CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 61: HEAD OF THE SWORD SECT, LI ZUOYUE (FIRST UPDATE)_1

Can the heavens rage? The answer is yes.

But since ancient times, very few have witnessed it. So few, in fact, that most believe the so-called divine wrath and Heavenly Retribution are mere rumors spread by the Righteous Sects to deter The Demonic Path. Indeed, before today, even Daimon Qianmian himself had thought Heavenly Retribution was nothing more than a fantastical legend.

However, when endless black clouds of tribulation condensed above the Zhao Residence, churning with near-infinite thunder, he began to panic. When those bolts, like writhing dragons and snakes, locked onto his Qi and began to merge, his panic turned to terror.

He could clearly sense an indomitable will descending from the void, locking onto his Qi, preparing to pass judgment. The oppressive feeling was so intense it surpassed the fear of death itself, causing his very spirit to tremble.

Flee!

It was the only thought in his mind. He had to escape, to get as far away as possible from the horrifying sensation of being targeted by Heavenly Retribution.

But it was too late. If he had fled before the Heavenly Tribulation took form, he might have saved his life. Now, however, the Heavenly Tribulation was fully formed, and the Tribulation Will had locked onto him. The sin of slaughtering tens of thousands of people to refine Magic Artifacts for The Demonic Path had directly provoked the heavens’ fury. At this point, even if he fled to the ends of the earth, he could not escape the judgment of the Heavenly Dao. His fate was sealed.

「Within the Four Symbols Formation」

Wang Xiu’s face was a little pale, but his eyes blazed with fierce intensity. The chant for the Heavenly Calamity Curse was nearing its end.

"Nine Heavens Mysterious Thunder, hasten as per my command!" he incanted. "Annihilate!"

As soon as his voice fell, the dragon-and-snake-like bolts of thunder in the sky began to converge rapidly. Dozens, hundreds, then thousands of bolts, each thicker than a water bucket, fused together, gradually forming a single, massive spear of thunder.

CRACKLE!

A spear of purple light plummeted from the Nine Heavens. It crossed an immeasurable void in an instant, appearing directly above Daimon Qianmian’s head and bathing his panicked face in a violet glow.

He knew with chilling certainty that he could not possibly block this spear. He would be instantly pierced through and skewered! But knowing was useless. Under the overwhelming might of the heavens, he was utterly powerless to resist.

BOOM!

Dazzling lightning completely engulfed Daimon Qianmian. The Yin Sha Qi that swirled around him vanished in an instant. Under the ferocious onslaught of raw thunder, his physical body exploded into a cloud of ash, leaving not even a single speck behind.

...

That was close! Staring at the scorched earth that had been ravaged by the Heavenly Tribulation, Wang Xiu finally let out a sigh of relief.

The Heavenly Calamity Curse... As expected of the ultimate, trump-card technique of the Thunder Sect, its power was truly terrifying.

A cultivator at the sixth layer of the Golden Core Stage, even one not skilled in combat, was absolutely not someone a Core Formation Stage cultivator could hope to challenge. The gap between them was as vast as the difference between the clouds and the mud.

Don’t be fooled by the grandiose spectacle the Li brothers put on when they joined forces, which seemed even more impressive than Daimon Qianmian. In reality, if Wang Xiu hadn’t swapped the ’Three Yin Gathering Evil Flag’ for the ’Four Symbols Protective Annihilation Array’ to debuff Daimon Qianmian, and then posed as a Ghost General to stab him in the kidneys with the Soul-breaking Dagger, inflicting a grievous injury that made his condition plummet and planted the idea of retreat in his mind... then these few Core Formation Stage weaklings wouldn’t have posed a threat to the man even if they’d fought with all their might. After all, the gap in their Cultivation Level was simply too immense.

But in the face of the Heavenly Calamity Curse, that chasm-like gap in Cultivation Level between Wang Xiu and Daimon Qianmian was forcefully erased.

Wang Xiu had a gut feeling. Even if Daimon Qianmian had been completely unharmed, even without the Four Symbols Protective Annihilation Array suppressing him, and even if he had been boosted by the Three Yin Gathering Evil Flag, he still would have stood no chance of survival against that Heavenly Retribution. He would have been instantly obliterated.

The might of the heavens is vast and unstoppable!

However, while the Heavenly Calamity Curse possessed immense power and could easily slay enemies far beyond one’s own stage, casting it came with quite a few restrictions.

First, the target had to be a fiend with an immense accumulation of evil deeds and negative karma. If it wasn’t a murderous devil like Daimon Qianmian, who had slaughtered tens of thousands, it would be impossible to provoke the wrath of the heavens and trigger Heavenly Retribution. In that case, what descended would not be the thunder of the Heavenly Dao, but merely lightning summoned by Wang Xiu’s own Mana. Its power would be nowhere near enough to annihilate a sixth-layer Golden Core cultivator.

Second, Wang Xiu needed enough time to recite the incantation and communicate with the Tribulation Will to lock onto his target. If an enemy was particularly cautious and interrupted or even killed him before he successfully communicated with the Tribulation Will, the Heavenly Calamity Curse would naturally fail to activate. Alternatively, if the enemy used an escape spell to flee far away before Wang Xiu finished communicating with the Tribulation Will, he would be unable to lock on, and the spell would again fail.

In short, while this spell was heaven-defying, its strength lay in the element of surprise. It was best used from a hidden position for a preemptive sneak attack. If used in a head-on fight, it was very easy for the enemy to escape or even turn the tables. After all, what really mattered in this world was power, backing, cooperation, and group fights. No matter how strong the Heavenly Calamity Curse was, if the caster got focused-fired by the enemy, they would be taken down in minutes.

...

"Thank you, Great Dao, for taking time out of your busy schedule to smite that guy!" Looking up at the gradually dissipating tribulation clouds, Wang Xiu bowed deeply three times and shouted his gratitude.

The Heavenly Dao might be unfeeling and his bows useless, but it never hurt to be polite. Who knew? He might need to call upon the Great Dao for help again someday! When it came to etiquette, one could never neglect the big boss!

Whoa. I almost forgot about the three Li Family brothers. Wang Xiu touched his forehead and quickly rushed over to them to check their breathing.

Thankfully, they were all still breathing, but just barely—more air was going out than coming in. They probably wouldn’t die, but their injuries were so severe they might be left with permanent disabilities.

What terrible karma... Wang Xiu’s mouth twitched. Why push yourselves so hard for that meager monthly stipend?

He had already used a ruse to try and scare Daimon Qianmian away. Besides, he’d already notified the Sect. A big fish like a Golden Core Stage expert should have been left for the big guns to handle! But that blockhead Li Longhao had to insist that the Nine Yin Fierce Ghost was causing an incredible phenomenon and that if they let it escape, it would become an endless scourge in the future. He was determined to stop it with his life!

Unbelievable. Wang Xiu had no idea if the Nine Yin Fierce Ghost would become an endless scourge or not. What he did know was that the incredible phenomenon of the demonic shadow had nothing to do with Nie Linglan. It was his own damn fault. All he could think was that he’d have to ask Senior Sister Xiao to help him get a stronger set of ’Green Lotus Sky-covering Array Flags’ someday. Otherwise, he wouldn’t dare put any more points into his skill tree.

How am I supposed to save you guys? Wang Xiu moved the three Li brothers together and squatted beside them, scratching his head. I never learned any healing spells!

Just as Wang Xiu was feeling helpless, a stern shout suddenly echoed from the distant night sky. "Evil creature, do not harm my brothers!"

The next second—

CLANG!

A brilliant beam of sword light streaked across the eastern sky like a shooting star. In an instant, it crossed a distance of thousands of meters to land within the Zhao Residence, where it transformed into the figure of a man.