320: I'll give you a chance to live

"Not enough??"

"What is not enough?"

Fan Yang was bewildered, unable to understand what Wang Qiao meant.

'Could it be that he saw through my plan to capture this kid alive to get benefits from the Liu Family, and he doesn't want to share?'

"Fellow Daoist Wang! One shouldn't be too greedy. I'm taking the fall for you; are you really so stingy that you won't even part with these few Spirit Stones?"

Liu Xuan didn't bother with his nonsense. He waved his hand to summon the heavenly origin sword and said indifferently, "This seat has achieved the Golden Core and my Divine Abilities have just formed. I want to see if your strength is enough, Fellow Daoist."

"Lunatic!"

"Sword Cultivators are all fucking lunatics!!"

Fan Yang's face looked extremely grim. Raging blue Netherfire spread from his body as he spoke in a voice suppressed by anger:

"Since you're courting death, this seat will teach you a lesson on behalf of Xiao Changfeng!"

Wang Qiao had, after all, achieved Core Formation less than a month ago. Fan Yang didn't believe he couldn't even defeat him.

Fan Yang thought he understood; Wang Qiao was worried that after capturing Liu Xuan alive, Fan Yang would use it against him or even pin the murder of Liu Xuan on him.

'He's forcing me to kill Liu Xuan on the spot. That way, not only does he not have to share the Liu Family's Spirit Stones with me, but he can also wash his hands clean of Liu Xuan's death.'

"Good! Very good!"

The blue Netherfire filled the sky, blotting out the sun. The small grove below instantly became a barren patch. The birds and beasts in the forest were turned into white bones, which were then ignited by the Netherfire and finally reduced to ashes.

Striking first to gain the upper hand! The vast blue Netherfire poured toward Wang Qiao's direction. The closer the fire got to Wang Qiao, the more it gathered and the deeper its color became.

*Hum!!*

Wang Qiao gave a casual wave, and the heavenly origin sword erupted with scorching sword light. With the Nine Radiance Sword Intent, he easily blocked the Netherfire in front of him.

The Netherfire was cold while the Nine Radiance Sword Intent was scorching; it wasn't a matter of one countering the other. However, the fact that Wang Qiao defended so effortlessly still greatly surprised Fan Yang.

"Sword Cultivators! They really are a nuisance!"

Fan Yang no longer planned to hold back. He summoned a glazed lamp, which emitted an extremely pure blue light. Within a ten-mile radius, everything under the lamp's glow seemed to turn into a ghostly realm.

Lifebound Treasure, nether fire glazed lamp!

As one of the few in the three sects who could rely on himself to achieve Core Formation within a Golden Core Sect, Fan Yang's future prospects might be average, but his combat power was not to be underestimated.

With the nether fire glazed lamp paired with his Netherfire Divine Ability, he was considered top-tier among Early Golden Core Stage Immortal Masters!

"Now this is getting interesting!"

Seeing Fan Yang's outburst, Liu Xuan finally showed a bit of interest.

He pointed his fingers like a sword, and the heavenly origin sword, carrying an even more terrifying scorching sword light, went straight for the nether fire glazed lamp.

"Courting death!"

Fan Yang felt a surge of joy in his heart, secretly mocking Wang Qiao's stupidity.

The nether fire glazed lamp was a Lifebound Treasure he had refined for a hundred years. Wang Qiao was a Golden Core Immortal Master who had just broken through; where would he have found the time to refine a Magic Treasure?

To use a natal flying sword that was still just a Spiritual Artifact to head-on clash with a Magic Treasure like the glazed lamp—wasn't that seeking his own destruction?

*Clang!!*

*Crack~*

Fan Yang suddenly felt a sharp pain in his Divine Soul. The flame of the nether fire glazed lamp flickered violently, and the glass walls of the lamp were covered in cracks.

"How is this possible! How is this possible..."

Fan Yang suppressed the intense pain in his Divine Soul, looking in disbelief at Wang Qiao, who stood in mid-air with his robes fluttering.

In a daze, he realized he might have underestimated the strength of this newly promoted Golden Core Sword Cultivator.

If he couldn't win, he would leave. Without hesitation, he decisively took out a Tier 3 Talisman, and his figure transformed into a streak of ghostly light to flee into the distance.

Void Escape Talisman! A Tier 3 Medium Grade Talisman that could erupt with void-shuttling speed for a short time. It could be used for pursuit or escape and was one of the most common and practical Talismans.

"Did this seat allow you to leave?!"

Wang Qiao raised his hand and pressed down toward the void. Forty-nine earth dragons rose from the ground, while an earthy-yellow trapping formation barrier sealed the heavens and earth.

The Kunyuan Earth-Governing Divine Ability, combined with Liu Xuan's skills as a Tier 3 peak Formation Master, allowed the formation to be set in an instant.

In front of Fan Yang, Netherfire gathered into a giant arrow, attempting to break through the Earth Dragon Trapping Formation.

*Boom!*

The Netherfire arrow collided head-on with one of the earth dragons. The earth dragon shattered, turning into falling rubble, while the Netherfire arrow also exhausted its spiritual power. Fan Yang was intercepted.

*Rumble~*

Another earth dragon burrowed out from the ground. Thick earthy-yellow spiritual light shone, and an indestructible Concept spread out.

"Wang Qiao!"

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I have no grievances or enmity with you. Do you really want to fight to the bitter end?!"

Fan Yang didn't dare to charge at the earth dragon formation again and had to turn around to focus on dealing with Wang Qiao.

He was now terrified, furious, and deeply confused.

It was one thing for Wang Qiao's combat power to far exceed his expectations, but what was with this sudden madness to keep him here?

One must know that at the level of a Golden Core Immortal Master, it was easy to determine a winner, but very difficult to decide life and death!

Golden Core Immortal Masters had the ultimate killing move of self-detonating their Golden Core. Unless it involved massive interests related to their path or a blood feud, they rarely fought each other to the death.

He admitted Wang Qiao was strong and that he was no match, but if Wang Qiao wanted to kill him, that was wishful thinking!

"It doesn't mean anything!"

"This seat has made it very clear; I simply want to see if your strength is enough!"

Liu Xuan wasn't lying. The reason he played with Fan Yang for so long was that he wanted to accumulate some experience in fighting Golden Core Immortal Masters.

"As for fighting to the bitter end!"

"You, the fish, will likely die, but the net will not break!"

On the heavenly origin sword, following the scorching Nine Radiance Sword Intent, lights of green, yellow, white, and black lit up in sequence. The Five Elements rotated, and an aura of annihilation enveloped the area within the earth dragon formation barrier.

Fan Yang's Divine Sense swept over the five-colored light and was instantly crushed. The stinging pain made him not dare to look directly at the current heavenly origin sword.

With just one glance, he was suddenly struck with horror!!

He finally realized that Wang Qiao wasn't forcing him to kill some Liu Xuan, nor was he trying to shift blame, but... he wanted to kill him!

"No!"

"Something's wrong!!"

"You are not Wang Qiao!"

"Who on earth are you?!!"

Based on the power displayed by this five-colored Divine Ability, he wouldn't believe even if he were beaten to death that this was something a newly formed Golden Core Immortal Master could master.

Even Xiao Changfeng, who had dominated the Red Pine Sect for centuries, couldn't produce such power. It was even more terrifying than the threat he felt from those Late Golden Core Great True Persons!

'Could it be someone sent by the Cloud Top Sect to hunt me down?'

'Or perhaps someone from the Beast Taming Sect behind Liu Xuan has stepped in to help him?'

'An expert invited by True Monarch Feiyu of the Heavenly Sword Sect?'

...Fan Yang thought of many possibilities, then dismissed them one by one. Unable to figure out this person's Origin or the reason for wanting him dead, he didn't even know what grounds to beg for mercy on.

"Fellow Daoist, let's talk things over. You can state any conditions you have! Why be so aggressive?"

Wang Qiao nodded in agreement, "You have a point!"

"How about this! As long as you can block this one sword strike of mine, you'll be qualified to negotiate terms with me!"

A five-colored sword light traversed the sky, arriving before Fan Yang in an instant. Under his terrified gaze, the sword light annihilated his Physical Body, tore apart his Divine Soul, and ground away his Golden Core Origin... As the light dissipated, only a dim Golden Core, a damaged glazed lamp, and a spatial ring remained in place.

A weak, terrified remnant soul appeared on the dim Golden Core. Wang Qiao drew it toward him, and a translucent spider emerged from his hand, flying onto the dim Golden Core.

"Do not resist. This seat is giving you a chance to live!"