Chapter 1218: Art of Cloning
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
“Tsk tsk!” Zhang Xuan clicked his tongue as he covered his eyes with his hands.
It was so gruesome that he could not even bring himself to look at it.
It was true that the Glacier Rain Sword had followed him for many years, but now that it had been sullied by the other party in such a horrendous manner, how was he supposed to bring himself to use it in the future?
Just thinking about the stench on it was enough to make him cringe.
His poor Glacier Rain Sword… Hopefully that poor sword will be able to walk out of its mental trauma from this incident one day!
While Zhang Xuan was pitying his weapon, the Qingtian Emperor felt as if he was going mad.
He was an Emperor of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, an incredibly n.o.ble and authoritative existence. In the first place, it was already humiliating that someone like him would have to personally deal with an Embryonic Soul realm brat, but to think that the brat would even pop his cherry at that!
To make things worse, the cauldron above him was still shaking its ma.s.sive bottom right above his face, as if trying to find a more comfortable position on his face to rest. An indescribable feeling of humiliation consumed his mind, pus.h.i.+ng him toward the abyss of madness.
“All of you must die!” Roaring furiously, the Qingtian Emperor drove his Zhenqi of Slaughter at full strength.
Sou!
The sword that was lodged up his bottom was sent flying, and the ma.s.sive cauldron was knocked off his face as well.
“Master, he’s really powerful!” Seeing how the other party was actually able to knock it off and singe its bottom red, the Golden Origin Cauldron eyed the Qingtian Emperor warily.
“He’s indeed powerful,” Zhang Xuan remarked grimly.
He had already known that it would be hard for him to deal with the Qingtian Emperor with his current strength. The Golden Origin Cauldron was at Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage as well, and while it possessed sufficient strength to fend off the Qingtian Emperor, it was not strong enough to kill the latter. Additionally, he did not want to expose Vicious’ existence yet.
As such, he had slowly made preparations to lure the Qingtian Emperor into his trap so as to launch a decisive two-p.r.o.nged attack against the latter.
He had thought that it would at least be able to incapacitate the Qingtian Emperor even if it was not sufficient to kill the latter, but who would have thought that the latter would actually be able to force the Glacier Rain Sword out with his zhenqi!
As expected of the Emperor of the Qingtian Lineage, even his cherry was made of steel. Admirable indeed.
Huala!
At this moment, the Qingtian Emperor suddenly roared furiously, and all of a sudden, his body began growing bigger and bigger, as if he had eaten some kind of growth stimulant. In the blink of an eye, he had already grown to three-meters tall.
Seeing the sight before him, Zhang Xuan blinked his eyes in a daze.
What was the point of growing so big?
With too large a physique, one’s flexibility and agility would face a steep decline. Furthermore, there would also be a larger surface area for an enemy to strike. Thus, no cultivator would enlarge their size in battle unless there was a compelling reason to do so.
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed as if the Qingtian Emperor was only putting himself in a disadvantageous situation.
“Ah?”
While Zhang Xuan was still confused by what the Qingtian Emperor was up to, the latter suddenly used his right hand to grab his left hand and pulled forcefully.
Si la!
To Zhang Xuan’s horror, the Qingtian Emperor split in two!
This… Is he committing suicide because he is unable to face the humiliation of being deflowered? Zhang Xuan widened his eyes.
Zhang Xuan was not the only one bewildered by the current situation. The Golden Origin Cauldron was also flabbergasted.
At the same time, the Glacier Rain Sword stopped its retching as it stared at the Qingtian Emperor as if it had seen a ghost.
If anyone should commit suicide, the sword should have been the first one to do so!
Sullied by the other party, it felt dirty from head to toe. Just the thought of what had happened earlier was enough to send its stomach, if it had one, churning in disgust.
But did it cry?
Did it cause a fuss?
No!
A person should live strong in this world—don’t seek the end so easily!
Ahem, this applied to weapons as well, of course.
Even when it was put through such agony, it still gritted its teeth and bore with it, believing that there would be a brighter future ahead. But as the Emperor of the Qingtian Lineage, why was the Qingtian Emperor so weak-minded?
To actually tear himself apart over something like this… He sure was vicious to himself! Was this some kind of custom among the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe?
While the human and the two artifacts were staring at the sight dumbstruck, Vicious’ voice suddenly sounded in Zhang Xuan’s head. “Master, he’s not bleeding! I think he has used some kind of secret art, so be careful!”
“Secret art?” Zhang Xuan frowned.
“Un. My memory is still in tatters, so I can’t really remember clearly at this point, but from the looks of it… it seems like resemble a secret art exclusive to the Emperors of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe!” Vicious said.
“By bearing with the overwhelming pain from tearing oneself into two, that secret art allows one to divide oneself into two! Once it is successfully executed, it will effectively double one’s fighting prowess! However, there is a limited duration to how long the secret art can be sustained for, and once that duration is over, one’s cultivation will fall steeply. Most likely, the Qingtian Emperor realized that he couldn’t kill you, so he decided to go all out by using this secret art!”
“Divide oneself into two? There’s actually such a convenient secret art in the world?” Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in disbelief.
Just one Qingtian Emperor had nearly cornered him. Once the other party successfully cloned himself, wouldn’t he be in deep trouble?
More importantly, the fighting prowess commanded by two Qingtian Emperors was not as easy as one plus one. Both Qingtian Emperors would share the same thoughts, allowing them to collaborate with perfect synergy. Without a doubt, they would be a far more difficult opponent to deal with than the Crimson Emerald Duplet Swordsmans.h.i.+p.
“Golden Origin Cauldron and Glacier Rain Sword, hurry up and stop that fellow!” Zhang Xuan roared as he dashed forward without any hesitation.
If he faced two Qingtian Emperors there simultaneously, he really might lose his life! He had to stop the division of the Qingtian Emperor at all costs!
Huala!
Before Zhang Xuan could arrive, his saber qi was already fast on its way toward the two halves of the Qingtian Emperor.
Using his palm as a saber, he intended to sever the latter’s head before he could do anything.
At the same time, the Golden Origin Cauldron and the Glacier Rain Sword had also rushed up to the Qingtian Emperor to launch their most powerful attacks.
But before any of the attacks could reach, the two halves of the Qingtian Emperor suddenly squirmed uncontrollably, and in the blink of an eye, each of the two halves grew their other half, forming two complete, identical individuals.
Peng!
One of the Qingtian Emperors stopped Zhang Xuan saber qi with ease while the other one charged forward to smack him away, flinging him forcefully toward the wall. Zhang Xuan’s face reddened, and fresh blood spewed from his mouth.
Peng peng peng!
Zhang Xuan quickly drove his Heaven’s Path zhenqi to alleviate his injuries. When he raised his head once more, he saw that the Golden Origin Cauldron and the Glacier Rain Sword had been sent flying as well. One created a ma.s.sive depression in the ground whereas the other one ended up being deeply lodged in the wall once more.
As expected, the combined fighting prowess of the two Qingtian Emperors was indeed fearsome. Even though the Golden Origin Cauldron was a Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage expert as well, it still ended up being subdued in a single move.
“To have forced me to use this move, you can rest in peace now!”
The simultaneous speaking of the two identical Qingtian Emperors had a bizarrely unnerving feeling to it. The two Qingtian Emperors glared at Zhang Xuan coldly, dying to tear the young man into pieces.
They had guarded their cherry fervently for so many years, and yet, the young man had actually popped it so casually. Just this alone was sufficient to make them lose their rationality.
“You… Which one is the clone, and which one is the main body?” Zhang Xuan asked warily as he prepared himself to dodge the attacks from the Qingtian Emperors.
Even though it might have appeared to be an equal split, considering that one of them would disappear after some time, there was bound to be a main body and a clone among them.
“I’ll tell you by your grave!” the two Qingtian Emperors roared as they charged forward.
Huala!
In an instant, it felt as if the air in the hall had been replaced with killing intent, making every move that Zhang Xuan wanted to make incredibly difficult.
“Block him!” Zhang Xuan roared at the Golden Origin Cauldron as he waved his hand to destroy the Spatial Seal hindering his movements.
Upon hearing his instruction, the Golden Origin Cauldron charged toward the Qingtian Emperors furiously, roaring, “You popped-cherry brats! I’ll relinquish my name as Ding Ding if I don’t kill you today!”
Hearing the Golden Origin Cauldron’s taunting, fury immediately blazed like an inferno in the eyes of the two Qingtian Emperors. “You’re courting your death!”
That was their greatest injury at the moment, and yet, that d.a.m.ned cauldron actually dared speak of it so easily! There was no way they would let the other party get away with that!
Thus, one of the Qingtian Emperors turned around to deal with the Golden Origin Cauldron.
Boom boom boom!
Before long, the duo began clas.h.i.+ng with one another.
Seeing that the Golden Origin Cauldron had managed to lure one of the Qingtian Emperors away, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief. He swiftly flicked his wrist and drew a spear as he prepared to face the other Qingtian Emperor.
Just like the Glacier Rain Sword, the spear was a Saint low-tier spear as well. However, just like the other weapons in the Qiu Wu Palace, it did not have a spirit.
Huala!
With a swiftly thrust of his hand, the spear pierced forward with frightening momentum.
Tzzzzzzz!
A piercing shrill echoed loudly from the friction between the spear and the surrounding air.
Even though Zhang Xuan rarely practiced his spear arts, the fact that Zheng Yang’s spearmans.h.i.+p had originated from him was something that should not be neglected. His Heaven’s Path Spear Art was nowhere weaker than his swordsmans.h.i.+p.
Gu gu gu!
In the face of Zhang Xuan’s spear, the Qingtian Emperor showed no signs of dodging at all. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and clashed with the incoming spear with a flick of his black fingernail.
Judging from how resilient and sharp the Qingtian Emperor’s fingernail was, it seemed to be some kind of powerful artifact as well.
Upon making contact, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt immense strength surging from the tip of his spear toward his arms, and he swiftly retreated several steps.
Had it been anyone else, the multiple clashes with the Qingtian Emperor surely would have left injuries piling up on them, rendering them weaker and weaker. However, as one who possessed the Heaven’s Path zhenqi, Zhang Xuan was able to heal any injuries at an astounding speed. Even if he sustained an injury, it would not remain for long. As such, at least for the time being, he was still able to maintain his fighting prowess at its peak.
However, the Golden Origin Cauldron and the Glacier Rain Sword were different. Even with their collaboration, they still were not a match for the powerful Qingtian Emperor without Zhang Xuan’s pointers.
The situation really did not look good at all. Putting aside the question whether Zhang Xuan had sufficient zhenqi to drag the battle out or not, once the Golden Origin Cauldron and Glacier Rain Sword were defeated, he would be forced to face the two Qingtian Emperors simultaneously, and there was no way he would stand a chance in that situation.
This secret art is really troublesome to deal with! Zhang Xuan thought grimly as he took a few steps back to heal up his injuries.
“Since you have already forced me to use my Art of Cloning, there’s no way I can allow you to walk out of here alive!” The Qingtian Emperor gritted his teeth and roared as he charged toward Zhang Xuan once more.
With a flick of his fingers, he sent five surges of sword qi toward Zhang Xuan, intending to rip him into pieces.
On the other hand, Zhang Xuan swiftly activated the Unbounded Voyager to flee several dozen meters back.
Hu hu!
But barely after Zhang Xuan escaped from the area, the Qingtian Emperor arrived before him once more to launch his second wave of a.s.sault.
To his surprise, the divided Qingtian Emperor was actually able to move at speed that was in no way inferior to his!
Zhang Xuan repeated the same cycle eight more times, even abruptly changing his directions from time to time to shake off the Qingtian Emperor, but his efforts were to no avail. This left cold sweat trickling down his back.
All of a sudden, another Qingtian Emperor appeared right in front of him.
To Zhang Xuan’s astonishment, the Golden Origin Cauldron’s ma.s.sive feet were already twitching on the ground uncontrollably, seemingly pummeled badly by the other Qingtian Emperor. From the looks of it, it did not seem like it would be able to battle for some time.
On the other hand, the Glacier Rain Sword was stabbed deeply into the ground, not moving at all.
“You… As an Emperor of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, don’t you think that it’s embarra.s.sing for the two of you to gang up on me? This is unfair!” Zhang Xuan spat through gritted teeth as he slowly backed away
“Unfair? Hahahaha!” The two Qingtian Emperors burst into laughter simultaneously. With a cold voice, they sneered, “Feel free to clone yourself too, no one is stopping you!”
“But… I don’t know such a secret art!” Zhang Xuan protested.
The two Qingtian Emperors scoffed coldly. “Is that supposed to be any of my business? You only have your own ignorance and powerless to blame!”
After saying those words, the duo exerted their strength simultaneously, and once again, the s.p.a.ce around Zhang Xuan seemed to have frozen. As if an insect stuck in a spider’s web, he found himself unable to move.
He had to exert his full strength before he was able to struggle free of the Spatial Seal and escape. However, before he could get far, the two Qingtian Emperors had caught up with him.
Peng!
A powerful blow struck Zhang Xuan from behind, sending him cras.h.i.+ng forcefully into the wall.
Pu!
Swiftly pus.h.i.+ng himself out from the wall, Zhang Xuan turned around to face the Qingtian Emperors warily, as if preparing himself to deal with whatever other attacks they went at him with. However, at this point, his body was already shaking uncontrollably from the severe wounds that he had sustained, and it seemed as if he already had a single foot in the grave.
“At most, we’ll just die together!” Despaired, Zhang Xuan bellowed furiously as he gathered his zhenqi furiously, as if intending to explode himself.
“Trying to explode yourself? Do you think we’ll give you an opportunity to do so?”
The two Qingtian Emperors immediately rushed forward to stop Zhang Xuan, but before they could make a move, they felt an instantaneous, splitting pain in their heads before their heads exploded simultaneously.
Peng!
Flashy and glamorous, just like the fireworks.
As the crimson rain died down, two fists finally appeared behind the necks of the Qingtian Emperors.
“You…” As if unable to believe that their heads had been destroyed, the souls of the Qingtian Emperors swiftly turned around to see the culprit behind the a.s.sault. It was none other than… Zhang Xuan!
Following which, they saw the ‘exploding’ Zhang Xuan coming up to them with disdain in his eyes.
“What is there to boast about a mere clone? You make it sound as if it’s a big deal. These days, no one dares leave home without a clone or two with them!”