Volume 1, Chapter 48: The Power of Life and Death

"Mu Yi! Just you wait!"

The moment Yue Jue saw the roaring dragon and tiger energy erupting within Mu Yi's body, he knew that the terrifying fist strike previously used to obliterate Lei Shan's peerless ultimate technique was about to be unleashed once again.

An unspeakable terror flooded his eyes.

"Cosmic Ancient Mirror!"

A massive mirror materialized before Yue Jue.

This was no ordinary mirror; it was a supreme-grade precious artifact bestowed upon him by the Great Gan Academy.

Each of the Four Kings—Dragon, Tiger, Leopard, and Crane—possessed a supreme-grade precious artifact.

Fang Yiyu, the Soaring Firmament Crane King, possessed the Scorching Fire Divine Cauldron.

This was the very reason he had managed to escape from Mu Yi's hands twice.

Meanwhile, Yao Tianan, the Blood-Handed Tiger King, possessed the Battle-Tiger Beast-Bone Saber.

This forced Mu Yi to hesitate from closing in lightly, for a single brush against the blade's edge would entail unimaginable consequences.

As for Lei Shan, the Wind-Thunder Leopard King, he too possessed a supreme-grade precious artifact.

Pity that before he even had the chance to wield it, he had already been blasted to death by Mu Yi.

Yet now, Yue Jue finally had the opportunity to employ his own supreme-grade precious artifact.

Boom!

At that very instant, Mu Yi had already unleashed the King's Tyrannical Fist once more!

Six fists blazed as fiercely as scorching suns.

In the final fraction of a second, they merged completely into a single ultimate fist, smashing violently against the Cosmic Ancient Mirror.

Crack!

The mirror flew backward.

The man retreated!

Even the supreme-grade Cosmic Ancient Mirror was sent soaring into the sky by Mu Yi's punch, scattering sparks in all directions.

Nevertheless, the vast majority of the destructive force had been successfully intercepted.

Even so, Yue Jue, positioned directly behind the Cosmic Ancient Mirror, coughed up a wild mouthful of blood and stumbled back several paces.

"Even the Cosmic Ancient Mirror cannot completely block Mu Yi's attack..."

In Yue Jue's eyes lay boundless shock and sheer disbelief.

"Mu Yi! You cannot kill me! Until we meet again! I will make sure you watch as the disciples of the Divine Concealment Academy fall one by one, their heads rolling until every last one of them is exterminated!"

Yue Jue swept his arm outward, recalling the Cosmic Ancient Mirror into his grasp.

Without looking back, he fled at top speed, his figure vanishing into the distance in the blink of an eye.

Mu Yi chose not to pursue him.

Chasing him would serve no purpose anyway.

Given his current realm of cultivation, he could only continuously unleash the King's Tyrannical Fist twice in a short span.

Unable to rely on this trump card, conventional means against Yue Jue—who was armed with a supreme-grade precious artifact—would allow him to hold the upper hand, but slaying his opponent would prove exceedingly difficult.

This was precisely Mu Yi's greatest shortcoming at present.

It could be said that the limitations of his cultivation realm still bound his hands and feet.

However, that was all in the past.

Now that he had acquired the three great treasures from the ruins of the Eight Desolations Sect, the situation would undergo a radical transformation.

"What? Are the three of you still not leaving? Could it be that you intend to seize my treasures?"

Mu Yi fixed his gaze upon Jun Wuxie, Qing Shuchen, and Bai Nishang.

The medicinal pills, the treasured saber, and the martial arts manuals he had obtained here were more than enough to arouse the deepest envy and greed in anyone's heart.

However, doing so required sufficient strength.

"Mu Yi, you are formidable; we admit defeat."

Jun Wuxie was the first to turn and leave.

Compared to the three great treasures, preserving one's life was far more important.

"Farewell."

Qing Shuchen and Bai Nishang possessed enough self-awareness as well.

Their individual strengths fell far short of Yue Jue and Lei Shan.

Now, Lei Shan had been beaten to death.

Yue Jue had barely managed to escape with his life by relying on the defensive power of the supreme-grade Cosmic Ancient Mirror, fleeing in a panic.

Under such circumstances, Mu Yi's fierce might was truly earth-shattering.

Who would dare covet the three great treasures he had secured?

Faces painted with utter desolation, Qing Shuchen and Bai Nishang turned and departed as well.

This time, their defeat had been absolute and thorough.

The only three perfectly preserved treasures of the Eight Desolations Sect had fallen entirely into Mu Yi's hands, monopolized by him alone.

Everyone else had ultimately gained nothing, making the trip completely in vain.

Such was the cruelty of this world.

With strength, one could naturally act as one pleased, deciding matters of life and death, and ruling over all things.

Without strength, one could only struggle humbly for survival, wagging their tail and begging for pity.

The survival of the fittest, natural selection.

An eternal, unchanging truth.

Before long, the entire grand hall fell silent, save for the occasional whisper of the wind sweeping across the entrance, leaving nothing else behind.

"Let me see what is so miraculous about these final three treasures of the Eight Desolations Sect."

Mu Yi retrieved the three treasures from his cosmic pouch.

First, he examined the dragon-patterned precious saber.

"The Eight Desolations Sect's premier divine blade, the supreme-grade Dao artifact—the Eight Desolations Dragon-Slaughtering Saber! Paired with the sect-鎮ing ultimate technique, the Eight Desolations Dragon-Slaughtering Saber Art, it can sweep across a thousand armies, swallow the universe in one breath, and reign supreme!"

The moment Mu Yi formed a spiritual resonance with the blade, its origins instantly imprinted themselves upon his mind.

"The Eight Desolations Holy Breath Pill, the premier divine pill of the Eight Desolations Sect. Every single pellet is infinitely precious, sufficient to drastically elevate a practitioner's cultivation base."

"Especially for cultivators below the Origin Mansion realm, the benefits are immeasurable!"

Finally, there was an additional note that caused Mu Yi's heart to leap with exhilaration.

"Splendid!"

Mu Yi burst into hearty laughter.

A joyous life must be lived to the fullest; never let the golden goblet face the moon in vain!

"The final martial art is indeed the Eight Desolations Dragon-Slaughtering Saber Art."

Mu Yi unfolded the martial arts scroll.

Just as he had anticipated, it was precisely the Eight Desolations Dragon-Slaughtering Saber Art.

Matched with the Eight Desolations Dragon-Slaughtering Saber, this constituted the standard equipment of every past sect master of the Eight Desolations Sect.

Now, all of it belonged to Mu Yi.

"Xianyue, this Eight Desolations Dragon-Slaughtering Saber is a supreme-grade Dao artifact—the highest-tier magic treasure in the Great Gan Dynasty, and a divine artifact that only giants of the Origin Realm can fully activate."

"I am currently merely at the second level of the Divine Transformation realm; can I possibly wield it?"

Mu Yi voiced the doubt lingering in his heart.

"For anyone else lacking the cultivation of the Origin Realm, facing this Eight Desolations Dragon-Slaughtering Saber would leave them sighing in despair."

Xianyue immediately replied, "But you are different. The Dragon-Elephant Divine-Demon War Body you possess transcends the heavens and myriad realms, unbound by any laws of heaven and earth."

"Standing outside the Three Realms, untouched by the Five Elements."

Xianyue calmly continued, "Thus, you are capable of wielding the Eight Desolations Dragon-Slaughtering Saber. However, until your cultivation reaches the Origin Realm, you will not be able to unleash its full might."

"That is fantastic! I do not expect to fully unleash the blade's complete power; utilizing even ten percent of it is more than enough for me to conquer the world!"

A brilliant, dazzling light flashed within Mu Yi's eyes.

With the Eight Desolations Dragon-Slaughtering Saber in hand,

All under heaven was secure!

Tremble in fear!

"Mu Yi, remain right here and swallow the Eight Desolations Holy Breath Pills. These six pills are enough to elevate your cultivation by a massive margin."

Xianyue instructed, "Furthermore, refine the Eight Desolations Dragon-Slaughtering Saber with a drop of your blood so that it truly belongs to you. From then on, you can manipulate it with your spiritual consciousness to annihilate enemies from afar."

Xianyue had already mapped out Mu Yi's path ahead.

"Very well, let us begin."

Good fortune brings a spirited mind!

Mu Yi had reaped a monumental harvest this time.

He sat cross-legged and first swallowed an Eight Desolations Holy Breath Pill.

This was, after all, the premier divine pill of the Eight Desolations Sect.

And the powerhouse that was the Eight Desolations Sect back in its heyday had surpassed even the current Great Gan Academy.

The efficacy of this top-tier divine pill was well worth Mu Yi's anticipation.

Three hours later.

The medicinal potency of a single pill was finally thoroughly absorbed by his body.

His cultivation realm rose steadily in response.

Boom.

Finally, ten minutes later, an even more formidable aura erupted from within Mu Yi's body.

"Fourth level of the Divine Transformation realm!"

Mu Yi opened his eyes. This single Eight Desolations Holy Breath Pill had directly elevated him by two full realms.

"Fantastic!"

Mu Yi laughed wildly and proceeded to swallow the second Eight Desolations Holy Breath Pill.

Several hours later, his cultivation ascended by yet another realm, reaching the fifth level of the Divine Transformation realm.

However, when swallowing the third pill afterward, his cultivation failed to advance another realm.

It was not until he consumed the fourth pill that the combined medicinal strength of the two pushed his cultivation to the sixth level of the Divine Transformation realm.

"Mu Yi, even with your Dragon-Elephant Divine-Demon War Body, there is a limit to how many medicinal effects your body can tolerate. Now that you have ingested four pills, the effects have diminished drastically, and swallowing the remaining two pills will provide very little additional benefit to you."

At that moment, Xianyue's voice sounded from within the Dragon-Elephant Divine-Demon Pagoda.

"Save them; they will prove immensely useful in the future. If you were to take them out to auction, they would fetch a colossal fortune."

"Very well."

Mu Yi nodded. "These two pills are priceless; they must not be squandered carelessly."

His current physique was nearing immunity to the Eight Desolations Holy Breath Pills, and swallowing any more would yield negligible results.

Conversely, a single one of these pills held unimaginable benefits for others.

He put away the remaining two Eight Desolations Holy Breath Pills.

Next came the blood-refining ritual for the Eight Desolations Dragon-Slaughtering Saber.

An hour later, it was successfully completed.

Immediately afterward, Mu Yi commenced his cultivation of the Eight Desolations Dragon-Slaughtering Saber Art.