Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
As time passed, Mo Wen gradually took the lead and was several hundred meters ahead of Hao Qian and Hou Jingfeng. At the same time, the pressure that he faced was double that of the other two.
Now, even Mo Wen had to give it his all. The Purple Bottle Gourd released a hazy purple light which flew into the sky. It shattered the thunderbolts that crackled downwards. The lightning attack was almost equivalent to the power of a warrior at the beginning stages of the Golden Elixir Realm.
At the same time, the Cries of Hades Bell appeared in Mo Wen’s hand. It released an icy blue ray of light that enveloped Mo Wen.
One hundred meters away, Hao Qian’s eyes glinted. Then, a terrifying aura appeared around him. Rays of odd, blood-colored light that enveloped him. His power increased, and in mere moments he reached the pinnacle of the later stage of the Golden Elixir Realm. He was just a step away from the pinnacle of the Golden Elixir Realm.
“Haokun Blood Weapon.”
Hou Jingfeng’s pupils narrowed. He looked at Hao Qian gravely. He had not expected that Hao Qian would use the Haokun Blood Weapon just to cross the lotus lake.
The Haokun Blood Weapon was a secret skill of the Haokun Sect. Only those in the sect who cultivated in the Haokun Skills could form this sort of blood weapon. Furthermore, and it was very hard to form and the price to pay for doing so was high. With Hao Qian’s cultivation, he would need at least a year to form the blood weapon if he wanted to use it just once.
Generally speaking, the Haokun Blood Weapon was a skill that the higher-level warriors of the Haokun Sect would keep a secret. They would not use it unless they were on the brink of death. It was really rash of Hao Qian to use the Haokun Blood Weapon to pass the lotus lake test.
After using the Haokun Blood Weapon, Hao Qian’s cultivation was almost equivalent to He Xiangyu of the Five Beasts Sect. Together with the spiritual weapon in his hands and his top-notch martial arts skills, his combat ability was almost like a warrior at the pinnacle of the Golden Elixir Realm.
“I, Hao Qian, have never lost to anyone.”
After using the Haokun Blood Weapon, Hao Qian’s eyes turned blood-red. There was a flicker of blood-red light on his body and he quickly sped up, charging far ahead. The distance between him and Mo Wen grew smaller.
Hou Jingfeng looked at Hao Qian’s back, a myriad of emotions visible on his face. He sighed after a moment of hesitation. He was not as extreme as Hao Qian. As the principal disciple of the Ming Temple, he also had a secret skill that could save his life like the Haokun Blood Weapon. However, it would mean that he would lose a method that could save his life in the Fighting Spirit Tower should he used it. He did not dare to waste it here. The reward from the Fighting Spirit Tower was not as important as his life.
Hou Jingfeng gritted his teeth and continued to move forward. He should still be able to walk a bit further with his abilities. He would go as far as he could and just try his best.
Hao Qian’s figure turned into a ray of blood-red light. The blood weapon swirled around him and his aura shot up. It broke through barriers and reached the pinnacle of the Golden Elixir realm. In just mere moments, Hao Qian caught up with Mo Wen. Then, he passed Mo Wen by a few meters with a flash.
“He is indeed a renowned genius of the four large inner worlds.”
There was a flash of admiration in Mo Wen’s eyes. The youth called Hao Qian did have some skills. The younger generation could be proud that they had someone like him amongst them. Even He Xiangyu might not be a match for Hao Qian. Mo Wen had heard that Hao Qian was only in ninth place amongst the young warriors of the four large mysterious dimensions. How strong the other young powerhouses ranked before him must be! Were they at the pinnacle of the Golden Elixir Realm?
Mo Wen realized that the power of the four large warrior secret dimensions was beyond his imagination. In the world that he was previously in, the ancient martial arts world did not thrive as much. However, the ancient martial arts world and the immortal cultivation world were linked together in the Green Ancient Mystery Dimension. As such, Mo Wen was not that shocked that such a situation could occur.
In just a while, the pavilion in the waters appeared before them. It was just a hundred meters away.
Hao Qian was about 10 meters ahead of Mo Wen. However, the two of them now slowed down. Hou Jingfeng was 50 meters behind them and his condition was deteriorating. Unsurprisingly, he fell into the lotus lake after a few steps.
Beads of sweat gradually appeared on Mo Wen’s forehead. The pressure came from all directions, and he felt as if it was going to squash him flat.
In front of him, Hao Qian also felt poorly. The blood-red light that surrounded him gradually dulled and every step he took was with difficulty.
None of them had expected that the pressure would become so great at the end.
Splash!
Hou Jingfeng, who had been lagging behind, could not hold on any longer. He fell into the lotus lake with a splash. There was a flash of light. At the moment the light whisked Hou Jingfeng away, he looked at Mo Wen with a hint of resentment in his eyes. If he was willing to use the card he had hidden up his sleeves, he would not be any weaker than them. However, he was not as decisive as Hao Qian.
Now, it was a match to see who could hold on to the last moment and not who would be the first to get to the pavilion. The pavilion was less than a hundred meters away from them but it felt like it was a world away.
Hao Qian had not imagined that it would be so difficult for him to get to the pavilion even after using the Haokun Blood Weapon. However, he was not that embarrassed: he was first amongst all the young powerhouses and that was enough.
Hao Qian’s lips curled upwards. Even though it was hard for him to get to the pavilion, he believed that he was guaranteed first place. There was no one who could pose a threat to him. He believed that not even Mo Wen, who had suddenly appeared, could pose a threat to him. What he had to do now was to try his best and hold on.
Mo Wen was still more than 10 meters away from him. It did not seem that far, but the further the distance they traveled, the harder it was to take one step forward. The 10-meter distance between them was as good as several hundred meters. He thought that it was impossible for Mo Wen to pass him. He, Hao Qian, was still the first amongst all the young geniuses.
Mo Wen breathed in deeply. He did not look at Hao Qian, who was still in front of him. Instead, he fixed his gaze firmly on the pavilion up ahead. He looked at the pavilion and saw that there was still about 50 meters to go. But it was more difficult to travel these 50 meters than the rest of the entire distance had been.
Mo Wen shut his eyes slightly. Moments later, they flashed open forcefully. A terrifying aura rose from his body. The Glory of Thunder turned and his cultivation rose by one notch. At the same time, a wild wind started. The wind was so strong that the rain falling from above was turned away, falling instead in a parallel trajectory.
The strong winds started, and then, Mo Wen’s figure disappeared from where he was standing. When he reappeared, he had already traveled several dozen meters, overtaking Hao Qian.
The wild wind swept past Hao Qian. He looked at Mo Wen who had suddenly appeared in front of him. A hint of incredulity appeared in Hao Qian’s eyes.
He… how was that possible!
How had he done that? It was impossible!
He did not believe that Mo Wen could travel more than ten meters in an instant under such circumstances. Mo Wen’s power had surpassed his.
Mo Wen ignored Hao Qian. The wind swirled around Mo Wen, whistling loudly and madly. His figure flickered again and his body seemed to turn into a gust of wind. He flew forwards by another several dozen meters in just an instant.
“He…” Hao Qian looked at Mo Wen, shell-shocked. He could not believe what he had just seen.
When Mo Wen reappeared, his face was as white as a sheet. His lips turned slightly purple and his face looked completely devoid of blood. He had used the Glory of Wind twice and the Glory of Thunder once consecutively. This was too much for him. If his physical body had not been strong enough, it would have just collapsed.
He traveled 20 to 30 meters. The pavilion was right before him. However, the invisible pressure increased again. Mo Wen’s figure shook slightly and he almost fell into the lake.
Rumble!
There was a loud roar in the sky and lightning flashed. A lightning bolt the size of a tree cleaved down with an incredible force.
Mo Wen gritted his teeth. The Cries of Hades Bell flew out from his hands. He opened his mouth and spat out blood essence which merged immediately into the bell.
Blood sacrifice to a spiritual weapon was a method only immortal cultivators knew. Mo Wen had once cultivated in the ways of immortal cultivators. Together with his unique soul power, he could use the blood sacrifice method, but only just.
Clang!
The Cries of Hades Bell rang crisply. It was a pleasant sound, but a terrifying power rippled across the space immediately.
The enormous lightning bolt that fell from the sky stopped suddenly in mid-air. Then, it twisted and collapsed entirely.
The pressure in the space significantly decreased Mo Wen used the Glory of Wind for the third time. This time, he flew forwards by more than 20 meters and into the periphery of the pavilion.
Buzz!
Behind him, Hao Qian felt as if his mind had been hit viciously by a hammer. He felt dizzy, and the world spun before him. His figure shook slightly before he fell into the lake.
He knew that things were going downhill when the invisible ripple spread out towards him. However, he did not have the ability to withstand the force of the ripple and could only watch as it enveloped him.
Even though the ripple that spread towards Hao Qian was only part of the aftershock and the power behind it was much reduced, it still shook him up badly. He fell headfirst into the lotus lake.
There was a flash of light. Before Hao Qian could rid his mind of the dizziness, he had already been whisked away by the light.
Mo Wen desperately stretched his body towards the edge of the pavilion. He used the last ounce of his strength and both crawled and rolled onto the pavilion. Then, a wave of dizziness hit him. The world turned black and he lost consciousness.
He had been injured several times in crossing the lotus lake. He had depleted his inner Qi and sacrificed his blood essence to a spiritual weapon. This test had almost pushed him to his limits.
Mo Wen did not know how much time had passed. He felt a cloud of warm light enveloping his body. It was very warm and comfortable…
The sensation grew clearer and clearer. He opened his eyes slowly and realized that he was lying in an old and plain pavilion. There were rays of hazy white light in the air that shone through the pavilion and on him. The indescribable warmth and comfort that he felt came from the hazy white lights.
“My injuries were completely healed. What an interesting light.” Mo Wen was shocked to realize that the serious internal injuries he had sustained were completely healed. He had tried his best to cross the lotus lake and it was the first time he had been so seriously injured. He had even given up his natal blood essence. If it were up to him to heal himself, he would probably only be able to recover after two to three months.
Ordinary internal injuries were nothing to speak of, but it was different if he used his natal blood essence. Using it as a blood sacrifice to a spiritual weapon meant that he might not necessarily recover even after half a year.
But now, he had not only healed from his internal injuries completely, but his natal blood essence had also been fully replenished. His condition had never been better.
