This did not mean that they simply looked young, but that they were really young. Their blood and Qi shot majestically skywards, displaying their amazing vitality.
Hong!
The two exchanged another blow. One wielded a saber, whereas the other held a sword. As their weapons slashed, nineteen flashes of Saber Qi and Sword Qi swept out, as if they meant to tear apart the sky and earth itself in a very terrifying display.
Ling Han was astonished. He had grasped nineteen flashes of Sword Qi, but the two fighters in the skies were actually not the slightest bit inferior to him.
That was too much nonsense, wasn’t it? They had merely been travelling, and they were able to encounter such young elites of this level?
However, his blood quickly boiled and battle intent soared, as if he, too, wanted to join in on the battle.
Hong! Hong! Hong!
In the skies, the two young elite cultivators used various magnificent techniques, their respective martial intents which could easily knock any cultivator in Spiritual Pedestal Tier unconscious on full display. In the Flower Blossom Tier, the divine flowers of martial arts had already bloomed, so cultivators were able to stimulate the Spiritual Qi in their surroundings to add on to their own attacks. Thus, their destructive power was absolutely terrifying. Even if they were battling in mid-air, the shock waves produced from their blows were still able to easily slice apart cliffs, as if the end of the world was descending.
Peng , a rock cliff collapsed, and coincidentally happened to fall right above Ling Han’s head. With a wave of his sword, the cliff was cut into two halves, which separated right above his head and fell on both sides. Peng, peng . Due to the terrifying impact, the ground instantly shook like a carpet.
Ling Han instantly found a reason for him to join in on the battle. Sou , he, too, flew skywards, and shouted loudly, “Hey, you two brats, you actually dared to throw rocks at me. Watch my sword!” His sword brandished in a strike that headed towards the two fighters.
The two had just been embroiled in a fierce battle and had not imagined that a third person would interfere in their battle, and could not help but become furious. However, this strike of Ling Han was overwhelmingly powerful, and they could not choose to do anything else but parry. They both temporarily put aside their own battle and turned to parry Ling Han’s strike.
Peng!
Now that the two geniuses had combined forces, their battle prowess was really too terrifying. Even a monster like Ling Han was forced backwards by the impact.
However, Ling Han’s battle intent was overflowing. These two fighters were both in the seventh layer of the Flower Blossom Tier, a whole five layers higher than he who was in the second layer of the Flower Blossom Tier. Yet there was not much of a gap between their respective battle prowess; such opponents were too hard to find.
How could he be willing to give up easily? He had finally gotten a pretext to join in, and would definitely not be willing to leave just like that. With a loud shout, he used the Ghostly Immortal Steps and displayed the Desolate Hell Sword Technique. That was the final move, and as if he himself had transformed into an Ashura that had descended into hell, his killing intent scorched the skies.
The two young men were both furious and astonished. They had just been in the midst of enjoying their battle when they were suddenly interrupted.
“Kill this brat first, then we’ll continue the battle!”
“All right!”
The two fighters had come to an agreement and joined forces to strike against Ling Han.
Hong , one was a swordsman, and was capable of stimulating endless flames, whereas the other wielded a saber that shone with multiple flashes of golden light in a ferocious display. Either one of these two great geniuses was capable of sweeping aside all opponents in the Flower Blossom Tier alone, and now that the two of them had joined forces, they were even more frightening.
Even as strong as Ling Han was, he was being oppressed. However, this made him even more excited. In the midst of using Ghostly Immortal Steps, the Desolate Hell Sword did not even move into a defensive stance, but rather moved into increasingly fiercer attacks.
At first, the two young men had intended to kill Ling Han swiftly before returning to their battle, but as the battle continued, their battle intent was stirred up as well. Not only did they put in their all into the battle, their alliance had collapsed as well, and the battle had completely evolved into a battle royale between the three of them.
They were all geniuses, confident that they were invincible against anyone of the same cultivation level. As a result, they were all disdainful of joining forces with another to defeat another elite cultivator who was worth battling.
In the skies, the battle continued heatedly. Fire rained, and flashes of golden light floated downwards as if they intended to destroy the world.
Zhu Xuan Er opened up a defensive shield. Though she was only in the seventh layer of the Spiritual Pedestal Tier, she was more than adequate if she only had to withstand the shock waves produced from a battle between Flower Blossom Tier cultivators.
As Hu Niu watched, she became more and more excited, and continued to bare her teeth endlessly as if she, too, wanted to join in on the battle. Meanwhile, Helian Xun Xue wore an alarmed expression, and asked, “Would Ling Han get injured?”
“Haha, it would be his fault even if he did. Who asked him to charge in?” Ying Hong said, rejoicing in the fact that Ling Han was in trouble.
“You’re a bad person!” Helian Xun Xue exclaimed, pouting.
“I have big breasts, so I can be bad!” Ying Hong placed her hands on her hips in front of Helian Xun Xue and even purposely stuck out her chest, making even Helian Xun Xue feel embarrassed. How could this woman be such a hoodlum?
“Hahahaha!” In the skies, the three fighters broke out laughing and simultaneously stopped attacking.
“How delightful! What fun!” the swordsman declared. “I am Fei Hong, could I be so bold to ask how I should address you, Brother?”
So he was Fei Hong, a new super-genius that had risen just recently. He had just heard about him from Ying Hong just now. No wonder; how could there be so many geniuses in this world that they would encounter such a genius so easily?
“I am Han Lin,” Ling Han answered, smiling. Looking at the saber wielder, he asked, “And this is?”
“Lang Wu Xin,” this man answered a bit coolly, appearing to be quite cold in temperament. But merely from how he looked like when he was battling, one could tell that the moment this person’s blood heated up, he was a very frightening person to see.
“Yi, I have actually not heard of Brother Han’s name!” Fei Hong looked surprised. “A genius like Brother Han should be well-known.”
Ling Han laughed loudly, and said, “That’s right. I was just about to head to the middle state to amaze the world in a single brilliant feat.”
Fei Hong laughed alongside him, whereas Lang Wu Xin remained expressionless as if he was made out of wood. Rather than Wu Xin, he should go by the name of Wu Xiao 1 .
“The two of you should have come from the middle state, yet why have you come all the way here?” Ling Han asked.
“I had agreed on a battle with this guy. After half a month of battling, we had unwittingly fought all the way here,” Fei Hong answered, grinning.
They had fought all the way from the middle state to the north region? These two had really gone crazy in their fighting, then.
“Come, let’s drink!” Ling Han’s generosity was stirred up. He invited the both of them onto their carriage, wherein he drew out the ingredients from the Black Tower as well as the herbal wine that had been produced from the various Spiritual Herbs that had been cultivated inside the Black Tower.
It was not only a strong wine, but very nutritious as well.
If a cultivator drank normal wine, it had practically no effect. This wine, though, was completely different; it was definitely strong enough.
Merely after drin
king one cup, Fei Hong was glowing with health and vigor, and Lang Wu Xin could not help but relax his wooden expression as if he had finally gained some life.
As they continued to enjoy their wine, they chatted about all the young heroes of the world.
“Brother Han, so you are a representative in the Spiritual Treasures Pavilion Tournament. Then you’d have to be careful. I heard that Xuanyuan Zi Guang will also be a battle representative for the south region.” After a few cups of wine, Fei Hong already had his arm around Ling Han’s shoulder, declaring them to be brothers.
“Is he very powerful?” Ling Han asked. He had not mentioned that he was actually taking part in the alchemy competition part of the tournament. Of course, on a whim, he could consider taking part in the martial arts competition as well.
“Very powerful,” Lang Wu Xin suddenly spoke up, and declared his judgement with utter seriousness, “I am no match for him.”
Ling Han was astonished. Though Lang Wu Xin didn’t speak much, this type of person either chose not to speak at all or hit the mark with a single word. Even he judged himself to be unequal to Xuanyuan Zi Guang, which proved that the latter was indeed very strong.
Chapter 543
Translator: _Dark_Angel_ Editor: Kurisu
Previously, in the battle royale between the three of them, there was practically no difference in their battle prowess. Of course, Ling Han had not used ultimate techniques like the Mysterious Three Thousand, but he was sure that these two must have held their punches as well. There were some secret techniques that would only be used in a life-or-death situation.
Yet Lang Wu Xin admitted honestly that he was no match for Xuanyuan Zi Guang, which showed that not only was the latter stronger, he was stronger by a significant degree, which was the only reason that a proud man like Lang Wu Xin would admit his inferiority.
“That guy is indeed very powerful,” Fei Hong agreed with a nod. “However, he has the advantage in cultivation level as he is already in the ninth layer of the Flower Blossom Tier. If we battled on the same cultivation level… I am confident that I will not lose to him.”
“No, even if we fought on the same cultivation level, we are no match against him, either.” Lang Wu Xin shook his head in disagreement.
“You have never fought him before,” Fei Hong declared defiantly.
“We won’t win unless we are able to break through our own limitations. Otherwise, if we merely advance another few cultivation layers, it would still be insufficient to overcome the gap in battle prowess that stands between us and him. Han Lin, on the other hand, may be qualified to fight with Xuanyuan Zi Guang—but only when the two of you are on the same cultivation level. Otherwise, the result will still be defeat,” Lang Wu Xin said with absolute certainty.
This time, Fei Hong yielded. He said, “Brother Han is only in the second layer of the Flower Blossom Tier yet is already able to battle us to a tie. Indeed, his battle prowess is more outstanding than ours. This also tells us that we should never be complacent. We had originally thought that we had already polished our battle prowess sufficiently, yet had never thought that there would be another person stronger. Brother Han is even more of a monster than we are.”
“Could Xuanyuan Zi Guang come from some ancient great sect that he’s so strong?” Ling Han felt slight disbelief.
“His origins are mysterious; no one knows his true history. However, I have fought him before, and his bloodline is very powerful. It granted him a power upgrade of three Battle Stars,” Lang Wu Xin said in a tone of absolute certainty.
Three Stars!
One shouldn’t underestimate these three Stars of battle prowess. For geniuses like them, they had more or less advanced their battle prowess to the limit, and the ability to add another three Battle Stars to this maximum level would naturally be enough to turn the tables around in any battle.
Lang Wu Xin paused, then continued, “If he did not use his bloodline ability, and fought with me on the same cultivation level, his battle prowess should be similar to mine. But if he did compound his battle prowess with his bloodline, then he is more powerful than I.”
Ling Han nodded. There were really too many capable people in this world; he definitely could not allow himself to fall into a state of self-satisfaction. Being stagnant and not moving forwards would be equivalent to an endless decline.
“Brother Han, let us meet once more in the middle state!” When Fei Hong and Lang Wu Xin had drunk to their heart’s content, they bade Ling Han farewell. “After this battle with you, we feel tremendous pressure. We need to find a dangerous spot to have a good bloody battle. If we don’t die, our battle prowess would be greatly improved, and then, we’ll find you again. Let us learn from each other once more.”
“Good!” Ling Han agreed gladly. Geniuses were never as grand as what the masses imagined them to be; what genius had gotten to the level they were at without risking their lives in the process?
The two men took to the skies, but they both left in a different direction. Most probably, the only beings that could push them to the limit would have to be in the Spiritual Infant Tier. Either they would choose to trifle with demonic beasts of this level or powerful human cultivators, all to squeeze out their own potential through a life-or-death battle, raising their own cultivation and battle prowess.
“Ai!” Ying Hong immediately sighed. “I had initially thought that we had a high chance of winning in the martial arts competition, but never thought that there would suddenly appear so many monsters! Really, I’m about to die of fury; can’t you people appear a year later?”
Ling Han laughed loudly, and said, “I’ll recommend you an elite cultivator. I guarantee that Xuanyuan Zi Guang whatever would only be swept aside in the wake.”
“Oh, you won’t say it’s you, right?” Ying Hong looked at him with an expression filled with doubt. “I’ve already told you, I can only afford to pay you a thousand Triple Star Origin Crystals in wages. If you want any more, then I can only pay you with my body!”
“Get lost!” Ling Han rolled his eyes. “The elite cultivator that I’m referring to is her.” He pointed at Helian Xun Xue.
Pu!
Ying Hong instantly choked on her own saliva; what kind of joke was that?
Helian Xun Xue, too, looked shy and bashful, hiding herself behind Ling Han. Her two slender hands grasped tightly onto the corner of Ling Han’s shirt as if she was really scared that Ling Han would really sell her off.
Ling Han sighed. This was the real pro at showing off.
After another few days, they reached the well-known Region Barrier.
It was a transparent barrier so high its top was hidden in clouds. Everyone guessed that this barrier had been created by an array, but no one had ever found any formation’s eyes. Thus, this was a mere guess.
The Region Barrier separated the middle state and the other four great regions, as if separating the landmass into five boxes. It also allowed for the fact that the martial arts level in every region was completely different. The Region Barrier did not have the slightest effect on the common people, but the stronger one’s power, the more one would be affected. If a Spiritual Infant Tier cultivator passed through, not only would his cultivation level experience a temporary drop, his life source itself would be considerably decreased.
Thus, if one wanted to traverse the world, it was best to do so as early as possible. The best cultivation level was the Flower Blossom Tier; not only did one not have to fear being harmed by the Region Barrier, one’s ability would also be strong enough for self-defense.
The Region Barrier stretched up into the skies as if there was no end to it.
“What is at the end of the skies?” Ling Han asked.
“The end of the skies? Maybe the legendary realm of immortals,” Ying Hong answered.
Ling Han shook his head. In his last life, he had once flew up into the skies continuously, but very soon encountered a terrifyingly strong wind that not even a Heaven Tier cultivator
could withstand. He could only choose to helplessly give up the idea of wanting to see what lay at the end of the skies.
“One day, I will definitely sever this sky, and see clearly for myself!” he declared grandly. Shattering Void Tier cultivators shattered the void and became immortals; did that mean to shatter apart something like the end of the sky?
Weng!
All of a sudden, the fair weather immediately changed. It actually became darkened abruptly before a dark cloud rapidly appeared, with terrifying lightning flashing within.
Thunder Tribulation?
That couldn’t be, right? How could a Flower Blossom Tier cultivator actually attract a calamity of thunder? Aside from alchemical calamities, it was rumored that only when one broke through to the Shattering Void Tier would one incite a calamity of thunder.
Within the dark clouds, an incredibly bizarre sight was seen. A single eye appeared. It was as gigantic as a mountain, and was staring down at where Ling Han and the others were standing.
Ling Han was absolutely sure that the one this eye was focusing on was himself. And even if he had a sliver of divine sense of Heaven Tier, at this moment, he still felt the urge to flee inside the Black Tower. The pressure was too terrifying, making him feel as if his soul itself was about to explode.
However, he did not want to flee. This eye did not have any killing intent and only held endless disdain, as if it was mocking him.
The Eye of Heavenly Dao!
Ling Han was internally shocked. He had read from ancient scrolls before that if a mortal said something rebellious, or did something that could possibly affect the balance of the world, the Eye of Heavenly Dao would appear as a warning or even directly kill the offender.
Of course, it was not as if any random person cursing would incite the appearance of the Eye of Heavenly Dao; that person had to indeed have the potential to shake the universal balance of the world. Only then would the Eye of Heavenly Dao appear. Who knew, it might even make a direct move to erase a factor that could possibly be a liability to itself in the future.
Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao c1-1294 Page 285