Chapter 1614: Domain of Glorious Snowdrift
Jian Juexian couldn’t refrain from springing into action when he saw the Shadow Sovereign. He drew his sword in a ringing motion and slashed at the enemy.
Though he’d been imprisoned right after his return to Ingress Sword Island and Immortal’s End taken from him, Daoist Ingress had given him more than just a sword. He’d gifted a complete legacy of immortal end to Jian Juexian.
Thus, though he’d been imprisoned, his strength had grown by the day and increased with every second. Given enough time, he would certainly surpa.s.s Jian Zhuxian and become the greatest of Ingress Sword Island.
With his level of skill, any regular sword became another Immortal’s End in Jian Juexian’s hands. One stroke was sufficient to slice the Shadow Sovereign in two.
The Shadow Sovereign howled and roared with indignity. A blazing sun suddenly popped into existence and illuminated the void, while a shadow wielding a dagger abruptly jumped out from Jian Juexian’s feet and charged him.
Their shadows were alive again.
As Jian Juexian’s strength increased, so did his shadow’s. The shadowy dagger waved with a trace of Jian Juexian’s sword dao.
“The greatest enemy of those who are too pompous is themselves! You will never defeat yourself!” The Shadow Sovereign’s voice faded in and out of the area; he’d melded into the shadows projected by the nearby worlds.
He was correct—someone who was too self centered or arrogant would never behold anyone else in their line of sight apart from themselves. Jian Juexian was one such person, so his greatest enemy wasn’t anyone else but himself.
His shadow was suppressed the moment it moved. Jian Juexian sparred grimly with it; he’d noticed that with his increase in sword dao, so was his shadow also much stronger.
“They’re shadows!” Lu Yun shouted. “Just make it impossible for them to appear.”
Sent flying with a blow, Jian Juexian brightened and reversed his sword with a quick backhand, piercing toward the blazing sun that the Shadow Sovereign had summoned.
His shadow jerked with surprise and leapt upward, blocking the blade before it reached the sun. While that spared the sun, it resulted in heavy injuries to the shadow.
“You talk too much!” snorted the Shadow Sovereign. Lu Yun’s shadow cautiously poked his head out beneath Lu Yun’s feet.
“Be a good boy and stay still.” Lu Yun stomped his shadow back down. s.h.i.+vering with fright, it docilely stayed put. As Lu Yun’s true cultivation level was peak true nihil realm, that was his shadow’s strength as well.
Meanwhile, Brightheart’s shadow jumped out beneath her feet wielding a dagger of black light. She stabbed it at Brightheart’s head.
“Master was right, my opportunity is here. There is nothing that tempers the heart better than overcoming oneself.” Brightheart had already experienced this once in the Tomb of the Hallowed Emperor, so she faced this instance with equanimity. She wasn’t as narcissistic as Jian Juexian, so there was no pressure in fighting herself.
While Brightheart and Jian Juexian were preoccupied with their shadows, Lu Yun strode forward and walked into the depths of the Eastern Cl.u.s.ter, toward Ice.
“You court death!” The Shadow Sovereign manifested a tangible form when he noticed Lu Yun’s movement and charged the young man.
As one of the four sovereign kings under the original emperor’s banner, the Shadow Sovereign had long since accessed sequence. After the new epoch dawned, he hadn’t had a chance to activate sequence again before the withered wood cursed him to death.
He still hadn’t fully recovered and could only manifest through the laws of burial in the Eastern Cl.u.s.ter. His strength was less than a ten thousandth of his prime, but he was no weakling. In fact, he was part of the elite among Nihil World Sovereigns.
Most importantly was that he’d walked his great dao to its apex. He’d perfectly combined supplemental dao, cultivation, and combat arts in his shadow dao. Just that alone was sufficient to propel him to the apex of powerhouses in the Boundless Planes.
Hummm.
Silver ripples oscillated from Lu Yun’s body and silver snowflakes drifted around him. Terrifying ripples undulated over each snowflake as well. One thousand and eighty snowflakes interlaced together in a horrific blizzard.
Peak Domain of First Snowfall!
The Shadow Sovereign’s true form was revealed the moment he entered the domain. He was a middle-aged man with a wan pallor who seemed to live in the shadows.
“So it’s Argent Snow.” A keen light flashed through his eyes. “Just Argent Snow alone will not confine me.”
He turned into another ball of shadow and shot toward Lu Yun, but rematerialized before he’d advanced half an inch forward.
“How is this possible?!” he shouted.
“Nothing is impossible while you remain a ghost. Any Nihil World Sovereign can harm me in the fourth realm, but you guys? No.” Snowflakes danced around Lu Yun as they grew in number. With the young man as the center, an area fifteen hundred kilometers around them turned into a snowy landscape—Domain of Glorious Snowdrift.
The snowflakes were silver, but close perusal would resolve them as silver flames in the shape of snowflakes.
Peak domain.
Such was a peak domain of a soul weapon. Not only would it deploy the weapon’s own strength, but the wielder’s dao and combat arts would become part of it and part of the attack.
The snowflakes in this Domain of Glorious Snowdrift were projected by disordered h.e.l.lfire.
Though Lu Yun had been traveling with urgency, he’d constantly operated formula dao ever since receiving Jian Zhuxian’s complete Argent Snow legacy. He’d combined it with his own and reached peak mastery over the Domain of Glorious Snowdrift.
Wide-eyed with dismay, the Shadow Sovereign discovered that he was trapped in the domain. He couldn’t move a single muscle.
The silver flame of disorder was also h.e.l.lfire. Though the six h.e.l.lfires served different functions, they possessed a characteristic in common when they gathered on Lu Yun—suppressing the dead and ghosts.
Last time in the tomb, Lu Yun hadn’t dared deploy anything because his foundations were weak. But this time, formula dao had taken shape in the Star Sect and his wings were full. He wasn’t afraid of anything anymore and needed to make a strong statement instead of continuing to hide away.
“Your primary body would be able to break this domain, but since you’re just a replica, you’re better off dead. Otherwise, that Di Yin will think I’m an easy target.” Lu Yun slowly walked up and smashed the stick in his hand onto the sovereign’s head.
The replica crumbled to dust and the blazing sun vanished. Jian Juexian and Brightheart’s shadows returned to their feet; everything returned to normal.
Di Yan looked at Lu Yun with a complicated expression.
“Lead the way. You were the one who brought me to Dragonmountain Clime last time, so it shall be you again this time,” Lu Yun said expressionlessly to the man.
Di Yin had done nothing to him, but they were meeting as enemies this time.
etvolare"s Thoughts
And this, my friends, is why I"m sad they"re no longer friends.