Seating cross-legged, the crowd of ten looked orderly. They all sat in a circle, Alexander's back facing the hall's entrance.
"Brother Alexander, I think we should all introduce ourselves. Like I said earlier, I am Martial Saint Sullivan, a pleasure to meet you." Looking all around, Sullivan indicated for them to do the same.
The three meters tall brawny man from before staring at Alexander, he introduced himself as well.
"I am Beast Monarch Gu Sho!"
The old man Alexander pointed out did the same.
"I am Divine Elder Dervedos Ghylar."
And others followed suit. A short old man keeping the momentum going.
"Others call me Flowing Sword Shu."
Next was a refined young woman.
"This Queen is Jade Blade Maria." Immediately after, the remaining woman of the group spat out in anger.
"Shut up! Stop saying you are Jade Blade, it is sullying my name!"
"Sister, why are you always acting like this ? It is not my own will, everyone else just calls me that. What do you expect me to do?"
Casting a curious glance, Dervedos Ghylar sighed.
"Little brother Alexander, let me introduce you to her, she is Blossoming Palm Jade."
Showing a look of understanding, Alexander shook his head.
'No wonder, one's name is Jade while jade is in the other woman's title.'
A thin but quick witted old man spoke, hoping to stop the women's quarreling.
"This one is Swift Dao Hurulus!"
With only two people left, the first to speak was a black haired middle aged man, looking like someone in his 30s while having a baby face.
"This humble one is Sword Saint Robert." The man was calm and collected, his tone fluid and slow.
Gazing at a rough blonde man, Alexander saw him part his lips.
"I'm Fist King James. Now that you know, stop looking at me!"
'A bunch of weirdos. Apart from the Divine Elder Dervedos Ghylar, Sword Saint Robert and Martial Saint Sullivan, all are pretty special.' Done with his analysis, Alexander spoke next.
"Now that everyone is introduced, why not answer my questions?"
Exchanging glances with the rest, Martial Saint Sullivan nodded.
"Go ahead!"
"First, I would like to inquire about cultivation realms. I don't know what comes after the Greater Existence Realm. Second, how do we get out?"
"For the cultivation realms, it's simple. Above the Greater Existence Realm is the Life Refining Realm and above even that is the Instinct Liberating Realm.
There are three stages to the Life Refining Realm, namely the 'Inner World Life Stage', 'Inner World Principles Stage' and lastly the 'Life Wheel Stage'."
"From the life wheel behind you, I suppose you are a peak Life Refining Realm master like some of us. For the Instinct Liberating Realm, we really don't know much. The name indicates something to do with liberating ourselves from our instincts, but other than that..."
'So that's why not all of them have a life wheel. It means that only Martial Saint Sullivan, Sword Saint Robert, Fist King James, Divine Elder Deverdos Ghylar and Beast Monarch Gu Sho are on my level. No, both Gu Sho and Sullivan are even more powerful. Probably half a step into the next realm.'
Probing each of them, Alexander waited for his second question to be answered.
"As for how to get out... To be honest, only one can go through."
"Do you mean?"
"Yes! Only after a single life form stand in this hall, will the gate be opened! But why does that matter? Each of us is so strong, none below the Life Refining Realm, so how do we go about this? I am going to be honest with you, we have already discussed this many times over the countless years we have spent here. But even someone like me or Gu Sho cannot win against two or three people in the same stage. If a fight truly takes place, none of us can guarantee we will stay alive. So-"
"So in fear of dying, none of you dared to make the first move. If you start fighting, distrust is bound to be deepened and plots bound to be formed. Is that why none of you seemed to care about that guy's death?"
Pursing his lips, Sullivan looked down.
"This one is ashamed, but I cannot protest with your words. Having one less rival is indeed a good thing, whether we like it or not."
Hearing this, Alexander laughed loudly without a shred of politeness.
The nine remaining experts looking at him with dumbfounded expressions, some wondered if he had become crazy due to circumstances. Who would want to stay here for the rest of their lives?
Standing up, Martial Saint Sullivan went to pat Alexander's shoulder, hoping to comfort this little brother.
The moment Sullivan was about to touch him, Sword Saint Robert opened his eyes with fright.
"Brother Sullivan stop! Retrieve your hand!"
But it was too late.
Blood gushing out, Sullivan had been sneak attacked by Alexander, now holding his heart in the palm of his hand.
"Sullivan was it? Are you stupid? Your arrogance is quite shocking I must say. After telling me to kill everyone here, you come first without any defenses? Are you really that crazy? Or did you have a death wish?"
Vomiting blood, Sullivan immediately clenched his body before closing his eyes for a moment. Soon after, his life wheel turned many shades dimmer and darker, almost gaining a tint of yellow. But his body healed completely, a new heart formed.
Clutching his chest, Sullivan fell on his bottom, pointing at Alexander.
"You, you!! You bastard!!!"
Kicking the ground, Alexander jumped at Sullivan, hoping to finish the kill in two moves, but unfortunately, the remaining eight masters recovered from their initial shock, protecting Sullivan.
Seeing this, Alexander scoffed.
"Is he not a thorn in your sole? That guy is a half-step Instinct Liberating Realm cultivator, do you not want him dead?!"
Biting her lip, Jade Sword Maria spoke in fear.
"Little brother is quite brave, but even if we want to be the one to leave... we still need his help to not die at your hands!"
"Oh? This young girl can think it seems, indeed, it was a nice move! But it doesn't matter, none of you will survive against this Alexander!" Gaining some distance from them, Alexander raised his right hand to the side. Celestial Qi flowing madly into his palm, it slowly took shape, the shape of his Fleeting Dreams. But he knew that some time would be needed to feed this weapon enough Celestial Qi to be of use.
In the meantime, Alexander pushed his palm forward, sending a simple [Celestial Palm] to the group.
Explosions ringing in their ears, the nine masters were unfazed, eight of them still tightly protecting Sullivan.
Staring at the Beast Monarch Gu Sho, Alexander cursed at him in his heart.
'This piece of shit, if he hadn't interfered with my palm, I could've injured a few of them, even if it was superficial. I must cripple his ability to fight first!' Not moving, Alexander still silently fed his Celestial Qi to the ethereal weapon.
Meanwhile, some were quite surprised by his control over Celestial Qi. Being able to form a simple, crude sword was relatively easy. But creating something so complicated like flexible and sturdy chains was another story. They would need to create something and then let it go while keeping it connected to them somehow.
A battle of majesty taking place, Alexander remained unfazed even after being stared at maliciously by so many legendary masters.
All of them were legends or myths even from their respective eras. But now, all of them took a stance against him. Instead of taking it as an honor however, Alexander took it as an insult.
"A bunch of kids daring to act against this Alexander... This Alexander is ashamed of not having killed all of you by now." Wondering why they did not chase after him, he saw them pay extreme attention to Sullivan's recovery. It appeared that, while rivals, they were brothers and sisters first. They moved as a unit and died as a unit as well.
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'It is quite moronic, but I don't mind.' His fake Fleeting Dreams now strong enough, its density of Celestial Qi made it look almost as tangible as metal.
"Since none of you dare to challenge me, I will challenge you!" Kicking the ground for a second attempt, Alexander brandished his Fleeting Dreams sideways, cleaving horizontally in the next instant.
Artifacts were useless in such a battle, but it did not stop these masters from making a mistake and overestimating their wealth from rusty instincts.
Some took defensive postures with Celestial Qi shields while others attempted to clash with Alexander using martial arts.
But among them, two had taken out a defensive artifact. One was a large shield while the other was a giant metal hand-fan.
Noticing it, Alexander smiled slightly, immediately cancelling his attack, negating all momentum while completely suppressing the internal backlash. He could do so, but others in this world could not. Watching this scene, all of them had wide open mouths and fear etched onto their faces.
Alexander did not waste time and impaled at Blossoming Palm Jade while sending a powerful palm strike to his left, where Swift Dao Hurulus stood.
The outcome was expected, Jade was brutally impaled, her hand-fan pierced like a piece of paper while Hurulus was sent flying into the distance, his body a bloody rag, his shield nothing but a piece of scrap against him.
Seeing their sorry state and lower cultivation, all of them could tell that both had died on the spot. Hurulus was only a first stage Life Refining Realm master while Jade was a second stage one. Facing Alexander's peak Life Refining Realm cultivation base head-on, they were obliterated.
"Pathetic! How can lowly ants like this reach such a high Martial Dao? I am disappointed." Spitting on the dead, Alexander saw the remaining seven retreat far away, at the end of the hall. Their back against the curtain of light, they stood firmly.
Sullivan recovering cross-legged behind, he was protected by Beast Monarch Gu Sho on his right and Jade Blade Maria on his left. Fist King James and Flowing Sword Shu were just in front with Divine Elder Dervedos Ghylar slightly ahead on their right and Sword Saint Robert opposite to Dervedos Ghylar.
Exhaling heavily from his nose, Alexander looked at the two closest to him with disdain. Clenching his fake Fleeting Dreams, Alexander caught it by the chains next, making it spin high above his head. The weapon passing through his life wheel, it did not hinder it.
After a few seconds, when the weapon spun at incredible speed, Alexander threw it in Sullivan's direction. Of course, Sullivan was not his target, his targets were the two in front, Fist King James and Flowing Sword Shu. His move forced them to defend, making them unable to react to his next move.
"Careful!!" Shouting, Fist King James' words came too late. The moment he defended from Alexander's long range attack, both the Divine Elder and Sword Saint were already doomed.
Both him and Flowing Sword Shu could only gasp as in a flash, the Divine Elder was sent spinning and flying like a used bloody rag to the side, his entire skeleton reduced to dust, while Sword Saint Robert had his sternum almost pierced through by a punch, sent flying the other way, crashing into a hard wall not even fazed by his body, causing him to suffer even more damage.
Trembling, they only saw Alexander suddenly appear in front of them, sending two clawing hands at their heads.
All they saw before darkness was a palm blocking their vision.
Swinging his hands around, Alexander got rid of the leftover brain matter from when he crushed the two's heads into mush.
Now, only three remained. One was already injured while another could not contend with him.
Not wasting time, Alexander pushed ahead with ferocity, sending a kick as if a spear toward Jade Blade Maria.
Her cultivation too low, she could barely react in time, trying to use her sword, but was too late. Her lower abdomen was crushed by Alexander's boot while Beast Monarch Gu Sho sent a clawing hand at Alexander's head.
Feeling the power behind this hand, Alexander retreated on the spot.
Gu Sho was blazing with rage. A junior had actually been killed right under his nose, it was a true stain to his name.
"Kid, don't go too far!" Why would Gu Sho be scared? His cultivation, while at the same stage technically, was still higher. His life wheel shining brightly, Gu Sho closed the distance in an instant, sending his right hand clawing at Alexander once more.
But how could it be so simple? Alexander was a martial artist the same way he was a cultivator. Size, strength and speed were not always the determining factor for such battles, especially when the difference between the two was not that great.
Deflecting the clawing hand with his left arm, Alexander did not stop, his left hand like a snake hoping to take a small bite from Gu Sho.
"Bastard!" No matter how insignificant a blow may seem, in battles between masters, even a small pat on the shoulder without momentum could very well end up devastating.
Forced to retreat, Gu Sho wanted to send another claw with his left hand.
"Do you only know one move? You savage! Barbarian!" Annoyed by this man's lack of techniques, Alexander deflected it with his right arm, but instead of striking again, he simply caught Gu Sho's forearm. In this position, Gu Sho smiled, catching Alexander's right forearm as well. If it was a battle of pure raw strength, he had the advantage.
About to clench, Gu Sho felt cold sweat all over his body. Alexander's right leg already about to land under his triceps.
"Guh!" Hurriedly trying to evade, Gu Sho was still held tightly by Alexander, his arm unable to move enough for his evasion.
Left with no choice, Gu Sho could only rely on his physical prowess and trade blow for blow. Clenching once again, he broke Alexander's right forearm and turned this same forearm into meat paste.
"You dare?!" Angered, Alexander used even more strength at the last moment, immediately connecting with Gu Sho's left triceps.
His powerful foot soon pierced through, touching and immediately breaking Gu Sho's arm before also going through and tearing apart his biceps.
"What?!" His eyes wide, Gu Sho had not expected his arm to be sliced off by Alexander's thin leg and frail foot.
"Strong body, but your knowledge of martial arts is too shallow!" Looking annoyingly at his dangling right forearm, Alexander felt irritated.
He was not blessed by the Heavens anymore, so something like this would not heal as it did back then.
About to continue, he suddenly noticed Martial Saint Sullivan standing back up. His face was still somewhat pale, but his vitality was not to be underestimated.
Gazing at the Sword Saint's body, Alexander was relived to see him deader than a piece of stone.
"Looks like it's two on one now. But so what? I already did so much in a nine against one!"
"Your so called 'Sealed Ten Heavens' is a bit outdated, no? Only two of you are left, and that's only for now. In a bit, there won't even be a need for this stupid title!"
"Arrogant junior!"
"Bold!"
The two men narrowing their eyes, they both charged forward, Gu Sho kicking the ground while Sullivan flew high.
"Don't take me for a three year old child!" Sending a left palm strike into the air, Sullivan was forced to dodge, his momentum eliminated.
Not wasting time, Alexander took a step forward, sending a left punch toward Gu Sho.
His fist caught by Gu Sho, it only made the brawny man grunt.
"Tsk!" Clicking his tongue, Alexander tried to retreat, but his left fist was caught firmly inside Gu Sho's grasp.
"Let go you barbarian!" Since he could not retreat, he had to let Sullivan recover and ambush him from the back, the exact tactic he wanted to avoid. But now that his hand was forced, he would not stay polite.
Contracting his left arm while running forward, Alexander sent a roundhouse right kick aiming at Gu Sho's head.
About to easily defend, Gu Sho's arrogant smirk froze. His left arm could not move!
Noticing this beginner mistake Alexander scoffed.
"Idiot!"
His right shin connecting perfectly with Gu Sho's jaw, it made the man dizzy for a while, his jawbone broken already. Luckily for him, his body was strong and his neck had not been sliced off.
His fist still held tightly, Alexander recovered his right leg before sending it behind as if a spear, colliding with Sullivan's right thigh.
Curses loudly shouted, Sullivan almost fell over on the ground, his palm strike interrupted.
Since his hand was still stuck, Alexander had to retrieve it somehow. Sending a left kick aiming at Gu Sho's right elbow, he was soon disturbed, as Gu Sho moved his right arm like a whip, completely offsetting Alexander's balance for a moment. Meanwhile, Alexander had intended to use his right elbow to block Sullivan's left punch from behind, but with this sudden movement from Gu Sho, his plan had been burned to ashes.
Coughing blood, Alexander had his spine struck powerfully by Sullivan. Luckily, Alexander had still reacted in time and urged his Celestial Qi to protect him in the nick of time, diminishing the damage received somewhat.
Seeing this, Gu Sho wanted to continue but suddenly saw Alexander retrieve the Celestial Qi from his caught left hand completely. And right after, sent that same left kick for his own left forearm.
Silence reigning, the two masters were shocked at Alexander's decisiveness. He had cut off his own left hand from the forearm directly just to escape. Not even sparring his wrist from it.
'If I'm fast enough, recovering that arm won't be an issue.'
Unless a body part was separated for millions of years, a master of their level would not have their bodies decay.
Knowing what Alexander was thinking, Sullivan snorted, sending a powerful blow to Alexander's left hand on the ground.
"You little shit!" Veins bulging from his forehead, Alexander wanted to tear this man apart. He actually destroyed his left hand completely.
"Ha! What are you going to do, Alexander? With your left and right forearms crippled, can you beat us with only your legs?" The two masters laughing, they immediately resumed their chase. Now with some breathing room, Alexander dodged them like the plague, running in circles inside the hall, baiting and running.
In the meantime, he used his own Celestial Qi to take the shape of his missing left limb and crippled right limb. He used them like gloves except that they needed, just like his fake Fleeting Dreams, a continuous stream of Celestial Qi to solidify and become resilient enough for their purpose.
After running around for a minute, his fake arms were functioning properly. But he would not stop there. In a two against one, he had already experienced a crisis, so he would not do the same mistake. Something had to change, and he knew exactly what to use.
"Brother Sullivan... this kid is plotting something!"
"I know, I can feel something changing around him... but what... Ah! His life wheel!! He's exchanging his own life for power!"
Narrowing their eyes, they saw Alexander's life wheel turn darker and almost become yellow, but at the same time, his aging physical body kept getting stronger and stronger.
"You two are not the only ones who know how to use it!" Laughing, Alexander felt like enough raw power had been gathered, immediately stopping on a wall before jumping from it, turning into a flying beam of light.
"Screw you!" Roaring, Sullivan was the first to be struck, Alexander's right, sky-blue fist of Celestial Qi colliding with his crossed forearms.
Staring at Alexander's old face, Sullivan wanted to tear him apart. But when feeling the powerful impact, he could only curse with a resigned expression, soon being sent flying at the wall right next to Sword Saint Robert.
"Crazy!" Pursing his lips, Gu Sho knew he was in for trouble. Trying to look away and see if Sullivan could recover, his body turned cold.
Sullivan was already dead!
Just the initial shockwave had crushed his forearms to mush and penetrated his sternum, but after being sent flying to the wall, he took a monstrous amount of damage from the invincible wall itself. With his consciousness wavering, he could not use his life wheel like usual. In the end, his body perished.
"Now there's only you! After I'm done, I will extinguish your souls!"
"You're crazy!" Panicking, Gu Sho sent a punch with his remaining right arm, but a nostalgic outcome occurred. His arm was deflected as Alexander punched with his right fist covered in dense Celestial Qi.
Struck five times on his torso in an instant, Gu Sho felt blood running down his mouth.
"You bastard!" Roaring, his stunned body could not escape Alexander's sweeping right leg, tearing his muscles apart and decapitating him on the spot.
One against nine, Alexander won a crushing victory. Losing a third of his left arm was annoying, but not too problematic at his current level of power.
It would hinder him, but he had already suffered such a fate in the past. Losing limbs was part of the Martial Dao. Not everyone could reach the end of the path with all four limbs and clean clothes.
But it did not matter too much to him, there existed many ways to heal such an injury. Thinking about it, Alexander raised his brows.
'I may need to deepen my understand of the Dao of Time. It was used by the Heavens back then to heal Overlords like me and could also be the key to immortal life even in the Celestial Realm. If I can revert my life wheel, it would make me basically immortal other than from external effects. Speaking of which, I need to return this strength.' His aged body regaining its former youth, Alexander's life wheel also regained its former bright shades of lime.
After carefully exterminating their souls, Alexander saw the light curtain blocking his path suddenly vanish.
"It was indeed true." Walking past the formerly closed gate, Alexander prepared himself for the next stage of this dungeon.