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Translator: Tamon
Zhen Chanzi mocked, “You got any brighter ideas? Your spiritual power might win against a late ancient Qi Refining cultivator, but without magical arts or magic weapons, you’re an easy target. Kid, it’s admirable to seek a carefree life, but without strength to keep you safe, you won’t last long. This is how the world works.”
Wang Qi screamed in his spiritual sense, “Codger, read the mood first before preaching! We’re not out of the woods yet!”
[Damn it…] Wang Qi gripped his fists.
“Those three are getting further away. Use this chance to follow the bushes and trees.”
“Which way?”
“Anywhere that puts some distance between you and the girl’s fight with the Nascent Soul cultivator.”
Scared the Foundation Establishment cultivators might spot him, Wang Qi lay prone as he wiggled his way forward inch by inch. All the skill training he did these years was useless in this position. This made it so he felt the rocks and brambles fully, with his hands even sporting many wounds.
“I can’t keep doing this. I’ll sooner ruin my arms and stomach before I escape.”
Wang Qi was frantic, as a modern man he knew blood loss and pain had a heavy impact on one’s mind, working against him. Any lapse in attention could prove fatal in a dire situation. Alas, reality forced him to bite the bullet and fight through the pain.
“Ah! Bloody bastard!”
A howl of relentless rage came from above, followed by countless sword energies striking the bushes. Wang Qi panicked under the rain of attacks and took out a silver talisman.
Zhen Chanzi shouted, “Calm down! His sword art is most effective in melee. At this distance, the attacks will lose their strength and won’t harm you.”
Wang Qi gnashed his teeth, reining in the impulse to use the talisman. The sword energies rained havoc through the trees, cutting branches, splitting rocks, and flinging dirt. A few attacks landed dangerously close to Wang Qi, scaring the hell out of him.
The raging onslaught passed after a while.
Zhen Chanzi deducted, “By ancient cultivation standards, the kid just wasted half of his spiritual power. Though there’s something familiar about that outburst.”
“With all the sword arts you’ve seen in your time, it sounds to me like you plan on making it hard on them. Old man, are the attack talismans any good?”
“I’ve never seen them. Going by the spiritual power sealed inside, it packs enough power to take down an early Foundation Establishment cultivator without a protective magical art. However, it’s unknown whether it needs to be activated up close or it can work from a distance, whether it needs aiming or it’s guided. You’re staking your life if you use it.”
Wang Qi snarked, “Up close or ranged, aimed or guided… To get out of this mess, the talisman must be both a ranged attack and guided. That’s a one in four chance.”
“You’ll stake on it?”
“You mean risk it? Unless it’s a do-or-die situation with no other options, any action with less than a ninety percent chance of success is just reckless gambling.”
“What do you plan to do?”
Wang Qi ground his teeth, “Wait. Those sword energy attacks cleared the area around me and any movement would be obvious.”
Zhen Chanzi said, “I advise you not to put your hope on the girl, she’s about to lose.”
“What?!”
“The most she can hold on for is fifteen minutes.”
——————————————————————————
Xiang Qi didn’t have that long.
Celestial Blade Discs was known as the most versatile sword art that built up for a strong finish. The sword art had seven periods, with the first three being entry-level. Only at the fourth would it begin to display its versatility, turning into a killer technique.
Xiang Qi only mastered the first three.
The silver sword discs spun around Xiang Qi, blocking or deflecting the enemy’s magical arts, but it was bound to fail at some point. The girl had found openings at the beginning of the battle and could go on the offensive as well, while now, under this relentless assault, she could only minimize the formation and strain on her reserves.
“Can’t take it, girlie?”
The ancient cultivator made fun of her plight. He knew her level, a mid Foundation Establishment cultivator, something not even a late Golden Core couldn’t beat.
He, however, was an ancient early Nascent Soul!
A cruel smile spread across his face. He was tested to be fit for immortal cultivation, having excellent bone structure. The reality, however, proved harsher, unable to even reach the Nurturer Stage and became a laughingstock. He was left with no other choice than ancient cultivation. This was why he hated all modern cultivators with a passion, especially outstanding ones like Xiang Qi. Killing them, inflicting agony and torture was his life’s greatest joy.
[Anyone with a better talent should just die!]
His attacks quickened, spurred on by his malice.
Xiang Qi’s defenses were failing, with the Nascent Soul cultivator’s attacks shaking her core, like getting a heavy punch to the gut. Blood spilled from Xiang Qi’s mouth, a ghastly sight. She knew she was close to the end now.
“A turnaround!” Zhen Chanzi picked up on an incoming sword intent and spoke.
“What?” Wang Qi was clueless. He was the weakest here by far, having the worst senses. It was then the three Foundation Establishment cultivators hunting him down stopped and stared.
“The Li kid is back-, no, wait! There’s an ancient cultivator with him, at peak Nascent Soul! And he’s blocking him from helping!”
Wang Qi asked, “Is there still time?”
“I don’t know. From the ancient cultivator’s aura, I can tell he is a veteran among veterans.” Seeing how Xiang Qi could block an early Nascent Soul at her mid Foundation Establishment cultivation and Li Ziye at mid Golden Core cultivation faced a late Nascent Soul cultivator, he sighed, “That Nascent Soul cultivator’s cultivation method… Wait, w-what?”
Zhen Chanzi panicked.
———————————————————————————————
[Curses, I knew something was up!] Li Ziye noticed Albion Village in flames.
Albion Village laid off to the southeast of Divine Province’s outback, the place with potentially the lowest number of ancient cultivators. He couldn’t for the life of him understand why was his luck so rotten to meet a late Nascent Soul cultivator. The instant he noticed trouble struck Albion Village, a thought came to him, that he fell into a trap.
“Stop running and face me!”
Li Ziye’s opponent was a youth in his thirties wearing a white robe and wielding a greatsword. With his shout and slashing of the greatsword, countless sword waves came at Li Ziye.
It was a derived sword art from the supreme ancient cultivation method Imperial Celestial Rift, brutal and relentless. Li Ziye had to keep his wits about him, covering the battlefield with his spiritual sense. Myriad Arts Sect’s mental art, Divine Hexagram Computation, was used at its maximum to anticipate the enemy’s sword strikes. Then he retaliated with his Heavenly Sword against the sword images.
The Heavenly Sword struck just as the momentum of the enemy’s attack was lost. Heavenly Sword’s power erupted then, sending a mighty force that almost flung the greatsword out of the youth’s hand.
[So strong.]
The Nascent Soul cultivator actually admired the Golden Core cultivator’s strength. Such a feat was impossible among the ancient cultivators, but with modern cultivation, there were plenty of people who could skip stages to kill ancient cultivators. Even this grave and prominent youth would have a hard time fighting a modern cultivator of equal cultivation.
Li Ziye’s thrust broke the youth’s stance, with the latter not about to take the strongest modern weapon, Heavenly Sword, with his own body and jumped back.
His withdrawal didn’t relax Li Ziye one bit. For the enemy’s attack stalled his flying. He also felt Xiang Qi’s situation was getting worse by the second.
The ancient cultivator fighting Xiang Qi knew that as long as he got her head to fly before Li Ziye arrived, it was a win in his book. It was also quite possible to take Li Ziye down as well, once he united with the stern youth and his three men to form an array.
Xiang Qi noticed the crucial time was now and was ready to use a secret art that strained her potential.
Li Ziye hissed, turning into a sword light as he jumped on the sword and shot for the early Nascent Soul cultivators.
Wang Qi’s stealth art only worked against ancient cultivators. He saw that the kid would last a while longer, but Xiang Qi’s fate was what determined how all this was going to end.
The stern youth was not about to let him reach Xiang Qi, but then he stalled and instead brushed past Li Ziye and away, surprising the former as he rushed to Xiang Qi. The early Nascent Soul cultivator panicked seeing the stern youth leaving him hanging with Li Ziye.
Wang Qi sensed his ring burning. At the same time, Zhen Chanzi screamed in his mind, “Run, now! Go to Li Ziye! He is an Imperial Celestial Rift Sect disciple!”
Li Ziye was just about to reach the early Nascent Soul, getting him in his range for the Heavenly Sword. He then sent a golden sword energy right at him.
The guy was focused on Xiang Qi, with no time to defend. The light around him popped and the savage sword energy split his flesh. Xiang Qi used this chance to send three sword discs on the offensive and ran them through his chest.
Xiang Qi coughed blood, slumping on the ground.
Li Ziye eased a breath, ready to face the stern youth. However, as he looked back, his eyes went bloodshot.
The enemy went after Wang Qi!
Wang Qi was outraged. He had no way of hiding from a late Nascent Soul and shouted, “Bastard! I just knew you sucked!”
