Chapter 155: Breaking The First Shackle!
The fourth tornado sprang up in a plain, where a grand spell formation had been set up. Glittering light spread out in all directions from the formation, in the middle of which sat a lone Qi Condensation disciple.
He was a handsome young man wearing the robes of the Profound Stream Sect. As he performed his breathing exercises, magical symbols flowed back and forth across his body, each one of which seemed to carry incredible destructive power. Occasionally they would converge into something that looked like an iron chain wrapped around him.
The pulsing energy of destruction that seemed to radiate from the young man was none other than a sign of the Exterminating Obliteration Technique!
That young man was none other than the number one Chosen from the Profound Stream Sect, the first person in the past 3,000 years to successfully cultivate the Exterminating Obliteration Technique, Nine-Isles. He was able to unleash a force of obliteration that could exterminate all living things. It could wipe out anything and everything, and could even form obliteration threads; according to the information compiled by the other sects, such threads were as powerful as Mortal-Dao Foundation Establishment.
“In that battle with Ghostfang, neither of us came out on top. Just wait until after Foundation Establishment! I’ll fight with you again, and then I’ll completely destroy one of the number one Chosen in the Spirit Stream Sect!” Killing intent flickered in Nine-Isles’s eyes as he took a deep breath and performed a double-handed incantation gesture. Instantly, a whirlpool formed inside of him, exploding with gravitational force as a tornado shot up into the heavens. There, an enormous vortex appeared.
Rumbling sounds filled the air as enormous quantities of earthstring energy flowed toward it.
As of this moment, four enormous vortexes could be seen in four different areas, splitting the Fallen Sword World into four parts.
The rest of the disciples in the Fallen Sword World were getting very anxious. Four people were in the middle of Foundation Establishment, and vast quantities of earthstring energy was being gobbled up. Everyone knew that the earthstring energy was limited, and if they didn’t hurry, their own chances at Foundation Establishment would be dashed, and they would be nothing but minor players compared to those who had succeeded.
The fighting grew more brutal, and almost instantly, casualties mounted.
Even as the disciples fell upon each other with bloodshot eyes, the lake above Bai Xiaochun exploded with a crashing sound as he concluded his third Tideflow.
Up in the heavens, the dragon roared, and inside Bai Xiaochun, a third spiritual sea appeared above his second. This spiritual sea was even larger than the previous one.
“The power of the dragon has ended. Now it’s time for the power of the mammoth!” Bai Xiaochun took a deep breath. Eyes crimson, he let out a powerful roar as an enormous mammoth appeared around him. It lifted its front feet up, and then slammed them back down into the ground.
BOOM!
A fourth whirlpool appeared inside of him, even larger and more shocking than the third. Up above in the sky, the third vortex had grown still, but now a fourth, even larger vortex could be seen!
Within that vortex was the image of an enormous mammoth, bellowing as the surrounding vortex spun rapidly.
Two hours later, Fang Li followed closely behind with his own fourth Tideflow vortex. As for Song Que and Nine-Isles, they were approaching the conclusion of their own third Tideflows. After two more hours passed, they began their fourth!
Song Que was putting on a particularly stunning performance. An enormous face could be seen in the vortex of his fourth Tideflow, a face with a blood moon on its forehead. Clearly, the speed with which he was absorbing the earthstring energy surpassed everyone else.
“Song Que is already on his fourth Tideflow. I can’t believe how quickly he’s absorbing the earthstring energy. It’s terrifying!”
“Dammit! Is he really going to try to do the same thing as Master Limitless? Is he going to reach the peak of Earthstring Foundation Establishment with nine Tideflows?”
“This is bad. If someone reaches eight Tideflows, they’ll absorb so much earthstring energy that it will be difficult for anyone else to succeed! I have to get more earthstring energy as quickly as possible!”
Deep anxiety filled all hearts. As of this point, twenty hours had passed since Bai Xiaochun began stepping into Foundation Establishment. It was at this point that, all of a sudden, a fifth tornado shot up into the heavens!
RUUUUUUUUUUMBLE!
As it grew larger, it formed a vortex, beneath which was a mass of black mist. Within that mist was none other than Ghostfang.
The sight of five vortexes spinning in the sky caused all necks to crane as the disciples looked up at them. Time passed. It didn’t take long before Ghostfang’s first and second Tideflows were finished. When his third Tideflow vortex appeared, a huge mountain ghost appeared, revealing his identity to all.
“Ghostfang! It’s Ghostfang from the Spirit Stream Sect!”
“He obviously cultivates the Mountain Ghost God-Dazing Magic!”
“Bai Xiaochun. Fang Lin. Song Que. Nine-Isles. Ghostfang!”
As of this moment, five inhuman cultivators had risen up from the crowd of cultivators from the four sects! They were definitely the first wave who would reach Foundation Establishment!
Bai Xiaochun was in the lead. His fourth Tideflow was almost half completed. Next was Fang Lin, who was only about two hours behind Bai Xiaochun. Song Que and Nine-Isles were next, being about four hours behind Bai Xiaochun.
In last place was Ghostfang, who was slower by twenty hours!
Currently, Bai Xiaochun’s fourth whirlpool was spinning rapidly, absorbing massive amounts of earthstring energy. The power of the mammoth was pushing his fleshly body inexorably toward the first of the five shackles of mortality.
With every blast of power, he would shake visibly. He had already cultivated the Dragon Mammoth Sea-Forming Scripture to the point where he could make contact with the first shackle. But now, because of his Undying Live Forever Technique, he was not just at the point of making contact with it, he could break through it!
He was about to break through the first shackle!
“By borrowing the might of the mammoth and the earthstring energy, I can break through the first shackle during my fourth Tideflow!” Eyes crimson, he let out a shout and once again unleashed a surge of power.
Thunderous crashing resounded in his mind as he battered away at the shackle over and over again. His body hovered on the brink of crumbling, but he hung on. After a few more hours passed, there were only about eight hours left before the fourth Tideflow would end. By now, massive amounts of Tideflow power were exploding out inside of him.
BOOOMMMM!
Blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth, and cracks appeared all over his skin. His attack on the first shackle was actually proving to be much more difficult than he’d imagined. Even by borrowing the earthstring energy in the form of the Tideflow, he still hadn’t succeeded in breaking through it, not even after thousands upon thousands of attempts.
Using earthstring energy to try to break through the first shackle of mortality was completely unheard of. In fact, nobody other than Bai Xiaochun had ever attempted to do such a thing.
“I can definitely break through!” he thought. Gritting his teeth, he took a deep breath and then drew in more earthstring energy. However, he didn’t use it to blast the shackle, but instead began building it up inside of him.
Eight hours later, and the fourth Tideflow was almost complete. Bai Xiaochun’s eyes were shining with lightning-like brightness.
“Break! Come on, break!” Roaring, he unleashed the Tideflow he had been building up for the past eight hours. Massive rumbling sounds echoed out as it turned into something like an enormous battering ram. His body was like a wall, which the battering ram then slammed into.
Once. Twice. Three times. One blast after another came in quick succession. Soon, cracks spread out in that wall, until at last, the power of the fourth Tideflow, crushed the wall. Cracking sounds filled the air, and at the same time, Bai Xiaochun shook visibly. All of a sudden, he felt something like five enormous mountains resting on his shoulders!
Those five mountains began inside of him, but stretched out high above him. They emitted intense pressure that made him gasp, and it was only at this moment that he could sense them clearly.
All of a sudden, he had the urge to destroy those five mountains, to remove the pressure that was weighing down on him!
“Those five mountains are the five shackles of mortality!” Roaring, he sent heaven-shaking, earth-shattering energy to slam into the first of the five mountains. Under the explosive barrage, the shackle suddenly crumbled!
In that moment, blood sprayed out of Bai Xiaochun’s mouth. His qi passageways, his flesh and blood, and every other part of him crumbled, and then instantly reformed.
He was left trembling as an aura began to spread out from him that surpassed anything from the mortal world. It thrived within his flesh and blood, filled his body, and made the entire world suddenly seem completely different.
There seemed to be more colors, more lustre, and at the same time, he felt lighter and more free.
Moments before, he had been shouldering the weight of five enormous mountains, but now, one of them had been destroyed.
He had broken through the first shackle of mortality!
When it happened, his fleshly body power erupted with explosive force. He instantly surpassed the fleshly body limit of Qi Condensation cultivators, and entered Foundation Establishment!
His flesh and blood, his qi passageways, his bones, all of it surpassed what was mortal.
He threw his head back and let loose a long cry which echoed out in all directions. The lake churned, and the fourth vortex up above went still. Moments later… a fifth vortex appeared!
Within that fifth vortex was a crumbling mountain!
This fifth Tideflow was not provoked by the Dragon Mammoth Sea-Forming Scripture. This mountain had nothing to do with that. It was a natural result of Bai Xiaochun breaking through the first shackle of mortality!
By this point, Fang Lin, Song Que, and Nine-Isles had all reached the end of their own fourth Tideflows. At the same time, Ghostfang completed his third.
Meanwhile, hours upon hours of intense fighting had passed for the other disciples of the four sects. It was then that the second wave of disciples managed to form their earthstring capture crystals.
The first of that second wave was Shangguan Tianyou. Virtually simultaneously, Xu Xiaoshan’s vortex also appeared in the sky.
The next was none other than Beihan Lie, the dark horse of the Fallen Sword World!
Last was Zhao Rou from the Pill Stream Sect!
She sat cross-legged in a valley, and standing protectively in front of her was Gongsun Wan’er, whose face was dripping with blood. Shockingly, Gongsun Wan’er didn’t have a single scrap of life force upon her!
She was dead, and yet, her corpse could still move. Although she was a bit stiff, toxic mist pulsed out from inside of her, and countless poisonous centipedes squirmed in and out of her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. If some powerful expert were to come along, they would be able to tell that Gongsun Wan’er’s brain was gone, and inside of her head was a spider with a human face, controlling her corpse!
Gongsun Wan’er had been transformed into a poison puppet!
“Gongsun Wan’er, you are the first poison puppet I’ve created. Don’t worry, soon I’ll turn your brother into the second!” Eyes sparkling with vicious enmity, Zhao Rou began to meditate, and the vortex up above her rumbled into motion.
