662 Near-Life Lock of Hell

That was the scar of a blade. A scar that tore open the Heaven Academic Altar. The altar made from white jade was split open in the middle as a cold and murderous presence filled the air.

A veil of dust enveloped the area.

Even though they were in the Heaven Dao Pavilion, such an attack was also sufficiently powerful to come as a shock to everyone present.

"What a powerful technique!"

"It is arrogant and powerful! It gave form to murderous intentions!"

"How can it be so strong? Even though he has mastered the Heaven Dao, he shouldn't be able to use such a powerful attack!"

As the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples were reeling in from the shock, they also grabbed their swords tightly as they stared apprehensively into the dissipating dust.

A scream of pain rang at that moment. Following which, a jet of crimson red blood could be seen.

"What happened? Is the Fifth Elder injured?"

Upon hearing this scream, all the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples face turned serious. It was the voice of the Fifth Elder.

"Fang Zhengzhi!" The dust settled as a stern and commanding voice could be heard. The Fifth Elder's figure slowly revealed itself. He was extremely pale as blood dripped from the side of his mouth.

Most importantly, the pristine white robe was now stained with blood. Patches of unsightly stains could be seen.

One of his arms was also missing.

Starting from the elbow, blood poured profusely. It looks extremely disastrous.

Severing the arm in a single blow!

Upon seeing this scene, the disciples, four Majesties and the candidates all gasped in shock. To think that Fang Zhengzhi's attack succeeded and even managed to sever the Fifth Elder's arm!

No one believed it.

The Fifth Elder was a person who had attained the saint state. How could anyone believe that a Rebirth State individual could sever his arm?

Even the four Majesties and the candidates were in disbelief. After they took a deep breath, they cast their gaze towards the blue figure standing opposite the Fifth Elder.

The white robes that he donned were already shredded to pieces.

Instead, his blue robe and hair fluttered in the wind. Together with his purple Traceless Sword, he looked magnificent.

What a sight to behold.

Fang Zhengzhi, he had succeeded.

"Pavilion leader, this…" Lin Mubai reacted quickly after seeing this scene with a pale expression.

In fact, when Fang Zhengzhi's attack landed, he knew that there was no saving the situation. He had witnessed the power of this attack before, despite only once.

He could still remember it clearly in his head.

Now that this technique had made its appearance, how could the Fifth Elder escape unscathed?

Lin Mubai's voice seemed to have awakened the Heaven Dao pavilion disciples form their shock. They then cast their glance towards Mu Qingfeng. Some of them had already unsheathed their sword.

Mu Qingfeng stayed silent. However, one could see a flash of uncertainty in his eyes. He naturally knew the reason why Lin Mubai and his disciples were looking at him.

He moved his body slightly though he never stood up from his seat. He merely stayed silent and closed his eyes gently.

Complete silence.

This scene was slightly surprising to the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples. They then fell silent and stopped commenting.

Some of them even put their swords back into the sheath.

This was because they had already understood Mu Qingfeng's decision. This was a shocking decision, though it was not difficult to understand the rationale behind it.

It was simple…

This was something the Fifth Elder himself wanted to do.

When the Fifth Elder launched an attack on Fang Zhengzhi and volunteered to be stripped of his title, it had already become a battle only between the both of them.

The Heaven Dao Pavilion would not interfere.

Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi's identity was also an issue.

If Fang Zhengzhi truly was a spy from the other four factions, even if the Heaven Dao Pavilion should not interfere in this battle, Mu Qingfeng would not allow Fang Zhengzhi to get away scot-free.

However, Fang Zhengzhi did not harbor such intentions.

Furthermore, he was also the youngest Prince with a different surname of the Great Xia Dynasty.

Although a Prince with a different surname would not matter much to the Heaven Dao Pavilion, it proved a crucial point in this misunderstanding. The Third Elder and the Fifth Elder had made the wrong judgment from the very beginning.

It was a disgrace to the Heaven Dao Pavilion.

The Fifth Elder's decision was an even greater blow to the reputation of the Heaven Dao Pavilion. To thin that he would launch a sneak attack on a mere Rebirth State individual in front of all the disciples and the four Majesties.

If not for the Fifth Elder's unwavering belief that Fang Zhengzhi was a spy, the Heaven Dao pavilion would never allow such things to happen.

But now, the truth was out.

The Heaven Dao Pavilion could no longer ignore the values of fairness and justice they held dear and risk ruining their reputation any further to protect an elder that was already stripped of his title.

"Kill!" Fang Zhengzhi had no idea what the Heaven Dao Pavilion was thinking. In fact, he did not care. He was merely trying to bring as many people down together with him before he died.

His only focus was to kill the Fifth Elder as of now.

The moment he shouted, Fang Zhengzhi started moving. His sword turned into the form of a dragon as he charged forward with breakneck speed, leaving an illusion of him behind.

"How dare you Fang Zhengzhi create such a ruckus in the Heaven Dao Pavilion!" A stern voice hollered. Following which, a black figure swiftly moved towards Fang Zhengzhi. He had a sword in his hands as well. This sword was black in color and gave off the luster of fine jade.

Boom!

They collided and sent shockwaves across the room.

Following which, both of them were sent flying in opposite directions.

Fang Zhengzhi managed to make a stable landing. However, the figure had to stagger for a total of three steps before he could stabilize himself. There was also a look of disbelief on his face.

"Qian Wu?"

"Why did he move forward?"

"This truly is…"

After the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples recognized the black figure, their eyes flashed with doubts and confusion. After all, there were simply too many people getting involved in this battle.

"Scram or die!" Fang Zhengzhi's gaze was stone-cold. A purple light danced around in his eyes as he pointed the Traceless Sword towards Qian Wu's neck.

Qian Wu's expression clearly changed.

Before he rushed forward, he thought that this was a rare and god-sent opportunity. He could take advantage of Fang Zhengzhi's lethargy to firstly, take revenge for what happened in Flame Capital City and redeem himself and secondly, save the Fifth Elder and make a name for himself in the Heaven Dao Pavilion.

It was killing two birds with one stone.

However, he regretted after just one attack.

How was he still so strong?

Qian Wu felt that he had already done ample preparations for the past two months. However, Fang Zhengzhi seemed to have leaped across the heavens and earth in that same amount of time.

Rebirth State?

He was this strong even when he had just entered the Rebirth State?

Did he not use all his energy in his previous attack?

This was not possible.

Qian Wu was not a reckless person. In fact, he was known to be meticulous. From his observations, Fang Zhengzhi should be in a state of extreme fatigue.

He remembered clearly that Fang Zhengzhi had used the Ten Pillars of Heavenly Descent when fighting against the Third Elder. Following which, when he was attacked by the Fifth Elder, he used something called the Dragon Slayer Slash.

He still had energy left inside him?

What is he made of?

Qian Wu wanted to go back to his original position. However, his hatred for Fang Zhengzhi managed to give him the courage to stay.

He must be pushing himself. It would be impossible to continue performing well after fighting for such a long duration, no matter how strong a person was.

He probably had at most two more moves left.

"Fang Zhengzhi, this is the Heaven Dao Pavilion. It is already a deadly sin to impersonate as one of their disciples. It is an even greater sin to disrupt the proceedings of the Heaven Dao Pavilion examinations. What do you have to say for yourself? Although I have yet to officially enter the Heaven Dao Pavilion, I have the responsibility to protect the dignity and justice within this compound!" Qian Wu declared righteously. Even though he was clearly taking advantage of Fang Zhengzhi's fatigue, he sounded confident and convincing.

After the Fifth Elder heard Qian Wu's words, he stared at him for a moment as the expression in his eyes changed. However, he quickly placed his hands on his wound.

An intense emerald brilliance then emerged from his body until the bleeding stopped. Following which, a thick thorn vine latched itself onto his shoulders and instantly turned into an arm.

It would be difficult to completely regenerate an arm even for a Saint State individual. He clearly did not have the time to do that.

"Qian Wu, stand back for now!" The Fifth Elder naturally could tell what Qian Wu was planning. He also understood Mu Qingfeng's decision.

As an elder of the Heaven Dao Pavilion and a powerful sage.

He would not hesitate to launch a sneak attack on Fang Zhengzhi. However, he could not do things that would make him lose his dignity in front of all his disciples. Since this battle belonged solely to Fang Zhengzhi and himself…

He would not allow others to come to his aid.

Even if Nangong Mu launched a surprise attack on him and might even collaborate with Fang Zhengzhi for the remaining part of the battle, he would not request for any help. Only because he was a sage!

That was the Fifth Elder's opinion.

However, Qian Wu did not wish to stand back. Although the Fifth Elder was temporarily disadvantaged, a saying goes, a skinny camel is still larger than a horse.

Although the Fifth Elder had made it clear that he did not need help, he would still owe Qian Wu a favor if Qian Wu ever saved him. IN fact, Qian Wu had already defended the Fifth Elder against a lethal move.

"Fifth Elder, I am still not a Heaven Dao Pavilion disciple. Furthermore, I have a personal hatred towards Fang Zhengzhi. If the Fifth Elder feels it is unfair, you can always challenge him again after I am done!" Qian Wu had clearly planned this out. His sentences were beautifully crafted, playing according to the Heaven Dao Pavilion rules and saving the Fifth Elder's dignity at the same time. Furthermore, this would give the Fifth Elder time to recuperate.

Upon hearing Qian Wu's words, the other disciples nodded their heads in agreement. After all, they were still standing on the side of their Fifth Elder.

Be it from the perspective of the Heaven Dao Pavilion's reputation or their own, no one wished that the Fifth Elder would lose to Fang Zhengzhi.

Fang Zhengzhi did not wait for the Fifth Elder to give an answer. There was no need to.

If there was someone in front of him…

He would merely eliminate them.

It was simple. He was not a person who was fond of killing.

However, the person in front of him was Qian Wu. The person who summoned a Demon King in Flame Capital City which indirectly killed Prince LI of the first rank and caused Ping Yang to be brought to Ling Yun Tower.

There was no need to hesitate.

"Since you do not plan to stand back, die!" Fang Zhengzhi moved without hesitation. The purple light took the form of a crescent and charged towards Qian Wu and the Fifth Elder.

Qian Wu focused his gaze and stared at the ferocious attack. He naturally would not face this attack headlong and instinctively dodged to the side.

"Hmph!" The emerald character on the Fifth Elder's forehead seemed to have undergone changes. Instead of being covered in a dense overgrowth of vines, it was now lined with fewer, but clearer and longer vines.

At the same time, a thorn appeared in his hands. More specifically, it was a sword that was shaped just like a thorn.

An emerald brilliance flowed throughout the thorn as the countless characters on it glowed menacingly. It had a desolate presence.

For a Saint State individual to use his weapon in a fight against a person of the Rebirth State was truly humiliating.

Though the Fifth Elder could not have cared less.

He had to be the final victor in this battle.

He would continue fighting instead of giving up!

The Fifth Elder and his thorn sword became a jet of light that charged headlong into Fang Zhengzhi's purple crescent attack.

Boom! The collision generated a large explosion sound.

Just when the explosion occurred, a figure swiftly charged towards Fang Zhengzhi from the sides.

"Die!" Qian Wu's gaze was stone-cold. Six characters each glowing in a different color appeared on the tip of his sword. Fine threads then connected these six characters together, creating an extremely pressurizing atmosphere. It felt as though the entire space was sealed, making it suffocating.

"It's the Near-Life Dao!"

"The only Dao that involves seal in the Six Daos. It is also the most effective one against ferocious beasts and demons. I heard that when one masters this Dao, they can summon the Near-Life Lock of Hell!"

"Although Qian Wu has yet to reach that level, he should not be too far off from Fang Zhengzhi in terms of strength. After all, he has reached the pinnacle of the Rebirth State!"

"Yes, most importantly, one of them is already fatigued, while the other is in his top form. If this was a one-on-one battle, the results might be unclear. However, now that the Fifth Elder is also closing in on Fang Zhengzhi, I'm afraid…"

"Wait a minute, what is that?"

Just when the Heaven Dao Pavilion disciples were discussing, a crimson chain emerged from the ground, more then followed…