Plundering the Heavens - Chapter 412

The black Sword Embryo’s technique wasn’t an ancient Flying Sword technique, but an extremely profound and mysterious killing method—an assassination technique focused around decapitation.

This was how the unnamed technique was supposed to work from the very beginning, but Fang Xing hadn’t fully comprehended it when he first received it from the black Sword Embryo, and he’d had to rely primarily on his own courage and adaptability to assassinate the Huangfu clan’s young master instead. Only now was he finally demonstrating the full power of this unnamed technique—a technique of murder, a technique that could even transform a genuine duel into an assassination attempt.

According to the lotus girl’s words, there was a hiding spell within this technique that would allow the user to hide from the heavens and earth once it was fully mastered, such that even Budding Souls would no longer be able to find him. Fang Xing had only studied this technique to basic mastery, but it was more than enough to hide from Exalt Huang’s spirit sense; once he used this spell, he truly did vanish from Exalt Huang’s senses.

“How dare you, you little mutt!” The moment Fang Xing closed the distance, the attacks came one after another and left Exalt Huang in a miserable state. He himself wasn’t a battle Cultivator or specialized in close combat, and Fang Xing’s strange movements and brutal methods caused his heart to shudder. Whether it was the left side or the right, he couldn’t count how many injuries he’d received, and a few wounds had even cut dangerously close to his vital organs. If he’d been careless for even a moment, he’d be as dead as dead could be.

Exalt Huang wasn’t an idiot; how would he dare to continue fighting in such circumstances? He let out an angry growl before light shined around his body, forming into a powerful force that swept out in all directions.

The core light of a Golden Core was a technique meant to save the user’s life, something incredibly precious and used very sparingly only when there wasn’t any other choice. Its power was also extremely terrifying, yet Exalt Huang activated it as though throwing his self-preservation to the wind. Even Fang Xing had no choice but to temporarily back off to avoid it, and Exalt Huang used this opportunity to roar and fly off into the sky. Fang Xing’s abilities had left him utterly terrified and he didn’t dare continue the fight.

After Exalt Huang managed to get between three and four miles away, Fang Xing’s cold words suddenly rose up within his ears. “You shouldn’t have chased after me with Teleportation….” Shocked, Exalt Huang turned and saw Fang Xing with a pair of golden wings on his back and a giant sword in his hands flying towards him just as fast as he was fleeing.

‘The little livestock is actually chasing me. Is killing me really that necessary?’ He felt nothing but regret and discontentment. If he hadn’t used Teleportation when trying to catch up earlier, he could have used it to escape Fang Xing right here and now, but his physical state and Qi wouldn’t allow for it again so soon. His speed wasn’t on par with Fang Xing’s either, and all he could do was watch as Fang Xing drew closer.

“I have no enmity with you, Fellow Daoist Xing!” Exalt Huang shouted and even began to beg. “Why are you pushing me so far like this?”

Fang Xing wasn’t swayed in the slightest and his cold voice shot back, “Back in the mountains when I was first seen, you were also there, right?”

Exalt Huang felt a chill and immediately remembered this was this exact pond he’d first met Fang Xing. The eldest little miss was determined to seize him and had nailed him with four Cleave Nails. He had indeed been present, but he’d felt the life of a mere Foundation Stage wasn’t very valuable so he hadn’t tried to stop it, either. Who would have thought this person would remember that event so clearly even now? Did he intend to take his life as compensation?

Exalt Huang finally gave up all hopes of survival. He stopped fleeing and started howling out, “Fine fine fine! If you want to push me this far, I’ll take you down with me!” He closed his hands to form a strange hand seal before slapping it against his chest, only to let out a loud scream as he spat out a spherical golden core as large as a longan fruit from his mouth. With a loud rumble, the core locked on to Fang Xing and flung itself straight at him.

……

Exalt Huang intended to kill Fang Xing using his golden core!

A Golden Core’s most desperate method of attack was to spit out their golden core and bash it against the enemy. Using the golden core like this was the same as going all in and putting their lives on the line for the hopes of that single attack. If they were able to kill their enemy, they would win; if the enemy didn’t die, their own golden core would break and their life would end. The energy contained within a golden core was extremely powerful, however, and an explosion would be enough to heavily wound someone—particularly fortunate users might even manage to bring their enemy with them to the netherworld.

Exalt Huang’s mind held a single thought: no matter how terrifying Fang Xing might be, he was still in Foundation Stage. If Fang Xing dared to take it head-on, his foundation would certainly break, he’d lose all of his cultivation, and Exalt Huang would have won. If Fang Xing did not dare to take this attack, he would be forced to retreat out of fear, giving Exalt Huang a large advantage and the opportunity to flee.

Bzzz ….

The golden core flew over with a gust of wind. It quivered in the sky while flying straight towards Fang Xing’s face.

Fang Xing’s expression was very serious and—with a swoosh —he positioned the giant black sword in front of him, causing the golden core to crash against it directly. The giant black sword had once been the container for the demonic Sword Embryo and its material was so extraordinary even the Book of Revelation hadn’t been able to appraise it; it was incredibly sturdy despite its rusty appearance, and a crisp noise began to ring out when the golden core collided against it.

Crack crack ….

Cracks appeared on the golden core, and an eye-blinding golden light could be seen seeping through.

‘I’m done for….’ Exalt Huang completely gave up, and a mournful smile appeared on his face. “Little livestock, it was so difficult for me to form the golden core. For the sake of forming a golden core, I sneak-attacked an elder of the Northern Mountains. The entire Northern Mountains began chasing after me and my sect and clan were annihilated, leaving me with no choice but to run into the Guixu Ruins. I laid low and lived such an ignoble existence for thirty years; who would have thought… I would die by your hands today….” With a mournful laugh, he formed the very last hand seal of his life. “Well, let’s die together!”

BOOM !

The cracks atop the golden core seemed to increase a hundred times over. A mere breath later, the terrifying power of his entire cultivation exploded, creating the likes of an eye-blinding miniature sun that took up every inch of a fifty-foot range. It was as though he intended to set even the skies aflame to destroy everything within the area.

Fang Xing was in the very center of this golden core’s terrifying explosive power, and it felt as though the power was trying to tear him apart and burn him to ashes to bring him along to the netherworld. At that moment, however, a purple tower reflected its image out from within Fang Xing’s body, its image faint but sturdy as it covered Fang Xing within.

It was the Dao tower within Fang Xing’s Sea of Consciousness. After sensing the explosive power of a golden core, it had appeared automatically to protect Fang Xing’s body. Purple strands representing the immortals quickly flowed freely over the tower, and its radiance even overtook the brightness of the core’s explosion.

“Purple foundation….” Exalt Huang’s smile disappeared when he saw this, and a look of grave despair took its place. Who would have thought he’d be able to witness a purple foundation….

His opponent had a purple foundation—the highest existence of Foundation Stage—yet all he had was the weakest kind of golden cores….

Oh well… oh well….

A mournful expression flashed across Exalt Huang’s face as he slowly burned to ash. His body vanished from the empty sky until he was gone, both body and soul.

A few breaths later, the terrifying energy caused by the golden core’s explosion also vanished. It had started quickly but also ended quickly, and aside from the broken clouds in the vast empty sky, it looked as though the explosion from mere moments ago had never happened.

The purple tower around Fang Xing also vanished and returned to his Sea of Consciousness, and after looking towards where Exalt Huang had disappeared, Fang Xing turned back and flew towards the clear pond. He’d already decided to offer a sacrifice to the sword, but one Exalt was simply too weak. The Hentian clan master’s daughter was right at his doorstep, so why would he let her go? Perhaps this sacrifice would be more suitable for what he intended to do soon.

Fang Xing had thought Hentian Qing would escape, but—to his surprise—she was still waiting at the clear pond. She came up intending to loudly scold him when she saw him, yet when her voice came out, it was timid and small. “Xing Fang, where… where’s Exalt Huang?”

“I killed him,” Fang Xing coldly replied while advancing towards her with his giant black sword in hand.

“You… how could you kill Exalt Huang? He… he’s a Golden Core…!” Hentian Qing shouted in disbelief, but the look Fang Xing showed was so cold and emotionless she closed her mouth. She wasn’t a fool—she’d already sensed something in the murderous intent surrounding him. “Xing Fang, are you going to kill me?”

“Yes.”

Fang Xing arrived in front of her and raised the black sword, which had a blade covered in ruthlessness and an uncountable number of wronged souls. Hentian Qing closed her eyes as though giving in to her fate and waited for the sword to take her life.

Fang Xing suddenly recalled something and asked, “The thing you wanted to say to me before, what was it?”

Hentian Qing let out a long sigh as she opened her eyes. “Father came and spoke to me last night,” she began with a soft and shaky voice. “We spoke for a long time. He wanted me to marry you. He said Venerated Big Brother is actually a peril beast and most likely faked all of his affection towards me, and that he’d also fled and would never have anything to do with me in this lifetime. The only correct choice I have is to marry you….I wanted to find you and tell you. I don’t like you at all. I even hate you, I’m even a little… scared… of you…. But I… but I still agreed….” Her voice became softer and softer, until her words were no louder than the buzzing of a mosquito that could barely be heard..

Just as she finished speaking, however, a loud cry rose up from a hundred miles out in the distance and a large shadow with spread wings covered the sky. Fang Xing’s attention was immediately captured by the peril beast, and once he confirmed something, he immediately began to grow excited. With a wave of his black sword, the life beneath the blade was ended and he flew up into the distant sky like a ray of light.

‘Even if I took that woman hostage, it might not be enough to threaten the Hentian clan master. That clan master is nothing more than a puppet; it’s those old guys who are really in control. It seems whether or not I’ll be able to save my big doggie depends on that option now….’ Fang Xing’s eyes were incredibly excited but also solemn. He drew in a few breaths, but he still felt his body tremble. ‘Sh*t, my guts are so damn big….’

With these thoughts in his mind, he didn’t even bother remembering the female young master whose lifeless eyes were staring wide-eyed at the sky above.