The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

At the Golden Summit Hall, contention for the Void Mausoleum slots erupted once more.

Hundreds of geniuses, cultivated over many sixty-year cycles, gathered together. Their gazes burned like torches as they stared at the ten paragons standing at the entrance to the great hall. Of them all, Qin Ya drew the most attention.

Nearly every gaze—ninety-nine percent of them—was fixed on him.

Those gazes burned with fervor and greed, like hungry wolves staring down a lamb, desperate to pounce and swallow it whole.

BOOM, BOOM...

Just then, a deafening roar erupted from high above the great hall. The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi surged violently, coalescing out of thin air into ten massive, golden arenas!

The great doors of the hall swung open slowly, revealing Ming Yue and the other Elders. Ming Yue surveyed the crowd and declared, "Let the challenges begin!"

As his voice faded, Qin Ya and the other nine shot up onto the arenas.

From within the crowd, Feng Ba sneered as he watched Qin Ya on the arena. ’Hmph, your days of glory are numbered,’ he thought. ’Savor them while you can.’

"Gu Lin, I’ve come for you!"

A wild, arrogant laugh suddenly rang out. Ling Zhan shot up from the crowd, landing before the Swordsman, Gu Lin, with unrivaled momentum.

"Mm." Gu Lin gave a cool nod.

"Come."

Ling Zhan let out a great laugh as the aura around him exploded. A Hundred Feet Dharma Aspect materialized, roiling the very clouds as he unleashed a punch that descended like a massive mountain peak!

VMMMM...

A clear, high-pitched sword hum echoed through the air. An incomparably dense darkness materialized in the void, and from within it, a sharp glint of cold light flared. With a resonant clash, sword met fist. Amidst the boundless, sweeping gale, Ling Zhan was violently thrown back!

DRIP, DRIP...

A sword wound was carved bone-deep across Ling Zhan’s knuckles. As blood dripped from the gash, a thick black mist swirled around it, obstructing the flow of his True Essence.

"Ha, you really are strong!"

Ling Zhan roared and charged forward again. His True Essence erupted as he threw another punch, this one seemingly imbued with the weight of mountains and rivers—heavy and tyrannical!

It even contained a trace of a Mysterious Technique.

Facing this technique, Gu Lin let out a cold cry. His True Essence surged as the Mysteries of Darkness manifested, fusing into his Sword Dao. He thrust his sword out, its tip landing precisely on Ling Zhan’s fist.

An unstoppable darkness spread, instantly devouring the power of Ling Zhan’s mountain-and-river punch. With an angry roar, Ling Zhan abruptly dispersed the Power of his Dharma Aspect.

As the Power of his Dharma Aspect vanished, Gu Lin’s Sword Technique lost its target and struck nothing but empty air. Ling Zhan, however, suddenly charged forward. Clenching his fist, he let out a low roar and unleashed another punch, one that had been building with immense power.

’He’s got guts.’ To disperse one’s Dharma Aspect in the middle of a fight, abandoning a Celestial Human’s most powerful form of attack, was a decisive act not many were capable of.

Gu Lin raised his longsword, its edge pulsing with black light as it sliced through the void. But just as it was about to pierce Ling Zhan, an immense force reminiscent of mountains and rivers erupted from his opponent’s body.

CLANG...

A white barrier of qi suddenly enveloped Ling Zhan. The sword, brimming with darkness, struck it, sending ripples across its surface but failing to break through.

"Heh, this is a barrier I modeled after a turtle’s shell. It’s nowhere near a Mysterious Technique, but breaking it won’t be simple, either."

As he spoke, Ling Zhan’s fist had already slammed into Gu Lin, blasting him hundreds of feet away. Just as he was about to press his advantage, a tremor ran through his spirit. An immense, dark aura instantly enveloped the entire arena!

As Ling Zhan stood in shock, a black Sword Qi that seemed capable of devouring the very heavens surged toward him.

’I can’t meet this head-on...’

Ling Zhan’s pupils contracted and he tried to dodge, but the black Sword Qi erupted with a powerful suction, devouring everything around it. His movements were instantly restricted, leaving him unable to escape. With a thunderous boom, the Sword Qi blasted him over a thousand feet away.

"Cough, cough..."

"Heh... so strong. But the Peak Master was wrong."

"I took a total of four of your techniques!"

In the distance, Leng Qiushan saw this and shook his head with a resigned sigh.

He had once said that Ling Zhan and the others wouldn’t be able to withstand three of Gu Lin’s techniques.

He never expected Ling Zhan to remember that and actually shatter his prediction.

"You are a worthy opponent," Gu Lin said coolly, sheathing his longsword.

TWANG...

Just then, a Zither Sound as sharp as a Golden Spear rang out. On another arena, Luo Xinyu sat cross-legged, her ten fingers dancing across the strings. The resonant Zither Sound echoed through the void!

Innumerable notes from the zither, like Blade Qi and Sword Light, filled the air. The young man facing Luo Xinyu wore a grave expression. He was clad in a suit of Iron Armor, which projected a luminous barrier that radiated an insulating power, keeping the Zither Sound at bay.

Protected by his Iron Armor, the young man let out a low roar. Wielding a long-handled greatblade, he moved like a tiger bursting from its cage, slashing down at Luo Xinyu with peerless ferocity. Immense Primordial Qi gathered, forming a colossal white blade light that seemed capable of shattering anything in its path.

"Came prepared, did you?"

Luo Xinyu smiled faintly. Her fingers danced across the strings again, and the Zither Sound shifted, its melody rising by two whole tones. In that instant, the entire arena seemed to transform into an ancient battlefield. Generals clad in Armor appeared, mounted on warhorses and brandishing long spears. They charged into the fray, radiating a palpable Evil Qi!

The Zither Sound was so powerful it pierced through the young man’s Iron Armor and directly assaulted his spirit. He was forced to channel all his True Essence to resist it. Because of this, his colossal blade light faltered and dissipated into motes of light.

Luo Xinyu smiled faintly at the sight.

In that moment, she was like a Divine General commanding an army of thousands from her seat on the battlefield. With a flick of her fingers, the generals charged, ten thousand horses galloped forth, and the murderous aura of clashing Golden Spears surged into the Nine Heavens.

With a final, crushing impact, the young man could no longer withstand the immense force and collapsed, unable to rise again.

"He passed out."

’Heh, looks like my mastery of "Army of a Thousand" is still imperfect.’

She slowly rose to her feet, silencing the Zither Sound. The scene of the bloody battlefield rippled like a reflection on water and vanished in the span of a breath.

In the distance, the expressions of Leng Qiushan and the others turned grave at the sight.

"That was... a Mysterious Technique!"

"A Mysterious Technique derived from the Sound Wave Mysteries. It’s far stronger than anything Zhao Tieshan has."

"Luo Xinyu... She’s a woman who cannot be underestimated!"

Leng Qiushan chuckled, and a razor-sharp aura erupted from his body. He shot onto one of the arenas, his longsword already unsheathed. He pointed it at his opponent and said, "Draw your blade. I’ll be taking your slot now, and I won’t be polite about it."

The young Blademan snorted, drawing the long blade from his waist. A boundless, bloodthirsty intent erupted from him, staining the air a ghastly crimson. Clearly, this Bladesman was a man long-versed in slaughter. His Blade Intent alone was enough to overwhelm most Disciples.

’His blade is strong, but this killing intent is still a far cry from Brother Qin’s.’

"But it’s more than enough to deal with you!"

Knowing Leng Qiushan would be a tough opponent, the young man immediately manifested his Dharma Aspect. A boundless, blood-soaked aura of slaughter enveloped the arena, staining even the sunlight a deep crimson. Amidst the brilliant, bloody light, Primordial Qi converged to form a Hundred Feet Dharma Aspect!

Leng Qiushan remained silent. His entire being radiated a sharpness like that of an unsheathed, peerless Divine Sword. A sword hum erupted from the void, and then, amidst the bloody light, a glint of gold blossomed. A golden Dharma Aspect, its face a cold mask and a longsword in its hand, descended as well.

A great battle erupted.

On the other arenas, terrifying fluctuations of power began to ripple out as well.