Immortal of the Nine Realms

The formation duels between the core disciples left the ordinary cultivators utterly entranced. Deep reverence welled up in their hearts. They were awed by the formations themselves, and even more so by the power these core disciples commanded.

Many silently clenched their fists with determination, vowing to become core disciples one day. After all, becoming a core disciple meant joining the upper echelons of the Nine Mortal Realms!

”They’re too strong.” Lin Yuan sighed. ”It’s a pity we can’t fight this time. Otherwise, we could experience what a real life-and-death battle feels like.”

Yu Wuxia and Meng Qingling both rolled their eyes. They had no desire to experience such things firsthand.

If the Enlightenment God Palace could crush the Rulai Monastery without needing them, they would gain 30 years of exploration rights of the Great Thunder Sound Temple without lifting a finger. That was the true joy of free spoils.

”Yeah, it’s a shame,” Nanming Shaoze agreed softly.

Yu Tiange didn’t speak, but the regret in his eyes said enough.

Given the way things were going, Fang Chen, who had been assigned to fight last, would likely never even have to step onto the field.

Not far away, Elder Qin chuckled, shaking his head as he said to Lin Dong, ”We were just like them when we were young. They don’t realize these are the most comfortable days they’ll ever have.”

”Fearless calves are unafraid of tigers,” Lin Dong laughed. ”They’ll understand in time.”

He sighed inwardly. That was practically a gift from heaven. Those old comrades from Expedition Star No. 432 would probably remember him fondly after this.

***

As the days passed, the great contest neared its end.

At this point, the Enlightenment God Palace had seventy-two core disciples still fighting. The Rulai Monastery, on the other hand, was almost entirely spent. Barely a dozen core disciples remained.

”You are not my match. Why not yield? The Rulai Monastery has no hope of victory today. Stop wasting your strength.” Ji Sheng stood in the center of the Black Dragon formation, smiling faintly at his opponent.

The opponent, a wooden-faced old monk, had clearly been placed late in the lineup for a reason. He was among Rulai Monastery’s weaker core disciples. The monk seemed not to hear Ji Sheng’s words. He merely raised his brows slightly, then let out a soft chuckle. ”If I do not descend into hell... who will?”

In that instant, demonic flames erupted from the Thousand Hand Formation, its aura exploding severalfold.

Ji Sheng had no time for surprise before the monk lunged forward.

They fought with everything, close combat, formation techniques, and within barely ten exchanges, Ji Sheng’s formation was shattered to pieces!

The old monk did not press his advantage to the end. He simply turned his gaze upon the remaining core disciples of the Enlightenment God Palace. ”Amitabha.”

Only then did everyone recover from their shock.

Shao Guangyin truly had left a hidden trump card, placing it deep in their lineup.

”What kind of technique is that?”

”I’ve never heard of Rulai Monastery having such an art.”

”Could it be something newly created?”

”Perhaps.”

The core disciples of every faction began to speculate.

The old monk had already returned to his normal form, as if the torrent of demonic flames moments ago had been nothing but an illusion.

Ji Sheng’s face darkened. He hadn’t expected to run into such an opponent. It was humiliating.

When he returned to the main group, he gave repeated warnings to the next fighter. Yet the next core disciple lasted only a few moves before the monk repeated the same technique, winning again with terrifying ease.

Two consecutive defeats turned the course of the war murky once more.

”This doesn’t seem like a Formation Immortal Art...” muttered Fang Chen as he studied the old monk.

He glanced toward the faces of the other Rulai Monastery core disciples. They looked shocked, even horrified. Clearly, they hadn’t known the old monk possessed such a method either.

”Formation Immortal Arts consume vast amounts of immortal essence,” Fang Chen mused. ”But the monk’s consumption just now wasn’t nearly as high. Could his technique work differently? Or perhaps... the cost is being paid somewhere I can’t see?”

He noticed the monk always dispelled the technique immediately after each victory. That confirmed the method did have a cost, though likely not in immortal essence.

The old monk fought like a god of war. In the battles that followed, not a single core disciple from the Enlightenment God Palace could withstand even ten moves against him.

A slow smile crept onto Shao Guangyin’s face. His eyes met Xie Aman’s across the battlefield, the corner of his mouth curling upward.

”The Enlightenment God Palace really might have overplayed their hand this time,” Ye Qingqiu gloated, grinning. ”Now that both sides have nearly equal numbers, if this old monk can hold out just a bit longer, he might wipe out all their remaining core disciples himself.”

”How strange... if it’s a formation technique, it shouldn’t last this long.”

”There’s barely any immortal essence drain.”

”With such a method, the Rulai Monastery could dominate the entire Fangcun Realm.”

The core disciples of the Blood and Flesh Divine Palace murmured among themselves.

Hearing that, Ye Qingqiu’s smugness faded. After a few seconds of thought, his expression grew grave.

***

Several more battles passed.

”It’s even now! The Enlightenment God Palace has only 13 core disciples left, and Rulai Monastery the same!”

”If we had lent Rulai Monastery a hand earlier, the Enlightenment God Palace would already have lost.”

”Too bad that miser Shao Guangyin only offered one Formation Heart.”

***

Third Sister and the others wore increasingly sour expressions. The remaining core disciples looked grim and solemn.

They had thought they would never get a chance to fight, yet the Rulai Monastery had saved a devastating ace for the very end.

Ji Gang frowned slightly. ”This is... troublesome.”

Even Lin Yuan and the others, normally full of reckless confidence, wished the battle would be over quickly instead of letting it drag on like this.

Lin Dong’s fists tightened, anxiety creeping into his eyes. ”How can that old monk keep fighting for so long?”

”He can’t last much longer,” Fang Chen said calmly. ”He’s fought over 10 rounds already. He’s running on empty. All he can do now is bring both sides back to an even start.”

The others nodded. Indeed, if the monk could fight indefinitely, that would be far too abnormal.

Sure enough, in the next match, a core disciple of the Enlightenment God Palace defeated the old monk. This time, the monk did not use his mysterious technique. The moment he lost, he turned and flew back toward the Rulai Monastery’s ranks.

Before everyone’s eyes, his body visibly aged at an alarming rate.

”So that was it,” Senior Sister said coldly. ”He used that technique at the cost of his lifespan.”

Such a method was no different from killing the hen to get the eggs.

Now both sides stood on roughly equal footing again. The outcome would depend on how the remaining battles played out. Still, in the eyes of the outside world, Shao Guangyin’s ability to narrow the gap against such an overwhelming lineup already put the Rulai Monastery slightly ahead.

”Who said the Enlightenment God Palace is invincible as long as Xie Aman leads?” Leng Buqi smirked faintly. ”All that talk was nothing but rumor. None of the true elites of this world are easy to deal with.”