Chapter 339: Care for a Short Walk, Exile Yun?
In a secluded chamber of the Radiance Palace, Yun Xiao sat cross-legged, his eyes closed in deep concentration. He was channeling the Primordial Void Technique, a cultivation method as ancient as the stars themselves.
Inside his Dantian, an extraordinary scene unfolded. Nine Suns danced around his Worldly Dao Heart, merging the essence of the primordial into his soul. The sacred power coursed through his body, following the path of the Nine Heavens Star Meridians, enveloping him in a mist of white and gold that filled the room.
Yun Xiao was lost in this rapid ascent in cultivation, his mind free from worldly troubles, focused solely on the grand path that bridged the mundane with the heavens.
Suddenly, his tranquil meditation was shattered by a surge of mortal danger, a cry of alarm that jolted his soul.
"What's this?" Yun Xiao's eyes snapped open, shining with a brilliant gold light.
And there it wasa Flying Sword, glowing cyan, having pierced the wall of the chamber, heading straight for his brow with a high-pitched shriek that broke the sound barrier.
"Another assassination attempt? This is getting tiresome," Yun Xiao thought, irritation flaring in his heart.
In that split second, he reacted. His left hand shot out, deploying a violet oil-paper umbrella. The umbrella sprang open, its thousands of runic inscriptions forming 18 miniature formations, and the nine dragon-headed spokes roared as it spun rapidly, slicing through the air with a deafening howl.
BOOM! The incoming Flying Sword was ferocious, shattering the umbrella and sending Yun Xiao crashing into the wall of the chamber.
The secluded chamber collapsed in a deafening roar, stones and dust flying everywhere, the sound echoing through the Radiance Palace.
"Exile Yun!" Mu Dalong cried out, her face turning pale at the doorway. She dashed into the wreckage, her heart pounding with worry and anger.
"I'm fine," came a voice from beneath a pile of rubble. Yun Xiao emerged, his black hair wild, his white clothes spotless and unharmed, his expression cold but undamaged.
Mu Dalong's trembling heart calmed a bit at the sight.
Just a moment ago, she had felt as if her heart would break.
"The Flying Sword technique... it belongs to Qingzan!"
Mu Dalong's eyes flashed with uncontrollable fury. They were peers, and in their youth, Qingzan was never her match. But somehow, after marrying into the Calamity Seal Purgatory, her skills had skyrocketed, making her the strongest Sword Cultivator of their generation.
"It's not just her," Yun Xiao said gravely, sensing a more terrifying threat amidst the dust and debris. He instructed Mu Dalong with utmost seriousness, "Order everyone to keep their distance, and then go find your father immediately!"
The commotion had alarmed many resting Sword Cultivators. Knowing that Yun Xiao was under attack, they would rush to his aid, but he didn't want them to recklessly lose their lives. This included Mu Dalong, whom he also wished to send away for her safety.
"But what about you?" Mu Dalong asked, her eyes red with worry.
Yun Xiao just chuckled coldly and said, "Go."
Mu Dalong, who greatly admired him, chose to trust him despite her deep concerns. She swiftly flew away on her Sovereign Sword, directing other Sword Cultivators to safety while heading towards the battlefield.
"Exile Yun is being ambushed!" The dreadful news spread rapidly, igniting fury among the Sword Cultivators.
"Who would be so despicable as to assassinate someone during the Nine Hells Conquest Clash?"
"Such an act challenges the authority of the Immortal Asylum. The offender will surely face severe punishment!"
But before the Sword Cultivators could react with righteous indignation, the attackers had already surrounded Yun Xiao, cutting off all his escape routes.
Suddenly, the dark surroundings of the collapsed chamber began to transform as if a massive scroll was unrolling, sealing off the sky and surrounding area, trapping Yun Xiao in a closed world depicted on the scroll.
The scroll depicted vivid landscapes of mountains, rivers, farmlands, villages, and citiesso lifelike it seemed like a real world.
"The Sovereign Sigil?" Yun Xiao recognized it instantly, despite never having seen it before. Its reputation was legendary, known as the most powerful Life Sigil in the Nine Hells.
Its owner was none other than the current reigning Nine Hells Conqueror, the Talisman Emperor.
"Is this the only Aurum grade Life Sigil in the Nine Hells?" Yun Xiao pondered.
The Sovereign Sigil, ranked at the twelfth level in the grading system, represented the pinnacle of power in the Nine Hells.
Even the Sword Warden, with his formidable Sword Soul, had yet to reach Aurum grade. And yet, the Talisman Emperor, a generation younger than the Sword Warden, had already swept through the Nine Hells a decade ago, marking him as the upper limit of genius in their world. His talents had fully transformed into strength, allowing him to dominate and command respect.
Yun Xiao, now trapped under the Sovereign Sigil's brilliance, couldn't help but admire the striking talent of this human powerhouse. The Talisman Emperor had crafted a sigil so mighty it seemed to conjure a world of its own, pressing down upon him like a thousand mountains.
"The number of Runes... about 15,000," Yun Xiao estimated, his eyes scanning the Sovereign Sigil, deciphering the intricate patterns woven into the landscape. That was 4,000 more than his own Sword Aura!
Such prowess solidified the Talisman Emperor's extraordinary status in the Nine Hells.
Yun Xiao mused, "To think he wouldn't even spare me ten days, coming to assassinate me himself." It was clear the Talisman Emperor wasn't about to give him any chance or time.
And there, within the Sovereign Sigil, the Talisman Emperor had to be lurking.
The weight of the Sovereign Sigil, invisible yet immense, bore down on Yun Xiao, causing his bones, flesh, and organs to tremble and crack under the pressure. This was the destructive power of the Nine Hells Conqueror, far surpassing the Fate Ocean Realm and even the might of most Overseers.
"An honor, really, that the Talisman Emperor would deal with me personally," Yun Xiao said, standing amidst this maelstrom of pressure. As he spoke, a searing heat hit him from behind. Turning around, he saw a towering devil, about ten feet tall and engulfed in blood-red flames, standing just thirty feet away.
The devil's eyes, burning with dark red fire, stared coldly at Yun Xiao. Its body was like a furnace, raising the temperature within the Sovereign Sigil to scorching heights.
This was the sovereign of the Rising Sun Inferno, the Wick Devil!
The Talisman Emperor, Wick Devil, Pale Revenant, and Phoenix Empress were the four supreme rulers of the Nine Hells. Now, two of them had already made their appearance.
With a thunderous roar, the Wick Devil unleashed a blood-red dragon seal, resembling an imperial jade seal. This artifact, like a small mountain, was coiled with three blood dragons, emitting blazing red flames and roaring menacingly.
The treasure before Yun Xiao was clearly on par with the Calamity Seal Sword and the Heavenly Mirror, and it was complete.
"The Dragon Wick Seal..." Yun Xiao recalled its name.
"It is a fitting end for you, Exile Yun," the Wick Devil sneered. From the moment the Sovereign Sigil appeared to the Wick Devil's ominous declaration, it was all but an instant.
With a low growl, the Wick Devil lunged at Yun Xiao, his attack coordinated with the silent and decisive Talisman Emperor. Their resolve to kill was unwavering and absolute.
BOOM! The Sovereign Sigil contracted violently, its mountains and rivers exerting a crushing force tenfold. Under such terrifying pressure, even the flesh and bones of a Sword Ruins Overseer might be pulverized into dust.
Within the Sovereign Sigil, the Talisman Emperor's figure flickered, his cold gaze fixed on Yun Xiao. He channeled his boundless sacred power to fuel the sigil, unleashing a cataclysmic force.
The ground beneath Yun Xiao disintegrated into dust, and a mighty torrent of destructive power swept towards him.
"Exile Yun, your time has come," the Talisman Emperor's chilling, indifferent voice boomed, reaching Yun Xiao first and causing his ears to bleed and his face to pale.
On the other side, the Wick Devil wielded the Dragon Wick Seal. This magic treasure, heavier than the Sovereign Sigil, crashed towards Yun Xiao with its blood-red flames blazing like a furnace set to engulf the world.
"Such a murderous intent... not even Mu Tianjian could withstand it," Yun Xiao thought. He had reached the Fate Ocean Realm, but these two adversaries were still two whole realms above him, each capable of crushing him with ease.
Their choice of attack was ruthlessly efficient: an inescapable, all-encompassing assault, leaving Yun Xiao with no room to even raise his hand. His body felt like it was sinking into an endless abyss, his chest caving in under the pressure.
This relentless assault ignited all the fury within Yun Xiao.
"Quite ruthless, the two of you," he said coldly, his face pale but devoid of fear, even in the face of certain death.
In the midst of this deadly confrontation, Yun Xiao's only thought was of the kill. This battle had severed any possibility of reconciliation between him and the two great rulers of the Nine Hells.
"You think you can be reborn? To hell with you!" the Wick Devil sneered, his contempt for the notion of rebirth clear in his laughter. The Dragon Wick Seal, under his command, unleashed a torrent of scorching heat, merging with the Sovereign Sigil's power. Its roaring might was enough to reduce Yun Xiao to nothing but ash.
Clearly, both the Wick Devil and Talisman Emperor were convinced of Yun Xiao's imminent demise.
"What's the hurry? I was looking forward to playing this out slowly..." Yun Xiao said with a cold, sly smile.
Suddenly, a small black beast appeared from his embrace, transforming into an ancient bronze coffin. In a blink, it enveloped Yun Xiao, swiftly enclosing him within.
"Not that coffin again!" Despite this unexpected turn, the Talisman Emperor and Wick Devil weren't discouraged.
To them, this was just a special artifact, and like all artifacts, its power was limited by the user's strength. It was clear to them that Yun Xiao was far below them in cultivation.
"Smash it open!" the Talisman Emperor commanded.
The Wick Devil roared in response, slamming the Dragon Wick Seal onto the lid of the ancient bronze coffin.
BOOM! The coffin was sent flying, rolling across the ground.
"Ouch!" Blue Star exclaimed from inside.
"Getting hit like that is going to cost a pretty penny..." Yun Xiao mused somberly.
"Are you even human? I'm getting beaten up here, and all you think about is money?" Blue Star snapped.
"That's just human nature," Yun Xiao replied cheerfully.
Unscathed inside the coffin, his cold eyes fixed on the advancing Talisman Emperor and Wick Devil. "I'm far from their match. Let's go," he said.
This sudden attack had disrupted Yun Xiao's plans, forcing him into a defensive position he hadn't anticipated.
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