Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 384 Self-destruction
The world in the painting, atop the mountain.

Song Yan sat cross-legged, his eyes closed, his aura completely suppressed, like a mountain rock.

I kept adjusting my breathing, trying my best to dispel the feeling of weakness in my body.

He knew what he was about to face: a true life-or-death situation where any flaw could lead to utter ruin.

Slowly opening his eyes, he looked out of the boundary.

At this moment, countless elders are fighting desperately, trying to carve out a sliver of hope for their disciples.

Senior Brother Lin Qing, hurry up!

Not far from him, Lin Qing was pale and sweat beaded on his forehead.

Spiritual power and divine thoughts flowed continuously through the True Wielding Brush, pouring into the floating scroll in front of him.

Strangely, however, the colors of the world they were surrounded by in the paintings were gradually fading over time.

Song Yan wasted no time, constantly simulating the changes of the three sword formations in his mind.

He only has one chance.

At that very moment, a sudden change occurred on the battlefield surrounding Dragon Head Peak.

A chaotic surge of spiritual energy exploded with a thunderous roar, completely obliterating a small area.

Even through the painting, one can feel its destructive power.

The ball of light, which had been surging with spiritual energy, dissipated, leaving nothing inside.

Someone destroyed the fake pills themselves.

who is it?

"Elder Yu!" someone shouted from the crowd.

At that time, Yu Tian, ​​the peak master of Lingquan Peak, was surrounded and attacked by several pseudo-core demon cultivators of the same level.

Seeing the heavy casualties among his disciples and the hopelessness of breaking through, he remained silent and without hesitation chose to destroy his fake core.

Although a pseudo-core cultivator cannot be compared to a true Golden Core cultivator, in essence, they are still just a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

However, due to the existence of fake cores, fake core cultivators have many more unique methods than foundation establishment cultivators.

Self-destruction is one of them.

Unless they truly harbor deep hatred and irreconcilable enmity, most fake pills would rather die in battle than choose self-destruction.

The reason is simple: self-destruction requires burning all one's essence, blood, and lifespan, and reversing one's cultivation method is extremely painful.

Moreover, destroying a fake elixir carries the same risk as destroying a golden elixir, with the risk of one's soul being scattered.

The soul is scattered and dissipated, meaning it is no longer subject to reincarnation and has completely vanished.

The self-destruction of the fake elixir is far more powerful than imagined.

The three pseudo-Core Formation demonic cultivators who were attacking him were the first to be hit. Two of them didn't even have time to scream before their protective demonic energy, magical artifacts, and even their bodies were instantly melted by the violent spiritual power.

The third person was slightly behind, but was also caught in the blast wave, half of his body was torn apart, and he was thrown into the ruins, his fate unknown.

Not to mention the dozen or so Foundation Establishment demonic cultivators around them, all of them died.

This area was cleared out in an instant.

This self-destructive commotion finally alerted Zhang Xingming at the top of the battlefield.

Half an incense stick's time has passed since the start of the great battle, and he has not made a move yet.

As a Golden Core cultivator, he wasn't particularly interested in these playful antics.

Whether a cultivator from the Demon Ruins dies or a cultivator from the Cave Abyss Sect dies, it has no effect on him.

Zhang Xingming was very clear that he had only one purpose in coming to the State of Chu: to kill the man named Song Yan.

He merely glanced at the scene, frowned slightly, but still did not make a move.

However, no sooner had one wave subsided than another arose.

Before the aftershocks of Yu Tian's self-destruction had completely subsided, another equally resolute aura soared into the sky from another location.

"Elder Wang!"

It is Wang Lin, the peak master of Tongchen Peak.

He witnessed his old friend Yu Tian's tragic end and saw countless disciples' lives vanish under the demonic cultivators' blades.

An uncontrollable surge of grief and despair erupted in his chest.

His aura gradually rose, and he poured all his life's cultivation into the flying sword without reservation.

It then transformed into a crimson meteor, charging fiercely towards the most densely packed group of demonic cultivators with an aura of mutual destruction, aiming directly at one of the fake core cultivators.

In truth, Wang Lin knew very well that even if he destroyed himself, it wouldn't have much effect in the face of the sect's collapse.

But his pride compels him to do it.

Normally, he was aloof and respected by his disciples, who revered him as their peak master.

In this time of impending doom, should he expect his disciples to protect his old bones?

Should we make the younger generation of cultivators bear this undeserved calamity?

He is the peak master of Tongchen Peak.

However, just as Wang Lin was mobilizing his life force and spiritual power, he did not notice a gaze falling from the sky.

That was Zhang Xingming's gaze.

He glanced at Wang Lin and frowned.

Zhang Xingming raised his hand, spiritual energy gathering in his palm, and then pressed it down towards the battlefield below.

The demonic clouds surged, and a giant palm descended. In the eyes of many Qi Refining cultivators, this palm strike from the Golden Core cultivator was truly like the collapse of the heavens.

boom--!
With a muffled thud, spiritual energy and demonic energy surged and dissipated in all directions.

Elder Wang Lin, who was still full of momentum just a moment ago, along with seven or eight Foundation Establishment and Pseudo Core Formation demon cultivators within a radius of several dozen feet around him, were instantly turned into a pool of scarlet flesh and blood under this palm strike.

There were no screams, nor any struggles.

Zhang Xingming didn't even glance at the pile of minced meat.

In fact, even if ten more fake pills were added to his self-destruction, this level of self-destruction would not endanger his life.

Zhang Xingming didn't care about the lives or deaths of the other demonic cultivators.

The reason I took action was simply because I found the sound of the self-destruction to be sharp and noisy.

"..."

The world depicted in the painting made Song Yan's eyes widen.

Immediately, a powerful killing intent arose, which could no longer be contained.

"Senior Brother Lin Qing, how much longer!"

With his spiritual energy and divine sense being consumed rapidly, Lin Qing endured the dizziness and frantically activated the True Repentance Brush.

"Ten breaths! At most ten breaths!"

"Ten breaths..."

Song Yan repeated in a low voice, "That's enough."

Is that really enough?
In reality, the odds are against them.

But at this moment, with the tragic scene unfolding before their eyes, there was no way to wait any longer.

Song Yan stood up: "Senior Brother Lin Qing, could you please see me out for now?"

"You..." Lin Qingyuan wanted to stop him, thinking that ten breaths wouldn't make a difference.

But looking up at the scene outside the painting, he ultimately didn't say what he wanted to say.

"Be extra careful."

He picked up his pen and made a cursory stroke.

A powerful force swept through, blasting Song Yan's figure out of the painting.

At the foot of Longshou Mountain.

A scorched wasteland, teeming with demonic energy, where spiritual light has dimmed and shattered.

Zhang Guangyuan's hair and beard were somewhat disheveled, his Taoist robe was stained with blood, and his left arm hung limply, as if he had suffered a serious injury.

The Foundation Establishment disciples around them were all injured to varying degrees.

Some of them carried the bodies of their fellow disciples on their backs and were unwilling to let go.

Strangely, at this point in the battle, no one showed any fear or despair.

Everyone was thinking that if they could kill more demonic cultivators to avenge their fellow disciples, that would be enough.

Zhang Guangyuan's aged face was calm, even with a hint of relief. He looked at the fake Core Formation demonic cultivator in front of him without any fear.

He raised his only still-movable arm and began to form a hand seal. "Old man, you're truly stubborn."

The white-robed demonic cultivator was somewhat annoyed, and even a green jade skull floating around him let out a shriek.

"We were going to die anyway, why make us go through all this trouble and ruin one of my low-grade spiritual artifacts?"

"Heh heh." Blood spilled from Zhang Guangyuan's mouth: "According to you... I should just offer my neck for execution?"

A flash of inspiration struck him, and a storm arose around him.

"You dare to resist? You're asking for death!"

The demonic cultivator at the pseudo-core realm seemed to have grown tired of this slow-boiling-the-frog trick. Since these few people couldn't cause any trouble, he decided to kill them all.

He spread his arms wide, and surging demonic energy gathered, spitting out between the two empty eye sockets and mouth of the green jade skull, with the demonic flames on it growing ever stronger.

"go with!"

Whether it was a final burst of energy before death or not, Zhang Guangyuan's thoughts were exceptionally clear at this moment.

I am certain that I am about to collapse. I will simply use the momentum of the attack to blow away the surrounding disciples with a strong wind, and then destroy my fake core to perish together with these people in front of me.

But then the green jade skull swelled in the wind, and in the blink of an eye, it had grown to the size of a millstone. Its empty eye sockets locked onto Zhang Guangyuan, and it opened its menacing maw.

A filthy, cold, dark green demonic light shot out.

clang!
The white-robed demonic cultivator frowned, not expecting his attack to be blocked.

Moreover, what blocked this attack didn't seem to be something Zhang Guangyuan could possess.

It was a heavy ruler with two ancient characters engraved on it.

Heart demon.

In an instant, demonic flames suddenly ignited from the two ancient characters, and the raging flames enveloped the heavy ruler.

"Who?"

Whether it was the demonic cultivator at the Pseudo-Core Formation Realm or Zhang Guangyuan and the others, their first reaction was that another group of demonic cultivators had arrived.

Someone wants to compete with this white-robed demonic cultivator for kills and resources.

A gigantic hand emerged from the demonic flames of the green jade skull. The hand was pitch black, with many mysterious and complex golden patterns on the back of the hand, shining brightly.

With a giant hand, he grabbed the demon's head!

His fingers gripped the eye sockets of the jade skull tightly.

The white-robed demonic cultivator's pupils contracted.

But then the golden patterns on the giant black hand suddenly lit up with golden light.

boom!
The green jade skull was actually crushed by that giant hand with a single grip.

Countless pale green demonic energies surged into his palm and disappeared.

Caught off guard, the white-robed demonic cultivator coughed up a mouthful of blood, lost his balance, and nearly fell from the sky.

The group of demonic cultivators turned around and saw that behind them stood a huge Dharma body, four zhang tall, which they had not seen before.

The demonic flames on this body were deep and pure, and the mysterious gilded patterns exuded an unapproachable sharpness.

Like a demon from hell.

The white-robed cultivator felt a sudden tremor in his heart.

Asura Dharmakaya?!
This is a cultivation technique from the Asura Path within the Demon Ruins, originally called the Desire Realm Asura Dharma Body.

This technique is extremely powerful, and it is said that very few people can actually master it.

Many years ago, a fragment of the text was leaked, but unfortunately, because it was a fragment, no one was able to cultivate it successfully.

Later, countless demonic cultivators secretly altered that incomplete text again and again, making it increasingly worthless until it was eventually abandoned.

Could this person be a core disciple of the Asura Path?!

But then the Dharma body stretched out its large hand and snatched the heavy ruler.

The heavy ruler, known as the "Inner Demon," grew larger as it flew, and by the time it landed in the Dharma Body's hand, it was already enormous, making it a suitable weapon for the Dharma Body's four-zhang-tall body.

This scene left countless disciples of the Dongyuan Sect bewildered.

At this point, did internal strife break out?
Aren't you afraid of angering that Golden Core cultivator in heaven?
Almost instantly, everyone saw a cultivator from the Dongyuan Sect standing on the shoulder of the enormous Dharma body.

The man was dressed in a black and gold sword robe, which moved in the wind, and behind him, a sword box emitted black and white energy.

Whether they were disciples of the Dongyuan Sect or demonic cultivators who had been mingling in the Chu Kingdom for many years, most of them recognized this face.

It was a Song banquet!

What's going on? Could he be a spy for the demonic path?
No one can answer this question.

Song Yan did not make a move, but soon, the Dharma Body provided the answer.

But then the Asura suddenly threw a punch at the white-robed demonic cultivator.

"you……"

The man in white robes hurriedly dodged, his demonic energy surging wildly as he tried to kill Song Yan.

However, the Asura's Dharma body transformed its fist into a palm.

The next instant, the white-robed cultivator realized that the surrounding demonic energy had completely dissipated, and he was now completely exposed to Song Yan and his Dharma body.

boom--!
The heavy ruler, wreathed in billowing demonic flames, crashed down vertically, taking the unsuspecting white-robed demonic cultivator with it and burying him about ten feet deep into the ground.

"..."

For a moment, there was complete silence all around.

The Yanran Mountains, atop a solitary peak.

Shi Yunhao stared blankly at the enormous Asura Dharma Body, which was four zhang tall.

As a disciple of the Asura Path, he followed the contemporary non-celestial beings and traveled to many places in the human world.

This was the first time I had ever seen something so far beyond my comprehension in a small place like the State of Chu.

"..."

He couldn't say a word.

Even when asking questions, they don't know where to begin.

It should be noted that even he, the Asura Dao Child, when he fully unleashed the Desire Realm Asura Dharma Body, only reached a height of less than four zhang.

Admittedly, the strength of the Dharmakaya cannot be judged solely by its height and size; many other factors also play a role.

However, Song Yan's statue was different from many other Dharma bodies he had seen.

He was filled with even more murderous intent; every move he made was for the purpose of killing.

Its entire body is covered in golden patterns, which are extremely sharp.

It even gave him the feeling that if he were to simply use his Dharma Body, he might not be able to defeat him.

"..."

After a moment of stunned silence, Shi Yunhao finally asked his first question.

"How is this possible?"

……

On the battlefield, Zhang Guangyuan and the other elders looked at Song Yan, who had suddenly appeared, and were somewhat at a loss.

But soon, they were plunged into a state of grief and despair.

Previously, after the formation was broken, they had not seen Song Yan at all.

All the elders harbored a sliver of hope.

Perhaps this disciple, who has repeatedly surprised them, has already quietly escaped and fled with his mysterious methods.

With his talent, he should be able to condense a golden core within a hundred years at most.

Then find a small hill and rebuild the Dongyuan Sect.

But now, all these beautiful fantasies have been shattered.

If he remains here, he has no hope of survival.

However, Song Yan didn't have time to investigate why these elders were so upset to see him.

He looked up at the sky, and Zhang Xingming was already hovering above him, looking down.

Eyes facing each other.

Five breaths have already passed since Senior Brother Lin Qing mentioned the ten breaths.

Next, he needs to consider how to survive the pursuit of those at the Golden Core stage and return to that place alive.

(End of this chapter)