Chapter 603 - 576: The 2nd Trial Begins

(The internet is down. Uploading this via phone has been a struggle....)

Zhaang Ye paid Flower King no mind, his gaze falling upon two young men.

Zhaang Ye was completely unfamiliar with these two; they were clearly powerhouses from an Exotic Realm. One had a high nose and purple eyes and carried two swords on his back. The other was ordinary-looking, but his hands were jet-black. The auras emanating from them were incredibly powerful, not much weaker than Flower King’s. They were obviously great experts of the True Dao Sixth Layer.

Zhaang Ye’s expression changed slightly. He thought, ’There are too many young powerhouses in this Black Cloud Domain. Any two you run into are True Dao Sixth Layer experts. If these two have comprehended a Realm, they’ll be incredibly formidable enemies! I’ll have to be extra careful now...’

Among the four powerhouses in the hall, Flower King and the two strange young men were from the Exotic Realm, making them Zhaang Ye’s natural enemies. And while Shui Daimai was from the Purple Spirit Domain, she had always wanted to fight Zhaang Ye, making it hard to tell if she was friend or foe. Under these circumstances, even though Zhaang Ye’s strength had greatly improved, he had no choice but to handle the situation with caution.

SWOOSH!

Zhaang Ye flickered like a ghost, moving at a speed that even Spiritual Sense couldn’t capture, and suddenly left the passage to appear in the main hall.

"Huh?"

As Zhaang Ye moved, the four young experts in the hall all cried out in surprise. Staring at the proudly standing Zhaang Ye, the gazes of Flower King, Shui Daimai, and the two young men all grew solemn.

Just a moment ago, the four of them had clearly locked onto Zhaang Ye, yet he had suddenly broken free and appeared in the hall. Such speed was truly unrivaled. No matter how conceited the four experts were, they could not ignore it.

Upon arriving in the center of the hall, Zhaang Ye was immediately captivated by a small tree there.

The small tree was as thick as a thumb, mottled purple and blue, and stood about five feet tall. Four or five leaves grew sparsely on it. As his gaze fell upon the leaves, Zhaang Ye’s heart stirred. ’These leaves... their veins are so distinct. They’re Purple-Blue Spirit Wood Leaves! This little tree is a Purple-Blue Spirit Wood!’

Just then, the Fire Spirit’s voice echoed in Zhaang Ye’s Heart Spirit: ’It is indeed a Purple-Blue Spirit Wood! However, this one is just a seedling. Due to a lack of nourishment from Spiritual Qi, its life force is nearly extinguished. If you want to save it, you’ll only have a slim chance if you use a Water Spirit Stone...’

’A Water Spirit Stone?’ Zhaang Ye thought. Before leaving the Land of Divine Abandonment, he had obtained a Water Spirit Stone from a Secret Realm on the verge of collapse. ’I wonder if it’s enough to save this Purple-Blue Spirit Wood seedling?’

At that moment, the Fire Spirit warned him, ’Master, you must not touch this Purple-Blue Spirit Wood. I can sense that there are countless Prohibitions around it. If you trigger them, I’m afraid even a great expert of the True Dao Eighth Layer wouldn’t escape death...’

While Zhaang Ye was communicating with the Fire Spirit, Flower King’s eyes glinted as he slowly closed in. Zhaang Ye’s strength had advanced by leaps and bounds, which secretly alarmed Flower King. He had now resolved to kill Zhaang Ye, intending to slay him here in the Sword Monarch Hall at any cost.

Although Zhaang Ye was observing the Purple-Blue Spirit Wood, his Heart Spirit was paying close attention to his surroundings. Sensing Flower King’s approach, Zhaang Ye sneered and said, "Flower King, you want to kill me?"

Flower King’s eyes glinted, and he chuckled sinisterly. "That’s right. Today, you must die!"

Zhaang Ye sneered, "And you think you can kill me?"

Flower King smiled sinisterly. He pointed at Zhaang Ye and Shui Daimai and said to the two strangers, "Iron Hand Marquis, Zi Nuhou, these two are the most outstanding experts from the Purple Spirit Domain. Today, let’s join forces to kill them. Then all the treasures in these Sword Monarch Ruins will be ours for the taking."

Iron Hand Marquis and Zi Nuhou exchanged a look, then both laughed heartily and suddenly flashed forward to intercept Shui Daimai. Meanwhile, Flower King’s immense aura locked firmly onto Zhaang Ye, ready to unleash a Thunderous Strike at any moment.

Zhaang Ye’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, he was cursing his luck. ’Iron Hand Marquis and Zi Nuhou are obviously planning to team up and kill Shui Daimai first. If she dies, and Flower King, Iron Hand Marquis, and Zi Nuhou all gang up on me, I’m afraid I won’t escape death, no matter how fast I am.’

Zhaang Ye thought, ’My strength isn’t that far off from Flower King’s. For now, it all depends on whether Shui Daimai can withstand the attacks from Iron Hand Marquis and Zi Nuhou. If she’s defeated, I’ll immediately retreat the way I came, leave the Sword Monarch Hall, and avoid being besieged by the three of them.’

Having made his decision, Zhaang Ye’s thoughts shifted, and his entire demeanor changed abruptly, becoming like an elusive wisp of wind. Though he stood perfectly still on the ground, he gave off an erratic and unpredictable feeling, as if he could unleash a world-shaking strike at any moment.

Flower King’s eyes narrowed. His arms moved slightly, his palms rising. Although Zhaang Ye’s Cultivation was low, the strength he displayed forced Flower King to be cautious.

BOOM!

While Zhaang Ye and Flower King were in a standoff, Shui Daimai, Zi Nuhou, and Iron Hand Marquis had already begun to exchange tentative blows. Their palms collided in mid-air, and vast streams of Innate True Qi shot out, slamming into the stone walls of the hall. The hall’s sturdiness far exceeded anyone’s imagination; it didn’t shake in the slightest under the bombardment of three True Dao Experts.

WHOOSH!

As Shui Daimai, Zi Nuhou, and Iron Hand Marquis made their moves, Zhaang Ye and Flower King also attacked in unison.

Flower King’s palms circled in the air, and an arc of rainbow light appeared out of nowhere. In an instant, it locked down an area a hundred yards in every direction. Under the pressure of the rainbow light, the very air began to whine.

But just as Flower King struck, Zhaang Ye’s figure suddenly flickered. Moving at an unbelievable speed, he dodged out of the rainbow light’s range, transformed his palm into a blade, and slashed down at Flower King.

BOOM!

Just as the edge of Zhaang Ye’s hand-blade fell, Flower King’s arm moved. The rainbow light bent back at a bizarre angle and struck squarely against Zhaang Ye’s Blade Tip, erupting in a massive explosion of sound.

Zhaang Ye and Flower King both took a step back. An extremely solemn look appeared in both their eyes; neither was willing to attack rashly.

Flower King’s attacks were incomparably fierce, and his Techniques were bizarre. Zhaang Ye’s Body Technique, however, was like lightning, and his counterattacks were like thunderbolts. After exchanging a single move, they both began to see the other as a great nemesis and grew more cautious.

Gaze met gaze.

Aura clashed with aura.

Just as Zhaang Ye and Flower King were about to strike again, they suddenly felt an incomparably strange fluctuation emanating from the center of the hall.

"Hm?"

The five True Dao Experts in the hall all turned their gazes in unison toward the center of the hall, at the Purple-Blue Spirit Wood. The strange fluctuation was coming from that very tree.

Under the gazes of the five True Dao Experts, the Purple-Blue Spirit Wood began to move despite the lack of wind, and a faint radiance suddenly surged out from it. The light grew richer and richer, brimming with vibrant life force. In the next instant, before the five’s watchful eyes, the Purple-Blue Spirit Wood suddenly transformed into a middle-aged man with a purple beard.

BUZZ!

An aura as sharp as a blade, so tangible it was like a physical substance, erupted from the purple-bearded man. The moment this aura appeared, the vision of Flower King, Zhaang Ye, Shui Daimai, Zi Nuhou, and Iron Hand Marquis blurred. It was as if countless blades had appeared before them, flying toward them in a dense swarm.

BOOM!

The five had just activated their Protective Gang Qi when they were struck head-on by the dense swarm of blades. The five top experts of the younger generation were instantly sent flying, slamming viciously into the stone walls.

Zhaang Ye’s understanding of the Sword Dao was growing ever deeper. When the purple-bearded man’s blade-like aura struck him, Zhaang Ye spun eighty-one times in an instant, deflecting over ninety percent of the immense force. Moreover, his physical body was extremely tough. Thus, although he slammed into the wall, he wasn’t injured; his internal qi and blood were just churning violently.

Flower King and Shui Daimai also landed safely from the wall. Their Cultivation was far deeper than Zhaang Ye’s, so even though they were slammed into the wall, they had managed to withstand the immense force head-on.

Zi Nuhou and Iron Hand Marquis landed as well. A trickle of blood was visible at the corners of both their mouths; they had clearly suffered some injuries.

Zhaang Ye, Flower King, Shui Daimai, and the others exchanged a glance. From that single collision, it was clear that the strengths of Flower King, Zhaang Ye, and Shui Daimai were all comparable. The strengths of Zi Nuhou and Iron Hand Marquis, however, were a notch below.

As the five landed on the ground, their expressions were all grim. The aura the purple-bearded man had just unleashed had reached the state of Transforming Illusion into Reality; his formless aura had manifested as thousands upon thousands of blades, making it terrifying to the extreme.

The five stared at the purple-bearded man. After a moment, they all spoke in unison, "You are the Sword Monarch’s avatar—his Spirit Wood Avatar!"

The purple-bearded man opened his eyes, a ruthless glint flashing within them. He gave the five a cold look and said, "Correct. I am an avatar of the Sword Monarch, one formed from the Purple-Blue Spirit Wood. The fact that you five were able to reach this place means you have already passed the first trial. But if you wish to obtain my inheritance, you must still pass the second and third trials."

Flower King asked in a low voice, "May I ask, Sword Monarch, what is the second trial?"

The purple-bearded man said indifferently, "The first trial tested strength. The fact that you made it through the passage proves your strength is decent. The upcoming second trial will test not only your strength, but also your courage, adaptability, and Comprehension. There is still some time before the second trial begins. You may rest and recover."

After saying this, the purple-bearded man closed his eyes and stood silently, waiting for something.

Flower King, Zhaang Ye, Shui Daimai, Iron Hand Marquis, and Zi Nuhou knew this second trial would be no small matter. None of them dared to be careless. They all silently closed their eyes and began to adjust their conditions to their absolute peak.

After an hour, a passage suddenly opened, and a figure flew out. Zhaang Ye opened his eyes and saw that the newcomer was none other than Qi Qingle.

When Qi Qingle entered the hall and saw the purple-bearded man, Flower King, and the others, his expression changed drastically. He walked over to Zhaang Ye’s side, and just as he was about to ask a question, the purple-bearded man’s eyes snapped open.

The purple-bearded man’s gaze swept coldly over them all. He said in a low voice, "Alright. It seems only six people are qualified to enter this place. Now, the second trial begins..."