Chapter 266: Who Is the Dominator?
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
The news of this incident left everyone who heard it stunned.
Among the various sects, the Aperture Tempering realm practitioners were considered essential pillars, and losing one of them was a severe blow.
Inside Immortal Cloud City, some smaller sects might only have one or two Aperture Tempering realm practitioners. Losing one of them could jeopardize the survival of the entire sect.
Aperture Tempering realm cultivators held such power, and the dominance of the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect was not only due to their overall strength but also because they possessed two Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts.
With one person representing one sect, only a Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator had the confidence and power to do so.
Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had two Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts, giving them unparalleled influence in the region. Other sects around Immortal Cloud City had no choice but to acknowledge their superiority.
Aggravating Immortal Cloud Sword Sect could result in the complete destruction of a sect with just one Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert. Both Long Rainbow Sect and Primordial Sword Sect knew this well; trying to protect the sect wouldn’t help them.
Primordial Sword Sect possessed top-tier formations and the intimidating Soul-Locking Tower, but they were of little use against Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts.
When a Combined Aperture Tempering realm cultivator decided to act, they wouldn’t simply block you inside your sect and prevent you from leaving. They would forcibly break through formations, shatter the Soul-Locking Tower, and annihilate the entire Primordial Sword Sect.
Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts had this kind of power, and no one in the vicinity of Immortal Cloud City doubted it.
But now, one of the Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts who maintained the sect’s dominance had died. Even though Immortal Cloud Sword Sect still had another Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert, this blow had left them somewhat dazed.
Immortal Cloud Sword Sect was in shock, and so were the surrounding sects.
As the news continued to spread, the events of that day gradually became clear to everyone.
At that time, the alliance of various sects had indeed cornered the members of the Divine Flame Sect on Taiyan Mountain. The battle was intense, with many Visceral Tempering realm cultivators dying every day, and even Aperture Tempering realm practitioners were at risk of severe injury.
But the overall trend favored the alliance of sects, although the losses they suffered in trying to wipe out the Divine Flame Sect were significant.
As the leader, Immortal Cloud Sword Sect couldn’t stay behind and command from a distance. Even though most of the losses occurred in other sects, Immortal Cloud Sword Sect also had disciples who lost their lives.
Among the six Aperture Tempering realm practitioners who died, one was from the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.
In such circumstances, a Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert from Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had taken action. One person representing one sect, with the confidence and power that a Combined Aperture Tempering realm brought, and with the other sects’ members all on Taiyan Mountain.
Under normal circumstances, it might have taken just a few hours to wipe out all the members of the Divine Flame Sect.
And when the Aperture Tempering realm expert from Immortal Cloud Sword Sect arrived on Taiyan Mountain and joined the battle, the situation indeed began to shift in that direction.
“They swept through without a single opponent!”
Zhou Cunshan recalled the scene at the time, with a hint of awe in his eyes when mentioning the Combined Aperture Tempering realm. Three Aperture Tempering realm experts had gone to Taiyan Mountain, and Master Zhou Cunshan, the head of the Hall of True Transmission, had gone along and witnessed the scene.
“So, what happened afterward?” Qu Qingsheng asked in a deep voice.
“The Divine Flame Sect’s members were retreating step by step, even though several Aperture Tempering realm experts attacked together, they were all swept away by Xin Zhiqing with a single move. Until one person, in the chaos, rushed to Xin Zhiqing’s front and handed over a sword.”
Zhou Cunshan remembered that sword and his body trembled slightly, as if he had been pierced by that sword himself. That sword sent everyone within a radius of several hundred meters flying, including Aperture Tempering realm cultivators.
“Did Xin Zhiqing die because of that sword?” Wu Guangyin saw Zhou Cunshan lost in thought and quickly asked in a hushed tone.
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No, Xin Zhiqing avoided part of it. But whether it was that sword or that person, they were too powerful. All of us could only stand several hundred meters away and couldn’t get any closer.”
Zhou Cunshan let out a sigh of relief and said in a deep voice, “That sword is a treasure, forged from gathered spiritual energy. Xin Zhiqing couldn’t withstand it and was severely injured in the sneak attack, so…”
Zhou Cunshan didn’t continue, but the members of the Primordial Sword Sect present understood and realized what had happened during that time.
The Divine Flame Sect had a formidable Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert and possessed a powerful treasure. First, there was a sneak attack, and then Xin Zhiqing was killed on the spot.
“They actually have a treasure!”
The people present exchanged glances and fell into contemplative silence. Beyond spiritual weapons were treasures, and most of the spiritual swords among the people there were merely low-grade spiritual weapons.
Even if Chen Fei upgraded the Qianyuan Sword, it would only go from a half-grade spiritual weapon to a low-grade spiritual weapon.
Spiritual weapons are classified into lower, middle, upper, and top tiers, with four grades in total. Primordial Sword Sect’s Soul-Locking Tower, when it was in the hands of that patriarch, was a top-tier spiritual weapon.
However, after so many years and multiple instances of the Soul-Locking Tower guarding, it had suffered damage. Without enough spiritual materials and the strength to repair it, the Soul-Locking Tower had degraded into an upper-tier spiritual weapon.
Even so, an upper-tier spiritual weapon like the Soul-Locking Tower still possessed astonishing power. When it was a top-tier spiritual weapon, it was even more formidable than it is today.
Top-tier spiritual weapons were the strongest weapons for all sects except the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect. As for treasures, the Primordial Sword Sect had them in the past because they had Aperture Tempering realm experts.
Back then, if it weren’t for Aperture Tempering realm experts, they wouldn’t have left behind techniques like the Primordial Sword Canon.
However, as Aperture Tempering realm experts passed away and no successors emerged, treasures like these became inevitable losses because the sect had no capability to protect them.
Or perhaps, for sects without Aperture Tempering realm experts, treasures like these were sources of trouble. They’d rather not have them to avoid drawing unwanted attention.
Immortal Cloud Sword Sect naturally had spiritual treasures as well. As the overlords within several thousand miles, with Aperture Tempering realm experts, how could they not possess treasures?
But what was very strange was that on the day of the incident, Xin Zhiqing didn’t bring any spiritual treasures to Taiyan Mountain. He only carried a top-tier spiritual weapon, and as a result, he was ambushed by the Divine Flame Sect and ultimately died on Taiyan Mountain.
Chen Fei stood in the background, listening to Zhou Cunshan’s narration with a concentrated expression.
Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had two Combined Aperture Tempering realm experts before, suppressing all dissent in the surrounding area. But now that one had died and the Divine Flame Sect was watching closely, the situation had become complicated.
It was rumored that Xin Zhiqing was only in his early two hundreds, which wasn’t the limit for Combined Aperture Tempering realm practitioners. His future potential couldn’t be underestimated.
On the other hand, the other Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert from Immortal Cloud Sword Sect, Tong Zhongqiu, hadn’t been active outside for many years. Rumor had it that he was only about two to three decades away from reaching his lifespan limit.
Because he was nearing the end of his life, Tong Zhongqiu didn’t like to roam around. With his impending limit, his combat strength had inevitably declined.
So, most of the time, when an Aperture Tempering realm expert was needed, Xin Zhiqing was the one who acted. After all, it wasn’t a matter of life and death for the sect, so there was no need to make Tong Zhongqiu travel around.
But the unexpected had happened suddenly. Or rather, it wasn’t an accident at all but a carefully set trap by the Divine Flame Sect, waiting for Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert to arrive.
As long as it wasn’t two of them coming together, whether it was Tong Zhongqiu or Xin Zhiqing alone, neither would likely have escaped death.
Who would have thought that the Divine Flame Sect, which had been suppressed by Immortal Cloud Sword Sect for so many years, would produce a Combined Aperture Tempering realm powerhouse? What’s more, this individual possessed a treasure.
With such power and a well-planned ambush, it’s likely that anyone would have fallen in that situation.
After all, everyone’s perception of the Divine Flame Sect had become fixed. They were seen as no more than rats hiding in the dark, and nobody dared to let Immortal Cloud Sword Sect catch their tail.
Whenever they were caught, the result was always death, and it had been like this for many years.
Their thinking had become rigid and stagnant.
“A spiritual treasure!”
One of the elders in the main hall sighed, realizing that the situation was truly changing. A Combined Aperture Tempering realm practitioner wielding a spiritual treasure meant that Immortal Cloud Sword Sect no longer held any advantage.
Not only did they not have an advantage, but if a direct confrontation happened one-on-one, it was difficult to say how much power Tong Zhongqiu still had given his age.
Immortal Cloud Sword Sect’s only remaining advantage was their location in the mountains, cultivated over so many years. Even if a Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert with a spiritual treasure came, Tong Zhongqiu could repel them, or even kill them.
But when it came to an outdoor battle, it was really hard to determine the outcome.
“Wu Junior Brother, go to Immortal Cloud Sword Sect.”
Qu Qingsheng turned to Wu Guangyin. Since Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had just lost a Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert, Primordial Sword Sect naturally couldn’t pretend they hadn’t seen anything. They had to send someone to express their stance.
“Understood!”
Wu Guangyin nodded and disappeared from the main hall.
“In this troublesome season, all of you should keep your disciples in check. If there’s nothing else, don’t go out casually. This matter is far from over!” Qu Qingsheng looked at everyone and said in a deep voice.
With the addition of a Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert to the Divine Flame Sect and the killing of Xin Zhiqing, the conflict between the Divine Flame Sect and Immortal Cloud Sword Sect had already reached an irreconcilable point.
“We will obey the Sect Leader’s orders!”
Everyone responded with a bow and then left the main hall one by one.
Wu Guangyin arrived at Immortal Cloud Sword Sect as quickly as possible, only to find that the entire atmosphere had changed. It was a mixture of solemnity, mourning, and a simmering anger.
Clearly, Xin Zhiqing’s ambush and death had been too much for the proud Immortal Cloud Sword Sect to bear or accept.
An outer sect elder received Wu Guangyin and led him to the Guest Reception Hall. Here, there were people from other sects waiting as well.
Wu Guangyin exchanged glances with those people, and they all stood in silence in the hall.
A hundred miles away on Taiyan Mountain, the remaining members of the Divine Flame Sect were rejoicing.
With Xin Zhiqing’s death, it meant that their Divine Flame Sect could finally step into the sunlight. Furthermore, who would rule over Immortal Cloud City in the future was still uncertain.
Tong Zhongqiu was approaching the limit of his lifespan, and within thirty years, if Immortal Cloud Sword Sect didn’t produce a new Combined Aperture Tempering realm expert, the hegemony over several thousand miles would likely fall to the Divine Flame Sect..