The Creation of the Heavens and All Realms

Chapter 48: Consecutive Victories Over Innate Realm Cultivators

Zhou Tianci concealed his aura and crept toward the Garden of Ten Thousand Spirits. He planned to play the role of a spiritual herb thief tonight, using his enemies’ resources to strengthen himself. “Today, I’m here to collect some interest from the Huang family.” Zhou Tianci had already done his research: the Garden of Ten Thousand Spirits had ten levels, the upper ones filled with all kinds of herbs and spiritual medicines, but the truly valuable items were stored in the underground Spirit Repository. The Garden of Ten Thousand Spirits monopolized the spiritual herb trade in the City of Tears and Blood; it held no shortage of thousand-year-old and even ten-thousand-year-old spiritual medicines. Aside from those reserved for the Huang family’s personal use, virtually all were stored at the Garden of Ten Thousand Spirits headquarters—which was why security there was exceptionally tight. Zhou Tianci knew full well that stealing from the Garden of Ten Thousand Spirits was impossible. The Garden of Ten Thousand Spirits was heavily guarded from the inside out, with security as tight at night as it was during the day. Furthermore, as the Huang family’s cash cow, they naturally placed great importance on it; it was riddled with formations inside and out—not only were outsiders unable to bypass them, but even their own people couldn’t evade them! Under these circumstances, attempting to steal spiritual herbs was simply out of the question. “Stealing won’t work, but open robbery might!” That was the plan Zhou Tianci had in mind. Zhou Tianci concealed his aura and assumed a disguise. Before raiding the Garden of Ten Thousand Spirits, he had to keep his identity well hidden. Otherwise, if discovered, not only would the Huang family hunt him down across the land, but even the Northwest Legion and the Great State of Yu would not spare him. Conflicts between these major powers were inevitable, but they were bound by certain rules; otherwise, if everyone were to scramble for the spoils in chaos, no one’s interests would be safeguarded. Whoever violated these rules would become their common enemy! Innate-level cultivators do not identify people by their appearance, but by their aura. A person’s appearance is easy to alter—transformation and disguise are within the capabilities of any innate-level cultivator—but the one thing that cannot be changed is one’s aura. This aura originates from each person’s Primordial Spirit; it is unique and cannot be disguised. This is common knowledge in the cultivation world. Yet, of all people, Zhou Tianci is the one who defies this common knowledge! Zhou Tianci’s Primordial Spirit is unique: the vast majority consists of the Indestructible Tree of Creation, which he cannot control, while only a tiny fraction is his own Primordial Spirit. “Although I can’t control the Tree of Eternal Creation, I can certainly use it to mask the aura of my own Primordial Spirit,” Zhou Tianci thought with a touch of pride; this ability of his was truly one-of-a-kind. “Who’s there? Stop right there!” Huang Xiong, the captain of the guards on the first level of the Garden of Ten Thousand Spirits, immediately grew wary upon seeing a figure slowly approaching. At this hour, the Garden of Ten Thousand Spirits was already closed, and ordinary people would not venture near it. Faced with Huang Xiong’s shout, the figure not only failed to stop but actually picked up speed. Huang Xiong immediately drew his long sword, but before he could speak again, he lost consciousness. It wasn’t just Huang Xiong—all thirty-plus guards at the peak of the Posthuman Realm were killed in an instant, each with a look of sheer terror on their faces. That figure was none other than Zhou Tianci. After dispatching the guards at the entrance, Zhou Tianci didn’t pause; he kicked open the gates of the Garden of Ten Thousand Spirits. His body radiated a murderous aura that reached the heavens—he was the very embodiment of a bloodthirsty demon king. Even Liu Yuntao, had he seen him, would never have recognized him. Zhou Tianci had harnessed the Law of Destruction from the Tree of Eternal Creation. “Enemy attack!” The moment Zhou Tianci kicked open the gates of the Garden of Ten Thousand Spirits, all ten thousand guards within sprang into action. “Big Brother, who’s so bold as to dare break into the Garden of Ten Thousand Spirits!” Huang Jinming said, holding his sword in front of the Spirit Repository. Huang Jinguang, carrying a mountain-cleaving axe on his back, remarked, “There are always some who aren’t afraid of death in this world. It’s a pity we can’t go out right now…” Huang Jinming said, “No matter what’s happening upstairs, the safety of the Spirit Repository is paramount. That intruder has already triggered the formation; the clan will be notified shortly. Within the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, the Clan Head will arrive with reinforcements.” Zhou Tianci walked into the Garden of Ten Thousand Spirits and, in the space of a few breaths, slaughtered all the guards on the first floor, sparing only the fat man who had been so arrogant earlier that day. Having spent this time delving into the Law of Destruction, his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds. Though he hadn’t wielded the Extermination Sword, his power had already surpassed the True Essence Realm. The Law of Destruction was inherently suited for slaughter, and those martial artists at the Post-Heaven Realm were completely unable to withstand Zhou Tianci’s murderous aura. “Where is the entrance to the Spirit Repository?” Zhou Tianci asked, looking at the fat man. The fat man’s expression was blank as he muttered, “In the southwest.” Zhou Tianci set the fat man down. The man fell to the ground, twitched once, and then died—his spiritual essence had already been obliterated by Zhou Tianci. “You insolent thief, how dare you trespass into the Garden of Ten Thousand Spirits!” Just as Zhou Tianci reached the entrance to the Spirit Repository, a loud roar rang out from behind him. Immediately afterward, a fierce blade aura slashed toward Zhou Tianci, forcing him to dodge. “Who are you?” It was Huang Congyi, the leader of the Garden of Ten Thousand Spirits’ guards. The Huang family had originally had over twenty Innate-level cultivators; six had been lost at Shepan Mountain, leaving only nineteen. Of these nineteen, four were stationed in other cities across Jiangzhou, while fifteen remained in the City of Tears and Blood—three of whom guarded the Garden of Ten Thousand Spirits. The brothers Huang Jinguang and Huang Jinming guarded the underground Spirit Repository, while Huang Congyi guarded the upper levels. Zhou Tianci couldn’t be bothered to answer Huang Congyi. He let out a sinister cackle, flickered his long sword, and sent several streaks of sword energy hurtling toward Huang Congyi. Huang Congyi was merely at the early stage of the Innate Realm. Facing sword energy imbued with the Law of Destruction, he felt as if he were in hell; his whole body grew cold, and even the True Qi within him seemed to be freezing. “Where on earth did such a vicious man come from?” Huang Congyi was terrified. He hadn’t gone to Shepan Mountain; otherwise, he would surely have recognized that this aura bore a striking resemblance to that of Ming Kui. Huang Congyi, at the True Qi Realm, was utterly powerless to withstand Zhou Tianci’s single strike; in the blink of an eye, his life was taken. “I have mastered the Law of Destruction, and my sword technique has completely transcended the *Blood Shadow Sword Art*. Even with an ordinary blade, I can easily slay those at the True Qi Realm.” Zhou Tianci was very satisfied with that strike; for him, using the Huang family’s Innate-level cultivator to test his sword was a win-win situation. After slaying Huang Congyi, Zhou Tianci headed toward the underground Spirit Repository. He was now racing against the clock and dared not waste a single moment. The passage leading to the Spirit Repository stretched for hundreds of meters and was laced with numerous traps and formations, but none of them posed any threat to Zhou Tianci. “The Jie Sect formation inheritance I obtained from the Tree of Eternal Creation last time has proven quite useful. If I hadn’t taken a quick look at it, breaking through that confinement formation just now would’ve taken quite a bit of effort.” Zhou Tianci felt somewhat relieved. Along the way, he had encountered four formations: two killing formations, one illusionary formation, and one restraining formation. He had broken through the killing and illusionary formations with sheer force, but the restraining formation had been a bit more troublesome—he’d managed to break it using the formation heritage he’d acquired. When Zhou Tianci stepped into the passageway, the brothers Huang Jinguang and Huang Jinming were utterly astonished; they had already sensed the aura of destruction emanating from him. “Big Brother, how did he make it down so quickly? Did something go wrong with those formations?” Huang Jinming couldn’t help but ask. Huang Jinguang sensed the aura of destruction rapidly approaching and said with concern, “We’ve all underestimated him. This man is far stronger than we imagined. Second Brother, we can’t go head-to-head with him later—we must do our best to stall for time until the clan sends reinforcements!” For Zhou Tianci, traversing the several-hundred-meter passage was a matter of mere seconds—and that was only because of the formations. “Two Early Innate-stage guards—it seems this is indeed the Spirit Repository!” As soon as Zhou Tianci saw the Huang Jinguang brothers, he knew he’d found the right place. “Friend, I am Huang Jinguang of the Huang Clan. May I ask your name?” Huang Jinguang stepped forward and said. Zhou Tianci laughed heartily as he swept toward the Huang brothers like a whirlwind. His voice hoarse, he said, “You don’t need to know my name. If you truly consider me a friend, open the doors to the Spirit Repository.” Huang Jinguang and Huang Jinming exchanged glances, both sensing the other’s concern. As Zhou Tianci charged toward them, the two drew their swords and blades simultaneously. “You two think you can stop me?” Zhou Tianci’s shrill voice rang out. “If you know what’s good for you, get out of my way!” “Friend, you’re certainly powerful, but you’re still far from a match for our Huang clan. I advise you to think this through. If you retreat now, I can promise on behalf of the Huang clan that we’ll let bygones be bygones. Otherwise, you’ll face a manhunt by over a hundred Innate-level experts from the Four Great Clans of the City of Tears and Blood!” Huang Jinming threatened. “Hahahaha! Over a hundred Innate-level experts? Do you think I’m scared? Since you two don’t know when to back down, then die!” As Zhou Tianci flew into a rage, the air around him grew unusually icy. Facing the combined sword and blade strike of the Huang brothers, he struck later yet arrived first—his sword energy had already pierced through their defenses. The Huang brothers were taken aback; they’d never encountered such a fierce attack before. However, as battle-hardened veterans, they managed to grind down Zhou Tianci’s destructive sword energy with their blades! “To be able to guard the Spirit Repository, you do have some skill—but that’s about it.” Zhou Tianci instantly saw through their cultivation to the Xiantian True Qi Realm; what surprised him was the power of their combined attack. On the first floor of the Garden of Ten Thousand Spirits, he had slain Huang Congyi—also at the True Qi Realm—with a single sword strike, yet against the Huang brothers, he failed to land a decisive blow even after two strikes. “Now witness our power—Dragon Coils, Tiger Crouches!” The Huang brothers, determined to strike hard, unleashed their most powerful technique. Their swords soared like dragons, their blades roared like tigers; the clash of blade and sword produced the roar of tigers and the chant of dragons, faintly radiating the majesty of the dragon and the tiger. Sword energy and blade energy filled the narrow passageway, leaving Zhou Tianci with no room to dodge. “This combined attack is also a formation!” Zhou Tianci’s eyes shone brightly. Though he had only recently begun studying formations, he had inherited the Jie Sect’s formation traditions, and his discernment far surpassed that of this world. “So what if two True Qi Realm cultivators are attacking together?” Zhou Tianci let out a wild laugh as a deluge of destructive sword energy surged forward. With his natural talent for cultivating the Law of Destruction and a “cheat code” like the Tree of Eternal Creation, his grasp of the Law of Destruction was advancing by leaps and bounds. A single casual stroke of his sword could now kill a True Qi Realm cultivator—his strength was incomparable to what it had been just two months ago. “Sssshhh…” The sword energy of destruction pierced through the Huang brothers’ “Dragon Coiled, Tiger Crouching” formation. Before they could react, they were sliced to pieces. The sword energy then shot toward the Spirit Repository’s main gate, yet the gate remained unscathed. “There’s an array on this Spirit Repository too!” Zhou Tianci sensed the array’s fluctuations, pinpointed its nodes, and shattered it with a few swift sword strikes. Once the array was broken, the radiance on the Spirit Repository’s gates faded. “Boom!” With a rapid series of sword strikes, Zhou Tianci sliced the Spirit Repository’s gate into four pieces. As the gate was destroyed, a surge of spiritual energy gushed forth, and Zhou Tianci couldn’t help but break into a smile!