Perfected Lord and devoured him instantly.
“Ah!”
A tragic shriek rang through the air.
After ten breaths, a white skeleton wearing blue robes fell from midair.
The black mist cleared and a scrawny old man revealed his true appearance. With a ghastly aura and a cold gaze, he descended into the pavilion clutching a walking stick.
The Perfected Lord of Dark Ghost Sect had arrived.
As of now, the Perfected Lords of the Ten Upper Sects were represented and there were also Perfected Lords from three of the four gentry clans.
The crowd was no longer surprised at the death of the blue-robed Perfected Lord.
Things quickly returned to normal outside the pavilion and discussions ensued.
“I heard that an Extreme Foundation Establishment Cultivator was born in the North Region?”
“Yes, but there wasn’t any news of him thereafter. He must have been murdered.”
“This is truly a chaotic generation with way too many paragons and monster incarnates. Even the Human Emperor’s Palace appeared! It’s pretty similar to the golden times of the ancient era where multiple emperors rose!”
“Great calamities are bound to accompany great eras. Although we are all Perfected Lords, the road of cultivation is one that is long. Who knows if we can tide through all the calamities.”
...
In the firmaments thousands of kilometers above the pavilion, a sparkling spirit vessel that looked like a precious gem flew over at a rapid speed.
At the bow, a man in a lotus position faced the wind with his black hair swaying gently, revealing an incomparably handsome face. His skin even sparkled slightly and was astonishing.
Sitting at the bow, there was an inexplicable dignity to him. While he was only at Golden Core realm, there was a confidence in his eyes that could suppress everything!
An old man stood behind the handsome man.
“Young master, there’s no need for you to be this serious. Even if all the paragons of the North Region stick together, none of them is a match for you,” While the old man was at Nascent Soul realm, his hands were placed by his side as he said respectfully.
“Yes.”
The handsome man smiled gently. “My opponents will be in the intermediate ancient battlefield 20 years from now. However, the gathering of the North Region’s paragons due to the birth of the Vermilion Fruit makes me want to come forth and explore to see how strong the paragons of this generation are.”
“You’re the number one Perfected Being of the North Region, young master. How could any of those paragons be a match for you?” The old man declared with pride.
“There’s naturally nothing to worry about in a solo fight,”
The handsome man replied idly, “I just want to see if those so-called paragons can stop me from getting my hands on the Vermilion Fruit if they work together! Fufu, that gets my hands itchy.”
There were two other people sitting in the cabin of the spirit vessel.
One of them wore luxurious robes and had a mask on, covering every single bit of exposed skin on his body and merely revealing a pair of vengeful eyes.
In front of that person sat a middle-aged man with pale yellow skin that looked like gold.
“Chunyu, how about staying by my side. Don’t go and fight for that Vermilion Fruit,” The middle-aged man said slowly.
“Don’t worry, grandpa. Senior Brother Xi is the number one Perfected Being of the North Region. I won’t be in any danger following him.”
The voice of the masked-man was hoarse and he sounded terrible, as though he had been through a burn.
“Yes.”
The middle-aged man nodded. “It’s also good for you to go explore and train with him. Take care of your safety. Keep this jade pendant with you, it’s enough to defend against the full-powered attack of a Golden Core!”
The masked man received it and hung it on his waist.
After a moment of silence, the masked man raised his head and snarled, “Grandpa, you’ve got to take revenge for me! I won’t be in this shameful state if not for Su Zimo!”
“Rest assured, he won’t be able to hide for much longer! Glass Palace is the overlord of the North Region. As long as Su Zimo remains in the North Region, I’ll be able to seek him out even if I have to overturn the earth!”
“I’ll make him pay a hundred times more for everything he’s done to you!”
With that said, the middle-aged man’s eyes shone coldly and he released a shuddering, terrifying aura.
Even the old Nascent Soul that stood at the bow was frightened and jerked briefly.
That was the power of a Void Reversion – that was an entire major realm above him!
The middle-aged man continued, “I won’t appear after sending you guys to the Great Qian Ruins. There’s a Great Zhou Dynasty nearby here. At that time, I’ll head over and ask if they’ve got any news of that lad.”
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