Forge your destiny into a sword, slash your soul and ascend to immortality

Chapter 116 The End of the Ghost Messenger Princess Festival
The three sects of Fuxia had a lot of exchanges with each other, and Sheng Ji was no stranger to Zhu Jue.

That old monk Ganba specializes in soul curses; even if separated by tens of thousands of miles, he can wipe out an entire city with a single incantation.

If we're talking about something incredibly strange and unstoppable, even this shrine maiden, Ikuhime, would have to admit defeat.

However, as the current priestess of the [Mirror Cloud Shrine], she was favored by the Great Dao when she was promoted to [Earthly Fiend], and was granted the title of [Daughter of the Witch Demon] by heaven. Her [Exorcism] cultivation was greatly enhanced.

If we only consider supernatural abilities and combat power, he is already invincible among the three sects of the lower realm.

She was horrified to see Zhu Jue beheaded right in front of her!

As the old rivals of the Pure Yang sword cultivators, the three sects of Fuxia know these murderers best, whether in the Pure Yang Heaven era or the current Pure Yang Ruins era.

They would never underestimate the true combat power of any pure Yang sword cultivator. Even a low-level sword cultivator would not know what kind of bizarre sword energy he was holding back.

The Pure Yang Heaven sect has a problem with its morals. The bunch of murderers inside don't cultivate their magical power or avoid karma. Their minds are full of bizarre ideas like plotting something big, killing someone fierce, or ambushing them with a sword.

Despite being a low-ranking swordsman, he could unleash extremely sharp sword energy at the drop of a hat, even at the cost of injuring himself, and he even took pride in it.

In the entire Yingfutu Realm, over 90% of the victories against stronger opponents came from Pure Yang sword cultivators. They were nothing more than troublemakers who disrupted the combat power system of the cultivation world, greatly corrupting the atmosphere of combat among cultivators.

Zhu Jue was killed because he had let his guard down. He thought that this little [Dragon Elephant] had not yet entered the gate and had not obtained the Pure Yang inheritance, so he could not be considered a true Pure Yang sword cultivator.

Having learned from his mistake, Princess Kesheng naturally wouldn't repeat it!

As she stepped off the jade platform, she was fully prepared, and as she expected, another sword light slashed towards her.

She took a sword strike from the other party, her entire body was split in two, but she did not suffer a fatal injury.

The girl was not like a living person; she was more like a ghostly shadow.

The severed bodies, instead of flowing blood and flesh, each transformed into a new human figure.

In an instant, two Sheng Ji appeared in the air. They had the same aura and similar magical power, but different expressions, and both were incredibly realistic.

Each top-tier lineage has its own methods for dealing with Pure Yang sword cultivators.

For Ikuhime, her solution was this unique combat system.

She entered the Dao through the "Book of One Hundred Ghosts' Night Parade," cultivated it to its peak, and condensed the "Hundred Ghosts Devouring Dragon Dharma Form," which is one of the top-grade Dharma Forms in her family's inheritance.

Although she has not yet condensed a "perfect Dharma form," she still possesses boundless supernatural powers, which can continuously generate hundreds of ghost clones.

Currently, each of her clones is an utterly real incarnation, capable of unleashing 70% of the original body's strength.

Most importantly, she was able to absorb the opponent's attack by splitting off an avatar from every fatal wound she suffered.

She easily deflected the enemy's powerful sword light!
"Split" and "energy absorption" are the core of Iki's system.

Jing Qian struck the enemy with his sword, but instead of causing any damage, he gained a formidable opponent.

But he didn't relax at all. Instead, he continued to unleash streaks of "Peeling" sword light, slashing at the enemy one sword after another.

With each sword strike, the magical energy within the sword light would be transformed into Sheng Ji's own power, and through this, she would split off an avatar.

In just a short while, the number of the living princesses she had killed increased dramatically, filling most of the airspace.

These avatars offered no resistance, simply waiting for the sword strike to arrive, then devouring the sword light before transforming into a new clone.

Jing Qian activated his full escape technique, transforming into a streak of light that traversed the battlefield. His sword flashes were sharp, but they were all in vain.

This Sheng Ji's supernatural power was like a gentle touch, completely entangling this incredibly sharp and aggressive Pure Yang sword cultivator!
A unique tug-of-war has begun.

The young swordsman at the [Dragon Elephant] realm could startle the audience on the jade platform with every sword strike.

This kind of sharp sword energy, far exceeding the cultivation level, was casually unleashed by him, which overturned people's worldview and was incomprehensible.

Despite the immense power of his sword energy, he achieved nothing, only gradually falling into the encirclement of Sheng Ji.

In just a very short time, hundreds of [Earthly Fiend] incarnations appeared on the field. Just by standing there, they exuded an incomparably powerful aura of magic, as if they were about to burst this academy cave.

The two sides fought their own battles, constantly pulling each other along for the ultimate victory.

Iki's [Hundred Ghosts Devouring Dragon Dharma Form] can form a [Hundred Ghosts Devouring Dragon Array] by splitting off her avatars, which is best at group attacks.

Each additional clone she creates now enhances the power of her grand formation.

Even though the enemy's escape techniques were sharp, they gradually fell into her rhythm.

Suddenly, Ikuhime spoke:

“Young man of the Jing family, the path of the Pure Yang Ruins has come to an end, and the road ahead is cut off. The entire sect is left with only Shang Xi, yet he has been unable to break through to the Star-Picking rank.”

"What future do you have in a sect like this?"

"Even if you are unwilling to join my three sects, you can develop within the Divine Dynasty system. This is the true path to enlightenment."

"If you are willing to join my [Kyōun Shrine], I may spare your life."

"Or if you wish to cultivate within the Divine Dynasty, you only need to shatter the [Pure Yang Sword Box], and I will let you leave."

“I know it’s not easy for you to cultivate the Sword Box, and it would be a pity to give up, but this is a dead end. Don’t even mention the upper three-rank cultivation, you won’t even reach the Star-Picking Realm.”

"With your talent, you have a very high chance of achieving enlightenment no matter which path you choose. Why make things difficult for yourself?"

Jing Qian ignored the enemy's words and focused solely on drawing his sword.

He seemed completely unconcerned about the ever-growing number of enemies he was slaying, and was even cooperating with Iki to try to hit as many clones as possible with a single sword strike, causing her to split even faster.

His expression was focused, his movements swift as the wind, his sword strikes like thunder, weaving among the avatars of his enemies like a nimble butterfly.

Until he unleashed another sword light, adding another avatar of the Living Princess, the battlefield was filled with the terrifying sight of three thousand Living Princesses!
The power of a titled priestess comes from this!

As she continued to divide like a cancer cell, slowly accumulating so many incarnations, even ordinary Star-Picking cultivators were no longer able to contend with her.

She had firmly trapped Jing Qian within a specific area, and the [Hundred Ghosts Devouring Dragon Formation] was quietly set up.

Seeing that Jing Qian didn't respond to her words, she gradually lost patience and spoke again:
"I was only willing to give you another chance because I pitied your difficult cultivation. Since you don't understand the bigger picture, then you shall become a ghost of the Pure Yang Ruins!"

In a simple sentence, every word of Ikihime's speech was spoken by a different incarnation.

The sound was sometimes loud, sometimes soft, sometimes faint, sometimes loud, extremely eerie!

As she spoke, all the avatars clenched their hands and formed a magic seal.

A surge of immense magical power erupted among these clones, and a powerful magic array was about to be formed here.

But looking at Jing Qian again, he seemed finally satisfied with the number of Sheng Ji, and even uttered a sentence:

"Thank you for accompanying me in refining my sword, senior. If I succeed in my cultivation, I will never forget your kindness!"

After saying this, Jing Qian's sword light changed, and a unique Daoist meaning was channeled into it.

In the preceding battle, he used the [Skinning] sword light, which consumed the least amount of his own magic power, in conjunction with Sheng Ji's divine abilities, to help her create three thousand clones.

At this moment, he activated the three divine abilities on the [Qingping Sword Box] in succession, attaching them to the sword light in his hand.

These are respectively [Sword Light Splitting], [Sword Shadow], and [Life-Shortening].

In an instant, Jing Qian's sword light split into four parts, and one part of his magic power could unleash four [Skinning] sword lights.

After striking the enemy with a single sword strike, forty-two sword shadows followed, each capable of severing one of the avatars of the Princess.

The number of sword lights he unleashed increased by a staggering 172 times!
Each sword light contains the power to shorten one's lifespan. As long as it strikes the avatar of Sheng Ji, it can take away seven days of her lifespan through the connection of the Great Dao!
Jing Qian only needs one sword strike to extend his life by three years and two months.

What a rare and precious opportunity this is!
If he wanted to find some sea demons and monsters outside this cave and steal their lifespan, he would need to spend a lot of time searching the vast sea.

They would also have to get involved in karma and risk being targeted by powerful sea monsters.

Right now, he can do whatever he wants with the sword target that has more than three thousand years of lifespan, which is a dreamlike experience that he never dared to dream of!

How many times in life can one truly fight for something?
Jing Qian has completely gone mad!

He exhausted almost all his magical power, pushing his output to the limit to unleash as much of the life-shortening sword light as possible.

In an instant, he seemed to transform into a small sun, with boundless light bursting forth from his body.

Whether or not he kills his dead enemy is not important at all; what Jingqian truly cares about is the precious lifespan that the enemy has accumulated over the years!
These powerful cultivators of the Earthly Fiends must possess high-grade lifespans. Having accumulated experience in the realms of Longevity and Spirit Subduing, each of them has a rich lifespan of over a thousand years.

The lifespan quality of the [Earthly Fiend] cultivator is far superior to that of an ordinary seventh-grade demon!

It was also Jing Qian's sword that shortened lifespan. When it killed a seventh-rank demon, the conversion rate of lifespan was less than 100!

When applied to a fifth-grade [Earthly Fiend] cultivator, the conversion rate increases more than tenfold.

When Jing Qian killed the monk Zhu Juegan with a single sword strike, the life-shortening magic intent he had secretly contained within the sword light devoured the monk's entire lifespan, adding over ninety years to his lifespan.

It's equivalent to the capture of twenty seventh-rank demons.

How could he possibly waste such an opportunity?
The fact that Sheng Ji had created so many clones allowed him to harvest her lifespan more meticulously and precisely, making the conversion efficiency nearly 50% higher than when he killed Zhu Jue with a single sword strike!

In Jing Qian's eyes, these senior members of the three lower sects were probably there to hold a banquet for him to celebrate his graduation and to collect his tuition fees.
The boundless sword light, like a galaxy waterfall, surged forth and swept towards the clone of Sheng Ji.

This won't kill her, but it will take away her most precious lifespan!
In just a few moments, Jing Qian unleashed nearly thirty sword strikes, gaining a hundred years of lifespan!

The price behind this was that Ikihime also lost nearly six hundred years of her lifespan.

The conversion rate of nearly six to one greatly increased Jingqian's goodwill towards Shengji!

Such abundant life-giving blood packs are hard to find outside this cave.

Other powerful beings of the Earthly Fiends wouldn't be as nonchalant as Sheng Ji, readily accepting Jing Qian's countless sword beams.

Opposite Jingqian, Shengji was on the verge of collapse!
There was something dirty mixed in with the opponent's sword light!

The seemingly insurmountable situation suddenly reversed, and her lifespan seemed to be released like a floodgate opening, rapidly slipping away.

Her powerful tactical system, from being the most effective counter to sword cultivators to being most effective against them, could be manipulated by Jing Qian in the blink of an eye. For Sheng Ji, she had to reveal her trump card!
For every second of delay, she would lose more than ten years of lifespan. Even with her profound cultivation, she absolutely could not withstand such a drain on her life force.

Suddenly, two lines of bloody tears flowed from her eyes, and a phantom of a bull-headed human slowly emerged from behind her.

The three thousand princesses transformed into three thousand minotaur-headed men, making the scene even more bizarre!

Then, all the avatars, along with the minotaur phantoms behind them, began to converge madly into the arena.

A surge of immense magical power erupted, sending Jing Qian flying and sweeping him to the edge of the academy's grotto.

Looking at the girl again, her appearance had changed drastically; she had transformed from a beautiful woman into a bull-headed demon!
This bull-headed demon, with its enormous horns pointing to the sky, stood five feet tall, wielding chains, and clad in armor, exuding an extraordinary aura as if it had come from the depths of hell.

It turns out that the trace of blood and tears in Sheng Ji's eyes was her innate [Spiritual Ability], the fourth-rank [Ox-Head Blood and Tears].

When she completely merges the [Ox-Head Blood and Tears] with herself, she can transform from a human body into a ghost body and become a fourth-rank [Star-Picking] Great Ghost in a short period of time.

Princess Ikumi possesses the title of "Daughter of the Witch Demon," which grants her an extremely powerful boost to demons. When she uses the power of this title to command the Minotaur, her combat strength can increase dramatically.

At this moment, her increased combat power is secondary. The key is that after transforming into a ghost, she no longer has life force and will no longer be drained by Jing Qian's sword light!
The unfolding battle shook the heart of the Princess, and the loss of her lifespan filled her with both shock and rage.

She completely lost her psychological advantage against Jing Qian and, almost frantically, swung her grappling hook at him.

But the next second, an even dirtier sword light struck between the minotaur's two giant horns.

Niu Tou Ren Sheng Ji felt her whole body stiffen and her mind go blank, and then she knew nothing more.

Immediately, Jing Qian flashed to the frozen minotaur and slapped the [Ghost-Suppressing Talisman], which he hadn't even warmed in his hand, onto the minotaur's forehead.

The already immobile bull-headed demon was suppressed even more thoroughly.

Then, Jing Qian mercilessly summoned the [Hell Scroll] and swept the bull-headed demon away.

The forty-fourth demon appeared on his scroll, and this great demon was the strongest demon he had ever suppressed.

[Yin Cao Gui Cha·Sheng Ji]

[Rank: Fifth Grade]

[Lingji: Bull's Head Blood and Tears]

[Destiny Chart: Night Parade of One Hundred Ghosts (Metal), Aura of the Underworld (Metal), Divided Soul (Metal), Soul-Capturing Hook (Metal)...]

Jing Qian was also quite surprised by this result!

If the other party were to entangle him in human form, it would be more difficult to deal with, but if the other party unexpectedly transforms into a ghost, then he has truly run into the line of fire.

In his final sword strike, Jing Qian poured all the hundred years of lifespan he had plundered from Sheng Ji into it, unleashing the strongest longevity-celebrating sword strike of his life.

The life force transformed from a hundred years of lifespan even rendered the fourth-rank Ox-Headed Demon stiff.

The fourth-grade [Ghost-Suppressing Talisman] in his hand was a powerful talisman passed down in Yanfu, extremely valuable, and he only had one.

The convergence of numerous coincidences led to a dramatic turn of events that shocked everyone present!

The dignified contemporary priestess of the [Mirror Cloud Shrine], the holder of the divinely bestowed title [Daughter of the Witch Demon], has completed the fifth-rank [Earthly Fiend] cultivation. She is only waiting to ascend to the celestial star to advance to [Star Picking] and create a new era for the [Mirror Cloud Shrine].

He was manipulated by an eighth-rank [Dragon Elephant] who used the excuse of shortening his lifespan and celebrating his birthday to play with him. In the end, he died and his soul was severed, and he became a ghost slave. Everyone present could not accept this.

Jing Qian's killing of the titled "Earthly Fiend" directly triggered the laws of the Great Dao, stripping the opponent of the title "Daughter of the Witch and Ghost".

A tremendous surge of magical power flowed from the [Daughter of the Witch] into the title [Son of Sumeru].

[Child of Sumeru] seemed to have absorbed a tremendous amount of nourishment, or as if the system had completed new code, causing its power to surge.

He stood quietly in place, sensing the changes in his own cultivation, and remained motionless for a moment.

Meanwhile, high atop the jade platform, Wu Yi of the Blood River Sect was posing a question:
"High Priest, how could you go to such lengths!"

"It's just a friendly competition for the throne, why didn't you intervene!"

"Sheng Ji is a priestess of the [Kyōun Shrine], one of the few titled people in our [Yingfutu Realm]. She will also have a place in the next battle for destiny."

"You sat idly by and watched her perish before your eyes; this is a serious dereliction of duty. I must report this to the sect leader and have this matter discussed with your academy!"

No one cared when Zhu Jue died, but Sheng Ji had a divinely bestowed title and a different status, so even unintentionally she dared to argue with the chief priest and try to shift the blame!
The high priest was naturally quite surprised by this outcome.

However, given his status, he wouldn't be bothered by the claim of being one of the three sects of the Floating Sects, a "Di Sha" (Earthly Fiend).

He simply continued pushing forward the process of vying for the throne, saying:
"【Mirror Cloud Shrine】Having failed in the struggle for succession and lost its eligibility, are there any others who wish to participate in the struggle?"

The rest of the people were all watching the show, no one made a sound, and all their eyes were on Wuyi.

Three people from the three sects of Fuxia came, two of them died, leaving only him.

Lingjizi of the Pure Yang Ruins has now killed two people and has almost completely escaped the calamity.

But I don't know how to face this unexpected situation.

Unintentionally, his face turned ashen, and he was at a loss for what to do. Even Sheng Ji was no match for him, and he was only there to make up the numbers, so he was afraid he would be no match for that Jing family son.

But when he thought of the death order given by the sect's [Star Picker] master, his thoughts raced as he tried to find a way to break the deadlock.

Just then, a sword light climbed up from below the stage and landed in front of everyone.

Jing Qian manifested his figure, riding a sword beam that pointed directly at Wu Yi, and spoke:
"On behalf of the Pure Yang Ruins, I am launching a challenge to the Blood River Sect for the throne. Please advise!"

The school festival nodded and began to speak:
"This is your right, so begin!"

Jing Qian's escape light shifted, and he was about to continue into the battlefield when he saw that Wuyi had turned away, ignoring his presence, and spoke:
“My Blood River Sect concedes defeat, and this disciple will be yours.”

He actually chickened out!

The disciple he had given up was dressed rather simply and looked bewildered and at a loss.

This junior disciple comes from a military state under Youzhou and has no background whatsoever. Yet, he is someone who has truly relied on his talent and ability to fight his way up to where he is today.

Originally, she was quite pleased with herself for being the first person selected by [Kyokuni Shrine] during the audition, as she felt she was highly regarded.

Unexpectedly, things took a sudden turn, and in just half a day, he had already been traded twice.

He suddenly felt a sense of despair about the future and was at a loss.

Even though he wasn't from a prestigious family, he knew that the Pure Yang Ruins was not a safe place.

Without even a single [Spiritual Treasure Fate], what good can come of it if I try to forge a sword?

Just as he was struggling with this, another person spoke up:
"The Feathered Gate has requested to launch a power grab against the Pure Yang Ruins!"

Ling Mingji, who had kept a low profile throughout, unexpectedly appeared at this moment to challenge this pure Yang killer, which was another unexpected event.

"I, Chunyangxu, concede defeat in this battle!"

Jing Qian bowed directly to the chief priest and handed over the newly acquired disciple to the [Feathered Ascension Sect].

Needless to say, everyone present immediately understood that this was a trap set by the two.

Jing Shizi was born in Hunzhou, while Ling Mingji of the Yuhua Sect had also been mingling in Hunzhou for many years. The two probably had some prior dealings.

However, everything was in accordance with the rules, the three sects remained silent, and no one caused any more trouble.

Ling Mingji gained a disciple for nothing, and even managed to snag a lucky break.

The kid who was traded four times in a row on the day of the draft breathed a sigh of relief when he learned that he had escaped the terrible trap of the Pure Yang Ruins.

Only then did this year's academy festival truly come to an end.

This year's drama has been full of unexpected events, keeping everyone on the edge of their seats, and even two Earthly Fiend cultivators have perished.

To be honest, apart from the three sects of Fuxia suffering a great misfortune, the other lineages, apart from watching a good show, had no different experience from the previous sessions.

The high priest then gave his concluding remarks, saying:
"This concludes this year's academy festival banquet. All students should uphold righteousness and seek the truth more deeply."

"Let's disperse!"

Then, as in previous years, everyone bowed and took their leave.

Then, he specifically said to Jing Qian:

"Young Master Jing, would you like the academy to send someone to escort you into the academy?"

"Thank you for your concern, High Priest. Just give me an address, and I'll go to the sect to report for duty myself!"

The high priest nodded and raised his hand to unleash a burst of magical power.

Jing Qian received the magical power, bowed in gratitude again, and then transformed into a sword light that rose from the ground, directly piercing through the conjunctiva of the academy's grotto and heading north.

Having successfully entered the Pure Yang Ruins, his heart had already soared into the Dharma lineage. He had put aside all worldly affairs and headed straight for the Dharma lineage's mountain gate without even saying goodbye.

【The Other Shore is Unending】With full magical power, it can be reached in a maximum of seven days.

He was already looking forward to the training after he entered the sect!
……

The Divine Dynasty went north to the pass, and in the very center of the twelve continents, the [Xuzhou], was the location of the [Chunyang Xu] mountain gate.

The six [Star-Picking] cultivators gathered here, surrounding Shang Xi, who was only at the [Earthly Fiend] realm, yet they dared not make the slightest move to offend him.

Suddenly, Shang Xi, who had been resting with his eyes closed, quietly opened them and looked back at the Sword Grinding Cliff on the sword guard inside the mountain gate.

As if sensing something, his heavy death aura actually became somewhat more alive.

Then, he pulled out a whetstone from somewhere, placed it between the horns of the white ox he was riding, and began to sharpen the iron sword in his hand, stroke by stroke.

(End of this chapter)