To Bai Xiaochun, it was the type of opportunity that would only come once in a blue moon. And if he killed Daoist Heavenspan right now, even the Saint-Emperor would surely support his decision.
After all, Daoist Heavenspan currently held an object that both of the archaeans wanted for themselves. As Bai Xiaochun swung the Greatsword of the North, rumbling sounds filled heaven and earth, and scintillating blue light shone in all directions. This was battle prowess equivalent to the late Celestial Realm, all of it directed solely against Daoist Heavenspan!
Everything happened too quickly. Even as Daoist Heavenspan was reaching out toward the lizard, Bai Xiaochun’s greatsword slashed out. Before Daoist Heavenspan could react, an intense sensation of deadly crisis rose up from the bottom of his heart.
Although he could be resurrected if he died, it would come at the cost of ten percent of his cultivation base, a price he would not pay unless absolutely necessary. After all, a permanent ten percent loss in cultivation base would also mean he was ten percent less likely to reach the Archaean Realm!
Achieving that breakthrough was difficult enough without reducing the chances by ten percent. And Daoist Heavenspan was ruthlessly ambitious; how could he possibly dash his own hopes just for the sake of a lizard?
Without the slightest hesitation, he let out a shout and threw his hand out to the side. Instead of tossing the lizard into his bag of holding, he thrust it out to block Bai Xiaochun’s Greatsword of the North.
Rumbling booms filled the air as the unstoppable greatsword made contact with the lizard. For the first time, instead of severing that which lay in its path, it only hewed out a great chunk of flesh!
The lizard blocked the greatsword and sent a massive backlash attack into Bai Xiaochun, causing his qi and blood to vibrate violently. However, Daoist Heavenspan was hurt even worse. Blood sprayed out of his mouth as he was flung backward, simultaneously releasing the lizard!
He had no other choice than to release it. If he greedily tried to keep it, then Gu Tianjun and the other Saint-Emperor Dynasty celestials would certainly give chase. Even if they were initially blocked from doing so, Bai Xiaochun would have another chance to strike a fatal blow. Therefore, releasing the lizard not only made him less of a target, it would also make it much harder for Bai Xiaochun to continue the fight.
Although all of this takes a bit of time to describe, from the moment Bai Xiaochun made his move to the point when Daoist Heavenspan let go of the lizard, only enough time elapsed for a spark to fly off of a piece of flint. As Daoist Heavenspan sped off, Bai Xiaochun lurched to a halt, aware that giving chase would be difficult.
Most importantly, he now had the lizard! And as soon as his hand touched it, he gasped at the realization that his Undying Live Forever Technique was stirring thirstily. Apparently, the lizard contained good fortune of a monumental level for the Undying Live Forever Technique!
There was no time for thought or planning. He quickly threw the lizard into his bag of holding, only a moment before Celestial Virūpākṣa, Prince Ur-Demon, and Celestial Deadfall closed in with killing intent burning.
“Have a death wish, Bai Xiaochun?!?!”
“Hand over that sovereign-level fleshly body! You don’t qualify to sully that with your touch, Bai Xiaochun!!”
Even Gu Tianjun, Sima Yunhua, Celestial Aged Spirit and Chen Su approached, eyes flickering with avarice.
“Throw me that clone, King Heavenspan!”
“We have your back now, King Heavenspan!!” Although they seemed to be working in Bai Xiaochun’s interests, and were even intercepting the celestials from the Vile-Emperor Dynasty, all of them were thinking of ways to get the lizard from him.
The truth was that Bai Xiaochun’s status was a sensitive subject; he wasn’t truly a celestial of the Saint-Emperor Dynasty. If any of the other celestials had acquired the lizard, they would have all stood together no matter who had it in hand. But if they had a chance to get it from Bai Xiaochun, they would obviously do so.
In the briefest of moments, Daoist Heavenspan was no longer the target, and Bai Xiaochun was. Although it was somewhat of a predicament, all he had to do was hand over the lizard, and everything would be resolved. Except… the profound thirst of the Undying Live Forever Technique caused his heart to start pounding with anticipation.
“Dammit, I've got to go for broke!” he growled inwardly, his eyes completely bloodshot. He feared death, and didn’t like to take big risks, but there was too much to gain in this situation. If he gave up now, he would regret it forever!
“As long as I have even a scrap of energy left, I won’t give it to them!” Bai Xiaochun hadn’t even considered trying to take the sovereign clone for himself earlier. But now, he realized that if he could buy enough time, he might be able to benefit in unimaginable ways.
Howling, he utilized the Mountain Shaking Bash to achieve a huge burst of speed.
Filled with rage, Celestial Deadfall and Prince Ur-Demon shot forward to block his path. However, as soon as they got close, he unleashed the Living Mountain Incantation and the Cloud Lightning Forefather Transformation. As he became an enormous giant, he hefted the Greatsword of the North and slashed it out with vicious determination!
Rumbling sounds filled heaven and earth as sword qi descended upon the already-wounded Prince Ur-Demon and Celestial Deadfall. Yet again, blood sprayed out of their mouths as they were flung backward. And yet, Bai Xiaochun was also hit with a backlash, and lurched to a halt.
That brief pause was all that was needed for Celestial Virūpākṣa to close in. Turning, Bai Xiaochun performed an incantation gesture, and then waved his finger!
“Waterswamp!”
Rumbling sounds could be heard as water vapor roiled out, and the entire area was turned into a huge swamp!
“Kingdom!!”
A roar could be heard that seemed to echo out from many years in the past. At the same time, an indescribably large beast appeared, with an upper and lower jaw that resembled a crocodile, or perhaps even a dragon. The entire world shook as the beast slammed into Celestial Virūpākṣa.
Virūpākṣa tried to dodge out of the way, but the beast was too big, and moved with indescribable speed.
A huge boom echoed out from the impact, and Bai Xiaochun shot past.
“Listen, Gu Tianjun,” he shouted, “if you guys run interference for me, we can all benefit!” With that, he began to pick up speed.
Gu Tianjun and the other celestials hesitated for a moment. Aware that now was not the time for infighting, they suppressed their thoughts of taking the lizard from Bai Xiaochun, and went all out to block the enemy celestials. Before Virūpākṣa and the others could give chase, Gu Tianjun and his comrades were there to stop them.
Bai Xiaochun was simply too fast. A moment later, he was 30,000 meters away, and kept going until he vanished.
Within moments, he was nowhere to be seen.
At that point, Gu Tianjun and the other celestials from the Saint-Emperor Dynasty backed up. As for Celestial Virūpākṣa and his fellows, they exchanged grim glances, aware that chasing Bai Xiaochun down now would be difficult.
Celestial Virūpākṣa was not ready to give in though. “We might not be able to find Bai Xiaochun,” he said, “but Gu Tianjun and the others probably can. I bet they all agreed to split the lizard amongst themselves. That's why they helped him escape!
“Celestial Ghostmother is on the way. She’s probably close by now. Send her a message to go wait by the exit and intercept Bai Xiaochun! And we should get to the exit as quickly as possible too!”
Prince Ur-Demon and the others agreed, and they quickly flew off.
Reverend Devourer had finally been able to stop his body from melting, and followed along. As for the old woman, during the fighting moments before, her entire body had been reduced to a pile of blood and gore. Although the sealing magic which had been placed upon her had not successfully destroyed her Daoseed, it had been significantly harmed. But at least it still existed. The other celestials took her Daoseed with them, and gave the matter no more thought.
The Vile-Emperor Dynasty celestials rushed toward the exit, their faces as grim as could be, and their hearts pulsing with hatred for Bai Xiaochun. They were also quite displeased with Daoist Heavenspan.
“If Daoist Heavenspan had lasted for a bit longer, and maybe put more on the line, then we would have gotten that clone’s body!” Celestial Virūpākṣa looked at the stump of his severed arm, and then at Daoist Heavenspan. Eyes glinting with cold light, he thought, “I’ll make sure he gets what’s coming to him after we get back!”