Chapter 9 (1/2)

There was no one within the Emperor’s Heaven Sect who did not know of Zhu Yunlin. It wasn’t because of how strong he was, but because he was the younger brother of the genius Zhu Xidao. His identity was on a different level than Zhu Youwei’s. Zhu Youwei was Zhu Xidao’s elder cousin, but Zhu Yunlin was Zhu Xidao’s biological younger brother. Thus, it was natural of Zhu Xidao to dote on him.

Just then, he appeared with his hands behind his back and surrounded by four youths who escorted him forth. It was obvious that he had been incited by Zhu Youwei to exact punishment on Jiang Xiaofan. Currently, he looked at Jiang Xiaofan with hostility.

He wore an arrogant, cold smirk on his face and stared down at Jiang Xiaofan. He was clearly eleven to twelve years of age, but he emanated a mature, haughty aura as if he was a celestial spirit from beyond the Heaven.

“Seriously, Zhu Youwei, is he your lackey? He’s not even weaned off mama’s milk yet, is he?” His words were spiteful. Jiang Xiaofan turned to Zhu Yunlin and asked, “Hey kid, who are you? I don’t believe Qingyun Sword is yours?”

Zhu Youwei’s face turned ashen, and he narrowed his eyes with sparks of fire dancing within. The Qingyun Sword was given to him by Zhu Yunlin. It took him a lot of time fawning over Zhu Yunlin to get his hands on it. Even though he was both brothers’ elder cousin, he did not dare to ever utter a word that was deemed out of line in front of them. He was always prudent.

The onlookers wanted to laugh but contained it. Deep down, they knew that Zhu Yunlin should not be taken lightly. Vastly different from Zhu Youwei, he and his brother both had an extremely prominent background.

“Jiang, how bold of you to show disrespect towards me! Get over here and kowtow at me to show your repent! Present the Qingyun Sword to me and destroy your own hands! Only then shall I spare you from death.”

Although Jiang Xiaofan was an orphan, he had seen countless numbers of spoiled heirs of politicians and the wealthy. Still, he had never seen such an arrogant child before. Even Ye Yuanxue furrowed her brows.

“Kid, how can you be so young, yet your heart is filled with malice? When you grow older, won’t you become a scourge for those around you?” Jiang Xiaofan shook his head and rubbed his chin. “Hm, I didn’t want to do this, but today, I’ll help your family out and properly educate you.”

“Jiang Xiaofan, you have crossed the line! No one has ever spoken to me this way! You’re dead meat! No one will be able to save you!” replied Zhu Yunlin icily. His expression grew sullen.

*Ring*

Zhu Yunlin cast a Daoist hex, and a pagoda appeared above his head, about 3 centimeters in height with nine tiers. It radiated a strong, divine light and released a deafening noise as if it could destroy anything within its reach. The pagoda was coming down to suppress Jiang Xiaofan.

Shortly after seeing Zhu Yunlin make his move, the crowd retreated backward, not wanting to be drawn into the incident. More importantly, the qi emanating from the pagoda’s divine light was just too strong for them to handle, causing their hearts to palpitate in anxiety.

“Yo kid, your weapon’s pretty cool!”

Jiang Xiaofan took a step back. He was now at the sixth heaven of Micro Realm, no longer the same as he was in the past. He sensed the terrible power of the pagoda. It was much more potent than Qingyun Sword.

He quickly slid to his left. A green light glimmered in his right hand and with a rise of his palm, he released a strike. This was the Qingyun Sword which he had taken from Jin Mohao. With the focus of his spiritual awareness, it zipped across the field like a spark of lightning.

*Ka*

The black-green colored Qingyun Sword glowed even more brightly, hacking at the pagoda from atop. Unexpectedly, the sword was thrust backward and broken into seven pieces while in midair.

“This is….”

Jiang Xiaofan’s pupils constricted. Qingyun Sword was a spirit-ranked weapon which a Realm of Dust cultivator might not even able to wield. All of a sudden, with one clash, the sword was fragmented. The might of this small pagoda was too frightening.

“That’s…. It looks like the Soul Training Pagoda!

“You’re right. That is the Soul Training Pagoda. It’s Zhu Xidao’s secret weapon. The rumors are true. Zhu Xidao does heavily dote on his younger brother. Even though he’s in closed-door training, he nevertheless gave away his weapon in order to protect Zhu Yunlin.”

Because of the selection tournament, there were still many people gathered around with most of them being outer disciples from the previous selection, along with a large number of inner disciples mixed in. Therefore, it was to no surprise that they were able to recognize this mystical weapon.

“Soul Training Pagoda? B… But that’s a precious-ranked weapon!” exclaimed another whose mouth was twisted awkwardly in astonishment.

“Correct! This is my brother’s Soul Training Pagoda. Jiang, it is your greatest fortune in several lifetimes to die under the might of this weapon!”

Zhu Yunlin held his head up high and proudly admitted it, not the least bit concerned that someone had revealed the origin of the precious weapon. He didn’t even care about his broken Qingyun Sword. Zhu Youwei, on the other hand, revealed a look of anger. His hatred for Jiang Xiaofan further deepened.

“Xiaofan, be careful! Don’t go head-on! Don’t fight against him yet!” Ye Yuanxue’s voice echoed into his mind through her use of spiritual awareness.

“Brother Jiang, it’s better to retreat for now. The power of a precious weapon is too fearsome! You can’t win against it!” In a solemn tone, Chen Yifeng relayed his words to him through the crowd.

He didn’t answer back. In truth, he didn’t have the focus to respond. The pagoda was pressuring him, and the size of the weapon had grown to three meters in height, releasing an even more powerful aura. The ground below him quaked and displayed slight cracks.

Jiang Xiaofan’s expression was grave. Dark green light began to envelop his body. He dashed ahead, channeling the Jade Purity Cultivation Method on one hand and Buddhist Shadow Steps on the other. He needed to quickly take down Zhu Yunlin.

Zhu Yunlin smirked frostily. With both hands, he cast another hex. The Soul Training Pagoda shook and then unleashed a dragon’s roar that reached the Nine Skies. Nine red and green dragons appeared and encircled Jiang Xiaofan, swaying their long bodies around and baring their maws at him.

The color drained from Jiang Xiaofan’s face. Though the dragons did not possess a physical body, their presence alone was a force to be reckoned with. He was completely trapped. There wasn’t even the smallest gap for escape. At the same time, the pagoda from above was pressurizing him.

“Jiang, don’t even bother with struggling. This is Nine Dragons Sealing the Heaven, a secret technique that had been sealed by my brother within the Soul Training Pagoda. Let’s not discuss you. Even a Realm of Dust cultivator would be crushed by this power!”

Scared witless, he mustered all his strength and attempted to break out of the encirclement. However, it was useless. The nine dragons’ qi were too overwhelming. They weren’t on a level that his current self could defend and counter. Not to mention, the pressure from the pagoda was like a demonic mountain slamming down on him. It was difficult to shake off that force.

“Will this be my end?” He inwardly lamented, his heart full of grievances.

The Soul Training Pagoda was obscured by its radiating lights. Beyond it were the nine dragons. With the doubling of pressure on the body, the force was like a new satellite being pulled into orbit by a giant sun. It was suffocating. Many onlookers couldn’t help but retreat farther back.

His heart chilled. He was finally at a loss at what to do. He possessed the Buddhist Sutra which contained unparalleled cultivation methods. It was a divine sutra that any cultivator dreamed of possessing. In it were numerous techniques; however, at his current level, he was unable to perform them.

Many thoughts ran through his mind. Ever since he had mysteriously arrived at this cultivation world from Earth and gained the Buddhist Sutra, he thought that would finally be able to open new doors, explore the vast lands, and feel the rush of the wind and boundless sunshine. To his dismay, his ending was to be a tragic one. He was going to die soon and in the hands of a stinking child no less.