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Chapter 2221.1: Execution

The sword pagoda overshadowed Yan Beifei, churning his defensive treasures to shards like they were made of paper.

“Go! Bring word!” he screamed at the last possible second. The followers who were about to rush over to save him jerked to a halt.

Lu Yun’s sword pagoda image was so domineering that awakened cultivators couldn’t even mount a resistance to it. The only course of action available now was to report this to the Origin King Estate and have the king come to a decision.

Yan Beifei’s followers looked at each other and promptly scattered in various directions. Their young lord was as good as dead. They would only needlessly sacrifice themselves if they stayed.

Lu Yun ignored them. Instead of killing his opponent, the entrapped Yan Beifei was retracted into the sword pagoda proper and suppressed. Having secured his victory, Lu Yun breathed out with relief and stood imperiously in the air. White robes fluttered as he regarded the scene with cold eyes.

Nearby cultivators couldn’t help a shudder and uniformly take a step back.

“Who is that young man and what was that golden pagoda? Even immortals would die if they were here, wouldn’t they?” murmured a combination cultivator with a hard swallow

“Is he one of the legendary Great Xia powerhouses? But he’s just soul separation… Great Xia is truly a place that we all yearn for.” Some peak awakened cultivators looked ardently at Lu Yun. Once those from worlds of cultivation ascended to immortality, they had the right to enter another world—Great Xia.

It was a world no different from the world of immortals to these cultivators—a place both mysterious and sacred.

……

Lu Yun looked upon the fiery sea raging with waves. Numerous cultivators were battling in the flaming waters, fighting over the Void Sacred Flame.

Immensely capable heavyweights abounded in Great Xia. Although the Void Sacred Flame was ranked number three on the ranking of heavenly fires, this one was far below what it should be, so cultivators would be able to subdue it through special methods.

Ten cultivators dueled in the fiery sea, one of them wearing long scarlet robes and sporting red hair and beard. He laid about like a tiger, directing the flames within the sea to follow his command.

“A mere Jade Ruins Realm cultivator dares fight us for the heavenly flame? You court death!” A middle-aged man in a set of immortal rank armor flicked a glance at the red-haired elder. Black hair and a black beard framed a contemptuous curve of his lips.

“Ji Lin, I recommend you stand down. You won’t be able to hold onto the flame even if you obtain it. It might drag in your Primordial Empire!” sniffed another Great Xia cultivator.

“Bah, are Great Xia cultivators supposed to be impressive?” As wizened as Ji Lin looked, he stood upright with pride.

Ji Lin was one of the premier geniuses of the Primordial Empire. Though his potential was so mediocre that it’d taken him several hundred years to coalesce his nascent soul, his cultivation speed was unmatched after that. He endured his heavenly tribulation in less than twenty years and reached awakened realm.

His rate of ascension was incredibly fast and comprehension of dao methods so incredible that he was ranked number ten on the Jade Ruins Celestial Battlefront Rankings. The population sizes of worlds of cultivation were counted in units of hundred millions. Being ranked in the top ten was more than evident of his talent.

Ji Lin swung a flaming spear around, directing the fiery sea to surge wherever he pointed it and sweeping out other cultivators here to fight over the flame.

“Great Xia cultivators? Impressive?” snorted the Great Xia cultivator in armor. “I’ll destroy your Primordial Empire for sheer disrespect alone when I leave this place!”

While the speaker’s position in Great Xia wasn’t humble by any means, his cultivation was mediocre. He was only combination stage and far weaker than Ling Chu and the others. His treasures, however, were all paramount rank and his immortal rank armor a third rank immortal treasure. The fiery sea would be too much for him otherwise.

“Hahaha!!” Ji Lin regarded the combination cultivator with disdain. “Destroy Primordial Empire? Nothing will save you if it really falls, not even one of the Great Xia marquises!”

“Oh?” Some of the nearby cultivators blinked when they heard his response and subconsciously slowed their movements.

“It so happens that there is a Great Xia marquis behind me!” The combination cultivation laughed arrogantly. “I, Xia Houwan, am the only grandson of Marquis Skyrule! Let’s see who dares make trouble for me after I raze your Primordial Empire!”

Xia Houwan thought nothing of the threat and raised a long streak of sword light from his third rank immortal sword, bringing it down on Ji Lin.

Marquis Skyrule Xia Houyun was once ranked number two among all Great Xia marquises. After Marquis Origin became the Origin King, Skyrule was elevated to the position of foremost marquis. Profoundly strong, he was known for being extremely prejudiced toward his own. Having only one son and one daughter, his daughter married the son of the Truefall King.

His son died early, leaving only Xia Houwan behind. Xia Houyun naturally doted on his grandson like no other—he once eliminated a sect with a golden immortal in residence simply because his grandson wanted the sect leader’s daughter.

“Marquis Skyrule?” Ji Lin’s expression tightened with concentration. “Hah, some Jade Ruins cultivators will enroll in the Great Xia Dao Academy in the near future. If you cause trouble at this juncture, the Dao Academy will show no face to your grandfather when it’s time for a reckoning.”

“Future Dao Academy disciples?” Xia Houwan jerked and his face darkened. The other cultivators around him likewise stilled.

The Dao Academy held utmost authority in Great Xia. Even the Human Emperor respected it. It would be the flip of a hand if the academy wished to depose a marquis.

The Great Xia Dao Academy recruited disciples from the three thousand worlds of cultivation every one hundred years. No Great Xia cultivator dared cause trouble in these worlds during that time as death would be a luxury if things got out of hand.

“I see…” Although Xia Houwan was a good-for-nothing, he was no fool. There was no need to get on the Dao Academy’s bad side. He said nothing further, instead waving to his comrades and charging Ji Lin.

They could all tell that if they didn’t eliminate Ji Lin, none of them stood a chance to obtain the Void Sacred Flame. The elder must have encountered a bizarre opportunity in this place of burial that gave him the ability to control the elements.

While the elder was indeed a genius, he paled in comparison to Great Xia cultivators prior to his stroke of fortune. Xia Houwan himself would be sufficient to kill the man, to say nothing of Ji Lin fighting ten Great Xia cultivators by himself.

As subpar as Xia Houwan was, he was still from the immortal dynasty. Third rank immortal treasures glittered over his form; they were more than enough to overwhelm Ji Lin.

However, Ji Lin was latter awakened stage and he was more than ten times stronger than before. This wasn’t due to a particular treasure, but a metamorphosis from inside out. The elder’s blazing spear was as if a dragon of fire, rampaging through the fiery sea like it was water.

Pfft!

He ran through an awakened cultivator in front of him with a muffled sound. Flames spat from the spear and pulverized the body, consuming an immortal soul before it had time to escape.

“Die!!” True origin blazed and a pillar of crimson flames shot out from Ji Lin’s body. He seemed to be on fire as he charged at Xia Houwan.

Paling, the man quickly hastily formed hand seals. His immortal armor sparkled with light as he barely managed to block the harrowing stroke.

“Little marquis, you would be dead if I actually wanted to kill you.” Ji Lin floated away, landing within thirty meters of the Void Sacred Flame.

“Hmph!” Xia Houwan’s expression was unpleasant. He’d also detected that if it wasn’t for Ji Lin pulling his strength, his immortal armor would already be punctured through.

“Hahaha! We meet again, Ji Lin!” A sinister cackle echoed through the air as a young man dressed in long green robes floated out of the sea. He had inky-green hair that reached his waist and even his pupils were green.

“Bi Chen!” Ji Lin was not pleased to see the newcomer.

Bi Chen was one of the three strongest powerhouses of the Jade Ruins Realm, the master of the Barren Mountains. While Ji Lin was much stronger than before, he was still quite wary of one of the three greatest of the realm.

“What, you don’t seem happy to see this seat.” Chen Bi flicked out his long forked tongue and licked his nose. “It looks like the memories from my heritage are right, this is indeed the Void Sacred Flame, heh heh heh…”

A faint thread of red shone out of his inky-green hair and eyes. It wasn’t a reflection of the fiery sea, but a subtle change in his body.

“This must be the grandson of Marquis Skyrule of Great Xia. Xia Houwan, do you think your grandfather would lose his mind if this seat kills you?” A crimson rod appeared in Bi Chen’s hand. There were nine knots on it, like it was the spine of a certain animal.

“You can try!” Violence flashed through Xia Houwan’s eyes and the dozen cultivators they’d come with hovered in front of him, protecting the man. While they weren’t part of Marquis Skyrule’s faction, they didn’t mind doing the marquis a favor.

Chapter 2221.1: Execution

The sword pagoda overshadowed Yan Beifei, churning his defensive treasures to shards like they were made of paper.

“Go! Bring word!” he screamed at the last possible second. The followers who were about to rush over to save him jerked to a halt.

Lu Yun’s sword pagoda image was so domineering that awakened cultivators couldn’t even mount a resistance to it. The only course of action available now was to report this to the Origin King Estate and have the king come to a decision.

Yan Beifei’s followers looked at each other and promptly scattered in various directions. Their young lord was as good as dead. They would only needlessly sacrifice themselves if they stayed.

Lu Yun ignored them. Instead of killing his opponent, the entrapped Yan Beifei was retracted into the sword pagoda proper and suppressed. Having secured his victory, Lu Yun breathed out with relief and stood imperiously in the air. White robes fluttered as he regarded the scene with cold eyes.

Nearby cultivators couldn’t help a shudder and uniformly take a step back.

“Who is that young man and what was that golden pagoda? Even immortals would die if they were here, wouldn’t they?” murmured a combination cultivator with a hard swallow

“Is he one of the legendary Great Xia powerhouses? But he’s just soul separation… Great Xia is truly a place that we all yearn for.” Some peak awakened cultivators looked ardently at Lu Yun. Once those from worlds of cultivation ascended to immortality, they had the right to enter another world—Great Xia.

It was a world no different from the world of immortals to these cultivators—a place both mysterious and sacred.

……

Lu Yun looked upon the fiery sea raging with waves. Numerous cultivators were battling in the flaming waters, fighting over the Void Sacred Flame.

Immensely capable heavyweights abounded in Great Xia. Although the Void Sacred Flame was ranked number three on the ranking of heavenly fires, this one was far below what it should be, so cultivators would be able to subdue it through special methods.

Ten cultivators dueled in the fiery sea, one of them wearing long scarlet robes and sporting red hair and beard. He laid about like a tiger, directing the flames within the sea to follow his command.

“A mere Jade Ruins Realm cultivator dares fight us for the heavenly flame? You court death!” A middle-aged man in a set of immortal rank armor flicked a glance at the red-haired elder. Black hair and a black beard framed a contemptuous curve of his lips.

“Ji Lin, I recommend you stand down. You won’t be able to hold onto the flame even if you obtain it. It might drag in your Primordial Empire!” sniffed another Great Xia cultivator.

“Bah, are Great Xia cultivators supposed to be impressive?” As wizened as Ji Lin looked, he stood upright with pride.

Ji Lin was one of the premier geniuses of the Primordial Empire. Though his potential was so mediocre that it’d taken him several hundred years to coalesce his nascent soul, his cultivation speed was unmatched after that. He endured his heavenly tribulation in less than twenty years and reached awakened realm.

His rate of ascension was incredibly fast and comprehension of dao methods so incredible that he was ranked number ten on the Jade Ruins Celestial Battlefront Rankings. The population sizes of worlds of cultivation were counted in units of hundred millions. Being ranked in the top ten was more than evident of his talent.

Ji Lin swung a flaming spear around, directing the fiery sea to surge wherever he pointed it and sweeping out other cultivators here to fight over the flame.

“Great Xia cultivators? Impressive?” snorted the Great Xia cultivator in armor. “I’ll destroy your Primordial Empire for sheer disrespect alone when I leave this place!”

While the speaker’s position in Great Xia wasn’t humble by any means, his cultivation was mediocre. He was only combination stage and far weaker than Ling Chu and the others. His treasures, however, were all paramount rank and his immortal rank armor a third rank immortal treasure. The fiery sea would be too much for him otherwise.

“Hahaha!!” Ji Lin regarded the combination cultivator with disdain. “Destroy Primordial Empire? Nothing will save you if it really falls, not even one of the Great Xia marquises!”

“Oh?” Some of the nearby cultivators blinked when they heard his response and subconsciously slowed their movements.

“It so happens that there is a Great Xia marquis behind me!” The combination cultivation laughed arrogantly. “I, Xia Houwan, am the only grandson of Marquis Skyrule! Let’s see who dares make trouble for me after I raze your Primordial Empire!”

Xia Houwan thought nothing of the threat and raised a long streak of sword light from his third rank immortal sword, bringing it down on Ji Lin.

Marquis Skyrule Xia Houyun was once ranked number two among all Great Xia marquises. After Marquis Origin became the Origin King, Skyrule was elevated to the position of foremost marquis. Profoundly strong, he was known for being extremely prejudiced toward his own. Having only one son and one daughter, his daughter married the son of the Truefall King.

His son died early, leaving only Xia Houwan behind. Xia Houyun naturally doted on his grandson like no other—he once eliminated a sect with a golden immortal in residence simply because his grandson wanted the sect leader’s daughter.

“Marquis Skyrule?” Ji Lin’s expression tightened with concentration. “Hah, some Jade Ruins cultivators will enroll in the Great Xia Dao Academy in the near future. If you cause trouble at this juncture, the Dao Academy will show no face to your grandfather when it’s time for a reckoning.”

“Future Dao Academy disciples?” Xia Houwan jerked and his face darkened. The other cultivators around him likewise stilled.

The Dao Academy held utmost authority in Great Xia. Even the Human Emperor respected it. It would be the flip of a hand if the academy wished to depose a marquis.

The Great Xia Dao Academy recruited disciples from the three thousand worlds of cultivation every one hundred years. No Great Xia cultivator dared cause trouble in these worlds during that time as death would be a luxury if things got out of hand.

“I see…” Although Xia Houwan was a good-for-nothing, he was no fool. There was no need to get on the Dao Academy’s bad side. He said nothing further, instead waving to his comrades and charging Ji Lin.

They could all tell that if they didn’t eliminate Ji Lin, none of them stood a chance to obtain the Void Sacred Flame. The elder must have encountered a bizarre opportunity in this place of burial that gave him the ability to control the elements.

While the elder was indeed a genius, he paled in comparison to Great Xia cultivators prior to his stroke of fortune. Xia Houwan himself would be sufficient to kill the man, to say nothing of Ji Lin fighting ten Great Xia cultivators by himself.

As subpar as Xia Houwan was, he was still from the immortal dynasty. Third rank immortal treasures glittered over his form; they were more than enough to overwhelm Ji Lin.

However, Ji Lin was latter awakened stage and he was more than ten times stronger than before. This wasn’t due to a particular treasure, but a metamorphosis from inside out. The elder’s blazing spear was as if a dragon of fire, rampaging through the fiery sea like it was water.

Pfft!

He ran through an awakened cultivator in front of him with a muffled sound. Flames spat from the spear and pulverized the body, consuming an immortal soul before it had time to escape.

“Die!!” True origin blazed and a pillar of crimson flames shot out from Ji Lin’s body. He seemed to be on fire as he charged at Xia Houwan.

Paling, the man quickly hastily formed hand seals. His immortal armor sparkled with light as he barely managed to block the harrowing stroke.

“Little marquis, you would be dead if I actually wanted to kill you.” Ji Lin floated away, landing within thirty meters of the Void Sacred Flame.

“Hmph!” Xia Houwan’s expression was unpleasant. He’d also detected that if it wasn’t for Ji Lin pulling his strength, his immortal armor would already be punctured through.

“Hahaha! We meet again, Ji Lin!” A sinister cackle echoed through the air as a young man dressed in long green robes floated out of the sea. He had inky-green hair that reached his waist and even his pupils were green.

“Bi Chen!” Ji Lin was not pleased to see the newcomer.

Bi Chen was one of the three strongest powerhouses of the Jade Ruins Realm, the master of the Barren Mountains. While Ji Lin was much stronger than before, he was still quite wary of one of the three greatest of the realm.

“What, you don’t seem happy to see this seat.” Chen Bi flicked out his long forked tongue and licked his nose. “It looks like the memories from my heritage are right, this is indeed the Void Sacred Flame, heh heh heh…”

A faint thread of red shone out of his inky-green hair and eyes. It wasn’t a reflection of the fiery sea, but a subtle change in his body.

“This must be the grandson of Marquis Skyrule of Great Xia. Xia Houwan, do you think your grandfather would lose his mind if this seat kills you?” A crimson rod appeared in Bi Chen’s hand. There were nine knots on it, like it was the spine of a certain animal.

“You can try!” Violence flashed through Xia Houwan’s eyes and the dozen cultivators they’d come with hovered in front of him, protecting the man. While they weren’t part of Marquis Skyrule’s faction, they didn’t mind doing the marquis a favor.