Chapter 170: "You all support me—I'll face him alone!"
Ten days later.
Millions of miles flashed by in the blink of an eye.
Champion Marquis and the others still hadn't caught up to Li Xun, but along the way, they encountered several battlefields,each one more brutal than the last.
There was even a Marquis of the Great Chu Dynasty who had fallen in battle among them!
Every Marquis of the Great Chu Dynasty was a top-tier expert in the Life and Death Realm, yet even they were no match for Li Xun. This realization made the expressions of the gathered prodigies grow even more grim.
Aboard the flying vessel.
Feng Lie's expression was dark. He spoke in a low voice:
"Daoist Friend Yang, things are starting to spiral out of control. We've been trailing Li Xun closely this whole time."
"Both sides are using supreme-grade flying spiritual treasures. By all logic, if Li Xun ever stopped, we should've caught up by now. But even today, we still haven't caught a glimpse of him."
"Judging from this alone, Li Xun's strength might already rival that of a Divine Palace Realm expert!"
"And so?"
Champion Marquis raised an eyebrow, sweeping his gaze over the others as he spoke softly.
These people were the reinforcements he had personally recruited, and it had cost him a considerable sum.
After all, going out of one's way to hunt a young prodigy was a thankless and risky task.
Especially when the target was a Holy Son. It was far too much effort for too little reward.
No one would willingly offend a peer without a very good reason.
If they managed to kill him, fine, but if they failed, and the guy survived to grow stronger, you could be sure he'd come back for revenge. And by that time, no one here would be able to escape unscathed.
"We want more pay!" Feng Lie said in a firm tone.
"Once it's done, I'll give each of you another 100,000 supreme-grade spirit stones," Champion Marquis replied calmly.
The moment those words left his mouth, the surrounding prodigies' eyes all lit up.
One hundred thousand supreme-grade spirit stones was an astronomical sum, none of them could cough up that kind of wealth on their own.
With that reassurance, Feng Lie formed another hand seal, and the flying vessel beneath them let out a soft hum, as if it had sped up noticeably.
Another day passed.
In the distance, deep within the Savage Mountain Range, a tremendous boom erupted.
A deafening roar split the air as one mountain after another collapsed. The terrifying shockwaves swept in all directions, toppling ancient trees and blasting boulders into the sky!
Amid the swirling dust, multiple Life and Death Realm auras clashed fiercely. Each one was extraordinarily powerful, but it wasn't long before one of those auras vanished.
And the pace of these disappearances was accelerating. Every few breaths, another aura was snuffed out.
In less than half a quarter-hour, only one Life and Death Realm aura remained on the battlefield.
"Li Xun!"
Champion Marquis called out coldly, his eyes flashing with divine brilliance. He knew that aura all too well.
Back in Yunzhou territory, he'd been utterly crushed by this very aura in the midst of a tribulation. If it hadn't been for a life-saving treasure, he'd have died right then and there.
"Quick, catch up to him! Don't let Li Xun escape!" Champion Marquis urged.
"Relax,"
Feng Lie smirked, confidence brimming in his voice. "He's not getting away!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the flying vessel surged forward with another burst of speed. In a flash, they crossed nearly a thousand miles.
Very soon, their group arrived above the Savage Mountains. Peering through the clouds, they could clearly see a young man standing atop one of the mountain peaks below, dressed in a light purple robe.
He stood tall and straight, holding a massive black halberd, exuding an aura that seemed to command the heavens and earth. At the tip of the halberd, ominous energy swirled, and a few drops of bright red blood still dripped from it.
Having just slain several opponents of the same level, Li Xun now looked like a god of war, standing firm and proud amid a terrifying storm of energy. He was like a supreme Immortal King, reigning over the world. His gaze swept across the void with disdain, and a single glance—cold and sharp like lightning—sent a chill through everyone on the flying vessel.
"Mid-stage Life and Death Realm!"
One man, his whole body bathed in golden light, sucked in a sharp breath.
He was the Holy Son of the Heavenly Heart Sacred Holy Land—a powerful figure who had few rivals among his peers. He had survived an eight lightning calamities tribulation and, after that, trained for over thirty years, consuming countless rare treasures. And even now, he was only barely in the mid-stage of the Life and Death Realm.
But Li Xun?
It had only been a little over half a year since he had undergone his tribulation, and he had already stepped into the mid-stage of the Life and Death Realm.
A mid-stage Life and Death Realm cultivator who had survived an eight lightning calamities tribulation versus one who had endured a ten lightning calamities tribulation…
They were worlds apart.
After all, heavenly tribulations became exponentially stronger with each level, and the power gained afterward was likewise incomparable, like the difference between heaven and earth.
"Daoist Friend Yang, you never mentioned that Li Xun was already in the mid-stage of the Life and Death Realm!"
The Holy Son of the Heavenly Heart Sacred Holy Land spoke in a low voice, clearly displeased.
Had he known Li Xun had reached this level, he might not have agreed to come at all.
"Indeed."
Feng Lie also chimed in.
"Daoist Friend Yang, this is no longer just a matter of spirit stones. Among the six of us, two are still at the early stage of the Life and Death Realm. To confront Li Xun head-on would be courting death."
"Another fifty thousand supreme-grade spirit stones per person!"
"Stand back, Daoist Friend Yang. Let me face this so-called Scarlet Flame Divine Body myself!"
Feng Lie declared righteously. He stepped forward, his body emanating boundless sword intent, it was as if an unmatched divine sword had just unsheathed, slicing apart the clouds above.
Even the nearby mountains, rivers, and trees began to tremble under the pressure.
"No need."
Champion Marquis shook his head. He stepped down from the flying vessel, his body now clad in pitch-black battle armor that enveloped him completely. In his hand appeared a divine spear.
Thud. Thud.
Cold footsteps echoed through the heavens and earth.
Each step felt like a mountain crashing down, shaking the land itself. An extreme surge of vitality and blood burst from his crown like a volcano erupting—no, like a hundred thousand volcanoes erupting simultaneously, transforming into a blazing golden sun that engulfed heaven and earth.
"You all provide support, I'll face him alone!"
Champion Marquis declared, his gaze cold and merciless. Compared to last time, he was now significantly stronger.
As his words fell—
Boom!
Beneath his feet, a horrifying scene unfolded—a sea of blood and mountains of corpses. The corpses were piled high into towering hills, stretching for nearly a thousand miles and dyeing the entire region in blood-red light.
The air reeked of thick, overpowering bloodlust—it seeped into everything, making even the bravest tremble.
"Ketu Divine Physique!"
Feng Lie and the others gasped in shock.
The Divine Physique was an incredibly rare constitution—each one was practically synonymous with invincibility. For Champion Marquis to unleash his divine body's manifestation right from the start clearly meant that he had no intention of holding back.
"Are we really not going to help?" someone asked with a frown.
"Last time, the Champion Marquis was defeated by the Profound Sun Holy Son. Now that Li Xun has grown even stronger, Champion Marquis doesn't stand a chance."
"Let's wait and see first," Feng Lie said with a shake of his head. His voice was heavy.
"If he dares face Profound Sun Holy Son alone, he must be hiding some trump card."
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