Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

With a low grunt, the Wind and Thunder Blade Wings on his back shuddered. He fell back amidst a roar of thunder and flashes of lightning.

”Trying to escape?”

Kou Wu’s eyes narrowed. His figure blurred as he surged forward, simultaneously manipulating streams of water to cut off the escape route.

The next instant.

Zhu Ju’s retreating figure came to a sudden halt. He reversed his momentum, charging back toward Kou Wu at an even greater speed.

Lightning crackled around him as he crossed hundreds of feet in an instant, appearing right before his opponent as if he had used Instant Teleportation.

BOOM!

Zhu Ju clenched his fist, which shattered the air as it shot forward. With a thunderous tremor, it flew straight at Kou Wu’s face.

Close quarters!

He had already connected his Three Spirits, and his Physical Body was comparable to a Dao Foundation Cultivator at the Third Realm of Body Refining. With the addition of the Sunx Family’s Vajra Ming King Armor, he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage even against a true master of the Body Refining Third Realm.

In a close-quarters brawl, he had no fear of a Late-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator.

His earlier retreat had been a feint; the real goal was to close the distance between them.

PENG!

The ten-foot-long Trident appeared, blocking the fist. A violent torrent of water erupted from the weapon, roaring with the astonishing power of a furious wave.

A savage grin spread across Kou Wu’s face.

The Trident in his hand was no ordinary Magical Treasure; it had been refined from the spine and horn of a Tier Three Demon Beast. It naturally possessed the ability to control the Power of Water, and its might was even greater over the East Sea.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a Middle Grade Magical Treasure.

A single casual strike could unleash the force of a bursting dam; even a master of Body Refining would struggle to withstand it.

Close combat?

He wasn’t afraid of it either!

CLANG...

The sound of the collision was deafening.

Both figures froze abruptly, surprise flashing in their eyes.

The next instant.

Zhu Ju’s expression hardened. He opened his hand and clenched it shut, and the Five-Colored Divine Light surged from his palm, sweeping forward.

The moment the Divine Light fell upon the Trident, its Spiritual Light instantly dimmed.

’How can this be?’

Terror filled Kou Wu’s eyes. He frantically circulated his True Essence, no longer suppressing his Late-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivation in the slightest.

He had never encountered a situation where his Magical Treasure was suppressed, and for a moment, he panicked.

BOOM!

The seawater for hundreds of yards around roiled violently, as countless torrents of power surged from all directions and crashed madly toward Zhu Ju.

Dozens of fist-sized water spheres appeared out of thin air.

Gui Shui Divine Thunder!

BOOM!

RUMBLE...

The Water Bombs detonated. The two figures clashed wildly amidst the sky-filling deluge, sending streams of water shooting in every direction.

Blood-Burning Curse!

Wind and Thunder Blade Wings!

More than three hundred Flying Sabers howled through the air, sweeping wildly in all directions.

Zhu Ju went all out, relying on the Power of his Physical Body to press forward, the Five-Colored Divine Light to suppress his foe, and unleashing all his other techniques in unison.

Cold Nether Water Divine Claw!

Amidst the deluge, claw-shaped apparitions imbued with an extreme, biting cold appeared and lunged downward.

The Method Kou Wu cultivated was clearly extraordinary as well; his various profound Magic arts were all incredibly powerful.

But,

faced with Zhu Ju pressing his attack at close range, he still found himself on the back foot.

His panic intensified, especially as his Trident, suppressed by the Five-Colored Divine Light, showed faint signs of being wrested from his control.

PFFT!

A hand-chop sliced through the air, leaving a deep, bloody gash across Kou Wu’s torso.

Kill!

Ten Directions Killing Dao!

Killing intent blazed in Zhu Ju’s eyes. Using his hands as blades, he unleashed a flurry of crisscrossing slashes that instantly enveloped Kou Wu.

PFFT!

PFFT PFFT...

Blood splattered.

’What a pity!’

A look of regret crossed Zhu Ju’s face.

’If I’d had the Cross and Vertical Saber, that attack would have gravely wounded him, if not killed him outright. As it is, he’s only lightly injured.’

BOOM!

A cloud of frigid Qi abruptly exploded between them, and more than a hundred Water Bombs detonated indiscriminately.

A Tier Three Spirit Talisman—the Profound Ice Divine Talisman!

Gui Shui Divine Thunder!

Faced with such a desperate, life-or-death counterattack, even Zhu Ju had no choice but to fall back frantically.

When it came to resources, he was ultimately inferior.

If things got truly dangerous, Kou Wu might only suffer severe injuries, whereas he would most likely be killed.

A massive block of ice suddenly appeared mid-air, only to be instantly shattered by a rampage of lightning.

”AHH!”

The battered Kou Wu tilted his head back and roared:

”Die!”

”I’ll make you die!”

Though covered in wounds, he had seized the initiative once more. With a wave of his Trident, the very sky changed color.

Water Prison Cage: Ten Thousand Swords Piercing Heart!

The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi surged like a tide. Tens of thousands of water pillars descended from the sky, crashing down upon Zhu Ju.

PENG!

BOOM...

Zhu Ju shattered the water pillars with his fists and his Flying Sword. As he scanned his surroundings, his brow furrowed.

His figure flashed, and he flew away.

Flee!

With his current strength, it was still too much to face a Late-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator who was going all-out and wielding a potent Magical Treasure.

He could still gain the upper hand in close combat, but his opponent had already fallen for that trick once and certainly wouldn’t be fooled again.

”Where do you think you’re going?!”

Kou Wu roared, riding a current of water in pursuit.

He didn’t get too close, instead attacking with Magic from a moderate distance.

”Fellow Daoist, must you be so aggressive?” Zhu Ju said, glancing back and flicking his sleeve to toss out several objects.

BOOM!

CRACKLE...

Spirit Talismans and Divine Thunder descended, striking Kou Wu and making him stagger.

But to Kou Wu, these attacks were little more than an annoyance, serving only to enrage him further.

The two of them, one chasing and one fleeing, covered hundreds of miles.

Zhu Ju’s foundation was too weak, after all. He couldn’t maintain the Blood-Burning Curse for long, and his aura gradually grew unstable.

’Looks like this won’t end peacefully today.’

He spun around and, with a toss of both hands, unleashed a swarm of various Spirit Talismans, Divine Thunder, and Puppets.

Simultaneously, he formed a Spell with his hands, activating the Wind and Thunder Blade Wings to slash at Kou Wu.

CLANG CLANG CLANG...

The sound of impacts was incessant.

This time, however, Kou Wu had learned his lesson. He didn’t approach Zhu Ju, intending instead to slowly wear down his stamina.

He would wait until Zhu Ju’s True Essence was depleted, then finish him in one fell swoop.

He was a Late-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator, just one step shy of Dao Foundation Perfection. His True Essence reserves were vast, and he could recover any amount he spent within a few breaths. Zhu Ju, on the other hand, had to put his all into every single move. It wouldn’t take long for his True Essence to be completely drained.

”Your techniques are quite impressive, but unfortunately, they’re only effective in close combat,” Kou Wu said, his eyes fixed on Zhu Ju as he swung his Trident, unleashing a relentless barrage of water.

”You only reached the Dao Foundation stage twenty years ago, yet you have a Body Refining Third Realm Cultivation, and your left hand can even suppress Magical Treasures.”

”I’m very curious about the secrets you’re hiding.”

Zhu Ju remained silent, simply continuing his relentless barrage of attacks while mentally counting down.

’Ten!’

’Nine!’

...

’Three!’

’Two!’

’Now!’

His expression suddenly relaxed. As he pressed one hand downward, The Investiture of the Gods—a scroll he had mixed in with the Spirit Talismans and tossed near Kou Wu at some unknown point—snapped open.

Inverted Five Elements Illusion Array!

A Tier Two Low Grade Array!

”What?”

Kou Wu’s expression changed drastically.

Of course, he’d noticed a scroll floating nearby, but Zhu Ju had thrown out so many things during the chase.

Especially the Spirit Talismans and items from the Skin Painting Technique.

Many of them had failed to activate—nothing more than Wasted Talismans. This was a common sight.

He had assumed The Investiture of the Gods was just another one of those duds...

Besides, who would have thought that an entire Array could be hidden inside such a large scroll?

BOOM!

The moment the Array activated, the world went dark.

Countless flames materialized from thin air, and Golden Sabers hung suspended high above.

Golden Saber Fierce Flame!

The sky full of Golden Sabers rained down upon Kou Wu. Whirlpools formed in the earth below, and from them, Earth Dragons charged forth.

Zhu Ju didn’t remain idle.

Seizing the opportunity, he drew a greatsword and charged. He thrust out his left hand, and the Five-Colored Divine Light immediately suppressed the Trident.

”Kill!”

BOOM!

The void trembled as Powerful Qi surged without end.

「A long time later.」

A dusty and disheveled Zhu Ju landed on a deserted island. Panting heavily, he put away The Investiture of the Gods.

”That was close!”

”That bastard actually had a Tier Three Forbidden-Breaking Talisman. If he had destroyed the Array, I’m afraid things would not have ended so well today.”

With a soft chuckle, Zhu Ju looked down at the Trident in his hand.

”Fortunately.”

”It’s all over.”

As he was rummaging through the spoils of war, Zhu Ju’s expression suddenly changed. He pulled a dagger from Kou Wu’s storage pouch.

This item... it was the very keepsake he had given to Yann Nanshuang.

”Yann Nanshuang?”

”It really was her!”

...

「Yunjing Island.」

Yann Nanshuang seemed to sense something. She turned abruptly to gaze into the distance, the smile on her face slowly vanishing.

’He actually managed to kill a Late-Stage Dao Foundation Cultivator in a counter-attack. It seems he’s hiding some deep secrets of his own.’

’Interesting...’

’This makes things even more fun.’

She turned around.

The entirety of Yunjing Island was now overrun with Walking Corpses. The dense Yin Corpse Evil Qi was so thick it had almost solidified.

”Ten years!”

”By using the million souls on this island, I will definitely reach the Golden Core realm within ten years.”