Translator: Truth Editor : Dhael Ligerkeys There were many types of cultivators in Jiu Zhou, but the worst match-up for a ghost cultivator was without a doubt a ward cultivator. It was because a ward cultivator could set up wards that would hinder a ghost cultivator in all sorts of ways. The powerful ones could even create wards with a single thought. There was just no way for a ghost cultivator to get close to one and assassinate them. Other types of cultivators did not get such luxury. Generally speaking, their best counter against a ghost cultivator was to stay put. It wasn’t an easy tactic to pull off though. For starters, it required a tremendous amount of courage and self-confidence to pull off. It was because the moment a ghost cultivator revealed themselves was also the moment they executed their killing move. If they could not counter the attack, then they would just die. This was how Jiang Liuzi had defeated his opponent. He had not managed to detect the ghost cultivator until he unleashed his attack, but he was also aware that a ghost cultivator must get close to him before executing their killing move. That was his opening to launch his counter attack. His sword was unbelievably swift. He had blocked the ghost cultivator’s killing move and wounded him at the same time. The exchange had barely lasted an instant, but the ghost cultivator was seriously injured already. If his instinct hadn’t urged him to take a step backward, he would’ve died from the attack already. That was just how deadly sword cultivators were. His opponent wasn’t done, however. As the ghost cultivator backed away, he caught a glimpse of a sky full of swords speeding toward him. Feeling as cold as an iceberg, he immediately slapped a Golden Body Talisman Paper on his body and cried out, “I surrender!” There was a series of tutting sounds before the golden light protecting the ghost cultivator shattered. One of the swords pierced through his right chest and triggered a shower of blood. Having just barely survived the enemy’s exchange, the ghost cultivator immediately jumped into the air and escaped back to the Spirit Peak. He relaxed only when he was caught by Xia Qianqian. He would be dead if he hadn’t used the Middle Grade Golden Body Talisman Paper in time. Even so, he was injured so badly that it was unlikely he would be able to participate in the battle royale. Sword cultivators were infamous for their killing arts for a reason. In the valley, Jiang Liuzi remained rooted where he was as if he had beaten the ghost cultivator without moving a muscle. A couple of swords were floating around him, and he was holding a sword with his right hand and folding his left arm behind his back. He looked very impressive right now. Cheers immediately broke out from the opposite Spirit Peak. There was no doubt that Jiang Liuzi’s easy and instantaneous victory had uplifted their morale tremendously. On the other hand, everyone in Xia Qianqian’s group was wearing grim looks on their faces. The female spell cultivator in particular looked as pale as a sheet. The mere idea of going up against the sword cultivator was enough to make her quake in her boots. During the early stages of a cultivator’s life, spell cultivators were easily the bane of all combat cultivators. It was because the spell cultivator held an overwhelming range advantage over the combat cultivator. Theoretically speaking, the combat cultivator was nothing more than target practice to a spell cultivator as long as they could be kept at bay. This advantage gradually disappeared as everyone grew stronger, however. At the Cloud River Realm level, there was no one a spell cultivator feared more than a sword cultivator. It was because their speed was among the highest, of course. It was practically impossible for a spell cultivator to keep a sword cultivator at bay with their spells, and once the sword cultivator got close enough to attack them, their fragile body meant that there was almost no chance they might survive an attack. This was doubly true for the female spell cultivator because she was only at the Fourth-Order. It would be a miracle if she managed to put even a scratch on Jiang Liuzi’s body. “I’ll do it,” The body-tempering cultivator cracked his neck before striding toward the battlefield, causing the female spell cultivator to let out a clear sigh of relief. After the body-tempering cultivator landed on the valley, he raised a Shield Spirit Artifact and lowered his stance slightly. Despite his large stature, the shield was big enough to cover his front completely. Earthen yellow Spiritual Power and blood red vitality mingled together into an orange aura that protected him from all sides. Finally, he assumed a defensive stance. For a body-tempering cultivator, all-out defense was their only viable tactic against a true sword cultivator. There was no way he could outspeed Jiang Liuzi, so charging him would just be a waste of time. He would only be humiliating himself if he tried. All-out defense would allow him to exhaust his enemy’s power and give him the opportunity to land a counter attack. In fact, it was his only method of winning against any opponent who was faster than him. Sadly, assuming that both sides shared the same cultivation level, the body-tempering cultivator was almost always slower than their opponent. This meant that they almost never got to seize the initiative of a battle. Jiang Liuzi didn’t do anything. Not yet. He simply waited for the body-tempering cultivator to finish his preparations. He was completely looking down on his opponent, and to be fair, he possessed the right to be arrogant. Sword cultivators were notorious for their deadliness. The body-tempering cultivator could literally transform into a tortoise and hide in his shell, and the sword cultivator might yet cut him in half. The second the body-tempering cultivator was ready, the swords floating around Jiang Liuzi abruptly shot toward him. Giant metallic sparks flew everywhere as they slammed into the Shield Spirit Artifact and shook the body-tempering cultivator repeatedly. The one-sided offense continued for about three breaths before the number of lights flying about the body-tempering cultivator abruptly increased. It was Jiang Liuzi bringing out more swords to attack the poor guy from multiple angles. While the body-tempering cultivator was able to block most of the swords with his Shield Spirit Artifact, a small number of them were able to slip through the gaps and pierced through his protective aura. The body-tempering cultivator was definitely sturdy though. The protective aura made of Spiritual Power and vitality was so dense that even Jiang Liuzi’s swords could only leave some insignificant wounds on his body. It wasn’t long before the body-tempering cultivator suffered cuts across his whole body. However, the man hadn’t made a sound throughout the fight, almost as if he wasn’t the one who was being attacked. The body-tempering cultivator hadn’t been idle during the one-sided attack. He was observing his opponent for openings and preparing to launch a counterattack as well. If a sword cultivator was the bane of all spell cultivators at the Cloud River Realm level, then the bane of all sword cultivators would be a sturdy body-tempering cultivator. While sword cultivators possessed some of the strongest offensive power of all types of cultivators, their greatest strength was also their greatest weakness. It was because they sacrificed endurance in favor of higher damage output. Given enough time, they almost always ran out of stamina and Spiritual Power before other cultivators. That was why a sturdy body-tempering cultivator was the best counter to a sword cultivator. It was also why the body-tempering cultivator had offered to challenge Jiang Liuzi. The female spell cultivator might be terrified of a sword cultivator—and for good reason—he wasn’t. As long as he could outlast his enemy’s greatest assault, he would be able to turn the tables on them. Jiang Liuzi’s assault lasted an entire cup of tea’s time. It was to the point where even the body-tempering cultivator’s Shield Spirit Artifact had dimmed considerably. As for the body-tempering cultivator himself, his back looked like it was stitched together by cuts, not skin. It was at this moment the body-tempering cultivator suddenly noticed that his opponent’s attacks had become weak. Even the duration between each attack had become noticeably longer. A steely glint entered his eyes. He knew that the time to launch his counterattack had arrived. He bent down a little before launching himself forward with both legs. Still holding his Shield Spirit Artifact in front of him, he swiftly shortened the distance between himself and Jiang Liuzi like an arrow. BOOM BOOM BOOM! Each step he took shook the earth like an earthquake. Jiang Liuzi’s expression did not change despite the incoming threat. At the same time, the sky of swords abruptly converged in front of him to form a gigantic sword. The sword was exactly ten meters long. It emanated a terrifying amount of Spiritual Power. The body-tempering cultivator’s pupils constricted when he realized the danger. He immediately came to a stop and raised his Shield Spirit Artifact above his head. Crouching a little and sinking his feet into the ground, he cycled his vitality and Spiritual Power to the max and caused his orange aura to shine like the sun. Jiang Liuzi gestured at the body-tempering cultivator before whispering, “Cut!” The gigantic sword immediately dropped down on the body-tempering cultivator’s head. There was a massive explosion as light filled the valley. For a time, the spectators could not even see what was going on on the battlefield, much less perceive the state of the two combatants. When the light finally faded, Xia Qianqian was standing on the battlefield and blocking at least a dozen swords with a thick Spiritual Power Shield. Lying on the ground behind her was the bloodied body-tempering cultivator. It was impossible to say if he was still alive. If Xia Qianqian hadn’t rescued the body-tempering in time, Jiang Liuzi would’ve killed him, one hundred percent. Jiang Liuzi raised his eyebrows. He was obviously displeased with the interruption. Xia Qianqian said expressionlessly, “He surrenders!” Jiang Liuzi stubbornly held Xia Qianqian’s gaze, however. The spell cultivator narrowed her eyes dangerously as she added, “Are you trying to provoke me? Are you sure?” On the opposite Spirit Peak, the young man called out, “Since Fellow Cultivator Xia has called for surrender on behalf of the body-tempering cultivator, let him go, Jiang Liuzi!” He did not want to escalate this into an all-out, no holds barred battle, if he did, there was no way Jiang Liuzi was a match for Xia Qianqian. Their cultivation level was just too far apart. It was only then the sword cultivator finally withdrew his sword. Xia Qianqian stared at him for a while longer before wrapping the unconscious body-tempering cultivator with her Spiritual Power and carrying him back to the Spirit Peak. The sword cultivator remained unmoved. He resembled an invincible war god. On the Spirit Peak, the Fourth-Order spell cultivator looked like she could cry at any moment. “Senior sister, there’s no way I can fight that guy.” Jiang Liuzi was able to crush even a Fifth-Order body-tempering cultivator. What could she, a Fourth-Order spell cultivator, possibly do against him? Try to act cute and get him to lower his guard? Judging from his no-nonsense appearance, it would probably end in failure anyway! Meanwhile, Xia Qianqian was scrunching her pretty eyebrows while checking the body-tempering cultivator’s injuries. So far, every single one of their cultivators had been seriously injured. Although they were not in danger of dying, it was impossible to expect them to participate in the battle royale. On the other hand, the enemy group had only lost their spell cultivator. Their first combatant, a combat cultivator, was still battle ready. Her fears had come true. The situation was extremely disadvantageous toward them right now. She looked at Lu Ye. The plan was for him to go last, but it would seem that that was no longer possible. “I’ll go.” Lu Ye got the message and stepped forward. He didn’t care when his turn was. He had been paid to participate in this battle, and so he would. The sword cultivator named Jiang Liuzi was definitely exceptional. Lu Ye reckoned that he was at least a top ten ranker back on the Spirit Creek Battlefield. But so what? During the few months he dominated the Scroll of Supremacy, Lan Ziyi was the only one who earned his respect. Everyone else was trash compared to her. He was a little disadvantaged, sure. He was two minor realms lower than his enemy. But again, so what? Since he became a cultivator, he had always fought enemies who were technically stronger than him and came out ahead. He slowly descended to the valley and stopped about a hundred and sixty meters away from Jiang Liuzi.