I Am Overlord c1-962
Page 136
"Coward! Are you courting death?" shouted Lin Zihan from Thousand Forest Academy as he dashed toward the attackers.
Because the ambushers were attacking from a spot near him, he was able to immediately detect them. There were three of them, and they fled immediately once they were found.
"Where do you think you are going?" Lin Zihan moved at a speed worthy of his status as the number one expert of his generation in the Thousand Forest Academy and caught up to the three in a flash before waving his fan at them.
One of the attackers suddenly turned around and shot an arrow at Lin Zihan. The arrow was fast, arriving before Lin Zihan in the blink of an eye. Lin Zihan's pupils shrank as he was forced to shift the trajectory of his fan to block the arrow instead. That short delay allowed the three to pull far away from him.
Just as the three were thinking they were safe, a figure suddenly descended from the sky above them. A frosty voice rang out, "You think you can escape me? Dream on!"
The newcomer was none other than Xiang Shaoyun. The three lifted their heads and saw him raising his saber. With a slash, saber energy filled the air above them, and numerous bolts of lightning rained down at them.
They were greatly shocked, and they quickly erected their defenses in hope of blocking the saber energy. Unfortunately for them, Xiang Shaoyun was one who had reached the human saber unity stage. His saber intent was unstoppable, and it tore through their energy barriers like paper.
"NO!"
The three howled indignantly, but that did not change their fate. Three heads were separated from their bodies.
Bang! Bang!
When the three heads landed on the ground, they exploded into three clumps of blood mist, presenting a rather disgusting sight. As for the three headless corpses, they remained standing, bathing in the shower of their own blood.
Xiang Shaoyun's attack was clean and efficient, killing three people instantly without wasting any time. That feat once again shocked many people. Lin Zihan bore witness to that feat from a close distance, and it was so fearsome he couldn't help but shiver.
He swallowed and thought to himself, I thought he was already incapable of combat, but looks like he still maintains a scary combat prowess.
Xiang Shaoyun landed on the ground and smiled at Lin Zihan as he said, "Thank you for the help. I will remember this favor."
"Haha, Brother Xiang is too polite. I only helped because I don't like despicable people like them," said Lin Zihan with a hearty laugh.
"No matter what, I will remember this favor," said Xiang Shaoyun solemnly.
At this time, Liang Zhuangmin and Hua Honglou also arrived.
"Brother Yun, are you fine?" asked Liang Zhuangmin.
"Don't worry, big brother. I'm fine," said Xiang Shaoyun.
"Those three seem to be Lightning Alliance members. Damn it!" said Hua Honglou after throwing the three corpses a glance.
"It doesn't matter who they are. I won't regret killing them," said Xiang Shaoyun indifferently.
"Looks like Lightning Kid is still very unhappy about his defeat," said Liang Zhuangmin.
"If he wasn't backed by Lightning King, the vice pavilion master, I would definitely teach him a lesson when I get back," said Hua Honglou resentfully.
"Just ignore him. I need to find a place to heal up first, so I'll be staying in here for maybe two more days," said Xiang Shaoyun with a slightly pale face.
Although he still had some combat prowess left in him, he wouldn't be able to last much longer. The repeated battles had forced him to use his trump cards. On top of that, he had also suffered serious injuries. Even moving was very difficult for him now. He wasn't willing to leave just like that anyway. What would he do if someone was waiting outside to kill him?
He had made himself too many enemies when he had challenged the Lightning Alliance. Otherwise, he wouldn't have suffered an ambush by a King when entering the Land of Soul Springs.
When Xiang Shaoyun left Liang Zhuangmin and Hua Honglou's protection, the crowd finally broke out into a flurry of discussions.
"That Xiang Shaoyun is now undeniably the strongest of this generation. Even Wu Longfei and Devil Fairy have been defeated. He is an insanely freakish genius in cultivation."
"I have never expected that a dark horse would appear. Looks like the reputation of the Cloud Margin Pavilion will be growing from now onward."
"Apart from Xiang Shaoyun, they also have Chen Zilong. If they can enter the Skysoar Realm, they will definitely be the strongest in that realm as well."
"People like them are geniuses that will forever surpass their peers. People like us should just focus on more dependable methods of breakthrough."
Chapter 315: Tragedy of the Lightning Emperor
While the geniuses of the various organizations were fighting hard in the Land of Soul Springs, a powerful aura of breakthrough suddenly soared out of the Cloud Margin Pavilion. The aura enveloped the entirety of the Cloud Margin Pavilion, absorbing all spiritual energy in the radius of 1,000 kilometers. Additionally, strands of astral energy rained down from the sky above, presenting an enchanting sight.
The entire Cloud Margin Pavilion was shaken by that, including those elders who were in secluded cultivation. Everyone wanted to know who was breaking through. Finally, all gazes converged at a certain important location of the Cloud Margin Pavilion.
"This aura...it feels like it belongs to the vice pavilion master, the Lightning King. Has he broken through into the Emperor Realm?"
"That must be it. He has been in secluded cultivation since two years ago, and he had vowed to not leave before breaking through. Looks like he has succeeded. Our Cloud Margin Pavilion has obtained yet another Emperor. We are one step closer to becoming a tier-4 organization. This is worthy of celebration!"
"Haha, the Lightning King has become the Lightning Emperor. This is really an enviable feat. With the prowess of lightning energy, even other Emperors need to be careful around him."
"Let's go wait for the Lightning Emperor to come out of seclusion. This is a joyous occasion!"
...
Those in the Lightning King faction were all overjoyed, while those with a bad relationship with them were all envious, but they hid their envy well. Numerous factions of differing sizes existed within the Cloud Margin Pavilion, presenting a complicated political landscape. It was normal that inner struggles existed.
A few hidden auras could be sensed standing guard in several directions. They were guarding the Lightning King in his final moments of breakthrough. These people were the Emperors of the pavilion, and they did not mind doing the Lightning King an easy favor while he was breaking through.
When all the spiritual energy had been absorbed, lightning bolts started appearing from the sky above. The lightning bolts descended to the world below, but they had not formed naturally. Rather, they were being forcefully drawn down by someone.
Rumble! Rumble!
Everyone could feel their hearts thumping along with the thunderclaps, as if the lightning bolts were striking their hearts. By the time the lightning bolts stopped appearing, a purple figure soared to the sky. Laughter rang in the air as the figure shouted, "HAHA...I, Lightning King, have finally become an Emperor...HAHAHA!"
Lightning Emperor's laughter filled the entire Cloud Margin Pavilion, and even some experts in the Cloud Margin City could hear his voice as well. His strength was evident for all to see.
"Congratulations, vice pavilion master, for becoming an Emperor," numerous voices rang out to congratulate him.
An Emperor was an existence far beyond many others. Each Emperor had a strength to overturn seas and rivers, capable of miraculous feats. This was a realm many Kings longed to reach.
Lightning Emperor's breakthrough was an event the entire Cloud Margin City had to pay attention to. Even the experts from the many nearby cities would come to congratulate him. This was a glory brought by strength.
"Haha, you are all too kind," said Lightning Emperor, overlooking
everyone from high up in the sky.
The Lightning Emperor looked like he was about 40 years old. He had a square face, short hair, a pair of sharp eyes, and a sturdy body. Electric currents were swirling all over him, and his entire person seemed filled with power with a clear overbearing aura about him.
The moment he had broken through, he had reached late first-stage Skysoar Realm, skipping the early and middle first stage. This was quite an impressive feat. Right at this moment, a group of people appeared from a distance. They were heading toward the Cloud Margin Pavilion. Moving at an extremely fast speed, they arrived in front of the Cloud Margin Pavilion shortly after they were seen.
The Lightning Emperor had just become an Emperor and was extremely high-spirited. When he saw someone having the galls to directly fly toward the Cloud Margin Pavilion, which was a sign of provocation, he decided to use these newcomers as a target to establish his dominance and showcase his new strength as an Emperor.
But before he could even do anything, a voice filled with contempt rang out from someone among the newcomers. "Oh look, a country bumpkin. He's so happy after a tiny breakthrough. Truly a frog in a well."
"Where is this trash from? You dare challenge the Cloud Margin Pavilion and speak presumptuously? Today, this Emperor shall teach you a lesson. You shall witness this Emperor's might," said Lightning Emperor with a cruel light in his eyes.
He then flew toward the group of newcomers before slamming a lightning palm toward them. The lightning palm was the size of a hill and contained the destructive might of lightning capable of destroying mountains. This was the power of a Dragon Ascension Realm expert.
The Cloud Margin Pavilion people all raised their head to look at the palm. They could sense a mighty pressure coming from it, and many of them nearly knelt down from the pressure alone. However, this attack, which was so very dreadful and powerful, was nothing for the group of newcomers. One person flew out from among them and sent a translucent fist toward the palm.
Bang!
Lightning Emperor's palm attack was directly shattered by the punch without hurting even one person. On the contrary, he was forced to retreat from the terrifying punch.
He was overwhelmed with shock as he cried out, "A Dragon Ascension Realm expert! How is this possible?"
"You actually dared to provoke us? Get out of my face!" the person sneered coldly before sending a palm at Lightning Emperor. The palm was much more powerful than the palm Lightning Emperor sent earlier. In a flash, it arrived before Lightning Emperor.
"Lightning Emperor, retreat!" someone from the Cloud Margin Pavilion warned.
Unfortunately, the warning came too late as the palm struck before Lightning Emperor could do anything. With a wail, he was sent flying into the Cloud Margin Pavilion's grounds like a fly that had been swatted.
He ultimately crashed into a mountain, creating a massive crater. The entire mountain shook from the impact. All of Cloud Margin Pavilion were dumbfounded. They had not expected that so soon after breakthrough, before the Lightning Emperor could even enjoy the prestige and glory his breakthrough brought him, he would be swatted away like a bug. It was now evident that the newcomers were much more terrifying than Lightning Emperor.
At this time, four figures flew out of the Cloud Margin Pavilion. They were the pavilion's four greatest Emperors, consisting of Hua Cheng the Zither Empress; Murong Qing, the previous generation's pavilion master; Yue Yuze, the current pavilion master; and Luo Zihan, a previous generation elder.
Of the four, the strongest was Hua Cheng the Zither Empress. She was already a fourth-stage Dragon Ascension Realm expert. As for Murong Qing, he was also at the fourth-stage whereas Yue Yuze was at the third-stage and Luo Zihan was at the first-stage. One could say that these four were the pillars of the Cloud Margin Pavilion, the pavilion's strongest combatants.
"Who dares to create trouble at our Cloud Margin Pavilion?" bellowed Yue Yuze the current pavilion master.
"Oh wow, there's actually such a beauty here in this tiny city? Not bad, not bad at all." Instead of answering Yue Yuze, one of them actually looked at Hua Cheng with a lusty look in his eyes.
Chapter 316: Cloud Margin Pavilion's Disaster
The people that had arrived at the Cloud Margin Pavilion were none other than the group led by Linggu Haonan. They had just come from the Martial Hall Palace. They had failed to find Xiang Shaoyun at the Martial Hall Palace, and through the Soul Searching Technique, they found that Xiang Shaoyun had perished at the Golden River Valley.
They were all stunned by the news. Unwilling to accept that as the truth, they headed toward the Golden River Valley. They searched the entire Golden River Valley and had even smashed a way open to the underground cave. When they did that, a massive amount of vicious gold energy leaked out, giving them a fright.
They couldn't even find Xiang Shaoyun's corpse and thus couldn't be sure if he had really died. They had then decided to come to the Cloud Margin Pavilion instead, thinking of using the resources available to the Cloud Margin Pavilion as a local tyrant to search for Xiang Shaoyun. That would be much better than searching by themselves.
If they couldn't find Xiang Shaoyun here as well, they would be left with no choice but to return and report to the sect. Surprisingly, they sensed someone breaking through into the Dragon Ascension Realm the moment they arrived. And that was the start of tragedy for the newly advanced Dragon Ascension Realm cultivator. One ought to admit that Lightning Emperor was both lucky and extremely unlucky at the same time.
"I don't care who you are. Leave the Cloud Margin Pavilion immediately. Otherwise, don't blame us for what we are going to do next," said Yue Yuze toward the person lusting after Hua Cheng.
The person being spoken to was Yun Feng, a subordinate of Linggu Haonan. He was among the weakest in the group. Even as one of the weakest among them, he possessed a strength comparable to Hua Cheng. It was clear how powerful Linggu Haonan's group was. That was also why Yue Yuze had not dared to attack. He was afraid that doing so would attract calamity to the Cloud Margin Pavilion.
"Haha, what are you going to do? Bring it on. Do I look like I'm afraid?" Yun Feng howled with laughter.
"Don't push it too far," said Yue Yuze with a frown.
Before Yun Feng could say anything, Linggu Haonan commanded, "Yun Feng, stand down." He looked at Yue Yuze and said, "We are here to look for someone. Ask your disciples whether any of them have heard of the name Xiang Shaoyun."
Right after he said that, a slight trace of astonishment appeared on Hua Cheng's face, but she quickly hid it. She thought she did a good job hiding her shock, but Linggu Haonan had still noticed her change of expression.
"We have never heard of that name. You can leave now," Yue Yuze replied promptly.
"Haha, are you sure?" Linggu Haonan smiled. His gaze landed on Hua Cheng, and he said, "Beauty, do you know anything?"
Hua Cheng did not know why they were looking for Xiang Shaoyun, but her intuition was telling her they were harboring evil designs.
Thus, she replied with "I don't."
"Hehe, beauty, you are being dishonest here," said Linggu Haonan with a laugh before abruptly sending a palm downward. The palm attack looked extremely casual, but it had the might of a collapsing mountain.
Rumble!
An entire area of the outer pavilion was flattened by the palm, turning the people and buildings there into smithereens.
"Ahhhh!"
The lucky disciples who survived started crying out in panic. The sudden attack had frightened them badly and had killed about 300 people and destroyed an area of several hundred meters in size. It almost felt like a natural calamity had struck the pavilion instead of a palm strike. Instantly, the Cloud Margin Pavilion was filled with panic.
"Activate the defensive formation immediately!" Murong Qing, the previous generation pavilion master, commanded.
The elders quickly went to their stations and activated the formation. Instantly, a shining barrier of light
covered the entire Cloud Margin Pavilion.
Linggu Haonan did not continue attacking. Rather, he looked at Hua Cheng and asked, "Beauty, do you really not know Xiang Shaoyun?"
"You fiends, I won't spare you for what you did!" Hua Cheng shouted furiously. A zither appeared in her hands, and her fingers started plucking at the strings.
Hua Cheng was known as the Zither Empress, and her weapon of choice was the zither. She played a crisp and sweet tune, the melody carrying with it an indescribable might that dazed Linggu Haonan and his men.
Hua Cheng then increased the speed at which she played the zither, her sound waves creating 18 weapons that shot toward Linggu Haonan's group. Each of the weapons were powerful enough to destroy mountains.
Just as the weapons were about to strike Linggu Haonan and his men, clarity suddenly returned to Linggu Haonan's eyes. He waved his hand, sending a curtain of light blasting forward.
Rumble! Rumble!
A series of explosions ensued, the force causing the entire area to shake.
"The dao of zither? Interesting. Unfortunately, you are still not strong enough," said Linggu Haonan with a faint smile before he looked back and commanded, "Zhu Jinxi, step forth. Seize that woman."
"Yes, commander!" answered Zhu Jinxi.
But before he could do anything, Yun Feng said, "Commander, let me deal with her."
"No. She already has some accomplishments in the dao of zither. Even if you can defeat her, it will take some time. I don't have the time to wait. You can deal with the others if you want," said Linggu Haonan.
"Yes, commander," replied Yun Feng, who did not dare to disobey his commander.
"The two pavilion masters and Elder Luo, please retreat for now. Let me deal with them," said Hua Cheng. She increased the speed she was playing the zither, sending a series of sound attacks toward her opponent. Her sound attacks, capable of dazing people and driving them crazy, seemed capable of penetrating everything, and they appeared to be everywhere.
"Die, woman!" Zhu Jinxi's cultivation level was a stage higher than Hua Cheng's. While resisting the sound attacks, he charged forward while protecting himself with an energy barrier that completely protected him against the sound attacks. He then swung his massive hammer at Hua Cheng.