World of Cultivation - Volume 05 - Charge Out of the Ancient Battlefield

by Fang Xiang

  Yu Heng was finished! The Jade Family was finished!

  This news added a thick sense of tragedy to this battle!

  But soon no one paid attention to Yu Heng’s news. Everyone’s eyes would forever be on the victor.

  But Xiao Mo Ge seemed to have disappeared.

  ———

  This battle made Zuo Mo marvel, but more importantly, it allowed him to feel satisfaction. But only just that. It was just a war chess match. What was there to be excited about?

  Lil’ Miss was completely unaffected. Because he knew the opponent was not the usual mysterious person. Even though he had won, he didn’t feel any joy. It would probably take defeating Pu Yao to made him feel true joy.

  This battle had also caused him to think more on his newly created snowflake tactic. Once the battle ended, he burrowed into the camp, all his thoughts on the new tactic.

  As to Pu Yao and Wei, this small victory held no value in their eyes.

  The victory that caused great waves in the yao world didn’t create a single ripple on Zuo Mo’s side.

  This matter was perfectly resolved, and Zuo Mo could finally put his complete attention on how to leave this ghastly place. Form the information he got from Ming Jue Zi, they needed to find the center of the battlefield. If they found the center, they could be able to find the damaged jie river. That way, they could be able to leave the ancient battlefield.

  So Zuo Mo instantly sent out the mobilization order. The entire group departed for the deepest part of the fiendish mist.

  Everyone’s morale rose. They had set up camp at this place for a long time. They had put the majority of their attention on their cultivation, but they couldn’t help but feel desperate inside. They were like hungry beasts that had been trapped for a long time and all of them howled!

  So when the order came down, everyone became excited.

  They had become increasingly familiar with the surrounding environment after hunting fiend soul beasts in the recent while. The feeling of terror that they had when they first entered this ancient battlefield had disappeared long ago. These people that were daring to start with were eager and wanted to charge at the very front.

  But Zuo Mo and the others that knew all of the information were not so optimistic.

  In an ancient battlefield that was tens of thousands years old, were the vicious beasts it created only at this skill level?

  Chapter 414: Fiend Corpse

  Reality proved at the worries Zuo Mo and the others had were well founded. The first two days of the journey went smoothly, but they encountered trouble on the third day.

  The vicious being they encountered had a human-shaped figure. It looked like a zombie. It had a human-shaped primate facing them had a vicious pair of eyes that glimmered with red light. Its entire body, including its face, was covered in fur. What was strangest was that the color of its fur was not uniform. Instead the multicolored fur created a complex and exquisite pattern that was like an unknown formation.

  There was a skull hanging from its waist. It seemed to be made of jade or porcelain. There seemed to be a ball of black mist that floated it the empty eye sockets.

  “Careful, this is a fiend corpse!”

  From the tone of Pu Yao’s warning, Zuo Mo instantly understood this thing called a fiend corpse was posed an extraordinary danger.

  He had just watched as at least three flying swords chopped at the fiend corpse’s body. Other than causing a few sparks, the attacks didn’t leave behind any mark and the rebound had almost caused the attackers harm instead. Everyone, including Zuo Mo, leapt forward. Wei Sheng, Xie Shan, and the others hurried forward to help.

  The fiend corpse instantly retreated as his initial attack had not succeeded. Its right hand was pressed against the skull on its waist. Its eyes flashed with red light and its gaze was tightly locked onto Wei Sheng. It seemed to understand that Wei Sheng was the greatest threat to it. When its gaze landed on the broken sword in Wei Sheng hands, the red light grew, and the fiendish mist roiled.

  The fiend corpse’s presence shocked Zuo Mo. He hurriedly asked Pu Yao. “What is a fiend corpse?”

  “Corpses left in areas of dense fiendish energy do not easily rot. The fiendish energy enters the corpse and forms a fiend corpse. You have to be careful, this fiendish corpse isn’t simple.” Pu Yao’s tone was grave. “Along the way here, there were no traces of corpses. Over time even the bones had turned to dust. The formation of black fiendish energy takes time, at least hundreds of years. Meaning corpse was able to stay preserved for hundreds of years. Either it has the help of a treasure, or the corpse itself is strange.”

  Treasure?

  Zuo Mo’s gaze floated instantly to the skull on the fiend corpse’s waist. Was this skull a treasure? When he looked at the fur on the fiend corpse’s body that was like a formation, he felt Pu Yao’s other speculation was also possible.

  Facing the fiend corpse, Wei Sheng’s expression was serious. The pressure he sensed from the fiend corpse was beyond anything he had previously experienced. Ever since he had stepped into the stage of jindan, his power had multiplied. This increase wasn’t just in cultivation, it included growth in sword essence and his mentality. He had to spend large amounts of time to stabilize his cultivation. This increase in power had caused the fiend soul beasts to become less pressuring to him.

  But the fiend corpse in front of him … …

  Wei Sheng could not feel even a thread of its presence. If he wasn’t staring at it with his eyes, it would seem there was nothing where the fiend corpse was standing. This shocked him. The only thing that he knew that could do this were fifth-grade ling beasts. Fifth-grade ling beasts could form void covers and hide their presences.

  This fiend corpse wasn’t a ling beast, not even a yao beast, but definitely was above fifth-grade!

  Vicious beings above fifth-grade could only be faced by xiuzhe in jindan or above. Zuo Mo had killed a Bloody Horned Great Serpent before but that one had been forced to form. It only just touched the boundary of fifth-grade.

  The fiend corpse in front of them was definitely not a normal fifth-grade vicious being. It could possibly be sixth-grade. In the world, other than xiuzhe, yao, and mo there were all kinds of beings. For these living beings, grades were used to categorize their power.

  The space shield of fifth-grade, the space boundary of sixth-grade, the space source of seventh-grade, and the scape spirit of eighth-grade. The ninth and tenth-grades were existences that almost were undefeatable and immortal.

  Each grade had upper, intermediate, and lower divisions. With fifth-grade as an example, the lower level could just form the space shield, the space shield that formed was also very unstable. Intermediate fifth-grade had a basic and complete space shield, and started to form new transformations. When it came to upper fifth-grade, the space shield was almost perfect, and many transformation could be comprehended.

  “Intermediate fifth-grade … …” Yi Zheng exclaimed. His face instantly became pale white. Being from a great sect, Yi Zheng’s knowledge was much broader than a country bumpkin like Zuo Mo. He instantly recognize the power of the fiend corpse.

  When he spoke, he frightened everyone. It had to be said that in all the major xiuzhe jie, the danger any ling beasts or vicious being posed was clear. Fourth-grade vicious beings were very rare, much less intermediate fifth-grade vicious beings. Even Yi Zheng, who was from Great Buddha Temple, was frightened. Large sects like Great Buddha Temple naturally did not lack ling beasts. Not just fifth-grade, the temple even raised a few sixth-grade ling beasts. But the fifth and sixth-grade ling beasts raised in the temple were harmless babies when compared to this fiend corpse that had formed over tens of thousands of years.

  With one look at the fiend corpse, a bone-aching coldness jumped into Yi Zheng’s heart.

  Wei Sheng’s expression did not change. He did not blink, and the broken sword in his hand did not waver even a sliver.

  The fiend corpse stared at Wei Sheng, baring
his teeth and displaying a vicious expression. Its right hand was still pressed against the skull on its waist.

  The xiuzhe around Wei rapidly retreated backwards. Xie Shan, Zong Ru, Su Long, and the others came forward, and loosely surrounded the fiend corpse.

  The mood became increasingly more tense.

  Zuo Mo’s heart suddenly jumped, and his eyes lit up. He urgently shouted, “Xie Shan, Zong Ru, Shu Long, guard the other directions. Be wary of other vicious beings!”

  The trio’s hearts shook. They rapidly retreated but were still late.

  “Careful! Enemy attack!”

  Chaotic shouts came from the rear and flanks. At this moment everyone’s expression changed, including Zuo Mo! Diverting attention to the front to attack the back! This fiend corpse understood misdirection!

  At this moment, the eyes of the fiend corpse facing off with Wei Sheng flashed with red light, and its figure suddenly disappeared.

  Clang!

  A crisp sound of a metallic collision rang out so the whole camp could hear!

  Wei Sheng had raised the broken sword and as he firmly parried the other’s claw! At some unknown time, the fiend souls’ ten fingers had grown into sharp white bone claws!

  Clang clang clang!

  The collisions were as rapid as raindrops. Some xiuzhe who had not been prepared felt their ears ring. The fiend corpse and Wei Sheng turned to two balls of shadow that chased about in the air. Everyone was unable to track their shadows.

  The fiend corpse’s bone claws and Wei Sheng’s broken sword crossed and matched!

  At this time, Zuo Mo’s expression changed slightly. Damn it!

  There wasn’t just one vicious being that was attacking them from behind! Looking at Wei Sheng who was in fierce combat against the fiend corpse, Zuo Mo gritted his teeth, turned and charged towards the back.

  He believed that with Eldest Shixiong’s power, even if he could not defeat the fiend corpse, he could slow down the other! If the vicious being that was ambushing form the back was fifth-grade as well, then it was a calamity for the others. Other than the few that had their core formations, everyone else was ningmai. Ningmai xiuzhe in front of fifth-grade yao beasts were as weak as lettuce.

  This wasn’t something that numbers could change. The difference in power was too great!

  If one fifth-grade yao beast charged in, blood would flow in rivers. Thinking about it, Zuo Mo’s eyes instantly became red. In name, everyone in this group were his subordinates, but in his heart, they were fellows he could give his life too.

  One, two … … five … … six!

  Damn it! There were six!

  The damned group!

  Halfway in the air, Zuo Mo suddenly bellowed. The furious howl was like thunder that suddenly spread!

  The golden yellow and fiery red flame seal armor quickly wrapped around Zuo Mo at a rate visible to the naked eye. The half-transparent and gossamer thin golden wings formed silently behind him like they were drawn by an invisible pen.

  Hiss!

  Zuo Mo’s figure disappeared from the air.

  ———

  An enormous shadow covered A Wen. Within the fiendish mist, there seemed to be a small mountain moving towards him. The ground was rumbling, and pebbles were furiously bouncing.

  A Wen tightly gripped his black spear. His young face was expressionless like the most practiced hunter. Having survived the dueling stadium, A Wen might be young, but he had gone through hundreds of fights, and was one that truly climbed out of piles of corpses.

  But this unknown monster had pressured him to the point he almost couldn’t breathe!

  Even though the other had not attacked yet, A Wen was clear this feeling would occur when the enemy’s strength was far greater than his. However, he did not retreat because this big guy had wounded several of his brothers.

  Shu Long was not present, and he was the strongest one present out of Guard Camp. If he ran now, the other people would directly face this big guy. Then only death awaited them.

  What should he do?

  His mind moved quickly. Use his speed to slow down this big guy?

  At this time, the enormous shadow within the fiendish mist revealed its true face. A Wen’s pupils suddenly shrank!

  An ugly sand puppet with the body of a small mountain that was at least twenty zhang. In front of it, A Wen was like an ant. It seemed to move very slowly, but it was able to move over a large distance with each step. Many small flows of sand surrounded it like mist.

  So ugly!

  A Wei twisted his mouth. He knew his plan of using speed to slow down the other was no longer viable.

  However … …

  A cold light suddenly flashed through A Wen’s eyes. He suddenly raised the black spear in his hand.

  “Hardship Guard!”

  A Wen’s angry shout jolted the confused and disorganized Guard Camp and quickly calmed them down. They were well trained. After the initial confusion, they quickly organized themselves. When they saw the youngest among them, A Wen, standing at the front, these men felt their blood rise up, their necks turned red, and tendons bulging.

  Without any orders, just like normal, they quickly formed the Crow Fiend Mo Killing Formation!

  The spear that A Wen had raised was now tilted downwards towards his side. With both his hands grasping the spear, he pointed the tip of the spear straight at the enormous sand puppet that was approaching .

  All of the hardship guards understood A Wen’s meaning instantly!

  These men that had felt shame at their panic furiously channeled into the formation.

  Immediately, the fiendish mist was like water that furiously flooded the formation. The fiendish mist that was absorbed into the Crow Fiend Mo Killing Formation only left behind small threads of black mist.

  The slender black mist swam and gathered in one direction

  —towards the very front of the formation, the individual standing with his spear, A Wen.

  * * *

  Translator Ramblings: Fang Xiang’s foreshadowing at the end of last chapter was very clumsy.

  About Gongsun Cha winning over Yu Heng … … there are two major factors in my mind: 1) he is a talented person and he had a very good teacher. If you look at chess, there are some who become grandmasters at a very young age and some who might play for years but never reach the highest level. 2) This was a “virtual” match. Essentially, both Yu Heng and Gongsun Cha started out with approximately the same amount of strength. That doesn’t happen in real battles where the strength of the battalion, the battlefield and other factors come into play. This is like the different between building a nation in Civilization and actually founding a nation in real life. So Gongsun Cha won in a “fair” game which his own skill was all that mattered. But if Heavy Earth Corps met Vermillion Bird Camp in real life, that would be a whole other matter.

  Chapter 415: Crowd of Monsters

  This was the first time A Wen was leading the formation. This position had previously been Shu Long’s.

  The inky black mist was moving towards him like slender snakes. They gathered from all corners of the formation onto A Wen’s body. In an instant, A Wen was covered in the snake-like mist. His body was shrouded in mist, and his figure became indistinct.

  It was the first time that A Wen had felt as though his body was going to explode. The power was restlessly stirring inside his body, and was trying to escape! The surge pf pure killing essence was like waves that battered at his mind.

  Along with the cold and dark killing essence came a darkness, the world within his view had became dark. A strong feeling of murderousness rose. He had the impulse to destroy everything!

  But that lasted for just an instant and A Wen recovered clarity.

  In that one instant, the world became a blur in his eyes. A Wen couldn’t help but feel afraid. The situation just now had been extremely dangerous. In their daily cultivation, Shu Long had repeatedly warned them not to lose themselves in killing essence. Once they we
re lost in killing essence, they would become monsters that only knew to kill.

  Having climbed out of the dueling stadium, A Wen’s talents were not just outstanding, he was also mentally stronger than the great majority of people. He had never encountered such a dangerous loss of control in his daily cultivation. This was one reason that his progression was far faster than his fellows.

  But the killing essence that had flooded in had been too great and almost drowned him.

  Feeling afraid from this experience, A Wen became even more careful. However, he had never lead the formation before today so he could only think back to how Shu Long usually acted.

  He quickly found that mimicking Shu Long was not as simple as he had imagined. It required special methods to control such a vast amount of killing essence.

  Damn it!

  ———

  “When will the three of them regain consciousness?” a member of the Sky Peak Platoon sighed. “These three are battlemaniacs; they will definitely regret missing out on such a spectacular battle.”

  “They’re seriously wounded, it’s good that they are even alive! If it wasn’t for Teacher Wei and the others arriving in time, they might not even be alive,” a member beside him followed up.

  “It’s useless even if they are awake,” another member inserted. “Why are we just watching right now? We still can’t join in? Damn it! Seems we need to try hard to get to jindan. Us Sky Peak Platoon can only stand aside and stare as the others battle. This is embarrassing!”

  The other members felt great empathy with his words. In the past, the Sky Peak Platoon had been the elite of Vermillion Bird Camp. Comprised of sword xiu that comprehended sword essence, peerless in offensive power. But as more members comprehended sword essence, their advantage was not as evident as it was in the past. In reality, their improvement was not minor. This could be seen from their cultivation. All of them had reached the third stratum of ningmai.