The roar of a dragon’s call shook the void. A phantom dragon silhouette manifested upon the sword’s blade.
Struggling and roaring in fury, the dragon’s might radiated outwards, seemingly threatening to burst free from within the weapon. Finally, as the spiritual array within the sword slowly revolved, it could only manage a mournful cry before its entire body disintegrated, transforming into wisps of spiritual light and being reabsorbed back into the blade.
“Done!”
Zong Shou felt a wave of relief; he had persisted for an entire day and night. This immortal sword was finally refined.
It had also nearly drained him of all his energy, leaving his spirit utterly exhausted.
Just moments ago, his greatest fear was failing halfway, letting days of painstaking effort go to waste.
With the forging of this Dao-Governing Dragon Tooth Sword complete, it automatically integrated itself into the sword array.
This caused the other thirty-six blades to hum in unison.
The sword energy surged, almost beyond control, prickling Zong Shou’s skin with pain.
Even though the sword held no consciousness yet, a formidable intent crushed outwards in all directions—infused with the aura of the Great Dao, both tyrannical and brute.
Zong Shou had a feeling that this sword array, even without his control, could circulate and function autonomously, defending against enemies and protecting him.
However, at this moment, he had no mind to test the actual might of the completed formation.
Almost instantly, using the last remnants of his focus, he commanded the Azure Fire Mystic Turtle to retreat violently backwards.
He fled a distance of ten billion li, far outside the reach of the white hole, before carefully examining his own body.
“It truly is the Lu Family’s Sky-Burning Blood, the Marrow-Burning Blood Spirit!”
Limitless potential erupted within his body, causing his bloodline power to grow madly.
When Zong Shou exhaled, he actually spewed white flames that incinerated the void.
That extreme agony made him, for the first time, resent his body’s capacity for endurance.
He wished his own will had been slightly weaker, that he could have simply passed out on the spot—that would have been best.
Even if it meant being utterly consumed by the runaway bloodline power and white flames in the next instant!
Yet, what shocked Zong Shou most at this juncture was not the internal change, but that impossibly familiar aura that had already locked onto his position and was rapidly approaching.
“So painful!”
Zong Shou forced himself to endure, only managing to let a trace of blood leak from the corner of his lip, which was immediately vaporized by the flame power.
Clinging to his final thread of sanity, he kept thinking frantically.
“I must leave this place immediately!”
Although he had intended this outcome, he absolutely did not wish for Lu Wushuang to discover this realm as well.
The benefits this place offered to cultivators were far too immense.
Furthermore, the existence of the black and white holes made it too easy for others to peer into the foundation of his Dao.
Therefore, before achieving Ascension, Zong Shou was determined that no one else should discover this world.
Moreover, fighting Lu Wushuang here offered him no advantage whatsoever.
Only the chaotic Sea of Delusion offered any chance of escape from Lu Wushuang’s pursuit.
Without hesitation, Zong Shou’s figure shot out of this world.
Re-entering the Void Sea, his body swayed violently. Forget controlling the Demon-Warding Divine Shuttle; even maintaining his own consciousness was becoming incredibly difficult.
Zong Shou instinctively began to summon the few spirit beasts he kept in his sleeve.
These were among his hidden trump cards: both Little Gold and Han Xi possessed strength capable of contending with Immortal-rank experts.
And Sun-Roar was his ultimate killing move.
Not only was it a naturally bonded guardian, but several months prior, it had followed the Azure Fire Mystic Turtle in stepping into the Immortal rank.
The combined power of the four beasts, even if they couldn't defeat Lu Wushuang, could hold him off long enough to help him survive this crisis.
However, the moment this thought arose, Zong Shou froze.
All four spirit beasts, including the weakest Thunder Wyvern, had fallen into deep slumber.
Zong Shou’s consciousness was already sluggish; he lost focus for a moment until, a full quarter hour later, he finally grasped the reason.
The four spirit beasts were all his naturally bonded guardians, their spirits intrinsically linked to his own.
Today, due to this Marrow-Burning Blood Spirit technique, he had acquired the inherited bloodlines of the Kong Lu family, the Nine-Tailed Mystic Fox, the Thunder Luan, and the Water Qilin—four different systems of heritage.
The impact on these four guardians must have been profound.
Their current sleep was twofold: partly defense, and partly a concerted effort to digest this sudden inheritance.
This should have been a good thing; if they could endure it, their strength would surely increase immensely.
The problem was that the timing was terrible.
“Ordinary Spirit Masters strive their entire lives for a single Divine Beast-level natural guardian, and yet I, Zong Shou, might perish because of mine—”
Of his five guardians, only the Azure Fire Mystic Turtle was currently usable.
However, while its speed in the Sea of Delusion was swift, it could not compare to the Demon-Warding Divine Shuttle.
And that person was drawing nearer and nearer.
“Is there any other way to escape?”
Zong Shou had a premonition that if he could safely pass this trial, reaching the Immortal rank would be within easy grasp.
Yet, no matter how he racked his brain now, death seemed inevitable.
“Wait, the Power of Faith—”
A spark ignited in Zong Shou’s eyes, revealing a flash of sharp intelligence.
He was naturally decisive in battle, and now it was a matter of life and death.
He stopped overthinking and forced out all the accumulated Power of Faith within his body, channeling it entirely to suppress the bloodline mutation.
In an instant, his body calmed considerably.
Not only did the connection to Lu Wushuang become fainter, but his mind also grew clearer.
He knew this was only temporary; the stored Power of Faith would eventually be depleted.
And at most, it would only last half a day.
He needed more Power of Faith to suppress the bloodline, and he also needed to thoroughly shake off Lu Wushuang. In this current state, he was utterly incapable of contending with him.
“This means! The only chance of survival lies in that world that constantly called to me—the world with twenty billion boundless followers of the Primal Beginning Buddha—”
The decision made, the Azure Fire Mystic Turtle immediately spread its twelve pairs of ice wings and soared towards that location through the void.
Initially, it managed well enough, but as the stored Power of Faith drained away, that aura, which had momentarily vanished, reappeared and tracked him once more.
A powerful spear shadow loomed from afar, causing even the Mystic Turtle to feel terror.
Finally, it seemed the pursuer had caught up; a streak of silver-lightning-like brilliance pierced through the void, traversing the distance at the speed of an Immortal Realm expert.
With successive booming crashes, the massive shield protecting the Azure Fire Mystic Turtle could no longer hold; it was violently knocked aside, and the Turtle’s forelimb was pulverized into flesh and bone.
Zong Shou simply gazed on, his expression calm, a bitter look in his eyes.
Was this what they called fate mocking human calculations? All his planning had dissolved into nothing because of this Marrow-Burning Blood Spirit.
He felt he owed apologies to Yiren, to Kong Yao, and to Ruoshui.
Thoughts flashed wildly. As the spear shadow flew toward him, he had no strength to resist.
Yet, suddenly, a sliver of hopeful light flickered in Zong Shou’s eyes.
“The Power of Will and Belief? The Heavens have not forsaken me—”
The Azure Fire Mystic Turtle rushed frantically and finally reached the periphery of that world at the last possible moment.
And Zong Shou finally saw a shred of hope. (To be continued)RQ