Actually, Shang Xia had half a mind to leave after killing Sima Like.
He gained an understanding of their strength after hearing their conversation outside his hidden chamber earlier.
Sima Like and Murong Danran were at the large completion stage of the Martial Extremity Realm. In other words, they were infinitely close to reaching the large completion stage. As for Yuwen Changtian, he was already at the grand completion stage of the Martial Extremity Realm! He had comprehended his martial intent!
Even though Shang Xia was confident in his strength, he estimated that he would be able to take one of them on at best.
If he had to fight Yuwen Changtian, he would still be able to ensure that he could retreat unscathed. However, if the two of them joined hands, he would definitely lose.
He managed to kill Sima Like due to her carelessness, but the other two seemed to be extremely on guard. It wouldn’t really be smart of him to show himself at that moment. Moreover, he had the Water Repulsion Pearl on him and if he chose to leave from under the water, neither of them could do a thing.
However, he realized that he had no way of secretly bringing the Mountain and Sea Fantasy Diagram away when he tried to leave!
Due to the resonance with the Fantasy Spiritual Pearl, there was some sort of formless connection between the two. No matter how far he got, his location would be revealed like a shining beacon!
The only other way was to leave the diagram behind and escape!
However, he recalled the conversation they had. The Mountain and Sea Fantasy Grand Formation was what controlled the Mountain and Sea Fantasy Spiritual World. The Rose Party had already controlled two of the four special regions in the Zhu Family Territory, and the moment they obtained the Mountain and Sea Fantasy Diagram, they would control three of the four regions! If that happened, the Tongyou Institution wouldn’t be able to do a thing to them anymore!
There was no way he could allow the Mountain and Sea Fantasy Diagram to fall into their hands!
Since he couldn’t leave the scroll, he wouldn’t be able to escape alone!
Well, there was only one thing left to do! He had to risk it all!
Even though he wasn’t well versed in the art of formations, he would still be able to make the Rose Party suffer a great loss if he grabbed the Fantasy Spiritual Pearl.
With the pearl to open the Mountain and Sea Fantasy Spiritual World and the Mountain and Sea Fantasy Diagram to control the grand formation, he would basically control the entire region alone!
There was no need to think about it anymore. Pulling his sword out of Sima Like’s body, he pressed his palm against her waist. His Yin Yang Essence Qi released a frightening blast, sending her body towards the surface with the speed of a rocket.
At the same time, he took several steps in the water and found a large boulder that was the size of a small human. He wrapped a set of clothes around it before sending it up the same way he sent Sima Like’s body.
The turbid water stained red with blood managed to obstruct the vision of those at the top.
When Sima Like’s body flew out of the water, Yuwen Changtian was able to display his proficient control over his inner qi and change his target to strike at the second object that emerged not too far away.
Shattering the second figure that shot out from under the water, a smile nearly formed on his face. However, he was wrong once again!
The shards that exploded outwards destroyed the set of robes Shang Xia wrapped around it. In an instant, dirt and pieces of cloth filled the air.
Shang Xia emerged finally, and his position was right under Sima Like’s body! Was it a coincidence for them to appear right under the Fantasy Spiritual Pearl? Probably not.
“Die!” Shang Xia’s sword stabbed towards Murong Danran who was in midair as he tossed out a talisman in the next second.
A ray of golden light surrounded the talisman before turning into a sword that shot at Yuwen Changtian.
That was the rank two Golden Sword Talisman!
His timing was perfect. Shang Xia unleashed the talisman the instant Yuwen Changtian retrieved his weapon, causing him to be unable to react swiftly.
“Outrageous!” Yuwen Changtian yelled, but that was about all he could do. He raised his staff hastily to protect himself from the incoming golden sword.
Shang Xia knew that his Golden Sword Talisman was far from enough to injure a cultivator at Yuwen Changtian’s level. As such, his only goal the entire time was to distract the man for a moment. As long as Yuwen Changtian couldn’t assist Murong Danran in time, that was enough!
Everything happened as he expected.
In mid air, the Yin Yang Diagram in Shang Xia’s dantian started to spin as he transformed his inner qi to possess the attribute of strength.
He unleashed the Unstoppable Strike, a move that was part of the Vigorous Sword Manual, and a ray of sword qi emerged from the top of the Delicate Jade River Sword.
Murong Danran’s expression changed slightly, but he wasn’t overly alarmed.
He reached out to gently tap the Fantasy Spiritual Pearl that was in front of him!
As the pearl trembled slightly in mid air, Shang Xia felt his surroundings shaking. His vision was clouded by multicolored lights and he lost sight of his target.
The change happened too quickly, but Shang Xia wasn’t flustered in the slightest. The sword in his hand continued to stab forward as a ray of red lightning flashed in his eyes.
The veil of light before him was ripped apart instantly. Murong Danran who thought that he managed to avoid the strike panicked when he noticed the tip of the sword advancing towards him.
“You…” A trace of rage and worry flashed past his eyes. There was nothing else he could do and he finally chose to scatter the cloud he was standing on as he fell to the ground below.
The connection he built with the pearl disappeared completely, and his plan went up in smoke.
“How dare you! You disrupted all my plans!”
“Yuwen Changtian!” Murong Danran roared in anger.
He chose to reveal the news of the Exquisite Grass to Yuwen Changtian in hopes that he would be able to stall the attacker for some time. Everything was so that he could control the Fantasy Spiritual Pearl!
In the end, he was attacked by the mysterious attacker, and Yuwen Changtian seemed completely useless! Even though he was held back by the enemy, it didn’t change the fact that he failed to protect Murong Danran!
Yuwen Changtian snorted angrily in response. He wasn’t in a great mood either. It seemed as though the agreement with Murong Danran had gone up in smoke. He was afraid that Murong Danran would fight with him over the Exquisite Grass when he went to obtain it.
If the two of them were to fight over it, Yuwen Changtian’s chances of obtaining the treasure would be greatly reduced!
Luckily for them, the Fantasy Spiritual Pearl didn't disappear. Murong Danran still had a chance to obtain it.
Yuwen Changtian struck out with his staff once again, and it created a dense web of shadow staffs that covered the entire surface of the water.
This time, he unleashed his martial intent! Heaven Concealment Staff!
Shang Xia, who was stuck in the air, had nowhere to run!
“Don’t hit the pearl!” Murong Danran’s voice boomed through the air.
Shang Xia never planned to obtain the pearl when he attacked Murong Danran. It would be much better for him if the pearl disappeared.
Hearing Murong Danran’s yell, Shang Xia thought of something. He grabbed the corner of the Mountain and Sea Fantasy Diagram and unfurled the scroll. When the scroll appeared under the pearl, the pearl vanished.
Curling his wrist, Shang Xia retrieved the scroll.
At the same time, the staff light appeared. They came crashing down towards Shang Xia’s back, but he was prepared for it. He crushed the protection pendant Shang Quan handed him before he left.
Despite the frightening power contained in Yuwen Changtian’s Heaven Concealment Staff, it wasn’t enough to shatter the protection barrier produced by the pendant.
Since Yuwen Changtian’s attack covered a wide area, many rock formations and structures at the side were struck, and they were destroyed in an instant. Huge waves were swept up from the impact.
Yuwen Changtian didn’t stop there. His attack continued as the protective barrier around Shang Xia started to dim. When the barrier seemed to have used up all of its energy, several staff shadows superimposed on each other and slammed heavily into his back.
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Shang Xia was sent flying.
Amidst the chaos, an enraged cry rang through the air. “Fantasy Spiritual Pearl! Where’s my pearl?!”
Shang Xia was sent flying into the distance and he took several deep breaths to recover. He circulated his Yin Yang Essence Qi around his body and he reached out to stop himself from flying further. He clung on to one of the rock formations and turned to stare at the two.
“It’s you! You stole my Fantasy Spiritual Pearl!” Murong Danran roared. He thought about Shang Xia’s actions earlier and he realized what had happened. “You actually managed to cultivate the Zhu Family’s special technique! That’s how you managed to control the core diagram and steal my pearl! Speak! Are you one of the remnants of the Zhu Family?” Murong Danran yelled as he ran over.
The dispirited look in his eyes from losing the pearl had long disappeared. Instead, he looked at Shang Xia with a burning gaze. He couldn’t hide the greed in his eyes!
Not far behind him was Yuwen Changtian.
All of a sudden, Shang Xia waved his hand towards the two of them before loosening his grip. He fell directly into the water.
“You can’t escape!” Murong Danran tossed out an item and a ray of light shot towards Shang Xia.
Too bad for him, Shang Xia had already determined the trajectory of whatever he threw out the moment it left his hand. He didn’t bother dodging in the slightest.
As the ray of light brushed past him, it stabbed deep into one of the rock formations under the surface. A layer of frost covered the surface and a thick layer of ice was formed.
Realizing that he wouldn’t be able to break through the sheet of ice beneath him, he made a perfect tumble when he landed. The air around him seemed to distort when he rolled to his feet, and his figure disappeared completely.