Chapter 38: Battling Nascent Soul, Battle of Divine Sense

【The show was over, and the crowd dispersed. Before leaving, Qingyunzi reminded you, “The Cloud Mist Sect Master is vindictive. Today you embarrassed him, so beware of retaliation.”】

【“How strong is this person? Has he cultivated any special techniques?” You did not mind, and instead asked.】

【“Ten years ago, I once crossed hands with this person. He has an Earth-rank lower-grade spear, formidable in power.”】

【“Compared to the Azure Cloud Sect Master, how is he?”】

【“This…” Qingyunzi thought for a moment, then said, “In spells, he is a notch superior!”】

【You nodded to show you understood. “After tomorrow’s match ends, take my disciple and leave first. You must protect her thoroughly.”】

【“Master, you… be careful!” Shangguan Lan guessed what you were about to do, and looked at you with a face full of worry.】

【“I will wait for you to return at the Soul-Refining Sect!”】

【You smiled and ruffled Shangguan Lan’s head, then turned and left, beginning your preparations.】

【Since enmity had already been formed, you naturally would not sit and await death!】

【The next day, the finals began. Shangguan Lan versus Xiao Fan.】

【The two unleashed the same technique against each other, and for a short time neither gained the upper hand.】

【In the end, relying on her profound spiritual power, Shangguan Lan used the Startled Swan Sword Art and defeated Xiao Fan.】

【Watching the Startled Swan Sword that Shangguan Lan unleashed, every Body-Refining Sect cultivator present had only one thought: How could a member of the Soul-Refining Sect know our sect’s technique?】

【After winning the championship, Shangguan Lan obtained a Mystic-rank middle-grade artifact, three thousand middle-grade spirit stones, and a bottle of Foundation Establishment Pills.】

【The Grand Tournament ended. You left the Cloud Mist Sect early, flying toward a desolate, uninhabited place.】

【Stopping far enough from the Cloud Mist Sect, you said to the empty surroundings, “Come out!”】

【“Interesting. You knew I was following you?” The void split open, and the Cloud Mist Sect Master stepped out, sizing you up with a smile.】

【At this point, there was nothing you wanted to say. You directly took out the Broken Sword and slashed at him!】

【“A mere Golden Core stage cultivator, and you still want to defy the heavens and slay a sage? Ridiculous!” The Cloud Mist Sect Master waved his right hand, and the Earth-rank lower-grade artifact, the Azure Dragon Spear, appeared. He thrust it forward!】

【Boom————!】

【With one strike, you were blasted back ten steps, while the Cloud Mist Sect Master was also forced back three steps.】

【“I was actually pushed back by a mere Golden Core cultivator?” The Cloud Mist Sect Master said in disbelief, putting away his contempt.】

【Knowing you were not to be underestimated, the Cloud Mist Sect Master chose to attack first. The Earth-rank lower-grade artifact, the Azure Dragon Spear, was held in his hand, moving like an extension of his arm.】

【Thrust after thrust, you felt as if you were facing a true Azure Dragon!】

【Thirty years of lifespan burned in an instant, and your cultivation directly surged to the ninth layer of the Golden Core. You raised the Broken Sword in your hand and met him head-on.】

【A consummate-level Startled Swan Sword Art — even a Nascent Soul cultivator would have to take it seriously.】

【After thirty moves, your body, comparable to the ninth layer of the Golden Core, was covered in wounds and holes. If not for your formidable physical strength, you would have long since been pierced through by the Cloud Mist Sect Master!】

【The Cloud Mist Sect Master was not faring well either. Having never cultivated his body, three wounds had appeared on him.】

【One of the wounds was right at his neck, and he had nearly lost his head to your blade!】

【Though you had not managed to cut off his head, your consummate-level Startled Swan sword qi continued to ravage the wound, preventing it from healing.】

【Seeing he could not take you down in a short time, the Cloud Mist Sect Master put away the Earth-rank lower-grade Azure Dragon Spear and switched to attacking your divine sense!】

【A Nascent Soul divine sense directly charged into your mind. No matter how you dodged, in the end you could not resist it.】

【“Boy, die!” A miniature figure resembling the Cloud Mist Sect Master appeared in your mind and launched an assault on your divine sense.】

【Your divine sense began to contract, and quickly condensed into a miniature form.】

【“How can this be?” The Cloud Mist Sect Master looked at your divine sense, which was no weaker than his own, and was shocked. “How is your divine sense so powerful!”】

【You could not be bothered to answer, and directly battled the Cloud Mist Sect Master’s divine sense.】

【A moment later, with both sides suffering heavy injuries, you ended this divine sense battle.】

【The severe damage to your divine sense left your head unclear. Rubbing your head hard, you looked at the Cloud Mist Sect Master, who was in the same condition as you, and smiled.】

【The Earth-rank lower-grade artifact, the Soul-Refining Banner, appeared. You immediately activated its effect, and all the living souls within the Soul-Refining Banner surged out, charging straight into the Cloud Mist Sect Master’s mind.】

【The Cloud Mist Sect Master, whose divine sense had just suffered severe damage, had no way to resist the assault of over a million living souls. Moments later, blood streamed from his seven orifices.】

【Seizing the opportunity, you threw a punch, wanting to kill him outright on the spot.】

【At this critical moment, the Cloud Mist Sect Master’s Nascent Soul left his body, abandoning his flesh to flee!】

【Your punch blasted the abandoned flesh into a sky-full rain of blood that scattered in all directions. At the same time, you sacrificed your enormous Great Golden Core.】

【The Heavenly Lightning Mark on the Golden Core glittered, and a bolt of Heavenly Lightning fell from the sky, directly striking the Cloud Mist Sect Master’s fleeing Nascent Soul!】

【Heavenly Lightning, the ultimate yang object. A Nascent Soul without a body had no way to withstand it, and it vanished between heaven and earth.】

【A generation’s Nascent Soul Ancestor, just like that, died beneath the Heavenly Lightning.】

【Having dealt with the Cloud Mist Sect Master, you picked up his storage bag and left on your sword.】

【Only after getting far from the battlefield did you finally relax, and began circulating your technique to recover from your injuries.】

【A day later, your injuries had mostly recovered, and the spiritual power you had expended was replenished.】

【The only regret was that your divine sense had been severely damaged. For now, there was nothing you could do to recover it quickly; you could only let time slowly heal it.】

【The Taixu Spirit-Refining Art could help you recover your divine sense, but it was very easy to get lost in the Taixu Realm and never return.】

【If not for Shangguan Lan’s help last time, you would probably still be in the Taixu Realm right now.】

【After changing into a clean set of clothes, you flew toward the Soul-Refining Sect.】

【“In this battle, if the Cloud Mist Sect Master had not used a divine sense attack, I probably would not have killed him so easily.” You murmured to yourself, beginning to review yesterday’s battle, finding your shortcomings and making up for them.】

【“My movement speed is still too slow. If I cannot get close to the enemy, I cannot bring out my physical strength.”】

【Against cultivators of the same rank, your speed was already sufficient, but against higher-ranked cultivators, your speed fell far short.】

【“I wonder which of the Five Great Sects has a high-grade movement technique.” You thought that if you had the ability, you would take all the Five Great Sects’ signature techniques and have a look.】

【“If there’s really no other way, I can only go to the Immortal Treasure Pavilion and try my luck.”】

【As you spoke, you arrived at the Soul-Refining Sect.】