HSSB661: An unprecedented path
The Northern Ocean Clone successfully broke through into the third level of the Martial Saint realm, the late Merging Avatar stage.
Having refined a large amount of dragon qi to cleanse and temper his body, absorbed a portion of the power of the dim moon and cultivated in the mighty Great Wilderness Fish-Roc Art, the Northern Ocean Clone’s strength had continuously risen yet further as a result.
Today, having obtained the great fortune that was the Earth Ocean Lung Crystals, he had successfully taken that final step.
With his substantial accumulation, the Northern Ocean Clone passed through what should be an incomparably difficult bottleneck for most with relative ease.
Everything had flowed naturally into completion.
While that old man was also an expert of the third level of the Martial Saint realm, also cultivating in a supreme martial art like the Aeon Light Heavenly Scripture which gave him extraordinary power, facing Yan Zhaoge’s dark green bamboo cane, his Sacred Artifact, the Glorious Rainbow Sword, was hard to be of any use.
Yan Zhaoge directly unequipped the Imperious Cold Martial Armour, giving it to the Northern Ocean Clone to wear.
The Northern Ocean Clone whose fierce momentum had already been surging to the heavens grew even more mighty and powerful. With that, the result of this battle was already destined.
Streams of dragon qi transformed into chains within the Myriad Dragon Palace, completely sealing off all routes of escape for that old man.
He could not obtain victory, yet was also unable to flee.
Yan Zhaoge attempted to capture this old man alive. Since he bore the responsibility of transporting these treasures, he most likely had some understanding regarding what was going on with the Bearing Heaven Efficate Formation.
While they were both third level Martial Saints of the late Merging Avatar stage, the things that this person knew were clearly greater than that wastrel Kang Jinyuan.
However, this old man possessed a very fierce personality, not seeming as fearful of death as Kang Jinyuan.
When it was clear at the end that he had no hope of escaping and that Yan Zhaoge intended to capture him alive, he clenched his teeth and actually rammed himself onto the Northern Ocean Clone’s spear.
The Northern Ocean Clone promptly retracted his exerted force with skilful ease.
However, that old man appeared like he wanted to perish along with his enemy no matter what as he ignored his own safety entirely, making use of this chance to launch a ferocious attack.
Yan Zhaoge shook his head slightly. The Northern Ocean Clone struck out with a spear, piercing the chest of this opponent straight through.
The glow of life swiftly faded from the eyes of this old man as he descended towards death.
Before he died, it was evident within his eyes how unresigned he was, though not at his own death, “Young brat, you wrecked our plans. Things will definitely not end just like that!”
Looking at him, Yan Zhaoge suddenly smiled, “Old thing, you instead helped us out greatly. Thanks!”
The Northern Ocean Clone obtained the Glorious Rainbow Sword from the hands of that old man.
Yan Zhaoge extended his hand and pressed it on the old man’s dantian, a chaotic qi flow encroaching within.
The old man murmured with great difficulty in his dying moments, “You are trying to spy on my sect’s supreme martial arts? It’s no use. How could it be so easily seen through by you? You…”
He suddenly stared, his eyes bulging, “This…”
Yan Zhaoge’s expression was composed as the true essence that resembled chaos gradually turned infinite and peerless after having seeped into the old man’s body from his palm.
The other party’s true essence that had yet to dissipate seemed to form an endless river of time by his will.
The next moment, however, time seemed to flow in reverse as all converged towards back when everything had first started, when the heavens and the earth had yet to split apart with the great gulf opening.
Numerous light patterns gradually appeared within Yan Zhaoge’s mind, disorderly and scattered in an incoherent manner.
Yet, it had a miraculous manner about it.
It seemed like he was standing atop the river of time once more, extricating himself and viewing the vast oceans and the boundless fields and the changing of times.
“While it is incomplete, I have still greatly benefited from it,” The corners of Yan Zhaoge’s mouth arched slightly upwards as he appeared to be an extremely good mood.
Looking at the disbelieving expression on that old man’s face, Yan Zhaoge laughed lightly, “How much do you understand about the Time Flowing Sword that you cultivate in? Do you know what its foundation is?”
“Aeon Light…Heavenly…Scripture,” The old man said with great difficulty, exhaling more than he inhaled as he looked like his life was about to end.
Yan Zhaoge nodded lightly, “The Aeon Light Heavenly Scripture of the Jade Clear lineage, one of the later six scriptures of the Primordial Heavenly Scriptures.”
“Since you know the name of the Aeon Light Heavenly Scripture, you should also know of the Peerless Heavenly Scripture that stands at the head of the ten Primordial Heavenly Scriptures as the source of all arts.”
That old man stared speechlessly, unable to go on as he depressingly perished just like that.
Yan Zhaoge retracted his palm, shaking his head. The Northern Ocean Clone moved away this old man’s corpse while Yan Zhaoge pondered as he looked at the Glorious Rainbow Sword in his hand.
“Earlier, I was still thinking that I still lacked a sword-type Sacred Artifact. Now, here it is.”
Yan Zhaoge could not help but laugh as he lightly tapped the sword in his hand.
The concept of this sword was not completely in line with the Aeon Light Heavenly Scripture and the Time Flowing Sword.
Yan Zhaoge had analysed the martial true intent of that old man whilst battling him just now. This sword should not have been personally forged by him.
Either it had been gifted to him or he had obtained it from the outside world in a stroke of luck.
Still, the quality of this Glorious Rainbow Sword was extremely high, standing at the peak of low-grade Sacred Artifacts.
“With the Myriad Dragon Palace, the Dim Sun Cold Moon Ritual and other fortuitous encounters, my accumulation far surpasses that of others as I need not painstakingly prepare myself and advance slowly like other Transcending Mortality Martial Grandmasters,” Yan Zhaoge pondered, “With the Peerless Heavenly Scripture as my base, while the bottleneck of the fleshly body merging with the true martial avatar would be incomparably hard for others, even filled with great danger, this should not be hard for me at all.”
“It is just that-would merely this be enough?”
As he muttered to himself, Yan Zhaoge suddenly laughed, “Human hearts are never satisfied as snakes devour elephants-the ancient ones accepted this true.”
“Possessing lofty aspirations and ambitiousness are generally only a step away from each other.
Yan Zhaoge tapped the blade of the Glorious Rainbow Sword, sword-qi roiling on this Sacred Artifact as it unceasingly resisted.
His gaze gradually became determined, “Before the Great Calamity, the heavens were filled with immortals and divinities. Following that tribulation, how many still remain? This was so for them, much less mortals?”
“Wanting to leap out of the well, I must try what others have never tried before, or walk a path that few have ever walked…”
……
As Yan Zhaoge was clashing with that old man, a fierce battle had already begun in the northern regions of the Royal Reed Sea.
The sky of the Whole Tower Region was filled with all-encompassing fire and thunder that caused the entire Heavenly Fire Tribulation Thunder Formation to change as a result.
The spiritual qi flow in the region of the North Sea having grown disorderly, the experts of the anti-Xuan forces who were in the sword world of the Grinding Hut Region were naturally alerted as well.
Amidst the instability of the Grand Xuan Dynasty, the anti-Xuan forces promptly launched a wave of counterattacks, causing the Grand Xuan Dynasty to be even more troubled as a battle thus ensued.
Meanwhile, both the Grand Xuan Dynasty and the anti-Xuan forces were rather puzzled by what had happened in the Whole Tower Region.
Nong Yuxuan and the other Radiant Light Sect martial practitioner avoided the final explosion of the light pillar, entering a conflict with the local Grand Xuan Dynasty martial practitioners.
After losing their pursuers, Nong Yuxuan’s group unexpectedly returned to the northern seas of the Whole Tower Region.
Gazing at that great sea that still seemed like it was being cooked, Nong Yuxuan was silent for a long time.
The Radiant Light Sect martial practitioners beside him were completely unable to get their heads around it, “How did a mere Martial Grandmaster achieve this?”
“Yuxuan, you are the person of our sect who is most familiar with the Heavenly Fire Tribulation Thunder Formation. The number of people in the Grand Xuan Dynasty who are stronger than you in this regard can be counted on one’s hands. Can you understand how that kid from the lower worlds managed to do it?”
Nong Yuxuan did not answer this question, his figure sinking as he directly entered the great sea, descending to its depths towards the seabed.
There, blazing underground fire was still erupting intermittently.