Splitting the Heave

…

Tearing through the air, the Abyssal Blade shot straight for Shang Xia.

Tao Mosheng and the other 2 barely managed to block the blade light earlier after they used everything they had. 

Shang Xia unleashed his Divine Killing Spear and dissipated a portion of the power contained in the blade. His rod, or whatever was left of the Scarlet Star Spear after the tip shattered earlier, failed to hold out. It crumbled bit by bit until only a tiny portion remained in his hand.

Under such circumstances, the 3 other Martial Extermination Realm experts had no doubt that Shang Xia’s fate was sealed.

Tao Mosheng and the rest were naturally happy to watch as Shang Xia was slain by the divine weapon. There was no way they would help him, but at the same time, they weren’t stupid enough to make a move on Shang Xia. The reason behind their reluctance to attack was simple. The divine weapon didn’t know who was who. To the Abyssal Blade, anyone who entered the Abyssal Secret Region was an enemy!

Anyone who provoked the weapon at that moment would probably turn into its next target.

That was why no one bothered attacking Shang Xia. They couldn’t wait for him to perish under the blade.

Also, all 3 of them could tell that Shang Xia possessed extraordinary combat abilities. He might be able to struggle on death’s door for some time, buying time.

That was right. They were hoping Shang Xia could hold the divine weapon down for a little while more. As far as they could tell, the blade was the core of the secret region. Now that it had emerged from its seal, the Abyssal Secret Region lost its protection and was starting to crumble. 

The moment it did, it would be time for the experts outside to feast on its remains.

As Shang Xia tangled with the Abyssal Blade, the 3 of them seemed to reach the same conclusion as they shot for the main peak that used to hold the divine weapon.

Without the protection of the Abyssal Blade, countless rays of light emerged from the main peak and shot into the skies.

Under the resplendent rays, one could barely make out several figures flashing haphazardly around the main peak. There were images of weapons and strange phenomena, and there seemed to be a pretty huge mass of world origin. It flickered in a strange fashion, but there was no doubt about it. Anything that it depicted could cause Martial Extermination Realm experts to go crazy!

The protection barrier around the main peak eventually gave out and the treasures contained within seemed to want to pop out the next moment!

…

From what Shang Xia understood, every divine weapon had its own weapon spirit.

That was why Shang Xia used his Divine Killing Spear when he blocked the blade light after first entering the Abyssal Secret Region.

When he tried to stop the blade earlier with the tipless spear, he also unleashed the same move.

With one spear to slay the gods, it could sunder the soul and destroy his target’s physical body!

Shang Xia had been targeting the weapon spirit all along!

Moreover, the reaction of the Abyssal Blade told him that his method was working. He also managed to successfully anger the divine weapon by doing so.

As the Abyssal Blade flew at Shang Xia once again, he no longer had his Scarlet Star Spear to protect himself. He seemed utterly defenseless and would be slain the next moment.

Earlier, Shang Xia had a chance to leave the secret region. Back when he detected Wei Qiongyi, he even had enough excess energy to tell her to leave. Despite the many opportunities, he didn’t rush through the sea of clouds to escape.

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Instead, he launched yet another move against the Abyssal Blade!

With his inner qi poured out of his dantian like water out a broken dam, they created a giant palm in mid air.

Shang Xia’s Four Seasons Extermination Origins swirled about endlessly in the giant palm, making it increasingly solid. Eventually, the palm gained a beige skin-like hue.

When Shang Xia comprehended how to use his extermination origins back at the Jingxiu Peak, he released a similar palm strike that tore right through its protection formation.

Now, Shang Xia’s understanding of his extermination origins grew even more. The power contained in his palm strike was clearly stronger than before.

“Smack!” 

Shang Xia’s palm slammed directly into the body of the blade and the scene everyone was waiting for didn’t happen. Shang Xia wasn’t torn to shreds like they expected.

Instead, the Abyssal Blade stopped in mid air and released a shrill buzz.

It seemed afraid and angry at the same time.

Shang Xia’s palm strike contained the true power of the four seasons and it far surpassed the Divine Killing Spear when it came to threatening spirits.

The Divine Killing Spear could threaten both his opponent’s physical bodies and their souls. That was also how the divine weapon greatly reduced the power of Shang Xia’s third martial intent. It greatly depleted Shang Xia’s inner qi during their physical exchange.

Things were different when Shang Xia unleashed his Four Seasons Extermination Origins in his final palm strike. It might not be as physically powerful as his Divine Killing Spear, but it was much more effective when it came to exterminating spirits.

After all, there weren’t many things that could overcome the cycle of time that was represented by the progression of the four seasons. Shang Xia’s strike didn’t merely contain the power to decay things. It had the ability to kill anything formless. It could even be argued that it directly countered the weapon spirit!

Buzzing incessantly, the Abyssal Blade seemed extremely enraged by Shang Xia’s actions. The commotion it caused spread through the secret region and the sea of clouds continued to crumble.

The giant palm Shang Xia created grabbed the blade without showing signs of letting go no matter how hard it struggled.

The Abyssal Blade chopped in all directions as it tried to get rid of Shang Xia’s palm. Spatial cracks appeared all around.

Withstanding the tearing of space, the giant palm that held on to the blade burst open in wounds before reforming itself. The process repeated several times but Shang Xia’s Four Seasons Extermination Origins eventually gained the upper hand. No matter how it tried, the Abyssal Blade failed to sever the strange hand that held on to it. 

The palm Shang Xia summoned earlier wasn’t exactly moving about independently. Shang Xia’s arm that was held out in front of him had countless wounds as blood poured out from the various cuts he suffered.

Even so, he refused to give up!

Pushing his extermination origins to the limit, they battered against the blade qi that emerged from the Abyssal Blade. It slowly seeped into the weapon itself to suppress the weapon spirit contained within.

Throughout the whole progress, Shang Xia didn’t notice that the blood he spat onto the Abyssal Blade earlier was slowly being sucked into its body along with the entry of his extermination origins.

All of a sudden, Shang Xia felt the weapon spirit of the blade weakening rapidly as his extermination origins gained the upper hand.

Recognizing the opportunity, Shang Xia stomped heavily and shot through the skies. There was no way he could run away now that the weapon spirit had been suppressed. He flew straight for the Abyssal Blade and he grabbed its shaft in one fluid motion.

The giant palm that was holding onto the blade dissipated and Shang Xia took over. Blood flowed down his hands and he made a terrifying decision. He wanted to refine the weapon despite the dangers that surrounded him.

The blood that poured out from his wounds entered the divine weapon directly and Shang Xia didn’t slow down in his infusion of extermination origins.

With the round of simple refinement, Shang Xia seemed to form a basic connection with the blade. He had a feeling that the blade had become an extension of his body.

Perhaps it was because of his connection with the blade, but he could feel a sense of resistance from the weapon spirit despite already suppressing it with his extermination origins. Even if he could use the blade currently, he wouldn’t be able to unleash its full power!

He was like Yun Jing who wielded Kou Chongxue’s Hidden Frost Sword in the past. He was able to bring out a portion of its strength, but it was far from what it could actually do.

What made Shang Xia’s headache was the fact that the weapon spirit was resisting his extermination origins forcefully. It would rather be destroyed than submit to Shang Xia! 

As he needed to break the stalemate immediately, he would need a chance to force the Abyssal Blade’s weapon spirit to submit. Only then would he be able to fully refine the weapon and wield its strength.

It might seem like a long time since Shang Xia was attacked by the Abyssal Blade, but everything happened in several short breaths of time. The sudden change in situation caught the attention of the other 3 Martial Extermination Realm experts hovering in the air around the central peak.

There was no way they could accept the fact that Shang Xia managed to evade death. Things were worse when they saw how Shang Xia was about to refine the divine weapon.

Ignoring the rest of the treasures that were pouring out from the main peak, they rushed towards Shang Xia in unison. They couldn’t allow him to refine the divine weapon just like that!

Even if it was a damaged divine weapon, they couldn’t allow it to fall into Shang Xia’s hands.

Like before, Shang Xia was quickly surrounded by the 3 of them. Back then, he rushed into the main peak and crashed into the boulder that sealed the divine weapon, avoiding their combined assault. Now that the divine weapon no longer threatened them, Shang Xia understood that there was nothing to hold them back from going all out in their assault. The divine weapon in his hand struggled with all its might to prevent Shang Xia from using its full strength and if he was even slightly careless, the weapon spirit of the Abyssal Blade would probably break free from the restraints of his extermination origin. When that happened, he wouldn’t need to care about Tao Mosheng and the others. He would be slain by the Abyssal Blade in an instant.

In a fit of desperation, Shang Xia could only try the first idea that came to mind. He retrieved the six sided handle and the moment he did, the Abyssal Blade trembled violently in his hand.

Feeling its reaction, a trace of joy filled Shang Xia’s heart. The Abyssal Blade wasn’t trying to escape from him after he revealed that he was in possession of the six sided handle. Instead, a sense of attraction came from the depths of the blade.

Heaving a sigh of relief, it seemed as though Shang Xia made the correct gamble. 

The six sided handle turned into a streak of light that attached itself directly between the blade and the handle of the sword. 

This…

A soft ‘click’ could be heard as it turned into the guard of the Abyssal Blade. Even Shang Xia couldn’t exactly catch what happened, but all he knew was that the six sided handle he had been playing with had been a part of the Abyssal Blade all along! 

The second it attached itself to the Abyssal Blade, the weapon spirit stopped resisting immediately. It quickly resonated with his divine perception and it fused with Shang Xia’s soul! The refinement process he had been forcing to progress earlier was completed in an instant!