Chapter 547 - 351: Extreme Technique (2)

The Evil Cultivation incident in Guming County was classified as a Red Grudge Level event. The Five Sects joined forces, but the Red Heart Sect still suffered a devastating blow. Even their Sect Leader, Zhu Hong, a Martial Artist at the Peak of Innate, was grievously injured.

As for the highest classification, a Dead Sea Level event, if it were to spread, could turn an entire Dao Mansion into a veritable Sea of Death. Since the founding of the Great Wei dynasty, such incidents have rarely occurred.

It was hard to imagine how terrifying a Technique capable of single-handedly resolving a Dead Sea Level event must be.

In truth, this information was top secret. What Wuxiang hadn’t revealed was that Jin Ce had suffered a severe backlash after using this Forbidden Technique in the past. While a Sealing Technique has no upper limit, a person does, and the duration of the seal is finite. After the technique ends, the backlash from its continuous use erupts all at once in a very short time. The most terrifying part, however, is the price the technique itself exacts, which is tied to the length of the seal.

It was almost a death sentence.

For this reason, Jin Ce had spent twenty years recovering in the Imperial City. No one could have imagined he would use such a Technique again.

"The moment I learned that Marquis Xuanping, Jin Ce, had actually left the capital, I had a bad feeling. It seems I must finally make my move."

Wuxiang sighed. He didn’t want to use an Extreme Technique unless absolutely necessary. Creating each one required an immense cost, and replicating them was incredibly difficult.

Furthermore, to deal with Jin Ce while he was under the effects of the Nine-Nine Sealing Element—even just to stall him for a while—a single Extreme Technique would not be enough.

However, since his opponent had already unleashed such an ultimate trump card, Wuxiang could no longer hold back completely.

"Sword Gu, I will hold off Jin Ce. You will deal with the remaining Marquis Wei Lie. Remember, do not interfere with the plan," Wuxiang said to Sword Gu.

"You’re confident you can hold off a monster like that by yourself? As expected of you. I was just thinking the two of us should find a way to take him out instantly," Sword Gu said in surprise. "But don’t worry. Without him in the picture, I can handle one Marquis Wei Lie just fine."

"I hope so," Wuxiang said faintly.

The next moment...

VMMMM!!

His body vibrated violently as nine distinct vortexes materialized around him. One of them suddenly spun, erupting in a brilliant, jade-colored light. Within the glow, an object shaped like a flower bud emerged from the vortex. The bud appeared solid, but the instant it appeared, Jin Ce’s pupils, not far away, contracted.

The body of the flower bud was composed of countless talismanic forms, invisible to the naked eye. Their complexity was so staggering it was both dizzying and terrifying.

SWOOSH!!

The surrounding golden talismans instantly surged forward, attacking the flower bud. But no matter how close they got, they could never truly touch it, as if the space around it had been thrown into chaos.

’A spatial Technique?’

Finally, the flower bud came to a stop before Wuxiang. He raised one hand, fingers held straight, and touched it.

"Open!!"

In that instant, the flower bud blossomed. A dazzling light flared and vanished, sweeping over both Wuxiang and Jin Ce in a flash.

Immediately after, the figures of both men vanished simultaneously, along with the blooming, radiant flower.

Void Formless, One Flower Without Borders!!

’A Barrier Technique?’

The pupils of the arriving Ten Thousand Laws Inference contracted. With Jin Ce’s disappearance, the golden talismans that had saturated the surrounding space also vanished. Sword Gu was released from his frozen state.

"Hahaha! They’ve gone off to play their game, so now we can play ours!"

Sword Gu leveled his longsword, laughing boisterously as he faced the pursuing Ten Thousand Laws Inference.

「Elsewhere.」

In the Imperial Study in the Divine Capital, Emperor Hengyang watched this scene unfold through the Celestial Observation Mirror, his expression changing slightly.

"This Technique..."

Emperor Hengyang began to speak, his voice like rolling thunder.

On the other side of the Imperial Study, Yi Star, who was also watching the light screen, paled. He seemed to recognize the origin of the flower bud Technique.

As the master of the Celestial Net Department, he controlled the most powerful intelligence network in the world and could identify almost every type of Technique that had ever appeared in the history of this world.

"A Barrier Technique, One Flower Without Borders. It’s one of the Extreme Techniques. It wields spatial power, capable of imprisoning a Martial Artist within a world of constant creation and destruction. With every cycle, the Martial Artist suffers a devastating blow. The number of cycles depends on the caster’s state," Yi Star said in a low voice.

So-called Extreme Techniques represent the very pinnacle of Magic. In terms of power or efficiency, they generally have terrifyingly potent effects. However, their execution often requires incredibly strict conditions.

Ordinary Techniques, even Forbidden ones, can be cast as long as one can muster the necessary power, possesses the corresponding skill and cultivation level, and can withstand the resulting backlash.

But Extreme Techniques are different. Even masters of Divine Techniques cannot cast them at will. Such arts typically require a combination of specific items, times, locations, rituals, and other complex conditions. They must be prepared over a long period of refinement and require an enormous price to be paid before they can be used.

Moreover, unlike the Artifact Refining Technique, Extreme Techniques are often single-use. Even if the preparation is complete, they will collapse and lose their power if they are removed from the specific required time and place. Therefore, casting an Extreme Technique requires a fortunate convergence of circumstances, making them extremely difficult to control.

Among the various Schools, some will occupy special geographical locations and have multiple guardian Elders construct an Extreme Technique to serve as the sect’s final trump card.

And yet, this person had just cast one so casually, without any significant preparation. It was an unbelievable feat.

"There is only one possibility. This person has ’inscribed’ the Extreme Technique. In history, the Ultimate Skills of a few Schools had the ability to inscribe Techniques, but most have been lost. The most recent example would be the Ultimate Skill of the Wuxiang Sect, which was wiped out a century ago: the Formless Array Map."

"However, even the Formless Array Map was not capable of inscribing an Extreme Technique. Perhaps this is an even more ancient Ultimate Skill."

"Trapped by such an Extreme Technique, even with the Nine-Nine Sealing Element, it would be extremely difficult for him to break free in a short amount of time. Furthermore, if the enemy can inscribe one Extreme Technique, they might just have a second," Yi Star said with a grave expression.

Hearing this, Emperor Hengyang fell silent for a moment.

「Meanwhile.」

Afterimages flickered around Marquis Xuanping, Jin Ce. With a flash of light, he realized he had been moved from his original location, as if he had entered another dimension.

Within this space, the sky was a shimmering golden-pink. Lush trees, mountains, and rivers all existed here, making it look like a celestial paradise.

But within this paradise, a strange wrongness was spreading.

Wisps of black energy roiled faintly within the golden-pink sky, and centipede-like cracks began to spread across it. On the ground, black vines grew rapidly, devouring everything brimming with Vitality.

It was as if this world could not last for long and would soon be consumed by some calamity, leading to total annihilation.

And he, being in this world, would be annihilated along with it.

"Space... apocalypse... To be able to reach this level, to even block my Sealing Technique for a short time... is this an Extreme Technique?"

"I have never heard of anyone who could cast an Extreme Technique at will, unbound by geographical or temporal restrictions. Just who are you?"

Jin Ce stared with a grave expression at the cloaked figure standing atop a distant mountain peak.

"Who I am is not important. What’s important is that you, in your current state, are far too dangerous. So please, stay here until things outside have concluded," Wuxiang said faintly.

"Do you think you can trap me with just this one spatial Extreme Technique?" Jin Ce said.

VMMMM!!

A massive number of golden talismans appeared once again. The surrounding space began to collapse like a cracked mirror, the fissures spreading rapidly to engulf the entire world.

BOOM!!

The paradise-like world shattered. Jin Ce, in place of the "world-ending calamity" that was supposed to arrive, ended this world prematurely. But just as this world was destroyed, another one descended.

A vast, endless ocean. Beneath the dark surface of the sea, massive creatures seemed to be swimming.

"One Extreme Technique probably isn’t enough to trap you. But what about two?"

Wuxiang stood upon the surface of the newly appeared sea. One of the nine Void Realms around his body flashed, and another Extreme Technique was released from within it.

Jin Ce’s pupils contracted violently.

The two Marquises, Xuanping and Wei Lie, were now completely tied down on the battlefield outside the city.

Meanwhile, within the city of South Mansion, the situation was also rapidly deteriorating.