Paragon Of Sin

Chapter 1994 1986: Godsword Vs Galeforce

A single command elicited a sharp response; the multi-squad of archers wielding advanced manifestation arts that defied the outrageous suppression of the Battlefield acted decisively, aiming at Tuo Bihan with lethal precision. Bowstrings pulled taut were released at a staggered cadence, not simultaneously. Arrows jetted across the battlefield, digging long trenches as swirling, destructive gales formed.

Dried blood, long-dead corpses, and shattered weapons bearing the unwilling wills of the fallen were carried along, tainting the arrows themselves with a deep scarlet hue and further imbued with the aura of the Law of War. An unholy suppression of spirit and body raced toward Tuo Bihan far ahead of the lightning-like heavy arrows. They locked onto his thin frame with unerring accuracy.

Tuo Bihan’s eyes glazed with a dense mixture of worldly and mystical light as his hand-seal shifted with an indescribable swiftness. As he moved forward without pause, the bandaged item acted with finesse. It flickered through fixed space, violating the restrictions of the Battlefield like a specter, aberrant and heretical in existence.

Before the eyes of the legion, their arrows that could ravage Original Magistrates with ease vanished like snow as the bandaged item flashed in their trajectory one moment and then lightly swung, then vanishing yet again to do so in the span of a few blinks of a Sage’s eye. Before those arrows could traverse even a few miles, they were neutralized.

Tuo Bihan’s steps remained unabated as he pressed on. By the time the distance reached only twenty miles between them, the bandaged item had returned triumphantly by his side.

Zhan You’s hands raised immediately after, ”Salvo!” A single command caused the archers to reform themselves, breaking the gigantic bows into smaller ones, each wielded individually like a mortal army, and they loaded arrows without further restrictions and let them loose with frightening speed. Within a single blink of an eye, the sky was covered with arrows as a wide-range assault was launched.

Seeing this, Tuo Bihan altered his hand-seal as his body was swallowed by the artificial shade generated by the multitude of arrows launched. There was no escape or evasion, so he didn’t try to second-guess his initial decision. Instead, the bandaged item spun around him like a cyclone, flashing with bursts of soulful radiance here and there. A protective region was formed around him, forcefully shattering any arrows aimed at him.

Zhan You’s eyes narrowed, thoughtfully deducing: ’Mystic-Heaven Armament?’ The salvo order was to verify the response, identity, and functions of that bandaged item. With that more-or-less confirmed, Zhan You received a transmission from his surveyor unit tasked with gathering information on enemies with their spiritual sense. There were only ten of them, yet they were extraordinarily perceptive.

’False representation of hand-seal. Autonomous function of independence. An auto-defensive function, not controlled. Not a Mystic-Heaven Armament?’ Their intel was swift and detailed, seeing through Tuo Bihan’s deliberate deception with only two exchanges. This was the frightening capabilities of a true legion of war.

Seeing that Tuo Bihan was downplaying the functions of his item, masquerading it as his controlled item, Zhan You determined that the item was a major threat, especially after his surveyor unit tasked with gathering data on the environment, items, and enemy combatants was unable to identify its exact origins. Even he was misled, albeit for only a microsecond before being corrected by capable men by his side.

Despite Tuo Bihan’s cultivation base being a whole two stages beneath him and a stage beneath every soldier in his unit, he didn’t dare to be careless or underestimate this single opponent. This was especially so after he revealed his Purist Cultivation Base. In the broader view of the world, Purists were often considered an outdated path, especially since, while it may be easier to traverse early on, it becomes an arduous one to follow.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to consider cultivators who took the path of a Purist as Minor Envoys of Dao, akin to a lesser Virtueof Dao for which Wei Wuyin was largely considered a candidate by the Supreme Existences of the Utmost Purity Galaxy. It was an archaic path that emulated the Dao to a greater extent than any other. It was originally devised to pursue the path of becoming a Virtue ofDao, but was later considered a dead end by the greater civilizations, since none were capable of verifying the theory.

In fact, the most often path was assimilation into the greater Daos, losing one’s individuality and will. However, there was an undeniable benefit to a Purist’s path: Mercy of the Dao. It was a simple phrase, yet it contained a profound principle of life, where failing a tribulation of any type, Mortal or Mystic, would NEVER lead to death.

In fact, cultivators of this path would always survive—no matter how many times they failed!

Items such as Mystic Origin Liquid and the like that saved one’s life upon failure in these tribulations carried that same principle.

However, they weren’t too terrifying for true cultivators, yet their varied powers were mystifying, tapping into the core powers of the Mystic Dao with far less strain. Abilities such as Temporal Reversion that could siphon one’s lifespan had almost no cost, and even the cost would never harm one’s foundation, even if it were impossible to execute. The benefits, however, were not too great.

Combat-wise, they lacked variety. In actuality, they lacked variety to an EXTREME degree. After all, they didn’t pursue other daos, such as the Material Dao or the Mind Dao, but rather a single Dao. There were rumors that Purists could forgo the Mortal Dao, Mystic Dao, and the eternal Dao paths altogether and focus on daos such as the Material Dao, Mind Dao, War Dao, and the like, thereby becoming Envoys of Dao.

Unfortunately, such paths not only lacked variety between cultivators of the same dao, but there was also a significant constraint on necessary wealth and resources to cultivate effectively given the need for pure resources, untainted by other daos. Hence, it was outdated and considered unworthy to pursue. In a way, it resembled Alchemic Soul cultivators, whose offensive abilities beyond the myriad powers granted by the greater daos, such as World Pressure and Worldly Domains, had little to no true offensive power.

Fortunately, Tuo Bihan possessed everything at his fingertips to traverse this path and possessed offensive power.

Zhan You ran some calculations within his mind as Tuo Bihan overcame the salvo with relative ease, protected by his bandaged item. Taking into account Tuo Bihan’s mystical abilities to reign over the Mystic Dao to an extent, he changed tactics immediately.

”Men!” A single word left his lips, and the vanguard of his legion hefted their shields with a low, unified chant and gripped their weapons of war tightly. Their mystic energies halted within them. The suppression they felt no longer affected them. All that was mobilized within them were the auras of the Minor War Law and their refined physiques.

Tuo Bihan’s glazed eyes widened in surprise. However, he didn’t halt his charging approach. Instead, his steps pressed harder into the ground, leaving cracks and fissures as he propelled himself forward.

Zhan You faintly smiled. ’He’s aiming for the Commander—Me. A decisive victory. Unfortunately...’

In war—

Zhan You held out his hand. A lime-green spear of intricate design and exquisite beauty resembling carved jade was summoned. Immediately, a gale-force wind surged from his body as the Minor Authority of Wind Law was mobilized.

—the legion commander was also a soldier!

”Charge!” Zhan You barked. The legion moved as one! The ground rumbled with the might of thunder. They all felt the faint energy of the heavenly gale enhance their bodies. They felt lighter, faster, and more sensitive to their surroundings. Paired with the Law of War, they were ferocious.

Ten thousand soldiers all charged toward Tuo Bihan; not a single individual was held back as various formations and squads were organized in accordance with the will of their trusted lieutenants and squad leaders. Zhan You only oversaw the macro-decisions. For the micro-decisions, they were the responsibilities of the capable forces beneath him!

As for himself, he was already soaring across the battlefield with light steps, spear in hand, at the forefront of his legion. They followed him into battle! They transformed into a twisting gale, stirring the battlefield without mercy.

Tuo Bihan was taken aback. Facing nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine Heavenly Saints and a single Mystic Overlord, all wielding the forces of Laws, the sight was utterly terrifying, and his heart began to palpitate from fear. His original plan was immediately subverted by their willingness to engage directly and by their commander fearlessly taking the front line!

However, as fear plagued his mind and drilled into his psyche, the Neo-Dawn Visualization Method subtly circulated within him, granting him clarity as fear acted as fuel for concentration and calm. Raw, berserking madness surged within his eyes and stirred his heart. This battle thus far had been minor exchanges, suppression arts, and long-range attacks, merely probing attempts, and this was the real deal!

He had very little time to think. In a mere blink of an Enlightened Sage’s eye, he would be clashing with a full legion. Yet his forward momentum thus far had reached a point where halting or retreating would only surrender the initiative, and he would be slaughtered the next moment.

As such, he acted on pure instinct forged by the countless trials and tribulations he was subjected to as a Prime Ascendant! Wei Wuyin had never given them an easy route; each of their paths was littered with strict requirements of quality and results, even more so than the average Ascendant. None of the resources obtained was the result of favoritism.

”GODSWORD!” Tuo Bihan dropped his false hand-seals that gave the impression of control of his bandaged item and directly reached out toward it with both hands. A thrum of excitement thundered throughout the region. It stifled the breath in lungs. It induced rapid heartbeats. It stung the mind.

Tuo Bihan gripped the handle of the bandaged item as the bandages unwrapped themselves, exposing the item beneath.

It was a sword.

Yet this sword resembled a slab of divine iron, colossal in size, with a double-edged blade that was barely sharpened, almost blunt. The hilt was barbaric in design, seemingly forged from beast bones mixed with twisted, unrefined steel. As it was held in Tuo Bihan’s hand, a berserk will unfolded without restraint.

The glazed eyes of Tuo Bihan, filled with worldly and mystical light, were overwhelmed with a purity unlike any other, as if they were the eyes of the Mystic Dao themselves, reflecting a profound depth that was horrifying for all to perceive. However, they lacked the unfathomability of the Mystic Dao, generating an aggressive feeling of contradiction as if those eyes belonged only to Tuo Bihan, and by extension—the sword!

Tuo Bihan bent his legs.

BOOM!

Before he leaped upwards, the hardened surface that was almost indestructible within the Ascendant Battlefield formed a deep depression as if it was unable to resist deformation by the sheer force of those two legs. And when he propelled himself upwards, a storm of raging power exploded outwards that staggered the entire legion for the briefest of moments.

Flying high in the sky, Tuo Bihan held the colossal sword with both hands as he resembled a raging divinity. They all beheld his glory, yet the legion’s response was not one of shock and surprise, but one of opportunity. They acted with precision and zero hesitation.

With a guttural, unified roar, Zhan You at the lead with spear in hand, they formed formations and the vanguard followed after him. Zhan You’s vanguard unit formed a storm of gale-force winds that could topple starfields anywhere but the Battlefield. At the same time, Tuo Bihan slammed the lump of divine iron that could barely be called a sword downwards without hesitation.

At the point of collision between the two behemoths of power, a horrifying screech of wind and force erupted with utmost violence!

BOOSH!!!