Chapter 1218: - Art of Cloning
“Tsk tsk!” vipin clicked his tongue as he covered his eyes with his hands. It was so gruesome that he could not even bring himself to look at it. It was true that the Glacier Rain Sword had followed him for many years, but now that it had been sullied by the other party in such a horrendous manner, how was he supposed to bring himself to use it in the future? Just thinking about the stench on it was enough to make him cringe.
His poor Glacier Rain Sword… Hopefully that poor sword will be able to walk out of its mental trauma from this incident one day! While vipin was pitying his weapon, the Qingtian Emperor felt as if he was going mad. He was an Emperor of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, an incredibly noble and authoritative existence.
In the first place, it was already humiliating that someone like him would have to personally deal with an Embryonic Soul realm brat, but to think that the brat would even pop his cherry at that! To make things worse, the cauldron above him was still shaking its massive bottom right above his face, as if trying to find a more comfortable position on his face to rest. An indescribable feeling of humiliation consumed his mind, pushing him toward the abyss of madness.
“All of you must die!” Roaring furiously, the Qingtian Emperor drove his Zhenqi of Slaughter at full strength. Sou! The sword that was lodged up his bottom was sent flying, and the massive cauldron was knocked off his face as well. “Master, he’s really powerful!” Seeing how the other party was actually able to knock it off and singe its bottom red, the Golden Origin Cauldron eyed the Qingtian Emperor warily. “He’s indeed powerful,” vipin remarked grimly. He had already known that it would be hard for him to deal with the Qingtian Emperor with his current strength.
The Golden Origin Cauldron was at Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage as well, and while it possessed sufficient strength to fend off the Qingtian Emperor, it was not strong enough to kill the latter. Additionally, he did not want to expose Vicious’ existence yet. As such, he had slowly made preparations to lure the Qingtian Emperor into his trap so as to launch a decisive two-pronged attack against the latter.
He had thought that it would at least be able to incapacitate the Qingtian Emperor even if it was not sufficient to kill the latter, but who would have thought that the latter would actually be able to force the Glacier Rain Sword out with his zhenqi! As expected of the Emperor of the Qingtian Lineage, even his cherry was made of steel. Admirable indeed.
Huala! At this moment, the Qingtian Emperor suddenly roared furiously, and all of a sudden, his body began growing bigger and bigger, as if he had eaten some kind of growth stimulant. In the blink of an eye, he had already grown to three-meters tall. Seeing the sight before him, vipin blinked his eyes in a daze.
What was the point of growing so big? With too large a physique, one’s flexibility and agility would face a steep decline. Furthermore, there would also be a larger surface area for an enemy to strike. Thus, no cultivator would enlarge their size in battle unless there was a compelling reason to do so. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed as if the Qingtian Emperor was only putting himself in a disadvantageous situation.
“Ah?” While vipin was still confused by what the Qingtian Emperor was up to, the latter suddenly used his right hand to grab his left hand and pulled forcefully. Si la! To vipin’s horror, the Qingtian Emperor split in two! This… Is he committing suicide because he is unable to face the humiliation of being deflowered? vipin widened his eyes. vipin was not the only one bewildered by the current situation. The Golden Origin Cauldron was also flabbergasted.
At the same time, the Glacier Rain Sword stopped its retching as it stared at the Qingtian Emperor as if it had seen a ghost. If anyone should commit suicide, the sword should have been the first one to do so! Sullied by the other party, it felt dirty from head to toe. Just the thought of what had happened earlier was enough to send its stomach, if it had one, churning in disgust. But did it cry? Did it cause a fuss? No! A person should live strong in this world—don’t seek the end so easily!
Ahem, this applied to weapons as well, of course. Even when it was put through such agony, it still gritted its teeth and bore with it, believing that there would be a brighter future ahead. But as the Emperor of the Qingtian Lineage, why was the Qingtian Emperor so weakminded? To actually tear himself apart over something like this… He sure was vicious to himself!
Was this some kind of custom among the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe? While the human and the two artifacts were staring at the sight dumbstruck, Vicious’ voice suddenly sounded in vipin’s head. “Master, he’s not bleeding! I think he has used some kind of secret art, so be careful!” “Secret art?” vipin frowned. “Un. My memory is still in tatters, so I can’t really remember clearly at this point, but from the looks of it… it seems like resemble a secret art exclusive to the Emperors of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe!” Vicious said.
“By bearing with the overwhelming pain from tearing oneself into two, that secret art allows one to divide oneself into two! Once it is successfully executed, it will effectively double one’s fighting prowess! However, there is a limited duration to how long the secret art can be sustained for, and once that duration is over, one’s cultivation will fall steeply. Most likely, the Qingtian Emperor realized that he couldn’t kill you, so he decided to go all out by using this secret art!”
“Divide oneself into two? There’s actually such a convenient secret art in the world?” vipin widened his eyes in disbelief. Just one Qingtian Emperor had nearly cornered him. Once the other party successfully cloned himself, wouldn’t he be in deep trouble? More importantly, the fighting prowess commanded by two Qingtian Emperors was not as easy as one plus one. Both Qingtian Emperors would share the same thoughts, allowing them to collaborate with perfect synergy.
Without a doubt, they would be a far more difficult opponent to deal with than the Crimson Emerald Duplet Swordsmanship. “Golden Origin Cauldron and Glacier Rain Sword, hurry up and stop that fellow!” vipin roared as he dashed forward without any hesitation. If he faced two Qingtian Emperors there simultaneously, he really might lose his life! He had to stop the division of the Qingtian Emperor at all costs! Huala! Before vipin could arrive, his saber qi was already fast on its way toward the two halves of the Qingtian Emperor.
Using his palm as a saber, he intended to sever the latter’s head before he could do anything. At the same time, the Golden Origin Cauldron and the Glacier Rain Sword had also rushed up to the Qingtian Emperor to launch their most powerful attacks. But before any of the attacks could reach, the two halves of the Qingtian Emperor suddenly squirmed uncontrollably, and in the blink of an eye, each of the two halves grew their other half, forming two complete, identical individuals.
Peng! One of the Qingtian Emperors stopped vipin saber qi with ease while the other one charged forward to smack him away, flinging him forcefully toward the wall. vipin’s face reddened, and fresh blood spewed from his mouth. Peng peng peng! vipin quickly drove his Heaven’s Path zhenqi to alleviate his injuries. When he raised his head once more, he saw that the Golden Origin Cauldron and the Glacier Rain Sword had been sent flying as well. One created a massive depression in the ground whereas the other one ended up being deeply lodged in the wall once more.
As expected, the combined fighting prowess of the two Qingtian Emperors was indeed fearsome. Even though the Golden Origin Cauldron was a Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage expert as well, it still ended up being subdued in a single move. “To have forced me to use this move, you can rest in peace now!” The simultaneous speaking of the two identical Qingtian Emperors had a bizarrely unnerving feeling to it. The two Qingtian Emperors glared at vipin coldly, dying to tear the young man into pieces.
They had guarded their cherry fervently for so many years, and yet, the young man had actually popped it so casually. Just this alone was sufficient to make them lose their rationality. “You… Which one is the clone, and which one is the main body?” vipin asked warily as he prepared himself to dodge the attacks from the Qingtian Emperors. Even though it might have appeared to be an equal split, considering that one of them would disappear after some time, there was bound to be a main body and a clone among them. “I’ll tell you by your grave!”
the two Qingtian Emperors roared as they charged forward. Huala! In an instant, it felt as if the air in the hall had been replaced with killing intent, making every move that vipin wanted to make incredibly difficult. “Block him!” vipin roared at the Golden Origin Cauldron as he waved his hand to destroy the Spatial Seal hindering his movements.
Upon hearing his instruction, the Golden Origin Cauldron charged toward the Qingtian Emperors furiously, roaring, “You popped-cherry brats! I’ll relinquish my name as Ding Ding if I don’t kill you today!” Hearing the Golden Origin Cauldron’s taunting, fury immediately blazed like an inferno in the eyes of the two Qingtian Emperors. “You’re courting your death!” That was their greatest injury at the moment, and yet, that damned cauldron actually dared speak of it so easily!
There was no way they would let the other party get away with that! Thus, one of the Qingtian Emperors turned around to deal with the Golden Origin Cauldron. Boom boom boom! Before long, the duo began clashing with one another. Seeing that the Golden Origin Cauldron had managed to lure one of the Qingtian Emperors away, vipin heaved a sigh of relief. He swiftly flicked his wrist and drew a spear as he prepared to face the other Qingtian Emperor.
Just like the Glacier Rain Sword, the spear was a Saint low-tier spear as well. However, just like the other weapons in the faraj Palace, it did not have a spirit. Huala! With a swiftly thrust of his hand, the spear pierced forward with frightening momentum. Tzzzzzzz! A piercing shrill echoed loudly from the friction between the spear and the surrounding air. Even though vipin rarely practiced his spear arts, the fact that aarav’s spearmanship had originated from him was something that should not be neglected.
His Heaven’s Path Spear Art was nowhere weaker than his swordsmanship. Gu gu gu! In the face of vipin’s spear, the Qingtian Emperor showed no signs of dodging at all. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and clashed with the incoming spear with a flick of his black fingernail. Judging from how resilient and sharp the Qingtian Emperor’s fingernail was, it seemed to be some kind of powerful artifact as well.
Upon making contact, vipin suddenly felt immense strength surging from the tip of his spear toward his arms, and he swiftly retreated several steps. Had it been anyone else, the multiple clashes with the Qingtian Emperor surely would have left injuries piling up on them, rendering them weaker and weaker. However, as one who possessed the Heaven’s Path zhenqi, vipin was able to heal any injuries at an astounding speed. Even if he sustained an injury, it would not remain for long.
As such, at least for the time being, he was still able to maintain his fighting prowess at its peak. However, the Golden Origin Cauldron and the Glacier Rain Sword were different. Even with their collaboration, they still were not a match for the powerful Qingtian Emperor without vipin’s pointers. The situation really did not look good at all.
Putting aside the question whether vipin had sufficient zhenqi to drag the battle out or not, once the Golden Origin Cauldron and Glacier Rain Sword were defeated, he would be forced to face the two Qingtian Emperors simultaneously, and there was no way he would stand a chance in that situation. This secret art is really troublesome to deal with! vipin thought grimly as he took a few steps back to heal up his injuries.
“Since you have already forced me to use my Art of Cloning, there’s no way I can allow you to walk out of here alive!” The Qingtian Emperor gritted his teeth and roared as he charged toward vipin once more. With a flick of his fingers, he sent five surges of sword qi toward vipin, intending to rip him into pieces. On the other hand, vipin swiftly activated the Unbounded Voyager to flee several dozen meters back.
Hu hu! But barely after vipin escaped from the area, the Qingtian Emperor arrived before him once more to launch his second wave of assault. To his surprise, the divided Qingtian Emperor was actually able to move at speed that was in no way inferior to his! vipin repeated the same cycle eight more times, even abruptly changing his directions from time to time to shake off the Qingtian Emperor, but his efforts were to no avail.
This left cold sweat trickling down his back. All of a sudden, another Qingtian Emperor appeared right in front of him. To vipin’s astonishment, the Golden Origin Cauldron’s massive feet were already twitching on the ground uncontrollably, seemingly pummeled badly by the other Qingtian Emperor. From the looks of it, it did not seem like it would be able to battle for some time.
On the other hand, the Glacier Rain Sword was stabbed deeply into the ground, not moving at all. “You… As an Emperor of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, don’t you think that it’s embarrassing for the two of you to gang up on me? This is unfair!” vipin spat through gritted teeth as he slowly backed away “Unfair? Hahahaha!” The two Qingtian Emperors burst into laughter simultaneously. With a cold voice, they sneered, “Feel free to clone yourself too, no one is stopping you!”
“But… I don’t know such a secret art!” vipin protested. The two Qingtian Emperors scoffed coldly. “Is that supposed to be any of my business? You only have your own ignorance and powerless to blame!” After saying those words, the duo exerted their strength simultaneously, and once again, the space around vipin seemed to have frozen. As if an insect stuck in a spider’s web, he found himself unable to move. He had to exert his full strength before he was able to struggle free of the Spatial Seal and escape.
However, before he could get far, the two Qingtian Emperors had caught up with him. Peng! A powerful blow struck vipin from behind, sending him crashing forcefully into the wall. Pu! Swiftly pushing himself out from the wall, vipin turned around to face the Qingtian Emperors warily, as if preparing himself to deal with whatever other attacks they went at him with. However, at this point, his body was already shaking uncontrollably from the severe wounds that he had sustained, and it seemed as if he already had a single foot in the grave.
“At most, we’ll just die together!” Despaired, vipin bellowed furiously as he gathered his zhenqi furiously, as if intending to explode himself. “Trying to explode yourself? Do you think we’ll give you an opportunity to do so?” The two Qingtian Emperors immediately rushed forward to stop vipin, but before they could make a move, they felt an instantaneous, splitting pain in their heads before their heads exploded simultaneously. Peng! Flashy and glamorous, just like the fireworks.
As the crimson rain died down, two fists finally appeared behind the necks of the Qingtian Emperors. “You…” As if unable to believe that their heads had been destroyed, the souls of the Qingtian Emperors swiftly turned around to see the culprit behind the assault. It was none other than… vipin! Following which, they saw the ‘exploding’ vipin coming up to them with disdain in his eyes.
“What is there to boast about a mere clone? You make it sound as if it’s a big deal. These days, no one dares leave home without a clone or two with them!”
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Chapter 1219: - The Qingtian Emperor Bursts into Tears
It was already hard enough to deal with a single Qingtian Emperor, and dealing with two of them simultaneously was nearly impossible. As such, vipin had slowly made the necessary preparations. First, he had his clone conceal himself in the hall before retreating again and again so as to make the Qingtian Emperors lower their guard, as well as to lure them where he wanted them.
The final explosion served as a distraction for the duo, buying sufficient time for his clone to launch an assault. It sounded simple on the surface, but it was actually much more complex than it sounded. In order to put up a convincing act to fool the Qingtian Emperors, he had needed to carefully decide which techniques he should use, how far he should escape, where he should stop, and from which angle his clone launch should launch his assault to not be noticed. It was only due to such careful calculation that the plan worked out in the end.
At the same time, it was also fortunate that his clone had been cultivating hard in recent days, granting it strength far greater than the main body, allowing it to destroy the bodies of the two Qingtian Emperors with ease. Otherwise, with just him and the Golden Origin Cauldron, the chances of victory would have been extremely slim. “Damn it!” The corpses of the Qingtian Emperors fell to the ground with a loud ‘plop’. Following which, with a furious roar, two souls oracles rose from the two bodies.
The Primordial Spirits of the Qingtian Emperors! Astonishingly, the division was not just limited to the Qingtian Emperor’s body—even his Primordial Spirit had split in two as well! Boom! As soon as the two Primordial Spirits appeared, the surrounding air suddenly seemed to have grown even more viscous, as if one was standing in quicksand. Putting aside making a move, just remaining upright would have been a struggle for any ordinary cultivator!
As soul oracles, the Primordial Spirits of the Qingtian Emperors were far stronger than their bodies, allowing them to exert strength far greater than before. Hu! All of a sudden, the two Primordial Spirits suddenly began fusing back together. It appeared that the Qingtian Emperor’s Art of Cloning had become unstable with the destruction of both of the bodies, making it difficult for the Primordial Spirits to maintain their divided form. The fusion was completed in an instant.
Seeing how his advantage had been lost, the Qingtian Emperor’s face turned incredibly livid. With a wrathful bellow, he charged toward vipin once more. “You bastard, how dare you destroy my body? I’ll make you pay the price for your actions!” He had thought that he would have been able to kill vipin with ease once he activated his trump card, the Art of Cloning. Yet, not only did he fail to kill that brat, his physical body had even ended up being destroyed in the process.
At this moment, the sheer frustration and rage in his mind were enough to make him erupt. If he had only been angry at vipin for undoing his many years of efforts and preparations before, at this very moment, there was nothing else in his mind but the overwhelming loathing he had for vipin. Before the other party’s threat, vipin simply chuckled leisurely. “Is that the only line you know?
You have already said it quite a few times, but aren’t I still alive and kicking over here? Cut the crap.” Not even bothering to avoid the Qingtian Emperor’s attack, he thrust his palm forward instead. Tzzzzzzzz! As soon as the Qingtian Emperor’s Primordial Spirit came into contact with vipin’s palm, a sizzling reminiscent of metal coming into contact with sulfur filled the hall. In the blink of an eye, a massive hole had been corroded open in the center the Qingtian Emperor’s Primordial Spirit.
“Ahhh!” The Qingtian Emperor cried in agony as he hurriedly retracted his hand. At the same time, he stared at vipin with a disbelieving look. “Y-you…” Even back when he was in his physical body, he had still managed to overpower vipin easily, but he had unfortunately been done in by the young man’s schemes in the end. Given that, he should have been able to deal with the young man even more easily now that he was in his Primordial Spirit form. Yet… why would it turn out like that?
Why did his Primordial Spirit end up being corroded instead? “If you were just an ordinary Primordial Spirit, I might not have been able to deal with you so easily. But since you are a soul oracle, I happen to have a hundred ways to end your life…” Paying no heed to the other party’s shock, vipin smirked haughtily as he swiftly shrouded the entire hall with his Heaven’s Path zhenqi, not intending to give the Qingtian Emperor any opportunity to escape at all. Typically speaking, with his current strength, he should not have been a match for the Primordial Spirit of a Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage cultivator.
However, the Qingtian Emperor just happened to be a soul oracle, resulting in the yin energy in his Primordial Spirit being far more concentrated compared to ordinary Primordial Spirits… and the Heaven’s Path zhenqi happened to be the very nemesis of that! Just as a metal hammer would eventually be corroded into nothing no matter how hard it pounded on sulfur, as powerful the Qingtian Emperor might have been, there was no way he stood a chance against the Heaven’s Path zhenqi!
“Damn you…” The Qingtian Emperor glared at vipin coldly. At this moment, he finally realized how far he had screwed up. With his superior strength, he had wielded the decisive advantage at the very start of the battle, but with the scheming of the young man, his advantage had gradually been lost throughout the course of the battle, and now, he was in the weaker position.
Glancing at the zhenqi shrouding the entire hall, his face turned ghastly pale. At this point, while he could not understand the reason behind it, he had already come to realize that the zhenqi in the area had the ability to corrode his Primordial Spirit. If he attempted to charge out of the encirclement, he would only wear himself thin and worsen his position. “Even if I die here, I’ll bring you down with me!” Gritting his teeth furiously, the Qingtian Emperor roared furiously as he focused his soul energy together and charged at vipin once more.
At this point, it was already a do or die situation. If he could kill the young man before his Primordial Spirit corroded into nothing, he might still stand a chance at survival. Even if he did die in the end, he would never be able to rest in peace if he did not bring the young man down with him! Boom! Exerting his full strength once more, the Qingtian Emperor cast another Spatial Seal around vipin, restricting the latter’s movements.
“You sure are a resilient insect. I guess the Emperors of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe aren’t just for show after all,” vipin remarked coldly as he released a powerful burst of zhenqi, breaking the Spatial Seal around him. After which, he swiftly raised his palm to face the Qingtian Emperor’s assault. Tzzzzzzzzzz! That palm strike infused with the Heaven’s Path zhenqi swiftly clashed with the Qingtian Emperor’s Primordial Spirit, producing yet another series of sizzling sound.
“Ahhh!” With a cry of agony, the Qingtian Emperor’s Primordial Spirit shrunk significantly. “Damn it! Damn it, damn it!” Gritting his teeth tightly, the Qingtian Emperor cursed furiously. The greatest trump card of a Leaving Aperture realm expert was their control over the environment, allowing them to limit the movements of their enemies.
Yet, for some reason, the young man was able to break his Spatial Seal easily as if it was nothing at all. With a swift motion, the Qingtian Emperor distanced himself away from vipin. After which, he gathered his energy on his fingertip before blasting it toward vipin. He was thinking that as long as he could distance himself from the young man, it would be more difficult for the young man’s zhenqi to get to him. Weng!
The burst of energy from the Qingtian Emperor was incredibly concentrated, and it traveled so quickly that its motion was hardly discernible with the eye. Peng! As expected, vipin failed to withstand the burst of energy, and it struck him squarely in his chest, sending him flying into the distance. Using the same method, the Qingtian Emperor also sent vipin’s clone flying as well.
Without his Heaven’s Path zhenqi to suppress the Qingtian Emperor’s strength, there was no way vipin would be able to face the Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage soul oracle head on. Seeing how the Qingtian Emperor was able to come up with a countermeasure against him so quickly, vipin’s face turned grim. As expected of an old monster who has lived for countless years, he sure does react swiftly! While using his Heaven’s Path zhenqi to heal his injuries, he swiftly reanalyzed his current situation.
The further he spread out his Heaven’s Path zhenqi, the less concentrated it would be. While it was true that he would be able to defeat the Qingtian Emperor if he just bombard the entire hall with his Heaven’s Path zhenqi, the problem with that was that the consumption of zhenqi would be insane as well. He might very well deplete his entire zhenqi reserves for that. Considering how he had not even met Vicious yet, depleting his zhenqi reserves at this point would likely be an unwise move. What should I do? vipin thought with a frown.
However, the Qingtian Emperor did not intend to grant him any time to think. With a furious roar, he sent another burst of energy toward him. Wuuuuuuuu! The sheer accumulation of power burst through the air, seemingly wanting to tear a hole through the world. Having anticipated the move, vipin easily dodged the attack with a swift side step. Just when he was about to counterattack, a thought suddenly came to his mind. A smile slowly crept up his lips, and he flicked his wrist. Bam! An altar fell onto the ground. vipin placed his palm on it lightly.
Hu la! The inscriptions atop the altar swiftly lit up, and a powerful suction force began pulling the Primordial Spirit of the Qingtian Emperor in. Feeling the powerful suction force pulling him in, the Qingtian Emperor widened his eyes in astonishment. What? Isn’t that the altar that I set up in rosaat? That was the altar that his clone had set up in rosaat to kill master teachers and nab their souls. Who would have thought that the other party would actually bring it with him and even use it against him? Supposedly, that altar could only be activated with the Slaughter of Zhenqi unique to Otherworldly Demons.
Furthermore, the formation for it was extremely complicated. Even he would require much preparation in order to activate the altar once, and the energy consumption was massive. So how in the world did that fellow do it so easily? Noticing something, the eyebrows of the Qingtian Emperor shot up in astonishment. Wait a moment, he’s using his own zhenqi to activate the altar? The other party was actually using his own zhenqi to fuel the altar! Just how much zhenqi did he possess to squander it like that?
The Qingtian Emperor was convinced that vipin would not be able to maintain the activation of the altar for too long, but as time passed, he found the suction power from the altar growing stronger and stronger. Eventually, he was unable to hold on anymore, and his Primordial Spirit was swiftly dragged all the way to the top of the altar. The altar was crafted using a unique method from Vicious.
Those whose soul or Primordial Spirit was still grounded by a physical body might have been able to withstand the suction force of the altar, but with only his Primordial Spirit remaining at the moment, the Qingtian Emperor stood no chance at all. The Qingtian Emperor struggled furiously as he was helplessly dragged toward the altar, but it was to no avail. At this point, he suddenly saw two vipins charging up to him before launching a furious barrage of attacks on him.
Elbow, palm strike, punch, kick… Every single possible attack that could be launched by a human rained down on him relentlessly. “Damn it!” With a cry of anger, the Qingtian Emperor roared furiously as he released an overwhelming burst of energy with his full might. That burst of energy had sapped his zhenqi and soul energy significantly, but it did free him from the suction of the altar. As soon as he broke free, he immediately stretched his claws toward vipin to snap his neck.
But before his hands could reach, the two vipins had already retreated a hundred meters away. Naturally, the next course of action that the Qingtian Emperor would do was destroy the altar beneath him, but to his horror, the young man had already stowed the altar into his storage ring. The Qingtian Emperor’s face immediately turned livid. He swiftly gathered his energy on his fingertips once more and launched a barrage of attack on the two vipins, only to see them whipping out the altar once more to activate it.
Huala! He was swiftly dragged over, and the two vipins charged over to pummel him. “You bastard! I swear that I’ll rip you into pieces!” Feeling so furious that he could have exploded on the spot, the Qingtian Emperor tapped into the reserves of his strength and successfully broke free of the altar once more. However, again, he found that the two fellows had already fled to somewhere even further away to activate the altar.
Padah! He was pulled over once more, and yet another barrage of attacks fell on him. The cycle continued a few more times, and the Qingtian Emperor’s Primordial Spirit grew smaller and smaller. Feeling that he would dissipate at any moment, the Qingtian Emperor finally burst into tears. How can there be someone that shameless in the world?
He had seen plenty of capable and powerful master teachers in his time, but this was the first time he was seeing someone as shameless as that!
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Chapter 1220: - Listen to Me
The Golden Origin Cauldron, which had been smashed into the ground previously by the Qingtian Emperor, finally came to and struggled to its feet. Upon seeing the sight above, it could not help but shudder in fear. “Master… sure is vicious!” It had thought that after fusing with the Black Goldcrystal Ore and undergoing three lightning ordeals to reach Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage, it could finally be considered an expert among experts. Yet, who would have thought that it was still a level beneath its master?
For someone as keen, resourceful, and powerful as the Qingtian Emperor to be reduced to such a state, it really felt like a dream. The Golden Origin Cauldron made a mental note that no matter what it did in the future, it should never cross its master regardless of the situation. The cauldron did not even dare imagine what kind of plight it would be put into if it did so. “Enough!”
After a series of pummeling, vipin finally waved his hand. Upon hearing those words, his clone had a look of disappointment on his face. Spending day after day trapped within the Myriad Anthive Nest, it was not easy for it to have an opportunity to come out and pummel someone. It had not even had its fair share of fun yet when everything suddenly came to a halt. At this moment, the Qingtian Emperor’s Primordial Spirit was already as weak as it could get, and it seemed as if it would dissipate at any moment.
It had sustained significant damage from the Art of Cloning, and the relentless pummeling from the two vipins had really done nothing to help. Not only had his Primordial Spirit grown incredibly weak, his mind was also on the verge of snapping as well. “I will… kill… you.” Despite his frailty, the eyes of the Qingtian Emperor were still burning with hatred. “Yes, yes, I know, I know. There’s no need to get anxious now. I’ll just do a quick Soul Search on you, so bear with it.
It’ll be over before you know it!” vipin consoled as he tapped his finger on the glabella of the Qingtian Emperor’s Primordial Spirit. “No!” Seeing that vipin was going to use Soul Search against him, the eyes of the Qingtian Emperor widened in fright. He immediately struggled, wanting to escape, but the suction power of the altar was simply too strong. His Primordial Spirit just would not move an inch no matter what he did.
The struggling of the Qingtian Emperor was interfering with his Soul Search, so vipin turned to his clone and instructed, “Clone, come over and help me hold him in place. I’ll conduct a Soul Search on him to get the intelligence we need first.” “Sure thing!” Excited, vipin’s clone immediately hopped over to the Qingtian Emperor and sent a forceful kick to the latter’s head.
Paji! In an instant, the Emperor of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was reduced to a ‘⼤’ shape on the altar. With an indignant look in his eyes, he continued struggling with all his might, but things simply would not go as he wished. “Still being disobedient here, eh?” Shaking his head, vipin’s clone raised his hand and yelled, “Sword!” Hu la! The Glacier Rain Sword immediately flew into his grasp. “If you dare move once more, I’ll pierce my sword right through your throat!”
The Qingtian Emperor immediately froze on the spot, not daring to move at all. “That’s more like it. Good boy!” Nodding in satisfaction, vipin’s clone turned to vipin and said, “Alright, it’s done. You can conduct a Soul Search on him now!” “Un.” vipin placed his finger onto the Qingtian Emperor’s glabella before sending a sliver of his consciousness in. Just as he was about to examine the latter’s memories carefully to see where Vicious was, the entire hall suddenly began shaking. Following which, an eerie voice boomed.
“Who would have thought that a Celestial Master Teacher would actually be skilled in the arts of the soul oracles too? If I spread this news, do you think that the humans will continue accepting you as one of their own, or will they send their strongest experts to assassinate you?” Following that, a cold laughter echoed in the air. The voice seemed to sound right within vipin’s ears, making it impossible for him to discern the source of it. “You are finally showing yourself, huh?”
Halting his Soul Search, vipin swiftly shoved the altar and Qingtian Emperor’s Primordial Spirit into his storage ring before standing back up. He had known that Vicious was definitely in the area, and the Soul Search was actually just a ploy to lure the latter out. “Despite being only at Saint 3-dan pinnacle, you were able to defeat the Saint 5-dan advanced stage Qingtian Emperor.
I must say, as expected of a Celestial Master Teacher. Just like master shake back then, you do have a unique insight into cultivation and combat that far surpasses other geniuses,” Vicious remarked meaningfully. “However… you are still too young. In your current state, it’s simply too easy for me to kill you!” Right after saying those words, vipin suddenly felt the world spin around him. A powerful might tugged at his soul forcefully, nearly dragging it out of his body.
“This…” vipin’s face darkened. It was the same feeling that he had felt from the massive eye he had encountered back when he was in navodit’s residence. It felt as if he had lost control of his soul, and the slightest mistake in his control would result in his soul being devoured whole. Driving his Heaven’s Path zhenqi furiously, vipin struggled desperately against the powerful suction force. However, the other party was simply too powerful.
In the blink of an eye, it felt as if a black hole had materialized right before him, as if it would not rest until it devoured him whole. Hu la! Eventually, vipin’s soul was dragged out of his body and pulled over to the altar. “T-this… What a huge soul you have!” Vicious was visibly stunned by what he saw. Skilled in the arts of the soul oracles, the strength of his soul was extraordinary as well.
Yet, who would have thought that the young man before him would have one that was even bigger than his! This had already surpassed a level that he could comprehend! However, the shock only lasted for a moment. Swiftly regaining his composure, a pair of eyes suddenly appeared from the other end of the black hole, staring at vipin silently. “You should know that I have the ability to kill you easily.”
“I don’t deny that,” vipin replied calmly. “Good. I like dealing with candid people,” Vicious replied. “Since that’s the case, you should also know that the reason I have spared you for so long is because you still have some value to me!” “You want me to free you?” vipin asked. “It’s indeed easier to speak with the intelligent! As long as you free me, I’ll can spare you this once!” Vicious said. “You will spare me?
Do you mean that you will allow me to exist as a Soulless Metal Humanoid or your puppet as soon as you are freed from your restraints?” vipin scoffed. “You don’t have any other options,” Vicious replied frankly, not denying the matter. “Since I’ll face death regardless of whether I help you or not, tell me, why should I free you?” vipin shook his head. Vicious harrumphed coldly. “You don’t have any choice in this matter. If you want to see all of the master teachers and combat masters who have accompanied you here dying before your eyes… feel free to turn me down!”
Following which, the black hole suddenly stirred, and a screen appeared. It was Hall Master jagdish and the others. At this moment, they were still surrounded by countless Soulless Metal Humanoids. Those guarding the outer perimeter—Division Head madhav, Division Head girik, and the others—had already sustained considerably injuries, and they seemed to be drained as well. They had been chosen to participate in this expedition for the superior strength they possessed compared to their peers, but against so many puppets who felt neither pain nor exhaustion, it was inevitable that they were eventually worn down.
Hu! At this moment, a mechanism suddenly whirred into action within the room, and a figure slowly walked out, heading toward Hall Master jagdish and the others. The figure was a Soulless Metal Humanoid as well, but it wielded strength far greater than the others in the room. Astonishingly, it was a Leaving Aperture realm intermediate stage puppet! Powerful zhenqi burst from its acupoints, seemingly flaunting the superior strength that it wielded. “Your comrades already have their hands full dealing with the other Soulless Metal Humanoids.
If I make a move as well, how many of them do you think will remain alive at the end of this?” The pair of eyes continued staring intently at vipin, as if peering right into his thoughts, as it sneered coldly. “You don’t have much time left to make your decision.” Following which, the Soulless Metal Humanoid on the screen dashed right into Hall Master jagdish’s group. “Everyone, stand your ground…” Alarmed, Division Head madhav bellowed anxiously. However, before he could finish his words, the Soulless Metal Humanoid had already sunk its palm into his chest.
Peng! Division Head madhav was immediately sent flying into the wall, coughing up huge mouthfuls of blood. His abrupt absence resulted in an opening in the formation. Before the others could move to close the opening, that fellow charged toward the second strongest of the group, Division Head girik, to incapacitate him. Kacha! Under normal circumstances, even against a Leaving Aperture realm intermediate stage expert, as long as Division Head girik exerted his full strength, he would at least have been able to withstand a few blows and buy some time.
However, after the long battle with the Soulless Metal Humanoids, his zhenqi and stamina were already reaching their limits. As a result, he ended up caving in within a single blow, collapsing weakly to the ground. In the blink of an eye, two members of their group had been incapacitated. “You bastard! I’ll kill you!” Seeing that two of his companions had been severely wounded, vipin liaoshi roared furiously.
Whipping out the two Saint intermediate-tier sabers he had, he began launching a barrage of attacks toward the Soulless Metal Humanoid. However, seemingly expecting vipin liaoshi’s move, the Soulless Metal Humanoid raised its hand and tapped his finger forward. Weng! The swords suddenly froze in midair. With a flushed face, vipin liaoshi struggled with all his might, but he found that he was not able to move at all. It was as if someone had glued him to the floor. In the end, he was only a Primordial Spirit realm primary stage cultivator.
As powerful as he might have been, the gap between him and a Leaving Aperture realm intermediate stage cultivator was simply too great. After being pinned on the spot, the Soulless Metal Humanoid sneered coldly as it walked forward and struck vipin liaoshi with its palm. Padah! vipin liaoshi was immediately sent flying. However, while he was flying in midair, a brilliant light suddenly shimmered from his chest, and his retreating figure abruptly came to a halt. It seemed like some kind of protective amulet or the sort had been activated.
As an offspring of the shane kabila, he still had a few protective artifacts on hand in case he met with danger. “Interesting… However, if you think that the amulet will be able to stop me, I’ll have to say that you are being hopelessly optimistic!” Vicious scoffed. Under his control, the Soulless Metal Humanoid bent its knees before abruptly leaping up. Then, with a series of fluid motions reminiscent of a musician playing a zither, a barrage of attacks was launched toward vipin liaoshi. Weng weng weng weng!
The activated protective amulet shielded vipin liaoshi well, shielding him from harm. However, as the barrage of attacks continued, the radiance of the protective barrier gradually grew dimmer and dimmer. No matter how powerful a protective barrier was, it was limited by the energy it harnessed. It might have been able to withstand a powerful blow or two, but too many times, it would eventually reach its limit. Peng! The protective barrier finally shattered, and just like the others, vipin liaoshi was struck forcefully into the wall, sustaining severe injuries in the process.
After subduing the three stronger members of the group, the rest was simple. It did not take long for the three elders whom adarsh brought over to be incapacitated as well. Other than the severely wounded adarsh and Hall Master jagdish, it could be said that their entire group had been wiped out. With a cold smile on its lips, the Soulless Metal Humanoid slowly walked over to Hall Master jagdish with its palm raised, seemingly ready to kill the other party at any moment.
Knowing that the two severely wounded individuals wouldn’t be able to withstand the might of his Soulless Metal Humanoid’s attacks, Vicious glanced at vipin provocatively. “How about it? Submit to me, and I can spare your comrades. As a Celestial Master Teacher, surely you won’t watch your comrades die one by one before your eyes, right?” The principles of the master teachers were not just mere guidelines. Rather, it was a faith that they embraced, and their state of mind was built upon this faith, giving them the strength to stand resiliently in the face of fear and despair.
However, if a master teacher abandoned their principles and watched idly as their comrades die before their eyes, it could potentially lead to a collapse of their faith and their state of mind, making it difficult for them to make any advancement in their cultivation in the future. “Watch my comrades die before my eyes?” Hearing Vicious’ words, vipin abruptly burst into laughter. “Of course I won’t!”
“You…” Bewildered by vipin’s bizarre outburst, Vicious was just about to speak when the scene within the screen abruptly changed. The ‘severely-wounded’ adarsh and Hall Master jagdish abruptly leaped up from their positions to attack simultaneously. Peng! Their attack was extremely abrupt, and the Soulless Metal Humanoid was simply too close. As a result, before the Soulless Metal Humanoid could react, a massive hole was plunged through its chest, causing its ribcage to shatter entirely.
Vicious was completely taken aback by the course of events. At that moment, vipin suddenly spoke. “How about it? Submit to me, and I can consider sparing your Soulless Metal Humanoid! As a person who once successfully trapped master shake, surely you won’t watch your comrades die one by one before your eyes, right?” “…” Vicious.
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Chapter 1221: - Brain and Eyes
It had been hard for them to hold themselves back as they watched their comrades being sent flying by the Leaving Aperture realm intermediate stage Soulless Metal Humanoid one after another. However, they knew that the other party wielded strength far greater than them, and they would only have a chance at victory if they bided their time and waited for a suitable opportunity to strike. Fortunately, their efforts had paid off, and they had succeeded in incapacitating the latter.
Hulala! Hall Master jagdish and adarsh got to their feet simultaneously and began clearing up all the Soulless Metal Humanoids in the area. Having undergone the lightning ordeal, the two of them were already True Leaving Aperture realm experts. On the other hand, these Soulless Metal Humanoids were only at the Primordial Spirit realm, so there was no way they could possibly stand a chance against the duo.
After clearing up the Soulless Metal Humanoids, adarsh hurriedly rushed up vipin liaoshi, Division Head madhav, and the others, and taking out a gourd of fine wine, he gave everyone of them a mouthful of it. In a few breaths, the wounded crowd had fully recovered from their injuries, and they rose to their feet. “Hall Master jagdish, adarsh… What’s going on? You…” The crowd could hardly believe what they were seeing.
The two of them had clearly suffered grievous wounds from their Leaving Aperture Ordeal, making them too frail to even stand properly, so… how in the world did they suddenly recover from their injuries? “Principal vipin had us pretend to be injured in order to relax the enemies and make them lower their guard. He told us only to make a move at the crucial moment,” Hall Master jagdish explained. It was true that the Leaving Aperture Ordeal had nearly cost him his life, and even though he had successfully cleared it in the end, he had sustained severe injuries.
Under normal circumstances, without months of recuperation, it would have been hard for him to return to his peak. However, the gourd of wine that vipin had fed them was simply too potent. Not only did their physical wounds recover, more importantly, even their wounded Primordial Spirits had been nursed back to full health! adarsh also nodded in agreement. He did not drink the wine, but vipin had infused his zhenqi straight into his body.
As a result, he had already recovered from the injuries as soon as he sustained them. “Principal vipin headed over there earlier. Let’s go over to take a look as well!” Having just overcome a near-death experience, everyone was filled with many complex emotions within. Nevertheless, knowing that there was an enemy that they needed to overcome ahead, they decided to head on without wasting any time. After seeing all of that, Vicious’ expression turned livid.
He had planned to trigger Hall Master jagdish’s lightning ordeal in order to make them lose their strongest fighter, but who would have thought that his efforts would end up bolstering the other party’s forces instead? “You knew that I would dispatch some men to deal with them?” Vicious looked at vipin with killing intent in his eyes. “I didn’t, but as the old adage goes—better safe than sorry,” vipin replied calmly. He could not have expected that Vicious would attempt to hold adarsh and the others hostage in order to threaten him, but there was no doubt that Vicious would have attempted to harm them.
Regardless of how he planned to go about doing so, it was always best to prepare some cards in advance. That way, they would not be utterly helpless in face of an unexpected situation. This was especially so given that they were dealing with an old monster with countless years of experience. They might not have won in a direct battle of wits, but the least they could do was win in terms of preparation. Seeing the fearless look on vipin’s face, Vicious lashed out furiously.
“Very well. Do you really think that I dare not kill you?” “Of course you want to kill me, but… are you able of doing it in your current state?” vipin chuckled softly as he shot a sideward glance at Vicious. “If you are really able to do it, you would have done it long ago. You wouldn’t be wasting words with me here.” Prior to meeting the eyes, he had encountered and fought with two other body parts of Vicious. The first Vicious he had met was the heart. Without any hesitation, the latter had attempted to kill him.
It was truly fortunate that he had possessed a golden page, allowing him to seal Vicious and force the heart to submit to him. The second Vicious he had met was the finger. Similarly, the finger also made a move on him without wasting any breath. Considering that they had come from the same origin, it was likely that they would have the same personality.
So, how could the first two Viciouses be so ferocious whereas this one would be so kind as to negotiate terms with him? Clearly, the other party was all talk. While the other party kept the matter of killing him by his mouth, the fact was that it was probably easier said than done. Otherwise, he would have long made his move. Alternatively, it could also have meant that Vicious was intending to use his hand to be freed from his restraints. With that in mind, Vicious had been forced to play along with him, coming up with this entire show to force him to submit. But regardless of which reason it was, vipin had nothing to fear.
“You…” Vicious was taken aback. “Alright, let’s not waste any more time here. I’ll be leaving now then.” Since he could not be bothered to deal with Vicious any longer, vipin drove his Heaven’s Path Soul Art. The area around him blurred, and he suddenly found that he was still standing on the spot. Everything that he had just encountered seemed to have been nothing more than a figment of his imagination. Seeing that everything was just as he had deduced, vipin heaved a sigh of relief. Previously, back at navodit’s residence, Vicious had made a move on him.
From that, it could be seen that Vicious did intend to kill him. Yet, upon arriving at the Ghost Cavern, Vicious had gone to the effort of separating them, triggering Hall Master jagdish’s Leaving Aperture Ordeal, and putting on this entire act. This had left him rather doubtful. If Vicious was truly as powerful as he made out to be, surely it would not have mattered how powerful Hall Master jagdish was. Interfering with Hall Master jagdish’s Lightning Aperture Ordeal would truly have been a redundant step.
Furthermore, he had also pummeled the Qingtian Emperor to the point that the latter was on the verge of passing away, and yet, Vicious still did not appear. Putting all that together, vipin had roughly come to a conclusion. However, with many things at stake, he had not dared to act recklessly. Thus, he had sought to verify his conjecture.
After which, when his soul was dragged away by Vicious, he surprisingly found that Vicious did not make a move on him directly. Instead, the latter began negotiating with him, even trying to take adarsh and the others hostage to force him to submit.
This very action affirmed all the conjectures that he had come up with previously. Vicious really was not as powerful as he had thought. Perhaps, he might even have been weaker than the Qingtian Emperor! Otherwise, there was no reason for him to keep hiding, controlling the Soulless Metal Humanoid from behind to kill the others. Without a doubt, this was an attempt to portray himself as an expert, winning the battle by forcing him into submission.
If it had been anyone else, they might have fallen for his ploy. However, Vicious never would have thought that pretending to be an expert… happened to be his field of specialty! He was one who was able to scare away a real Saint 7-dan expert by acting as Yang shi, so how could he possibly allow others to beguile him with the same tactics?
With a quick step, vipin headed to the wall where the Qingtian Emperor had emerged from, and he placed his hand on it. A moment later, a slight smile surfaced on his lips. Using his finger as a sword, he tapped on the wall seven times. Kacha! The whirring of a mechanism echoed loudly, and a passageway leading further down appeared.
It was completely dark within, and just like before, vipin found that his Spiritual Perception was unable to penetrate too far ahead. vipin turned around and instructed, “Clone, you take the lead.” His clone was made of the Nine Hearts Lotus, so even if he was ground into meat paste or sliced in two, he would still be able to regenerate to his original form. On the other hand, vipin was clearly incapable of pulling that off himself.
Even if Vicious’ fighting prowess was not as fearsome as what he had imagined, it would still be wise to proceed carefully. After all, he was a person who had succeeded in winning the Qingtian Emperor’s loyalty, so the chances were that he had more tricks up his sleeves. “Follow behind me closely. Don’t worry, I’ll cover you. When it comes down to it, I’ll just act as if I’m the main body, and you can assume the role of the clone!” vipin’s clone shot vipin a disdainful look before raising his head haughtily and venturing into the passageway.
To think that the main body would not only be weak, he would even be so spineless! It really was a wonder how he had managed to come this far! Ignoring his narcissistic clone, vipin stowed the Golden Origin Cauldron and the Glacier Rain Sword back into his storage ring before closely following his clone into the passageway. vipin’s clone harrumphed in displeasure as he walked through the passageway.
“Let me tell you, as the main body, you should be daring and decisive. If you keep acting so cowardly, not even daring to walk through a mere passageway yourself, as your clone, I’ll be deeply embarrassed!” “Well, it’s always good to be careful.” The more he heard his clone speak, the more awkward vipin felt. He really was the most pathetic main body in the world. To think that the clone that he had forged would end up being a bigger poser than he was. There were really no words he could find to describe the feeling in his heart.
“What’s there to be careful about? If you’re sufficiently strong, there’s no need to hesitate before anything!” vipin’s clone refuted coldly. However, halfway through his words, a powerful force suddenly charged at him. Padah!
Before he realized what was happening, his head was already smacked flat like a biscuit. “What the hell! Who in the world assaulted me?” Roaring furiously, vipin’s clone immediately charged in the direction that the attack had come from, only to realize that he had arrived at the end of the flight of stairs. Appearing before him was yet another vast hall.
Huala! Several figures suddenly rushed out from the corners of the hall to block their path. Without a doubt, one of them was the culprit behind the flattened head of vipin’s clone. At this moment, vipin stroked his chest in relief. If he had not gotten his clone to help lead the way forward, he might have died there and then. Suppressing his shock, he began examining the figures before him closely. There were four figures in total, and they were roughly around his height.
However, they were neither Otherworldly Demons nor Soulless Metal Humanoids. “These are… celestial designer puppets?” vipin’s eyebrows shot up. Upon careful observation, he realized that those figures were actually exquisitely-crafted celestial designer puppets. The puppets created by celestial designers were vastly different from those crafted by grand master krishna using the Otherworldly Demon bodies. These puppets were crafted solely out of spare parts, and the powerful engine behind them granted them incredible fighting prowess.
From how they had flattened vipin’s clone head with a single strike, their fighting prowess was probably on par with vipin—Saint 3-dan realm intermediate stage at the very least. “Damn it!” vipin’s clone was so furious that he could have exploded on the spot. He had been acting like expert before the main body and mocking him, but the next moment, his head had ended up being smashed in.
If he could convert his frustration and rage into energy, it could have destroyed the entire world. With a furious bellow, his head popped back up, reverting to its original form, before rushing forward to tear apart the puppet that dared to lay its hands on him previously. Peng peng peng peng! In an instant, vipin’s clone had already traded dozens of blows with one of the puppets, and the powerful shockwave from their collision caused sonic booms to sound in the air.
Countless scars were left on the floor and walls, and broken gravel was swept furiously into the air, creating a sight of devastation. Nevertheless, neither of them was willing to back down. “Strong…” vipin’s eyebrows shot up in alarm. Astonishingly, despite its lower cultivation realm, the strength that the puppet displayed was almost on par with the Qingtian Emperor! To make things worse, there were even three more standing by the side. If they collaborated with one another, even with his clone and the Golden Origin Cauldron, vipin still would not stand a chance.
“How about it? Did you really think that I won’t be able to kill you?” Vicious’ voice sounded once more. “Through these puppets, you mean?” vipin replied coldly. “As long as it’s effective, does it matter what I use?” Vicious sneered in response. “So, you are admitting that you are no match for me with your current strength?” vipin scoffed. To first send the Qingtian Emperor after him before bringing out these puppets, it seemed like Vicious was really in a weakened state at the moment. “Master, I can confirm it now. He’s my brain and my eyes!”
the Vicious within the Book of Heaven’s Path informed vipin. “Your brain and your eyes?” “Un. The brain is where the memory is stored, so that explains why that fellow was able to retain a greater degree of my memories and recall the matter of trapping master shake,” the Vicious in the Book of Heaven’s Path analyzed. “The fighting prowess that my brain and my eyes wield is severely limited. Other than casting some basic soul arts, they are effectively useless in battle.
As such, they have no choice but to rely on beguiling others to work for them. This is probably why they are resorting to such schemes instead of dealing with you directly!” “I see!” Hearing Vicious’ analysis, vipin nodded in realization. Back then, when he encountered Vicious’ finger, the latter had attacked him without any hesitation. On the other hand, this Vicious seemed to be relying on external forces—such as other Otherworldly Demons, Soulless Metal Humanoids, or puppets—to deal with him.
This further supported Vicious’ conjecture. “Even so, Master, you still must remain careful! While my brain is lacking in fighting prowess, it’s still where most of my memories are kept. It won’t be easy to kill and possess it!” the Vicious in the Book of Heaven’s Path remarked worriedly. Even though he had undergone the lightning ordeal and successfully advanced to Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage, he still had no confidence that he would be able to deal with the many means that the other Vicious possessed.
The head was bound to retain most of the memories of the former Vicious, granting it a deep understanding of all kinds of techniques. This would allow it to effectively neutralize most offenses and possession attempts. On this aspect, the Vicious in the Book of Heaven’s Path, being just a heart and a finger, was at a critical disadvantage.
“More importantly, the brain is the center of a body, possessing innate authority that grants it near-absolute control over the rest of the body. I fear that… if I get too close to him, I might just unknowingly fall under his control!” the Vicious in the Book of Heaven’s Path revealed worriedly.
Putting aside just him, even if the rest of Vicious’ body parts were there, they still would have had to obey the commands of the brain. If they rushed at the other Vicious recklessly, not only would he be unable to devour the other Vicious, he might even end up as the other Vicious’ puppet!
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Chapter 1222: - Teacher Loves You!
vipin frowned. The brain was the command center of a body. Even if Vicious’ body was divided into many parts at the moment, the authority that the brain had over the other body parts still remained. In other words, even if the Vicious in the Book of Heaven’s Path was stronger than the other Vicious, it would still have no choice but to submit to it. Furthermore, while the fighting prowess that the brain wielded was severely limited, the sheer amount of knowledge it retained granted it many other means, which made it a frightening opponent to go against.
For one, it was due to the means that the other Vicious possessed that allowed him to make the Qingtian Emperor his subordinate, control so many Soulless Metal Humanoids and puppets simultaneously, and cast soul arts with superior proficiency that could nab even vipin’s soul.
Fortunately, while vipin had been powerless against the other Vicious’ soul nabbing secret art previously, the advancement of his cultivation to Embryonic Soul realm pinnacle had granted him the strength to withstand the technique, making it impossible for the other party to kill him with the soul nabbing secret art anymore.
Nevertheless, that did not mean to say that the other Vicious did not have any other means that he could use against him. After all, how could an old monster who had rivaled master shake in his peak possibly only know the soul nabbing secret art? vipin hesitated for a moment before asking the Vicious in the Book of Heaven’s Path, “Let me confirm again, you won’t be able to defeat him in a direct encounter?”
“That’s right. Even if he’s weaker than me, I don’t think that I’ll be able to disobey the commands of the brain blatantly. In a direct encounter, he’ll be able to control me easily. The only time I will stand a chance against him is when he’s unconscious. As long as I can erase his consciousness and replace it with mine while he’s out, I’ll be able to possess him,” Vicious replied.
“Unconscious?” A helpless smile surfaced on vipin’s lips. How could that be possible? The other party’s soul was so strong that it could even drag his massive soul into a black hole; how could he possibly knock a soul that powerful unconscious? That was an impossible mission! Hu! Since the two of them had conversed directly with their souls, even though it seemed like they had chatted for some time, in truth, only half a breath had passed so far. Back in the hall, making use of the opportunity while vipin’s clone was preoccupied, the other three puppets swiftly dashed forward to encircle vipin. One of them raised its fist and flung it forcefully toward him. “Golden Origin Cauldron!”
Knowing that there was no way he could defend against three puppets with his current strength, vipin bellowed loudly, and the Golden Origin Cauldron immediately appeared before him. It swiftly charged forward with its bottom facing a puppet. Peng! The fist collided with the Golden Origin Cauldron’s bottom, and with a deep chime, the puppet was forced to retreat several steps back. The reason the Golden Origin Cauldron had not been a match for the Qingtian Emperor was due to the superior combat skills that the latter possessed.
With his opponent being a puppet that was only capable of relying on its brute strength this time around, the Golden Origin Cauldron’s outstanding defense granted it a huge advantage in the battle. Nevertheless, the puppet was not weak. The both of them fought on equal grounds with one another, but it seemed like the Golden Origin Cauldron currently held the upper hand. However, before vipin could ease up, the remaining two puppets charged at him.
Hualala! Overwhelming auras gushed out from the two puppets, creating a powerful gale in the area. It felt as if a devastating storm was brewing within the hall, preparing to bring a catastrophe upon those present. In face of such strength, vipin’s face paled. He swiftly pointed forward and exclaimed, “That person over there is the real vipin, so go for him! I mean, just look at how powerful he is…” “…” vipin’s clone. However, the two puppets seemed to remain unconvinced. They continued charging toward vipin furiously, launching attack after attack.
Dodging their attacks in a fluster, vipin exclaimed desperately, “I am really just the clone! Have you ever seen a clone more powerful than the main body before?” Thinking that there was some logic in those words, one of the puppets hesitated for a moment before heading over toward vipin’s clone, collaborating with the previous puppet to launch a barrage of devastating attacks. It did not take long before the head of the vipin’s clone was flattened once more. vipin’s clone was truly on the verge of tears.
The main bodies of the other clones were powerful and selfless, diving unhesitatingly into danger to uphold their beliefs. On the other hand, his main body… Heavens, just what kind of crime did he commit in his previous life to be born to such a main body? But thinking back again, it seemed like he had done the same thing to the main body back at the faraj Palace, so he did not have any right to complain.
With a weary heart, vipin’s clone could only swallow his frustrations and try his best to deal with the two puppets. Nevertheless, it did not take long for several dents to appear all over his body. It was fortunate that he was forged out of the Nine Hearts Lotus, or else he would have really lost his life there and then! Just as vipin’s clone was about to explode from frustration, the main body suddenly sent a telepathic message to him. “Clone, try to stall those two puppets for the time being.
I’ll come and help you as soon as I get rid of this one!” “… Fine!” Hearing that his main body was not intentionally abandoning him, the stifling sensation that vipin’s clone felt in his chest finally alleviated slightly. Boom boom boom! Despite abandoning his defense altogether and devoting his full strength to offense, vipin’s clone only barely managed to rival the two clones. “Interesting…” The voice of the other Vicious echoed eerily in the hall. “But regardless of which of you is the main body and the clone, none of you will get out of here today!”
He had not expected vipin’s clone to wield such strength, fighting on equal terms with two puppets. With a cold harrumph, he was just about to continue speaking when he suddenly froze. “Y-you… What are you doing? Kill him!” Sensing the anxiety in the other Vicious’ voice, vipin’s clone was bewildered. He quickly forced back the two puppets with two powerful punches before hurriedly turning a glance to his main body. And then… dumbfounded.
At some point in time, the puppet that had been chasing after his main body mercilessly, seeming as if it would not rest until it butchered the latter, was suddenly kneeling before his main body with a look of reverence on its face. On the other hand, his main body seemed to be saying something that caused the puppet to tremble uncontrollably in excitement. “The heck…” Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, vipin’s clone widened its eyes in shock.
It had fought so desperately that its head had even been flattened multiple times throughout the course of the battle, and it did not even manage to scratch his enemy. Yet, his main body had made the puppet willingly kneel down to him just by uttering a few words. They originated from the same soul, so how could there be such a huge gap between them? Overwhelmed by frenzy, vipin’s clone focused its hearing to find out just what words of sorcery the main body was saying, only to hear some unexpected words.
“… Go! Remember, your teacher loves you!” Right after those words were spoken, the puppet that had been chasing his main body around suddenly rushed straight for him. “I…” Horrified, vipin’s clone immediately began to run away, only to see the puppet charging past him to clash with one of the puppets it had been dealing with. Peng peng peng peng! The two puppets were equally matched, and it did not seem any one of them would emerge victorious anytime soon.
The mouth of vipin’s clone twitched upon seeing that sight. Taking a deep breath, it was just about to deal with the other remaining puppet when the main body suddenly appeared before it. With a melodious tone, the main body began speaking. “Born as a puppet, doomed to obey the commands of others for life. What a tragic fate it is, don’t you think? Come, listen to me…” It did not take long before that puppet knelt earnestly before his main body as well.
“Go!” With a shout from the main body, the puppet immediately charged for the puppet that was currently clashing with the Golden Origin Cauldron. Ignoring his shocked clone, vipin heaved a sigh of relief. “Phew, it’s done!” Having comprehended the Heart of a Teacher, the effectiveness of his Impartation of Heaven’s Will had expanded from just humans to beasts and artifacts as well.
In fact, he had even managed to get vipin liaoshi’s weapons to acknowledge him as their teacher before. Considering that these puppets had their own spirits as well, naturally, it was also possible for him to win them over with his Impartation of Heaven’s Will. “This move of yours sure is convenient! With this, you will be able to get any puppet to submit to you without even lifting a finger,” vipin’s clone remarked in awe. vipin turned to his clone and said, “Are you interested in it?
If you want to learn it, I can teach you.” “…” The face of vipin’s clone reddened in exasperation. “We are both the same person, is there really a need for you to pose before me? It’s just Impartation of Heaven’s Will, who doesn’t know how to do that?” After saying those words, vipin’s clone charged up to one of the ‘unconverted’ puppets and reached out, as if a holy priest offering a hand to salvation. “Born as a puppet, doomed to obey the commands of others for life. What a tragic fate it is, don’t you think? Come, listen to me…” Peng! His head was flattened with a forceful punch.
“I…” vipin’s clone was crazed. The same person saying the same words—the puppets had kneeled right after hearing them from his main body, but when he spoke them, he ended up being pummeled instead. Are you all bullying me because I’m a clone? This is discrimination! Seeing his clone’s state, vipin shook his head and sighed deeply. “Jeez…” Ultimately, his clone had also come from his soul as well. However, when would his clone learn to be as humble and low-profile as he was?
To be thinking of how he could pose before others every single day, did he really have nothing better to do? Forget it, I should try to find Vicious first! Ignoring the puppets and his clone, vipin activated his Eye of Insight and began scanning the hall. However, other than the four puppets, there did not seem to be anything of note within the hall. There must be some kind of mechanism in here… Recalling how there were mechanisms in the previous halls he had been through, vipin was just about to search for the one within the hall more thoroughly when Vicious’ furious voice suddenly erupted.
“Using your Heart of a Teacher and the Impartation of Heaven’s Will to beguile my puppets… you really have a sharp tongue, just like master shake! However, given how many times I have clashed with master shake before, do you think that I would be completely unprepared for this?” “What?” vipin narrowed his eyes. He quickly turned around, only to see that the two puppets he had just beguiled earlier abruptly shuddering intensely before their heads burst with a resounding explosion.
Putong! Their headless bodies fell limply onto the ground. “You left another trick within them?” vipin’s face darkened. As expected of Vicious, he was indeed prepared for all kinds of situation. Anticipating the possible betrayal of his subordinates, he had left a trick in them so that he could kill them whenever he wanted. “Do you think that I would have been able to survive so long without at least this much brainpower?”
Vicious sneered coldly. Considering that his enemy was master shake, if he did not even have this much wariness in him, he would have been killed by the Master Teacher Pavilion many times over. In the face of such a situation, vipin clenched his fists tightly. Killing the puppets that he had just beguiled did not just cost him two powerful soldiers, more importantly, it also served as a warning against those who intended to betray Vicious.
As powerful as the Heart of a Teacher paired with the Impartation of Heaven’s Will was, it was not exactly brainwashing. It served to win others over by merit, not through force. The spirits of the puppets had seen how their companions were killed right before their eyes, which caused their wills to instinctively reject vipin’s teachings out of fear of death. Given so, it would be nigh impossible for vipin to win them over.
Boom! At this moment, the two remaining puppets suddenly charged at vipin even more frenziedly than before. The deaths of their companions had left them feeling as if there was an invisible noose around their necks, and they realized that they could very well be killed by Vicious if they failed to kill the young man before their eyes. Against the frenzied assault of the duo, even vipin’s clone and the Golden Origin Cauldron ended up being forced back. The other Vicious chuckled gleefully.
“Let’s see how well you will cope this time around!” “Cope? There’s no need for that at all!” vipin replied casually. “No need for that?” “Indeed. There’s really no need to go through so much trouble just to deal with those puppets.” Shrugging leisurely, vipin flicked his wrist, and Demoneh and Demonbee appeared before his eyes. He had moved these inner demons into the Myriad Anthive Nest prior to entering the Ghost Cavern. “Go, possess those two puppets!”
“Yes, Teacher!” Demoneh and Demonbee morphed into two clouds of black mist and flew over to shroud the puppets. Hu! The intangible nature of inner demons made it impossible for physical might to faze them, and soul-wise, considering how even cultivators would easily succumb to their onslaught, how could mere puppets possibly withstand their assault? In the blink of an eye, they had already dived into the glabellae of the puppets. Gudong! Gudong! As soon as the inner demons entered the puppets’ bodies, the two puppets staggered weakly for a moment before collapsing to the ground.
“You… Inner demons?” Vicious was crazed. He was the one who had conjured those inner demons back then! Who would have thought that the other party would actually use those inner demons against him at this crucial moment? “Indeed.
While these inner demons are unable to destroy the spirits of the puppets and gain control of their bodies, they are still more than capable of incapacitating them for a short period of time, rendering them powerless!” vipin chuckled softly. Inner demons could confuse an individual’s mind, robbing them of their fighting ability. Even though Demoneh and Demonbee were unable to effectively gain control of the puppets, they were still able to keep them busy for some time.
“Excellent. Excellent! I concede that you are indeed a formidable opponent, but while you might be able to stop two of my puppets, will you be able to stop this many of them simultaneously?” With his voice trembling with rage, Vicious roared angrily. Following which, a mechanism suddenly whirred into action, and a door opened. Following which, more than a hundred puppets dashed into the hall simultaneously.
The face of vipin’s clone paled as it widened its eyes in disbelief. “There are so many of them?” On the other hand, the Golden Origin Cauldron cowered backward in fear. If he could have cowered beneath his lid, he definitely would have done so at this very moment. “Hahaha! Hahahaha!” Vicious’ manic laughter echoed resoundingly in the hall. “I have more than a hundred puppets here.
Do you have enough inner demons to incapacitate every last one of them?” But Vicious’ glee did not last long. The young man shook his head and replied calmly, “You are in luck. I happen to have enough.”
------oOo------
Chapter 1223: - Celestial Designer Lock
Hu la! Right after vipin said those words, a dark mist abruptly burst forth from him. In the blink of an eye, a massive group of inner demons had rushed into the surroundings. There was more than a hundred of them. Back then, in the Combat Master Hall’s Heart Division, adhip’s fragmented soul hidden within his body had resulted in the generation of a huge army of inner demons in the Trial of Inner Demons, and adhip had attempted to use them to kill him.
Eventually, he had managed to tame those inner demons, and he had kept them inside a jade bottle ever since then. Tzzzzzzzz! The hundred or so inner demons immediately rushed for the puppets. “This is mine, don’t you dare snatch it from me!” “Hey, I was the one who saw it first…” “I am Demonsee, and he’s Demondee. We’re inner demons who were personally named by our teacher! Nameless small fries like the rest of you should know your own place and go to the back of the queue!”
Upon seeing the huge army of puppets before them, the inner demons immediately charged forward to claim a body for themselves. Before the hundred puppets could even cause a shred of damage, every single one of them was already lying powerlessly on the ground. “Y-you…” Vicious nearly lost his mind.
Only he knew how much time, effort, and precious materials he had spent on forging each and every one of those puppets. Those puppets were to become the invincible army that he would command upon his return, and he had been confident that they would easily kill the young man before him.
Yet, who could have known that the young man had prepared a hand for this as well! To actually have more than a hundred inner demons in your possession… Does your family actually deal in inner demons? “You bastards, get up and kill him!” Vicious bellowed wrathfully. But plagued by inner demons, the eyes of the puppets were glazed. They remained motionless on the ground, as if lifeless corpses.
Reverting back to its usual, imposing presence, the Golden Origin Cauldron stepped forward and spoke confidently. “Master, let me smash all of them to smithereens! Otherwise, once the puppets struggle free of their inner demons, they will surely pose a threat to us once more!” At the same time, it glared down on the puppets on the ground, seemingly wanting to suffocate each and every one of them with its massive bottom.
“Smash them to smithereens?” vipin shook his head. “While they are only puppets, they do have their own consciousness. It would truly be a huge pity to kill all of them.” Just like the Golden Origin Cauldron, these puppets had spirits of their own. It would have been cruel to massacre over a hundred of them just like that. “But…” the Golden Origin Cauldron frowned. Even if they were to spare the puppets, it was not as if the puppets would spare them once they struggled free of the inner demons.
Faced with more than a hundred Leaving Aperture realm puppets, it would only take moments for them to be pummeled to death! “Jeez, I guess I have no choice then!” Shaking his head, vipin waved his hand grandly with a deeply reluctant look on his face. Huala! All of the puppets lying on the ground were packed into his storage ring. Those puppets were currently in a state of confusion, so they could not resist being pulled into the storage ring at all.
Furthermore, as artifacts, they would not suffocate to death in the storage ring either. “…” the Golden Origin Cauldron. “…” Vicious was so choked up that he could not speak a word at all, and he even nearly spurted a mouthful of blood. Those puppets are mine! Mine! This is robbery! How can you steal my possession right before my eyes? You planned for this right from the start, right? Right?
Vicious was livid with rage, but there was nothing he could do in the situation. All his puppets had been incapacitated, so he no longer had any subordinates who could possibly stop vipin. Ignoring the speechless Golden Origin Cauldron and clone, as if not feeling the slightest guilt for his actions, vipin remarked leisurely, “I’ll have to preach to them later on and have them renounce evil for good.
It seems like I have unwittingly made another huge contribution to the Master Teacher Pavilion!” With a few steps, he walked over to the door where the puppets had emerged from and walked in. Once again, there was another flight of stairs leading downward. Just like before, he had his clone lead the way. This time, they did not encounter any danger on the way. Before long, they reached the end of the passageway.
“This is… a labyrinth?” the Golden Origin Cauldron asked. This time, instead of a vast hall, they were met with countless smaller rooms densely packed together. There were many possible paths to take, just like in a labyrinth. More importantly, when vipin scanned the area with his Spiritual Perception, he realized that it was not able to reach the end of the labyrinth.
It was as if the entire labyrinth stretched across the whole island! “This… What is this supposed to be used for?” vipin’s clone was bewildered. In fact, even vipin himself was taken aback. He scanned the room with his Eye of Insight, and he realized that each of the small rooms was forged out of a unique material, making the walls particularly resilient. He could hardly imagine how much it would have cost to build such a gigantic labyrinth.
To make a comparison, the cost of crafting these rooms was at least a hundred times the price required to forge all the puppets he had encountered earlier. “Are these residences for those puppets?” the Golden Origin Cauldron asked after a moment of contemplation. “Residences? Would a hundred puppets require this many residences?”
Scanning the area with his Spiritual Perception, vipin could perceive at least ten thousand rooms. Putting aside the question of if the puppets would require a room for themselves, surely there was no need to construct so many of them! Unable to make sense of the bizarre labyrinth, vipin shook his head as he began heading down one of the paths. “Let’s not bother with that for the time being.
Make sure to keep your guard up; don’t give Vicious an opportunity to assault you…” If it had been anyone else, they would have swiftly lost their way due to the identical rooms everywhere. However, through his Eye of Insight, vipin was able to vaguely perceive an extremely thin strand of thread in the air. After walking for around ten minutes, passing by countless rooms in the meantime, they finally arrived before an open stone door, which revealed another passageway that led further downward.
Since they had already come this far, the two men and one cauldron walked into the passageway without any hesitation, heading downward once more. As soon as they reached the end of the passageway, they immediately felt a concentrated burst of killing intent gushing their way, threatening to tear their consciousness into shreds. Having practiced the simplified Heaven’s Path Soul Art, vipin’s clone was still able to withstand the overwhelming killing intent.
However, the Golden Origin Cauldron shook feebly in the face of the fearsome killing intent, unable to stand against it. Despite having reached Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage, it was ultimately still a mere spirit and not a soul. Inevitably, its ability to withstand the powerful killing intent of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe was lacking. “You should return for now.” vipin swiftly stowed the Golden Origin Cauldron back into his storage ring before assessing the room before him together with his clone. It was a spacious underground chamber.
There was a square box hanging in the middle of the chamber, propped up by four thick chains embedded in the wall at the four corners. vipin could not tell what kind of material the box was made of, but there was an eerie cold glint reflected off its black exterior. The powerful burst of killing intent had originated from the box. “Vicious… is inside?” vipin’s clone muttered softly.
“Very possibly so,” vipin replied with a grim frown. The sheer concentration of the killing intent in that previous burst showed that the purity of the bloodline of whatever was sealed within the box had already exceeded that of the Qingtian Emperor. In the Ghost Cavern, the only one who could possibly possess a purer bloodline than the Qingtian Emperor was Vicious.
Beneath the black box was an altar that bore a striking resemblance to the one he had used to deal with the Qingtian Emperor earlier, just that it was slightly bigger. There were bizarre inscriptions all over it, and for some reason, there seemed to be an air of desolation shrouding those inscriptions. It felt as if one would be torn in two just by approaching it. vipin’s clone picked up a stone and tossed it at the altar.
Tz la! Countless sword qi burst forth from the altar, slicing the stone into powdery remains. “This…” vipin’s eyebrows shot up. The altar in his possession was used to nab souls whereas the altar right before him seemed to have a Slaughter Formation inscribed into it. Even if it was him, he had no doubt that he would be reduced into minced meat if he was caught amid the sword qi. In other words, anyone who tried to approach the black box would be instantaneously killed by the endless sword qi.
“You are here, aren’t you?” Unable to see through the box nor the altar through his Eye of Insight, vipin began scanning the surroundings as he called out. “Humph! Even if you managed to find your way here, it makes no difference at all. As long as you are unable to open the box, your mission is doomed to end in a failure!” Vicious’ eerie voice echoed within the chamber.
“You are in the box?” vipin narrowed his eyes. “Indeed. Even if you know it now, what can you do about it?” Vicious mocked. Hearing those words, vipin fell into deep contemplation. Back at navodit’s residence, when the other Vicious had nabbed his soul, he had muttered to himself, saying that as long as he devoured vipin, a Celestial Master Teacher, he would be able to escape from his restraints.
From the looks of it now, he had been referring to this box back then. If he opened it and the other Vicious escaped… Considering how even the Vicious in the Book of Heaven’s Path would not be able to make a move, vipin was not too confident. But… if he did not let Vicious out, there would be no way he would be able to kill the latter through the black box. Let me see what it is! Perplexed, vipin slowly walked toward the black box.
The closer he came to the black box, the more powerful the killing intent became. If it had been adarsh and the others, or perhaps even an 8-star master teacher, their minds could have very well succumbed by now. However, vipin was different. Driving his Heaven’s Path zhenqi, he was able to easily dispel the pressure arising from the killing intent. Before long, he was already standing at the perimeter just outside of the altar’s area of attack. He did not dare proceed any further, but from this distance, he was already able to get a good look at the black box through his Eye of Insight.
The black box was roughly fifty centimeters in length, and there was not the slightest opening in the box, as if it was just a lump of metal. “What is it?” vipin’s clone also walked over. vipin pondered for a moment before saying, “If I’m not mistaken, it seems to be… the Celestial Designer Lock!” “Celestial Designer Lock?” vipin’s clone asked in confusion. He had been in the storage ring over the past few days, and vipin had not had any time to share his newly-learned knowledge with him yet.
As such, his current knowledge was far beneath vipin’s. “The Celestial Designer Lock is a unique artifact known to be the most unyielding lock that a celestial designer can create. It’s often used to seal away highly dangerous objects, and once the lock is in place, not even the creator of the Celestial Designer Lock will be able to open it! If one forces it open, the content of the box will be utterly destroyed!”
vipin said. “It’s different from Celestial Designer Mechanical Container in the sense that the Celestial Designer Mechanical Container can be opened whereas the Celestial Designer Lock is intended for permanent sealing!” vipin had once encountered a Celestial Designer Mechanical Container, and while it had been difficult to open, those who managed to find the key would still be able to open it.
On the other hand, the Celestial Designer Lock was like a dead knot. What was sealed within was doomed to never see the light of the day again. If one forcefully pried it open, what was sealed within the box would be destroyed as well. “Since that’s the case, isn’t it obvious what we should do? As long as we attempt to pry open the black box forcefully and trigger the self-destruction of the Celestial Designer Lock, we will be able to kill Vicious, right?” vipin’s clone said.
It was not as if they were here to save Vicious. If they could kill him, that would be for the best. “This…” vipin shook his head. “I fear that things might not be as simple as that!” Stroking his lower jaw, he began circling around the altar, deep in thought. If it was as easy as his clone made it out to be, there was no way Vicious would have allowed them to come this far so easily!
While they might have been unable to get close to the Celestial Designer Lock, if they were to knock the box with their zhenqi, they should be able to trigger its self-destruction without coming under the attack of the altar. But it was precisely how easy and convenient everything was that left vipin deeply apprehensive inside. Could an expert of Vicious’ caliber really be done in that easily?
“Clone, let’s take a look around the area and see if we can find anything!” vipin said as he swiftly imparted what he had learned recently to his clone. After which, he began walking around the perimeter of the altar’s area of attack to check for any anomalies. The underground chamber was massive, and its walls were reinforced with the same unique material as the one used to construct the rooms in the labyrinth above.
Frowning, vipin placed his finger lightly on the wall. Hu! A book materialized in the Library of Heaven’s Path. Upon taking a look, vipin frowned. “This…”
------oOo------
Chapter 1224: - Releasing Vicious
After reading through the content of the book, vipin exhaled deeply. He pondered for a moment before heading to a corner of the room to sit down cross-legged. Some time later, his clone came over and asked in bewilderment, "What are you doing?" vipin turned around and replied with a pale face, "Whenever I have a question that I can't find an answer to, I like to sit in a corner of the room to mull over the secrets of the universe and the meaning of life." "Mull over the secrets of the universe? Meaning of life?"
vipin's clone was bewildered. When did the main body gain such an ability? Why was he unaware of it? Even though he had no idea what the main body was up to, he felt that the main body had a reason for doing what he was doing. Thus, he decided not to interfere in the latter's business. "I'll just take a look around. Feel free to continue what you are doing." Leaving those words behind, he turned around and left.
Around two hours later, vipin exhaled deeply before getting to his feet once more. At this moment, his eyes were reddened, and he seemed to be drained of energy. His feet wobbled unstably on the ground, and he nearly fell over. Upon seeing this sight, his clone quickly rushed forward to support him. "I'm fine." vipin waved his hand as he quickly drove his Heaven's Path zhenqi three circulations around his body—the weakness and exhaustion he felt were finally alleviated.
Noting that vipin had recovered from his weakened state, his clone quickly sent him a telepathic message. "I have just checked the entire area, and other than the black box and the altar, there are not any mechanisms in the area at all. If my deduction is correct, I think we are already at the bottommost layer of the island." In the two hours that vipin had spent contemplating the meaning of life, he had already gone over every nook and cranny of the underground chamber.
With the impartation from the main body, his comprehension of formations and mechanisms had already reached the level of 7-star pinnacle. Given that, if he still could not find anything amiss after a thorough check, the chances were that there were no mechanisms in the room. "I see." vipin nodded. "What do we do now?" vipin's clone frowned. "Should we just destroy the Celestial Designer Lock and hope that it will kill Vicious?"
vipin's clone had a feeling that his main body knew something, just that the latter was unwilling to speak of it. vipin shook his head. "That won't do. There might be other conditions to activating the attack of the altar other than distance. If we make a rash move, we will risk triggering the altar. If so, we might very well end up as nourishment for Vicious!" "Then…" "It'll be safer for us to destroy the altar first.
Once we destroy the altar, we will be able to do whatever we want with the box," vipin replied. "Sounds reasonable." vipin's clone nodded. Thus, the both of them walked closer to the altar to take a closer look at it. The inscriptions on the altar were even more intricate than those on the altar in his storage ring. There was no way for vipin to accurately discern the effects of the formation inscribed onto it.
Flicking his wrist, vipin took out a spiritless Saint low-tier sword he had obtained from the faraj Palace and tossed it over. Sou sou sou sou! In the blink of an eye, the Saint low-tier sword was torn into pieces by the onslaught of sword qi from the altar. Seeing the sight, the mouth of vipin's clone twitched.
His physical body was capable of regenerating back to its original form even when it was being sliced into pieces, but his soul still was not strong enough yet. Judging by the might of the sword qi, his soul could very well dissipate if it was subjected to such an assault. On the other hand, vipin closed his eyes shortly after the altar came into action.
A moment later, he opened his eyes once more and retrieved a bunch of formation flags from his storage ring. "What are you planning to do with these formation flags?" vipin's clone asked in bewilderment. Shouldn't they have been thinking of a way to break the altar? Why would he suddenly whip out a couple of formation flags?
"The formation inscribed onto the altar is extremely profound, at least reaching the level of grade-8. A forceful attempt to break the formation could cause it to blow up instead, which would be extremely dangerous. Thus, I intend to deal with the formation by setting another one up myself!" vipin explained. "Deal with the formation by setting another one up yourself?"
vipin's clone pondered for a moment before nodding in realization. In essence, what vipin intended to do was to use a new formation to interfere with the functions of the altar's formation and destroy its internal structure. As simple as it sounded theoretically, it was no easy feat to pull off. In the first place, it was already difficult to construct a formation on top of another one, and a mistake in doing so could potentially result in severe backlash from the existing formation.
On top of that, in order to successfully neutralize the altar's formation, vipin had to construct a formation that possessed might on par with it. The difficulty in doing so was truly unimaginable. However, vipin's clone knew that his main body would only make a move when the latter was confident of success, so he decided not to say too much about the matter. Instead, he took a few steps back and returned back into the passageway, ready to flee if a mishap occurred.
On the other hand, vipin took a deep breath before leaping into the air. Then, he suddenly flicked his wrist. Wuwuwuwuwu! More than a hundred formation flags shot out from his palm, falling accurately into their respective positions. Boom! The next moment, the massive formation began whirring into action. "It's a Starlight Convergence Formation…" vipin's clone recognized the activated formation in an instant. It was neither a Slaughter Formation nor an Illusory Formation but… a Spirit Gathering Formation!
A half grade-8 formation, it tapped into the lingering Power of Stars in the world in order to gather spiritual energy. To use such a formation to break the altar… "It's indeed a good idea." While vipin's clone snubbed the main body for being so much weaker than him, he had to admit that he was really impressed by the latter at this moment.
The formation inscribed on the altar was extremely powerful, possibly even a grade-8 formation, and given the current strength of the main body, it would be difficult for him to set up a formation sufficiently powerful to interfere with and destroy it. However, a Spirit Gathering Formation would be a different story.
On the surface, overlapping a Spirit Gathering Formation on top of the already powerful grade-8 formation may seem like a foolish act, but… everything in the world had a tolerance limit. Even grade-8 formations were no exception to the rule. It was unknown where the altar received the required spiritual energy to drive the formation from, but the energy that it received was already plenty, and there was no need to supplement it anymore.
Thus, if a Spirit Gathering Formation was set up on top of it, it would not be long before the spiritual energy gathered in the altar's formation exceeded its limit. While vipin's clone was still analyzing the situation, vipin whipped out ten thousand high-tier spirit stones and placed them into the formation in order to speed up the rate at which the Starlight Convergence Formation was gathering spiritual energy.
Hong long long! The massive influx of energy swiftly formed a gigantic energy whirlpool, causing the underground chamber to shake intensely. Under the control of the Starlight Convergence Formation, the massive whirlpool of spiritual energy swiftly dived into the altar. The altar emanated a brilliant glow, and a moment later, it began to inflate swiftly like a balloon. Boom! The altar had finally reached its limit, and a deafening explosion resounded in the underground chamber.
"We have succeeded!" The eyes of vipin's clone lit up. He had thought that even with the prowess of the Starlight Convergence Formation, it would still have taken at least a month in order to destroy the formation. However, the main body's act of tossing ten thousand spirit stones into the formation had hastened the process by innumerable times. In less thanan incense's time1, the altar had already exploded. Upon the altar's destruction, vipin swiftly packed all of his formation flags back into the storage ring.
Barely after he did so, the killing intent in the underground chamber suddenly intensified, and a frenzied laughter sounded. "Hahaha! vipin, it seems like I really made the right choice in luring you here! I really have to thank you for freeing me from my restraints! I, Vicious, have finally returned to the world!" As those words were spoken, vipin and his clone suddenly realized that their bodies had been frozen by some kind of power, and an incomparably powerful might weighed down on them, threatening to crush their bodies.
Coming to realize what had just happened, the face of vipin's clone turned ghastly pale.Sh*t, he wasn't trapped in the Celestial Designer Lock but… the altar? As they had sensed that the killing intent originated from the Celestial Designer Lock, they had instinctively assumed that Vicious was inside there. They had thought that the destruction of the altar would allow them to deal with Vicious… but it turned out that they were sorely mistaken! The true seal that was restraining Vicious was actually the altar itself!
"Quick, escape!" Seemingly having just realized what had just happened as well, vipin's eyes narrowed in astonishment. With an anxious bellow, he swiftly executed a powerful palm strike. Si la! The powerful might of the Heavenly Demon Great Sorrow Palm swiftly tore apart the frozen space trapping him. vipin stretched his hand forward to return his clone into his storage ring before executing the Unbounded Voyager.
His silhouette blurred, and in the blink of an eye, he was already at the other end of the passageway. Rushing all the way up, it took only ten breaths for him to return to where Hall Master jagdish and the others were. They had been attempting to find another exit to the Ghost Cavern so as to secure an escape route, but their efforts had been futile. "Principal vipin!" Upon seeing vipin, the group heaved a sigh of relief.
"Follow me! We need to escape from here as fast as possible!" vipin urged. Vicious had been freed from his restraints, and he was not someone whom they could deal with at the moment. The only thing they could do right now was to get away as fast as they could. "But the Dragon Severing Lock is still blocking the entrance… How are we to leave the Ghost Cavern?" adarsh asked. With the entrance sealed and no alternative exits in sight, they had nowhere to escape to! "Don't worry about that and follow me!"
Paying no heed to the doubts that the others harbored, vipin continued charging forward. The remaining members of the group were perplexed, but they chose to follow him. Passing through a long passageway, they finally arrived before the Dragon Severing Lock once more. It was still firmly blocking the entrance, sealing their escape route. "What should we do?" adarsh asked anxiously.
Hall Master jagdish gritted his teeth and said, "Since it has already come down to this, why don't we combine the strength of all nine of us together through a collaborative formation to attack the Dragon Severing Lock? We might just be able to force our way out." "It seems like there's no other choice…" adarsh nodded. However, halfway through his words, he realized that vipin had already walked up to the Dragon Severing Lock, and stroking the massive rock gently, the latter said, "Open up. We need to leave."
Jiya! Before everyone's shocked gaze, the Dragon Severing Lock, which even a Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle expert might not have been able to destroy, suddenly began nudging aside. "This…" Everyone widened their eyes in shock at the unbelievable sight before them. It was an established fact that unless one possessed strength greater than the forged Dragon Severing Lock, there would be no way to pass through a path that it sealed. Yet, the young man before him had actually managed to get the Dragon Severing Lock to nudge aside just by touching it gently and saying a few words to it. This was too exaggerated!
"Let's hurry up and leave!" vipin urged as he took the lead forward. On the other hand, the others also knew that this was not the time to be dozing off, so they quickly caught up to vipin and escaped from the little island. Hong long long! The shaking of the little island swiftly intensified, and by the time the group finally leaped back to where they had been prior to entering the Ghost Cavern, amid a furious flinging of mud, the little island actually began rising into the air. Everyone's eyes widened in shock.
Geji! Geji! The little island rose higher and higher, and it did not take long before it was fully freed from the marsh. Following which, the little island did a 180- degrees turn, and as the mud shrouding it swiftly fell back into the marsh, its true face finally unfolded. Amidst the crowd, Division Head girik's body trembled as he spoke the words that were in everyone's mind. "Is that… a head?"
Shockingly, the little island was shaped similar to a head. The lake that they had encountered prior to entering the Ghost Cavern was actually one of the two eyes of the head! A glint flashed across the massive eyes as a powerful voice boomed. "Hahaha! I, Vicious, have finally returned! Tell me, how do you want to die?" Vicious of the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows was finally back!
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Chapter 1225: - The Eccentric Teacher and Student
“How can this be…” Feeling the immense pressure emanated by the massive head, the group froze in place. They could feel that the massive head was not just for show. The strength that it wielded was boundless as well, and even though it had not made a move yet, the indomitable aura that it emanated had already sealed the surrounding space, making escape nigh impossible.
“This… Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle?” adarsh gulped down a mouthful of saliva. He could vividly sense the other party’s strength—Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle! There was no way they could stand against an expert of this caliber! vipin nodded grimly in response. At Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle, Vicious was far stronger than the Qingtian Emperor, and this was without taking into account the powerful means that he possessed. “What do we do?”
The group swiftly fell into a state of panic. If the enemy was only at Leaving Aperture realm advanced stage, they could still have given it a try, but Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle… there was no way to win no matter how hard they struggled! “To be able to think of using another formation to break the altar, vipin, I have to admit that you are indeed a clever person. But it seems like clever people like you have a tendency to fall prey to their own wits. It’s thanks to your help that I managed to escape from my restraints! Won’t you tell me how you are feeling at the moment?
You have been desperately trying to kill me all along, only to end up freeing me with your own hands. Regretful? Guilt-ridden?” The floating face in the sky eyed vipin with a playful look in his eyes. He had sealed the surrounding space, so there was no way that the group of humans before him would be able to escape. At this point, victory was already his! “I do feel quite regretful, but since the situation has already played out this way, there’s no point crying over spilt milk.
However, I’m just curious to know the origin of the altar. How did you manage to get trapped in it?” vipin replied calmly. This was the only thing that he just could not comprehend at this point. It was obvious that the altar was an artifact of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, so how did Vicious end up being trapped in it? “Since you are about to be devoured by me, I’ll accede to your request, since it’s the last one you are going to be making anyway!” the face in the sky sneered coldly.
“That altar was the doing of that Qingtian bastard!” “The Qingtian Emperor?” vipin frowned in astonishment. “But… isn’t he your student? Didn’t you impart the heritage of the soul oracles to him?” Why would the Qingtian Emperor seal his own teacher into an altar? “Humph! Two thousand years ago, when I summoned that Qingtian bastard over, I was only a pair of tattered eyes and a sliver of will…” Vicious harrumphed coldly.
“I taught him the heritage of the soul oracles for one simple reason—I wanted to make use of his strength to find my other body parts so as to return to my peak!” “Un.” vipin nodded. He had also deduced this much. How could a person who was given the nickname ‘Vicious’ possibly be so kind as to accept a student and pass on the lost heritage of the soul oracles for free? It went without saying that he had his own motives.
“That fellow wasn’t too bad too. He regarded me as his teacher, and he even captured many celestial designers and blacksmiths and gathered countless precious ores to forge this head for me!” Vicious said. “Forge?” vipin suddenly remembered the countless rooms he had seen earlier. If the entire little island was Vicious’ head, those rooms should have been the internal structure of his brain.
To forge such a massive head, not only would an immense amount of materials be required, more importantly, the manpower needed would truly be massive as well. It seemed like in the past two thousand years, on top of master teachers, many celestial designers and blacksmiths had lost their lives, too. Just that, due to Vicious’ means in concealing the ‘little island’ and the innate treacherous nature of the marshland, no one had suspected that those deaths were part of someone’s scheme.
“From the very start, that Qingtian bastard was extremely respectful toward me, carrying out whatever orders I had for him without any hesitation. As such, I never doubted his loyalty, but… he actually dared scheme against me!” Overflowing rage could be heard within Vicious’ voice. “At some point in time, he brought the altar over under the pretext of helping me regain my strength, but in truth, he was using it with the head he had the celestial designers forge to have me sealed! By the time I realized it, I was already imprisoned here.” “Imprisoned?”
“That’s right! However, that Qingtian bastard’s intention was not just to imprison me. From the very start, he had intended to use the soul arts he had learned from me to steal my memories and replace me!” At this point, Vicious sneered in disdain, as if mocking a mere ant for having such ridiculous thoughts. Even though the Qingtian Emperor had been Vicious’ subordinate, he had still been a proud and lofty Emperor of the Otherworldly Demonic Tribe, an existence that was born superior to others!
Even if the other party was the powerful Vicious, there was no way he would willingly submit to him. Not to mention, the current Vicious was nothing but a mere shell of his former self. “Steal your memories and replace you?” vipin shook his head and sighed in pity. “As a legendary expert who rivaled master shake back in your prime, you actually fell for the ploy of a mere Qingtian Emperor?”
Even if Vicious had fallen from grace, he should still have retained countless protective measures and trump cards. Yet, to still be outplayed by the Qingtian Emperor despite that… this was truly inconceivable. “Humph! Even though I did not doubt his loyalty, I did guard against him from the start to the end.
But two thousand years ago, I had only just awoken from my slumber, and my cultivation was not even at Saint realm then. I needed his strength and the resources he provided, so I had no choice but to go along with him.” At this point, a cruel glint flashed across Vicious’ eyes as he said, “But as you have said, how could I possibly be outdone by that Qingtian bastard so easily?
I secretly left a sliver of my will in his mind so that if he attempted to act against me, I would be able to crush his soul instantly!” Hearing those words, vipin’s lips twitched. They sure were a good pair of teacher and student. Beneath the seemingly calm waters, they were actually stabbing daggers into the backs of one another. Both adept at playing the game of treachery!
“After the forging of the head, in order to revive myself and gain some fighting prowess, I would have to extend my consciousness to cover the entire little island. However, if I were to do so, I would temporarily lose my consciousness… and he made use of this opening to used the altar to seal me!”
Recalling the matter, Vicious’ rage flared. “Just as he was about to kill me, the will I had left inside his head triggered. He did not want to die, so naturally, he had no choice but to heed my orders. However, it seemed like he had prepared a hand to ensure that I would not be able to kill him, so I did not dare make a move either. As such, we could only maintain the stalemate between us.”
“This…” adarsh and Hall Master jagdish glanced at one another. The word ‘teacher’ had a very deep significance to those in the Master Teacher Continent, including ordinary cultivators. If a student was found to have betrayed their own teacher, they would be killed without any hesitation. Heaven, Earth, Kin, Teacher, Sovereign! The position of a teacher was even above that of one’s country, just beneath that of one’s parents!
Given the culture of the Master Teacher Continent, it was very rare to see a student scheming against their own teacher. However, with this pair of Otherworldly Demons, the teacher was thinking about how he could make use of his own student everyday whereas the student was thinking about how he could replace his teacher every day. How eccentric! Noting the incomprehension among the others, vipin explained, “The Otherworldly Demonic Tribe pledges their loyalty to the Spirit God.
The word ‘teacher’ has no significance to them at all.” He had encountered quite a few Otherworldly Demons on his journey and even eliminated the Qingtian Lineage from its Kings up to its Emperor. Due to his frequent encounters with them, he had come to learn a bit about their culture and beliefs. There was only a single existence they were truly loyal to, and that was the Spirit God.
Only the words from the Spirit God would they unconditionally obey. On the other hand, the term ‘teacher’ really meant nothing to them at all. Putting aside scheming against their own teacher, there was not any social stigma even toward the killing of one’s teacher among them. They did not consider it a reprehensible act.
It was for this reason that the Qingtian Emperor and Vicious had no qualms about clashing with one another in the shadows over the past two thousand years. In fact, vipin suspected that the reason the Vicious in grand master krishna’s underground chamber had been able to regain consciousness could very well have been the doing of the Qingtian Emperor in order to keep his teacher in check.
vipin raised his head and asked, “To make someone like you hesitate to make a move, what is the Qingtian Emperor’s hand?” One must know that the Qingtian Emperor intended Vicious harm, and considering that Vicious was in a good position to exact vengeance, there was no need for him to hesitate.
“It’s regarding the news concerning a Celestial Amulet of Legacy,” Vicious said. Perhaps the years of isolation and solitude had really left him deeply stifled. Facing the group of master teachers who would very soon become his prey, he revealed everything without any worry. “Celestial Amulet of Legacy?”
vipin had searched the Qingtian Emperor’s memory, and he had learned of this matter as well. As such, he was not too surprised by the revelation. On the other hand, however, the eyes of adarsh and the others narrowed in astonishment, Ignoring the shock of the others, Vicious harrumphed before continuing. “It was a puppet loyal to that Qingtian bastard who uncovered this piece of intelligence.
As a master teacher, you should also know how valuable a Celestial Amulet of Legacy is.” The crowd nodded in agreement. The Celestial Amulets of Legacy were artifacts that master shake had personally left behind, and they concerned the supreme artifact that master shake had forged himself, the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn. As such, the value of a Celestial Amulet of Legacy was so great that it would leave even the 9-star master teachers of the Master Teacher Pavilion going into a frenzy over it.
An excited gleam surfaced in Vicious eyes. “If I could obtain a Celestial Amulet of Legacy, I would be able to free myself from this hellish state I am in, quickly find my remaining body parts, and return to my peak! Perhaps, I might even be able to steal the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn and surpass master shake!”
Ordinary Otherworldly Demons might not have known what they should do with a Celestial Amulet of Legacy even if they did obtain one, but as one who had fought with master shake for many times, Vicious knew very where to use one and how to best use one. “Due to my current condition, I am unable to leave the marshlands. Thus, I could only rely on him to obtain a Celestial Amulet of Legacy.
As such, I had no choice but to spare his wretched life! Furthermore, he also knew where a few of my body parts are, and if he had destroyed them before I got to them, my recovery would have been severely impeded!” Vicious continued. “No wonder…” vipin nodded in realization. The allure of a Celestial Amulet of Legacy was simply too great, and after a long period of hibernation, Vicious would surely want to regain his strength as soon as possible.
As such, it was understandable why he would choose to spare the Qingtian Emperor despite the latter’s betrayal. Noticing a peculiar aspect in Vicious’ story, vipin tried to sound him out. “You said that the intelligence was procured by a puppet loyal to the Qingtian Emperor? Considering that this is a piece of news that even reyansh is unaware of… it seems like the Qingtian Emperor trusts that puppet quite a bit!”
reyansh was a sliver of the Qingtian Emperor’s will, so he could not be considered a puppet. As for raja bhadra, he could only be considered a lackey at most, so the ‘puppet’ that Vicious spoke about probably did not refer to him either. If that was the case, could it be that there was another close aide of the Qingtian Emperor hiding within the rosaat Empire?
But again, assuming that that was true, why didn’t he discover anything about that in the Qingtian Emperor’s memories? “There’s no need to try sound me out. That fellow has already pledged his loyalty to me,” Vicious sneered coldly. Then, seemingly losing interest in speaking any further, a cold glint flashed across Vicious’ eyes as a surge of killing intent burst from him.
“Alright, story time is over. You should be happy that you have managed to learn so many confidential secrets. Now, it’s about time for me to send you on your way!” Boom! A compelling pressure suddenly descended from the heavens, causing a suffocating sensation to crush their chests. Everyone’s breathing hastened.
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Chapter 1226: - rohan's Crisis (1)
“Principal vipin, we’ll help you stall him. Meanwhile, you try to get away.” adarsh and Hall Master jagdish stepped forward as they frenziedly drove their zhenqi to ward off the pressure on them, protecting the other members of the group. Whatever the existence before them was, he was simply too powerful. There was no way they would be able to escape unscathed from his clutches.
However, if they went all out, perhaps, they just might be able to buy sufficient time for vipin to escape. vipin’s incredible talents would surely play a critical role in furthering the strength of mankind in the future, and a person like him could not be allowed to die just like that. Thus, saving him would be their final contribution to mankind! “Get away? If we had tried before that little island floated all the way up, we might still have been to get away, but now…” vipin shook his head and sighed.
“Did you really think that he’s explaining everything to us just to vent his emotions?” “This…” Not understanding what vipin was getting at, the crowd fell silent. Indeed. It was perplexing why Vicious would actually reveal all of these valuable secrets to them, such that they even forgot about the predicament they were in for a moment. Thinking about it once more, his actions felt more like… buying time.
“Given that his will has only just escaped from its restraints, it required some time in order to gain absolute control over such a massive island. Thus, he decided to use these information to divert our attention. If I’m not mistaken, he should have already gained full control over the head by now. Even if we start running now, considering how big the marshlands are, there’s no way we will get away in time.
Furthermore, given the treacherous terrain we are in, our haste might just land us in deeper danger,” vipin replied. adarsh and Hall Master jagdish had only just advanced their cultivation to Leaving Aperture realm primary stage whereas Vicious was at Leaving Aperture realm pinnacle. Even if put their lives on the line to stall Vicious, how long could they possibly stall him for? Not to mention, given Vicious’ superior cultivation realm, he would surely catch up soon after. Most likely, he would be caught before he could even escape ten li away!
“But vipin, if you knew what the other party was up to beforehand, why didn’t you flee earlier?” arush 1 couldn’t help but ask. Since you saw through the other party’s motive, you should have escaped when you had the time to do so! Why did you still remain here to play along with his games and ask him questions?
Now that the other party has gained full control over the little island and returned to his peak state, we are all doomed! Instead of responding to arush’s question, vipin walked forward and gazed at the massive face before him. “There’s no way we can escape at this point, and we don’t have the strength to rival you either… I hope that you can just answer this final question of mine. Who is the puppet that you were referring to?”
“Hahaha! To still be concerned about this matter despite the situation you are in, your mental resilience sure is incredible, perhaps even on par with master shake back then! I’m starting to think that it would be a pity to kill a genius like you just like that.” Vicious shook his head as he gazed down at vipin with a look of pity. “I’ll offer you one last chance then. As long as you pledge your loyalty and offer your soul up to me, not only will I tell you who the puppet is, I’ll even spare your life.
When I finally obtain a Celestial Amulet of Legacy, I’ll take you along with me to find the Great Codex of Spring and Autumn and even aid you in becoming the next World’s Teacher!” “You want me to pledge loyalty to you?” vipin’s lips curled up in disdain. “I have lived as a master teacher, and I’ll die as one too! There’s no way I’ll side with an Otherworldly Demon like you. However, even if you don’t tell me who that puppet is, I already have a good idea who he is!”
“Oh?” Vicious looked down at vipin with a playful look in his eyes, as if daring the latter to give him a guess. “It’s the emperor of the rosaat Empire, sultan, right?” vipin replied calmly. “Oh?” Vicious’ eyes narrowed. “reyansh was the vice head of the Master Teacher Pavilion, and yet, while he hasn’t uncovered any information about the Celestial Amulet of Legacy yet, the puppet you spoke of did.
From that, it can be seen that the puppet possesses an exceptionally high standing in the rosaat Empire. There’s no way adarsh or Hall Master jagdish could be your ally, and Pavilion Master chandran has been killed as well… Thus, that only leaves us with sultan!” vipin revealed his deduction. It was not too difficult to guess this.
A person who could uncover news about an elusive Celestial Amulet of Legacy had to have a powerful intelligence network in the rosaat Empire, one that was even wider than the one reyansh controlled. As powerful as the rosaat Empire Master Teacher Pavilion’s intelligence network was, there was still a single power in the rosaat Empire whose intelligence network surpassed it—the rosaat royal family.
And the one who could tap into the intelligence network of the royal family was naturally the emperor of the rosaat Empire, sultan! Furthermore, sultan’s actions had truly been very suspicious. raja bhadra had been captured time and time again, and yet, sultan was willing to pay a heavy price each time to bail him out.
Furthermore, now that he thought about it, on the night that the souls of eight master teachers of the rosaat Empire Master Teacher Pavilion were nabbed, sultan had visited the Master Teacher Pavilion under the pretext of paying a visit to raja bhadra. He had not been able to connect the dots earlier, but upon hearing Vicious mention a puppet, everything swiftly came together to form a clear picture.
“To be able to see through everything with just a few clues, as expected of a Celestial Master Teacher! You are keener than I expected,” Vicious sneered coldly, not intending to deny the matter. There was no reason for him to deny it at this point. In any case, the people before them were pretty much dead men anyway. “Celestial Master Teacher?” “vipin… is a Celestial Master Teacher?”
Hall Master jagdish, arush, and the others were astonished. Of the crowd, the only one who was aware of vipin’s true identity was adarsh. Due to safety concerns, adarsh had not even revealed the matter to Hall Master jagdish. Thus, upon hearing the words of the Otherworldly Demon before them, all of them widened their eyes in shock, unable to believe their ears. In the long history of the Master Teacher Continent, there had only been a single Celestial Master Teacher, and that was master shake. And yet, the young man before them was actually a Celestial Master Teacher as well?
“You didn’t even tell your comrades about the matter? Hahaha, you sure are a wary individual! That’s right! He’s a Celestial Master Teacher, a person whose existence is acknowledged by the heavens themselves! As long as premature death doesn’t come to him, it’s only a matter of time before he becomes the next World’s Teacher!” Vicious burst into a hearty laughter before abruptly coming to a halt. A cold glint surfaced in his eyes as he continued.
“However, it seems like that will never come to be. I have fought with master shake on many occasions, and I am very familiar with all his means. You may have a thousand ideas in your mind, but let me tell you that you are just wasting your effort! How about it? Submit to me, and you can continue living in this world. Otherwise, not only will you die, even your kin and friends will have to suffer due to your obstinacy!
“I’ll be honest with you here. The very moment you arrived in these marshlands, I instructed sultan to capture your student. Chances are that your student is already being held captive at this moment,” Vicious sneered. “You had sultan capture my student?” vipin’s gaze turned incredibly cold. He could not have imagined that Vicious would actually stoop down to such lowly and underhanded means against him.
“Indeed!” “Do you honestly expect me to believe your words? My student is currently cultivating in the Combat Master Hall, where he’s protected by countless combat masters. Even if sultan attempts to make a move against him, can he possibly breach the defenses of the Combat Master Hall?” vipin harrumphed coldly. Currently, he only had a single direct disciple in the rosaat Empire, rohan! Before he left, he instructed rohan to focus his effort on cultivating in the Combat Master Hall.
Even though sultan wielded great power and influence in the rosaat Empire, surely he would not dare barge into the Combat Master Hall and cause a ruckus! “Of course, I concede that there’s no way sultan will be able to breach the defenses of the Combat Master Hall… but what if he invites your student out?” Vicious said with twisted smile. “Invites?”
An ominous feeling surfaced in the back of vipin’s mind as he clenched his fists tightly. vipin had suspected sultan of betraying mankind prior to leaving rosaat, but due to the lack of evidence, he had decided against publicizing the matter for the time being. Instead, he had adarsh dispatch a few master teachers to keep a tight watch over the latter. If sultan invited his student to the royal palace as a guest in his capacity as the emperor of the rosaat Empire, there would really be no reason for rohan to turn down the invitation.
And once rohan left the secure Combat Master Hall to enter the royal palace… To make matters worse, adarsh and Hall Master jagdish were currently by his side, so there was no one left in rosaat who wielded sufficient authority and strength to oppose sultan head on! Seeing that he had finally broken vipin’s calm demeanor, Vicious sneered coldly, “Since you were coming over, wouldn’t it have been disrespectful of me if I did not give you my warmest welcome?
Humph, if I did not have at least this much in me, how could I have possibly fought on equal grounds against master shake back then?” “I’ll give you some time to think it over, but know that there is a limit to my patience. Submit to me, and I’ll spare you and your student. I will even impart the complete heritage of the soul oracles to you on top of that and support you in becoming the next World’s Teacher!
Otherwise, I’m afraid that you will just have to watch helplessly here as your student suffers a tragic death!” “You…” vipin glared at Vicious in rage. This was the first time that someone dared to threaten him like that. … In rosaat’s Combat Master Hall… On the third day after the departure of the group to the Marshlands of the Northern Meadows, the Combat Master Hall ushered in an esteemed guest —the emperor of the rosaat Empire, sultan.
“Division Head dasharat, I’ll really have to trouble you for this matter. raja bhadra is still being locked in the Master Teacher Pavilion, and honestly speaking, he really didn’t commit any heinous crimes that warrant such extreme treatment! The biggest mistake he really made was provoking vipin. I don’t want to put you on the spot either, so I just hope that you can bring me to him so that we can attempt to reconcile!” sultan said with a vexed look on his face.
He had come to the Combat Master Hall with several guards, who were currently standing behind him, in order to meet with the head of the Weapon Division, Division Head dasharat. In Hall Master jagdish, Division Head girik, and Division Head madhav’s absence, the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Combat Master Hall ended up falling on his shoulders.
“Pardon me, Your Majesty, but your arrival is truly untimely. vipin has recently gone into seclusion, so I’m afraid that you will have to return another day.” Division Head dasharat shook his head as he turned down sultan’s request with an apologetic look. Hall Master jagdish had instructed that this expedition was a confidential operation, so if anyone sought them in this period of time, he had to turn them down with an appropriate excuse.
As powerful as the rosaat Empire Combat Master Hall was, it would still be beneficial for it to maintain amiable relations with the regional royal family. As such, it would not be good for it to turn away sultan curtly. “vipin is in the midst of a seclusion? I see…” A look of disappointment surfaced on sultan’s face. “If I recall correctly, vipin has a direct disciple named rohan, right?
If it isn’t too much trouble, may I meet him instead? I heard that he’s seventeen this year, and I happen to have a daughter who is around his age. I think that it would be good for youngsters like them to get acquainted with one another.” “This…” Division Head dasharat was put on the spot. He had already turned down sultan’s request to meet vipin, so if he hindered the latter from meeting vipin’s student as well, it would seem as if he was intentionally making things hard for sultan. Division Head dasharat pondered for a moment before replying.
“Pardon me, but I’m afraid that I can’t make a decision on rohan’s behalf. Allow me to send my man over to ask him first. If he’s preoccupied at the moment, I fear that there’s nothing I can do!” “I’ll be troubling you then, Division Head dasharat,” sultan replied with a smile. “As you know, I came here with the intention of mending relations with vipin. If you could have your men put in a few good words for me, I’ll extend my deepest gratitude to you once the matter is done!” “Un.”
Division Head dasharat nodded before beckoning a combat master over to issue a few instructions. The combat master hurriedly rushed over to rohan’s residence, but before he could even get close, he could already hear loud ‘Peng! Peng! Peng! Peng!’ sounds echoing from within. Knocking on the door and entering, he soon saw a seventeen-year-old young man brandishing his spear powerfully.
Perhaps due to his long hours of training, his entire body was drenched with sweat, and his face had turned a little pale even. “young master harsh chandela, you…” The combat master couldn’t help but kindly advise, “I think you should take a rest first! It won’t do to push yourself too far, or else you might injure yourself! It’ll be disastrous if you damage your foundation in the midst of your training.”
Their Progeny of Combat had decreed that all combat masters must respect vipin as their own teacher, and rohan was vipin’s direct disciple. However, rohan was neither a master teacher nor a combat master, so eventually, they chose to simply respectfully address him as young master harsh chandela or harsh chandela. Every single combat master was carefully sieved from countless master teachers, so there was no such thing as a subpar cultivator within the Combat Master Hall.
While the combat master who had just entered rohan’s residence was just an ordinary member of the Combat Master Hall, he could still easily discern that rohan had overexerted himself in the midst of his training.
It was good for a cultivator to be diligent in their training, but if they were to go overboard and exceed the tolerance limit of their body, they could very well damage the foundation of their cultivation, and such damage was incredibly difficult to repair! More importantly, excessive desire for swift success could easily result in a disturbance in one’s state of mind, especially when the results did not meet up to one’s expectations.
An impaired state of mind could easily breed inner demons, and it could potentially cause one’s cultivation to go berserk as well. “I know that, too, but time waits for no one!” rohan stopped his training and wiped away his sweat.
His teacher had a total of seven direct disciples. renu, aakash, vikaram, vani, aarav, roma… The six of them had already managed to find their own path, and they were bound to ascend to great heights in the near future. He was the only direct disciple who remained with their teacher, and he had the responsibility to uphold his teacher’s reputation.
But with the current growth of his cultivation, he would soon be lagging far behind the others… and this had left him feeling greatly pressured. Watching aarav become the Progeny of Combat and commanding the combat masters authoritatively had only served to fuel his anxiety further, to the point that he felt as if he would collapse under it. He was desperate to grow stronger.
He wanted to prove that he was not weaker than anyone else! With nowhere to vent that feeling of anxiety, the only thing he could do was cultivate desperately, gritting his teeth to persevere on even when his body was groaning in pain. rohan turned to the combat master and asked, “You were looking for me? “If there’s nothing, I’ll be continuing on with my cultivation now.”
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