If I die, all of you may live.
If I don’t, you should all forget about even thinking that you can walk out of Ying State alive.
Ning Fan placed Gusu Island down from his shoulder as his gigantic body gradually shrank to his original size.
He patted his storage pouch and produced 25 spiritual puppets with each of them emanating at least Divine Transformation Realm level of aura force. The group of ten black spiritual puppets which he previously obtained was reduced to eight while the other seventeen puppets were a gift to him from Dong Xu.
Before he returned to the Endless Sea, Yuan Yao had also given him three Void Refinement Realm puppets which were refined using the corpses of the Realm Beasts. However, Ning Fan did not summon them in order to avoid unwanted trouble if anyone could see through how they were made.
The moment the twenty-five spiritual puppets emerged, the faces of the seventeen Divine Transformation Realm experts within the grand formation of the Ying State changed greatly.
“He has so many spiritual puppets! What’s more terrifying is that every single one of them is at the Divine Transformation Realm! Zhou Ming is surely crazy! He has actually killed so many experts and turned them into spiritual puppets!”
“It’s no surprise that his baleful qi is so strong. He is actually a devil lord who can crush Divine Transformation Realm cultivators like ants!”
Among the seventeen Divine Transformation Realm experts of Ying State, the one with the highest cultivation base was just at the Mid Divine Transformation Realm. With their current level, they could barely identify spiritual puppets of the Divine Transformation Realm. Thus, none of them actually knew that the puppet with the highest cultivation base was already at the Half-Step Void Refinement Realm!
Besides, the qi of these puppets were concealed with a secret technique. No one was able to see through their cultivation base accurately other than powerful beings like the Venerated Seven of the Internal Endless Sea.
However, even though none of them was able to tell how powerful these spiritual puppets truly were, knowing that Ning Fan actually possessed twenty-five Divine Transformation Realm puppets was no different than hearing the sad news of their beloved’s passing.
This Zhou Ming has twenty-five Divine Transformation Realm spiritual puppets with him!
Is he someone that we can mess with?!
With his strength alone, he is much stronger than the entire Alliance of Ming Assassins!
“Damn it! This Zhou Ming has so many Divine Transformation Realm spiritual puppets up his sleeve. He is not human!”
“However, why did he place the puppets on the island? Could it be that he isn’t planning to use the strength of his spiritual puppets to fight against us?”
Luo Sen’s eyes glinted. From Ning Fan’s act, he could guess that there must be some people who were extremely important to Ning Fan in Gusu Island. As such, he placed all of his spiritual puppets there to stand guard so that Gusu Island would not be affected by the battles of magic power.
If he can enter Gusu Island and capture the person whom Ning Fan valued the most, perhaps he could make a counterattack against him.
However, despite knowing this strategy perfectly well, Luo Sen never dared to sneak into Gusu Island. Once he gets close to the island, he will immediately be surrounded by twenty-five Divine Transformation Realm puppets and instantly die!
“What should we do now?!” Dong Xuanzi1 was already at a loss of what to do next. Even though he was a Divine Transformation Realm old ancestor, he was still an Early Divine Transformation Realm cultivator. In a large-scale battle like this, he was nothing. He was not even worth a fart!
“What else can we do?! It’s too late to say anything now. If we hide within the Ying State, we would still be able to protect ourselves! Once we leave the Eastern Profound Sword Formation, we will certainly be besieged by the group of spiritual puppets and killed. If I’m not wrong, there might even be Late Divine Transformation Realm spiritual puppets among the group!”
Purple Gu’s eyes were filled with terror. If he had known Ning Fan had such strength, he would definitely not establish the Alliance of Ming Assassins to bring misery upon himself.
However, no matter what he says in a situation like this, it would not help anymore. Based on Purple Gu’s understanding of him, the enraged Ning Fan would never show any mercy to his enemies.
Those who tried to beg him for mercy would eventually end up being killed!
“Exactly! We must not leave the Eastern Profound Sword Formation!”
Each of the Divine Transformation Realm experts immediately chimed in while nodding their heads in agreement. Not a single one of them still had the determination and confidence they originally had when they declared why and how they were going to kill Ning Fan.
“Very well! There is still one billion immortal jade in the alliance’s reserves. I believe all of you also have some immortal jade. Please take them out! Although this Eastern Profound Sword Formation is powerful, it consumes a lot of immortal jade. After all, it is a Peak Divine Transformation Realm grand formation. However, no matter how money consuming it is, as long as we can gather two billion immortal jade, it will be enough for the grand formation to last for at least a few years. I don’t believe that this Zhou Ming will continue to lay siege to Ying State for a few years just for a mere mortal’s kingdom!”
“Precisely! If we can stay within the formation for a few years, we definitely can wait for reinforcements from the Demon Sealing Sect! As long as Venerated Demon ends his secluded meditation, he can surely kill this Zhou Ming like butchering a dog with his Half-Step Void Refinement Realm strength!”
“Look! Zhou Ming has returned to his human form! The ability of transforming into a giant uses up a lot of physical strength. I suppose he might not even have the strength to lift his sword now!”
The discussion of these Divine Transformation Realm experts were overheard by the other cultivators of the alliance.
Each of them sighed with regret. The biggest mistake they had ever made in their entire lifetime was to join the Alliance of Ming Assassins and get themselves into this trouble.
All seventeen reputable Divine Transformation Realm experts were terrified by Ning Fan to the point of hiding themselves within the formation, not daring to make a single step out of it.
Each of these experts was an overlord of a region. However, when faced with Ning Fan, they did not even dare to heave a sigh.
The Alliance of Ming Assassins? Assassinating Zhou Ming’s ass?! Why don’t they just change the name of the alliance to ‘The Alliance of Ming Fearers’ which sounds much more appropriate!
Ning Fan’s gaze swept across Ying State and he spread his spirit sense covering the vicinity of fifty thousand li* (500m per li). When he saw the motley crowd of the alliance who were so scared to even step out of the formation, his eyes became filled with disdain.
Weak! They are too weak!
These so-called Divine Transformation Realm cultivators did not deserve their esteemed reputations. In Ning Fan’s eyes, they could not even compare at all to the five Peak Nascent Soul Realm cultivators who detonated their primordial spirits to protect Gusu City.
Neither could they match the old scholar who faced death with brave composure nor the wealthy generous man who led a dissolute life.
They did not have faith in themselves and the stubbornness to not retreat even if they had to die one hundred times.
Looking at this bunch of so-called Divine Transformation Realm experts which were intolerable to the eye, only a single word appeared in Ning Fan’s mind.
Ants!
The reason why Ning Fan returned to his original human form was totally not because he was lacking strength but because he felt that it was not necessary.
To ordinary cultivators, transforming into a giant would greatly enhance their strength. However, Ning Fan transformed into a giant only to carry the island. His strongest state was not in his giant form but his normal form!
He gently closed his eyes and let go of all his anger.
When he opened his eyes again, they were brimming with sword intent. He seemed to have literally become an ancient sword hanging in the vault of heaven!
He pressed his glabella and took out his Separation Slayer Sword. As he brandished his sword, a ray of sword light which tore the wind and dispersed the clouds struck the formation light. However, it was immediately deflected off the formation light and vanished.
“This ‘turtle shell’ is quite hard…”
Ning Fan knitted his brows.
The Eastern Profound Sword Formation which protects Ying State Immortal Island has four thousand and seven hundred sword mountains as its formation eyes. It is nearly comparable to a Void Realm grand formation.
As for the tens of sword mountains which I crushed just now using my fist, they are now being rebuilt using immortal jade.
By the looks of it, it will take at least a few years to completely erode this formation.
“Purple Technique, Wind Mist!”
Ning Fan jolted his sword and golden purple sand-like mist emerged around its body.
According to his experience in cracking formations, he learnt that the golden purple mist could even pierce a hole on an Immortal Void Realm grand formation, let alone a mere Peak Divine Transformation Realm grand formation.
Amidst the noise of something dissolving, a hole was immediately eroded on the formation light. Right afterwards, Ning Fan made a step forward and entered the Eastern Profound Sword Formation, going inside the Ying State Immortal Island!
The seventeen Divine Transformation Realm experts who had just gotten relieved nearly had their souls leave their bodies upon seeing what was happening before their eyes.
They were unable to understand what technique Ning Fan had just displayed. They could only see a trace of purple golden mist and in the next moment, the mighty Eastern Profound Sword Formation which was a Peak Divine Transformation Realm grand formation already had a hole in it!
“Im-Impossible! This is certainly impossible! We are doomed! We must not let him get near us! My one million cultivators, get into your formations now and kill Zhou Ming!”
Purple Gu felt that his heart was thumping chaotically with his muscles urging him to flee. Ning Fan’s successful break-in just gave him too much pressure.
Without any hesitation, the seventeen Divine Transformation Realm experts turned into seventeen rays of light and retreated, hiding behind the army of one million cultivators.
The cultivators hastily got into their formations. As soon as they got into their positions, they immediately swung their swords at the sky. A million rays of sword light shot out into the air in a whistle, forming a rain of swords.
Ear-piercing sword cries resounded across the island. Just as the cultivators acted in unison, heaven and earth were surrounded by sword light!
Although a single sword ray was nothing special and was only equivalent to an attack at the Harmonious Spirit Realm or Gold Core Realm, when one million of those sword rays are combined together, not even an expert of the Late Divine Transformation Realm would be able to withstand it.
“This old man is Dong Xuanzi. Zhou Ming, you shouldn’t have come within the sword formation!”
Dong Xuanzi revealed a hideous grin. At first, he was overwhelmed with amazement and shock, but now, he only felt proud and pleased.
Eastern Profound Sword Formation. Since it was called a sword formation, its function was, of course, not just to defend against external attacks.
The strongest thing about this sword formation was not really defense in the first place but to cut down enemies within the formation!
When Dong Xuanzi flicked his sleeve, four thousand and seven hundred rays of Nascent Soul Realm sword light revolved around his body. Each of them was equivalent to a Nascent Soul Realm sword cultivator’s full-powered strike!
While he was performing different kinds of hand seals, be it the one million rays of sword light unleashed by the cultivators or the four thousand and seven hundred rays of Nascent Soul Realm sword light, all of them converged in his hand and formed a brilliant green sword of light.
This sword of light might have the shape of a sword but it was not tangible. Instead, it was condensed purely by sword qi alone! It was seven feet long and three cun* (3.33 cm per cun) wide. And the light it emanated made it look like a green moonbeam.
This sword contained the power of one million Harmonious Spirit Realm and Gold Core Realm cultivators combined with four thousand and seven hundred Nascent Soul Realm experts and Dong Xuanzi’s all-out strike!
Holding this sword of light in his hand, Dong Xuanzi felt his physical body was on the verge of collapsing. That sword of light was just too powerful!
All of a sudden, he had a delusion in his heart.
He felt that he could even kill a Peak Divine Transformation Realm expert with this sword of light even if he was just at the Early Divine Transformation Realm!
“What an incredibly strong sword qi! Dong Xuanzi, I didn’t expect that you still have such a powerful technique. Kill him! Finish him off!”
The eyes of the other Divine Transformation Realm experts flashed with hope and excitement. After all, this was Dong Xuanzi’s territory. It was not surprising at all that he knew how to condense thousands of swords into one.
“Zhou Ming! Do you dare to fight me?!”
A look of violence and savagery slowly emerged in his eyes as he spoke with a haughty tone. It was as if he had become a Peak Divine Transformation Realm expert himself.
Ning Fan’s eyes shone with contempt. To him, although the sword qi might be strong, it still depended on who was using it.
Just like Zi Chuan who displayed a Void Refinement Realm sword qi in the Star Palace which Ning Fan was able to block.
Perhaps Dong Xuanzi’s comprehension in the Dao of Sword was slightly stronger than Zi Chuan, but he had yet to condense his own sword intent. Therefore, to Ning Fan who had already formed his sword intent, that ray of sword light was full of flaws!
When Dong Xuanzi hurled that sword, it thrust towards Ning Fan’s chest with great speed, making it look like a ray of green thunderbolt. Moreover, when it reached one thousand zhang* (3.33m per zhang) away from Ning Fan, it split into ten from one and then into a hundred from ten. Eventually, it became one million rays of sword light again!
Ning Fan’s face slightly changed.
Dong Xuanzi’s comprehension in the Dao of Sword might not be profound, but this technique which condenses sword light into one and then breaks it apart again is rather uncommon.
After converging and dispersing, there were still one million rays of sword light. This time, however, the might of these one million rays of sword light became even. It was like the pieces of wood that formed a wooden bucket. Despite the difference in length, the shorter piece was evened out by the longer one. Therefore, the power of these sword rays had naturally become much stronger.
Far away from the Ying State Island, countless cultivators were still following Ning Fan from behind. However, nearly all of them have been left in the dust by him because of his speed.
Only three Divine Transformation Realm old monsters had been able to catch up with him outside the island. The three of them were Zuo Tong from the Purple Charm Sect, Dong Xu and Yun Niansu.
Zuo Tong had been following Ning Fan’s trail all the way to the island. Dong Xu, however, rushed here with a fantastic speed after he heard about the incident happening in the Ying State Immortal Island. As for Yun Niansu, he had just bumped into this scene coincidentally. After he left Gusu City that day, he had been travelling eastward as he was preparing to enter the Internal Endless Sea to meet the messenger from the Rain Palace. However, since Ning Fan was besieging Ying State Immortal Island, he, of course, had to spectate it.
Dong Xu had a pair of keen eyes. He had the highest cultivation base among the three of them. At first glance, he was able to see through how powerful Dong Xuanzi’s technique was.
Yun Niansu had extraordinary knowledge and experience. With his identity as a genius of the Rain Palace, he had seen lots of Void Refinement Realm sword cultivators. Among the experts who had yet to attain the Void Refinement Realm, it was certainly rare to have someone able to withstand that technique Dong Xuanzi displayed.
Zuo Tong’s eyes were filled with amazement. Even though he had witnessed Ning Fan’s strength, this sword light was also not any weaker. All of a sudden, he was unable to judge who was going to come out victorious from this showdown.
When he noticed the twenty-five spiritual puppets on Gusu Island, he broke out in cold sweat. He only thought that he had really made an extremely wise choice for not messing with Ning Fan previously.
“It’s beyond my expectations that Dong Xuanzi actually has such a formidable technique… One million sword rays. The Eastern Profound Sword Formation. With these attacks being stacked up, who could withstand it other than the Venerated Seven of the Internal Endless Sea…? However, judging by how composed Revered Ming looked, he seems to still have means to counter it. Does he really have it?”
Just as his voice fell, he saw Ning Fan stashing his Separation Slayer Sword and turned his five fingers into the shape of a claw and clawed at the earth of the island. Meanwhile, he used his other hand to perform a hand seal and pointed his finger at the incoming sword rays.
By the looks of his posture, it was no doubt the famous lost knowledge that he had learnt – Heaven Breaking Sword Finger!
During the auction in the past, Zuo Tong did not manage to witness how Ning Fan killed Evil Light. However, he had heard some rumors about it. During that time, Ning Fan, a Late Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, used a finger that broke the heavens and instantly killed Evil Light.
That finger might be strong, but there was a limitation to it. The reason why Ning Fan was able to kill Evil Light in a single move was because the latter was too weak. Besides, he was behaving too carelessly as he had underestimated Ning Fan.
Even though the current Ning Fan had already broken through to the Divine Transformation Realm and his current power was different from before, Zuo Tong did not feel that his sword finger would be capable of deflecting all one million rays of sword light.
What truly shocked Zuo Tong was Ning Fan’s Soul Extraction Technique.
After extracting the soul of the island, his magic power had been raised to the level of the Peak Divine Transformation Realm!
“Revered Ming truly is an expert at the Peak Divine Transformation Realm. However, if he only depends on his sword finger to block the one million sword rays, he is going to suffer some losses…”
The space above the vast sky and below the great land was occupied with sword light. Looking at the innumerable rays of sword light, Zuo Tong shook his head without uttering any words.
Inwardly, he had already thought that Ning Fan would not be able to block Dong Xuanzi’s attack.
Ning Fan had no idea of what the others thought. He was only contemplating the Heaven Breaking Sword Finger repeatedly with his comprehension towards that technique becoming clearer and deeper.
The five months he spent in Gusu City to comprehend swords and the killings he had gone through along his way to Ying State Immortal Island helped in improving his comprehension.
He gradually closed his eyes and mused. However, the sword light on the tip of his finger grew brighter and brighter.
Sword intent flickered within his eyes as if finally realizing the true meaning of this sword finger technique.
There were ten different hand seals in this technique. In the past, Ning Fan only assumed that these ten different hand seals were not related with each other. Therefore, he categorized the First Finger, Mountain Crush, as a Nascent Soul Realm strike and the Second Finger, Heaven Breaker, as a Divine Transformation Realm strike. Unfortunately, his assumptions were all wrong.
In the Saint Suppressing Sea, he discovered that the sword finger techniques needed to be fused together. However, during that time, he still thought that he would need to use all his ten fingers in order to fuse the ten different sword finger techniques…
It was all wrong!
The Ten Fingers of the Sword Finger Technique was a lost technique that fused all of them into one!
His eyes suddenly opened wide while his mouth was muttering some incantations. The sword light on his finger shot out abruptly, turning into ten thousand sword rays that shredded mountains and rivers.
“I understand now!”
“This is what the Ten Fingers of the Sword Finger Technique truly means!”
First, break the ethereal island, rivers and mountains!
Second, crush the vast heavens and black sun!
Third, pulverize the void space and dead bones!
Fourth, shatter the emperor’s shadow and remaining mausoleum!
Fifth, smash the imprisoning heavens and immortal’s path!
Sixth, squash life’s fate and Yin and Yang!
Seventh, crack the truth of Dao and profound techniques!
Eighth, sever the separation and reunion of the world!
Ninth, eliminate the origin and extinguish the will!
Tenth, enter samsara and return to nirvana!
Ten fingers should be one in the first place. That kind of fusion is not about pointing the sword finger twice but combining the meaning of the two types of sword fingers!
“Heaven Breaking Sword Finger, first and second stage!
After mountains and rivers collapsed, the ten thousand sword rays suddenly trembled and turned into one million jet-black sword shadows.
At this moment, the vast heavens crumbled bit by bit, disintegrating the incoming sword rays as well.
Ning Fan’s sword qi in each of the sword rays was several times stronger than Dong Xuanzi’s!
Moreover, the second stage of the Heaven Breaking Sword Finger was able to kill a Half-Step Void Refinement Realm expert!
*Boom*
After the collision of two different masses of sword qi, Ning Fan remained firmly on his spot and was standing erect, the vigorous sword qi still swirling around his body.
Dong Xuanzi, however, spurted out blood and flew backwards. Every inch of his immortal veins were already broken. As for the one million sword qi that he condensed by combining the power of one million cultivators, it faded!
“This is certainly impossible! Not even the seven venerated beings from the internal sea could withstand that finger technique of yours! What sword technique is that?!”
Ning Fan’s face lit up with delight. He finally discovered the true meaning of the Heaven Breaking Sword Finger!
In the past, I would definitely be unable to display two waves of attacks with one finger. But after condensing my sword intent, I can finally do it!
Translated by Tommy, edited by Roel
Note:
Dong (东 dōng) means east.
Xuan (玄 xuán) means profound.
Zi (子 zǐ) is a suffix to form a noun.