In truth, Yu Shangrong had been concealing his strength in the battle of Yan Province. During his fight with Ma Luping, one of the eight great generals, if he was truly just a Six-leaf cultivator, how could he have fought such a long battle with the Eight-leaf Ma Luping who was a veteran on the battlefield? He was confident, not reckless.
Yu Shangrong had been cultivating and training every waking moment throughout the 49 days he spent guarding the quagmire. The wonderful properties of the quagmire that gave Yu Zhenghai an opportunity to come back to life also gave him an opportunity to achieve a breakthrough. Having returned to the Eight-leaf stage, he did not feel unfamiliar or awkward. He moved quickly… his speed was infinitely close to his peak.
At the same time, spears wrapped in purple radiant rings were launched at Yu Shangrong in the sky.
At this moment, Yu Shangrong vanished out of sight.
Bazir’s heart sank; he was extremely agitated. Although he had taken countless lives before, he did not dare to let his guard down when facing Yu Shangrong.
Soon enough, Yu Shangrong’s afterimages filled the sky!
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Each and every one of the images brandished a Longevity Sword.
“Snowy Mountain.”
The spears dropped down like snow.
Slashing at the snow was but one of the ways Yu Shangrong practiced his sword skills since he was young. It was effortless for him to thrust, pierce, lift, hack, hang, point, intercept, and cut. The basic movements of the sword were performed brilliantly.
The purple radiant rings were sliced open in half like watermelons by his Longevity Sword before fading away in the air.
The spears snapped and plummeted into the 100,000-foot-deep abyss.
Bazir’s eyes were keenly trained on the figures in the sky. At this moment, he waved his staff. “Protect.”
A radiant circle that was clearly different from the other purple ones spread out from Bazir. It had its own miniature sky curtain as well.
The shamans were covered by the purple-red barrier.
Meanwhile, Young Yu Zhenghai was still holding Yu Shangrong’s scabbard. There was a fervent look in his eyes. This was the power and cultivation base he thirsted for more than anyone else. Although he had imagined what extreme powers were like, he was still in awe when he saw Yu Shangrong’s strength. As though in a trance, he suddenly recalled the scenes of his fight with other people on the streets. He remembered his brother, Ping An, the hardships he suffered after being sold to Lou Lan, and how he fought over steamed buns with the others just to fill his stomach. He hoped that he would one day be a powerful cultivator as well. That was the only way that he would not be trampled in the dirt by the others. Only with power would he stop getting bullied.
Young Yu Zhenghai’s eyes widened as he looked at the energy swords in the skies. “So powerful!”
Unfortunately, Yu Shangrong was currently focused on dealing with the purple witchcraft spell so he did not hear this genuine praise.
The moment Snowy Mountain ended, the spears and purple rings had been easily destroyed by the countless energy swords and scattered like ashes in the air.
Whizz!
Yu Shangrong summoned his avatar when he landed. The huge 100-foot avatar moved its golden palms.
The shamans looked up and exclaimed in hoarse voices.
“Impossible!”
Boom!
The avatar’s golden palms pushed down!
The purple barrier immediately rippled.
Yu Shangrong stood in front of the others with his Longevity Sword in hand. He placed two fingers on the blade while he calmly controlled his avatar. He was like a fierce tiger waiting to pounce. Once the barrier cracked, he would lunge immediately.
At this moment, Bazir’s heart was hanging by a thread. He ordered, “Sacrificial offering!”
Two shamans decisively leaped into the center of the barrier. Their bodies were instantly set aflame.
The purple barrier seemed to grow thicker, and its light intensified until it turned a purple so dark that it looked black,
Boom!
The huge avatar struck heavily again!
Ripples spread across the barrier.
Yu Shangrong smiled faintly when he saw the purple barrier had been fortified. “Interesting.”
He tossed his Longevity Sword into the air. His Longevity Sword dropped down and hovered in the air. It flew between in front of the avatar’s palms.
The avatar gripped the Longevity Sword.
The Longevity Sword shone brightly as it was wrapped by a huge body of energy. It formed a super-sized energy sword with the Longevity Sword as the core.
Bazir’s face flushed red. His eyes were brimming with fear when he saw this. “An avatar can be used in such a manner? I’ve truly underestimated you.”
Bam!
The avatar brought the sword downward! The energy sword easily penetrated the purple barrier.
The purple barrier shattered!
“This is bad! Retreat!” someone shouted.
Bazir gripped his staff tightly. His body faded out of sight as he retreated 1,000 meters.
The remaining shamans were not that lucky.
The moment Yu Shangrong’s avatar faded away, his Longevity Sword returned to his palm. With a faint smile, he charged forward.
Energy swords rose all around them. Dozens of them were quickly dismembered, and their limbs rained down along with their blood onto the ground.
The witchcraft cultivators scattered and retreated.
…
“Ding! Killed a target. Reward: 10 merit points.”
“Ding! Killed a target. Reward: 10 merit points.”
The notifications kept ringing in Lu Zhou’s ears. He was puzzled. He looked outside Dazheng Palace.
After doing ten consecutive draws, the African Chief had possessed him. Lu Zhou could hardly calm down and attempted more lucky draws.
Finally, Lu Zhou placed his hands on his back and walked out of Dazheng Palace. He looked to the west; the sun was setting. Half of the sky was dyed red by the sun’s rays.
More than two months had passed, but there was still no news about Yu Zhenghai. He wondered how Yu Shangrong was faring as well.
He stroked his beard, lost in his thoughts. He wondered if he, as the master, should trust his disciples more. After all, they were outstanding Eight-leaf cultivators.
Lu Zhou mumbled to himself, “I hope that he won’t disappoint me.”
…
Above the 100,000-foot-deep abyss.
After the battle, both sides stared at each other down from a distance.
The surroundings were deathly quiet.
About 100 witchcraft cultivators had died in this fight. It was a huge loss.
Yu Shangrong’s power had exceeded Bazir’s imagination. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Yu Shangrong.
The air that carried the faint scent of blood felt heavy at this moment.
After a long pause, Bazir said, “You’re powerful.”
“And?”
“If you didn’t go for the kill earlier, I would’ve just retreated and acted as though nothing had happened. However, with these many casualties, I won’t be able to give the royal capital and the royal family an explanation,” Bazir said.
Yu Shangrong remained silent.
Young Yu Zhenghai who was standing behind Yu Shangrong was fearless. He laughed and said, “Do you think your lives are the only ones that mattered? How is it that you’ll gladly kill someone else but won’t stand it when one of your own was killed? Do you think we don’t have to offer explanations to our people as well?”
“…” Bazir looked at young Yu Zhenghai. A young man with a sharp tongue.
Yu Zhenghai hated the people of Lou Lan the most. He called out in a solemn and earnest voice, “Senior brother…”
“Hm?”
“Kill them for me!” Yu Zhenghai was seething with anger and killing intent. He did not know if the Sword Devil, Yu Shangrong, would accede to his request. However, he had no other choice right now. These were his honest thoughts. He turned to look at Yu Shangrong who was wielding the Longevity Sword.
After a brief pause, Yu Shangrong glanced to the side and smiled. Then, he calmly replied, “As you wish.”
