The three elders around him paused slightly, just as startled by the scene.
Wang Longshan was a prodigy of the Wang family's younger generation, with a cultivation level in the Five Elements Realm. He was a little weaker than Xue Ding, but he had the modified martial art Extreme Cold Saber. His true qi combined with the liquid nitrogen in his arms, creating an extraordinary chill and far greater power than ordinary true qi.
He was a core member of the Wang family, and the modifications he had received were the most advanced in the family.
They had tested him. With Extreme Cold Saber enhancing him, Wang Longshan could already fight beyond his level and contend with experts in the Dragon Opening Realm.
The Quanzhen Sect elders knew this well. They had verified it not long ago and were absolutely certain. They had even marveled that technology really could change people's lives.
In the blink of an eye, Wang Longshan, so highly regarded by everyone, had been killed in a single blow. A chill ran through their hearts. If they went up against him, they would likely meet the same fate.
Their disdainful arrogance over their years of cultivation vanished, and they focused their minds.
"Attack!"
There was no time to hesitate. Burning with hatred over the prodigy's death, the Wang family elder urged the other two to attack.
Xue Ding held his sword with his weight lowered. His eyes followed the three men's rapid movements, tracking their every move.
The Wang family elder was powerfully built and had a heavy, imposing air. He was likely a martial artist with exceptional strength in his bones and muscles. No matter how a fighter like him changed direction or maneuvered, he would ultimately charge straight in.
The two Quanzhen Sect elders were different. They were less physically robust and relied on their weapons in combat. With the Wang family elder there, they would likely instinctively hide behind him.
He ran through his predictions, then raised his eyes and fixed them on the Wang family elder.
A fire of anger blazed in his chest, fueling his killing intent. A few strands of demonic nature began to grow within his pure, righteous qi.
In an instant, the Wang family elder charged right up to him. His body was taut, and his tall, muscular frame resembled a human bear, radiating an oppressive force!
The Celestial Master Sword flickered, thrusting out three strikes so quickly that it was impossible to tell which were real.
Sizzle!
Sparks flashed. Xue Ding's brow lifted. The man's arms seemed to be wrapped in metal. He clamped them around the blade, sparks dancing as they scraped against it.
His immense strength was like a pair of iron pincers, stopping the sword tip just short of Xue Ding's nose. It could not advance another inch!
Their true qi clashed at the same time. Invisible force surged between them, shredding the grass around them as explosions rang out one after another.
Bang! Bang!
True qi and physical strength collided. Below the Dragon Opening Realm, the spine had yet to transform, and one's strength remained within normal bounds. At that level, strength became extraordinary!
Yet strength was precisely the Wang family elder's forte. No matter how hard Xue Ding strained, he could not free the Celestial Master Sword from its deadlock.
Bang! Bang!
Air currents burst around their legs as the two exchanged kicks, still evenly matched.
Suddenly, Xue Ding's body tensed. The two Quanzhen Sect elders had seized their chance and attacked from either side with all their might, crossing palms and swords in an attempt to kill him!
A thunderous explosion sounded. The entire patch of earth flipped up and scattered in all directions.
As dead leaves spiraled through the air, a disheveled figure slid out. Who else could it be but Xue Ding!
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his topknot had come undone. He was injured.
The three elders kept close on his heels, pressing their advantage.
Clang! Clang!
Their blades clashed repeatedly. Xue Ding stepped through the Seven Stars formation, and the Celestial Master Sword trembled beneath his righteous qi. Blades of sword energy ripped through the air, relentless in their pursuit of demons!
"You can't beat the three of us now!"
As he spoke, the Wang family elder charged forward under the other two's cover. His fists came together, and his domineering, fierce true qi took the shape of a tiger as he drove his attack toward Xue Ding!
Xue Ding hurriedly raised the Celestial Master Sword to block. It stopped the tiger-headed Heavy Punch, but could not withstand the brute force behind it. The blade slammed against his chest, and he was lifted off his feet and sent flying backward.
"Xue Ding, surrender! If you don't want to die!"
The elders were experienced. They knew Xue Ding was still dangerous, so they combined their words with their attacks.
If Xue Ding lost heart under the strain and gave up on surviving, they would have a much easier time killing him.
Xue Ding landed in a half-kneel, bracing the Celestial Master Sword against the ground. He forced himself to withstand the tremendous force and stopped sliding.
The three elders moved at different speeds, some fast, some slow. Their advantage in the battle filled them with confidence, and their imposing presence grew stronger, leaving their opponent struggling to breathe.
"You're still young, with extraordinary talent. If you're willing to join another sect, you'll still have a brilliant future!"
"This is an exciting era, and we've only just begun to glimpse what it holds. Don't you want to see the future and take part in it?"
They pressed him with one persuasive line after another, urging him to surrender even as they attacked relentlessly. They advanced step by step, steady as old dogs.
Xue Ding ignored them. He fought the three elders alone with astonishing resilience. Seeing his skill only strengthened their resolve to kill him. They couldn't let him have a future.
If he had a future, they wouldn't!
"Are you really not afraid of death?"
"Of course I'm afraid of death, but I'm the Senior Disciple Brother of the Celestial Master Temple. If someone has to die, then I have to die first!" Xue Ding coughed up even more blood, but kept fighting with all his strength.
"What's the point?"
The point?
"Swear to live and die with the Celestial Master Temple!"
"Fight to the death!"
"Even if we die today, we'll tear a chunk of flesh from them first!"
They were the point!
The three elders glanced around, their expressions growing fiercer.
Some Celestial Master Temple disciples had been timid at first, but now they fought with astonishing bravery. There was no concern for life or death in their eyes, only the ruthless determination to kill the enemy!
"Why haven't you three killed him yet?!"
The Celestial Master Temple disciples' surging morale was costing the Quanzhen Sect and the Wang family dearly. Even if they won in the end, they would suffer serious losses, far beyond what they had planned.
And the one who had brought about this unexpected turn was Xue Ding!
His refusal to retreat, even in a fight to the death, had moved every disciple and awakened their fighting spirit.
The onlookers saw the change.
"That's what a sect's prodigy is! This is what one looks like!"
A sect's prodigy was a prodigy.
But not every prodigy was a sect's prodigy.
Xue Ding's influence, and his actions, showed what every sect hoped its perfect leader would be like.
During the great battle, Yuan Tianzong paid no attention to it.
He emerged from the valley and stood at a high vantage point, his face full of surprise.
His Grandmaster-level perception made him realize that something was changing in the surrounding mountains.
Something was about to appear!
"Pop!"
A strange sound rang out, like something suddenly blossoming.
Yuan Tianzong turned around on the spot, then fixed his gaze in the direction of the Celestial Master Temple. The ground cracked, and he sped away.
The cries of people fighting to the death gradually died down.
The onlookers' discussions and conversations faded away, too.
A mysterious atmosphere spread through the world. Many people sensed it and instinctively stopped what they were doing, glancing around uneasily.
"Look! What's that?"
On a distant mountaintop, a patch of gray mist suddenly appeared.
Within the gray mist, tree after tree turned into dust and drifted away eerily.
As far as the eye could see, a patch of land the size of a soccer field underwent a strange transformation. What had been ground covered in dead leaves and stones became a bizarre, unfamiliar terrain in just a few minutes, as if time and space had shifted.
It was gray, and looked just like the ash left behind after burning incense.
It covered the ground, forming a strange, otherworldly patch in the forest that did not belong there.
"What's going on?"
"What a bizarre change..." The ignorant murmured in astonishment as the trees and stones vanished, leaving a spread of ash in their place.
Just then, everyone's gaze suddenly fixed on one spot.
Above that ashen ground, a wisp of gray smoke appeared and drifted into the air. It did not blow away on the wind, but wandered within that small stretch of space, as if it were alive.
The world abruptly fell silent.
For a brief moment.
Then, the next instant, shouts shook the heavens.
"Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao?"
"It's Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao! It has to be!"
Though they had never seen Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao before, the scene was so extraordinary and distinctive that they recognized it at a glance.
The mountains erupted into chaos!
No one had ever imagined that the legendary Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao would appear so suddenly!
"Seize it!"
Before you continue