Chapter 490

The greatest difference between a Spirit Transformation cultivator and a Nascent Soul was that the Nascent Soul had advanced into a Primordial Spirit, granting the initial ability to command the power of manifestation in heaven and earth.

With every movement, they could draw upon the spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

Even the most basic first-rank minor spell could produce miraculous effects in their hands. The gap in the grades of divine abilities and techniques became far less obvious when used by them.

Only fifth-rank divine abilities would still show a clear disparity.

This rebuke carried a minor technique known as the Rebuke Art, but once infused with the might of heaven and earth, the Five Colors Holy Lord felt as if a thunderclap had exploded beside his ear.

His head buzzed, and the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth pressed in on him from all directions. The overwhelming pressure forced his knees to bend slightly, as if he were truly about to kneel.

At the critical moment, the Five Colors Holy Lord let out a long howl.

He transformed directly into his original form. The massive body of the five-colored deer allowed him to withstand a sudden surge in pressure, breaking free from the Rebuke Art’s influence.

“Sword River Venerable, this Holy Lord addresses you as senior out of respect. But if you continue to act so rudely, this old thing will learn exactly how to write the word ‘regret.’”

“Insolent!”

How could Sword River Venerable tolerate being humiliated by a junior Nascent Soul, even if that junior was the Northern Demon Holy Lord? In his eyes the other was still an ant, and the gap in their realms was like an insurmountable chasm.

The price for offending the strong was death!

With a single thought.

A branch of the Heavenly River beneath his feet split off. An unknown spiritual water transformed into a towering giant sword. Like the judgment of heaven itself, it plunged down fiercely from the dome of the sky.

The Five Colors Holy Lord’s entire body blazed with spiritual light. He could not mobilize even a trace of the surrounding spiritual energy, nor could he absorb any to restore his demonic essence. Yet the power within his body was still abundant.

He summoned a pitch-black, pot-shaped magic treasure and hurled it viciously toward the water sword. Space itself cracked under the sword’s edge. The instant the ferocious sword touched the black pot…

It exploded.

The pot was merely a storage treasure. What lay inside was the true key: it was called Profound Yin Fire Liquid, a treasure nurtured within the magma rivers deep beneath the earth.

It had only one property: it would explode upon contact with water.

Terrifying waves of fire and scorching steam spread rapidly. The water sword shrank by a full size, but the destructive aftershock turned every blade of grass and tree across the entire Color Cloud Mountain Range into fine powder.

The earth boiled like an iron cauldron. The extreme heat annihilated everything. Not even an ant survived, let alone the many ordinary cultivators.

The hundred-plus Nascent Souls remained unharmed. They had already fled far from the center of the battlefield and had no intention of joining the fight. Some even began to slip away one after another.

They retreated to a sufficiently safe distance and watched the battle from afar.

In a sense, if these Nascent Souls were willing to risk their lives and swarm Sword River Venerable, he might not necessarily win, but they would suffer devastating casualties.

Whether they could actually kill him was another matter. This came down to a question of sacrifice: using the lives of Nascent Souls to take down a single Spirit Transformation Venerable was not necessarily worth it.

Spirit Transformation cultivators were rare, and Nascent Souls were also extremely difficult to nurture.

The Six Elders of Color Cloud stared at the devastated Color Cloud Mountain Range with tears in their hearts. They had truly become commanders without an army. The only good news was that the demonic cultivators and the Northern Demon Race had suffered equally heavy losses.

Aside from a handful of peak Core Formation elites, nearly their entire force had been wiped out. The Five Colors Holy Lord bore half the responsibility for this tragic scene.

But… he had done it on purpose.

The massive death of living beings in a short time had rendered the entire Color Cloud Mountain Range almost devoid of life. This satisfied the requirements of a certain death ritual. Having achieved this, he stopped.

Sword River Venerable, however, felt deeply insulted.

He had personally arrived, yet the Azure Cloud Sect had still ended up in this state. Did that not make him look utterly useless? Did a Spirit Transformation Venerable still have any face left?

He immediately let out a cold snort.

The Heavenly River beneath his feet unleashed its true power. The technique he cultivated was called the [Heaven-Piercing Sword River True Art]. In essence it was only a fourth-rank supreme-grade sword dao inheritance.

Yet in his hands it had been elevated to the fifth rank, becoming a genuine Spirit Transformation-level inheritance. It was not because his talent or comprehension was unparalleled, but because of a secret of the Sword Sect.

Everyone knew that the Taixu Venerable possessed astonishing talent and had created a Spirit Transformation-level sword dao inheritance, nurturing many venerables for the Sword Sect. What they did not know was that this had been accomplished with the help of a Special Treasure.

Each person could use it only once in their lifetime. It could directly raise any divine ability, technique, or secret art by one full grade, producing astonishing results.

This was also the source of the Sword Sect’s Spirit Transformation-level sword dao inheritances.

The treasure was called [Heavenly Dao Jade]. It was “provided” by the ancient Demon [Life] that the Sword Sect’s mountain gate suppressed at its foundation. It grew within the heart of the ancient Demon’s body.

Every certain number of years, it would be harvested by the Taixu Venerable.

It would still take several hundred years until the next Heavenly Dao Jade formed. At that time, the Sword Sect would birth another venerable and pull even further ahead of the demonic path.

As Sword River Venerable truly exerted his strength.

The Heavenly River suddenly split into countless water swords. Like a peacock spreading its tail, they transformed one by one into circular sword wheels. With a wave of his finger, Sword River Venerable’s sword art sent the water swords surpassing the speed of sound.

They locked onto every single Nascent Soul cultivator with terrifying precision.

Although the Nascent Souls were far away, the “safe distance” was only what they considered safe. A Spirit Transformation cultivator’s vast divine sense was more than enough to lock onto each of them.

Such large-scale, simultaneous, and precise strikes might have split Sword River’s power, but they were still not to be underestimated.

Seeing this, the Five Colors Holy Lord understood that he could not block it. The deaths of the lesser demons were of no consequence, but the remaining Transformed Great Demons were the foundation of the race and could not be lost.

He immediately raised his head and shouted loudly.

“Senior, if you do not act now, when will you?!”

Buzz—

Crimson demonic light swept across heaven and earth, madly corroding everything the light touched. The already devastated Color Cloud Mountain Range suffered even greater damage.

The ground sank by several dimensions. The mountains were smashed into basins. The soil turned into dead, lifeless sand that could no longer grow any vegetation.

The value of this place had been reduced to almost nothing.

Within the endless crimson light, Crimson Heaven Demon Venerable made his grand entrance. His proud brows were filled with contempt. A pair of crimson pupils swept disdainfully over Sword River.

The moment he spoke, the Crimson Heaven Demonic Light had already neutralized that wave of “peacock spreading its tail” water-sword attacks.

“So you are Sword River? Already so old, yet still stuck at the third layer of Spirit Transformation. It seems your ability is nothing special.”

Sword River Venerable was no weaker with his words.

He sneered and retorted, “I wondered who had given the Northern Demon Race such courage. So it is you, the Spirit Transformation who was nearly schemed to death by a mere Nascent Soul junior.”

These words struck Crimson Heaven’s sore spot, but his face showed no trace of it. Instead, he spoke with great magnanimity.

“Demonic path cultivators act as they please. This venerable has already forgiven that youngster. How could you hypocritical gentlemen possibly understand the tolerance the demonic path shows toward its heavenly prodigies?”

The two did not hide their conversation.

Wang Yu’s divine sense, attached to the Ice Soul Fairy’s shoulder, also heard every word. A strange feeling rose in his heart. Back in Eastern Extreme Capital, Crimson Heaven had not spoken with this attitude at all.

That arrogance had been so overbearing that even the master of Yellow Springs Monastery could not stand it and had wanted to kill him. One could see just how vile his personality truly was.

“Heh heh…

“Words are useless. Let our hands decide the truth!”

With that.

The Sword River Venerable, dressed like an old fisherman in a straw raincoat, transformed in an instant. A set of cloud-patterned light armor paired with black gauze robes completely changed his bearing.

“Heavenly Trigram Cloud-Patterned Robe…”

Crimson Heaven Demon Venerable narrowed his eyes. The group of Spirit Transformation cultivators had their own small circle and knew that certain locations in both Taihu and the Crimson Kite could produce Spirit Transformation-level opportunities.

Ancient Qilin Clan Lands, Vermillion Bird Divine Mountain, Desolate Ancient Plains… Tianmu Island, Fated Bonds Lake, and other special realms.

Such intelligence was top secret, far beyond what ordinary people could know.

Even Nascent Soul juniors from the same sect would not be told the hidden details of these places.

The Heavenly Trigram Cloud-Patterned Robe was a treasure from one of those locations.

It was a fifth-rank mid-grade magic robe. Crimson Heaven had not expected that the item still listed in the exchange roster during his last visit would now be worn by Sword River Venerable.

Spirit Transformation spiritual treasures were extremely rare. Most people possessed only one, and it was usually their life-bound spiritual treasure. Every extra piece naturally made one stronger than cultivators of the same realm and granted a greater advantage.

Crimson Heaven showed no fear. He immediately activated the divine ability of Law Manifestation of Heaven and Earth, using his Primordial Spirit as the core to form a Dharma Aspect with feet planted on the earth and hands supporting the dome of heaven.

A crimson giant rose from the ground and casually swatted aside the obstructing Azure Cloud Sky Cauldron. Inside it, the Heaven-Swallowing Rat was still locked in a contest with the cauldron.

It would take at least an hour before a victor could be decided.

The Six Elders of Color Cloud saw this and did not dare utter a single word of protest. They could only watch helplessly as their sect’s foundational treasure was slapped deep into the distant earth. At the same time, Sword River Venerable’s Primordial Spirit Dharma Aspect also rose from the ground.

The Dao intent he had comprehended was called [Immeasurable Dao Intent]!

It drew from the idea of a river’s waters flowing endlessly without limit. This Dao intent granted him the trait of growing stronger the longer he fought and was a perfect match for divine abilities that unleashed continuous attacks.

When accumulated to the limit, it could erupt with a strike that surpassed his current realm.

It also provided an exaggeratedly vast amount of sword essence and astonishing recovery power. Among cultivators of the same realm, Sword River’s configuration was definitely not weak.

His Dharma Aspect was named the [Immeasurable Heaven-Reaching Dharma Form]!

Compared to it, Crimson Heaven’s was slightly inferior. His own accumulation still showed a clear gap against such a veteran venerable.

But.

Combat between cultivators was not decided solely by “panel statistics.” Experience and intelligence were equally important. The moment Crimson Heaven had arrived, the intelligence he received from High Priest Youpeng had been secretly transmitted to him by the Five Colors Holy Lord.

This was also one of the reasons for his current arrogance.

“Immeasurable Sword River, go!”

“Raging Blood Demonic Sword, slash!”

The two giant Dharma Aspect once again stirred up massive waves. The sword river formed from boundless water acted like a millstone that scoured everything in its path, cracking space itself with countless fissures.

It looked like a pane of glass struck by a heavy blow.

The so-called Raging Blood Demonic Sword was actually a feint created by pairing Crimson Heaven’s Dao intent with a blood-path divine ability. In pure sword arts he was far inferior to Sword River.

But when it came to the might of divine abilities, he was not the least bit weaker.

The two clashed. The Raging Blood Demonic Sword directly sliced off half the body of Sword River’s Dharma Aspect. The hazy spiritual light rapidly evaporated and scattered. Crimson Heaven endured the scouring of the sword river.

His own Dharma Aspect was instantly reduced to white bones, presenting a wretched scene of mutual destruction.

However, Spirit Transformation cultivators had already begun to command the power of heaven and earth.

Such injuries were trivial to a Dharma Aspect. As both sides drew upon the power of heaven and earth, the Dharma Aspect rapidly recovered to their peak state.

They clashed once more.

The giant Dharma Aspect fought in close combat, trading punches and kicks like amateurs. There were almost no refined or exquisite close-range techniques.

What they truly competed was for battle of attrition and control of the surrounding power of heaven and earth. This contest was far more obvious. The seemingly childish brawling gave the impression of “if I step in, I’ll be even stronger.”

This was rather strange.

Even by the simple measure of “years lived,” a Spirit Transformation cultivator’s lifespan meant they could not possibly be complete novices in close combat, no matter how little they specialized in it.

Wang Yu observed carefully with his divine sense but could not discern the underlying principle.

It was only when he heard the Ice Soul Fairy’s voice that he understood.

“A Spirit Transformation cultivator’s Dharma Aspect has no fatal weaknesses. Conventional close-combat techniques are almost useless. Even having one’s heart ripped out or lungs torn open is not a fatal injury.

“When two Spirit Transformation cultivators fight, if one dives in too deeply for the sake of such an attack, they are very likely to be heavily wounded by the opponent’s long-prepared divine ability and lose the initiative.”

The Ice Soul Fairy’s explanation was concise. Wang Yu understood immediately.

In essence: Fighting with Dharma Aspect was like two beings with immortal bodies, yet both sides also possessed the real ability to injure each other.

In a fist-and-foot brawl, if one tried to smash the opponent’s head and failed to retract their force in time, they would be struck by the opponent’s premeditated divine ability and basically lose the battle.

This straightforward, unadorned style of combat was born of necessity.

Direct and simple moves left no openings. Taking a hit was of no consequence. As long as the power of heaven and earth was replenished in time, the Dharma Aspect could not be broken.

The close-combat brawling was only the surface.

The true danger lay in the contention of the surrounding power of heaven and earth. After all, the total amount of heavenly power in any given area was limited. Once one side seized control, the other would find it extremely difficult to wrest it back.

Only by shaking the opponent’s mind and weakening that control could one have a chance to seize it.

At first glance, this kind of duel lacked any aesthetic appeal.

It was ugly and drawn-out.

Yet the two Spirit Transformation Venerables were indeed locked in place. Noticing this, Wang Yu secretly transmitted:

“Fairy, the time to earn merit has arrived.

“Do you see the Six Elders of Color Cloud? Take your people and kill them, then seize the Azure Cloud Sky Cauldron. The benefits need no further explanation.”

The Ice Soul Fairy’s heart stirred.

The core of the conflict was still the Azure Cloud Sect. If the main parties were eliminated, Sword River Venerable would have no reason to continue fighting.

The Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect and the Northern Demon Race would share the former four prefectures of the Azure Cloud Sect.

If this outcome could be achieved, they would undoubtedly receive generous rewards and resources, greatly speeding up her own advancement to Nascent Soul great perfection.

Moreover, because the Azure Cloud Sky Cauldron had been knocked away.

The Six Elders of Color Cloud were quite far from the core area of the Spirit Transformation battle. The distance was suitable for a swift kill. After scanning the surrounding experts,

The Ice Soul Fairy’s expression remained unchanged.

The Five Colors Holy Lord, Heavenly Roc King, and High Priest Youpeng exchanged glances for a brief moment. They quickly selected their respective targets and then picked strong fighters from the remaining Nascent Souls.

Some would fight one-on-one, others many-on-one.

In short, they must kill quickly!

In the distance.

The Six Elders of Color Cloud were watching the Spirit Transformation battle while also keeping an eye on the Azure Cloud Sky Cauldron nearby. They believed that with Sword River Venerable’s ability, even if he could not defeat Crimson Heaven,

He could at least protect the Azure Cloud Sect’s spiritual veins without issue.

Otherwise, what was the point of summoning him?

Yellow Cloud Ancestor was also pondering something. He happened to glance up and suddenly noticed something.

He roared: “Run!”

But it was already too late.

The Guanghan Palace suddenly descended, sealing space with its extreme cold suppression power. Brilliant colored light, dark feathers, and golden radiance followed in rapid succession.

The crisis of death enveloped every one of them!