Translator: CinderTL
"Me!?"
Zhan Feng was utterly shocked.
His own strength was only on par with "Senior Brother Luo," and it was only due to his extraordinary background as a member of the "Zhan family" that he could stand on equal footing with that Golden Core cultivator.
If he were to face Li Chunjun directly…
Without a moment's hesitation, the Golden Core cultivator quickly activated another Divine Shadow Talisman on his person.
As soon as this Tier 4 Talisman was activated, his sword-flying speed surged, showing signs of pulling away from Li Chunjun.
"Talisman."
Li Chunjun immediately discerned Zhan Feng's method.
The power of a talisman ultimately does not belong to the cultivator.
A Tier 4 Talisman, equivalent to a Nascent Soul cultivator, when used, not only lacks the flexibility of Nascent Soul Mystical Powers but also cannot compare to the sustained Qi of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
All he needed to do was hold out for a while, and the power of that Divine Shadow Talisman would be exhausted.
Moreover, he himself possessed quite a few Tier 4 Talismans, including several Tier 4 Law Suppression Talismans. If he used them, he could quickly nullify the power of Zhan Feng's Divine Shadow Talisman.
But doing so would inevitably require him to sacrifice his Essence Blood to empower his sword.
And the phenomenon of his life level increasing, which restored him to full condition, was something he did not want anyone to know about.
This involved the "Human Emperor Banner," which he regarded as the foundation of his path to immortality. No matter how much he trusted someone, he would never reveal even a hint of it.
To avoid arousing suspicion from Zhou Yuechen, who was traveling with him, he conveniently used the pursuit of Zhan Feng to distance himself.
With this thought, Li Chunjun transformed into a streak of light, closely following Zhan Feng.
In the distance, Zhou Yuechen, following his orders to intercept other fleeing cultivators, saw Li Chunjun chasing Zhan Feng and quickly disappearing into the distance. He hurriedly sent a Divine Sense message: "Do not pursue a desperate foe, Sword Prodigy, beware of traps!"
Unfortunately, he was too far from Li Chunjun, and with Li Chunjun's sword speed already on par with his own, at full burst, he soon vanished from Zhou Yuechen's perception.
For a moment, Zhou Yuechen could only follow while comforting himself—with the strength of Sword Prodigy Li, as long as he wasn't surrounded by dozens or even hundreds of Core Formation cultivators, there was nowhere in the world he couldn't go.
...
The two streaks of sword light, Zhan Feng and Li Chunjun, one after the other, traversed hundreds of miles in an instant.
Seeing Li Chunjun relentlessly pursuing but unable to catch up, Zhan Feng actually felt relieved.
With his fear gone, a thought emerged in his mind—to gather people and ambush Li Chunjun.
"Does he really think that becoming the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy means he can look down on everyone in the world? I'm already nearing the capital of the Great Shang Dynasty, and he still dares to chase me, completely disregarding all the Core Formation cultivators of our Chiyang Sword Sect!"
He sneered inwardly, though his eyes were filled with amusement.
A lone rider, arrogant and overconfident, right? That's exactly the kind of arrogance I need! Given Li Chunjun's status and potential, opportunities for him to be alone will become increasingly rare. In future actions, he will undoubtedly be accompanied by dozens of Core Formation cultivators from the Taixu Sword Sect for absolute security.
This time, he was immersed in the confidence of single-handedly defeating twelve Core Formation cultivators from our Chiyang Sword Sect…
To be precise, twenty-one Core Formation cultivators. He dared to chase me deep into the Great Shang Dynasty alone. If we don't seize this opportunity to keep him here forever, in the future, all the Core Formation cultivators of the Chiyang Sword Sect will likely live in his shadow.
Thinking of this, Zhan Feng quickly took out his Message Jade Talisman: "Senior Brother Zhou Wugou, Li Chunjun is pursuing me. I will try to keep him engaged and prevent him from escaping. Please bring reinforcements quickly! Also, bring plenty of Divine Shadow Talismans! Whether we can kill Li Chunjun, the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy who already possesses the might of a Sword Prodigy, depends on today!"
After sending the message, he swiftly contacted other Core Formation cultivators in the vicinity, summoning them to Xuanzhou and Lake Province to cut off Li Chunjun's retreat! Even if it required overwhelming him with numbers, they had to keep this increasingly terrifying Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy within the territory of the Chiyang Sword Sect.
"Hmm?"
After sending the message, Zhan Feng felt that Li Chunjun had closed the distance slightly.
He glanced back, only to find that the power of the Divine Shadow Talisman had been exhausted.
However...
He glanced at Li Chunjun behind him and chuckled, "Do you really think exhausting the power of one Divine Shadow Talisman will allow you to catch up? Who told you I only have one Divine Shadow Talisman?"
As a member of the Zhan family, even if he wasn't the most outstanding among them, having cultivated to the Golden Core stage, he still possessed several Tier 4 Talismans of various kinds.
He calmly took out a second Divine Shadow Talisman and activated it.
"Eat my dust."
He sneered.
But before his smile could fully spread, the power of the newly activated Divine Shadow Talisman seemed to be disrupted by a tremendous force, dissipating instantly.
That strange fluctuation...
"A Law Suppression Talisman!?"
Zhan Feng's expression changed, and he quickly activated a third Divine Shadow Talisman.
But as he activated the third talisman, the power of the Law Suppression Talisman struck again.
"Damn it!"
Panic finally appeared in Zhan Feng's eyes.
"So, what made you think that a Golden Core cultivator like you would have more Tier 4 Talismans than me, the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy?"
Li Chunjun spoke, even "glancing" at the two Tier 5 Talismans on his person that could serve as trump cards against Nascent Soul cultivators, as well as the three Minor Teleportation Talismans he kept for emergencies.
Talismans...
He truly wasn't lacking.
"Whoosh!"
A sword light pierced through the air!
As their Divine Senses clashed, Li Chunjun had already closed in behind Zhan Feng.
The Flaming Phoenix Chaos Scripture surged.
His mind burned like fire, and his Sword Intent erupted. In an instant, it seemed as though an ancient Flame Deity had stepped out of the void, its hand grasping across the heavens and earth, carrying a destructive fire that could make anyone who witnessed it tremble with fear.
"Ah!"
Zhan Feng roared.
His mental power condensed to its limit.
At the same time, a Mystic Treasure-level jade pendant on his body emitted a clear aura, combining with his mental power to instantly shatter the illusion of the Flame Deity.
The sky full of flames and the hand of destruction dissipated like an illusion.
But Li Chunjun's Scarlet Sky Sword, with a sharp whistle that tore through the void, was already upon him.
"Li Chunjun!" Zhan Feng tore apart another Tier 4 protective talisman on his body!
"Boom!"
The sword blade, carrying a blazing inferno, was blocked by the radiant light erupting from the talisman, unleashing an energy shockwave that reverberated through the heavens.
However, before he could catch his breath, Li Chunjun's powerful Divine Sense, combined with his keen perception, had already identified the flaw in the radiant light formed by the talisman.
The Scarlet Sky Sword, momentarily hindered, made a sharp turn in mid-air. In less than a hundred meters, the Flying Sword broke the sound barrier once again, and under the white shockwaves it created, the sword blade descended without the slightest hesitation.
"Bang!"
The protective radiance surrounding Zhan Feng's body shattered like a broken mirror, scattering in all directions.
The residual sharpness contained within the Scarlet Sky Sword continued unabated, shattering his protective magical artifact.
"No!"
Zhan Feng let out a desperate roar, but in the next instant, his body was pierced by the Scarlet Sky Sword.
The intense pain and the near loss of control over his body's blood and qi caused him to vomit a mouthful of crimson blood.
He wasn't dead!? Zhan Feng's eyes snapped open in shock.
When the Scarlet Sky Sword pierced his body, it didn't unleash its sword energy to reduce him to ashes, which meant…
He was still alive? But then, he sensed something else, and his face turned deathly pale.
"You… destroyed my Golden Core!?"
The Golden Core!
It was the new control center for a Core Formation cultivator.
It directly interacted with the conscious mind, replacing the subconscious to fully control the flow of essence, qi, and spirit within the body.
Now that his Golden Core was destroyed…
He could clearly feel his body's functions on the verge of losing control, even his heart seemed to stop beating, no longer delivering nutrients to every part of his body.
In a panic, Zhan Feng quickly used his divine sense to temporarily take over the role of the Golden Core, gradually regaining control of his body.
But even so, if he didn't consume a treasure like the Golden Core Pill in time and re-condense his Core Formation, death would still be his only fate.
"Whoosh!"
Li Chunjun intercepted Zhan Feng's storage bracelet, grabbed his body, and swiftly descended toward the forest below.
"Save me, save me!"
Zhan Feng's eyes were filled with the terror of impending death: "You destroyed my Golden Core but didn't kill me. I must still be useful to you, right? What do you want to know? I'll tell you everything! Save me, give me a Golden Core Pill, even a low-grade one will do!"
Li Chunjun ignored him and simply tossed him to the ground.
With a wave of his hand, the Scarlet Sky Sword hovered in front of him.
A Sword Cultivator!
Truly, his edge was unmatched!
The sharpness of his flying sword could even forcefully break through a fourth-grade protective talisman, its offensive power beyond doubt.
But the cost…
Was not small.
Forcing his way through a fourth-grade protective talisman and a top-tier protective magical artifact would require at least two to three months of recovery.
Truly, ten years of nurturing the sword, three seconds of battle.
However, he couldn't be bothered to spend months recuperating the Scarlet Sky Sword.
His essence blood condensed within him.
Soon, a flame that seemed to solidify into substance sprayed onto the Scarlet Sky Sword.
It was his Lifebound Essence Blood, imbued with pure power.
Zhan Feng, who had been pleading desperately, widened his eyes at the sight.
Li Chunjun's Lifebound Flying Sword…
Was it so severely damaged?
So much so that it required an Essence Blood Sacrifice to ensure the sword's spirit wasn't lost?
Was his previous strength all a facade?
Indeed!
No matter how you looked at it, Li Chunjun had only been cultivating for just over a year. How strong could he really be? His dominance on the battlefield with his flying sword was entirely due to his reckless disregard for the sword's damage, using a suicidal, all-or-nothing approach to fight Core Formation cultivators to the death.
What he relied on was nothing more than the Flaming Phoenix Power's ability to rise from the ashes.
This time…
It seemed he would have to expend another chance at rebirth.
But then, Zhan Feng thought of himself.
Li Chunjun had paid such a heavy price to capture and kill him, so…
What would happen to him next? In a moment of panic, Zhan Feng quickly pleaded, "Spare me, Sword Prodigy Li! I can tell you a huge secret, one that concerns your life and safety. If you let me go, I will reveal everything without holding back..."
Li Chunjun remained silent, focusing on his sword ritual.
Seeing this, Zhan Feng grew even more frantic, not even bothering to negotiate further. He hurriedly said, "My uncle... the sect master of the Chiyang Sword Sect has already contacted Elder Ge of the Xian Tian Sect. They plan to use your mother's Essence Blood as a catalyst to curse and kill you with a Curse Technique. If you spare me, I can help you return to the sect and destroy their ritual altar..."
"Whoosh!"
Before Zhan Feng could finish, Li Chunjun pointed his finger, and a sword qi pierced through his skull.
His incessant chatter came to an abrupt halt.
At the same time, Li Chunjun, who had been severely drained of Primal Qi, visibly began to recover.
(End of the Chapter)
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