Chapter 127: Jiao Zhenqing (1)

Jiao Zhenqing surveyed the capital city submerged in a sea of blood, his tempestuous aura unfurling.

“The refinement of my Blood-Draining Needle nears completion…!”

Just a few more sacrifices, and it would be done.Once refined, half of his personal goal would be accomplished. The remaining objective—to find traces of a certain individual—was not a quick task. Finally, after destroying this Lower Realm and fulfilling the Noble Archer’s mission, it would all end.

“Ten wasted years… This sin shall not be taken lightly.”

With a grand gesture, Jiao Zhenqing caused the blood-red sea to engulf even the city walls, submerging them. He laughed eerily at the countless screams reaching skyward.

Suddenly, his senses prickled.

“Hm?”

Something flew straight toward him at a speed impossible to ignore—long yet blunt, cleaving through the air. Jiao Zhenqing tilted his head, perplexed.

“I don’t understand.”

High-speed projectiles did not surprise him particularly, but…

“I can barely sense any Spiritual Power from it.”

Its speed was out of the ordinary.

“Materials that can conceal Spiritual Power should be rare even in the Lower Realm. Hmm.”

Jiao Zhenqing had an inkling of what it was. Like the Great Sealing Formation previously used against him, this was likely another trap or ambush.

“Are they underestimating me?”

For an ambush, it was not exactly subtle, audibly tearing through the air.

“Do they think I, Jiao Zhenqing, would even flinch at such an attack?”

No Spirit Severing cultivators remained to stop him.

“Hmph.”

As the cylindrical object, with its blunt, cone-shaped tip, approached rapidly, Jiao Zhenqing reacted with a casual wave of his hand.

Boom-

Despite the loud impact borne of its high speed and considerable weight, Jiao Zhenqing deflected it effortlessly.

Clang-

As Jiao Zhenqing gauged its origin, the deflected object’s tip touched the ground.

“Huh?”

KABOOOM-

SCREECH-

A mushroom cloud bloomed.

***It all began in the VIP seats.

“It’s an emergency! You must return immediately!”

“What’s the matter? Calm yourself. Tsk.”

“I… that is…”

Numerous lesser-realm cultivators rushed about, urgently whispering to the cultivators in the VIP seats.

“…That can’t be.”

“My word…”

“Master Song Yan what?”

“Huh?”

“What nonsense is this?! Impossible! Do you know who he is?”

The Nascent Soul cultivators were dumbfounded by the news.

“Speak plainly!”

“Goodness!”

“Is that really true?”

“…”

“Th-the Grandmaster truly?”

Some rose hurriedly.

“We must hurry back. Perhaps… no, never mind.”

“Is it already too late…?”

However, there was someone who had received the news even earlier.

“Oh? That maniac got loose?”

It was Karlstein, enduring shame-play from the entire cultivation world in the VVIP box.

A screen materialized before his eyes, tracking the maniac’s advance in real-time.

“Whew… He’s a real nutcase alright.”

The screen played a video; a man summoning a bloody sea, slowly advancing while devouring everything, exuding confidence.

“Looks kinda tough, doesn’t he?”

His extraordinary Spiritual Power was palpable even through the screen, but Karlstein welcomed it.

“Then shall we use this opportunity to test out some weapons?”

He had something to check anyway.

Planetary Weapons were off limits unless he intended to blow up this planet right now. But weapons were not limited to planet-destroyers akin to Nova.

“Then I’ll start off light with this one…”

Beep-

At Karlstein’s command, a shadow began to loom over the arena.

-Uhh? What’s that?

-Night?

-No, look at the sky carefully!

-Holy shit…!

-What is that?! -Ahhhh!

-Wha-what’s going on?

Ripples spread across the sky, revealing something previously invisible—a space battleship crafted to fit this Xianxia world.

A single massive vessel of dark wood and metal unveiled itself.

-Fire the Genesis Bullet.

Bebeep-

***“Wha-what is that?”

“So enormous…”

“My goodness…”

“I surmise it has something to do with that so-called Overseer.”

“What is he plotting?”

The battleship’s sudden appearance caused an uproar. Its presence, like a floating metal mountain, turned day to night.

Mortals nearly fainted, while lesser-realm cultivators gazed up with trembling eyes.

“Is it a Spiritual Object?”

“No way…”

“The Spiritual Power it emits is extraordinary…”

“I would say… not even Dharma Treasures could compare…”

“A Heaven-Defying Treasure?”

“Come now. That’s mere legend.”

“What could it be…”

The battleship’s disc-shaped body dwarfed most mountain ranges. This colossal, unidentified disc launched something into the sky.

“Considering the usual bizarre creations produced by Plum Shadow Pavilion…”

“Even so, a Dharma Tool(?) of such magnitude is unheard of.”

“Now when have their inventions ever been ordinary? Most were unprecedented.”

“Still…”

Suddenly, a door opened beneath the disc. Armored puppets poured out, positioning themselves midair.

What arethosenow?

The cultivators observed in silence. Fortunately, the metal-clad puppets seemed non-hostile, but their unsettling presence left everyone slack-jawed with shock.

“I sense no life force.”

“They must be… puppets, surely?”

“How should I know?”

The puppets emerged in disciplined formation, apparently preparing to welcome someone.

Boom-

At that moment, someone rocked from the arena’s topmost building toward the mysterious disc.

“Could it be…”

“The rumored Overseer?”

“…”

It went without saying that the Nascent Soul cultivators in the VIP box were also watching this rather absurd happening.

“I definitely sensed nothing until now.”

“His concealment technique is… impressive, should I say?”

“A cultivation technique?”

“I had no idea such a massive object hid right above us.”

“It launched something earlier.”

“…If I’m not mistaken, it was most likely targeting him.”

“If it’s the rumored Overseer, he must know the situation.”

“Is that why he’s acting?”

“Hmm…”

Speculations flew, but they could hardly come up with any definitive answers. Naturally, they knew nothing of the space battleship either.

However…

“A flying Dharma Tool?”

“What use is something so oversized… tsk-tsk.”

“No more than a circus act.”

Frankly, the Nascent Soul cultivators deemed it useless. Yet someone showed deep interest.

“Cultivator Ga! I will accompany you!”

A Mid-Stage Nascent Soul cultivator from the VIP box leapt toward the disc.

“W-well now!”

“Goodness.”

“How rash, tsk-tsk. Doesn’t she feel ashamed before her juniors?”

“Let her be. That child has always been this way.”

It was the Plum Shadow Pavilion’s Master.

“Now’s not the time. The Great Sealing Formation has been broken—that’s the real problem.”

“Indeed…”

“Isn’t this a disaster?”

“We might end up sharing the Southern Continent’s fate…”

Tension gripped them all.

Just then, a man in colorful silk clothes stepped forward, stomping the ground.

“Haha. This is opportunity, not crisis.”

“Hmm…”

“So suddenly?”

“What do you mean?”

The man grinned, introducing himself as Wu Yun.

“Why are you all so spooked?”

“Huh?”

“Say what?”

“!!”

Despite drawing everyone’s attention with his somewhat provocative question,Wu Yun remained nonchalant.

“Ahem-hem. Though I did not fight directly, I do have experience with the Great Sealing Formation! Haha.”

“So what?”

“…Are you looking for trouble?”

“Haah…”

For all their hostility, Wu Yun’s smile never faltered.

“You all know, yes? The one who stained the Southern Continent in blood came from the Upper Realm.”

“Who doesn’t?”

“Are you here just to state the obvious?”

“Tsk-tsk.”

The Nascent Soul cultivators reacted intensely, yet Wu Yun merely mocked them.

“A True Immortal from the Upper Realm must possess extraordinary items. We might even uncover the secrets of Ascension.”

“!!”

“…”

Only then did the atmosphere shift. Ascension—crossing to the Upper Realm—was every Lower Realm cultivator’s dream.

“Who doesn’t know that? But he’s a True Immortal! A True Immortal from the Upper Realm! Even cultivators far superior to us were mercilessly slaughtered.”

“Right. We first need the ability to defeat him for spoils.”

“I hear no one gained anything even after sealing him. This means he must be killed, but who could…”

The mood grew dark again.

“Hahaha! Didn’t I say? I helped set up the Great Sealing Formation.”

Everyone began to open their ears in earnest. Seeing that, Wu Yun smirked.

“The seal used the heart of Five Dragons and the True Blood of an Earth Spirit. It was an ancient formation from a bygone era that we never thought would actually work.”

Wu Yun’s lips curved into a crooked smile.

“I assure you all… not even a True Immortal could be unscathed by such a powerful seal. He must be incomparably weaker than before.”

“!!”

Intense greed flashed in everyone’s eyes.

“Will you all just keep worrying like this?”

Wu Yun’s provocation finally changed the mood among the Nascent Soul cultivators.

“Isn’t it only natural that we join forces to capture him? For the peace of the Northern Continent!”

“That’s right! We must defeat this great evil together!”

Everyone knew they sought spoils, but preached peace outwardly.

“If it’s for everyone’s sake…!”

“To protect the Northern Continent, I suppose I must step forward. Haha.”

Although someone tried to temper the situation…

“It seems we have all forgotten something crucial—last time, even with Master Song Yan present, they only barely managed to seal him!”

But those consumed by greed were deaf to caution.

“Since Master Song Yan has acted, the True Immortal must be deeply wounded!”

“Aren’t you being too cautious? Didn’t that Wu Yun fellow say? He’s weakened after being released from the seal. It’s common knowledge that one is most vulnerable right after being freed from a seal.”

“Most of us here could not take part in the battle, but it wasn’t because we lacked the skills, right?”

“Exactly. This is nothing short of heaven-sent opportunity.”

Cultivation and Ascension were their top priorities, after all. The Overseer’s mysterious artifacts interested them only in peacetime. Now, with the chance to obtain clues to Ascension, that became secondary.

Moreover…

“Doesn’t this mean… that Overseer has stolen a march on us?”

The waiting room’s atmosphere turned oddly cold. Their opinion of the Overseer was favorable, owing to his popularity and fame. Now though…

“Hmm… turns out he was a cunning fellow.”

“Indeed. A typical youth disrespecting his elders.”

“…We should hurry too, if we are not to be late.”

They could turn against the Overseer at any time if he obstructed them. Such was their relationship.

However…

“…Are they insane?”

Naturally, Karlstein had been watching everything in the VIP room through a holographic screen.

Another screen showed a certain somebody who had survived the Genesis Bullet unscathed, shrieking and cursing.