Immortality Cultivation

Chapter 254: Battle Heaven Axe

Fang Hao stood at the edge of the basin, his gaze sweeping over the open ground shrouded in the light of the three fragments like a hawk. He fully activated his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes, not letting a single detail slip by.

Soon, he discovered an anomaly. Around the three black stone steles, on the seemingly empty ground, faint energy patterns that blended almost perfectly with the color of the ground were flickering. These patterns formed a vast and complex Formation, using the three fragments and the steles as nodes, covering the entire central area of the basin. The Cultivators who had just died must have accidentally triggered a part of this Formation and were instantly killed by the erupting power.

Furthermore, Fang Hao could feel that the aura emitted by the Formation was of the same Origin as the battle heaven axe fragments, filled with that desolate, ancient Battle Intent, but with an added sense of sternness and protection. This did not seem to be a purely lethal Formation; it felt more like a... test?

"It seems that if I want to obtain the fragments, I must pass the test of this Formation." Fang Hao understood this in his heart. He carefully observed the flow patterns of the energy lines, trying to find the weak point or the exit of the Formation. However, the Formation was too profound, and with his current attainments in Formations, he could not make heads or tails of it.

He looked again at the powerful existences wandering in the gray mist around the basin. There were Demonized Giant Apes with pitch-black bodies and bone spurs on their backs, monsters that looked like lizards with magma flowing all over their bodies, and wandering ghosts exuding resentment... Each of these guys had an aura of at least the Peak of the fourth rank, and some even reached the edge of the fifth rank. Their scarlet or eerie green eyes stared fixedly at the three fragments in the center of the basin, filled with greed and longing, but they seemed extremely wary of the Formation in the center of the basin, only daring to linger on the edge and not daring to cross the line.

"Are these guys also attracted by the aura of the fragments? Or are they the guardians of this ’Unknown Forbidden Land’ themselves, blocked outside by the Formation?" Fang Hao speculated. Regardless, if he wanted to enter the Formation to get the fragments, he would not only have to face the test of the Formation itself but also be wary of these guys lurking around, waiting to strike while he was vulnerable.

"There is no turning back; I have to go for it." Fang Hao’s gaze was firm. He first adjusted his condition to the best, then took a deep breath and stepped into the basin.

The moment his soles touched the ground, a drastic change occurred!

Hum—!

The entire basin seemed to shake. The fragments on top of the three black stone steles suddenly lit up! The previously dim energy patterns on the ground, like activated blood vessels, suddenly lit up with dark golden light! A terrifying and indescribable Spiritual Pressure, like Mount Tai pressing down, instantly descended upon Fang Hao!

This pressure was different from the Demon Beasts or Yao Kings he had encountered before; it was more ancient, purer, and filled with the will of blood, unyielding, and fighting against the heavens! It was as if thousands of troops were charging and killing, and countless unyielding war souls were roaring! This pressure alone was almost enough to make Fang Hao kneel, his internal Qi and blood churning, and his bones making creaking sounds of being unable to bear the load.

"Hmph!" Fang Hao let out a muffled groan, his back straightened, and his Chaos Derivation Art operated frantically. The powers of Earth Fire Burning Body and Cold Ice Bone Erosion were spontaneously activated to resist this pressure. At the same time, the six battle heaven axe fragments in his bosom also emitted a strong resonance. A Battle Intent that was equally ancient but connected to his Bloodline rose, faintly resisting the pressure within the Formation, causing the pressure on him to suddenly decrease significantly.

"Sure enough, possessing the fragments is the key to gaining recognition." Fang Hao understood in his heart, and bearing the pressure, he continued to step forward.

However, the Formation was clearly not just about pressure. When he took the third step, the scene before his eyes changed abruptly! It was no longer a desolate basin, but as if he were in an ancient, vast, and boundless battlefield!

The sky was dark red, the earth was cracked, corpses were strewn across the fields, and blood flowed like rivers. Countless warriors wearing ancient armor and possessing powerful auras were fighting against some hideous enemies exuding terrifying auras. War drums were beating, the sound of killing shook the sky, and the light of Divine Ability and Magic Treasure illuminated the dim sky. Every moment, life was passing away, and it was extremely tragic.

"An illusion? Or... the imprint of an ancient battlefield?" Fang Hao’s heart shook violently, but he kept his mind clear, knowing that this must be a test generated by the Formation. He tried to use his Clear Spring Spirit Eyes to see through the falsehood, but found that the scene before him was incredibly real, and even the smell of blood and the Killing Intent were clearly perceptible.

Just then, a team of enemy soldiers exuding terrifying Evil Qi seemed to have discovered him, the "intruder," and roared as they charged toward him! The aura of each of these soldiers was comparable to the Peak of the Golden Core or even the Nascent Soul! The weapons in their hands carried destructive power and slashed down fiercely!

Fang Hao’s pupils contracted. He knew that although this was an illusion or a test, if he "died" here, he would likely be in trouble in reality. He dared not hold back at all. With the yitian sword in hand, the War Heaven Scripture operating, and the power of ice and fire blending, he met the incoming enemies.

Pu! Pu! Pu!

Sword light flashed, flesh and blood flew. Fang Hao seemed to have truly incarnated into an ancient warrior, fighting in this tragic battlefield. The enemy’s attacks were real, and every time their weapons clashed, the counter-shock force made his arms numb. He soon added wounds to his body, blood flowed, but his eyes were fierce, his Battle Intent boiling. He brought the Profound Truth of the War Heaven Scripture into full play. Every sword strike was concise, efficient, deadly, and filled with the atmosphere of a tragic fight.

He didn’t know how many enemies he had killed. Ten? One hundred? One thousand? The enemies in front of him seemed endless. His comrades (illusions) fell one by one, and he himself was covered in wounds, with massive consumption of spiritual power. But he gritted his teeth and did not retreat a single step, because behind him was the direction where the three fragments were, and it was also the test he had to pass!

Just when he felt he was about to exhaust his strength and his mind was about to be overwhelmed by endless killing and fatigue, the scene of the battlefield, along with the fighting enemies, faded away like a tide. He found himself still standing in the basin, having just stepped forward three steps, covered in sweat, his face pale. Although there were no real wounds on his body, he was mentally extremely exhausted, as if he had truly experienced a tragic battle.

"The first level is a test of Battle Intent and willpower?" Fang Hao panted and looked ahead. There was still a considerable distance to the three stone steles.

He adjusted his breath slightly and continued to move forward. Every few steps, a new test would be triggered. Sometimes it was a Heart Demon illusion, evoking the deepest fears and obsessions in his heart; sometimes it was pure pressure, as if to crush him into powder; sometimes it was a strange Divine Soul attack, rushing directly into the Sea of Consciousness; sometimes it was a confrontation of attribute powers, either Earth Fire Burning Body, or Cold Ice Bone Erosion, or thunderous power...

Each test was extremely dangerous, pointing directly at the weaknesses of the Cultivator. Relying on his unyielding willpower, powerful Physical Body, the all-encompassing nature of the Chaos Derivation Art, the unyielding Battle Intent of the War Heaven Scripture, and the resonance of the six fragments in his bosom, he struggled through it time and time again. Real scars began to appear on his body, caused by the materialized attacks in the Formation. His spiritual power, Divine Soul, and physical strength were all being consumed rapidly.

But the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter. Every time he passed a test, he could feel that his connection with the three fragments and this ancient Formation became a little tighter. It was as if this Formation was not only testing him, but also using this method to imprint some kind of ancient Legacy and will onto his body.

At the edge of the basin, the powerful existences wandering around also noticed that Fang Hao was stepping deeper into the Formation. They let out restless roars, but still dared not step into the range of the Formation, and could only watch helplessly.

Finally, after experiencing forty-nine different tests, Fang Hao was covered in blood, shaky, but his eyes were as bright as stars. He stepped on the center of the basin, one bloody footprint at a time, and stood within the triangular area formed by the three black stone steles.

The moment he stepped into the triangular area, the massive Spiritual Pressure that had been shrouding him receded like a tide. The fragments on top of the three stone steles simultaneously burst into dazzling dark golden light! Three beams of light shot into the sky, intersected in mid-air, and then, as if receiving an invisible traction, slowly flew toward Fang Hao.

Fang Hao reached out, and the three fragments automatically fell into his palm, resonating strongly with the other six fragments. The nine fragments jumped and rotated in his palm, emitting happy and excited emotions. Then, in Fang Hao’s shocked gaze, the nine fragments approached each other, dark golden light connected and wrapped them, and ancient, mysterious runes flowed and combined in the light...

Boom—!

A loud noise that seemed to come from the ancient prehistoric times echoed in Fang Hao’s mind and in this "Unknown Forbidden Land"! The light of the nine fragments merged into one, turning into a dark golden beam of light connecting the sky and the earth, enveloping Fang Hao!

In the beam of light, the nine fragments disappeared. In their place was a—Battle Axe phantom—that was dark golden, simple, heavy, huge, and filled with endless barbaric Battle Intent! This battle axe had a broad blade, as if it could open the heaven and earth, the blade edge was cold and sharp, as if it could cut through the galaxy, and the handle was engraved with countless mysterious runes and totems, exuding a terrifying aura that made the world tremble!

"battle heaven axe!" Fang Hao’s heart shook violently, and he blurted it out. This phantom of the axe was almost exactly the same as the giant axe he saw in the Legacy illusion "war soul", only much smaller, and the aura was countless times weaker, but that unyielding, fighting-heaven will was of the same Origin!

At the same time, a massive, ancient, and vast stream of information, like a bursting flood, poured crazily into Fang Hao’s Sea of Consciousness along the dark golden beam of light!

That was not text, not an image, but a Legacy directly imprinted on the depths of the Soul! It was the complete version of the War Heaven Scripture! From the most basic Body Refining, gathering power, and condensing Battle Intent, to advanced Divine Ability, combat techniques, Dharma Forms, and even the final "Battle Heaven" Profound Truth, it was all-encompassing, profound, and far exceeded the incomplete basic Chapter Fang Hao had obtained before!

In addition to the complete War Heaven Scripture, there was also information about the "battle heaven axe". This divine axe was indeed the treasure of the ancient "War Heaven Clan", which shattered in the ancient war. The one in front of him was not the real, complete divine axe, but a wisp of "Artifact Spirit prototype" or "Origin projection" automatically condensed by the nine fragments in front of Fang Hao, the inheritor who had obtained preliminary recognition. It possessed a trace of the power and growth potential of the "battle heaven axe", but it was still a long way from the real divine axe. It required Fang Hao to continuously use his own Battle Intent, Qi and blood, and even Heaven And Earth Treasure to nourish, repair, and fight before it could gradually restore its true power.

Finally, the information stream also contained a fragmented scene and thought: A terrifying war that swept through the heavens and worlds, a giant standing upright holding a giant axe, fighting with countless terrifying existences, finally the axe shattered and the person died, but that unyielding Battle Intent was imprinted on the broken axe body, scattered in all directions, waiting for the day of reunion...

The information stream was too huge, and Fang Hao only felt a splitting headache, but he held on to his mind tightly, greedily absorbing and understanding all of this. He knew this was a huge Opportunity!

The dark golden beam of light lasted for several breaths before it began to slowly converge. Finally, all the light and introverted Battle Intent gathered in Fang Hao’s palm. The light dissipated, and a battle axe about five feet long, dark golden, simple in style, but exuding amazing Spiritual Pressure and Battle Intent, floated quietly in front of Fang Hao. On the axe body, there were nine faint crack patterns, as if recording its past fragmentation, but at this moment, they were tightly connected and integrated.

This reduced version of the "battle heaven axe", although it was only a projection condensed by the "Artifact Spirit prototype", its grade had reached—Spiritual Artifact level! And it was a top-tier Spiritual Artifact that contained a trace of "Battle Heaven" will and had unlimited growth potential! It was countless times stronger than the yitian sword (High Grade Magical Artifact) that Fang Hao had used before!

And in Fang Hao’s mind, the scripture of the complete War Heaven Scripture was as clear as an imprint. The basic Chapter he had cultivated before was just a drop in the bucket.

Fang Hao looked at the floating battle axe in front of him, feeling the vast Legacy in his mind, and an uncontrollable excitement surged in his heart. The nine fragments were finally collected! Although it only condensed an "Artifact Spirit prototype" and a projection, this also meant that he had truly obtained the preliminary recognition of the "battle heaven axe" and "War Heaven Scripture"!

He reached out and grasped the handle of the battle axe. It was heavy in his hand, and a feeling of blood connection and heart-to-heart communication came, as if this battle axe was originally a part of his body. At the same time, a pure, ancient, and Battle Intent-filled power fed back from the battle axe, merged into his limbs and bones, quickly repairing the injuries in his body, replenishing his consumed spiritual power, and even causing his Hundred Refinements Golden Body Art and Chaos Derivation Art to have a hint of improvement!

"Good axe! Good Legacy!" Fang Hao couldn’t help but exclaim. With a thought, the battle axe turned into a dark golden stream of light, sank into his Dantian, floated quietly beside the Golden Core, and slowly rotated, accepting the nourishment of his spiritual power.

However, just after he had just subdued the battle axe and had not had time to carefully understand its mysteries, a change occurred again!

It seemed that the earth-shattering aura and light that erupted when the "battle heaven axe" condensed completely stimulated the powerful existences wandering at the edge of the basin. They could no longer suppress their greed and Killing Intent for the "battle heaven axe" and Fang Hao, the "inheritor"!

Roar—! Hiss—! Awoo—!

Several violent roars filled with the desire for destruction sounded from the edge of the gray mist! The Demonized Giant Ape with bone spurs on its back, the lizard monster with flowing magma, and several other strange creatures whose auras were no weaker than them, simultaneously broke through the deterrence of the Formation from different directions (perhaps because the Battle Axe condensed, the Formation’s power weakened?), and rushed toward Fang Hao, who was in the center of the basin, had just received the Legacy, and whose aura had not yet fully calmed down! In their eyes, there was only greed for treasure and longing for flesh and blood!

Just after obtaining the treasure Legacy, the crisis followed! The real life-and-death test has just begun.