Chapter 192: Six Harmonies and Eight Desolations Immortal Cultivation Method

Lu Yang's sinister renown burned too brightly; to say nothing of those dark-horse newcomers who had deliberately veiled their true strength to make a grand splash in this grand tournament, his shadow had eclipsed even the reputation of Yan Fei, the direct heir to the Cult Leader.

He had disguised himself as a Ginseng Fruit, utterly hoodwinking the crowd; later, wielded by his hand, the Demonic Blade cut down his foes until the onlookers' hearts turned to ice, and though none knew the exact tally of the number engraved upon his palm, it was indubitably a figure of terrifying proportions.

Meng Jingzhou, however, possessed genuine capability and harbored no dread for Lu Yang's dread name.

"Ha, I have heard it whispered that your Demonic Blade slays upon drawing blood; if that be so, then I shall simply remain uninjured."

Lu Yang knit his brows fiercely: "What arrogant words! Declare your name!"

"Meng Jingzhou!"

"So it is you; I have long heard rumors that you reign invincible throughout the Foundation Establishment stage, having tempered your external martial arts to the absolute zenith, earning the profound admiration of countless fellow physical cultivators!"

Meng Jingzhou gave a cold snort: "You are no lesser light yourself, Blood-Sea Blade Demon Lu Yang; your vicious fame precedes you, enough to make crying infants fall silent through the night, and all men say your prowess surpasses even Yan Fei's, though I know not whether it be true or false!"

"Try me, and you shall know!"

"Then let us try!"

As the two most conspicuous seeded contestants engaged in combat, it was not merely the hidden participants who observed them from the shadows; even the highest echelons of the Immortal Cult yearned to discover which of the two possessed the superior hand.

Would it be the treacherous and cunning Lu Yang, or the upright and honorable Meng Jingzhou?

In secret, the Cult Leader and Vice Cult Leader felt their eyes twitching in tandem; had they not long known these two were comrades of the same flock, they would truly have believed they were complete strangers.

What a flawlessly executed charade.

Vice Cult Leader Jin was finally forced to concede that the Cult Leader possessed a discerning eye of flame and torch; small wonder that one had been appraised as a natural-born demonic seed, and the other as a Daoist fiend descended upon the mortal realm.

Were anyone to claim these two were undercover agents from the orthodox sects, he would not believe a single word.

Ah, yes, there was also Mangu.

Concealed within the thickets, Yan Fei watched their clash as though facing a formidable foe; both of these men were fully qualified to be his adversaries, posing a far greater threat than the deceased Carnal Monk and Gu Zha.

Lu Yang brandished his blade with the finesse of swordplay, his momentum utterly unstoppable, while Meng Jingzhou had tempered his physical form down to his very teeth, leaving not a single flaw or vulnerability; as the two clashed, their prowess was such that they could contend even with masters of the Golden Core stage.

The watching competitors felt their souls tremble with fear, struck by the conviction that these two were nothing short of monsters.

In the end, Lu Yang gained the upper hand and vanquished Meng Jingzhou.

Knowing himself outmatched, Meng Jingzhou fled the field directly before any wound could be inflicted; the crowd sighed in collective disappointment, for had Meng Jingzhou been injured, they might have joined forces to hunt him down.

Having slain Gu Zha and the Carnal Monk, and now having triumphed over Meng Jingzhou, Lu Yang's prestige reached a towering pinnacle, unmatched by any living soul.

Once more, Lu Yang unleashed his blade arts, slaughtering countless numbers; even Mangu, who had historically never known the meaning of fear, fled far into the distance upon catching sight of Lu Yang, refusing any direct confrontation.

Just as the multitude believed Lu Yang would inevitably emerge as the supreme champion of this tournament, Meng Jingzhou came charging back into the fray.

Meng Jingzhou appeared radiant with vitality, seemingly entirely untroubled by his previous defeat.

"Lu Yang, let us battle once more!"

Lu Yang sneered: "A vanquished foe dares speak of battle before me? Die!"

The Demonic Blade swung downward, heavy with a mountain's weight, seeking to cleave Meng Jingzhou in twain; the onlookers gasped in horror, realizing he had exerted his full, desperate might from the very opening move!

It was precisely against this strike that Meng Jingzhou had fallen during their last encounter!

Yet, just as everyone anticipated a single blow to decide the match, Meng Jingzhou acted entirely against his previous form and parried the blade.

Realizing that Meng Jingzhou had undergone a transformation, Lu Yang cast aside his arrogance and exerted his entire strength to fight.

Compared to their previous bout, Meng Jingzhou's combat prowess had soared exponentially, allowing him to fight Lu Yang to an absolute standstill.

"Pant... pant... you have encountered a miraculous destiny!" Lu Yang suddenly perceived the truth; there could be no other explanation for Meng Jingzhou's sudden surge in power.

This battle instilled immense confidence within Meng Jingzhou: "To think that merely crossing the threshold of initiation could cause one's combat power to skyrocket so; it truly lives up to its name as the Liuhe..."

Realizing he had slipped up, Meng Jingzhou instantly clamped his mouth shut.

Catching the half-spoken phrase, Mangu fell into deep reflection, muttering to himself: "Liuhe? Could it be the legendary Divine Art of the Six Harmonies and Eight Desolations?!"

The crowd hastily pressed Mangu to explain what manner of technique this was, but Mangu offered no answer and fled like the wind.

"The Divine Art of the Six Harmonies and Eight Desolations... could it be the inherited legacy of the Immortal?" The crowd murmured in hushed, trembling tones; with the word "Immortal" woven into its name, it was nigh impossible not to let one's imagination run wild.

The battle between Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou concluded in a draw; both sides recognized that further conflict would yield no victor, and they parted by tacit agreement.

After vanishing for a full day and night, Meng Jingzhou emerged from the mountains once more, his momentum even more imposing than before.

Meng Jingzhou went straight to seek out the cloaked Lu Yang.

To the absolute shock of all beholders, Meng Jingzhou's combat prowess had skyrocketed yet again, and he utterly defeated Lu Yang!

The Divine Art of the Six Harmonies and Eight Desolations was terrifying to such a degree!

"Go to your grave!" Meng Jingzhou roared, his palm piercing clean through Lu Yang's chest.

Lu Yang coughed blood without surcease, his aura dissipating at a meteoric pace.

Lu Yang possessed a tenacious vitality that prevented immediate expiration, yet his demise was a foregone conclusion, entirely irreversible.

"Haha, magnificent! Well done, Meng Jingzhou! To think you actually obtained the ultimate supreme fortune!"

Lu Yang's visage twisted with a touch of frenzy, perhaps unwilling to perish in such a manner.

From his robes, he drew forth a tattered manuscript; upon seeing it, Meng Jingzhou's pupils contracted violently.

"How could the Divine Art be in your possession! You stole the Divine Art during our battle!"

An uproar rippled through the crowd; Lu Yang had plundered the Divine Art in the very heat of combat—what manner of divine sleight of hand was this? Could it be the legendary Art of the Empty Hand?

Immediately following the shock, a burning fervor ignited within the hearts of the multitude; with the Divine Art resting in the hands of a dying Lu Yang, did it not imply that anyone present might now claim it?

Lu Yang laughed even as he spat fresh crimson: "How tragic that I possessed the destiny to steal the Divine Art, yet lack the opportunity to cultivate it."

"Since that is the case, I shall lay the Divine Art bare to the world, and we shall see what advantage remains to you, Meng Jingzhou!"

Lu Yang flung the manuscript into the air, utilizing his own blood as ink to condense the entire text of the Divine Art across the heavens!

A supreme, heaven-sent fortune!

Meng Jingzhou's eyes threatened to split from rage; he frantically struck out to disperse the bloody characters, desperate to prevent the manual from spreading.

Yet it was already too late; the onlookers were all cultivators of the Foundation Establishment stage, blessed with photographic memories; a single glance was sufficient to imprint the entire contents into their minds.

Lu Yang let out a great, resounding laugh, and his breath ceased forever.

Meng Jingzhou was driven beside himself with futile rage, utterly powerless to reverse the deed.

The crowd scattered in every direction, eager to unearth a secure haven wherein they might cultivate the Divine Art.

"Why is it that after cultivating this, I have grown no stronger?" someone murmured in bewilderment; had Meng Jingzhou not become immensely powerful the moment he laid hands upon it?

"Could the cultivation method be flawed?"

Deep within the dense forest, Lu Yang and his two companions gathered together, closing their eyes to sense the positions of the various players.

This was no Divine Art at all; it was a tracking and locating technique, and so long as someone attempted to cultivate it, the trio of Lu Yang could discern their exact coordinates.

What was the greatest obstacle in a dense forest skirmish? It was ignorance of the enemy's whereabouts. Now that all the contestants had scattered to hide themselves, it presented the perfect opportunity to hunt them down one by one!

The three set forth in unison, moving from the nearest targets to the most distant, slaying every soul they encountered; the numbers upon their marks began to climb at a dizzying velocity.

Yan Fei had not rushed to cultivate the technique; he had a lingering sensation that something was amiss with the entire affair. Locating Lu Yang's abandoned corpse, he peeled back the hood, only to reveal the bald head of Lu Yang.

It was the Bodhi Tree Clone!

Everything was a lie!

He quickly reached a conclusion: "Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou are in cahoots!"

"There is no such thing as the Six Harmonies and Eight Desolations Immortal Art at all, and Mangu is in on it with them too!"

In the distance, the Cult Leader, who had witnessed the entire ordeal, wore a bizarre expression.

Even he, a grandmaster of the demonic path, found these three to be utterly insidious.

Within the spiritual space, the Immortal Fairy, seeing the Eldest Senior Sister lost in thought, asked with some curiosity: "What are you thinking about?"

Yun Zhi sighed: "I am wondering if these three will truly manage to avoid being beaten to death."

Yun Zhi was not worried about whether Lu Yang's trio could seize the championship; her current concern was that they might be beaten to death before they even got the chance to win it.

Actually, I originally wanted to write "To practice this art, one must first castrate oneself" at the very beginning of the Immortal Art, but on second thought, I decided to let it go.

(End of Chapter)