Chapter 378: Escape (Bonus Chapter for Moon Tickets)

The Taotie Pavilion lived up to its name, with all manner of delicacies arriving like a flowing stream; Fang Xing ate with great delight.

After satisfying his hunger and thirst, he leisurely sipped tea, yet his spiritual sense continued eavesdropping on the two Nascent Soul True Lords from Wuji Palace.

"Has the Feathered Heaven Sovereign of Piaomiao Immortal Palace truly perished?"

"Wuji Palace attacking Piaomiao Immortal Palace is only natural."

"Not to mention that two tigers cannot share one mountain—just the fact that the Feathered Heaven Sovereign led a group to ambush Old Monk Meng in the Divine Sword Sect makes them mortal enemies."

"Anyun Palace…"

Fang Xing felt a momentary daze, nearly forgetting this faction altogether.

"My subordinates include countless vengeful spirits of Great True Lords and Ascended Masters—yet Anyun Great True Lord still lives. Clearly, he has some fate on his side… Perhaps one day he'll become Anyun Sovereign?"

As he pondered, his expression suddenly changed as he turned toward the Bronze Transmission Hall.

Whoosh!

A crimson sword light shot out from the Bronze Hall, its Nascent Soul energy surging wildly—it was clearly a Nascent Soul Initiate Sword Lord!

The crimson sword light fled desperately, as if pursued by some terrifying, formidable enemy.

Shhh!

Within the sword light was none other than Fire Dragon True Man—no, he should now be called Fire Dragon True Lord!

He flicked his finger, sending a flying sword letter hurtling toward the Mingkun Vessel, clearly seeking aid.

In the next breath:

Boom!

The Bronze Transmission Hall exploded instantly; the countless seals that had densely covered it collapsed in a thunderous ruin.

"Ahh…"

Many cultivators screamed as their lives vanished instantly; Ni Huolong, who had been managing the transmission array, even activated a fourth-rank defensive talisman—but was still smashed into bloody pulp, collapsing unconscious amid the rubble.

"Hmph! Bold indeed. Even when beating a dog, one must consider the master."

Fang Xing, witnessing this, grew icy cold as he stared at the cultivator chasing Fire Dragon True Lord through the void.

"You won't escape!"

A cold, heartless voice rang out.

Then came waves of dark clouds, spreading rapidly, swelling to dozens of mu in size, swallowing every building in the nearby marketplace.

A strange barrier formed, even severing the void.

"This level of void sealing… a Nascent Soul cultivator's instantaneous teleportation won't work."

"His spiritual power and spiritual sense are both at Great True Lord level."

Fang Xing nodded inwardly.

The one chasing Fire Dragon True Man was indeed a Great True Lord!

Otherwise, with Fire Dragon True Man's sword art and the Divine Sword Sect's heritage, after breaking into Nascent Soul, he shouldn't have been so cornered even by a Nascent Soul Mid-Stage cultivator.

"Fled to me for help?"

"Is this… redirecting disaster toward me?"

Fang Xing rubbed his chin, deep in thought.

At this moment, Fire Dragon True Lord reached the edge of the dark clouds, raised his hand, and summoned a crimson sword shadow.

It burst forth with boundless true fire, forming a roaring flame dragon that charged into the dark clouds.

Shhh!

With a single strike, the dark clouds were pierced open, leaving only a thin final layer.

But more black clouds surged forward, instantly filling the gap.

"It's Anyun Great True Lord!"

Inside Wanbao Tower.

Hong Wanjing, seeing this, broke into cold sweat: "This Anyun Great True Lord has a grudge against the Mingkun Island Master."

Though the Mingkun Island Master is terrifyingly powerful, he is not a true Nascent Soul Late-Stage Great True Lord.

"Disaster… disaster…"

"This spiritual treasure must be the famed 'Anyun'… even a fourth-rank void-escape talisman can't break free."

"Could my several hundred jin of flesh be ending here today?"

…

As the cultivators in the marketplace grew anxious, Fire Dragon True Lord was drenched in sweat: "Mingkun Senior Brother isn't here… nor is the Second Island Master… Did they flee?"

Since being expelled from the Yuanmo Sea by the Array Spirit, he had no intention of returning to Mingkun Island.

The Inner Sea was rich in resources, and by chance, he obtained two Nascent Soul opportunities within the Divine Sword Sect.

He immediately decided to find another secluded place to cultivate, aiming to condense his Nascent Soul.

Everything proceeded smoothly, and he naturally formed his Sword Nascent Soul, becoming a Nascent Soul True Lord.

But perhaps he had revealed too much while seeking a Pill Master to craft his "Nascent Soul Pill"—Anyun Palace had traced faint clues.

Though Fire Dragon True Lord realized the danger and ruthlessly exterminated several Foundation Establishment cultivators, it was already too late—the information had spread.

At first, only a few Nascent Soul Initiate cultivators pursued him.

Later, it became several Nascent Soul Mid-Stage True Lords, and even the Inner Sea issued a wanted notice.

After all, many factions were deeply interested in what had transpired within the Divine Sword Sect.

Fire Dragon True Lord paid a heavy price to change his appearance, exploiting the chaos following the loss of the Peng Demon Island Master to slip past detection, taking the transmission array to the Outer Sea, and seeking protection under the Mingkun Island Master.

He never expected things to go smoothly at first—then Anyun Great True Lord himself came chasing after him.

To prevent his escape, he decisively used his spiritual treasure's power to engulf half the sea market.

Worse still… the flying sword letter seemed never to have reached the Mingkun Island Master.

"Mingkun Senior Brother possesses a Late-Stage Nascent Soul Second Self… even if his main body is only Mid-Stage, he can rival a Great True Lord…"

Fire Dragon True Man was unaware of Fang Yun True Lord's later feats—he still remembered Fang Xing only from his raid on the Divine Sword Sect.

"This is still his home base; with the mountain's protective array, repelling the enemy shouldn't be a problem…"

"But the key question… why isn't Mingkun Senior Brother here? I confirmed his presence before…"

As Fire Dragon True Lord's thoughts raced, he suddenly swept his sleeve.

A scroll flew out and unfurled instantly.

Depicted upon it was a golden-furred raging ape, gripping a massive stone club as thick as a pillar, as if about to leap from the paper.

Roar!

In the next instant, the golden ape burst from the scroll, becoming a hundred-zhang-tall golden giant ape, its back bearing a massive ghostly face tattoo, swinging its stone club and bringing it crashing down!

Bam! Bam!

Black mist coalesced into giant serpents, easily crushed in the skull, dissolving into countless black vapors that sank back into the dark clouds.

The golden ape roared again, its sonic waves shaking the void, revealing countless black threads—then snapping them into fragments.

It pounded its chest and swung its club again.

Bam!

The massive stone club was halted by a huge black iron shield, not advancing an inch. Anyun Great True Lord, clad in a black robe, looked unremarkable, but his eyes emitted inch-long spiritual light: "The 'Raging Ape Hunting the Sea Scroll'? Legend says there are three other scrolls: 'Blessed Dragon Driving the Phoenix,' 'Heavenly Peng Subduing Demons,' and 'White Tiger Devouring the Lion'… Together, the four form a fifth-rank supreme treasure; even individually, each reaches peak fourth-rank level, and crucially, they can be activated with spiritual power… one of the famed fifth-rank treasures of the Divine Sword Sect."

"To possess this scroll, you must have gained much within the Divine Sword Sect's mountain."

"But this… is not enough to match a Great True Lord!"

Anyun Great True Lord clasped his hands into a seal, pouring terrifying Late-Stage Nascent Soul energy into a black-bladed spiritual treasure.

Countless dense black blades materialized, crackling with thick dark lightning.

Dark clouds gathered, thunder and lightning raged!

One after another, the black blades rained down upon Fire Dragon True Lord.

Moreover, the Anyun spiritual treasure churned violently, transforming into a two-headed serpent that spat black tongues and tightly coiled around the golden ape.

Fire Dragon True Lord held his sword, summoning the power of heaven and earth; his sword light danced like a dragon, shattering blade after blade.

But then, with a cold snort from Anyun Great True Lord, Fire Dragon True Lord felt a sharp pain in his soul.

Had he not possessed a soul-protecting treasure, the overwhelming spiritual sense of a Late-Stage Nascent Soul cultivator would have driven him writhing to the ground.

Even so, it created a fatal opening in his sword technique.

In a flash, Anyun Great True Lord slammed his palm down.

Countless black lightning bolts merged, forming a colossal black thunderball.

Terrifying lightning flashed, with black flames burning fiercely within, thrust forward toward Fire Dragon True Man.

With no choice, Fire Dragon True Man's body shimmered with a semi-transparent spiritual armor, and talismans ignited, forming multicolored defenses.

Sssss!

The black thunderball crashed into the multicolored shield, like an iron ball sinking into the sea, pushing aside countless runes.

Then… thunder erupted violently!

Fire Dragon True Lord's face paled as he spewed blood.

His body transformed into a sword light and slammed hard against the Anyun barrier, his aura instantly dimming.

Roar!

On the other side, despite the golden ape's immense strength, it was bound by the two-headed serpent, crushed into submission, and finally dissolved into golden specks.

"As a Nascent Soul Initiate, to have fled this far under my pursuit, exchanged several blows—you may be proud!"

Anyun Great True Lord stepped forward, his hands glowing with dark light: "Your Nascent Soul teleportation won't escape the Anyun's coverage…"

"Cough… cough…"

The Fire Dragon True Lord spat out another mouthful of blood, feeling that had it not been for the spiritual armor he wore, his Nascent Soul body would have been destroyed by the previous dark lightning.

He forced himself to speak: "Great True Lord Dark Cloud, isn't this the territory of the Mingkun Island Master? You've broken the rules—aren't you afraid he'll make trouble for you?"

"The Mingkun Island Master, who wiped out that pair of mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, is indeed impressive… but I, too, have blood debts with him."

The Great True Lord Dark Cloud suddenly laughed: "What if I offered to settle the blood debt entirely, in exchange for him turning a blind eye to this? Our cultivation path seeks longevity and immortality—why fight to the death unless for a great opportunity?"

Precisely because of this, even when his own younger brother was destroyed on the Mingkun Island, the Great True Lord Dark Cloud never considered revenge.

Only this time, involving the Nascent Soul Sword Sect and the chance at transformation into a Divine Soul—that leaves no room for sentiment. He must act.

"Hm?"

At that moment, the Great True Lord Dark Cloud's expression changed as he turned toward a certain spot in the dark clouds.

Shhh!

A golden sword-light flashed, slicing through layers of dark lightning.

Within the sword-light stood a middle-aged man in green robes, his features lean and austere.

"Late-stage Nascent Soul… Great Zizai Azure Gold Sword Qi?"

The Great True Lord Dark Cloud's eyes flickered with wariness, then a glimmer of realization: "No wonder the Fire Dragon fled this way—there's a Great True Lord of the Golden Sword Line from the Nascent Soul Sword Sect hiding on the island!"

Fang Xing, wearing the fake skin he had conjured, couldn't help but marvel: no wonder the Inner Sea Great True Lords were so well-traveled.

He'd only drawn one sword, and his identity was already exposed.

He sighed: "Friend, won't you cease? My Nascent Soul Sword Sect's late-stage Great Sword Lord is stronger than ordinary late-stage Great True Lords."

"Something's off."

The Great True Lord Dark Cloud swept his sleeve, and a strange mechanical black dragon emerged, circling his body.

He fixed his gaze on Fang Xing: "Friend, you've disguised yourself… moreover, if a Great Sword Lord of the Nascent Soul Sword Sect encountered a hostile Great True Lord, he'd only draw his sword in delight—never utter a single word of idle talk. Who are you, truly?!"

"Tsk tsk…"

Fang Xing shook his head—he hadn't expected that even at late-stage Nascent Soul, the Nascent Soul Sword Sect's sword madmen remained utterly unrestrained.

He immediately decided to learn from the sect's elders: he channeled his sword incantation, and spiritual energy surged from heaven and earth, merging with the golden sword-light to form a golden sword-dragon a hundred zhang long.

Each scale and each claw was forged from the most refined golden sword qi; it let out a sudden, deafening roar and charged toward the Great True Lord Dark Cloud.

The Great True Lord Dark Cloud's expression turned grave; he formed hand seals, and countless black thunderballs appeared, surrounded by dense, swirling black blades.

Thunder cracked continuously.

Each black thunderball exploded against the golden sword-dragon; both sides consumed their power furiously.

Yet as time passed, Fang Xing grew ever more calm, while the Great True Lord Dark Cloud's expression grew increasingly solemn: "Your spiritual power… how can it be so vast? Nascent Soul Perfection?"

Spiritual light flickered in the Great True Lord Dark Cloud's eyes; sweat began to bead on his forehead.

He knew well: though he considered his battle prowess among the best of the Great True Lords, compared to a Great Sword Lord, he was merely evenly matched.

Had it not been for decades of painstaking effort and immense cost, during which he acquired a hidden trump card, he would never have dared face a Great Sword Lord of the Nascent Soul Sword Sect with such confidence.

But now, the situation had clearly changed.

The opposing Great Sword Lord had reached Nascent Soul Perfection—his spiritual cultivation surpassed him!

To continue holding out would be extremely dangerous.

Seeing this, the Great True Lord Dark Cloud summoned two thick pillars of spiritual energy from his sleeves, channeling them into the dark thunderballs.

Each thunderball now mingled with black blades, lightning, and flame, entangling endlessly with the golden sword-dragon, destroying each other in mutual annihilation.

Yet the golden sword-dragon moved without gap or flaw; every swipe of its claws, even every flick of its scales, resembled the most refined sword incantations, severing wave after wave of black blades.

In the end, most of the dark thunderballs had been obliterated, yet the golden sword-dragon had shrunk by less than a third.

"Go!"

Seeing this, the Great True Lord Dark Cloud's heart grew heavier; he pointed at the black dragon puppet coiled around him.

The puppet erupted with astonishing spiritual power—equal to that of an ordinary late-stage Nascent Soul Great True Lord.

"A Rank Four Superior Puppet?!"

The Fire Dragon True Lord was utterly stunned.

Such a puppet was exceedingly rare, even within the Nascent Soul Sword Sect.

"No wonder you dared stand against me—this is your trump card?"

Fang Xing sneered; a flash of spiritual light erupted from his crown, and the Ten-Thousand-Methods Ghost Infant appeared, shrouded in a "Green Yang Veil," commanding two violet-and-green fire dragons to meet the black dragon puppet…

(End of Chapter)