Martial World (Web Novel)

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Lin Ming had completely evaded High Lord Heian’s two sword strikes. However, the sleeve of his right arm had been turned to dust; this was caused by the Concept of Annihilation.

“Your speed’s not bad. I wonder how long you can hide for!” High Lord Heian gripped his sword with one hand and used the other to draw a circle in space. Then, a black light shot out of this circle and twined itself around High Lord Heian. After several breaths of time, this black light condensed into a black python.

This python was the thickness of an arm and its entire body was covered in a red pattern. What was strange was that this pattern was constantly changing, the colors and shapes converging and parting, causing them to appear dazzling. The python’s forehead had a demonic brand that looked similar to the Heavenly Demon Tattoo. And in the center of this brand was unexpectedly a single horn. This horn was shaped like a spiral and glittered with a cold light.

“Contract beast?”

There were some martial artists that would raise a contract beast in order to increase their own strength. For instance, Mu Qianyu’s Little Flame and Yan Mo, who had been left in the Southern Wilderness by the Sorcerer, were both two kinds of contract beasts.

It wasn’t easy to raise a contract beast. First, one had to find a contract beast that could grow to a high level; this was already extremely difficult. Then, in order to have it grow, one needed to invest a massive amount of energy and resources in doing so. Otherwise, if the contract beast was not able to keep up with its master, then it was basically useless.

“What is that contract beast, I’ve never seen it in the ancient texts…”

“I’ve never seen it either…”

The martial artists present were nearly all from large sects, and they were all knowledgeable individuals with excellent eyesight. However, not one of them recognized just what this python was that wrapped itself around High Lord Heian. Not even Feng Shen could recognize it.

To someone at High Lord Heian’s level who sat on the vast pile resources that was Skysplit Tower, any contract beast he had naturally wouldn’t be ordinary. Normally it would be some legendary top contract beast that would be more or less described in ancient texts. Even if it wasn’t completely accurate it would still have some details.

But, no one had ever seen High Lord Heian’s contract beast before. High Lord Heian hadn’t personally fought for a great number of years, so there weren’t many people that knew what his methods or techniques were.

As Lin Ming looked at that black python, he also didn’t know what sort of beast it was. But, he could clearly feel that the python was emitting billowing waves of infernal energy. Surprisingly, it was somewhat similar to a Demon God Bone.

Heavenly Demon Tattoo, Demon God Bone… could it be…

Lin Ming’s heart jumped and he inexplicably thought of the Eternal Demon Abyss. Could this be a creature that originated from the Eternal Demon Abyss?

The Eternal Demon Abyss was isolated from the world. There was a terrifying and rich infernal energy within so it wouldn’t be surprising if some sort of top monster or demon was born within it. High Lord Heian had ruled Polar Skysplit Tower for so many years and Skysplit Tower sent organized teams to explore the Eternal Demon Abyss every ten years, so it was normal if there had been some catastrophic alien beast found.

An ancient vicious beast born within the Eternal Demon Abyss. Just what sort of amazing abilities would it have?

Lin Ming couldn’t help but keep up his vigilance, secretly guarding against this.

High Lord Heian smiled and suddenly thrust his hand forwards. The black python flew off of High Lord Heian’s arm and in the next moment, an incredible scene took place that left the audience bewildered. The python issued a harsh screeching noise and then its body began to melt like heated ice. It started to fuse into the void before completely disappearing.

“Mm? This is…”

Lin Ming suddenly felt that the power of space around him had been blocked. Even with his understandings towards the Laws of Space, he actually wasn’t able to call upon the power of space!

Not just that, but even his Heavenly Demon force field was suppressed to a certain extent. This was from the pressure that came from the black python that disappeared. It had somehow counterbalanced his Heavenly Demon force field…

“Sealed space?”

Lin Ming was alarmed. Vicious beasts had limited wisdom; it was nearly impossible for them to pierce Concepts through meditation, especially for one as puzzling as the Concept of Space. Thus, there was only one possibility, and that was that this black python had been born with a certain understanding of the Law of Space. This was a sort of vicious beast that Lin Ming had never heard of before!

“After guarding Skysplit Tower for so many years, the 12 High Lords have truly unfathomable resources!” In his special guest seat, Feng Shen was startled. Although the 12 Skysplit Towers were not a sect, they in truth could be regarded as a special Holy Land. Not just that, but the Skysplit Towers’ resources were much more terrifying than any other Holy Land’s!

This was a completely unfair fight. In Lin Ming and High Lord Heian’s battle, Lin Ming had the disadvantage in age, cultivation, weapons, and even contract beasts.

“Lin Ming is in danger. If the space around here is sealed then he can only fight in melee combat.” There were a number of Fey martial artists in the audience that detected the strange fluctuations in space.

If Lin Ming couldn’t use the power of space then he was the same as a bird with a crippled wing. How could he continue to fight?

On the arena stage, High Lord Heian’s wrinkled black face was twisted in a creepy grin. “The space around us has been sealed away by my contract beast, the Isolation Dragon. I want to see, without your Concept of Space, without your strange movements, just how you’ll dodge this sword of mine!”

As High Lord Heian spoke, his figure suddenly vanished. The crimson snake sword drew a rift in the air, its sword wind traceless.

As the sword howled towards Lin Ming, the demon essence hiding within finally bloomed. An incomparable amount of condensed demon essence fluttered out, formed a red aurora.

Facing this sword, Lin Ming’s expression was calm. Since he couldn’t dodge, he wouldn’t bother to!

Within Lin Ming’s mind, he recalled the scene of the Eightfall War Emperor fighting the Giant Demon quasi Emperor, and just how earth-shaking that sword strike had been!

With a deep breath, the Gate of Healing between Lin Ming’s clavicles began to form a whirlpool of heaven and earth origin energy. Ever since he returned from the King’s Cage, this was the first time that Lin Ming had used the power of the Eight Inner Hidden Gates!

Bang!

An incomparably vast heaven and earth origin energy poured into his meridians. In that instant, Lin Ming’s aura erupted to the limit and even the space sealed by the black python trembled as if it were about to break apart at any moment.

With a thrust of his spear, a boundless wave of true essence circled up. In that moment, it was like time itself had come to a standstill. The spear light and sword light collided, and with the sound of breaking glass, without any flashy explosions, High Lord Heian’s sword light was constantly being twisted apart even as Lin Ming’s spear light was constantly being melted.

“Concept of Thunderfire, explode!”

In the instant that the spear light faded away, Lin Ming gave a loud shout and the Concept of Thunderfire burst out from within the Purple Comet Spear. A terrifying true essence explosion blasted out. Sound was swallowed, and the entire arena was covered in a blinding light. In such an explosion, the profound gold floor was completely lifted away. Sheets of profound gold dozens of feet wide either melted away or broke into pieces.

A potent energy scattered in all directions. Lin Ming couldn’t hold down his body and was jolted a few hundred feet back.

But High Lord Heian wasn’t much better off. He had been almost completely covered by the explosion of the Concept of Thunderfire. His bodily demon essence had shattered, and the power of thunderfire had rushed into his body, violently rampaging through!

He had to summon all of his demon essence to suppress the power of thunderfire within his body. A faint trace of blood flowed out from his shoulder and chest.

What?

After the blinding light faded and the audience saw the scene on the arena stage, all of them were shocked speechless.

In the exchange of moves, almost half the profound gold arena had disappeared. And standing on top of the arena stage, High Lord Heian… had been injured!

The lofty High Lord, one of the strongest powerhouses of Skysplit Tower, had actually been wounded by Lin Ming!

All of the martial artists present didn’t know how to express the utter shock and horror in their hearts. They had thought that Lin Ming’s strength lay in the Concept of Space that allowed him to move around in an unpredictable manner, and his skill and moves in battle. But in terms of close-range combat, they didn’t think he was much better than Maha or Yan Chi.

When Lin Ming defeated Kai Yang, he had relied upon his powerful soul defense. To defeat Maha, he had used a surprise attack with the Concept of Space. And although he had defeated Yan Chi in a melee confrontation, Lin Ming had also been injured.

In this situation, no one thought that Lin Ming’s body would contain such a terrifying strength. At the moment that the Eight Inner Gates opened, the aura within Lin Ming’s body had erupted until it seemed like an unreachable mountain peak, a point that no human could see.

High Lord Heian’s grimaced. He never thought that Lin Ming would actually be able to take his all-out strike.

“This is not possible. How could I not have noticed his hidden strength before? Just where did all this true essence that’s flooding his body come from?”

As High Lord Heian held the Crimson Ruby Snake Sword in his hand, his eyebrows twisted together. He could instantly discern an essence gathering martial artist’s cultivation with a glance. As for the thickness of their true essence, he wasn’t able to see it, but he could feel out an approximation. But facing Lin Ming, this fellow’s true essence seemed to come out of nowhere, surprising everyone.

And at that moment, Lin Ming suddenly moved, crossing hundreds of feet in a single step. With the Concept of Thunderfire fused into the Purple Comet Spear, Lin Ming aimed at the void and thrust his spear!

This spear was not shot towards High Lord Heian but instead towards the audience!

The several dozen martial artists that would bear the brunt of this attack were incomparably shocked. This freakish monster Lin Ming, they couldn’t even defend against half a strike of his. If they were hit by the aftershocks then they would be severely wounded and anyone struck by the spear would instantly die!

“He’s gone mad!”

“Be careful!”

Those several dozen martial artists galvanized their true essence to the limit, using their strongest movement techniques to scatter away. But compared to Lin Ming, their speed was far too slow.

“I’m a goner!”

A martial artist paled, despair filling his heart. But, as Lin Ming’s spear light was only 200 feet away from him, a sudden change occurred!

That spear light seemed to smash into something, instantly exploding!

In that brilliant flash of blinding light, an ear-piercing scream suddenly sounded out. This sound was not something that could be issued by a creature!

“No!”

On the arena stage, High Lord Heian’s expression changed.

In that moment, his Isolation Dragon contract beast had been stabbed through seven inches by Lin Ming’s spear!

How was this possible!?

His Isolation Dragon had fused into a gap in space, vanishing into complete invisibility. How could it have been stabbed by Lin Ming!?

“Die!”

High Lord Heian’s sword pierced towards Lin Ming, the crimson snake sword swallowing all light.

But Lin Ming seemed unaware of all this. His voice was chilling as he spat out a few words, “Power of thunderfire, explode!”

Bang!

In the void, blood rained down. The contract beast’s miserable scream sounded out through the entire martial arena. The black python had been forcibly ejected from the space gap. Its body was dripping with blood and it had almost been split in half!