The thick smell of blood now soaked the temple.
Gu Qing Shan turned towards Xie Dao Ling, only to find her still a bit spaced out, apparently pondering something.
“Let’s go, this is only around the side of the mountain. We’ll continue through this world and keep flying towards the higher worlds” Xie Dao Ling said.
The demonic phoenix flew in front of them and lowered itself: 「 Your servant knows the way, let me take you up 」
The demonic phoenix carried the two of them out from the temple and headed towards the sky.
Gu Qing Shan looked down.
Only to find that the world was vast, full of various natural structures like mountains and rivers, but not an ounce of presence of any living people.
“I have a question, why is this world completely empty, devoid of anything but those Asura just now?” Gu Qing Shan asked.
While flying, the demonic phoenix answered: 「 Every world in the Divine Mountain of Sumeru is interconnected, perhaps those people have already migrated to other worlds 」
Gu Qing Shan nodded but didn’t prod any further.
He exchanged glances with Xie Dao Ling.
Something seemed amiss.
“It’s nothing” Gu Qing Shan said.
“Yes” Xie Dao Ling replied.
The demonic phoenix flapped its wings in full force, flying straight up at the sky.
About 10 minutes later, the demonic phoenix went through the uppermost layer of thin clouds and perched on a tree branch that extended from above.
「 Master, sir Shan, if we follow this branch, we’ll reach the world above this one 」it reported.
“Let’s go up” Gu Qing Shan said.
The demonic phoenix nodded and followed the branch upwards.
It soon left the clouds behind.
Everything around was consumed by darkness.
As the phoenix flew, the void of space slowly turned brighter, before manifesting as the blue sky.
Gu Qing Shan suddenly said: “Shifu, I feel my powers being suppressed”
Xie Dao Ling looked up and said: “Most likely, it’s due to that thing”
Not too far away from where they were, a blue transparent lazuli seal hovered silently in the sky.
Invisible power fluctuations were emanating from the seal.
“All non-cultivator powers are being suppressed by this seal; most likely it’s suppressing your duo dragon powers”
Xie Dao Ling narrowed her eyes and muttered: “Now why does this feel like a trap?”
“I also feel the same” Gu Qing Shan replied.
At this point, the demonic phoenix was no longer flapping its wings but simply hovered in place.
Behind them, the Divine Beast Qilin reappeared.
The Qilin looked at Gu Qing Shan and spoke in a solemn and loud voice:
「 Cultivator, the power of the dragon that you carry must be sealed, otherwise, you cannot pass this Heaven’s Tribulation 」
Gu Qing Shan was surprised: “Why not? This power is already my own, so why can’t it be used?”
The Qilin replied: 「 Because Heaven’s Tribulation tests the power of cultivators, the power of dragons isn’t part of cultivation. If you continue to carry it with you, the Laws of the Tribulation will not accept it 」
As Gu Qing Shan was about to reply, Xie Dao Ling stopped him.
“That’s not how it is at all, we’re going to continue forward” Xie Dao Ling simply said.
Seeing her like that, the Divine Beast Qilin said: 「 Don’t blame me for not reminding you. If you continue to carry other powers outside of your Cultivation, it will be considered cheating, you will not truly breakthrough 」
“Cheating?”
Xie Dao Ling’s expression became cold, her anger could almost be seen visibly manifesting around her.
“My disciple traveled to the Age of Old, going through numerous hardships and sacrificed himself to bear the power of the Demon Dragon, achieving a feat that none has ever even tried to attempt and slay a Demon Dragon. Although I do not know for sure what happened with the Azure Dragon, how many people within these infinite worlds can use their own weak power to kill an Azure Dragon vastly stronger than themselves?”
“Not only that, to absorb the power of two dragons, do you know how much inhumane suffering he had to endure? If you Qilin was to suffer that, you would have already gone mad!”
“My disciple Gu Qing Shan accomplished feats that no one could, found a small possibility of survival from a desperate situation, killed an enemy dozens of times stronger than himself, and endured pain that no living being can only then did he obtain such power, and you call that cheating?”
Xie Dao Ling coldly scoffed and continued: “A cultivator takes the wonders of reality, enduring Tribulations one after another, they themselves are the embodiment of going against the flow. And yet, after my disciple achieved so many unimaginable feats and obtain such strength, you had the gall to say that he is cheating”
“Qilin, I ask you: which Law is saying that my disciple isn’t worthy of such power, and which Law is preventing my disciple from breaking through?”
“Come on, tell me very clearly, if you can’t say anything worth a damn, this Xie Dao Ling will make sure that ‘Law’ of yours thoroughly vanishes from the infinite worlds”
The Divine Beast Qilin was left speechless.
It couldn’t even utter a single word.
Xie Dao Ling scoffed again: “Facing the Tribulation was nothing but a small matter, I merely came here to take a look—— do you really think my Tribulation is actually begging you for something?”
“Because of that, stop forcing my disciple Gu Qing Shan, or I’m going to ignore this Tribulation and destroy that lazuli seal!”
Saying so, a cluster of golden light manifested in Xie Dao Ling’s hand.
The Qilin watched that light, took a step backward and muttered: 「 You will regret this 」
It vanished.
At the same time, the demonic phoenix also vanished below them.
Its casual laughter resounded across the sky:
「 Ahahahaha, phoenixes are a race whose everything is destroyed in flames before being reborn from within it. How laughable that you think mere lock seals could actually control me! 」
Large numbers of living beings appeared in this lazuli world.
Phoenixes.
Numerous phoenixes.
They surrounded Gu Qing Shan and Xie Dao Ling, preparing to attack.
Other than the phoenixes, there were also many Asuras who arrived from every direction, standing in a formation of a gigantic encirclement.
They all had armor and weapons in their hands, ready for combat.
At the moment, Gu Qing Shan couldn’t use any non-cultivation type powers.
Xie Dao Ling was powerful, but she still hadn’t finished her Tribulation, so she still hadn’t stepped into the realm of Sumeru Lord.
Facing so many phoenixes and an army of Asura, the two of them seemed to have only one choice.
The battle began immediately like a strike of lightning.
Thousands of phoenixes spat out their flames at once.
The Asuras also performed a joint magical attack.
At that moment, lights of numerous colors filled the sky.
Xie Dao Ling was about to form a hand seal, but Gu Qing Shan stopped her.
“Shifu, we’ve already discussed before, I’m your guard here”
Saying so, he drew the Heaven sword.
Numerous tiny sounds of sword phantoms striking against one another resounded in the sky.
Fwoom——–
A surging sea of flames swept into their surroundings.
Divine Skill: [Parting Fire]
This was the Sword of Extinguishing Flames, made to cut all techniques!
Furthermore, Gu Qing Shan didn’t rely on it alone and also used [Heaven’s Choice] – 9 consecutive strikes.
A total of 10 strikes of [Parting Fire] were performed!
The sea of flames instantly spread, engulfing this entire lazuli world in it.
The attacks of those phoenixes and Asuras were completely nullified, unable to recast another.
At the next split second.
The sea of flames vanished in an instant.
All living beings in this world were sealed up in frost, unable to move a single bit.
Divine Skill: [Freezing Frost]!
——-[Freezing Frost] locks the form, solidifying the body of living beings and stops them from moving, that was the Divine Skill of the Sword of Destroying Frost!
Similarly, it was reinforced with the power of [Heaven’s Choice], which allowed it to be performed 10 consecutive times.
At this point, Gu Qing Shan released his inner sight and scanned through every phoenix and Asura in the vicinity, saying: “Since Shifu said that you will thoroughly vanish, I’ll have to see to it that you do”
An invisible thought radiated from his body, like an unseen shadow that eclipsed this entire world.
——–10 consecutive Divine Skills, Mind Sword, [Eclipse of Sun and Moon]!
As this strike passed, all living beings in the lazuli world went extinct, not a single one of them remained alive.
Strangely, the dead phoenixes and Asuras turned into transparent bodies.
Their expressions all become terrifying, their bodies trembling nonstop as if they had fallen into some sort of unusual state.
“They aren’t souls, Shifu, have you ever seen these things before?”
Gu Qing Shan glanced through them and immediately asked.
Xie Dao Ling observed for a bit and replied: “They seem to be the Wraith realm’s evil spirit form. It is said that many living beings do not go into Huang Quan as they die, but instead fall into the Wraith realm as evil spirits due to the huge karma that they accrued”
The sound of clapping hands suddenly resounded in the void of space.
“Excellent, how very excellent indeed”
A dozen figures appeared in the sky.
They were all wearing cultivator garb and a yaksha mask on their faces as they observed Gu Qing Shan and Xie Dao Ling from above.
Gu Qing Shan narrowed his eyes.
Yaksha masks!
So this was the work of the Wraith realm!
One of them waved his hand and summoned the lazuli seal, slowly enjoying it.
“Tsk, how fortunate that we used the Duo World technique to temporarily stay in another world, otherwise that strike would have cut us down as well” the man mocked.
Gu Qing Shan shielded Xie Dao Ling behind him and shouted: “Are you from the Wraith realm?”
The man lazily replied: “I am. That Azure Dragon you killed was my subordinate”
He sighed, then continued: “At this point, you’ve already killed two of my subordinates, my personal farm had already been destroyed, care to take a guess how I’m going to treat you right now?”
Following his voice, their figures slowly turned corporal.
—–they had arrived in this world.
The man observed the [True Crimson Demon Spear] hovering next to Gu Qing Shan and praised.
“Originally, this spear would have been sealed along with the power of duo dragon power. Unfortunately, the power of the Divine Mountain had been affixed to it, so my seal can’t suppress that weapon———- but that doesn’t matter, because you’re still going to die at my hands”
The cultivators around him quickly formed hand seals.
The numerous transparent figures of the Asuras and phoenixes that Gu Qing Shan killed became visible, quickly flying towards the people of the Wraith realm.
Those evil spirits combined into one, uttering a unified yet detached painful screeching.
Gu Qing Shan didn’t act and simply nodded: “From how you seem, the Divine Mountain of Sumeru heading towards destruction was most likely you people’s doing as well”
The man laughed: “So what if it was? To get rid of you, I’ve prepared these hundred thousand living beings, transforming them into evil spirits so that they would not be suppressed by you, Huang Quan Devil King”
The cultivators around him shouted: “Sir!”
The man formed a hand seal and casually said: “Let’s end the banter here, you may die now”
An immense presence of a spell radiated from the man’s body.
Wraith Realm, Nine Serenity [1]Divine Skill, [Dark Wraith King’s Life Deprivation]!
Gu Qing Shan still didn’t act.
He silently sighed.
Just now, while they were conversing, Luo Bing Li was also talking to him within his Thought Sea——-
“It’s ok, I’ve come to understand. This is a war, and one simply does not have the luxury to refuse”
She said.
“Gu Qing Shan, after the Apocalypse is over, it won’t be too late for me to slowly rest up and enjoy myself”
“As for right now, since I’m a sword spirit, I want nothing but to focus my everything into combat, meaning that you will not have violated your oath”
Gu Qing Shan replied: “I understand, I owe you one”
Luo Bing Li smiled and replied: “A sword spirit and sword cultivator live and die with the same breath. There is no such thing as owing one another, come, let us fight”
Gu Qing Shan finally swung the Heaven sword, manifesting a single sword phantom right before the Wraith realm Divine Skill was about to activate.
This attack wasn’t late, nor was it early, but it was extremely fast. It wasn’t weak, nor was it strong, simply accurate.
The sword phantom swiftly struck at the hundred thousand souls that were about to fuse.
Heaven sword Thaumaturgy——-
[Chaotic Flow]!!!
In a flash, the entire fusion abruptly stopped.
All evil spirits returned to where they died, regrowing their bodies, hair, clothing, armors, weapons.
However, all living beings were still frozen, unable to move.
——-both the Asura and phoenixes had returned to their state after they were struck by [Freezing Frost].
This way, the so-called evil spirit fusion no longer existed.
The Wraith realm Nine Serenity Divine Skill also lost its driving force.
It could no longer be performed.
This unbelievable sight left the wraiths who had gone through numerous parallel world battles speechless.
The leading wraith went silent briefly because dryly asking: “What was that sword strike?”
Gu Qing Shan looked at him and simply replied: “I’m not going to tell you”
“How self-righteous” the wraith scoffed, but his presence became heavy, both hands quickly forming a different hand seal.
He had gotten serious!
The other wraiths around him also began to form a hand seal.
Gu Qing Shan didn’t move, nor try to attack and stop them.
The wraith quickly finished his hand seal, the sense of wariness he felt slowly faded and mocked: “Fool, you’ve passed on your only chance at survival and would still have to die”
Gu Qing Shan shook his head and said nothing.
He stepped aside.
Xie Dao Ling who was standing behind him had already regained her adult form and prepared various hand seals for a long while.
This technique required the use of several dozen hand seals, so it was very impractical to use in combat.
Fortunately, Gu Qing Shan exerted all his strength and bought Xie Dao Ling enough time.
Xie Dao Ling formed the final hand seal and released her hand.
She looked over the group of wraiths and casually said: “You bunch from the Wraith realm aren’t the only ones with Samsara Divine Skills”
In a flash, their surroundings changed.
A faint light traversed through the endless Space-Time, arriving from a distant world.
The lazuli world was slowly enveloped in fog and mist.
A large river that stretched across the sky could be faintly seen from within the fog.
The river was silent and unmoving but had no beginning or end.
A small dingy rocked slightly as it flowed from the deeper end of the river, on which a faint feminine figure could be seen standing, gently rowing it forward.
[1] the Nine Serenity in legends refers to the lowest and furthest point of a realm. As the number ‘9’ is the highest single-digit number, it represents the concept of ‘limit’, rather than an actual number
