Chapter 482 - 463: Attacking Their Strength with One’s Weakness

Chapter 482: Chapter 463: Attacking Their Strength with One’s Weakness

There were three ancestral relics, two male and one female. All were young and beautiful, with graceful and handsome features.

The Daoist Robes they wore were of an ancient style, without any patterns or decorations, giving them an ethereal look.

Thousands of years ago, the Hundred Skills Sect was still a Cultivation Family.

Later, during their migration south, the Patriarchs of the Xin, Ku, and Jin families became sworn brothers and decided to establish a foundation together in Nanzhao, thus merging into a single Sect.

As a result, the Sect’s heritage was quite eclectic. It included Cultivation Techniques from the three great families, a scroll containing a Dharma Aspect Technique recovered from the remains of an Ancient Cultivator discovered upon their arrival in Nanzhao, and even Gu Techniques that later spread from the Hundred Thousand Evil Mountains.

This is why, within the Cultivation Realm, the Hundred Skills Sect lacked any particularly memorable specialty.

In comparison, the Dharma Aspect Technique was somewhat like a weakened version of a Second Nascent Soul. Its power could not be underestimated, and it gradually became the mainstream practice in the Hundred Skills Sect.

During their cultivation, they discovered that as long as one’s cultivation reached the Nascent Soul Stage, their physical body would not decay after death. Furthermore, a Cultivator who practiced the Dharma Aspect Technique would form a Spiritual Object within their body, somewhat similar to a Buddhist Sect’s Relic.

With this Spiritual Object, they could activate the relic of a predecessor, once again stimulating a Dharma Aspect Nascent Soul.

Xin Youhuang had opened the forbidden grounds and retrieved the Sect’s only three remaining ancestral relics. He had done this in preparation for the assault on the Five Elements Sect, just in case something unexpected happened.

He never expected that they would now be saving his life.

A Jade Token, an Inkstone Platform, and a Hairpin Flower—the three corresponding Spiritual Objects—flew from Xin Youhuang’s hand. The three ancestral relics all erupted in brilliant light.

Their intact bodies began to fracture, brilliant light projecting from the cracks. Three Dharma Aspect giants now stood before him.

"Dharma Aspect Nascent Souls? If I could destroy one then, I can destroy three of you now!"

Bai Zichen sneered. Since he dared to venture into the enemy’s den, of course he had anticipated they would have some unexpected tricks up their sleeves.

He truly paid no mind to these supposedly majestic Dharma Aspect Nascent Souls.

’They’re certainly useful for bullying Core Formation Cultivators, but against a genuine Nascent Soul Cultivator—and a Sword Cultivator, no less—aren’t they just living targets?’

He had destroyed Xin Youhuang’s Dharma Aspect even while under siege by three Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

Moreover, these Dharma Aspects were formed by activating ancestral relics through a Secret Technique. The extra step in the process created countless openings.

The Female Cultivator’s Dharma Aspect lightly raised a jade arm, her wrist dazzling white as snow. It condensed a jade hairpin and slashed forward.

A beam of Moonlight Sword Light mixed with the real moonlight, weaving back and forth, making it impossible to distinguish which was the Sword Light and which was the light cast by the bright moon overhead.

As the jade hairpin descended, for every inch it fell, a Flying Sword would strike it thirty to fifty times, covering the hairpin in hairline cracks from the vibrations.

The two male Dharma Aspects also had their eyes tightly closed. One held a golden mace, the other a golden book. With a raise of the hand, ten thousand mace-shadows appeared, as if they were real Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

As the other Dharma Aspect Nascent Soul flipped through the golden book, a series of sonorous and powerful sounds rang out.

The maxims from the golden book took effect the moment they were uttered, and golden chains descended to bind his hands and feet.

But most of the time, they passed like a gentle spring breeze, unable to even disturb the Sword Light once.

The two beams of Sword Light each entangled a Dharma Aspect Nascent Soul, showing no signs of strain.

This was precisely why Bai Zichen looked down on the Dharma Aspect Nascent Souls. They were formed by condensing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power, and while their True Essence intensity did reach the Nascent Soul level, a Dharma Aspect could not possibly contain Great Dao True Intent. When they attacked, they were more like Core Formation Cultivators who had been strengthened a thousandfold, not Nascent Soul True Monarchs in harmony with the Great Dao.

To a Sword Cultivator like him, who specialized in Combat, they were riddled with flaws.

After a series of relentless, successive attacks, all three Dharma Aspect Nascent Souls showed signs of damage and fragmentation.

At the same time, the Sword Light formed a continuous line, giving Xin Youhuang no room to escape.

"Bai Zichen, if you won’t give me a way out, then don’t blame me for being vicious!"

Xin Youhuang had completely abandoned his earlier fantasies. Any thought of turning the tables and becoming the hunter had long since vanished from his mind.

In their last encounter, he had hidden in the rear and fought using his Dharma Aspect, with the main pressure falling on the other two.

This time, facing his opponent directly, he finally understood Bai Zichen’s true capabilities. Even after activating the three Ancestral Master Dharma Aspects, he hadn’t achieved any of the expected results.

’No matter how weak a Dharma Aspect Nascent Soul is, three of them shouldn’t be getting completely suppressed by a single Early-Stage Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator. His strength must far exceed what his Realm suggests. That’s why I misjudged so badly.’

At this moment, Xin Youhuang’s only thought was to break out of the Sword Light’s encirclement and escape back to Wanfu Mountain.

Only under the protection of the Grand Array would he feel truly safe.

Steeling his heart, he took out a blood-red Talisman inscribed with a ferocious ghost. Xin Youhuang spat a mouthful of Essence Blood onto it, then reached his hand toward the Talisman.

The ghost on the Talisman actually extended its head and viciously bit his hand, severing all five of his fingers in one clean motion.

"Soul-Devouring Ghost, devour half of his... no, a third of his Divine Sense will be enough!"

Xin Youhuang corrected himself just in time. Simultaneously, the Jade Talisman on his chest glowed, the bracelet on his wrist, and even his Magical Robe all flashed with the Soul-Calming Spirit-Banning Restrictions he had prepared in advance.

This Soul-Devouring Talisman was passed down from the Demon Realm. When activated, it traded Divine Sense for Divine Sense—injuring the enemy, but injuring oneself even more.

Even with his preparations—a series of Magical Treasures and enchanted restrictions all meant to protect his Divine Sense—he knew that activating the Soul-Devouring Talisman would, at the very least, leave him gravely ill from the massive, instantaneous loss of Divine Sense.

In a severe case, it was possible for the user to die from Divine Sense depletion before their opponent did.

But its effect was outstanding; no one below the Late-Stage Nascent Soul realm could possibly resist it.

Xin Youhuang felt that he had cultivated for several hundred years more than Bai Zichen. While he admitted there was an unbridgeable gap in their combat strength, Divine Sense intensity was a matter of gradual refinement, which could only be strengthened over the long years.

With the exception of a very few who were born with powerful Divine Sense, the rule was generally that the longer one cultivated, the stronger their Divine Sense became.

’Even if he’s one of those rare exceptions with unnaturally strong innate Divine Sense, I’ve made so many preparations beforehand. At the very least, we should both be grievously injured... If we both lose the ability to fight, it will be to my advantage. I can just have the Grand Array teleport me back to the Sect.’

The Soul-Devouring Talisman burned. The ghost—with its large head, thin body, green face, and sharp fangs—took a sharp breath, and Xin Youhuang collapsed to the ground, his face contorted in agony.

The Vajra Buddha Statue Jade Talisman and the Eighteen Bodhi Bracelet both exploded.

His Magical Robe flashed three times, sending streaks of green light to land on his head, soothing his splitting headache.

It felt as if an axe had been brutally slammed into his Celestial Spiritual Skull. He had never suffered such pain since he achieved his Nascent Soul.

The Soul-Devouring Ghost first absorbed the caster’s Divine Sense, then teleported in front of Bai Zichen. It continuously reformed itself no matter how the Sword Silks sliced through it.

As it opened its mouth, an invisible suction force that acted on the Primordial Spirit level emerged, and Bai Zichen felt a chill deep in his marrow.

’What kind of Talisman is this? The ghost it summoned is just a projection, yet it’s immune to One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws...’

The thought had just formed in Bai Zichen’s mind when a sinister wind blew across his face. The Divine Sense in his Sea of Consciousness stirred restlessly, as if it had been summoned.

But suddenly, specks of starlight shone through the bone of his forehead. A supreme, serene majesty emanated from it.

The periphery of his Sea of Consciousness was now encircled by a ring of warm starlight, and he could no longer feel the sinister wind. Instead, a flash of astonishment crossed the Soul-Devouring Ghost’s face.

No matter how it puffed up its stomach and inhaled fiercely, to Bai Zichen, it felt like a pleasant spring breeze.

The Celestial Might Star Bone from his Nine Heavens Bone Forging Techniques granted him immunity to all attacks on the Primordial Spirit level, unless the attacker was a full Tier higher.

With Bai Zichen’s Early-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivation, it would take at least a Great Power at the Early-Stage Divinity Transformation to pose a threat to him with a similar Secret Technique.

In fact, because Bai Zichen’s Divine Sense was far stronger than his peers, the required Cultivation of the attacker might have to be even higher.

One could only say that using the Soul-Devouring Talisman against him was the worst possible choice Xin Youhuang could have made.

When it came to Sea of Consciousness defense and Primordial Spirit reinforcement, a hundred Xin Youhuangs combined could not compare to Bai Zichen. The gap was even greater than the disparity in their combat strength.

The Soul-Devouring Ghost had failed in two consecutive attacks and had even sensed a power that was its perfect counter. Though it still had the strength for one last strike, it teleported away, vanishing from the battlefield and ignoring the local spatial boundaries.

Bai Zichen took a single step forward and grabbed the wailing Xin Youhuang. With an indifferent expression, he prepared to use his True Essence to imprison the man’s Nascent Soul.

"Impossible! The Soul-Devouring Ghost has never failed... Detonate!"

Xin Youhuang spoke word by word, his eyes filled with grim determination. The three Dharma Aspect Nascent Souls all aimed their Magical Artifacts at their own bodies and detonated their Dharma Aspects.

They had been gathered from the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power, and upon destruction, they returned to it. The power unleashed in that instant was truly world-destroying.

Bai Zichen and Xin Youhuang were right in the center of the three exploding Dharma Aspects. The surging, colliding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power tore open one spatial rift after another.

When the smoke cleared, the ground had sunk several dozen feet, and a mountaintop had been completely flattened.

Farther away, a clear pool evaporated in an instant. Now, fresh water was gurgling up again from several Water Eyes at the bottom of the lakebed.

In the very center, Bai Zichen stood ramrod straight. His Daoist Robe was in tatters, and his entire body was charred black like charcoal.

With a slight shake, the charred ash fell away, revealing a Five Crystal Glaze glow. His flesh had the quality of polished glass.

His fair, smooth skin was revealed, without even a single scratch. Infinite Divine Power was concentrated within this physical body.

As for Xin Youhuang, held in his palm, only half of his body remained. If Bai Zichen hadn’t shielded him at the last moment, he would have likely been turned to ash.

"I forgot to mention, my Body Refining Cultivation is also quite formidable. At the very least, Demon Beasts of the same level are no match for me... You can consider your death a worthy one. You got to witness several of my trump cards at once. Other Nascent Soul Cultivators don’t get that privilege."

Amidst the self-destruction of the Dharma Aspect Nascent Souls, his Five Crystal Glaze Body finally had a rare chance to be displayed.

The rampaging Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power crushed down on him, but most of it was directly absorbed by his Glazed Body. It was then converted by the Five Crystal Permanent Casting Body, raising the strength of his physical body to another level.

It let him experience the thrill of being a High-Tier Body Cultivator—charging headfirst into danger without a care in the world.

Xin Youhuang was first grievously injured in his Divine Sense from activating the Soul-Devouring Talisman, and then left with his last breath by the self-destruction of the Dharma Aspects he himself had triggered.

One could say that the damage Bai Zichen had dealt him was negligible; it was all self-inflicted. He didn’t even have a chance to attempt a Nascent Soul Instant Teleportation to escape.

’I’ve never performed a Soul Search on a Nascent Soul Cultivator before. I wonder if I can pull it off...’

A ball of flame licked over, burning Xin Youhuang’s ruined body to a crisp, leaving only a listless Nascent Soul covered in terrifying black lines.

Confident in his powerful Divine Sense, Bai Zichen wasn’t afraid of the backlash even if the Soul Search failed. He directly activated the Taiwu Soul Searching and Soul Cutting Technique.

At the same time, a Platinum Radiant Flame rose from his palm, forming chains that imprisoned Xin Youhuang’s Nascent Soul.