by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu
When Han Xuewei saw Xiang Shaoyun shut his eyes, a cocky feeling rose in her heart at the discovery that this young man was not completely indifferent to the opposite sex.
I will definitely make you submit! declared Han Xuewei inwardly as she rubbed her plump chest against Xiang Shaoyun's arm. The tender assault caused Xiang Shaoyun's blood to boil.
"Alright, I'm all fine now. Thank you," said Xiang Shaoyun as he jumped away from Han Xuewei. He was afraid that if Han Xuewei continued pushing it, he would lose control over himself.
"Hehe, we should be the ones thanking you," said Han Xuewei with a smile.
Xiang Shaoyun took a deep breath and tossed all distracting thoughts out of his mind before saying, "Time to get going."
"Don't you want to take a short break?" Han Xuewei asked.
Xiang Shaoyun slapped his chest and said, "It's just some Devil Emperors. There is no need for rest."
Xiang Shaoyun found that the more battles he fought, the faster his energy circulation became. He believed that if this continued, he might be able to reach the peak of the seventh stage by the time he was done refining the devil flame seed.
In the remaining few months, he had to increase his cultivation. That way, he stood a higher chance of entering the Dragon Phoenix Academy. The group continued their journey, but they were again attacked by Devil Emperors before they got far.
This time, Xiang Shaoyun was forced to release his Nether Soul Domain and make use of his Imperial Nether Prison to defeat the Devil Emperors. The biggest reason he had the confidence to enter the third layer was due to the existence of his Nether Soul Domain. With the Nether Soul Domain, so long as he did not encounter any top-tier Emperors, he would be able to stay alive. But since he now had the two baggages by his side, he was forced to let Meng Gansu protect them.
Near the third layer's entrance, Xiang Shaoyun found a certain herb growing at the cliff beside the entrance. The herb was emanating a thick devilish energy and shining brightly. It looked extremely conspicuous, and a large number of Devil Emperors were around it. There were also many Emperors of other races present as well, and all of them were focused on the same herb.
"Is th-this the legendary devil edge grass?" Meng Gansu cried out in alarm.
The devil edge grass was a mid-grade emperor medicine. Although it contained a large amount of devilish energy, it was extremely valuable. It was capable of strengthening the flesh and expanding the meridians when consumed. More importantly, it could also help one comprehend a secret offensive technique known as Devil Severing Edge.
Chapter 492: That Must Be Pure Luck
"Devil edge grass?" Xiang Shaoyun recalled that in the Miscellaneous Records of Devil Domain book he had obtained from the fort, some information regarding this herb could be found. It was recorded that this emperor medicine had indeed been found at the third layer's entrance before, but the last time it had appeared was 5,000 years ago. Surprisingly, it had reappeared after 5,000 years, and he was lucky enough to stumble upon it.
Only a devil or one cultivating the power of darkness could consume the devil edge grass. Yet the Emperors fighting over the devil edge grass were cultivators of all sorts of elements. That was understandable, as even if they couldn't devour it, they could still trade it for an emperor medicine of equivalent grade.
With so many Devil Emperors and Emperors of other races here, obtaining the devil edge grass wouldn't be an easy feat for Xiang Shaoyun. Fortunately, after some observation, he found that the strongest of them was only a seventh-stage Emperor. None of them was one of those super powerful Emperors.
After all, the devil edge grass was only a mid emperor medicine and was not really that valuable for those truly powerful Emperors. Abruptly, the devil edge grass shone brightly, sending numerous jet-black blades flying everywhere. It was as if a super expert was attacking, leaving numerous scars on the cliff around it. Who could have imagined that this was an attack unleashed by a herb?
"Roar! Roar!"
The devilish beasts of all forms started roaring as they swarmed the devil edge grass. Devilish beasts at this level could only be considered a low-intelligence life form. Apart from the offensive techniques they were born with, it would be very hard for them to learn new techniques.
Thus, the devil edge grass was extremely important to them. Capable of helping them comprehend a new technique, it was a treasure they longed to have. Numerous devilish attacks started flying everywhere as the devils tried to eliminate their competitors. The Emperors of the surface races also started fighting. A myriad of powerful attacks were thrown everywhere as they fought for the devil edge grass.
Rumble! Rumble!
A series of explosions erupted, creating countless shockwaves. Xiang Shaoyun's group wasn't too far from the entrance. Thus, many of the shockwaves were rippling toward them.
Evidently, those Emperors were trying to either kill or drive out Xiang Shaoyun's group with those shockwaves. The Han Clan sisters paled. They knew that a single touch would be enough for these shockwaves to exterminate them into nothingness.
"Hmph. Trying to get rid of us with this? How naive!" Xiang Shaoyun snorted coldly. He did not even need to issue a command, and Meng Gansu was already blocking all the incoming waves.
"Old Meng, take them to the third layer. I will be there shortly," said Xiang Shaoyun. Meng Gansu obeyed without any questions. He enveloped the two women with a clump of energy before charging toward the entrance with the two in tow.
"Xiang Shaoyun, be careful!" the two women reminded, a look of concern on both their faces.
Although Xiang Shaoyun had been rather cold toward them in recent days, they knew that was only a facade he was putting on. In truth, he was still decently concerned about them. Otherwise, he wouldn't have saved them from death so many times during the past few days.
Xiang Shaoyun only waved his hand at the two. A confident smile hung on his face, as if the many experts present were nothing to him. After Meng Gansu left with the Han Clan sisters, Xiang Shaoyun started approaching the Emperors.
"Where did this kid come from? Scram! This is not a place for you to be!" scolded an Emperor when he saw Xiang Shaoyun.
He was a fourth-stage Emperor staying at the outermost fringe of the battlefield. He did not charge forward, as he did not have enough strength to do so. He was waiting for the others to suffer mutual annihilation before he swept in to reap the rewards. Xiang Shaoyun only smiled at him in response, then continued strolling forward. The next instant, Xiang Shaoyun's body transformed into wind as he dashed into the battlefield.
The fourth-stage Emperor cursed, "Suicidal kid."
The shockwaves of the ongoing battle were extremely dreadful, and no King would be able to survive on the battlefield, not to mention some seventh-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator. But to his surprise, Xiang Shaoyun was actually able to avoid all the shockwaves and go straight to the center of the battlefield.
"Impossible! That must be pure luck!" the Emperor cried out in alarm.
But when he saw Xiang Shaoyun's figure weaving about the attacks while smoothly approaching the devil edge grass, his mouth went wide agape. He did not know what to say anymore.
What he just witnessed had completely toppled his worldview. He even started wondering if this was some old monster who had recovered his youth and was hiding his true cultivation level.
In truth, Xiang Shaoyun was able to move nimbly amid the battlefield thanks to his footwork and his gift of instincts. Although it looked like he was easily dodging all the attacks, he was in fact in extreme danger. Any carelessness would cause him to be hit and seriously injured.
After all, his speed was only comparable to a third-stage Emperor's, and his combat prowess was below that of a genuine third-stage Emperor. The nearer he got to the devil edge grass, the harder it was for him to keep advancing.
"Where did this human kid come from? Piss off!" roared a peak fifth-stage Devil Emperor darkrock devil. He sent his massive black tail swee
ping toward Xiang Shaoyun.
In his eyes, Xiang Shaoyun was a suicidal bug trying to steal from elephants. The darkrock devil's attack was dreadfully powerful and fast. Xiang Shaoyun pushed his gift of instincts to the limit, revealing the trajectory of the attack bare before him. In his eyes, the incoming tail started moving at slow motion, giving him the opportunity to immediately react to it. He dodged to the side and hopped onto the shoulder of a devil apeman emperor.
The devil apeman was even stronger than the darkrock devil. When he sensed the attack from the darkrock devil, he turned and grabbed the tail before slamming the darkrock devil onto the ground.
Of course, the devil apeman would not spare Xiang Shaoyun either. But Xiang Shaoyun was moving like a slippery fish, and quickly dashed to the side of a different Emperor.
"Puny human, die!" Infuriated, the devil apeman threw over a dreadful punch.
Explosive Devil Fist!
This was one of the devil apeman's killing techniques. The punch was powered by dreadful devilish energy and explosive force, and as it approached, it started exploding repeatedly. The devil apeman was trying to kill both Xiang Shaoyun and the Emperor beside him. The punch was comparable to the attack of a seventh-stage Emperor.
Chapter 493: What a Madman
In front of the devil apeman were two Emperors. One of them was of the shadowmark race, one of the many surface races. They shared a lot of similarities with the human race, yet there were also a lot of differences between the two. An example would be their slim and frail build akin to a bamboo pole. Their bodies were covered with odd markings akin to natural tattoos. These markings granted them a natural resonance with the power of darkness. They were nigh undetectable at night, their bodies akin to elusive shadows.
The other Emperor was a human. He had a lustrous mane of red hair and a crimson armor protecting his body. His face did not look much older than 20 years old, and his young face emanated a resolute temperament. He was an Emperor, something hard to believe considering his young looks.
"F*cking savage, you are courting death!" the shadowmark screeched as an incorporeal power rippled out of his body, allowing him to flutter to the side and avoid the devil apeman's attack. A jet-black radiance shone from the markings on one of his arms, and a rune shot out of it toward the devil apeman.
Shadow Arms Wrath!
The attack instantly reached the devil apeman, blasting him to the side. As for the red-haired young man, he nimbly dodged to the side and avoided the attack before dashing straight toward the devil edge grass. He moved nimbly, weaving about the attacks three other seventh-stage Emperors threw his way before reaching out to grab at the devil edge grass.
"Kid, you are courting death! Scram!" an old Emperor yelled before stabbing the red-haired young man with a black spear.
The old Emperor was one of the strongest individuals present. When he attacked, it was as if the world around him froze as a majestic attack crashed forth toward the young man. The red-haired young man reacted deftly and dodged the attack with exquisite footwork, but as a result of that, he was forced to move away from the devil edge grass.
At this time, a different seventh-stage Devil Emperor opened his mouth wide, trying to swallow the devil edge grass yet was knocked away by a different Devil Emperor. An intense and chaotic battle was happening between all these Emperors.
Even so, they were all holding back, trying to avoid damaging the devil edge grass. It did not seem likely that Xiang Shaoyun would be able to get the devil edge grass from these late-stage Emperors. Furthermore, he had already caught the eye of the Emperor Realm shadowmark: "A puny King dares to steal from a group of tigers? Die!"
With a look of disdain in his eyes, the Emperor Realm shadowmark threw a casual attack at Xiang Shaoyun, trying to kill him.
Looks like I won't be able to get through peacefully unless I can enter the shrinking space stage, sighed Xiang Shaoyun inwardly. Left with no choice, he released his Nether Soul Domain.
The only reason he had charged right into the midst of the battlefield was to temper his footwork and Nether Soul Domain on top of getting the devil edge grass. After all, one would generally achieve more results cultivating amid intense danger.
It would greatly benefit his future path of cultivation if he could further solidify his soul and strengthen his soul power to the point life and death no longer limited his soul.
If anyone else knew what he was thinking, they would probably say something like "What a madman!" After all, he was so casually putting his own life on the line. What would he be if not a madman?
The Nether Soul Domain spread and enveloped the area, putting many of the Emperors in panic, especially the Devil Emperors. They all trembled in fear, akin to a group of lowly slaves meeting their majestic king.
Xiang Shaoyun did not take the chance to kill the Emperors in his Nether Soul Domain. Rather, he picked the devil edge grass, withdrew the Nether Soul Domain, and started rushing toward the third layer. By the time the Emperors recovered from their panic, the devil edge grass was already nowhere to be seen.
"Damn it! What just happened?" roared a furious Emperor.
"It's that King Realm kid! He has stolen the devil edge grass and is rushing toward the third layer," someone else cried out.
Without anyone giving the command, several figures left in pursuit. Those in pursuit were the old Emperor, the red-haired young man, and the Emperor Realm shadowmark. They reacted the fastest among all the Emperors. As for the Devil Emperors, none of them gave chase, as they had not recovered from their fear.
Upon entering the third layer, Xiang Shaoyun found that the devilish energy in the air was much thicker and was surging violently. The surface races hated such an environment, but he felt as comfortable as when he was at the surface. He even took the chance to absorb some into his body.
"Wait, those fellows are really giving chase? How troublesome," Xiang Shaoyun grumbled when he sensed the pursuers. He might be fast, but he wasn't faster than three late-stage Emperors. He had no choice but to release his Nether Soul Domain once again, trapping his three pursuers.
"Stop following, or I will kill all of you," warned Xiang Shaoyun murderously.
The devil edge grass never had an owner, and anyone capable was free to fight for it. Now that he had gotten it, he would not return it to his pursuers. If they kept pushing him, he wouldn't mind teaching them a lesson.
"Little bastard, what trickery are you playing? Die!" the Emperor Realm shadowmark roared. The markings on his body shone brightly, and he slammed both his palms at Xiang Shaoyun.
Shadow Extermination Palm!
Mid-flight, the two palms split into more palms. It became a matter of which palms were the real palms, or perhaps all of them were real.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
But before the palms could reach Xiang Shaoyun, numerous chains shot out from thin air and constricted the Emperor Realm shadowmark. Only then did the Emperor Realm shadowmark realize that things were getting dangerous.
"Attacking me in here? Looks like you're really tired of living," said Xiang Shaoyun nonchalantly.
He willed for it, and the chains started shrinking around the Emperor Realm shadowmark, causing him to wail miserably as blood sprayed out of his body. As for the old Emperor and the red-haired youth, both did not act rashly. Rather, they started scanning their surroundings and found the existence of a different connected space. They both sank into thought, and shortly after, shock covered their faces. Evidently, they had both thought of something.
"Bastard! Free me, or I won't spare you!" The Emperor Realm shadowmark was still speaking with a threatening tone.
In response, Xiang Shaoyun dashed over and chopped toward his head with the side of his palm.
Sphhlt!
Just like that, a head was severed from its body.
Even severed, the head was still roaring. "You dare to kill me? A lowly human like you actually dares to kill me?"
The markings on his body s
tarted wiggling, and a connection formed between the neck and the severed head, as if both were going to rejoin. Unfortunately, Xiang Shaoyun stomped the head into a pile of mincemeat before it could rejoin the body.
Chapter 494: I Won't Keep You Around Then
Gulp!
Both the old Emperor and the red-haired youth made the same noise.
Inwardly, they cried out in alarm, An Emperor Realm shadowmark was killed so easily?
They both felt a chill creep up their spines, the previous calm expressions on their faces nowhere to be seen.
"Do you want that to happen to you as well?" Xiang Shaoyun asked indifferently.
At this moment, Xiang Shaoyun viewed himself as a saint. Otherwise, why would he be so kind toward these two? Why would he have saved the Han Clan sisters repeatedly? Of course, the two before him would definitely disagree. They were right to disagree, though. A person who sliced an Emperor's head off and smashed it with a stomp without hesitation was definitely no saint.
"Brother, th-there must have been some misunderstandings between us," said the old Emperor awkwardly. He added, "I have a stalk of devil leaf lotus here. Please accept my gift, my friend."
"I have a stalk of devilflame snake vine here. Consider it a compensation from me for wasting your time," said the red-haired youth.
They had no choice but to show some sincerity in their attempt to preserve their lives.
"Are your lives so cheap?" Xiang Shaoyun asked while rubbing his nose.
He would not be able to face himself if he did not take a large bite at this piece of meat practically right before his mouth. The old Emperor and the red-haired youth did not seem too happy, but they did not dare to show any temper here.
"Young brother, I am an elder from the Dark Devil Sect," the old Emperor reminded. The Dark Devil Sect was rather influential in the Bloodsin City. He believed that his identity would buy him some respect.
"So what? This is the Devil Domain," said Xiang Shaoyun with a shrug. "Cut the nonsense. Take out any treasures you have to buy your own lives. Otherwise, you can stay here forever."