Editor: Vis
There was no one within the Emperor's Heaven Sect who did not know of Zhu Yunlin. It wasn't because of how strong he was, but because he was the younger brother of the genius Zhu Xidao. His identity was on a different level than Zhu Youwei's. Zhu Youwei was Zhu Xidao's elder cousin, but Zhu Yunlin was Zhu Xidao's biological younger brother. Thus, it was natural of Zhu Xidao to dote on him.
Just then, he appeared with his hands behind his back and surrounded by four youths who escorted him forth. It was obvious that he had been incited by Zhu Youwei to exact punishment on Jiang Xiaofan. Currently, he looked at Jiang Xiaofan with hostility.
He wore an arrogant, cold smirk on his face and stared down at Jiang Xiaofan. He was clearly eleven to twelve years of age, but he emanated a mature, haughty aura as if he was a celestial spirit from beyond the Heaven.
"Seriously, Zhu Youwei, is he your lackey? He's not even weaned off mama's milk yet, is he?" His words were spiteful. Jiang Xiaofan turned to Zhu Yunlin and asked, "Hey kid, who are you? I don't believe Qingyun Sword is yours?"
Zhu Youwei's face turned ashen, and he narrowed his eyes with sparks of fire dancing within. The Qingyun Sword was given to him by Zhu Yunlin. It took him a lot of time fawning over Zhu Yunlin to get his hands on it. Even though he was both brothers' elder cousin, he did not dare to ever utter a word that was deemed out of line in front of them. He was always prudent.
The onlookers wanted to laugh but contained it. Deep down, they knew that Zhu Yunlin should not be taken lightly. Vastly different from Zhu Youwei, he and his brother both had an extremely prominent background.
"Jiang, how bold of you to show disrespect towards me! Get over here and kowtow at me to show your repent! Present the Qingyun Sword to me and destroy your own hands! Only then shall I spare you from death."
Although Jiang Xiaofan was an orphan, he had seen countless numbers of spoiled heirs of politicians and the wealthy. Still, he had never seen such an arrogant child before. Even Ye Yuanxue furrowed her brows.
"Kid, how can you be so young, yet your heart is filled with malice? When you grow older, won't you become a scourge for those around you?" Jiang Xiaofan shook his head and rubbed his chin. "Hm, I didn't want to do this, but today, I'll help your family out and properly educate you."
"Jiang Xiaofan, you have crossed the line! No one has ever spoken to me this way! You're dead meat! No one will be able to save you!" replied Zhu Yunlin icily. His expression grew sullen.
*Ring*
Zhu Yunlin cast a Daoist hex, and a pagoda appeared above his head, about 3 centimeters in height with nine tiers. It radiated a strong, divine light and released a deafening noise as if it could destroy anything within its reach. The pagoda was coming down to suppress Jiang Xiaofan.
Shortly after seeing Zhu Yunlin make his move, the crowd retreated backward, not wanting to be drawn into the incident. More importantly, the qi emanating from the pagoda's divine light was just too strong for them to handle, causing their hearts to palpitate in anxiety.
"Yo kid, your weapon's pretty cool!"
Jiang Xiaofan took a step back. He was now at the sixth heaven of Micro Realm, no longer the same as he was in the past. He sensed the terrible power of the pagoda. It was much more potent than Qingyun Sword.
He quickly slid to his left. A green light glimmered in his right hand and with a rise of his palm, he released a strike. This was the Qingyun Sword which he had taken from Jin Mohao. With the focus of his spiritual awareness, it zipped across the field like a spark of lightning.
*Ka*
The black-green colored Qingyun Sword glowed even more brightly, hacking at the pagoda from atop. Unexpectedly, the sword was thrust backward and broken into seven pieces while in midair.
"This is…."
Jiang Xiaofan's pupils constricted. Qingyun Sword was a spirit-ranked weapon which a Realm of Dust cultivator might not even able to wield. All of a sudden, with one clash, the sword was fragmented. The might of this small pagoda was too frightening.
"That's…. It looks like the Soul Training Pagoda!
"You're right. That is the Soul Training Pagoda. It's Zhu Xidao's secret weapon. The rumors are true. Zhu Xidao does heavily dote on his younger brother. Even though he's in closed-door training, he nevertheless gave away his weapon in order to protect Zhu Yunlin."
Because of the selection tournament, there were still many people gathered around with most of them being outer disciples from the previous selection, along with a large number of inner disciples mixed in. Therefore, it was to no surprise that they were able to recognize this mystical weapon.
"Soul Training Pagoda? B… But that's a precious-ranked weapon!" exclaimed another whose mouth was twisted awkwardly in astonishment.
"Correct! This is my brother's Soul Training Pagoda. Jiang, it is your greatest fortune in several lifetimes to die under the might of this weapon!"
Zhu Yunlin held his head up high and proudly admitted it, not the least bit concerned that someone had revealed the origin of the precious weapon. He didn't even care about his broken Qingyun Sword. Zhu Youwei, on the other hand, revealed a look of anger. His hatred for Jiang Xiaofan further deepened.
"Xiaofan, be careful! Don't go head-on! Don't fight against him yet!" Ye Yuanxue's voice echoed into his mind through her use of spiritual awareness.
"Brother Jiang, it's better to retreat for now. The power of a precious weapon is too fearsome! You can't win against it!" In a solemn tone, Chen Yifeng relayed his words to him through the crowd.
He didn't answer back. In truth, he didn't have the focus to respond. The pagoda was pressuring him, and the size of the weapon had grown to three meters in height, releasing an even more powerful aura. The ground below him quaked and displayed slight cracks.
Jiang Xiaofan's expression was grave. Dark green light began to envelop his body. He dashed ahead, channeling the Jade Purity Cultivation Method on one hand and Buddha's Shadow Steps on the other. He needed to quickly take down Zhu Yunlin.
Zhu Yunlin smirked frostily. With both hands, he cast another hex. The Soul Training Pagoda shook and then unleashed a dragon's roar that reached the Nine Skies. Nine red and green dragons appeared and encircled Jiang Xiaofan, swaying their long bodies around and baring their maws at him.
The color drained from Jiang Xiaofan's face. Though the dragons did not possess a physical body, their presence alone was a force to be reckoned with. He was completely trapped. There wasn't even the smallest gap for escape. At the same time, the pagoda from above was pressurizing him.
"Jiang, don't even bother with struggling. This is Nine Dragons Sealing the Heaven, a secret technique that had been sealed by my brother within the Soul Training Pagoda. Let's not discuss you. Even a Realm of Dust cultivator would be crushed by this power!"
Scared witless, he mustered all his strength and attempted to break out of the encirclement. However, it was useless. The nine dragons' qi were too overwhelming. They weren't on a level that his current self could defend and counter. Not to mention, the pressure from the pagoda was like a demonic mountain slamming down on him. It was difficult to shake off that force.
"Will this be my end?" He inwardly lamented, his heart full of grievances.
The Soul Training Pagoda was obscured by its radiating lights. Beyond it were the nine dragons. With the doubling of pressure on the body, the force was like a new satellite being pulled into orbit by a giant sun. It was suffocating. Many onlookers couldn't help but retreat further back.
His heart chilled. He was finally at a loss at what to do. He possessed the Buddhist Sutra which contained unparalleled cultivation methods. It was a divine sutra that any cultivator dreamed of possessing. In it were numerous techniques; however, at his current level, he was unable to perform them.
Many thoughts ran through his mind. Ever since he had mysteriously arrived at this cultivation world from Earth and gained the Buddhist Sutra, he thought that would finally be able to open new doors, explore the vast lands, and feel the rush of the wind and boundless sunshine. To his dismay, his ending was to be a tragic one. He was going to die soon and in the hands of a stinking child no less.
He then thought of Ye Yuanxue. Despite being with her for only a few short months, he discovered that he had deeply fallen for this fairy-like girl. She was spirited and cute, pretty and kind. From birth until now, this was the first time that he had sincerely cared for someone else, and also the first time that a girl had bought him clothes.
Being with her was so relaxing and joyous. These were feelings which he had never experienced before. He struggled to turn his head and caught a glimpse of the violet-robed fairy looking back at him with worry in her eyes.
The fall of a hero gives birth to a tragic song…." In his final moment, he suddenly remembered this phrase.
*Hum*
Out of the blue, the brass piece in the center of the multicolored lake vibrated and ejected an invisible stream of spiritual energy. Jiang Xiaofan's body rocked as the energy escaped outward.
This was a natural form of energy, just like the formation of the universe with the Big Bang. The stream of energy looked harmless, but its power was unstoppable.
*Bang*
The Soul Training Pagoda violently shook and was knocked flying out, emitting a loud crack in midair. A few fissures appeared on the surface of the precious weapon. The nine dragons abruptly shattered into pieces and then became rays of light which soon dissipated.
Zhu Yunlin was stunned, as were Jiang Xiaofan, Ye Yuanxue, and everyone else. It wasn't until the loud clunk of the pagoda falling to the ground that everyone returned back to focus. Each one of them had their eyes bulged in great disbelief. A Micro Realm cultivator knocked a precious weapon, the Soul Training Pagoda, flying out. This paradigm shift was even more ground-breaking than a magnitude twelve earthquake.
"What a super-duper, amazing treasure!"
Jiang Xiaofan felt euphoric beyond words. He nearly couldn't control himself screaming out loud. He turned around and furiously glowered at Zhu Yunlin. Wearing a naughty smile on his face, he swiftly charged to the front with Buddha's Shadow Steps.
*Bang*
Just when Zhu Yunlin returned back to reality, a gold-colored palm strike came into his view, smacking him directly on the cheek. Blood spewed from his nose and mouth. In an instant, half of his face had swollen up. Like a kite whose string had been cut, he was knocked flying backward.
Soon, the scene of Jiang Xiaofan mercilessly beating Jin Mohao was replayed again. Under the cover of his dark green aura and with his glowing footsteps, he repeatedly pounded Zhu Yunlin.
"Jiang Xiaofan!"
Zhu Yunlin barked. His eyes breathed fire, and the veins on his forehead bulged. His face was twisted with savagery.
He wanted to use the pagoda against Jiang Xiaofan again, but with such a short distance between both of them, how could Jiang Xiaofan possibly give him this chance? Smooth like rolling clouds and flowing water, Jiang Xiaofan unhesitatingly assaulted him with heavy punches and kicks.
*Bang*
This time, Zhu Yunlin could no longer tolerate the growing pain. He cried in misery as he coughed out blood. Both of his arms were fractured. Unable to defend, he was sent flying again like a rag doll.
"Halt!"
"How dare you hurt the Respected One's younger brother! Your fate has been sealed!"
The four youths who had accompanied Zhu Yunlin all rushed forth. Zhu Youwei was the first to lead the pack. If something terrible were to happen to Zhu Yunlin, he would surely get more than what he bargained for.
"Go back to where you came from, you bunch of wusses!"
Jiang Xiaofan coldly replied. With a forward sweep of his right leg, he hooked all four and kicked them flying. Streaks of blood painted the sky.
One of his Buddhist cultivation methods was the sacred Diamond Sutra[1]. Although he was only in the sixth heaven of Micro Realm, his bodily strength was on par with that of a cultivator' from the Realm of Dust.
With his invincible physique, there was no way for Zhu Youwei, who was already injured, and the other three, who were merely in the fourth heaven of Micro Realm, to defend. The four of them were immediately taken down, losing all their strength to combat.
"Fuck, he's ridiculously vicious!"
"A humanoid beast!"
The spectators were again in a state of shock. Jiang Xiaofan wasn't just beastly. He was beastly beyond imagination. Even Ye Yuanxue dropped her jaw in astonishment.
"Jiang Xiaofan, you're dead. Dead meat, you got that?! How dare you assault me?! My brother won't let you go! He'll crush you to dust!" screamed Zhu Yunlin. His eyes burned with fury and his expression was feral.
"Kid, even now you're still talking tough. Hm, well, I'm actually a nice guy. Although you want me killed, I have no desire to kill you. Um, I will just beat you up until you go nuts."
Jiang Xiaofan rubbed his chin again. He wasn't dumb. He knew that he and Zhu Yunlin, along with his gang, were on a different level. He didn't have a prominent background. If Zhu Yunlin killed him, Zhu Yunlin would at most just be punished and lectured. However, if he killed Zhu Yunlin, then death would be his only route.
"Is he really going to do it?"
"This is too insane!"
Many of the spectators' heart raced. The reason was that Jiang Xiaofan had walked over and kicked Zhu Yunlin flying out for the last time. After witnessing this, they had a strong desire to want to faint. This person was just too barbaric. A month ago, he beat up Zhu Xidao's elder cousin, and this time, he beat up his brother. He just had no concern for the consequences.
Footnotes
^ aka Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra, the most famous sutra in Mahayana Buddhism alongside the Heart Sutra aka Prajnaparamita Hrdaya Sutra