Chapter 503 - 486: Evil God
Another major event has erupted in the Battle of the Other Shore.
The Holy Hall has produced another Holy Statue, a Law Type Holy Statue at that, which defeated a terrifying Indestructible Golden Body of the Life Artifact type in a single blow.
The Heaven-Defying Holy Hall... even when facing their weakest disciple, one must be careful. What you see might be a facade; they could actually be the strongest.
Their strength is one thing, but the style and brotherhood the Holy Hall displays is what makes the other Sects truly envious. How many Sects can be as united as them?
Everyone was waiting with bated breath to see how many more miracles the Holy Hall could create.
Perhaps spurred on by Zhou Qian’s victory, Yang Ying and Suo Ming also went all out in the next two matches. They showed their dominant side, defeating their opponents in spectacular fashion. Of course, Suo Ming’s opponent was a rather frustrated Sword Cultivator, who was hammered by the Forbidden Hammer until he wanted to cry but had no tears left.
The fourth person from the Holy Hall to take the stage was Wang Meng.
This Holy Hall Master, this leader of miracles—what kind of performance would he give this time?
His previous fights... were truly impossible to evaluate. His opponents weren’t weak, but his victories were just too bizarre. It was impossible to gauge his true strength; he didn’t even use a Holy Statue.
Without a convincing performance—be it with a Holy Statue, a Sword Technique, or some other ability—you ultimately have to prove yourself.
This time, however, Wang Meng’s opponent was definitely not someone he could defeat in a muddle-headed fashion.
It was the Evil Intent Sect, ranked ninth among the Star Alliance’s Ten Great Sects!
As the only orthodox Evil Cultivation Sect among the Ten Great Sects, the Evil Intent Sect was shrouded in a veil of mystery. Within the system promoted by the Star Alliance, Saint and Demon Cultivators were undoubtedly the mainstream. In the past, other Evil Cultivation Sects had gradually begun to change as well. Now, ninety percent of the top one hundred members of the Star Alliance were Saint or Demon Cultivators, leaving the Evil Intent Sect to stand in a class of its own among Evil Cultivators.
The cultivation path of an Evil Cultivator was different from that of a Saint or Demon Cultivator. In particular, their conceptual domains were filled with "reversal." This wasn’t the broad sense of "reversal" that everyone often talked about, which was usually just a form of exaggeration or a display of power. The Evil Intent Sect practiced true reversal, seeking power from within opposition.
Many Cultivators found it difficult to adapt to the force of an Evil Cultivator. It was well-known that an Evil Cultivator’s Magic was hard to practice, but once mastered, it was truly difficult to deal with.
For the Evil Intent Sect to retain its title as one of the Ten Great Sects under these circumstances, one could only imagine their strength.
Li Yilong was the representative of the Evil Intent Sect’s younger generation. On the Star Alliance’s potential ranking list for Evil Cultivators, he was ranked second. Most Evil Cultivators were also Sword Cultivators, and Li Yilong was no exception. Since the start of the Battle of the Other Shore, no one had been able to even commit his Sword Technique to memory.
Their power could be countered, but his Sword Technique was simply too formidable.
Mu En recognized Li Yilong at a glance. "I’ve fought him before. He’s really strong!"
Mu En and Li Tianyi got along quite well. Both were Sword Zealots, so they had plenty of common ground.
Mu En’s vocabulary was generally rather limited. When he said someone was "strong," it meant they were truly formidable.
Mu En used the word "strong" to describe any opponent more powerful than himself.
It had to be said, the battle between Zhou Qian and Feng Jin had gotten Wang Meng’s blood pumping a little. It was just that before entering the Pure Land, it was hard for him to find a challenging opponent.
Evil Cultivators... he had almost forgotten about them. The current Wang Meng had carved out his own path. Sometimes, though, he still felt a pang of emotion. Moo Shan had been an Evil Cultivator—the greatest Evil Cultivator.
But just as Moo Shan had said, all Cultivators who walked the path of an Evil Cultivator were fated to never reach the end. But what did that matter, as long as the journey was spectacular?
Every Evil Cultivator had a sufficient cool factor, and this Li Yilong before him was exceedingly cold. He carried a black Long Sword on his back, and his expression was extremely serious.
"Li Yilong of the Evil Intent Sect!"
"Wang Meng of the Holy Hall."
"You’re a Sword Cultivator?" Li Yilong said coldly.
Wang Meng nodded. Because of Moo Shan, he had always had a good impression of Evil Cultivators.
There was a saying in the Cultivation Realm: to defeat an Evil Cultivator, you either had to be twenty percent stronger than them, or you had to be exceptionally good at adapting to their reverse force. Otherwise, your chances were slim. This was because Evil Cultivators only developed their unique cultivation methods after understanding the normal ones.
"Draw your sword!" Li Yilong said icily.
Wang Meng just shook his head slightly.
A wave of discussion erupted from the crowd below. This Wang Meng was truly arrogant beyond belief, acting like this in front of an outstanding representative of the Evil Cultivator lineage...
SHING...
Li Yilong’s sword left its sheath. A bone-chilling Sword Qi shot toward the sky, and his entire being became like a drawn, sharp sword as a unique, evil energy emerged.
It was a particularly jarring feeling, especially for Saint and Demon Cultivators. Everyone present could feel it, including Li Tianyi and the others.
With a low shout, his Elemental Power surged forth—the Third Layer of Minor Perfection. But his opponent clearly didn’t care about this level of Elemental Power. Unless there was a difference of two or three layers, it would still all come down to Sword Technique.
Li Yilong had already assumed his Sword Form, his aura continuously climbing. His Elemental Power formed the unique "reverse momentum" of an Evil Cultivator. If faced head-on, this reversal of momentum would surely make many people uncomfortable.
Li Tianyi and Mu En were both masters of Swordsmanship. They could tell a lot from a single opening stance. This person’s conceptual domain was in no way inferior to their own, but he walked the path of an Evil Cultivator, which was even more difficult than theirs.
’You really can’t just be a frog in a well these days. Only by going out into the world do you realize how big it is. The word ’genius’ isn’t something to be thrown around lightly.’
Wang Meng also nodded slightly. ’This feeling... he’s really gotten the hang of it.’
Just as everyone thought Li Yilong was about to strike, something strange happened again.
Li Yilong couldn’t attack!
Li Yilong’s expression grew heavier and heavier. Wang Meng was just standing there, but... he was full of openings, yet also full of traps. No matter which angle he attacked from, it felt wrong. His intuition told him that if this sword strike went out, it would never come back. He was being suppressed by his own senses.
Any powerful Cultivator had absolute trust in their intuition. It was a premonition cultivated through countless battles, and many times, they had to rely on this feeling.
But this kind of suppression usually only worked against those of the same cultivation method; it shouldn’t be effective against an Evil Cultivator.
Evil Cultivation was difficult to practice, and once mastered, it was very hard to counter. But...
Li Yilong was indeed extraordinary. Under this pressure, he resolutely took a step forward. ’My opponent might be using some kind of Enchantment Technique, but the will of an Evil Cultivator can never be controlled!’
That step was his resolve. But the moment he took it, Li Yilong immediately recoiled, breaking out in a cold sweat.
The spot where Wang Meng had casually glanced was precisely where his next step would have landed.
’...How can someone like this exist???’
’Impossible! Absolutely impossible!’
Li Yilong’s Elemental Power surged, quickly reaching the Fourth Layer of Minor Perfection. He had been concealing his strength. He had to use this powerful Elemental Power to reverse his disadvantageous position.
But as his Elemental Power climbed, that terrifying feeling only became more pronounced. Wang Meng stood there like a veritable Evil God.
’How can this be?’
The entire Dueling Platform was deathly silent. At some point, it had become packed with people, all watching quietly. Li Yilong was a famous Evil Cultivator swordsman. He had once traveled far and wide to challenge and visit renowned masters. Many senior experts among the Saint and Demon Cultivators had praised his talent in Swordsmanship. Some had even invited him to return to a normal path, as it would lead to greater development, but Li Yilong had refused them all. He loved this path of fighting against the heavens. He didn’t care what the future held; what mattered was that he liked it.
Because he liked it, he was motivated. Because he was motivated, he could create miracles.
Step by step, Li Yilong had never met his match. But now that he had, it was like running into a towering mountain range.
"Place your bets, place your bets! How many strikes will it take for the Boss to finish him?!" Zhang Xiaojiang said excitedly.
"Zhang Xiaopang, don’t bully your junior brothers and sisters," Hu Jing said.
"Ahem, don’t be like that. It’s just for fun. One strike? Two strikes? Or no strikes at all? Come on, come on! Ten-to-one odds for the correct guess!"
"One strike!"
"I’ll bet on one strike too."
"Two strikes!"
"No sword needed!"
Hu Jing couldn’t help but shake her head. ’That guy is way too relaxed.’ Although Wang Meng was powerful, everyone who had made it this far was formidable. They still needed to be cautious.
Faced with this strange atmosphere, Li Yilong truly showed his caliber. He slowly began to lower his Elemental Power, bringing it down to the level of the second layer. As expected, the pressure decreased significantly.
His expression also regained its clarity. His mind was quite remarkable.
But would that be enough?
In battle, one always tried every means to increase one’s power. Yet here was someone lowering his power.
But even so, Li Yilong still couldn’t unleash his sword strike.
He was just stuck there, rigidly.
In this predicament, every second was truly an agony. His attacking momentum was already built up, like an arrow nocked on a bowstring that had to be fired. But at this critical moment, he couldn’t release it. The force would rebound back on him.
SHING...
Li Yilong’s sword suddenly shot upright. With a low roar, light burst forth... A Holy Statue!
It looked like a piece of the sky, but it seemed to be upside down.
Li Yilong had originally planned to use this in the Pure Land. He never expected to meet such a difficult opponent.
The moment the Holy Statue appeared, Li Yilong seemed like a different person. The power and aura brought by a Holy Statue were unparalleled, to say nothing of one from an Evil Cultivator.
—Reversing the Heavens!
This was a domain-type Holy Statue. The domain of Reversing the Heavens expanded in an instant, enveloping the Dueling Platform. This was the world of an Evil Cultivator. Within this domain, Saint and Demon Cultivators would face great resistance when casting any Magic, while the power of an Evil Cultivator would at least double.
The world of an Evil Cultivator!
This sudden change excited the Cultivators. ’Let’s see what you do now, Wang Meng! Are you going to attack or not?’ The problem was, it was too late to attack now.
Unless you were at Great Perfection, it would be impossible to transcend the constraints of such a Holy Statue. Otherwise, there was no chance at all. How could you fight in an environment that was disadvantageous to you and greatly advantageous to your opponent?
After unleashing the Reversed Heaven Holy Statue, Li Yilong was filled with an invincible, domineering aura. This was a Holy Statue meant to challenge Mingren, to challenge Lin Jinghao! Before him, any Saint or Demon Cultivator was nothing more than a fleeting cloud!
The atmosphere changed abruptly. Legend had it that Wang Meng possessed the Dragon Emperor Holy Statue, but even that kind of Holy Statue probably couldn’t escape the shackles of Reversing the Heavens.
Everyone stared at the two people on the Dueling Platform, quietly waiting for Wang Meng’s reaction.
But another sudden change occurred. The moment Li Yilong, having summoned his Holy Statue, looked at Wang Meng, he froze as if struck by lightning.
Wang Meng couldn’t help but give a wry smile. ’Seriously...’ He had been about to let his opponent make a move, but the man had to go and use this kind of Holy Statue.
’Isn’t he just digging his own grave?’
BOOM...
Within the Reversed Heaven Holy Statue, Li Yilong saw an Evil God!
It was a body that concealed an Evil God.
A supreme, unimaginable domain of Evil.