If the coldness one felt in the Heaven Academic Altar was borne of murderous intent, the atmosphere could be said to be extremely intense. It was almost tangible.
The purple light rose to the horizon with wrathful murderous intent.
A longsword seemed to be hiding within the purple pillar of light. It was completely enveloped as the purple light swirled around its blade.
The sword name was…
Traceless!
"It's the Traceless Sword?" Lin Mubai shuddered upon seeing that sword. He looked as if he had been struck by lightning.
This did not only apply to Lin Mubai.
Prince Xian Lin Yun and the other three Majesties also stood up immediately as they stared at the sword.
They naturally knew about the legendary sword of the Great Xia Dynasty. The sword that belonged to the Sagely Battle God Meng Tian, drawn from the World of the Sages by Fang Zhengzhi. The Traceless Sword!
"Is this the Traceless Sword?"
"It is completely purple in color and extremely sharp. It is indeed the Traceless Sword!"
"However, what's with this murderous intent? From what I understand, the Sagely Battle God Meng Tian is not a person who is fond of killing. He is an extremely peaceful person. Why then, would this sword be filled with so much wrath?"
The three other Majesties exchanged glances and recognized the confusion in each other's eyes.
Their words were naturally heard by the Heavenly Dao Pavilion disciples. They then cast their gazes in unison towards the Traceless Sword.
"Traceless Sword? Is that the sword's name? Then wouldn't it mean…"
"Yes, he is Fang Zhengzhi!"
"What? He really is Fang Zhengzhi? Are you telling me Yan Xiu was right all along?"
"It cannot be wrong. I have heard that after Fang Zhengzhi wielded the Traceless Sword, no one else was able to bring forth its power!"
"Fang Zhengzhi? Are you telling me he is the youngest Prince with a different last name in the Great Xia Dynasty? Shouldn't he only be at the Rebirth State?"
All the Heavenly Dao Pavilion disciples were clearly shocked.
Qian Wu, who was looking from afar, suddenly clenched his fist as his face sunk. He muttered, 'Traceless Sword? Fang Zhengzhi! It really is you!"
"Fang Zhengzhi… it really is him. Yan Xiu… he was right!" Nangong Mu's eyes widened in disbelief as he gasped.
"Has he already reached the Rebirth State? That is indeed fast…" A person with similar features as Nangong Mu muttered after staring at the Traceless Sword.
"You are Fang Zhengzhi?" The Fifth Elder stared at the figure within the pillar of purple light in disbelief as he said.
Swish!
Fang Zhengzhi did not answer the Fifth Elder. However, an emerald light emerged from his body as started shredding the pristine white robe on his body into pieces.
His face mask was also shredded together with his robe.
A young and clean face was then revealed. However, it bore no resemblance to the usual smile Fang Zhengzhi carried, only a murderous expression was left.
"It's true!" The Fifth Elder's expression changed. When Fang Zhengzhi revealed his face, his suspicions were already confirmed.
Fang Zhengzhi, the youngest Prince with a different last name in the Great Xia Dynasty. He was borne in the rural area of the North into an ordinary family. However, he had made a name for himself through the Law of Dao Examinations held in the Great Xia Dynasty.
Capital Examinations, Imperial Examinations, Court Examinations, and Prefectural Examinations Double Roll Champions.
Furthermore, he had even prevented the war between the Great Xia Dynasty and the Demon race, engaging in the battle of the century against Half Sage Can Yang of the Demon Race when he was only a Supernatural State individual.
Eventually, he became the person the most in the Battle of the Southern Region.
That was not all. In the internal political strife that followed, Fang Zhengzhi displayed his ability at strategizing and planning as well, foiling the plans of the Crown Prince and King Duan to usurp the throne.
This also resulted in the emergence of Prince Xian Lin Yun, sitting atop and viewing the battle at this current moment.
Most importantly,
Fang Zhengzhi also killed a Demon King.
An entity that even a sage would have problems dealing with.
A super genius.
That was the Heavenly Dao Pavilion's evaluation of Fang Zhengzhi's ability. If not for the fact that he only had a few months left to live, the Heavenly Dao Pavilion would have extended an invitation to such a genius.
The Heavenly Dao Pavilion even called for a meeting chaired by Mu Qingfeng to gather opinions on this matter.
However, some things were not meant to be.
The Heavenly Dao Pavilion still decided to give up on this chance.
Who would have thought that Fang Zhengzhi would end up in the Heavenly Dao Pavilion in the end? Furthermore, he even assumed the identity of Kong Qing to do so.
What was more surprising was that this super genius had once again displayed his prowess and radiance, attaining the impossible. He successfully reached the Rebirth State in two months and mastered the Heaven Dao, defeating Kong Qing easily. He even defeated the Third Elder in front of everyone.
"Pavilion Leader!" Lin Mubai gasped after seeing Fang Zhengzhi's true identity. He turned towards Mu Qingfeng and said, "Fang Zhengzhi is the new Prince Cang of the Great Xia Dynasty, he has no connections to the other four factions. This is a misunderstanding!"
"Hm…" Mu Qingfeng squinted his eyes and stared at Fang Zhengzhi before casting his glance back at Lin Mubai. He then nodded his head and said, "Just like what your Majesty had said, this is a misunderstanding!"
"Fang Zhengzhi, please put your sword away. There is still turning back!" Lin Mubai exclaimed upon seeing Mu Qingfeng's approval. He immediately persuaded Fang Zhengzhi to rethink his actions.
"Prince Cang, Yan Xiu was merely injured. His life is not in danger! You cannot act rashly!" Prince Xian Lin Yun was clearly anxious as he muttered those words.
"Kill!" A ferocious bellow could be heard.
Following which, a figure rose into the sky and integrated himself with the purple light. At the same time, the horizon seemed to instantly darken, as though torrential rain would fall anytime.
"Fang Zhengzhi, no!" Lin Mubai stared at this scene and naturally guessed what would happen next. He wanted to prevent it from happening, though it was all too late.
That was because the purple light had fallen.
"What a brazen technique!"
"Not only that, the murderous intent from this attack is almost tangible!"
"Borrowing the powers of the heavens and earth. Is this the technique that killed the Demon King?"
Even the usually arrogant and haughty Heavenly Dao Pavilion disciples could not help but exclaim in shock when they saw the falling purple light.
"Fang Zhengzhi, no matter if you have connections with the other four factions, you have to die today for insulting my third brother!" The Fifth Elder stared at the falling purple light as all the hesitation he felt previously instantly dissipated.
Heavenly Dao Pavilion, one of the five factions within the Sage Realm.
How could they condone an insignificant Prince Cang of a Great Xia Dynasty creating a ruckus on their grounds? It did not matter if you were a super genius. After all, you merely had four months left to live.
The Fifth Elder had a cold gaze as pillars of emerald light encircled him. If Fang Zhengzhi was not a person that would soon meet his demise, he might really have to consider his actions now.
One year ago, Fang Zhengzhi had just attained the Supernatural State. One year later, he had already achieved a breakthrough and attained the Rebirth State. He even mastered the Heaven Dao.
Eighteen years old!
To be able to freely control the Heaven Dao and even attain the Rebirth State at 18 years old was simply amazing. Even the Fifth Elder could not imagine what Fang Zhengzhi could achieve in the future.
However, this was fate!
Attaining the Rebirth State was alas, different from attaining the Saint State. Even if Fang Zhengzhi could be termed as a half-sage now, it was still a long distance before he could reach the level of a sage.
The Fifth Elder moved.
He placed both his hands in front of him. At the same time, an intense emerald brilliance emerged from his body, turning into two giant hands formed from countless thorn vines.
"You only have four months left anyway. I will hasten your death!" The Fifth Elder clasped his hands together as the character on his forehead glowed radiantly. He shouted, "Green Thorn Burial!"
Boom!
The two giant hands also clasped tightly together, trapping the purple light in its tight grasp.
A piercing screech of the two techniques grazing against each other echoed throughout the area. The purple light grew even brighter as it fought to release itself from the grasp of the giant vine hands.
The entire Heaven Academic Altar seemed to be trembling from the collision of these two techniques.
This piercing sound forced many weaker disciples to clasp their ears in pain as their face paled.
"This guy is this strong?"
"Even the Fifth Elder seems to be struggling with his Green Thorn Burial. He is only a Rebirth State, right? The Green Thorn Burial is one of the strongest techniques in the Dao of Nature!"
"The thorn vines are said to have the highest tenacity amongst the Daos. Judging from defensive capabilities alone, the Fifth Elder's technique is even stronger than the Qian Kun Eight Wastelands. To think that it cannot destroy the purple light in one blow!"
As the Heavenly Dao Pavilion disciples stared at the colliding techniques, they were dumbfounded.
All of their gazes were drawn towards the exciting clash of the purple and emerald light.
The Fifth Elder was clearly giving his all as he stared at Fang Zhengzhi with a cold stare.
However…
Just when everyone was waiting for the conclusion to this collision, a green and a blue light appeared behind the Fifth Elder.
The moment the two light source appeared, they fused together in a peculiar manner and turned into a uniform shade.
"Green Blue Double Slash!" A fierce but soft voice rang.
Following which, the light formed a cross and collided with the Fifth Elder. It was targeted strategically at his left and right arm.
This was a sudden scene. No one could have expected this to happen. Furthermore, they traveled extremely fast. There was no way one could have dodged that at such a short distance.
Blood spurted everywhere.
As the Fifth Elder was caught completely off guard, the light immediately sliced through his flesh. An impact similar to that of a powerful punch seems to spread through his entire body.
He then vomited a mouthful of blood.
That blow was so powerful that he staggered a few steps forward and he had to use all his strength to keep himself from falling.
"What?"
"A sneak attack?"
The Heavenly Dao Pavilion disciples stared at the Fifth Elder subconsciously upon hearing the sound of impact. The Fifth Elder then looked behind him in shock.
He simply could not understand…
Who would launch an attack on him at this crucial moment?
However, there was indeed a figure standing behind him. He was wearing an ordinary short-sleeved shirt and had an unimpressive demeanor.
He did not have much of a presence.
However, the Fifth Elder recognized this person. He was the younger brother of Nangong Hao, though he could never remember his name.
Even though he constantly reminded himself to remember this person's name, it always seemed to slip his mind.
After all, he only needed to know him as the younger brother of Nangong Hao.
However, it was exactly this unimpressive person that was standing behind him. He was even carrying two swords in his hand, one green in color and the other, blue in color.
"You…" The Fifth Elder's eyes widened in shock. He would never have expected that the person who launched a sneak attack on him would be Nangong Hao's younger brother.
The Heavenly Dao Pavilion disciples could not believe it as well.
Naturally, almost all of them did not know who this person was. This was because he simply looked too ordinary for one to usually take notice of him.
"Who is this guy?"
"He should be… Nangong Hao's younger brother, I think? I am not sure."
"Nangong Hao's younger brother?"
The Heavenly Dao Pavilion disciples subconsciously wanted to turn their gaze towards the new character in this battle. However, the sinister purple light at the corner of their eyes caught their attention once again.
The purple light that shot through the horizon had fallen.
While everyone's attention was on Nangong Mu, the purple light managed to break through the constraints of the Green Thorn Burial and traveled at a speed that generated visible ripples in the air…
It charged straight towards the Fifth Elder!
Shock and horrified.
The Fifth Elder was extremely pale. After taking a blow from Nangong Mu, he knew that he had lost the battle. However, he did not expect his end to come so soon.
This was because based on his calculations, even after he had lost connection with the Green Thorn Burial technique, it should be able to restrain the purple light for another five breaths.
However, it only took the time of two breaths for the purple light to fall after he was injured.
"This is impossible!" The Fifth Elder stared at the purple light in front of him as he gasped bitterly.
He knew that there was only one explanation as to why the purple light could breakthrough his Green Thorn Burial in two breaths. The purple light was simply stronger.
However, how could he admit to this hard truth?
Boom! A terrifying explosion sound rang.
Whether or not the Fifth Elder was willing to accept the conclusion of this battle, the purple light fell.
The entire Heavenly Dao Pavilion seemed to tremble at that moment. Following which, it felt as though the place was going to explode. Countless gravels and dust flew in all directions.
A fissure then opened up on the ground and slowly extended further away.