My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 700 - 455: A Sword on the Mountain Summit (Two-in-One)
The head dripping with golden blood faced the crowd of immortals; anger, sorrow, pityโall manner of emotions spread like mist over the forest leaves. Yet, in just a fleeting moment, the crowd of immortals became as still as an ancient, frost-weathered well, their ripples calmed. ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐๐๐ท๐๐ญ.๐ธ๐ฐ๐
Jinggu True Monarch lightly grasped the ancient suspension cord of his sword. The cord's color had faded, but faintly revealed traces of its once blood-red hue. It was no ordinary object, bearing an extraordinary historyโit was the famous matchmaking red string that mortals often burned incense and prayed for. The True Monarch's countenance was severe and austere, devoid of any radiance, which only accentuated the transcendent mystique of an immortal uninvolved with worldly affairs. His appearance inherently carried the fortune of abundance in romantic fate, but as the Sect Hierarch of the Quanzhen Sect practicing seclusion, he had severed earthly ties long ago. In his Dragon Gate lineage, family was seen as a "prison," and romance as "golden shackles and jade locks." Only by breaking free from such fetters could one glimpse the True Way and realize their true self.
Because of this, he had refined his romantic fate into the sword tassel and sword cord, using them to suspend his divine sword. Should his mortal heart stir even slightly, this natal Magic Sword would immediately collapse and shatter. Having already passed the most perilous trial of emotional detachment, he had soared for nearly a century. His Sword Intent grew stronger and stronger, reaching the level that mortal Martial Artists described as transformation. Were this not so, he would not have been Xiao Daoping's confidant, nor could he bear Wu Buxu's comment that he still had "a trace of destined fortune."
"A killing sword's pathโrare, truly rare."
Jinggu True Monarch watched Chen Yi's sword stroke with clarity. His immortal heart, long accustomed to the shifting winds and clouds, began to pound vigorously. Sword Intent flowed naturally through his entire body, causing the ancient blade at his side to hum with excitementโit was as if his long-time companion couldn't contain its exhilaration.
He looked again at the sword in Chen Yi's hand and muttered to himself, "A good Swordsmanship paired with a good sword."
Compared to Jinggu True Monarch's exuberant, barely restrained Sword Intent, Wu Ling True Monarch's golden eyes remained cold. Though he had inwardly elevated his estimation of Chen Yiโa mortal with merely a Golden Core yet possessing such strengthโhis thoughts churned swiftly. From just a glance, it was evident that the self-possessed female crown would not intervene. The red-robed Martial Artist was reckless, though likely inferior in ferocity to the dark-clothed Martial Artist who exuded the strongest killing intent.
Though their numbers were few compared to ours, victory should lean to our favor.
Yet, this dark-clothed Martial Artist had slain one of their comrades in mere moments. While the deceased had underestimated him initially, such an effortless kill demonstrated that whether or not he was underestimated, defeat was inevitable.
There can be no twenty-some rounds of one-on-one combat.
Wu Ling True Monarch's gaze shifted as his thoughts solidified. Pinching his fingers into a formation, he cast his divination, revealing that this man was indeed a Fourth Rank Martial Artist. His astonishment grewโsuch overwhelming power from a Fourth Rank Martial Artist was unparalleled in the world, stirring his emotions further...
Since he is Fourth Rank, however strong he may be, he is not invincible.
But the greatest threat...
...is still that female crown who has yet to act.
Even without her appearance amidst the blood plea of the Chongyang Temple Daoists, Wu Ling True Monarch heard clearly that it was none other than the Taichua Goddess, who alone slew over a hundred Daoists in their dreams!
Though seemingly at merely the Core Formation stage,
she is truly unfathomable.
As an immortal perished nearby, Yin Weiyin remained undisturbed, his calm unbroken even before the collapse of Mount Tai. Witnessing this, Wu Ling True Monarch couldn't help but marvel, "After cultivating all these years, I have finally seen a True Immortal who has returned to the original truth alive in this world."
For a moment, the wind ceased. On the rocky cliff's edge and atop the treetops, two factions stood face-to-faceโabove and below, the calm before the storm spreading steadily.
Chen Yi hurled the head forward, then kicked aside the Immortal's corpse with a sneer and said:
"Once, when sect disciples pleaded with blood, only two immortals responded. Now, a crowd of immortals has arrived... It seems that though you are immortals, you're all just indifferent bystanders when the matter doesn't concern you."
"The mortal world is chaotic, filled with strife. To stand indifferent and aloof is precisely what we immortals seek. Otherwise, how could one achieve true detachment?"
It was Taihe True Monarch who spoke, the seventh-generation patriarch of the Dragon Gate lineage of the Quanzhen Sect. He had struggled in cultivation for two hundred years yet failed to ascend, only becoming an immortal a century ago. Since then, his accumulated foundation flourished, his Golden Core within as large as a head, enveloped by a dense purple aura.
"Taihe True Monarch, there's no need to waste words with him. Martial Artists are crude, ignorant people who only understand the dichotomy of life and death," Wu Ling True Monarch coldly interrupted, then shouted, "Form the array!"
As his voice fell, dozens of immortals moved simultaneously. Wu Ling True Monarch and Taihe True Monarch stood as the focal points, treading in mystic steps to arrange the four symbols and eight trigrams. Streams of purple energy coalesced into invisible Magic Platforms suspended between treetops. Accompanied by chants of "I summon the Northern Heaven's Xuanming Armor" and "I summon the Southern Sky Demon-suppressing Sword," they swept toward the remaining immortals.
The remaining ten immortals suddenly exuded a murderous aura, their bodies radiating brilliance as though clad in invisible golden armor.
When the thickest surge of golden light directed itself toward Jinggu True Monarch, he waved his hand to refuse the protective golden armor. At some unnoticeable point, his ancient sword had already left its sheath, as he stared fixedly at the dark-clothed Martial Artist.
Chen Yi's cold gaze fell on this group of gold-armored immortals. With a flick of his sword, he wiped away the Immortal Blood that stained its surface.
Then, he stepped forward.
After three steps, his figure abruptly shot toward a gold-armored immortal by the fourth step, closing a gap of only a dozen meters between them. The gold-armored immortal showed no fear, raising the Money Sword in his hand and slashing mightily at Chen Yi.
Chen Yi lightly stepped on a tree branch and advanced another step. His momentum intensified, shattering the tree branch underfoot into splinters from within. His body blurred into motion, evading the Money Sword with ease, while his three-foot-long sword spun in his hand, unleashing a piercing screech as he cleaved forward!
The gold-armored immortal was not slain instantly like the one before. His armor cracked open with jagged fractures, and the brilliant golden figure was sent flying backward.
It was then that a massive cauldron came crashing down toward him with deadly force. Chen Yi was about to step aside to dodge, but the Shangqing Heart Method allowed him to keenly sense that several immortals had already calculated the three likely positions he might move to next, sealing each of them off with their Magic Treasures. Realizing this, Chen Yi chose not to evade. Instead, channeling his energy, he directed his blade toward the chilly gleam of the cauldron.
With a resounding crash, the cauldron halted mid-air. Chen Yi cast a spell to ride the wind, soaring a meter higher, before landing firmly on the cauldron with one foot.
