Ch. 95 - Blade of Slaughter

On the dueling platform of the Sacred Spring Sect, Mo Lei finished his recovery, exhaled a long breath of white mist, and stepped back onto the stage.

“Let’s begin,” Mo Lei said to Xu Zimo, his tone calm.

The Black Tortoise let out a low cry, and the Fierce Tiger roared, Mo Lei dared not hold back, and charged at Xu Zimo with full force.

Clang!

With a metallic ring, most of the audience didn’t even catch Xu Zimo’s draw, it was so fast that a dazzling arc of blade light had already bloomed in front of their eyes.

This draw was executed at an extreme speed and carried terrifying sharpness. Before Mo Lei could react, the phantoms of the tiger and tortoise around him had already been slashed apart and shattered.

His expression turned grave. He quickly retreated two steps.

He hadn’t expected that a single, ordinary slash from the opponent would so easily destroy both of his beast phantoms.

…

Taking a long breath, Mo Lei summoned the phantom of the Rebirth Pegasus once again. A powerful ancient beast aura surged toward Xu Zimo.

“Nineteen Forms of Dao-Seeking, Fifth Form: Windstorm Rises,” Xu Zimo whispered.

His curved blade stirred up a storm, transforming into a raging gale that radiated from its edge. The surrounding spiritual energy twisted into tornadoes, all gathering at the blade’s tip.

As the blade collided with the Rebirth Pegasus, cracks began to spread across the dueling platform beneath them.

Two forces of ultimate intensity clashed in a stalemate. The Rebirth Pegasus roared, its strange dual-colored eyes reflecting a brilliant radiance.

On the blade, the fierce wind intensified. The storm howled, as though it would bury the entire world.

Mo Lei had pushed himself to the limit, his face nearly twisted with effort, yet Xu Zimo remained calm, handling it with ease.

He gently stepped back half a pace, murmuring, “Sixth Form: Blade of Slaughter.”

The storm on the blade began to subside.

A choking, bloody aura filled the air as Xu Zimo’s weapon, Shadow Tyrant, was entirely shrouded in crimson.

Mo Lei stared at the eerie red blade, seeing within it a vast ocean of blood.

That ocean of blood seemed to surge toward him, threatening to drown him entirely.

In the blink of an eye, the Rebirth Pegasus gave a pained shriek and shattered. Mo Lei couldn’t dodge in time, and the blade pierced directly through his right shoulder.

The arena fell silent.

Only the crackling sound of the dueling platform fracturing remained. What was already covered in cracks now completely collapsed.

Blood dripped steadily from Mo Lei’s shoulder, and the blood-soaked curved blade appeared even more ominous.

“...I have lost,” Mo Lei said through gritted teeth, sweat beading on his forehead.

Xu Zimo chuckled softly, withdrew his blade, and stepped off the stage.

…

“As expected, Sacred Ground disciples are incredibly gifted,” Luo Changhe said with an awkward smile from the audience.

He’d thought Mo Lei might lose, but he hadn’t expected him to lose this quickly and decisively.

It hadn’t even taken three moves.

“Brother Luo flatters us,” Grand Grand Elder Tianzhen said, shaking his head with a smile. Looking at Xu Zimo, who had just stepped off the platform, he asked, “Little Zimo, how long have you been cultivating?”

“Not even half a year,” Xu Zimo replied.

“And where are you ranked on our inner court’s Hidden Dragon List?” Grand Elder Tianzhen asked further.

Just like the Crouching Tiger List in the outer court, the inner court had its own ranking system.

“I’m ashamed to say, I haven’t made it onto the Hidden Dragon List yet,” Xu Zimo said with a regretful sigh.

“Then you’ll need to work harder. Only by entering the Hidden Dragon List can you be considered an elite inner disciple,” Grand Elder Tianzhen said, shaking his head as if it were a pity.

As they chatted, Luo Changhe’s face grew more and more sour.

These two were putting on a show, right in front of him. A disciple who hadn’t even made the Hidden Dragon List had just thrashed their top inner disciple?

If that was the case, wouldn’t those ranked on the Hidden Dragon List be able to crush even their core disciples?

Luo Changhe didn’t believe for a second that someone with Xu Zimo’s strength wasn’t on the list. But he had no rebuttal, his own disciples had failed to prove themselves.

If his disciple had won, he would be the one showing off right now.

It was also the first time he realized just how petty Grand Grand Elder Tianzhen could be.

…

“Grand Grand Elder Tianzhen, the inner court tournament is essentially over. I’ll ask the Grand Elder to host you for a bit. As for the matter of the Immortal Spirit Sect’s Saintess, I must go attend to it,” Luo Changhe said, finally unable to endure the bragging any longer and looking for an excuse to leave.

“No worries, go ahead. Don’t mind us,” Grand Elder Tianzhen waved him off with a smile. “Watching the inner court matches today was truly rewarding, Sacred Spring Sect is full of promising talents.”

“You’re still showing off as I’m leaving?” Luo Changhe replied with a forced smile, though in his heart he was cursing Grand Elder Tianzhen’s entire ancestry eighteen generations back.

…

At the same time, in the True Martial Sacred Ground, Xu Qingshan’s vast ocean-like aura enveloped the sky.

As that pressure surged to the heavens, several other powerful holy auras also erupted across the court.

When these auras connected across the sky, the resulting divine force was overwhelming, like the very heavens were collapsing, akin to a Grand Emperor emerging.

Clouds swirled, thunder rolled, and the sky boomed. Elder Xianyun turned pale and felt a backlash from the overwhelming pressure. Her throat sweetened, she almost coughed up blood.

“Master Xu, please don’t be angry. We had no intention of declaring war,” Elder Fanyun hurriedly held back Elder Xianyun, her expression respectful. “She was simply too emotional about the matter of our court’s Saintess. We hope you won’t take offense.”

“Since the founding of our Sacred Ground, you’re one of the few who’s dared act so brazenly,” Xu Qingshan snorted coldly. He reached toward the giant Blue Luan beside him.

Spiritforce condensed into a massive hand, and with the light touch of its index finger, heaven and earth trembled.

Infinite spiritforce spread from the fingertip, compressing into a black-hole-like vortex.

Space shattered, the laws of reality distorted. The massive Blue Luan didn’t even have time to cry out before it was obliterated by a single tap.

The area where the Blue Luan had stood became a vacuum. Elder Xianyun broke into a cold sweat.

Though she was also at the Empyrean Meridian Realm, she hadn’t even had a chance to resist.

Fortunately, Xu Qingshan had targeted the luan, not her.

“This is a warning. If it happens again, your Immortal Spirit Sect will be next,” Xu Qingshan said flatly.

“Master Xu, I was the one at fault,” Elder Xianyun said after a long pause, bowing slightly. “I apologize for my actions just now.”

The Empyrean Meridian Realm stood at the apex of this world’s power hierarchy. For someone at that level to apologize, was a rare and serious matter indeed.

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