Chapter 525: Deterrence
Lin Xin looked at his opened chest, furious, before he looked at the flying chariot again. Then, he announced in a loud voice, “You’ve won.”
He chose to submit to his fate. He closed his eyes and fell backward.
Thud!
The oldest Patriarch of the Taixu Academy, Lin Xin, had gone to the Yellow Springs before he even got to fight the Evil Sky Pavilion’s Patriarch.
“Ding! Killed a target. Reward: 1,500 merit points.”
Duanmu Sheng stabilized himself as he landed. He looked at Mings.h.i.+ Yin and said, “Sneak attack?”
Mings.h.i.+ Yin hastily said, “Third Senior Brother, it’s all thanks to you. Your spear strike truly shocked the world and made the G.o.ds and ghosts cry… You actually impaled an Eight-leaf expert!”
Duanmu Sheng nodded slightly. “You’re not bad yourself.”
“Thank you for the praise, Third Senior Brother.”
While the two were flattering each other, the disciples who stood outside the round platform were frightened out of their wits. They hastily turned around to flee. Fortunately for them, Duanmu Sheng and Mings.h.i.+ Yin did not consider them as opponents at all.
Meanwhile, the observers from the various sects were still in shock by the sudden turn of events. Lin Xin was an Eight-leaf elite, after all, and yet, he did not even get to fight Old Villain Ji. How could they not be shocked?
The news of Lin Xin’s death spread like wildfire.
In the corner where the members of the Big Dipper Academy were hidden, their leader looked at Danyang Peak and waved his hand. “Retreat. We saw nothing today. Go…”
The disciples of the Big Dipper Academy who came to watch the battle immediately hurried away from the spot.
Meanwhile, the Hengqu Branch disciples could not understand what they had just witnessed. How were they supposed to explain how the Evil Sky Pavilion disciples killed a great Eight-leaf cultivator?
“Notify the sect master that Lin Xin is dead and that Old Villain Ji didn’t even need to make a move!”
The remnants of the ten great sects were the most affected by this result. They thought they could avenge the deaths of their brethren through the Taixu Academy. Lin Xin’s death dealt them another heavy blow!
“Is the Evil Sky Pavilion truly unstoppable?”
Someone sighed. “I expected too much… What a joke! How can an Eight-leaf cultivator possibly win against a Nine-leaf cultivator? It’s laughable, really…”
“If I were Old Villain Ji… I would’ve summoned my Nine-leaf avatar and annihilate the Taixu Academy. Old Villain Ji is too merciful.”
As the saying went, ‘It’s better to remove the roots of all troubles’.
As the hidden cultivators were leaving, the Evil Sky Pavilion’s flying chariot flew toward the Taixu Academy’s main branch instead of returning to the Evil Sky Pavilion…
Duanmu Sheng and Mings.h.i.+ Yin had already returned to the cloud-splitting chariot.
Lu Zhou stroked his beard expressionlessly as he looked at the Taixu Academy’s main tower.
Mings.h.i.+ Yin said, “The eye of the Formation should be on the main tower’s tip. I don’t think they’ll be bold enough to stop us.”
Shortly after, under everyone’s eyes, the cloud-splitting chariot moved to the air above the main tower.
The Taixu Academy disciples were baffled.
The cultivators who had not left yet were perplexed as well.
“What’s Old Villain Ji trying to do?”
“He can’t be thinking of breaking the barrier and letting loose, right?”
None of the Taixu Academy disciples dared to step out of the barrier. In the cultivation world, the reason why the major sects remained firmly established was due to their respective Formations. When the ten great sects attacked the Evil Sky Pavilion back then, Golden Court Mountain had remained untouched for quite some time due to its barrier.
“The Taixu Academy is a Confucian school, after all. Confucian schools are filled with great Formation users. I’m afraid it’ll be difficult to breach their barrier.”
“Indeed… Will Old Villain Ji use his Nine-leaf strength to wipe them out?”
“It’s possible. In any case, an Eight-leaf cultivator can’t possibly break this barrier.”
At this moment, Lu Zhou stood next to the helm of the cloud-splitting chariot as he directed a palm downward. His fingers shone with a blue light as the scripts of Abandon Wisdom hovered around his hand.
The Taixu Academy disciples looked up at the main tower.
“The Confucian technique, Abandon Wisdom.”
Whizz!
He pushed his palm down, touching the top of the tower. He continued pus.h.i.+ng down, and the tip of the tower shattered in just an instant. Debris fell to the ground.
Boom!
A huge palm seal struck the barrier, and a stunning scene unfolded…
Crack!
The huge palm seal seemed to have struck a sheet of gla.s.s. A five-fingered hole appeared immediately. As the saying went, ‘Pull the hair and the whole body moves
The barrier immediately dimmed!
However, the palm seal was not done yet. It traveled down.
Boom!
The main tower seemed as though it was being devoured by the palm seal as it kept decreasing in height.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Abandon Wisdom’s palm seal finally touched the ground.
It seemed as though the entire world had fallen silent at this moment.
The tallest building in the Taixu Academy’s main branch was flattened in just a blink of an eye.
The tower was gone, and there was a clear five-fingered pit on the ground.
The tower was the eye of the Taixu Academy’s Formation. Now that the eye of the Formation had been destroyed, naturally, it meant that the Taixu Academy’s barrier could not be mended as well. Without a barrier, everyone could enter and exit the Taixu Academy as they pleased. Anyone could come over and beat them up!
“It’s over! The Taixu Academy is done for!”
Lin Xin’s death had been a heavy blow to them, but the Abandon Wisdom made them despair.
The elders were extremely remorseful. Why did they have to provoke the Evil Sky Pavilion? Why did they not insist on Lin Xin apologizing? Alas, there was no remedy for regrets in this world.
Outside the Taixu Academy, the hidden cultivators gulped.
At the same time, a voice rang from the Evil Sky Pavilion’s flying chariot. “I’ve given you a chance previously, but you didn’t appreciate it… This is a small punishment for that!”
n.o.body dared to speak.
The Evil Sky Pavilion’s cloud-splitting chariot flew in a different direction
All of the hidden cultivators who had come to observe only had one thought in their minds at this moment; It was better not to offend the Evil Sky Pavilion. Even the Taixu Academy’s barrier was destroyed by the Evil Sky Pavilion’s Patriarch with a single palm strike.
…
An hour later.
The cloud-splitting chariot appeared above the Hengqu branch’s main branch.
The Hengqu branch’s elders and disciples were unaware of what had happened to the Taixu Academy. They took flight and looked at the cloud-splitting chariot in the skies.
The cloud-splitting flew at an impossibly high alt.i.tude in the air.
Shortly after, the Hengqu branch disciples saw a blue sword seal shooting toward them. There seemed to be an exquisite small sword in the center of the sword seal. The small sword was unleas.h.i.+ng a strange runic power that complemented the blue radiance.
Rrip!
Everyone had to cover their eyes. The collision between the sword seal and the barrier released a dazzling spark. Eventually, it penetrated the barrier and embedded itself into the ground.
Boom!
The Hengqu branch’s barrier was shattered.
After the radiance faded away, the cloud-splitting chariot had already turned around and was sailing to the horizon.
…
In the Eastern palace in the Imperial city.
The Crown Prince, Liu Zhi, was clearly pleased as he hummed a little tune to himself and admired the drawings before himself.
“Your Highness, the outcome of the Taixu Academy’s Lin Xin challenging Old Villain Ji is out,” a eunuch said as he stood respectfully behind Liu Zhi.
Liu Zhi snorted and said, “I bet Old Villain Ji didn’t expect such a powerful trump card from the Imperial family… We’ve been too lenient on him in the past. That’s why he has grown so arrogant.”
“Your Highness… the results are…” The eunuch tried to speak up.
“There’s no need to say anything else… I’ll explain the matter regarding the armor to my father. He’s currently cultivating in seclusion. I’ll take the responsibility and clear away the remnants of the Evil Sky Pavilion.” Liu Zhi smiled confidently. “It won’t be long before my father attains the Nine-leaf stage and unify the ten thousand tribes.”
After Liu Zhi finished speaking, an expression of confusion appeared on his face when he saw the eunuch standing still with no intention of leaving. He asked, perplexed, “What are you still standing here for?”
The eunuch shook slightly as he fell to his knees with a loud thud. He stammered, “Have mercy, Your Highness… Have mercy on me… Lin Xin failed to defeat Old Villain Ji and has died on Dangyang Peak!”