Jian Juexian couldnât refrain from springing into action when he saw the Shadow Sovereign. He drew his sword in a ringing motion and slashed at the enemy.
Though heâd been imprisoned right after his return to Ingress Sword Island and Immortalâs End taken from him, Daoist Ingress had given him more than just a sword. Heâd gifted a complete legacy of immortal end to Jian Juexian.
Thus, though heâd been imprisoned, his strength had grown by the day and increased with every second. Given enough time, he would certainly surpass Jian Zhuxian and become the greatest of Ingress Sword Island.
With his level of skill, any regular sword became another Immortalâs End in Jian Juexianâs hands. One stroke was sufficient to slice the Shadow Sovereign in two.
The Shadow Sovereign howled and roared with indignity. A blazing sun suddenly popped into existence and illuminated the void, while a shadow wielding a dagger abruptly jumped out from Jian Juexianâs feet and charged him.
Their shadows were alive again.
As Jian Juexianâs strength increased, so did his shadowâs. The shadowy dagger waved with a trace of Jian Juexianâs sword dao.
âThe greatest enemy of those who are too pompous is themselves! You will never defeat yourself!â The Shadow Sovereignâs voice faded in and out of the area; heâd melded into the shadows projected by the nearby worlds.
He was correctâsomeone who was too self centered or arrogant would never behold anyone else in their line of sight apart from themselves. Jian Juexian was one such person, so his greatest enemy wasnât anyone else but himself.
His shadow was suppressed the moment it moved. Jian Juexian sparred grimly with it; heâd noticed that with his increase in sword dao, so was his shadow also much stronger.
âTheyâre shadows!â Lu Yun shouted. âJust make it impossible for them to appear.â
Sent flying with a blow, Jian Juexian brightened and reversed his sword with a quick backhand, piercing toward the blazing sun that the Shadow Sovereign had summoned.
His shadow jerked with surprise and leapt upward, blocking the blade before it reached the sun. While that spared the sun, it resulted in heavy injuries to the shadow.
âYou talk too much!â snorted the Shadow Sovereign. Lu Yunâs shadow cautiously poked his head out beneath Lu Yunâs feet.
âBe a good boy and stay still.â Lu Yun stomped his shadow back down. Shivering with fright, it docilely stayed put. As Lu Yunâs true cultivation level was peak true nihil realm, that was his shadowâs strength as well.
Meanwhile, Brightheartâs shadow jumped out beneath her feet wielding a dagger of black light. She stabbed it at Brightheartâs head.
âMaster was right, my opportunity is here. There is nothing that tempers the heart better than overcoming oneself.â Brightheart had already experienced this once in the Tomb of the Hallowed Emperor, so she faced this instance with equanimity. She wasnât as narcissistic as Jian Juexian, so there was no pressure in fighting herself.
While Brightheart and Jian Juexian were preoccupied with their shadows, Lu Yun strode forward and walked into the depths of the Eastern Cluster, toward Ice.
âYou court death!â The Shadow Sovereign manifested a tangible form when he noticed Lu Yunâs movement and charged the young man.
As one of the four sovereign kings under the original emperorâs banner, the Shadow Sovereign had long since accessed sequence. After the new epoch dawned, he hadnât had a chance to activate sequence again before the withered wood cursed him to death.
He still hadnât fully recovered and could only manifest through the laws of burial in the Eastern Cluster. His strength was less than a ten thousandth of his prime, but he was no weakling. In fact, he was part of the elite among Nihil World Sovereigns.
Most importantly was that heâd walked his great dao to its apex. Heâd perfectly combined supplemental dao, cultivation, and combat arts in his shadow dao. Just that alone was sufficient to propel him to the apex of powerhouses in the Boundless Planes.
Silver ripples oscillated from Lu Yunâs body and silver snowflakes drifted around him. Terrifying ripples undulated over each snowflake as well. One thousand and eighty snowflakes interlaced together in a horrific blizzard.
Peak Domain of First Snowfall!
The Shadow Sovereignâs true form was revealed the moment he entered the domain. He was a middle-aged man with a wan pallor who seemed to live in the shadows.
âSo itâs Argent Snow.â A keen light flashed through his eyes. âJust Argent Snow alone will not confine me.â
He turned into another ball of shadow and shot toward Lu Yun, but rematerialized before heâd advanced half an inch forward.
âHow is this possible?!â he shouted.
âNothing is impossible while you remain a ghost. Any Nihil World Sovereign can harm me in the fourth realm, but you guys? No.â Snowflakes danced around Lu Yun as they grew in number. With the young man as the center, an area fifteen hundred kilometers around them turned into a snowy landscapeâDomain of Glorious Snowdrift.
The snowflakes were silver, but close perusal would resolve them as silver flames in the shape of snowflakes.
Such was a peak domain of a soul weapon. Not only would it deploy the weaponâs own strength, but the wielderâs dao and combat arts would become part of it and part of the attack.
The snowflakes in this Domain of Glorious Snowdrift were projected by disordered hellfire.
Though Lu Yun had been traveling with urgency, heâd constantly operated formula dao ever since receiving Jian Zhuxianâs complete Argent Snow legacy. Heâd combined it with his own and reached peak mastery over the Domain of Glorious Snowdrift.
Wide-eyed with dismay, the Shadow Sovereign discovered that he was trapped in the domain. He couldnât move a single muscle.
The silver flame of disorder was also hellfire. Though the six hellfires served different functions, they possessed a characteristic in common when they gathered on Lu Yunâsuppressing the dead and ghosts.
Last time in the tomb, Lu Yun hadnât dared deploy anything because his foundations were weak. But this time, formula dao had taken shape in the Star Sect and his wings were full. He wasnât afraid of anything anymore and needed to make a strong statement instead of continuing to hide away.
âYour primary body would be able to break this domain, but since youâre just a replica, youâre better off dead. Otherwise, that Di Yin will think Iâm an easy target.â Lu Yun slowly walked up and smashed the stick in his hand onto the sovereignâs head.
The replica crumbled to dust and the blazing sun vanished. Jian Juexian and Brightheartâs shadows returned to their feet; everything returned to normal.
Di Yan looked at Lu Yun with a complicated expression.
âLead the way. You were the one who brought me to Dragonmountain Clime last time, so it shall be you again this time,â Lu Yun said expressionlessly to the man.
Di Yin had done nothing to him, but they were meeting as enemies this time.
<blockquote><b>Translator's Thoughts</b>And this, my friends, is why I'm sad they're no longer friends.