Chapter 455 - 334: Pursuit (2)

Chapter 455: Chapter 334: Pursuit (2)

Yu Changsheng knew that he would have a hard time dealing with any single one of the four. Against them together, he had absolutely no chance of victory. There was no way he could withstand this assault!

’It seems this is my only option!’

Void Fire ignited in Yu Changsheng’s palm, his gaze resolute. He then retrieved several mangled corpses from his System Space. Some of them had belonged to former members of the Dark Stream, all of whom had been at the Golden Core Level before they died.

After a Golden Core Cultivator dies, the Magical Power condensed within their Golden Core gradually dissipates. However, inside the System Space, the Magical Power in the Golden Cores could be preserved for a considerable time.

A single Golden Core had endless uses, to say nothing of so many!

The mangled corpses melted rapidly, their Golden Cores fusing into one under the Void Fire. The resulting mass was extremely unstable, its terrifying fluctuations a sign that all their Magical Power was being forcibly compressed.

’Shit, I can’t control it!’

"Elder Gui, protect me! I’m counting on you!"

Yu Changsheng gritted his teeth, suppressing the sense of imminent doom. With a flick of his will, he hurled the Void Fire Golden Core in his hand viciously toward the four men.

Immediately after, the Profound Turtle materialized before him. Instead of extending its limbs, it remained completely inside its shell, grabbed Yu Changsheng with its mouth, and held him behind it.

"Kid, fortune favors the bold! You’d better hold on tight."

The Profound Turtle’s hearty laughter rang out. Powerful blue waves of water enveloped its entire body, forming layer upon layer of protection.

In the next instant, a blinding white light erupted from the Void Fire Golden Core Yu Changsheng had thrown. The dazzling radiance was accompanied by a terrifying, explosive fluctuation!

"What is this?"

The sudden development stunned Qiu Xing and the other three. A moment later, as they felt the terrifying aura that made the very void tremble, their expressions changed dramatically, and they cried out in horror.

"Shit! Is that a Golden Core Level self-detonation? That kid..."

Before the sentence could be finished, a blinding white light flashed, completely whiting out their vision. It was followed by a cataclysmic, earth-shattering BOOM.

The void shattered with a sound like countless thunderclaps, roiling the clouds and sending out ripples that spread across the sky in wave after wave.

Blistering light and heat consumed the sky, sweeping out in all directions with a soul-shaking force.

In the face of this power, all of their techniques seemed feeble. In a single instant, the dark-green vortex in the sky collapsed, and the two massive hands of the Cyan Ghost shattered, dissipating on the wind.

With his Divine Technique shattered, the backlash struck Qiu Xing. He doubled over, his face paling as a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth. But he had no time to worry about that now. His expression was grim as he shot backward in a frantic retreat.

If Qiu Xing was in such a state, the others were even worse off. The sky full of ice spikes shattered, melting away without a trace like snow in the sun. The hundred-zhang-long, bloodthirsty sword, which radiated a terrifying Evil Qi, shattered inch by inch, its fragments reflecting Chen Haolan’s horrified expression.

In the face of this heaven-sent cataclysm, the icy-blue peony withered in an instant. The techniques and Divine Techniques of all four men were annihilated in a single clash. And yet, this had only momentarily slowed the blast. Its power, though diminished, still surged forward with the force of a tidal wave, turning into a massive storm before erupting.

RUMBLE!

Like a solar flare, the violent aftershock erupted, melting earth and stone and sending up plumes of white smoke. Qiu Xing, both shocked and enraged, braced himself, struggling to withstand the storm. Yama’s face was grim, his teeth clenched and his hair standing on end. The strange blood-drop totem on his forehead flared, manifesting a blood-red barrier to protect him.

Wang Haiyang threw his folding fan forward, and it curved to envelop him in protective layers. Chen Haolan’s face was a mask of terror. He let out a silent scream as the storm finally consumed him...

...

Meanwhile, huddled inside the turtle shell, Yu Changsheng felt the world spin. The shell rocked violently, and the intense shockwave sent a sweet, coppery taste into his mouth. He coughed violently, spraying out a mouthful of blood mixed with bits of his internal organs.

The Profound Turtle let out a muffled grunt. The waves of water outside its shell rippled violently before shattering under the storm’s force. The powerful shockwave then slammed directly into the shell itself.

The shell trembled, and the Withered Soaring Snake Totem upon it flickered strangely. Layers of red light emanated from it, dissipating the force of the shockwave. Carried by the violent explosion’s momentum, the Profound Turtle’s form became a streak of light, knocked into the distance and vanishing over the horizon at an astonishing speed.

After a long while, the storm gradually subsided. The ravaged void was utterly empty. The dark-red sky was covered in fine cracks that were slowly mending themselves.

A shocking, thousand-zhang-deep crater had been gouged into the earth. The ground was a scorched, blackened mess of molten rock. Deep within the crater, three battered and blackened figures panted heavily, their faces grim.

"Damn it, that kid actually had a trick like this up his sleeve..."

"Something’s not right. It’s ridiculous. This Golden Core Level self-detonation... How did he do it? So suddenly..."

"Cough, cough, cough... We were careless. We actually let him escape..."

The three of them looked terrible. Their clothes were disheveled and torn. As they coughed, blood trickled from their foreheads and the corners of their mouths.

They were furious, but more than that, they were bewildered and suspicious.

"That Chen Haolan fellow, what a useless piece of trash... dying just like that. Pathetic."

The three of them frowned. They looked at each other and could see that they were all in bad shape.

"Four of us hunting one Yu Changsheng, and one of us gets killed instead... If word of this gets out, how could I ever show my face again..."

Qiu Xing took a deep breath, suppressing the pain in his body. After swallowing an Elixir, he shot the other two a cold glare. Once he had recovered slightly, he rose into the air and flew off.

There was no catching Yu Changsheng now, but half of the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus was still up for grabs. If they headed over immediately, they might still have a chance.

Yama and Wang Haiyang had the same thought. Remaining wary of one another, they also rose and departed.

Only after flying a great distance and confirming that Yama and Qiu Xing were gone did the powerful facade Wang Haiyang had been maintaining finally crumble. His body went stiff before he staggered and spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura weakening significantly.

"Yu Changsheng, I underestimated you... cough, cough, cough..."

Wang Haiyang coughed again, hastily pulling out several Elixirs and swallowing them. A bit of color slowly returned to his deathly pale face.

His Cultivation was lower than Yama’s and Qiu Xing’s, so his injuries were naturally more severe. Still, compared to Chen Haolan, who had been vaporized, Wang Haiyang felt incredibly lucky.

’Chen Haolan is dead, and that’s that. He was all brawn and no brains. But Yu Changsheng... I need to start taking him seriously. The Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm just got a lot more interesting...’

’Forget it. Worse comes to worst, I’ll just find a place to lie low and wait for the Secret Realm to end. That Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus... I’m worried I might win the prize but not live to enjoy it! Especially since I’m so badly injured...’

Wang Haiyang gritted his teeth. Having made up his mind, he took a deep breath and flew off in a different direction.

Meanwhile, Yu Changsheng had been taken for a bumpy ride by the violent shockwave. When he was finally let out, the scene before him was completely different.

"Kid, find a place and quickly fuse with this half of the Celestial Slaughter Golden Lotus. I’m a bit tired, I need to rest..."

"Be careful on your own... cough, cough, cough..."

The Profound Turtle’s weary voice rang out. Its back was scorched black, and the light in its eyes had dimmed. Clearly, even though it had only borne the brunt of the aftershock, blocking the attack had taken a heavy toll on it.

"Okay, thank you, Elder."

Yu Changsheng took a deep breath and bowed with cupped fists toward the Profound Turtle in gratitude. He then pulled out two Healing Elixirs and fed them to the beast.

[Consumed two Tier Three Rejuvenating Pills. Successfully fed the Profound Turtle. Acquired 40,000 Essence Points!]

...

"Mm."

The Profound Turtle grunted. After swallowing the elixirs, it transformed into a streak of light and returned to Yu Changsheng’s Inner Realm to recuperate.

"Whew... That was a close call..."

Yu Changsheng let out a soft sigh, a look of relief on his face. He fanned his arm and clicked his tongue in amazement.

’The Golden Cores I’d saved to feed Spirit Beasts actually saved my life just now. Talk about putting them to good use.’

Yu Changsheng mused to himself, offering a silent word of thanks to a certain member of the Dark Stream before picking a direction and flying off.

It had been a hopeless situation. If he had been truly surrounded by those four, then with his current Cultivation, he would have faced almost certain death, even if he had used every trick up his sleeve.

Luckily, the ’self-destructing Cultivators’ I had stored away... worked wonders.

’Huh? My Evil Qi Points have reached 45,000? Looks like I actually managed to kill one of them in the blast. Heh, not bad at all.’