As the fight reached its most intense moment, Wu Tao's aura suddenly surged to its peak. He let out a forceful exhalation from his chest, transforming into a clear, piercing howl that carried for hundreds of meters.
At this point, the two from the Cold Water True Spirit Sect were increasingly regretting seeking trouble with Wu Tao.
What kind of monster was this? Despite only having just entered the early Foundation Establishment stage, his strength was immense. Despite their coordinated attacks, they were now being suppressed.
And their magic artifacts, how terrifyingly powerful! These were clearly the legendary prodigies. How could they possibly compare? No wonder he hadn't fled; he was waiting for them to willingly walk into his trap.
...
Fear bred the desire to retreat.
The two exchanged glances, shouted in unison, and hurled their magic artifacts at Wu Tao. Simultaneously, they each conjured a top-tier defensive artifact. A flying leaf appeared beneath one, and a flying boat beneath the other – two escape artifacts.
Disregarding the slashing blade waves from above, they turned and fled.
Witnessing this, Wu Tao let out a hearty laugh and declared, "If I let the two of you escape today, wouldn't my reputation be tarnished?"
With that, the blade of the Immortal Execution Demonic Blood Saber curved. The saber split into countless massive blade energies. In an instant, an unknowable number of blade glints struck the same spot on the two protective artifacts, shattering them instantly.
At the same time, a flash of blade light, and the heads of the two men flew towards the sky.
Crimson blood splattered in mid-air.
...
You can't always get away with it.
This time, Wu Tao had finally encountered a formidable enemy who pushed him to the brink of death, forcing him to flee for his life.
Lu Shaolin, the true prodigy among the Foundation Establishment disciples of the Cold Water True Spirit Sect, at the peak of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, had been fighting Wu Tao for dozens of rounds. After Wu Tao, for some reason, completely enraged him, Lu Shaolin finally revealed a portion of his hidden strength.
Instantly, the Water Intent manifested, transforming the surroundings. It was a harsh winter's day with heavy snow falling, and a pale blue figure slowly floated into the air.
Lu Shaolin seemed to be at the center of an ice and snow storm. His entire being was dyed an icy blue, and his black hair also turned icy blue, drifting in the wind until it trailed down to his feet.
At first glance, he resembled an ancient mythical beast, the Jiao Chi.
"Jiao Chi Transformation?"
Seeing this, Wu Tao's expression became extremely grave.
The so-called Jiao Chi Transformation was, in fact, a "divine manifestation" innate ability that was almost always included in top-tier cultivation techniques. Although its manifestation varied depending on the specific technique, its fundamental principle was to unleash the power of the technique and manifest the partial divine abilities of an ancient mythical beast.
Every movement of Lu Shaolin, every step he took, was imbued with extreme cold and spiritual light, all in the form of the Jiao Chi playing in water.
Innumerable chilling spiritual energies eventually coalesced into an ancient mythical beast, the Jiao Chi, measuring over ninety-nine zhang in length.
"Screech~"
In an instant, a flash of icy light appeared before them. A pale blue Jiao Chi claw swooped down towards Wu Tao's chest.
One could faintly see a pair of basin-sized eyes, filled with extreme cold and ferocity, shining with a cruel light behind the pale blue Jiao Chi's claw.
...
Facing imminent danger, Wu Tao's entire body contracted like coiled muscles. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he swung the Immortal Execution Demonic Blood Saber.
Killing intent permeated the air. He seemed to transform into a blade himself, a heavy and swift blade, poised to deliver a fatal strike at any moment.
"Slaughtering Blade!"
Wu Tao moved like a demon. With a single step, he covered dozens of paces, completely ignoring the distance.
This blade cleaved through the surrounding ice, accompanied by a blade aura several zhang long. With awe-inspiring momentum, it slashed towards the ancient mythical beast Jiao Chi.
One blade sealed the heavens, severing everything.
The ancient mythical beast Jiao Chi's phantom froze abruptly.
The ice remained, the cold air persisted, but the entire form was covered in a web of cracks that continuously spread. Within each crack, blade energy seeped out.
In an instant, the ancient mythical beast Jiao Chi's phantom disintegrated into ice.
"What a powerful demonic artifact!"
Lu Shaolin gritted his teeth upon seeing this, each word almost spat out from between his clenched teeth.
...
Wu Tao strode directly into the vast expanse of ice and snow and then said, "Lu Shaolin, if this is all you've got, then a year from today will be your death anniversary."
As soon as the words left his mouth, another domineering blade energy sliced through the air. By burning his own vital energy, Wu Tao pushed the power of the Immortal Execution Demonic Blood Saber to its absolute limit.
"You've gone too far! Do you really think Lu Shaolin is easy to bully?"
With an enraged roar, Lu Shaolin neither dodged nor evaded. He didn't even spare the sharp blade energy a glance. Instead, he formed a hand seal with his fingers, which twitched continuously, and chanted an incantation.
A Jiao's roar of extreme ferocity suddenly erupted, like a dragon emerging from the sea. A soul-chilling cold filled the entire world.
Immediately following, a colossal being, neither fully human nor fish, twisted its translucent body, seemingly condensed from ten thousand years of ice, extending ninety-nine zhang. It coiled and ascended, instantly tearing through the blade energy.
This was not all. With a flick of its Jiao tail, it instantly transformed into a colossal shadow that blotted out the sun and moon, descending from above to press down on Wu Tao from his waist.
"Pfft!"
Under the immense pressure, Wu Tao spat out a mouthful of blood. The shockwave was unstoppable, and in a moment, blood stained the sky.
His entire body seemed to be struck by an invisible force, lifting him off the ground and sending him flying backward.
Without time to check his injuries, Wu Tao straightened his body, kneeling on one knee. Turning back, two blue arrows were already nocked on the Dragon Piercing Ice Horn Bow, aimed at Gao Chen.
...
The dragon roared, and the arrows flew. A glint flashed in Wu Tao's eyes as he shot two arrows in rapid succession, unleashing a torrent of dragon energy once more.
"It's useless. As long as I get serious, no one in the Foundation Establishment stage can defeat me!" Lu Shaolin's top-tier defensive artifact, the "Spiritual Jade Tooth Pendant," flashed, and a semi-circular blue shield appeared.
Within the shield, Lu Shaolin stood firm like a reef on an island, unmoving as a mountain.
Wu Tao was not disheartened by this outcome. He had known it likely wouldn't injure him, but he had tried out of a sliver of hope.
With a calm expression, he retracted the Dragon Piercing Ice Horn Bow into his storage pouch, slowly stood up, and grasped the Immortal Execution Demonic Blood Saber once more.
The saber light was sharp and fierce, each strike a blood-red rainbow, seemingly capable of cleaving the earth and severing the sky, with an astonishing momentum.
Lu Shaolin snorted coldly, his form flickering into countless illusions. An immensely powerful Water attribute energy surged forth, like the raging waves of a furious ocean, grand yet carrying a destructive aura that made one feel the terror of facing the end of the world.
"Cough!"
Wu Tao could not withstand Lu Shaolin and coughed up another mouthful of blood. His internal injuries worsened.
Lu Shaolin, one of the Twelve Great Water Lords, truly lived up to his reputation. He had Wu Tao completely suppressed, relentlessly pursuing him, giving Wu Tao no chance to defeat him.
Wu Tao gritted his teeth, and with a flip of his hand, the Sky Profound Great Restriction Ring appeared in his palm.
Restriction, formation, tight, attack! The Sky Profound Great Restriction Ring grew against the wind, transforming into a giant ring several zhang in size. Under Wu Tao's control, it split into countless tiny rings, like a torrent, relentlessly smashing towards Gao Chen.
"Still trying to resist? You're seeking death!" Lu Shaolin snorted coldly and suddenly roared.
As a generation's prodigy, Lu Shaolin, a master at the peak of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, surely did not possess fewer top-tier artifacts than Wu Tao, a cultivator in the early Foundation Establishment stage.
In the next second, Lu Shaolin produced the top-tier artifact, the "Ice Condensing Lightning Mirror." Blue light blazed from its surface.
Instantly, waves of Gui Water Divine Thunder rolled out like ink splatters. Thick pillars of lightning, spinning and roaring, hurtled towards Wu Tao.
The Gui Water Divine Thunder descended with formidable force. If Wu Tao could not resist it, he would instantly die a charred corpse.
Wu Tao's expression turned as dark as water. He once again burned his vital energy to its fullest. Immediately, the Immortal Execution Demonic Blood Saber unleashed blade after blade of energy, continuously striking out.
Each blade energy was like a meteor shower, tearing through layers of thunder pillars and electric light. In an instant, blade energy and lightning flew together, and for a time, they were evenly matched.
Lu Shaolin, seizing the advantage, let out another great roar. The phantom of the ancient mythical beast Jiao Chi, neither human nor fish, launched its attack once more.
"Chī!"
Countless ice shards materialized out of thin air, scattering chaotically. A rolling cold wind descended like an ice and snow storm.
In an instant, an area of over ten zhang became a world of ice and snow, with hidden killing intent within the surging ice and snow.
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