Chapter 199 - 167: Attacking Taiyin Heaven

Chapter 199: Chapter 167: Attacking Taiyin Heaven

Zhang Ji watched Ling Xuzi wipe his sword and mutter to himself, finding the whole scene a little bizarre.

’A state of being extreme in emotion and extreme in the sword?’

’He just couldn’t comprehend it.’

Zhang Ji didn’t trust any weapon with a mind of its own. In fact, he disliked weapons in general.

Let alone a sword with an Artifact Spirit.

He could not accept a combat style that required him to coax his own weapon into cooperating just to take down an enemy.

Zhang Ji much preferred his own two fists and the energy within his body that he could command at will.

.....

The Ascetic Order mobilized quickly, and all the required personnel were assembled.

A giant Immortal Ship warship, the Tribulation Ship, lifted off from Yuyi Grotto-Heaven as ripples in the void appeared around it.

This was the precursor to a long-distance void jump.

This type of spatial jump technology, which could be independently installed on a vessel, was considered top-tier even in the Celestial Essence Realm.

Only the Celestial Dao Alliance had mastered it.

At this moment, Zhang Ji and the others were also inside the warship.

However, Zhang Ji’s attention wasn’t on the ripples in the void, but on the crimson, flesh-and-blood stele aboard the Immortal Ship.

The Living Stele.

It was a Spiritual Artifact refined using ancient Demon Dao arts.

In ancient times, cultivators with limited resources had two special methods for refining Spiritual Artifacts.

One was to gather myriads of souls into a banner, called the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.

The other was to gather myriads of corpses into a tower, called the Tower of Ten Thousand Corpses.

The former devoured Divine Souls; the latter consumed flesh and blood.

One corrupted the Spirit and shattered the Divine Soul; the other poisoned the body with vile blood qi, destroying the physical form.

The Living Stele, however, combined the techniques of both.

Zangxu Abyss, aside from being a junkyard, was also a graveyard.

It was a place that lacked for everything except corpses.

The Abyss of Eternity contained over ninety percent of the entire Celestial Essence Realm’s population.

After these people died, many of their bodies were thrown into the Nine Nether Earth Flame within Zangxu Abyss and incinerated to ash.

But the Ascetic Order had established a funerary company and put their corpses to use.

Although the corpses of ordinary Qi Cultivation Cultivators were mediocre materials for Artifact Refining, their sheer numbers compensated for the lack of quality.

Even when members of the Ascetic Order itself died, their flesh and blood were used to feed the Living Stele.

Having devoured billions of lives, it now possessed its own unique Artifact Spirit.

It was chaotic and jumbled, filled with all manner of desires and hostility. At the same time, it possessed an infinite Evil Qi that was almost visible to the naked eye.

If a cultivator was contaminated by it, their physical body and Divine Soul would be swiftly corroded and destroyed.

This was the side effect of a Demon Artifact refined through such heretical methods.

But its power was also absurdly high.

It was no weaker than an average Divinity Transformation Cultivator. In fact, in terms of sheer volume of power, it was even stronger; not even Ling Xuzi could compare.

Just standing near this evil artifact made even Zhang Ji feel uncomfortable and oppressed.

’If this thing were dropped on the Floating City, what a blessing that would be for those masters. They’d really be in for a treat...’

Zhang Ji was once again given a direct reminder of just how dirty the Ascetic Order’s methods were.

This was no different from dropping a dirty bomb.

They had truly hit rock bottom.

However, facing the immense power of the Celestial Dao Alliance, they wouldn’t stand a chance of gaining the upper hand if they didn’t resort to ruthless tactics.

Soon, the Tribulation Ship traversed the void. The surrounding environment changed in an instant. They had arrived high above the Nine Heavens, directly before the massive Xuanji Array of Ten Thousand Transformations and the Floating City it protected.

.....

Tao Yunxuan was a very ordinary Golden Core cultivator from Taiyin Heaven.

He possessed a dual-attribute Wood and Earth Spirit Root and had broken through to the Golden Core stage at the age of one hundred forty-three. Now, at one hundred eighty-five, he was a Mid-stage Golden Core cultivator with a knack for research. He was currently a lecturer at the Ten Thousand Spirits Research Institute, working on a project to create artificial Golden Cores.

He was quite satisfied with his life.

Above the twenty-ninth heaven, the concentration of Spiritual Qi was at level ten.

The cost of living in Taiyin Heaven was so high that an ordinary Mid-stage Golden Core cultivator simply couldn’t afford it.

He planned to just keep grinding, reach the Peak of Golden Core around age three hundred, and break through to the Nascent Soul stage by four hundred.

At that point, he would have a lifespan of over five thousand years to enjoy the good life.

He had it all planned out perfectly.

Furthermore, if his current project yielded results, he could publish a couple of academic papers on the Spirit Net. That might just boost his standing, which would mean a higher salary and more resources. Reaching the Nascent Soul stage even earlier wouldn’t be out of the question.

Piloting his flying shuttle, he soon arrived at the Ten Thousand Spirits Research Institute.

The institute was located on the outskirts of Celestial Secret City, right at the edge of the Xuanji Array of Ten Thousand Transformations.

While the Spiritual Qi concentration here was also level ten, it was, to be precise, nowhere near as rich as the core area closer to the Nine-Turned Quantum Furnace.

But that was the site of Celestial Secret City, the personal domain of Divinity Transformation Venerables. To cultivate there, one needed to be at least at the Nascent Soul stage or possess some extraordinary talent, so it wasn’t something he needed to concern himself with.

"Professor Li, good morning!"

"Fairy Hee, thanks for the Qiankun Bag! It’s very stylish. Would you do me the honor of letting me treat you to a meal at the Banquet Hall sometime?"

"Lecturer Wang, I hear you’re in charge of the new batch of students? I’m so envious. You must be making a killing..."

....

Just as he always did, Tao Yunxuan entered the institute, warmly greeting the people he knew.

This was his daily routine, a life he had grown accustomed to.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

His gaze shot toward the distant sky.

There, the infinite Spirit Patterns of the Xuanji Array of Ten Thousand Transformations blazed to life, and for the first time, the protective shield of the grand array became clearly visible to his eyes.

He had never seen a grand array so exquisitely structured and intricately designed.

’But why?’

’Isn’t the grand array usually concealed?’

His question was answered in the next instant.

BOOM-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!

A beam of light slammed into the grand array, blasting a gaping hole straight through it. The beam pierced the heavens, striking the array protecting Celestial Secret City, the very core of Taiyin Heaven.

The world seemed to spin as Taiyin Heaven trembled, and the fluctuations of Spiritual Qi became incredibly violent.

Seizing the opportunity created by the breach in the Xuanji Array of Ten Thousand Transformations, a massive, Tier Five Immortal Ship warship flew inside.

Tao Yunxuan vaguely remembered this ship. It seemed to be the Tribulation Ship, manufactured by the Celestial Sword Group.

They had once used this warship to attack the overseas Profound Bone Sect. Later, command of the vessel belonged to the Celestial Sword Group’s chief sword-forger, Sword Venerable Duan Yue—also known as Xiao Duanyue, with the Daoist title Ling Xuzi...

Before he could process it all, alarms blared across Taiyin Heaven and the entire Floating City.

The warship made a beeline for Celestial Secret City. Spirit Puppets scrambled to intercept it, issuing warnings, but they were instantly obliterated by a Spiritual Energy Beam.

Tao Yunxuan stood frozen on the spot. He had a premonition that the world was about to be turned upside down.

His plan for the next few centuries was about to go up in smoke.

....

「Inside Celestial Secret City.」

Zhuge Mingyuan stood silently within his multi-storied, spatially-folded grotto. Behind him, a lodestone compass spun wildly, its needle thrown into chaos by the turbulent magnetic fields.

He had already notified the other three elders of the Celestial Dao Alliance, but he felt that even their combined might couldn’t prevent the Nine-Turned Quantum Furnace from being damaged.

’That peculiar Evil Qi... is it the Living Stele?’

’If it were to detonate here, even Divinity Transformation Cultivators would have no choice but to give it a wide berth.’

’Unless they were truly suicidal and willing to risk having their Divine Soul and physical body defiled in a fight to the death with Ling Xuzi.’

’But that was clearly irrational. There was nothing to be gained, even in victory.’

The Tribulation Ship was approaching Celestial Secret City, but even before it arrived, two powerful Divine Thoughts had already connected.

Zhuge Mingyuan and Ling Xuzi had begun to communicate.

"You’ve become even more extreme," Zhuge Mingyuan said.

"And you’ve become even more emotionless," Ling Xuzi countered.

"These terrorist tactics won’t bring you the revolution you want. What we need right now is progress—in productivity and in technology," said Zhuge Mingyuan.

"The Floating City was built, we have the Nine-Turned Quantum Furnace, and the efficiency of Spiritual Qi utilization is higher than ever. But in exchange, we’ve abandoned even more cultivators. Is that progress?" Ling Xuzi asked.

"Progress requires sacrifice. It’s unavoidable," Zhuge Mingyuan stated.

"But to deny them even basic respect is fundamentally wrong," said Ling Xuzi. "We are only the ones who walk ahead of the path, not the Celestial Dao itself."

Zhuge Mingyuan was about to say more, but the main cannon on the Tribulation Ship had already finished charging. A beam of light hundreds of meters in diameter blasted forth.

BOOM!

RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!

Outside Celestial Secret City, dense Spirit Patterns materialized. The Shield of the Jiuyao Xuanshu Calculating Array was struck by the attack, tearing open a breach. The entire city of Celestial Secret City began to shake.

"That one shot cost three million Level Four Spirit Coins! They’re really burning through money fast!" Zhang Ji remarked, raising an eyebrow.

Even if the Ascetic Order emptied its entire coffers, they probably couldn’t afford to fire many shots of that caliber.

"Brother, it’s our turn," Yan Jiulin said.

"Right!" said Zhang Ji.

The next moment, taking advantage of the temporary breach in Celestial Secret City’s grand array, countless small flying shuttles swarmed from the Tribulation Ship toward the opening, accompanied by streaks of spiritual light.

From Celestial Secret City, numerous Spirit Puppets and cultivators scrambled to mount a defense.

Spirit Patterns materialized around Zhuge Mingyuan. With a single step, he crossed the void and appeared above the Jiuyao Xuanshu Calculating Array.

With a raise of his hand, a massive amount of Spiritual Power surged from the Nine-Turned Quantum Furnace. The Jiuyao Xuanshu Grand Array began to shift, rapidly repairing and reinforcing its Shield. Layers upon layers of Spirit Patterns manifested, deflecting and neutralizing the Tribulation Ship’s assault.

However, Ling Xuzi would not simply stand by and watch Zhuge Mingyuan repair the array. For the first time, the Seven Tribulation Sword moved.

And with that single movement, he displayed the highest realm of the Sword Dao.

The unity of man and sword.

RUMBLE—CRACK!

A deafening roar echoed as a crimson bolt of lightning tore through the void. Ling Xuzi’s blade descended upon Zhuge Mingyuan. With a mere thought, Zhuge Mingyuan conjured thousands of Spirit Skill Shields, layering them one on top of the other in front of him—a defensive measure so excessive it would make any other cultivator’s head spin.

Yet, the crimson lightning of the sword tore through Zhuge Mingyuan’s thousands of Spirit Skill Shields with ease. Just as it was about to strike his face, it forced him to execute a Spirit Skill, instantly teleporting away to evade the attack.

"The first calamity of the Seven Tribulations Sword Skill: Celestial Thunder Tribulation." Zhuge Mingyuan’s voice echoed from the heavens. "That move of yours... it’s stronger and faster than before. I am not your match. However, the others have arrived."

Three other streaks of light were rapidly approaching.

But Ling Xuzi simply smiled.

He was already prepared.

With a flicker of his will, he activated the Demon Artifact, the Living Stele.

A pillar of vile blood qi erupted from the Tribulation Ship, soaring toward the heavens.

It instantly dyed the entire sky of Taiyin Heaven a ghastly blood-red, a color that continued to spread outwards.

The Living Stele writhed. On its surface, countless pieces of flesh and blood congealed into humanoid forms that flew out in all directions, some of them heading for Zhuge Mingyuan.

Zhuge Mingyuan raised a hand, dissipating one of the flesh puppets.

But this only caused the vile blood qi to spread even further.

When the vile blood qi touched a person, it would swiftly corrupt them. In moments, they would be completely corroded, melting into a pool of bloody filth, their Divine Soul tainted and devoured by the Living Stele.

If a Spiritual Artifact was contaminated, it too would rapidly decay, its spiritual nature defiled until the item itself was destroyed.

The crimson miasma of blood qi spread, nearly blanketing all of Celestial Secret City and expanding out across Taiyin Heaven.

It blocked the three approaching streaks of light, keeping them at a distance.

Zhuge Mingyuan felt his Divine Thought grow sluggish within the bloody miasma and could not help but frown. "So be it," he said.

Without another word or a backward glance, he turned and flew toward Celestial Secret City. Simultaneously, he sent out a Divine Thought transmission, ordering all core members to prepare for evacuation from Taiyin Heaven.

With a weapon of mutual destruction like the Living Stele now in play, the battle had become meaningless, even if they managed to defeat Ling Xuzi.

Even for Divinity Transformation Stage cultivators, contamination by the Living Stele’s vile blood qi would be incredibly difficult to cleanse and would severely sap their vital energies.

Outside the spreading miasma, Nangong Zhiqing and the other two elders watched in disbelief.

"How could he have become like this?"

Ling Xuzi was carrying out a suicide attack, acting just like a terrorist. Nangong Zhiqing could never have imagined that the once gentle and refined Senior Brother Xiao could have become so extreme.

"I’m going to kill him!" Dugu Yunfeng said grimly.

"Calm down. The vile blood qi is too dense. If it taints your Divine Soul and physical body, you’ll be severely weakened. Even if we’re going to kill Ling Xuzi, now is not the time..." Mo Ye said, stopping Dugu Yunfeng.