He was really a bit scared now. Ling Han’s battle prowess was too monstrous. Perhaps, once he entered the Spiritual Pedestal Tier, Ling Han would be able to rival him. How could he bear with the fact that he himself had cultivated an opponent that could kill him?
But this brat killed his younger brother, so how could he spare him?
Kill, he definitely had to kill him. At least for now, this brat’s ability was far beneath his!
…Ding Yuan Xin did not know that Ling Han still had the Black Tower and possessed a final trump card to ensure his survival in fatal danger. Otherwise, he would definitely turn around and leave immediately. It was just like battling Rong Huan Xuan. He could always duck and hide himself into the Three Lives Corpse Caskets, and if someone in the Flower Blossom Tier at least delivered a palm strike to this Spirit Tool, he could still kill himself with the strike.
“Do you dare to battle me to the death?” Ding Yuan Xin provoked him.
“Is there something wrong with your head? I’m only in the eighth layer of the Spiritual Ocean Tier and you are in the ninth layer of the Spiritual Pedestal Tier, and you want me to battle you to the death? Idiot!” Ling Han shook his head, yet took the initiative to attack. The Demonl Birth Sword was drawn and Sword Qi shot forwards like rainbows. “Just obediently be my sparring partner!”
“Damn you!” Ding Yuan Xin was unbelievably furious and stepped forward to counter Ling Han’s attack. Previously, there were a few times that he had nearly managed to kill Ling Han. Thus, he was still quite confident in himself. If Ling Han was just that slightest bit unlucky, then he would definitely be able to kill the former.
Unfortunately, he was always just that slightest bit away from killing Ling Han.
After battling for three days, Ling Han once again entered the Black Tower in a near-death state. After circulating a drop of the Indestructible True Fluid, he directly passed out. When he woke up, he hurriedly began to cultivate.
His improvement could obviously be seen. He had reached the middle period of the eighth layer, and what was even harder to come by was the fact that because he was so very near to death this time round, this gave him a deeper understanding about life and death.
Life and death—they were opposites, but the end of life was death, and the end of death was life. It was an endless loop, like taiji 2 . This conformed to the Dao of the world, which was Dao begets one, and one begets two.
Order and chaos, life and death, light and darkness; these opposites and cycles could be traced back to the Source. However, Ling Han’s current cultivation level was too low; he could only be moved, but was not able to comprehend.
He allocated these stirred up thoughts on the path of the sword, clear which path he wanted to follow.
Sword Qi, Sword Ray, anyone could form these two states. But Sword Heart was different. This was a kind of higher level, which required one to possess his own path.
In his last life, the path that the Sword Emperor took was the path of rulers. The moment he drew his sword, the whole world would crawl before him. The Setting Sun Saber Emperor had taken the path of heartlessness. He could cut down without any bit of hesitation even the source of all life, the sun.
Then what kind of path should he take?
Chapter 418
Chapter 418: Path of the Strongest
Translator: _Dark_Angel_ Editor: Kurisu
It was definitely not too early to consider this question.
He would very soon break through to the Spiritual Pedestal Tier, and after he constructed his spiritual pedestal, he would be able to step into the Flower Blossom Tier, whereupon he would then cast off his mortality. And at that time, cultivators would have really stepped onto the path to search for “Dao”.
Therefore, there was a need for him to confirm which path he wanted to take before he reached the Flower Blossom Tier.
In his last life, in accordance with the nature of his Spirit Base, he chose the path of fire. He studied the might of fire and advanced on this path towards the Source. This kind of path that used one of the Five Elements or lightning, such basic elements, was also the choice that the majority of cultivators would make.
However, the most common, most widely chosen path was usually not the strongest choice to make. Otherwise, the Sword Emperor, the Setting Sun Saber Emperor, and the likes had chosen to walk completely different paths.
In this lifetime, Ling Han was to pursue becoming the strongest, and naturally could not possibly walk the path that he had once taken before. Even if having walked this path once would allow him to walk smoothly and unhindered all the way to the top, he wanted to switch to a different path, a path that would allow him to become even stronger.
“I want to battle with all possible opponents. Whoever blocks my advance, I will defeat.
“I do not want to become a ruler standing at the highest position to be revered by all. This is not something I am willing to become.
“What I pursue is merely to be the strongest. The extreme strongest that is capable of defeating any kind of opponent!
“The path of the strongest!”
Ling Han rubbed his chin. But the problem was, did such a path exist?
“I have to believe in myself. Since there is this kind of belief, then there must be this kind of path! My sword will be able to cut all; it will be able to cut Spirit Tools, Divine Tools, even capable of shattering the void or cutting even gods!”
Ling Han’s will was determined. He had confirmed it. The path he wanted was to take the path of the strongest, and his sword was the path of the strongest.
At the moment, he still needed to use Spirit Tools, but when he formed the strongest sword within his heart, he could form the strongest sword that could cut all with a single flick of his finger.
After confirming the path that he wanted to take, Ling Han’s will became increasingly determined. It was as if he had obtained a new life. Streams of divine light flickered around him, making for a shocking scene. However, he soon withdrew his martial intent and returned to looking absolutely ordinary.
He was closer and closer to returning to his true self. It was as if he was a peerless treasured sword that was still concealed within its sheath. Only when drawn would he release a hundred thousand feet of luster that could cut everything.
“I feel like I’ve touched the doorstep to the ninth flash of Sword Qi!” Ling Han smiled. He had just decided on his future path, and it actually caused his spirit to brighten and allowed him to gain a great advance on the path of the sword.
“Now should be the time for Sparring Partner Ding to appear and give me enough pressure and motivation for me to polish out the ninth flash of Sword Qi.”
Ling Han exited the Black Tower and continued to leave provoking messages behind.
This time was even faster. After merely half a day, Ding Yuan Xin had caught up.
“You are too arrogant!” Ding Yuan Xin said through gritted teeth. He had almost killed this brat last time, but not two days had passed, and he had again appeared all lively and active to pick a fight with him. This was practically being without any fear of death.
“You’re a good person.” Ling Han smiled.
“En, Niu thinks you’re a good person too.” Hu Niu nodded.
Ding Yuan Xin was almost driven mad with fury. These two really took him to be their sparring partner? His eyes focused on Hu Niu. He did not manage to kill Ling Han after so many clashes, but this little girl should not be so difficult to kill, right?
Since Ling Han had killed his younger brother, then he would also kill one of Ling Han’s family and make him experience the feeling of heartache as well.
“Die!” He leaped forwards, and charged to attack Hu Niu.
“Your opponent is Ling Han, not Niu.” Hu Niu used her movement technique and instantly disappeared like a shooting star. Her speed was so fast that Ding Yuan Xin could only watch in dumbstruck shock.
F***, this was a little monster!
Ding Yuan Xi
n was astonished. Ling Han was also very monstrous, but at least his monstrosity was still within an acceptable range. But that the little snip was actually so fast that even he could not catch her movements? That was too much.
“Ding Er Gou, you can’t catch Niu!” Hu Niu exclaimed proudly, and again began carving on a tree trunk.
Ding Yuan Xin almost went mad in his utter rage. He was just wondering who it could be that made a carving of his name so hideous. So it seemed that it was this damn little girl. He turned to glare at Ling Han, his eyes filled with flames of fury.
Ling Han spread his hands and said, “I know that the writing is a bit ugly, but you’re already so old, so even if it’s a bit ugly, it’s fine. Anyways, you’re not going to use it to seduce any girls.”
“F***!” Ding Yuan Xin was mad with anger. All over his body, closely set patterns appeared that transformed into endless flames which surged to surround Ling Han.
Ling Han laughed loudly and drew his sword to parry. Instantly, eight flashes of Sword Qi danced unhindered.
But how terrifying was the battle prowess of fifteen Battle Stars of a Spiritual Pedestal Tier cultivator? Immediately, he was wounded and a couple of his bones were broken from the powerful shock wave. Various burns also appeared on his body; the sight was too horrible to look at. However, his eyes were still extremely bright. The path of the strongest did not mean that he could never be beaten, but no matter how many times he was defeated, he would stand back up again, defeat his powerful foe, and continue his advance to the top.
With the support of this kind of belief, the ninth flash of Sword Qi seemed ready to come out at his call.
Ding Yuan Xin, in any case, was at the level of a prodigy, and very soon sensed the change in Ling Han. He could not help but be slightly shocked. He felt that Ling Han was like a caterpillar that had become a cocoon. In the moment that it ripped out of its cocoon, it would be able to transform into a magnificent butterfly and display its luxurious beauty.
This kind of feeling made him extremely displeased.
Could it be that he was really only capable of becoming a polishing stone but was not able to kill Ling Han at all?
Ling Han forced him into a crisis. The battle prowess of fifteen Battle Stars of the Spiritual Pedestal Tier had far exceeded his limit, and the result of a straight-on clash was that he would hover over the boundary between life and death. And if it was not for the fact that he still had the Thunder Battle Armor to protect himself and the sturdiness of the Body of Rock Cliff and the recovery abilities of the Indestructible Heaven Scroll, he didn’t know how many times he would have already died by now.
However, after endless times of surviving fatal encounters, it finally transformed into a determined comprehension.
Xiu!
The ninth flash of Sword Qi appeared at the same time, shining stunningly.
“****!****!****!” Ding Yuan Xin cursed loudly. Ling Han had already formed two flashes of Sword Qi from battling with him! A whole two flashes!
One had to know that even he himself only possessed seven flashes of Qi. But Ling Han, who, too, originally only had seven flashes of Qi, now possessed an additional two flashes. This was the comprehension that a real genius would get when trapped between life and death.
Ling Han gave him a thumbs-up and, weak but filled with battle spirit, said, “I now pronounce you a Gold Medal Sparring Partner!”
“Good! Applause!” Hu Niu began clapping her small hands from where she was standing.
Ding Yuan Xin howled to the skies in his fury. This really made him too indignant. He had come to hunt Ling Han down, kill him, and snatch away the treasures the latter had—who said that he was here to be a sparring partner? After howling enough, he calmed down and drew out a Spiritual Talisman.
This time, he was going to kill Ling Han at all costs.
“Oh no, Niu Niu, let’s flee quickly!” Ling Han recognized with a single look that the Spiritual Talisman was a “Barbarian Bull Spiritual Talisman” which could greatly increase a cultivator’s ability. He had been in tight enough straits in the beginning, and if he faced a Ding Yuan Xin that had used a Barbarian Bull Spiritual Talisman, then merely being scratched by the wind created from a strike would be able to shatter even his bones.
He was here to find a sparring partner, not to go to his death.
He had already broken out into a run. Hu Niu’s speed was even faster. She caught up with him in a few steps, jumped onto Ling Han’s back and called out happily, “Jia, jia, jia, run quickly!”
“You two!” Ding Yuan Xin clenched his teeth. These two actually dared to joke around in front of him. He clapped the Barbarian Bull Spiritual Talisman onto his body. Although this was a Spiritual Talisman used to increase one’s power, it was not the type to increase speed. However, with a power upgrade, it would still increase the user’s speed slightly.
He was really driven to desperation, and would spare no expense just to kill Ling Han!
Chapter 419
Chapter 419: Refining the Heavenly Luck Stone
Translator: _Dark_Angel_ Editor: Kurisu
Indeed, with the power upgrade from the Barbarian Bull Spiritual Talisman, though there was no surge to Ding Yuan Xin’s speed, there was still a little increase. After a few steps, he soon caught up with Ling Han.
“Do you think you’re the only one with a Spiritual Talisman?” Ling Han laughed. He drew out the final Swift Cloud Talisman and smacked it onto his body. Instantly, his speed shot up.
There was a maximum limit to the effectiveness of the Swift Cloud Talisman. For a user in the Spiritual Pedestal Tier, the speed upgrade it offered was only about 20%. However, Ling Han was still in the eighth layer of the Spiritual Ocean Tier, and thus the upgrade he got still doubled his original speed. Instantly, he once again distanced himself from Ding Yuan Xin.
Ding Yuan Xin could not help but grit his teeth. He drew out a trump card, and Ling Han would draw a trump card of his own to deal with it. Could he really kill this unbelievably young elite?
He ceased his advance and gave the matter some consideration, then decided to give up hunting down Ling Han. Not only that, he also decided that he would leave the north region and venture into the middle state. Otherwise, if he continued to stay in the north region, perhaps he would need another ten-plus years before he could manage to break through to the Flower Blossom Tier.
Leave!
Anyone who could manage to make it to the Prodigy Roll naturally had no lack of a decisive will. He immediately exited the Dark Devil Forest and headed directly to the middle state without even returning to his own clan.
Ling Han naturally did not know of Ding Yuan Xin’s decision. After he recovered from his injuries, he began to leave behind carved messages to provoke Ding Yuan Xin again. But even after five days had passed, he still did not see Ding Yuan Xin appear—he guessed that the latter might have given up his plans on hunting him down.
Surprisingly decisive of him.
Ling Han nodded. Ding Yuan Xin had seen the treasure that he had and could still leave so decisively; he was indeed a character.
Still, without a sparring partner, he could only work hard and train on his own.
Thankfully, he was already in the middle period of the eighth layer of the Spiritual Ocean Tier, which was already quite fast.
Ling Han still continued to search for various Spiritual Herbs on one end, as well as cultivating on the other. A month had passed and he successfully gained two types of Spiritual Herbs that the Black Tower did not have yet. Furthermore, his cultivation level finally reached the ninth layer of the Spiritual Ocean Tier.
“If you refine the Heavenly Luck Stone at this moment and use the instillation of power from the Black Tower, you will be able to maximize the effects,” Small Tower hinted.
Ling Han nodded agreeably and drew out a piece of the Heavenly Luck Stone.
This was actually a stone bead, and when he crushed it, the inside turned out to be hollow. There was
a kind of liquid inside there; the refreshing fragrance of this liquid wafted into his nose. Meanwhile, Hu Niu also took out a piece and similarly sat in a cross-legged position. She was even more direct; she simply threw the piece of Heavenly Luck Stone into her mouth and chewed on it for a bit. Ka, ka, ka , and the rock was crushed.
However, there was no odd signs at all. What “feeling as if your insides were boiling, and waves in your sea of consciousness”—it was as if nothing happened at all.
Ling Han knew that the Heavenly Luck Stone’s effects would only be seen when he broke through to the next tier. It would allow the cultivator’s battle prowess to instantly soar up another four or five Battle Stars. Exactly how much the increase would be would depend on how sturdy the foundations for the cultivation level was.
Ling Han had not eaten this thing in his last life, but he had obtained one for the sake of his smallest disciple, Jiang Yue Feng. That brat only had seven Battle Stars of battle prowess in the first layer of the Spiritual Pedestal Tier, but when he broke through to the Flower Blossom Tier, he actually still had six Battle Stars of battle prowess!
The higher one’s cultivation level, the more difficult it would be to challenge a stronger opponent. If it was not for the Heavenly Luck Stone, Jiang Yue Feng would only have a maximum of three Battle Stars when he broke through to the Flower Blossom Tier, so that was proof of how awesome the Heavenly Luck Stone was.
Ling Han mused ruefully for a moment, then exited the Black Tower together with Hu Niu. They began to head towards where the Crimson Red Chilling Ice Grass was growing.
They hadn’t walked for very long, when Ling Han felt a shiver creep up his back. He immediately stopped walking and said, “Old wretch from the Thousand Corpse Sect, how long do you intend to keep following me?”
Elder Nine Clouds walked out of the dense forest, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
He had witnessed Ling Han enter the midst of the Demonic Qi with his very eyes. That was something that even he was wary of and dared not come into contact with. Yet Ling Han not only walked out of it alive, he looked extremely lively and conscious. There was absolutely no sign that he had been turned insane by the Demonic Qi.
Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao c1-1294 Page 223