The divine sword shared its vast spiritual sense with Ryu and like she said, Ryu felt many unfathomably strong individuals gathering towards a single point. Strong couldn’t even begin to explain the prowess of these earth-shattering individuals. The spiritual sense from the sword seemed to encompass the whole environment for this qualification round. Although it lasted briefly, this was still an unimaginably impossible task that would be unmanageable even for a Sovereign Domain expert. Although the cultivations of these experts are repressed, the sword was able to see through their real powers.
Seventeen Sovereign Domain experts? Ryu painfully gasped. There were currently twenty-three Sovereign Domain experts in this round and most of them are heading towards a certain point. Their auras were extremely tainted, they must be rogue cultivators that slaughtered millions. Not only that, his dreadful captor that defeated him seemed to be the weakest out of the bunch! If these seventeen experts decided to start a massacre in the Thousand Swords Graveyard, what would happen?
“Don’t worry about that… the annoying old man had left many secrets, more than enough to deal with the likes of them.” Eni’s indifferent voice informed Ryu. The divine sword seemed to have a bone to pick with the legendary swordsman Musashi.
Ryu thought about her words and calmed down. The legendary swordsman is definitely in a league of his own and will stop these people if needed. Even if he doesn’t personally take action, the unbelievably mammoth Enchantment that seemingly covers and encompasses the whole Thousand Swords Graveyard can definitely deal with any sort of trouble. The Thousand Swords Graveyard seemed to be constructed of a single massive Enchantment too from what Ryu could tell. If that is true, the repercussions are huge.
The black robed man continued flying forward while trouncing anyone in his way. No one managed to last more than a minute before dying a horrible death. Kylus wasn’t a least bit concerned with Ryu, the appalling Qi Devouring Bug releases paralyzing toxins that stops the natural regeneration of Qi in its victims. Combined with the iron grip of his flying mount, Ryu was as good as dead to his eyes.
The celestial sword, invisible to all but Ryu, can disappear and reappear easily. Ryu was thinking about creating a distraction with a surprise attack. His primary Qi reservoir was compromised by the poisonous bug but he still had three others. Right now it seems like using all three to perform the Superman-Mode to break free was the most reasonable choice. Suddenly a deep regal booming voice echoed inside his mind.
“Wait a minute… no need to damage your foundation over this.” The mighty but reassuring voice told Ryu.
The celestial godlike beast calmly spoke, “Let this be a lesson to you. Understand there is always a heaven beyond the havens. There is always someone stronger than yourself. There is always someone better. The world is not as simple as you think, you can die at any moment. No matter how strong you are, all it takes is a single trap, a single mistake…”
Now that Ryu had entered Emperor Domain, the gateway to his inner spirit world had begun establishing. Until now, he could only summon lesser spirits from the netherworld to perform Spirit Fusion. He was not at the point where he could contract a spirit, never mind using a contracted spirit, because his cultivation was simply not mature enough to sustain such an action. It was only during unique circumstances and fortunate encounters that he managed to form a contract with the Qilin. After Ryu entered Emperor Domain, the Qilin can finally peer outside and see what Ryu sees. He is however unable to provide any help to Ryu though and can only speak sporadically to him.
Is the Qilin going to Spirit Fuse with me? Ryu wondered as the voice inside his mind faded away. The divine blade could be heard snorting in the background, it seems she does not get along with the celestial beast.
Just as the celestial beast said, exactly a minute afterwards a pair of yellow armored warriors soon came into sight. One had an oversized axe with a tyrannical feel about it. The other had a slender golden bow which was even longer than the user himself. At first they were just staring from afar, not making any movements. Both were infamous commanders from the military focused Feng Empire, their true cultivations were at the Supreme Domain. Kylus on the other hand didn’t even bat an eye at them and continued in his own direction.
“Such arrogance!” Both commanders said to each other furiously. Kylus was passing them as if they didn’t exist at all! Suddenly the bow user slammed his hand on his weapon and quickly fired off multiple arrows in succession. Each arrow spun furiously and created a raging tempest over time. It was as if multiple lines of tornadoes were aiming for Kylus’s life. The savage man with the gargantuan axe also charged behind the rampant waves of arrows. Each step he took in the air seemed to cause sight trembles to the frozen earth below.
The two made the fatal error of provoking this madman. Since everyone’s cultivation was capped at the King Domain, it’s impossible for ordinary cultivators to see each other’s true cultivation. Even if it was possible, everyone is handicapped at the King Domain. If Ryu had the strength to shout, he would have warned them to run. It wasn’t hard to gauge the vast difference between them. Only certain death awaits the foolish challengers.
Kylus sneered and charged towards the barrage of tempests. His movements were so astonishing fast that the two aggressors only saw a streak of black light. Like a hot knife cutting through butter, the deadly arrows were cut down easily by the dark beam. The giant axe user swung his mighty weapon at him bravely. The result was as expected, to Ryu anyways. The tyrannical axe shattered like glass and Kylus wasn’t even phased a bit. The member of the Death Origin Organization was toying with his targets, creating maximum despair before he kills them.
It was at this moment that Ryu’s body shook uncontrollably. His head arched back as far as humanly possibly inside the clutches of the petrifying skeletal roc. Intense white light shot out of his eyes and gaping mouth. The blinding light penetrated into the clueless roc and a bloody red aura started seeping from its bones.
Huh? Kylus was just about to land the killing blow to the foolish pair that dares to provoke him but suddenly his sixth sense told him something dangerous was approaching. The two victims were as pale as snow and were beaten to a miserable state. Kylus had lived a long life and knew something was wrong but he couldn’t pinpoint what.
The two commanders with tattered armor and missing limbs had no idea why this madman they provoked stopped but they took this distraction to immediately flee for their life. Whatever life-saving treasures they had left were immediately used to get as far away as possible in the shortest amount of time.
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
The skeletal roc suddenly shrieked loudly and trashed around in mid-air. It was as if it was choking or it had a crazy itch that it couldn’t satisfy. Ryu’s body was released and he flew backwards. The dreadful feeling inside his stomach was gone at this point.
“Stupid animal, what is wrong with you.” Kylus growled as he noticed the visible transformation the beast has gone through. Without waiting for a response, Kylus held up the summoning scroll and attempted to recall the beast. The moment it happened, the ancient scroll erupted into flames.
Kylus stood there dumbfounded for a second as he watched the charred remains of the scroll float across his face. A summoning scroll is like an absolute collar that chains a beast for life. He had never heard of a scenario where the beast can break free.
Ryu was slowly edging away at this point when Kylus spotted him. The dark purple scythe of doom appeared in his hand instantly and he dashed forward like a flash of dark lightning.
“What did you do boy?” Kylus shouted wrathfully.
Bang! As if he hit an invisible wall, his advancements were abruptly halted. Kylus felt his body slam into something solid and the momentum from his charge caused his whole body to be flattened.
“Impossible!” Kylus shouted as he realized he was stopped by an invisible wall of Qi. He couldn’t discern what the invisible force was so he assumed it was just pure Qi.
The gigantic bones of the roc dislodged, shrunk and swarmed around in a circle during this time. The speed increased until finally a skeleton no bigger than Ryu formed. The skeleton however looked ordinary in every single way except that it was floating in mid-air. The wall of Qi dispersed the moment the skeleton appeared.
Ryu also sensed that the invisible obstacle preventing Kylus was ripping him apart had disappeared. Now that the poisonous insect inside of him had been terminated somehow, Ryu could run away without worry. Kylus now weary of the skeleton continued charging forward to capture and destroy Ryu.
Suddenly the skull of the skeleton flared with light, it was as if there was an everlasting flame burning inside. The flame was of an odd green and yellow color, giving it a daunting look. Inside its chest another source of fire appeared. This one was a crimson color which gave its body a ruby glow.
Slap! Kylus felt a burning sensation on his face as his body tumbled backwards like a piece of paper. The skeletal remains which was above them had somehow appeared right in front of Ryu, its right hand was over its left shoulder. Anyone could see that it was the skeleton which slapped Kylus but nobody, not even Ryu, saw the skeleton move at all.
“Who are you? This is not the kind of power a simple slave should have…” Kylus hissed as he put his own hand over his cheeks. Even if the skeletal roc transformed, it was still a Supreme Domain beast. How could it be so powerful? He had never been so humiliated. This time he charged forward with all he has at the skeleton.
“You are not worthy of knowing my name but since it’s my first time serving my master, I’ll let you know. My name is Daz-Has-Tar, the last of the Anti-Heaven Tribe!” The skeleton’s voice boomed out as if he was an Emperor talking to a peasant. The sheer force of it was enough to make Kylus slightly tremble.
“Master, please watch carefully. I can only sustain this form for a moment.” The skeleton turned around and bowed towards Ryu. Is that the crimson warrior from before? Ryu recognized its unique and domineering aura. It turns out that the Qilin had unleashed this redeemed soul from Ryu’s body and into the roc beast. The soul of the Anti-Heaven tribe member needed a few moments to take over so that’s why the Qilin waited for Kylus to be slightly occupied.
“Enchantments rely more on comprehension than your Qi. Origin Power is your mental strength combined with the power of your soul.” The unworldly voice from the skeleton sent a mental message to Ryu.
Kylus who attempted to slash at the skeleton was once again stopped by an invisible force. The invisible force was as indomitable as a mountain, Kylus would feel great pain inside him each time he clashed against it.
Information trickled into Ryu’s mind and he instantly understood that the last member of the Anti-Heaven Tribe was using blue tiered Enchantments! Enchantments are sorted by tiers. Black tiers are only available for users from level 0-49. Brown tiers are for users between level 50-99. As for Blue Tiered Enchantments, they are for people who have gone through Rebirth and have entered entry stages of Saint Domain!
Enchantments are formidable but not overbearing in battle. They could be set down ahead of time to aid the user as support but that’s about it. However, if one used an Enchantment from a higher tier against lower level users then the case is completely different. Ryu was still trying to comprehend this concept when suddenly the skeletal man waved his hand indifferently and the Enchantment cage around Kylus dispersed.
Kylus was now feeling extremely insecure, his expression couldn’t hide how disturbed he was. However he still had his pride as Sovereign Domain practitioner. He also knows that the Heaven Continent has a Silver Tier Enchantment set since ancient times which restricts anyone from above Sovereign Domain to enter. Meaning he was at the top of the food chain, no matter how this skeleton was it can’t be stronger than him.
He spat out globs of blood and a giant wasp like creature was formed. It had a pair of small wings behind its back and a huge stinger on its bottom. Like a thirsty mosquito, the giant bloody wasp shot forward in a curve, avoiding the skeleton and ready to feast on Ryu. It seems like Kylus wanted to take care of Ryu which will hopefully end the skeleton.
The bloody wasp was just about to reach Ryu when suddenly it was ripped to bits. One moment it was in one piece, the next it was shredded into thousands of pieces. It turns out there were six serpent-like creatures protruding from the skeleton’s back. No one knew when they appeared. However each of its hydra heads were all slurping on the blood from the remains of the blood wasp. Afterwards they shrunk backwards into the skeleton.
Kylus swung his malevolent scythe against his own body, both his legs and other arm were promptly chopped off. Darkness seeped out of Kylus’s pores and wounds. He was utilizing his Specialization; Sadistic Pain. He needed to take heavy damage first to gain great powers temporary. That wasn’t all however, he was also going to use another Specialization; Darkness Divergence.
Malicious shadows from the ground below seemed to come to life and also joined the darkness emitted by Kylus. More streaks of sinful shadows exploded out of thin air and combined into the river of wicked darkness around Kylus. Suddenly the massive amount of black Qi formed into forks and blasted towards them. The sound from the attack was already deafening, it was as if the air between them were getting torn apart.
The skeleton casually waved its hand once again and in an instant the world around them turned dark. The ice-covered frozen environment around them disappeared. Even the chilling temperature vanished and was replaced by a numb feeling. Nothing could be seen, only complete darkness was left.
If it wasn’t for Ryu’s special vision, he would be completely blind in this instance. It wasn’t long before Ryu realized that all his senses were not working. Not even his Qi sense could tell him what’s going on, it’s as if he was in an abyss of endless void.
“When you master a certain path, anything is possible. From my mastery of the darkness, this is my Netherworld Domain! The epitome of my darkness.” The imposing and overbearing voice of Daz-Has-Tar rang out once again inside Ryu’s mind. Although the engraved battle between the Fairy Lady and Alexis had a stronger impression on Ryu, Daz-Has-Tar was also dominating a member of the Death Origin Organization like he was treating a child.
The Qilin’s words resonated inside Ryu’s mind, there is always someone better. Even though Kylus and Daz-Has-Tar were both limited to King Domain cultivation, their skills were at a much higher level than Ryu's. Although Ryu was humble about his own capabilities before, he still thought he was quite powerful. This incident removed any pride he has.