Translator: CinderTL
"Hold on! Endure! Senior Brother Yuan's elite forces will arrive any moment now! With Senior Brother Yuan's strength, how can Li Chunjun, cornered as he is, possibly resist? Especially with thirty Void Refining cultivators by his side! Victory will ultimately be ours!"
On the battlefield, Zhuo Long was doing his utmost to maintain order.
When he saw someone trying to break free from the death vortex of the sword qi storm, he even took action himself to intercept them.
"No retreat! Any deserter will be charged with treason against the sect! Kill them on sight!"
Through this resolute stance and the threat of treason, the Void Refining cultivators, though nearly driven to despair, remained steadfast, refusing to scatter.
Of course, the most crucial factor was that trapped within the sword qi storm, even if they wanted to flee, it wouldn't be easy.
This brutal battle was no less taxing for Li Chunjun himself.
The relentless combat, the explosive bursts of slaying dozens of powerful Void Refining cultivators in rapid succession—even for him, freshly upgraded, it was mentally and physically exhausting.
Fortunately, he knew that even if his Qi ran dry and his Heart-Mind withered, he could still retract the sword qi storm before defeat, break through the encirclement, and escape.
This difference in mindset prevented him from becoming as consumed by uncertainty about the unfolding situation as Zhuo Long and the others, thus avoiding self-inflicted mental exhaustion and maintaining his mental state.
When he sensed Primordial True Martial and the others rushing toward him, Li Chunjun had already prepared to end the battle and regroup later.
Even he couldn't have killed thirty-four Void Refining cultivators in a few dozen breaths, especially considering that Zhuo Long was among them, wielding a Superior Dao Artifact and Dharma Manifestation Armament.
Therefore, his only option was to unleash his full power, eliminate as many Void Refining cultivators as possible, and then retreat to recover before making his next move.
With this in mind, he stopped holding back his Qi. The rampaging sword qi storm unleashed a terrifying killing power—any Void Refining cultivator who touched it would die instantly, and those who brushed against it would be severely wounded. In an instant, several Void Refining cultivators were torn apart mid-air.
Just as he finished this burst of power and prepared to withdraw, the situation on the battlefield suddenly shifted.
Primordial True Martial...
had retreated!
A peak void refining cultivator leading a force of thirty-one Void Refining cultivators, facing him—a newcomer who had already endured several rounds of intense combat and slain at least a hundred Void Refining cultivators without pausing for breath...
Retreated!?
Not only Zhuo Long and the others, who had pinned their hopes on the Yuan True Inheritor, but even Li Chunjun himself was stunned.
The situation had been so favorable. How could they...
...suddenly retreat!?
Why!?
Zhuo Long wanted to ask this question.
The Void Refining cultivators who had been following Zhuo Long, waiting for Primordial True Martial's reinforcements to save them, wanted to ask this question.
Li Chunjun, too, wanted to ask this question.
But alas...
Primordial True Martial's retreat was decisive.
"When to cut, cut swiftly; hesitation leads to chaos."
They had demonstrated their decisiveness and courage to the fullest in this moment of retreat, truly embodying the essence of the tactical principle "swift as the wind."
Zhuo Long and the other Void Refining cultivators stared at Primordial True Martial, who had appeared so suddenly that he hadn't even had time to rally their spirits before turning and leaving. They stood frozen in place for a full breath.
Finally, after a breath, the Void Refining cultivator who had previously served as bait to lure Li Chunjun into a trap unleashed his mental power in a surge of fury: "Primordial True Martial!"
His roar sent a powerful wave of mental power soaring into the sky.
Li Chunjun, observing Primordial True Martial's decision and the shift in morale among the Void Refining cultivators around Zhuo Long, immediately understood what was happening.
Momentum!
After consecutively slaying over a hundred void refining cultivators from the wu ji sect and the heavenly palace, Zhuo Long had accumulated a terrifying aura.
This aura alone could exert immense pressure on his opponents.
The effect intensified when his enemies witnessed his nearly invincible combat prowess firsthand, pushing the aura's influence to its peak.
Ultimately, some enemies already filled with dread crumbled before even raising a hand.
Seeing the void refining cultivators around Zhuo Long suddenly abandon their positions after Primordial True Martial's departure, causing their morale to collapse, Li Chunjun, who had been preparing to retreat, immediately changed his mind.
He pivoted his body.
The distance he had created moments earlier now served as a prelude to his impending charge.
In the next instant, an even more terrifying sword qi storm accelerated once more, crashing into the ranks of void refining cultivators led by Zhuo Long.
Not only did it unleash another torrent of blood and gore, but it also shattered Zhuo Long's six-man squad with brutal force.
Witnessing this scene from afar, Primordial True Martial and his group retreated even faster.
"No!"
Zhuo Long roared in furious despair, immediately sending a message to Primordial True Martial: "Primordial True Martial, have you gone mad!? You gave the order, and now you dare to be the first to flee the battlefield!?"
Unfortunately, his desperate accusation received no response from Primordial True Martial.
Primordial True Martial...
He knew what he was doing.
He also knew the consequences his actions would bring upon Zhuo Long and the others.
Yet he remained convinced he was right.
A future Top-Tier Dharma Manifestation, perhaps even a Supreme Dharma Aspect Venerable like him, could not die here, at the hands of Li Chunjun.
His survival would benefit the sect far more than the blind sacrifice of Mo He, Gui Xing, or even Zhuo Long.
As for the sect's punishment...
His elder brother, Yuan Guiyi, was a disciple of the Supreme Truth Sovereign. His own accumulation of resources and power was entirely due to his brother's influence. As long as his brother remained under the Supreme Truth Sovereign's patronage, who would dare truly punish him!?
This was the ultimate source of his audacity in turning and fleeing.
He had always belonged to the ruling class, never the ruled.
The others—Gui Xing, Mo He, Zhuo Long—even if they reached Void Refining, were still subjects. At best, they were merely powerful and outstanding individuals among the ruled.
Boom!
The energy shockwave from the collapse of the Void Labyrinth constructed by the Myriad Realms Compass jolted Zhuo Long awake, his heart filled with resentment and fury.
Primordial True Martial had already escaped, but they had to continue.
The crisis was far from over for them.
In fact, the despair that had set in after hope had turned to ashes had plunged them into an even greater crisis.
"Li Chunjun!"
Zhuo Long roared, the Myriad Realms Compass straining to shrink the surrounding space, forming a new Void Labyrinth to fend off the sword qi storm.
He stared intently at Li Chunjun's figure. "I don't believe your Qi is truly endless. After so many grueling battles, even a life forged by a Dao Artifact can't be immune to fatigue. You're at your limit, aren't you!?"
"Does it matter?"
Li Chunjun, riding the sword qi storm, annihilated another Void Refining cultivator.
Simultaneously, he controlled thousands of sword qi strands to intercept another Void Refining cultivator who, having burned through his Qi, had finally broken through the sword qi storm and seemed poised to escape.
With a mere clench of his hand, the thousands of sword qi strands swarmed forward, instantly shredding the exhausted Void Refining cultivator who had barely managed to break free of the storm's grasp.
"Even if I admitted I'm truly at the end of my rope, what difference would it make now?"
He replied calmly, "Would you still believe me?"
He paused. "Would you still dare to believe me?"
Zhuo Long's eyes stiffened slightly at Li Chunjun's words. A flicker of darkness dimmed the resentment in his gaze.
Yes.
Even if Li Chunjun admitted he was truly at the end of his rope, who would dare believe him?
Mo He was the perfect example. If Mo He hadn't repeatedly claimed Li Chunjun was gravely injured, even forced to use the True Spirit Incineration Secret Art, how could they have been so eager to send wave after wave of attacks against him before their forces had fully converged, allowing him to pick them off one by one?
Now, having him admit he had nothing left...
It was pointless. The seeds of fear had been sown, and they would be difficult to uproot.
Moreover, while the Wu Ji Sect still had several Void Refining cultivators venturing into the Star Abyss, they would struggle to mount another effective offensive in the short term.
For a moment, Zhuo Long's face twisted with despair. "You've won! Your cunning, your calculations, your strategy, and... your strength! We... we lost fairly..."
Li Chunjun showed no trace of complacency. He knew he had no real cunning or strategy. Mo He and the others had fallen for his ruse solely because his injuries at the time had been utterly genuine.
However, Zhuo Long made no attempt to explain. Instead, he raised his guard to the utmost.
As his vigilance intensified, he quickly realized the truth.
Zhuo Long's idle chatter wasn't a dying declaration; quite the opposite. He was sacrificing everything, preparing to unleash his final strike.
The Void where the Myriad Realms Compass was located...
"Starquake!?" Li Chunjun's pupils contracted. "No, you're trying to unleash power far beyond the Star Abyss's limits, shattering it and using the resulting localized collapse to bury me!"
The moment this realization struck him, he clenched his empty hand. Countless sword lights within the sword qi storm began converging toward his palm, instantly coalescing into the physical form of the Scarlet Sky Sword. Simultaneously, he activated the Void Mysteries, preparing to transcend the void and escape the Myriad Realms Compass's range.
"Primordial True Martial is a fool, but not everyone in the Wu Ji Sect is like him! Today, the Wu Ji Sect has sacrificed over a hundred Void Refining cultivators to kill you, Li Chunjun. But their sacrifice won't be in vain, and their valor will be rewarded. Like now, I refuse to believe you have much strength left to withstand the Star Abyss's collapse!"
Zhuo Long's entire body burned with Qi, causing his Dharma Manifestation Armament to begin dissolving. All his energy poured into the Myriad Realms Compass.
He wasn't alone. Even the surviving Void Refining cultivators around him seemed to have become sacrifices for the compass's full-power eruption.
Li Chunjun's sword qi storm swept through their bodies with relentless fury. But as these Void Refining cultivators perished, the energy contained within the storm also became part of the force tearing through the Star Abyss.
"Hahaha, Li Chunjun, face the true storm!"
With a final burst of laughter, Zhuo Long's body was pierced through by the Scarlet Sky Sword.
But he had already activated the Myriad Realms Compass's ultimate technique.
Amidst a vast, Starquake-like roar, the Myriad Realms Compass, Li Chunjun, and the surrounding Star Abyss within a radius of tens of thousands of miles—even hundreds of thousands of miles—all shattered and collapsed.
This collapse rapidly spread, expanding to millions of miles, then tens of millions.
The devastating shockwaves from the Star Abyss's collapse instantly unleashed a near-annihilating blow upon all life within this vast area, with Li Chunjun bearing the brunt of the impact.
"A Void Storm, indeed," Li Chunjun murmured, a hint of emotion in his voice. "If this were before my Void Dao Body and Destruction Dao Body had broken through, the danger would have been considerable. I might have even had to expend my Time Origin to survive. But now..."
Li Chunjun sighed, a touch of emotion in his voice. "If this were before my Void Dao Body and Destruction Dao Body had broken through, the danger would have been considerable. Bad luck might have even forced me to consume my Source of Time to survive. But now..."
He spread his arms wide, like a fish drifting through ocean waves.
Despite the violent surge of the waves, which tossed his body about, he moved through the Void storm with ease, effortlessly dodging one deadly trap after another.
At this rate, even if the Void continued to tremble for dozens of breaths, it would only cause him minor inconvenience.
He was still far from mortal danger.
However, as the Star Abyss suffered localized damage and was breached, Li Chunjun, who was traversing the Void, suddenly sensed something.
A peculiar Palace, seemingly hidden between the Star Abyss and the Void, materialized before him.
"This is..."
Li Chunjun's heart skipped a beat at the sight of the Palace.
Could this be the Inheritance Hall, where one is sent after slaying the Seven-Colored Guardian?
He pondered for a moment, then suddenly surged forward. In no time, he had navigated through the violent Void storm and landed outside the Palace's perimeter.
(End of the Chapter)
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