Chapter 455 - 450: Master Changfu Must Die

Du Youqian’s words were truly vicious.

Most cultivators, especially those from the Immortal City Alliance, grew up in clans with a strict upbringing.

When they cursed at people, they had plenty of variety, but their insults were always roundabout and full of classical allusions.

Not like Du Youqian. He had clawed his way up from the lawless wilds and made his name in the Mortal World’s military camps. He could spew any kind of vulgar, crude filth.

His main style was direct, lewd, and aimed squarely below the belt.

The last time they’d sparred in Magical Combat, he had nearly driven Master Changfu mad with rage.

And as expected, this time Master Changfu was once again overcome by fury. He abandoned his advantage, flew atop the city wall, and bellowed, "Sui Xiao, you brat! If I don’t tear you limb from limb today, I swear I’m not a man!"

While keeping a close eye on Master Huaisu’s movements, Du Youqian shot back, "Are you looking to die? As a fellow Nascent Soul Master of the Alliance, you dare kill me? Or are you planning to slaughter all ten million people in Dali City to cover up your crime?"

"When I’m done knocking out your teeth and ripping out your tongue, we’ll see how sharp-tongued you are then!"

"Is that so? Master Changfu, are you planning to torture a Nascent Soul Master of the Alliance? You’re in big trouble!" Du Youqian took out a Memory Stone and waved it around.

"You! Sui Xiao, you brat, die!" Master Changfu leaped from the city wall and flew toward Du Youqian.

"Changfu! Don’t fall for his trick! As long as we defend from within the city, we’re invincible!" Master Huaisu also appeared on the wall, trying to persuade him.

She was a beautiful woman in courtly dress, looking to be around thirty, with a dignified and imposing air.

But Master Changfu paid her no mind and launched his attack on Du Youqian.

Seeing she couldn’t stop him, Master Huaisu threw out a colored silk ribbon, stood upon it, and flew toward Du Youqian. At the same time, she took off a pair of bracelets and tossed them out.

As the bracelets flew, they grew larger, quickly reaching the size of carriage wheels, their momentum astonishing.

Master Changfu was already before Du Youqian. Their last Magical Combat spar had been a profound humiliation for him. Because he had underestimated his opponent and fallen into a trap, he had been defeated without even using his Heaven and Earth Divine Abilities.

In his heart, he didn’t think Du Youqian was strong, only that he was cunning—a shameless little thief!

Even though Du Youqian had now advanced to the Nascent Soul realm, he still believed Du Youqian was no match for him.

So he unhesitatingly gave up his advantage, leaving the protection of Dali City’s Array, and brazenly struck at Du Youqian.

He still opened with a Big Move: tens of thousands of Wind Blades assaulted Du Youqian from all directions, sealing off all avenues of escape.

Of course, after their last spar, he knew Du Youqian could break this move.

So he didn’t stop there. After launching the Divine Ability, he immediately unleashed his Heaven and Earth Divine Ability.

A towering, illusory giant appeared. The giant was bare-chested, its torso covered in scars, and it exuded a primal, untamed aura. Huge golden rings hung from both ears, stretching the lobes so long they nearly touched its shoulders.

The Giant Dharma Aspect stood poised, waiting for the moment Du Youqian broke through the Wind Blades, when his momentum would be spent and he would reveal an opening. Then, it would strike.

Du Youqian smiled faintly.

The moment he saw Master Changfu, he had confirmed that the man had indeed advanced to the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

’But, is that all there is to it?’

He had several ways to kill Master Changfu instantly.

There was the Blood Slaughter Sword Intent, and also a Divine Ability he had comprehended upon ascending to Nascent Soul—one derived from his previous life, a Divine Ability he had recorded from Lu Yang Master of the Qianshan Sect with the Spring and Autumn Brush.

And it wouldn’t even cost him that much.

However, he had no intention of revealing these methods. Anyone who saw them would have to die.

And today, he didn’t intend to kill Master Changfu and Master Huaisu. At least, he couldn’t kill them both at the same time, or he would be cutting himself off from the Alliance.

In a flash of inspiration, he had already devised a strategy.

He didn’t use his own Divine Abilities to deal with the thousands of Wind Blades like he did in their last spar. Instead, he summoned his Dharma Aspect.

The massive Dharma Aspect—with a human face and a serpent’s body, exuding a primordial, boundless aura—opened its golden, vertical pupils, then squeezed them shut.

For an instant, the world seemed to flash brilliantly before dimming once more.

Master Changfu was dazed for a moment. When he came to his senses, he was shocked to find that his thousands of Wind Blades had crashed into each other. Meanwhile, Du Youqian had somehow escaped the net woven by the Wind Blades and was now using Flying Sword Manipulation to send his sword stabbing toward the distant Master Huaisu.

Master Changfu thought to himself, ’Master Huaisu’s Magical Combat abilities are inferior to my own, but she shouldn’t be so weak that she can’t even block a single sword strike,’ so he didn’t intervene. His Giant Dharma Aspect took a deep breath, its body seeming to inflate like a balloon, and then exhaled forcefully.

Instantly, sand and stones were sent flying outside the city, obscuring everything from view.

Within the dust storm, which was impenetrable to the naked eye, Master Changfu’s Flying Sword was concealed, not leaking the slightest fluctuation of aura, making it difficult to detect with Divine Sense.

The howling wind also masked the sound of the Flying Sword cutting through the air as it silently streaked toward Du Youqian.

But before the Flying Sword could get close, Master Huaisu’s pair of bracelets arrived first. The steel bracelets, now as large as carriage wheels, smashed toward Du Youqian with overwhelming force.

Du Youqian dodged nimbly, but after whizzing past him, the bracelets spun back around like boomerangs, accelerating once more as they flew back to strike him.

This time, Du Youqian didn’t dodge. However, as the bracelets neared him, their speed suddenly slowed.

Of course, this was just a visual effect. They only appeared to slow down; in reality, the space between Du Youqian and the bracelets was constantly stretching, turning a short distance into an impassable gulf.

At that moment, Du Youqian’s "Jinhuan" also reached Master Huaisu. With a sharp cry, she threw out a red gauze scarf. The scarf seemed to float weightlessly as it proactively met the Jinhuan sword, masterfully employing softness as it wrapped tightly around the weapon.

The Jinhuan sword was sluggish for a moment, then its Sword Intent slashed the gauze scarf apart and continued relentlessly forward, striking Master Huaisu’s delicate body.

After being obstructed and delayed by that Tier Four Treasure, the Sword Intent had ultimately been worn down somewhat. Master Huaisu’s body trembled, her lovely mouth opened, and she spat out a mouthful of blood. Her face instantly turned deathly pale; she was clearly heavily injured.

She extended a slender hand, and the tattered Tier Four Treasure scarf reassembled itself, though its glow was now much dimmer.

With another beckoning gesture, the pair of useless bracelets flew back to her. Then, without a backward glance, she fled back into the city, sending a message to Master Changfu as she escaped: "His Sword Intent has wounded me severely. I’m going to find a place to heal."

"Don’t worry, I will slay him here!"

"No, don’t kill him! Spare his life so the Alliance doesn’t come after us!" Even though she had been wounded in a single exchange, Master Huaisu still believed Master Changfu had the strength to kill Du Youqian.

She had witnessed Master Changfu’s prowess in Magical Combat before and was truly impressed by it.

Within the swirling dust, not only was vision obscured, but the effectiveness of Divine Sense was also greatly reduced.

Du Youqian didn’t know that Master Changfu had released a Flying Sword, but he reasoned, ’Master Changfu’s Dharma Aspect is creating a diversion, which means a fatal blow must be coming from the shadows.’

So even though his Divine Sense hadn’t detected Master Changfu’s Flying Sword, he remained on high alert, constantly scanning the area.

When Master Changfu’s Flying Sword was just three feet away, he finally sensed it. By then, it was too late to make a move to counter it, too late to even activate his Defensive Divine Ability, "Copper Skin Iron Bones."

But even in this dire situation, he didn’t panic. Instead, he immediately prepared to activate his "Instant Healing" Divine Ability, enabled the recording function of his Spring and Autumn Brush, and activated the special Defensive Treasure he had obtained in a Secret Realm in his previous life.

The Flying Sword sank into Du Youqian’s body. A vicious and cruel Sword Intent invaded, seeking to sever all the meridians in his body.

Du Youqian was unable to resist, but in that instant, the special Defensive Treasure shattered, deflecting the single fatal blow.

The shattered fragments of the Treasure returned to Du Youqian’s Dantian. They would need to be nurtured for at least three months before it could be used again.

Just as Du Youqian thought the crisis had passed, a second wave of Sword Intent unexpectedly erupted from the Flying Sword, severing all the meridians in his body in an instant.

Even his heart meridian was severed by the Sword Intent.

But in the next instant, the "Instant Healing" Divine Ability activated.

A Divine Ability was not Magic. The activation of a Divine Ability did not depend on Magical Power. Even if all his meridians were shattered and he lost his limbs, he could still activate a Divine Ability.

At the cost of fifty years of his lifespan, Du Youqian’s injuries vanished completely.

He was furious, feeling the indignation of an old hunter having his eye pecked out by a sparrow.

’To think I wasted fifty years of my life on scum like this!’

Of course, anyone else would have thought that for a Nascent Soul Early Stage Cultivator to fight against two Nascent Soul Middle Stage cultivators, managing to heavily wound one of them at the cost of fifty years of life was a worthwhile trade.

After all, neither Master Changfu nor Master Huaisu were weak.

Master Changfu’s Magical Combat methods were indeed difficult to defend against.

Du Youqian quickly adjusted his mindset. The massive, human-faced, serpent-bodied Dharma Aspect opened its mouth in a silent roar. Immediately, a great wind swept through, followed by a torrential downpour that washed away all the swirling dust.

Du Youqian hadn’t used this move earlier because he thought he could handle the situation. He had even wanted to fish in troubled waters; the swirling dust could obscure the enemy’s attacks, but it could also conceal his own.

But he never expected that such a small oversight would cost him fifty years of his life.

’I have to get these fifty years back from Master Changfu.’

’Master Changfu must die!’