"Boy, are you looking for death?"
The burly man with the blood ring glared, standing in front of Lin Xuan with a fierce look.
Originally, seeing Lin Xuan walking over with a group of people, the burly man with the blood-colored earrings thought Lin Xuan was taking the initiative to pay the Nirvana Pills. The burly man even planned to use Lin Xuan and his group as an example for others to see.
As a result, Lin Xuan's response made the burly man feel like he was being played. Immediately, he blocked Lin Xuan's path, staring at Lin Xuan with a fierce expression.
Behind the burly man, more than a dozen Creation Realm experts also surrounded them, their powerful aura sweeping around.
Lin Xuan ignored the burly man in front of him, only looking up at the city wall. He was never a bloodthirsty person. Most of the time, he was very reasonable. A strong person, if only pursuing slaughter, is nothing more than a slave to the sword in their hand.
But at the same time, Lin Xuan was not a person who liked to talk too much. The Sword, many times, can help those who like to talk too much, to shut their mouths quietly.
"Hehe, you have guts!"
Under Lin Xuan's gaze, on the city wall, a young man wearing golden robes stood with his arms folded, a sneer on his thin lips, watching Lin Xuan and his group below.
"If you dare to provoke the people of our Holy Light Dynasty, then you must be prepared for death!"
"You are all from the Holy Light Dynasty?"
Lin Xuan calmly retracted his gaze. He didn't like talking to people while looking up, nor did he like looking down. Behind Lin Xuan, Lin Dong and others stared coldly at the Holy Light Dynasty experts who were surrounding them.
Around them, the other Dynasty's contestants all stood by, watching everything coldly.
"Hehe, this big fool has guts, daring to block the Sword Saint's path, tsk tsk!"
Little Marten's voice sounded in Lin Dong's heart, the gloating tone perfectly interpreting what it means to enjoy watching the fun.
"Lin Dong, remember to scavenge everything later. These guys are blocking the road to rob Nirvana Pills, they must have at least a few thousand Nirvana Pills on them, just enough for you to cultivate."
Previously, Lin Xuan's congratulatory gift for Lin Dong's wedding was generous, a full 100,000 Nirvana Pills. However, who told Lin Dong that he still had that Blood Spirit Puppet, plus he left a little for the Lin Family and Mu Qianqian, Lin Dong was almost out now.
Lin Dong couldn't help but roll his eyes when he heard this. Is it really okay for this Little Marten to pick up the Young Clan Leader's things like this? However, the Young Clan Leader doesn't seem to care much, right? He has never been seen collecting other people's Universe Bags after killing them.
"Hmph, that's right, I am Li Sheng of the Holy Light Dynasty, boy, you..."
Li Sheng, who was standing on the city wall with his arms folded and a proud expression, was about to say something, but before he could finish his words, the vitality in his body was directly cut off by an invisible force.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Not only Li Sheng, but also other people from the Holy Light Dynasty, a full dozen people, a dozen Creation Realm experts, actually turned into a dozen corpses in full view of everyone, falling to the ground, making dull sounds.
Looking at the people of the Holy Light Dynasty who fell silently to the ground, the contestants from other dynasties around them suddenly changed their expressions, staring in horror at the white-robed, silver-haired, and peerlessly elegant figure standing there.
Indifference!
A kind of indifference that seemed to freeze the soul emanated from that snow-white figure, making everyone stand in place, not daring to move at all.
Lin Xuan ignored the people around him. He didn't like killing, but compared to killing, he hated those who sought death even more.
Behind him, watching Lin Xuan walk towards the city, Lin Dong quickly waved his sleeves, rolled up all the corpses of those people, and then directly began to scavenge the bodies of those from the Holy Light Dynasty.
After collecting everything, Lin Dong, Lin Ke'er and the others followed and walked into the city.
Seeing Lin Xuan and his group leave, the remaining contestants from other dynasties couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, but none of them dared to walk inside.
After all, that cold-faced killer was inside before. Someone with such methods must be a Nirvana Realm expert, and even among Nirvana Realm experts, they would definitely be a strong one. If they rashly barged in and annoyed that killer, they would be slaughtered...
But if they didn't go in, the outside world was even more dangerous.
After a period of stalemate, finally, an expert from one of the dynasties mustered up the courage and cautiously walked towards the city gate.
When they stood at the city gate and saw that the killer didn't make a move, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Phew!"
But at this moment, a gust of breeze blew by, and a chill instantly attacked the clothes on their backs, which were already soaked with sweat, causing the faces of those few people to stiffen.
But the next moment, they were surprised to find that they were actually still alive. Before they could show a smile of relief, they were horrified to discover that the flag planted by the Holy Light Dynasty next to the city gate had directly turned into dust and scattered in the air.
"Hiss!"
All the contestants blocked outside the city couldn't help but gasp. Was this kind of method really part of the same thing they were participating in?
Such extraordinary methods were probably only possible for experts from those super sects, right?
However, that lord, apart from being a bit indifferent, seemed to be quite good. At least, he not only helped to eliminate that group of hateful guys from the Holy Light Dynasty, but he didn't even charge them any fees to enter the city.
Moreover, with such a big figure in the city, they felt safer cultivating.
The sun had just set, and darkness had just swallowed the earth when a round, dark red moon slowly rose, emitting bursts of eerie light.
As that round blood-red moon shone, in the red night, there were occasional low roars of beasts echoing across the vast land.
In the very center of the city, there were nine stone platforms. Among them, the eight outer stone towers formed an octagonal shape, arranged in the eight directions, and in the middle of the eight stone towers, there was an even larger stone platform.
At the top of the stone platform, a white-clothed figure stood gracefully on the spire. The cold night wind blew up that silver hair and white clothes, like another cold moon, reflecting the entire city.
In the city, many experts, whenever they looked at the ethereal figure in the center of the city, would feel a sense of security in their hearts.
That lord who didn't like to talk had been standing on the top of the tower every night for the past three days, drinking alone. Although they didn't know what he was doing, because of that lord's presence, the city didn't have to worry too much about the night's demon tide. No demon beasts dared to approach the city.
Even, many experts would leave the city at night and choose to hunt demon beasts, such as the few juniors following behind that lord.
Looking up at that round dark red blood moon, Lin Xuan's eyes flickered with a hint of strangeness. He liked to stand on the top of the tower, not to enjoy the night breeze, but to feel the energy in that blood moon.
After three days of comprehension, Lin Xuan already had some guesses about the origin of this Ancient Battlefield.
This place should have once belonged to a part of the ancient Demon Continent. According to Lin Xuan's guess, a more accurate statement should be that this ancient space, together with the current Demon Domain, formed the real Demon Continent.
However, the earth-shattering battle that broke out in the more ancient period before the Otherworldly Demon war shattered the entire Demon Continent, and the better-preserved part became the current Demon Domain.
And the main battlefield of that great battle became the current Ancient Battlefield.
Even, Lin Xuan could guess the identities of the top experts on both sides of that earth-shattering battle back then—the Four Sacred Beasts and the Four Fiend Beasts.
The Azure Dragon of the East, the Vermilion Bird of the South, the White Tiger of the West, and the Black Tortoise of the North!
Each of them was very likely to have touched the Ancestor Realm to be able to shatter the vast ancient Demon Continent and send such a large piece of the continent into space and successfully preserve it.
The Four Profound Sects of the Ancient Battlefield were very likely later arrivals who obtained some of the remnants of the Four Sacred Beasts, thus establishing their power.
As for why it was some remnants, because the blood moon above their heads was not a real moon, but was transformed from the flesh and blood of the ancient Four Sacred Beasts, but because of that earth-shattering battle, it was integrated into the baleful aura within the bodies of the Four Fiend Beasts.
Including the Nirvana Qi in the heaven and earth, which is much richer than the outside world, even the mountain gates of those super sects cannot compare to this Ancient Battlefield. In fact, it is all due to the influence of the Sacred Beast Vermilion Bird.
Therefore, every night when the blood moon hangs in the sky, the 'moonlight' containing the weak bloodline power of the Four Sacred Beasts and the baleful aura of the Four Fiend Beasts will stimulate those low-intelligence demon beasts to riot.
The reason Lin Xuan was able to know this was thanks to his research on the severed arm of the Nine Kings Hall, which gave him some insights into the vitality of flesh and blood, coupled with the insight of his Sword Heart, allowing him to perceive all of this.
As for this city, it is even simpler. The nine stone platforms in the city are actually a great formation, which can not only condense a huge amount of Nirvana Qi, but also resist the suppression of Origin Power when that vast vitality descends.
Lin Xuan drank the last of the spiritual wine in the pot, and was about to descend from the top of the stone tower when suddenly, his eyes narrowed and he looked up at the blood-red moon.
The originally dark red blood moon had now become as red as fresh blood, and faintly, a surge of vigorous vitality emanated from it.
"Roar!!"
At this moment, outside the city, roars filled with ferocity and tyranny rang out, and then, the earth began to tremble.
"Woo!!!"
A siren sounded in the city, and then, figures with impressive auras leaped onto the city walls. When they looked at the vast tide of demon beasts surging in from outside the city, many people's faces turned pale instantly.
But the next moment, an astonishing aura emanated from the center of the city, causing many people's hearts to tremble, and then, a look of joy appeared on their faces.
"Is the lord going to take action?"
Many people even subconsciously turned their heads to look at the stone tower in the center of the city.
But when these people turned their heads, they couldn't help but widen their eyes, and involuntary expressions of amazement appeared on their faces.
The white-clothed figure was gradually rising into the air, and astonishing Sword Qi emanated from his body.
When the white-clothed figure gradually overlapped with the blood moon in the sky, everyone suddenly discovered that the originally blood-like red moon had become pure white and dazzling.
"Buzz!!!"
At this moment, a special fluctuation emanated from the bright moon.
Under this special fluctuation, countless fierce and baleful dark red swords were condensed in the heaven and earth. Each of those swords exuded a palpitating fluctuation, making these people understand that any one of those swords was enough to end their lives.
"Fall!!"
A soft shout rang out, and the next moment, everyone saw a scene they would never forget in their lives.
As the sound fell, countless dark red swords transformed into countless dark red streamers, flying towards the tide of demon beasts surging in from all directions outside the city.
Under the baleful swords, the demon beasts that had already turned into a tide fell to the ground like pieces of wheat being cut down.
In the blink of an eye, the countless demon beast tide had turned into countless corpses, lying on the cold earth.
"Hiss! As expected of the Sword Saint, such a group attack method!"
Little Marten looked at the shocking scene, his small eyes were now like a pair of small copper bells, and Lin Dong on the side also gasped.
He realized that compared to the Young Clan Leader, he, who was known as a Killer, could be said to be harmless.
Lin Xuan slowly floated down, and then, he formed hand seals. His vast spiritual power instantly swept across the entire earth, and then, all the demon crystals, as if attracted by something, gathered above the city.
"This is?"
Lin Dong looked at Lin Xuan's movements in confusion. Little Marten scratched his head with his paw, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes as he looked at the special pattern formed by the countless blood-red demon crystals.
"This looks like a great formation, and also like a totem, seemingly similar to those mixed-blood birds of the Nine Phoenix Clan!"
"Aren't you from the Sky Demon Marten Clan, one of the overlords of the Demon Continent? Wouldn't you recognize things from the demon beast race?"
Looking at the unreliable Little Marten, Lin Dong couldn't help but roll his eyes. Little Marten's expression turned anxious upon hearing this, and it quickly defended itself.
"What are you saying, kid? Can Marten Lord's affairs be called not recognizing? This thing isn't even from our demon beast race, okay!"
Upon hearing Lin Dong say it was useless, Little Marten immediately became anxious. Although it liked to sleep, and even its strength had been improved through sleeping, could the Sky Demon Marten royal bloodline be called sleeping? That was accepting inheritance, that was diligent cultivation!
However, in its bloodline inheritance, Little Marten really didn't know what this thing that looked like both a great formation and a totem actually was.
"Tch, if you don't know, you don't know. I just knew you, Little Marten, were unreliable!"
Lin Dong curled his lip and said, his gaze fixed on the massive, fiery-red formation that was large enough to cover the entire city, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"This is indeed not something from the demon beast race!"
Just then, a slightly cāngsāng (weather-beaten/ vicissitudes of life) voice rang out in Lin Dong's body, causing both Lin Dong and Little Marten's expressions to change drastically.
Before Lin Dong and Little Marten could open their mouths to ask, the cāngsāng (weather-beaten/ vicissitudes of life) voice spoke again.
"No need to investigate, I am the spirit of the Ancestral Stone, named Yan. I can awaken so quickly thanks to that person, who risked his life to kill the Nine Kings Hall's clone, leaving behind that precious Demon Emperor Armor!"
"Demon Emperor Armor? Is that thing very precious?"
Lin Dong and Little Marten were both stunned for a moment. The name sounded very ordinary, not as domineering as the Heavenly Scale Ancient Halberd. However, when they thought that the name Ancestral Stone was even more ordinary, yet it was one of the top treasures in the world, they felt relieved.
Perhaps, the more powerful a divine object was, the more ordinary its name might be, just like the sword in the Young Clan Leader's hand, which didn't even seem to have a name, yet it could withstand that Demon Emperor Armor head-on.
"The Demon Emperor Armor and I are treasures of the same level, but I just happen to restrain them!"
Yan explained softly. Little Marten, hiding in the Ancestral Stone, looked curiously at the strange figure, then quickly said with a smile.
"Do you really recognize this thing?"
"Actually, I haven't seen it either. Not to mention me, even the master didn't see it back then!"
Yan didn't hide anything and took the initiative to speak. Lin Dong's eyes narrowed upon hearing this. The master in Yan's mouth was probably none other than the legendary Symbol Ancestor.
After Little Marten heard Yan's words, its small marten face was already beaming with joy, and it quickly said.
"Lin Dong, did you hear that clearly? Don't blame everything on Marten Lord. Sword Saint is too powerful and has too many methods, so it's normal for Marten Lord not to recognize it, isn't it?"
"You call him Sword Saint? Why not Formation Ancestor? His talent in formations is much stronger than the master's back then."
Yan looked at Little Marten strangely, looking at the huge spirit formation above, which was even more dazzling and radiant, with faint fiery-red lights constantly flowing.
The fiery-red streamers seemed to form a huge divine bird totem as they flowed.
"If I'm not mistaken, the divine bird totem on this great formation he arranged should be the legendary Sacred Beast Vermilion Bird, which is even more ancient than the master."
"Sacred Beast Vermilion Bird?"
Little Marten felt a chill upon hearing this name, feeling somewhat unfamiliar with it. Lin Dong was even more confused.
"Yes, Sacred Beast Vermilion Bird. It is said to be one of the earliest living beings in Tianxuan Continent. Nowadays, many demon beasts in Tianxuan Continent have bloodlines from those Sacred Beasts and Fiend Beasts of ancient times. As for more specific details, not to mention me, even the master doesn't know much about it."
Yan said softly, looking at the fiery-red divine bird totem on the huge spirit formation composed of countless blood-colored demon crystals, which was faintly beginning to emit an ancient and sacred pressure, its eyes also filled with some amazement.
"He should be using these demon crystals to activate the Vermilion Bird Spirit Array, thereby lighting up the Vermilion Bird Totem, summoning the Vermilion Bird Fire, which is the legendary Nirvana Flame, known as the undying fire, an even more terrifying existence than the Nirvana Fire of the Nirvana Tribulation."
"Nirvana Flame? Is there a certain connection with the Nirvana Realm?"
"Indeed, it is said that the earliest cultivation method was learned by humans from the Sacred Beast Vermilion Bird. The Nirvana method, reincarnation without end, belongs to the unique cultivation law of the Tianxuan Continent!"
Hearing Lin Dong's question, Yan couldn't help but nod, looking at the white-clothed figure sitting cross-legged in the sky above the great array, he couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
"It's a pity that for endless years, no one has truly comprehended the true meaning of Nirvana. He should be the first person since ancient times."
In fact, even Lin Xuan himself didn't know that the origin of the cultivation method would be related to the legendary Sacred Beast Vermilion Bird.
Lin Xuan only felt that the Nirvana Qi of this world was transformed by the Sacred Beast Vermilion Bird. After being absorbed by those demon beasts, it was contained in the demon crystals. He might be able to summon the Nirvana Fire of the Sacred Beast Vermilion Bird through these demon crystals, so as to temper his body.
Even this great array was transformed from the original ordinary Nirvana Qi gathering spirit array when he was inspired during the array arrangement.
Lin Xuan, who was sitting cross-legged above the huge spirit array, had his eyes tightly closed, and his hands were each forming a hand seal.
At this time, Lin Xuan had completely entered that special state of enlightenment. In his perception, there were strands of Nirvana Qi constantly swimming in the spirit array beneath him.
At a certain moment, the hand seals changed, and then, all the demon crystals were suddenly lit up, and violent energy instantly spewed out, gathering in the space to form a huge fire-red Vermilion Bird phantom.
"Screech!"
The moment the divine bird phantom appeared, a clear bird cry exploded in everyone's ears.
As the bird cry sounded, the blood moon in the sky suddenly brightened, and a blood-colored beam of light fell directly, enveloping Lin Xuan, who was sitting in the air.
"Boom!"
At the moment when the beam of light fell, an extremely terrifying flame directly engulfed Lin Xuan's entire body. The violent Nirvana Fire continuously burned Lin Xuan's body, and his silver-white long hair was instantly burned to ashes.
Under the burning of that extremely terrifying Nirvana Fire, Lin Xuan's entire body instantly turned into a skeleton. The flesh and blood on his body completely disappeared. Only a light golden illusory sword was suspended in his dantian. At the same time, at the heart position, there was a heart of empty and bright color that was still beating.
"That is, Nascent Soul?"
Below, countless participants' pupils shrank instantly. Although countless people were surprised by the terrifying power of the flame, they were also shocked by Lin Xuan's strength—Nascent Soul, that was something that only high-level Nirvana Realm experts could condense.
"Hiss, he actually condensed Nascent Soul at the Seven Yuan Nirvana Realm? This guy is really a pervert!"
Little Marten was so shocked that he couldn't close his mouth. It knew that this guy was a homebody and hadn't gone anywhere. Without any treasures to help him, he directly condensed Nascent Soul at the Seven Yuan Nirvana Realm by himself?
"No, compared to the Nascent Soul, his bones and that heart are even more terrifying!"
Yan said in a deep voice, with a hint of disbelief in his tone.