Before Xu Ziqing could think further, the languid youth who had just killed the Golden Core perfected master reached toward the little beast in midair. His palm strike was so powerful it could split metal and shatter stone.
But before the force reached the creature, another person sprang up to meet it. Yun Lie had intervened. Five sharp beams of sword aura burst from his fingers and collided with the approaching force, shredding it in an instant.
The languid youth lifted an eyebrow. Without the slightest concern, he struck again. A glove woven from golden thread had somehow appeared on his hand. Thin as a cicada’s wing, it carried boundless, violent power as he met Yun Lie’s sword aura head-on.
Yun Lie raised his hand and drew the Frost-Slaughter Sword into his palm. With a sweeping counterstrike, tremendous sword intent erupted like a raging river, cleaving into the force of the youth’s fist without yielding an inch.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the space of a few blinks, their figures crossed repeatedly as they locked in battle.
One wielded fist intent that shook the heavens; the other sent sword intent sweeping across the field. Their tyrannical forces entangled and shattered against each other, making the surrounding space feel constricted, almost as though it would burst apart under the impact.
To avoid being harmed by the violent gusts, Xu Ziqing immediately retreated more than ten zhang. Several Core Transformation cultivators failed to evade in time and suffered internal injuries. Those who reacted quickly hurried out of range just as he had.
How could this be a battle between two early Golden Core perfected masters? Even late Golden Core experts rarely displayed such terrifying might.
Only now did Xu Ziqing realize how severely he had underestimated the languid youth.
Unless he was mistaken, every time the youth extended his body, he seemed on the verge of springing sharply upward. His powerful silhouette during combat grew more and more familiar in Xu Ziqing’s memory, until at last it became perfectly clear.
The Tyrant Emperor Xuanyuan!
Xu Ziqing’s pupils contracted. Yes! That violent fist intent and overwhelmingly domineering presence were exactly what he had seen on the Mangbeast Plains!
This was undoubtedly Xuanyuan, the thirty-first imperial son of the Great Yan Empire, Prince Tianfeng!
Somehow Xuanyuan had concealed his true cultivation and entered the same inheritance grounds as them.
Now the first-ranked cultivator on the Heavenly Dragon Ranking was fighting the sword cultivator ranked fifth. Their battle was terrifying. Xuanyuan’s fist intent was heavy as mountains, while Yun Lie’s sword intent condensed into formidable astral force. Vast killing intent collided with the immense dragon energy of an imperial bloodline that seemed born to govern heaven and earth and bring prosperity to all people. Their struggle could shake the sky and compress the very cosmos.
Ever since the Heavenly Dragon Ranking had shifted, Xuanyuan had occupied its highest position and taken some interest in the sword cultivator who had suddenly joined its ranks. Yun Lie, whose sword path thrived on battle, had also wanted to challenge the four ranked above him. Now that the two had met by chance and were competing for the same inheritance, a world-shaking fight was only natural.
Watching nearby, Xu Ziqing could not suppress his worry.
He trusted his senior brother a hundred times more than anyone else and would not let the rankings cloud his judgment. Yet Xuanyuan was at late Golden Core, while Yun Lie remained at early Golden Core and had not broken through. Xuanyuan possessed an undeniable advantage. Given time, Xu Ziqing firmly believed Yun Lie would surpass him. But now that they had met, the outcome was impossible to predict.
The two combatants grew absorbed in their fight. Layers of fierce astral wind radiated outward, preventing the Core Transformation cultivators from approaching. Meanwhile, the small beast rushed upward, moving farther and farther away from the battlefield.
If it was allowed to escape, finding it again would be extremely difficult.
The next moment, Jiazi acted.
He was also a peak late Golden Core expert, Xuanyuan’s trusted subordinate and personal guard. With his master occupied, the task of obtaining the inheritance naturally fell to him.
He pushed off the ground and shot into the air, racing toward the fleeing beast.
In a sense, the contest had become two against two. Unfortunately, Jiazi’s cultivation was no lower than Xuanyuan’s, whereas Xu Ziqing had not yet formed his Golden Core. Jiazi could push through the turbulent forces of the two men’s battle with his powerful body and aura. Xu Ziqing’s physical strength was nowhere near sufficient.
But neither Jiazi nor Xuanyuan knew that Xu Ziqing was no ordinary Core Transformation cultivator.
He possessed a legendary cultivation art.
Legendary cultivation arts defied the heavens, especially once their practitioner obtained an innate Wood of extraordinary power: the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine, one of the fiercest plants of ancient times.
Xu Ziqing reacted swiftly. Half of his spiritual sense was monitoring Yun Lie’s safety, while the other half watched his surroundings. As soon as he saw Jiazi move, he raised both arms. Several demon vines burst from each palm and shot skyward in pursuit.
The vines grew with astonishing speed, utterly disregarding the violent forces swirling around them. They swept in from both sides and reached toward the little beast.
Jiazi’s expression remained rigid, but a trace of surprise flickered in his eyes.
This Core Transformation youth had exceeded his expectations. Those strange vines were particularly uncanny. Nevertheless, Jiazi was not afraid. He opened his large hand, produced a sharp blade, and slashed at the vines.
Xu Ziqing’s expression grew grave. Even using the demon vines, he was confronting a peak late Golden Core expert. He did not imagine that the immature vines could devour Jiazi, but he could certainly use them to create trouble and delay him.
More vines emerged from Xu Ziqing’s shoulders and wrapped protectively around his body. Meanwhile, the vine about to be struck in midair suddenly split into two branches.
One branch raced to meet the sharp blade, while the other maintained its original course and speed. Working with the remaining vines, it surrounded the little beast from every direction.
In the space of an instant, the vines captured it!
The creature appeared to be invisible, but in truth it had merely concealed itself. Once the vines wrapped around it, its ability failed, revealing its form.
Its entire body was snowy white, like the purest clouds in the heavens, while its four hooves were black as the deepest night. Judging only by its appearance, it was exceedingly adorable. But the demon vine had no notion of tenderness. Its tooth-filled leaf buds latched onto the creature and began greedily drawing nourishment from it.
Another vine swiftly snatched the crystal from the little beast’s mouth and whipped back, even faster than it had approached. In just a few breaths, it was almost back beside Xu Ziqing.
Jiazi was furious. Abandoning his fight with the vines, he blurred into a streak of black lightning and gave chase.
The vine carrying the inheritance crystal was only several zhang from Xu Ziqing. Behind it, Jiazi was closing the distance rapidly.
Fine sweat gathered on Xu Ziqing’s forehead. If he reached out to take the crystal, Jiazi would catch up in the instant he paused and strike with overwhelming force. Even if the first attack did not kill him, he could not survive a second. But if he did not reach out, the only way to avoid disaster was to send the crystal elsewhere.
What should he do?
Countless thoughts raced through his mind in that instant.
His heart pounded fiercely.
He had to make the decision most advantageous to him, and he had to make it immediately.
Xu Ziqing sent a command through his mind. The demon vine changed direction and shot toward the opposite side.
No one stood there. It was only an open stretch of ground.
Even now, he could not bring himself to divert danger onto another person. If he sent the inheritance crystal into anyone else’s hands, that person would be unable to protect it and would likely receive Jiazi’s next strike.
Xu Ziqing meant well, but others did not see things the same way.
When the crystal moved toward the empty ground, several Core Transformation cultivators leaped forward. They assumed Jiazi was occupied by Xu Ziqing and that this was their chance to seize the treasure.
These cultivators had previously followed the Golden Core experts without daring to act rashly, but the temptation of a prize this great made them willing to gamble.
Just as Xu Ziqing expected, Jiazi obeyed Xuanyuan wholeheartedly. Since Xuanyuan wanted the inheritance crystal, Jiazi would pursue nothing else.
The instant the vine turned, Jiazi twisted in midair and changed direction as well.
Three or four Core Transformation cultivators had already rushed forward. They met Jiazi halfway. He struck without hesitation, and two heavy impacts sounded. Two cultivators fell dead beneath his palms.
Those still alive immediately retreated, clutching their chests and glaring resentfully. Geng Zheng and Shen Yinglan had hesitated for a brief instant because Xu Ziqing was a fellow sect disciple. That moment of hesitation proved fortunate and allowed them to escape.
Above, Xuanyuan and Yun Lie were still fighting fiercely. Xuanyuan possessed the higher realm, but Yun Lie’s sword intent had reached perfection, and neither could overpower the other. The battle below naturally did not escape their notice. Yun Lie made a feint, struck with a backhand slash, and flew toward Xu Ziqing.
Xuanyuan laughed aloud at the feint. “We were having such a splendid fight! Why run off now? Come back!”
As he spoke, he spread his fingers. An enormous five-toed golden claw materialized, carrying the might of something that could tear the sky apart, and seized toward Yun Lie.
Yun Lie snorted coldly. Golden light burst from between his brows, and something immensely heavy and mysterious emerged from his body, pressing back against the gigantic dragon claw.
The Five-Toed Divine Dragon Claw collided with the embryonic Minor Cosmos. Waves of force exploded, surging in every direction like a raging flood.
Xuanyuan was delayed for a moment. Yun Lie shot forward and met Jiazi, who had just killed the two Core Transformation cultivators. With one sword strike, he forced the giant back.
The demon vine carried Rong Jin’s consciousness. Delighted at Yun Lie’s arrival, it hastily extended the inheritance crystal into his hand.
Xuanyuan and Jiazi were both a step too late. Seeing Yun Lie holding the crystal, they sprang toward him to seize it, showing no mercy in their attacks.
In an instant, they formed a pincer attack.
Yun Lie swept his sword backward and unleashed his sword intent to its fullest. The intent became almost tangible and split into countless gleaming blades, flying outward in a storm.
With sword intent perfected, no opponent could match him in the Dao of the Sword!
For a short while, Xuanyuan and Jiazi were occupied striking back the innumerable sharp fragments of sword intent and seemed momentarily hard-pressed.
No one noticed that the inheritance crystal in Yun Lie’s hand had begun to emit a soft white glow.
Within the white-jade pool, a strange power suddenly surged from the crimson half of the twin lotus blossoms, red as dripping blood. It transformed into a long black ribbon, wrapped around Yun Lie, and pulled him swiftly into the pool.
Xu Ziqing panicked. “Senior Brother!”
Rong Jin, which he had not yet recalled, immediately followed Xu Ziqing’s mental command and wrapped a vine around Yun Lie’s arm. Almost at once, a pure power emerged from the snowy-white lotus and dragged Xu Ziqing into the pool as well.
In the blink of an eye, the brothers vanished beneath the influence of the two forces. Above the white-jade pool, the twin lotus blossoms returned to their former stillness.
With Yun Lie gone, his sword intent dissolved. Xuanyuan and Jiazi reached the pool and touched the blossoms, but nothing happened. When they tried to extend their spiritual senses into it, a flash of spiritual light from the pool repelled them, preventing any glimpse of what lay within.
No one noticed that at the edge of the pool, beneath its countless lotus leaves, a crystal still emitting a faint white glow was floating just above the water.