The colors of the six chains corresponded to the six characters on Qian Wu's blade. Red, green, blue…
When the six chains emerged from the ground, all the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples widened their eyes in shock.
"Could this be?"
"How is this possible?"
"This is impossible. This… this is the Near-Life Dao. Furthermore, it seems as if…"
The Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples were dumbfounded. Not only were the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples in shock, the four Majesties sitting atop were also taken aback.
This was especially so for the Emperor of the Holy Barbarian Empire. His face paled immediately as he grabbed the white jade table with his bare hands, squeezing it so tightly that he would break it anytime.
"Near-Life Lock of Hell? He… to think that he…" The Emperor of the Holy Barbarian Emperor stared at the scene with bloodshot eyes.
If there were still things in this world that he could never have imagined, that would be for the Near-Life Lock of Hell to be summoned by someone who was not of the Royal Holy Barbarian bloodline.
Furthermore…
It was used against the Crown Prince of the Holy Barbarian Empire, Qian Wu!
In fact, when Qian Wu came forward, he felt relieved and proud. That was because he always thought highly of his son.
Although Mu Qingfeng did not attempt to stop this battle, this did not mean that he had no opinions about it.
It was impossible for him to be completely neutral, to begin with.
Putting Fang Zhengzhi's lifespan aside, the fact that the Fifth Elder could attain the title of an elder meant that he had built a personal rapport with Mu Qingfeng.
After all, not all individuals who had achieved the Saint State could become an elder in the Heaven Dao Pavilion.
There were too many other factors such as reputation, achievements and so on.
The moment Fang Zhengzhi was dead, the Fifth Elder's sin would no longer be viewed in a negative light. After his punishment of guarding the stone tablet for ten years or even a shorter duration, he might very well regain his status as a Fifth Elder.
However, the scene in front of him struck fear into his heart for the first time ever since Qian Wi stood forward.
Favors? Achievements?
These were extremely important things in the Heaven Dao Pavilion. However, if one were to lose his life over such trivial things, what good would it do?
"Fang Zhengzhi, you…" Qian Wu was in an even greater shock than everyone else. His feelings were a lot more tangible and heartfelt.
The terrifying presence of the six chains overwhelmed him, threatening to suffocate him anytime. It was as though he was immobilized in front of this magnificent power.
As the wielder of the Near-Life Dao of the Six Daos.
He naturally understood what the six different colored chains in front of him signified. It was the Near-Life Lock of Hell, the state that he wanted to achieve even in his dreams.
His dreams were becoming reality.
Alas, it was turned against him.
Why did this happen?
In the battle of Flame Capital City, Fang Zhengzhi had once stolen the Near-Life Gate of the Holy Barbarian Empire right from the bottom of his nose. At that time, he felt that his dignity and pride was damaged.
For the past two months, he could not fathom how Fang Zhengzhi cold have done that.
However, he could now understand what happened. Fang Zhengzhi had mastered the Near-Life Dao as well. In fact, he was more adept in it, reaching a state he could only dream of.
Boom! The red chain pierced through the arm that was wielding the black sword. It was as though the death scythe of the reaper had cut through his flesh.
Qian Wu's face became extremely pale.
He had finally experienced how helpless one felt against the overwhelming presence, and how the beasts felt when he used the Near-Life Dao to seal them within the gate.
Stressful, helpless and fearful.
"No!" Qian Wu shouted bitterly.
However, that did not seem to do anything.
Despite his screams of despair, he could not stop the second chain from piercing through his body.
Boom! The green chain pierced his thighs, causing blood to spurt out from the point of impact. At the same time, Qian Wu knelt onto the ground uncontrollably.
This was not all. The third chain had arrived. The overwhelming presence gave Qian Wu completely no chance to retaliate.
The only sealing Dao within the Six Daos.
Boom! The third chain pierced through Qian Wu's other hand without hesitation, pinning Qian Wu completely on the ground.
He simply lay helplessly as he awaited death.
The fourth one arrived.
It encircled itself around his throat, contorting his facial features and repressing him further into the solid ground. Qian Wu's body trembled uncontrollably as his face turned a bright red before turning purple.
He was clearly eager to say something, though he could not seem to speak, not even whimpering sounds could be heard.
That was because the Near-Life Lock of Hell had completely sealed off his powers.
The fifth…
And the sixth…
Qian Wu's eyes widened as bitterness and hatred flashed through his eyes. However, he could only offer a death stare as he lay helplessly on the ground.
In his eyes, Fang Zhengzhi had never thought of him as an opponent. He felt neglected and looked down upon, as though he meant nothing.
Fang Zhengzhi had a stone-cold stare as a purple light could be seen flashing in his eyes. The Traceless Sword in his hands clashed violently with the Fifth Elder's Thorn Sword.
One against two!
When such a preposterous scene was presented in front of the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples, they had already lost all sense of reason. Never in their wildest dreams would they imagine that such a thing was possible.
Near-Life Lock of Hell!
Fang Zhengzhi's had reached the epitome of the Near-Life Dao?
That's not right!
He had also mastered the Heaven Dao, as evident from his use of the Ten Pillars of Heavenly Descent.
A person who had mastered both the Heaven Dao and Near-Life Dao?
How is this possible?
Under normal circumstances, it was already a feat to master a single Dao in a lifetime. How could someone master both at once?
More importantly…
He seemed to have reached the epitome of both!
Is he a monster?
How could the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples believe their eyes? They were all once proud and extremely talented individuals. They were once revered by all.
However, when standing in front of Fang Zhengzhi, they felt as though they were simply ordinary people, even to the point of being useless.
It was not a sin to be talented. However, to be this talented…
Is simply unreasonable!
"Senior Kong Qing, no… Fang Zhengzhi, he… we…"
"Cannot compare, we truly cannot hold a candle to him!"
"After I knew that he was Fang Zhengzhi, I felt that my previous impressions of him were misguided. However, I have to admit that he truly wields power we can never hope to achieve!"
The candidates muttered under their breath as they struggled to keep their mouths closed from the shock.
At that moment…
A figure swiftly flashed past their eyes. It was an extremely fast shadow wielding a green and blue sword in each of his hands.
Nangong Mu.
"Hm?" The Fifth Elder caught something in the corner of his eyes. He could not take his attention off Fang Zhengzhi to notice Nangong Mu's actions. However, he could clearly feel the slight breeze behind his back.
As a Saint State individual and an elder of the Heaven Dao Pavilion, there was no way he could have let his guard down during a battle. The only reason why he was damaged by Nangong Mu's attack was that it was an ambush.
After all, he was in the Heaven Dao Pavilion.
Who would dare to sneak on him under the watchful eyes of so many powerful individuals?
This was something he had never thought possible. However, after his first experience, he would not allow it to happen again.
"Courting death!" The Fifth Elder hollered as he swung his vine-constructed arm to his back. Over ten vines instantly turned into towering thorns, each of them glimmering dangerously.
This was both an offensive and defensive technique.
There was no way the Fifth Elder would hold back. This was a battle of life and death for him. How could he allow a person who would sneak up on him anytime live?
Even if the person was the younger brother of Nangong Hao.
At the moment when the Fifth Elder made his move, a figure rushed forward from the group of Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples who were watching the intense battle. His pristine white robe fluttered in the wind and he carried a white longsword on his back.
He had already unsheathed his sword. The crystal-like hilt and the almost transparent blade sparkled under the illumination of the sunlight.
"Nangong Hao!"
"Junior Nangong!"
"Is that guy really his younger brother?"
As the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples stared at the colliding figures of the Fifth Elder and Nangong Mu, they gasped in shock.
If one were to single out a person who generated the most buzz amongst the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples in this two years, who would it be?
It would not be the person who was known as the strongest disciple of the Heaven Dao Pavilion. It would be the new disciple that had just entered the premise.
Nangong Hao.
He was the person most debated about in these two years in the Heaven Dao Pavilion. In the previous Heaven Dao Pavilion Examination, Nangong Hao defeated all the powerful Rebirth State individuals with his Supernatural State status. In fact, he was dominating the entire examination.
He took the first place of the entire examinations as a Supernatural State.
This was exactly why everyone was impressed when he became a disciple of the Heaven Dao Pavilion. Following which, many peculiar events centering Nangong Hao also happened.
In the casual competitions held regularly amongst the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples, Nangong Hao's prowess was seen and acknowledged by all.
That was not all…
Two months ago, Nangong Hao had achieved a breakthrough!
He then welcomed the first meaningful battle of his journey in the Heaven Dao Pavilion. He approached the Seventh Senior and requested a formal battle.
The Seventh Senior was a Saint State individual!
No one knew how Nangong Hao managed to achieve victory. However, the truth was that he did, by just a narrow margin.
Following which, he entered the Divine Rain Pond.
This was merely one version of the story. Another version claimed that Nangong Hao first approached the Pavilion Leader, Mu Qingfeng to request entry into the Divine Rain Pond before challenging the Seventh Senior.
There was not much of a difference apart from the order of things.
After all, not many people would believe that Nangong Hao, who had just attained the Rebirth State, would be able to defeat the Seventh Senior, who had already reached the Saint State.
Despite him winning only by a narrow margin.
The Seventh Senior and Nangong Hao also kept their mouths sealed about the events of that day.
Ask?
Who would dare to ask about such things?
In essence, after Nangong Hao defeated the Seventh Senior, or after he had emerged from the Divine Rain Pond, he had yet to challenge anyone. Apart from Pavilion Leader Mu Qingfeng, even the seven elders had yet to see Nangong Hao's true power.
Nangong Hao was extremely fast, so much as that his shadow was a blur. However, a figure was even faster than him, arriving in front of Nangong Mu in a split second.
It was a dark-skinned figure. Despite his elegant emerald robes, it could not conceal the ferocious presence hiding beneath that façade.
He was a true monster.
Naturally, he possessed eyes that shone fiercely like a beast.
He is Yan Qing.
The number one prodigy of the Extreme Combat Empire.
A human who was raised by a pack of ferocious beasts. Similarly, he was revered as the monster with the "unbreakable" body.
He made no fancy moves. He merely grabbed onto the two giant thorns heading towards Nangong Mu with his arms and snapped them easily into two.
"He is mine!" A ferocious bellow echoed through the Heavenly Academic Altar. It made the shattered ground tremble precariously.