Translator: CinderTL
About two hundred miles away.
Over a dozen figures were streaking across the sky at full speed.
Leading them were Jun Zhou, Zhou Yuechen, and Jiang Yuxue.
Upon learning that the Four Symbols True Lord had led a group of elites to intercept Li Chunjun, Jun Zhou, Zhou Yuechen, Jiang Yuxue, and the others made a decisive decision. They ordered the True Core cultivators to follow behind while they, the Golden Core cultivators, flew at supersonic speeds on their swords, aiming to reach the battlefield before the reinforcements led by the Four Symbols True Lord arrived, in hopes of joining forces with Sword Prodigy Li.
"We're almost there! Faster! Go faster!"
"Has there been any news from Sword Prodigy?"
"No! The messages I sent to Sword Prodigy haven't been answered either."
As they soared through the air on their swords, the Divine Senses of the leading Golden Core cultivators continuously exchanged information.
When Jiang Yuxue mentioned that Li Chunjun had not responded to their messages, the expressions of the group turned grave.
They…
Were now less than two hundred miles from the battlefield.
Although the shockwaves from a Core Formation Realm battle were unlikely to reach a hundred miles away, they were currently flying at an altitude of several thousand, even tens of thousands of meters, with an incredibly vast field of vision. If a Core Formation-level battle had indeed erupted, they would have been able to "see" it clearly from less than two hundred miles away.
Yet, there was no movement ahead at all!
This couldn't help but give the Golden Core cultivators a bad premonition.
"Sword Prodigy was too confident, too impulsive! Even the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy is human. After repeated battles, people get tired, swords get worn. Although he managed to break through Shang Province in Great Shang, which was even more astonishing than Jiang Jianzi's feats in the past, it doesn't mean he could single-handedly charge into the Zhou Tian Sect's stronghold!"
"First, he fought against over eighty Core Formation cultivators led by Dongfang Wu in Star Province! Then, he defeated over thirty reinforcements led by Hai Fenglie in Moon Province, and now he's been intercepted by the Eight Desolations Dragon Locking Formation led by Kai Yang… In total, that's nearly one hundred and sixty or seventy Core Formation cultivators. The Zhou Tian Sect has practically thrown all their combat strength into this battle. Who could withstand such a force!?"
"To fight one against a hundred in the Spirit Refinement Great Realm—that's the domain of Nascent Soul cultivators!"
"Enough, stop overthinking. The sect must have given Sword Prodigy plenty of life-saving treasures. Besides, Sword Prodigy is blessed by fate and will surely overcome this crisis."
They exchanged words, but their expressions remained heavy.
At this moment, Jiang Yuxue seemed to notice something and suddenly said, "Lower the sword light."
The others were puzzled but quickly descended in altitude.
As they descended, a rather chaotic battlefield littered with corpses—some intact, others charred—came into view.
"Are these… Zhou Tian Sect members?"
"Core Formation cultivators—these are all Core Formation Realm cultivators from the Zhou Tian Sect. I can even recognize a few of the more intact corpses!"
"Zhou Tian Sect? If the Zhou Tian Sect had defeated Sword Prodigy Li, they wouldn't have left their Elders and disciples' bodies unattended. Moreover… look at these bodies—some of their storage treasures haven't even been taken… Could it be…?"
The Golden Core cultivators exchanged glances, each seeing a glimmer of hope in the other's eyes.
"Did Sword Prodigy Li win?"
"Even if he didn't win, the battle must still be undecided!"
"This is good news for us."
As they spoke, they all let out a sigh of relief.
At that moment, a Divine Sense suddenly rang out within their perception: "You're here? Then start tallying the battlefield."
Upon hearing this divine sense transmission, Jiang Yuxue, Jun Zhou, Zhou Yuechen, and the others were momentarily stunned, followed by an uncontrollable surge of ecstasy in their eyes: "Sword Prodigy!?"
"Sword Prodigy, you're safe, that's wonderful!"
"Mm."
A ripple of divine sense responded: "There's another battlefield here that needs to be cleared. Send some more people over. Once we're done, we'll withdraw from Moon Province as soon as possible."
"Yes!"
The group responded with great enthusiasm.
Jiang Yuxue arranged for a few cultivators to clear the battlefield, while the rest swiftly took to sword flight, heading straight for Li Chunjun.
After traversing several dozen miles, Jun Zhou was the first to notice something and pointed in a direction: "The Sword Prodigy is over there!"
Jiang Yuxue and Zhou Yuechen looked at the figure at the edge of their vision, feeling both joy and astonishment.
"Such a distance... it must be at least a hundred and twenty miles, right?"
Li Chunjun had actually sent a divine sense transmission to them from a hundred and twenty miles away!? This meant that the strength of his divine sense had already reached the early Nascent Soul standard!
And it wasn't just the level of someone who had recently advanced to the early Nascent Soul stage!
But rather, someone who had been in the Nascent Soul realm for at least several decades, if not a century!
"It's only natural for the Sword Prodigy, who has achieved minor success in Sword Intent, to develop such divine sense..."
Jiang Yuxue tried to convince herself with this reasoning.
But as soon as the words left her mouth, she couldn't continue.
With minor success in Sword Intent, could one really have a divine sense range of over a hundred and twenty miles?
How far was the divine sense range of the previous Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy at the Golden Core stage? Sixty miles or seventy miles?
This was almost double that.
Was the gap in divine sense between the two really that large?
At this moment, Zhou Yuechen exclaimed in a low voice: "So many corpses!"
His words shifted everyone's attention from Li Chunjun's divine sense to the corpses scattered across the ground.
Compared to the previous battlefield, here, the number of corpses with pierced skulls or charred bodies was even greater.
Scattered around, at a glance, there were at least fifty or sixty.
The sheer number sent shivers down their spines.
"Sword Prodigy Li is unharmed, but the Core Formation cultivators of the Zhou Tian Sect are nowhere to be seen, leaving behind a field of corpses. Could it be... that they were all defeated and killed by Sword Prodigy Li?"
Zhou Yuechen whispered.
"Is there any need to guess? It's obviously the case!" Jiang Yuxue's eyes were filled with reverence: "Sword Prodigy Li is an invincible existence who can directly breach the capital of Great Shang. Several months later, he forcefully broke through the capital of Star Province. His consecutive victories have fully proven his strength. How could dozens of Core Formation cultivators from the Zhou Tian Sect possibly compare to such a figure?"
Jun Zhou, standing beside them, couldn't help but sigh: "When Sword Prodigy Li breached the capital of Shang Province, there were already rumors of his combat prowess rivaling that of a Nascent Soul cultivator. Although this battle wasn't against a hundred opponents at once, the scale of the battle was still akin to fighting one against a hundred! With this achievement, Sword Prodigy Li's Nascent Soul-level combat prowess is beyond any doubt."
Jiang Yuxue nodded emphatically.
Nascent Soul-level combat prowess!
Zhou Yuechen's heart stirred: "This... has reached the level of competing for the Profound Yellow Star Brilliance List, hasn't it?"
The Profound Yellow Star Brilliance List? At these words, Jun Zhou and Jiang Yuxue were both stunned.
Then, an unprecedented light shone in their eyes.
The Profound Yellow Star Brilliance List! The default rule for competing on the Star Brilliance List in the Profound Yellow Great World is to possess Nascent Soul-level combat prowess!
Now, Sword Prodigy Li, at the Core Formation stage, has already achieved the feat of fighting one against a hundred, proving his Nascent Soul-level combat prowess. How could he not be qualified to compete on the list!? Especially...
Sword Prodigy Li is only at the True Core Realm! His cultivation has not yet reached the limit of Core Formation!
If he takes one more step forward and achieves the Golden Core, optimizing his Essence, Energy, and Spirit to perfection, his strength will undoubtedly soar to even greater heights.
At that time, he will no longer merely have the qualifications to compete for the Profound Yellow Star Brilliance List but will truly have the potential to ascend it, bringing boundless glory to the Blue Star branch of the Taixu Sword Sect, and even to the main lineage, earning the admiration of millions!
For a moment, the faces of several people turned red.
Their gazes toward Li Chunjun were filled with fervor.
...
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
"Sword Prodigy!"
Sword light whistled as everyone landed in front of Li Chunjun, bowing respectfully.
"Hmm."
Li Chunjun nodded, holding a Message Jade Talisman in his hand, seemingly waiting for a response.
After bowing, the group noticed a corpse beside Li Chunjun.
The corpse, having only been pierced through the head, remained intact, allowing them to recognize it immediately upon seeing it.
However, when they recognized it, no one spoke.
But their pupils involuntarily dilated in shock.
Among them, Jun Zhou took several steps forward to stand before the corpse, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"This... this is..."
"Four Symbols True Lord! Four Symbols True Lord! This is the Four Symbols True Lord!"
Zhou Yuechen couldn't help but exclaim.
"How is this possible? How could the Four Symbols True Lord's corpse be..."
Jiang Yuxue was also momentarily stunned.
After a while, their gazes suddenly focused on Li Chunjun.
Li Chunjun knew what they wanted to ask, and just then, the communication connected.
He was using the highest level of communication method, and the figure of Huan Ming, the Sect Master of the Taixu Sword Sect, was projected directly from the jade talisman.
Seeing Li Chunjun, as well as Jiang Yuxue, Jun Zhou, and others who were "guarding" his safety, Huan Ming felt slightly reassured before speaking, "Are you alright? According to the intelligence, the Zhou Tian Sect's reaction has been intense. To avoid falling into a trap, return to the Northeast State as soon as possible!"
"The battle here is over, but there's something that needs to be dealt with."
As Li Chunjun spoke, he moved the Message Jade Talisman toward the corpse of the Four Symbols True Lord: "While I was fighting the Eight Desolations Dragon Locking Formation led by Kai Yang, a True Inheritor of the Zhou Tian Sect, the Four Symbols True Lord used his Divine Sense to shake my mind..."
"What!? That old thief Four Symbols dared to do such a thing!? He deserves death!"
Before Huan Ming could respond, an angry roar came from the other side.
It was Bai Lian.
Huan Ming's eyes also turned cold: "How audacious! Four Symbols dared to disregard the rules and target you!? It seems he no longer wants to live..."
The Sect Master's killing intent surged, but before he could finish speaking, his voice abruptly stopped.
They had already seen the corpse of the Four Symbols True Lord through the Message Jade Talisman.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned silent.
"Four... Four Symbols, that old thief!?"
"How... how is he lying there motionless?"
Huan Ming and Bai Lian's expressions turned extremely stiff.
Their speech even became somewhat halting.
"Four Symbols deserved death, and indeed, by challenging the rules, he no longer wanted to live. I thought the same, so..."
Li Chunjun nodded in approval: "I killed him. Is that alright?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Jun Zhou, Jiang Yuxue, Zhou Yuechen, and the others beside him, even though they had mentally prepared themselves, couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
As for Huan Ming and Bai Lian, the two Nascent Souls, they were utterly dumbfounded.
Killed... just like that!?
A Nascent Soul True Lord! The casual manner in which Li Chunjun spoke of killing a True Lord who had already broken through to the mid-stage of Nascent Soul thirty years ago left them in shock.
In an instant, realizing the weight and implications of his words, Huan Ming and Bai Lian, the two Great True Lords, felt as if they had been struck by lightning. A shiver ran up their spines, swift as a flash of lightning, straight to the crown of their heads.
Their entire beings...
Numbed!
(End of the Chapter)
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