Translator: CinderTL
"Kill!"
Kai Yang led the charge with his sword, and the sixteen who still had combat strength, arranged in the Greater and Lesser Four Symbols Formation, rushed straight toward the dazzling golden light.
Flames! Thunder! Flying Swords! Blade Aura! Four waves of attacks, like ocean waves, crashed against the layer of radiant golden light, causing it to scatter and shatter upon impact.
No matter how powerful a defensive Talisman might be, it was still rootless and fragile.
Under the four waves of attacks, the golden light completely dissipated.
The protective golden light of this Talisman was utterly destroyed.
"Good!"
"Now is the time!"
"What Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy!? Today, you will pay the price for your arrogance within the territory of our Zhou Tian Sect!"
The moment the golden light dispersed, the morale of the dozen or so Core Formation Cultivators soared to its peak.
But almost simultaneously, as the golden light was about to vanish, another wave of Sword Qi erupted from within it.
Hundreds of Profound Phoenix Sword Qi, carrying the ferocity of a storm, poured out in an instant, forming a blanket of firepower that covered the entire area, nearly blinding the vision of the Core Formation Cultivators before them.
And the sharpness revealed within those Sword Qi...
"Be careful!"
Before Kai Yang could even speak, the Four Symbols True Lord had already shouted a warning, shaking his Divine Sense to alert everyone.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
A storm of Sword Qi.
Hundreds of Sword Qi surged wildly into the group of over a dozen Core Formation Cultivators led by the True Inheritor Kai Yang.
Heeding the warning, these Core Formation Cultivators quickly cast Arcane Arts, summoned Spirit Artifacts, and tore open Talismans to defend themselves.
But...
They could barely hold their ground.
Yet, how could those Core Formation Cultivators who had lost their combat strength, not far behind them, withstand this onslaught of Sword Qi?
"Not good!"
Under Kai Yang's exclamation, over a hundred Sword Qi bypassed the blockade of their dozen or so people and shot into the group of Core Formation Cultivators who were already severely weakened.
Those Core Formation Cultivators tried to flee, even desperately tearing open Talismans, but with their combat strength nearly depleted, they could dodge one or two Sword Qi, block three or four, but they couldn't withstand six, seven, eight, or nine Sword Qi.
"Slash! Slash! Slash!"
Blood splattered.
Black Flame burned!
The cultivators who had barely been injured even when the Eight Desolations Dragon Locking Formation was shattered now fell almost entirely in an instant.
"Bastard!"
Seeing this from afar, the Four Symbols True Lord couldn't help but curse, wishing he could personally tear the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy, who had caused such great damage to the Zhou Tian Sect, into pieces.
But before he could act, he sensed something again and shouted in alarm, "Flying Sword incoming!"
Indeed, after the wave of Sword Qi, a Flying Sword silently pierced through the void, like a ghost, and shot toward the group of Core Formation Cultivators who had set up the Greater and Lesser Four Symbols Formation, almost unnoticed by anyone.
Compared to before, the "stealth" of the Scarlet Sky Sword seemed to have reached a whole new level.
Coupled with the earlier Sword Qi storm that had drawn everyone's attention, even Kai Yang, the True Inheritor Disciple, had failed to detect it.
If not for the Four Symbols True Lord's warning, the Flying Sword would have already reached everyone.
But even so, due to the Scarlet Sky Sword's incredible speed, by the time two Core Formation Cultivators reacted and tried to tear open Talismans, their heads had already been pierced by the sword light.
A Golden Core Grand Cultivator seized the opportunity, unleashing an Arcane Art that transformed into thunder and blasted forth.
Yet, the Scarlet Sky Sword gave a slight tremble, and in a daze, it broke free from the Divine Sense lock of this Golden Core Grand Cultivator. With an agility that defied belief, it instantly evaded the thunderous force, shooting into the cultivator's eye socket and exiting through the back of his head, then continued its relentless assault towards the fourth cultivator.
"How could this be!?"
In the distance, the Four Symbols True Lord, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but widen his eyes.
Li Chunjun's Scarlet Sky Sword...
It was faster than before!
And even more agile!
Especially...
He had clearly "seen" slight cracks on the Flying Sword earlier, but now, all traces had completely vanished.
As if after three to five years of patient nurturing, it had fully restored to its peak condition.
Even better than its peak condition.
"This is impossible!"
The Four Symbols True Lord found it hard to believe.
Had Li Chunjun just used the power of the Blazing Phoenix Fire to achieve Nirvana while sacrificing his body to the sword!?
But...
The Nirvana of the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy takes at least three to five days, or even ten to fifteen days, and how much time had just passed!? A mere dozen breaths.
How could Nirvana be achieved in such a short time!? If not Nirvana...
Was Li Chunjun feigning weakness all along!? As the Four Symbols True Lord struggled to comprehend, the Scarlet Sky Sword was already wreaking havoc among the dozen or so cultivators.
Amidst the dissipating golden light, Li Chunjun's figure materialized.
He appeared to be brimming with Essence Qi, showing no signs of severe injury.
Having fully recovered to his peak state, and even stronger than before, he was simply unstoppable by the dozen or so Core Formation Cultivators! Every time the Scarlet Sky Sword whistled, it inevitably claimed the life of a Core Formation Cultivator.
Every change in the Flying Sword's trajectory also heralded impending death.
This kind of battle...
Not to mention ordinary Core Formation Cultivators, even Kai Yang, a True Inheritor Disciple, felt a sense of hopelessness.
In fact, this wasn't even a battle.
It was a massacre! Li Chunjun alone, slaughtering nearly a dozen of them single-handedly! In the blink of an eye, the Eight Desolations Dragon Locking Formation's forty-nine elite cultivators had dwindled to less than ten. Realizing this, the Four Symbols True Lord finally couldn't stand it any longer.
"Enough!"
The Nascent Soul True Lord bellowed: "Li Chunjun! Stop! We can talk about whatever you need!"
But Li Chunjun didn't even bother to respond, the Scarlet Sky Sword showing no signs of slowing down as it continued to attack the other Core Formation Cultivators.
After effortlessly killing one, it changed direction again, aiming for the second...
This blatant disregard infuriated the Four Symbols True Lord: "Li Chunjun, I told you to stop, did you hear me!?"
In his rage, his Divine Sense erupted, even shaking Li Chunjun's mind.
"So... you're attacking me!?"
Li Chunjun's gaze shifted.
The Four Symbols True Lord's expression stiffened, but then he said with a grim face: "It was just a momentary loss of control over my Divine Sense due to anger, not targeting anyone. But, Li Chunjun... you'd better not push me..."
"No! I think you've already made your move!"
In the next moment, a Fifth-Tier Talisman in Li Chunjun's hand was activated once more.
The Primal Chaos Limitless Talisman! The moment this talisman was activated, it created a chaotic space where yin and yang were inverted, and the four directions were thrown into disarray, rapidly expanding to envelop an area of several dozen miles.
Among them, naturally, was the Four Symbols True Lord.
"You possess a Divine Sense Mystical Power, don't you? When I was engaged in combat with the Core Formation cultivator from the Zhou Tian Sect, you used your Divine Sense to shake my mind, interfering with my control over my Flying Sword! This scene has already been recorded by my Image Recording Talisman! I will hand this jade talisman over to the sect! Whether it counts as an attack or not, you can discuss it personally with Sect Leader Huan Ming of our Taixu Sword Sect!"
"Li Chunjun!"
The Divine Sense fluctuations of the Four Symbols True Lord were filled with both shock and fury: "I told you, it was just a momentary outburst of anger, and I failed to restrain my Divine Sense…"
He felt the chaos space formed by this talisman distorting his Divine Sense, Qi, and the surrounding space. His anger suddenly transformed into a terrifying killing intent.
Li Chunjun had unleashed this Fifth-Tier Talisman, undoubtedly to trap him and allow himself to escape the battlefield.
The fact that he had used his Divine Sense to shake Li Chunjun's mind…
It could be a minor matter or a major one!
If the Taixu Sword Sect wanted to seize the opportunity to make a move, they could certainly claim that the Zhou Tian Sect had violated the rules.
If it were brushed aside, no one would consider this minor use of Divine Sense as a declaration of war.
However, regardless of the outcome, he would not come out unscathed.
Fortunately…
The situation was not entirely without room for maneuver.
Because of this talisman.
Although this Fifth-Tier Primal Chaos Limitless Talisman was decisively unleashed by Li Chunjun to escape, and its purpose was to trap him, it still counted as Li Chunjun making a move against him!
As long as he killed Li Chunjun and destroyed the Image Recording Talisman in his hand, he could completely claim that Li Chunjun had been arrogant enough to think himself invincible, attacking him first and offending him, a Nascent Soul True Lord, forcing him to act in self-defense!
"You have an Image Recording Talisman! So do I! It's just a matter of who captures the most advantageous footage!"
With this thought, the Four Symbols True Lord immediately made his decision.
This Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy must not be allowed to live.
"Li Chunjun, since you've taken the initiative to attack me, don't blame me for what happens next! I'll capture you and let your Taixu Sword Sect come to redeem you personally!"
The Four Symbols True Lord, trapped within the Primal Chaos Limitless Talisman, let out a long roar.
The Image Recording Talisman captured the scene.
Immediately after, the Nascent Soul Qi within his body surged forth, forming a vast and mighty energy wave that directly clashed with the chaotic space created by the Fifth-Tier Talisman.
The power of talismans is inherently difficult to sustain for long.
He clearly intended to use his own Mystical Powers and Qi to forcibly burst through the chaotic space formed by this Fifth-Tier Talisman!
"The Hall Master has made his move!?"
Kai Yang, the True Inheritor who had thought he was doomed, felt the Qi fluctuations shaking the entire chaotic space and couldn't contain his joy.
Escaping death was nothing compared to this! With the Four Symbols Hall Master, a Nascent Soul True Lord, taking action, what was there to fear from a mere Li Chunjun!? "Whoosh!"
The sword light howled!
In his moment of joy, Kai Yang failed to notice the incoming sword light.
Or rather, his mind instinctively ignored the existence of this sword light, so much so that when the Flying Sword was upon him, the warning of imminent death jolted him awake.
"Flying Sword…"
"Thud!"
The sword light pierced through!
The expression of this True Inheritor disciple, who had thought he was about to achieve greatness, froze.
The Scarlet Sky Sword pierced through Kai Yang's head, then swiftly turned and vanished into the void.
Or rather, it disappeared from everyone's perception.
From this moment, the three True Inheritors of the Zhou Tian Sect—Dongfang Wu, Hai Fenglie, and Kai Yang—were completely annihilated.
However, Li Chunjun knew that the battle was not yet over.
Having used his last Fifth-Tier Talisman, the Primal Chaos Limitless Talisman, how could he leave without any gains?
The Scarlet Sky Sword vanished as Li Chunjun unleashed the full force of his mental energy. The Destruction Sword Intent, accompanied by the Profound Phoenix Sword Qi, soared into the heavens as he charged at full speed toward the outer edges of the chaotic space.
It seemed he was making a desperate attempt to break away from the battlefield! The Four Symbols True Lord, who was forcefully shaking the chaotic space, immediately sensed Li Chunjun's presence.
"Trying to escape!? Do you think you can!?"
With a low shout, he activated a top-tier Mystic Treasure within his body, one that provided an immense surge of Qi.
An endless stream of Qi poured into his body.
His entire being radiated with a dazzling brilliance, as if bathed in a resplendent light.
"Do you truly believe that possessing a Fifth-Tier Talisman allows you to disregard a Nascent Soul True Lord? Today, I will make you understand the true gap between Core Formation and Nascent Soul!"
(End of the Chapter)
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