Chapter 316: I Can’t Lose

Streaks of pale red sword qi danced back and forth across the arena like a dream. The very real aura of an immortal spirit caused everyone to instinctively take deep breaths, as if doing so would allow them to advance another step in their cultivation.

The swordswoman desperately fended off the attacks, yet she was pierced time and again by the immortal sword’s sword qi. Her mystic robe, her protective Dao spells, and her defensive mystic treasures might as well not exist before its power. The one thing in her possession that offered a modicum of resistance was the greatsword but the unwieldy weapon could hardly contain the sword qi that moved as swiftly as lightning.

In the blink of an eye, the sword qi returned to Wei Yuan’s hand and transformed into a cluster of pale red petals. Then, they slowly dissipated.

A cacophony of lamentations and sighs broke out from the grandstands. In fact, many of them were wearing expressions of palpable heartache. Several elderly ministers of the Qingliu faction whispered among themselves, unaware that Wei Yuan—endowed with a mystic ability rivaling that of the Diting—could hear every word.

“How could such an immortal artifact fall into the hands of a mere child? It is truly a pearl cast before swine!”

“His cultivation is so meager. How could he be worthy of wielding such an immortal artifact? It must be entrusted to a person of high virtue and prestige—that is the only proper course of action.”

“He obtained the object from the western regions, which were originally part of our Great Jin. I suspect that its origins may be questionable!”

“You speak wisely, Elder Sun. Tomorrow,we shall submit a joint memorial demanding that he hand over the immortal object so that its provenance can be verified. If it is indeed his, then we can return it to him later!”

“That is the words of a seasoned elder! Excellently put!”

Suddenly, Wei Yuan looked up and gazed in that direction. The elderly men all felt that his eyes were shining with an unusual intensity. Their hearts began to pound wildly, and they all sat up straight, ceasing their whispered conversation.

Wei yuan glanced at their seats and immediately came to an understanding: everyone in that stand was a third-rank official.

......

The swordswoman took grievous injuries in an instant and collapsed to the ground, unable to rise. She had lost all sensation around her wounds. When she looked down, she saw that the flesh around her injuries had turned white—they were completely lifeless.

Despite this, her eyes still burned with stubborn defiance and the refusal to admit defeat. She struggled to her feet, raised her greatsword with great effort, and staggered toward Wei Yuan once more.

Remaining where he was, Wei Yuan simply stamped his foot. The martial arena shook, and the swordswoman’s legs gave way, causing her to collapse face-first at Wei Yuan’s feet. She lifted her head with great difficulty, then propped up her upper body with her limp, feeble hands. Soon, she was back on her feet.

But this time, her feet were unsteady. In fact, they were so unsteady that she had just heaved her greatsword halfway when she succumbed to its weight and crashed back to the floor.

“I can still fight, I haven’t lost yet...” she repeated to herself as she tried to stand up once more. Suddenly, a pair of boots appeared before her eyes. She slowly looked up and saw Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan said indifferently, “You were wounded by an immortal artifact. This injury cannot be healed. Consider it your punishment—you may keep your left arm.”

The swordswoman tried to stand only to fall again. Finally, gripping her sword with both hands and using it to support her weight, she managed to get back to her feet. She gave Wei Yuan a bow, then slowly shuffled her way toward the edge of the martial arena while dragging her sword behind her.

A bald man with a ferocious face and menacing eyes stepped out from outside the martial arena. He was extremely tall, standing a full head taller than Wei Yuan.

He strode into the martial arena and blocked the swordswoman’s path. Upon seeing him, she began to tremble uncontrollably.

“Useless!” The man grabbed the swordswoman and brought his palm down on her shoulder like a saber. There was a flash of blood, and her left arm was severed!

He then flung her out of the arena with a backhand, as if tossing a broken rag doll.

The man kicked the swordswoman’s arm and sent it flying toward Wei Yuan. After it landed in front of his feet, the man said, “She lost, so she must pay the price. Now, it’s my turn to challenge you, Lord Wei!”

Wei Yuan closed his eyes slightly, took a deep breath, then slowly opened them. He said, “I just said I didn’t want her arm anymore. Didn’t you hear me?”

The man’s lips curled into a savage grin as he answered, “Of course I heard you, but a promise made before the king is absolute. You wanted her arm, so of course I had to cut it off for you.”

Wei Yuan glanced at the arm on the floor, then looked up and asked, “What qualifies you to challenge me?”

The man seemed startled to hear this question. A flash of murderous intent crossed his eyes as he answered, “I am Shan[1] Kai, an engaged[2] disciple of the Exquisite Blossom Pure Land. I have attained an immortal foundation. Is this qualification sufficient?”

Wei Yuan sneered. “Correction, You are a vagabond with neither rank nor grade. If just being a disciple of the Exquisite Blossom Pure Land qualifies you to challenge a second-rank official, then does that mean a disciple of the Palace of Absolute Beginning is qualified to challenge a king or a duke?”

The man retorted coldly, “Could it be that you’re afraid, Lord Wei?”

Wei Yuan retorted indifferently, “No. You’re simply unworthy.”

Rage welled up within the man, and he shouted, “I, too, am a person of renown in this generation of the Exquisite Blossom Pure Land! With the Holy King present before us and all these dignitaries in attendance, I promise that I will accept any condition you name, on the condition that you accept my challenge!”

Wei Yuan finally deigned to look at him and replied calmly, “If you lose, your corpse will be chopped up and fed to the dogs.”

The crowd suddenly fell silent. No one had expected Wei Yuan to propose such a condition.

Shan Kai laughed three times before countering, “And what if you lose?”

Wei Yuan replied indifferently, “I can’t lose.”

Shan Kai burst into another fit of wild laughter, his voice shaking the mountains. Finally, he said, “‘I can’t lose’, he says! Very well! I accept your challenge!”

Wei Yuan’s hand finally clenched the Immaculate Pure Land. He gave it a gentle shake, and the spearhead began to vibrate violently, emitting a dragon’s roar.

Shan Kai retreated several steps—each step spanning several zhang—whereupon a golden light burst forth from his body, revealing a golden body!

The high-ranking officials on the grandstands were all well-traveled and well-informed. As soon as they saw the golden body’s appearance, some exclaimed in astonishment, “That’s the image of the Immovable Wisdom King! This—this—this isn’t an Avatar, but it’s better than one!”

Wei Yuan had not recognized the golden body at first, but after hearing the officials on the stands speak, he recalled it. In the Exquisite Blossom Pure Land, there was a special type of Dao Foundation capable of manifesting the forms of Arhats, Bodhisattvas, Vajras, Wisdom Kings, Rakshasas, and more. When a cultivator ascended with such a Dao Foundation, they would gain the corresponding Avatar.

The fact that Shan Kai’s Dao Foundation was the Immovable Wisdom King proved that he was indeed one of the top disciples of the Exquisite Blossom Pure Land.

The Immovable Wisdom King’s golden body became one with Shan Kai, causing a golden glow to radiate from his entire body. His every movement caused the martial arena to tremble as well. He then flashed Wei Yuan a savage grin and said, “King Wei sends his regards!”

“King Wei, heh....”

Wei Yuan sized up Shan Kai—now fused with the Immovable Wisdom King’s golden body—from head to toe before suddenly in front of him in one step. Then, he thrust the Immaculate Pure Land at his face!

A clang resounded like the toiling of a great bell, and the two combatants split up from each other.

Shan Kai had covered his face with both arms. The outburst of Dao energies had shredded his sleeves and exposed a pair of arms that looked as if they’d been coated in gold paint.

Shan Kai glanced at his arms. There was a white spot where the skin at the center had broken slightly.

“Your spear strike is a bit lacking in power, Lord Wei!” Shan Kai reached out with both hands and made a grabbing motion. A vajra scepter appeared in one hand, while a quad-edged swordbreaker appeared in the other.

Just as he was about to charge at Wei Yuan, he suddenly saw the young man summoning a crimson sword and snapping it into place at the tip of the Immaculate Pure Land[3]!

What kind of weapon was this? Although Shan Kai didn’t know what this bizarre, assembled weapon was, he knew at first glance that the crimson sword was a bonafide immortal sword! How could Wei Yuan possess a genuine immortal sword? No one had told him about this!

In fact, the greatest bane of an unbreakable golden body like the Immovable Wisdom King’s was an immortal sword renowned for its sharpness such as Void Cutter. If judged solely on sharpness, then the Crimson Night Slayer of Immortals was in no way inferior to Void Cutter!

Fear had just begun to well up in Shan Kai’s heart when Wei Yuan appeared at his side and thrust his spear at him!

In the critical moment, Shan Kai raised his arm and just barely blocked the attack, a cry of pain escaping his throat. It was because the blade had pierced deep into his upper arm and nearly pierced right through!

Shan Kai sucked in a sharp breath. The sword was incredibly sharp, and there was no mistaking the aura of an immortal spirit! He immediately wanted to retreat then, intending to rely on the Immovable Wisdom King’s golden body to withstand a few thrusts before withdrawing from the martial arena.

But the moment he entertained the thought, Wei Yuan sensed it immediately. All the insights he had gained from contemplating the sword over the past few days surged to the forefront of Wei Yuan’s mind, and like a waterfall cascading from the nine heavens, his Dao energy reserves instantly hit rock bottom!

Countless Wei Yuans appeared around Shan Kai, and countless crimson immortal swords pierced his body simultaneously. Then, Wei Yuan instantly retreated and came to a halt more than ten zhang away.

Shan Kai stood frozen in place. He slowly raised a finger to point at Wei Yuan, but suddenly, a finger fell off, followed by his entire hand. It detached from his body and hit the ground with a silent thud. Then, two jets of blood gushed violently from his eyes, and his golden body shattered. A single point of light burst through the crown of his head and vanished into the Beyond instantly.

The point of light was the legacy of the Immovable Wisdom King. With Shan Kai’s death, it had automatically returned to the Beyond to await its next destined successor.

Right after that, dozens of jets of blood spurted from every part of Shan Kai’s body. He then toppled forward and crashed heavily to the ground.

By this point, Wei Yuan had exhausted all his Dao energy. The hand he was using to grip his spear was trembling slightly, and a fine layer of sweat had beaded on his forehead.

Shan Kai was a late-stage immortal foundation cultivator. Compared to those in the Palace of Absolute Beginning and in the same cultivation level, he was only slightly inferior to Sun Yu and on par with Sun Yu and Yu Zhizhuo. Furthermore, many Avatars from the Exquisite Blossom Pure Land boasted special manifestations as early as the Dao Foundation stage. For instance, the Immovable Wisdom King’s golden body enhanced one’s combat prowess. Therefore, in terms of combat power, Shan Kai was already on par with Xiao Yu[4].

Even Wei Yuan had to harness the sharpness of the Crimson Night Slayer of Immortals and empty all of his Dao energy in one go to unleash nearly a hundred consecutive strikes. Only then did he manage to cut the Immovable Wisdom King’s golden body into countless pieces and slay Shan Kan on the spot.

However, it came at a cost. Wei Yuan had used up so much energy that he could no longer conceal his weakness.

Silence fell over the stage. No one had expected that one of the most outstanding figures among the younger generation of the Exquisite Blossom Pure Land to die so suddenly and swiftly under Wei Yuan’s spear.

Wei Yuan took a breath, and his Dao energy slowly began to recover. This was enough to make some people restless.

Suddenly, a void broke out from the stands. “Hsu Wuji conveys the greetings of his military commissioner to Lord Wei!”

Wei Yuan turned to see a beam of cyan light shining upon him. A man had been sitting beside Lü Wenbai, Military Commissioner of Yunxiang. By the time he yelled out the greeting, he had already transformed into a beam of light and charged toward Wei Yuan along the cyan beam!

The strike was as swift as lightning and as powerful as thunder. Moreover, he possessed the ability to shift between tangible and intangible states, rendering ordinary arrays and conventional defenses completely useless. He could even pass directly through rows of heavy shields and thick walls!

Hsu Wuji was currently shifting constantly between the tangible and the intangible, ignoring all obstacles and covering dozens of zhang of distance in the blink of an eye. It was already a lethal move in its own right, and it had been launched while Wei Yuan was at his weakest.

In Wei Yuan’s eyes, a speck of light was hurtling toward him along the cyan beam at an unimaginable speed. However, he remained motionless and just stared at that speck of light.

Hsu Wuji’s voice was still echoing among the stands, but the light he had transformed into had already reached three zhang in front of Wei Yuan! At the same time, the edge of a blade appeared from within the light.

Suddenly, there was a loud clang much like the toiling of an ancient cauldron or a great bell. It was so loud and resonant that it caused some people a faint wave of dizziness.

A towering warrior had appeared in front of Wei Yuan. No one knew how he’d appeared, but he was standing squarely in Hsu Wuji’s path. Hsu Wuji had been dashing forward at full speed, only to crash head-on into the warrior. Naturally, his head was covered in blood, and he was staggering unsteadily backward as if he was drunk.

Hsu Wuji’s dashing strike could pass through solid objects like walls—but only if they hadn’t been refined before[5]. An Avatar’s mystic body was a seamless whole inside and out—naturally, there was zero chance he could have passed through it. This collision was effectively Hsu Wuji testing his head against the mystic body of an Avatar; the fact that his neck bones hadn’t snapped on the spot was already a testament to the tenacity of his physical body.

Shocked and furious, Hsu Wuji wiped the blood from his head. However, the warrior hadn’t made a move since appearing, so he faded into nothing and shone a beam of light on Wei Yuan once more. However, he had just disappeared when the warrior flashed forward and blocked the beam’s way once more.

1. Not “daan” in this case. ☜

2. Meaning that he’s engaged with the secular world. Normally Buddhists want to stay away from the secular world and cultivate in peace, which is why there is a distinction. ☜

3. Imagine a kachak sound like a gun being primed for firing. XD ☜

4. The Xiao Yu slander will never end LOL. ☜

5. In other words, it’s the perfect skill to peep on mortals. What a pathetic skill. ☜