AGM 270 - Do you know, who you truly are?
The killing intent of the golden guardian intensified, as a sharp pressure gushed forth from him. As he stepped forwards, the golden spear penetrated through space once again, a streak of golden lightning imbued with boundless force, slashing towards Qin Wentian.
Qin Wentian continuously stepped out on the ground, as runic outlines around him glimmered with Astral Light. An Azure Dragon exploded forth from nowhere, flying ahead to clash with the golden lightning. A deafening explosion thundered out as the Divine Inscription ruptured into pieces.
“The nine of us are the protectors of the inheritance. If the successor is outstanding in both fields of attainment and combat prowess, he could defeat us by borrowing power from the runic outlines on the floor. As for you, you are skilled in the Dao of Divine Inscriptions but exceedingly weak in terms of cultivation base. At your level, fighting for the inheritance is simply courting death.”
The golden guardian spoke each word caustically, dripping with sarcasm. Every step he took created a sharp pressure that bore down onto Qin Wentian. Under that pressure, Qin Wentian felt as though his body was about to be penetrated through from the sharpness.
Qin Wentian kept retreating, when suddenly the sound of wind gusting drifted in, and a few other silhouettes appeared within the great hall.
These new arrivals were none other than Zhan Chen, Yang Fan, Zhao Lie, Hua Feng and their respective followers. They combined their powers and used the strongest force they could muster to break apart the rampart and immediately dashed towards the great hall right after. Only upon confirming that Qin Wentian and the rest had yet to obtain the inheritance, did they let out a sigh of relief. The blood on the mangled palms of Zhu Sha was still fresh, his killing intent had reached the height of Heavens.
Now that the inheritance was in front of them, there was no longer a need for Qin Wentian.
He had already outlived his usefulness.“Grandmaster Qin, how do you want to die?” Zhu Sha grinned.
Qin Wentian’s countenance was unperturbed, “Don’t tell me you guys don’t wish to exit the secret realm any longer?”
Zhu Sha’s countenance changed, but then one of the golden guardians interjected. “Since you guys are here, you all have the right to participate in this final trial of the successor selection. As long as you can defeat us, the inheritance will be yours and the destruction of this realm will soon follow. At that time, you can easily exit from this space.”
The murderous urges in Zhu Sha’s eyes intensified after hearing the golden guardian’s words. He grinned coldly at Qin Wentian.However, Zhan Chen and Yang Fan’s attention were fixed on the ancient scroll in the sculpture’s hands. They had already forgotten about Qin Wentian’s existence.
If they could obtain the inheritance of the Ascendant, they would be akin to a tiger that has grown wings. By then, they would be the only chosen in their respective sects or clans.
Within each group of transcendent powers, regardless of sects or clans, there were several who were chosen per generation. Although they were rankers on the Heavenly Fate Ranking, their achievements weren’t unique - the elites of the previous generations had also once achieved what they have now. Those past elites had already broken through to the Heavenly Dipper Realm, and so their positions in their respective sects and clans weren’t something the current chosen ones of this generation would be able to compare to.
Not only that, there would always be new talents emerging, threatening to overtake their position.
All those chosen were baptized by countless bloody battles before they could emerge as future leaders, and now the inheritance of the Ascendant was undoubtedly the greatest opportunity that would give them an edge in their struggle for supremacy.
At this moment, an incomparably sharp sword appeared in Zhan Chen’s hand. That sword gleamed with a brilliant light; it was a peak-tier third-ranked Divine Weapon.
As for Yang Fan, a pair of gauntlets appeared. It was similarly a peak-tier third-ranked Divine Weapon.
Although the Heaven’s Chosen didn’t have in their possession a fourth-ranked Divine Weapon, it didn’t mean that their transcendent powers didn’t have them.
As a chosen, their respective sects or clans have already considered them as someone with the potential to eventually become a future leader. Hence, the requirements placed on them by their respective powers were extremely strict; they wouldn’t allow those chosen to grow overly dependent on Divine Weapons. At most, they would only have one or two defensive-type or fleeing-type treasures, but definitely not that of the attacking-type.Danger motivates growth. By imposing these rules, only then would the transcendent powers be able to further draw out their potential. When facing against someone stronger than them, at the very least, they could still escape.
All this, purely because they were chosen.
If one day they could defeat the chosen of the other powers, their sect or clan would no longer restrict them.
A whistling sound pierced through the atmosphere, the golden guardians were all ready for battle.
The inheritance lay just behind the golden guardians, right in the hands of that sculpture, free for the taking if one had the capability to do so.Zhan Chen dashed towards one of the golden guardians, slashing out with his sword. In the next instant, a rain of swords manifested, stabbing towards the head of his target.
The golden guardian reacted instantly, weaving about the long spear in his hands in an intricate dance. Golden light erupted forth, coalescing into a golden protective barrier around its body.
Then, with a single spear strike, it broke through the rain of swords.
Yang Fan and the rest similarly rushed out. Yang Fan’s Star-Seizing Palms were augmented by his intimidating gauntlet. A menacing destructive energy swirled within his palms, as he directly exchanged blows with the spear of the golden guardian.
Meanwhile, Qin Wentian was in dire straits. It was as though that golden guardian had set his sights on him, seeking his death no matter what. As Zhu Sha noticed Yang Fan was currently busy fighting for the inheritance, he turned his cold gaze onto Qin Wentian. Now, the time had finally come.Zhu Sha’s mangled palms shone with Astral Light, he abruptly dashed out, blasting forth with his palm, his attack violently smashing onto Qin Wentian’s back. Qin Wentian turned pale, and there was still a golden guardian unleashing its attack right in front of him.
“WENTIAN!” Bailu Yi screamed. As she rushed over, Zhu Sha sent out another palm strike, knocking her aside and as she spat out fresh blood, the impact caused her to be flung out of the great hall.
With her strength, there was no way for her to partake in any of the battles occurring within the great hall.
Qin Wentian made use of the complicated runic outlines on the ground, drawing upon their power in a bid to defend against Zhu Sha’s Star-Seizing Palm. However, the disparity between their cultivation levels was too wide. Zhu Sha’s attack easily breached through his defense, causing the blood and qi within his body to rumble. Qin Wentian’s pupils widened; the golden guardian’s spear attack resembled a streak of explosive lightning, penetrating through space with an unbelievable speed and of insurmountable force.
This spear attack wasn’t something Qin Wentian could defend against.
“NOOOOOOOOO!” Bailu Yi closed her eyes, unwilling to see what would happen next. Bailu Jing was still entangled with his opponent, it was impossible for him to lend his aid.
“Puchi!” A crisp sound echoed in the air, as the long spear skewered through Qin Wentian and was pulled out at exactly the same instant, giving testament to its sharpness. The impact slammed Qin Wentian’s body onto the walls of the great hall, and he fell to the ground convulsing, his mind blanking out.
“He deserved death.” Zhu Sha coldly snorted, sending another palm strike at Qin Wentian. Bailu Yi had already somewhat recovered from his earlier strike, and she dashed over, throwing herself onto the path of the attack in an attempt to shield Qin Wentian. As the palm landed on her, the power of its attack hurled her backwards and she slammed into Qin Wentian, coughing up several mouthfuls of blood.
“LITTLE YI!”
Bailu Jing’s countenance went pale, and he howled in rage. However, in that moment of distraction, a golden spear narrowly missed his heart. The golden guardian was too strong, he couldn’t afford to look away for even a second.
The nine golden guardians all had strength at the pinnacle of Yuanfu.
Obtaining the inheritance was easier said than done.
“Hehe.” Zhu Sha coldly laughed when he saw what happened. He dashed out once more, wanting to completely exterminate both Qin Wentian and Bailu Yi. However, he abruptly halted, for at that moment, he could feel the cold stare of a golden guardian locking onto him, causing shivers to run down his spine.
These nine protectors didn’t just want to kill Qin Wentian, they wanted to kill everyone, leaving behind only those who were qualified. If all these cultivators weren’t strong enough, they all had to die here.
That golden guardian unleashed an attack towards Zhu Sha, who could only defend in response; he was too occupied to see how Qin Wentian was faring.
In the middle of all the fighting, Bailu Yi walked to Qin Wentian’s side, her countenance turning white as a sheet when she gazed at the blood dripping unceasingly from his wounds. She tore one of her sleeves and tried bandaging Qin Wentian’s injuries.
“Qin Wentian, wake up!” Bailu Yi was shaking him. “You can’t fall asleep.
”Qin Wentian couldn’t process any coherent thoughts, the injuries inflicted on his body were way beyond the limits of what a human body could tolerate. His mind felt extremely fuzzy, he only wanted to drift into that eternal sleep. In his blurry state of consciousness, he could faintly sense someone calling out to him.
The volume of the voice drifting into his ear grew increasingly softer. At this instant, it was as though he had already entered a world of absolute silence.
“Am I about to die? I’m unwilling to die like this!”
Qin Wentian felt extreme reluctance, he still had too many things he had yet to accomplish. How could he die here?
Yet, he was moments away from falling into an eternal sleep. The pain was overwhelming and he was so fatigued; he wanted nothing more than to slip into that sweet oblivion, no longer wanted to think about anything.
Within Qin Wentian’s body, the candle flame still burned. Surrounding the flame, one could see the golden strands of thread intertwining.
In that moment, the last wisps of his consciousness were transported into that flickering flame.But the candle flame seemed to be weakening, as the intensity of the light it emitted diminished. He could feel his consciousness fading away...Was he really about to die?!
Throughout this cruel path of cultivation, each turn was fraught with countless dangers, he had survived them all just to reach this point. Yet, he was still dismissed by the golden guardians, rejected on the bounds that he was an unworthy successor. How could he accept such a judgement?
Why was he unqualified? Just because he started his cultivation at a later time, resulting in a lower cultivation base?
The candle flame continued burning as the power of his bloodline surrounded it. Even the barbaric, fearsome power of his bloodline seemed to be waning away.
And in that split second, within the flickering flames of the candle, Qin Wentian saw a familiar silhouette.
“Uncle Black.”Qin Wentian’s heart trembled.
“Wentian.” A voice rang out in his heart.
“You cannot die here.”
“I… can’t die here?” Abruptly, countless scenes appeared in his mind, fueling Qin Wentian’s heart with powerful emotions, bolstering his will to survive.
Where did Uncle Black go? Was Qingcheng doing fine at the Pill Emperor Hall? Headmaster Diyi was still imprisoned in the Nine Mystical Palace, the ‘hidden’ branch of the Azure Faction had yet to reclaim their former glory. How can he die here?The weakening candle flame wavered before becoming completely motionless. An instant later, it burned with a light way brighter than ever before. The golden strands of thread that were his bloodline power, integrated into the candle flame and fuelled its radiance to burn brighter and brighter. An instant later, Qin Wentian’s heart lighted up like a blazing inferno.
“AWOOO!” Qin Wentian’s blood rumbled, emanating a fearsome gut-wrenching pressure. His was an ancient primordial bloodline that originated from time immemorial.
What made Qin Wentian thunderstruck was that within his body, something took form within the flickering flames of the candle. There was a towering primordial beast that seemed as though it gazed at everything in the Heavens and Earth with disdain.
Qin Wentian trembled, why was his bloodline so powerful? And why did such an overwhelming bloodline seemed to fear and defer to that candle flame burning in his heart?
“You, do you know who you are?”
A voice echoed in his heart. He, Qin Wentian, possessed such a bloodline. Did he know his true origins?
The golden guardian had said it before, that he was unworthy to be the successor?
In that case, he wanted see if this Ascendant’s inheritance was even qualified to brand him as unworthy.
The candle flame burned even brighter as his injuries recovered.
As long as it wasn’t extinguished, he would never die!
The golden strands of blood around the candle flame transformed into a beam of lightning, shooting straight towards the centre of Qin Wentian’s brows. He could sense something taking form, the creation of a third eye forthcoming!