Dao of Time: Awakening of The Timeless Immortal

0006 Spirit Depletion

Nian Nian looked horrified. 

That arrow had almost torn him to shreds and somehow, he had dodged that deadly blow.

Nian Nian felt at this moment that another arrow would be launched anytime soon and maybe, he wouldn't be as lucky. Quickly abandoning everything, he looked over the edge of Xingu Mountain and he immediately jumped down the terrifying height. 

Normally, anyone who jumps down such a height is destined for death but Xingu Mountain is overlooked by the Xi'an river so that is exactly where Nian Nian had fallen into. 

Below the mountain, Ku Deng's face turned dark. 

"I don't know how that lad had done it, but he actually survived my arrow. I'll remember him." 

Bai Wangyuan, Wang Tian and Liu Shaoyin were surprised.

"Isn't he just in the Zǔxiān realm. There's absolutely nothing special about that realm. How did he avoid an arrow shot by a Dú ké hán?"

Ku Deng chuckled. 

"That's what I don't know. I think the Zishan clan is hiding something." He purposefully said that to infuriate Mengmeng and it actually worked.

Mengmeng laughed. 

"Hiding something? Till now, I still don't understand why the four ruling powers are against the entire Zishan clan. Can you put me through?"

Ku Deng chuckled, drawing his arrow yet again. 

"I can only tell you after the remaining ten Marquises are killed." 

He let the arrow fly, shaking the void and splitting the head of a young lady atop Xingu Mountain. 

There was a deafening silence and a moment later, loud and horror-stricken screams echoed from countless cultivators. And just like that, a Marquis had fallen.

Ku Deng giggled like an excited little girl and muttered. "Nine more to go."

Angrily, Mengmeng moved like the wind, appearing before Ku Deng in an instant. A ring of energy appeared covering the universe and Liu Shaoyin's expression changed drastically. 

"That's stage four of Constellation Domain. How did she get to this level?" 

Ku Deng himself had not successfully cultivated to stage two so no matter how high his cultivation level is, it would be impossible to defeat her because, at this moment, stage four of this power actually complemented her low cultivation realm.

Bai Wangyuan himself is stuck at stage one while Shaoyin and Tian had not started at all which is why Mengmeng looked dangerous at this moment. 

Ku Deng dodged a blow that had almost shattered his head— that's to explain how Mengmeng's cultivation had strengthened due to the Constellation domain. Even Ku Deng, who's at the peak of the Kû realm, did not match her at all.

Mengmeng moved like a shadow, appearing beside Ku Deng and slapping him down. 

The middle aged man was sent flying, however he stabilized himself midair and moved forward like light as a two stage constellation domain rotated around him. 

His cultivation spiked too and two radiative energies slammed down with tremendous force, causing the Xingu Mountain to tremble.

Bai Wangyuan took a battle stance, meanwhile Shaoyin and Tian Wang were rushing forward, extreme yin and yang replacing the universe and swords rustling above the sky. 

The next moment, four attacking forces bombarded Mengmeng, creating a massive hurricane that shook the sky. 

Mengmeng spat out blood as she took a few steps back. Most of her powers were divided. One part is for Hui who is actually becoming an Ortuser and the other part is protecting Xingu Mountain from the arrow's invasion while the last part is what she used to fight against the four ruling powers.

The task was too much to bear. 

"Meng, you should give up now! The Twelve Marquises must die, the Ninth-fortress sect will be shut down, Xingu Mountain would be destroyed and the Zishan clan must be exiled." 

Mengmeng did not feel surprised by the outcome. She expected the Immortal Lord to take this action. And of course, there is no obvious reason for their actions— they are just a pawn behind everything. 

'However before then…'

Mengmeng's eyes turned frosty and her cultivation suddenly spiked dramatically. 

"I sacrifice my life for power!" 

Where Zishan Hui sat, his eyes snapped open and his entire body burst with power. 

And then, Tîàñ particles appeared around him, trying to drown him out. 

To activate the law of repulsion, he needed to survive the tribulation that has to do with the varying laws of the universe. 

Zishan Hui felt it. 

The law of undoing, trying to attack him, the law of indolence, the law of Ice, the law of attraction, movement, etc… There were too many laws and Zishan Hui needed to survive them all. 

But then, he saw Mengmeng from the cloud of Tîàñ particles, using her entire soul, spirit and cultivation as embers to sacrifice for power. 

His heart suddenly trembled. 

"No!" 

The law of brute strength attacked him but he survived it, waiting for the next law to descend… it did, however all he saw is Mengmeng's lifeforce diminishing. 

It did not matter the outcome, she would eventually die. 

And then like a thunderstorm, Hui roared dramatically causing the Tîàñ particles to be blasted away. 

He had finally stepped into the ortuse realm however Ku Deng still saw him as a trash, but then his Constellation domain came to life, revealing ring energy that replaced three universes, up to fourteen stages. 

Chills finally crawled down their spine. 

Zishan Hui smiled darkly and moved, the sky trembled and he attacked Ku Deng, who countered Hui's punch only for his hands to be numbed by the terrifying strength. 

Ku Deng was surprised. 

"Such power? As an Ortuser, you've managed to make me hesitate. I really commend you, however do you really think that constellation domain can really make up for your low cultivation realm? You should be expending a lot of spiritual energy, don't you think?"

Zishan Hui chuckled.

"That should be my problem and not yours. It is very clear who has a wider inner world that stores spirit energy, but I can actually cripple you." 

Zishan Hui drew on the void and an inscription manifested. 

精神耗竭

The moment Ku Deng saw it, his expression changed. 

If there's anything that can counter spirit energy and that's Spirit depletion. 

Ku Deng sneered. 

"Despicable. You want to weaken me with this technique? You're courting death. Look, Mengmeng will die very soon and will disappear into the void, you won't even get a moment with her dead body."

Zishan Hui did not care as the inscription he's manifested grew telling and viable. 

He quickly muttered. 

"Jīngshén hàojié."

The inscription spun but then Ku Deng's arrow aimed and was released.

There is one thing that Zishan Hui is unable to stop and that is, Dú ké hán archery technique. Constellation domain covered his poor cultivation realm doesn't really mean that he is there so— 

The arrow pierced him straight on the chest, and almost shattered his inner world.

After becoming an Ortuser and using the fourteen stages of the constellation domain, his body had become a bit tougher, if not, this arrow should have passed through him, actually destroying everything. 

Zishan Hui did not die— not yet. But he did fall down to the ground like a meteor from the sky, riling up a massive shockwave.

And then, Zishan Hui's spirit depletion spell was completed which he used as a weapon and the inscription dissolved into the sky and hung overhead. 

The next moment, every spiritual energy detected within that range was instantly sucked into the inscription and it included the natural one from the universe itself.

Bai Wangyuan's face paled instantly and he immediately moved away from Xingu Mountain. Shaoyin and Wang Tian left after almost being depleted while Ku Deng stayed back and killed everyone atop Xingu Mountain before leaving. 

Neither Mengmeng and Hui could stop them and Mengmeng is almost out of time. 

Both hers and Hui's spirit energy were quickly being drained and in a few seconds, they would be without none and even Xingu Mountain would be left without a source of power so Hui rushed towards Mengmeng's dissipating body and hugged her tight.

"Mengmeng, why did you do that? You should not have done it."

Zishan Meng laughed. 

"I had no choice. The sacrifice you see now is all for Yao. I'll make sure he takes revenge for us."

Zishan Hui knew that his wife would die in a few seconds so he immediately pressed his lips against hers— final kiss. A tear drop streaked down his cheeks.

However their misfortune was yet to come to an end. 

The Immortal Lord seemed to have arrived and as he appeared, the universe parted. They heeded to his voice. The laws obeyed him, in fact he conformed to them— that said, he is the law itself.

Cold fear drenched down their spines. 

He offered a smile, waved his hands and stopped Mengmeng from dissipating— just so she could stay long enough to witness more of their misfortune.

"You decided to hide him didn't you? You plotted with Sheng to make another Immortàl appear."

Hui noticed how the surrounding spiritual energy seemed to have frozen, as if he was way above spirit energy or that he cultivated some otherworldly immortàl energy. 

The spirit depletion spell could not work against him.