Intense Battle

"Brothers, we're in a tight spot here. These guys are no joke, and we might not last long against them," Liang Kuangshi said anxiously as he unleashed a strong attack on one of his opponents.

The most difficult situation was faced by Wu Yang and his two companions, who had to deal with 35 cultivators, most of whom were at the perfection stage Core Formation Realm, with only a handful at the late stage.

Ye Sha snorted disdainfully and said, "I'll take care of the two Soul Palace geezers. The rest of you can handle the leftovers."

Liang Kuangshi frowned and said, "Don't underestimate them, Brother Wu Feng. These two cultivators have lived for a long time!"

Ye Sha waved his hand and said confidently, "Relax, I, Wu Feng, am unrivaled under the heavens! Beating up two old dogs is a piece of cake for me."

Liang Kuangshi sighed and said, "Alright, me and Brother Wu Yang will deal with the others."

Wu Yang nodded and said, "Yes, we should be able to win. After we finish them off, we'll come to help you if needed."

Ye Sha didn't waste any more time and charged into the fray.

"Soul Chasing Wind!" Ye Sha shouted.

Ye Sha moved like a gust of wind as he targeted the souls of the two Soul Palace cultivators and appeared in front of them.

The two Soul Palace cultivators, Chen Zhihao and Li Yifan, looked at Ye Sha with contempt.

"Kid, you are only at the late stage of the Core Formation Realm and you have the guts to challenge us?" Chen Zhihao sneered.

Ye Sha ignored their taunts and launched his Heavenly Demonic Palm technique.

"I have to hide my Fiendish Qi, or else everyone will gang up on me!" Ye Sha thought.

The Heavenly Demonic Palm hit Chen Zhihao's chest and the latter felt like he was being crushed by a giant boulder.

Li Yifan, who saw how Ye Sha had attacked Chen Zhihao, exclaimed angrily, "Junior, you dare?!"

Li Yifan used his movement technique and drew his saber as he aimed for Ye Sha's throat.

Ye Sha laughed wildly as he unleashed his Netherworld Chains technique and dozens of imposing chains with a mysterious aura wrapped around Li Yifan.

Meanwhile...

Wu Yang faced the fifteen cultivators with all his might. He was outnumbered, but he knew that he could win.

He used his Burning Blaze Step technique to dart around the battlefield, like a comet of fire, knocking out his opponents one by one.

"He's only knocking us out! Kill him!" the remaining cultivators mocked Wu Yang as he was sparing their lives instead of ending them.

They looked down on such people, since they lacked a strong Dao Heart.

Wu Yang gazed into his enemies' eyes and saw nothing but greed and enmity.

He had never taken a life before. He had always followed his moral code. But now, he had to choose.

He could either grant his enemies a chance to live, or he could end their existence.

"These people dare to think about killing me," he thought.

"I planned to knock them out, since they are only doing as they are ordered. However, I will naturally be at a disadvantage since they will attack me with all they have and I will try to hold back."

"What should I do?" he questioned himself. "Should I adhere to my morals and risk my life? Or should I discard them?"

Wu Yang felt a surge of fury in his soul, not towards himself, but towards the world.

"No, there is no choice here," he realized. "It's the world that is twisted, not me. If the world is like this, then I, Wu Yang, will embrace such harsh reality with courage!"

"I was merely showing you my goodwill, but to think that you insects want to repay kindness with evil… you guys are no better than dogs!" Wu Yang sneered and said.

Wu Yang thought to himself, "In this world, there are only two types of people: those who eat, and those who are eaten."

As Wu Yang fought, he let go of his inhibitions. He allowed himself to become angry and vengeful. He channeled all of his rage and hatred into his attacks.

One by one, the cultivators fell to Wu Yang's sword.

"This is a dog-eat-dog world," he said to himself. "And I have chosen to be the one who eats."

All the fights continued…

Lin Xiaoqing was locked in a fierce battle with Zhen Longwei.

She unleashed her Ice Storm Strike technique towards him, hoping to freeze him in place.

Zhen Longwei barely dodged the icy blast, feeling a chill in his bones.

He looked at her with a mix of curiosity and disbelief.

"What? You are part of the Lin Clan? Then, what are you doing with that Wu Li brat? Why are you following him?" he asked, trying to understand her motives.

Lin Xiaoqing sneered and said, "I'm indeed part of the Lin Clan. What? Are you scared?"

She saw a flash of anger in his eyes and felt a surge of satisfaction.

Zhen Longwei roared, "How dare you look down on me, woman?!"

He used his Infernal Leap to close the distance between them and attacked using his Hellfire Blast.

He hoped to burn her with his flames, but she was not intimidated.

She blocked his attack with her sword, sparks flying from the clash.

Zhen Longwei asked in a furious tone, "Are you seriously going to go against the Eternal Flame Sect? Didn't the Three Great Clans say that they won't take a stance in the conflict between sects? Just for Wu Li?"

He couldn't believe that she would risk everything for a nobody like Wu Li.

Lin Xiaoqing shook her head and said, "I don't represent the Lin Clan. Although I am the only daughter of the Lin Clan's leader, I decided to follow him and leave my previous life behind."

She spoke with conviction and determination.

Zhen Longwei heard that and laughed mockingly, "Good, good! To think that you are so foolish! As the princess of the Lin Clan, you decided to follow a nobody!"

He tried to hide his envy of Wu Li.

On the Jiaolong Continent, there were very few women that are as beautiful as Lin Xiaoqing, and even fewer that are as talented.

He couldn't help but feel attracted to her, despite their differences.

He tried to persuade her, "If you become my wife, I will let you join our faction. You are a rare gem that deserves to be cherished by someone like me. You are extremely talented and have a stunning appearance. Don't waste your potential on Wu Li. He doesn't deserve you."

He hoped to sway her with his words, but she only scoffed.

She felt disgusted by his arrogance and lust.

She increased her attacks, hoping to end the fight quickly.

At the same time...

Li Yifan and Chen Zhihao were both Soul Palace Realm experts, but they were no match for Ye Sha. The young man had been fighting for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, and he was now on the verge of victory.

"Old dogs, to think that I had to spend the time it takes an incense stick to burn to defeat the two of you, you should be honored," Ye Sha taunted.

Li Yifan spat out a mouthful of blood. "Junior, don't you dare look down on us!" he said.

He turned to Chen Zhihao and said, "Brother Chen, if we don't burn our Blood Qi and Soul Essence, we will die. Let's attack with all of our might!"

Chen Zhihao nodded. "Yes, it's our only chance of survival. Otherwise, this punk will kill us."

The two men's auras surged as they prepared to unleash their most powerful attacks. Ye Sha's face fell. He knew that if Li Yifan and Chen Zhihao were able to burn their Blood Qi and Soul Essence, they would be a much greater threat.

"No!" he thought. "I can't let them waste such precious nutriments for my cultivation! I will kill them immediately, even if it might reveal my identity to everyone!"

Ye Sha channeled his Netherworld Fiendish Qi and unleashed a Heaven Grade technique, the Soul Devouring Claw. A massive claw made of black energy appeared in front of him, and he swung it down at Li Yifan and Chen Zhihao.

"Die!"

The Soul Devouring Claw cut through the air like a knife, and it landed on Li Yifan and Chen Zhihao with a thunderous explosion.

Boom! Boom!

The two men were instantly crushed, and their Blood Qi and Soul Essence were absorbed by Ye Sha.

Ye Sha didn't stop there. He used his Divine Sense to scan the area, and then he attacked the closest person to him.

Ye Sha used his Soul Chasing Wind movement technique and moved like a gust of wind as he appeared behind Wu Yang.

Wu Yang didn't have time to react before Ye Sha appeared behind him. Ye Sha channeled his Netherworld Fiendish Qi and unleashed a powerful attack.

Wu Yang screamed in agony as he was hit by the attack. He felt his body being crushed, and he knew that he was dying.

"Damn it!" he thought. "I can't believe I'm going to die like this!"

Ye Sha laughed maniacally as he watched Wu Yang die. "Punk, you didn't expect this sort of thing, did you?" he taunted. "Well, I hope your time in the afterlife is enjoyable."

"Don't worry, I will soon send Wu Li there so that the two sworn brothers will be reunited," Ye Sha continued. "Also, Wu Feng is already there. I hope when you two reunite, you will have a friendly chat about your lives."

Ye Sha laughed even louder as he imagined the two brothers meeting in the afterlife. He knew that they would be furious with him, and that made him even happier.

Boom! Boom!

Explosions could be heard as the Soul Devouring Claw completely crushed Wu Yang's body, and his Blood Qi flowed towards Ye Sha. However, Ye Sha was puzzled when he realized that there was no Soul Essence.

"What's going on?" he thought. "My Soul Devouring Claw should have crushed his body and let me devour his Soul Essence, as well as his Blood Qi."

Ye Sha soon got his answer when he saw a small white dot float from where Wu Yang's body had been. The dot floated towards Wu Li, and then it entered the Golden Soul Restoration Lamp.

Wu Li was alarmed when he saw that Wu Yang's soul had entered the Golden Soul Restoration Lamp.

He let his guard down for a moment, and Xu Long took advantage of this opportunity to attack.

Xu Long roared and slashed at Wu Li with his sword. Wu Li tried to dodge, but the sword was too fast. It cut a deep gash across Wu Li's chest, and blood began to pour out.

Xu Long laughed maniacally as he saw Wu Li fall to the ground, wounded. "Haha! Wu Li, you are dead! Who said you can be so careless?"

Xu Long was relieved that Wu Li had been careless for a moment, as Wu Li was too talented and had surprisingly been able to fight with him on even footing despite being in the middle stage Core Formation Realm.

Wu Li gritted his teeth in pain. He knew that he had been careless, and he vowed to make Xu Long pay for it. "Damn it! This is a really bad situation for me!"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Nine Revolutions Lotus Pill. He popped the pill into his mouth, and immediately he felt his body begin to heal.

In nine breaths, all of Wu Li's injuries had been miraculously healed. He looked up at Xu Long, his eyes filled with anger. "Xu Long," he said, "I will make you pay for this."

Wu Li turned to look at where Wu Yang had been standing, and his blood ran cold.

Wu Yang's body was crushed, and in its place was a towering figure of pure evil.

The figure's skin was gray and covered in intricate patterns. Its eyes blazed a fiery red, and its sharp claws extended from its twisted, gnarled limbs.

Liang Xia's voice trembled as he remembered an ancient tale, "Boy, Wu Feng is no longer human! He has been taken over by an Ancient Devil! The Ancient Devil killed Wu Yang's body!"

Wu Li felt a chill in his spine and asked, "Does he have anything to do with the calamity of the Jin Dynasty? And what are Ancient Devils?"

Liang Xia looked around nervously and whispered, "He must be connected to the devil attack in the Jin Dynasty. I used to think that a Demonic Beast was behind the chaos, but now I realize I was wrong."

"I once read a legend when I was still alive."

"It said that long ago, the Immortal Realm was a peaceful place, where beasts, humans, and other ancient races lived in harmony."

"But the Netherworld was different. It was a place of constant war and strife. And one of the most powerful force in the Netherworld was the Ancient Devil Race. They had incredible abilities that few races could match."

"They coveted the Immortal Realm and decided to invade it."

"The Immortal Realm was unprepared for the attack. They had not cultivated any outstanding talents for a long time. But the Netherworld had countless experts who were forged by blood and fire."

"The Ancient Devil Race found that the laws of the Immortal Realm suppressed their power, but they did not care. They slaughtered their way through the Immortal Realm, facing the resistance of the Heavenly Court, the Temple of Gods, the Ancient Races and many other mighty factions."

"But it was useless. The Ancient Devil Race was too strong. They pushed back the defenders of the Immortal Realm more and more."

"Until a true Sage appeared and turned the tide of the war. He gave the Immortal Realm enough time to recover and to train peerless geniuses."

[A/N: Not a Sage who is in the Mortal Extremity Realm. The title "Sage" in the Blue Sky Mortal Realm is not genuine, it's only a prefix, more information on why later.]

Liang Xia sighed and said, "But I don't know if this legend is true or not. I only found it in an old book when I was exploring some Secret Realms."

Wu Li's eyes sparkled with curiosity and awe, "Master… the Immortal Realm is so amazing!"

Liang Xia nodded, "Indeed it is. It is said that for every year that passes for a mortal, an Immortal lives for a thousand years."

[A/N: First of all, I want to thank everyone for voting the novel using Power Stones. The novel has over 100 Power Stones currently, which is really amazing.]

[A/N: Also, I will make a pool on our Discord Server where I will ask everyone how you guys want the story to continue: if you want everything in more detail, or if you want it to skip over useless fight scenes.]

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