Chapter 429: Fourth Layer |
Seeing the newcomer, Chi Lie hurriedly sheathed his blade and retreated, cupping his fists and bowing to the white figure in the air, "Chi Lie of the Blood Leopard Division greets Emissary Xue Li!"
Di Cang also nodded slightly, performing a simple salute, his heart settling somewhat.
The pressure Duanmu Hua gave him was too great.
That Sword Lord Xiao Jiuli, although he hadn't truly made a move yet, merely standing there was like a sharp blade suspended overhead, making one dare not act rashly.
Now that Emissary Xue Li had personally arrived, he felt a sense of relief.
The three Emissaries of Great Snow Mountain were all personally taught by the Holy Master, their strength unfathomable.
With Xue Li here, today's situation might still have a chance to turn around.
Xue Li's expression was indifferent as she stood on air, her gaze sweeping over the devastated battlefield below before finally settling on Duanmu Hua.
"A Great Snow Mountain Emissary?"
Xue Li looked at Duanmu Hua and said coldly, "Such arrogance, not even placing my Great Snow Mountain in your eyes. Lingxiao Upper Sect is merely surviving on borrowed time. Do you truly think you still have the prestige of being first among the Six Great Upper Sects from years past?"
Her tone was extremely haughty, as if stating a simple fact.
Upon hearing this, Duanmu Hua didn't get angry but laughed instead, "Whether this old man is surviving on borrowed time is none of your concern."
He paused, and within the purple qi, mountain range phantoms vaguely appeared.
Xue Li no longer wasted words with him, her gaze turning toward the distant Xiao Jiuli.
Chi Lie had already secretly transmitted a message, informing her about Xiao Jiuli.
"Jiuli City's Sword Lord?"
Xue Li's voice was icy, "What, does your Jiuli City want to oppose my Great Snow Mountain?"
Xiao Jiuli stood in the air, his moon-white long robe fluttering gently in the wind.
He held no sword in his hand, yet his entire being was like an unsheathed divine sword, its edge restrained yet impossible for anyone to ignore.
He raised his eyes, glanced at Xue Li, and said indifferently, "Today, no one can prevent their duel."
"Arrogant!"
Xue Li roared!
This shout was no longer a simple sound, but infused with tremendous True Origin!
"Boom...!"
With her as the center, True Origin rolled out like an avalanche!
A visible white cold tide transformed into a True Origin tidal wave dozens of zhang high, sweeping toward where Xiao Jiuli stood!
Wherever the tide passed, the air froze into ice, the ground condensed into an ice layer over a foot thick, and on the ice layer grew countless sharp ice spikes, each over a zhang long, thick as a child's arm, gleaming with cold light!
This display of power was extremely terrifying!
An ordinary True Origin realm cultivator would probably be frozen into an ice sculpture if merely grazed by this cold tide, body and soul destroyed together!
However, facing this heaven-destroying strike, Xiao Jiuli merely raised his right hand.
His index and middle fingers came together, forming a sword finger gesture.
Toward the sweeping cold tide, he gently traced a line.
"Hiss."
A light sound.
Like a blade slicing through silk.
That terrifying cold tide, dozens of zhang high and over a hundred feet wide, was actually split in two from the middle!
Not scattered by force, not melted by heat, but cut open by sword qi sharp to the extreme!
The cold tide split to the left and right sides, roaring past Xiao Jiuli's flanks, completely freezing the ground for several hundred zhang behind him, yet not harming a corner of his clothes.
Moreover, within three feet beneath his feet, the ground remained as before, not even a single ice crystal had condensed.
One sword, splitting the cold tide.
Simple and effortless, handling great weight as if it were light.
Even Grandmasters like Di Cang and Chi Lie were moved by this scene!
Especially Chi Lie, who felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet straight to his crown.
Not Xue Li's coldness, but fear of Xiao Jiuli's strength!
Though all Grandmasters, there were still differences.
Xue Li's expression changed slightly.
Who was she?
A Great Snow Mountain Emissary, whose position in Great Snow Mountain was second only to the Holy Master and those two special Dharma Kings.
Outside Great Snow Mountain, she was an existence representing the Great Snow Mountain Holy Master's will. Wherever she went, none dared not show respect.
But just now, although she hadn't used her full strength in that strike.
Yet Xiao Jiuli... merely casually traced a line.
The sword Dao realm contained in that sword made even her quite wary.
She no longer tangled with Xiao Jiuli, her gaze shifting to fall upon the Tianbao Upper Sect members.
Di Cang's eyes narrowed as he said in a deep voice, "In my view, let's first capture these Tianbao Upper Sect people."
As soon as Di Cang finished speaking, flames rose again from the crimson long blade in Chi Lie's hand, faintly resonating with the cold ghostly qi churning around Nine Nether Ghost Lord's body, locking down the Tianbao Upper Sect members' retreat.
In the distance, Emissary Xue Li stood quietly in the air. Although she hadn't spoken, the increasingly severe cold was like an invisible cage, completely enveloping this battlefield.
"Attack!" Chi Lie roared violently, his form about to move.
"Whoosh...!"
A piercing whistle suddenly shot forth from deep within the wind and sand in the southeast direction!
Its speed was so fast it exceeded the reaction time of most people present. Even afterimages were difficult to capture, leaving only a cold trajectory tearing through the sky in their perception!
It was a spear ray!
Condensed like substance, dragging fine blood-colored light trails as it flew!
The spear ray's target was neither anyone on the field, but... ten zhang before Di Cang and Chi Lie!
"Boom...!!!"
The spear ray fiercely penetrated the ground, blasting up sand and stones everywhere!
The terrifying force didn't spread outward but explosively erupted downward with extreme restraint, instantly piercing through the desert rock layer at the impact point, forming a pitch-black hole only three feet in diameter yet bottomlessly deep!
Only after the dust settled somewhat did everyone see clearly that what was nailed into the ground was an ancient, unadorned long spear.
The spear shaft was about twelve feet long, neither metal nor iron, with vague blood-colored patterns flowing and flickering. The spear tip had sunk into the rock layer. The exposed portion trembled slightly, emitting a low yet excited humming.
Just looking at it made one's heart palpitate.
"Shadow-Severing Spear?!"
Chi Lie suddenly turned his head toward where the spear ray had come from.
The purple markings on Di Cang's forehead flashed rapidly with light. True Origin surged throughout his body, his vigilance reaching the extreme.
The wind and sand were pushed aside by an invisible force. A figure slowly approached from the southeast direction.
He didn't walk quickly, even somewhat leisurely, his robe corners snapping sharply in the wind.
It was none other than Taiyi Upper Sect Elder, Feng Shuofang.
He walked to beside the Shadow-Severing Spear but didn't immediately pull out the spear, only standing with hands behind his back, "This place is not Jinting."
Broken earthen walls whimpered in the wind. The yellow sand filling the sky, stirred into chaos by the Grandmasters' auras just now, was slowly settling again.
However, that tense killing intent in the air hadn't weakened due to Feng Shuofang's arrival. Instead, it added a few more points of eeriness.
In this small town, for a time, clouds gathered from all directions, Grandmasters assembled.
Di Cang's brows knotted into a lump.
He hadn't expected Taiyi Upper Sect to make a move, and at this critical juncture, the one acting was actually Feng Shuofang!
One must know that Feng Shuofang and Luo Zhixian were both spear Dao Grandmasters. Apart from sect grudges, the two had also privately formed enmity. Although they hadn't truly fought to the death in nearly a hundred years, their relationship was absolutely not harmonious. Open and covert competition had never ceased.
At this moment, with Feng Shuofang inserting himself, was he friend or foe?
The purple markings on Di Cang's forehead flickered uncertainly as he rapidly calculated in his heart.
Taiyi Upper Sect guarded the northern border, confronting Jinting for hundreds of years. With Feng Shuofang as a Taiyi Elder appearing at this moment, his position had already become subtle.
Nine Nether Ghost Lord's body beneath the black robe tensed slightly.
His eyes, hidden in the hood's shadow, swept over everyone on the field.
Luo Zhixian and Li Qingyu, two peak Grandmasters engaged in a duel.
Duanmu Hua and Xiao Jiuli, two top experts who had clearly sided with Tianbao Upper Sect.
Great Snow Mountain Emissary Xue Li, Di Cang and Chi Lie, two Jinting Grand Lords.
Add the just-appeared Taiyi Upper Sect's Feng Shuofang...
This small Crimson Sand Town had actually gathered several Grandmaster-level experts!
Nine Nether Ghost Lord's heart generated a trace of retreating intent.
Had he known today would be such a situation, he certainly wouldn't have easily stepped into this game.
So many Grandmasters, so many forces, relationships intricate and complex, interests entangled and difficult to resolve.
Even though he was the Ghost Witch Sect Ghost Gate's "Lamp Guardian," with formidable strength, in such a chaotic situation, it would be difficult to guarantee he wouldn't become a target for all, with the risk of being crushed to death.
The Ghost Witch Sect's collusion with Jinting was merely an exchange of interests, far from life-and-death companionship.
For an assassination that might not succeed, putting himself in such a dangerous situation wasn't worth it.
"Leave."
Nine Nether Ghost Lord's mind was set. The black ghostly qi swirling around his body quietly retracted inward. The shadow beneath his feet slightly squirmed, ready to employ escape techniques to depart at any moment.
However, the instant his qi mechanism changed!
"Where is Ghost Lord going?"
Xiao Jiuli's voice sounded indifferently.
At some unknown point, this Jiuli City Sword Lord's gaze had already fallen upon him.
"Sword Lord jests." Nine Nether Ghost Lord laughed dryly and said, "This master is merely stretching my muscles and bones."
"Best if that's so."
Xiao Jiuli withdrew his gaze, redirecting it toward the distant Luo Zhixian and Li Qingyu.
His meaning was self-evident.
At this time, the battlefield center had already presented white-hot intensity.
Luo Zhixian and Li Qingyu had just exchanged three moves.
The instant spear and sword collided, the red flush on Li Qingyu's face flashed once, then was forcibly suppressed.
Luo Zhixian borrowed the force to float backward, his form tracing an arc in the air, steadily landing on a protruding massive rock.
His Meteor Star Spear swung again!
This swing was no longer the previous agile swiftness, but heavy as a mountain.
The spear shaft cut through the air, emitting a dull roar, as if it wasn't a spear but a massive stone pillar being swung.
The air was compressed and exploded, emitting crackling bursts!
The True Martial Great Emperor phantom behind Li Qingyu solidified again.
This time, the phantom was twenty zhang tall. The profound yellow qi on the emperor's robe had almost materialized, emanating brilliant pressure that suppressed heaven and earth.
The massive sword condensed from sword intent in the phantom's hand ruthlessly chopped down!
"Boom...!!!"
True Origin collided, shockwaves exploded!
The yellow sand filling the sky was stirred by this terrifying force, transforming into a sand tornado over ten zhang in diameter that shot skyward!
At the tornado's center, Luo Zhixian and Li Qingyu's figures were intermittently visible.
"Junior Brother."
Li Qingyu's voice penetrated the wind and sand.
His tone was calm yet carried a condescending air, "You must remember, Senior Brother will always be your senior brother. When I was present, I was the insurmountable mountain before you. After I left, I still am."
His existence, Li Qingyu's, would also forever be a thorn in Luo Zhixian's heart, in Tianbao Upper Sect's heart.
Luo Zhixian didn't speak.
He drew a deep breath. The True Origin throughout his body erupted thunderously!
The massive rock beneath his feet cracked inch by inch, shattered stones flying.
The next moment, his entire being transformed into a bolt of thunder, charging fiercely toward Li Qingyu!
This time, no more probing, no more entanglement.
"Is Old Ghost Luo going to stake his life?"
Feng Shuofang said in a low voice.
The resolute aura emanating from Luo Zhixian at this moment clearly showed he intended to stake his life!
"This is?"
Duanmu Hua's brows locked tightly. He felt an inexplicable heart palpitation.
The Purple Firmament True Scripture he cultivated was extremely sensitive to changes in heaven and earth's qi mechanism. At this moment, he clearly sensed that with Luo Zhixian as the center, the heaven and earth elemental qi within a radius of several hundred zhang was frantically gathering!
It was a kind of... throbbing as if about to break through some kind of boundary!
Chen Qing's gaze was fixed deadly on his master's back.
The Meteor Star Spear in Luo Zhixian's hand seemed to disappear at this moment.
No, it didn't disappear.
Rather, spear and person, and thunder, and this heaven and earth, had merged into one.
In Chen Qing's eyes reflected a scene he would never forget for his entire life.
What Luo Zhixian gripped in his hand was no longer a spear.
But thunder.
Heavenly thunder.
It was... tribulation.
"This!?"
Di Cang's expression was shocked as he exclaimed in a low voice.
For something to make even a Grandmaster like him react with such loss of composure, the scene before his eyes must be extraordinary!
"Fourth Layer Spear Domain!?"
Duanmu Hua also drew a sharp breath, his eyes full of disbelief.
Spear Domain was the unique domain formed when a spear Dao Grandmaster merged their own spear intent with heaven and earth's elemental qi.
First Layer: Using spear intent to initially mobilize heaven and earth's elemental qi, forming a force field centered on oneself, with a range of about ten to thirty zhang, capable of suppressing opponents' True Origin circulation and delaying their movements.
Second Layer: Spear intent and heaven and earth's elemental qi initially merge, range between thirty to sixty zhang.
Third Layer: Spear intent deeply merges with divine soul and qi blood, sixty to a hundred zhang.
Fourth Layer: Spear intent resonates with heaven and earth, can mobilize heaven and earth's might, range reaching over a hundred zhang.
From Third Layer to Fourth Layer meant the spear domain's sublimation once again. One spear out could mobilize heaven and earth's might!
Luo Zhixian had actually reached the Fourth Layer Spear Domain!?
All the Grandmasters present now ceased hostilities, watching ahead with their full attention.
Xue Li's gaze was profound, her expression changing slightly.
Xiao Jiuli's eyes were also extremely grave as he said in a low voice, "It's over."
He paused, his tone carrying a trace of complex admiration, "Luo Zhixian... truly hasn't disappointed me."
At the battlefield's center.
Luo Zhixian swung his long spear, the spear tip pointing remotely at Li Qingyu.
His voice was calm yet penetrated the wind and sand, clearly transmitting into everyone's ears, "You're wrong."
"In my eyes, you were never a mountain."
The instant his words fell, the aura around Luo Zhixian climbed to its peak!
The Fourth Layer Spear Domain completely unfurled!
Luo Zhixian stood holding his spear. The spear shaft was covered with thunder, but that thunder was no longer purple. Instead, it had transformed into dark gold, as if tribulation lightning from the ninth heaven!
"For this day, a hundred years sharpening one spear."
Luo Zhixian murmured softly, as if speaking to himself, yet also as if speaking to his master from two hundred years ago.
The next moment...
"Roar...!!!"
A stirring dragon's roar erupted from within the spear shaft!
It wasn't a true dragon's roar, but the sound of heaven and earth mobilized by the resonance of spear intent and thunder!
Luo Zhixian thrust out one spear.
This spear had no fancy flourishes, no variations.
Just a straight thrust.
However, the instant this spear thrust out, the entire heaven and earth seemed to dim for a moment.
All light, all sound, all breath, were devoured by this spear.
Where the spear tip pointed, space twisted and collapsed, forming a visible black trajectory!
That was... a sign of space being torn apart!
Li Qingyu, at the center of the spear's force, was now shocked and pale!
"Fourth Layer Spear Domain!?"
He couldn't believe it.
That junior brother from back then who was silent and taciturn in the sect, who only knew to bury his head in spear practice, that junior brother who was left far behind by him, had actually stepped into the Fourth Layer Spear Domain!
This was no longer merely a breakthrough in realm, but a sublimation of the spear Dao's essence!
The momentum of that long spear traversing over, like heavenly might descending, peerless, shaking all directions!
Li Qingyu felt the threat of death.
He no longer dared hold back the slightest bit.
The martial Dao Golden Core within his body spun madly. Tremendous True Origin like a breached flood, surged forth!
The True Martial Demon-Quelling Sword Formation arose instantly!
This time, no longer the previous eighteen sword qi.
But thirty-six!
Thirty-six black ice giant swords condensed from the void, each ten zhang long. On the sword bodies, profound yellow qi and icy cold sword intent intertwined, emanating suffocating pressure.
"Merge!"
Li Qingyu's sword finger directed.
The thirty-six giant swords suddenly merged into one, transforming into a towering ice sword thirty zhang long and over three zhang wide!
On the sword body, the phantom of the True Martial Great Emperor treading on turtle and serpent was vaguely visible.
This sword condensed Li Qingyu's lifetime of cultivation, condensed his two hundred years of sword Dao comprehension, and moreover condensed... the crystallization of his hundred years of bitter cultivation at Great Snow Mountain!
The ice sword fell.
No earth-shattering momentum, no brilliant dazzling radiance.
Only a chill pure to the extreme.
This sword was named Annihilation.
Spear and sword finally collided.
There was no imagined explosion.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Everyone's gaze was fixedly staring at the collision's center.
Chen Qing held his breath, fists clenched tight, fingernails digging deep into his palms.
Li Yujun's lips were pressed tight, her eyes full of tension and anticipation.
Feng Shuofang, Duanmu Hua, Xiao Jiuli, Xue Li, Di Cang, Chi Lie, Nine Nether Ghost Lord... all the Grandmasters were now completely focused.
They knew that this strike would decide today's situation's final direction.
It would also decide... the life and death of two peak Grandmasters.
"Hiss."
A light sound.
Like the sound of a blade piercing flesh.
Immediately following, a crisp shattering sound echoed through heaven and earth.
"Crack!"
Following the sound, through the yellow sand filling the sky, Luo Zhixian's long spear had already pierced into Li Qingyu's lower abdomen.
The spear tip penetrated skin and flesh, pierced through the dantian, and finally... struck upon that martial Dao Golden Core brilliant as a star.
That "crack" sound was precisely the sound of the Golden Core shattering.
Li Qingyu's face was full of astonishment.
He lowered his head, looking at the long spear embedded in his abdomen. Fresh blood slowly dripped down his robe onto the sandy ground.
He slowly raised his head, looking toward Luo Zhixian.
That face, familiar yet strange.
Two hundred years ago, they had been senior and junior brothers, had practiced martial arts together, had grown together.
Two hundred years later, they were mortal enemies who wouldn't rest until the other died.
"You..."
Li Qingyu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but only coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.
His aura declined at a visible rate.
Golden core shattered, martial Dao foundation destroyed.
Even if he didn't die today, he would completely become a cripple.
"We won!"
Chen Qing clenched his fists, indescribable excitement surging in his heart.
Yes, with Master having laid plans for so long, prepared so thoroughly, how could he not have absolute confidence and certainty of victory?
A hundred years sharpening one spear.
This spear had finally settled the grudge.
"Senior Brother..."
Li Yujun's heart shook tremendously, her eyes slightly warm.
Two hundred years.
Master's revenge, the sect's shame, today finally repaid.
Luo Zhixian had done it.
He had truly done it.
Feng Shuofang's heart was also tremendously shaken.
"Fourth Layer Spear Domain... Old Ghost Luo..."
He murmured in a low voice, a trace of complexity flashing through his eyes.
He knew that from today onward, his comparison with Luo Zhixian had ended. He had lost.
Whether in disciples, Chen Qing's talent and achievements had far surpassed any of his successors.
Or in personal strength, Luo Zhixian was now the undisputed first spear of Yan Kingdom.
The indisputable first.
Di Cang, Nine Nether Ghost Lord, Chi Lie, and others all had rather ugly expressions.
No one had expected that this internal conflict of Tianbao Upper Sect would conclude with such an ending.
Fourth Layer Spear Domain.
What kind of concept was this?
Among contemporary Grandmasters, those who could compare with him numbered no more than three.
And those who could surpass him... probably only those existences who had completely transcended Grandmaster boundaries and stepped into higher realms.
Although Luo Zhixian hadn't yet truly taken that step, he already had the qualification to contend for the peak.
Great Snow Mountain's losses this time were severe.
Not only had they failed to capture or kill Tianbao Upper Sect's key figures, they had instead lost Li Qingyu, this important chess piece.
A chill suddenly rose in Di Cang's heart.
After today, between Tianbao Upper Sect and Jinting, there would probably be no room for reconciliation.
"Something's wrong."
Duanmu Hua suddenly frowned and said in a low voice.
The Purple Firmament Heaven Refining Scripture he cultivated had a natural sensitivity to evil spirits and malevolent qi.
At this moment, he clearly sensed that from Li Qingyu's body, a cold aura was slowly awakening.
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