Chapter 846: Let me fight one last time! |
"Crack, crack, crack..."
The fissure grew larger and larger, and after a long while, two figures emerged from it.
The person at the forefront wore a crimson robe, his demeanor aged, with a red flame mark at the center of his brow, and his eyes gleaming with brilliance. He was none other than the one who had descended to the mortal world before, Elder Mo, Mo Xingtian!
Standing behind Mo Xingtian was a stranger.
This man wore a purple robe, exuding a calm demeanor, standing tall with eyes glowing green, and not a trace of aura fluctuation around him. A large "Jiang" character was engraved on the jade pendant at his waist.
He was Jiang Bufan, a deacon of the Jiang family!
Crimson robes for the family servants, purple robes for the deacons. Originally, such an important task would not have fallen to Jiang Bufan, but he possessed a unique trait.
—He was not originally from the Jiang family but a cultivator who ascended from the mortal realm.
Cultivators from the mortal realm naturally had an affinity with the laws of the mortal realm and were less suppressed by them, making them more suitable for descending to the mortal world to carry out tasks. This was how Jiang Bufan got his chance.
They flew for half a year until they broke free from the Spirit Realm's gravitational constraints, then stopped and took out a void warship.
"Mo Xingtian, now can you tell me what the mission is?"
Jiang Bufan said in a deep voice, "You better not say that after all our efforts and preparations, including the Five Elemental Heavenly Corpse, it's just for revenge."
His mission was to seek vengeance, but if it was merely to avenge Jiang Liuyu, why such thorough preparations? Why use the Five Elemental Heavenly Corpse, a treasure even the Jiang family elders were reluctant to use, against mere mortal ants?
And that was just one part; Mo Xingtian hadn't revealed everything.
Mo Xingtian said nothing, only took out a spatial seal, and with a gentle grip, the seal rapidly expanded, enveloping the space around them.
"A domain field?"
Jiang Bufan was shocked.
A domain field was an ability only those in the Great Ascension Stage could master, capable of creating a special domain that ignored the laws of heaven, making them the rulers of heaven and earth within it.
The appearance of a domain field could only mean that the one giving the orders was beyond the Jiang family elders, a figure of the Jiang family's ancestor level. In the Jiang family, such figures were the pinnacle, without equal!
Jiang Bufan had underestimated the importance of this mission.
Fortunately, he was quite composed and calmed down, saying, "Now you can speak."
Mo Xingtian said in a deep voice, "This matter involves one of the top three heavenly treasures, so the Jiang family must be cautious."
As soon as Mo Xingtian spoke, Jiang Bufan's pupils contracted.
The list of heavenly treasures... the top three?
Mo Xingtian continued, "The Seventh Ancestor discovered a cauldron in the mortal realm, ranked third on the list of heavenly treasures, the Demon God Cauldron!"
"In ancient times, the dragon clan also called it the Ancestral Dragon Cauldron."
"During the ancient era, this cauldron was ranked second, but after its owner perished and it went missing, it fell to the third position after countless ages."
"Our descent to the mortal realm this time is for this treasure!"
Originally, Mo Xingtian had no right to know these secrets; it was only after being personally summoned by the Seventh Ancestor that he learned of the matter's significance.
"The Demon God Cauldron, third on the list of heavenly treasures!"
Even with Jiang Bufan's temperament, upon hearing this news, he couldn't help but hold his breath.
He only knew that the Jiang family's treasured artifact was ranked eleventh on the list, the Fengming Mountain.
Just the eleventh rank allowed the Jiang family to stand in the Spirit Realm for tens of thousands of years, becoming one of the five ancient families.
The top ten could elevate any force to the pinnacle of the Spirit Realm, let alone the third rank! Such an existence was unimaginable!
If word got out, the entire Spirit Realm would be alarmed, and everyone would come swarming.
"No wonder it's done so secretly!" Jiang Bufan suddenly understood.
Those descending from the Spirit Realm would be recorded by the Flying Spirit Platform. If too many experts were dispatched, it would arouse suspicion from the platform.
The Jiang family wasn't afraid of mortals but feared competitors from the Spirit Realm.
Having Jiang Bufan take the lead wouldn't raise suspicion and would ensure the task was completed smoothly, striking a perfect balance.
"The Flying Spirit Platform only thinks we're going for revenge, so let's do it cleanly and leave no traces."
"As for those treasures, use them only if necessary. But to ensure success in seizing the Demon God Cauldron, the Five Elemental Heavenly Corpse must be deployed, along with the suppression of the Fengming Stone, to guarantee success!"
After experiencing this, Elder Mo had become more composed.
If they could seize the Demon God Cauldron, not only would he be free of guilt, but he would also receive unprecedented rewards, elevating him to the rank of elder and granting him the prestigious "Jiang" surname.
Jiang Bufan was not originally surnamed Jiang; he served as a family servant for thousands of years, achieved great merit, and was granted the "Jiang" surname, transforming from an ascended cultivator to a member of the Jiang family.
"I understand."
Jiang Bufan realized this was his opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime chance!
The two retracted the domain field, piloting the void warship, traversing the void at the fastest speed, heading towards the direction of the Seven Stars in the mortal realm.
Shortly after the warship departed.
A shadowy disc-shaped object flashed past from behind, following them from a distance.
…………
"Cultivators refine essence into Qi, refine Qi into spirit, refine spirit to return to the void, and refine the void to merge with the Dao..."
Xu Hei sat cross-legged at the exit of the outer battlefield, pressing a jade slip to his brow, quickly absorbing its contents.
These contents were naturally learned from Lotus True Monarch.
Xu Hei's opponents were not only mortal cultivators but possibly powerful beings from the Spirit Realm, so he sought knowledge about the Spirit Realm.
Xu Hei recorded all this valuable information in jade slips.
"The stronger one's cultivation, the greater the suppression by the laws. The Flying Spirit Platform won't allow overly powerful cultivators to descend, so those who descend are at most at the Great Perfection of the Void Shattering Stage."
"Above Void Shattering is the Integration Realm. Such cultivators are rare even in the Spirit Realm, mostly ancestors of great families or core figures of sects."
"And above Integration is the Great Ascension Stage! Throughout the Spirit Realm, Great Ascension cultivators stand at the pinnacle, as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns."
Xu Hei finished absorbing the information from the jade slip.
The path of cultivation is like climbing a heavenly ladder, endless and never-ending.
"Qi Refining!"
Xu Hei took a deep breath, and the True Qi within him swirled like a young dragon, circulating through his body and gathering in his abdomen.
In front of him, a pillar rose from the ground, reaching a height of three meters!
"Foundation Establishment!"
Xu Hei shouted again, and the True Qi in his abdomen condensed into a liquid form, flowing throughout his body like a gentle stream.
The pillar in front of him rapidly rose, like his ascending cultivation, surpassing thirty meters!
"Core Formation!"
"Elemental Infant!"
"Divine Transformation!"
With a thought, Xu Hei's liquid True Essence solidified, forming a Golden Core. Then it transformed into an Elemental Infant, and finally into a primordial spirit.
The height of the pillar reached a hundred meters, a thousand meters, ten thousand meters.
The pillar that supported the heavens stood tall, representing Xu Hei's path of cultivation, his lifelong insights, and the new Divine Ability he created after comprehending various Divine Abilities!
"Void Shattering!"
With Xu Hei's final shout, the pillar's height continued to rise, stopping at ninety-nine thousand nine hundred meters.
This was also Xu Hei's current cultivation level.
Great Perfection of the Divine Transformation Stage!
"Boom!!"
The pillar, bearing Xu Hei's lifelong cultivation, toppled down, tearing the heavens and devastating the earth, creating a ninety-thousand-meter abyss in the soil of the Northern Cold Region.
After many years, Xu Hei finally had a new Divine Ability!
"This move is called... Heaven's Fall."
Xu Hei exhaled, his eyes flashing with sharp brilliance.
In the sky, a crack gradually appeared, opening a path to the outside world, the exit of the outer battlefield.
It opened once every ten years, and Xu Hei had finally waited for it.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
In the distance, several figures sped towards him.
Besides Hai Teng and Han Te, there was also a Divine Transformation cultivator, Gongsun Bo.
This man was from Heavenly Sand Star, and after the destruction of his home, he went into hiding in the outer battlefield. It wasn't until Xu Hei's clearing operation that he emerged, providing Xu Hei with many clues and helping significantly.
Gongsun Bo didn't hide out of cowardice; rather, he was the last cultivator of Heavenly Sand Star.
The rest of the Heavenly Sand Star people, Luo Gang, Wang Xiu... all had perished.
All the sect inheritances of Heavenly Sand Star rested on him alone.
Such immense pressure forced even a fearless gambler like him to tread carefully.
If he died, everything would be lost.
"Brother Gongsun, have you thought it through? Going out this time is a nine-death journey. Staying in the outer battlefield at least guarantees your safety," Xu Hei said calmly.
Gongsun Bo laughed, "I'm a gambler, but this time, the stakes are a bit high."
He looked at the exit of the outer battlefield and said, "I'm betting on myself, on my brothers, and on the future of Heavenly Sand Star."
…………
Divine Continent Star.
In the main hall of the Divine Puppet Sect.
Five years ago, there were over a hundred cultivators; now, only thirty remained.
Sect Master Daoist Sparrow, Grand Elder Night Owl, Grand Elders Liu Yunjing, Wang Yimao, Qin Hao. Core disciples Xiao Chou, Wang Ding...
External allies Yu Huang, Shi Lan...
Those who survived were all people of great fortune and destiny.
Some broke through in battle, some unleashed incredible potential at the brink of death, and some repeatedly escaped danger.
However, even if they could break through, they no longer had enough spirit stones.
Xiao Chou and Wang Ding both had the ability to reach the Divine Transformation stage, but lacking spirit stones, they were forced to remain at the Elemental Infant stage.
"How many spirit stones do we have left?" Night Owl asked.
"One hundred and three Supreme Spirit Stones, thirty-three thousand top-grade spirit stones. At the current rate of consumption, we can last at most another year."
Daoist Sparrow said slowly, "As for pills, we have none left."
"......"
The hall fell into a long silence.
The battle had reached this point, and everyone had contributed their resources, pooling them together for Daoist Sparrow to manage and distribute.
Because everyone had given their all and resources were allocated reasonably, they had managed to hold on until now.
Wang Ding's face was pale, and a hint of black aura emanated from his brow.
He calculated with his fingers, and his expression darkened.
"So, I already have the aura of death?"
The aura of death meant life was nearing its end. According to the current calculations, the next battle would be his last.
"Reversing fate too many times comes with a price."
Wang Ding sighed.
He had repeatedly helped his sect companions rewrite fate, saving them with paper substitutes at the brink of death. Though he saved their lives, he was also depleting his own lifespan.
There was no such thing as luck without cost. It was partly due to the hardiness of his companions' fates and partly due to his forced interventions.
But now, he had reached his limit.
He had the aura of death, his end was near, and he could no longer save his comrades in times of crisis.
Everything would have to rely on themselves.
"Master, what would you do?" he thought of Tian Jizi.
Tian Jizi, who cultivated the Dao of fate, believed people should follow the trajectory of fate, and forcibly reversing it would bring disaster and backlash, leading to eternal damnation.
In essence, respect others' fates and do not interfere.
But Wang Ding simply couldn't do it.
"Boom!!"
Suddenly, a loud noise came from the sect's formation,
Followed by the howling of the yin wind, the whistling of sword light, and various attacks descending, striking the formation, causing the entire Divine Puppet Sect to tremble.
The formation, already riddled with cracks, became even more precarious, like weathered glass, with cracks rapidly spreading.
No words were needed!
Everyone rushed out of the main hall, heading to the mountain gate, sitting at the core of the protective formation.
This action had been repeated thousands of times, ingrained in their minds.
"Drink!"
With a shout from Daoist Sparrow, ten more Supreme Spirit Stones were injected into the formation, and the nearly shattered formation healed once more.
"It's an alliance attack from the Ancient Tomb Sect and Tianhen Sword Sect!"
The crowd looked at the numerous figures outside the mountain gate, their expressions turning grim.
Outside the gate, the army of Tianhen Sword Sect was positioned to the west, sword Qi crisscrossing, the sky filled with the light of flying swords, each sword carrying a figure.
At the forefront were Li Changge and Lin Ya, two sword cultivators at the Great Perfection of the Divine Transformation Stage.
The ghost cultivators of the Ancient Tomb Sect were positioned to the east, standing on a cloud of ghostly energy, adorned with soul banners. Looking out, the sky was filled with ghostly shadows, the yin wind howling, and malevolent energy soaring.
At the forefront were also two at the Great Perfection of the Divine Transformation Stage, Wei Wudao and Ji Qing.
This wave of attack, whether from Tianhen Sword Sect or Ancient Tomb Sect, had deployed their ace forces, two peak Divine Transformation cultivators.
The number of participating cultivators exceeded a thousand, with numerous magical treasures and formations everywhere, making it the strongest assault in three years.
"Everyone, it seems we're in for another fierce battle!" Night Owl said.
"This formation is nothing special," Yu Huang sneered.
"Even if I die, I'll take a hundred of them with me!" Wang Yimao gritted his teeth.
"That woman is mine!" Xiao Chou pointed at an enemy.
The cultivators were united, showing no fear of death.
They had seen such grand scenes too many times, and each great battle had claimed lives, leaving them fearless.
Wang Ding's gaze swept over everyone, and he touched his brow, where the aura of death grew even stronger.
"Master, I still don't have your level of enlightenment. Let me fight one last time!"