Looking skeptical, his starry eyes seemed to bore into her, but she did not crack and he ultimately let it go.
"Hey, Xin?" Looking into the vast fog, she slowly began to speak.
"What is it?" He glanced up.
"Is that supposed to be moving?" Instantly, he stopped what he was doing and looked out over the fog.
His pupils shrank into pinpoints.
A massive ship was moving out from a hole torn in space, in front of it, countless ghosts chained to it flew the ship, keeping it in the air.
"Myriad Ghost Warship." His emotions vanished from his face, his expression turning absolutely even.
Myriad Ghost Warship, something he had briefly heard his 'Master' mumble about in his sleep, among other things.
He didn't know of it's look, but looking at this, he felt it was certainly that.
Which could also only mean one thing.
He's here.
"Hello, disciple." Something grabbed his ankle, raising his foot, he stomped at it and succeeded at nothing but shattering the ledge causing them both to fall.
Those Undying Soldiers below looked up, attacking.
A bladestorm arose however, and directly slaughtered the tens of Undying Soldiers without giving any quarter.
"Not happy to see me, disciple?" A young man slowly began to appear from his shadow, "But I am so happy to see you, I've brought a surprise, after all."
Nine intense sword aura's rose at the same time like nine swords pointing at the heavens.
Precisely as that occurred, nine separate beams of light appeared in front of him. Nine kneeling figures with swords on their backs greeted him.
"Senior Brother."
Shou Xin looked at those nine who radiated intense sword auras around the Seventh stage for battle cultivators.
To cultivate to such a level in such a short while, it was clear that Vienna had been training them quite brutally.
Not the mention the fear planted deep in their hearts, keeping them loyal.
The Yong Sword Spirit shifted, it's golden eyes looking out at the Inner Sea as though seeing through it, those intense sword auras getting battered.
Yet, they did not shift, only darken slightly.
Fukkatsu roared from within the sheath!
ChiiiI!!!!
Lighting and golden flames began to emerge as the Yong Sword Spirit emerged from his Inner Sea, coiling around the sword and looking at the nine swords of those disciples.
Sensing his intense will for battle, and hunger, Shou Xin smiled as an evil thought arose in his mind.
"Master, if even one of them can take this move, I will accept them as Junior Brothers."
Glancing back at his disciples, Vienna smiled coldly, his eyes glinting.
"Go."
Without a word, their sword auras shot together, forming a terrifying formation made up of nine separate sword arrays!
"I am Ichi, the First Disciple."
"Ni."
"San."
"Shi."
"Gou."
"Roku."
"Nana."
"Hachi."
"Kyu."
As he slowly drew Fukkatsu, coldness spread through his chest.
"Nine Sanguine Sword Style."
"Chaotic Destruction."
The world shook as their words rang out in unison. Thousands of blades of crimson light arose as a giant, unescapable field appeared.
He knew what this was instinctually.
The next form of the Sword Field technique.
Sword Domain.
However it was weak, and shallow, all of them needed to combine their auras to form it, however it was still terrifyingly powerful as though a Sword Intent Cultivator were standing in front of him.
His blood cold as his eyes were serene, the wave of power diffusing everywhere hit him in the face causing his hair to flutter as the whirlwind grew!
Shiiiiing!
Starlight reflected from the fine sword as it escaped it's sheath, a dragon escaping it's restrictions!
Fukkatsu roared mightily, however in the face of other Spirit Artifacts, ones which were more ancient than him, they did not quiver!
Sssss.
The swords cut through the sky, tearing at the void!
"Fukkatsu."
A new technique he had greeted, by combining his trump cards together, a technique that was created by accident, an idea arising from that time he almost died and Fukkatsu worked tirelessly within him.
A technique which took the properties of the Yan Sword Style and made it his own.
"Dragon River Stroke."
Fukkatsu's body suddenly got bigger! It's maw opened wide and the countless swords screamed towards him, seeking to shatter him!
Those nine disciples looked greedy, and arrogant, bowing to their master but no one else.
He planned to teach them a good lesson.
"Fukkatsu!"
Shouting, the earth beneath him shattered and the immense waves of qi trying to suppress him vanished as his own strength exploded to the surface!
ROAR!!!!
Countless small, thin rivers shot out in the form of rivers of lightning from a single point spider webbing everywhere seemingly at random.
The Koka Kiru was incorporated.
From the earth, golden fires arose like swords rising from the past to devour and destroy the world once more!
The Sword Field.
Those swords seeking to break past the stroke, were arrogant and crashed, however those Nine Disciples didn't feel the impact?!
They stared forward, shocked as they lost they were quickly losing connection to their power, it was draining at an astonishing speed!
Rushing forward they drew their weapons, igniting their qi, nine separate all out attacks.
The lighting river above, and the golden fire swords below, the nine disciples charge through the gap!
"Chaos Incision."
Space split, his Dragon River Stroke cut through!
Fukkatsu roared…
…In ecstasy.
Arriving in front of Shou Xin in the blink of an eye, their greed was evident! They had killing intent, as well, they are aiming for his life, some of them aiming for the beautiful woman watching at the side.
"Shatter."
A single word for him however, crushed their greed.
Originally, he only planned to teach them a lesson, but seeing those green eyes pointed at Wuqing, he changed his mind, his emotions rippling.
Fukkatsu who had been, 'cut through', appeared right from the side of them in it's true form, the sword!
Those Nine Disciples pupils shrank and they tried to stop the attack, but it was futile.
The Kiru, hidden stroke.
His eyes shone with Sword Aura, revealing the failings of their moves, though he didn't need it to see through it to begin with.
He was quite used to fighting against combination techniques here in Baylen's Rest.
"Senior, please!" One of them shouted pitifully.
Clang!
"Ha." Looking at the two fingers pinching the kiru, his eyes filled with amusement, "Master, you are filled with compassion."
Wiiiiing!
"Reverse Dragon River."
The immense energy which had been swallowed by the Dragon River Stroke changed directions!
"Hmph."
Vienna directly shattered it with a look and Shou Xin smiled, as he was having a truly great day now.
"You would dare to kill your juniors, villain." Vienna's words made him laugh out, a true, full bellied laugh he had not had in a long time.
"Would I dare? Why not? They dare to try and kill me, but no one stops them, why can't I take their greedy little lives?" His tone was strange, it was something that scared Wuqing since after being with him a long time, she could tell when he was slipping.
Reaching up he ran a hand through his hair, his eyes vast as his smile began to widen, an insane look in his eyes, something burning fiercely within.
"Xin!" She grabbed him from behind.
Almost immediately, that burning thing in his gaze was extinguished, and he became that same, serene senior brother they had first seen.
However, those Nine Chaotic Sword Disciples were terrified.
A man who could change faces in an instant, one who hide such a vicious killing intent till the very last second, and a sword move which would force their Master to actually destroy it.
This was their Eldest Brother, a villain which the entire Southern Direction wished to find, and kill!
Yet, they turned their eyes to Wuqing, however a sharp killing intent made them look away.
"You cannot even contain that cursed blood. It is tragic, a little provocation and you need her to save you, trash." Crossed arms, Vienna looked at him, "Kneel, and I will help you find a method to stop the cursed bloods corruption."
"Drop dead." Coldly, he swept his gaze over Vienna.
"I will not be first to die, disciple." Vienna slowly turned around, "Ah, and, those sects we destroyed for these weapons, since you've had your pet devour the spirits from those swords, the righteous sects will be able to identify the traces in your sword now…"
A satisfied smile spread across his face.
Shou Xin realized this was all apart of his plan from the start, to feed Fukkatsu with what could essentially be a marker for any righteous sect disciple to find, if he drew him.
However, Shou Xin was also smiling at his back, Fukkatsu rose out from the ground, flying high into the sky!
Now, it was Vienna's turn to come to a realization.
"Truly, a Great Master." Looking up to the sky, he felt the immense Ninth Body Tribulation gathering, however, as it gathered Fukkatsu devoured.
Fukkatsu had not truly devoured these spirits yet, in fact what it had taken was the weapons itself, and by extension it ate the spirits, but they were not dead and were fighting like hell to escape it's body!
In response, Fukkatsu threw them up into the middle of the Ninth Body Tribulation Cloud, causing them to be targeted by the cloud, unlike himself who had the lightning attribute and would not be harmed!
It turned into a feeding frenzy as the Nine Spirits fought against Fukkatsu fiercely, but were on the losing side as more and more power flowed in crazily, trying to form the Ninth Body Tribulation!
Meanwhile, down below, Shou Xin had directly shattered the barrier, and entered the Ninth Sword Aura Stage.
This battle, using the Dragon River Stroke against horrifying odds, a technique which could kill the average Law Refinement Cultivator was directly rebuffed by him, allowing his Sword Aura to break into the next level.
C-crack!
High above, the tribulation clouds shattered!
Fukkatsu, each time the lightning would strike, grew larger and larger until he had directly become tremendous!
Immediately, after having devoured those spirits essences, he dove back into Shou Xin greedily, searching for it's next prey.
The tribulation cloud reformed!
However, there were two Tribulation clouds!
Glancing over at Feng Wuqing, he found her smiling, his hand suddenly becoming warm, as she held it in her own.
The Ninth Breakthrough.
It was the most dangerous. Most cultivators were stuck just before for their whole lives due to the fear of facing that final chain, the final destructive force.
Their spirits shook at the thought.
Most died here, and even those who survived would have permanent injuries to their essence, their soul!
Not little cracks which heal, but truly shattering strikes.
It could all be over, right here.
He held her hand tightly, to reassure her.
"If I should fall," He began.
"I will follow." She finished.
Though he felt guilty for feeling so, he was glad that she said what she said. Ridding himself of any other thoughts, he faced the Ninth Chain Dragon in his Inner Sea.
This was no Flood Dragon.
It was a true Dragon.
It's eyes followed him, as though anticipating, waiting for the moment it would be let free to destroy everything.
Looking over at Shou Xin who had completely become one with himself, nothing able to distract himself, Feng Wuqing looked up at the sky, her eyes squinting.
Above her, a mythical figure seemed to stand.
A beast from ancient times which stood among the ancestral dragons and fought them to a standstill.
A Taotie.
As it appeared in the sky in a lightning form, it's gaze swept lazily over the world below, it's eyes disgusted within their depths as it let out a lazy roar.
Roar.
In the other thundercloud, terrifying arcs of lighting came together to form a lightning core which soon turned into a Lightning Flood Dragon.
Shooting down, it screamed through the air.
Crack!
Shatter!
The void itself was destroyed from the immense strength it carried as it fell!
Unimpeded, it entered Shou Xin's body, causing Feng Wuqing to instinctively want to help, but stopped herself.
"I have to trust him." Her gaze turned upwards, "And worry about myself."
If either died, it was tantamount to killing the other. She had no choice but to take her life as important, equal to his.
Vice-versa, she trusted he did the same, nay, she knew he did.
Within his Inner Sea, something terrifying occurred.
The Lightning Flood Dragon which had appeared with the force to shatter the void, was now in that Chain Dragon's maw, being swallowed to bits.
Two hundred fifty six whiskers created a massive formation, and many, many times that number created a fearsome beard from which it could draw even more power.
The ancient looking dragon slowly flew around the Sword Mound, looking at Shou Xin who stood atop the Sanguine Sword Law which was no longer chained.
"Ch…il…d." Ancient as time itself, the voice almost shattered his Inner Sea directly, "Sav..e… us…"
The countless whisker swords fell powerlessly as the Dragon plucked out it's entire beard, the source of it's power in this realm and form.
Suddenly, the feeling of the Great Path invaded his Inner Sea!
"They… enslaved… us…" The dragon's ancient voice rang out with a heartbroken rage, "Eons… the great path is… corrupt…!"
The dragon suddenly began to bulge!
Shou Xin instinctively knew, this dragon could no longer hold itself back in the face of the Great Path's immense coercive power!
"I will make it swift." He dared not pity the dragon, treating it as a warrior, until the very damned, cruel end.
It closed its eyes peacefully.
Blinking from the Sword Mound to the neck of the dragon, his eyes were laser focused.
He suddenly was reminded of the screams of the first man he ever slew, and how kind he was to force his hands which were trembling back then, yet he repaid him with a sloppy, bloody and slow death.
His Inner Sea rose all at once, instantly Shou Xin's pores exploded and he began to bleed all over his body, his Inner Sea cracking, soul shivering!
"Safe journeys, old one."
The word which fell from his tongue like a whisper from a time almost completely forgotten, made the atmosphere freeze.
Emptying his entire Inner Sea into this single stoke, it was not even close.
With him having taken away all of his power, allowing himself to be the most vulnerable, Shou Xin's cut was a flash, if one blinked they would have missed it.
The Ninth Dragon died, a smile on it's now bulging face.
Umph!
It's body crashed around the Sword Mound, encircling it, it's body body specs of light, and the lightning within shooting out alongside the golden fire which Fukkatsu took gently, absorbing it rather than ravenously devouring it.
Despite being a spirit only, Fukkatsu who was in the end, a Yong, felt kinship with this dragon who suffered so cruelly, and did what it did with the utmost respect.
"Trapping the ancient dragons souls and using them as materials for tribulations. Hidden away in the Great Path somewhere, there are billions of trapped souls crying out." Shaking his head, he felt a sense of hatred rise but not greatly, "The consequences of the loser, however, you helped me here, I will help you when I can."
He had to find clues to where the dragon souls could have been imprisoned.