Cultivation: Immunity to Negative Effects

CLANG!

The next instant, Zhang Chi’s Flying Sword collided with the Demon Cultivator’s Magical Treasure Flying Sword. The Spiritual Light on Zhang Chi’s sword immediately dimmed as it was sent flying backward.

However, Zhang Chi’s Flying Sword wasn’t shattered. It circled once and flew back, its speed no slower than the Magical Treasure Flying Sword.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

The two Flying Swords clashed hundreds of times in an instant. Zhang Chi’s sword finally reached its limit, wobbling precariously. With a mere thought, Zhang Chi recalled it.

The Magical Treasure Flying Sword was completely undamaged, but its Sword Light had dimmed, and its Mighty Power was greatly diminished.

’How is this possible? Has he cultivated the Upper Grade Sword-controlling Skill to Perfection?’

The Fake Core Cultivator was utterly horrified, even suspecting he was seeing things.

His opponent’s Flying Sword, from its resilience to its speed, far exceeded his expectations.

Moreover, his opponent’s Flying Sword moved with a strange finesse, always attacking from unique angles and positions. So, while it looked like a head-on clash, his opponent’s sword was actually gaining a huge advantage.

BOOM!

But the Fake Core Cultivator remained confident. The Magical Treasure Flying Sword continued its flight, closing in on Zhang Chi with killing intent.

WHACK!

But Zhang Chi was fearless. He had already fully unleashed his Celestial Net Evil Body and Asura Blood Burning Technique. Empowered by both, he swung a spine bone, directly knocking the Magical Treasure Flying Sword away.

That’s right—he had successfully blocked the strike from the Magical Treasure, whose Mighty Power had already been diminished.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The next moment, Zhang Chi closed the distance and unleashed a furious barrage, sending the Fake Core expert reeling backward in a sorry state.

If not for the protection of his Fake Core Power and Tier Three Spirit Talismans, he would have been beaten to death on the spot.

"Kid, you’re courting death!"

Furious, the Fake Core Cultivator hastily retreated, recalling his Magical Treasure Flying Sword to strike at Zhang Chi once more.

PFFT!

He even spat out a mouthful of Essence Blood, causing the Mighty Power of his Magical Treasure Flying Sword to surge, instantly regaining the upper hand.

Zhang Chi was not to be outdone.

His body trembled as he pushed the Nine Flames Spirit Devouring Technique to its limits, and a great swathe of blood-red flames erupted around him.

He then swallowed a Violent Qi Pill and activated the Blood Escape Technique.

With this dual enhancement, his Sword Light not only reappeared but became even more powerful.

His speed also increased.

Of course, he wasn’t using the Blood Escape to flee, but to charge forward and attack.

Soon, the two were once again locked in a desperate, evenly-matched struggle.

ROAR!

At that moment, the Corpse Puppet and the other puppet recovered and joined the fray.

The Corpse Puppet would sometimes engage in close combat and at other times spit out Corpse Evil from a distance.

The Tiger-shaped Puppet opened its mouth and fired off beams of black light in a series of ranged sneak attacks.

In the sky, six winged Spirit Snakes hovered, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Even if they couldn’t truly threaten him, they added to his pressure.

Zhang Chi even found a moment to pull out a Long Banner. With a shake, a vast black mist swirled out, filled with countless snarling Demon Souls.

Ordinary Demon Souls posed no threat to the Fake Core Demon Cultivator.

But among them was a Giant Scorpion Demon Soul that was at the Fake Core Level, which the Fake Core Demon Cultivator couldn’t afford to ignore.

’Damn it, how can this be! Is this guy really a True Inheritor of the Cangwu Sect? How does he know so many Demon Cultivator techniques? He couldn’t be a spy from the Demon Sect, could he?’

The more the Fake Core Demon Cultivator fought, the more terrified he became.

Zhang Chi’s various Demon Dao techniques, in particular, had left him dumbfounded on more than one occasion.

"Fellow cultivator, stop! We can talk this out! We’re both Demonic Cultivators; we should value peace. There’s no need to fight to the death. Besides, I was just passing by. I mean you no harm! In fact, I have a great opportunity to offer you..."

At this point, the Fake Core Cultivator was no longer feeling smug. He had given up all hope of killing Zhang Chi.

He hastily sent out a message with his Divine Thought, suing for peace.

He felt his chances of reconciliation were high. For one, they were both Demon Cultivators.

For another, his opponent had no reason to refuse such a great opportunity.

After all, the profits from this smuggling operation were immense.

"Oh? Such a good deal? Are you serious?"

For the past six months, Zhang Chi had been using his Phantom Beetles to eavesdrop on the smuggling operation, so he already knew all about it. Now, however, he feigned ignorance, putting on an interested expression and even slowing his attacks slightly.

"Of course..."

The Fake Core Cultivator was overjoyed and hurriedly continued his explanation.

’Not good!’

But he soon realized something was wrong, and his expression turned ugly.

He too had cultivated the Blood Escape Technique. He had tried to use it earlier but was interrupted, and now the side effects were finally kicking in, leaving him completely weakened.

But Zhang Chi, on the other hand, was perfectly fine.

He hadn’t just been trying to persuade Zhang Chi to cooperate; he had also been stalling for time, waiting for the side effects of Zhang Chi’s own Blood Escape Technique to take hold.

That way, even if Zhang Chi refused to cooperate, he could still kill him.

But he never expected that he would be the first to suffer the consequences. He, a Fake Core cultivator, had less stamina than a mere Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator like Zhang Chi!

"Kid, you forced my hand! Don’t blame me for what comes next!"

Zhang Chi immediately seized the opportunity to press his attack. Realizing he’d been played, the Fake Core Cultivator became utterly enraged and finally stopped holding back.

WHOOSH!

He opened his mouth and spat out a glittering, perfectly round, golden object the size of a longan, which shot violently toward Zhang Chi.

The object radiated an immense pressure. Though small, its power was astounding—it was the Fake Core Cultivator’s Golden Core!

’I was waiting for this. Die!’

But Zhang Chi only sneered. In a flash, he transformed into a streak of bloody light and shot far into the distance.

The Golden Core’s momentum was too great to be stopped. It slammed into the ground, making the earth tremble and carving out a massive crater.

But before the Fake Core Cultivator could command his Golden Core to attack again,

a colossal golden Thunderbolt suddenly materialized in the sky and struck the Fake Core Cultivator’s body with brutal force.

"No!"

In an instant, all his defenses shattered. He screamed as he plummeted toward the ground.

This was the killing blow that the Divine Needle Peak’s Grand Array had finally finished preparing.

Not even a Golden Core Powerhouse could have easily withstood that blow, let alone this cultivator, who had carelessly sent his Golden Core out of his body.

Without the protection of his Golden Core and with his body already in a weakened state from the aftereffects of the Blood Escape Technique, it would have been a miracle if he had survived.

SLICE!

From a distance, Zhang Chi simply pointed. A Sword Light flashed, and the Fake Core Cultivator’s head went flying.

At the same moment, the light from the Fake Core Cultivator’s Golden Core dimmed, and it began to wobble unsteadily.

Clearly, a Golden Core and its Cultivator were one and the same; neither could function without the other. Attacking with an externalized Golden Core was incredibly powerful, but also extremely risky and could not be sustained for long.

This was unlike a Nascent Soul Powerhouse, whose Nascent Soul could leave their body for extended periods, even survive on its own, or commit Possession.

The Golden Core seemed to struggle, immediately trying to fly away, but its speed was greatly reduced.

Zhang Chi pointed again. A Sword Light flashed and knocked it out of the air.

Seeing its light had faded, Zhang Chi snatched it from the air and used the Beast Soul Banner to rip the Divine Soul from within.

Afterward, Zhang Chi collected the Fake Core Cultivator’s Magical Treasure Flying Sword, his corpse, and his Storage Bag.

’Whew! Fake Core Cultivators are tough to kill,’ Zhang Chi thought. ’Luckily, I had the Grand Array’s help this time. Plus, he saw my Cultivation wasn’t high and got careless, underestimating me. Then he fell right into my trap.’

Having done all this, Zhang Chi couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief.

He had only been able to fight the Fake Core cultivator to a standstill by unleashing nearly all of his trump cards and, more importantly, because the Array had been suppressing his opponent while simultaneously empowering him.

Furthermore, his opponent had always believed there was a way out, so he never truly fought with his life on the line.

Otherwise, the outcome would have been uncertain.

Of course, Zhang Chi still had Tier Three Spirit Talismans and a Talisman Treasure he hadn’t used. But in truth, neither would have been very effective against a Fake Core cultivator.

Therefore, if he were to encounter a Fake Core cultivator in the wild, Zhang Chi would still be no match for them, especially without the aid of an Array.

Still, he could now hold his own for a few rounds against a Fake Core cultivator and could rely on his Blood Escape Technique to retreat unharmed at any time.