Chapter 232: Slaying Another True Disciple
The demonic sect's plan was now unstoppable, which meant that the righteous side would soon have to face an ambush from a Nascent Soul True Lord.
To counter this, unless one of the righteous true disciples chose to break through on the spot, they had no prepared trump card to respond.
Thus, only two options lay before the righteous true disciples: while the demonic true disciple had yet to complete the breakthrough, they could abandon the Heavenly Chosen Battle entirely.
Or, they could engage in a real fight now, using their slight numerical advantage while the demonic side was short one person, and try to defeat or drive off the demonic true disciples. Then, they could gather their strength to deal with the one who was about to ascend to Nascent Soul.
Yet neither option was ideal. The first meant preserving strength to the greatest degree, but at the cost of forfeiting the Heavenly Chosen Battle entirely.
With so many eyes watching this battle, if they simply gave up, they would lose not only their own honor but also the honor of the entire righteous path.
Moreover, all the opportunities and treasures on this island would be left behind.
Choosing the second option meant that although they had one more person, it was hardly a decisive advantage. Even if they defeated or drove off some demonic true disciples, they would inevitably suffer losses themselves.
And when that time came, with only a few of them left, how could they possibly face a newly ascended Nascent Soul true disciple?
"No, there is another way!"
A Taiqing Sect true disciple suddenly spoke up. At his words, the others turned to look at him.
"The Jade Treasure Chest!"
Feeling their stares, the Taiqing Sect disciple gave the answer. If they could obtain the highest-grade Jade Treasure Chest of this Heavenly Chosen Battle, then perhaps the treasures inside might turn the tide.
At this, everyone's eyes lit up. It was indeed a feasible plan—except that so far, none of them knew where the chest was.
"First disrupt this tribulation. After that, we search for the Jade Treasure Chest," one of them suggested. On the other side of the island, the demonic true disciple attempting the breakthrough would need at least five or six hours. That was their final window.
If they could find the Jade Treasure Chest during this time, and obtain its treasures, then combined with their other trump cards, there was still a chance to win.
"Good!"
Hearing this, the righteous true disciples once again stirred the surrounding spiritual energy. Finally, through their relentless interference, the demonic cultivator undergoing tribulation let out a furious roar before falling silent.
"The tribulation cloud is gone!"
As the tribulation taker's aura vanished, the dark clouds above dispersed. With so many people interfering, even ordinary tribulation takers, let alone top-tier true disciples, would find success nearly impossible.
Had this demonic disciple been fully prepared, his chances of success would have been much greater.
Indeed, his soul was scattered by heavenly lightning, yet his flesh remained intact. That alone showed his potential—he might well have crossed into Nascent Soul.
But for their plan, the demonic sect sacrificed him without hesitation.
Such an extreme method could only come from the demonic sect, and yet, it undeniably left the righteous side in a miserable position.
"Go!"
With their goal achieved, the righteous true disciples quickly scattered to search for the Jade Treasure Chest. It was now their only chance at reversal.
"Hmph. Dream on if you think the Jade Treasure Chest will save you!"
The demonic true disciples, of course, guessed their intentions, and immediately pursued them.
Soon, the sounds of battle echoed across the island—true disciples of both sides clashing. Other heavenly chosen watching from afar hurriedly fled the area.
Outside.
When the demonic sect revealed their trump card, the onlookers erupted in uproar. To sacrifice a disciple who had real hope of reaching Nascent Soul—such a price was staggering.
Even at the peak of Golden Core, not everyone could attempt the Nascent Soul tribulation. Only by seizing a fleeting breakthrough opportunity or by using a Condensing Nascent Pill could one begin.
This demonic disciple had no Golden Treasure Chest and thus no Condensing Nascent Pill. His chance came from grasping a natural opportunity—and such cases often had a good chance of success.
"This is all because that Lin Wu has put too much pressure on the demonic sect." One cultivator recalled Lin wu's recent feat of defeating the fourth-rank monster king. "Such a terrifying opponent—if not eliminated soon, he'll be a great future threat."
To exchange one ordinary heavenly chosen for a chance to kill Lin Wu—this was a price the demonic sect could readily accept.
And beyond eliminating Gu Mo, if a Nascent Soul true lord emerged, victory in this Heavenly Chosen Battle would be virtually assured.
"Do you two have any trump cards prepared?" The Valley Master of Shennong Valley sent a message to the leaders of the Taiqing Sect and Yin-Yang Sword Sects.
The demonic sect had their back-up trump cards; surely the righteous sects had given their disciples some as well. But no one knew what they were. So the Shennong Valley Master asked directly.
"For survival, yes. For victory, unlikely."
The sect masters of Taiqing Sect and Yin-Yang Sword shook their heads. The trump cards they gave their disciples were all life-saving tools. Even if the demonic disciple completed the breakthrough, their disciples could still retreat. But as for winning the battle—that would be impossible.
This was the difference in philosophy. The righteous sects prioritized preserving their disciples, giving them defensive measures. The demonic sect's cards, however, were all aggressive—even sacrificing their own disciples when necessary.
In this Heavenly Chosen Battle, the demonic sect's philosophy clearly gave them the edge.
"Alas…"
Hearing the replies, the Shennong Valley Master sighed heavily. Clearly, this battle was as good as lost. But as long as the disciples returned alive, losing face was bearable.
"Too late, then."
When Lin Wu and Ming Yueyue finally reached their destination, the place was already deserted. No—one person remained.
Lin Wu's eyes settled on a youth in the robes of the Corpse Yin Sect true disciples. The youth was fiddling with a corpse.
Residual tribulation energy lingered on the body—it was the demonic cultivator who had just failed his breakthrough.
"Refining your comrade's body into a corpse puppet… truly worthy of the demonic sect." Lin Wu stepped forward slowly, quickly realizing what the Corpse Yin Sect disciple was doing.
He meant to refine this failed tribulation cultivator's flesh into a zombie. Even under heavenly lightning, the body had remained unscathed—its strength was undeniable. In fact, tempered by lightning, it might already have surpassed the Golden Core stage and reached Nascent Soul-level durability.
Unfortunately, though the body was strong, the soul was too weak and could not withstand heavenly thunder. Otherwise, his chances of success would have been high.
"Lin Wu!"
The Corpse Yin Sect disciple, focused on his corpse-refining art, heard footsteps. When he looked up and saw Lin Wu, his expression immediately changed.
Lin wu's defeat of a 4th-rank demon king—he was well aware of it. One could say that right now, the person the Demon Sect's true disciples dreaded most was Lin Wu.
But the Yin Corpse Sect true disciple quickly calmed himself. Staring at the corpse before him, a smile crept onto his face. He had completed every step of corpse refinement; now this corpse, whose physical strength had reached the Nascent Soul level, was under his control.
With such a powerful helper at his side, the Yin Corpse Sect true disciple's confidence surged. The vigilance in his eyes when looking at Lin Wu vanished, replaced instead with provocation.
If he could kill his target here, then upon returning, he would receive another reward.
"Everyone, look! That Lin Wu is facing off against the Yin Corpse Sect's true disciple!" A sudden voice drew the attention of many.
Fights between righteous and demonic true disciples broke out from time to time, drawing crowds of spectators. Because of this, Lin Wu hadn't been the center of attention for a while.
But as soon as Lin Wu confronted the Yin Corpse Sect's true disciple, everyone immediately switched their water-screen images to this battle.
"Huh? Who's that standing next to the Yin Corpse Sect's true disciple? He looks a little familiar!" As the images shifted, they saw Lin Wu, as well as the Yin Corpse Sect true disciple standing opposite him.
Naturally, the refined corpse at his side was also revealed.
"Of course he looks familiar. That's the demonic prodigy who just failed his Nascent Soul breakthrough. He's been refined into a zombie by that Yin Corpse Sect true disciple," explained a cultivator who had been keeping an eye on the Yin Corpse Sect.
"To use a companion's corpse for refinement… worthy indeed of the Yin Corpse Sect." Hearing this, many cultivators sighed in amazement—some with a touch of envy.
The Demonic Dao's methods were cruel, but undeniably powerful.
And indeed, the Yin Corpse Sect true disciple's power had skyrocketed after gaining the body of a cultivator who had perished during tribulation. Could Lin Wu really stand against that?
The body of a failed tribulation-crosser, tempered by heavenly lightning and indestructible, clearly reached the Nascent Soul level. On top of that, with the Yin Corpse Sect's signature divine ability, Corpse Demon Transformation, the true disciple himself could transform into a zombie with a Nascent Soul physique.
But the crowd soon realized they had been worrying for nothing. If Gu Mo could slay a genuine 4th-rank demon king, how could he possibly lose to a mere corpse puppet whose body was only at the Nascent Soul level?
Especially since the Great Sun Sword Intent was naturally restraining toward zombies and other sinister beings. With a single strike, Lin Wu cleaved the corpse puppet in two.
"What!?"
Seeing the puppet he had relied upon destroyed with one sword stroke, the Yin Corpse Sect true disciple's face changed drastically. That searing, blazing sword light just now had made him taste death itself.
Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and fled, abandoning all thought of fighting Lin wu.
But could he escape?
Gu Mo's gaze locked onto the fleeing true disciple, and once more he slashed his sword. In an instant, boundless radiance descended, and beneath that light, the Yin Corpse Sect true disciple's body split apart.
The man never even had a chance to use his identity token to escape. Lin wu's sword light could kill him before he could activate it.
Thus, before a true powerhouse, this identity token's lifesaving function was utterly useless.
Of course, if it had been a righteous path prodigy, they might have had a defensive trump card to block just long enough to activate the token and flee.
But alas, the Demon Sect's trump cards were never designed for self-preservation.
And so, the first top-tier great sect true disciple fell in this Heavenly Chosen Battle. Counting the one who died before the battle began, the Yin Corpse Sect had already lost two true disciples.
This was an enormous blow to them. One could see as much on the Yin Corpse Sect master's face.
"This Lin Wu must already be the strongest in this Heavenly Chosen Battle," many sighed, watching Gu Mo slay a demonic true disciple with ease.
"No, the one currently attempting a breakthrough will be the strongest. That will be Lin Wu's greatest enemy," someone refuted.
"What if he fails the breakthrough?" another questioned.
"Fail? Hah. He formed an Immortal Golden Core—how could he possibly fail?" A disciple of the Demon Sect sneered coldly. Clearly, this one knew a bit about the true disciple undergoing breakthrough.
"Give me the locations of all the Demon Sect true disciples."
After slaying the Yin Corpse Sect's true disciple, Gu Mo turned to Ming Yueyue, asking her to contact the information relayers on the righteous side. He wanted the positions of the other demonic true disciples.
Before that breakthrough was complete, Gu Mo intended to kill as many Demon Sect true disciples as possible, to reduce the pressure later. For the Nascent Soul breakthrough of a top great sect's true disciple was no ordinary Nascent Soul—it could not be compared.
"Alright!"
Even without Gu Mo's prompting, Ming Yueyue had already received updates from others. She quickly passed him the latest coordinates of the demonic true disciples.
"Boom!"
In a forest, countless enormous vines shot up from the ground. In the next moment, they transformed into sharp wooden spikes, thrusting forward with fierce momentum.
"Hahaha! Shennong Valley weakling, is that all you've got?" A rough, violent voice roared from within the wooden spike storm.
A bare-chested Blood Demon Sect true disciple emerged, his entire body radiating blood-qi. The spikes struck his flesh and only caused him to pause slightly—they couldn't pierce his defenses at all.
"Hmph!"
Ji Xinglan's face darkened as he tossed out a handful of seeds. Instantly, even more vines erupted from the soil. But this time, instead of attacking, they coiled around their target.
"Waiting for your poison to take effect? Too bad—it's useless against me." The Blood Demon Sect true disciple sneered.
"What!?"
Ji Xinglan's heart sank; his plan had been seen through. He had to admit, this opponent was stronger than him. But defeating him would not be easy either.
With that thought, Ji Xinglan swiftly formed a hand seal, his body merging into the forest. At once, the trees around began to tremble as if the entire woodland had become his avatar.
For Ji Xinglan to be a true disciple of Shennong Valley, how could he not have a trump card? By fusing himself with the forest and turning every plant within it into his own strength, he could temporarily elevate his power to the Nascent Soul level.
This was his confidence for being able to fight a Nascent Soul True Lord to nearly even odds.
(Show your support and read more chapters on my Patreon: [email protected]/psychopet. Thank you for your support!)