Chapter 307 - 275: Sunx Family Cultivator (Part 2)

Not even a Dao Foundation Cultivator could withstand a single charge.

A Magical Treasure!

A Late-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator.

Together, these two factors formed an insurmountable mountain of despair for any ordinary Dao Foundation Cultivator.

Kou Wu strode forward, Trident in hand. With a casual wave of his arm, several figures were sent flying.

"Where’s Sunx Tuo?"

He scanned the area, his expression vicious.

"Few people have ever escaped my grasp. But you can run for a moment, not for a lifetime. Yunjing Island is only so big—where can you possibly run?"

...

"The pursuers are here."

Zhu Ju formed a blade with one hand, clashing with the incoming greatsword. He used the momentum to fly backward and glanced behind his opponent.

"Fellow Daoist, must you insist on tangling with me?"

"..." Sunx Tuo glanced back. The men of the Sunx Family were no match for the Tribulation Cultivators, and his expression darkened.

’I have to end this quickly!’

SWOOSH!

With a wave of his hand, a Spirit Talisman spontaneously ignited. The surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi instantly began to churn violently.

A Tier Three Spirit Talisman!

A Wood Divine Thunder Talisman!

Zhu Ju didn’t know what kind of Spirit Talisman Sunx Tuo had just used, but an invisible pressure made him instinctively tense up.

’Danger!’

He wasn’t surprised.

’The Sunx Family was one of the top five Noble Families in the Yunjing Commerce Association; their foundations ran deep. As a core Dao Foundation Cultivator of the family, Sunx Tuo was bound to have plenty of treasures on him.’

’It would even be normal for him to possess a Magical Treasure.’

’It would be stranger if he didn’t.’

’In fact, the Vajra Ming King Armor and the Primordial Magnetic Heavy Sword were, in some respects, no less powerful than a Magical Treasure.’

’Hmph!’

With an inward snort, Zhu Ju’s shoulders trembled as the Wind and Thunder Blade Wings unfurled behind him. At the same time, he activated the Blood-Burning Curse.

A surge of True Essence, far more powerful than usual, erupted from within him, powering the Wind and Thunder Blade Wings to meet the Celestial Divine Thunder.

BOOM!

A blinding flash of light nearly tore through the thick fog, shaking the earth for miles around.

"Ngh!"

Zhu Ju let out a muffled grunt, feeling as if he had been struck by a sledgehammer. He staggered and turned to flee.

A Tier Three Spirit Talisman!

While it couldn’t compare to a spell cast personally by a Golden Core Grandmaster, its power was still utterly terrifying.

Crucially, the power of the Wood Divine Thunder Talisman was so focused, leaking not an ounce of energy, that even the Wind and Thunder Blade Wings couldn’t completely nullify the attack.

If he continued to fight, it wasn’t that he couldn’t win, but there was a group of even stronger Tribulation Cultivators behind them.

’Run!’

’A gentleman does not stand beneath a collapsing wall.’

"Huh?"

Kou Wu, who was in the middle of slaughtering the Sunx Family Cultivators, seemed to sense something. Frowning, he looked in the direction Zhu Ju had fled.

"Is that the little thief who killed my brother again?"

Since arriving on Yunjing Island, he had sensed Zhu Ju’s aura several times, but they had never once actually met.

’What rotten luck!’

’You won’t get away!’

His eyes followed the direction of Zhu Ju’s escape, and Kou Wu’s eyes narrowed. He then turned to face a charging Sunx Cultivator, a cruel, savage grin spreading across his face.

*

*

*

「Two days later.」

「On a hillside somewhere.」

Zhu Ju sat cross-legged in the grass, eyes closed in meditation.

Thanks to his connection with his Essence Spirit, the wounds on his Physical Body were easy to heal. Only the traces of lightning Qi that had permeated his system required time to purge.

"A Tier Three Spirit Talisman!"

As he opened his eyes, a faint trace of electricity sparked within them. Zhu Ju spoke with a sigh of admiration,

"They say that apart from Golden Core Grandmasters, only a handful of Talisman Makers can create Tier Three Spirit Talismans while still in the Dao Foundation Realm."

"Their power is truly extraordinary!"

Even with his Wind and Thunder Blade Wings to block it, that Wood Divine Thunder Talisman had still inflicted a moderate wound on him.

Its power was in no way inferior to that of a Talisman Treasure.

In fact, it was slightly stronger.

Pushing aside his stray thoughts, Zhu Ju tossed out The Investiture of the Gods with one hand. The scroll left his grasp and slowly unfurled around him.

SWISH!

Spiritual Light surged.

He activated the incomplete version of the Inverted Five Elements Array.

The next moment.

BANG!

The Spiritual Light exploded violently.

If Zhu Ju hadn’t withdrawn The Investiture of the Gods in time, the Array would likely have been torn to shreds by an invisible, immense force.

"It’s no good!"

"As Yunjing Island is now, it can no longer support any array below Tier Three."

Zhu Ju shook his head helplessly.

"The Investiture of the Gods itself isn’t affected, but the Inverted Five Elements Array inscribed upon it can no longer be activated."

Losing the use of The Investiture of the Gods was a huge blow to his power.

With The Investiture of the Gods, Zhu Ju wouldn’t have feared a one-on-one fight even against a Late-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator, or even a Perfection Cultivator.

But now...

Even against Sunx Tuo, a Mid-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator, he wasn’t completely confident of victory.

Zhu Ju might have his trump cards, but as the core Dao Foundation Cultivator of a major family, his opponent was hardly lacking in powerful methods of his own.

SPLISH... SHUFFLE... SPLISH...

The sound of unsteady wading came from the nearby stream.

Walking Corpses!

Seemingly catching the scent of the living, they froze for a moment before charging forward.

"There are more and more of these things."

Zhu Ju frowned. His Ten Directions Sword flashed out, and with a single sweep through the air, several heads flew high into the air.

VMMMM!

The returning Ten Directions Sword vibrated lightly, as if venting its dissatisfaction.

To a Demon Cultivator practicing a corresponding Cultivation Technique, the Yin Corpse Evil Qi inside a Walking Corpse is a great boon for their Cultivation.

But for any other Cultivator, it was a virulent poison.

Even a Flying Sword’s Spirituality would be greatly damaged by prolonged contact, to the point that it might even drop in grade.

"I know, I know."

Zhu Ju gently stroked the blade.

"I’ll use Magic next time."

The Ten Directions Sword quivered once more before finally settling down.

’Still, Yunjing Island has nearly a million inhabitants. If they all turn into Walking Corpses, I fear not even a Golden Core Grandmaster could do anything about it.’

’If Walking Corpses are already wandering in remote places like this, things must be even worse in the Marketplaces and mortal settlements.’

Zhu Ju’s heart sank at the image of a million Walking Corpses overrunning the island.

Demon Cultivators!

’Give them the right environment, and they can destroy everything!’

’But something was off about these Demon Cultivators this time. Such powerful Walking Corpses, spreading at such a speed...’

’Just what kind of heritage is this?’

THUD.

The heavy sound of footsteps approached from the side.

His eyes bloodshot and his face a deathly pale, Sunx Tuo emerged from the thick fog step by step, greatsword in hand.

He was alone.

The rest of the Sunx Family, Dong Ping... they were all gone.

He was obviously injured, having just survived a brutal battle, and his aura was dangerously unstable.

If even Sunx Tuo, with power comparable to a Late-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator, had ended up in such a state, one could easily imagine the others’ fates.

"Hm?"

Sensing the ever-thickening killing intent, Zhu Ju raised an eyebrow.

"Still not giving up, Fellow Daoist Sunx?"

"It’s over!" Sunx Tuo’s eyes were vacant as he whispered,

"Everything is over."

"What do you mean?" Zhu Ju frowned.

"The Sunx Family’s compound was breached by Walking Corpses. The Patriarch was killed by Yann Nanshuang’s hand. The people who were with me... were ambushed by Tribulation Cultivators." His greatsword scraped along the ground with a metallic screech as Sunx Tuo staggered forward, his eyes glazed over.

"Everything is over!"

"Without an Array, it’s true you couldn’t have stopped that many Walking Corpses," Zhu Ju said, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.

"But the Sunx Family Patriarch was a Late-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator, while Yann Nanshuang is merely in the Early Stage Dao Foundation. How could she possibly have killed him?"

’After all,’

’Yunjing Island was a place where no one could currently draw upon Array Power, meaning most of Yann Nanshuang’s abilities were already severely weakened.’

"Heh..." Sunx Tuo shook his head.

"Even if we knew the answer, what’s the point at this stage?"

He slowly raised his greatsword.

"Zhu Ju."

"Let’s fight to the death!"

"You managed to advance your Body Refining to the Third Realm in such a short time. The secret you’re hiding is of great use to me. If I can get that secret, I can rebuild the Sunx Family, even if I’m the only one left."

"You’re still obsessed with my secrets, Fellow Daoist." Zhu Ju got up and shook his head helplessly.

"But what if I win?"

"You win?" Sunx Tuo looked up, his eyes still vacant.

"As one of the families that controlled the Yunjing Commerce Association’s Arrays, I have something on me that can send you to the edge of Yunjing Island."

"Of course,"

"Whether you can actually get off the island from there... that will be up to you."

"Oh!" Zhu Ju’s eyes lit up.

"Very well."

He took a deep breath and slowly raised his left hand. The Power of the Five Elements that permeated the air began to gather around him.

"Fellow Daoist, if you can withstand this next attack, I will admit defeat!"

Sunx Tuo’s eyebrows shot up. His originally chaotic and faint aura erupted like a volcano, and a violent Qi shot toward the heavens.

He raised his greatsword high.

"Bring it on!"

Heaven-Flipping Seal!

Blood-Burning Curse!

Zhu Ju took a step forward, instantly closing the distance.

His left hand bloomed with the Five-Colored Divine Light, which transformed in mid-air into a giant palm that smashed down viciously toward the figure below.

BOOM!

The earth trembled.

BOOM!

BOOM!

...

Wave after wave of Strength, each stronger than the last, pressed down. Sunx Tuo let out a grief-stricken roar, and his aura abruptly vanished.