"Do you know my cultivation base?"
The Vajra Tuduo stared intently at the ordinary-looking young man not far away.
The confidence of cultivators,
always comes from their power!
Over a decade ago, he dared to enter Tushan Immortal City alone because he had absolute confidence that he could leave calmly even if he couldn't win.
The reason for planning so many years was simply that defeating a cultivator was easy, but killing one was difficult, especially in their stronghold.
Jiang Ding ignored him, meticulously searching through the Peach Blossom Gentleman's memory: "You are a close friend of the Peach Blossom Gentleman, someone who has shared similar interests for nearly a hundred years, often collaborating to trap Golden Pill cultivators from the twenty-eight clans of both righteous and evil alliances. He takes women; you take riches."
"Someone else skinned the Vajra Tuduo and took his place?"
Jiang Ding pondered all possibilities: "This is unlikely. The Peach Blossom Gentleman is, after all, an initial Golden Pill cultivator with a specialization in the 'Peach Blossom Six Desires Skill,' a Diabolism method adept at manipulating human desires and hearts. Even a Peak Golden Pill cultivator might not be able to deceive him."
"Then, from the very beginning, you hid your cultivation base and assumed another identity; otherwise, why would you have any hostility towards me out of the blue?"
"Liudao Sect? Or perhaps the Blood Cloud Eighteen Knights who were chased by the Liudao Sect, having nowhere to escape in heaven and earth?"
Jiang Ding shook his head.
"This isn't my forte; killing you will give me the answers."
With a flick of his finger.
The roar of sound waves as the Azure Flying Sword, bearing the terrifying intent of the Spirit Destroying Sword Qi, descended. It swept up the Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi over a range of more than ten kilometers, transforming into an extreme speed of azure sword-light that slashed toward that bright round head.
The Vajra Tuduo's face darkened.
"If I didn't intend to kill, would you really think I'm afraid of you?"
With a single toss of his hand, the Wooden Fish in his hand swelled to the size of a house, radiating concentric circles of gold light, as solid as gold, and heavy as amber.
This treasure was known as the Sinking Water Drum, an Ancient Treasure he had acquired by chance.
It was most efficient at trapping enemies and seizing small Magic Tools like Flying Swords, Flying Needles, and Flying Daggers!
Often, with just a sweep of gold light, all the treasures and Magic Tools in the sky would freeze in place. When he was chased by the Golden Pill cultivators of the Liudao Sect in the past, this move had saved his and his brothers' lives many times.
The Azure Flying Sword pierced right through the amber-like gold light ripples. The layers of gold light shattered and broke, having no effect on the Flying Sword as it struck the Wooden Fish directly.
"How can it be ineffective?"
The Vajra Tuduo was shocked.
This was the first time he had encountered such a situation; his method had always been unbeatable, at most just somewhat less effective against certain Treasure.
Though made of wood, the striking of the Flying Sword produced a sound akin to metal, with a huge spray of sparks.
A massive force struck,
and the Vajra Tuduo was forced back dozens of meters with his Treasure, his body's mana trembling.
"You are indeed not weak!"
His cold gaze swept over, and he struck the Wooden Fish once.
Streaks of gold light burst forth, coalescing into golden armored knights with the sound of iron horses and golden troops. The cries and clashing of an ancient battlefield formed as groups of knights arrayed in a battle formation charging forward, the killing intent cold and chilling.
Behind them, accompanied by the twanging of bowstrings, a volley of golden arrows shot through the air, filled with deadly aura, targeting the Divine Soul, and a barrage raced towards him first.
"Quite a variety of tricks."
Jiang Ding nodded slightly.
The Taiqing Flying Sword emitted a brilliant light as it slashed through the air, revealing layers upon layers of azure Sword Qi that instantly pierced through the golden arrows, scattering them into a shower of golden Spiritual Light.
The azure Sword Qi hardly diminished and once again passed through the forehead of a charging Golden Armored Knight, dissipating only after that.
The murderous Army Formation came to a sudden halt.
Groups of Golden Armored Knights with holes in their foreheads collapsed, and the momentum of the charge dissipated into nothingness.
The Taiqing Flying Sword broke through the layers of obstructions and struck the Wooden Fish. Spiritual Light shattered, and the cacophony of tearing metal accompanied by a massive rebounding force echoed.
Vajra Tuduo felt a sweetness in his throat.
Looking down, he noticed a sword mark on the Wooden Fish that hadn't been there before. The Sword Intent of Destruction spread out from the mark, destroying the Array Patterns that had been refined into the Treasure, which now could only be suppressed inefficiently with constant application of Mana.
"What kind of Flying Sword is this?"
Vajra Tuduo exclaimed in shock.
This Ancient Treasure he had fortuitously acquired, handed down from a great Cultivation power of antiquity, was far superior to the Life Treasures of ordinary Golden Pill Monks, extremely sharp and usually giving him a significant advantage in battles amongst those of the same level.
Yet now, it had been damaged to its core in just a handful of exchanges.
"Would you like to surrender? I'll leave your body intact," Jiang Ding asked.
His already unfolded Divine Sense snuffed out scores of attempts to send out information through various secret techniques of Divine Sense and Treasure messaging in but a breath, tightly sealing off any communication with the outside.
The "All-transforming Magnetic Origin Sutra"!
In terms of Mana, it was a notch below the Jing-level Cultivation Method of the Nine Great Immortal Sects, lacking a path to advance to Refining Nothingness. Nevertheless, it had its strengths, being adept in searching for enemies and intercepting information transmission.
This was a foundational skill upon which the Xianmen Sect built its reputation.
In his presence, the opponent's various methods and secret techniques of Divine Sense for transmitting information were nothing more than child's play.
"Leave my body intact?"
Vajra Tuduo roared furiously, "You're merely at the early stage of the Golden Pill, and yet you have such audacity!"
He too had come up from humble beginnings, fighting his way through blood and storms. He was known as a tyrant of the Northern Plains, and now he was being looked down upon by someone two minor stages below him.
"Since you're courting death, I'll send you on your way," Vajra Tuduo calmed himself down.
His bones crackled, his body ensheathed in a radiant gold light, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a towering monster with a single horn on its head.
In his hands, the Wooden Fish morphed in the golden light, becoming an ancient and weathered Covered Large Drum, and the Mokugyo Mallet turned into a Hammer the size of a carriage in the gleaming light.
With every swing, terrifying power spread out, rippling through the air with transparent waves.
"The ninth of the Blood Cloud, Drum Hammer General!"
Jiang Ding finally recognized his origins.
Each of the Blood Cloud Eighteen Knights was a person of prominence in the Northern Plains, wanted criminals by the alliance of both righteous and diabolical forces, characterized in the memories of Immortal Tiankuang and the Peach Blossom Gentleman.
"So what if you know?"
Vajra Tuduo revealed a ferocious smile, "Since you dared to kill him even after my brother revealed his identity, be prepared for your whole family to die!"
Across the battlefield, the ordinary-looking young man showed a bored expression.
This took Vajra Tuduo by surprise.
Having dominated the Northern Plains for so many years, the Golden Pill Cultivators he encountered from the alliance of righteous and diabolical factions usually exhibited hatred, disdain, and a desire to kill immediately, while those from smaller families showed a mixture of longing and fear. He had never seen this sort of reaction before.
A deep sense of humiliation welled up within him, followed by an overwhelming urge to kill.
"I thought it might have been a person from Liudao Sect, even contemplating that there could be several Golden Pill Peak Cultivators coming."
"Now it turns out to be a group of pathetic fugitives chased by the Liudao Sect, with no refuge in heaven nor on earth, showing up at my door; I took you far too seriously," Jiang Ding sighed.
"Not bad, not bad. Chased down by your own, possibly to be wiped out by the combined powers of righteousness and diabolism at any moment, yet still having the leisure to covet others' foundations. When failing, still having the face to come all this way for revenge, doing everything possible to minimize the number of cultivators who might sympathize with you,"
"Impressive, really impressive, no wonder after so many years, you still remain in such a precarious state of existence."