Chapter 354
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Chapter 354: The Origins of Huo Yun
What a cunning scheme!
Bi Hao had plotted for decades for this day. When he discovered the demon energy and eventually found Su Ling bearing the Demon Race Bloodline, his exhilaration bordered on madness.
If all proceeded smoothly, he would soon overcome the great tribulation unique to the seventh-level Golden Core stage, creating an opening for his pill to break and rebirth to occur.
Yet he never anticipated that western sword strike would possess such devastating power. Sage Huo Yun’s cultivation had reached the seventh-level Golden Core stage – this unforeseen variable shattered all his calculations.
The sky above Tian Shen Peak churned with battle, yet Bi Hao and Sage Huo Yun remained locked in silent confrontation, neither making the first move.
"Reaching the sixth level of the Golden Core stage was no small feat," Sage Huo Yun said mildly, his voice carrying imperial finality. "I’ll grant you three strikes. Draw a single drop of blood, and I’ll spare you today. Fail, and this date shall mark your death anniversary."
Bi Hao’s laughter dripped with scorn. However fearsome Sage Huo Yun’s cultivation might be, surviving three strikes unscathed seemed impossible.
"Should we clash in earnest, this mountain would crumble to dust." Sage Huo Yun gestured at the ten dueling figures above. "Let us first observe their contest."
Bi Hao feigned hesitation before agreeing. Delay served his purpose – more sect experts would arrive, overwhelming even this formidable foe through sheer numbers. Ants could indeed devour an elephant.
Though Golden Core combat should reduce mountains to rubble, Tian Shen Peak stood protected by Heavenly Sword Sect’s millennium-old defensive formation. The ancient wards held firm against aerial devastation.
Elder Gong soon emerged victorious, his palm strike sending an opponent tumbling through crimson rain. Yan Changchun followed suit, his sword transforming into a divine rainbow that pierced an enemy’s shoulder before a finishing blow.
Two victories.
Elder Seven maintained shaky dominance in a stalemate, while Elder Jin faced an opponent with baffling endurance. After dozens of exchanges, a finger-thrust pierced Elder Jin’s chest in a spray of blood.
Murong Wuqing’s duel reached its climax. Gone were the elegant maneuvers – now each earth-shaking strike carried lethal intent. When his opponent overextended, Murong vanished only to reappear spear-in-hand, shattering a shoulder blade with brutal efficiency.
Elder Seven finally broke through frozen defenses, his Ice Spirit Qi spearheading a fatal throat strike. Four victories from five battles left spectators momentarily speechless before erupting in cheers.
Bi Hao smirked at his rival. "Seems we’ve claimed the first round."
Sage Huo Yun surveyed his defeated subordinates. "Failure brings disgrace. Remove yourselves from this world." His casual tone suggested he commanded the crushing of insects rather than four Golden Core experts.
Before disbelief could form, four arterial sprays painted the ground. The mighty cultivators collapsed without hesitation, extinguishing their hard-won golden cores.
"Dead? Four Golden Cores?" Du Chuntian’s voice cracked.
"They… truly killed themselves," Duan Hongcheng muttered, rubbing disbelieving eyes.
Su Hao and Ye Yun stood equally stunned. Golden Core experts represented cultivation’s first true milestone – achieved through decades of resources and luck. These four had extinguished their brilliance like snuffed candles.
"Only major sects treat Golden Cores as disposable slaves," rumbled the Ancestor of the Sword Path’s voice. "Their genius disciples swim in endless resources, viewing servants as cattle."
"What sect breeds such monsters?" Ye Yun demanded.
"Know you the Xuan Yuan Sect?" the Ancestor countered. "Top-tier in the Great Qin Empire. Their elite disciples command Golden Core slaves like this."
Xuan Yuan Sect. The name burned into Ye Yun’s mind.
"They employ witch clan methods – pitting disciples like scorpions in a jar until one survivor remains. That victor gains everything."
Ye Yun’s blood chilled. "They make disciples slaughter each other?"
"Precisely. Your Sage likely emerged from such butchery."
Stepping forward, Ye Yun challenged: "Sage Huo Yun! Are you Xuan Yuan Sect’s dog?"
The Sage’s gaze struck like daggers, deflected only by Ye Yun’s enhanced physique. Surprise flickered across those aristocratic features.
"To find recognition in this backwater… Delightful." His fingers danced, summoning five golden orbs from the corpses. "Injure me," he told Bi Hao, "and these cores are yours."
