"This Young Cult Master Lu is a formidable foe." Bai Ming and the others wore solemn expressions, their guard raised as they watched Young Cult Master Lu steal the limelight on the stage.
"He won't be easy to deal with." Yan Tianzhi also felt the pressure radiating from Young Cult Master Lu—pressure stemming not only from the young cult master himself, but also from the Heavenly Court Cult.
The attitude displayed by the Five Great Immortal Sects and the imperial court was enough to prove just how mighty an organization the Heavenly Court Cult was.
Puzzlement flickered in Lan Ting's eyes. She couldn't shake the feeling that this Young Cult Master Lu's style bore an uncanny resemblance to someone she knew.
Lu Yang faced two opponents: Mo Wenli, a true disciple of the first-rank Thunder Fire Sect, and Su Mo, who was heralded as an unprecedented prodigy among rogue cultivators. Watching Lu Yang's relaxed and unhurried demeanor, cold sweat beaded on their foreheads.
"Don't hold back. We strike together!" Su Mo said in a low voice, directing Mo Wenli. Given his pride, joining forces was a humiliation, but his opponent was Young Cult Master Lu of the Heavenly Court Cult. To win this match, he had to swallow his pride.
Mo Wenli frowned. What right did a fellow whom rogue cultivators hyped up as some miracle genius have to boss him around?
"If you want to win, listen to me!" Su Mo's brow furrowed, thinking this junior truly didn't know what was good for him. An innate, intimidating authority emanated from him without anger.
Mo Wenli shivered, genuinely startled by Su Mo.
For a moment, he felt as though he saw his own master in Su Mo.
"You'd better have a plan," Mo Wenli conceded grudgingly to Su Mo's direction.
Seeing that Mo Wenli knew how to yield, Su Mo's expression softened slightly. He transmitted his voice: "As the art of war says, delays breed complications. We must end this swiftly.
"Your lightning arts have likely attained considerable mastery. If sword techniques rank first in offensive might, lightning arts rank second. I will use the power of my Golden Core to pin him down while you gather power behind me. Once you're fully charged, strike him with everything you have!"
"Fine. But are you sure your Golden Core can pin him down?"
Su Mo didn't answer. He had dispersed his cultivation to start anew, exerting tremendous effort to condense his Devouring Golden Core, which could consume an opponent's spiritual energy. Anyone confronted with such a phenomenon would panic for a fleeting moment.
In a battle between Golden Core cultivators, a single moment of panic was enough to decide the outcome.
Su Mo snapped his calves ramrod straight, shooting forward like an arrow fletching. With a whoosh, he burst right in front of Young Cult Master Lu—the speed he displayed alone already surpassed Mo Wenli!
The instant they clashed, Su Mo realized how thorny Young Cult Master Lu was. His opponent possessed vast combat experience and exceptional adaptability; hoping to gain the upper hand through experience was nothing but a fool's dream.
How could he possess such rich combat experience? It didn't seem forged from fighting peers at the same cultivation level, but rather honed against individuals of far higher realms—and more than just one, at that.
Of course. The youth was the Young Cult Master of the Heavenly Court Cult; supreme experts had undoubtedly sparred with him and fed him moves, allowing him to amass such terrifying combat prowess.
Yet so what? His goal was merely to pin him down. Pinning him down would be enough!
"Devour!"
Su Mo chanted inwardly, summoning his Golden Core. The Devouring Golden Core spun frantically; every physical clash with Young Cult Master Lu plundered spiritual energy from his opponent's body.
This technique had never failed him.
Unexpectedly, the moment he circulated his Golden Core, he saw Young Cult Master Lu slightly part his lips, as if about to do something.
Before long, Su Mo had his answer: while he was swallowing his opponent's spiritual energy, his opponent was devouring his as well, locking both sides into a delicate equilibrium!
How could this be!
Could it be that the other guy also possessed a Devouring Golden Core?!
Su Mo gritted his teeth. Things had come to this, leaving no room to hesitate. He felt the surging power of lightning behind him—Mo Wenli had finished gathering his lightning technique!
"Get clear!"
Mo Wenli ground his teeth. The lightning power was so unwieldy and heavy that merely holding it strained him, setting his arms trembling.
Su Mo dodged frantically. A potent surge of lightning detonated behind him with a thunderous roar, sending radiant streaks flying everywhere as silver serpents danced wildly and energy surged violently.
Boom!
The silver serpents of lightning engulfed Young Cult Master Lu.
Before Su Mo and Mo Wenli could even celebrate, a sharp hiss rang out, followed by a flash of sword light cleaving the mass of lightning clean in two.
The ball of lightning burst apart, and a figure holding a sword strode out from the explosion, entirely at ease.
"Decent power, but unfortunately the force was too diffuse. Had you concentrated it into a single point, I'm afraid even I might have suffered a bit," Young Cult Master Lu casually remarked on Mo Wenli's lightning technique.
This Young Cult Master Lu was a sword cultivator—the foremost path of offensive might!
While Mo Wenli was dazed, Su Mo reacted first, dodging frantically to the side. On a battlefield, there was no room to space out!
Just as he was about to shout a warning to Mo Wenli, another flash of sword light streaked across, and Mo Wenli had already tumbled off the stage.
"That's one down."
The tip of the sword scraped across the rubble-strewn stage, producing an erratic grating sound that made Su Mo's hair stand on end.
Soon, fury washed over Su Mo. He was a grand cultivator who had dispersed his cultivation to start anew, possessing two thousand years of cultivation experience. He was destined to scale even greater heights—how could he be prey slaughtered at someone else's whim?
He would let his opponent know just how terrifying a grand cultivator who had dispersed his cultivation to start anew could be when pushed to ruthless fury!
...
"The victor: the Heavenly Court Cult."
The referee announced the outcome of the match.
On the stage, Young Cult Master Lu sheathed his sword with impeccable posture, exuding sublime grace. He looked up toward the judges' bench: "Well? Do I qualify to continue competing?"
"This sect master keeps his word. You may continue to compete."
"However, this sect master has a question."
"Please, Sect Master Lu, ask away."
"Just now, when Su Mo used his Devouring Golden Core to consume your spiritual energy, you were devouring his as well. Could it be that what you used was the oldest, most primal form of the Taotie clan's innate divine ability—Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring?"
Young Cult Master Lu looked at Sect Master Lu in surprise, not expecting him to recognize it.
"Sect Master Lu has keen eyes."
"Is there any difference between the oldest Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring and the one used today?" Qiu Jin'an chimed in at just the right moment.
Young Cult Master Lu did not answer; he waited for Sect Master Lu's reply.
Sect Master Lu said in a deep voice that carried across the entire arena: "You ought to know that I, too, cultivate Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring. During my studies, I uncovered a secret of the Taotie clan.
"In ancient times, the Taotie clan was exceptionally ferocious. Demon beasts feast on living beings by instinct, but the Taotie clan was different. They never devoured living beings; instead, they swallowed the spiritual energy of the world and fed on the earth and the stars. For this reason, they were known as the Calamity Beasts of Heaven and Earth!
"How did they consume spiritual energy and the earth? They relied on none other than the oldest form of Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring!
"The original Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring was far too terrifying, provoking crusades from every race. Bowing to the pressure, the Taotie clan altered Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring to its modern form. Though reputed to devour all things, its actual might is vastly inferior to what it once was!"
Sect Master Lu continued, "Even among the Taotie clan today, not a single member knows the oldest Heaven-Swallowing Earth-Devouring. To think Young Cult Master Lu knows this technique... It seems the legends are true: the Heavenly Court was indeed the greatest power of the ancient era."
Hearing this, the audience below sucked in a breath of cold air, astonished that the Taotie clan harbored such an ancient secret.
...
Inside the spiritual space, the Immortal Fairy excitedly propped up her dainty little feet, her pearly-pink toes wiggling with glee.
"How was that? How was that? Did this immortal put on a good performance?"
"Great, that's exactly the vibe!"
Chapter 494