Chapter 255: 163, Invincible in the same realm! (Seeking monthly tickets at the beginning of the month)
"Xu Daoist is joking..."
"It’s just that King Li Hong of Chu, relying on his power, once bullied us. Unfortunately, my Blood Snake Clan’s treasure was stolen by him."
"This time, King Li Hong of Chu is dead. This king is merely taking back my Blood Snake Clan’s treasure. That shouldn’t be too excessive, right?"
Blood Snake King Dai Feng was wary of Xu Xing’s strength.
However, after battling numerous powerful individuals, Xu Xing, while not entirely spent, was no longer at his peak.
Dai Feng was confident he could retreat unscathed.
Opportunity lay before him, and he was willing to take the gamble.
Yet, his words also offered Xu Xing an honorable way out.
He clarified he was retrieving his clan’s treasure, not seizing it from Xu Xing. With their past alliance in mind, he wasn’t being overly aggressive.
"King Li Hong of Chu, backed by the Jiang Dynasty’s might, acted perversely, destroying mountains, desecrating temples, and slaughtering indiscriminately. My Golden Ape Clan’s treasure was also seized by him."
"I’ve heard Xu Daoist is a sincere gentleman. Surely, you wouldn’t mind this king reclaiming my Golden Ape Clan’s Gold Armor from King Li Hong of Chu’s remains...?"
Golden Ape King Sun Xian stared covetously at the Gold Armor on King Li Hong of Chu’s corpse.
Though Shi Yuyan had pierced a large hole through its chest, the Gold Armor was slowly repairing itself, a testament to its preciousness.
For King Li Hong of Chu to have kept it so close, this Gold Armor had to rank among the top three of his many treasures.
"The Purple Rat Clan..."
Purple Rat King Dingzong was about to blindly follow the other Demon Kings and claim a treasure.
However, just as the words were about to leave his throat, his eyes darted, and he quickly shut his mouth.
If Blood Snake King Dai Feng and Golden Ape King Sun Xian manage to snatch treasures from Xu Xing, it would prove Xu Xing is weak and can be bullied. I can then follow their lead and join in; it wouldn’t be too late. However, if Xu Xing doesn’t yield and a battle erupts, since I haven’t spoken out, I wouldn’t become his primary target. In that case, it’s better for my Daoist friends to die than for me. With two great Demon Immortals to take the fall, my chances of escaping are quite high.
This was Purple Rat King Dingzong’s line of thought.
The remaining two Demon Kings followed suit, planning to wait for further developments before making their move.
"Brother Dai, do you think..."
"Is my sword not sharp enough?" Xu Xing asked, wiping the blood from the Carp Dragon Flying Sword with his palm.
This sharp sword was a Soul Treasure, forged from special Falling Heart Iron, and was said to draw no blood.
However, those slain just now were all powerful individuals, their Qi and blood thick as paste, so it was inevitable that the sword became stained with some fresh blood.
The Demon Immortals were captivated by Xu Xing’s action, their gazes fixed on what was once Kou Chun’s Treasure Sword. The blade still gleamed with a cold light, but its former master was nowhere to be seen.
SWISH—
A piercing sound of tearing air exploded in their ears.
Xu Xing’s figure vanished.
When he reappeared, Blood Snake King Dai Feng’s Refined Corpse had been impaled by Xu Xing’s sword, and his Divine Soul crushed in Xu Xing’s hand.
"At the Same Stage, I am invincible!"
The setting sun cast long shadows.
Demon Immortal Dai Feng, who had dominated the mortal realm for over two hundred years, was pierced by a Long Sword, suspended in mid-air.
His eyes were wide, his mouth slightly agape, his face a mask of utter disbelief.
But this expression was frozen as his life abruptly ended.
No one knew what Demon Immortal Dai Feng had wanted to say or do in that final instant.
The remaining four Demon Immortals stared blankly at the green-robed young man they had presumed easy to bully moments ago.
His declaration, "At the Same Stage, I am invincible," sent a thorough chill down their spines.
They were a whole major Realm below Xu Xing. Their audacity in threatening him stemmed from their reliance on the advantages of Ghost Immortals, believing Xu Xing couldn’t match the escape speed of their Yin Souls.
However, the scene unfolding before their eyes shattered this conviction.
Who claimed that Golden Body Realm Warriors had slower attack speeds than Seven Tribulations Ghost Immortals? Just now, in an instant, Xu Xing had closed a distance of thousands of steps to engage them.
"He burned his blood essence..."
"It’s common knowledge that while Warriors are unbeatable in close combat at the Same Stage, their escape speed pales in comparison to Ghost Immortals..."
Golden Ape King Sun Xian swallowed hard, his heart gripped by terror. But he had already offended Xu Xing; there was no retreat.
His only hope now was to convince the other Demon Immortals to fight alongside him, to carve out a chance of survival.
Besides, he wasn’t wrong. For Xu Xing to achieve such incredible speed, he must have burned the blood essence of his Golden Body Realm.
Yet, he had barely uttered half his sentence when the green-robed youth’s sword tip was at his brow, and a ghastly flower of blood bloomed before his eyes.
"I have never enjoyed killing in my life."
"Such greedy and despicable individuals are abhorred by gods and men alike. Anyone would wish to kill them... I wonder if you Daoist friends agree?"
After dispatching the Two Great Demon Immortals, Xu Xing returned to his original spot, continuing to wipe the fresh blood from his Carp Dragon Flying Sword. He didn’t even raise his head as he spoke in a low voice.
As Golden Ape King Sun Xian had guessed, Xu Xing had managed to close in on the two Demon Immortals and kill them swiftly by burning his Golden Body Realm’s blood essence, striking before they could react.
Burning his blood essence, augmented by his own profound light, had boosted his speed far beyond that of a Seven Tribulations Ghost Immortal, perhaps even surpassing an Eight Tribulations Ghost Immortal.
However, killing enemies this way was a pyrrhic victory; for every thousand enemies slain, he suffered eight hundred losses himself.
After eliminating Blood Snake King Dai Feng and Golden Ape King Sun Xian, his Golden Body was on the verge of shattering, and nearly sixty percent of his blood essence was consumed.
I need five more breaths... then the [Heretic Gold Body] will be restored to its full strength.
Xu Xing stared at the Bronze Ancient Mirror in his Ideation Space, beginning to use Taoist Fruits to re-solidify his Nine Luminaries Immortal Fate: [Heretic Gold Body].
For others, burning blood essence was suicidal. Their Realm would plummet, chances of future advancement would vanish, and their bodies would be riddled with hidden injuries.
But not for him. He only needed Taoist Fruits to re-solidify the [Heretic Gold Body] to restore his full power.
Normally, the Magic Power of an Immortal Foundation Realm cultivator wouldn’t be enough to re-form the Nine Luminaries Immortal Fate: [Heretic Gold Body]. But I’m different. I cultivate both the Withered Wood Sword Scripture and the Great Sun True Scripture, and I have the Four Great Physiques. My Magic Power is abundant. Although it doesn’t surpass the Returning Core Realm, it’s already on par with the Ninefold Immortal Foundation of an Immortal Genius. I have more than enough Magic Power to re-form the [Heretic Gold Body].
Thus, his current stalling with the three remaining Demon Immortals was merely to buy the five breaths of Time needed to re-form his [Heretic Gold Body].
Otherwise, given his temperament, he would never have uttered such an arrogant statement as "At the Same Stage, I am invincible."
"Xu Daoist is right. Dai Feng and Sun Xian were greedy scoundrels, despised by all. Killing them was an act of heavenly justice..."
Purple Rat King Dingzong maintained a distance of seven hundred zhang, communicating with Xu Xing telepathically.
He used his divided consciousness to continuously assess Xu Xing’s condition, waiting for the moment Xu Xing’s blood essence depleted and his aura weakened before making a move.
Though he didn’t understand why Xu Xing had acted so recklessly, burning his blood essence to harm both his enemies and himself, nor why he had suddenly ceased his attacks, he knew one thing: Xu Xing was like a lion starved for days. He just needed to wait for it to collapse from exhaustion, then deal with it easily.
"Indeed!"
"Blood Snake King and Golden Ape King deserved to die!"
The other two Demon Immortals chimed in.
They began to secretly send messages to Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun, trying to persuade her to side with them.
The death of the rabbit grieves the fox; they felt a kinship in sorrow for their kind.
Blood Snake King and Heavenly Fox King had shared a deep friendship. Although Blood Snake King had acted poorly before by not aiding the Heavenly Fox Clan in time, from a pragmatic standpoint, they believed Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun should side with them.
"Threaten Xu Xing with Shi Yuyan’s life to unsettle him. I have the Dragon Horn Dagger from the East Sea Dragon King. When the time comes, while he’s unprepared, I’ll use it to take his head from a thousand li..."
"After it’s done, you can be the first to choose any two treasures from Xu Xing, Shi Yuyan, or King Li Hong of Chu..."
Purple Rat King Dingzong dangled the bait of profit to sway Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun.
The last time they left Moyun Palace, Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun had stood with him and Blood Snake King Dai Feng. He believed she would make the same choice now.
However, Purple Rat King Dingzong could never have anticipated that Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun had befriended Xu Xing at Lake Heart Palace.
This time, with her clan facing a crisis, the choices made by Dingzong and Blood Snake King Dai Feng had thoroughly disheartened her.
While acting out of self-interest was often wise, some people occasionally made choices that weren’t.
Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun was such a person at This Moment.
She informed Xu Xing of the three Demon Immortals’ plot and pledged never to betray him.
To earn Xu Xing’s trust, she willingly swore a Heart Demon Oath.
Although no one could guarantee the efficacy of a Heart Demon Oath, high-level cultivators generally avoided making such vows.
Because in the unseen realm, destiny holds sway.
"Friend Xiang, if you trust me, please buy me twenty breaths of Time. By then, I will have a way to handle this..."
While Purple Rat King Dingzong was negotiating with Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun, five breaths had already passed. Xu Xing had restored his [Heretic Gold Body].
However, he also wanted to test Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun’s reliability.
So, he deceived her, claiming he needed twenty breaths to prepare.
Twenty breaths was a fleeting moment.
If Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun truly intended betrayal, she would undoubtedly seize this interval to strike first, rather than stall for him.
"Very well, Brother Xu..."
"This Concubine will buy you twenty breaths of Time."
Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun agreed.
One breath...
Two breaths...
Ten breaths...
Twenty breaths...
Xu Xing stood waiting. The instant the twenty breaths were up, he struck first again, flashing beside Purple Rat King Dingzong and piercing the Purple Rat King’s Yin Soul with his sword.
The remaining two Demon Immortals were being engaged by Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun. By the time Xu Xing reached them, he and Xiang Jun had each dispatched one.
"From now on... I fear experts will be scarce in this realm."
Xu Xing floated in mid-air, gazing down at the battlefield littered with corpses, a wave of emotion washing over him.
The experts from the various factions within the Jiang Dynasty and the North Barbarian Territory, along with a host of Demon Immortals from the Demonic Race, had all perished here.
It could be said that in today’s battle, King Li Hong of Chu had killed seventy percent of the experts, and Xu Xing himself had killed about thirty percent.
"A man’s ambition is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant..."
"If they hadn’t coveted my Heavenly Fox Clan, they wouldn’t have died," Heavenly Fox King Xiang Jun said coldly, showing no pity for the fallen experts.