Chapter 118: Old Wu Falls Silent

As the highest-cultivated man in the black robe dodged, his hands moved incessantly, weaving one spiritual shield after another before him in a desperate attempt to buy time. However, Old Wu clearly had no intention of engaging in a protracted battle. With a soft hum, his spiritual consciousness expanded at an incredibly high frequency, striking the brains of the three men.

All three bodies shuddered simultaneously. Though the tremor was fleeting, for a powerhouse like Old Wu, it was more than enough.

The Azure Flame Holy Sword instantly shattered the layers of spiritual shields. Before the shock in the black-robed man’s eyes could even fade, the blade pierced through his body, and a searing surge of energy simultaneously pulverized the Dao Embryo within his dantian.

The man could not fathom why such a ruthless figure still existed on the Dragon Soar Continent; this method of killing was no less brutal than that of a demonic cultivator. But before he could ponder this, his consciousness vanished entirely.

Controlling Lin Xiaobao’s body, Old Wu flicked his sword, snatching the man’s storage bracelet. Seeing this, the remaining two men dared not linger for a second. If their leader could not withstand a single blow, what choice did they have—as mere mid-stage Dao Embryo cultivators—but to flee?

Without even exchanging a glance, they instinctively bolted in opposite directions. Yet, as they neared the edge of the formation-flag barrier, they were stunned to find they could not pass through the very boundary they had erected. Logically, such a barrier was designed to be permeable from within, yet no matter how much force they exerted, they remained trapped.

At that moment, Old Wu, still inhabiting Lin Xiaobao’s body, surged forward like a streak of light toward one of the men. Lin Xiaobao could feel that after that last strike, Old Wu’s aura had weakened significantly.

Like a piercing arrow, Old Wu propelled Lin Xiaobao toward the man on the left. In mid-air, the Azure Flame Holy Sword erupted with a brilliant azure sword aura, blending seamlessly with the spiritual energy radiating from his body. Man and blade had reached the realm of perfect unity. Lin Xiaobao had always assumed Old Wu’s expertise lay solely in arrays; he had never imagined he would be equally formidable in the way of the sword.

Under the stimulation of spiritual energy, the Azure Flame Holy Sword suddenly expanded to several feet in length. Old Wu guided Lin Xiaobao’s body like a giant roc spreading its wings. With a soft shout, he pointed the massive blade forward, and a powerful surge of spiritual energy transformed into a streak of azure radiance, striking toward the man with the speed of a thunderbolt.

The light wove and coiled in the air, accompanied by a thunderous boom that shook the very ground. The man felt the crushing pressure of the incoming gale, leaving him unable to breathe. Before he could even react, the sword light pierced his chest.

The vast sword energy erupted instantly, tearing the man to pieces before his terrified eyes. With a loud blast, his body disintegrated into a mist of blood. The force of the strike did not dissipate; it continued forward, slamming into the internal barrier of the formation and causing the invisible shield to ripple violently.

One strike, one life! The final survivor’s eyes were filled with immense terror. All sense of superiority as a Dao Embryo cultivator vanished; before this god of slaughter, he felt like a powerless weakling, fit only for the butcher’s knife.

Lin Xiaobao’s keen senses perceived that Old Wu’s soul power was waning. He wanted to ask what was happening, but feared interrupting him.

Before his feet even touched the ground, Old Wu pivoted, tracing an exquisite arc in the air to descend upon the last man. The Azure Flame Holy Sword glowed with such intense heat that the surrounding air rippled visibly. A swift, decisive strike followed. The man, paralyzed by horror and having witnessed Old Wu’s methods, did not even attempt to resist.

Before he could utter a scream, he was cleaved in two. The edges of the wound were cauterized, leaving not a drop of blood.

With this, Old Wu released his control. Lin Xiaobao, regaining command of his body, stood frozen in the same terror as his fallen foes. Three powerful Dao Embryo cultivators had been killed in the blink of an eye. He realized that his own cultivation, once his pride, was nothing before true power. Without Old Wu, he would have been the one slaughtered.

Suddenly, a massive stream of information flooded Lin Xiaobao’s mind. Despite his strong spiritual consciousness, the sheer volume of data caused a searing headache.

"Old Wu, this is..." Realizing the information contained the profound mysteries of countless arrays, and recalling the fading aura, a dark premonition gripped him.

"Do not speak, listen!" Old Wu’s voice was faint. "That strike consumed a vast amount of my soul power. I must enter a deep slumber. From now on, Old Mo will look after you. My understanding of arrays has been transferred to your mind; study it well, and your future achievements will surely rival my own."

"How can it be like this?" Lin Xiaobao was distraught. Had he known the cost, he would have abandoned the Chaos Mirror fragment to keep Old Wu active. But no matter how he cried out in his heart, there was no reply.

"It was unavoidable," Old Mo finally spoke after a long silence. "If you can collect all the fragments of the Chaos Mirror, Old Wu will awaken, and we may even be able to reshape our physical bodies."

"But was there no other way?" Though Lin Xiaobao often teased the two elders, he considered them his closest kin. Without them, he might still be a storyteller in Roaring Moon City, drifting through life. They were his mentors and his friends. With Old Wu now silent—though not dead—the distinction felt cruel. He could only wonder when, or if, he would ever see him again.