Come at Me Together!

Huanzhu Pavilion was an assassin organization. The assassins within were classified into three ranks based on cultivation realm: Bronze, Silver, and Gold, corresponding to Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core respectively. Within these three ranks were even finer gradations. There was no need to delve into specifics, but anyone dispatched to participate in today's battle was without a doubt an elite among their ranks! The world knew little of Wu Gou, just like the mask he always wore, keeping him deeply hidden. Yet his prowess was soon displayed before the hundred thousand cultivators. Cen Guangyi, defeated! In a mere ten exchanges, he had fallen before Wu Gou. Luo Chen looked at Cen Guangyi's incredulous expression and shook his head gently. "Assassins prioritize a sure-kill strike. Cen Guangyi tried to drag the battle into a war of attrition, hoping to wear down his opponent with his deep cultivation. Good in theory, but far too difficult in practice." "That magic treasure is quite bizarre..." Cen Qiusheng looked rather grim as well. Cen Guangyi was already the strongest Foundation Establishment expert among the Cen family's younger generation. He had long held the reputation of being the strongest in the family below Cen Qiusheng himself. Yet suffering multiple defeats in this battle for the storefronts was truly humiliating. What was more, the face being lost was that of the Cen family. Among the three parties forming the alliance, the Cen family was already the weakest. Now, even their younger generation's strength... "Haha, one can't blame Guangyi. The unconventional magic treasure Wu Gou wields was crafted in Tianfan City. Even if it can't match the authentic Little Vermilion Hook, it still carries seventy percent of its might. There is no shame in losing to such means!" Diwu Qi laughed heartily, helping Cen Qiusheng out of his embarrassment. Having been given a way out, Cen Qiusheng looked slightly better. "Going by the strength Wang Yuan demonstrated earlier, this Wu Gou shouldn't pose much of a threat to him." "Fellow Daoist seems to hold quite high hopes for my sect's cultivator," Luo Chen remarked mildly, a faint trace of sarcasm in his voice. Diwu Qi shrugged and spread his hands. "Danchenzi, all these years, you've either been in seclusion or concocting pills. You know far too little about your own people. It's truly not that I overestimate Wang Yuan—it's that you underestimate him." Beside him, Jiang Yu chimed in, "Perhaps concern clouds judgment!" Luo Chen's brow twitched. He ceased conversing with them and turned his attention to the upcoming battle. Huanzhu Pavilion had easily defeated Cen Guangyi. Logically, with three of them facing Wang Yuan alone, even if one was no match, they could win through a battle of attrition in relay. Yet the demeanor they displayed showed no hint of complacency. When Wang Yuan stepped onto the platform, Wu Gou looked as though he were facing a formidable foe. "Please!" Unruffled as a tranquil well, Wang Yuan raised his hand slightly. "Luotian Sect's Wang Yuan. Show your move!" Almost the instant their words fell, thousands of rays of white light burst forth across the spacious Dao Discussion Platform, and countless tiny curved hook phantoms suddenly materialized. "Wu Gou" was originally the name of a saber. Yet the assassin Wu Gou who adopted this name actually wielded the White Soul Hook, an imitation of the Little Vermilion Hook. The moment those thousands of curved hooks appeared, Cen Guangyi, who had just stepped down, paled dramatically. He had just been defeated by this very move. This was clearly the finishing strike of that unconventional imitation magic treasure! How shameless of Wu Gou to prime the magic treasure's lethal move in advance. He blurted out instinctively, "Fellow Daoist Wang, watch out!" Faced with this warning, Wang Yuan's eyes flickered. He glanced at Cen Guangyi, then curled four fingers of his right hand, extending only his index finger in a slow thrust. *Since you seek a single-strike kill,* *then I shall settle this with a single finger!* This was Wang Yuan's signature technique—the Blood God Tribulation Finger! Yet unlike years ago, after extensive study and refinement over the years, this move had undergone extraordinary changes. The instant that bloody light emerged, piercing shrieks tore through the void. *Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!* On the elevated spectator terrace, Luo Chen's eyelids twitched. Diwu Qi was right; having spent so long in secluded cultivation, he truly had lost touch with how much the people around him had changed. With this single technique alone, Wang Yuan was enough to surpass the vast majority of great cultivators. So what if it was a magic treasure's ultimate move? In the next breath, countless flashes of crimson and white clashed incessantly across the Dao Discussion Platform. Suddenly! A finger of blood-red force pierced through the strangling web of countless white hooks and slammed directly into Wu Gou's lower abdomen. Wu Gou stared in disbelief at the puncture hole in his lower abdomen. "How is this possible?" "Yielding victory!" Wang Yuan voiced the polite formula, yet a hint of dissatisfaction flickered in his eyes. His opponent was too weak! Wu Gou opened his mouth. His combat prowess remained largely intact, with hardly any severe injury. Yet he knew full well that had the other man not shown mercy and deliberately shifted the strike three inches aside, that finger would have pierced right through his heart. In the end, he hung his head bitterly. "I concede!" When the Sword Sect's Golden Core elder stepped forward to announce Wang Yuan's victory in the first match, only then did the spectators snap back to reality in astonishment. It was over just like that? That was far too fast! However, the competitors gave them little time to react. The second assassin from Huanzhu Pavilion was already on the stage. "Huanzhu Pavilion Silver Assassin Zhao Yingzi. Grant me your guidance!" It was a female cultivator. Wang Yuan's expression shifted slightly. He sensed a dense baleful aura emanating from her, the byproduct of having slaughtered countless lives. "She should make a decent opponent!" He murmured under his breath, then clenched his fists, knuckles popping like crackling firecrackers. Not only that, streams of force surged across his body, coursing like coiling dragons under his skin. Then! "Wang Yuan. Show your move!" This time, he did not wait passively; he went straight on the offensive. As his words fell, his entire body shot forward like an arrow, lunging ferociously toward Zhao Yingzi. In that instant, the female cultivator felt as though a vicious tiger were pouncing right at her face. When ordinary cultivators fought, they mostly maintained their distance, bombarding each other with dharma artifacts and magic treasures supplemented by spells and talismans. Who on earth would fight like this, throwing all caution to the wind just to force a melee brawl? "A body cultivator?" Zhao Yingzi's expression changed slightly as she retreated in frantic haste. At the same time, a bronze mirror appeared on her wrist. With a slap against the mirror, an illusory phantom of the bronze mirror instantly materialized on the stage. *Boom!* Wang Yuan smashed his fist downward, and Zhao Yingzi's body shattered into pieces. This sight drew gasps from all around the arena. "Such speed!" "He didn't even use a magic treasure, yet he's this ferocious?" "Could that Huanzhu Pavilion assassin already be..." "She isn't dead!" On the platform, Wang Yuan pulled back his fist, his gaze shifting thirty feet to the side. There stood a man-sized bronze mirror, its reflective surface slowly revealing Zhao Yingzi's figure. She stared coldly at Wang Yuan, striking the bronze mirror once more from within. *Hum—* With a low drone, a second and third bronze mirror materialized across the arena. This was her signature assassination method. As long as there were enough bronze mirrors, she could shuttle among them through her true magic treasure. So long as the treasure remained intact, she could not be killed. Once she finished constructing the corresponding formation, her foe would be trapped like a turtle in a jar. Wang Yuan watched coldly and took a deep breath. The next moment, he charged again. One punch! Two punches! ... Mirrors of spiritual energy exploded one after another. Concealed within, Zhao Yingzi was startled. *His combat instincts are terrifyingly keen. He saw through my intention so quickly.* *But if you think this is all I have, you are sorely mistaken.* She let out a soft snort, pressed both hands onto the bronze mirror, and pulled sharply. *Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!* In the blink of an eye, thirty-six bronze mirrors arrayed themselves across the Dao Discussion Platform according to the Eight Trigrams. Having achieved this, Zhao Yingzi breathed a small sigh of relief. With a flip of her wrist, a dagger appeared in her hand. *Now, all I need to do is—* *Boom!* Reflected in the mirror's surface, the howling wind of Wang Yuan's fist crashed down overhead. Zhao Yingzi was about to shift positions when the spiritual power in her body suddenly hitched. "Get the hell out here!" Wang Yuan roared, his inner force blasting forth to shatter every bronze mirror in sight. A large hand plunged deep into the bronze mirror and dragged the female cultivator straight out. Choked by the throat, Zhao Yingzi turned crimson, unable to believe what was happening. How had he found her real body? ... Seeing this, the weight in Luo Chen's chest lifted. Once that mirror formation was established, so long as her spiritual energy did not run dry, she was virtually unkillable. Had the female assassin stayed hidden while attacking with other methods, Wang Yuan would have been hard-pressed to avoid defeat. Yet as fate would have it! The woman possessed a fatal flaw. An arena match gave her no leisure to prepare. Forcibly unleashing the full power of a magic treasure in haste drained a massive amount of spiritual energy in a split second. This resulted in a brief vacuum of spiritual power before her breath could recover. Wang Yuan's combat instincts were simply too sharp; he had seized upon that very flaw in an instant. Locking down the other mirrors with his inner force, he reached straight in and plucked out her true form. *Still, doing that is beyond ordinary spiritual sense; only a Golden Core cultivator's divine sense could manage it. Wang Yuan obviously lacks divine sense, so did he rely on qi-sensing?* When it came to body refinement, Luo Chen and Wang Yuan were currently in a stage of mutual discussion and cross-verification. He had given the fully completed Convergence of Myriad Paths to Wang Yuan. Wang Yuan had likewise compiled the fruits of his years of cultivation into volumes and given them to Luo Chen. While unraveling the transformations of vital blood, Wang Yuan had integrated the traits of soul, willpower, and blood essence to develop a method for tracking foes. Namely, qi-sensing. Spirit moves with intent; intent manifests through qi. Every living being radiates a tangible aura of qi! Unless one's mastery over the physical vessel reached absolute perfection—a state devoid of leakage—that aura could never be hidden. An accomplished martial expert, even without divine sense, needed only to diffuse their own aura over an area to sense the presence of any other being distinct from themselves. Wang Yuan had been able to locate her true body precisely because he had detected her qi-signature during the clash. According to Wang Yuan's deduction, if the third realm of body refinement was Body Becoming a Crucible and Embracing the Core to Form Astral Fiend, then the fourth realm would be stepping toward the Immaculate True Body. This hypothesis stemmed mainly from Wang Yuan's personal accumulation, yet it also owed some credit to Luo Chen's Convergence of Myriad Paths. The qi-intake method in Convergence of Myriad Paths originated from the secret technique Tortoise Spirit Armor. And Tortoise Spirit Armor was an emulation of the ancient black tortoise's cultivation method. The black tortoise displayed no overt divine might yet enjoyed an endless lifespan, precisely because it embodied the true essence of an immaculate, leak-free vessel, thereby attaining longevity. Wang Yuan had drawn upon these insights to ultimately devise his method of qi-sensing. Luo Chen shook his head. He was getting ahead of himself. At least for the present, Wang Yuan had defeated his opponent with ease. Beside him, Fu Jiusheng sighed softly in admiration. "Hall Master Wang is truly formidable! Even back when I was at Foundation Establishment, if we had clashed head-on, I likely wouldn't have been his match nine times out of ten." Luo Chen demurred politely on his behalf. "Elder Fu is being too modest. With your mastery of formations, ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators wouldn't hold a candle to you. Besides, when cultivators truly fight, who binds themselves to the rigid rules of an arena?" Diwu Qi chimed in with a laugh. "Precisely! Precisely! That's exactly why I placed such faith in young friend Wang Yuan. An arena match imposes far too many restrictions. In a frontal clash, body cultivators are practically insurmountable. Especially these Huanzhu Pavilion assassins—they specialize in underhanded tricks. Facing Wang Yuan in an open contest is nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot!" He made a valid point. Luo Chen's mind was finally at ease. Wang Yuan's current realm had already reached great attainment in Dan Jin! Analogous to immortal cultivators, he was roughly at Foundation Establishment Great Perfection. Coupled with his boundless combat experience, victory in this fight was practically assured. Even if he could not match Luo Chen's past feat of reigning supreme across his tier and slaughtering Foundation Establishment cultivators like chickens and dogs, he could still dominate in one-on-one combat. After all, both Wang Yuan and he had emerged from countless life-and-death battles, most of which involved fighting against overwhelming odds in direct bloodshed. If cultivating further only made one weaker among one's peers, that would defy all logic. "It seems my earlier concern truly clouded my judgment." Luo Chen smiled, the resentment he previously harbored toward Diwu Qi and the others fading considerably. From then on, he kept half his attention on the matches on the platform while chatting with Diwu Qi and the others about the people and matters surrounding the Reclamation War. ... "Aside from the instigator, for the other Nascent Soul superior sects, the Reclamation War is nothing more than a business venture." "In contrast, for most of the Golden Core great sects that left their homelands to join the war in full force, this is a life-or-death struggle for survival!" "They require greater territory than their ancestral lands—both as cultivating grounds for their Golden Core masters and as a sanctuary for their sects." "Our Luotian Alliance is the same." "Yet among these Golden Core great sects, there are exceptions. Like Mount Ailao, or Azure Pill Valley which withdrew not long ago—neither was willing to abandon their original territory; they only wanted to seize the momentum to turn a quick profit. Take Huanzhu Pavilion as well—they merely wish to cultivate a new clientele. In a Reclamation War, while the enemies are primarily demonic beasts, cultivators often form deep grudges over conflicting interests. When that happens, business comes knocking on Huanzhu Pavilion's door." All under heaven hustle for profit; all under heaven bustle for gain. Cultivators had never been ascetic beings free of desires. The very phrase "cultivating immortality" proved that those walking this path inherently pursued ambitious ends. Luo Chen listened quietly, chiming in with his own thoughts from time to time. Cen Qiusheng, an old cultivator who had worn himself out worrying for his clan, suddenly sighed. "I have read about several Reclamation Wars in ancient records, but this one is the most unusual." "Oh? What do you mean by that, Fellow Daoist Cen?" Luo Chen asked curiously. Cen Qiusheng pointed toward the Dao Discussion Platform below, where Wang Yuan was battling the final assassin from Huanzhu Pavilion. "Take this battle for the storefronts, for example!" Luo Chen was puzzled. "Previous Reclamation Wars had this as well. It's just dividing the spoils of victory, carving up the meat among everyone." Cen Qiusheng shook his head. "However, in the past, such things were always done after the war!" Luo Chen paused, then fell into deep thought. Indeed! The Howling Moon Mountain Range had yet to be pacified and was not human territory. Under these circumstances, instead of speeding up the campaign, the Luoyun Sect was unhurriedly carving up profits that had not even been secured yet with the various sects. Such conduct reeked of overconfidence. Dividing the meat before the duck was even cooked—no matter how one looked at it, it seemed ill-advised. Diwu Qi, however, clearly held a different view. He also raised a hand and pointed, but his finger aimed across the more than one hundred thousand cultivators surrounding the platform. "Nine superior sects, eighteen Golden Core great sects, high-ranking experts without end, and mid- to low-tier cultivators numbering in the millions." "With such a lineup, claiming the mere Howling Moon Mountain Range is as easy as turning over one's hand!" "What harm is there in dividing the meat early?" His words did hold some merit. Cen Qiusheng sighed and did not argue. Or rather, he too harbored that very same hope. Seeing this, Diwu Qi stopped waxing expansive and steered the conversation back. "The opponents we face next, Liusen Studio and Mengquan Cave, share a similar purpose with Huanzhu Pavilion. They both want to tap into new—" "Ah, Mengquan Cave is an exception." "From what I know, the seven major springs they relied on for survival dried up due to excessive exploitation. Thus, they joined the Reclamation War seeking an alternative path." Hearing this, Luo Chen's brows knitted. "Then by your words, if Mengquan Cave wishes to establish a foothold in the Howling Moon Mountain Range, might they fight to the death?" "A fight to the death is an exaggeration," Diwu Qi waved his hand. "Yet a brutal battle for Wang Yuan is unavoidable." Luo Chen's heart sank slightly. He looked down at the Dao Discussion Platform, where Wang Yuan, sporting a sword mark across his cheek, was declared victorious over Huanzhu Pavilion's third assassin amidst thunderous cheers from the crowd. A clean sweep of three! Their next opponent was the Golden Core great sect, Liusen Studio. Inside the arena, the Sword Sect's Golden Core elder looked at Wang Yuan with unreserved admiration. "You have an incense stick's time to rest. Do you require a brief respite?" Wang Yuan wiped the streak of blood from his cheek. That last battle had not been entirely effortless, and he had sustained a minor wound. Yet at this moment, he felt as if he had only just finished warming up. Assassins? Such petty crooks were only fit to warm him up. Right now, his battle intent surged higher than ever! "No need to rest. Let's continue!" The Sword Sect elder frowned. "Will you not switch with your companion?" Wang Yuan glanced at Cen Guangyi not far away and slowly shook his head. "No need. I alone am enough!" "Good! Quite confident!" The Sword Sect Golden Core elder's brow smoothed. He turned his gaze toward an elevated terrace. "Liusen Studio, are you ready?" Under the watchful eyes of thousands, a languid voice drifted from that terrace. "Liusen Studio only seeks wealth and wishes not to harm harmony. Shop Number Ten is already sufficient." "In this match, we concede." These words left the entire arena stunned. Conceding just like that? Liusen Studio was, after all, a Golden Core great sect with hundreds of Foundation Establishment True Cultivators and seven Golden Core Masters. Why would they surrender without a fight? Yet when they looked at Wang Yuan standing on the platform, his battle intent blazing fiercely, understanding dawned on many. Rumor had it that Liusen Studio's cultivators, like those of Azure Pill Valley, were not skilled at combat. Now, they were simply shrinking from the fight! Beneath countless baffled or scornful gazes, Liusen Studio's Golden Core Master seemed completely unbothered. He said lazily, "Hurry up and start the next round. I can hardly wait." The Jade Cauldron Sword Sect Golden Core elder officiating the event felt rather helpless. Losing three matches meant losing a great deal of spectacle. For their efforts to promote the Dao Discussion Platform in the new territory, it was a real pity. Resigned, he could only shift his gaze toward where Mengquan Cave's Golden Core master sat. "Fellow Daoist Wang of Mengquan Cave, will your side forfeit as well?" Answering him were three figures emerging from the tunnel. All three wore blue robes, their eyes filled with resolute determination. The Sword Sect Golden Core elder nodded in satisfaction and turned to Wang Yuan. "Do you truly not need to rest? Mengquan Cave cultivators are renowned for their abundant and ceaseless spiritual power. In a relay battle, you are at a tremendous disadvantage." Wang Yuan glanced at him, thinking that this fellow was surprisingly considerate. In response, Wang Yuan stepped forward, looking down at the trio. Two women and one man. "Let us not waste time." "Come at me together!"