Rise of Humanity

by <unknown>

  Zhong Yue shouted, and his Golden Peng Sword grew to 3000 feet long, roughly about the same size as the hand of the Heavenly Dharma Practitioner's avatar!

  The sword slashed through the cloud hand as if it cut through real flesh. Unfortunately, the Golden Peng Sword was just a part of the Divine Wing Saber. Thus, it failed to do any extra damage after severing two fingers.

  And after cutting off the two fingers, the sword was stuck at the middle finger. Just before Zhong Yue removed the sword away from the cloud hand, the hand clenched and grabbed the sword before fiercely punching Zhong Yue!

  The impact created when the sword struck on the cloud hand almost shook Zhong Yue out of his Atman Body As One state. The powerful winds the hand created made a crater on the ground that grew bigger

  r as it continued to get closer to the ground.

  Zhong Yue also continued to be pushed downwards into the group even though the hand did not touch him at all. The force of the wind bent his wings out of shape and caused him to fall from the sky!

  Zhong Yue tried his best to flap his wings, changing the direction of his fall towards the jungle as he slammed straight into the trees. He mowed down anything that was in his path of crashing, leaving fallen trees, shattered rocks, and scorching fire behind him due to the frictional force.

  He was sent rolling on the ground for ten miles away before he regained his balance, jumped into the air and charged forward.

  Just as he left the spot, the cloud hand punched onto the spot. It shook the ground vigorously, and it cracked open when the two severed fingers fell onto the ground.

  As soon as the fingers touched the ground, they twisted, vanished and two white-haired old men with white eyebrows and beards appeared. Judging from their identical appearances, they were most probably the Zhong Li Celestial Race's people.

  Again, the two old men were formed by the clouds, similar to the cloud hand. They were part of the avatar of the Heavenly Dharma level Qi Practitioner. The two old men were about 400 meters tall, and they leaped into the air, closely followed behind Zhong Yue while they hurled all sorts of skills towards Zhong Yue. At the same time, the cloud giant standing in the air retracted his arms with the Golden Peng Sword held tightly in his fist as he wanted to take the sword for himself.

  “Small, small, small!” shouted Zhong Yue.

  The Golden Peng Sword suddenly turned small and slipped through the gaps of the cloud giant's fist.

  Zhong Yue continued to dash forward while the two old man chased behind him, persistently bombarded him with their attacks.

  “Larger, larger, larger!”

  The Golden Peng Sword flew to the back of the two old men, and it enlarged back to 3000 feet long, severing their two bodies.

  The sword then moved again, dicing the two old men into infinite pieces before returning into Zhong Yue's wings.

  However, right after the two men's pieces touched the ground, they suddenly reformed into another two identical old men. They continued to chase after Zhong Yue without rest even while knowing that he was already too far gone.

  And in the air, the avatar of the Heavenly Dharma level Qi Practitioner clenched their fist, that only had with three fingers left, and punched towards Zhong Yue again. But the same thing happened, Zhong Yue used his sword and severed its middle finger. Zhong Yue then took the chance and flew away from the cloud giant's attack range as he rode on the wind and fire.

  The old men then turned into mini clouds and flew into the skies. The severed middle finger that was still falling from the skies also turned into clouds and returned to the avatar's hand.

  “Running away so fast….”

  The avatar looked at the direction in which Zhong Yue ran, and he suddenly humphed before vanishing into a wisp of clouds.

  After a few moments, an old man with the same look of the previous old men arrived at the scene on a war chariot pulled by two Ardent Fire Birds.

  And at the back of the war chariot were the pursuers from the South and West Barren.

  The old man on the chariot was the Mister Changkong from the Zhurong Race!

  The Zhong Li Celestial Race consisted of not only Martial Masters but also quite a generous number of Qi Practitioners. Similar to the Martial Masters, many of these Qi Practitioners in the Zhong Li Celestial Race also obtained amazing achievements in their cultivation and among them were this Zhurong Changkong from Zhurong Family.

  It was him that visualized the avatar that tried to kill Zhong Yue from a thousand miles away, and Zhong Yue narrowly escaped only thanks to the Golden Peng Sword, or otherwise, he would have been captured long ago.

  "No wonder you guys could not catch him, this Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er are both slippery targets. The girl is good at deploying arrays and traps while the boy excels in utilizing everything on the spot to gain advantages that could benefit him greatly."

  Zhurong Changkong then said, "We have discovered the demon ladies' corpses under Madame Hua Zhen, and they said that the girls are killed by these two people as well, which greatly enraged Madame Hua Zhen. There's nothing to do with you all anymore, return to the capital at once."

  A Martial Master from Xia Family quickly replied, "Mister Changkong, Zhong Yue, and Qiu Jin'er are both cunning and sly, if they escape again, it would be very difficult to locate them again. With our help, we might be able to help you pinpoint their location.

  Zhurong Changkong however, laughed and replied, "I asked you all to go because I'm worried that you all might not be able to beat these two brats."

  Everyone around him laughed and said, “With Mister Changkong’s presence, I am sure that the two brats will not be able to hurt us in front of you! Besides, they are just Atman Body level Qi Practitioners and the weakest among us are also Atman Body level Qi Practitioner! All we need is just a few Inner Core level Martial Masters to stall the two of them while the others bombard them with skills and we will be able to kill them easily.”

  After a moment of consideration, Zhurong Changkong nodded and agreed to the proposal of the Martial Master from the Xia Family. Although he was a Heavenly Dharma level Qi Practitioner and possessed immense power, he was bad at tracking, which meant that it would be hard for him to track Zhong Yue again if Zhong Yue escaped again.

  Zhong Yue carried Qiu Jin'er on his back as he flew away at full speed, He only stopped once he reached his limit after traveling for a million miles.

  While Zhong Yue rested to catch his breath, Qiu Jin’er visualized a vine man, carried them up and started running away quickly.

  The girl then took out a totem pillar and contacted the Swords Gate through it, informed Madame Qiu about their location and requested her to send reinforcements from Swords Gate.

  Not long later, Zhong Yue's face changed, and he turned into the golden crow, carried Qiu Jin'er on his back as he flew away quickly. As he flew away, the clouds in the skies twisted again as Zhurong Changkong's avatar was going to emerge again.

  "Haha, let us see how far you can run?" said the avatar with a smirk on his face.

  Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er did not fret, and they continued running away at full speed and in an even secretive manner. They, however, failed to shake Zhurong Changkong from their tails even after trying for two days. Instead of shaking Zhurong Changkong off their tails, Zhurong Changkong somehow started to get closer and closer to them.

  Previously, Qiu Jin'er managed to shake off the pursuers because there was not a single Heavenly Dharma level Qi Practitioners among them, but now, with Zhurong Changkong among the pursuers, the difficulty of escaping had increased dramatically.

  Fortunately, they managed to retrieve the art to achieve the immortal body of the Kui Long Celestial Races, which allowed them to persist until now.

  However, it seemed like they were not able to keep it up again.

  The war chariot flew across the skies with Zhurong Changkong in it, he looked far away, and he ordered a Qi Practitioner beside him, "In front of us is the fortress guarding the border of
South Barren. Inform the generals over there to seal the borders and keep a lookout for Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er.

  The Qi Practitioner nodded, took out a totem pillar and informed the border guards about the order of Zhurong Changkong.

  Meanwhile, on the ground below the war chariot, a few Pan Aos charged forward quickly, while the others from the West Barren searched everywhere for their traces.

  "Seems like he will catch up to us by the end of the day, but we are close to the West Barren as well."

  Zhong Yue looked up, and the border of West and South Barren entered his vision, only about a thousand miles away from them. He then descended onto the ground and said, "Junior martial brother, these guys will take some time to reach here, we'll rest a bit and set up an ambush here. We have to try and eliminate as many of their underlings as possible, or we will not be able to escape!"

  Qiu Jin'er nodded, and she immediately shouted, causing huge trees to spawn spontaneously. Zhong Yue engraved totem carvings all over the trees, laying down trap arrays in preparation for the imminent battle.

  The pair then dashed through the jungle that Qiu Jin'er just created, with Zhong Yue drawing totem carvings on all the trees they passed.

  When they were done, Qiu Jin’er slammed her hands onto the ground, had the trees sunk into the ground to hide them away from the plain sights.

  Zhong Yue then held Qiu Jin’er’s hand and said, “Don’t worry, I’m here.”

  As soon as he finished talking, scorching sunfire surged out from his body, shrouded both of them and completely burnt off their scent and whatever traces left behind before he led Qiu Jin'er backward for a few hundred miles and stopped in front of a lake.

  Zhong Yue then surged his psyche out, forming a barrier that surrounded Qiu Jin'er and himself as they sunk into the lake.

  Shortly, a luxurious-looking war chariot flew across the skies above the lake while the ground trembled as the Pan Aos and the West Barren's celestial races' members dashed pass the lake.

  Boom——-

  An earthquake occurred as the huge trees Qiu Jin'er created rose from the ground and turned into large golden crows and celestial beings. They rampaged all over the area, tore fleshes apart and blood spilled everywhere.

  In the air, the speeding war chariot suddenly came to a stop in an instant, and a huge hand could be seen forming in the air before it slammed onto the ground. It eliminated all of the golden crows and celestial beings, foiled the trap that Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er deployed.

  “Bastards!”

  Zhurong Changkong furiously shouted as he looked at the ruins of the array trap set by Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er. The ground abounded with mutilated bodies, and none of the celestial races' Qi Practitioners survived the ambush!

  A Martial Master then quickly contacted the border guards and said, "Mister Changkong, guards from the border fortress reported no sightings of Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er…."

  Zhurong Changkong clenched his fist, and the clouds gathered around him, turning into a huge avatar that smirked and said, "If they are not seen around the border, then they are around here somewhere. Hmph, such foolishness! Di Ting, go, observe and listen to any movements in the underground, we must not let them escape from the underground!"

  A celestial race Qi Practitioner quickly jumped down from the war chariot and turned into a colossal beast that put his ears on the ground to sense any movements underneath it.

  Zhurong Changkong's expression turned dark after that, and he scanned around as he thought, Zhong Yue, Qiu Jin'er, do both of you really believe that you can escape from my eyes?

  From his eyes shot two laser rays that swiped around the surrounding, inches by inches and quickly, the two laser rays were about to reach the lake.

  In the lake, cold sweat dripped down from Qiu Jin’er’s forehead and she quickly contacted her mother, Madame Qiu with her totem pillars while Zhong Yue was all tensed up, preparing to bring Qiu Jin’er and fight their way out.

  Suddenly, the two laser rays disappeared, and a voice could be heard saying, "Senior martial brother Zuo, do you think that we could kill this old dog before the border fortress could respond in time?"

  “Tough.”

  Another voice said calmly, “But we could try.”

  Chapter 301: Demon Scabbard and Cloud Sword |

  Tian Yanzhong and Zuo Xiangsheng’s voices?

  Zhong Yue heard their voices and was startled, Swords Gate really sent them here? However, although they are strong, they are still no match for a Heavenly Dharma Qi Practitioner….

  Just when he thought of it, there was an incredible shockwave coming from the outside. It was the impact force from the clashings of the experts that even shook the bottom of the lake. Zhong Yue and Qiu Jin'er quickly surfaced and stood on the lake, they looked up and saw two young men fighting with the Heavenly Dharma Qi Practitioner Zhurong Changkong – it was Zuo Xiangsheng and Tian Yanzhong!

  Zhurong Changkong was a peak Heavenly Dharma Qi Practitioners. His Avatar was incredibly strong, capable of controlling the clouds to form into his Avatar, huge and gigantic. But even so, Tian Yanzhong and Zuo Xiangsheng weren't totally at the lower hand, but instead, they were actually suppressing Zhurong Changkong's attacks.

  It was all due to the two soul weapons they wielded. One was a sword scabbard that was one man tall with blood incessantly dripping from the scabbard. The sky became saturated with its bloody aura. Whenever the sword scabbard was opened, a huge wave of blood Qi would billow out from it. There seemed to be thin and light soul weapons hiding within the streams of blood Qi.

  These soul weapons were shapeless and were around 130 in number. They formed an array behind his head along with his five light wheels. Above the sword scabbard was his revolving inner core that shone rays of light that counteracted the terrifying Blood Qi.

  "The last of the Ten Malefic Weapons, the Demon Scabbard!" Zhong Yue exclaimed out of shock.

  The Demon Scabbard was a soul weapon that Tian Tuozi of the Tian Feng Clan wielded thousands of years ago. Like the other malefic weapons, it became as such upon devouring its master. After that, it was enshrined in the Valley of Swords.

  Zhong Yue has seen it before in the Heart of Sword Palace in the Valley of Swords. It was dark, gloomy, and nefariously evil as if it could suck the soul out from your body.

  Zuo Xiangsheng wielded a soul weapon that was even more bizarre and shocking than the Demon Scabbard; it seemed nothing more than a cloud that was blood red in color. But it could morph into any shape and form its master desired. It could seep through the smallest hole and strike from any direction. Moreover, it had different powers and abilities depending on the form that it took!

  The cloud Qi was extremely peculiar. It moved around as if it had its own life and thoughts. It surged with a savagery that reminded one of a beast trying to break free of its shackles. It was a significant threat to Zhurong Changkong.

  No matter how many times Zhurong Changkong struck at it with his own soul weapon, he couldn’t get rid of the cloud Qi at all!

  "The sixth of the Ten Malefic Weapons – the Cloud Sword!"

  Zhong Yue was once again shocked. The Cloud Sword was listed as the sixth of the Ten Malefic Weapons. It seemed related to clouds, but it really wasn't. It was, in fact, a soul weapon that was refined to the highest caliber, to the incorporeal state, allowing it to be able to change and morph at will!

  The Cloud Sword could be a cloud, sword, shield, clothes, or even a beast!

  The Demon Scabbard was formless, and the Cloud Sword was incorporeal. Both of these were at consummate stages that were basically unreachable for other soul weapons to ascend to!

  In the past, there were many examples of masters being devoured by the Ten Malefic Weapons; Lei Hong from not long ago was a perfect example that was killed by the Blood Ray Sword.

  They have the Ten Malefic Weapons, no wonder they dare to come to the South Barren.

  Zhong Yue heaved a breath of relief. Although the Heavenly Dharma
expert was strong, he would be no match against two of such insidious weapons.

  Fish Dragon, Lotus Rain, Sword Hill, Golden Bolus, Nan Shan, Cloud Sword, Flying Swallow, Sword Cocoons, Blood Ray and Demon Scabbard ... The masters that forged the Ten Malefic Weapons were all magnates of Swords Gate, men who stood on the summit of their eras, paragons that walked on their own paths to their extremities.

  Their soul weapons inherited their personalities and were thus accordingly extreme in nature. As such, other than Shui Zian who forged the Sword Cocoons, the other nine Swords Gate magnates died from the overbearing nature of their own soul weapons!

  Tian Yanzhong and Zuo Xiangsheng were both talented young men, their prowess in the Inner Core level was already prodigious. In addition to the Cloud Sword and Demon Scabbard, even though Zhurong Changkong was still putting up a fight, his fate had already been decided.

  It was only a matter of whether or not he could survive long enough until the reinforcement from the Zhong Li Celestial Race's border came to his rescue!

  The ones who could be stationed at the border would surely be an existence on par with Gu Hongzi, someone who was at least a Heavenly Dharma cultivator. And Tian Yanzhong and Zuo Xiangsheng wouldn't be able to take it if another Heavenly Dharma cultivator joined the battle!

  Furthermore, there was also the Zhong Li Celestial Race's godly spirit guarding the border of the South Barren. They could only end this battle as quickly as possible and take down this Zhurong Changkong. Otherwise, they might die here!

  “Senior Martial Brother Zuo and Senior Martial Brother Tian, can they control the malefic weapons?” Qiu Jin’er mumbled.

  Zhong Yue was also feeling anxious for the two senior martial brothers. The ten malefic weapons beside the Sword Cocoons had reaped more than ten of their masters' lives!

  Including one of the Innate Spirit Body holder, Lei Hong!

  If Zuo Xiangsheng and Tian Yanzhong couldn't control the ten malefic weapons, they would only share the same tragic fate as their predecessors!

  The battle started quickly and ended quickly; Zuo Xiangsheng and Tian Yanzhong didn't look like they could control the malefic weapons. Instead, it was the malefic weapons that controlled them; the two armaments were like two fierce beasts that rushed over to devour Zhurong Changkong. The Demon Scabbard sucked his Yuan Shen away while the Cloud Sword devoured all of his flesh.