With a gentle lift of the sword’s edge, a rift appeared where it passed, twisting as it radiated a boundless brilliance.
"Taichu..."
The radiance was gentle yet dazzling, illuminating the entire area. It carried a harmonious air, instilling a sense of hope in all who saw it. A single glance was enough to invigorate the spirit. It began as a single point before rapidly expanding into a magnificent sheet of light, becoming a veritable ocean of brilliance.
A solemn expression slowly appeared on the Zi Ling Emperor’s small, youthful face. Her crisp voice echoed as she swung the Purple Spirit Emperor Sword in her hand forward once more!
"Opening the Heavens!"
In that instant, the brilliance converged into a crescent-shaped Sword Aura that stretched for a hundred li. It became the most magnificent sword strike imaginable, carrying the intent of Opening the Heavens as it surged forward, unstoppable, and slammed into the boundless Sword Light fired from the Qiankun Pot!
CRACK...
As expected, the cyan Celestial Sword shattered in an instant. The Heaven-Opening Sword, however, continued its unstoppable charge toward a stunned Cheng Tao.
"What?"
Cheng Tao was aghast. His scalp went numb as a chill shot up from his feet and exploded in his skull, spreading through his entire body. He couldn’t afford to feel the sting of his loss; gritting his teeth, he threw the Qiankun Pot in his hands toward the Heaven-Opening Sword.
BOOM!
The two collided, but the impact only slowed the sword for a fraction of a second. As the Qiankun Pot split in two, the piercing Sword Light illuminated Cheng Tao’s panicked face before completely engulfing him.
"No!!"
Cheng Tao’s roar came to an abrupt end. When the dust settled, Cheng Tao... was dead!
Once the sword was drawn, no matter how frustrated or unwilling Cheng Tao felt, his struggles were nothing more than a futile, last-ditch effort.
Taichu’s Opening the Heavens was a Quasi-Saint Level Killing Technique. Even though it wasn’t unleashed by Yu Changsheng himself, but solely by the Zi Ling Emperor...
...but the Zi Ling Emperor herself was a Tier Three Late Stage beast. Add to that the high Grade of the Cultivation Technique, the enhancement from the Spirit Emperor Sword, and the fact that Purple Bamboo Mountain was her home turf...
...with all these factors combined, the strike’s power, while not equal to what Yu Changsheng could unleash himself, was still nothing to scoff at. Slaying a single Cheng Tao was no problem at all.
"Hee hee hee."
The Zi Ling Emperor hopped gleefully, her youthful face beaming with joy as she looked to Yu Changsheng for praise. Yu Changsheng smiled and nodded, suppressing his own surprise as he gave her a doting pat on the head.
"Great job!" Yu Changsheng gave the Zi Ling Emperor a thumbs-up in praise. He then glanced at the surrounding crowd and cleared his throat with a couple of soft coughs.
Outside Purple Bamboo Mountain, a deathly silence had fallen.
From the moment Yu Changsheng made his move to the clean execution of Chen Feng’s group of three, barely a hundred breaths had passed. This terrifying feat left the Loose Cultivators from both provinces holding their breath in silence. They watched the scene unfold, speechless for a long moment. As they looked at one another, they could see the shared shock and utter disbelief in each other’s eyes.
After a long while, murmurs of discussion finally broke the silence. The crowd’s eyes flickered as they stared at Yu Changsheng with a mixture of fear and uncertainty, silently taking a few steps back.
"Are you kidding me? I thought he was a Beast Master! With a Sword Dao like that, you’re telling me he’s a Beast Master?"
"A sword strike that exquisite and unparalleled came from Changsheng’s own hand? How is that possible? And he’s only at the Mid-stage Golden Core Realm! How quickly did he kill those three!"
"Terrifying... truly terrifying! As expected of the number one expert from the Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm. His title as the top prodigy in the Martial Continent is well and truly deserved..."
"The Martial Continent is in chaos, and the Wanxiang Sect can barely fend for itself. Yu Changsheng is a prodigy... An opportunity like this... if we miss it now, we might not get another one..."
......
Gasps echoed through the crowd. Some cried out in alarm, others looked on with admiration, and still others harbored secret jealousy and ill intentions. Their gazes, fixed on the Spirit Emperor Sword in Yu Changsheng’s hand, grew several shades more fervent.
’He didn’t even make a move himself. The Spirit Treasure attacked on its own and instantly killed a Peak Golden Core Cultivator...’
’A Divine Weapon of this caliber, with a Sword Spirit that can even take human form... A Supreme Treasure like this! Even if it’s only a Spirit Treasure right now, it’s just a matter of time before it advances to become a Divine Weapon. It seems Yu Changsheng really did obtain the fated opportunity within Purple Bamboo Mountain.’
’No, a treasure like this can’t be passed up. Only an orthodox Sword Cultivator like myself is worthy of possessing it...’
The crowd was a mix of expressions and intentions, but at the sound of Yu Changsheng’s soft cough, they all flinched and averted their gazes. Still, they continued to stare intently at him, making no further moves.
Even though Yu Changsheng had just slain three Peak Golden Core Cultivators... treasures stir the hearts of men, and fortune is sought through danger. Faced with a treasure like the Purple Spirit Emperor Sword, and with the advantage of numbers on their side...
...someone was bound to be tempted by wishful thinking. While no one dared to be the first to act, no one left either. They all remained, hesitating and waiting to see what would happen.
"What? You want to try your luck as well?"
After the easy slaughter of the three men, Yu Changsheng watched the scene with narrowed eyes. His tone turned icy as his gaze swept over the crowd, and he abruptly pointed the Purple Spirit Emperor Sword at them.
The crowd flinched back from where the sword pointed, but they didn’t disperse. The fear in their eyes only deepened.
Seeing this, Yu Changsheng’s expression grew even colder. Just as he was about to speak, his demeanor suddenly shifted. He turned, bowed, and respectfully cupped his fists toward the Purple Bamboo Forest behind him.
The others were stunned. To their astonishment, they saw that within Purple Bamboo Mountain, swathes of Purple Bamboo began to sway. Points of purple light gathered like stars, eventually coalescing into a blurry figure that hovered in the air.
The moment this figure appeared, the entire Purple Bamboo Forest swayed and bent as if bowing in welcome to their true king. The reverence was palpable. A celestial wind began to blow, and with it came a terrifyingly powerful will that enveloped everyone present.
"Well, what’s all this commotion? Do you think that just because my Purple Bamboo Mountain doesn’t look for trouble, we’re easy to bully?"
A voice as majestic as heavenly might boomed within everyone’s minds, echoing like rolling thunder. A crushing pressure, like the heavens themselves collapsing, descended upon their consciousness.
For a moment, the world went dark, leaving only the shimmering purple light. The Loose Cultivators, whether from Qingzhou Province or the Martial Continent, all paled at once. They trembled as they looked up at the hazy figure, expressions of pure terror appearing on their faces.
"Div... Divinity Transformation?!!"
Feeling the overwhelming pressure filling the sky, those with weaker Cultivation were forced to their knees, their bodies trembling uncontrollably as they struggled to remain upright.
To an ordinary Cultivator, a Divinity Transformation Great Power was practically a god. With a single thought, they could move mountains and part seas. Thus, the mere pressure they radiated was far more than this group of Cultivators—the strongest of whom were only at the Golden Core Realm—could possibly endure.
"Senior."
And while everyone else trembled in fear, Yu Changsheng, standing at the very front, simply raised his head and bowed respectfully to the Purple Bamboo King.
This figure was indeed the Purple Bamboo King, whom he had met just a short while ago.
"Mm."
The Purple Bamboo King accepted Yu Changsheng’s respectful bow with a faint, impartial nod, humming in acknowledgment.
But even this simple gesture was an unparalleled shock to the onlookers. Their hearts trembled in astonishment. As they lamented their fate internally, their furtive glances toward Yu Changsheng changed again and again, leaving them utterly dumbfounded.
"Wha... what is this?! What does this mean? It looks like... that Divinity Transformation Great Power knows Yu Changsheng?!"
’Are you kidding me! If you’d told us you had a Divinity Transformation Great Power backing you, I wouldn’t have dared to covet your Spirit Treasure even if you gave me ten times the nerve!’
In the presence of a Divinity Transformation Powerhouse, even a simple nod toward Yu Changsheng carried a completely different meaning in the eyes of these Loose Cultivators.
Furthermore, the timing of his appearance made them all the more wary.
And so, silence fell over Purple Bamboo Mountain once more. The group of terrified Loose Cultivators stood frozen, as silent as cicadas in winter, shivering uncontrollably.
"Leave my Purple Bamboo Mountain within one hundred breaths and never set foot here again. Otherwise, you die!"
What felt like a century but was in reality only a few seconds passed in torment for the crowd. Then, the Purple Bamboo King’s voice, like a divine decree, echoed in their ears once more.
Without the slightest hesitation, every Cultivator felt as if they had been granted a great amnesty. They bowed with cupped fists to the Purple Bamboo King, then hastily rose and flew away.