by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu
"Haha, don't dream that you can defeat us just because you broke through. Time for you to die!" Chixiong roared with laughter as he quickly pulled his chain back so as to kill Xiang Shaoyun.
At the same time Shaxiong kept watch, not giving Xiang Shaoyun any chance to escape.
"Seems like I have underestimated you two. However, that still doesn't change the fact that you two are the ones who will die," said Xiang Shaoyun. Immediately, his presence of dragon and tiger surged out. At the same time, his lightning bone erupted with power, wrapping his entire body with lightning. Then, he attacked again.
Lightning Slash From the Clear Sky!
Xiang Shaoyun used his trump card, turning his entire person into a lightning bolt before swinging his saber with the power of human saber unity. At the same time, the heavens above seemed to have sensed something. Dark clouds gathered, and a massive lightning bolt shot down.
That bolt of lightning struck Xiang Shaoyun's body, but it did not harm him at all. Instead, the lightning energy poured into his body, increasing the power of innate purple lightning within his lightning bone. With this combination, the prowess of his slash reached a whole new level.
Rumble! Rumble!
The power in Xiang Shaoyun's body was too rich, and because of that, he had to unleash it. Otherwise, the overabundance of power would kill him. He swung his saber madly, sending one purple energy after another streaking across the air, leaving numerous over 10-meter-long cuts everywhere. Even the flame beasts that were unable to escape in time were killed, to say nothing of the Double Crimson Tyrants.
The two felt like they were facing a natural calamity that forcefully tore their attacks and their weapons apart. Their defenses were akin to paper and were immediately destroyed while their bodies were turned into mincemeat. They died a terrible death.
Not far away, some Transformation Realm cultivators had sensed the series of explosions and the sudden lightning bolt. They were greatly shocked.
"What's going on? Who released such terrifying power? Don't tell me a King has arrived?"
"No, no Kings will come. Perhaps a Great Demon is breaking through and facing the lightning tribulation?"
"The direction of the sound...isn't that where the Double Crimson Tyrants are? Did they do that?"
"What a terrifying lightning power. Is that the work of the pavilion's freak genius, Lightning Kid?"
"Lightning Kid? That's the younger brother of the Young Lightning King. He is definitely capable of something like that!"
...
All the people were alarmed by the power they felt. None of them dared to approach the source of power as someone so terrifying could only be a peak Transformation Realm cultivator. In fact, it felt even slightly stronger than the power released by a peak Transformation Realm cultivator. Approaching rashly was no different than suicide.
At times, curiosity would get one killed.
Chapter 197: The Profundity of Nether Soul Domain
Xiang Shaoyun was no longer attacking. He stabbed his saber into the ground and knelt down on one knee, his body twitching repeatedly as strains of purple lightning crackled around his arms. The purple lightning looked as if it was going to burst out of his arms at any moment, and it put him in extreme pain.
Hair drooping down, he started sweating without stop. He looked like he had been completely exhausted of energy, looking to be in an incredibly terrible state. In truth, he was not over-exhausted. Rather, he had an overabundance of energy and was currently suffering a backlash of it.
That was the consequence of accidentally drawing on that bolt of lightning from the sky earlier. Drawing lightning into one's body was something that could normally only be done once a cultivator reached the King Realm. Moreover, one needed to ignite one's fate star to accomplish something like that.
Xiang Shaoyun had accidentally done it before reaching the King Realm. If he told others, not many people would even believe him. Only someone with an innate lightning physique possessing high intimacy with the power of lightning would be able to call lightning into their body before the King Realm.
Xiang Shaoyun's lightning bone was most likely the source of his intimacy with the power of lightning. That was why after the full activation of his lightning bone, a natural lightning bolt had suddenly come from the sky, allowing him to borrow the power of the heavens and slaughter his opponents.
This was definitely an occurrence that would cause someone to be overjoyed, and Xiang Shaoyun was currently both in great pain and great joy.
"Drawing lightning into the body! I actually managed to draw lightning into my body! HAHAHAHA!" Xiang Shaoyun roared with laughter.
He was very clear that after accomplishing that, he would possess a tiny portion of an offensive power one would only have after becoming a King. In fact, the offensive prowess of natural lightning was much more powerful than the attacks of a regular King Realm cultivator.
From the condition of Xiang Shaoyun's surroundings, that much was clear. Numerous deep cuts could be seen all around him while severed limbs and the flesh of flame beasts were sprayed everywhere. All that served as a proof for the terrifying destructiveness of his attack.
As for the Double Crimson Tyrants, not a trace of them remained. They had been completely obliterated, not even leaving a corpse behind. At present, Xiang Shaoyun did not have the time to wallow in joy. He had to fully absorb the lightning energy that was running wild in his body. Otherwise, his body would be greatly damaged.
Then again, Xiang Shaoyun did not need to do anything himself. His lightning bone was automatically absorbing the lightning energy. His first star was doing the same. After a long while, the strains of lightning energy crackling on the surface of his skin were finally gone. One by one, they entered the lightning bone and the stars. Not only had he fully consolidated his newly gained strength from the breakthrough, he had grown even stronger. He was recovering rapidly, and only a tiny trace of pain still lingered in his meridians. That was a side effect of having lightning energy forcefully channeled into his body by the lightning bolt earlier.
Fortunately, the hidden medicinal power within Xiang Shaoyun's body had been dug out again as strains of healing power started coursing through his body. Everything was progressing in a favorable direction.
Xiang Shaoyun stood up and resumed his climb toward the volcanic crater. Inwardly, he was still feeling gleeful. This trip is totally worth it. If I can get the earthcore fire as well, it will be perfect.
This time, he was able to climb without any disturbance from the flame beasts. They all seemed to have realized how powerful Xiang Shaoyun was and were unwilling to come rushing to their deaths. Or perhaps they were merely waiting for Xiang Shaoyun to enter deeper into their turf before ending him once and for all.
The higher he got, the more terrifying the fire in the surroundings was. Here, even stones would be burned into crisp, and outer energy barriers would be completely helpless against such an extreme temperature. Harvesting the millennium earthcore fire without full preparation was almost impossible.
Xiang Shaoyun was only able to stay safe thanks to the coldstar stone he had. Otherwise, he would have made the trip for nothing. One other problem he encountered was that the fire was so thick one's visibility was very low. It was very hard to see what was ahead.
Xiang Shaoyun had a wondrous vision, and because of that, he held some sort of advantage in this kind of environment where visibility was low. Apart from that, the Nether Soul Domain seemed to be contributing as well. It allowed him to sense what was ahead of him, giving him the sensation that he did not need his eyes to see everything clearly. The last time he had the same sensation was at the Blackhill Sect cave when he found the secret room.
This wondrous sensation made Xiang Shaoyun realize that the Nether Soul Domain definitely possessed an extraordinary power. He also found that the Nether Dragon Soul Headband played some sort of role in the sensation he was feeling, and the headband seemed to be the reason why
this sensation had become much clearer than before.
Looks like I need to search through the ancient texts to find out more about the Imperial Nether Clan when I get the chance, Xiang Shaoyun thought to himself.
Relying on what he sensed through the Nether Soul Domain, Xiang Shaoyun advanced and avoided all the flame beasts in the area. Finally, he arrived near the volcanic crater. Here, he was starting to sweat as the coldstar stone's power could only do so much. This place seemed to be the source of all the fire in the area.
He could sense that not far ahead of him some other people were also heading toward the volcanic crater. To be precise, he sensed three people. One was walking easily as if treading flat land, and the person completely ignored the intense fire in the surroundings. Another was relying on a massive shield to protect his entire body as he headed to the summit. The last person seemed to be struggling somewhat, yet was still able to advance.
The first person was a young man about 20 years old. His red hair whipped about in the air, his bearing carefree and heroic. The second person was a middle-aged man who was a peak Transformation Realm cultivator. His thick cultivation base was incredibly obvious. The third person was about 30 years old. He had a dark tone of skin, and his upper body was bared, revealing his sturdy body. With his feet bare, he advanced step by step.
All three of them were emanating auras of the fire element. The former two were obviously assisted by some treasures while the third person seemed to be relying entirely on himself to climb, which was quite an astonishing feat.
Xiang Shaoyun concluded that the three were his greatest threats for now. Just as he was about to resume his climb, he suddenly noticed Chen Zilong and Li Yaxuan arriving together. Apart from them, Xie Sanqian and two other young men were also climbing the mountain from a different direction.
At the same time, he also sensed that in the surrounding area some people were being burned alive while some were forced to retreat. The millennium earthcore fire was not something anyone could obtain. Only those with both strength and luck could obtain it.
"I have to be fast!" Xiang Shaoyun did not hesitate to hasten up the mountain with his full strength.
Surprisingly, no flame beasts could be seen. There must have been a reason. Sure enough, after a while, roars rang out from ahead of him. Flame beast kings had appeared.
Xiang Shaoyun originally thought that the appearance of Demon Kings would definitely cause people to retreat. But he found that instead of retreating, they were increasing their speed in excitement.
It greatly confused him. As he was trying to decide on what to do, he heard Chen Zilong's voice transmission, "Only by obtaining the flame beast king's demonic core would one be able to approach the millennium earthcore fire smoothly."
Chapter 198: Qilin Arm
The flame beast king's demonic core shared the properties of the earthcore fire. After all, it was a life form that had come into being from the power of fire the earthcore fire was emanating. Because of that, its demonic core allowed one to approach the earthcore fire unharmed.
If one approached rashly without the demonic core, one might be a victim of the earthcore fire’s attack. After spending a millennia to form, the millennium earthcore fire possessed a certain degree of intelligence. One could say that it now possessed some sort of consciousness. Thus, if one wanted to obtain it, one had to first obtain its approval.
Other than that, the only way to get it would be to rely on the brute strength of an expert. But since these people here were all Transformation Realm cultivators, none of them possessed the power to suppress the earthcore fire with brute force.
Xiang Shaoyun tossed Chen Zilong a grateful look before he resumed his climb. Without Chen Zilong's reminder, he would have focused only on entering the volcanic crater. And if he did that, he would most likely suffer gravely.
"Why did you tell him that?" Li Yaxuan asked doubtfully.
"I just want to see how strong he really is," Chen Zilong said nonchalantly.
They then continued up the mountain as well. At the summit of the mountain, a flame beast flew out. It spat terrifying tongues of flame out of its mouth repeatedly.
The flame beasts were simple demonic beasts that only knew one attack. This was completely unlike other demonic beasts that had numerous variations in their attacks. But flame beasts held the superiority in regards to the seemingly boundless energy they had at their disposal due to the kind of environment they resided in.
Although the first young man who was climbing the mountain was not a King Realm cultivator, he had an astonishing combat prowess. He was able to easily avoid the attacks of the flame beast and was able to even find an opening to launch a counterattack.
That young man's name was Huo Linfei, a freak from the Cloud Margin Pavilion. He ranked three among all the personal disciples and had a chance of becoming a King Realm cultivator in a few years' time.
He was surrounded by a clump of green flame capable of facing the surrounding flame, allowing him to remain unaffected despite the harsh environment. Holding a saber with a blazing flame on its blade, he swung it around repeatedly while dodging the attacks of the flame beast. Each attack he sent was capable of posing a threat to even King Realm cultivators.
That was the type of valiant combat prowess Cloud Margin Pavilion geniuses had. The middle-aged man arrived soon after and joined the battle as well. He was clear that the flame beast king had to be killed before they could proceed into the volcanic crater. Next, the barefoot man arrived as well. He drew a massive crimson sword, lifted it, and slammed it down at the flame beast.
The middle-aged man was called Qian Chen, while the barefoot man was called Fan Ren. The former was a high-level overseer of the Cloud Margin Pavilion while the latter had an unknown background. The two had similar combat prowess to Huo Linfei.
All three of them were equipped with king-grade weapons. They worked together and were able to force the flame beast into retreat. The flame beast had even sustained injuries. All three of them possessed enough strength to battle King Realm experts.
As the three were working together to deal with the flame beast king, yet another flame beast king shot out from the volcanic crater. The second flame beast king was even stronger than the first flame beast king. The moment it came out, a torrential flame flooded the area.
The three were forced to retreat temporarily. They did not dare to face the second beast, and the situation started turning for the worse for them. It was at this time that Xiang Shaoyun, Chen Zilong, Li Yaxuan, Xie Sanqian, and the others arrived as well.
"Let's work together and kill the flame beast kings first. We can fight for the demonic core after," Huo Linfei shouted.
"I agree," Qian Chen said.
"Yes, we have to first kill the flame beast kings," said Li Yaxuan.
Thus, they formed two groups and started fighting the two flame beast kings. The flame beast kings were not here as decorations. They kept spitting terrifying tongues of flame everywhere, forcing everyone to roll around dodging the flame. Those without king-grade armor were instantly killed.
Xie Sanqian was having a hard time dealing with the flame attacks. If it wasn't for the two people protecting him at all times, he would have been killed right then. He knew he shouldn't force it, so he stopped forcing himself and quickly retreated. He decided to try getting the demonic core after everyone was done with the flame beast kings. His eyes shone with a sharp glint when he noticed that Xiang Shaoyun was also present.
Xiang Shaoyun was not idling around. He drew his saber and joined the group with Chen Zilong, Li Yaxuan, and the others in their battle with the flame beast king. Everyone was fighting with their full power and nobody was holding back. Dreadful and powerful attacks started flooding the area.
Chen Zilong was fully displaying the combat power the number one young master of Cloud Margin City should have. His fists enlarged, and fiery scales covered them. Each punch he sent was accompanied by the projection of a roaring q
ilin; the might of his punches were extremely terrifying.
Qilin Arm!
That was Chen Zilong's proud trump card, the one and only in the Cloud Margin City.
It was rumored that the Chen Clan Emperor had injected some qilin blood he had obtained by accident into Chen Zilong's arms during his childhood. From then on, his arms had changed, becoming extraordinarily strong and capable of breaking through all defenses.
Chen Zilong did not disappoint and relied on this pair of arms to gain his title as the number one young master of Cloud Margin City.
As for Li Yaxuan, she was also astonishingly powerful. She was dual wielding a pair of swords, one of the wood element and one of the fire element. The two elements criss-crossed without stop as she unleashed her outstanding swordsmanship, which was destructive enough to directly injure the flame beast king.
With these two, Xiang Shaoyun did not feel much pressure from the flame beast king at all. However, his gold serpentine crocodile skin did get ignited by the flame beast king's attacks.
From that alone, it was obvious the flame attacks of the flame beast king was not something ordinary flames could compare to. The attack forced Xiang Shaoyun to retreat from the battle in a sorry manner.
While he retreated, he could sense that the coldstar stone was growing weaker and weaker. It did not seem like the stone would last any longer. He could not afford to delay any longer and had to enter the volcanic crater immediately.
"I can't hold back anymore," Xiang Shaoyun muttered to himself and charged forth again, unleashing his saber intent.
With Chen Zilong and Li Yaxuan keeping the flame beast king busy, he could attack without fear. He swung his saber, unleashing an enchanting saber energy that glided across the air. In a flash, the saber energy struck the flame beast king, severing one third of its body away from it.
"Roar! Roar!"
It enraged the flame beast king, and it immediately spat a fireball at Xiang Shaoyun. His face fell and quickly unleashed his Lightning Slash From the Clear Sky. This time, he did not attract any natural lightning from the sky. Instead, he only utilized the innate purple lightning in his lightning bone which shot forth together with the saber energy.