Martial World

Hearing Xiao Moxian’s words, Lin Ming was dazed. He didn’t know just how to reply.

Xiao Moxian didn’t know why she would unexpectedly say such strange and dismal words that would not only make Lin Ming unhappy, but also herself. It seemed as if she wanted to vent all of the bitterness and resentment in her heart.

She apologetically smiled, saying, “Some matters are too troublesome. Carelessly speaking about them might affect your mood to break through.”

Lin Ming was silent for a moment. He could feel a peculiar pain in his heart, one that he found hard to face. He finally said, “I’m sorry, I know.”

“You don’t know.” Xiao Moxian shook her head, earnestly looking towards Lin Ming, her eyes seeming to flash with some strange crystalline light. “You don’t know… how scared I was when I entered Tragic Death Valley. My personality favors liveliness and fun, and what I cannot stand the most is unending loneliness and the infinite dark. When I entered Tragic Death Valley I really, really wanted to leave. I thought that if I had to stay there for hundreds of years then I would turn insane.

“But afterwards, something I never expected happened… those nine years of days and nights were not as fearful as I thought they would be. From the time I was born to now, I have seen numerous spiritual lands that are beautiful beyond description. I’ve seen floating celestial mountains and neverending fields of paradise… and yet, no matter how much I try to recall those places, I have no impression of them. Instead, during my nine years in Tragic Death Valley, facing the eternal dark and the piles of bones, those days, are actually a time that I will never forget. In the depths of that darkness and misery, to have someone I could rely upon is really… something I will remember all my life.”

Xiao Moxian suddenly laughed. She was finally speaking the words she didn’t know how to say. Without suppressing them in her heart, without caring for what would result, without caring for what Lin Ming thought of them, just saying them was enough.

“Sometimes, I even thought that it wouldn’t be bad if we never left. At least, I would never have to think about us being enemies in the future nor would I have to deal with so many troubling matters… of course, I knew you would never agree to not leaving.”

Lin Ming was shocked for some time. He still held onto Xiao Moxian’s hand. The soft and tender touch of her hand brought with it an indescribable gentleness, like a piece of pure jade immersed in running water.

In that moment, Lin Ming could feel the burden of a heavy emotion on his back, one he didn’t know how to face.

“I’m sorry…” Lin Ming finally said these weak and feeble words after a long period of silence.

However, Xiao Moxian actually laughed in response, a laugh as bright and cheerful as spring flowers. “There’s nothing you should be sorry to me about. You were the one who saved my life, and entering Tragic Death Valley with you is something that I have never regretted and will never regret. Giving you my life source blood is also something I do not regret. In the future, even if we never meet again, my blood will always flow within your body, becoming a mark upon your bloodline, accompanying you for the rest of your life. You can try as much as you want Lin Ming, but you’ll never be able to throw me away.”

Speaking to here, Xiao Moxian seemed to laugh in an increasingly happy manner. The corners of her lips lifted up in a smile to reveal two cute canines.

For a time, Lin Ming turned silly.

“Now, go and break through to the Nine Stars of the Dao Palace if you can. I don’t want to die here.”

Xiao Moxian cupped Lin Ming’s cheek, her voice serious. Lin Ming silently looked into her bright eyes and solemnly nodded.

This was his promise to Xiao Moxian, and also a promise to himself.

He couldn’t bear the feelings of Xiao Moxian. All he could do now was summon as much strength as he could and attack the Nine Stars of the Dao Palace.

The energy within his body was equalized by Xiao Moxian’s blood essence and had already begun to slowly stabilize. In this state, even Lin Ming’s meridian channels and blood vessels that had torn apart due to the violent energy began to restore themselves. This was the effect of yin yang harmony.

Lin Ming closed his eyes, returning to that endless dark void once more. He faced the nine stars hanging in the skies, seven of them bright, two of them dark.

In that moment, Lin Ming could feel flames burning in his heart. In his broken right hand, the flesh and blood constantly regenerated as the meridian channels regrew.

He cried out loud and shot into the skies. The Eight Inner Hidden Gates opened altogether. Behind Lin Ming, the phantom of a True Dragon appeared, roaring out!

Celestial Tyrant Manual – Hundred Layered Waves!

Bang!

With a loud explosion the void was collapsed by Lin Ming’s fist. The Heavenly Dao lines that wove into a nine star dao diagram were shaken by Lin Ming’s strike, causing a crack to appear within it.

Seeing this crack, the light in Lin Ming’s eyes brightened. He roared out again, his fists punching at the same place.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Lin Ming punched again and again. Blood splashed out from his fists, alarming and startling!

Without caring for the violent flows of energy surging through his body, the nine star dao diagram continued to shake as the crack grew larger and larger!

The Heavenly Dao Laws seemed to become furious, as if Lin Ming’s crazy barrage was the reason. The Great Dao lines wildly gathered, converging towards Lin Ming and pressing down on him!

Krik krik krack!

The bones throughout Lin Ming’s body emitted explosive crackling sounds. Fresh blood leaked out, dying his entire body deep red.

However, Lin Ming ignored all of this. He continued his onslaught on the nine star dao diagram!

The crack in the dao diagram grew larger with each punch, each punch coming at the cost of Lin Ming’s breaking body.

“Just a little bit more, a little bit more!”

Lin Ming’s eyes were blood red as he cried out from his lungs.

But at this moment, he suddenly felt the skies around him tremble. The entire world seemed to tumble around him, all the origin energy becoming restless!

“What!?”

This sudden change shocked Lin Ming. This strength did not come from the Heavenly Dao Laws, but an external force!

Lin Ming’s mind turned cold. A foreboding feeling surged within him.

Then, a maniacal voice echoed through the air, “Lin Ming, you want to break through the Nine Stars of the Dao Palace!? You want to defy the Heavenly Dao Laws!? Keep on dreaming! But no matter how hopeless you are, I will not allow you the slightest chance of success. I will lay down a grand Void Locking Array around you, separating you from the starlight of those nine stars so that your ridiculously pathetic attempt at a breakthrough will fail outright! I want your body to collapse and your boundary to fall! Hahahaha!”

This maddening cackle came from Tian Mingzi!

Outside of Primordius Heavenly Palace, Tian Mingzi was still fighting the iron-armored spectral soldiers. According to his original plan, he needed to use several hours to slowly fight so that he could preserve his strength and reduce his wounds to the minimum, defeating the iron-armored spectral soldiers with the lowest possible price.

After that, he could lay down an enchantment to seal up the exit to Bai Qi’s tomb. Once that was complete he could meditate to restore himself to his peak condition and then begin to refine Primordius Heavenly Palace.

This was the safest and most effective method. As long as he could restore his strength then Lin Ming was as good as dead.

However, during this battle, Tian Mingzi saw the space above Primordius Heavenly Palace vanish, suddenly revealing an endless void. And at the peak of this endless void were nine stars!

After being stunned for a brief moment, he immediately understood that this was a phenomenon that was summoned by Lin Ming’s attempt at breaking through the Nine Stars of the Dao Palace!

The Nine Stars of the Dao Palace was exclusive to the human race’s body transformation system. The saint race and demon race both practiced a different cultivation system that was different from the Nine Stars of the Dao Palace. 3.6 billion years ago, martial artists that cultivated the Nine Stars of the Dao Palace to the peak were no weaker than those who cultivated the essence gathering system.

But now, because of some unknown change in the Heavenly Dao Laws, the Nine Stars of the Dao Palace became an impossible goal to reach. But, once one managed to reach it, one’s strength would become even more terrifying. If Lin Ming broke into the Nine Stars of the Dao Palace then not even gods would know what would happen.

Although Tian Mingzi didn’t believe Lin Ming had the ability to do so, he wasn’t willing to give him even the slimmest chance to succeed. He immediately desperately attacked the iron-armored spectral soldiers, wanting to break them all as soon as possible. Once he did so, he could interfere with Lin Ming’s breakthrough attempt!

At this time, Tian Mingzi’s entire body was soaked with blood. His shoulder and lower abdomen had been pierced by two deep spears and were dripping blood. Horrifying wounds covered his entire body and his spine had nearly been severed in half. His left arm had been cut off but only forcefully reattached using an arcane technique.

Tian Mingzi had paid a deeply tragic price in order to break the iron-armored spectral soldier array.

He didn’t have time to heal his wounds. After hurriedly swallowing down some pills, he pulled out an array disc from his spatial ring and tossed it in the air. His hands formed numerous seals. But, because his left hand had been cut off and reattached, the meridians and blood vessels had yet to fully regenerate and his movements weren’t as accurate. The speed at which he formed seals was much slower than before.

Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!

The array disc spun around, sprinkling chaotic black light that covered Primordius Heavenly Palace, cutting off the energy connection between Primordius Heavenly Palace and the outside world!

And at this time, Tian Mingzi stepped on the void. He held his black sword in his hands, spookily whispering, “Frenzied blood, become heart demons, indomitable might of the Heavenly Dao, follow my blade! Cut!”

For a time, the entire Primordius Heavenly Palace was shrouded in a vast dark demon light!

The sword light was blocked by Primordius Heavenly Palace’s array formation but there were still some illusions that seemed to permeate into Primordius Heavenly Palace.

“Hahaha! Lin Ming, in my presence, you still want to make a breakthrough!? In the past, with my status as a core disciple, I exterminated the entire Verdant Feather Holy Lands! The old Holy Lord of the Verdant Feather Holy Lands was a Great World King! And at that time, I was only an early World King. It was at the exact time that he was trying to recklessly make a breakthrough in his boundary that I used my secret demonic arts to galvanize the heart demons within him. Not only did he fail his breakthrough, but his cultivation boundary was severely damaged! Then, I killed him! Even a Great World King died beneath my hands, much less someone like you!

“Everyone has heart demons, and the more powerful a martial artist is, the more formidable their heart demons are. When a martial artist makes a breakthrough, they must face their heart demons; this is an inevitable truth. This is also the time when martial artists are at their weakest. Moreover, not only are you trying to make a breakthrough but you are defying the will of the heavens to do so, and because of that you have to face heavenly tribulation also! Just give up any hope you had!”

Tian Mingzi wildly laughed. His voice was like a demonic spell that attacked Primordius Heavenly Palace!

Primordius Heavenly Palace’s array formation had blocked Tian Mingzi’s sword light and most of the striking power, but a part of the energy still submerged into the Heavenly Palace.

Although Primordius Heavenly Palace’s was wonderfully skilled, it wasn’t able to isolate out everything, otherwise the starlight from the Nine Stars of the Dao Palace wouldn’t have been able to fall past the array formation.

Tian Mingzi’s sword light was easily blocked by Primordius Heavenly Palace. However, it couldn’t completely block this strange and bizarre heart demon technique.

For some time, Lin Ming felt illusions grow thick in his mind. The nine star dao diagram that was almost torn apart suddenly seemed much farther away.

“Damn!” Lin Ming’s complexion darkened, his heart quickening with urgency.