Chapter 224: Forbidden Artifact
Chapter 224: Forbidden Artifact
The opponents blocking the path weren’t weak, but they stood no chance against Cheng Lingyu. The battle grew fiercer as he advanced, screams ringing out constantly.
Cheng Lingyu struck mercilessly. Having endured bullying since childhood, he loathed these arrogant troublemakers. Every cultivator he sent flying ended up maimed, their bloodied states both enraging and intimidating the crowd.
“This brat’s mocking us! Let’s crush his bones together!”
A cultivator provoked others, unable to tolerate Cheng Lingyu’s cold pride. Driven by greed and anger, more cultivators surged forward to topple him.
By now, Cheng Lingyu had wounded over twenty cultivators. His rising dominance made defeating him a path to instant glory. Most in the ancient ruin were young, competitive disciples—even those secretly doubting their chances clung to foolish hope.
Of the hundreds present, half now sought to humble this arrogant youth. Cheng Lingyu noticed but remained indifferent. He hadn’t even warmed up yet—this brutal trial was exactly what he needed after reaching the Soul Martial Fifth Realm.
Growing colder and crueler, he unleashed Seven Butterfly Shadows, shredding a cultivator’s body and soul alike.
“You dare kill?!”
A furious roar escalated tensions. Spectators instinctively pressed closer.
The mounting pressure forced Cheng Lingyu to reveal more techniques—precisely the trial he’d sought. Nearby, Gao Tianyu watched the swarm of attackers with conflicted frustration, both wanting to help and doubting his own ability to survive such an onslaught.
“Thousand Strikes!”
Cheng Lingyu bellowed. Leg shadows flashed through the crowd, sending bodies flying. Screams erupted as cultivators fell, bones shattered.
“Die, you bastard!”
One summoned a Soul Domain Avatar. Others fused martial arts with Spirit Communication. They attacked openly, ambushed slyly—no trick went unused.
Though surrounded by stronger foes, Cheng Lingyu calmly polished his skills. The battle dragged on shockingly—half an hour later, he only grew fiercer, his aura sharpening.
Gao Tianyu finally admitted defeat in his heart—he’d never have lasted this long.
Cheng Lingyu now channeled energy through four cave heavens, stabilizing his position. His brilliance stoked jealousy—more cultivators joined the fray, desperate to dim his light.
His strikes accelerated, brutality escalating. Casualties mounted as the fight intensified. Over eighty percent of cultivators encircled him, leaving only a few cautious observers distant.
When Cheng Lingyu opened his fifth cave heaven, his combat power surged anew. Facing the roaring tide of attackers, he showed no fear.
The frenzied cultivators unleashed their full strength, employing every means at their disposal – Soul Domain Avatars, joint attacks, magical artifacts, and mental assaults all erupted simultaneously.
A flicker of excitement crossed Cheng Lingyu’s previously impassive face as he successively opened his Sixth Cave Heaven, Seventh Cave Heaven, and Eighth Cave Heaven, relentlessly pushing his limits.
When Cheng Lingyu finally activated the Ninth Cave Heaven, even the most jaded observers recognized this as the hallmark of a supreme genius.
More terrifying still were the nine distinct Immortal Souls within his Nine Cave Heavens. Cheng Lingyu cycled through them during combat, seeking deeper merging and mastery of their ultimate skills – a crucial process for the fifth level of soul martial transformation’s Shadow Transformation stage.
While Shadow Transformation itself wasn’t overly challenging, failure to master the Immortal Souls’ ultimate skills would forever bar entry to the Soul Martial Sixth Realm’s Soul Domain stage.
Cheng Lingyu’s meteoric rise inevitably drew envious eyes. Many conspired to eliminate this burgeoning threat before he grew unstoppable.
As more cultivators joined the assault, the small world’s energy balance destabilized under the chaotic onslaught.
Blade auras, sword lights, spear phantoms, thunder and lightning hammered Cheng Lingyu, battering him to the ground repeatedly – yet each time he rose again.
Under crushing pressure, Cheng Lingyu achieved the impossible – the legendary Tenth Cave Heaven materialized, drawing gasps of disbelief from the crowd.
“T-T-Ten Cave Heavens? That’s… impossible!”
Denial turned to terror as the Ten Cave Heavens boosted Cheng Lingyu’s combat strength exponentially. In attack formation, the rotating Cave Heavens became an unstoppable annihilator, bisecting dozens of late-stage Soul Martial experts. When defending, they solidified into an impregnable pyramid.
“Kill him now! Don’t let this monster survive!”
Desperate cultivators abandoned caution. “Use Forbidden Artifacts! Burn your spirit artifacts if needed!”
Forbidden Artifacts – single-use weapons matching spirit artifacts in power, but outlawed for their devastation. Among Tianyang Empire’s hundreds of disciples, some possessed such treasures through secret means.
Cheng Lingyu’s heightened senses detected spirit artifacts easily, but he remained unfazed – until a yellowed Ancient Talisman streaked toward him.
Though appearing as mere scribbles on aged parchment, the talisman radiated world-crushing pressure. Cheng Lingyu’s Dreamy Magic Eyes flared as primal danger screamed through his mind.
He shaped his Cave Heavens into a defensive ring. The collision shattered his barrier, leaving him gravely injured and bloodied – yet the Ten Cave Heavens themselves remained intact, reverting to their natural state.
The pursuing talisman met Cheng Lingyu’s counterstroke – black-and-white chess pieces materialized, forming the Six Mysterious Deadly Formation. When the unstoppable force met the immovable object, light and thunder engulfed the battlefield.
A fiery explosion later revealed the outcome – the Forbidden Artifact reduced to ashes within Cheng Lingyu’s formation.
“How?!” The crowd’s shock curdled into rage.
Retracting his formation, Cheng Lingyu fixed his attackers with a deathly glare. His Cave Heaven ring expanded, disintegrating dozens into bloody mist – souls obliterated beyond reincarnation.
Roars and cries of despair echoed through the void as Cheng Lingyu transformed from prey to predator. His Cave Heaven ring became a soul-reaping scythe, reversing the battle’s tide.
“Kill the rabbit-headed devil! Avenge our fallen!”
Despite mounting losses, hatred-fueled cultivators pressed the attack. Though the Cave Heaven ring repelled most, occasional spirit artifacts slipped through, forcing Cheng Lingyu to maintain defensive formations.
Gao Tianyu watched from the sidelines, conflicted emotions warring in his heart. A handful of clear-minded observers likewise held back, awaiting the inevitable conclusion.
Cheng Lingyu fought like a cornered beast, his Shadow Transformation and Cave Heaven defenses neutralizing all but the mightiest Forbidden Artifacts. The battlefield echoed with his defiant bellows as he carved through enemies with terrifying combat power.