Chapter 489: Red Sky versus Sword River

The most significant difference between a Soul Transformation cultivator and a Nascent Soul cultivator is that the Nascent Soul advances to become a Primordial Spirit, gaining the initial ability to wield the power of heaven and earth. Every action, as long as it mobilizes the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, can produce miraculous effects. Even a low-tier, first-rank spell can turn decay into wonder. The grade difference between divine abilities and spells is not as pronounced in their hands. Only fifth-rank divine abilities can reveal a clear disparity.

This reprimand carried a minor technique called the Reprimand Art, but once infused with the might of heaven and earth, the Five-Colored Saint Lord felt as if a thunderclap had exploded beside his ears. His head buzzed, and the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth pressed in on him. The immense pressure forced his knees to gradually buckle, and he genuinely seemed on the verge of kneeling.

At the crucial moment, the Five-Colored Saint Lord let out a long howl. He immediately transformed into his true form. The colossal size of the Five-Colored Deer caused the pressure he could withstand to surge dramatically, freeing him from the influence of the Reprimand Art.

"Venerable Sword River," he declared, "this Saint Lord respectfully addresses you as senior, which shows my regard for you. But if you continue to be so ill-mannered, I will certainly make you, old geezer, understand the meaning of 'regret'."

"Presumptuous!"

How could Venerable Sword River tolerate being insulted by a Nascent Soul junior? Even if it was the Northern Demonic Saint Lord, he was still an ant; the difference in cultivation realms was like a chasm. The price for offending a powerful cultivator was death!

With a thought, the Celestial River beneath his feet suddenly branched off, and unknown spiritual water transformed into a colossal sword that plunged down from the dome like a heavenly judgment.

The Five-Colored Saint Lord's entire body glowed with surging spiritual light. The surrounding spiritual energy was difficult to mobilize in the slightest, even preventing him from absorbing it to restore his demonic essence, but his internal power was still abundant. He conjured a completely black, pot-shaped magic treasure and hurled it fiercely at the water sword. Space cracked where the water sword tore through, and as the swift sword touched the black pot, it exploded.

This item was merely a storage magic treasure; what was hidden inside was the key. It was called "Profound Yin Fire Liquid," a treasure nurtured in underground lava rivers. It had only one characteristic: it exploded on contact with water.

Terrifying waves of fire and high-temperature steam rapidly spread. The water sword shrunk in size, but the destruction caused by the aftermath turned all the vegetation in the entire Colorful Cloud Mountain Range into dust. The earth was like a boiling cauldron. The high temperature annihilated everything; not even an ant remained, let alone the many ordinary cultivators.

The hundred or so Nascent Soul cultivators, however, were safe and sound. They had fled the center of the battlefield early, with no intention of joining the fight. Some even continued to flee. Reaching a sufficiently safe distance, they watched the battle from afar.

In a sense, if these Nascent Soul cultivators were willing to sacrifice their lives to besiege Venerable Sword River, he might not necessarily win, but they would certainly suffer heavy casualties. And there was no guarantee they could kill Sword River. This involved a dilemma of choice: piling up Nascent Soul lives to take down a Soul Transformation Venerable might not truly be worth it. Soul Transformation cultivators are rare, and Nascent Soul cultivators are also difficult to cultivate.

The Six Elders of Colorful Cloud looked at the devastated Colorful Cloud Mountain Range, their hearts filled with despair and tears they couldn't shed. They were truly left with a bare-bones force now. The only good news was that the demonic cultivators and Northern Demonic Clan had also suffered equally heavy losses. Except for a few elite Golden Core peak cultivators, almost their entire army was wiped out. The Five-Colored Saint Lord had to bear half the responsibility for causing such a tragic scene.

But... he did it intentionally. The rapid death of a large number of living beings in a short time, resulting in the near extinction of life throughout the Colorful Cloud Mountain Range, fulfilled the requirements of a certain death ritual. Once this step was achieved, he stopped.

Venerable Sword River, however, felt insulted. He had already arrived, yet Biyun Sect still ended up in this state. Didn't this make him seem useless? What about the dignity of a Soul Transformation Venerable? He immediately let out a cold snort.

The Celestial River beneath his feet unleashed its true power. His cultivation method, the Sky-Reaching Sword River True Art, was essentially only a top-grade fourth-rank sword dao inheritance. However, in his hands, it had advanced to fifth-rank, becoming a true Soul Transformation inheritance. This was not due to his exceptional talent or comprehension, but because of a secret of the Sword Sect. Everyone knew that Venerable Tai Xu possessed astonishing talent, creating Soul Transformation-grade sword dao inheritances and cultivating several Venerables for the Sword Sect. However, they did not know this was achieved by relying on a special treasure. A single person could only use it once in their lifetime. It could directly elevate any divine ability, cultivation technique, or secret art by one rank, with astonishing effects. This was also the source of the Sword Sect's Soul Transformation-grade sword dao inheritances.

This treasure, named Heavenly Dao Jade, was provided by an ancient demon creature suppressed at the base of the Sword Sect's mountain gate. It grew within the ancient demon's heart. Every so often, it would be harvested by Venerable Tai Xu. It would still take several hundred years until the next Heavenly Dao Jade formed. At that time, the Sword Sect would give birth to another Venerable, gaining a comprehensive advantage over the Demonic Dao.

As Venerable Sword River truly exerted his power, the Celestial River suddenly split into countless water swords, each forming a circular sword wheel, like a peacock spreading its tail. With a wave of Venerable Sword River's sword art, the water swords directly surpassed the speed of sound. They swiftly and precisely targeted every Nascent Soul cultivator.

Although they were far away, that perceived safe distance was merely what they believed it to be. A Soul Transformation cultivator's vast divine sense was enough to lock onto every single one of them. Such a large-scale, simultaneous, and precise strike, though it divided Sword River's power, was still not to be underestimated.

Seeing this, the Five-Colored Saint Lord understood this was something he couldn't block. The deaths of the minor demons were acceptable, but the remaining transformed great demons were the foundation of their clan and could not be lost. He immediately raised his head and shouted loudly.

"Senior, if not now, when?!"

Buzz—

Crimson demonic light swept across heaven and earth, furiously eroding everything in its path. The already ravaged Colorful Cloud Mountain Range suffered even more. The earth sank down several levels, mountains were flattened into basins, and soil turned into desolate sand grains, incapable of growing any vegetation. The value of this place was reduced to nothing.

Within the endless crimson light, Crimson Sky Demon Venerable made his appearance. His arrogant brows were full of disdain, and his crimson eyes disdainfully swept over Sword River. As he spoke, his crimson demonic light had already neutralized the wave of peacock-spread-tail-like attacks from the myriad water swords.

"You are Sword River? You're ancient, yet you're still stuck at the third layer of Soul Transformation. It seems your abilities are mediocre."

Venerable Sword River was not one to be outdone in verbal sparring. He likewise sneered sarcastically, "I wondered who gave the Northern Demonic Clan such audacity. It turns out to be you, the disgrace of Soul Transformation, who was almost outmaneuvered to death by a Nascent Soul junior."

This remark hit Crimson Sky's sore spot, but he showed no trace of it on his face. Instead, he spoke grandly. "Those of the Demonic Dao act as they please. This Venerable has already forgiven that junior. How could hypocrites like you understand our tolerance for Demonic Dao prodigies?"

Their conversation was not secretive. Wang Yu's divine sense, attached to Ice Spirit Fairy's shoulder, also overheard the conversation. He felt a sudden strangeness in his heart. Crimson Sky had not had this attitude when they were in Dongji Capital. That arrogant, overbearing pride. Even the Yellow Springs Abbot couldn't stand him and wanted to kill him, showing how awful his character was.

"Heh heh—More words are useless. Let's see who is truly skilled in battle!"

With that, Venerable Sword River, initially dressed as an old man in a straw cloak, transformed. A set of cloud-patterned light armor paired with black gauze robes suddenly changed his demeanor.

"Heavenly Divination Cloud-Patterned Robe…"

Crimson Sky Demon Venerable narrowed his eyes. These Soul Transformation cultivators also had a small circle, knowing that certain places in Taihu and Chiyuan could produce Soul Transformation-grade opportunities. These included the Ancient Qilin Clan Lands, Vermillion Bird Divine Mountain, Desolate Ancient Plains… Heavenly Mother Island, Marriage Lake, and other special realms. Such intelligence was top secret, far beyond what ordinary people could know. Even Nascent Soul juniors from the same sect would not be privy to the secrets of these places. This Heavenly Divination Cloud-Patterned Robe was one such treasure from these locations. It was a fifth-rank mid-grade magic robe. Crimson Sky had not expected that the treasure, which was still on the exchange list during his last visit, would now be worn by Venerable Sword River. The scarcity of Soul Transformation spiritual treasures meant that most cultivators only possessed one, and that was usually their Natal Spiritual Treasure. Naturally, having an additional one made a cultivator stronger than others in the same realm, giving them a greater advantage.

Crimson Sky was completely unafraid. He immediately activated the Heaven and Earth Manifestation divine ability of his realm, using his Primordial Spirit as the core, to construct a Primordial Spirit manifestation that stomped on the earth and propped up the sky. A crimson giant rose from the ground. With a casual slap, it brushed aside the troublesome Azure Sky Jade Cloud Cauldron. Inside, the Sky Devouring Rat was still struggling against the Jade Cloud Cauldron. Without another hour, it would be difficult to determine a victor.

Seeing this, the Six Elders of Colorful Cloud dared not reprimand. They could only watch as their sect's foundation was casually slapped deep into the distant ground. At the same time, Venerable Sword River's Primordial Spirit manifestation also rose from the earth. The dao intent he had comprehended was called Limitless Dao Intent! It was derived from the boundless, endless flow of river water. This dao intent granted him the characteristic of growing stronger as he fought, and was perfectly suited for special divine abilities with continuous, unending moves. When accumulated to its limit, it could unleash a blow that surpassed his realm. Furthermore, he possessed an exaggerated total amount of sword essence, and his recovery ability was astonishing. Among cultivators of the same realm, Sword River's setup was definitely not that of a weakling. His manifestation was named the Limitless Sky-Reaching Manifestation!

Crimson Sky was slightly inferior in comparison. His own accumulated experience still showed a clear gap compared to such a seasoned Venerable. Battles were not just about 'stats'; combat experience and intelligence were equally important. As early as Crimson Sky's arrival, the intelligence obtained from Bishop You Peng had been secretly transmitted to Crimson Sky by the Five-Colored Saint Lord. This was also one of the reasons for Crimson Sky's arrogance.

"Limitless Sword River, go!"

"Raging Blood Demonic Sword, strike!"

The two manifested giants once again stirred up a massive disturbance. The sword river, formed from boundless water, was like a grinding disc that scoured everything clean; wherever it passed, space developed countless cracks, like a piece of glass struck with immense force. The so-called Raging Blood Demonic Sword was actually a deceptive move, a combination of Crimson Sky's dao intent and blood-path divine abilities. In terms of actual swordsmanship, he was far inferior to Sword River. However, in terms of divine ability power, he was not inferior.

The two clashed. The Raging Blood Demonic Sword directly sheared off half of Sword River's manifestation, and the misty spiritual light rapidly evaporated and dispersed. Crimson Sky endured the onslaught of the sword river. His manifestation was directly reduced to bone, a tragic sight of mutual destruction.

However, Soul Transformation cultivators had initially grasped the power of heaven and earth. Such injuries were minor and insignificant to their manifestations. As both absorbed the power of heaven and earth, their manifestations quickly recovered to full strength, and they fought once more.

The manifested giants engaged in close combat. It was a punch for a kick, resembling a clumsy pecking match between weaklings, with almost no intricate close-combat techniques. Their contested ability was primarily the struggle for and control over the surrounding power of heaven and earth. This struggle was quite evident. However, the childish nature of the physical combat gave observers the feeling they could perform better themselves.

This was rather peculiar. Considering their "years lived," given the lifespan of Soul Transformation cultivators, even if they weren't proficient in close-combat techniques, they shouldn't be completely amateurish. Wang Yu's divine sense observed meticulously, but he couldn't discern the underlying reason, until he heard Ice Spirit Fairy's voice.

"A Soul Transformation cultivator's manifestation has no fatal weaknesses. Conventional close-combat techniques are almost useless. Even having their heart ripped out or lungs dug out is not a fatal injury. When two Soul Transformation cultivators fight, if one were to launch deep attacks for such a purpose, they could very likely be severely wounded by the opponent's prepared divine ability, thus losing the opportunity for victory."

Ice Spirit Fairy's explanation was quite concise, and Wang Yu immediately understood. The general meaning was this: Manifestation combat was like two entities with seemingly immortal bodies, yet both possessed the ability to truly harm each other. In a fist-and-foot brawl, if one aimed to shatter the opponent's head and consequently failed to retract their power in time, being severely wounded by a long-prepared divine ability from the opponent would essentially mean defeat. This unadorned fighting style was also forced upon them. A direct, straightforward attack presented no openings. Taking a hit head-on was acceptable, as the power of heaven and earth was boundless and inexhaustible. As long as replenishment was timely, the manifestation would not be broken. Their close-quarters combat was merely a facade. The true danger lay in the struggle for the surrounding power of heaven and earth. After all, the total amount of heaven and earth power in an area was finite. Once one person controlled it, it would be difficult for the other to seize it back, unless one could shake the opponent's mind and weaken their control. Only then would there be a chance to take it.

At first glance, this kind of fighting was completely unappealing to watch. The combat was long and tedious. However, both Soul Transformation Venerables were indeed tied down. Upon realizing this, Wang Yu covertly said, "Fairy, the time to earn merit has come. Do you see the Six Elders of Colorful Cloud? Lead people to kill them and seize the Azure Sky Jade Cloud Cauldron. The benefits go without saying."

Ice Spirit Fairy's heart stirred. The core of the dispute between the two sides was still Biyun Sect. If the involved parties were eliminated, Venerable Sword River would have no reason to continue fighting. The Heaven Refining Demonic Sect and the Northern Demonic Clan would then share the former Biyun Four Prefectures. If this outcome could be brought about, she would surely receive many resource rewards, accelerating her path to Nascent Soul Grand Perfection. Moreover, because the Azure Sky Jade Cloud Cauldron had been thrown away, the Six Elders of Colorful Cloud were also very far from the core of the Soul Transformation battle. This distance indeed made a quick kill attempt feasible. She scanned the strong cultivators around her. Ice Spirit Fairy's expression remained unchanged. The Five-Colored Saint Lord, Heavenly Peng King, and Bishop You Peng's eyes flickered for a moment. They quickly selected their respective targets and chose powerful individuals from the remaining Nascent Soul cultivators. Either one-on-one or multiple-on-one. In any case, a swift kill was imperative!

In the distance.

The Six Elders of Colorful Cloud were focused on the Soul Transformation battle, while also keeping an eye on the Azure Sky Jade Cloud Cauldron not far away. They inwardly believed that even if Venerable Sword River couldn't defeat Crimson Sky, preserving Biyun Sect's spiritual ley lines would certainly be no problem. Otherwise, what good was he?

Old Ancestor Huang Yun was also pondering something. With an inadvertent glance up, he suddenly noticed something. He roared, "—Run!"

But it was too late. The Guanghan Palace suddenly descended, sealing space with its extreme cold sealing power. Brilliant colorful light, shadowy feathers, and golden rays followed one after another. The crisis of impending death enveloped every single one of them!