Pathway To Eternity

With a swift forward thrust of his throbbing glaive, Lang Hai released the gathered energy. Myriads of fiery blood wraiths were sent towards Zhang Xiu Ying. Those were powerful angry souls which were captured and harvested immediately after their death. It involved using the forbidden rogue blood cultivation art originated in the primordial chaos. An immensely dangerous mystical art.

Vengeance of the Fallen Stars.

Seeing the launched move, Zhang Xiu Ying didn't waste any time. Any Xue Ku attacking move was always deadly to any cultivator. She began pushing vast amount of chi and divine energy into the Phoenix sword. Then, she immediately jumped into the mid-air and initiated the fourth stage of the Infernal Phoenix technique. 

The Phoenix Whirlfire.

The most powerful mystical arts move she had. Still holding the move, she hurriedly enforced it with a vast amount of Chi, making it more powerful than before. As soon as she released it, a storm of liquid fire was sent in the direction of the coming wraiths.

They collided and the impact knocked the two of them backwards.

Zhang Xiu Ying was just recovering from the knockback when Lang Hai appeared in front of her with his glaive aimed at her shoulder. She quickly raised her sword to deflect it and slashed upward as their weapons clashed frantically in what turned out to be a blur before she was knocked back several yards again.

"You're at a disadvantage in martial arts, yet strong in mystical arts. Nevertheless, you're no match for me, demigod. But if you leave now, I'll not hold this against you."

Zhang Xiu Ying remembered the earlier incidence. When the female elder from the Last-Sword sect, the one called Cao Wang Xiu, had saved her son's group. And how they all related with one another like one group of friends. How could she turned her back on her after that, knowing the rogue blood would just go after them before they could reach a safe distance? More so, from what she had seen, the elder had done nothing wrong which deserved death.

She stared at Lang Hai indifferently and shook her head. She would hold a litle bit longer for their after images to disappear, so they would become untraceable. However, she had no plan of dying here. When she could no longer hold the blood cultivator back, she would definitely have to flee.

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"So be it."

Lang Hai buried the pointed tip of his glaive, which now had a color of a blood red, in the ground causing a rumble, then raised it up to the sky making a thunderous sound before slowly thrusting it forward creating a wailing sound. A single drop of red liquid flew from the tip of the glaive towards the direction of Zhang Xiu Ying, and began to expand, gradually.

"Tear of the Sorrowful Heaven."

Reena's eyes went wide from the knowledge of the executed move. From the moment the red drop was released, the strong baleful aura coming from its direction was an acknowledgement of its power. Even a weaker nascent soul would find it impossible to face head-on. That could only be from a powerful artist who was almost at the pinnacle of mystical arts on the mortal plane.

Covered in nimbus light, Reena quickly called on the power of the divine aura. She combined all the Chi she could muster with the divine aura into her sword. She twirled in mid-air, and slashed the sword forward, horizontally. It released a gigantic flaming phoenix which covered the sky as it flew towards the expanding red drop.

The two mystical attacks collided and created a deafening sound. The force of the impact spread in the air and extended upward creating a burning sky.

Zhang Xiu Ying was knocked hard to the ground while Lang Hai was sent several yards back. She managed to stand up but her stomach was roiling uncontrollably. She spat out a handful of blood as drops of blood streaked down her eyes.

Lang Hai looked at Zhang Xiu Ying with bloodshot eyes.

"You should've left, demigod."

Zhang Xiu Yinh spat out more blood before asking.

"How could I have left when my son is one of them?"

"Your son?"

Lang Hai asked with bloodshot eyes, and shook his head in disbelief.

"You think this is about your son?"

"The one you want is with my son. How can I simply turn my back?"

"You should have left, demigod."

Beyond reasoning and with total bloodshot eyes, Lang Hai manifested his nimbus light. It slowly covered his whole body before disappearing. By the time Lang Hai reappeared, he was covered from head to toe in a blistering red armor, shimmering with dark energy. The red armor had shrank and fused with his mortal body.

The baleful killing intent coming from his direction was unbelievable.

Zhang Xiu Ying, who had been watching Lang Hai's transformation, realized he was more powerful as a blood cultivator than she previously thought. The shimmering dark energy that was blistering on the red armor got her thinking fast too. At last, realization dawned on her as she remembered what she knew about the armour.

"The Chaotic blood armor?"

During her many years of existence, she had only heard of the legend. Only a cultivator with a primordial legacy could manifest something like this. Whether he had mastered it or not, he was a true living danger.

Time to leave.

But how was she going to leave the place? She could use a teleportation seal, but Lang Hai would've followed her easily in his current state of power. Thinking quickly, she formed an image with a portion of her life-force and Chi essence. Pouring her divine aura into the image, she was able to hold it in position while she used the divine evasion to flee the area. By the time he would realize it was just an image, she wouldn't be anywhere near the vicinity. She would've been long gone.

Using her divine sight, she saw the faint traces of the after images of elder Cao Wang Xiu and the rest of the group. She quickly used the divine evasion to follow them and arrived at the plain of the Ivory Yonder.

"Ivory Yonder?"

She asked in surprise, sddressing her question to no one in particular. As the echoes of Lang Hai's voice reached her location, she quickly examined her surroundings.

Some miles away from where she was standing, she could see what appeared to be massive red gates which were about to close. Since the after-images she was following passed through the gates, she quickly intensify her divine evasive steps. A moment later, she arrived at the gates.

She looked at the massive gates and beyond the gates was a landscape different from the scenery outside. What in heaven's tears was this place? She was thinking about it when her mind wandered back to the closing gates and she quickly entered.

As the gates were closing, she could hear the echoes of the booming voice of Lang Hai which was getting louder while he was getting nearer. She kept watching the gates until they were completely closed before heaving a sigh of relief. Then, she turned towards the scene inside with utmost curiosity.