"Surrender. There's no way a mere Core-realm cultivator can withstand our full might!" shouted by an old man,
Luka's grip on his sword tightened as he fought to control his shaking hands. The blade was slick with blood, a mixture of his blood and others.
The battlefield was a desolate wasteland, a lunar landscape of craters, charred earth, and stone spikes jutting up like thorns on a rose. There was no sign of life, except from the distorted faces of the corpses that littered the battlefield.
"...go to hell," he gritted through clenched teeth as he glared up at the man and his three companions, who hovered above the battleground, casting a menacing shadow over him.
"What?"
"I SAID GO TO HELL." Full of fury and anger, he circulated his internal energy and performed a movement technique.
He made a powerful leap, defying gravity as he propelled himself forward through the air. With incredible speed, he raced towards his target, moving as effortlessly as if he were strolling along the ground.
"Void Steps huh, it's been a while since I saw that technique."
"His cultivation level is still Peak Core Formation, fortunately, we're not too late."
"Reaching Peak Core in 150 years, his physique is truly terrifying."
The trio discussed and gossiped, clearly underestimating the man who was currently approaching them at almost supersonic speeds.
"Elders! Don't you all underestimate that blight! He might be a lowly core cultivator, but killing thousands of mercenaries in the span of minutes shows his prowess and talent."
The mysterious old man said as he made hand gestures toward Luka.
At last, Luka reached their vicinity didn't waste any time, and started his attacks.
'Undying Ebony Fowl Sword Art, Seventh form, Crescent Ebony Slash!'
His sword was suddenly filled with Sword Energy, as he slashed toward the group's location
Various black-crescent Sword Energy flew toward them at mind-boggling speeds, threatening to turn them into mincemeat
However...
"...I-Impossible."
Before the attack could reach the group, a silhouette of a golden shield suddenly appeared out of thin air, blocking the attacks completely.
"I'm surprised, that martial art technique must have been at least Divine ranked, how did you get it?" The old man said mockingly as he dismissed the formation that he created.
"Why are you doing this?!" Luka asked. He now felt a void on his dantian, a sign that he spent almost all of his internal energy.
Luka's mind is now in shambles, he was just hunting a supposedly Peak Core Magic beast for its spirit core. As he reached the 'lair' of the beast, he was ambushed by hundreds of cultivators, realms ranging from Peak Qi Building to Late Core Formation.
The old man suddenly disappeared. Luka immediately readied himself for any attacks.
"I don't need to answer your questions."
He suddenly appeared behind Luka, materializing a sword using his internal energy. He swiped at Luka, planning to decapitate him.
Luka, already aware of the old man's attack, immediately dodged and tried to slash him.
As Luka's sword struck the old man's chest, it broke into a million pieces. Dumbfounded, he stared at the old man's hand as it pierced his chest, directly piercing his lungs.
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' Nascent Soul? No, a Divine Body cultivator?! '
Luka was aware that only a Divine Body cultivator and above can completely nullify physical attacks not infused with internal energy.
"If only you hadn't inherited that madman's physique, you would've qualified as my direct disciple. Oh heavens..."
Luka dropped to his knees, his breath labored, his strength waning. He tried to stand, but his legs betrayed him.
'Pitiful, In my second life, I'm going to die a dog's death...'
As he was on the verge of death, all the moments of his second life started to manifest before his eyes.
It all began when he was struck by a truck. For the first 10 years, he wandered the cities of the Absolute Continent, lost and in a daze. By year 20, he discovered his talent for martial arts and began practicing.
Meeting his master in year 30 marked the start of his journey for cultivation. From year 31 to 100, Luka and his master traveled the Absolute Continent, amassing treasures and knowledge, and increasing their cultivation realms.
By year 120, Luka bid farewell to his master, who had reached Divine Body and was forced to ascend by the Heavens. For the remaining 27 years, Luka continued to wander and explore the world, thanks to his unique physique that allowed him to cultivate faster than everyone else and absorb the spirit cores of magical beasts. As a result, he managed to reach Peak Core Formation in just 117 years of cultivation. In comparison, a normal cultivator with normal talent and physique would take almost 400-500 years to reach Peak Core Formation.
Luka, with his current prowess, can devastate a mid-sized city into rubble with just one attack.
Unfortunately, even with his strength, he is still unable to nick these seniors, who he presumes are Nascent Soul cultivators or higher.
As the old cultivator, with his long white beard and aura that clearly shows dominance, manifested another sword made of pure energy, he clearly is aiming now on his neck, to decapitate him.
'If I'm going to die, I'm going to drag you with me!'
In that split second, a rumble suddenly reverberated from his dantian, the energy center in his body, resonating throughout his entire being. It felt as if every cell in his body was vibrating with intensity. In that moment, he consciously directed all of his remaining energy -both internal and life force - towards his core, the very center of his being. The energy swirled and merged, intertwining and fusing into a powerful, unified force. It was as if his whole being was alight with this newfound, concentrated energy, pulsating and surging with an almost overwhelming power.
And then, he let it go loose.
' FUSION CORE DETONATION!!! '
The elderly man, believing it was just a typical Core Detonation technique, raised his arms and enveloped his entire body with Internal Energy. Unfortunately, it wasn't what he thought it was.
The battlefield was engulfed in a tremendous explosion, reminiscent of a nuclear bomb, causing chaos and destruction. The old man, realizing the imminent danger, attempted to harness his internal energy and convert it into pure qi, but his efforts were in vain as he was too late to avert the catastrophe.
As the dust settled, a huge crater could be seen where Luka was. The old man, now missing both of his hands, overlooked the battlefield.
"Sect Elder!"
The previous trio approached the old man, who was actually a Sect Elder.
"Sect Elder, what was that?!"
"Is that Core Detonation?! But it can't be, it's too powerful!"
"Sect Elder! Your hands!"
"Elders, you don't have to worry, being a Peak Heavenly Body cultivator, my hands will regenerate in no time."
True to his words, the stump where his hands previously were, started to regenerate visibly in the naked eye.
"Elders, start the formation, let's return, we have another 1000 years until that heaven-forsaken physique manifests again."
As the three elders began to form hand seals and arrays, the sect elder contemplated. Little was known about the physique; the only thing known by the leaders of the top sects is that anyone who possesses that physique can grow tremendously fast, and it can lead to devastation if possessed by the wrong person. As a result, it became a tradition that every 1000 years, a sect leader would hunt the person who possessed the physique to avoid any devastation to the heavenly realms.
"Sect Leader, the formation is ready."
"Well then, let's get going."
A huge beam of light penetrated the skies, signaling the ascension of the mysterious men to higher realms, leaving a devastated wasteland.
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' Im back here again? '
Darkness filled Luka's vision, just like when he first died.
' Is this it? Am I finally dying for good? '
As he found himself in the void of darkness, his mind wandered aimlessly, accompanied only by the solace of his own thoughts.
And then all of a sudden, he sensed something
His sense of touch seems to be returning gradually as he lays on something soft, resembling a comfortable bed.
And then came the sounds of something beeping, the smell of bitterness and artificial fragrances, combined with the familiar scents of cleaning agents.
And then, his eyes suddenly shot open, bewildered and confused, he immediately shot up on his lying position, finding multitudes of tubes and bandages on his body, especially his head.
A nurse, passing by, saw what happened and screamed.
"Am I in a hospital?" were the last words that he uttered before he suddenly felt extremely nauseous and passed out