Stealing The Heavens

Chapter 897: Huo Wu

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The boundless flaming cloud came pouring down. In response, Wu Qi snorted coldly, sending the Dark Yin Celestial Tower into the sky. A great gust of cold air blew out of the tower to protect the whole fleet, forming a dome-shaped light screen above the ships. No matter how the clouds pounded at it, the barrier would not budge. Instead, some of the clouds were frozen by the cold air, falling to the ground as hail.

“Taste my spear, boy!” Ao Buzun was wearing the same cheeky smile he always wore while thrusting the Soul-splitting Spear straight at Huo Wu’s lower body. The tip of the spear vibrated at a high speed, filling the void with numerous ominous black shadows. Each shadow screamed sharply, caused by the air rapidly filling the void that had been shattered.

Huo Wu gave a cold laugh. The little blue dragon wheeling around him threw its head back and roared, flicking its tail at the spear.

A Primordial Artifact was actually a ‘Spirit Immortal’ who had attained the cultivation base of a Primordial Immortal. In other words, it was the artifact spirit of a weapon that had become an immortal. As all Primordial Artifacts were crafted with various rare materials, they were much stronger than immortals physically, almost equivalent to an immortal who specialized in cultivating the fleshly body. Therefore, it could make a great impact on an immortal’s overall strength.

If a Primordial Immortal, who was an expert in all kinds of powerful spells but physically weak, could have a Primordial Artifact, the destructive power he could exert would be instantly increased by a factor of ten, or even a hundred. Enemies would have to destroy his Primordial Artifact before their attacks could reach him. However, with the formidable power of a Primordial Artifact, it was not that easy to be destroyed.

By relying on the pike in his hand, Huo Wu had slain at least ten itinerant Primordial Immortals stronger than him, who had refused to submit to Heaven and did not have powerful backers. As Ao Buzun had purposely concealed the Soul-splitting Spear’s aura, he did not pay any special attention to the weapon, while the little blue dragon, transformed from the pike and mentally connected with him, had unconcernedly flicked its tail at the spear.

A loud noise of metal on metal rang out, and a blinding light erupted from between the Soul-splitting Spear and the dragon’s tail. Ao Buzun’s hands trembled; the tail had almost wrenched the spear from his grip. But, the dragon was crying out in pain, as its tiny tail twisted bizarrely to an angle parallel with its body—its tail bone was broken by the spear.

Huo Wu cried out in shock, “This is...Damnit! A Chaotic Spirit Artifact!”

Huo Wu’s voice was drowned by a deafening dragon roar. Lord Xiansheng had transformed into a golden dragon, and the Illusion-breaking Halberd had split into four identical halberds, one in each of his four claws. He thrust them at Huo Wu like a storm, several thousand times in the blink of an eye. Countless bright streaks poured out like shooting stars; the void around Huo Wu quivered and shattered as a powerful force struck him, trying to rip him apart.

The general reached out and grabbed the little blue dragon’s tail, which transformed back to the pike with a twist of his wrist. There was an obvious crack near the butt of the shaft, reflecting the damage caused by Ao Buzun’s Soul-splitting Spear. Even though it was a Primordial Artifact, it was as strong as an Innate Spirit Artifact at most, and far inferior to a true Chaotic Spirit Artifact.

The pike blurred into motion, striking out with thousands of blue, bird-shaped light beams to counter the attack. Huo Wu had an amazing pike skill. The ringing of metal on metal rang without end as each of his strikes met precisely with the purple light that was Lord Xiansheng’s attack. However, he had to pour all his immortal energy into the pike only to barely counter the attacks.

Huo Wu’s cultivation base was one tier higher than Lord Xiansheng, and he was supposed to have an overwhelming advantage. But, because his weapon was not as good, and as both of them walked the path of body cultivators, when his weapon was restrained by the opponent, he was immediately caught in a bitter battle. If he had not protected his Primordial Artifact with all his immortal energy, Lord Xiansheng’s fierce attack would have shattered his pike.

“Bast*rd! Two Chaotic Spirit Artifacts! Where did you get these treasures?” His eyes went so wide that they almost popped out. As he was fending off Lord Xiansheng’s attack, he blinked and had a wicked thought. He was not interested in the Illusion-breaking Halberd because his skill in halberd was mediocre, but he took a fancy to Ao Buzun’s Soul-splitting Spear. ‘I have to find a way to kill this fella and take his weapon!’

During Huo Wu’s brief moment of trance, Lord Xiansheng’s lower body suddenly disappeared, bizarrely emerging behind the young general while being accompanied by a jarring whistle. Meanwhile, the two halberds in the hind claws swung out like two spinning windmills, flickering with a dazzling purple light.

This was what made the Illusion-breaking Halberd so great. During the battle, it could break through the void at any time, allowing its master to appear anywhere on the battlefield. No void-restricting spells could stop its uncanny attacks.

Huo Wu cried out in shock, and threw a fire-thunder at the two halberds backhandedly that were coming toward his back. A loud thunderclap echoed out as both halberds were forced tens of miles back. After that, Lord Xiansheng’s body suddenly disintegrated into four parts, each with a dragon claw clutching a halberd, stabbing out frantically. The body parts flickered around him, a moment here and the next moment there, showering him with countless purple beams.

There were a few times that Lord Xiansheng’s body came out so close to Huo Wu that they almost pressed against each other, and the halberd went straight at his vital point. Fortunately, Huo Wu’s cultivation base was strong and his reactions were quick. He had managed to block the halberd with his pike whenever he was about to be seriously wounded. Still, after several crises, his forehead was covered in cold sweat.

Throwing caution to the wind, he gave a furious roar and tightened the muscles on his back. He had decided to take the attack that was coming from behind his back while gritting his teeth and thrusting his pike at the part of Lord Xiansheng in front of him. Even as the halberd from his back stabbed him in the shoulder, his pike was drawing ever so close to his target.

At that moment, he heard a cold laugh. The void before Lord Xiansheng became blurred, and his pike stabbed into it, coming out somewhere thousands of miles away. Its tip went straight into the chest of a heavenly soldier he had brought here. In a flash, half of the soldier’s body exploded into a puff of smoke.

Purple-gold blood rushed out of the half-foot-long gash the halberd had ripped open in his left shoulder. Instead of hurting Lord Xiansheng, Huo Wu’s risky move left himself seriously wounded and killed one of his men.

He howled in exasperation and spun his pike crazily, jabbing it out in all directions. Lord Xiansheng laughed coldly. Numerous spots in the void around Huo Wu became blurred, and his pike went into them, only to suddenly reappear in front of his men, catching them unprepared and killing them in an instant.

Wu Qi was amused while watching the battle from the rear. The Illusion-breaking Halberd was the proud work of Lord Yuan Ling, his previous incarnation. Unless it was imprisoned by the suppressive power of a Supreme Treasure of Primordial, it could strike the enemy from anywhere and even fend off all the attacks. With it in hand, Lord Xiansheng was literally invincible.

Just as Huo Wu was fuming after killing hundreds of heavenly soldiers by accident, Ao Buzun, who had been watching the battle from aside, stealthily approached him, quietly lifted the Soul-splitting Spear, and slowly stabbed him in the back.

It was unknown as to what strange technique Ao Buzun had used, but he had concealed all his aura, as well as the spear’s. His presence was almost like an illusion, and soon, the tip of his spear was less than three feet from Huo Wu’s back.

Unlike the Illusion-breaking Halberd, Soul-splitting Spear was not very powerful against the flesh. However, once it struck the target, it could directly damage the target’s soul. Its lethality was vicious and bizarre, and was considered one of the most difficult attacks to guard against.

In his struggle to fight against Lord Xiansheng, Huo Wu suddenly felt his heart jerk and his blood flow through his body faster than usual. Reflexively, he roared and brought his pike over to his back. A clang of metal on metal rang out as the Soul-splitting Spear and his pike clashed once more. Realizing his sneak attack had failed, Ao Buzun abruptly transformed himself into a thousands of feet tall giant and pressed the spear—which had also grown bigger—down. The terrible, mighty physical strength of the Ancestral Dragon froze Huo Wu’s arms in place, forcing him to painstakingly resist the suppression of endless brute force.

Lord Xiansheng seized the opportunity and opened seven large gashes on Huo Wu’s back. The flesh around the wounds caused by the halberd vanished into nothingness, leaving behind large holes where blood poured out in endless streams. Even with his cultivation base of an eighth-tier Primordial Immortal, Huo Wu could not afford to lose his blood at such a crazy rate. Almost half of his blood had rushed out of him as Ao Buzun roared and put all his strength into the spear. Huo Wu’s face was pale, and it seemed that he could not last for too long.

Just as Huo Wu was in trouble, the person who rubbed salt into the wound arrived.

At some point, Yuan Qing had turned into a tiny flea hiding in Lord Xiansheng’s hair. When Huo Wu was suppressed, he jumped out immediately and grew into a large ape, standing a hundred feet tall as he swung his staff at the young general’s head. Amidst a loud clang, his iron staff bounced back hundreds of feet high, and he was almost thrown away. Meanwhile, bright sparks flew out from the top of Huo Wu’s head. His crown had sunk half an inch as brains and blood sprayed out of his seven orifices.

“Bast*rd!” Even though it was a serious injury, it was not enough to kill an eighth-tier Primordial Immortal. Huo Wu freed his hands from the pike and gathered his brains and blood in the air, using them to sketch forth-nine runes that were shaped like flames in the void.

But, before he could finish drawing them, the four dragon pythons had shot out their divine beams of ice and fire at the same time. The beams that spun rapidly like drilling bits pierced his arms and legs, making him scream in pain. The runes that had just taken shape dispersed, unable to unleash their power.

Huo Wu had lost his courage to keep on fighting. He whistled and rushed to his camp with the pike, who had transformed back into the little blue dragon.

As a mighty eighth-tier Primordial Immortal from the Heaven, Huo Wu was seriously wounded by the enemy because his weapon was not as good. The defeat filled his mouth with a bitter taste.

Ao Buzun and the others chased after him with glee, and the dragon python brothers were drooling. How could they let go of such delicious food, an eighth-tier Primordial Immortal? Loud cries shook the sky as the strongest group of demons under Wu Qi chased after Huo Wu.