adbindia Chapter 289 - 251: I See
Chapter 289 - 251: I See
"Who is it?"
The moment Lu Hongyu sensed them, he couldn’t locate the Spirit Refiner controlling the two Long Swords of different colors.
The Long Swords were closing in on him, leaving him no time to search. He had to deal with them first.
With his senses, he could clearly perceive that the deep yellow Long Sword was a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact, while the pale red one was a Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact.
His sect had warned them to be cautious when facing a Spirit Refiner’s Lower Grade Spiritual Artifacts, because some were now specifically designed to counter them.
On the surface, these Lower Grade Spiritual Artifacts looked no different from any other. Their peculiarities could often only be discovered upon contact.
According to the Celestial Demon Sect Elders who had survived encounters with these artifacts, they would weaken a Demon’s Demon Power, making them easier to defeat.
However, being only Lower Grade, these artifacts merely had the effectiveness of a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact when used against them.
For Lu Hongyu, who was at Late-stage Foundation Establishment, a Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact could hardly pose a threat.
Despite the seemingly non-threatening attack, Lu Hongyu didn’t let his guard down. He focused all his strength on dealing with the two approaching Long Swords, planning to find their master afterward.
Fire Attribute Demon Power enveloped his fists, making his already incredibly hard fists even more destructive.
Facing the oncoming Long Swords, he threw two punches with all his might.
An ordinary Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact that wasn’t sturdy enough would be damaged by his blows.
Patriarch Xiao had already experienced the might of his fists firsthand and could certainly attest to their power. Not long ago, Patriarch Xiao’s Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact had been left half-ruined.
He threw both punches with his full power.
But Lu Hongyu did not see the two Long Swords get sent flying by his immense strength.
Instead, a sharp pain shot through him as the blades of the Long Swords pierced his fists.
The sensation in his left and right fists was different. The pale red Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact was indeed one of those designed to counter them, capable of weakening his Demon Power, but the effect was far too strong.
Furthermore, the deep yellow Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact’s power was completely beyond what a Middle Grade artifact should possess.
Its destructive force already surpassed that of an Upper Grade Spiritual Artifact.
Because he had used his full strength, the two Long Swords didn’t pierce through him instantly. If he had been the least bit careless, he would have been killed in a flash by these two different-colored blades.
"How is this possible?"
"I see now..."
Lu Hongyu was shocked at first, but he quickly connected the dots.
The deaths of the Stone Demon Sect’s Sect Leader and Vice Sect Leader, the annihilation of the Feng Family...
’Considering the current situation, it all makes sense. Facing the Long Swords that are about to run me through, I’m utterly helpless. And I still can’t find the Spirit Refiner controlling them.’
’It has to be the same person!’
With that final thought, Lu Hongyu’s aura vanished, and his body plummeted from the sky.
The power of the Spiritual Artifacts defied all logic, exceeding his understanding. In his last moments of consciousness, he had briefly wondered about it but couldn’t figure it out.
After killing the Late-stage Foundation Establishment Demon, the six-patterned Earth Yellow Sword and the three-patterned Demon-slaying Sword, under Fang Yun’s control, flew toward the other Foundation Establishment Demons.
Fang Yun had fully expected that the combined power of the Earth Yellow Sword and the Demon-slaying Sword could easily kill a Late-stage Foundation Establishment Demon.
Boosted by his five-star Combat Talent, the power of the two Spiritual Artifacts skyrocketed.
When used against Demons, the three-patterned Demon-slaying Sword was about as effective as the six-patterned Earth Yellow Sword. This was without the boost from his Combat Talent.
But once the Combat Talent was applied, the three-patterned Demon-slaying Sword became significantly stronger against Demons than the six-patterned Earth Yellow Sword.
The reason was simple: the five-star Combat Talent provided a greater boost to Lower Grade Spiritual Artifacts than to Middle Grade ones.
If the former received a threefold increase in power from its base, the latter received a little over a twofold increase.
Lu Hongyu, an Elder of the Celestial Demon Sect, had been slain.
From Patriarch Xiao’s perspective on the ground,
he had seen the Late-stage Foundation Establishment Demon about to attack him, only to turn and face two oncoming Long Swords. Moments later, the Demon was cut down by those same swords.
Compared to the deceased Lu Hongyu, Patriarch Xiao was even more dumbfounded.
’Who?’
’Have reinforcements arrived?’
As reality sank in, Patriarch Xiao was first overcome with joy. He had survived. The Xiao Family had survived.
Then, he looked around for the Celestial Cloud Sect Elder who had come to their aid.
’Strange. Where is he?’
Unable to find anyone, Patriarch Xiao struggled to his feet to check on the other Foundation Establishment battlefields.
’Elder Lu is dead...’
The Sect Leader of the Cyan Flood Dragon Sect, a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, panicked at the sight of the Celestial Demon Sect Elder’s death.
What terrified him even more was that a pale red Long Sword was now hurtling toward him. Although he hadn’t seen exactly how the Celestial Demon Sect Elder had died, he was certain it was by that very sword.
"Retreat! Quickly!" the Cyan Flood Dragon Sect’s Leader roared.
The sudden shout startled Elder Wang of the Celestial Cloud Sect.
He was in much better shape than Patriarch Xiao, but if the fight continued like this, he wouldn’t last much longer either.
Unlike the Sect Leader of the Cyan Flood Dragon Sect, he couldn’t afford to be distracted during combat.
A moment of distraction could mean death at the hands of the Cyan Flood Dragon Sect’s Leader.
Therefore, he was still unaware that the Late-stage Foundation Establishment Elder from the Celestial Demon Sect was already dead.
He quickly glanced at the state of the battle.
Elder Wang’s despair turned to joy.
"Where do you think you’re going?"
The Cyan Flood Dragon Sect’s Leader was trying to escape. There was no way he would let him.
The tables had completely turned, and he would never let them get away.
Elder Wang stopped defending and went all out to pin down the Cyan Flood Dragon Sect’s Leader.
He had only managed to hold the Sect Leader for a brief moment before he saw him fall to the pale red Long Sword.
’That was way too fast.’
The pale red Long Sword’s kill was so clean and decisive that Elder Wang almost didn’t have time to react.
’Elder Miao?’
’No, that’s not right.’
’It’s Elder Fang!’
Elder Miao was a Sword Cultivator, but everyone in the Celestial Cloud Sect knew that Elder Fang had a fondness for using swords.
Knowing it was Elder Fang, this Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact must be one of the special ones designed to deal with Demons.
The attacks from the pale red Long Sword and the deep yellow Long Sword were simultaneous.
「On the last Foundation Establishment battlefield.」
After the Cyan Flood Dragon Sect’s Leader cried out, the two Early-stage Foundation Establishment Supreme Elders from the sect also reacted.
Just as they did, they were met by the deep yellow Long Sword.
The Xiao Family Elder also reacted quickly. Among the three Foundation Establishment Cultivators, he was in the best condition.
He was fully capable of stalling the two Early-stage Foundation Establishment Demons for a short time.
Just as the Xiao Family Elder was about to switch tactics, he saw the deep yellow Long Sword execute a figure-eight turn, instantly dispatching the two Early-stage Foundation Establishment Demons.
"I haven’t even made my move... For the Demons to lose their life force so quickly, this Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact is no ordinary weapon."
Demons cultivated by transplanting Demon Beast bloodlines and learning to cultivate Demon Power like a Demon Beast. This method resulted in bodies that were much tougher than those of normal Cultivators.
Their bodies were tougher, but in exchange, a Demon’s Life Span was often shorter than a Cultivator’s of the same Realm.
Even if an Early-stage Foundation Establishment Demon didn’t specifically train their body, their bloodline enhancement meant that even a fatal blow from a normal Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact would not extinguish their life force so quickly.
Back in his Qi Refining Stage, the Xiao Family Elder had been one of his family’s Artifact Refiners. After reaching Foundation Establishment, however, his limited talent meant he failed to refine a Lower Grade Spiritual Artifact three times in a row. Having not become a true Artifact Refiner, he gave up on the path of Artifact Refining.
If he wasn’t mistaken, that deep yellow Long Sword must have special Spirit Patterns carved inside it that could accelerate the depletion of one’s life force.
Carving this type of Spirit Pattern was extremely difficult. Artifact Refiners without sufficient talent would not normally attempt it.
"What was that about the Sect Leader telling us to retreat?"
"I don’t know."
"Look, I think the Sect Leader is dead!"
A Cyan Flood Dragon Sect disciple pointed. The body of their Sect Leader, who had been in the air just moments before, was now plummeting downward.
"The two Supreme Elders... I think they’re dead, too!"
"Let’s run!"
"I saw it clearly! It was two Long Swords that killed them! But where is the Spirit Refiner controlling them? Why can’t I see them? Wait... swords... a whole lot of Long Swords are flying toward us...!"