Chapter 453 - 333: Two Halves

Chapter 453: Chapter 333: Two Halves

The nine of them, their minds reeling, suppressed the doubts in their hearts. Each made a move, chasing after the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus.

"Tree Sea Forest!"

Yu Changsheng’s gaze darkened. Already prepared, he waved his sleeve, and the Colorful Star Deer appeared. With a light step, towering ancient trees, vines, and willow branches instantly materialized, forming a Heaven and Earth Net that layered over the void, blocking everyone’s path.

"Don’t let him get away with this! The sheer audacity!"

Yama roared, his distant gaze filled with unconcealed killing intent as he looked at Yu Changsheng. Ignoring the vast Heaven and Earth Net, he charged straight through it!

The others did much the same, choosing to ignore it and smash through with their physical bodies!

CRACK! CRACKLE...

In an instant, the Heaven and Earth Net woven from trees and vines shattered. Although the Colorful Star Deer had already reached Tier Three, it was naturally impossible for it to trap these nine prodigies.

However, it did slow them down for a moment. And that moment was enough to bring the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus even closer to Yu Changsheng!

"I’m afraid that even if you have the life to take what I’ve set my eyes on, you won’t have the life to use it!"

"The Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm, the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus—they all belong to my Profound Yin Sect! How could we allow an outsider like you to lay a finger on them!"

Sneering, they exchanged a look. There was no infighting; for now, they all set their sights on Yu Changsheng.

The Heaven and Earth Net formed by the trees was reduced to ash in a mere instant.

But from within the ashes, a seven-colored lotus suddenly appeared, shimmering continuously.

"Mysterious Illusion Realm!"

The Colorful Star Deer let out a soft cry, its beastly eyes dimming. The light of the Illusion Realm enveloped the nine cultivators, causing their bodies to involuntarily stall once more. A flicker of daze appeared in their eyes. Although they regained clarity in an instant, their speed was still affected to a certain degree.

In that same instant, the Red Purgatory roared. Its draconic might surged as a sky full of Evil Fire swept down toward the group, blanketing everything.

The Colorful Star Deer cried out in pain. Its body trembled slightly before turning into a stream of light and vanishing into the Inner Realm. Though it had only held them off for a moment, these nine were no ordinary individuals. To have achieved this much was already the limit for the Colorful Star Deer.

The toll it took on the Colorful Star Deer was also unimaginable.

Yu Changsheng’s face also turned pale from the Magical Power drain. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed the Elixir he had been holding in his mouth. Seeing their figures draw ever closer, his gaze turned cold. With a snort, a flick of his sleeve, and a furrow of his brow, the sky full of Evil Fire coalesced into a massive fireball radiating violent fluctuations and exploded in the midst of the crowd!

BOOOOOOM!

Flames raged as the Red Purgatory’s body slithered through the air, circling high above. A faint red light enveloped the space.

"Red Refining Sealing Void!"

"Abyss of the Water Kingdom!"

The Profound Turtle appeared in unison. A dual Sealing Power erupted, and within its range, everyone’s body suddenly froze stiff.

Yu Changsheng’s face was deathly pale. The successive outbursts had taken a heavy toll on him, but the effect was remarkable. These back-to-back attacks had bought him the time he needed. The Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus was now within arm’s reach!

"Damn it!"

"This guy’s methods are so troublesome."

Everyone’s expression turned grim. The consecutive obstacles hadn’t caused them any real harm, but their hearts were now filled with a blazing fury. This was especially true seeing the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus about to be snatched up by Yu Changsheng—a result they could not accept.

’Almost there, the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus...’

Yu Changsheng let out a breath and waved his arm. Just as the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus was about to land in his hand, his expression suddenly changed, and he abruptly dodged to the side.

In the next instant, a magnificent Sword Light flashed. Like a scar across the heavens, it tore through the void with an indomitable, unstoppable momentum, hacking down with astonishing Sword Qi!

The Sword Light was as fast as a flash of lightning. Neither his naked eye nor his Divine Sense could track it. Yu Changsheng dodged almost purely on instinct, but the target of the sword was not him—it was the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus in front of him!

CRACK...

In a flash, the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus trembled. With a buzz, a crack slowly appeared down its middle and then spread across the entire thing.

"What?"

Yu Changsheng was stunned. The golden light scattered, the bloody glow faltered, and under the power of that single sword strike, the entire Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus split in two. One half fell toward Yu Changsheng, while the other was swept away by the Sword Light, falling in a different direction.

’Half is better than none!’

Gritting his teeth, Yu Changsheng quickly tucked the half-lotus away and, with a frown, looked back at the person who had struck.

The swordsman wore a green robe. He had sharp, sword-like brows and eyes that shone like stars. His face was exceptionally handsome with well-defined features, yet it held a hint of maturity beyond his years. At this moment, he was watching Yu Changsheng from a distance, his face slightly pale, a sharp glint in his eyes.

It was none other than the prodigy from the Purple Rainbow Sect, Wen Hanhai.

"Stop him! Don’t let him escape!"

Seeing this, the eyes of the others flickered. Five of them shot toward the other half of the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus, while the remaining four, including Yama and Wang Haiyang, charged at Yu Changsheng.

Yu Changsheng narrowed his eyes. He had the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus—even if it was only half—but the situation didn’t permit him to linger. He recalled the Red Purgatory and the Profound Turtle into his Inner Realm, turned without hesitation, and unleashed his full power to flee into the distance.

After that burst of power, Yu Changsheng was already somewhat exhausted. He knew clearly in his heart that what he had just done was no different from pulling a tooth from a tiger’s mouth. If he were to truly fight against all of them, he would have no chance of winning.

"Run? Where can you possibly run to?"

"Damn you! How dare a piece of trash from a lower sect like you lay a finger on a Supreme Treasure like half a Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus? Hand it over now, and I might spare your life."

Yu Changsheng transformed into a long rainbow, Stepping Void as his speed reached its peak. The people behind him, however, were not to be outdone. Their goal was singular as they all raced after Yu Changsheng in relentless pursuit.

Yu Changsheng frowned, spreading his Divine Sense to perceive the movements behind him.

Although he had the head start, the people behind him were all Golden Core Cultivators who possessed their own Secret Techniques. When they unleashed their full power, their speed was only faster than his, not slower. The distance between them was constantly shrinking.

The most eye-catching among the four was a man with a burly build and a ferocious face. As he sped along, ghostly shadows flickered behind him, granting him even more extreme speed.

This person wore a Blood Robe and had the appearance of a middle-aged man. His hair was dark red, and his pupils were a strange, blood-red color. Around his neck hung a collar of nine skulls. His Evil Qi was the most intense of them all. He whistled through layers of the void, rapidly closing in on Yu Changsheng.

’Number one on the Celestial Slaughter List, Senior Brother Evil Ghost, Qiu Xing!’

Yu Changsheng’s brow furrowed. He let out a breath, sensing the astonishing fluctuations of power brewing on his opponent. He bit his tongue sharply, and his speed erupted once more.

"Interesting."

Qiu Xing chuckled, his expression calm as he watched Yu Changsheng’s retreating figure. With a sudden inhale, boundless blood-qi surged toward him, merging with the layered ghost shadows behind him. Immediately after, he exhaled sharply.

A bloody storm howled. The layered ghost shadows shrieked, transforming into seemingly solid, crimson-red, bleeding figures with horns, green faces, and sharp fangs. They turned into several streams of green smoke that crossed space, finally landing around Yu Changsheng.

"Nine Ghosts Celestial Vortex!"

Qiu Xing roared. As he performed the Finger Technique, the streams of green smoke transformed back into nine ferocious ghosts. They spat out ten-meter-long rotting tongues that lashed toward Yu Changsheng’s face.

"Void Fire Haoyang!"

Yu Changsheng halted his steps. His hands blurred through a series of signs as he frantically poured out his Magical Power. A massive, dark-red fireball materialized and then exploded toward the nine ghosts!

BOOOOOOM!

The void trembled as ring-shaped shockwaves rippled outward. The nine ghosts shrieked and wailed, their bodies half-destroyed by the blast. Yet they didn’t disintegrate. Instead, their tongues intertwined, and a dense, bloody light flashed. Their remaining half-bodies rapidly inflated like balloons before finally bursting, transforming into a dark green vortex. It spun continuously, emitting a terrifying suction force that enveloped the space above Yu Changsheng’s head.

Yu Changsheng’s expression changed. He instantly felt as if he were trapped in a swamp. Under the vortex’s power, he couldn’t even control his own body as it started to be pulled toward it.