On the arena, with golden talismans surrounding him, Cheng Jing Ting's aura surged rapidly.
In a daze, he seemed to see countless chains formed from talismanic patterns wrapped around his body, which were then broken one by one.
No...
It's not a daze!
" Jing Ting!"
An elder from the Silver Frost Sect stood up abruptly, his eyes filled with heartache and disbelief as he stared at the young man's retreating figure on the arena.
"What is that..." someone murmured.
Some people's expressions gradually became complicated. After exhaling a breath of cold air, they answered in a dry voice.
"It's Secret Method, Secret Method of the Heavenly Talisman Sect."
The Heavenly Talisman Sect's Secret Method involves sacrificing one's own life and soul in exchange for greater combat power. After this battle, regardless of victory or defeat, Cheng Jing Ting's soul will be scattered.
There is absolutely no chance of survival.
"This guy... he's here with the intention of mutual destruction."
The atmosphere below the stage was heavy. On the stage, the His Highness Thirty-Nine looked at Cheng Jing Ting, whose aura was rising steadily, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
A gust of wind whistled past his ears, His Highness Thirty-Nine instinctively dodged, but a line of blood was still cut into his cheek.
The thin line of blood healed in the blink of an eye, but feeling that negligible stinging sensation, the His Highness Thirty-Nine's eyes instantly darkened.
Cheng Jing Ting was very fast.
He didn't hold back, nor did he test the waters; he went straight for the kill, completely disregarding whether he would get hurt, and without worrying about whether this trade-off of injury would leave any lasting damage to his Root Bone.
He will die.
He knew.
Cheng Jing Ting's eyes were clear, filled only with the purest killing intent towards the His Highness Thirty-Nine, without any regret.
Even if it means death, it's worth it as long as I can kill the person in front of me.
Under Cheng Jing Ting's relentless and storm-like offensive, even the His Highness Thirty-Nine failed to gain any advantage and was suppressed and put at a disadvantage for a time.
The power of the divine talisman was extremely terrifying. Cheng Jing Ting's face was tense, and his dark eyes, which were as black as ink, lost all Human Race emotions in the extreme speed of the killing, leaving only the purest fighting instinct.
On his exposed skin were large patches of talismans and incantations, imprinted into his very bones, gleaming with golden light and exuding a divine aura.
He transformed his hand into a claw, his fingers fiercely tearing at the runes that were ingrained in his flesh and blood. Several runes were torn off with blood, but Cheng Jing Ting seemed to feel no pain.
The tangible runes, like sharp blades, blocked the His Highness Thirty-Nine's retreat, forcing him to confront Cheng Jing Ting head-on. However, the fragility of the Human Race body vanished at this moment.
Even though the His Highness Thirty-Nine tore apart the flesh on Cheng Jing Ting's waist and abdomen with his claw, it did not cause Cheng Jing Ting any harm at all.
The golden chain-like runes that had gathered around his body surged into his body, merging with the runes on his skin and instantly repairing his injuries.
On the contrary, it was the His Highness Thirty-Nine, in his act of arrogance, was given an opportunity by Cheng Jing Ting, who pressed two talismans into his body with a single palm strike, causing the His Highness Thirty-Nine to be suddenly injured, with blood trickling from his lips, which also made his anger surge.
Unfortunately, under Cheng Jing Ting's reckless fighting style, the entire arena was on the verge of collapse, covered with his scattered runes, each one and every one of them causing injury upon contact, leaving the His Highness Thirty-Nine feeling restricted and utterly frustrated.
The Profound Domain cultivators watching from below the arena were both somber and astonished.
They never expected to win this match.
Given the current situation, winning is almost a certainty.
only...
"Well!"
The elder of the Silver Frost Sect let out a long sigh.
His eyes held no joy of victory, only endless sorrow.
Jing Ting... he's practically watched this child grow up.
He gently shook his head.
"This child is pushing himself too hard. Using his own soul as fuel and talismans as a medium to borrow the power of the heavens is only a temporary measure and cannot last."
"He's not even Thirty! If we give this child more time, if the Heavenly Talisman Sect hadn't been destroyed, with his talent and ability, he would surely... surely!"
The Silver Frost Sect elder's lips trembled, unable to utter a complete sentence.
He wanted to say that Cheng Jing Ting was certainly no less capable than anyone else.
But what's the point of saying all this now?
When this battle ends, he will perish along with it, with no future.
"Fortunately, this Alien Race royal family will also accompany Jing Ting..."
The word "burial" was stuck in his throat, and before the Silver Frost Sect elder could finish speaking, the wind on the arena suddenly shifted.
The His Highness Thirty-Nine, who had been blasted underground, emerged from the swirling mist with his ferocious claws. His expression was horribly ugly, a far cry from his initial leisurely demeanor, and the fabric of his clothes was torn.
The veins on his forehead throbbed, and he suddenly let out a loud shout.
"Enough!"
Bang!
Cheng Jing Ting, who rushed forward, was sent flying by the furious attack of the His Highness Thirty-Nine.
The golden light of the talismans on his body was almost shattered. Even though they didn't break, when he got up again, the golden light on the talisman patterns had dimmed considerably.
Cheng Jing Ting swayed, then suddenly stiffened, coughing up a mouthful of blood that splattered across the shattered arena like a shower of datura flowers.
His eyes suddenly snapped open, resembling those of a vicious wolf.
"We've waited so long for this opportunity, how can we accept it?"
"Die!"
Like a predatory wolf, he pounced forward, spraying blood and runes recklessly onto the His Highness Thirty-Nine.
The His Highness Thirty-Nine wore a gloomy expression, his face concealing a rising anger.
He decided to go all out and fought with Cheng Jing Ting. The entire arena was shattered by the impact, and the two rolled and fought among the rocks, their surging Spiritual Qi twisting and turning into a chaotic mess.
The outcome is difficult to predict.
But it was clear that as time went on, Cheng Jing Ting could no longer suppress the His Highness Thirty-Nine.
The rate at which the runes on his body replenished were far from keeping up with the rate at which they were being consumed.
Finally, amidst everyone's anxious gazes, the runes on Cheng Jing Ting's body completely dimmed.
Despite his fingers being stained with blood and his stumbling, he could no longer summon a single rune.
The life force within him was rapidly draining away, like water from a leaky jar.
Everyone's hearts sank to the bottom.
The surroundings were completely silent, the tension reaching its peak.
But Cheng Jing Ting smiled.
A faint smile appeared on his chapped face. Even with the His Highness Thirty-Nine eyeing him menacingly, and despite having exhausted all his means, suffering numerous wounds, and having his Spiritual Power depleted, Cheng Jing Ting remained calm.
He laughed and stumbled back a few steps, barely able to stand. His fingers trembled as he reached for his chest, pulling out an ancient, yellowed paper talisman from inside his close-fitting clothes.
The His Highness Thirty-Nine coughed as he emerged from the smoke and dust, clearing away the rubble that was pressing down on him, and this was the scene that greeted him.
An old, yellow paper talisman.
The cinnabar on it had even faded.
The lines drawn on the talisman were unstable and intermittent, like the weak and powerless wrist of a child.
Even someone who doesn't understand the art of talismans can tell that this is a Spirit Gathering Talisman, and it's one that's drawn with extremely crude techniques—any more crude and it would be ruined Spirit Gathering Talisman unusable.
The Spirit Gathering Talisman is the most basic talisman used when starting out in cultivation.
It is also the weakest talisman.
Any cultivator who knows a little about talismans can draw it.
The only function of the Spirit Gathering Talisman is, as its name suggests, to gather spiritual energy; it has no destructive power whatsoever.
No one expected that Cheng Jing Ting would actually pull out such a talisman.
No one understands, and no one can understand.
Only Cheng Jing Ting, looking down at the old talisman stained with a trace of blood in his hand, showed a last glimmer of warmth in his usually lifeless eyes.
His dry, chapped lips parted slightly, and he uttered two barely audible words.
"Master..."