owlsbooks Chapter 83: The Crane
Chapter 83: The Crane
Master Xuanqing brandished his longsword, and the sword light transformed into countless purple-gold threads, binding the blood-red figure. He said in a deep voice:
"Luyang, you have sacrificed millions of lives! This is an outrage against Heaven! Today, the Biyang Sect will uphold justice!"
Lü Yang laughed loudly, his voice full of sarcasm:
"The path of cultivation is inherently defying the heavens; what talk of divine justice does it have? Xuanqing, you've cultivated for hundreds of years, yet you seem to be regressing!"
He formed a hand seal, and his body suddenly surged with blood-red light, shaking off the purple-gold sword light. Then, he raised his hand and pointed, and a blood-red pillar of light descended from the sky, crashing straight into the great formation.
"not good!"
Xuan Qing's expression changed, and his sword light turned sharply downwards, trying to cut off the bloody light, but he was a step too late.
The crimson pillar of light entered the great formation, and the entire Myriad Spirits Blood Sacrifice Great Formation immediately lit up with a dazzling crimson light.
The patterns on the twelve blood-red stone pillars swirled wildly, and the twelve Foundation Establishment cultivators turned pale as their magical power surged into the formation like a flood, yet they dared not stop.
The black heart at the top of the altar suddenly swelled several times its original size, and countless vein-like patterns appeared on its surface. The twisted face inside let out an extremely shrill roar, as if ten thousand ghosts were crying together.
"The time has come!"
A flash of lightning appeared in Li Wu's eyes, and he no longer concealed himself, his figure bursting forth from the shadows.
He unleashed the Thunderclap Flying Sword, unleashing his full magical power without reservation. In an instant, thunder roared, and silver-white arcs of electricity swirled around the flying sword, transforming it into a thunder dragon.
"go!"
Li Wu let out a low shout, and the [Thunder Sound Flying Sword] transformed into a silver-white lightning bolt, striking straight at the black heart at the top of the altar.
Wherever the lightning passed, the bloodthirsty aura permeating the air dissolved.
The twelve Foundation Establishment cultivators noticed the change, and one of them cried out in alarm:
"Someone's attacking!"
"Stop that bolt of lightning!"
But it was too late.
The Thunderous Flying Sword, unstoppable, broke through the last blood-fiend barrier and slammed into the black heart.
"boom!!!"
With a deafening explosion, silvery-white lightning burst open at the top of the altar, transforming into countless arcs of lightning that spread along the vein patterns on the surface of the black heart.
The black heart let out a piercing scream, as if a living thing were being scorched by lightning, and suddenly began to convulse violently.
The distorted face inside the heart opened its eyes simultaneously at that moment, letting out a silent wail, before being torn to pieces by the power of lightning.
The malevolent energy surged forth from the ruptured heart, but under the residual power of the thunder, it all dissipated into wisps of smoke.
"No!!!"
Lu Yang, who was fighting Xuan Qing in the distance, suddenly turned around and saw this scene. His eyes were bloodshot, and he let out an extremely angry roar.
"Who! Who destroyed my great formation!"
His blood surged, and disregarding Xuan Qing's sword light, he took the sword blow head-on and turned to charge towards the altar.
Xuan Qing was startled, but he wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. His sword light followed closely behind, leaving a deep, bone-revealing wound on Lu Yang's back.
Blood stained the sky.
But Lu Yang was completely unaware; all he could see was the black heart shattering at the top of the altar and the figure beside it, surrounded by lightning.
"Mid-stage Foundation Establishment?"
Lu Yang stared wide-eyed in disbelief, then flew into a rage, roaring fiercely:
"How dare a mere Foundation Establishment stage ant ruin my grand plan!"
He raised his hand and unleashed a crimson rainbow towards Li Wu. The force of his angry strike was enough to easily kill any Foundation Establishment cultivator.
But this attack failed to land on Li Wu.
A figure moved horizontally and arrived. Xuan Xin summoned a bronze shield and forcefully blocked the bloody light. The shield was covered with cracks, and he himself was also knocked back several steps, with a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
"Elder Li, retreat immediately once the formation is broken!" Xuanxin said in a deep voice.
Li Wuxin understood and recalled the Thunder Sound Flying Sword, which transformed into a bolt of lightning and sped away into the distance.
The twelve Foundation Establishment cultivators finally reacted. Two of them, who were closest, summoned their magical artifacts to intercept Li Wu.
However, Li Wu was not afraid of these demonic cultivators who were also at the Foundation Establishment stage.
They were already countered by lightning magic, not to mention that Li Wuxiu's lightning was of the [Divine Lightning] type.
Li Wu glanced at the two demonic cultivators approaching him, snorted coldly, and his figure transformed into an arc of lightning as he charged forward. At the same time, a halberd appeared in his hand, and with a wave of his hand, lightning crashed down.
"boom!!"
"ah!!"
The two demonic cultivators let out a wail, their figures unable to maintain their balance, and they plummeted straight down.
Li Wu did not linger in the fight; after defeating the two men, he withdrew and fled.
"Chase them! Chase them for me!"
Lu Yang landed on the altar, looked at the shattered black heart, roared to the sky, and blood splattered into the heavens.
He turned around and stared intently in the direction Li Wu had gone, his eyes filled with uncontrollable hatred.
An insignificant ant in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage ruined his grand plan of several years and shattered his hope of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage.
This is an irreconcilable feud!
At the same time, Xuanqing led the Biyang Sect members to approach from the other side, surrounding Luyang and the remnants of the Chusheng Sect.
"Luyang, the Great Blood Sacrifice Formation has been broken; you have nowhere to escape."
Xuanqing pointed his sword at Luyang and said coldly:
"Today is your death day."
Lu Yang looked around, his gaze sweeping over the three Core Formation cultivators of the Biyang Sect, then at the one Core Formation cultivator and a few Foundation Establishment wastes who were left beside him. His face was ashen.
He suddenly let out a cold laugh and said:
"Xuanqing, do you really think you've won against me?"
As soon as Lü Yang finished speaking, he chanted incantations and made hand seals, gathering the scattered blood energy caused by the shattering of the great formation back together, forming a huge blood pool in the sky.
Then one sees many images within the blood pool: blood lotuses in full bloom, and a scarlet waning moon.
"Hey!"
With a cry of a crane, a blood-red crane fell from the pool of blood.
Xuanqing and the others had never seen such a technique before, so they frowned slightly. They raised their hands to test it out, and the sword light transformed into a giant purple-gold dragon, which blasted towards the blood-red vortex.
Unexpectedly, the blood crane's pupils twitched slightly, and a similar blood-red dragon suddenly sprang from the blood pool behind it.
It collided with Xuanqing's purple-gold dragon and the two were almost perfectly even.
"This is..." Xuan Qing's pupils contracted, and he said in a deep voice:
"That crane copied my magic!"
Xuan Qing's pupils suddenly contracted, and he was horrified.
The blood crane spread its wings and hovered below the blood pool, its gaze cold and empty, as if it were merely a manipulated puppet.
But the methods it just displayed made everyone present gasp in shock.
"Copying magic?"
Xuanxin frowned, his expression grave:
"What kind of evil technique is this?"
Standing atop the ruins of the altar, Lu Yang, pale-faced yet with a mocking expression, sneered:
"You think I've been preparing for decades just for that blood sacrifice array? You're too naive."
He pointed at the blood-red crane, his voice full of smugness:
"This crane is my natal magical pet, nurtured for twenty years with my own blood essence. It is named [Mirror Crane]. It has only one ability: replication."
"Any spell, once cast in front of it, can be copied exactly, and used against it in kind."
Upon hearing this, the expressions of everyone in the Biyang Sect changed.
The meaning of the copying technique was clear to everyone present.
If it is an offensive spell, Mirror Crane can copy the counterattack; if it is a defensive spell, it can copy the defense; if it is a support spell, it can even copy and buff Luyang.
In short, as long as Jinghe lives, the Biyang Sect members are essentially fighting against themselves.
"What a bizarre magical technique."
A Core Formation cultivator said in a deep voice:
"But the replication spell is extremely energy-consuming, and it won't last long."
Lü Yang burst into laughter upon hearing this, his laughter filled with mockery:
"Can't hold out for long? Why not give it a try?"
He formed a hand seal, and the blood pool behind Jinghe suddenly surged, with blood gushing into Jinghe's body like a spring, making its originally somewhat illusory body more solid.
"That pool of blood is its energy source."
Xuan Qing's gaze was sharp, and he said in a deep voice:
"We must first break the Blood Pool, then kill Jinghe, and only then can we deal with Luyang."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Luyang moved.
He raised his hand and waved it, and the Mirror Crane let out a clear cry. Its wings flapped violently, and countless blood-red feathers shot towards the Biyang Sect members like a rainstorm.
"spread!"
Xuan Qing let out a low shout, and the sword light transformed into a purple-gold barrier, blocking everyone in front of them.
The crimson feathers struck the barrier, exploding into clouds of blood mist that shook the barrier violently, but ultimately failed to break through.
Xuan Qing's face darkened, he pointed his sword at Jing He, and said in a deep voice:
"Everyone, follow me and let's break the blood pool first!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the longsword in his hand suddenly trembled, and the sword light transformed into thousands of purple-gold threads, which spread out and wrapped around the blood pool behind Jinghe.
The other Biyang Sect cultivators also unleashed their magical artifacts, and various colored spiritual lights shot into the sky, blasting towards the blood pool.
Lu Yang sneered, made a hand seal, and the Mirror Crane's wings flapped suddenly.
The pool of blood immediately surged and boiled, the blood transforming into a massive crimson barrier that blocked all the attacks from the Biyang Sect members.
Even more bizarrely, the surface of the barrier shimmered with spiritual light, and purple-gold threads and phantom images of various magical artifacts appeared within it, clearly replicating everyone's spells and blasting them back.
"retreat!"
Xuan Qing let out a low shout, and his sword flashed, severing the copied purple-gold thread.
The other cultivators also dodged their spells.
Li Wulu stood at the edge of the battlefield, his eyes fixed on the mirror crane, his brows furrowed.
"This Luyang is utterly shameless..."
The ability to copy was something he had never heard of before, and it seemed somewhat unsolvable.
The only way might be to destroy the blood pool and cut off the crane's source of blood energy.
Xuanqing also noticed this and pondered how to break the blood pool.
"Want to break through the Blood Pool? You'll have to get past me first."
Lu Yang saw through his thoughts, his figure swayed, and he landed on the back of the Mirror Crane. He made a hand seal, and the blood light around him connected with the Mirror Crane. Man and crane became one, and his aura surged.
He raised his hand and pointed at Xuanqing, and the Mirror Crane opened its mouth and spat out a beam of blood-red light, which blasted straight towards him.
With a turn of the Xuanqing sword light, the purple-gold sword energy collided with the blood light, exploding with a deafening roar, and the shockwaves scattered in all directions.
"Hmph, I don't believe you can keep copying without restraint!"
Xuan Qing snorted coldly, then gave the order:
"Everyone, spread out your attacks! Don't use the same spell repeatedly, so it doesn't have time to replicate all its attacks simultaneously!"
Everyone responded in unison and launched an attack on Mirror Crane and Blood Pool from different directions.
In an instant, all sorts of spiritual light flooded the sky and poured towards Mirror Crane and Blood Pool.
Lu Yang's expression darkened slightly. He rapidly formed hand seals, and the Mirror Crane's wings flapped wildly. The blood pool churned and boiled, and the blood transformed into dozens of crimson tentacles, meeting the attacks coming from all directions.
The replicated illusory spell collided with the original spell in mid-air, exploding into bursts of spiritual light and causing the surrounding air to tremble.
But there can only be one Mirror Crane.
Although it can copy multiple spells at the same time, the copying speed is obviously not as fast as the continuous attacks from multiple directions.
A flaming flying sword broke through the blood-red tentacles' interception and stabbed fiercely into the blood-red light barrier surrounding the blood pool, exploding into a burst of sparks and tearing a gap in the light barrier.
Immediately afterwards, a sword shadow from Xuanxin pierced through the crack and went straight for the blood pool.
Xuan Qing frowned and said in a deep voice:
"Keep attacking, don't stop!"
His sword flashed again, but this time it was no longer a direct attack. Instead, it transformed into countless fine, hair-like purple-gold threads that seeped into the defensive gaps around the blood pool from all directions.
The Mirror Crane frantically replicated, but the threads were too numerous and too dense for it to intercept them all.
Dozens of silk threads plunged into the blood pool and twisted violently.
The blood pool trembled violently, the blood surged, and its volume shrank again, this time even more significantly than before.
Lu Yang groaned, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, clearly indicating that the injury to the Blood Pool had backfired on him.
He stared intently at Xuan Qing, his eyes filled with boundless hatred, and said in a cold voice:
"Xuanqing, are you really going to fight to the death?"
Xuan Qing remained calm and said in a deep voice:
"A mere demonic cultivator dares to talk to us about fighting to the death?"
Lu Yang took a deep breath, then suddenly raised his hand and slapped his chest, spitting out a mouthful of blood essence. The blood essence turned into a blood mist and merged into Jing He's body.
The Mirror Crane suddenly raised its head and cried out to the sky, its body growing several times larger, its wingspan reaching more than ten zhang wide. The pool of blood was also drawn into its body, merging with it.
"Since you want to break the Blood Pool, then I'll show you the power of the Blood Pool combined with me!"
Lu Yang shouted loudly, and Jinghe's wings flapped violently, sending countless blood-red feathers flying in all directions like a rainstorm, covering an area so wide that it almost enveloped the entire battlefield.
Each feather contains a replication technique, including purple-gold sword energy, flaming flying swords, and gray sword shadows—a dazzling array that blankets the sky.
The expressions of the Biyang Sect members changed drastically, and they all summoned defensive magic weapons to defend themselves, but some were still hit and injured, with screams echoing one after another.
The Xuanqing sword light transformed into a barrier, blocking the way at the front, his face ashen.
After the Mirror Crane merged with the Blood Pool, its replication ability not only did not weaken, but became even more bizarre due to the integration of the Blood Pool—it no longer needed to actively replicate, but directly stored the spells that everyone had used in its body, and then released them all at once.
"If this continues, we'll be worn down and killed." Xuan Qing's expression was solemn.
Li Wu watched from the outside as this great battle, which only Core Formation cultivators could participate in, pondered in his heart:
"This Luyang is truly extraordinary."
"I have a [Substitute Puppet] that can block a fatal blow for me. I might be able to use it to get close to the blood pool and then destroy it with the [Thunderous Flying Sword]."
Li Wu's gaze narrowed slightly, and he had already made up his mind.
So he transmitted this method to Xuanqing.
"Sect Leader, I have something called the [Substitute Puppet], which can block a fatal blow. Please create an opportunity for me to get close to the blood pool and destroy it with the [Thunder Sound Flying Sword]."
A moment later, Li Wu received a reply:
"it is good."
Li Wu looked up and saw that Xuan Qing was no longer on defense.
He raised his hand and severed three blood-red feathers with a single sword stroke, saying in a deep voice, "Xuanxin, Xuanming, follow me and attack with all your might to restrain Jinghe!"
The two Core Formation cultivators responded in unison, and the three figures simultaneously sprang up, each unleashing their strongest techniques to bombard Jinghe from three directions.
Lu Yang sneered, "You've run out of tricks!"
The Mirror Crane flapped its wings fiercely, copying all three people's spells and launching a counterattack.
"boom!!!"
"Now!"
A flash of lightning appeared in Li Wu's eyes, and his figure transformed into a silver-white arc of electricity, shooting towards the blood pool while skimming the ground.
The Thunder Sound Flying Sword had already been unleashed, and silver-white lightning swirled around him, enveloping his entire body in a bolt of lightning at extreme speed.
Kagami noticed the unusual lightning, and his pupils twitched slightly.
Lu Yang also saw the silver-white figure rushing towards him. He was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage:
"It's you!"
He recognized Li Wu; he was the Foundation Establishment stage ant who had destroyed his grand formation.
"court death!"
Lu Yang raised his hand and pointed, and the Mirror Crane opened its mouth and spat out a beam of blood-red light, which went straight for Li Wu.
The blood-red light contained the previously copied purple-gold sword energy, so powerful that it could blast any Foundation Establishment cultivator into dust.
But Li Wu did not dodge.
It's not that I don't want to hide, it's that I can't hide.
This attack was the one he was going to "take" down.
"Scapegoat puppet, rise!"
Li Wu let out a low shout, and the pitch-black puppet in his storage bag suddenly exploded, turning into a cloud of black mist that enveloped him.
The black mist condensed into a phantom figure, exactly the same as Li Wu's, blocking his way.
The crimson beam of light crashed into the phantom.
"boom!!!"
A deafening explosion erupted, and blood and black mist burst forth simultaneously, blasting everything within a radius of dozens of feet away.
However, Li Wu's true form emerged unharmed the instant the black mist dissipated.
"Now!"
Li Wu's gaze sharpened, lightning flashed in his pupils, and the [Thunder Sound Flying Sword] hummed loudly. The silver-white lightning suddenly surged, transforming into a bolt of lightning as thick as a water bucket, which blasted towards the blood pool.
Jinghe frantically flapped its wings in an attempt to intercept, but Xuanqing and the other two's spells arrived at the same moment, striking Jinghe hard and forcing Lüyang to defend himself.
That brief moment of stagnation gave Li Wu his chance.
The Thunderclap Flying Sword transformed into a pillar of lightning, crashing into the blood pool with unstoppable force.
The power of thunder spread wildly in the blood, with silvery-white arcs of electricity intertwining with dark red blood light, emitting a piercing hissing sound. The dense bloodthirsty aura turned into blue smoke under the scorching thunder, and a burnt stench filled the air.
The blood pool trembled violently, and countless cracks appeared on its surface. Silver-white lightning shone through each crack, making it look like a blood-red pottery jar about to shatter.
"No!!!"
Lu Yang roared fiercely, feeling the blood pool crumbling and the mirror crane convulsing in pain. The powerlessness of losing strength made his voice tremble.
"Stop right there!"
He leaped from the crane's back like a madman, his body surging with blood-red light, and pounced on Li Wu without regard for anything else.
But how could Xuanqing let him succeed?
A streak of purple-gold sword energy swept across the sky, forcefully blocking Lü Yang's path. The sword energy exploded in front of his chest, sending him flying backward and spitting out blood.
"Luyang, where do you think you're going?" Xuanqing's voice was icy.
At the same time, the blood pool finally couldn't hold on any longer.
"Crack! Boom!"
The enormous pool of blood exploded from the center like shattered glass, scattering countless fragments of blood that dissipated into wisps of smoke amidst the lingering power of the thunder.
The Mirror Crane let out an extremely mournful cry, its body rapidly shrinking from over ten zhang to its original size. Its wings drooped limply, its blood-red aura dimmed, and it swayed precariously.
Lu Yang was struck dumb, blood gushing from all seven orifices. He collapsed to his knees, his face ashen.
He connected with the mirror crane with his life essence, and when the blood pool shattered, the backlash was so severe that it almost shattered most of his meridians.
Upon seeing the blood pool shatter, Xuan Qing immediately said:
"Act quickly!"
Immediately, all three Core Formation cultivators unleashed their strongest attacks.
"No!!!"
Lu Yang made a hand seal, attempting to make Jing He replicate all the spells that had been launched.
However, without the support of the blood pool, Jinghe's replication ability was greatly reduced. Although he managed to replicate a spell to counterattack, it was directly defeated by Xuanqing's sword move. The residual force of the sword shadow struck Jinghe, leaving a deep wound that exposed the bone.
Lu Yang looked at all this, his face ashen.
He stared intently at the pale-faced Foundation Establishment cultivator in the distance who had just retrieved his flying sword, the hatred in his eyes almost tangible.
"Today's grudge will be avenged tomorrow!"