Splitting the Heave

… 

“Am I trapped here or something?” Sima Zhanxing continued walking forward, towards the supposed light at the end of the tunnel. No matter how far he walked, he would always seem to be transported back to some point in the forest whenever he was about to escape. The sense of irritation in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

Obviously, he knew that he had been trapped in some sort of maze.

The person controlling the maze he was in was either extremely adept at the Mountain and Sea Fantasy Grand Formation, or they were really talented in the art of formations.

That was the only way they could restore the grand formation to a point where it could trap a Martial Extermination Realm expert like Sima Zhanxing in such a short amount of time.

“How did those freaks of the Tongyou Institution enter so quickly? Sima Zhanxing muttered to himself. Of course, he quickly determined who controlled the region. He raised his guard secretly. “Looks like those who came in earlier have all met their end… Moreover, the Tongyou Institution seems to have set their eye on the Mountain and Sea Fantasy Spiritual World…”

Sima Zhanxing’s heart trembled slightly. All of a sudden, a soft whistling sound rang through the air as a flying squirrel leaped at him. 

Before it could arrive, Sima Zhanxing, whose attention seemed to be somewhere else, pointed at it casually. 

The sound of shattering could be heard as the squirrel returned to its original form. It became an ice sword surrounded by bright orange flames that quickly crumbled.

Two shards of ice fell at Sima Zhanxing’s feet and his expression changed slightly. Reaching towards it cautiously, he didn’t expect the two pieces of ice to transform into huge maces that swung towards him.

Waving his hands in fright, his extermination origin flashed across his palm. Slapping the maces away, he retreated slightly. His chest heaved up and down and he looked to be slightly injured.

As he stumbled backwards, his surroundings changed again.

The rock formations standing tall above the water surface started to shift. They formed a giant arena with him in the center. When he raised his head, he saw a giant boulder flying at him.

“Enough!” Sima Zhanxing grunted once and his inner qi started to move. The space around him twisted slightly and the boulder that flew towards him popped like a bubble.

At the same time, Sima Zhanxing snorted in contempt. His extermination origin surrounded his body and he punched towards another boulder falling towards his head. Debris filled the air.

A mocking smile appeared on his lips. “Gu Shou, instructor of the inner division in the Tongyou Institution. Are you stupid to use the same move twice against me?” 

Sima Zhanxing wasn’t done. He followed up with two quick jabs towards the falling rocks.

Several loud clashes rang in the air as the heaven and earth qi in his surroundings shook. The rock shards were turned into ash.

“As long as it’s effective, I can use it as many times as I wish!” Gu Yuan’s voice rang through the air as another rock formation appeared beside Sima Zhanxing. Despite the blood dripping down his face, Gu Shou raised his mace and slammed it towards Sima Zhanxing’s skull.

“You’re asking for death!” Sima Zhanxing roared as he punched out yet again. Gu Shou was sent flying as the rock formation he stood on turned to dust.

Sima Zhanxing wasn’t done. He wanted to rush up towards Gu Shou to land the final blow. However, he discovered that the ground beneath him had already caved in due to the impact of his blows. It stopped him from moving immediately.

When Sima Zhanxing raised his head to look at Gu Shou again, he noticed a crafty smile on the man’s face. 

This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

His heart sank as he spun around instinctively. His fists which were still covered in the lights emitted from his extermination origin shot straight out.

“Bang!” 

A clear blast rang in Sima Zhanxing’s ears as the tip of a spear stabbed straight into the brass knuckles that appeared on his hands.

The resulting explosion caused the illusion to shatter instantly. The rock formations that surrounded him started to crumble.

A burst of rainbow light could be seen on the other side of the spear, and when it disappeared, Shang Ke’s unwavering gaze met Sima Zhanxing’s incredulous one.

A bitter smile started to appear on Sima Zhanxing’s face. “Suspended Spear? Martial Extermination Realm?”  

Fresh blood leaked out of his nostrils after he spoke.

“Too bad it’s not enough to kill me!” 

Even after the serious wound inflicted by Shang Ke, Sima Zhanxing still seemed unperturbed.

The sound of cracking could be heard as the brass knuckles on his hand shattered. A formidable surge of energy pushed Shang Ke back several steps.

In that instant, another howl echoed through the Mountain and Sea Fantasy Spiritual World. The void started to twist as the Coral Forest started to shift again.

“Hahaha! The heavens haven’t given up on me!” Sima Zhanxing roared with laughter as he sped towards the twisted void.

“Leave your life behind!” When Sima Zhanxing stepped into the air above, Sun Haiwei’s figure emerged from the water below. A frozen sword glowing with orange flame shot towards Sima Zhanxing’s back.

“You can’t…” Shang Ke yelled, but it was too late.

Without even turning back, Sima Zhanxing’s extermination origin surrounded his body. It shattered the ice sword and the resulting shockwave slammed against her. She fell unconscious the moment she hit the ground.

“Hehe, a mere Martial Extremity Realm kid has the guts to make an attempt on my life?” As the words left his lips, Sima Zhanxing’s figure disappeared in the spatial fluctuations.

“Quick! How is she?!” Shang Ke yelled. Even though it seemed as though he wasn’t talking to anyone, he knew Chu Jia could hear him.

Instead of an acknowledgment, Chu Jia’s urgent reminder sounded in his ears. “Senior Shang, be careful!” 

The instant Sima Zhanxing disappeared, a long sword stabbed through the air towards Shang Ke.

“Seven Conch Sword! Ran Biluo!” Shang Ke roared as his spear stabbed out swiftly. “Everyone, retreat!” 

Gu Shou propped up his body and Bai Luming emerged from some random hole in the ground. The two of them grabbed Sun Haiwei before retreating towards the core region of the Mountain and Sea Fantasy Spiritual World.

“Ring…” The Seven Conch Sword was deflected, but Shang Ke grunted anyway. He backed away quickly.

“Huh? You reached the Martial Extermination Realm too?” A jade white hand extended from the void and caught her sword. She casually tore through space and arrived outside the core region of the Mountain and Sea Fantasy Spiritual World.

She looked at Shang Ke and the others who were fleeing and giggled softly before revealing a sinister smile. The sword in her hand started to ring angrily as dozens of sword qi appeared around her. Without another word, she charged into the core region.

…

In the Unstable Region… 

Murong Gaofeng, whose breakthrough had failed at the very last second due to a huge disturbance, couldn’t even regulate his breathing before fighting for his life.

Shang Lubing’s relentless attacks and Murong Gaofeng’s desperate defense shattered several islands floating in midair.

Even though the Coral Forest started to shift during their battle, the spatial folds didn’t affect them in the slightest.

The two of them continued their battle.

Even though Shang Lubing was much stronger than Murong Gaofeng, the latter had Martial Intent Realm experts to assist him. Both sides were able to fight evenly for some time…

…

In the Dual Season Land…

Shang Bo quickly located the core region after he arrived. Despite his formidable cultivation base, he didn’t know that Shang Xia was holding off eight cultivators of the Rose Party alone.

Whatever the case, he wasn’t going to allow the members of the Rose Party to remain in control over the core region now that he had arrived. He commenced his attack on them immediately.

As a giant palm formed from heaven and earth qi crashed downwards, a figure rose into the sky to stop him.

A grunt left the newcomer’s lips as he was sent flying back into the core region, slamming heavily into the protection formation.

Shang Bo glanced at the person who stopped him and sneered with contempt. “Yuwen Shengjie, it’s you! I didn’t think that your injuries would heal so quickly. Looks like you used quite a lot of precious treasures…”

Yuwen Shengjie wasn’t planning on sparring with Shang Bo with words and he quickly hid inside the protection formation around the core region.

Shang Bo wasn’t planning on letting him off so easily. He rushed towards the core region behind Yuwen Shengjie.

Naturally, the members of the Rose Party expected him to do so. With Yuwen Shengjie’s help, they managed to stop him outside the barrier.

With a trace of irritation rising in his heart, Shang Bo tried to shatter the barrier. With each attempt, the skies trembled and the earth shook.

Despite the violent attack and desperate defense, both sides seemed to be holding back slightly. Shang Bo didn’t unleash his full strength, and the members of the Rose Party didn’t try to force him into a corner. They were afraid that they would destroy the Dual Season Land.

After several rounds, both sides realized that they weren’t going to do anything to each other. Shang Bo felt slightly drained. Just before he decided to call for backup, he stared at the space beside him and muttered, “Old lady, you’ve been here for quite some time now. Why haven’t you revealed yourself?” 

Three colored lights appeared from the void after he spoke, and Yan Su’er stepped out with her walking stick in hand.

“Old man Shang, you were so strong that I thought you could deal with them on your own. If I step in suddenly, won’t you think that I’m trying to steal your spoils of war?” 

Shang Bo chuckled in amusement. “Looks like I’m going to have to disappoint you. I’m not as strong as you think I am. I will have to trouble you to make your move, otherwise, we won’t be able to open up this region.” 

“Alright, alright, since you’re willing to admit that you’re not strong enough…”

Before she could complete her sentence, Yuwen Shengjie who was hiding in the protection formation yelled, “Hey! You better not forget our deal! Without our help, do you think your Four Spiritual Peak will be able to hold the Tongyou Institution back?” 

Shang Bo revealed a mocking smile as he looked at Yan Su’er. “Oh? What deal did you make with each other? Why don’t you tell me?” 

“Deal? Hah… I didn’t make any deals with these losers…” Yan Su’er raised her walking stick after she spoke. A massive staff condensed in the air as it smashed heavily into the protection screen below, causing the earth to tremble.

The lush greenery around the core region was torn to bits as the shockwave swept through the lands.

“Yan Su’er, you…”

“Oi, what are you doing? Are you planning to destroy the Dual Season Land?” Shang Bo frowned. Didn’t he hold back just because he was afraid that he would destroy the precious treasures contained within the region?

Before Yan Su’er could explain herself, a loud roar tore through the skies yet again. Several spatial folds appeared in the air.

…

This time, the shifting of space seemed a lot worse than the previous times.

Shang Xia felt his vision turning upside down as a trace of foreboding filled his heart. When his feet touched the ground again, he only found his footing after leaning against something behind him. Holding his knees, he retched uncomfortably.

“This…”