Amidst the storm of sword energy sweeping through the air, Wu Tulong seemed an entirely different person from before. Whereas he’d previously retained a shred of humanity, he’d now turned into a puppet and was completely devoid of human emotions.
Inside Destiny City, the downhearted powerhouses from the Immortal Martial School had long since realized Wu Tulong was no longer his former self, but what could they do? The school’s guardian spirit had taken Wu Tulong away; they hadn’t even known where to begin searching for him. They could only watch on helplessly as he showcased combat art upon combat art that wasn’t his inside the arena.
However, other immortals in the city weren’t aware of the truth yet. Lu Yun had slaughtered the ten lords in the arena, cutting down returned void cultivators like a hot knife through butter, yet Wu Tulong was trading blow for blow with him.
“The Five Youth Sovereigns from three years ago are indeed true to their reputation. They’re as formidable as ever…” quite a few people sighed.
……
“Stop holding back or you’ll really die,” Wu Tulong declared coldly after forcing his opponent back in a burst of strength.
“Stop holding back?” Lu Yun gently shook his head. “I’m afraid you wouldn’t be able to withstand a single move.”
His words were met by Wu Tulong’s cold glare.
“It seems this one persistent obsession is the reason why you haven’t entirely lost yourself yet…” Lu Yun’s eyes suddenly shone bright.
Three years ago, the Five Youth Sovereigns hadn’t competed to ascertain the hierarchy among them, and Wu Tulong had always rejected Lu Yun’s title as number one. They hadn’t found an opportunity to fight until now, either, leading to the birth of an obsession in Wu Tulong’s heart.
“Alright, then get ready for my full strength!” Lu Yun suddenly roared, his voice echoing through the air.
An almost imperceptible smile appeared on Wu Tulong’s hard, unfeeling face.
Boom!
A deafening sound boomed from within Lu Yun, followed by an enormous atlas slowly spreading open over his head, enveloping the surroundings with cutting sword intent.
“This is…!!” Everyone in Destiny City stared in shock. Back in the Sovereign World, Lu Yun had once used a strange atlas containing more than a thousand flying swords to eliminate a thousand cultivators in a single attack!
“That atlas… How can he bring treasures into the Sovereign Arena?!” quite a few immortals gasped. “It seems there’s loopholes in the Sovereign Ranking’s rules. Not every possibility has been accounted for!”
“Wait a moment!” someone cried out all of a sudden. “It’s not a treasure, but a combat art—a peerless art of the immortal dao!
“In the primordial era, there existed a formidable immortal known as the Ten Thousand Sword Immortal who could surround himself with a legion of swords! And his signature ability was an art called ‘Sword Atlas…’
“When the Sword Atlas unfurls, ten thousand swords appear!
“This Sidekick must’ve obtained the Ten Thousand Sword Immortal’s inheritance in the Sovereign World!”
Somewhere in Destiny City, the already-eliminated brothers Lin Yu and Lin Xuan smiled wryly at each other when they saw the Sword Atlas’ cutting aura.
“I think that’s the combat art we gifted to him…” Lin Xuan murmured. The immortals of the Lin Clan standing beside the two brothers glared hotly at them.
“How despicable! We gave him such a tremendous opportunity and got nothing in return. He hasn’t made good on his promise yet. Come on, let’s go to Jadeite Manor and wait for his return!” Lin Yu immediately dragged his younger brother in his wake and made a beeline for the door.
“You two, come back here at once!” the Lin immortals almost blew their tops. Those two brats had not only voluntarily given away their own opportunity, but were hurrying along to be someone’s retainers?
Back in the clan, even Lin dao immortals couldn’t keep the two brothers in line, due to their unrivaled mastery of formations.
“Leave them be.” The clan’s origin dao immortal interjected with a smile, “If they can truly use this opportunity to comprehend formations without foundation, that would be a great blessing for our clan.”
……
A swarm of immortal swords vibrated above the Sword Atlas.
In the three days since returning to Destiny City, Lu Yun had gone back to hell to repair the atlas. Commanding a thousand immortal swords was impossible with his strength alone, but it was very much possible with the Sword Atlas.
At this instant, all thousand flying swords overhead became like a single immortal sword and whizzed toward Wu Tulong the moment the Sword Atlas was fully opened.
A giant illusory sword appeared behind the solemn Wu Tulong, identical in shape to the unadorned longsword in the Sword Divine’s hand. When the Sword Atlas drew near, the illusory sword sprang into action and viciously threw itself at the incoming attack.
Boom!
The impact violently shook the arena and a mushroom cloud rose into the sky. Some cultivators hidden nearby, hoping to learn from the fighting, were immediately disintegrated and thereby eliminated.
“Ahhh—” A shriek suddenly came from a place far away. Blood poured out of the little nun’s eyes, followed by rueful laughter from her lips. “Sure enough, not every combat art can be copied with my skill.”
Crash!
Immediately after, her body crumbled, signaling her elimination.
“Master!” In a small forest outside Destiny City, the little nun opened her eyes and pouted at a middle-aged woman.
The older woman stroked the girl’s hair with a smile. “That Qing Yu and her Sidekick are quite remarkable. If the art had been the Sword Atlas from the primordial era, it would’ve been entirely possible for you to copy it.
“But…” The middle-aged female daoist lifted her head and looked at the arena through the forest’s sparse foliage. “But the art has been modified, and it now reaches the threshold of the ‘dao’. It’s impossible for you to copy something like that.
“Let us go. There’s nothing left for us to do here. The will of the immortal dao has been seized by another, and there’s nothing left of note about this Sovereign Meet.” With a wave of the woman’s hand, the small forest vanished from view, turning into a green bead that landed in her palm.
With a pout, the little girl followed her master in spite of her obvious reluctance. Soon, the two of them turned into beams of light and disappeared into the distance. As for the little girl’s reward, it appeared soon after their departure, but master and disciple were already somewhere far away by then.
……
When the mushroom cloud subsided, Lu Yun’s figure emerged in front of the crowd; his opponent was nowhere in sight. Sure enough, Wu Tulong hadn’t been able to withstand a single move!
“I-is that… Sidekick’s true power?” Many people stared at the arena in shock and swallowed dryly. Since they didn’t know who Lu Yun was, they simply called him ‘Sidekick’.
“It’s best not to provoke someone like him. When he matures and ascends from a void realm cultivator into an immortal, it will take a dao immortal at the very least to rein him in!”
……
Swish!
But at the very instant Lu Yun eliminated Wu Tulong, a sword fell from the sky and slashed straight in his direction.
The Sword Divine had entered the fray.
