Chapter 338 - 184: 9-Story Exquisite Treasure Pagoda (2)
Xuzhuang hadn’t expected to face Li Chengzhen instead of Zhong Shenxiu. Nor had Li Chengzhen expected Jin Yuanzai to have actually fallen at Xuzhuang’s hands.
A reputation, no matter how great, was still just hearsay; it was only natural to trust what one saw with one’s own eyes. Xuzhuang paid it little mind, simply replying, "I have been looking forward to a duel with you as well, fellow Daoist. I await your instruction."
"Very well." Li Chengzhen snapped his folding fan shut and gave Xuzhuang a deep look. "Then I shall experience your brilliant techniques for myself."
The moment his voice fell, a streak of light flashed past. A Taiyi Flying Rainbow, refined like silk with a gleam as fast as lightning, shot toward Li Chengzhen in the blink of an eye.
However, Li Chengzhen’s movements were even swifter. With a mere sway of his body, he had already dodged it at almost the exact same moment.
Both men were deeply aware of the capabilities of Zhong Shenxiu and Jin Yuanzai, so neither dared to underestimate an opponent who could win such a match. Although they entered the fray with different thoughts, both focused their spirits, not daring to relax for a moment.
Probing with his Swordsmanship was Xuzhuang’s standard opening gambit. He unleashed the Taiyi Rainbow Sword, which simultaneously split its light, scattering streams of sword-light across the sky like brilliant moonlight.
’So powerful! Could it be that Xuzhuang held back when he dueled Zhuo Hansheng?’ Li Chengzhen’s gaze narrowed. Xuzhuang had already displayed his Swordsmanship in his match against Zhuo Hansheng, and Li Chengzhen had been on guard for it.
But the ferocity of Xuzhuang’s Swordsmanship still surpassed his expectations.
What Li Chengzhen didn’t know was that since achieving a certain level of success in his cultivation, Xuzhuang had rarely met a worthy opponent. Even his bout with Zhong Shenxiu back in his Golden Core days had merely been a comparison of their Daoist arts, not a truly fierce battle, and it had ended abruptly after shifting to a contest of grappling techniques.
This journey, however, was vastly different. Although Zhuo Hansheng had not been his match, their Swordsmanship had been on equal footing. Jin Yuanzai was one of the strongest opponents Xuzhuang had faced to date. These two duels alone had been thoroughly invigorating.
His Daoist arts and Swordsmanship had been nowhere near a bottleneck. After these two matches, he had gained many new insights. Although he hadn’t had time to organize them, there was already a newfound ease and grace in his movements.
Li Chengzhen’s Escape Technique was impressive, but before he could disengage, Xuzhuang had fully unleashed his Swordsmanship. The light from his sword cascaded like a waterfall. After just a few exchanges, he found an opening, and the sword-light instantly struck Li Chengzhen’s forearm.
But as the Flying Sword slashed across, it only produced a dull thud, leaving a faint mark that vanished in an instant.
’The Treasure Gang Qi Yuan Body-Holding Great Spell,’ Xuzhuang thought, his brow furrowing slightly. ’This Daoist art certainly lives up to its reputation. Li Chengzhen’s golden body is as tough as a magical treasure.’
His Taiyi Rainbow Sword was a magical treasure, to be sure, but it stood to reason that one treasure wouldn’t easily damage another. To break through Li Chengzhen’s golden body, he would either have to land a continuous barrage of blows or strike with the ultimate essence of his swordsmanship—exhausting matter to its very end and reverting to the primordial beginning.
However, such powerful Swordsmanship techniques required time to build up momentum. As long as Li Chengzhen was prepared, it wouldn’t be easy to succeed.
But Xuzhuang’s skills were not limited to Swordsmanship, and he was not in the habit of concealing his abilities during a fight. Since his sword alone couldn’t break the stalemate, he would unleash his Daoist arts and press Li Chengzhen into submission with a torrential assault.
With a twitch of his shoulder, a blinding, platinum-gold edge instantly shot out!
The Five-Colored Divine Light. Combined, it could sweep away anything within the five elements. Separated, each of its colors displayed its own profound mysteries and endless transformations.
𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
The Gold Divine Light was the sharpest of the five, especially since Xuzhuang had refined into it a massive amount of Western Dage True Gold—an area of several hundred zhang—that he had acquired from the void. In terms of killing power alone, it could rival even the ultimate principle of his Swordsmanship.
The Gold Divine Light shot out like a divine blade aimed directly at Li Chengzhen. At the same time, Xuzhuang spread his sword-light wide, a mix of feints and true attacks. The instant Li Chengzhen showed the slightest flaw while blocking the Gold Divine Light, Xuzhuang would deliver a thunderous blow.
This was an overt ploy, and Li Chengzhen naturally saw it for what it was. Yet he only smiled faintly and, for the first time, revealed his Gangyun.
The Treasure Gang Great Spell was a powerful Daoist art he had recently mastered and a reliable technique, true, but he was Li Chengzhen, an orthodox Xuanmen cultivator—a Spirit Treasure Daoist!
A nine-layered pagoda with a canopied top and soaring, upturned eaves rose from within it. The highest layer immediately blazed with light, and a stream of platinum-gold treasure energy descended. The Gold Divine Light struck it and was instantly annihilated, not causing so much as a ripple.
Outside the Cyan and Purple Tribulation Pearl Fruit Tree, Jide Taoist’s stern expression shifted as he raised an eyebrow slightly. He thought to himself, ’So, it’s the Nine-Layered Exquisite Treasure Pagoda! Could this be why the divination hexagram indicated that if Xuzhuang faced Jin Yuanzai ahead of schedule, his advantage would suddenly evaporate?’
The Nine-Layered Exquisite Treasure Pagoda was not actually famous. It was only because Jide Taoist was well-connected and well-informed that he happened to have some knowledge of it.
This item was known as the ultimate defensive Spiritual Treasure, but its protective ability was quite peculiar. Its wielder had to capture the aura of an opponent’s Daoist art during a battle, which would then light up one layer of the pagoda. That layer would then generate a special treasure energy specifically to counter that art. Barring an enormous disparity in cultivation, it was nearly impossible to break through.
But this step—capturing the aura of a Daoist art—was far from simple. To achieve it, one had to test the technique multiple times. One not only had to survive the opponent’s art but also conserve enough energy to capture its aura...
Furthermore, if a lit layer of the pagoda went out, one would have to capture the aura all over again the next time one faced the same Dao-ist art. The captured energy also could not be utilized for any other purpose.
Thus, while the Nine-Layered Exquisite Treasure Pagoda’s effect was truly wondrous, its many restrictions meant that it was not usually of much practical use.