âFine, Iâll release him.â The figure garbed in gray, Shadow Transcendence, agreed, but his face shifted instantly. âNatuo, that Wu Ming used dark flames to obliterate the trap I prepared.â
âIt burned up that fast?â Natuo was astonished. âHeâs only a recently ascended Eternal, yet one of his pathfinding clones has such power?â
Pathfinding clones typically didnât possess valuable treasures. It was already remarkable if they could unleash 30 to 40% of oneâs full potential, but to have a pathfinding clone demolish the trap?
This didnât align with the intel on Wu Ming.
âHe fell into my trap and destroyed it. The resulting karma will undoubtedly allow him to sense my presence,â the gray-robed Shadow Transcendence expressed with concern. âWill he attack us alongside the three monsters from Myriad Star Island?â
Natuo shook his head and replied, âDonât fret. The three monsters on Myriad Star Island arenât of the Heart Realm lineage; they only possess a single true form! Wu Ming wouldnât dare teleport them here using the Heart Realm. Besides, this is our cave dwelling and stronghold. Wu Ming wouldnât let his allies take such a risk.â
Buzz!
As he finished speaking, a figure descended from the void above the distant palaceâit was Xu Jingming.
True, Xu Jingming wouldnât dare teleport the dean and the others through the Heart Realm into an unknown enemyâs lair, but his pathfinding clone instantly teleported over using karma after the Eight-leaf Black Lotus Fire swept in every direction and entirely incinerated the trap.
Heart Realm powerhouses could detect anythingâas simple as the other party mentioning their name, let alone the karma formed from traps and ambushes.
âSo, itâs you two ancient Abyssal fiends.â Xu Jingming glanced at the gray-robed Shadow Transcendence and Natuo, recognizing them. âGiven your skills, you must have set up numerous traps in the Primordial Gold Mountains, right?â
Those traps intercepted and killed all high-dimensional lifeforms that passed by. As long as they werenât strong enough, they would die! The duo had no qualms about accidentally harming others.
Shadow Transcendence and Natuoâs expressions remained unchanged.
Their reputations were already tarnished.
âWu Ming,â Natuo said, âthis cave dwelling was indeed established by Shadow Transcendence and myself. Weâve set up even more powerful traps. If you attack, youâll only be sending your clone to its demise.â
Shadow Transcendence chimed in, âWe never engaged you when your Myriad Star Island migrated to this dominion, nor do we wish to become enemies with your Myriad Star Island. Just walk away.â
Xu Jingming paid them no heed, instead scanning the vast cave dwelling and sensing hidden perils lurking within.
âWu Ming! Weâre doing this for the sake of the three Island Lords. As a newly-ascended Eternal, you ought to know your limits.â Natuo scowled. âThose who donât know their limits wonât last long in high-dimensional space.â
Naturally, Natuo thought little of Xu Jingming. Having practiced Abyss Sacrifice and cultivated for an extended period, he had long reached the pinnacle of the Eternal realm.
The various treasures obtained from the Abyss Sacrifice granted him near-limitless power.
Few things in this dominion frightened himâthe three Island Lords of Myriad Star Island being one! As for Wu Ming? He had only achieved the Eternal realm a few millennia ago, so Natuo didnât take him seriously.
âIs that so? Iâm curious to see who wonât last.â Xu Jingmingâs eyes were cold.
Upon hearing that, Natuoâs expression turned icy.
He, Natuo, had long dominated the South Pavilion 3609 Dominion and was infamous! Granting respect to Myriad Star Island didnât mean he had to extend the same courtesy to Wu Ming.
âYouâre truly begging for death.â Natuo sneered. âFine. Bring the three Island Lords behind you as well. Iâm eager to see if Myriad Star Island has the capability to breach my cave abode.â
Shadow Transcendence remained unshaken as well.
In the outside world, they were genuinely fearful of the three monsters on Myriad Star Island.
But within their lair? What was there to fear?
This cave abode was constructed amidst the perils of the Primordial Gold Mountains. In addition to the numerous traps they had set up, several formidable threats lay hidden within the Primordial Gold Mountains.
âYou two seem quite confident.â Xu Jingming eyed the cave abode. âHowever, I alone am more than enough to exterminate both of you Abyssal demons.â
Boom!
No sooner had he finished speaking than a black lotus flower erupted around Xu Jingming, with black flames radiating in all directions.
Chi! Chi! Chi!
Gray energy rapidly surged around him, halting the black lotus flamesâ advance.
âIs that all youâve got?â Natuo sneered.
The Black Lotus Flame incinerated matter and seared the mind, but its threat diminished if it couldnât make contact. Furthermore, the Eight-leaf Black Lotus Realmâs flames couldnât endanger the demon body Natuo had cultivated.
Natuoâs demon body had already reached the peak of the Eternal realm after consuming a drop of Abyssal Mother Blood and copious amounts of Abyssal True Blood from sacrifices.
The Nine-leaf Black Lotus Realm flames could barely scratch him.
Only the Red Lotus Fire could scorch such an ancient Abyssal demon. Even possessing the Red Lotus Fire, one would still need a corresponding third-realm weapon to challenge other half-step third-realm powerhouses.
Without formidable treasures and weapons, the Red Lotus Fire alone ranked as the weakest among half-step third-realm powerhouses.
This demonstrated the significance of treasures and weapons.
For instance, the psychic weapon lineage was renowned for its combat prowess among the Heart Realmâs various lineages!
âDestroying a mere clone of yours will serve as a warning,â Natuo declared.
Instantly, the gray energy intensified, and he transformed into three gray snakes. Each gray snake possessed the strength of a peak Eternal and encircled Xu Jingming.
This was the home ground advantage. He could exploit array formations to unleash exceptional power.
Xu Jingming didnât even glance at the three gray snakes, but at Natuo and Shadow Transcendence.
Whoosh!
Xu Jingming vanished from his spot.
A Xu Jingming materialized beside both Natuo and Shadow Transcendence individually.
The two black-robed Xu Jingmings also erupted in surging black lotus flames.
âThe mind goes as far as the eye can see, allowing one to teleport at will using the Heart Realm,â Xu Jingming stated.
Heart Realm teleportation could occur in the Heart Realm or the external world. The obstacles encountered when teleporting externally were formidable, naturally limiting the range. However, with Xu Jingmingâs current strength, he could traverse from one end of a dominion to the other whilst outside the Heart Realm by teleporting dozens of times. It was undoubtedly effortless for him to teleport to Natuo and Shadow Transcendence, who were right in front of him.
âAppearing beside me?â Natuo felt warm and comfortable from the Black Lotus Fireâs assault. It posed no threat to him.
He swung his right hand! His right hand was crystalline, and the golden scales on his fingers seemed to contain an abyssal projection.
Xu Jingming found himself unable to escape the moment he grabbed.
âAh!â
At close range, the gray-robed Shadow Transcendence couldnât evade the Black Lotus Fire in time. He was already engulfed by the flames and screamed in agony.
The Eight-leaf Black Lotus Fire was potent, but Natuo could dismiss it because the Abyssal Mother Blood and Abyssal True Blood had cultivated his body to an unimaginable level. The dean, Tower Master, and Island Lordâwho were also at the peak of the Eternal realmâwere inferior to Natuo in terms of physique. The Black Lotus Fire couldnât penetrate his bodyâs defense, so it naturally couldnât harm him.
However, Shadow Transcendenceâs body couldnât resist the Black Lotus Fire.
As the Black Lotus Fire ravaged and burned Shadow Transcendenceâs body, it infiltrated his mind. Shadow Transcendence howled in pain, his face contorting.
Thereâs no hope. Natuo instantly determined that he couldnât prevent the Black Lotus Fire from devouring his allyâs mind.
Phew.
Shadow Transcendence was on the brink of death, but Natuo couldnât care less. After all, he was nothing more than a convenient pawn!
âYou do have some power.â Natuoâs right hand enveloped Xu Jingming, and spacetime seemed to freeze.
Xu Jingming struggled to dodge, and his form suddenly turned ethereal before vanishing; he had retreated into the Heart Realm.
âHmph.â Natuo scoffed.
Killing a Heart Realm powerhouseâs clone was pointless.
I took a hit this time. Shadow Transcendence died by his hand. I need to find another reliable ally, Natuo thought as he approached the agonized, wailing Shadow Transcendence. At least the treasures amassed by Shadow Transcendence are mine now.
Just thenâ
A phantom figure materialized from thin air, brandishing an equally spectral spear.
Huh? Natuoâs expression shifted at the sight. A psychic weapon?
The spear could exist in both reality and the mind or consciousnessâit was a psychic weapon.
Whoosh.
Xu Jingming gripped his spear and transformed into a radiant beam of light that ripped through Natuoâs body.
Natuoâs body remained intact, but his eyes widened in disbelief as he stood motionless.
The spear-wielding Xu Jingming gradually solidified.
âThis is the first move of the spearmanship I createdâThunderbolt! Youâre the first to experience this technique,â Xu Jingming whispered.
The Golden Halberd had only two moves. Both moves targeted the mind and consciousness.
One strike!
If the opponentâs mind could endure it, they would survive! Otherwise, they would perish!
One-shot, one-kill was no exaggeration!
Xu Jingming gestured and collected Natuoâs corpse and the spoils left behind by Shadow Transcendence. Then, he glanced in a certain direction. As expected of an ancient Abyssal demon. He even hid a life mark in the Abyss?
âŠ
In the space where the Abyss and South Pavilion 3609 dominion intersected, a vast golden lake sprawled.
The instant Natuo perished, the golden lake churned and bubbled. The water converged, forming an immense golden figure with Natuoâs face.
What a terrifying psychic spear technique. It targeted my mind and consciousness. Natuoâs eyes brimmed with dread. That strike seemed capable of obliterating everything. I couldnât block it at all, and my consciousness was instantly eradicated.
Even my other five life imprints have been destroyed through telepathy. This was the last bastion that barely held. As Natuo reconstituted his body, he stared in horror in a particular direction.
A ghostly, transparent figure wielding a transparent spear descended into the abyss and above the golden lake.
Utilizing his senses and Heart Realm teleportation, Xu Jingming reached this location in mere seconds.
âWu Ming, I was wrong. I beg you, spare me. Iâm willing to be your servant,â Natuo immediately pleaded. He knew that evading pursuit by a Heart Realm powerhouse was impossible!
Whoosh!
A dazzling light tore through the lake body he had just reassembled once again.
The form above the lake stiffened and abruptly dissipated, transforming into water that plummeted down. The entire golden lake was left lifeless.
âI have plenty of clones. What use do I have for a servant like you?â Xu Jingming waved his hand, and the mighty golden lake water surged before being collected by him.
Whoosh.
Xu Jingmingâs figure turned ethereal and vanished, departing the Abyss.
The notorious ancient Abyssal demonâNatuo, who had perpetrated innumerable atrocities in the South Pavilion 3609 dominionâwas stealthily annihilated. His years of amassed wealth naturally fell into Xu Jingmingâs possession, enabling him to break free from the shackles of poverty at last.