“Between you and I is less than ten feet.”
The Asura Vajra, Vajra Dufan, lowered his head to scrutinise the short man in white. The other’s head only reached his chest.
“Except for the Yao race, at third rank, anyone from any system who lets a martial artist get within ten feet will undoubtedly die.” He looked down at the arcanist in white, and his thick lips curled in disdain.
At this distance, even if the other party tried to teleport away, he could interrupt the attempt in advance.
As for protective magic artefacts, in the eyes of a third-rank Vajra, beside the great city-protecting formations, with countless small formations interlocked and engraved upon the city walls, he could break through any of them. Those formations carved on regular magical artefacts were still limited by their material, they could never withstand his iron fists.
Even if a magical treasure like the Stupa tower were summoned now, it would already be too late.
“Or is it that you are offering a hostage to the Buddhist sect in exchange for Arhat Duqing?”
The moment these words were spoken, the Asura Vajra’s palm, as large as a fan, swooped downwards to envelop Sun Xuanji’s head.
Boom~
The dark gold hand landed on the barrier of Qi, sending a harsh shockwave through the air.
Vajra Dufan’s face changed as he sensed resistance at the centre of his palm.
In that instant, he felt as if he faced the world as an enemy, as though this very world was rejecting him.
Sun Xuanji stood motionless. He looked up at Vajra Dufan and said in concise words,
“Fuck—!”
He pressed his palm against Vajra Dufan’s chest. There was a pause for about a second, and then, with a resounding bang, amid the shockwave’s ripples, Vajra Dufan was blasted away like a cannonball.
He crashed through countless trees along the way, clearing a swath of “vacuum” in the dense forest.
By the time he steadied himself, he had been struck clean out of the mountain, now floating in the air above an abyss.
“—off!”
“…”
The battlefield fell utterly silent. The onlookers from both sides seemed to have lost their ability to speak.
So the Sitianjian arcanists are this powerful…
As expected of the Sitianjian, as expected of the Jianzheng’s second disciple, utterly terrifying…
Awe and praise welled up in the hearts of Fu Jingmen and the other martial artists. Truth be told, at first, they had not thought much of Cao Qingyang’s so-called “Second Disciple of the Jianzheng”.
They had barely even heard of him, knew nothing of his cultivation, nor of any past exploits, and besides, he was just an arcanist, not even capable of melee combat. What difference could he make?
Nothing compared to the name “Silver Gong Xu”.
But what they saw now made them realise, this white-robed arcanist was terrifyingly strong.
With a casual palm, he had repelled a Buddhist Vajra.
And this Vajra had, just moments earlier, shown off his violence and strength.
Liu Hongmian’s mouth nearly dropped into an “O”. Since joining Qianlong City, she had dealt with countless arcanists. The little girl in their team was one, too.
She knew well that arcanists were weak in body and relied on flooding enemies with artefacts, as though they cost nothing, and relied on flashy arrays to keep themselves undefeated.
If you really let an arcanist brawl with a martial artist, it was like looking for lunch in a lavatory—eating shit.
Could it be that after the third rank, an arcanist’s body underwent a complete transformation, so much so that they could clash directly with a third-rank martial artist?
The expressions of White Tiger, Qihuan, Danxiang, and the others were much the same as hers.
The two Buddhist disciples, Jingxin and Jingyuan, frowned deeply, unable to see through the mystery before them.
…
The Wind-riding boat.
Ji Xuan turned sharply to look at Xu Yuanshuang. “Sister?”
Xu Yuanshuang’s gaze was fixed on Dongfang Wanrong. She said in a quiet voice,
“Senior Nalan’s insight is piercing. The terrain of Quanrong Mountain truly has changed.”
She turned to Ji Xuan and explained,
“Sun Xuanji has inscribed a grand formation using Quanrong Mountain as its foundation. The entire ley line of the Quanrong Mountain now obeys his command.”
She was a newly advanced Master of Alchemy and still far from a fourth-rank Master of Formations, so she had not immediately noticed the feng-shui shift of Quanrong Mountain. Not until Sun Xuanji acted just now did she glimpse the truth.
At once, she understood what Dongfang Wanrong had said a short while ago.
Ji Xuan’s brow furrowed. “Is the power of Quanrong Mountain’s ley line truly that strong?”
Xu Yuanshuang nodded, her small face solemn.
“The Quanrong Mountains are renowned in Jianzhou, ranked ninth among all the paradises in the Central Plains. Legend has it the founder of the Heaven Sect originally meant to build the sect here and subdue the Quanrong divine beast as its protector.
“Whether that story is true or not is hard to say, but it’s enough to show that Quanrong Mountain is a site of rare fortune, unlike any mundane range.”
Ji Xuan had an epiphany and said grimly,
“No wonder Sun Xuanji remained hidden so long, he was setting up the formation in secret.”
From what he saw, Ji Xuan recalled something the National Teacher had told them long ago:
“In the Central Plains, the Jianzheng may go where he pleases. The entire realm belongs to the Jianzheng. What I want is to make it mine.”
He had not thought deeply about it then, only now did understanding dawn.
Many systems laid foundations for higher ranks in the lower ranks, or were simply early evolutions of those higher stages.
Ji Xuan vaguely sensed that the technique Sun Xuanji now employed, the dominion over mountains and rivers, likely concealed the arcanists’ deepest secrets.
…
“This isn’t your power! You were just arranging a formation!”
The Asura Vajra stood in the air, trying to return to the mountain, but Quanrong mountain “shut its door.” Every time he tried to descend, he was blocked out by the barrier of Qi.
As a Buddhist Vajra, he understood arcanists all too well and instantly sized up the situation.
Sun Xuanji did not reply, simply meeting his gaze in silence.
“Why don’t you answer?”
The Asura Vajra seemed rather irritated.
Sun Xuanji’s lips moved, forcing out a word: “Don’t…”
But then nothing more.
Cao Qingyang staggered over to Yang Cuixue and the others, dragging his injured body. Hearing this, a speculation instinctively rose in his mind:
He probably meant to say, “Don’t waste words.”
Dai Zong made a few nimble leaps and came to Cao Qingyang’s side, supporting him as they made their way back.
Fu Jingmen, Xiao Yuennu, and the other fourth-rank martial artists immediately gathered round, protecting Cao Qingyang.
“Alliance Leader, how are your injuries?”
Xiao Yuennu took out a healing pill as she spoke.
“I’ll live. Xu Qi’an’s essence blood saved my life.”
Cao Qingyang accepted the pill, swallowed it, then opened his shirt for all to see.
His chest was a bloody, mangled mess, bone spurs jutting out, though the flesh wriggled stubbornly, trying to mend itself, albeit slowly, as though it might run out of strength at any moment.
“I can’t absorb any more essence blood for the time being. Otherwise, my body will collapse. This injury will take at least half a month to heal.”
After swallowing the pill, colour slowly returned to his face.
“Alliance Leader, that arcanist is too powerful. The Vajra can’t even get in. We might now be poised for victory. Maybe Silver Gong Xu won’t even need to fight.”
Fu Jingmen could not hide his joy.
Cao Qingyang now understood, Sun Xuanji had been so late because he was constructing a formation in secret.
“There’s one more thing, the followers of the alliance have run off to the South Peak,” whispered the meticulous Xiao Yuenu.
Cao Qingyang looked in astonishment toward the south, and sure enough, he saw a large crowd standing atop the cliff. Although they were far away and appeared tiny as beans, Cao Qingyang could clearly see their faces with his eyesight.
The veins on Cao Qingyang’s forehead bulged as he said angrily, “Are they really not afraid the enemy will go on a killing spree on purpose? Right now, it’s only because they can’t be bothered with them, but you can’t build your own survival on the enemy’s mercy.”
Boom~
The sound of a shockwave interrupted their conversation. Looking up, the ugly Buddhist Vajra’s head was wreathed with a blazing ring of fire, and his dark golden body transformed into dazzling gold.
He stood in mid-air, just like a blazing golden sun, so radiant that the onlookers could not keep their eyes open.
The Asura Vajra clenched his fists and swung his right arm back, bringing his whole body into a backwards lean. The muscles on his body bulged one after another with this set of actions.
Boom~ Boom~ Boom~
The golden giant kept punching, striking the barrier heavily with the force of a blacksmith hammering iron.
With each punch, the barrier shook violently and deformed, and everyone on the mountain felt as if the whole of Quanrong Mountain was quaking beneath their feet.
This earthquake-like sensation filled them with immense panic, fearing that the mountain would collapse at any moment and bury everyone at its base.
The Asura Vajra wanted to shake the mountains and ley lines with his own strength.
Sun Xuanji calmly took out a black iron ruler from his sleeve, raised his fingers like a sword, and swept them across the ruler.
Where his fingertips traced, runes lit up on the ruler, and the black iron ruler emitted a clear, radiant light.
“Still!” Sun Xuanji thrust the black ruler into the muddy ground at his feet.
The barrier covering the whole of Quanrong Mountain immediately became thick and solid. The Asura Vajra’s fists could now only cause faint tremors.
After a few more punches, Dufan rationally gave up attacking. Since practising Buddhism, he had already worn away the innate madness of the Asura, becoming calm and rational. This did mean losing the added power that came with “madness,” but allowed him to control himself more perfectly.
Has he given up? Cao Qingyang, still sitting cross-legged on the ground, looked up at the sky and silently breathed a sigh of relief.
“As expected of the Jianzheng’s second disciple…” The swordsman Yang Cuixue stroked his beard and smiled.
The group of fourth-ranks laughed aloud.
The followers of the Wulin Alliance atop South Peak were thoroughly satisfied. Although it was simply repetitive punching, the visual impact and psychological shock were immense.
The high rank arcanist carved a formation in the mountains, creating a barrier that covered all of Quanrong Mountain.
Yet a single Buddhist Vajra had nearly shaken the whole mountain.
All these things left a deep impression on them, causing a violent psychological impact and giving them a glimpse of the beyond-mortal realm.
While the Wulin Alliance’s warriors were rejoicing, dark clouds suddenly rolled across the sky, and the daylight quickly dimmed.
Jet-black layers of cloud billowed and gathered. Lightning flickered intermittently within them, as if something was brewing.
Moments later, a thick column of lightning crashed down from above, blasting the barrier covering Quanrong Mountain.
The lightning was so blinding that the world was suddenly tinted blue-white. Countless people were caught off guard, clutching their eyes and screaming as their eyeballs burnt with pain and tears streamed down.
Zzz~ Boom~
First came the sound of the barrier shattering, then the lightning seemed to strike the mountain, causing an explosive roar.
The martial artists who had temporarily lost their sight distinctly sensed the whole of Quanrong Mountain shudder, and felt every hair on their bodies stand on end.
This was the result of the air suddenly being filled with electrically charged particles, stimulating their skin.
After quite some time, those with higher cultivation, such as Cao Qingyang, were the first to recover their vision and looked anxiously at the battlefield.
Seeing Sun Xuanji clearly, their hearts immediately sank.
Sun Xuanji’s white robe was scorched all over. The hair on the crown of his head had long since exploded, and his jet-black hair had turned yellow and frizzy, trailing wisps of smoke.
His cheeks and arms, the skin exposed to the air, were almost carbonised, black streaked with crimson.
His aura was as weak as a candle flickering in the wind, making everyone fear that it would go out the next instant.
This… Yang Cuixue and others’ pupils shrank in shock and their hearts churned in turmoil, struggling to remain calm.
Sun Xuanji’s utter defeat was hard for them to accept. At the same time, his fate revealed a despairing truth.
There was an even stronger enemy. On that boat in the sky, there was an even stronger enemy!
So strong that they could summon lightning at will, able to subdue even Sun Xuanji, with whom even a Buddhist Vajra could do nothing, in a single move.
Could the Wulin Alliance really stand against this?
“Al… alliance leader…” Qiao Weng of the Jianzhou Merchants’ Association swallowed with difficulty:
“What sort of being have we provoked?”
He spoke what was on everyone’s minds.
Cao Qingyang’s expression was vacant, for he did not know either. When Sun Xuanji found him, he had only said the enemy was the Buddhist sect and the Church of the Warlock God, both with beyond-mortal fighting power.
A terrifying guess flashed through his mind.
Second rank?
Yes, only a second-rank expert could subdue Sun Xuanji so easily.
And second rank is, indeed, beyond-mortal.
“Tsk tsk!” The Heart Gu Master, Qihuan Danxiang, swept his gaze across Cao Qingyang and the others in the distance.
“A second-rank Master of Rain, truly lives up to the name.”
Liu Hongmian and the others’ expressions remained calm. They were not surprised in the slightest. The second-rank Master of Rain was their greatest reliance as well as the source of their confidence.
Second-rank Master of Rain… the Church of the Warlock God’s second-rank Master of Rain… Cao Qingyang and the others looked at each other, their faces filled with bitterness.
The Master of Rain of the Church of the Warlock God was a title known to all.
The rain-prayer custom was unique to the three northeastern kingdoms. In ancient times, the people of the northeast of Jiuzhou offered tributes to the Church of the Warlock God during droughts, begging the Master of Rain to bring rain.
This was no secret, and was well recorded in historical chronicles.
The Master of Rain’s fame, just like a Buddhist Arhat, was common knowledge.
“What was that lightning strike just now?”
“Too terrifying…”
“Master, my… my eyes can’t see…”
The spectators on South Peak had yet to react, still immersed in the dread of heaven’s might just now and the terror of having their sight snatched away.
Until someone cried out, “That white-robed arcanist’s been blasted to charcoal by the lightning!”
Only then did they belatedly realise the change in situation, and an indescribable terror welled up within them.
Pa!
The Asura Vajra landed back in the arena, looked over Sun Xuanji, and nodded in satisfaction.
“Still alive. A corpse cannot be used to replace Arhat Duqing.”
He strode towards Sun Xuanji. As he did, Cao Qingyang and the others dared not make a sound, watching helplessly as he approached the stone gate and the dying Sun Xuanji.
Suddenly, a pale golden stream of light shot over from the horizon. Ding… with a crisp sound, it embedded itself before the Asura Vajra.
It was a brass sword.
The Sovereign Sword of the Great Feng!
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