From their first clash, it was clear that, though Ling Xiao was formidable, he was no match for the old man. If the attacks continued, defeating the young man wouldn’t take long.
With this in mind, the old man lightly touched his storage ring.
A faint black glow emanated from it, and a crow-headed staff, inlaid with strange gems, appeared in his hand.
As he waved the staff, a sinister, terrifying black aura spread before him, like the breath of death seeping from the underworld.
Ling Xiao felt a sudden chill, as if something was watching him.
“What a guy. This old thing’s soul force isn’t weak, but it’s still no match for mine!” Ling Xiao silently channelled his soul force, instantly dispelling the unsettling gloom.
But the soul attack was just the start. As the dark aura coalesced, it formed a massive black crow.
The crow, exuding biting cold, lunged at Ling Xiao with a shrill, terrifying cry that sent shivers down the spine.
Where it passed, plants on the ground withered.
“Brother Ling Xiao, be careful!” Dai Yaoling didn’t dare speak aloud, fearing she’d distract him. She could only pray silently.
Facing the attack, Ling Xiao took to the air.
Black-and-white light wings unfurled behind him, his body turning into a streak of light, vanishing into the void.
He didn’t use his full speed, though. If he did, the old man might lose him.
This tactic of luring the enemy couldn’t be overdone.
“Crafty kid. I heard you mastered a special technique to form wings. Didn’t think it was true, but it’s useless!” The old man pointed his staff upward, and the giant black crow chased Ling Xiao, moving slightly faster.
“Heh, let’s see where you escape to. I love this game of cat and mouse,” the old man sneered, confident he had full control.
Unbeknownst to him, Ling Xiao could easily evade his attack.
“Chance!” Seeing the old man drop his guard, Ling Xiao’s heart leapt.
The flaw he’d waited for had appeared.
Swoosh!
His speed surged. He dove toward the ground, the Sword of the Sun already formed in his hand.
The sixth layer of the Light and Shadow Sword Art could summon the Crimson Sun Calamity, a power not of man. It risked failure or self-injury.
But Ling Xiao had to use it now.
To kill a Three Talents Heaven warrior, he had no other choice.
Swish!
A beam of light shot down from the sky, striking Ling Xiao’s shoulder, instantly scorching it.
He grimaced but didn’t stop.
He knew the risks, or else he could summon the Crimson Sun Calamity at will.
The giant crow still pursued, but Ling Xiao’s speed was too great. Even in high-speed flight, he could form the Sword of the Sun and invoke the Calamity.
“What’s happening?” The old man’s face paled.
A massive light beam, dozens of times thicker than before, descended from the sky, pouring into the Sword of the Sun.
Ling Xiao aimed the sword at the old man.
The terrifying beam shot toward the Heavenly Justice Alliance’s Heaven Realm expert.
The old man, a seasoned warrior, sensed its power and fled in panic. The giant crow, uncontrolled, crashed into a hill, flattening it.
But such power was meaningless if it didn’t hit Ling Xiao.
“You can’t escape. Can your speed outrun light?” Ling Xiao, pale and sweating, grinned mockingly.
Thanks to the precise calculations of his Mountain and River Martial Soul, his first attempt at the Crimson Sun Calamity succeeded, though it cost him a minor injury.
Boom!
The terrifying beam engulfed the old man.
Ling Xiao was right; no speed could outrun light.
“Ah!” A piercing scream echoed from the beam, forcing Elixir Villa disciples to cover their ears.
When the light faded, the old man was charred, his aura faint.
Even his blood was dried by the intense heat.
“How? How can a Heavenly Vein warrior unleash an attack stronger than a Heaven Realm warrior?” The old man couldn’t comprehend it.
Did the alliance leader truly send him to die?
Terrified, he feared Ling Xiao would finish him.
Unbeknownst to him, Ling Xiao’s Heavenly Essence was nearly depleted after the Calamity, his body exhausted, likely unable to kill.
A lean camel is still bigger than a horse, and the old man wasn’t dead.
He fled desperately, transforming into a black crow, its feathers singed.
Thud!
After he left, Ling Xiao plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ground, leaving a crater.
His body was tough, so he wasn’t injured, but he was utterly drained.
“Brother Ling Xiao, are you okay?” Dai Yaoling rushed to help him up, too shocked to process that he’d nearly killed a Three Talents Heaven warrior despite his regressed cultivation.
“Let’s go! We can’t stay here!” Ling Xiao, exhausted, knew another such opponent would mean death.
The Crimson Sun Calamity’s power exceeded his expectations, sparing the Human King’s energy, which was good.
Using that energy on a Three Talents Heaven warrior would’ve been wasteful.
Dai Yaoling carried Ling Xiao, ordering the Elixir Villa disciples to retreat.
As they ran, the disciples were still in shock, unable to recover.
They’d seen much, but never a Mature Heavenly Vein warrior nearly kill a Three Talents Heaven warrior with one strike.
More astonishing, Ling Xiao could harness the power of the heavens, unbelievable.
Was this allowed by the Mysterious Realm’s laws?
No one would believe such a tale; it was too bizarre.
Days later, Dai Yaoling’s group reached Moonflower Sect.
Only then did Ling Xiao learn that the Heavenly Justice Alliance had declared war on the True Demon Empire. The alliance’s leader announced they were recruiting talents worldwide to fight foreign invaders.
