Chapter 284: Is This an Ultimate Path Weapon? Impossible! (6k)

A chilling sense of danger surged from behind, and Zhou Qing instinctively sidestepped.

A streak of golden light grazed his ear, slamming into the ground and carving a trench deeper than the eye could see.

Looking up, he saw Yu Hengzi appear suddenly a hundred zhang above, surrounded by countless golden threads.

Those threads writhed like living things, each glowing with strange runes.

They traced the incomplete outline of a mirror in midair, and as the runes flowed, a faint trace of cosmic primordial energy emerged.

What sent chills down Zhou Qing’s spine was that at the center of the distant battlefield, Cao Zhengyang and the others were attacking—another Yu Hengzi!

The two figures radiated identical qi signatures; the one on the left was locked in fierce combat with Cao Zhengyang.

The one on the right loomed above, a chilling sneer curling his lips.

“What’s going on?” Zhou Qing’s throat tightened, his knuckles white from gripping his sword.

Is this a Nascent Soul-enhanced clone technique? Or a Soul Transformation realm’s illusionary projection?

“You’re still too young—whether you turn the tide depends on you!”

The Yu Hengzi high above raised his hand and flicked it lightly; the golden threads surged violently, spreading like a spiderweb toward Zhou Qing.

Zhou Qing’s pupils contracted instantly—he transformed into the second form of Jin Chida, spreading his wings to flee.

Yet strangely, the surroundings blurred as if veiled in mist; even the motion of his wings grew sluggish, as if trapped in mud.

Meanwhile, the golden threads wound and converged, coalescing into a rusted mirror frame.

The moment this object appeared, Zhou Qing’s face turned pale.

Though he’d never seen it before, it felt eerily familiar.

Soon, his pupils shrank sharply—he realized where this familiarity came from.

Back in Zone Six, he’d used a Copying Scroll to replicate the Inscription-level Divine Art scroll, “Hundred Tribulations Blood Curtain.”

But to open it, he needed an Ultimate Path weapon.

Helpless, he sought out Er Daye.

Er Daye had shattered it with a black bell.

And the mirror frame before him was nearly identical to that black bell.

“An Ultimate Path weapon? No—it’s a fragment. The power feels much weaker!” Instantly, Zhou Qing understood, his expression twisting.

He never imagined the Tianji Sect possessed such a treasure!

This thing was likely hundreds of times rarer than an Inscription-level Divine Art; many Cutting-Spirit cultivators might never even hear of it, let alone see it.

Even the massive grinding-key relic in Taiqingmen’s Heaven Grotto was merely leftover scraps from the forging of the Ultimate Path weapon, “Void Ring.”

As Er Daye once said, even if you had a hundred Inscription-level Divine Arts—or even Dao-Trace level ones—you still might not trade them for a single Ultimate Path weapon.

Because Ultimate Path weapons are blasphemous artifacts that manifest cosmic primordial energy; each holds terrifying, god-defying power.

Even with the materials, you might still not be able to forge one.

At this moment, Zhou Qing felt the terror of an Ultimate Path weapon for the first time—even a fragment—each struggle of his felt like defying the laws of heaven itself.

The golden-thread net tightened further; within the mirror’s broken corner, faint crimson flames flickered—Uninterrupted Karma Fire, capable of burning souls to ash.

He strained with all his might to break free, yet every technique—Silver Dragon Step, Emperor Radiance Scripture, Suanni Divine Art, Jin Wu Divine Art—was swallowed the moment activated by the mirror’s power.

This profound helplessness sent Zhou Qing into true panic for the first time.

Frantically, he stared at the mirror frame and activated his appraisal.

【Ultimate Path Weapon: This is a fragment of the mirror frame from the Ultimate Path weapon “Uninterrupted Karma Fire Mirror.”】

【Legend says its core was forged from the “Sin Fire” at the deepest depths of the Netherworld; its surface reflects the karmic debts of all beings, burning the souls of the guilty.】

【Though only a fragment, it still releases partial Karma Fire—its power is not to be underestimated, though activation drains immense energy.】

The feedback confirmed his suspicion—but offered no way to escape.

He looked again: sure enough, Yu Hengzi’s face was deathly pale.

“Karma Fire power!” Zhou Qing’s heart lurched; at this moment, his primordial spirit felt gripped by an invisible hand, agony spreading from his mind-sea through every inch of his body.

Blood surging into his throat instantly vaporized, drawn by the mirror’s pull into a bizarre crimson vortex.

No longer reckless, he turned his gaze to Mo Xingjian far away and shouted: “Master—!”

Mo Xingjian, locked in battle with Lingxuzi, turned his head, saw the scene, and his face turned ashen.

His longsword slashed out nine afterimages in an instant, forcing Lingxuzi back three zhang, then his body became a streak of light racing toward Zhou Qing.

“Too late!” Yu Hengzi sneered, slamming his right hand downward—the flaming mirror net crashed down.

“Capture!” Yu Hengzi roared.

Zhou Qing felt an irresistible force yank him—he spun uncontrollably at blinding speed.

Frantically, he slashed his Broken Wound Sword a thousand times, unleashing countless thunderous sword qi—but each strike dissolved into blue smoke upon touching the mirror’s edge.

Zhou Qing himself was crushed deep into the mirror’s interior; the space within twisted into a vortex, dragging his figure into endless darkness.

In the blink of an eye, the mirror frame was clenched in Yu Hengzi’s palm.

“Stop!” Yu Hengzi looked down at Mo Xingjian, who was rushing toward him.

“Take one more step, and I’ll shatter this boy’s soul!”

Mo Xingjian froze instantly, eyes blazing red: “Yu Hengzi! If you harm him even slightly, I, Mo Xingjian, will kill you—piece by piece—even if I die doing it!”

Cao Zhengyang and the others finally noticed this scene—their faces changed instantly, and they all halted their attacks.

“Yu Hengzi, you old bastard!” Cao Zhengyang’s eyes bulged, spiritual power exploding around him: “Have the guts to face me! Using a junior to threaten others—is that your strength?”

“Strength?” Yu Hengzi sneered. “In this world of survival of the fittest, staying alive is the only truth. Order your people to retreat—or…”

He flicked his wrist—the mirror frame cracked under pressure.

“Brother Zhou!”

“Old Four!”

Lu Yaoyao and Yan Xiao, still fighting others, rushed over, faces filled with panic.

Lingxuzi and Tianshuzi, robes torn, lips bloody, could no longer contain their laughter as they saw Yu Hengzi succeed.

Lingxuzi leaned on his broken halberd, stumbling past nearby disciples, voice hoarse: “Brother Yu Hengzi, impressive!”

Tianshuzi retreated further, collapsing onto the shattered star array, gasping for breath—two fists couldn’t fight eight, let alone one against eight.

“This is your Taiqingmen’s future Sect Master!” Lingxuzi screamed. “If you don’t want him dead, withdraw your forces immediately!”

The other Yu Hengzi, who had been fighting Cao Zhengyang, flashed over and slowly merged with the one holding the mirror frame.

His pallid complexion regained a hint of color.

The Tianji Sect disciples erupted in thunderous cheers; their morale, moments ago on the verge of collapse, surged violently.

“Elder Yu Hengzi is invincible!” roared across the battlefield.

Cao Zhengyang and the others stood frozen, their aura fading; twenty Nascent Soul Great Completion experts stared at each other, eyes filled with helpless fury.

They’d been careless—thought their twenty-four men could hold off three Tianji Elders, and the rest were no threat.

Yet Yu Hengzi was so cunning—and so shameless, striking a junior from behind.

But they’d rather abandon the Tianji Sect than let Zhou Qing die.

“Order everyone to cease attack,” Cao Zhengyang said, voice dark.

Without hesitation, all forces retreated in unison.

Then his gaze pierced Yu Hengzi like a blade: “You want to negotiate? Fine. But until I see Zhou Qing unharmed, any terms are meaningless.”

Yu Hengzi laughed loudly—inside, he was ecstatic.

He hadn’t expected Zhou Qing to be the key to everyone’s heart—this gamble had paid off.

He added: “Of course. But the exact terms? We’ll need time to consider.”

He glanced at Lingxuzi and Tianshuzi; the three retreated a few steps, then shot skyward as streaks of light toward their sect.

Along the way, Tianji disciples formed formations to block pursuit, covering their retreat.

As soon as he landed, Yu Hengzi bellowed like a thunderclap:

“All disciples, retreat immediately! Assist the Elders in repairing the sect’s protective array ruins! All disciples above Foundation Establishment, form patrol squads—monitor every movement around us!”

Though shaken, the Tianji disciples moved swiftly, converging toward the mountain gate.

On the other side, Cao Zhengyang watched the three vanish into the sect, his eyes growing colder.

“Issue orders: surround the entire Tianji Sect. Not even a fly escapes.”

He added: “Monitor all surrounding areas—prevent reinforcements from other factions.”

At his words, both sects scattered rapidly; warships reformed their formations, sealing Tianji Sect completely.

“Gentlemen,” Cao Zhengyang glanced at the peak masters, then flew toward a flying vessel to discuss strategy.

Yun Jing and the others had intended to join, but Cao Zhengyang didn’t call them—they exchanged glances and stayed put, on guard.

Lu Yaoyao stood at the crowd’s edge, eyes red, fists clenched, staring fixedly at the Tianji Sect, desperate to rush in and rescue Zhou Qing.

As she burned with anxiety, Li Daoxuan slipped beside her and gently patted her shoulder.

“Sister, don’t worry too much. Brother Zhou has great fortune—he won’t die.”

Lu Yaoyao looked helpless, lips trembling.

She kept telling herself: her father would one day tread upon Demon Emperors—how could he be trapped by this tiny Tianji Sect?

But the world held too many variables—who could guarantee no accident would happen?

Perhaps some things had changed because of her arrival.

“But… but they’re too treacherous—what if…?” Lu Yaoyao trailed off.

“No,” Li Daoxuan said firmly. “The Sect Master and all Elders are here—they’ll find a way. All we can do now is trust them.”

Mo Xingjian, his face grim, turned to discuss rescue plans—then noticed Yan Xiao’s eyes flicker with inner conflict.

His feet shifted forward unconsciously, as if ready to dash out at any moment.

He frowned and snapped coldly, “Get back here right now! Don’t cause trouble!”

At Mo Xingjian’s shout, Yan Xiao, who had been sneaking into Tianji Sect, glared in frustration but finally slumped back in defeat.

He muttered under his breath, “I just wanted to try…”

…

Inside Tianji Sect, Yu Hengzi’s fingertips trembled slightly, cold sweat tracing down his jawline into his collar.

With the last flicker of spiritual power, he shoved the flame-encased mirror frame forcefully toward Lingxu Zi.

Maintaining this device drained spiritual power too severely—they had to take turns.

The moment Lingxu Zi took over, his internal spiritual power began draining at a visible rate.

His once full Primordial Spirit shadow dimmed by a third in an instant.

“This thing is truly sinister—how did the Corpse Yin Sect even acquire it?” Lingxu Zi frowned.

Yu Hengzi had no time to answer; he hastily pulled out a supreme-grade spirit stone and sat cross-legged to recover.

Tian Shu Zi watched Yu Hengzi’s haggard state and sighed helplessly.

“Who knows? After we found that cave, we just tossed it carelessly into a corner.”

“Back then, this region was only a level-three cultivation nation. I suspect the Corpse Yin Sect’s strongest was barely Nascent Soul—far from capable of activating this.”

Lingxu Zi nodded, then turned his gaze to the mountain gate, where the others were frantically repairing it, his expression grim. “They’ve sealed us off completely. If they launch a full assault, we won’t hold. What do we do now?”

“What if we let Zhou Qing out? If we three keep taking turns maintaining this, we’ll die of spiritual exhaustion before they even attack.”

Tian Shu Zi suggested, his tone tinged with worry.

Yu Hengzi, who had been recovering, immediately opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in them. “No. You don’t understand—Zhou Qing has broken through to mid-Soul Transformation.”

“We exchanged only a brief blow, but he gave me an unsettling pressure. And don’t forget—he inherited the Jin Chida’s legacy. His speed is extraordinary.”

“Are you certain we can trap him the instant he emerges? If he escapes, and they strike from within and without, we’ll be utterly trapped!”

Yu Hengzi’s words left the other two silent.

But this couldn’t go on. Even with rotation, they couldn’t last much longer.

With the gate wide open, Taiqingmen and Qingyu Immortal Sect would never let this slide.

And if this drain continues, we won’t wait for Cao Zhengyang’s forces—we’ll exhaust ourselves first and become lambs awaiting slaughter.

“I only tested this thing once in secret—I haven’t fully figured out how to operate it.”

“Hold on a moment—I’ll set up a Spirit Gathering Array to see if it can substitute!”

Yu Hengzi didn’t bother resting further; he rose and hurried toward the inner treasury.

Lingxu Zi had no choice but to maintain the mirror frame’s absorption while simultaneously refining spirit stones for replenishment.

Tian Shu Zi stood guard nearby, alert and ready to take over at any moment.

…

Deep within the mirror frame!

Zhou Qing still maintained the second form of Jin Chida, his feathers glowing with fierce golden light.

The space was chaotic; everywhere he looked, dark red mist churned violently. Each wingbeat met invisible resistance.

Beyond that, the searing heat in his mind grew fiercer, as if millions of red-hot steel needles crawled across his soul.

Helpless, he retracted his wings, forcibly suppressing the churning spiritual power within, forcing himself to calm down.

Then he began rapidly reviewing the information provided by the system.

“According to the system, this is a fragment of the Ultimate Weapon, Wu Jian Ye Huo Mirror. Its true function is to burn the sins within an opponent’s soul with Ye Huo.”

“The burning sensation in my mind must be Ye Huo—but it hasn’t harmed me much.”

Zhou Qing probed deeper. The flame was transparent—completely invisible.

His current Jin Wu fire couldn’t block the pain at all, revealing just how terrifying Ye Huo truly was.

“There are likely two reasons. First, my sins are few—I’ve always acted with a clear conscience and never slaughtered innocents.”

“Second, Yu Hengzi’s control over this Ultimate Weapon is crude—or worse, he doesn’t even know what it is.”

At this thought, a cold gleam flashed in his eyes.

“But regardless of the reason, I must escape immediately—I can’t let my Master and others be captured because of me.”

After sorting his thoughts, Zhou Qing stared again at the space, his brow furrowed.

“If it’s a fragment, there must be a flaw—but my Daily Inspection has already been used. I was too hasty earlier!”

Zhou Qing groaned and slapped his forehead.

He first pulled out his identity token, attempting to contact his Master—of course, he couldn’t even send a signal.

“Almost forgot about it!” Soon, Zhou Qing remembered something; his spirit stirred, and his pupils reappeared.

Alien crimson light blazed like twin suns in the chaos, warping the space into ripples.

These pupils, inherited from his Spider Emperor ancestor, deconstructed every surrounding image.

The dark red mist was now revealed as teeming with crimson flames pulsing with law patterns—invisible to the naked eye.

Even his own body was shrouded in these flames; each flicker wrapped in ancient runes, like chains seeping into his meridians.

This was the source of the searing pain in his mind.

Zhou Qing’s spirit tightened; his pupils spun rapidly.

Soon, he caught an anomaly—a thin current flowing backward amid the sea of flames, jarringly out of place.

His face lit up; he instantly transformed into a streak of light and chased the current.

After a while, Zhou Qing halted with labored breaths. Ahead lay a twisted fold in space.

The Ye Huo there was noticeably thinner, faint glimmers of the outside world seeping through.

“This must be the key!”

Zhou Qing’s heart surged with excitement; without hesitation, he summoned Po Shang Feng Sword. Lightning crackled along its blade, and a thousand sword qi surged like serpents toward the fold!

But the moment the sword qi touched the flames, they vanished like mud sinking into the sea—only ripples disturbed the surface.

The flames churned, leaving not a single trace.

His face darkened. His spiritual power surged again; behind him, a spectral Suanni emerged, draped in thunder, roaring fiercely.

The beast opened its mouth and unleashed a hundred-zhang waterfall of lightning, crashing down with starlight force upon the fold!

The result? Only a more violent distortion of the fold. The surrounding Ye Huo surged, swallowing the lightning torrent whole.

Next, the Jin Wu shadow rose from his dantian, engulfing him in golden flames that burned all things, diving downward.

Yet the fold remained unshaken.

No. Using the Twin Pupils already drained immense spiritual power. If he didn’t escape soon, this burning alone could scatter his soul!

“Then let’s see if a Mingwen-level technique can tear this open!”

Zhou Qing fixed his gaze on the fold. His aura shifted violently; all his spiritual power began to coalesce.

Instantly, blinding crimson light erupted from his body. From it, a colossal blood phoenix slowly emerged.

The moment it appeared, it let out a deafening screech. The sonic waves shook the entire space, twisting even the hovering Ye Huo.

Behind it, a boundless crimson curtain churned endlessly.

Strangely, on its chest were three feathers, deeply crimson.

Covered densely with Dao patterns, they seemed to record the oldest, most primordial laws of heaven and earth, radiating ancient, weighty energy.

“I’ll unleash every single Phoenix Dao Pattern I know at once. I’ll be utterly drained. If I escape, I hope my Master and the others are nearby!”

“If not, I’ll have to rely on the spiritual power stored in the golden flower to flee!”

Zhou Qing silently prayed.

Then, with solemn focus, he slowly extended his index finger and gently tapped forward: “Cut!”

Three crimson beams shot from his fingertip, within them ancient Dao patterns flashing and leaping rapidly.

Behind him, the blood phoenix spread its wings, engulfed in a hundred-zhang crimson flame.

The next instant, it became a crimson rainbow, carrying the Mingwen of heaven and earth and all of Zhou Qing’s spiritual power, crashing into the fold!

…

“The Spirit Gathering Array is ready!”

Outside, Yu Hengzi rushed over in a panic, snatching the mirror frame from Tian Shu Zi without ceremony.

Tian Shu Zi’s face was pale; as he passed the burning burden to Yu Hengzi, he exhaled deeply, as if freed from a heavy burden.

“I don’t know if it’ll work—if not, we’ll have to risk it: release him and trap him immediately!”

Tian Shu Zi suggested, breathing lightly.

Lingxu Zi, who had been meditating, slowly opened his eyes and nodded in agreement.

They could set up a temporary binding array—he might be fast, but he was still mid-Soul Transformation.

Yu Hengzi stared at the mirror frame in his palm and sighed. “If we have no other choice, we’ll have to try. How’s the mountain gate holding?”

“They can’t reactivate the sect’s protective array in such a short time. I think we three still have to step in,” Tian Shu Zi said, worried.

“Fine. Time is short. Let me get Zhou Qing…” He paused, then frowned. “Wait—where’s Zhou Qing?”

The next moment, Yu Hengzi casually checked the mirror frame’s interior—his pupils shrank sharply, disbelief flooding his eyes.

(End of Chapter)