Against the Gods - Volume 03 - Name that Shakes the Profound Sky

by Mars Gravity

  “Ice Lotus Prison!!”

  Twelve light blue colored flower petals competed to bloom, and displayed a dazzling brilliance like the starry sky. But this time, this enormous ice lotus was not used to attack nor defend, and instead, self-destructed…

  Shatter!!

  The ice crystals that covered the sky densely flew about and crazily clashed with the sword beams. The ice crystals were grinding apart the sword beams, and the sword beams were also grinding apart the ice crystals. Within the chaotic storm of ice lotus and sword blades, the Celestial Yuan Sword and Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon also crossed strikes like a fierce rainstorm. Gradually, the crowd could no longer see the figures of the Celestial Yuan Sword and the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon, and in the end, even Ling Yun and Xia Qingyue could only see the two’s afterimages that shifted with extreme speed… Only the intense sound of the collisions, as well as the ice crystals and sword beams that covered the sky, unceasingly remained.

  More than half of the Sword Discourse Arena, an entire three hundred and thirty meters of area was completely shrouded by sword beams and ice crystals. Even Ling Wugou was forced back three hundred and thirty meters away. The surrounding audience had already become stupefied from watching, and some seniors had already quickly constructed profound energy barriers in front of the seats to prevent the sudden berserk and dispersion of these energy injuring the young sectoral disciples. Seeing the intense battle on the Sword Discourse Arena, the shock in their hearts could not be described with words… Was this really a battle between two youths?

  How could a battle of this extent, occur between two youths!!

  On the Blue Wind Imperial Family’s seats, Qin Wushang was also staring with wide eyes. Thinking back at his own strength when he was twenty, he sighed and muttered to himself: “These two, would certainly both be the pinnacle of Blue Wind Empire in the future… Especially this Xia Qingyue, will even more so, be unparalleled!”

  Ling Yuefeng’s expression became more and more solemn. He had originally thought that since he was similarly at the third level of Earth Profound Realm, Ling Yun should hold the absolute advantage; because dominating others of the same rank was as easy as lifting an arm for him. However, he sat there and saw Ling Yun expend his full power little by little, yet was still incapable of getting the slightest advantage at all. All of a sudden, some anxiety birthed in his heart. Because from this kind of situation of the battle, it was impossible for him to not think about a possibility…

  Which was the possibility of Ling Yun losing.

  But if Ling Yun also lost, then he would be stopped in the semifinals just like Ling Jie, and the two brothers would be respectively rank third and fourth place! Their power ranking, would also fall into third place!!

  His Heavenly Sword Villa that was the number one force in the Blue Wind Empire, the number one supremacy that had never been shaken in history, would only be placed third in this Ranking Tournament! Not even keeping the second place! In all of Heavenly Sword Villa’s history, that had never happened before! To Heavenly Sword Villa’s prestige and fame, this would be an unimaginably heavy strike.

  Furthermore, the first place reward in this session of the Ranking Tournament —— the Dragonscale Armor, was a great gift that Ling Kun brought over from Mighty Heaven Sword Region to grant it to Heavenly Sword Villa. The reason why it was used as the first place treasure of this Ranking Tournament, was also just a feint. Because before the tournament, they, as well as everyone else were all completely certain that the first place of this Ranking Tournament must belong to Ling Yun, with no exceptions of other people. Thus, not only would the Dragonscale Armor return to their Heavenly Sword Villa in the end, it would also display their “immense” wealth of his Heavenly Sword Villa.

  If Ling Yun loses, this Dragonscale Armor would also fall into the hand of another.

  No matter which outcome happens, they were all outcomes that Heavenly Sword Villa absolutely could not accept.

  Seeing Ling Yuefeng’s reaction, Xuanyuan Yufeng comforted: “Yuefeng, do not worry. Don’t forget, Ling’er still hasn’t used the Sword Spirit Doppelganger. Once the Sword Spirit Doppelganger is used, Xia Qingyue definitely would not have any possibility of winning.”

  “Heaven’s Might Absolute Sword —— Universe!!”

  Cyan colored sword light crazily surged atop the Celestial Yuan Sword, and extended all the way up to sixty meters away. Looking from afar, it was as if Ling Yun was holding an enormous colossal sword that was over sixty meters long and one and half meters wide. Both of Ling Yun’s hands were held upwards, and the cyan colored sword light crashed toward Xia Qingyue like heaven’s sword of judgement.

  BOOM!!

  Amidst the enormous noise, a huge and bottomless chasm that was over three hundred meters long and five feet wide ruptured open in the Sword Discourse Arena, violently dividing the Sword Course Arena in half. But Xia Qingyue had already appeared far away in midair from who knows when. Ice spirits slowly floated around her body as flakes of snow gently fell from above. At first, the snowflakes were sparse, but right after, they increasingly grew in number. Ice cold wind had also slowly started to blow. In the end, the wind and snow melded together into a boundless blizzard and torrented down.

  “This is… the sixth stage of the Frozen Cloud Secret Arts, Realm of Heavenly Snow Invocation!!” Ling Yuefeng turned pale from shock! From his knowledge, the old Chu Yuechan who was half-step into the Emperor Profound Realm, had also only reached this stage! Even though Xia Qingyue’s aptitude was extremely astonishing, even if her apitude was even greater, how was it possible for her to reach the sixth stage of the Frozen Cloud Secret Arts with a profound strength at the third level of the Earth Profound Realm… This was unrelated to aptitude, and should instead be restrained by the most fundamental laws of profound strength!

  This kind of strength was already not like simple profound strength anymore, and was more like an undefiable force of nature. Those flakes of snow seemed to be soft and gentle, but a terrifying cold energy and destructive force hid within every single flake. Ling Yun quickly retreated backwards, but was still caged within the overwhelming blizzard. His sword lights moved like lightning and cut apart the blizzard with extreme speed as he forcefully endured this attack that fundamentally should not belong to the Earth Profound Realm’s level. And at this time, a line of white light suddenly arrived before his body. Even though he noticed, it was simply impossible for him, who was defending against the Heavenly Snow to take into consideration, and was lightly touched on his chest by the Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon.

  Bang!!!

  Ling Yun sprayed out a mouthful of fresh blood, which sprinkled onto the pure-white snowflakes. And at the same time, he also borrowed the force of this direct attack he received to escape backwards, far out of the overwhelming blizzard’s attack. After tumbling for over ten times in the air, he heavily landed onto the ground on one knee with the Celestial Yuan Sword as support and heavily gasped from his mouth.

  Ling Yuefeng stood up with a “whoosh”. With a grab of his palm, the Celestial Yang Sword within Ling Jie’s hands was sucked into his, and was then thrown flying toward Ling Yun: “Yun’er, catch the sword!!”

  Ling Yun lifted up his head, and a painful struggle flashed through his eyes. However, he still extended his hands and caught the Celestial Yang Sword. His gaze, also once again recovered its resolution.

  When Ling Jie was facing Yun Che before, a show of Ling Yun’s sword support was put on.

  And now, the same scenario actually happened to Ling Yun.

  The entire Sword Discourse Arena was silent, and no one voiced out any boos. Because anyone would understand that in this battle, Heavenly Sword Villa absolutely could not afford to lose. If they let the dignified number one force and supremacy in Blue Wind be reduced to the third, it would unquestionably be a shame that Heavenly Sword Villa could not wipe off for the generations to come.

  Naturally, it was impossible for Ling Yun to not
understand this. Thus, even though using the dual swords would hurt his pride and dignity, he still did not refuse… Compared to the prestige of Heavenly Sword Villa, his own personal dignity was simply not important at all.

  He had to win this battle.

  With the Celestial Yuan Sword in his left hand, the Celestial Yang within his right, Ling Yun slowly stood up. His hand that grasped onto the Celestial Yang Sword also slowly unclenched, yet the Celestial Yang Sword that lost its grasp oddly did not fall, and instead just floated there.

  Both of Ling Yun’s hands clasped in front of him, as a eccentric radiance that was as sharp as the sword beams stirred within his eyes. Around his body, there also swirled up a burst of light gray colored profound energy radiance.

  “Sword… Spirit… Doppelganger!”

  Chapter 238: Conclusion Through Domain

  An illusory shadow suddenly appeared behind the Celestial Yang Sword. Following Ling Yun’s low mutterings, the profound energy on his entire body surged, and this shadow quickly congealed. Lastly, it actually turned into an image of a person which did not feel like an illusion at all. It wore the same clothes as Ling Yun, had the same build as Ling Yun, and even its appearance and gaze were completely the same. He reached his hand out to grasp at the Celestial Yang Sword in front of him, and in that moment, a wave of sword energy that was undeniably and completely the same as Ling Yun’s was released.

  Two Ling Yuns stood together, and apart from the sword in his hands, there were no conceivable differences between them!

  Yun Che’s jaw dropped slightly, and his eyes revealed shock. This is… an illusion? Remnants of a shadow? Wrong! If it was an illusion, for something like “sword energy” to exist was completely impossible, yet it was clearly releasing a sword energy that did not pale in comparison to Ling Yun’s in the slightest. It was just like another real Ling Yun!

  Two Ling Yuns!?

  The entire audience was stupefied, especially the younger practitioners, their eyes were opened wider than a cow’s. What skill was this? How could such an unimaginable skill like this exist in the world… It was practically like a magic trick! Even practitioners of the lowest strength could feel that the sword energy from the “second Ling Yun” was not one bit inferior to the real Ling Yun’s.

  “This is the Sword Spirit Doppelganger! It is a special sword intent skill that could only be achieved by those who have attained perfect comprehension of sword intent, and are at the pinnacle of this realm!” Qin Wushang said as his eyebrows sank, “This Sword Spirit Doppelganger is formed from Ling Yun’s sword intent. Not only will it not discount from Ling Yun’s own strength, it will also have the same profound energy and skills as Ling Yun, so it will count as a completely different entity which is completely the same as Ling Yun! However, the Sword Spirit Doppelganger will be very taxing on his mind. When the Sword Spirit Doppelganger disappears, Ling Yun will definitely become extremely exhausted… However, with Ling Yun’s sword intent, this Sword Spirit Doppelganger will last for at least an eighth of an hour!

  “Within that time frame, Xia Qingyue will be facing an equivalent of two Ling Yuns. A single Ling Yun is already incomparably terrifying. Two of him… Let alone an eighth of an hour, it would be extremely hard for Xia Qingyue to even last for sixty breaths of time.”

  While Qin Wushang was speaking. Ling Yun’s Celestial Yuan Sword had already pierced straight out in a graceful strike. It seemed to slice through space, and even if a mountain had been up ahead, the sword would have been enough to slash it into pieces.

  Xia Qingyue’s white ribbon fluttered and forged ahead to face the Celestial Yuan Sword. Following a loud explosion, the sword’s shadow and a white shadow clashed into each other, and terrifying noises like that of thunder and lightning simultaneously rang out. At this, the other Ling Yun had already rounded behind Xia Qingyue, and the Celestial Yang Sword pierced over with a sword energy of the same ferocity…

  Other than by using unconventional means, Xia Qingyue’s profound energy would only be barely enough to match evenly with Ling Yun. To use strength that transcends the norm would undoubtedly be immensely consuming, and was not something that can be frequently unleashed. Xia Qingyue could contend against a single Ling Yun, but was definitely not able to match up against two of him.

  The ice lotus exploded, and Xia Qingyue had already quickly shifted, but both Ling Yuns followed her like shadows. Two Sky Profound Swords, one cyan and the other orange, wove together to form two huge sword webs, locking Xia Qingyue firmly within. Originally, the power of both the Celestial Yuan Sword and the Celestial Yang Sword was already complementary. Now that both people and swords matched harmoniously, the might of this combination wasn’t as simple as just being doubled.

  Crack!!

  The entire Sword Discourse Arena shook violently and the large spiderweb cracks began to appear on the stone platform beneath. Many ice lotuses bloomed beside Xia Qingyue, but they would be crushed to dust instantly by the cyan and orange sword energies. Gradually, less offensive ice lotuses appeared as defensive ice lotuses increased, until at last, all the ice lotuses were concentrated on defending. The Ice Phoenix Snowflower Ribbon also went into a state of full defense and fluttered rapidly around Xia Qingyue, resisting the continuous sword energies from both swords.

  Even so, she was still surrounded by danger, and was forced back step by step by Ling Yun.

  “I’d have never thought that Ling Yun could actually already be able to use the Sword Spirit Doppelganger… Elder sister, I remember that it was also because Ling Yuefeng had used this strange Sword Spirit Doppelganger trick to cause you to be defeated that year.” Chu Yueli lightly spoke slowly with a cool expression. Even though Xia Qingyue had already been forced into such an absolute disadvantage, she still did not seem to be anxious at all.

  Chu Yuechan’s face was cold as frost, and she did not reply.

  Chu Yueli closed her eyes and activated spirit sound transmission, “Qingyue, it seems like there is no other choice. Activate ‘Domain’, I believe that once the Mistress knows that Ling Yun is capable of utilizing the Sword Spirit Doppelganger, she will not blame you for activating the Domain.”

  The movements of Xia Qingyue, who had been doing her utmost to hold her own against both Ling Yuns, became sluggish. Suddenly, the ice spirits around her body floated, and a humongous “Ice Lotus Prison” exploded under her feet, causing both Ling Yuns to retreat at the same time.

  The two Ling Yuns withdrew thirty meters away, then approached again at lightning speed. But at that moment, ice blue light was suddenly released from Xia Qingyue’s body. She closed both eyes, her expression as peaceful as snow. As she opened her arms slowly, her ink-black long hair floated up without any wind, and a wave of biting cold wind suddenly whistled down from the blue dome of heaven…

  “Frozen… Cloud… Domain….”

  A low and gentle chant slowly escaped from her lips. In a split second, it was as if the world suddenly switched over. The air in the three hundred meters that surrounded her turned into a sheet of ice in a flash. In this huge ice-blue domain, the air was as frigid as purgatory. Ice and frost filled the sky as they fell. Vapor in the air also rapidly solidified into countless ice crystals, forming a sheet of pure white that grew thicker by the second.

  The movements of both Ling Yuns stopped simultaneously as layers of ice began to quickly solidify on their entire bodies. Deep shock was revealed on their faces.

  “This is… This is… This is…”

  “Domain!?” Without waiting for Ling Yuefeng’s cry of shock, Xuanyuan Yufeng clutched Ling Yuefeng’s hand and involuntarily shouted out.

  Ling Kun’s complexion also changed in a split second. After the shock had passed, he quietly muttered to himself, “It’s truly worthy of being called… the Nine Profound Exquisite Body that holds no regard for regulations!”

  “Do… Domain!?”

  “It… It can’t be! It can’t possibly be! Domain…. Isn’t that a Throne’s power!�
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  “But this is clearly the strength of a Domain! And it’s a completely formed Domain!”

  This time, not only the younger practitioners, but even the elders were all stunned. Domain, to the younger practitioners, was too far away for to reach, and to these elders, they clearly and deeply knew of the concept of Domain… And this sort of power was still the ultimate goal they pursued throughout their entire lives!

  “Domain… Domain…” Ling Wugou stared at the ice blue world in front of him, gobsmacked. In the midst of all the shock, his face became thoroughly stiff. As of today, he was at the eighth level of the Sky Profound Realm, and the possibility of ever charging into the Emperor Profound Realm in his lifetime was extremely slim. And to fully utilize a Domain, was proof of a Throne’s power. But for him, all this was only a dream that could not been reached… However, this dream of his, had actually completely appeared on a mere seventeen year old girl’s body.

  The might of Xia Qingyue’s Frozen Cloud Domain could definitely not compare to when it was first used by Chu Yuechan, but its completeness far surpassed that. After all, the most that Chu Yuechan, who was then half a step into the Emperor Profound Realm, could use would only be half an Frozen Cloud Domain, while Xia Qingyue’s was fully complete!

  Within the Frozen Cloud Domain, ice-cold flying snow, frost, mist, and wind… everything had been changed to become advantageous towards Xia Qingyue’s element, and at the same time, it restricted Ling Yun to an enormous extent in all aspects. The frightful chill cut to the bone, and even caused Ling Yun’s bones to tremble. The sky was filled with wind and snow, and the frosty mist obstructed his view… In the beginning, he was still able to withstand it with some effort, but gradually, his body began to harden, and be it his body’s speed or his sword’s speed, both dropped sharply, and even his sword’s strength weakened as if it too, had been frozen over.