Chapter 111: Life and Death Are Fated, the Mightiest Under Heaven
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Xiao Chen stared at the white light blade piercing through his chest, his eyes wide open in shock and fury.
Such a swift sword!
Such an overwhelming sword aura!
It was the first time Xiao Chen had witnessed such swordsmanship. He abruptly retreated, his left hand pressing on the acupoint in his chest, attempting to stop the bleeding.
Liang Xunqiu was not dead either, though he was equally startled.
From their initial clash, Liang Xunqiu was severely wounded, clearly demonstrating the gap in cultivation between him and Fang Wang.
Though his heart pounded with fear, Liang Xunqiu did not give up. His bloodied chest began to heal itself.
Fang Wang had never seen such rapid regeneration before—could this fellow be something other than human?
“Young master, his aura is abnormal!” Little Zi said gravely, standing behind Fang Wang as the approaching Blue Heart Immortaless drew near.
Fang Wang’s gaze remained sharp and cold. “It’s futile to struggle.”
He sheathed the Rainbow Sword into his treasure spirit space and then conjured the Heavenly Palace Halberd. At this moment, he was ready to fight seriously.
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Beneath the blazing sun, towering among the mountains stood an ancient sky-reaching tree. Its trunk was over a hundred zhang in diameter, its branches robust and leaves dense, each leaf as large as a house. Long vines hung down, each ending in a green pod. Some pods were partially open, revealing human feet trembling slightly inside.
Hu Pomo and Hu Poxie stood atop the mountain peak, eyes fixed on the enormous sky tree.
They were not alone—hundreds of cultivators scattered in all directions were also focusing on the massive demon tree, sensing the overwhelming spiritual energy it emitted. Clearly, treasures were hidden within.
Fang Zigeng was present too, acting alone and cautiously observing from behind a rock.
Hu Poxie spoke, “Brother, who do you think will win among Fang Wang, Liang Xunqiu, the Great Chu Sword Sovereign, and the Blue Heart Immortaless?”
His mind was preoccupied with this matter—not out of concern for Fang Wang, but pure curiosity.
He harbored a desire to make a name for himself, envying Fang Wang’s renown. He was curious how Fang Wang would fare against these long-established powerful cultivators.
Hu Pomo gazed into the distance, casually saying, “The Great Chu Sword Sovereign Xiao Chen’s sword has reached the Way. Among the sword cultivators of the seven dynasties, only the former Great Qi Sword Saint could rival him, but the Sword Saint is dead. In my view, he has the greatest chance of victory.”
“Next is Liang Xunqiu. His bloodline is unique, his body like a wild beast, his vitality like molten lava. He might have a chance.”
“Though the Blue Heart Immortaless is a woman, she is the leader of the foremost demonic sect in Great Han, with unfathomable strength.”
“As for Fang Wang, though young, he has singlehandedly crushed two demonic sects in the Great Qi cultivation world. I can’t quite see through him yet.”
After hearing this, Hu Poxie rolled his eyes and grumbled, “Brother, can you say something more useful?”
Hu Pomo chuckled, “Didn’t I just say? I’m most optimistic about Xiao Chen.”
At that moment, a strange buzzing sound came from ahead, like a swarm of bees or the wind, drawing all the cultivators’ attention. The Hu brothers also turned their gaze.
The giant demon tree began to shake, the green pods at the ends of the vines burst open, and corpses rained down—some human, some demon. Most had only skeletal upper bodies, grim and horrifying.
Bright lights flickered among the leaves above the tree, followed by red mist that spread out, creating a surreal atmosphere.
“All right, time to move. These fruits are among the best heavenly materials in the Falling Sky Secret Realm. When I came twenty years ago, I never encountered these fruits. You’re lucky,” Hu Pomo whispered with a smile, bringing Hu Poxie back to reality.
No sooner had he finished speaking than some cultivators began flying toward the giant demon tree on their swords.
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Beneath the cosmic stars, dust billowed around a floating island, shrouding a corner of an ancient city.
Liang Xunqiu lay in ruins, his body twisted grotesquely and drenched in blood, gasping heavily with disheveled hair.
He struggled to lift his head and saw a figure approaching through the swirling dust—it was Fang Wang.
Fang Wang’s left hand grasped Blue Heart Immortaless’s neck, holding her high, while his right hand clutched the Heavenly Palace Halberd, with Xiao Chen’s body hanging from its blade.
“Fang Wang… you… won’t die well…” Xiao Chen struggled to look up, trembling all over, blood foaming at his lips.
Little Zi, perched on Fang Wang’s shoulder, sneered, “Weren’t you arrogant earlier?”
Blue Heart Immortaless forced a smile despite the chokehold. “Life and death are fated. Losing means death. Xiao Chen, don’t be too pathetic…”
Crack!
Fang Wang snapped Blue Heart Immortaless’s neck and tossed her lifeless body aside.
Then he swung the halberd, throwing Xiao Chen to the ground.
Looking down at Xiao Chen, who glared with hatred and venom, Fang Wang raised his left hand, first stealing Xiao Chen’s storage pouch, then conjuring Xuan Yang True Fire in his palm, sweeping it forward.
The fire landed on Xiao Chen, who cursed madly. But he had no strength left to escape and was burned to death.
The process was swift. After three breaths, Xiao Chen was silent; after five, his ashes scattered on the wind.
Fang Wang turned to Liang Xunqiu. “Any last words?”
Liang Xunqiu smiled weakly. “The Heavenly Origin Treasure Spirit… truly beyond humanity, beyond the heavens. When I first heard of you, I was disdainful… I am at least a supreme Earth Origin Treasure Spirit… with the blood of the Demon Emperor… I could never lose to you… but I lost… utterly…”
“Fang Wang, do it. To die by your hand… I have no regrets, for you are destined to be the strongest in the world…”
After speaking faintly, Liang Xunqiu lowered his head.
Fang Wang hurled the Heavenly Palace Halberd, decapitating Liang Xunqiu and ending his life completely.
Though in the Concentration Realm the soul exists, it cannot yet leave the body. Once the body dies, death is final.
Since Fang Wang did not use Xuan Yang True Fire on Liang Xunqiu and Blue Heart Immortaless, they still had a chance to reincarnate. But Xiao Chen was too arrogant and sharp-tongued; Fang Wang let his soul dissipate utterly.
“Go gather their storage treasures,” Fang Wang ordered. Little Zi immediately set to work.
Then Fang Wang sat down on the spot, beginning to restore his spiritual power. Though killing the three consumed only a tenth of his spiritual energy, he wanted to be at his best for the challenges ahead.
To obtain the True Skill of the Heavenly Gang Sacred Body would not be simple.
Soon, Little Zi brought the storage pouches and rings of Blue Heart Immortaless and Liang Xunqiu before Fang Wang.
Zhao Zhen emerged from the Soul Devouring Gourd, sighing, “A supreme Earth Origin Treasure Spirit, in the Concentration Realm, should have been a peerless talent. Fate is cruel.”
He understood Liang Xunqiu’s feelings well.
Facing Fang Wang as an opponent truly made one question life.
Only by facing Fang Wang could one comprehend how terrifying his talent was.
“No one to blame. Competing for opportunity is a blessing and a curse. Dying on the cultivation path is normal,” Little Zi said without much thought. Life and death were commonplace to it. The cultivators who died within the Great Sage’s Heaven had all manner of disgraceful ends; compared to them, Liang Xunqiu had been honorable.
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Zhao Zhen shook his head, smiling wryly, and dropped the topic. He floated up to survey the ancient city.
An hour later.
Fang Wang rose, hanging three storage pouches at his waist and slipping Blue Heart Immortaless’s storage ring into his pocket. Then he buried the bodies of Liang Xunqiu and Blue Heart Immortaless separately.
Having completed these, Fang Wang stepped into the ancient city.
Little Zi flew alongside, while Zhao Zhen hovered above, observing.
“There’s a huge palace ahead, likely the key structure of this city,” Zhao Zhen remarked.
Fang Wang nodded and strolled forward leisurely.
He was in no hurry, taking time to appreciate the scenery.
The city was desolate. Aside from the battle-ravaged ruins, the preserved streets and buildings looked abandoned. Strange handprints marked some walls, adding an eerie atmosphere.
It seemed as if people once lived here, only to be forsaken.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Fang Wang stopped. He had reached the city center, facing a massive stone hall. The gate alone was ten zhang tall, carved with two fierce beasts resembling lions. Though ordinary at first glance, standing before it, Fang Wang felt an indescribable oppression.
Danger lurked beyond the door.
Little Zi asked cautiously, “Shall we enter?”
It felt the same chill, growing nervous.
Zhao Zhen hovered behind, admiring the fierce beasts carved on the door, lost in thought.
Fang Wang said nothing. He directly conjured the Heavenly Palace Halberd, relaxed his grip, and the weapon unleashed a terrifying aura as it struck the stone gate with unstoppable force.
Boom!
The ground trembled slightly. The halberd was embedded in the gate but did not pierce through.
“So tough?” Little Zi exclaimed in surprise.
Fang Wang seemed to realize something, furrowing his brow. He withdrew the halberd and charged at the gate with sudden speed.
In an instant, he activated the Nine-Dragon Divine Transformation Technique, conjuring a massive black dragon’s head that crashed into the gate.
Another tremendous explosion!
The stone gate shattered. Fang Wang forcefully breached the palace interior. A strong wind carrying the stench of blood rushed out, forcing him to keep the Nine-Dragon Divine Transformation active.
Little Zi outside quickly dodged as a wave of blood energy surged from within, fierce and frightening.
Only after the storm subsided did Fang Wang deactivate the technique.
Before his eyes lay a dim, wide avenue stretching into impenetrable darkness. On both sides stood massive pillars, each intricately carved with various dragons—some with large heads and small bodies, some with eight claws, others with two heads—strange and wondrous.
Little Zi hovered behind Fang Wang, also captivated by the dragon carvings.
“Wow, young master, do you think there’s a chance to transform into a dragon here? I once saw a record in a secret realm of the Great Sage’s Heaven saying the Great Sage once nurtured dragons. But where in the world do real dragons exist?” Little Zi exclaimed excitedly.
Fang Wang replied casually, “We’ll know once we go inside.”
He advanced with the Heavenly Palace Halberd in hand, instinctively sensing danger and keeping the halberd ready.
As he moved forward, golden-scaled feathers appeared on his body, with golden dragon auras swirling around him, illuminating the path ahead.
Zhao Zhen floated silently behind, scanning the surroundings without a word.