Chapter 475 - 349: A Nameless Heart Fire Ignites
The tiger was about thirty feet long and its entire body was luminous. As it moved forward, the brown and white markings on its fur grew more distinct, and the "king" character on its forehead became increasingly clear. Its long tail swayed gently, and even the low growl rumbling in its throat sounded just like a real beast’s.
With each deliberate step the White Tiger took, its aura grew stronger, continuously accumulating the Heavenly Domain Star Power that rained down from above.
This was just like the Bow-holding Nascent Soul’s technique. The only difference was that the Bow-holding Nascent Soul Cultivator gathered Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, while the White Tiger Star Aspect summoned by Fang Qingyuan gathered the Power of the Stars.
This was the Western White Tiger Star Constellation Divine Image. Within the Three Palaces and Four Domains, the Western Region was the White Tiger Star Realm. It channeled the Geng and Xin Qi and governed weapons, peril, war, slaughter, and calamity. It also possessed the spiritual power to intimidate evil and subjugate demonic entities.
This kind of Evil Power would deliver a powerful blow to the Bow-holding Nascent Soul’s own spirit.
This was the main reason Fang Qingyuan had chosen this particular Star Constellation Divine Image.
Fang Qingyuan saw the Bow-holding Nascent Soul Cultivator brazenly drawing his bow and gathering power. If the attack was unleashed, it would surely be earth-shattering. If it was aimed at Chu Hongshang, that might be fine, but if it targeted Yuan Duo, Fang Qingyuan didn’t believe she had any way to withstand such a blow.
Yuan Duo had come to help after Lechuan petitioned the Hu Family’s old ancestor. It was best if nothing happened to her. Fang Qingyuan knew he was no match for the Bow-holding Nascent Soul Cultivator, but the most critical time for an archer was while drawing their bow. That was the opening Fang Qingyuan planned to exploit.
As the White Tiger Star Aspect’s baleful, evil intent locked onto the Bow-holding Nascent Soul, Fang Qingyuan could clearly see the Cultivator’s previously relaxed and carefree expression turn into a deep frown.
A single White Tiger Star Aspect, while formidable, was still within the confines of the Golden Core Realm. However, the Bow-holding Nascent Soul discovered that the Star Power on this tiger was increasing without end. Its Cultivation and Magical Power started at the Early-stage Golden Core, but as the tiger took a step, it instantly became Mid-stage Golden Core. With another step, it reached Late-stage Golden Core.
A new realm in an instant, a new level with each step!
Now, having taken three steps since it first appeared, the White Tiger Star Aspect’s cultivation was nearly identical to that of a Late-stage Golden Core demonic beast.
Seeing that the White Tiger Star Aspect was about to take a fourth step, the Bow-holding Nascent Soul could no longer remain composed.
He couldn’t just watch the White Tiger continue to amass power, so he released the arrow.
A clap of thunder echoed in the clear sky as the arrow shot forth, transforming into a streak of light that tore through the air. It crossed dozens of miles in a flash, appearing before its target in an instant.
And the target was Fang Qingyuan.
Fortunately, the vast distance gave Fang Qingyuan a sliver of time to react. His figure instantly transformed into a swirling torrent of Five-Colored Divine Light, shifting three miles to the side before coming to a stop.
"An Escape Technique!?"
The Bow-holding Nascent Soul couldn’t help but cry out in alarm upon seeing this. ’What a cursed day,’ he thought. Escape Divine Techniques were rarely seen for years on end, yet today he had witnessed two, and one of the users was merely at the Golden Core Stage.
A person who could master an Escape Divine Technique during the Golden Core Stage was truly one in a thousand—and that was one in a thousand Golden Core Cultivators.
His alarm was followed by a cold sneer. Just as the One-armed Nascent Soul had said, of all the techniques in the world, Escape Techniques were supreme. However, their cost was also immense. ’After a single use,’ he mused, ’this Golden Core Cultivator must be drained of both qi and blood. Can he possibly use it a second time?’
At that moment, the White Tiger Star Aspect took its fourth step. Its cultivation had risen to the Golden Core Peak, but an insurmountable gulf still separated it from the Nascent Soul realm.
Without experiencing the epiphany of Nascent Soul Transformation, simply accumulating Star Power would never be enough for the White Tiger to cross the threshold into the Nascent Soul realm.
Seeing this, the Bow-holding Nascent Soul felt a little more at ease. He realized that he had just allowed the tiger to disrupt his state of mind, leading to a miscalculation. ’Indeed, this White Tiger’s Evil Power cannot be underestimated,’ he thought.
But now that he had seen through the White Tiger Star Aspect’s potential, the Bow-holding Nascent Soul Cultivator felt his confidence return. He had complete faith in the One-armed Nascent Soul. ’Since this insignificant Golden Core Cultivator dares to provoke me, I’ll just kill this insolent fool first.’
With this in mind, the Bow-holding Nascent Soul Cultivator plucked his bowstring. This time, thousands of light arrows erupted, all shooting toward the White Tiger Star Aspect. At the same time, he took flight, speeding toward Fang Qingyuan’s position.
After all, the distance between the Bow-holding Nascent Soul and Fang Qingyuan was too great. Although he specialized in long-range attacks and preferred not to close the distance with his enemies, that rule applied to fellow Nascent Soul Cultivators. Against a mere Golden Core, he wanted to end the fight quickly.
...
Fang Qingyuan’s figure emerged from the Five-Colored Light. His complexion was unchanged, showing no sign of discomfort from using the Five-Colored Divine Escape.
When he had first awakened this Divine Technique, he had verified that a single use of this Escape Technique would consume at least ten years of his lifespan. The Bow-holding Nascent Soul’s assumption wasn’t wrong; even if an ordinary Cultivator awakened an Escape Divine Technique, they couldn’t use it lightly.
But Fang Qingyuan was different. He had the Immortal Mansion.
At this moment, the Immortal Mansion within his Golden Core began to release a massive amount of pure primordial qi, pouring it into Fang Qingyuan’s Golden Core. The energy consumed by the Five-Colored Divine Light Escape Technique he had just used was fully replenished in just a breath or two.
Ordinarily, even with the Immortal Mansion’s replenishment, Fang Qingyuan wouldn’t have recovered so quickly. However, during his previous Core Formation, he had elevated his Innate Primordial Qi Divine Technique, transforming it into the Immortal Mansion Sun.
This meant that the process of converting the primordial qi he consumed—which previously required him to personally use the Qi Eating Technique taught by Lechuan to gather the Immortal Mansion’s impure qi and slowly refine it into Innate Primordial Qi—was now completely replaced by this great sun.
A Cultivation Technique was no match for a Divine Technique. This great sun was the final fusion of Fang Qingyuan’s own Innate Primordial Qi Divine Technique, the Qi Eating Technique, and a burst of spiritual insight during his Core Formation.
Therefore, what once required Fang Qingyuan to divide his attention and actively manage had now become instinctual. As long as the Immortal Mansion had sufficient primordial qi, Fang Qingyuan could use his various Divine Techniques wantonly, without fear of depleting his Innate Primordial Qi.
Of course, it was still best not to use such a Divine Technique if he could avoid it. Just that one use of the Five-Colored Divine Light had caused the concentration of Spiritual Power within the Immortal Mansion to drop by a visible degree.
The Spirit Grass seedlings that had been growing robustly now appeared slightly wilted, and the insects, birds, and beasts had all become somewhat listless.
If he used it a few more times, the Spirit Land Grade within the Immortal Mansion would inevitably be downgraded. Once its grade fell, raising it again would take an unknown number of years.
Destruction was always easier than creation. The process of the great sun extracting the Immortal Mansion’s primordial qi was anything but gentle, and the experience of having that qi drawn from the bodies of the mansion’s living creatures was anything but pleasant.
Fang Qingyuan narrowed his eyes, watching the Bow-holding Nascent Soul Cultivator rush toward him at lightning speed. Thoughts raced through his mind. In the next instant, Heavenly Domain Star Power rained down from above him, gradually forming into three spiritual figures.
These were the Three-Star Dharma Aspects: the Eastern Cyan Dragon, the Northern Xuanwu, and the Southern Vermilion Bird.
All three star aspects emerged at once, surrounding Fang Qingyuan protectively. The cultivation of each one surged to the level of Late-stage Golden Core.
At the same time, within the Celestial Domain high above his Immortal Mansion, a starry sky suddenly manifested. For a moment, the brilliance of the countless twinkling stars completely eclipsed the radiance of the great sun below.
...
The three combatants felt the distant anomaly, but their own battle had reached such a perilous stage that they couldn’t spare the mental energy to observe the fight between Fang Qingyuan and the Bow-holding Nascent Soul Cultivator.
Chu Hongshang, clad in her red robes, flickered and danced within a hundred-zhang radius of fiery light. This wasn’t an Escape Technique, but an exquisite movement Divine Technique.
In a battle between Cultivators, attacks ultimately had to land on an opponent’s physical body to cause significant damage. As for overwhelming suppression with vast Magical Power, within a Nascent Soul Domain, the sheer amount of one’s Magical Power was no longer the primary factor in determining victory.
Once a domain was deployed, the struggle became a contest for control over the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. Compared to the boundless Spiritual Power of the world, how long could one possibly last relying on their own Magical Power alone?
All three combatants understood this principle. However, when it came to domain control, Yuan Duo and Chu Hongshang were simply no match for the one-armed old Nascent Soul.
Yuan Duo had no idea what kind of sacred being this one-armed old man was. Not only were his Divine Techniques astonishing, but his physical body was so strong that he could even block the heavy hammer Magical Artifact she wielded. ’This is ridiculous!’ she thought.
She had just fought a great battle with a Cloud-Clawed Lizard and was now severely drained of both Magical Power and mental energy. Fortunately, the one-armed old man’s target wasn’t her; he was focused solely on dealing with Chu Hongshang, which was the only reason Yuan Duo could continue to participate in this three-way battle.
But it was hard to say if Yuan Duo’s help was having any effect on Chu Hongshang. In her perception, their teamwork was completely lacking in synergy, and the one-armed old man sometimes even exploited their poor coordination.
Just a moment ago, Chu Hongshang had once again used her Innate Divine Technique. Her fiery-red nishang robe unfurled, neutralizing what would have been a killing blow from the Blood Saber.
The price was that all the color had drained from Chu Hongshang’s face, while the power of the one-armed old man’s blood-colored short saber grew even stronger.
"Young lady, are you still not leaving? If I kill you, no one’s paying me for it. That would be quite a loss for me."
The one-armed old man once again blocked Yuan Duo’s heavy hammer, all while manipulating his Blood Transformation Demon Saber and trying to persuade her to leave.
But Yuan Duo turned a deaf ear to his words. She silently continued to press her attack with her Magical Artifact, her resolve firm.
"No one who’s been struck by my Saber Shadow has ever survived. Stop struggling, Chu Hongshang. You can only blame yourself for being too arrogant, too conceited."
Seeing that he couldn’t persuade Yuan Duo, the one-armed old man began a psychological assault on Chu Hongshang. But Chu Hongshang remained silent, focused on the struggle for control of the domain and her own attacks.
"The Blood Soul Ban has already invaded your mind palace, hasn’t it? If I’m going to deal with you, how could I not see through all your trump cards? Your Nine Deaths Undying Nishang Dance can evade blades, axes, Celestial Thunder, and Earth Fire. A thousand tribulations cannot touch your body. But this ban of mine... you cannot evade it."
For some reason, the one-armed old man launched into a long-winded speech, as if he was certain of his victory and was delivering a declaration of triumph.
But as he spoke, the one-armed old man’s expression suddenly changed. He wasn’t a talkative person, he thought. ’Why am I saying all this irrelevant nonsense right now?’
Seeing the subtle shift in the one-armed old man’s expression, Chu Hongshang finally broke into a smile. She uttered her first words since the battle began:
"The taste of the Nameless Heart Fire... it’s not very pleasant, is it?"
As Chu Hongshang’s words echoed, the one-armed old man’s aura weakened rapidly. In contrast, Chu Hongshang’s face suddenly flushed a rosy red, as if she were drunk, and her eyes shone with an unprecedented brilliance.