War Shackles
( ) The Asura Purgatory Diagram, the world depicted in the painting is a part taken from the Asura Path. The space here is filled with the most primal fighting spirit and murderous aura, which is the so-called Asura Path Will.
In the short term, this chilling atmosphere and fighting spirit won't have much of an impact on people, but if you stay here for too long, even the most timid person will become very aggressive.
Originally, they entered with the intention of fighting, and with the influence of the Asura's will in the Asura Purgatory Diagram, this Asura space was soon engulfed in a bloody storm.
Three thousand Cultivator entered this Asura world, and as the Purgatory Elder had said, they began a game between hunter and prey. Avoiding powerful opponents and hunting weak ones became the main theme of this Asura Path.
Zhuge Xiang, carrying Xiao Yue on his shoulder, walked slowly through the Asura Path. The black and white sleeves on his arms had already been collected. This was an inconspicuous fellow who appeared in front of Zhuge Xiang, so Zhuge Xiang easily snatched the sleeves away.
"Hahaha, finally collected them all..." Amidst loud laughter, in a valley with complex terrain, a young Cultivator had successfully seized the arm sleeves couldn't help but laugh excitedly.
Now that I've got both sleeves, the next task is to figure out how to keep them in the days to come.
The young Cultivator was thrilled to have completed the mission ahead of schedule. However, his expression soon froze as a figure emerged from the depths of the valley, moving slowly but appearing before him in an instant.
'Zhu... Zhuge Xiang...' The young Cultivator swallowed hard, utterly astonished, as he looked at the figure that had emerged.
This year's Dragon Phoenix Ranking includes several top-tier individuals who can be considered the pinnacle of this game of hunter and prey, and Zhuge Xiang is clearly one of them.
His hands and feet were ice-cold, yet he couldn't move an inch. Zhuge Xiang, who was walking, slightly moved his eyes and fell on him. The young Cultivator immediately seemed to be frozen in place, his muscles tensing up. Under Zhuge Xiang's gaze, this dignified Cultivator at the Tenth Layer of Return to Simplicity Realm could hardly even move a finger.
What kind of look was that? In those calm eyes, one could almost see endless mountains of corpses and Blood Sea —the look of someone who had slaughtered countless lives...
Zhuge Xiang had no intention of attacking this Tenth Layer of Return to Simplicity Realm. He moved at full speed and quickly disappeared into the valley. He was just an ordinary Cultivator at the Tenth Layer of Return to Simplicity Realm; if it were an elite-level target, Zhuge Xiang might have considered taking action...
The Asura Purgatory Diagram —if Zhuge Xiang remembers correctly, Qing Mingzi was trapped here? And Su Huayu too? Since we're here, why not go check on them? But since the Purgatory Elder designated the Asura Purgatory Diagram as the location for the second trial, I wonder if Qing Mingzi and the others have been moved out.
In the Asura Path, Zhuge Xiang strode towards the mountain where Qing Mingzi had been attacked. Along the way, Cultivator saw Zhuge Xiang avoided him like mice seeing a cat. Of course, Zhuge Xiang did not hesitate to attack those who were reckless.
'This second assessment, all it takes is to seize an arm sleeve? That's a bit too boring,' Blood Heart Sword Pei Yingxiao, who was also wearing black and white arm sleeves, shook his head and muttered to himself as he wiped the blood off his sword and placed a still-beating heart into a large wine pot in another corner.
There are quite a few people who think like Pei Yingxiao, especially the top few, who feel bored and listless after easily obtaining the arm sleeve.
However, nothing is absolute. Some people are busy with other things right now. For example, Tian Lingshan has now completely stabilized her cultivation at the Divine Ability Stage and is searching everywhere for Zhuge Xiang, looking for an opportunity to take revenge on him.
Then there's Zhang Kuang, who's even busier now. He sits atop a mountain peak, looking down from above, revealing his Asura True Body. Within the Asura Path, his Asura True Body is constantly changing and perfecting itself...
During the Inner Sect assessment, Zhang Kuang gained the recognition of the Asura Path and acquired the bloodline of the Asura True Body in this Asura Purgatory Diagram. However, due to the passage of time, his Asura True Body was only incomplete. Now, revisiting the Asura Purgatory Diagram, Zhang Kuang can sense that his Asura True Body has reached the point of complete success.
Having traversed mountains and rivers, and overcome countless obstacles, Zhuge Xiang had been extremely cautious during his Inner Sect Asura Purgatory Diagram, fearing the powerful monsters of the Asura Path. However, today, walking through the Asura Path, Zhuge Xiang felt much less pressure. He no longer needed to carefully avoid monsters like Zombie Zhuge Xiang Rakshasa before.
After spending half a day killing many ignorant Cultivator and monsters such as Zombie that already existed in the Asura Path, Zhuge Xiang gained a lot of experience and finally arrived at the mountain where Qing Mingzi had been killed.
However, the mountain remained the same, but everything else had changed. Qing Mingzi, who had been hidden at the foot of the mountain, had long since disappeared, and Su Huayu was nowhere to be found either.
'It seems they've all been moved elsewhere by the Purgatory Elder?' Zhuge Xiang murmured to himself, looking at Qing Mingzi, who had been hiding at the foot of the mountain, but had vanished without a trace.
Tap tap tap...
A series of footsteps suddenly rang out, carrying a heavy, mountain-like aura and a terrifying stench of blood. It exerted immense pressure on everyone, and the killing intent surged, as if even the Asura Path could sense it.
'Tu Qianxiong?' Turning his head, Zhuge Xiang raised an eyebrow slightly as he looked at the man who had appeared, and a fighting spirit slowly grew in his heart.
Instead of wasting time in this Asura Purgatory Diagram, it would be better to find a few experts to spar with. Clearly, Tu Qianxiong fits Zhuge Xiang's criteria perfectly.
"Brother Zhuge? You seem to have some free time. Would you be willing to spar with me?" Tu Qianxiong suggested before Zhuge Xiang could speak.
"Alright, I've been wanting to see what kind of tricks Blood Palm Butcher Qian Xiong has up his sleeve," Tu Qianxiong's suggestion was exactly what Zhuge Xiang wanted to hear, so how could he refuse?
"Alright, everyone, Brother Zhuge has already agreed. What are you waiting for?" As Zhuge Xiang finished speaking, Tu Qianxiong suddenly addressed the surrounding valley.
'Hehehe, Brother Tu is indeed clever...' In the valley, four figures appeared one after another, subtly surrounding Zhuge Xiang and preventing him from escaping. At the same time, with the appearance of these four figures, Tu Qianxiong's aura suddenly erupted.
"Brother Zhuge, make your move. I also want to see just how strong you are..." With a sudden burst of aura, Tu Qianxiong stared at Zhuge Xiang with intense killing intent. It was definitely not the kind of killing intent one would have during a friendly spar. Tu Qianxiong had come with the sole intention of killing Zhuge Xiang.
'Ding! Due to the effect of War Shackles, neither side can leave the other's victorious range for more than 100 meters. You are suppressed by War Shackles, and all your attributes are reduced by 30%.'
The system notification made Zhuge Xiang's face even more gloomy. A heavy pressure appeared, originating from Tu Qianxiong and the other four people. The heavy pressure made Zhuge Xiang feel like he couldn't breathe properly.
' War Shackles? If I'm not mistaken, you must have gathered the power of five people into yourself?' Zhuge Xiang's face was so gloomy it was almost dripping with water as he stared intently at Tu Qianxiong.
"Oh? You actually know this is the War Shackles?" Zhuge Xiang's words caused Tu Qianxiong's expression to change slightly. Then, he smiled confidently and said, "Even if you know, so what? The War Shackles have already linked you and me together. Only when one side dies will these shackles be loosened."
At this point, Tu Qianxiong paused slightly, then continued, "From the moment you agreed to fight me, the War Shackles were already connected. Moreover, I have combined the strength of the other four contestants into one, relying on the rules of the War Shackles, where the strong suppress the weak. My strength has already surpassed yours."
The War Shackles are a special magical Treasure Artifact. When one side holds the War Shackles and invites the other side to join them, if the other side accepts, the War Shackles will be activated until one side dies. At the same time, whoever has stronger cultivation can suppress the other. With this ebb and flow, the outcome becomes obvious.
"After Three Trials, it will be a one-on-one Duel. I don't think I'm your match, so I'm sorry, I have to eliminate you here. But don't be angry, I'll have Yin Wugu and the others eliminated along with you." He opened his hands, and his two fleshy palms immediately turned blood red, as red as blood. However, the terrifying bloody killing intent contained within them made people feel their livers and gallbladders tremble.
"I see," Tu Qianxiong's words made Zhuge Xiang understand, and he also understood why the other party harbored murderous intent towards him.
Having experienced the Dragon and Phoenix Rankings, Tu Qianxiong was already familiar with the scale of the selection process. Therefore, he had prepared the War Shackles magic weapon well in advance, intending to use it to trap and kill others who posed a threat to him during the three trials. By eliminating those powerful opponents, he could secure the championship in the final duel.
"Such despicable tactics only show your lack of confidence in your own strength. How can someone who lacks confidence defeat me?" Zhuge Xiang said, having understood Tu Qianxiong's thoughts.
Without hesitation, he activated the Devourer's Treasure Skill, transformed the Azure Nether Blade in his hand into the Sword of Judgment, and unleashed a sharp Sword Qi that slashed directly forward.
'Collapse Palm!' Seeing Zhuge Xiang's Sword Qi, Blood Palm Butcher Qian Xiong slammed down, its blood-red palm unleashing a powerful and sinister crimson palm force. The battle between the two had officially begun... (To be continued.)