Chapter 2458: What I Slay Is Fate Itself
The desert formation world was destroyed, and the white mist in the lakeside garden of the Jifeng Saint Mansion dissipated, revealing a series of pavilions and towers.
The Ten Netherworld Shuras stepped through the mansion's walls, their feet pressing down on the densely packed Great Saint inscriptions covering the ground, encircling Wuma Jiuxing at the center.
One after another, talismans rose at the edges of the Saint Mansion, interweaving into a spiderweb-like pattern of talisman marks, sealing off this space.
The one controlling the talismans was Wu Sha, one of the Ten Shuras.
She was draped in a wide black robe, with thick, jet-black hair, but had no body. Within the black robe was only a mass of mist and a pair of blood-red eyes.
With the concealment of the multi-layered spatial scroll and the formation gone, the Saintly Might erupting from the Jifeng Saint Mansion immediately alarmed the entire Goddess City. Countless cultivators of lower cultivation realms couldn't help but tremble and kneel to the ground.
The Goddess Pavilion, located at the center of Goddess City, was a continuous stretch of palaces and gardens.
A place usually bustling with activity fell into utter silence in an instant.
Whether they were distinguished guests seeking pleasure at the Goddess Pavilion or the beautiful women within, all felt the ten waves of deathly power emanating from the Ten Netherworld Shuras, like the chill of winter, penetrating their entire bodies.
Ghost Lord's Fifth Son, Ling, pushed open the carved purple-wood window and looked towards the direction of the Jifeng Saint Mansion.
He saw that the area was covered by eight hundred gleaming talismans, wrapped into a bowl shape.
Ling's heart shook violently. He murmured, "The Ten Netherworld Shuras of the Death God Palace have all been dispatched at once. Unheard of, utterly unheard of..."
"Are the Ten Netherworld Shuras very powerful? Can they compare to Yan Huangtu and Wujiang, or a top expert like Zhang Ruochen?" a Half-Saint beauty beside him asked curiously.
A hint of mockery appeared in Ling's eyes. "Your insight is too shallow. You only see the cultivators on the Heaven Hunting Battlefield. You don't realize they are merely the most outstanding representatives of this millennium. A millennium is still too short a time for a Great Saint."
The lifespan of a human Half-Saint was only two or three hundred years.
The Half-Saints of the Undying Blood Clan and the Rakshasa Clan lived a bit longer, but it was hard for them to exceed five hundred years.
With the age and cultivation of a Half-Saint, naturally, they could only see and hear about figures from within a thousand years. This Half-Saint beauty didn't even know Ling's identity or cultivation level, only that he was an extraordinary figure.
Morning mushrooms know not the dusk, mayflies know not the seasons.
"The Yan Huangtu and Wujiang you speak of would need to cultivate for another five hundred years before they might even qualify to cross hands with the Ten Netherworld Shuras. Zhang Ruochen... he is a master of time, perhaps he would be faster."
Although Ling's own cultivation had reached the Supreme Realm, his expression was still extremely grave when mentioning the Ten Netherworld Shuras.
The Ten Netherworld Shuras were cultivated by the Death God Palace with countless resources, born solely for slaughter. On the Merit Battlefield, they were beings that struck fear into the hearts of the Great Saints of the Heavenly Court Myriad Realms.
Even just one of them would be hard to find an opponent below the Divine Realm.
The Ten Shuras acting together was an unimaginable event.
"Wuma Jiuxing can indeed be considered the representative figure of this Eon in the Dark World. Unfortunately, he made a fatal mistake. How could the authority of the Destiny Temple be challenged? If he weren't injured, he might have had a chance to escape. But now... he has only one path: break through to the Divine Realm and cross the Divine Tribulation. Yet, what are the chances of successfully crossing the tribulation while injured?"
Ling shook his head gently, sighing for Wuma Jiuxing.
Wuma Jiuxing was a powerhouse who dared to declare war on the Destiny Temple, possessing a courage that other Supreme Realm Great Saints lacked, and a will to challenge the impossible.
One slash breaks the Eternal, one slash faces Destiny.
He was a man of great will who had cultivated the Way of the Blade to its extreme.
Even if he fell today, he would surely be remembered by many cultivators. Just that sharp, unstoppable spirit of his, that fighting spirit that refused to bow to destiny, already made Ling feel inferior.
...
Bai Qinger led the saints of the Jifeng Saint Mansion away at the first opportunity, not getting trapped inside by the Ten Netherworld Shuras.
Shang Yue's face was as pale as paper. "Master, what do we do now? Why have the Ten Netherworld Shuras come to Goddess City? Could it be..."
She wanted to say, could it be that they would also destroy the Goddess Pavilion on Ice King Star?
But the words caught in her throat, and she didn't say them out loud.
The other Great Saints present had similar worries, their hearts feeling heavy.
The appearance of the Ten Netherworld Shuras was more terrifying than being besieged by a million Saintly Army.
Although the Death Black Robe High Priest had a close relationship with the Goddess Pavilion, the Death God Palace was not solely under the High Priest's control. For the Ten Netherworld Shuras to be dispatched together was most likely a direct order from a certain deity of the Death God Palace.
Bai Qinger said, "Don't focus your attention here. Capturing Zhang Ruochen is the real priority. Shang Xia, go to the Goddess Pavilion immediately and have all formation masters and Spiritual Power Saint Masters mobilize. Activate the formations, Great Saint inscriptions, and Divine Marks within Goddess City. No cultivator is allowed to leave the city."
"The rest of you, search the entire city for Zhang Ruochen."
"Yes!"
The assembled cultivators responded in unison.
...
...
Inside the Jifeng Saint Mansion.
Wuma Jiuxing held his bronze war blade. Man and blade were one, blade and heaven were one, heaven and earth were one, earth and man were one.
Man, blade, heaven, and earth—four in one.
At this moment, it was as if he were not injured. His aura climbed to its peak. The sun, moon, and stars revolved around him. He was like a deity, becoming the heart of a star, the heart of heaven and earth.
"Excellent. Your blood and souls will serve to re-sharpen the edge of Yingtian." Wuma Jiuxing's aura surged again.
Yingtian was the name of the blade in his hand.
Greeting the heavens, breaking the sun and moon, severing the Eternal.
The Way of the Blade was not an Eternal Path, but in Wuma Jiuxing's view, every blade cultivator should have the determination and confidence to sever the Eternal.
If the Eternal is not broken, how can new rules be established?
"Gate of Destiny!"
"Gate of Destiny!"
"Gate of Destiny!"
...
Voices rang out as the Ten Shuras acted simultaneously.
Around Wuma Jiuxing, one Gate of Destiny after another materialized, radiating dazzling brilliance.
The ten Gates of Destiny, each beam of light, was a Destiny Rule.
Countless billions of Destiny Rules surged into Wuma Jiuxing's Absolute Rule Domain, crushing the Blade Dao Rules, seeking to destroy all his Blade Dao.
A thousand zhang, nine hundred zhang, eight hundred zhang...
...
Two hundred zhang, one hundred zhang...
Wuma Jiuxing's thousand-zhang Absolute Rule Domain was continuously dismantled. The light of destiny was about to shine upon him, surging into his body.
"Accept the judgment of destiny! Under the illumination of destiny's light, all rebels shall be punished." Yu Sha's twelve wings spread wide. Reflected by the Gate of Destiny behind him, each divine feather became even whiter.
They were like forged silver, as if washed by light.
Wuma Jiuxing looked up to the sky and laughed heartily. "Judge me? Have I done anything wrong? How many Heavenly Court Great Saints have I slain on the Merit Battlefield? You want to kill me, but it's just to salvage the face of the Destiny Temple. The weak are prey to the strong—I accept that. But don't pin false charges on me. If you anger me, I'll kill anyone."
The bronze war blade erupted with a blinding azure light, and the rust on the blade fell off instantly.
Under the illumination of the Ten Shuras' ten Gates of Destiny, any other Supreme Realm Great Saint would have become no different from a mortal, utterly incapable of resistance.
But Wuma Jiuxing's battle intent was like a rainbow. He roared, "Kill! What I slay is fate itself!"
He raised his war blade. The azure blade light broke through the light of destiny, slashing towards Yu Sha.
Yu Sha clasped his hands together, channeling the divine power of the half Divine Source within him. A white ocean of Radiant Divine Power surged beneath his feet.
At the same time, the Divine Star Soul behind him condensed into a massive divine shadow, like a true deity descending, meeting Wuma Jiuxing's peerless slash.
"Pfft!"
Wuma Jiuxing's blade was unstoppable. It cleaved through the divine shadow, broke through the ocean of divine power, and landed on Yu Sha's head.
Yu Sha's physical body had been nurtured by a False God's divine power for tens of thousands of years, incredibly tough.
But as the blade light descended, it was instantly split in two.
The divine corpse was torn apart.
Even Yu Sha's Divine Star Soul was extinguished by the single slash.
"Divine Might! A deity has descended upon Goddess City!"
"Heavens! I saw the true form of a deity—it's a twelve-winged angel!"
...
The cultivators in Goddess City all saw the divine shadow formed by Yu Sha's Divine Star Soul and felt the immense Divine Might. Thinking it was a deity descending, they knelt and kowtowed.
But the "deity" only appeared for an instant before being slain by a single slash.
Yu Sha's fall shocked all parties. The higher the cultivator's cultivation, the more horrified they were.
One Gate of Destiny dimmed!
It wasn't that Yu Sha was weak. In fact, with his cultivation, he could roam the universe. With no deities appearing, almost no cultivator could kill him. Unfortunately, he had encountered the world's number one, Wuma Jiuxing.
Wuma Jiuxing's roar sounded again: "Kill! What I slay is fate itself!"
A blade light shot up into the sky, causing the entire Goddess City to tremble.
The blade light shattered the talismans suppressing the space of the Jifeng Saint Mansion, broke through the clouds and sky, pierced the atmosphere of Ice King Star, and flew all the way into the cosmos.
A second Gate of Destiny dimmed!
"Kill! What I slay is fate itself!"
The roar sounded again, its momentum like a rainbow.
This shout was to boost his own momentum and, at the same time, strengthen his own will.
Destiny cannot be defied, but I will slay it nonetheless.
A third Gate of Destiny dimmed. Another Shura had fallen.
The eight hundred talismans controlled by Wu Sha were all shattered, turning into dust.
The Jifeng Saint Mansion was in ruins, filled with all kinds of chaotic forces, among which the power of the Blade Dao was the strongest.
Fortunately, the formation masters and Spiritual Power Saint Masters of the Goddess Pavilion had all been mobilized, activating the city's Dao Locks, formations, and inscriptions, confining the aftermath of the battle within a certain range.
"Kill! What I slay is fate itself!"
Wuma Jiuxing's roar shook the buildings near the Jifeng Saint Mansion, turning them all to ashes.
His war blade swung out, breaking Jin Sha's one hundred and eight thousand Buddhist characters, severing his body in two.
Blade Dao rules destroyed all his soul spirits.
The two halves of the Buddhist body became lifeless, cold as iron blocks.
Four consecutive slashes, four consecutive Shuras slain.
The Great Saints who could see the battle within the Saint Mansion were all terrified and horrified, their hearts seemingly about to shatter from fear.
"Below the Divine Realm, besides Zhuo Yunong, is there any cultivator who can take one slash from Wuma Jiuxing and not die?" a Great Saint asked in a trembling voice.
"When Wuma Jiuxing fought Zhuo Yunong, he didn't use a war weapon, while Zhuo Yunong used a Supreme Sacred Artifact. If, in that battle, Wuma Jiuxing had used his war blade, could Zhuo Yunong have taken seven slashes from him?"
"It is said that Wuma Jiuxing's blade cannot be used lightly. Once used, it will not stop until it has drunk its fill of blood and souls."
"What if it can't drink its fill of blood and souls?"
"It will devour its master's own blood and soul! It is said that Wuma Jiuxing, to avoid being controlled by this blade, has long since abandoned its use."
"Even Wuma Jiuxing couldn't master it and had to abandon it. This blade is truly terrifying, comparable to the Asura Sword!"
...
As the Great Saints discussed, the fifth Gate of Destiny dimmed.
Yan Yu and Fu Xiangnu were the two most powerful Great Saints below the Divine Realm of the Yama Clan, ranking extremely high on the Destiny Temple's "Divine Reserve Scroll" and the Heavenly Court's "Red Dust Peerless List."
At this moment, they stood on the tower of Goddess City's city wall.
Yan Yu held the Dark Heavenly Mechanism Umbrella, one hand behind his back, his gaze deep and profound. "The Dark World has produced an extraordinary figure. Wuma Jiuxing is stronger than I imagined. The Ten Netherworld Shuras cannot kill him. Now, it's our turn to act."
"Why should we get involved? Let the Destiny Temple and Wuma Jiuxing fight to mutual destruction. I think that's fine." Fu Xiangnu wore a blue crystal veil, holding a long crystal bow in her jade-white hand.
Yan Yu said, "The Destiny Temple exists for a reason. It is because of it that the Ten Clans of Hell can coexist peacefully, preventing internal strife that the Heavenly Court Myriad Realms could exploit."
"Now that the Jade Emperor Realm has opened and the deities have all left, the situation is delicate. The sudden appearance of this uncertain factor, Wuma Jiuxing, seems too suspicious."
"You suspect it's a scheme of the Heavenly Court?" Fu Xiangnu's eyes beneath the veil showed a hint of surprise.
Yan Yu said, "It's not just my suspicion; the deities of our clan suspect it too. Wuma Jiuxing originally didn't have the talent to become the representative figure of this Eon. After disappearing for over two hundred years, he suddenly possesses the strength to represent this Eon. That in itself is strange."
"So, he is a pawn on the surface, used to attract everyone's attention?" Fu Xiangnu said.
Yan Yu nodded. "It's not necessarily the case. But some deities have already sensed an unusual aura. It seems a major event is about to occur in the Hell Realm. Since a storm is brewing, all unstable factors must be eliminated. Regardless of whether Wuma Jiuxing is a pawn of the Heavenly Court, he must be killed first. That's the meaning, right?"
"Exactly. No matter how outstanding a person is, they can be sacrificed for the greater good. At any other time, I would very much like to have a fair and just battle with a powerhouse like Wuma Jiuxing." Yan Yu shook his head gently, his emotions not fluctuating much.
Fu Xiangnu raised her crystal bow, her slender, graceful fingers slowly drawing the bowstring.
"Ssss."
The rules of heaven and earth, like countless threads, converged onto her bowstring, condensing into a semi-transparent arrow.
The moment the Rule Arrow was aimed at Wuma Jiuxing, he immediately sensed it.