Chapter 373 348: Conspiracy
"Nie Tong?"
Everyone looked over. The person who had appeared was indeed Nie Tong. Unlike the others, he was completely unscathed. A sharp aura radiated from his body, like an unrestrained Sword Aura that soared to the heavens.
"Kill!"
The moment they got a clear look at Nie Tong, they all attacked at once.
In an instant, attacks rained down. Huangg Chen, Zi Qiong Emperor, Qii Tao, Huangg Ling, and Moh Wudao—all five of them stood at the pinnacle of the Qi Sea Continent. Though injured, they attacked in unison, unleashing a powerful force that blanketed the area for hundreds of kilometers.
"What are you doing?"
Nie Tong had just been teleported out when he saw a storm of attacks raining down from the sky. His face paled in alarm as he slashed his longsword through the air and rapidly retreated.
"What are we doing? Once we have you, Nie Yun will have no choice but to walk right into our trap!"
But they had no intention of letting him escape. With a collective cold snort, they gave chase. A storm of mixed True Qi and Mana erupted, sealing off all of Nie Tong's escape routes in the blink of an eye.
"Capture me to threaten my brother? In your dreams!"
Hearing their shouts, Nie Tong understood their intentions. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He stopped retreating and, with a flourish of his longsword, thrust it toward the fastest of his pursuers, Moh Wudao.
The strike crackled with the power of wind and thunder. Before it even took the shape of a formal Sword Technique, the elements had already gathered. With a sound like tearing silk, the Sword Qi ripped through the air, aimed straight for Moh Wudao.
"Facing death and you still dare to lash out!"
Moh Wudao swept his hands, and a semi-circular wall of Qi Force materialized before his chest, whistling as it shot forward to meet Nie Tong's attack.
Until now, Moh Wudao had only ever displayed his Celestial Eye Master Talent, so few knew his true combat strength. But the moment he struck, his aura was focused and unyielding, his power terrifying. His strength was actually on par with Huangg Ling's!
"Hmph!"
Moh Wudao was strong, but Nie Tong was stronger. His longsword, like a great ship cleaving through waves, carried an irresistible edge. It tore straight through the wall of Qi and, in an instant, reached Moh Wudao's chest.
"Stop!"
"You're courting death!"
Seeing the boy's unstoppable Sword Aura, which moved as flawlessly as an Antelope's Horn—traceless and profoundly mystical—Huangg Chen and Zi Qiong Emperor jumped in fright. They attacked Nie Tong simultaneously from the left and right.
BOOM!
As the two Secret Realm Powerhouses attacked in unison, it seemed as if space itself might explode. A searing wave of Qi, roaring like thunder, formed a chain of phantoms in the air that materialized directly in front of Nie Tong's Sword Aura.
"You think you can stop me? Break!"
Facing the ferocious power of the three masters, Nie Tong's expression didn't flicker. He extended his arm, his body seeming to lengthen in an instant. The tip of his longsword let out a clear hum, and with a crisp CRACK, the combined power of the three experts was cleaved in two.
"What?"
"That's the Mana resonance of the Secret Realm! Have you already reached the Secret Realm?"
Seeing that their combined power couldn't even block a single one of the boy's sword strikes, Huangg Chen and Zi Qiong Emperor's pupils constricted.
The Heaven-Seizing Creation Secret Realm allows one to seize the very power of creation from heaven and earth and borrow its might. The attack the two of them had just launched had nearly sealed off space itself. An ordinary Ultimate Venerable, even one wielding two Myriad Phenomena Giant Power, couldn't possibly have broken through. And yet, the boy before them had dispelled it with ease, proving his strength was far more than that of a simple Ultimate Venerable!
'Could he have reached the Secret Realm?'
'Impossible!'
Secret Realm Powerhouses had a special aura; their Dantian absorbed the Creation Qi that roamed the world. This boy wasn't circulating True Qi like a normal expert, but he definitely wasn't a Creation Secret Realm Powerhouse either!
He wasn't a Creation Secret Realm Powerhouse, yet he wielded strength on par with one. How could the two of them not be terrified?
The shock lasted only a moment before Huangg Chen roared at the others.
"What are you gawking at? Get him!"
"Great Compassion Thousand Leaves Hand!"
"Golden Light Buddha Tripod Fist!"
Huangg Ling and the others, also aware of the boy's terrifying strength, let out a great shout and attacked at once!
With the strongest attacks of two more top-tier powerhouses joining the fray, Nie Tong's expression finally turned grim, his face ashen.
Although his strength had advanced again after passing the first trial and receiving a boon from Zihua Daoist, every one of these five was a figure from the very pinnacle of the Qi Sea Continent. Even he was struggling to withstand their simultaneous assault.
'Even if I die, I'm taking one of them with me!'
Though his expression changed, the determination in Nie Tong's eyes did not waver. Without so much as bending his knees, he crossed seven or eight meters in a single stride, appearing directly in front of Moh Wudao.
'Crap!'
Seeing the boy's ferocity—advancing on him instead of retreating from the assault of five masters—Moh Wudao's face finally changed. But before he could even think to flee, he felt a sharp pain in his throat.
THUD!
Moh Wudao's severed head landed on the ground, his breathing stopped.
"Moh Wudao..."
"You die too!"
None of them expected the boy to be so ruthless as to ignore their attacks and kill Moh Wudao. A torrential storm of furious power crashed down on him.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Four streams of Qi Force struck Nie Tong's back simultaneously. He finally buckled, his chest caving inward as he violently coughed up a mouthful of blood.
As strong as he was, he had yet to reach the Secret Realm. His attackers included two Secret Realm Powerhouses and two of the Strongest experts below that realm. It was sheer luck he had managed to withstand even a few moves. How could he possibly fend off such a continuous assault? That single volley of attacks displaced his internal organs and left him gravely wounded.
"Get over here!"
Having wounded Nie Tong, Huangg Chen and Zi Qiong Emperor, knowing full well how dangerous the boy was, showed no mercy. They closed in at once and placed hundreds of Restrictions on him in an instant!
Each Restriction was incredibly powerful. If Nie Tong were to trigger even a single one, he could be blown to smithereens.
"What a monster," Huangg Ling breathed out.
'This boy is so young, yet even with the five of us attacking at once, he made me break out in a cold sweat. Nothing like that has happened since I broke through to the Secret Realm.'
'Nie Yun was monstrous enough. I can't believe his younger brother is even worse!'
"Let's go. Drag Nie Tong to the Teleportation Array. The moment Nie Yun appears and gets close to it, we'll have Lord Hua strike!"
Suppressing the lingering fear in his heart, Zi Qiong Emperor picked up the bound Nie Tong and strode toward the Teleportation Array.
"I have a better idea," Zi Qiong Emperor sneered, his eyes glittering like a viper's. "We'll put Nie Tong right on the Teleportation Array. If Nie Yun doesn't come, his brother dies. If he comes... he dies!"
"An excellent idea. Let's do that!"
Huangg Chen let out a great laugh, then picked up Nie Tong and placed him right in front of the Array.
Nie Tong was gravely injured and completely sealed, unable to move a muscle. Hearing them plotting against his brother, he trembled with fury, his fists clenching so hard they shook.
"Alright, Huangg Ling, you all arranged a way to contact each other before coming, right? Hurry up and send Nie Yun a message!"
With the plan set, Huangg Chen turned to Huangg Ling and gave the order.
"Even if we hadn't, it wouldn't matter. His brother has one on him," Huangg Ling said, a sinister smile spreading across his face. "We can use his Communication Jade Token to send the message. That will be even more reliable!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
