Kao Dao Ji glanced at Da Ji Rou before turning towards the right to escape.
Da Ji Rou snorted coldly.
Giving chase.
Kao Dao Ji's speed was absurd beyond even what Rank 6 Reputation Gu could accomplish.
But Da Ji Rou merely kicked the air.
There was a resounding explosion.
And his speed skyrocketed.
Far surpassing that of Kao Dao Ji.
Yet.
What he lacked in speed, he surpassed in nimbleness.
Before his opponent reached him, he turned down.
Da Ji Rou passed above him.
But that did not discourage him in the slightest, instants later.
He kicked the air again.
Pushing his body towards Kao Dao Ji's new direction, moreover.
He raised his palm.
And a massive shockwave was unleashed towards him.
The shockwave was massive, covering every single angle.
Kao Dao Ji gritted his teeth.
Extreme Yang Steam was summoned out of his aperture and was shot towards the shockwave.
Whilst Kao Dao Ji lacked the sheer strength to overcome his opponent's full move.
He was more than powerful enough to block a fraction of its might.
But then.
His pupils shrank.
Beneath the shockwave, there were several concealed blue needles that were unleashed towards him.
Da Ji Rou smiled.
This was his specialty. A two-layered Killer Move. Which used the aura of the former to hide the aura of the latter.
Such a combination was incredibly deadly.
And he had used it several times to gain the initiative, even against other Rank 7 experts.
Unfortunately, the needles, which would be unavoidable for any other opponent, were large enough for Kao Dao Ji to pass his way through.
But as he did.
The needles began to chase him.
Kao Dao Ji gritted his teeth.
Turning towards the right, turning towards the left.
Whilst the needles passed by centimeters, or even millimeters away from him.
The only reason why he had not been struck even once was because his aperture was smaller than a singular speck of dust.
That, of course, annoyed Da Ji Rou somewhat.
Who frowned very deeply at the myriad of exchanges, even so, he kept the pressure up.
He circled around Kao Dao Ji, occasionally shooting shockwaves towards him.
From which even more needles were unleashed.
Little by little, the number of needles rose.
Reaching a staggering number of hundreds!
Kao Dao Ji felt the urge to cough up blood.
"How on earth are you able to control so many projectiles at once? I thought you were a Strength Path Immortal!"
Of course, he did not know about Da Ji Rou.
Strength Path was on decline; everybody knew this.
Whilst possessing overwhelming short-distance killing moves, they were exceptionally poor at long ranges.
To defeat them was just a matter of keeping your distance and slowly overwhelming them.
Most Strength Immortals spent their lives finding ways to work around their weaknesses.
And Da Ji Rou focused on two aspects.
Bursting speed, by mimicking Wind Path, he moved faster than almost anybody, and was thus against most opponents; able to at least reach mid-range distance.
But. To complement his overwhelming speed, he added Wisdom Path into the mix.
Wisdom Cultivators were the ones with the sharpest minds, the most rapid speed of reactions, and were able to grasp onto the weakness of their opponents in mere instants.
Not to mention that their speed of thought made it easier for them to unleash Killer Moves faster, and make their Killer Moves 'stronger.'
Compensating for the inherent weakness of Wisdom Path, making their strength not so far below other Immortals at the cost of consuming more Immortal Essence. (due to the higher amount of Gu involved, both to speed up the mind, plus to strengthen their Killer Moves)
But. Strength Cultivators were the ones who consumed the least.
By mimicking Wisdom Path, he gained the ability to grasp his opponent's every move, gaining the initiative and unleashing moves faster than most, all without burdening his Immortal Essence Reserves too much.
Da Ji Rou narrowed his eyes.
"Not yet." He clicked his tongue.
"I need to increase the numbers; sooner or later, he will slip up against such an enormous variety of attacks.
Even if he does not. I doubt that his Immortal Essence Reserves can last for long.
This kind of Killer Move must consume a huge amount of energy!"
…
Kao Dao Ji, who was in his aperture felt his mind growing dizzy.
"Le Tu, Uru Hong Jing. Change of plans!" He shouted desperately.
Before passing several instructions to the duo, who hurried towards him.
They pressed their palms on his back.
At that moment, they all activated a Wisdom Path Killer Move.
But at the moment of activation, they used 'You' as the Core of their Killer Move, transferring the mental energy towards Kao Dao Ji.
Kao Dao Ji's expression rapidly relaxed.
His overwhelmed mind rapidly settled.
And with it, enough clarity appeared.
"There is no point the more I drag this out. The less likely I am to win!" With such a disposition.
He summoned a round cloud, which was rapidly set alight.
"Le Tu, Uru Hong Jing, help me out!"
"Just do what we have done the previous times, but Le Tu. During the latter stages, add Fire Qi Gu to the mix."
Le Tu stared at him with hesitation but nodded.
Since he glimpsed at his Dao Demon, and since he realized that most of his journey had been prearranged by the greatest enemy of his kind.
His thoughts had changed.
Were those ideas of pacifism truly his, or had he been manipulated to behave like this throughout his whole life?
He was hesitant.
Of course, nobody realized the peculiar state of Le Tu's mind; their minds were entirely focused on keeping themselves alive.
…
Da Ji Rou observed his opponent like a predator.
"If I point those 18 needles towards the right, he will likely move downwards. I could predict his movements and go there, but my opponent is too small…I could also…No. That would only reveal my hand too early…"
But then his eyes shone lightly.
Before he chuckled.
Like a tiger pouncing towards his target, he charged!
"NOW!" Kao Dao Ji roared inside his mind.
He was about to stretch a tentacle aiming towards Da Ji Rou, but then.
One of the needles that was close to him exploded!
The sudden attack from behind destabilized him.
And using that momentary distraction, Da Ji Rou roared.
"Were you creating a fake opening? Hmph! That is exactly what I predicted you'd try."
Da Ji Rou raised his middle and index finger.
[Turning Kinetic into Thermal Force!] Faint celeste flames appeared in his fingertips!
Aiming with surgeon's precision at his aperture.
There was no time to avoid.
But then, when everything seemed hopeless.
Le Tu raised his palms, and a brown aura surged.
And then.
His eyelids trembled, and he fell to his knees.
Even now, Celeste's flames surged within him.
Intense heat rapidly eroded the walls of his Immortal Aperture.
Even so, he found the energy within himself to shout.
"OPEN THE WALLS OF YOUR APERTURE!"
From the other side.
Da Ji Rou rapidly charged whilst using the flames to immobilize his target.
But then a massive palm appeared from the other side, blocking the flames and heading towards him.
"Redirecting the damage?" He clicked his tongue.
That ability of Le Tu was too well known by now, and understanding this point, he also realized that the other two were unharmed and ready to attack.
The distance was too short, and knowing that his opponent was plotting something, he decisively retreated.
And true to his predictions.
Laser eyes were unleashed from the other side.
One of them even struck at his chest, paralyzing him slightly.
[Through strength, my chains are broken!] He flexed his muscles, and immediately the attack collapsed.
But during that instant, his body slowed down.
Giving Kao Dao Ji the opportunity to summon a 'tentacle' from his aperture.
But he merely tilted his body at such an angle that the attack barely grazed him.
Then he kicked the air away to distance himself from it.
"That tentacle of yours. I don't know what it was, but I actually felt some danger when you unleashed it."
But then.
His expression grew even more peculiar as he stared at it more deeply.
And as he saw it 'retract.'
"Wait. Is that tentacle a part of your aperture?" Witnessing that sight multiplied his interest infinitely.
Such heaven-defying methods could elevate the Clan to unseen heights!
…
Da Chou Jidan charged towards Kao Zha Ji, unleashing a devastating flurry of blows.
To stop him.
He summoned a myriad of Rolling Clouds to act as cover, but they were insufficient.
He drilled his way through his defenses effortlessly.
But then.
There was a sudden resonance.
[Rolling Pressure]
The cylindrical clouds began to spin and turn heavier.
But Da Chou Jidan merely laughed heartily.
His body flickered backwards, effortlessly evading him.
He stared at Kao Zha Ji with an expression of curiosity.
"Huh? You did not even try to trap me with your Kettle Gu? Tsk. Did you figure that I already had a counter on mind for it, and thus abstained from using it or…"
He smiled smugly.
"You left out that Rank 8 Immortal Gu inside your Grotto Heaven to protect it?"
The heart of Kao Zha Ji skipped a beat.
"Oh? That expression on your face. Is that sincere, or are you baiting me? Regardless. I will keep pushing you until you have no other way but to reveal the truth or die!" He shouted.
…
Meanwhile.
In the Grotto Heaven of Sky Lord.
A figure stood calmly.
Observing everything with a mocking smile on his face.
Crimson Soul.
"Exactly as predicted, Kao Zha Ji let that Gu inside the Grotto Heaven to protect it."
He smiled in derision.
But then.
He stretched his palm.
[Spring rises into Autumn, and Autumn withers into winter!]
Spring Autumn Cicada opened its mouth widely, absorbing peculiar frequencies of the River of Time.
Whilst Crimson Soul assisted with countless supplementary Gu.
Once the move was complete.
Crimson Soul raised his palm, unleashing a devastating crimson beam.
The embedded particles of winter mixed into the beam, turning it pink.
A pseudo-Rank 9 Killer Move took shape in a matter of seconds.
Heading towards the Grotto Heaven.
…
The immortals of the Kao Clan had been assigned to defend the aperture whilst Kao Zha Ji was gone.
But they expected that the enemy might invade the aperture, or might use unorthodox methods such as draining the surrounding Earth and Heaven Qi to slowly starve it.
They would never expect that the enemy would directly target the immortal aperture.
But.
Their eyes widened in utter disbelief.
As the skies were opened forcefully by a pinkish beam.
But it did not stop there.
It headed towards one of the most prosperous areas within the aperture and destroyed the entire city.
Then.
From the ashes and rubble.
One could see a massive seed as large as a melon taking place.
The seed rapidly began to germinate; several red veins appeared surrounding its structure.
As it embedded itself within the ground.
But that was not all.
Whilst this happened, Crimson Soul laughed madly.
He summoned every single Blood Phantom from his aperture and unleashed them towards the aperture.
"Kill everyone!" He shouted, his Blood Phantoms followed his commands and dispersed.
They all began to chase the common population.
Whereas he himself headed towards the Gu House, where Kettle Gu was hidden.
Kao Yu Hun, who was acting as a guard, stared at the scene with widened eyes.
Whilst Kao Yun Yun adjusted her glasses, unsure of what she was witnessing.
Why was the enemy spreading his forces so thinly just before fighting?
But there was no time to do anything else.
They and Kao Tuo Niao entered the Gu House and immediately activated it.
Without any other choice, they charged towards the enemy.
Yet there was no rage in their eyes, only fear.
Could a mere Rank 8 Gu House protect them from that monster?
The strongest in the world.
They already knew how fearsome he was, whilst he merely possessed Rank 7 Gu, let alone now that in his hands he was wielding a Rank 9 Gu!
…
From the other side, Crimson Soul grinned widely.
"Hahahahah! Even now…Heavenly Court has yet to appear."
Were they truly unaware of his actions?
Of his ambitions of claiming yet another Rank 8 Gu?
Obviously not.
But there was a deeper reason why they did not act.
The Heavenly Dao pursues balance beyond everything.
The more endangered a species was, the more the Heavens cherished them.
And the more it hated those who harmed them.
To kill such a large number of Variant Humans as the ones contained within a Grotto Heaven would bring the wrath of the heavens
Whilst the survivors would have their fortunes increased tenfold.
That was why Heavenly Court did not try to truly destroy them; at most, they got rid of the 'greatest' geniuses, the ones who truly could turn the situation around, or the largest forces with the deepest foundations.
The Kao Clan was one such thorn.
But acting directly would harm their fortune, whilst it would also give tremendous bad karma to Heavenly Court that could not be washed away for millennia.
"Even now…They still look down on me so thoroughly that they keep using me to get rid of the undesirables."
Then he chuckled.
"From their perspective, I am little more than a pawn of Red Lotus, and similarly, Red Lotus looks down upon me.
Does he believe me to be an idiot?
Does he really think I cannot see through his words?
He is only using me to help him find the chance to resurrect himself…"
He smiled calmly.
"But so, what? This…Will be such an unprecedented opportunity!"
"There are countless treasures for me to gather. And all my enemies will appear in the same place.
Heavenly Court, Le Tu, Red Lotus.
Today, all my greatest threats will die!
And then, nobody will be able to stop my era."
…
The slumbering Spring Autumn Cicada did not even turn its glance towards Crimson Soul; instead, its eyes were closed as it pondered.
"Heaven's Harmony Physique…Such was the greatest creation of Le Tu.
But he could never complete it in life; Fate impeded him from completing its blueprint.
Only in the Great Dream Era, where all the other Venerables had revived.
And when they all protected him, it was finally able to be completed.
And yet.
Kao Dao Ji possesses it.
Or at least he possesses the incomplete physique, just one step away from perfection.
Red Lotus…
Just how thorough are your arrangements?
Is he even the final pawn you arranged to deal with me, or is he just one of many more to come?
Regardless.
I am not without hope.
This may be the only chance I may get to resurrect myself, and I cannot afford to waste it."