Chapter 714: Splintered Barren State
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
A terrifying dark aura washed all over the place at the very next moment. Dark flowing light filled the space with the Sword Saint at the center, every streak of light containing fearsome blade will.
“What kind of ritual implement is this?” Everyone’s eyes froze as they stared at the blade in the Sword Saint’s hand.
The blade seemed to have forbidden powers. These powers were being unraveled bit by bit at that very moment. The power emanating from the blade rushed into every corner of the Sword Saint’s body, filling up his blood and even his soul.
The Sword Saint felt as if his body was being torn apart. Every single part of his body was in indescribably great pain. It was as if the streaks of blade will coursed throughout his body with impunity, threatening to cut him to pieces. The pain was more than enough to crush someone’s will before killing them.
Dark whirlpool seemed to have formed from his eyes. At that very instant, the Sword Saint felt the power within the blade and that it was no longer just a weapon forged from power of rules.
The blade had a soul.
The Sword Saint seemed to see many demonic projections within the blade. The demonic spirits manifested as terrifying devouring whirlpool. The dark aura emanating from the blade connected the heavens and the earth, causing boundless power to flow in reverse, devoured by the darkness of the demonic blade. The Sword Saint felt as if he was on the verge of being devoured by the power of that very blade.
Regardless of how powerful a ritual implement was, it was limited by the one using it. He was only at the level of a magi, which meant that even if he was given an incredibly formidable ritual implement, he would still have had a hard time bringing out its full power due to the limitations of his own powers.
Yet, when the seal on the blade was unraveled, the Sword Saint felt as if the blade had been crafted by the grey-robed figure just for him. The weapon matched well with the arts he trained in.
“Just what kind of a ritual implement is this?” Many watched the scene unfolding before them in shock. The Sword Saint’s plane was not all that high, and in the eyes of many, he was simply walking to his own death. Yet, when the seal on the blade was unraveled, they felt themselves trembling within as if some power that got them feeling fear resided in the blade itself.
Kong Yao watched how the boundless dark aura in the air looked like vines, devouring the powers of the world in a frenzy. That blade was definitely a very high-level holy item. He had never thought he would have encountered such holy items in the Barren State, and he deemed it crucial to get his hands on it.
Such saint level ritual implements were only accessible to saints back in Zhisheng Cliffs, but if it was something that he had acquired for himself, he would have been allowed to keep it. If he were to hand it over to Zhisheng Cliffs, he would have been given another one in return, instead of simply adding more to their collection.
“A cultivator trained in the demonic arts.” Kong Yao’s expression was cold as he said, “That is someone who is trained in demonic ways. What is the Holy Zhi Palace doing keeping their hands to themselves with someone like that before us?”
“Demonic arts.” Ye Futian looked at his Eldest Brother. Since when did he train in demonic methods?
Furthermore, the blade was a very powerful one. It was a demonic blade.
“Reverse.” A cold voice was uttered by the Sword Saint. The Spiritual Qi and power of rules seemed to have flowed in his body in reverse, being devoured by both the human and the weapon. Dark patterns appeared all over his body as if he had been clad in a piece of terrifying dark armor. He held the blade in his hand tight, as if both of them had merged into a single being.
“Demon.” The Sword Saint took one step forward and one demonic shadow after another appeared around him. Dark aura that felt even more terrifying whipped about in the air. He held the demonic blade up high and veins were seen popping all over him.
Kong Yao’s expression changed and said, “Look out.”
He sensed a sliver of danger.
“Kill.” The blade was brought down as soon as he finished talking. The streaks of dark aura all materialized into curved blades and lashed out.
“Get away,” Kong Yao roared. The Zhisheng Cliffs mighty ones had initially surrounded Ye Futian and the others. When the blade was brought down, everyone was within range of the blade’s attack.
“Retreat.” Everyone from the major forces all backed away and evaded the dark blad as it swooped through the air as they went down.
Pfftt… Some of the mighty ones from Zhisheng Cliffs closest to them ended up chopped or bisected at the waist. The power of rules proved utterly inadequate to fend off the move. Anyone who got near ended up dead.
Blood sprayed all over the air. One sage level figures after another perished right there and then. Countless eyes stared at that very scene and many felt their minds trembling. The move was definitely one wrought by one at the pinnacle of Sage Plane. The Sword Saint melded his blade work and power of rules together with the power of the blade, boosting himself enough to reach the very limit of the Sage Plane.
Boom! A loud rumble was heard. The blade was brought down the palace far away, with the peak having gashes on it. The sky stairwell was snapped. That was a holy stairwell leading into the Holy Zhi Palace, a symbol that was cut up by that blade flash.
Kong Yao, Nie Yan, and Ge Feng all glared at the Sword Saint. The guy actually ended up killing so many of us from Zhisheng Cliffs.
One slash ended up killing over a dozen mighty ones.
What are we going to tell Zhisheng Cliffs when we return? Kong Yao’s body trembled slightly at the thought. His face turned incredibly grim.
The two previous battles did not end up achieving their goals but Zhisheng Cliffs did not suffer many losses. However, despite having gathered more mighty ones from Zhisheng Cliffs, they ended up losing more instead. He deemed such a result simply unacceptable.
“You all will die,” Kong Yao said coldly. A beam of holy light burst before him as soon as he finished. It was a very, very tall Bronze Holy Cauldron, looking regal and elegant as it hovered in the air. Streaks of holy light emanated from it. Everyone in the boundless space felt themselves being suppressed by a very terrifying power of rules, so much so that they found it difficult to breathe and incapable of moving. Ye Futian felt that precisely. At that moment, he felt impossible just to move his leg.
“Such terrifying holy item.” The minds of many trembled. You Chi of Alchemy City stared at that Bronze Holy Cauldron. Alchemy City was unable to produce a holy item of such level. It seemed that Zhisheng Cliffs was determined to get their hands on it by allowing a holy item of such a level to be used by Kong Yao. That made Kong Yao almost invincible at his plane.
“Open,” Kong Yao said. The incredibly huge Bronze Holy Cauldron blew up right there and then before reforming. It turned into armor-like protective gear, flying towards Kong Yao’s body.
Kong Yao’s arms, legs, chest, and back were all clad in bronze armor in an instant. A boundlessly huge divine elephant Life Spirit appeared. The same type of armor appeared on all four legs of that massive divine elephant.
“It can transform.” Many peoples’ eyes froze in place. Kong Yao stepped on the air below and the divine elephant shadow did the same as well. Incredible power radiated and suppressed all below it. Many were heard grunting and Sage Douzhan’s battle form protected Ye Futian within it as well, preventing him from being affected. That one step vaguely cracked his battle form, a testament of how terrifying Kong Yao was when borrowing the power of holy items. He ranked ninth on the Sage Ranking and was invincible throughout the entire Barren State. Now that he had one such super-powerful holy item with him, there was simply no one below Saint Plane capable of getting his way.
“I’ll go take care of him,” the Sword Saint said calmly, looking at Kong Yao. Terrifying dark light whooshed about him still. His body seemed to have grown quite a bit and took a demon form. The demonic blade was filled with boundless blade will, enlarging it and turned it into a hundred meter-long demonic blade. Streaks of dark aura burst from the demonic blade in a frenzy. The Sword Saint then took to the air, holding the demonic blade high in the air.
“All who had a part in this will die,” Kong Yao said coldly. His murderous intent was brimming as he stepped down. The divine elephant did the same and one divine elephant shadow after another seemed to went on a stampede in the air, stepping down as they went.
The Sword Saint swung his blade very slowly. Dark aura gathered in a frenzy, enlarging the blade gleaming with overbearing force, lashing out at the air. Sharp noises were heard and the divine elephant shadow was cut open by the demonic blade in the middle. The blade kept cutting at the air and headed for Kong Yao.
Kong Yao’s expression was ice-cold. A magi level figure actually came at me with a ritual implement?
His ritual implement was also an extremely fearsome saint level holy item and his plane was far higher than the Sword Saint’s.
One divine elephant shadow appeared after another and suppressed the air. Kong Yao shouted coldly and he, who was clad in battle armor and combat boots, stepped out, turning into a foot of the divine elephant. The divine elephant right behind him stepped out at the same time. With a deafening rumble, the boot stepped right onto the demonic blade. Terrifying dark blade flashes lashed out in the surroundings in that very instant, and that power that seemed to be bringing everything to its knees landed onto the body of the Sword Saint.
“Cut!” the Sword Saint shouted and terrible light emanated from the blade, cutting up the rules that came at them from above. The blade and the boot stuck together and rose, with two shadows making for the sky. The blade flash was seen and both stayed away from each other, each taking one side in the air. There were countless outside the Holy Zhi Palace who lifted their heads, looking tiny.
“Eldest Brother.” Ye Futian was filled with boundless worry. Ye Futian knew that his Eldest Brother deliberately went at Kong Yao so as to get him away from the battlefield. Kong Yao was, after all, too powerful. At such a plane, Ye Futian would not have been able to fend off even one step from Kong Yao.
Nie Yan and Ge Feng moved once again, fighting Zhuge Qingfeng and Yuan Hong. Nie Yan said coldly, “Isn’t the Holy Zhi Palace going to do anything?”
Ye Futian glanced at Liu Chan but he heard You Chi said, “This is a feud between Zhisheng Cliffs and Ye Futian. As the sacred ground of the Barren State, it would be better for the Holy Zhi Palace to stay out of this. Even though they might not be able to carry out what they believe in, there should at least have some line they wouldn’t cross for whatever reasons.”
“Go.” Yan Wuji and mighty ones from Nantian House banded together at the moment and prepared to fight Zhuge Qingfeng and Yuan Hong together. They were compelled to kill those two right there and then.
“Di Kai, who gave you the permission to do anything?” You Chi glanced at someone, appearing right before Di Kai of the Emperor family in Alchemy City.
“This has nothing to do with you,” Di Kai said coldly.
“I’m the City Lord of Alchemy City. If you dare do anything funny, I’d have no choice but to make my move,” You Chi said coldly as well.
Xu Shang got in the way of Yan Wuji at the same time and said plainly, “It is better for the Barren State forces to simply watch from the sidelines.”
“Are you going to become Zhisheng Cliffs’ enemies then?” the City Lord of White Cloud City stepped out and said coldly, deeming them to be on the opposite side of Zhisheng Cliffs.
“No,” Di Kai said plainly and added, “but the Zhuge family and Taihang Mountain are both Barren State forces. As such, it is best for other forces from Barren State to stay out of this.” He stood across Bai Gu as soon as he finished. They promised to come but they would have never asked for a fight with Zhisheng Cliffs, as doing so would have given Zhisheng Cliffs a reason to wage a war against them.
But if Ye Futian and the others were able to get in Zhisheng Cliffs’ way, they were not beneath helping out a little. Although Zhisheng Cliffs had saints, all nine states were the Orthodoxy of Emperor Xia, which meant that Zhisheng Cliffs could not simply go about as they pleased. So long as they kept themselves from acting against Zhisheng Cliffs, it would be impossible for that force from Yu State to simply kill all of them despite the fact that they had done nothing!