Chapter 636: Magical Duel

Chapter 636: Chapter 116: Magical Duel

Incredibly, Jiangcun and Yang Shu had controlled the twisted Golden Spirit Primordial Spirit, forcing it to self-destruct. The epicenter of the blast, thanks to the properties of Gold Spirit Qi, tore space into countless fragments. As the violent Qi swept over the island below, its primeval forest and town were instantly reduced to dust.

The people in the town were nowhere to be found, but the crimson stains left on the ground were proof they had once existed. A gray barrier appeared on a nearby mist-shrouded mountain, barely holding back the violent Metal Spirit Aura.

The massive island had also been neatly sliced into three segments by an unseen, formless power, causing the surrounding seawater to churn violently. Members of the Water Race occasionally let out low roars from the depths, but none dared to surface.

The explosion had a more immediate consequence: the Gold Spirit Qi annihilated the island’s Wood Spirit Qi, causing the Transfer Array built there to collapse.

After the explosion, Jiangcun pushed aside layers of ice walls. He looked at Chengxi and the others across from him and cupped his hands. “Daoist Chengxi,” he said, “give up the spot for the Fourth Realm, and we can still drink together as friends. How about it?”

Chengxi held his left hand in a fixed Spell formation, a dark green shield shimmering around him—the effect of an Armor Talisman. He stared at Jiangcun, his expression unreadable. “That was quite a move,” he said. “The Primordial Spirit of a Third Realm Gold Cultivator from a Mystic Sect… even one whose nature has been twisted, it’s a priceless treasure with no market. Is Changqing really worth such a heavy investment?”

“It’s not a question of worth. It was simply a choice.”

Jiangcun replied nonchalantly, “You still have a choice. You and Changqing are from the same sect. As long as you give up competing with him, we can all walk away from this peacefully.”

A cold glint appeared in Chengxi’s eyes. The Hand Technique he held with his left hand blurred into motion. An instant later, the Heaven-Reaching Talisman materialized behind him. He pointed his left index finger to the sky and issued a decree: “Form!”

Instantly, a Wood Spirit visible to the naked eye descended from the heavens. Below, on the surface of the sea and the seabed, intricate Transfer Arrays emerged. They rapidly linked together, once again blanketing the entire area.

Chengxi and Quecai’s puppets had set up these Transfer Arrays. Chengxi knew the Transfer Talisman of his lineage was no secret; his enemies would certainly find a way to destroy it. Therefore, he had taken precautions against just such an event.

Once he had done all this, Chengxi said to those around him, “This is a matter of life and death. Now is not the time to hold back. With my Transfer Array to support you, Fellow Daoists, you can act without restraint. ‘Escort’ the two Princes out. As for the other cultivators, it’s best we kill them all!”

“The Saint is merciful!” a Great Monk from Vajra Temple murmured, bringing a single palm up before him.

The moment the words left his lips, he vanished. The next moment, he appeared before Jiangcun, flanked by three other monks from Vajra Temple.

PUFF!

A tremendous force slammed into Jiangcun’s chest, causing the lungs formed by his Spirit Veins to rupture instantly. As he erected a suit of ice armor around himself, three more figures appeared, lunging at him.

But they were quickly enveloped by high-speed water droplets—the Piercing Droplets technique. This was, of course, a spell cast by Yang Shu. Just as Jiangcun breathed a sigh of relief, a bloody aura assaulted him from the left. It was a crimson blade, from which seemed to emanate the wails of ghosts and the howls of wolves.

‘An Artifact Cultivator!’

The thought had barely formed in Jiangcun’s mind when he retreated, but the blade followed him like a shadow.

SHLICK!

As the blade sliced across his chest, he saw an Artifact Cultivator completely covered in countless moths. The moths were jet-black, their tiny eyes glowing red. They swarmed together, forming a dark barrier from which innumerable red lights flickered, making Jiangcun’s scalp crawl.

Furthermore, each moth radiated a thick demonic aura. They fluttered in time with the movements of the Artifact Cultivator’s magical artifact formation. As the blade cut across Jiangcun’s chest, the demonic aura from the moths began to siphon the essence of his Spirit Veins through the wound.

“How interesting!”

Jiangcun let out a loud laugh as the Water Spirit Qi around him billowed. He then decisively retreated, exiting the range of the Transfer Array in the blink of an eye.

Yang Shu and the Linshui Mansion cultivators made the same choice. Fighting them inside the Transfer Array was suicide; their attacks came from nowhere and were nearly impossible to dodge. Yet, when you attacked them, they would vanish in an instant.

“Are you alright?”

Someone spoke beside him. Jiangcun turned to see the heavily injured Hongze, who was using Water Spirit Qi to mend his wounds.

Yang Shu watched the sixteen Third Realm Cultivators at the edge of the Transfer Array. “We can’t fight them inside the array,” he said softly. “Otherwise, we’ll all be finished here.”

“Then how do we fight?”

Jiangcun stared at the moth-shrouded Artifact Cultivator, itching to go fight him for three hundred rounds.

Yang Shu looked at the vast Great Sea below and said, “This is the Great Sea, our home turf. When it comes to consumption of Spiritual Qi, even Taiyan Cultivators might not be able to outlast us!”

He glanced at the cultivators, who weren’t giving chase, and a smile touched his lips. “And by the looks of it,” he said, “they don’t plan on stepping out of the Array to engage us!”

Even as he spoke, he transformed into a great flood dragon. Jiangcun followed suit. As Jiangcun raised his massive, golden eyes to the sky, the once-clear heavens were suddenly blotted out by dark clouds. Howling gales whipped up, and moments later, rain began to pour down in torrents.

But this rainwater was scalding hot. Carried on the wind, it formed currents of Qi Force that swept toward the cultivators. These currents seemed insignificant, but as they neared the area where the sixteen cultivators stood, they abruptly vanished into the air. Only the distorted space around them proved they were still there.

The Vajra Temple Monk closest to the distortion watched in shock as his steel-like skin silently evaporated. He stumbled back, then threw a punch, shattering the distorted space.

HIIISSSS!

At that moment, the Great Sea began to boil. Innumerable fish and shrimp floated to the surface, belly-up, only to dissolve in the water at a rate visible to the naked eye.

The next moment, the area of the Transfer Array was enveloped in rising steam. The steam vanished as its temperature continued to climb. Then, space itself began to warp across an area hundreds of kilometers wide. Within this warped space, unseen phantoms of light moved with incredible speed, assailing Chengxi in an instant.

This was the formless Water Sword Technique, accompanied by an unnatural heat. Unlike the heat produced by fire spirits, it didn’t burn or ignite anything, but it could melt Spirit Veins.

Chengxi looked at the sixteen Third Realm Cultivators who had retreated to his side. The four words ‘The tide has turned’ surfaced in his mind. He simultaneously formed a spell with his hands to activate the Transfer Array, shunting away the Magic Jiangcun had unleashed upon the area.

And all was calm once more.

But Chengxi’s heart sank. If they had pressed their advantage at the start of the fight, their opponents would have been routed long ago. Instead, the cultivators at his side had merely lingered at the edge of the Transfer Array.

As he thought this, he seemed to forget that he himself had remained in the same spot, not moving a single step.

Jiangcun’s enormous draconic head poked out from the clouds. He looked down at the grim-faced Chengxi and said, “Do you know what the biggest difference is between you and Fellow Daoist Changqing?”

Chengxi didn’t answer.

But Jiangcun answered his own question. “Fellow Daoist Changqing is also cautious—even more so than you. But when it matters most, he doesn’t act like a coward and hide in his shell!”