The First Immortal of Destiny-Chapter 445 Nine-Tiered Pagoda_1
「The day of the agreement.」
Just past the hour of the dragon, less than a quarter of an hour into the hour of the snake, the high-ranking figures of the Riverside Sect appeared in the Mountain River Dungeon. The Supreme Elder who sat at the sect’s gate, the Law Master of Riverside Sect, Yuan Qingshi, Sunrise Peak Master, Tang Lv, the Peak Master of Stars Peak, Zhou Shili, all the Hall Masters, and many core disciples were present. Compared to the scene inside the Longevity Hall three days ago, there were considerably fewer people now.
The other three Elders, who initially projected their figures and appearances here through the water light mirror, were indeed now unable to watch the contest. Yuan Jing, the Peak Master of Bright Moon Peak, had to stay at the gate of the sect to deal with an emergency and thus did not enter the Mountain River Realm.
Each of the great halls of the sect had Deputy Hall Masters and Elders handling affairs, so all the Hall Masters of the Riverside Sect who were available were present. However, the fifth-ranked core disciple, Ji Susu, and the seventh-ranked, Guo Xun, were both not visible. Guo Xun had been dispatched to the Wando Archipelago to build a Teleportation Array. As for what Ji Susu was up to, Shen Mo was not very clear.
Once again in the Mountain River Realm, Shen Mo had many feelings in his heart. The first time he entered this Dungeon, it was several years ago when he had just become an inner disciple. Relying on the assistance of the Spirit Storage Rat, he had found many spiritual medicines and mines, making a fortune in cultivation resources. In terms of his current income, this past haul wasn’t particularly significant, but without those accumulations from when he was weaker, the Shen Mo of today would not exist.
Upon entering the Dungeon, Shen Mo and Yang Xuan did not exchange many pleasantries before they simultaneously flew into the sky, assuming their stances.
"Let’s begin!" the Supreme Elder spoke indifferently.
There wasn’t much to say about the rules of the duel. With a Golden Core Realm Patriarch present, it was unlikely that anyone would be utterly obliterated. Otherwise, the contest was the same as the battle for core disciples’ ranking positions, with no restrictions. The difference was, in usual battles, both parties would have the tacit understanding to stop before going too far; this time, in their fight for the position of the fourth Peak Master, neither Shen Mo nor Yang Xuan would likely hold back.
The Supreme Elder’s voice had barely fallen before both of them moved almost simultaneously.
Wielding his Demon Slaying Sword, Shen Mo directly slashed a Reincarnation Sword Qi at Yang Xuan. Yang Xuan, not to be outdone, employed a nine-story pagoda. Each level of the pagoda had different shapes and hues.
The Reincarnation Sword Qi hit the pagoda and was simultaneously worn down and dissipated by nine colors of spirit light. In the next instant, a fabricated "Reincarnation Sword Qi" shot out from a window on the pagoda’s third story, heading straight for Shen Mo.
CLANG!
Shen Mo wielded his sword once more, shattering the fabricated Sword Qi, feeling a little surprised in his heart. After he slashed out several more Sword Qi, they, like the first, were worn down one by one by the pagoda’s nine-colored spirit light, only for the pagoda to retaliate with its own replicated Sword Qi.
This pagoda is so miraculous! It can deconstruct my Sword Qi and rebuild it within! Shen Mo thought. Moreover, the rebuilt Sword Qi is only slightly weaker than the original...
The sword moves Shen Mo executed were fortified by the Sword Body Skill. The Sword Qi shot by the pagoda was likely missing this portion of strengthening force. Even so, a magic artifact like this pagoda that could "completely" deconstruct and replicate an attack that had reached the level of Transcendence was nothing short of miraculous. Obviously, this pagoda was no ordinary treasure. It couldn’t possibly be just a low-grade Spiritual Artifact; it had to be at least a middle-grade Spiritual Artifact or higher. Otherwise, it would be impossible to deconstruct this level of attack so effortlessly. This magic treasure alone was enough to offset Shen Mo’s far superior Sword Path attacks. It could only be said that Yang Xuan was extraordinarily powerful in "turning the impossible into possible."
As soon as the fight started, Shen Mo sacrificed ten middle-grade Spirit Stones and used Insight into All Beings to investigate Yang Xuan’s information. It didn’t differ greatly from what he had known earlier: Yang Xuan was at the peak of the Spirit Sea Realm, had cultivated several low-grade, spirit-level cultivation methods to Perfection, and his vitality, magic, and soul had no obvious weaknesses. But this Destiny couldn’t detect the magic artifact on Yang Xuan, which naturally meant Shen Mo couldn’t specifically understand the characteristics and effects of the nine-tier pagoda.
Subsequently, Shen Mo had a thought and equipped Bright Vision in the groove of the Destiny Disc. A divine light flickered in his eyes, and he saw that within this tower, nine auras intertwined and collided, transforming into Chaos, and from this Chaos, a brand new aura was born. The feedback he had received so far was insufficient; he couldn’t make out anything specific yet.
"Universal Demon Slaying!" Shen Mo shouted, launching his most potent Demon Slaying Sword Style. This, along with his Reincarnation Sword Style, were both sword skills he had created himself. Its power was greater than other sword styles in the All-Encompassing Sword Canon, and its Killing Power was even superior to the Reincarnation Sword Qi.
CRACK!
CRACK! CRACK!
A sneer appeared on Yang Xuan’s face. He continued to chant mantras and activate the nine-tier pagoda. It wasn’t clear whether it was an illusion, but each layer of the tower seemed to be rotating. The nine-colored spirit light flashed, as before, gradually eroding and decomposing the Demon Slaying Sword Qi. But what differed this time was the much slower speed of deconstruction and replication; the process was a third slower than when dealing with the Reincarnation Sword Qi.
Under the view of Bright Vision, Shen Mo saw that in addition to the original nine kinds of auras in the pagoda, an extra aura of Demon Slaying Sword Qi was added. Afterward, these ten auras intertwined, collided, and turned into Chaos, but the resulting aura then reverted to nine distinct types.
Then, Shen Mo stopped releasing sword Qi and bombarded Yang Xuan with several Palms.
...
After several trials, I’ve finally got a rough understanding of the features of this pagoda-shaped magic artifact, Shen Mo concluded. Firstly, this treasure’s ability to deconstruct and replicate an attack isn’t limitless—the stronger the attack, the slower the decomposition and replication. Secondly, the pagoda can’t fully replicate enhancements from Skills. Thirdly, the first time it deconstructs a certain type of attack takes a long time; however, if the same move is used subsequently, the tower can neutralize and dismantle it almost instantly!
If I could wield the Soul Refining Flag without any reservations right now, things would indeed be much simpler, Shen Mo mused. Most of the Demon Soul Generals in the blood flag possess offensive Skills that this pagoda cannot neutralize or deconstruct. I could completely overwhelm Yang Xuan with their Skills. However, those currently observing are all high-ranking members of the Riverside Sect. I certainly wouldn’t blatantly use the Soul Refining Flag right under their noses!
After a little consideration, Shen Mo’s figure blurred, transforming into his Three-headed Six-armed form. In the next instant, his three heads and six arms each began to act independently. Almost at the same time, they released a horde of terrifying sword Qi; consecutively launched numerous Palms; twelve Mountain Pearls, each containing a miniature mountain peak, were thrown out with tremendous momentum; and the low-grade Spiritual Artifact, the Ruyi Soul Stealing Needle, was also hidden among these attacks.
In addition to magic and magic artifacts, numerous talismans of varying grades and effects were also released, overwhelming the nine-tier pagoda and Yang Xuan, who was hiding behind it.
Seeing this terrifying offensive surge, like a tidal wave, even the proud Yang Xuan couldn’t help but change his expression.
