Chapter 2557 – Taking Action
Not even the Sixverse Academy had expected Tu Shuangshuang to wait patiently until the Sixverse a.s.sociation lowered their guard before making her move.
Still, how did she plan to leave?
Lu Yin quickly made his own move, shattering the barrier surrounding the mountain with an attack that possessed the strength of a Semi-Progenitor. He moved so quickly that no one was able to make out who or what had managed to destroy the barrier.
Tu Shuangshuang was caught completely off guard. Right when she was about to store the mountain back in her cosmic ring, she noticed the missing barrier. What was going on?
Knowing she had little time, she immediately retrieved a blue energy converter and equipped it near her heart. She knew her captives were about to emerge from within the shattered barrier, and with the barrier broken, she also knew that she would not have any opportunity to replenish her resources. Thus, she decided to settle everything at once.
Surprisingly, the first person to appear from the mountain was not Shao Qingfeng or any of his peers, but someone who had been an uninvited attendee of the auction. The individual had a dark complexion, and appeared panicked, but still moved with remarkable speed.
Tu Shuangshuang showed a charming smile. "You"re quite foolish, acting as a guide for others."
As she spoke, she closed the distance between her and the other student, the movement causing her pale yellow dress to gracefully sway. Even as she moved, she prepared to launch a palm strike. A subtle fragrance wafted through the air.
When the student heard Tu Shuangshuang"s comment, he realized his mistake. How could he be faster than those elite students? Unfortunately, he realized the truth too late; Tu Shuangshuang"s palm was almost upon him. His only option was to brace himself.
Shockingly, Tu Shuangshuang"s palm did not land a direct blow, and instead merely grazed the young man’s cheek. Still, the attack carried enough force that he was left dazed. The true target of the attack was the second person to rush out from the mountain: Jiang Xiaodao.
Jiang Xiaodao had also heard Tu Shuangshuang"s words, and he inwardly cursed himself for being used as a p.a.w.n. It was too late, and there was nothing he could do. All he could do was blame his attacker for plotting against them, even at such a dangerous moment.
Jiang Xiaodao released his Sky River battle technique. Swirling streams of water appeared from his hand, and quickly formed towering waves. Enveloped by the water, he started to radiate an iridescent glow. Even Mu Mu was unable to counter this particular combination. "Don"t blame Grandpa Dao for not showing respect to Sage Hua."
Bang!
There was a deafening crash, and the water was scattered in all directions. At that instance, Jiang Xiaodao sensed that the power in his hand was dissipating. Even the stellular energy vortex inside his body had been suppressed and was starting to fade away.
His pupils shrank. This was not good; this was the Harmonious Heavens Technique.
Jiang Xiaodao reacted quickly, and endured an intense pain from his left hand as he swung to execute the Arrows of River Technique. To his surprise, Tu Shuangshuang vanished from his sight, leaving behind a bewitching scent that confused his senses.
At the exact moment of the greatest confusion, Jiang Xiaodao stumbled. His river dissipated, and his Arrows of River Technique was disrupted before it could even be fully unleashed.
Less than two seconds after Jiang Xiaodao appeared, He Shu and Shao Qingfeng also emerged from the broken barrier. They had been using Jiang Xiaodao to pave their way. The fact that Tu Shuangshuang had the audacity to remain behind demonstrated her confidence in facing all of the captured students. Unfortunately, Jiang Xiaodao had proven unable to force the woman to reveal her true strength. She had not even utilized the power of her blue energy converter.
He Shu silently cursed Jiang Xiaodao for being so worthless. He Shu activated his own blue energy converter, and a blue glow enveloped his body. He then executed the Third Hand of the Stone Gate, which caused a series of transformations to unfold around Tu Shuangshuang.
Simultaneously, Shao Qingfeng launched his own attack. He also had a blue energy converter.
Tu Shuangshuang should not be able to withstand a combined a.s.sault of two blue energy converters on her own.
However, an indifferent expression remained on the woman’s face as she extended her flawless white arms. After images of her hands danced through the air, and her energy moved to resemble a coiling dragon. This was a manifestation of the Harmonious Heavens Technique she was using.
"You are courting death!" He Shu"s eyes flashed with a fierce light. He quickly shifted from the Third Hand of the Stone Gate, to the Fourth Hand. As for Shao Qingfeng, he stopped attacking all together and just stared at Tu Shuangshuang. Something felt very off.
A pair of immaculate hands pierced through the Fourth Hand of the Stone Gate. It resembled a small boat being sucked into a vortex at sea, and everyone antic.i.p.ated their destruction. Yeet, what played out was that those flawless hands were shrouded with blue energy, and they proceeded to rip apart the Fourth Hand. Blood sprayed out, and fell onto even Shao Qingfeng"s face. He stared in horror as Tu Shuangshuang practically shattered He Shu"s arms, leaving the man in a pitiful state.
Tu Shuangshuang swung her arms again, manipulating the coiling dragon that was her Harmonious Heavens Technique to shift and target Shao Qingfeng.
With He Shu already defeated, Shao Qingfeng quickly brought out a power vessel that he had reserved for an attack from an Immortal. The power vessel protected him from Tu Shuangshuang"s attack, yet he was still able to feel his protection tremble. He muttered in disbelief, "A seventh revolution Demi-Immortal? Impossible, you..."
A smirk tugged at Tu Shuangshuang"s lips. At some point in time, colorful bubbles the size of a hand had started to drift up from the mountain.
One of the bubbles hovered in front of Shao Qingfeng"s face as he stared at Tu Shuangshuang. As the bubble entered his vision, his eyes instantly grew dull.
Seizing the opportunity, Tu Shuangshuang reached out and grabbed hold of Shao Qingfeng while evading his power vessel.
They had only exchanged a few blows in such a short span of time, yet the other students had already managed to emerge from the broken barrier.
As they emerged, Luo Zang, Mu Mu, and all the rest froze in shock as they stared at the astonishing spectacle unfolding before them.
Jiang Xiaodao was unconscious. He Shu"s blood stained the floor of the mountain chamber. Shao Qingfeng resembled a puppet with his empty gaze. Tu Shuangshuang had defeated all three geniuses in a matter of seconds.
Without any hesitation, Luo Zang fled. He held absolutely no intention of trying to fight against Tu Shuangshuang.
Everyone else followed suit, and they all fled the scene.
Tu Shuangshuang chuckled. "A group of arrogant, heaven-blessed prodigies scatter and run away like frightened dogs. How amusing. Still, can you even escape?"
As she spoke, a cold glint appeared in her eyes, and colorful bubbles suddenly materialized in front of each person. As they looked at the bubbles, their eyes also grew vacant, and they quickly mimicked Shao Qingfeng"s state.
A chilling voice resounded, "Cheng Kong"s Bubble Fantasy."
With a soft sound, the bubble in front of Shao Qingfeng popped. All of his thoughts were shattered, leaving his mind completely blank.
After that, the other bubbles started to pop, and the people in front of the popped bubbles collapsed to the floor. No matter what methods they tried to use, none of them were able to avoid the popping bubbles.
Mu Mu and Luo Zang were no exceptions.
The final group to escape the mountain consisted of Lu Yin, Luo Lao"er, Bai Qian, Seruzen, and a few uninvited individuals.
These uninvited students deeply regretted pushing themselves to attend the secret auction they had stumbled upon. They had no business getting involved in affairs of such magnitude.
Shao Qingfeng and the other elite prodigies were lying where they had collapsed on the floor. How could ordinary cultivators hope to survive?
Tu Shuangshuang"s eyes gleamed as her eyes fell upon Bai Qian. "I had originally only intended to capture these few. I didn’t expect to capture such a big fish with my net. Care to enlighten me on how you came to learn of this auction?"
Bai Qian"s expression remained as calm as ever. "I merely happened to be pa.s.sing by."
"Hehe, then you"re simply unlucky. No, wait." Tu Shuangshuang gave Bai Qian an odd look. "He Ran is the one who’s unlucky."
Bai Qian looked around at the drifting bubbles. "So, not only are you a member of the Sage Hua’s faction, you are also Cheng Kong’s subordinate."
Luo Lao"er shouted, "Cheng Kong? The Dreamweaver, Cheng Kong?"
Curious, Lu Yin asked, "Who is Cheng Kong?"
Luo Lao"er"s face had already gone pale. "Brother-in-law, it"s over for us! We"re doomed! If this is Cheng Kong"s plan, then there’s no one at all who can save us!"
When Bai Qian spoke again, her voice had turned cold, "Aeternus worships True G.o.d Wei Yi as their supreme ruler. Below him are the Seven SkyG.o.ds, each of whom is a peak powerhouse. Beneath the Seven SkyG.o.ds are other peak powerhouses, and the most fearsome of them all is Cheng Kong. No one has ever seen Cheng Kong’s true appearance, but once that person sets their sights on you, you enter a living nightmare. Cheng Kong is someone on par with the Seven SkyG.o.ds’ Whiteless G.o.d, and that monster is also known as the Dreamweaver.
"If I"m not mistaken, Cheng Kong is responsible for what happened in the Voidchaos Territory, and that was nothing more than setting the stage for this moment right now."
Tu Shuangshuang chuckled playfully. "Thank you for praising my master. Well now, it"s time for this plan to be concluded."
"Concluded? What do you mean by "concluded’?" Luo Lao"er trembled in fear. The moment he finished speaking, a bubble appeared in front of him, joined by more bubbles that appeared in front of Bai Qian, Lu Yin, and everyone else.
The bubbles started to burst, each one causing a person to lose consciousness.
Just as the bubble in front of Bai Qian popped, a hand appeared and blocked her view of the disappearing bubble. The hand was Lu Yin’s.
Only three people remained standing: Tu Shuangshuang, Bai Qian, and Lu Yin.
Tu Shuangshuang stared at Lu Yin in astonishment, intently observing him for the first time. "Xuan Qi?"
Lu Yin smiled. "You got it."
Tu Shuangshuang continued to stare at Lu Yin. "You-?"
She felt completely confused. None of these students should have been able to withstand the effects of the bubbles. What was the deal with this young man?
Lu Yin stared at Tu Shuangshuang as well, and asked, "Is Cheng Kong a powerhouse who stands just below the Seven SkyG.o.ds?"
"Cheng Kong’s exact strength remains unknown, as no one has ever seen them. That makes it difficult to answer that question," Bai Qian replied.
Lu Yin pressed further. "How do you know about this?"
Bai Qian lifted her head to look at Lu Yin. "My status in the Transcendent Universe is very high."
Lu Yin then turned to look at Bai Qian. "I"m quite curious about what you’ve experienced. We should talk soon. Seruzen is also here."
Bai Qian nodded and agreed, "It’s true, we should find the time to chat."
Tu Shuangshuang’s eyes narrowed, and her playful demeanor that she had been exhibiting the entire time she had faced Shao Qingfeng and everyone else finally disappeared. As she stared at Lu Yin, suspicion filled her eyes. It was clear that this young man was far, far more powerful than he appeared. There was no other way for him to be able to resist the bubbles. On top of that, the exchange between him and Bai Qian did not seem to be a conversation between strangers. The two seemed to be rather familiar with each other.
With cold eyes, the woman took a step forward. Her hand rose, and a flash of blue energy erupted.
Lu Yin turned his head back towards Tu Shuangshuang and raised his own hand in response.
A fierce gleam flickered in Tu Shuangshuang"s eyes. He was courting death!
She moved forward, and her unblemished hand met Lu Yin"s, resulting in a loud impact. The next instant, a crisp sound rang out, and Tu Shuangshuang"s arm was suddenly twisted in an unnatural direction. An intense, searing pain ran through her body. She stared in horror at her hand that was bent backwards. Lu Yin spoke in an icy tone, "You did well, using an illusion to disguise your red energy converter as a blue one. That allowed you to hold an absolute advantage over the others."
Tu Shuangshuang staggered backwards, disbelief covering her face as she clutched her right arm to her body. "How did you find out?"
Lu Yin offered a slight smile. "We’ll talk later."
An invisible power then covered the woman. Tu Shuangshuang tried to escape, only to feel as though the world around her was collapsing. Her consciousness grew fuzzy, and she collapsed just the same as Shao Qingfeng and the others. Before she completely lost consciousness, the only thing in her mind was that she had encountered a true monster.
Curious, Bai Qian asked, "What are your plans now?"
Lu Yin replied, "There"s no longer any reason for me to remain in the Sixverse Academy, since I’ve learned enough there. It’s time for me to move on to learn about the Sixverse a.s.sociation’s different universes."
Bai Qian nodded and offered, "Do you require any a.s.sistance?"
"Certainly." Lu Yin then gathered each unconscious form from the floor and stored them in his own Zenith Mountain before storing Tu Shuangshuang"s mountain. He had gained possession of two Zenith Mountains that were capable of holding living creatures.
In the end, Luo Lao"er alone remained in the chamber, as even Bai Qian had entered Zenith Mountain. Since this had been a trap set by Cheng Kong, none of the youths should be capable of escaping from it.
A sharp slap jolted Luo Lao"er awake. He blinked in a daze as he struggled to remember what had just happened to him. As his surroundings came into focus, his memory swiftly returned, which prompted a shriek of terror to escape him.
"Utter another sound, and you won"t even live to regret it," a cold voice warned.
Luo Lao"er turned his head to find himself face-to-face with Tu Shuangshuang"s cold eyes. His fear mounted, causing him to stammer his response, "Wha- wha- what do you want?"
Of course, this Tu Shuangshuang was merely a disguised Lu Yin. "Show me the way to the Three Monarchs Universe."