"Alright, everyone is here. In a mont, you will go to the Little Thousand World of Death Burial. You are to fight until one side is completely wiped out. Begin," the Hundred Battles Pavilion Steward said impassively.
On the Teleportation Array, Goguryeo, Zhuang Ren, and Lim Yun’Er stood on one side, while Wang ng, Mingren, and Ma Tian’Er stood on the other. The Hundred Battles Pavilion Steward activated the array. A flash of light later, the six of them were gone.
"Senior Brother, this will surely take so ti. How about you go have a drink while you wait?" Qian Guang said deferentially.
Qi Feiyu gave Qian Guang a cool glance. ’This kid is respectful enough. With Zhu Lu dead, he’s now the top dog among the disciples at the Thirtieth Layer and above, but at least he knows his place.’
"Let’s go."
Qi Feiyu and his entourage left, brimming with confidence. It wasn’t until the mbers of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect were gone that Ning Zhiyuan and his friends could finally breathe freely again.
"Brother Ning, why did you stop ? Let land just one sword strike on him!" Li Tianyi exclaid.
"Li Tianyi, use your head! That’s Qi Feiyu, a master with Elental Power above the fortieth layer! Do you have any idea how many years he’s been at the Cultivation Academy?"
Tang Wei said coldly.
Ning Zhiyuan sighed. "Stop arguing. Junior Brother Li is just indignant. A little impatience can spoil a great plan. Let’s hope Junior Sister Ma and the others can win one back for us!"
Hex Zui nodded. "This is precisely the ti when we must remain calm. Let’s wait for the results."
Hex Zui leaned against the wall and sat down, waiting quietly. If this were in the Holy Hall, Hex Zui would be a figure of imnse prestige. But here, he could only wait in a corner.
Hex Zui felt helpless. Even the Main Hall couldn’t assist in a matter like this. It wasn’t that the Main Hall was incompetent—they had already invested a great deal—but in a war of resources, the Holy Hall was simply no match for the Ten Thousand Demons Sect.
Hex Zui was filled with resentnt. If Ma Tian’Er’s team lost as well, the Holy Hall’s entire foundation at the Cultivation Academy would be destroyed. The mbers of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect would never let matters rest.
He, too, was at a complete loss. Li Jing’s death in battle had been the turning point; suddenly, they were left without a leader.
Li Jing had normally been focused on his own Cultivation and didn’t involve himself much in their affairs, but when it mattered, he was still a mber of the Holy Hall. Now, Hex Zui found himself a general without an army.
Hex Zui buried his face in his hands. ’I have to stop thinking about this, or I’ll go insane.’
Watching Hex Zui, Ning Zhiyuan, Li Tianyi, and Tang Wei could only look at one another in dismay. Their ti at the Cultivation Academy had just begun, yet they were already facing this. What did the future hold for them?
No one dared to provoke those who had powerful Sects backing them. They could focus entirely on their Cultivation, but for the Holy Hall disciples, that was a luxury they couldn’t afford.
It was so unfair. Anger burned in the hearts of the three of them as well.
「The Little Thousand World of Death Burial」
This Small Thousand Realm wasn’t large, but it was a battlefield the Star Alliance often used to settle grievances of all sizes.
Wang ng, Ma Tian’Er, and Mingren were not together. The six of them had obviously been completely separated. They had to either find their teammates or their opponents first. The side that was on the defensive would surely be in for a rough ti.
The Little Thousand World of Death Burial was saturated with an aura of death. The skeletons of Cultivators and their tattered clothing were scattered everywhere. This, combined with the gloomy, dark sky, gave off a sense of desolation. The Elental Qi in this Small Thousand Realm was thin; it was one of those abandoned realms, just as its na implied.
Wang ng expanded his Heart Spirit and began searching for the enemy. ’He who strikes first gains the advantage. It’s pointless to waste words on the Ten Thousand Demons Sect. The simplest way to strike back is to take out these three grunts first.’
Wang ng’s Heart Spirit scanned for his opponents. Although it wasn’t as powerful as Divine Sense, it had grown much stronger without him even realizing it, forged through constant tempering within his Sea of Heart.
It didn’t take long for Wang ng to find his target.
’Actually, even without using my Heart Spirit to search, I would’ve found him once I got close. The enemy is just waiting for . The Ten Thousand Demons Sect is just too arrogant; they don’t see the Holy Hall Disciples as any kind of threat.’
A faint tremor ran through the ground. Zhuang Ren stood up, hefted his massive Wolf Fang Club, and a smirk played on his lips. "Let’s see which lucky bastard ran into ."
Seeing he’d been discovered, Wang ng no longer bothered to hide and dropped down from a tree.
"Holy Hall, Wang ng."
Zhuang Ren looked a little surprised, then spat on the ground. "Damn, what rotten luck. I can’t believe I ran into a piece of trash like you."
’Master Wang felt a bit down. In what way do I look like trash?’
Zhuang Ren glanced at Wang ng. "Whatever. I’ll kill you first, then go look for Ma Tian’Er. Heh heh, if I kill Ma Tian’Er, I’m sure to win the Celestial King’s favor."
The Ten Thousand Demons Sect was known for its strict system of rewards and punishnts. Those who failed were punished severely, while those who rendered ritorious service were rewarded handsoly.
"So sorry to waste your ti. Please, feel free to start whenever you’re ready," Wang ng said with a helpless shrug.
With a thunderous roar, Zhuang Ren lunged, bringing his Wolf Fang Club crashing down on Wang ng’s head.
BOOM...
The ground cracked upon impact. Zhuang Ren froze, unable to believe his eyes. Wang ng had caught his Wolf Fang Club with one hand.
Wang ng smiled, his hand slightly numb. ’No one here will ever know how it happened, only the result. Perfect.’
SHING...
Wang ng’s Broken Heaven Edge lashed out, instantly filling the air with a sky full of arcing sword light. Zhuang Ren retreated explosively, his Wolf Fang Club striking out like lightning, trying to fend off the Curved Sword Qi.
But what happens when Wang ng unleashes his Curved Sword Qi, backed by the Twenty-Fifth Layer of Elental Power?
Zhuang Ren’s defense was a flurry of magnificent movents. Then the sword light ceased, and his body froze in place.
CRACK...
The Wolf Fang Club shattered into pieces that scattered across the ground. Imdiately after, Zhuang Ren’s body did the sa.
A murderous glint flashed in Wang ng’s eyes. ’To take on the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, I have to pick them off one by one. At my current level, I still can’t afford to reveal my full strength.’
With a flicker, Wang ng’s figure vanished as he went to find his next target. Opponents at the Thirtieth Layer or even higher posed no problem for him now. But having gone through so much, Wang ng had matured. He knew so things couldn’t be solved with reckless bravado.
The Hundred Battles Pavilion’s Teleportation Array sent opponents to face each other in pairs. At their level of skill, discovering an opponent usually ant being discovered at the sa ti.
Ma Tian’Er’s opponent was Goguryeo. His expression was gentle. "Senior Sister Ma, I don’t actually like fighting very much. I just have no choice in the matter. I also know I’m no match for you. If I die, could I trouble you to bury ? I don’t want my corpse left out in the wilderness."
Ma Tian’Er gazed calmly at her opponent. "I’ll grant your wish."
Ma Tian’Er was no longer the carefree, naive girl she had been back in the Holy Hall. She knew exactly who her opponent was, and she understood the importance of this battle even more.
She threw out a Defense Array, followed imdiately by a blasting Fire Talisman.
Goguryeo didn’t fight back, only dodging relentlessly. "Senior Sister Ma, I actually think Saint Cultivators and Demon Cultivators are the sa. Both have to kill. Isn’t there a single Sect in this world that is truly good?"
BOOM... BOOM...
The Fire Talismans bood. Goguryeo cast a Defense Array of his own. His Elental Power level was slightly higher than Ma Tian’Er’s, but she was a completely different person now. It was no exaggeration to say her progress over the past year had been by leaps and bounds. Back in the Holy Hall, many of her magical techniques hadn’t beco ingrained habits, which made it much easier for her to adopt new Magic better suited to her. Combined with the special training she received from the Empress Faction, if Zhang Xiaojiang and the others could see her now, their jaws would hit the floor.
’Was this composed, powerful young woman really the sa Ma Tian’Er who used to speak as gently as flowing water?’
"It was your Ten Thousand Demons Sect that started this fight!"
Ma Tian’Er said, her Fire Talismans growing even more ferocious.
"That’s right, the Ten Thousand Demons Sect started it, but I didn’t. So how is it my cri? And yet, Senior Sister Ma, you still want to kill !"
A look of indignation crossed Goguryeo’s face. Ma Tian’Er’s assault was relentless, her Talismans flowing together seamlessly and coordinated with new Magic. Even after more than four years at the Cultivation Academy, he’d never seen such talent. She had reached this level in just over a year—give her a few more, and she’d be unstoppable!
Goguryeo was indeed starting to get winded. In a fight between Talisman Cultivators, there were no lucky breaks. It wasn’t like with Sword Cultivators, who could gamble on a desperate clash to create an opening. For Talisman Cultivators, it was much harder.
Ma Tian’Er actually felt at a loss for words. She wasn’t afraid of monstrously evil opponents, but people like him gave her a headache.
Goguryeo clearly felt the pressure lighten a bit and knew his words were having an effect. "So, Senior Sister Ma, I don’t bla you. I just don’t understand why Cultivators must fight to the death instead of coexisting peacefully."
Ma Tian’Er’s attacks gradually slowed. Her opponent showed no intention of fighting; he hadn’t even struck back once.
"I only need the victory, I don’t want to kill you. Do you have a way for that to happen?"
Goguryeo was overjoyed to hear this. "If all you want is the win, Senior Sister Ma, then it’s simple. Just wound severely. That way, I’ll have an excuse for my Sect, and the worst I’ll get is a punishnt."
Ma Tian’Er halted her assault, and Goguryeo stopped as well. "I wouldn’t dare lie to you, Senior Sister Ma. With your power, three of your Bursting Fire Talismans should be enough to do the job, as long as I don’t defend against them."
Ma Tian’Er looked into his eyes. He didn’t seem to be lying. ’And even if this is so kind of trick,’ she thought, ’I doubt he has the power to pull it off against .’
The first Fire Talisman shot out, slamming into Goguryeo. With no defense, he imdiately coughed up blood. Ma Tian’Er sent the second Fire Talisman flying.
Suddenly, Goguryeo roared, "Stop!"
Ma Tian’Er paused, slightly taken aback. A bright light then erupted from Goguryeo’s eyes, and a black shadow shot toward her.
POP...
A vine suddenly shot up from the ground at Ma Tian’Er’s feet, ensnaring the black shadow. It was a giant, fist-sized ant with a fiery red head that seed to be burning, while its body was the color of black iron.
"The Fla Iron Ant. It’s specifically for dealing with cultivators with a Wood of the Five Elents constitution, isn’t it? The Ten Thousand Demons Sect really does spare no expense."
Ma Tian’Er said coolly. She was kind, but she wasn’t a fool.
"Heh heh, so the little beauty does have a trick or two up her sleeve. No wonder you managed to join the Empress Faction. A pity, though. You’re still too naive. I was expecting this Life Vine Array."
Goguryeo laughed. "Look at ."
Ma Tian’Er’s vision began to blur. The Fla Iron Ant’s attack was just a diversion. Goguryeo’s entire preamble had been to set up his Heart Attack Technique—that was his real trump card.
Goguryeo’s Heart Attack Technique wasn’t exceptionally powerful, but it was perfectly suited to deal with Ma Tian’Er, because she had a weakness in her heart.
Goguryeo’s form gradually shifted until he looked just like Wang ng. Ma Tian’Er knew it was an illusion, a mirage. ’But looking at "Wang ng," I... I just can’t bring myself to attack.’ All she had to do was unleash her Fire Talisman, and this low-level illusion would shatter.
Goguryeo laughed. "Haha, it works like a charm! You must be wondering how I know your secret, Senior Sister Ma. The truth is, the Holy Hall is dood to fail!"
A cold glint flashed. A needle pierced Ma Tian’Er’s chest.
"This is a Wood-Eroding Needle. Very expensive, but perfect for dealing with you, Senior Sister Ma. Don’t worry, my beautiful, kind little darling. I’ll make sure your passing is a pleasant one."
Goguryeo reached for Ma Tian’Er. Her vision grew increasingly hazy.
SWOOSH...
Another cold glint flashed through the air. Goguryeo stared, dumbfounded, at his own right hand as it flew away from his body.
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