Peng Yun cautiously observed the Buzhou Immortal Sect disciple in front of him. The remaining two Bright Ascension Sect venerables stared warily at him, waiting for a chance. Similarly, the Anti-Heaven Alliance venerables also backed off, not wanting to die under Ba Shifang's hands.
'System, scan Ba Shifang,' Peng Yun ordered
[Ding!] An electronic sound rang in Peng Yun's mind.
Name: Ba Shifang (Clone)
Force: Buzhou Immortal Sect
Law/Concepts: Spark Concept, Fire Mirage Concept, Heat Haze Concept, Fluidity Concept, Heaviness Concept, Shard Concept, Vitality Concept, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???
Cultivation: Translucent Nascent Soul Realm
Cultivation Method: ??? (Pseudo Heavenly Scripture Ranked)
Physique: Eight Trigrams Martial Body
Spiritual Vein: ??? (System has detected numerous heavenly spiritual roots. Possible error)
Soul: ??? (Four Nascent Souls corresponding to the Wood, Fire, Water, and Metal)
Comprehension: Unknown
'He's only an early nascent soul grandmaster?' Peng Yun's brows twitched as he read the information presented to him. The more he read, the more concerned he became. 'How can a person have four nascent souls? Is he a soul cultivator?'
Upon reaching this conclusion, Peng Yun felt even warier. He wasn't worried about his own safety. He had the confidence to protect himself even against an immortal. Peng Yun cast a glance at Bai Weiwei behind him, who was shooting daggers from her eyes.
Name: Peng Yun
Law/Concepts: Space Concept, Explosion Concept, Blaze Concept, Frost Concept, Accumulation Concept, Gust Concept, Shatter Concept, Wealth Concept, Whirlwind Concept, Flash Concept, Parasitism Concept,
Cultivation: Crystal Nascent Soul Realm, Regeneration Soul Nourishing Realm
Cultivation Method: Chaos Heavenly Scripture (Incomplete), Kunpeng Divine Transformation (Incomplete)
Physique: Twelve Heaven Meridians (Advanced Rank)
Spiritual Vein: Dao Chaos Spiritual Vein (Intermediate), Perfect Fire Spiritual Vein, Perfect Water Spiritual Vein, Perfect Earth Spiritual Vein, Perfect Wood Spiritual Vein, Perfect Metal Spiritual Vein
Soul: Flawless Soul
Comprehension: High
Inheritance: Dragon Emperor's Inheritance (Incomplete), Divinelight Inheritance, Fivelotus Lord's Inheritance, Caisheng's Inheritance, Houtu's Inheritance, Burstflame Inheritance, Shatterwood Inheritance, Froststream Inheritance, Brightshine Inheritance, Underslate Inheritance, etc
Inventory: Soul Shattering Talisman x 2, Martial Body Collapsing Talisman x 1, Space Shuttling Escape Talisman x 2, Pseudo-Immortal Rank Golem x 1, Earth Immortal Golem x 2
Wealth: 23,436,834 SP
Peng Yun retrieved the Space Shuttling Escape Talisman and handed it to Bai Weiwei. "Wei'er, if you can't hold yourself in battle, use this to escape immediately."
"No! How can I leave Brother Peng to face them alone?" Bai Weiwei vehemently shook her head.
Peng Yun's heart warmed, and he sent a comforting smile to her. "Don't worry. I also have one, so I can escape too."
"But how would I find you then?" Bai Weiwei asked.
"Don't worry. No matter where you are, I will find you. Even if you are dragged to the Nether Realms, I will find you," Peng Yun said. He reached into his inventory and pulled out one of the Earth Immortal Golems.
A three-meter tall humanoid formed from metals with inscriptions engraved appeared. Its eyes flashed red and moved in front of Bai Weiwei. Then, Peng Yun turned toward Ba Shifang and said, "You didn't attack me while I was talking. I didn't expect you to have such honor."
"Honor? I thought you were luring me into a false sense of security. If I had known you really were distracted, I would have long attacked." Ba Shifang said. Upon seeing the rising anger on Peng Yun's face, he continued. "What? This is war. Do you expect people to fight honorably? You sure are naive."
"At the very least, I'll live to see the end of the war!" Peng Yun said and charged at Ba Shifang. A sword made of coins, a coin sword, appeared in his hands and glowed with a metallic light.
In response, Ba Shifang smiled and took out a sword of his own. The sword's blade was twice as long as an average sword and swung it. The two blades clashed with sparks flying in between.
Ba Shifang frowned as he felt his blade's body rattle under Peng Yun's force. Suddenly, the blade shattered into five shards, and only a thin blade was left on the hilt.
But, five different colored lights wrapped around each blade shard and pierced towards Peng Yun.
"How do you like my Jade Diffraction Sword?" Ba Shifang asked. Before he had left the sect, he had pilfered, ahem, acquisitioned some artifacts from Tianyi's personal storage before leaving. Not like his main body was going to use or need them in the near future.
Peng Yun's answer was for his sword to break apart as light shrouded each individual coin. Tens of coins, each bursting with qi corresponding to the five elements, shot towards Ba Shifang.
"Oh, yeah, I don't like it either," Ba Shifang said.
Qi burst out from his body as he distanced himself from Peng Yun. The coins chased after him, but Ba Shifang used the sword in his hand and the five sword shards to deflect all of them. The exchange lasted for a while until one of the coins broke through Ba Shifang's defense.
Left with no choice, Ba Shifang raised his hand to block the coin. The coin impacted his palm but barely broke the skin. Ba Shifang smiled and clenched his hands, trapping the coin.
As the rest of the coins continued to attack him, Ba Shifang deflected all of them with ease, showing that he had planned the earlier lapse in his defense.
The coin didn't remain long in Ba Shifang's hand as it struggled and broke free of his grasp. He didn't spare much attention as he charged toward Peng Yun with reckless abandon.
Upon seeing this, Peng Yun retreated and controlled the coins to attack Ba Shifang continuously, but Ba Shifang paid little attention. He only blocked when the coins were aimed at his vital spots. Any damage dealt was minor at best and healed incredibly quickly.
"Gotch you!" Ba Shifang said as he appeared in front of Peng Yun and raised his sword, ready to deliver a critical blow.
But at this moment, Peng Yun smirked. "No, got you!"
The tens of coins that had been attacking Ba Shifang from all sides suddenly froze and entered a spherical pattern. A sealing formation materialized and frozen Ba Shifang in place. He felt as if he had been encased in steel-like amber, stuck.
Peng Yun formed several more hand seals, and the five-element formation began to change. Along with it, Ba Shifang's body began to twist within the formation against his will. The more time passed, the more his body shifted into more unnatural positions.
As his neck twisted almost over seventy degrees, Ba Shifang's emitted a bright light.
Peng Yun frowned as he furrowed his brows and formed several more hand seals in quick succession. The formation began to pulse as the coins, the formation's anchor, began to vibrate uncontrollably under Ba Shifang's resistance.
Once the light disappeared, a new sword appeared in Ba Shifang's hand. Unlike the previous Jade Diffraction Sword, the current sword in hand emitted a dangerous aura. Eight strands of qi emerged from within his sleeves and entered the sword.
The sword emitted a cry, and Ba Shifang swung it.
A sonic explosion sounded, buffeting the surrounding area and even uprooting the nearest trees. When the turbulence was over, Ba Shifang stood at the epicenter, sword in hand. He brandished the sword tip at Peng Yun.
"You can use an immortal rank artifact?" Peng Yun said, surprised.
Ba Shifang didn't say anything. He could already see the greed of the Anti-Heaven Alliance members and even his own squadmates. Usually, when a cultivator under the Immortal Realm activated an immortal artifact, that meant that there was something special about the immortal artifact, whether it be its origin or design. But Ba Shifang was different.
The Nine-Five Scripture was based on the Primordial Heavenly Scripture and a mixture of other heavenly scriptures, so when Ba Shifang merged his eight unique qi, he produced true qi of chaos. Usually, only immortal qi could activate immortal artifacts, but he could replicate the act, albeit with some difficulty.
Still, he doubted they would believe his words, so he didn't bother explaining.
Ba Shifang didn't say another word as he merged his eight different true qis into the true qi of chaos and inserted it into the immortal rank sword, allowing it to emit another hum. He charged at Ba Shifang with his sword raised, but at the same time, he formed an illusionary continent behind him.
Peng Yun's speed dramatically slowed under the illusionary continent's pressure, but he was only marginally affected since he hadn't started communing with heaven and earth like venerables and above. Still, that did not exactly mean since his coin artifacts were locked in place.
Ba Shifang appeared in front of Peng Yun, sword in mid-thrust.
At this moment, a golden light erupted from Peng Yun's palm. The golden light struck Ba Shifang's sword, and in the next moment, the sword flew out of his hand.
Peng Yun took this chance to grab the immortal rank sword and began to refine it. However, after he managed to barely forge a connection, hardly enough to use it in battle, Ba Shifang awakened from his daze.
"What did you do?!" Ba Shifang questioned as he unleashed a punch toward Peng Yun.
Peng Yun, not willing to show weakness, also unleashed a punch of his own. Unlike the previous clash between swords, Ba Shifang held the apparent upper hand. Peng Yun's arm released a cracking sound as it bent unnaturally.
He clutched his arm as he restrained the scream threatening to escape from his lips. Peng Yun tried to escape from Ba Shifang's assault, but how could Ba Shifang allow him to do so?
The sword Peng Yun had taken was the artifact that had accompanied his main body the longest. It was sealed so that it would release its true might as Tianyi's cultivation rose, but Tianyi didn't need it anymore at the time, so he left it in storage. So, no matter what, Ba Shifang had to retrieve it.
In addition, the mere fact that it was an immortal rank artifact was worth it. Tianyi had multiple immortal artifacts—something that undoubtedly caused immense jealousy from true immortals—but that didn't mean he didn't care for the loss of one either.
As Ba Shifang's oppressive figure neared, Peng Yun gritted his teeth and pulled out an item from the system inventory, the Martial Body Collapsing Talisman. He activated it, and a white light erupted and struck true.
Ba Shifang paused in midair, seemingly without reason. However, cracks soon appeared all over his skin. As the cracks widened, parts of his skin fell off, allowing bursts of flames to escape, billowing winds, jets of water, and even iron sand.
Even Peng Yun had to pause at Ba Shifang's startling transformation. However, that feeling soon turned ominous as the materials falling out of Ba Shifang's body began to coalesce under him and eventually formed a giant of rock, iron, water, lightning, fire, and tornados.
The illusionary mountain merged with the giant, causing it to grow to a staggering hundred meters. The aura it unleashed pressed down on the surrounding area. The cultivators who had still been fighting stopped as they felt a mountain-like pressure threatening to turn them into meat paste.
No one felt it clearer than Peng Yun. The giant's mountain-shaped head had two gaping holes where fire spewed out, its eyes. Eyes that zeroed in on him.
Peng Yun didn't have time to consider much anymore as he took out the Space Shuttling Talisman. However, when he tried to activate it, he discovered that the talisman only moved him a mere thousand meters away, a far cry from its supposed effects.
"System, why am I still here?! Did you give me a faulty product?!"
[Please do not question the legitimacy of the system's products. There is nothing wrong with the Space Shuttling Talisman.]
Upon hearing the wealth system's flat voice, Peng Yun actually calmed down a bit. "Then why did I only travel a thousand meters?"
[The area is currently under a spatial suppression formed by the giant at the center. As long as the host eliminates the giant, then the Space Shuttling Talisman will work as usual.]
'I wanted to escape because I don't think defeating it is worth it!' Peng Yun was a businessman at heart and weighed almost everything on a scale. He felt that he had already profited from grabbing an immortal artifact, so staying no longer hand any meaning.
'Since I can't escape, then I'll have to go all out!' He recognized Ba Shifang for the danger he was. Peng Yun turned around and observed the incoming giant.
Despite magma and water veins, storms covering its arms, and numerous other weather occurrences, the giant was incredibly stable and didn't show any signs of collapsing from being struck by the Martial Body Collapsing Talisman.
"System, why isn't his martial body destroyed?"
[Target Ba Shifang's martial body isn't collapsed but unstable. His current form is the result of him forcibly suppressing the rampant collapse of his martial body. However, it seems to be recovering with time. The system advises the host to eliminate him as soon as possible.]
'No shit,' Peng Yun thought. As the giant neared, Peng Yun took out both Soul Shattering Talismans and clutched them. Compared to Martial Body Collapsing Talisman, the former was far more precious, and he had only obtained three in total.
When the giant neared, Peng Yun instantly activated one of them, causing a silvery light to shoot and hit the giant. The giant's fiery eyes dimmed for a second before magma started to leak out like tears. The giant's body started to bloat, and frosty foam started to leak out from its rocky skin.
Peng Yun didn't waste a second and sent out his pseudo-immortal rank golem. The golem charged at the giant, undeterred by its mountainous pressure.
As time passed, the giant ushered a wave of destruction wherever its fist passed. The surrounding land turned into a devastated wasteland.
Peng Yun gritted his teeth and unleashed the final Soul Shattering Talisman. A second stream of silvery light entered the giant's body. This time, various elements didn't pour out of its rocky skin. No, its whole body started to change.
The giant's rocky exterior shattered away to reveal its interior. An interior formed of clashing elements of wind, water, fire, and lightning constantly clashing. Next, the giant grew to an extraordinary two hundred meters without the rocky shell, but simultaneously, the pressure weighing down on everyone decreased by fifty percent.
Peng Yun entered a dilemma. Ba Shifang had obviously entered a dangerous state, and it was the best time to eliminate him. But, he could also see Ba Shifang's overwhelming advantage over the pseudo immortal rank golem.
However, his indecision did not last long as the giant finally grabbed the golem and crushed it into smithereens. Next, its eyes latched onto Peng Yun.
With alarm bells ringing in his mind, Peng Yun turned tail and fled. But it was too late, as the giant immediately closed the distance between the two. Left with no other choice, a golden light shot out from his palm and again struck the giant.
Peng Yun's face dramatically paled after this. However, unlike the first time, the golden light did nothing. Stunned by this, the giant's hand easily grabbed Peng Yun, its clashing elements causing disastrous damage to his body and eliciting a scream of pain.
"System, help me! Get me out of here!"
Hearing no response from the system, Peng Yun's fear grew. "Why aren't you helping me? I have twenty-three million points, I can purchase anything from the system shop!"
[System shop is currently closed due to the host being in combat.]
"What, you never said anything like this before! You damn ARGHHHH" Peng Yun never had a chance to finish as the giant tightened its grasp and squeezed Peng Yun.
Peng Yun's body was vaporized by the clashing elements and not even his nascent soul was spared. But before his soul was extinguished, he heard the system speak with emotion for the first time.
[Waste.]
Peng Yun died. He died a death that he never thought would occur to him. The Thousandroot Forest wasn't an extremely important strategic location, so he shouldn't have faced such a powerful adversary, but he met Ba Shifang.
With Peng Yun's death, his spatial ring and bag were destroyed, but the immortal sword lay within the giant's palm. And after completing the act, the giant stayed still, but no one dared to go near it.
After an hour, the pressure started to disappear as rocks formed on the giant's body. Its size began to diminish slowly until it reached around one and three-quarters meters tall. The rocky exterior broke away, revealing a pale-faced Ba Shifang.
Ba Shifang entered a coughing fit, and blood poured out of his mouth, but he firmly clutched the immortal rank sword in hand. On his other hand, there were two golden coins, not like the ones from Peng Yun's coin sword. He took out a Concealed Vitality Pill and swallowed, allowing some color to return to his face.
Just as he was about to detect any danger around him, a foreign, cold, and machine-like voice sounded in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations. You have become the new master of the Wealth System. Power and prestige are only a few breaths away as long as you have the money.]