Chapter 962: Harboring Bad Intentions
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Having lived for a few centuries, Daoist Zixuan naturally had a lot of knowledge. She had personally refined magical devices herself, so it was natural that she knew the might of such tools. However, the long sword manipulated by Mo Awu was absolutely not such magical devices. Additionally, flying with such speed was impossible considering Mo Awu’s power. Yet, he was able to escape smoothly, evidence that his speed was definitely inseparable with his sword.
“Could it be an immortal sword?”
Daoist Zixuan suddenly realized something and her eyes turned wide and sparkling.
Jin Chanzi, who stood next to her, heard her murmurs. He asked in confusion, “What did you just utter, Master? What is an immortal sword?”
This time, Daoist Zixuan suddenly remembered that Tang Xiu once said that he obtained a mysterious inheritance, allowing him to cultivate to his present realm. He also mentioned having a karmic relation to immortality, as well as an acquisition of some cultivation art up to the Great Ascension Stage, including up till the stage of Crossing Tribulation.
Could it be that… Tang Xiu also obtained more than those cultivation arts? Such as those immortal swords?
Just as Daoist Zixuan reasoned up to there, she immediately turned to look at Jin Chanzi and asked in a deep voice, “You spent some time on Nine Dragons Island; do you know the origin of the flying sword in Mo Awu’s hand?”
“I don’t know about that, Master. But many people under Tang Xiu have it. Also, I reckon that they can store their flying swords inside their bodies, and only unleash them whenever they must fight. Our Whole Unitary Sect doesn’t have any technique to store flying swords inside our body, but they definitely have it.”
“Flying swords that can be stored inside the body?” exclaimed Daoist Zixuan. “… that’s definitely immortal swords. Are you sure many of Tang Xiu’s men have an immortal sword?”
‘Those swords are called immortal swords?’
“Yeah!” Jin Chanzi nodded and said, “I think there are more than a dozen people who have it, at the very least! When Mo Awu killed those two Celestial Wizard Clan’s Elders, he used such a flying sword.”
The shock that engulfed Daoist Zixuan’s heart was like a tide as she looked towards the direction of Mo Awu’s departure. An intense impulse now raged inside her heart, as she coveted such an immortal sword greatly. It was a divine artifact belonging to immortals! She could even tell that Astraeus Soloch would be far from her match if she had an immortal sword like that.
‘I gotta find the opportunity to trade with Tang Xiu for it. It would be best if he’s willing to exchange some immortal swords for cultivation resources. If he doesn’t want to, I’m going to s.n.a.t.c.h an immortal sword even if I must strike a vicious blow in secret!’
A ruthless glint flashed in Daoist Zixuan’s eyes, and she asked again with a deep voice, “Let’s catch up with them. We must help Mo Awu fend off those Celestial Wizard experts.”
“But the Celestial Wizard clan has too many experts, Master. I’m afraid we can’t do anything to help Mo Awu even if we catch up with them,” argued Jin Chanzi while hesitating. “I suggest that we retreat and immediately go back to our sect to ask some of our experts to come over.”
Eager to obtain the immortal sword, Daoist Zixuan was unwilling to give up on chasing after Mo Awu… or missing the opportunity to fight side-by-side with Tang Xiu’s men. She didn’t know Tang Xiu’s character, but if this young man attached importance to righteousness and virtue, then her chance of getting an immortal sword would be much greater should they become his ally.
“Mo Awu just helped us, and now he’s being chased by the Celestial Wizard clan’s powerhouses. If we just turn a blind eye and do nothing despite knowing that he’s facing death, it’s equivalent to a foul act of bad faith and disgrace. All of you, listen to me. Even if we are to perish together with the Celestial Wizard clansmen here, we must never make our sect lose face.”
“Understood!”
The ten people, including Jin Chanzi, replied with firm expressions.
On the 9th uninhabited island.
Tang Xiu and Ji Chimei had returned a step ahead of time. Tang Xiu had made up his mind to get involved in this trial personally so as to avoid many of his men’s deaths. His current strength was on par with the Grand Elder of the Celestial Wizard clan. As long as this Grand Elder was no longer a threat, Tang Guan and Tang An would be able to deal with the other three experts. As for the rest of the less powerful experts from this clan, Tang Xiu believed that the Everlasting Feast Hall’s members would be able to deal with them.
“All of you, listen up! Ji Chimei won’t provide you a helping hand here, so it will be a deadly mortal battle for you all. Only the brave can seize victory after facing their enemies on the battlefield at this 9th island. Unleash all the deadly skills you’ve used to kill your enemies in the past, and I’ll reward you with a lot of cultivation resources as long as you can survive this trial,” said Tang Xiu with a deep voice while gazing at the 48 Foundation Establishment Stage experts.
Aside from these 48 experts, there were also nine other men present who had been his bodyguards, such as Jin s.h.i.+ and Xue Sha, as well as Tang Guang and Tang An. In terms of numbers, the manpower was no less than the Celestial Wizard Clan’s
“KILL!”
“KILL!”
“SLAUGHTER THEM!”
Each and every one of the 48 Foundation Establishment Stage experts unleashed intense killing auras. Each one of them was a battle-hardened veteran who had frequently been at the verge of death and rose from piles of corpses. While they may have broken through the Foundation Establishment Stage, causing their strength to greatly increase with their cultivation, they hardly found anyone that could contend with them. Their combat experiences from the past gave them confidence in their strength.
Feeling satisfied with the weighty aura from these men, Tang Xiu turned his head to look at Mo Awu who had already appeared in the horizon, Astraeus Soloch hot on his heels. He then issued an order in a deep voice, “Get ready for battle!”
Above the sea, Astraeus Soloch was getting closer and closer to Mo Awu. With excitement in his eyes, he judged that he could overtake this man in just a few minutes. He truly couldn’t wait to kill this man, an impulse he hadn’t had for a very long time.
As he looked at Mo Awu who fled in front, the scene where this man would scream in pain after getting impaled by his scythe, blood splattering everywhere, seemed to play in his eyes.
“Heh, you won’t be able to kill me, you old s.h.i.+thead!”
Mo Awu raucously laughed and rushed lightning-fast to the 9th barren island and quickly stopped beside Tang Xiu.
At this moment, only then was Astraeus Soloch able to see that there were many people on this 9th island. It never occurred to him that there would be so many people here, nor that these people would be seemingly waiting for him.
‘A trap?’
The thought flashed in Astraeus’s eyes. When he saw Mo Awu stop and land among the people on the island, a bad premonition suddenly arose inside his heart. However, his restlessness finally calmed down after seeing that most of these people were just middle-aged men.
In his knowledge, be it the members of his Celestial Wizard Clan or cultivators, those who were older meant that they were also stronger. But these people on the island, aside from the frail-looking old lady, were middle-aged men; only one was young. He thought that even if the other party was very strong, the possibility that they were much stronger than his side was close to nil.
“Did you deliberately try to lure me here, young man?” Astraeus Soloch stopped a kilometer away from the 9th island and shouted in a deep voice.
A smile appeared on the corners of Tang Xiu’s mouth, yet the smile exuded a bit of an evil vibe. “Heh, it seems your fossil brain hasn’t withered yet, old fart! You were able to tell that my man intentionally lured you here. Ah, my bad. You and the rest of your Celestial Wizard experts, correctly speaking. Take a look at this place; isn’t it good? I chose this place as our battlefield so I can train these precious troops of mine.”
“Who are you?” asked Astraeus Soloch with creased brows.
“Hehe. Defeat me first; only then are you qualified to know my name.” Tang Xiu chuckled and said, “Your Celestial Wizard members may have enough strength for me to recognize it, but you still need to fight to make me pay attention to you. Anyhow, you’re called Astraeus Soloch, the Grand Elder of the Celestial Wizard Clan, right?”
“n.o.body is more powerful than me in the Celestial Wizard Clan except my Patriarch,” said Astraeus Soloch coldly. “The same could be said for those in the outside world, for only a handful of people would be able to defeat me today!”
“Hahaha, another frog who is stranded at the bottom of a well, looking up at the vast sky.” Tang Xiu couldn’t help but laugh, professing, “Haih, forget it. I’m too lazy to waste my saliva on arguing with you. Besides, I’ve been waiting for a large number of experts from your clan to come here for training. Well, I really hope that you can give me a good surprise, though.”
“So arrogant, huh?”
Yet, Astraeus Soloch still acted very cautiously. He might hold some contempt for this young man before him, but he didn’t act rashly; instead, he waited for the arrival of a large number of Celestial Wizard clan experts. Then, he said indifferently, “Young man, you already know who we are, so I’m sure you already know our power as well. I advise you to hand over the culprit who has murdered Wznieść and Wykres Soloch; otherwise, this place will be the grave for all of you!”
Tang Xiu answered his demand with a simple gesture. He hooked his finger towards himself, proclaiming, “Just bring it on if you got the ability. We were able to kill Wznieść and Wykres. Killing you is also within our reach.”
Astraeus Soloch coldly hmphed and issued an order in a cold voice, “Hmph, Mąż, Zalegly, probe the enemy’s strength, but keep in mind to not underestimate them!”
Two black-robed old men who had previously helped Blask Soloch immediately dashed from the crowd and stopped less than 100 meters away from Tang Xiu and his men. The two old men stood mid-air with black fog whirling around them. The old man called Maz Soloch then raised his staff and said in a deep voice, “Don’t say that we are bullying you, youngsters. Some of you can come out to accept your deaths. I’ll kill you and use your skull to drink my wine!”
Tang Xiu looked sideways slightly and calmly said with indifference, “You both go and deal with them. Remember, it doesn’t matter if you can’t kill them. Just don’t make me lose face.”
“Understood!”
Tang Guang, who was dressed in entirely white attire, treaded in the air. As he raised his head, an immortal sword appeared and hovered around his palm as though it was bonded with it. At the same time, Tang An, who was also floating mid-air, looked graceful in the air with her enchanting body. She had previously used a spatial field to cover up her body ever since she became Gu Yan’er’s disciple. n.o.body had seen her figure since, even though she stood right before their eyes.
“Tenebrous Domain!”
Both Maz and Zalegly Soloch unleashed the dark Tenebrous Domain at the same time. The area that was covered by their domain was even larger than Blask Soloch’s, with an even denser black fog. Each of the skeleton monsters that were composed of black skulls from the black fog they created then fused instantly.
They were twin brothers and had been inseparable for 2 centuries. Be it when facing a single foe or numerous enemies, they always acted together. Their joint attack technique and power could multiply the might of their attacks explosively.
“I’ll kill you first to pay homage to our clansmen!”
The two old men swung their staffs, controlling a dozen meter high skeleton monster to bombard Tang Guang. The weapon used by this skeleton monster was not a bone whip, but a bone knife composed of countless crossbones.
“Purification Light Art!”
A faint smile sported on Tang Guang’s face as he cast this art. A luminous blob of light floated out of his finger. Its size turned ten thousand times greater a moment after, thinning out the black fog within a few dozen meter radius.
At the same time, the immortal sword that had been swirling around his palm suddenly streaked into the sky. In just a thousandth of a second, it acted like a lotus flower, blooming to a size of hundreds of meters in the sky.
“Sword Lotus!”