Chapter 546 - 351: Extreme Technique

Even after learning that the opposing organization was far from simple, Emperor Hengyang had only dispatched Marquis Xuanping and Marquis Wei Lie to handle the matter. There were two reasons for this. On one hand, the court’s top combatants had their own assignments and could not be easily redeployed. On the other, he had immense confidence in the strength of these two men.

Marquis Wei Lie had mastered the Ultimate Skill, Great Sun Yang God, granting him the ability to create clones. He was a one-man army, and combined with his Escape Technique, he was more than capable of handling any sudden emergencies that arose in Heqing Dao.

And as for Marquis Xuanping, Jin Ce—his presence alone was enough to deal with any master.

The Nine-Nine Sealing Element. This was the powerful Forbidden Technique that had allowed Marquis Xuanping, Jin Ce, to single-handedly seal a Dead Sea Level Evil Spirit incident twenty years ago, cementing his position as one of the Six Pillars.

After using that technique, Marquis Xuanping had spent nearly all of the past twenty years guarding the Divine Capital. This was because the backlash from the technique still lingered, requiring him to stay in the Divine Capital and suppress it with its immense Power of Incense.

In recent years, however, Marquis Xuanping had made further breakthroughs in his Ultimate Skill, the Nine Seals of Heaven and Earth. He could now suppress the Forbidden Technique’s backlash to a great degree, which was why Emperor Hengyang had sent him to preside over Heqing Dao this time.

「Meanwhile.」

Afterimages flickered around Jin Ce, as if countless selves were overlapping simultaneously. In that moment, though his frame was not large, the rapidly fleeing Formless and Sword Gu felt a terrifying threat emanating from him.

"This is bad!"

Formless’s tone turned grave upon sensing the change in Jin Ce’s state.

"What’s happening?!"

Sword Gu’s expression changed, confused.

But in the next moment...

VMM!!

Jin Ce’s figure vanished in an instant, teleporting to a spot near the two of them. They were now inside the effective range of his Sealing Technique.

Countless golden talismans materialized in the surrounding space. In an instant, the area around the two of them seemed to freeze. The flow of all Primordial Qi slowed to a crawl, making them feel as if they were wading through thick mud. Every step felt like a battle against the very heavens and earth.

’He sealed the distance to appear beside us?! And sealed the surrounding space at the same time?!’

’Two Sealing Techniques at once?!’

’Based on my previous observations, his Sealing Technique is terrifying, but each use produces a different backlash depending on its effect. He needs time to recover from that backlash before he can use another Sealing Technique. He shouldn’t be able to use them simultaneously.’

’That’s why, as terrifying as his Technique is, it wasn’t impossible to counter.’

’But now, he’s using them back-to-back?!’

Sword Gu was stunned, but before he could process his shock, countless more terrifying golden talisman-chains materialized and shot toward them. With the space around them locked down, escape was impossible.

However, having learned his lesson from last time, he was prepared. He immediately connected with his Sword Gu, ready to transfer away any damage he sustained.

The golden talismans began to invade his body.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

The Ten Devouring Swords, hidden away in a secret location, began to shatter one by one at an astonishing rate. This meant Sword Gu’s Destiny was being rapidly consumed.

’This level of intensity is beyond what a single Sealing Technique should be capable of,’ Sword Gu thought. ’He’s in some kind of unbelievable state, continuously casting that terrifying Sealing Technique as if he’s immune to the horrifying backlash.’

"Formless!! What’s going on?!!"

Sword Gu demanded in a grim voice. Beside him, talismans poured from the distorted vortex surrounding Formless. They were all manifestations of the Golden Cicada Nine Revolutions Skill, but these Techniques were being rapidly consumed under the continuous assault of the Sealing Technique.

Even though he had been prepared, he couldn’t possibly keep up with such a terrifying rate of attrition. He wouldn’t last much longer.

Seeing this, Sword Gu took a deep breath. ’I could try to use the Hundred Devouring Sword to momentarily break the Sealing Technique and escape. His Sealing Technique can’t be invincible. If an attack is strong enough, it should be possible to shatter it.’

But he quickly abandoned the thought. ’Even if I could shatter the seal for a moment, I wouldn’t be able to get away. Since he can cast his Sealing Techniques consecutively, he’d just seal the distance and reappear beside me.’

’There’s only one other option: endure the Sealing Technique and kill the source of it all—Jin Ce.’

’But with the power of his Sealing Technique, how could I possibly kill him instantly? Even if I gambled the Destiny of all my Sword Gu at once, it might not be enough. What’s more, Marquis Wei Lie is closing in, and there’s no way he’ll just stand by and watch.’

"It’s the Nine-Nine Sealing Element. Jin Ce used this technique to single-handedly seal a Dead Sea Level incident, which is how he earned his place among the Six Pillars of the Court. According to my intel, this Technique allows him to seal his own ’time.’ He pulls multiple versions of himself from different points in his timeline to this exact moment. This allows each of his past selves to bear the backlash of a Sealing Technique, letting him use them almost without limit."

Formless explained to Sword Gu, his words coming in a torrent.

Sword Gu’s face twitched as he heard Formless’s explanation.

’How are you supposed to fight a Technique like that?! He sealed a Dead Sea Level incident all by himself?! Is that even possible?!’

’Back then, he had just been "killed" and had spent a long time recovering. It was only after he recovered that the Yin Tower Organization found him and he joined their ranks. He had no idea any of this had happened.’

In Great Wei, the definition of an Evil Spirit incident had three levels above Grades A, B, C, and D: Red Resentment, Black Death, and Sea of Death. The threat posed by any of these higher-level Evil Spirits corresponded to a terrifying existence beyond the Peak of Innate.