Translator: AnubisTL
After opening the spirit letter, Li Qing casually glanced at it, his expression gradually turning serious.
"In five days, Gui Fan of the Ghost Sword Sect and Zhang Xiao of the Taiyi Sect will engage in a core formation realm duel atop the Ancient Imperial City!"
Li Qing muttered to himself, his heart stirring with unease.
Both combatants were paragons of their respective righteous and demonic paths, figures shrouded in countless accolades and whose every move drew intense scrutiny.
Their long-anticipated core formation realm duel was finally about to commence!
It was easy to imagine the immense repercussions this battle would unleash. Regardless of the victor, the outcome would undoubtedly have far-reaching consequences, potentially reshaping the entire future of the Great Wilderness Domain!
Just as Li Qing was pondering the spectacle this duel would create, a realization struck him.
"Wait a minute... when was this letter sent?"
"Hiss! It was delivered five days ago! If my calculations are correct, the battle should already be underway!"
Now it was too late. Even if he wanted to witness the spectacle, he wouldn't make it in time.
Li Qing chuckled bitterly, abandoning any thought of leaving his seclusion to witness the duel in the Ancient Imperial City. Instead, he resolved to patiently await news of the battle's outcome.
As Li Qing had predicted, the battle between Gui Fan and Zhang Xiao was the most anticipated event in the Great Wilderness Domain, drawing the attention of every cultivator. Even those unable to travel to the Ancient Imperial City eagerly awaited news of the outcome.
Approximately two days later, no one, including Li Qing, could have anticipated what arrived from the Ancient Imperial City. It wasn't just news of the victor and loser, but a revelation that shook the entire Great Wilderness Domain to its core!
The Ancient Imperial City lay shrouded in pitch-black night, yet the Imperial City was far from silent.
Boom!
"Shadow Devouring Slash!"
Gui Fan, wielding a massive purple-black sword, charged through the starlit night toward Zhang Xiao, who was enveloped in a radiant clear light.
The battle had reached a fever pitch, a relentless clash of wills where every strike aimed to claim the opponent's life. This was no mere sparring match; it was a true life-or-death duel.
The ghost sword tore through the air, its power terrifyingly potent. Forged from Demonic Essence Gold, this natal magic treasure unleashed residual sword qi that could easily claim the life of a foundation establishment cultivator.
Facing the descending ghost sword, Zhang Xiao's expression grew grave, yet he remained composed.
Zhang Xiao was enveloped in a radiant, clear light, his aura as ethereal as a celestial being descended to the mortal realm.
This was a divine ability from the Taiyi Sect's core cultivation manual: the Clear Light Art!
Once activated, this technique rendered its user impervious to all dharmic attacks and fearless against any demonic or malevolent forces.
With the Clear Light Art activated, Zhang Xiao formed a peculiar magical seal with his hands and spat out a mouthful of crimson essence blood.
"Supreme Purity Demon-Suppressing Seal!"
Buzz!
In an instant, the Ancient Imperial City, previously shrouded in darkness, blazed with blinding light, as if day had suddenly broken!
The radiant seal, like the sole existence in heaven and earth, descended upon Gui Fan, who was charging forward.
Gui Fan remained unfazed, his confidence unwavering in the ghost sword he wielded—a natal magic treasure refined from Demonic Essence Gold.
The purple-black blade slashed toward the Demon-Suppressing Seal with lightning speed.
To everyone's astonishment, the Supreme Purity Demon-Suppressing Seal was cleaved in two as easily as a knife slicing through tofu. The shattered seal exploded into a shower of radiant fragments that scattered like rain.
"Zhang Xiao, your life ends here!"
Gui Fan's decapitating strike with the ghost sword was ruthless. He showed no regard for Zhang Xiao's status as the Taiyi Sect's newly appointed supreme elder, his actions matching his words as he truly sought to claim Zhang Xiao's life.
Faced with the fatal sword strike, Zhang Xiao, the righteous path's chosen one, finally abandoned his pretense. He opened his mouth and spat out a clear, translucent, spherical pearl!
His natal magic treasure was merely a pearl!
Buzz!
The Supreme Clarity Pearl rapidly expanded, unleashing a blinding, boundless radiance.
Incredibly, Gui Fan's sword was halted, as if trapped in a quagmire, unable to break free.
Then, Gui Fan himself was frozen in place by the pearl's overwhelming light.
"Kill!" Zhang Xiao roared, launching the Supreme Clarity Pearl to suppress and eliminate Gui Fan.
Boom!
But Gui Fan was no easy opponent. He knew Zhang Xiao's cautious nature well—the man always preferred stability.
If Zhang Xiao dared accept his challenge, he must have already refined his natal magic treasure!
Still, natal magic treasures with immobilization effects were exceedingly rare. Even Gui Fan, who had been on guard, couldn't avoid falling victim to it.
As the Supreme Clarity Pearl descended to crush him, a sinister smile twisted Gui Fan's effeminate face.
"Ten Thousand Ghosts Dharma Body!"
Instantly, chilling black ghostly qi erupted from his body, rapidly enveloping him and coalescing into countless ghastly skulls.
Gui Fan unleashed the Ten Thousand Ghosts Dharma Body, a technique he had previously used against Li Qing.
This time, however, the Dharma Body's power was amplified. Having refined his natal magic treasure, Gui Fan could now wield the ghost sword through the Dharma Body, achieving the secret technique's ultimate form.
Suddenly, a series of piercing howls erupted from the Ancient Imperial City shrouded in darkness. The skull-shaped heads covering Gui Fan's body were the source of the terrifying cries.
Finally, empowered by this formidable Dharma Body, Gui Fan broke free from the Supreme Clarity Pearl's immobilization. He drew his sword and slashed.
The massive blade collided with the Supreme Clarity Pearl, unleashing a cataclysmic energy ripple that surged outward like a shockwave.
The Imperial City trembled!
The full-force clash between two core formation realm cultivators, each wielding their natal magic treasures, unleashed destruction on an almost absurd scale.
The once-glorious Ancient Imperial City had suffered countless calamities in recent years.
Returning our gaze to the battlefield, Gui Fan, now wielding the Ten Thousand Ghosts Dharma Body, held an overwhelming advantage.
His ghost sword, forged from Demonic Essence Gold, dominated the clash against Zhang Xiao's Supreme Clarity Pearl.
But this was far from over. Gui Fan had come with a single-minded determination to kill Zhang Xiao, regardless of his opponent's status.
This final battle was a life-or-death struggle, leaving no room for a draw.
In the next instant, Gui Fan's other hand materialized a Purple-Gold Gourd, its origins unknown.
Whoosh!
At this critical juncture, he dared to divert his focus, hurling the Purple-Gold Gourd through the air.
The gourd streaked across the sky toward Zhang Xiao, who was channeling the full power of the Supreme Clarity Pearl.
Zhang Xiao glanced at it dismissively and sneered, "Petty tricks!"
As his words faded, he unleashed a surge of qi mechanism from the Supreme Clarity Pearl, shattering the seemingly ordinary Purple-Gold Gourd into fragments.
But the shattered gourd revealed a swarm of searing white flames hidden within.
These flames radiated an eerie, bone-chilling cold. The moment they appeared, the surrounding air seemed to freeze over.
These were none other than the Netherworld Cold Fire Gui Fan had demanded from Li Qing earlier. He had actually deployed the flames he'd seized that day in this battle.
Since breaking the Pure Yang Seal on the Demonic Essence Gold, Gui Fan had established a tenuous connection with these unclaimed Netherworld Cold Fires, allowing him to barely control them for defense.
A torrent of searing white cold fire erupted forth. Part of it surged toward Zhang Xiao's natal magic treasure, while the rest lunged at his body like leeches clinging to bone.
It was too fast—there was no time to react. In less than the blink of an eye, the Netherworld Cold Fire erupted from the Purple-Gold Gourd and engulfed Zhang Xiao.
Enveloped in the chilling flames, Zhang Xiao's pupils constricted sharply, and a look of excruciating pain flashed in his eyes.
"Ugh... ah..."
"Hahahaha, Zhang Xiao! Prepare to die!" Gui Fan cackled maniacally, then slashed his sword through the Supreme Clarity Pearl before him, charging toward Zhang Xiao with lightning speed.
Wrapped in the Ten Thousand Ghosts Dharma Body, he raised the Purple-Black Giant Sword high above his head and brought it down with merciless force.
Whoosh!
The massive blade sliced through the air, descending swiftly.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the sword's edge brushed against the strands of hair above Zhang Xiao's head.
Suddenly, a cold snort echoed from within the Imperial City.
"Hmph! Such ruthless cruelty from a demonic path fiend! You won't live to see another day!"
As the words faded, Gui Fan's colossal Dharma Body was sent flying backward as if struck by an overwhelming force.
Boom!
The Dharma Body crashed through the Imperial City's newly rebuilt structures like a wrecking ball, reducing them to rubble. The recently reconstructed buildings crumbled as easily as stacks of blocks.
"Old dog of the Taiyi Sect! You shameless bastard!" Gui Fan roared venomously.
"You vile creature! Didn't Gui Li teach you to respect your elders? Today, I'll teach you that lesson myself!" Deep within the Imperial City, a massive hand materialized from condensed spiritual energy and hurtled toward Gui Fan's position.
Seeing this, a savage glint flashed in Gui Fan's eyes.
"Even if I die today, Zhang Xiao, you won't get away unscathed!"
His effeminate, handsome face twisted into a hideous grimace.
With a subtle shift of his divine sense, the Netherworld Cold Fire—already clinging to Zhang Xiao's body and nearly impossible to dispel—suddenly surged to life. Like venomous snakes, the flames burrowed frantically into Zhang Xiao's fleshly body.
The Netherworld Cold Fire rapidly burned its way into Zhang Xiao's body, corroding his internal organs and dantian qi sea!
"Ah!" Zhang Xiao writhed on the ground in agony, desperately trying to expel the bizarre flames searing his insides.
"Ancestor, save me! This isn't ordinary fire—it's heavenly spirit fire!"
Hearing Zhang Xiao's feeble cry, the Taiyi Sect ancestor finally burst forth in a fury.
"Demonic whelp! You truly have a venomous heart! If anything happens to him today, I'll flay you alive and tear you limb from limb!"
In the next instant, a black sword qi shot forth with lightning speed, blending seamlessly into the night.
The massive hand poised to crush Gui Fan shattered instantly under the blade's strike.
"Old Ghost Crimson Origin, do you truly think the Ghost Sword Sect is so easily bullied?"
A figure wielding a massive sword soared into the sky above the Imperial City, moving with such blinding speed that the naked eye could barely track his ghostly form.
It was none other than Gui Li, sect leader of the Ghost Sword Sect!
Though both were demonic path sword cultivators, the oppressive aura Gui Li exuded was utterly beyond Gui Fan's capabilities.
In the blink of an eye, he had closed the distance to True Monarch Crimson Origin, raising his sword to strike without hesitation.
True Monarch Crimson Origin watched in shock and fury, stunned by the Ghost Sword Sect leader's audacity. Yet he knew this demonic powerhouse was no easy opponent.
With a swift wave of his sleeve, he snatched up the agonizing Zhang Xiao and fled.
Boom!
The sword strike missed, carving a deep fissure into the Imperial City's earth, like an abyssal ravine.
Gui Li's expression remained ice-cold as he continued his pursuit through the air, determined to hunt down his prey.
"Running away? Weren't you just flaunting the might of your Taiyi Sect's ancestor?"
"Why don't you skin and gut yourself for my entertainment?"
Gui Li's voice was chillingly sharp as he chased after True Monarch Crimson Origin, unleashing torrents of sword qi with each stride.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The air tore apart as the sword qi, seemingly capable of piercing heaven and earth, surged forth with terrifying ferocity.
True Monarch Crimson Origin, fleeing frantically ahead, had no intention of fighting back.
He had only recently advanced to the nascent soul realm, a mere twenty-odd years ago, and knew he was no match for the sect leader of the Ghost Sword Sect.
"Gui Li, why are you pursuing me so relentlessly? Do you intend to provoke a war between our sects?" True Monarch Crimson Origin invoked the authority of his sect, hoping to deter his pursuer.
The Taiyi Sect had two nascent soul realm ancestors, and he was merely one of them.
Gui Li remained silent, his cold gaze fixed on the fleeing True Monarch Crimson Origin.
Suddenly, a blood-red hue began to stain the horizon ahead of Crimson Origin, gradually engulfing nearly half the sky.
"Heh heh heh, afraid of you? Brother Gui Li, let's cripple this hand of the Taiyi Sect tonight."
A sinister voice echoed from the crimson sky, and a tall, elegant figure materialized at the horizon's edge.
"The Blood Spirit Sect? You... you dare collude to ambush me!"
True Monarch Crimson Origin was now truly panicked. Unlike Wang Chengdao, he had no confidence facing two unfathomably powerful ancestors.
"Kill!"
Gui Li offered no explanation; his actions spoke volumes.
Tonight, he intended to tear the heavens apart and leave this Taiyi Sect ancestor here to rot.
(End of the Chapter)
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