Chapter Fifty-Four: Turning Against Each Other

Su Yizhao suddenly said, “The gold token is in my hand, but if I don’t kill you, it’s nothing but a piece of scrap iron!”

“Haha! Fellow Daoist Su, you’re too naive. This is Cheng Jiaojiao’s scheme—do you really think she would have known otherwise?”

Shi Feichen nodded in agreement. “Every cultivator knows. The sect master left this gold token on purpose. If someone can break out, they can enter the Xuantian Sect with it!”

“And not only does the Xuanqi Sect have one, the Xuanti Sect and Xuansoul Sect each have a token as well. Look!”

Both men raised their right hands, revealing a gold token resting in each palm.

With that, Su Yizhao realized there was no way to avoid a fight today.

No matter what, the gold token must find its owner.

Between the three of them, two already possessed tokens. If they obtained one more, all three could enter Xuantian Sect together, cultivate together, and seek enlightenment together.

What could be better?

But had they ever considered how he felt?

“Senior Brother, the Hall Master of Xuanqi Sect hasn’t reported this matter. He truly hopes you can turn over a new leaf!” Su Yizhao made one last attempt to persuade them.

Shi Feichen sighed. “I know the Hall Master’s intentions are good, but he cannot lead us to the pinnacle, to immortality!”

“Attack!”

The cultivator to Shi Feichen’s right could wait no longer, brandishing his greatsword.

Chi Xiangdong and the cultivator beside him wore strange smiles. Just moments ago, eighteen cultivators at the Six Divine Realms had been reduced to ashes in the blink of an eye. If not for their senior brother, would any of these three still be alive?

And now, the three dared to strike back!

Chi Xiangdong closed his eyes, as if unwilling to witness such a one-sided slaughter.

Suddenly, three voices echoed in his ear.

“Xuanqi for the main attack, Xuanti for defense, Xuansoul to disrupt—kill!”

He snapped his eyes open and stared, aghast.

The three stood back-to-back, forming a triangle, and once they channeled their arts, they pressed close together, spinning rapidly.

In an instant, their momentum surged, sharp winds howling in all directions.

They faced a thousand cultivators without fear.

“What kind of strategy is this?” a question arose in everyone’s mind.

The moment Su Yizhao saw the three shifting positions and forming a triangle, he knew something was amiss.

He thought of the scene where Xuan Wujie and the other two stood in this formation, defending together against the old turtle.

In single combat, the old turtle could easily injure all three. But when they formed this array, not only could they withstand him, but even shield Su Yizhao as well—a testament to the array’s strength.

As the trio spun, the attacks began.

First, a ripple surged through the void; then, a greatsword slashed down from above, followed by a flying sword turning into a streak of golden light aimed at his right shoulder.

That sensation!

Su Yizhao’s figure flickered and, in the blink of an eye, vanished from his original spot.

A thunderous crash!

A spurt of blood!

The afterimage left behind stood motionless, instantly cleaved by the greatsword and pierced by the golden light.

The shadow shattered and faded into nothingness.

Chi Xiangdong shouted, “Watch your back!”

Su Yizhao seemed to step from the void itself, reappearing behind the three.

But their spinning never ceased—there was no “behind” to target.

The moment he appeared, the same trio of attacks came at him again.

He dared not take them head-on!

One after another, his shadows were destroyed, yet the arena was filled with his forms.

A whirlwind swept through the field, scattering sand and stone, shattering every afterimage in its path.

Within a thirty-zhang radius, more and more illusions of him appeared ceaselessly.

Chi Xiangdong and the rest had already retreated some fifty zhang away, anxiously watching, torn between curiosity and the urge to flee.

But the thought of three gold tokens made their eyes burn with greed, necks craning and fists clenched as they watched closely.

In the midst of the field, Su Yizhao found himself at a loss. Neither soul attack nor flying sword had any effect, as if thrown into the sea—no ripples at all.

Suddenly, from within the whirlwind, a voice called out, “Faster!”

A chill swept over Su Yizhao’s heart. To kill him, they would have to destroy all his shadows in an instant, forcing him to reveal his true body.

And to achieve this, speed was essential.

His speed was already extreme, but could the combined speed of the three surpass it?

A low hum!

The whirlwind spun so rapidly it seemed to split in two, then four…

In an instant, whirlwinds filled the field, shattering every shadow.

Su Yizhao staggered and tumbled out of the void.

No sooner had he materialized, than the whirlwinds converged upon him.

Helpless, he focused his mind and gave a low shout: “Earth Sword Art!”

Four silver flying swords instantly formed, creating a shield of silver light before him.

The whirlwind slammed into the silver shield.

A harsh grinding screech echoed, like blades against steel.

Flying swords, greatsword, soul ripples—all clashed.

The silver light flickered and faded, Su Yizhao spat blood, and was hurled back five zhang.

The whirlwind carried his blood, spraying it wildly into the air, then closed in upon him in a flash.

At the brink of life and death, Su Yizhao no longer held back—he unleashed his full power.

Instantly, countless icy spikes, vines, flying swords, and ghostly soul stabs shot at the whirlwind.

“This—isn’t this the Fifth Stage Perfection ‘Vine Technique’?” Chi Xiangdong’s eyes widened in terror.

Arm-thick vines descended from the sky, instantly enveloping the whirlwind, tightening around it.

Before the whirlwind could meet the vines, ten-thousand-year ice spikes stabbed in.

“Bone-chilling cold—this is the Fifth Stage Perfection ‘Ice Spike Technique’?” All present were at least at the Five Divine Realms, so they could distinguish the grade of spells and feel their might.

The vines constricted, and the whirlwind’s spin slowed.

The ice spikes pierced into the storm.

The perfected “Earth Sword Art” unleashed a barrage of silver light.

Ripples surged in from all around.

Within the whirlwind, the three kept swapping positions, making it impossible for Su Yizhao to tell where Shi Feichen was.

Chi Xiangdong’s expression gradually changed.

A deafening crash!

The whirlwind slowly came to a stop, and the three figures emerged.

The vines had shattered, and the ten-thousand-year ice spikes had been reduced to shards.

In an instant, though the three combined their strength, this was as far as they could go.

As for the oncoming silver swords and soul attacks, they could do nothing.

The power of Fifth Stage Perfection spells was immense—this much was true.

But the key was speed.

The speed of casting.

To unleash so many spells simultaneously—how was that possible?

Su Yizhao staggered, nearly collapsing.

His face was pale, blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth, his breath weak, chest heaving.

This battle had been truly arduous.

Had they only defended, his last strike would have done nothing.

But their mistake was underestimating him.

They thought he had never seen such tactics and remained on the offensive, never considering defense.

That was why they ended up in this state.

“Junior Brother…!”

The senior brother hadn’t died?

Su Yizhao hurried over.

He saw that the body-cultivator before Shi Feichen was covered in wounds, blood streaming from his body.

He was already dead.

The fatal blow was not the countless wounds—none deeper than two inches—but the soul attack.

His eyes were rolled back, his soul clearly shattered in an instant.

Shi Feichen had been shielded from most of the flying swords by him.

He survived, but was gravely weakened.

The three of them had collapsed into a heap. Su Yizhao pulled Shi Feichen up, resting him on his shoulder—only to find a pair of eyes fixed on him.

The other cultivator was still alive!

Indeed, the body-cultivator’s defense was formidable.

Taking advantage of Shi Feichen’s dazed state, Su Yizhao’s mind flickered and a silver light pierced the cultivator’s throat.

Blood spurted, and the man slumped over, dead.

Just then, Chi Xiangdong suddenly shot toward him.

This was his weakest moment…