Archfiend

This Throne is Xu Yangyi. 

These five indifferent words were spoken rather lightly, but his voice seemed to echo throughout the entire valley in the instant he said them. Like a tide of water, it rushed in and surged forth from the four bounds and eight reaches!

Hum… Fifth Dragon was standing, but he suddenly felt as if the air constricted! He screamed miserably, cradled his head, and then kneeled on the ground!

Thud thud thud! In the wake of his collapse, the Twelve Zodiac Beasts, twelve high spirit-masters, all dropped to their knees! All of them pressed down on their heads with their fingers, an incredulous expression written all over their faces!

“Urgh!” Two heavy groans came from two men’s mouths. They didn’t kneel, but instead looked at Xu Yangyi with reverential gazes in kind.

“Oh?” Xu Yangyi indifferently swept his gaze over. With a glance, the pair trembled from head to toe. Still, they gritted their teeth and stood firm as before.

One was a short and small old man, and the other was an old man with grizzled hair.

“Interesting.” Xu Yangyi smiled faintly. He’d just recently advanced into Foundation Establishment, so his foundation was completely unstable. His next order of business was a consolidation period of one or two years. This also represented that his current Foundation Establishment oppressive might wasn’t able to be restrained in any respect. Everyone present was under the influence of his spiritual pressure, but these two were actually able to withstand it.

These men… were probably state-magi of the Clearcloud Realm… 

While their strength was not powerful, their character was not bad.

“This Throne has just recently advanced, and my realm still needs to be consolidated. I am unable to exercise my spiritual pressure. I have incurred everyone’s ridicule through my poor ability,” he said and smiled. Just as he was about to wave his hand and make them leave, however, his gaze quickly chilled over.

He saw Tian Guotao. Despite his steward striving his utmost to repress his injuries, they were obvious to Xu Yangyi with a glance.

“This is the Foundation Establishment Realm, huh…” he gently sighed.

Everything in the surroundings was so clear and distinct. Even if those of a lower realm than his—such as the two old men not too far away—were concealing something with extreme effort, they wouldn’t be able to hide a single hair or thread from him.

Within his body, the feeling of qi revolving was absent of the slightest mystery. It was like the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, relentlessly torrenting. Moreover… the feeling this qi gave him was no longer that of an inseparably close connection with the body. On the contrary, it formed a perimeter! In other words, qi didn’t need to be attached to the physical body anymore! It could be released at all times!

In the end… Xu Yangyi shut his eyes and spread his senses.

In his mind, three… very interesting objects appeared.

However, now wasn’t the time for careful study and observation.

“Who injured him?” He opened his eyes and said calmly.

State-Magus Mu’s heart abruptly throbbed, and the cold sweat on his forehead freely dripped down.

This man… was a monster!

This Master Xu didn’t need to attack… From the terrible, seemingly physical atmosphere lingering all around, State-Magus Mu understood very clearly it would take Xu Yangyi no more than the time span of a hand flip to kill him if he willed it.

“Who injured him?” At this time, Xu Yangyi’s voice echoed a second time.

Presently, death-like stillness hung in the air. None whatsoever dared to answer.

Xu Yangyi’s gaze brushed over each person. Not one person he brushed over dared to raise their heads.

“Hmm?” His gaze drew back and he lightly hummed through his nose. 

Finally, State-Magus Mu clenched his teeth, his voice hoarse, and moved his legs as if he was meeting death. However, he simply didn’t take step forward. “It was me…”

Xu Yangyi quietly gazed at him and said after ages, “Since you are rather daring, you are rather courageous to accept responsibility.”

“Receive This Throne’s finger. Then you may return.”

Just as his voice fell, Xu Yangyi lifted up his right hand. An orb of pitch-black brilliance dimly flickered on his index finger.

Heavenly Opening First Erosion!

He controlled a good amount of power, not intending on killing this old man. Furthermore, he had no plan on asking for the other’s name. But… injuring his people just wouldn’t do!

What use was a master who couldn’t even protect his own? How could other people then truly work and act tirelessly for you?

If you dared to act, then you better make preparations to receive my wrath.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh… Rays of strange black light formed at lightning speed on Xu Yangyi’s fingertips! At the same time, a nameless gale swooshed and wildly raked down the surrounding region with him as the core!

Flap flap flap! Everyone’s clothes danced chaotically in the wind! State-Magus Cui snapped his head up, tightly pursing his lips and staring at Xu Yangyi’s fingertips. Even if the qi had been reduced, he could still sense a completely different spiritual force that even transcended the Clearcloud Realm’s power system from this move!

This finger… would render State-Magus Mu unable to stand!

“Sir… no, Your Excellency… you…” he stuttered, but immediately shut his mouth once Xu Yangyi casually swept an eye over him.

State-Magus Mu’s expression was terribly unsightly. He never could’ve expected… that such a monster was actually standing behind Tian Guotao!

This finger… was purely of his own fault and blame! Furthermore, he didn’t have the faintest trace of confidence to withstand it!

“Please… Your Excellency, bestow your teaching…” Each of his words seemed to be spat out from between gritted teeth. He closed his eyes and mustered all his qi to the peak.

He couldn’t handle this one finger without all of his strength!

“Master Xu.” At this time, an excitedly shaking voice echoed.

Tian Guotao took a knee on the ground. Due to his great excitement, his complexion was an abnormal shade of red. He truly hadn’t expected that Xu Yangyi would surprisingly help him get out of this predicament! In addition, Xu Yangyi had left everyone dead-silent with barely a word!

In this moment, he felt that his two-year wait was completely worth it. They were the state-magi, the Guardian-Magi of the State! The State of Shangchen only had three state-magi! In the face of his master, they actually didn’t even dare to say a word!

He said in a low tone, “Please, Master Xu… stay your hand.”

“Oh?” Xu Yangyi looked at his fingertips, cool and collected. “Why?”

“This man is State-Magus Mu,” Tian Guotao said respectfully. “And this man is State-Magus Cui.” 

“They’re the nation’s top military strength. Moreover, State-Magus Mu didn’t fight me too seriously. We were only comparing notes, that’s all… Even if I lost… I still want to go challenge State-Magus Mu.”

Xu Yangyi looked at Tian Guotao for three seconds, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. The radiance in his hand dyed out. “Well said.”

“I’ll give you this opportunity.”

“Disperse.” He breathed in deeply and restrained his frame of mind to now refine the might of Foundation Establishment. His voice indifferent, he said, “Don’t approach this place for three years. Otherwise…”

He waved his hand. Unexpectedly, no one in the valley objected.

So powerful was he that no one present gave birth to the slightest inkling of resistance!

“Slow down.” At this moment, a voice suddenly rang out.

“You say stay, and we stay. You say go, and we go. Do you really think that the State of Shangchen is so easily bullied? What level do you place we three State-Magi?”

Serenely, Xu Yangyi turned his head back and looked at the old man who spoke. “You are?”

“Zu Huai’en. State-Magus Zu,” Zu Huai’en sneered, “You hurt my disciple for no reason, without offering a word of explanation. Without grounds of justification, you seized District A-31, in spite of Shangchen’s laws… Are you not planning on giving a statement?”

Xu Yangyi began to laugh, “Your intention is?”

“If you want to occupy this place, fine…” Zu Huai’en oddly licked his lips. “But then… that still depends on whether or not you have the qualifications to!”

“Isn’t that right… Fellow Daoist?”

The two words “Fellow Daoist” fell into Xu Yangyi’s ears. He snapped his head up, and his expression grew solemn for the first time.

Just as his voice fell, an incomparably valiant qi also exploded from Zu Huai’en’s body! Startlingly, it wasn’t inferior to Xu Yangyi’s by half a bit!

Rumble! Several meters of red light burst forth from his body, and streaks of rampant qi swept the ground. Without warning… he began to float into the air! The old man trained his sight directly on Xu Yangyi.

“I really didn’t expect this.” Xu Yangyi faintly raised a brow. “Where to?”

This… was Foundation Establishment qi!

By the same token… it was the middle stage of Foundation Establishment!

Zu Huai’en laughed, “How about the sky?”

“Sure.”

In the moment their voices fell, the duo transformed into two rays of flowing light and rocketed straight to the skies!

Swoosh! Swoosh! With two sounds, azure and red brilliance punctured the horizon! Yet everyone down below were dumbfounded!

“My god…” Seventh Horse’s Adam’s apple gulped. He looked to the sky, not daring to believe. “T-They’re f-f-flying?!”

“Is this… a movie?” At his side, Twelfth Boar’s eyes were soon wide open. His gaze contained a trace of unconcealable ardor. “T-This is a spirit-master? Yes… this is a spirit-master!”

There were many more who were silent. They were shocked to the peak of silence!

With wide eyes and mouths ajar, all twelve high spirit-masters looked to the sky. Real people were actually flying in front of them!

In the same vein, State-Magus Mu watched the sky, spellbound. In his heart, feelings of strong envy and frustration rapidly spread like a poison.

“Monster… this is a monster!”

“Master Xu is… How is Zu Huai’en.. He… He was actually this strong, too?”

Whoosh. Xu Yangyi punched through the skies like a sharp arrow. 500 meters… 600 meters… 700 meters… 1,000 meters!

He let his eyes wander below his feet. Everything was like an insect. All around, faintly discernible clouds were already lingering and twisting in the vicinity. As if he was walking through an immortal realm, roaming high in the clouds. The feeling of rising high above the peak of Mount Tai and surveying the many small hills below almost made him rear his head back and scream into the heavens. [1]

This was a cultivator!

In overlooking the vast earth was everything taken in with a glance. Such a feeling couldn’t be explained unless you were a cultivator who broke through the firmament and freely traveled the sky!

“The half-field dyke’s mirror released, the light of heaven and the shadow of clouds jointly dither in peace.” He couldn’t help but strike a curve at the crook of his mouth, and chuckled. A thousand words and ten thousand sayings were exhausted in a phrase. [2]

“Fellow Daoist Xu, you have quite the literary talent. At the very least, This Throne doesn’t remember these words.” Zu Huai’en stood across from him, clapping his hands and laughing. 

Xu Yangyi turned his head over. “Did you take this state-magus’s body?”

“Just borrowing it.” Zu Huai’en faced upwards and made a long sigh, “Twenty-seven years…”

“I’ve been in the Clearcloud Realm for a whole twenty-seven years… Finally, I’ve heard the two words ‘Fellow Daoist’... Finally, I no longer have to speak completely in vain… Fellow Daoist, do you know, in my heart, I’m much more excited than you?”

Xu Yangyi’s gaze slightly flickered.

In other words… twenty-seven years ago, the Clearcloud realm had Earth cultivators?

“I can understand your feelings,” Xu Yangyi laughed and easily stretched out five fingers. “But whether or not I have the qualifications to occupy this place…”

Zu Huai’en’s pupils suddenly needled! This was because Xu Yangyi had already lifted up his hand. On his fingertips, five dots of violet flame, about a thumb in size, were cast into the face of the wind!

The fire wasn’t terrible… What was terrible was that these these five thumb-sized flames actually caused the surrounding air to blur! Even from his his position, he could feel the dreadful temperature!

“Purple…” His gaze solidified in caution. “Around 7,000 degrees or above… As expected… those able to enter this place are all fiend-level geniuses!”

“Fellow Daoist doesn’t have the final say.” Xu Yangyi casually waved. “I do.”

BOOM!!! In a twinkling, five purple fire-dragons came forth! Each one was no less than twenty meters long and a meter thick! They thundered loudly and charged Zu Huai’en!

The fire-dragons shot forward. Even if Xu Yangyi’s will was firm, in this moment, he was unable to contain the burst of fiery passion in his eyes.

Qi externalization!

No physique art was required at all! Qi moved freely and effortlessly, as to how the arm moved the finger! It surged and gushed forth! 

Henceforth, taking a man’s severed head from a thousand li away was simply nothing but within the reach of a word! In addition… this wasn’t a new divine ability… 

This… was the Ten Cardinals Red Lotus!

At the time, the Eternal Alchemy Canon hadn’t elaborated in detail about the advancement gained from Foundation Establishment. Right now, he truly saw… the real power of these abilities, as recorded by the the Wanli Dao Scripture! [3]

An evolvable divine ability!

His hands lightly formed a seal, and the five purple fire-dragons instantly moved at perfect command, forming a sturdy purgatory! They firmly imprisoned Zu Huai’en inside!

In the blaze, Xu Yangyi raised his head and licked his lips. “Take this…”

“Ten Cardinals Purgatory!”

1. “Rising high above the peak of Mount Tai and surveying the many small hills below”. Part of a poem by Tang poet Du Fu.

2. “The half-field dyke’s mirror released, the light of heaven and the shadow of clouds jointly dither in peace”. This is a poem by Southern Song poet Zhu Xi (1130-1200 CE).

3. Remember, Wanli Dao Scripture is the Dao Scripture compiled by the Ming court, as said by Wei Zhongxian.