Translator: CinderTL
"He's here!"
"Hold steady!"
"Don't let his Sword Intent shake your mind! Kill!"
"You want to kill me? I'll kill you first! Hahaha, perish!"
The Sword Intent surged!
In an instant, three True Core cultivators roared and charged out of the formation to engage in battle! Almost immediately after they were influenced by the Sword Intent and left the formation, the battle formation faltered, and Li Chunjun's attack followed swiftly.
"Boom!"
It was as if a comet had struck the earth!
Intense light and flames, like a blazing sun, completely enveloped the formation of ten Core Formation cultivators!
A vast, overwhelming energy spread! The three True Core cultivators who had drawn their swords to fight were instantly killed upon contact with Li Chunjun, their heads pierced by the impossibly fast Scarlet Sky Sword, or their bodies torn apart by the erupting Sword Qi and Sword Aura.
The remaining force of the attack slammed into a Golden Core cultivator who was trying to reorganize the formation. A storm of scorching Sword Qi, capable of incinerating everything in its path, surged toward him!
Even though the Golden Core cultivator's body immediately radiated countless streams of light, intercepting the Sword Qi, as the intercepted and shattered Sword Qi recombined into new waves, he could only watch helplessly as his body was pierced and torn apart by the relentless Sword Qi! "Elder Huo!"
Another Golden Core cultivator let out a furious cry.
"Form the formation! Form the formation!"
A True Core cultivator shouted in panic.
They knew all too well that only by maintaining the formation could they stand a chance against this monster whose combat prowess rivaled that of the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy!
No! Not even stand a chance!
They could only hope to hold out until reinforcements arrived! But alas…
Knowing was one thing; being able to execute it was another.
The enemy was never a stationary target, and plans often fell apart in the face of reality.
They had underestimated the strength of Li Chunjun's Sword Intent, underestimated the sharpness of the Scarlet Sky Sword, and overestimated the synergy of their ten-man formation.
As a result, the advantage of the battle formation was never fully utilized, and Li Chunjun's Sword Intent had already seized the initiative, breaking through their defenses head-on!
In an instant, three True Core cultivators and one Golden Core cultivator fell, and the interconnected energy of the formation shattered!
In a single clash! In just one clash, the formation was utterly destroyed! With the formation broken, Li Chunjun's sword turned sharply, carrying a Sword Intent that could sweep through heaven and earth and annihilate all life, as he charged toward the second Golden Core cultivator.
In his panic, the Golden Core cultivator threw out all his defensive Magical Artifacts and Talismans, creating a torrent of Mystical Arts that surged toward the Scarlet Sky Sword.
But just as the Scarlet Sky Sword was about to be engulfed by this torrent of Mystical Arts, the sword's blade shifted again!
Although the Starry Sky Profound Crystal had not yet been fully refined, the Scarlet Sky Sword had already gained a level of flexibility far beyond that of ordinary Mystic Treasure-grade Flying Swords.
It turned mid-air, accelerated suddenly, and effortlessly evaded the torrent of attacks and Talismans, shooting toward another True Core cultivator.
The True Core cultivator desperately gathered his defensive Arcane Arts, but under the pressure of the Sword Intent, the spells trembled violently, barely holding together.
"Bang!"
The light of the Scarlet Sky Sword struck the defensive spell, which had not even reached 60% of its full power, and completely shattered it!
Energy scattered in all directions!
The True Core cultivator had no time to reinforce his defenses before the Scarlet Sky Sword pierced through his skull!
Moreover, the Scarlet Sky Sword that had pierced through his head instantly flew several miles away, then executed a "U"-shaped maneuver, making a massive turn before hurtling towards another True Core cultivator.
The moment he was locked by the Sword Intent, this True Core Realm cultivator crumbled.
He roared, unleashing all his Qi, pouring it into his Protective Magical Artifact. Violent energy ripples spread out in waves, all in an effort to erect the strongest shield possible.
However, this reckless infusion of Qi created "visible" flaws in the connections between these ripples.
The Scarlet Sky Sword, having just completed its massive maneuver, suddenly accelerated once more.
This change in speed allowed it to penetrate through the gaps in the Qi nodes of the Protective Magical Artifact, piercing the True Core cultivator's head and continuing through his body, then shooting towards the Golden Core cultivator who had just unleashed all his Talismans and protective Arcane Arts to form a torrent of Mystical Arts!
He "saw" the Scarlet Sky Sword roaring towards him.
But...
It was too late! All his Arcane Arts and Talismans had just been thrown out in a frenzy.
There was no time to cast new spells now.
As for the insignificant Protective Magical Artifact on his body, he didn't believe for a second that it could withstand the unstoppable edge of the Scarlet Sky Sword, which could slay gods and buddhas alike.
In this situation, he could only watch helplessly as the Scarlet Sky Sword, after making a huge turn and killing two True Core cultivators, descended from the sky once more, sweeping past him.
"No!"
Faintly, a cry of unwillingness and terror seemed to echo in the air, coming from his old friend.
Along with it was the most desperate, the most correct...
But seemingly already too late command.
Run! Run fast!...
"Sword Prodigy!"
A dozen breaths later, Zhou Yuechen arrived before Li Chunjun, his face filled with fervor.
"Tally the battlefield."
Li Chunjun ordered directly.
Then he glanced around: "No news from Jiang Yuxue and the others?"
"Not yet."
"Tell them to hurry up. Also, have Jun Zhou, Yi Feng, and the others entered Xuanzhou yet? If they have, have them disperse and search for any possible Core Formation cultivators of the Chiyang Sword Sect."
Li Chunjun spoke quickly.
"Jun Zhou, Yi Feng... they... haven't reached Lake Province of Great Shang yet."
Zhou Yuechen said.
"Not yet?"
Li Chunjun frowned: "So slow?"
"Normal True Core cultivators, to ensure combat readiness, even when traveling, keep their Sword Flight speed below the speed of sound. They usually cover about fifteen hundred miles in an hour... From the East Province command center to Lake Province, it's over three thousand miles... Even normal flight would take more than two hours, and they also need time to gather their forces, so..."
Zhou Yuechen's voice involuntarily lowered.
Three or four hours? If they arrive in three or four hours, there won't even be a battlefield left to clean up.
"Forget it."
Li Chunjun had originally planned to deal with the Core Formation cultivators of the Chiyang Sword Sect who were coming to "encircle" them first, but now... "I'll head to the capital of Great Shang. You stay here, tally the spoils, and rendezvous with Jun Zhou and the others. Once everyone is gathered, march towards the capital together!"
Li Chunjun quickly instructed.
"The capital!?"
Zhou Yuechen's expression changed: "There are over thirty Core Formation cultivators there, including Zhou Wu Gou, a true disciple..."
"Just lambs to the slaughter."
Li Chunjun said, then took to the skies on his sword, soaring into the clouds.
Zhou Yuechen wanted to persuade, but recalling how Li Chunjun had effortlessly crushed the battle formation of ten Core Formation cultivators just moments ago...
"The Sword Prodigy... seems to have grown stronger again?"
He was inwardly shocked and couldn't help but glance at Li Chunjun's figure as he swiftly departed on his sword.
He quickly confirmed it.
It wasn't just a feeling!
He had indeed grown stronger! This speed of sword flight...
It seemed even faster than his own!? Incredible!
Unbelievable! Could there truly be such a powerhouse in the world, growing stronger with each battle until reaching the pinnacle?
Moreover...
In less than half a year, their Sword Prodigy had already slain over thirty Core Formation cultivators from the Chiyang Sword Sect! If this continued for a few more years, wouldn't all the Core Formation cultivators of the Chiyang Sword Sect be wiped out!?
And once the Chiyang Sword Sect's Core Formation cultivators were all killed, how strong would their Sword Prodigy become!? With this fervent thought, Zhou Yuechen quickly began to assess the battlefield.
He was eager to rush to the capital at the fastest speed possible, to join the Sword Prodigy in expanding their territory and carving out the tenth state of Taixu!
...
Li Chunjun's sword flight was extremely swift.
In an instant, he had already covered hundreds of miles.
It was only then that Jiang Yuxue's message finally arrived: "Sword Prodigy, we recently detected traces of a battle formation composed of nine Core Formation cultivators. However... it seems they weren't trying to cut off our retreat, but rather... they were rushing at full speed towards the capital of Great Shang, likely to rendezvous with Zhou Wu Gou and others coming from the capital."
She also sent a location.
And estimated the possible route those nine Core Formation cultivators might take to retreat to the Great Shang capital.
Li Chunjun glanced at it.
It seemed these people had already received news from the ten Core Formation cultivators he had just defeated.
A battle formation of ten was simply no match for his interception.
So, they were retreating.
But...
It wouldn't be that easy.
He responded succinctly: "I'll intercept. You find Zhou Yuechen. Meet at the capital."
With that, he slightly adjusted his direction and flew straight towards the location Jiang Yuxue had provided.
His sword speed surged, reaching twice the speed of sound without reservation.
This speed took a significant toll on his Essence Qi and Qi reserves.
However, as the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy, he carried not only various talismans but also numerous elixirs and miraculous pills.
Among them were high-grade pills that could quickly restore Essence Qi and Qi.
He didn't hesitate to consume a handful of them, disregarding the potential Pill Toxin, and maintained this extreme speed. Within a few hundred miles, nine streaks of light, each separated by dozens of miles, appeared within his Divine Sense.
But almost as soon as he sensed them, these nine Core Formation cultivators, instead of banding together to face him, scattered in all directions, fleeing in panic.
Especially...
They seemed to have detected his presence even earlier.
That was why the nine of them had hastily dispersed across dozens of miles.
"My Divine Sense extends up to eighty-two miles. How could they have detected me before I sensed them?"
Li Chunjun was puzzled.
Then, as if struck by a thought, he remembered something.
The Chiyang Sword Sect possessed a powerful Mystic Treasure, possibly even a Spirit Treasure, known as the Mirror of All Beings.
It was said that this treasure could not only reflect the presence of every Core Formation cultivator within the Chiyang Sword Sect's territory but also reveal Qi Refining cultivators under its scan, leaving no one hidden.
There was a high probability that they had already used that item and locked onto his location.
Li Chunjun's gaze was indifferent.
It was foreseeable that if he continued to pursue them, he would inevitably fall into a trap.
But...
Was a trap set by over fifty Core Formation Cultivators even considered a trap!? "The capital of Great Shang."
Li Chunjun silently repeated this phrase in his mind.
He had never been there.
But that didn't stop him from learning about the city through television.
Magnificent, extravagant, and opulent.
The wealthy and powerful were countless.
Luxury cars worth millions roamed the streets.
Mansions worth tens of millions or even hundreds of millions were everywhere.
For many people, the cost of a bottle of wine, a meal, or a night of entertainment was more than his sister could earn in a lifetime, even if she worked twelve hours a day, 365 days a year without rest.
Even if he and his sister saved every penny they earned in a year, it wouldn't be enough to buy a single square meter in that city.
But now...
It didn't matter anymore.
"Whoosh!"
Li Chunjun transformed into a streak of light with his Sword Flight, chasing after one of the Golden Core Cultivators.
Not a single one of them would escape!
(End of the Chapter)
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