Translator: CinderTL
Virtual Core.
The first realm of Core Formation.
Equivalent to a life level of 21.
Just like him now.
But this Virtual Core before him...
Had no Magical Artifacts, no Talismans, and was also injured.
All he could do was exhaust his abilities, burn his Qi, and unleash his strongest attack, hoping to kill this future Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy of the Taixu Sword Sect before he himself was killed.
From his perspective, his sacrifice this time was related to the peace and stability of the Chiyang Sword Sect for decades to come.
Perhaps by dying alone, he could save countless lives in the Chiyang Sword Sect in the future.
By dying alone, he could protect a vast amount of resources and territory for the Chiyang Sword Sect, securing countless benefits for them.
He would die gloriously.
Die with greatness.
He would be a hero of the Chiyang Sword Sect!
And becoming a hero was just one step away...
Killing him.
At this moment, Li Chunjun gained a deeper understanding of the "good and evil, right and wrong" in the human world.
"So..."
His thoughts flowed.
He wanted to say something.
But he felt that there was nothing he wanted to say.
Because it didn't matter.
In this world, there was no such thing as benevolence and morality, no such thing as justice and evil.
The world was never black and white.
What existed was only "me" and "not me."
"I exist, and what is not me does not."
"Me, and the NPCs."
Focusing his mind!
Sword Intent erupted!
He drew his sword!
...
"Boom!"
In the next moment, a blazing and violent sword light burst forth.
Before the Core Formation cultivator of the Chiyang Sword Sect, who was burning his Qi to the limit, the void before him seemed to suddenly explode.
Flames!
Endless flames accompanied the sky's explosion, burning and spreading in all directions, depicting a terrifying and awe-inspiring apocalypse!
And within that terrifying apocalypse, a sword light containing pure destruction pierced through the heavens, rolling in.
Destruction!
More brutal than any apocalypse!
Not the extinction of life by falling meteors, not the destruction of ecosystems by splitting earth, nor the collapse of the world by colliding stars, but a destruction that existed solely for the purpose of destruction, reaching straight into the heart!
Falling meteors leave ashes, splitting earth leaves debris, colliding stars leave fragments of the world.
But this sword...
Only destruction!
The purest destruction!
Turning everything into nothingness, leaving nothing behind!
The impact of this destructive intent shook his soul, causing him to open his eyes wide in horror, his mind seemingly trapped in an indescribable shock.
So much so...
He forgot to further activate the Taibai True Force meant for a life-or-death struggle!
Friends and loved ones were gone.
The Chiyang Sword Sect was gone.
When the world was completely destroyed, when everything was ground into dust, when all things turned to nothingness, what use were all his struggles, all his efforts, all his hard work!?
An unprecedented despair instantly filled the heart of this Core Formation cultivator.
Destroy it.
Since everything he had was already turned to nothingness.
Then let this force destroy the world.
"Hahaha..."
The Core Formation cultivator let out a bitter laugh.
But this laughter lasted only a moment, as a strong instinct for survival fiercely stimulated him, awakening his Divine Sense and rekindling his desire to live, finally...
Allowing him to see something.
To see the truth of the world.
There was no collapsing heaven and earth, no destruction of the world, no nothingness of all things.
What existed was only a sword.
A blazing sword light descending from the sky.
All those scenes just now...
"Sword Intent!?"
The awakened Core Formation cultivator was shaken to his core!
Sword Intent!?
Destruction Sword Intent!?
He...
Had been completely overwhelmed by the Sword Intent of this future Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy, falling entirely into the destructive imagery contained within the Sword Intent, constructing a grand destruction in his mind!?
This was partly due to his own death wish, allowing the Sword Intent to take advantage, but on the other hand, it also showed...
Just how far this future Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy had comprehended and grasped Sword Intent!
Far beyond the beginner level!
Beginner-level Sword Intent could at most sever his connection to his Arcane Arts!
This Sword Intent directly shattered his mind and plunged him into an illusion...
A minor mastery level of Sword Intent!
It must be at the minor mastery level!
Li Chunjun, this future Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy of the Taixu Sword Sect, how long had he been in the Taixu Sword Sect, and yet he had already cultivated his Sword Intent to the minor mastery level!?
How was this possible!?
"No! I must spread this news, even if I die, I must spread this news!"
The Core Formation cultivator's Divine Sense trembled, ready to abandon everything to transmit this information.
But just as he was about to give up everything, the stunning sword light from the heavens descended like a meteor, piercing through the Core Formation cultivator's head.
At the moment his head was pierced, just before his thoughts completely froze, he vaguely...
Finally realized something.
"Originally... until death, I never escaped this Sword Intent..."
He thought he had struggled out of the illusion of destruction, but in reality, he had merely moved from one form of destruction to another, a self-destructive one.
Because...
From beginning to end, apart from fear and shock, he had not mustered the slightest courage to resist this Sword Intent.
This was not a minor mastery level of Sword Intent!
This was...
A Sword Intent approaching major mastery!
...
"Whoosh!"
The sword light cut through the air.
Li Chunjun's mind erupted, and with a single sword strike, the Scarlet Sky Sword pierced through the void, annihilating this Core Formation cultivator who had condensed a limit-breaking Arcane Art.
Throughout the entire process...
This Core Formation cultivator didn't even have the chance to unleash his Arcane Art.
This scene...
"Too weak."
Li Chunjun commented.
To prevent any sudden outbursts that could cause harm, this Core Formation cultivator had been weakened too much by Jiang Yuqiu.
"No!"
Jiang Yuqiu's voice quickly came through: "You're just too strong."
After saying this, she stared at Li Chunjun with bright eyes: "I thought that since you had just condensed your Sword Intent, at most you could use it to shake his Arcane Art structure, severing the connection between his Divine Sense and the Arcane Art nodes. I never expected your Sword Intent to be this powerful."
She wasn't standing before the Core Formation cultivator to experience it firsthand, but...
She could still see something.
Her eyes were filled with uncontrollable excitement: "You're probably not far from minor mastery!?"
Hearing this, Qin Zhou, Jiang Yuxue, Zhang Weiqian, and Zhou Yuechen were all deeply shocked.
Cultivating Sword Intent at the Qi Refining Realm was already considered monstrous, enough to be treated as a "Prodigy" level figure.
But Li Chunjun not only cultivated Sword Intent, he had also pushed it to a level approaching minor mastery!
Such a level was considered outstanding even among Nascent Soul True Lords!
What...
Kind of talent was this!?
"With this level of Sword Intent, even facing a Virtual Core at full strength, you wouldn't be at a disadvantage."
Jiang Yuqiu looked at Li Chunjun and smiled: "The future Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy is gradually revealing his brilliance. Once the sect's Golden Core Pill is ready, you can start preparing to refine your sword into a core."
"Virtual Core."
Li Chunjun didn't doubt the judgment of this Flaming Phoenix Peak Master.
However...
Not being inferior to a Virtual Core was not enough!
"This matter will not end here. Every Core Formation cultivator is a named figure. This Core Formation cultivator..."
Jiang Yuqiu glanced at the corpse.
Jiang Yuxue immediately spoke up: "It's Tao Mo, a steward of the Chiyang Sword Sect, not outstanding, so I didn't recognize him at first. According to internal reports from the Chiyang Sword Sect, he failed to break through to Core Formation three years ago and died from exhaustion of his essence, energy, and spirit."
"He said he died, so he died? Now not only is he not dead, but he has also achieved Core Formation and even ambushed within our Taixu Sword Sect, attempting to assassinate our future Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy! The truth of the matter is clear to anyone!"
Jiang Yuqiu waved her hand and stored the Core Formation cultivator's corpse: "The Chiyang Sword Sect must pay the price! At the very least, they must cede the Great Shang as compensation for Chunjun. Otherwise, let them see how sharp the swords of our Taixu Sword Sect are!"
The other Core Formation cultivators nodded in deep agreement.
Immediately, the group took to the skies again, returning to the Taixu Sword Sect.
On the way back, Zhang Weiqian asked for instructions: "Sword Prodigy, what should we do with Qin Chuan, Fang Yushu, Zhao Bai, and the others?"
"Handle them as they should be handled."
Li Chunjun said calmly.
Zhang Weiqian understood.
He had asked Li Chunjun for instructions only because he was worried that Li Chunjun might still care about his former classmates.
Now...
He understood.
As for Zhao Bai's actions being somewhat understandable?
If they had openly discussed this matter and asked their Sword Prodigy for help, and if the Sword Prodigy had spoken up, they wouldn't have minded bringing him back.
But the result...
None of them dared to speak up.
Hmph, the Chiyang Sword Sect took his family hostage to threaten him, and they didn't dare to retaliate, so they turned their attention to our Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy of the Taixu Sword Sect?
What, did they think our Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy was easier to bully?
As the Taixu Sword Sect's mountain gate approached, Zhang Weiqian cupped his hands and left to handle the matter.
When Jiang Yuqiu and the group neared Flaming Phoenix Peak, she did not continue forward: "I will go to the main administrative peak. On one hand, all unregistered Core Formation cultivators within the Taixu Sword Sect must be thoroughly dealt with. On the other hand, I will discuss with the sect master how to handle this matter. You return to the peak."
Li Chunjun nodded.
Immediately, he and the others turned and landed on Flaming Phoenix Peak.
Returning to his courtyard, Li Chunjun turned his attention to the "Human Emperor Banner" in his spiritual world.
...
"Killed a Level 21 creature, experience +9511!"
...
[Life Level: 21 (9850/10000)]
...
150 experience points short.
One Qi Refining seventh-level cultivator would be enough.
However, he planned to rely on his own cultivation.
Taking Pills and progressing step by step, he could accumulate the remaining 150 experience points within a month.
The Taixu Sword Sect's standards for cultivating Sword Prodigies were extremely high.
All kinds of Pills were provided as needed, which was why he had accumulated over 300 experience points in these past few days.
Approaching a level-up, he naturally planned to perform another Essence Blood Sword Sacrifice.
With his current level of Sword Intent, another Essence Blood Sword Sacrifice would likely allow him to refine the Black Flame Diamond into the Scarlet Sky Sword, transforming this Spirit Artifact Flying Sword into a Mystic Treasure.
Once his Lifebound Flying Sword became a Mystic Treasure, and he refined his sword into a core...
Even if he hadn't mastered any killer moves or secret techniques, the combat power he could unleash would definitely not be inferior to the previous Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy.
(End of the Chapter)
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