Self-Detonation

The Imperial Preceptor had severed the karmic ties between the Immortal Celestial and himself; the Immortal Celestial forgot about him and could no longer perceive him. "True Lunarfire." He chanted inwardly, and with a whoosh, spat out a plume of flame. This was a True Fire specifically meant to counter souls and spirits, capable of expelling and dispersing souls. Renowned alongside True Sunfire, after his meticulous refinement, even a half-immortal level expert would find it difficult to withstand. True Lunarfire was like rot clinging to the bone, its soul-targeting power relentlessly corroding the Immortal Celestial's soul. "I remember!" The moment the Imperial Preceptor struck at the Immortal Celestial, a karmic connection was re-established between them, and the Immortal Celestial remembered everything from before. He channeled his rudimentary Immortal Dao fruit; his soul was restored to wholeness, and the True Lunarfire was purified. "As expected, True Lunarfire alone cannot kill you." Despite anticipating this, the Imperial Preceptor was still shaken, unable to discern what method the other had used. Methods to resolve True Lunarfire certainly existed, but each was exceedingly troublesome—none could ever be as effortless as the Immortal Celestial's. "A technique born of a rudimentary Dao fruit, related to the soul?" This battle was proving harder to fight than the Imperial Preceptor had anticipated. He had thought that with only a soul remaining, the Immortal Celestial would be easy to deal with, never imagining that the Immortal Celestial could restore his soul at any time—what should have been a weakness had turned out to be the most troublesome aspect to counter. The Immortal Celestial was also pondering the technique the Imperial Preceptor had used. To make someone forget his very existence was an unprecedented, rule-defying art he had never heard of before. Was this the effect of the Imperial Preceptor's rudimentary Dao fruit? When ordinary cultivators fought, they relied on spells, physique, and the like. Upon reaching the Body Integration stage and the Tribulation Transcendence stage, another element was added: [rules]. However, the [rules] at the Body Integration and Tribulation Transcendence stages were crushing only to cultivators of low and intermediate realms; against cultivators of the same realm, it was difficult to gain an advantage. Everyone could employ the same rules, so there was no superiority to speak of. Once a Tribulation Transcendence cultivator condensed a rudimentary Dao fruit, things became vastly different. A rudimentary Dao fruit signified that a cultivator possessed a rule entirely their own. The function of each rudimentary Dao fruit varied, and the differences between Dao fruits—along with one's depth of comprehension regarding them—set half-immortal level experts apart. In a battle between half-immortal level experts, the most crucial matter was figuring out exactly what the opponent's rudimentary Dao fruit was. "Tribulation-Breaking Immortal Body!" A ten-thousand-zhang-tall dharma body rose from the ground, towering between heaven and earth, nearly bursting through the fabric of space. It possessed the might to pluck the stars, imbued with an immortal property that rendered it indestructible! The Imperial Preceptor once again channeled his rudimentary Karma Dao fruit, severing his connection with the Immortal Celestial. "Damn it, this trick again..." The Immortal Celestial gritted his teeth. Without understanding the principle behind this move, he was trapped in a passive position. He swiftly used his Dharmic powers to write out a line of characters explaining the ins and outs of the situation. Yet as the rudimentary Karma Dao fruit activated, even that line of writing blurred, becoming unrecognizable. Mid-sentence, his gaze turned vacant, and he once again forgot the Imperial Preceptor's existence. Whoosh— A silver needle materialized out of thin air, leaping across space from outside the dharma body straight to its interior, piercing squarely into the center of the Immortal Celestial's brows. The Immortal Celestial winced in pain, his form weakened; his Tribulation-Breaking Immortal Body could no longer be maintained and collapsed with a deafening roar. The Imperial Preceptor revealed himself, and the Immortal Celestial's memories returned. "This is a Soul-Breaking Needle refined from the essence of gold and silver." Every single attack the Imperial Preceptor used was aimed at the soul. "Even if you know, what good does it do? The Soul-Breaking Needle can tear your three hun and seven po apart. I'd like to see how you plan on restoring your soul this time!" The Imperial Preceptor sneered, an ache in his heart. Soul-Breaking Needles were extraordinarily difficult to forge; he had only ever refined three in his lifetime. One had been spent when he succeeded to the post of Imperial Preceptor to demonstrate his thunderous might, and now this was the very last one. Refining another would be virtually impossible. The effect of the Soul-Breaking Needle was immediate. The Immortal Celestial felt as though his body were being torn apart as a tremendous force surged within him, threatening to burst him open. Ten distinct clusters of soul drifted out—they were the Immortal Celestial's three hun and seven po. The Imperial Preceptor waited to see which part of his soul the Immortal Celestial would try to restore. After three breaths, the ten soul clusters still hovered in the air. The Imperial Preceptor felt immense relief. It seemed scattering the soul had been the right choice; his opponent was unable to restore it. "True Lunarfire!" He aimed at one of the Immortal Celestial's three hun, intending to destroy them one by one. Suddenly, that soul cluster opened an eye, and the Immortal Celestial's voice rang out: "Why should I bother restoring it? Detonate!" The Imperial Preceptor's pupils constricted abruptly as a sense of dread gripped him. A half-immortal detonating one of his three hun? The Imperial Preceptor had never heard of any half-immortal daring to do such a thing—this was sheer suicidal madness! That soul cluster detonated outright, blasting the Imperial Preceptor off his feet and slamming him into the ground, rattling his own soul from the shockwave. "You thought that was the end of it?" Another of the three hun exploded, whipping up a soul storm. The tempest howled amidst skies of black mist, rendering all five senses and six consciousnesses utterly useless in that instant. "Again!" Boom— The third of the three hun exploded as well. The Immortal Celestial's cold voice rang out, echoing amid the soul explosions: "The First-in-Command of my Immortal Lineage is the head of the Five Ancient Celestials, traversing antiquity and modern times without peer! Now that she has returned through rebirth, she shall ascend to the pinnacle of the Immortal Dao. Let us see whose Dao fruit is stronger, yours or mine!" "Damn it!" The Imperial Preceptor hurriedly channeled his rudimentary Karma Dao fruit to sever the karma between them. "Detonate again!" The Immortal Celestial's voice came from one of the seven po, chilling the Imperial Preceptor to the bone. He had already severed their karmic ties—the Immortal Celestial shouldn't be able to remember him, so how could he still be attacking? Before he could fathom the reason, a new round of soul explosions was already upon him. Boom— Boom— Boom— The seven po detonated without pause. How could the Imperial Preceptor have ever witnessed such madness? His body was like a fragile skiff pitching violently on stormy seas, in constant danger of capsizing! The Immortal Celestial had long anticipated this move. Since any clues he left behind would inevitably be forgotten and erased, he simply refrained from leaving behind any information about the Imperial Preceptor at all. Before the Imperial Preceptor used his rudimentary Karma Dao fruit, the Immortal Celestial had left himself only a single instruction: Detonate six of the seven po. Three detonations from the three hun, six detonations from the seven po—nine soul storms in total battered the Imperial Preceptor's immortal soul until it grew unstable, leaving him dazed and disoriented. "Huff, huff—" The Imperial Preceptor was in a wretched state. The treasured robe he wore, capable of warding off attacks even from the Tribulation Transcendence stage, had been shredded to tatters across the nine rounds of explosions, completely shorn of its protective power. The Imperial Preceptor glared fixedly at the final cluster of the seven po. There is only one cluster left. Let's see what you do now! Then, right before the Imperial Preceptor's disbelieving eyes, the Immortal Celestial restored his three hun and seven po in their entirety, returning to his peak state. What the Imperial Preceptor excelled at most was a battle of attrition. His habitual tactic was to use his rudimentary Karma Dao fruit to make his opponent forget him before launching a sneak attack. Repeated several times, even a half-immortal could not endure such attrition. What he did not know was that what the Immortal Dao fruit feared least was a battle of attrition. ... Venerable Black-White looked at Yun Zhi and the others as if looking at corpses. "So what if you have the numbers? Once the Imperial Preceptor makes his move, every last one of you is finished!" "Lord Imperial Preceptor possesses a rudimentary Dao fruit and is a half-immortal level expert! Release me now, and Lord Imperial Preceptor might yet spare your lives!" His tone carried a veiled threat. What did it matter if there were many Tribulation Transcendence experts? Before a rudimentary Dao fruit, they were utterly vulnerable!