Immortal

7. Traces of the Dreads

Those series of actions were done so fast that people could hardly see clearly with their eyes wide open. Behind him, Hildegard  touched the blade mark on his neck, his legs trembled uncontrollably, and his whole body was soaked with cold sweat. 

His Supreme Infinity swordsmanship was already perfect, and the Supreme Seventeen Strikes was so powerful that even Lindley, who was known as the little genius of the Willow Leaf school, could not cope with it. 

But from beginning to end, he did not even have the chance to draw his sword under Lachlan's attack. He kept saying that he would let Lachlan take three moves, but in the end, if he hadn't shown mercy, his head would have fallen to the ground.

He was as still as a mountain, fast as the wind and aggressive as fire. His sword was a killing move. He was indeed a genius who broke through to the innate realm at the age of fifteen!

The martial arts masters watching were shocked by Lachlan's swordsmanship. 

Lyndon was also shocked, and his expression was a little unnatural. He even had a vague thought that he might not be able to face Lachlan even if he went down himself, and this thought made him very uncomfortable. 

Zastan and Gwyn's eyes lit up, especially the knowledgeable Zastan, who stroked his beard and nodded repeatedly. It seemed that the ranking list of the young masters of martial arts had to be revised again.

He was not arrogant after winning, and he had his blade on his opponent's neck but he didn't use force. Lachlan not only had great sword skills and could use them freely, but also had an extraordinary state of mind, which was more admirable than his sword skills. He wondered if there was anyone of the same age who could do this?

On the way up the mountain, Zastan accidentally discovered that Lachlan had an extraordinary temperament, so he turned back to talk to Lachlan even though they had walked hundreds of meters away. Now it seemed that he was right.

"Lachlan, ​​I will remember this degradation you brought on me today. One day, I will return the humiliation to you." Hildegard  was still frightened in his heart, but he was stubborn and gnashing his teeth. 

After recovering from the shock, he did not thank Lachlan for showing mercy, but instead spoke fiercely and looked sinister. He was so embarrassed in front of the world's martial arts masters. He, who always claimed to be the best of the younger generation of martial artists, could not help but burn with anger and felt unprecedented humiliation.

Lachlan paused, looked back coldly at Hildegard  and Liutrad, the instigator of the plot, and suddenly his eyes flashed with deadly light, and a murderous aura burst out of his body. 

Just when people thought he was going to attack him, Lachlan glanced at them indifferently and walked away without saying a word.

They were not worthy to be his opponents.

Understanding Lachlan's eyes, Hildegard 's face suddenly turned red in anger, and he clenched his fists with gritted teeth. 

Liutrad, who was standing aside, also had a livid face with his heart as heavy as the sky after sunset.

***

At nightfall, the grandmasters of the four hidden immortal sects drove all the onlookers down the mountain and announced that the formal trial would begin early morning the following day, and asked everyone to be prepared.

According to statistics, a total of eight hundred and twenty-three people passed the preliminary assessment this time. Under the arrangement of the four grandmasters, they were divided into four groups based on areas, southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast, and camped on the top of the mountain. 

Each person had a tent. A servant delivered a package to each trial participant, which contained only four things: a low-grade longsword, a pill of replenishing essence, a map engraved on sheepskin, and a seemingly ordinary sword manual.

The map was easy to understand. By the looks of it, it must be related to the upcoming trials. The pill was also good, although the quality was very ordinary, it could replenish their vitality at a critical moment.

The ordinary longsword and sword manual were the sources of confusion. Every master who came for the trials were all at the Innate realm, hence they all had their own unique skills and weapons

So what was the point of such an ordinary longsword and sword manual?

Lachlan was a little confused. He flipped through the thin sword manual, memorized the map, and then concentrated on practicing.

Outside the tent, there was a noisy sound after a while. 

Some people, after receiving the long sword and the sword manual, immediately closed themselves in to practice in silence, trying to figure out the mysteries. Some people gathered together to express their doubts about the long sword and the sword manual.

Some curious people even went to find the grandmasters on the spot, but were turned away without any suspense.

The night was getting darker and the night wind was getting colder.

The noise outside the tent did not die down, but became more and more intense. People were obviously very excited to be able to pass the preliminary assessment and participate in the trial at dawn. Before the trial officially started, they were discussing which of the four hidden immortal sects they would join.

In the human world where there were numerous schools and sects, the Immortal Sword sect, which was an advanced school, had a transcendent status. Inheriting the legacy of the ancient sword saint, with a body as heavy as a mountain, a fierce and violent sword intention, and a powerful close combat ability.

The disciples of the Heavenly Palace were famous for two inheritances: one was the ethereal body skills, and the other was the heavenly archery skills. The ethereal body skills of the disciples of the Heavenly Palace could evade all kinds of damage, and the indestructible heavenly archery skills give them powerful long-range damage capabilities.

The disciples of the Divine Fire Sect were proficient in using the divine fire and refining various magical divine fire constructs, which could easily turn their enemies into dead bodies. Although most of the disciples of the Divine Fire Pavilion were young, the magical divine fire artifacts give them extremely strong long-range capabilities and explosive means.

Among the four immortal sects, the most mysterious one was the Nether God Temple also known as the Hades Temple. It had the fewest disciples, but each of them was a powerful master. Most of them looked like underage girls but their petite bodies contained endless power. The huge blood sickle gave them incredible melee power.

At the same time, they could also absorb the blood of the enemy to replenish themselves, fighting to support themselves, and have super melee ability and continuous combat ability. A disciple of the Nether God Temple who had murderous intentions had always been the nightmare of any opponent.

The trial participants gathering at the top of the dragon mountain came from all corners of the country, men and women, young and old, and had different preferences for the four hidden immortal schools.

Inside his tent, away from the bustling crowd of warriors; Lachlan was completely immersed in meditation, gathering energy essence.

Between his breaths, two lights, one red and one white, flickered alternately under his nose. When he inhaled, white light came out of his nose. The temperature in the tent dropped sharply like an ice cave. When he exhaled, red light flickered in his nose.

The atmospheric pressure alternated between extreme heat and coldness. His pores were tightly closed and his abdomen was deeply sunken, as if he wanted to squeeze the last wisp of turbid air out of his bones and muscles, taking away all the impurities in his body.

This was the Nine Revolutions of Life 

With each breath, his body alternated between life and death, sometimes cold and sometimes hot, like ice and fire.

Although Lachlan only got a small part of the record of the Nine Revolutions, it made him stand out. He broke through to the Innate realm at the age of twelve, and his power level was far higher than in his previous life.

At this time, Lachlan's face was calm, but his heart was burning. He cherished every minute and every second and practiced hard.

"Life is the continuation of death, and death is the beginning of life..." Lachlan muttered to himself, silently reciting the Nine Revolutions of Life as he immersed himself in the world of meditation. The vitality in his body was endless, gradually becoming more and more refined.

After a while, Lachlan was suddenly awakened by a palpitation. Outside the tent, a faint but extremely cold air passed by and lingered on the top of the dragon mountain.

Lachlan suddenly jumped up and rushed out of his tent. He stretched out his hand and grabbed the air. A faint breath lingered on his fingertips and slowly dissipated under the cold wind. This breath was very weak, like a grain of sand in the drowning water.

The martial arts masters gathered at the top of the mountain were all unaware of it, but Lachlan sensed it keenly. In this weak breath, he also smelled a long-lost familiar smell.

"Dreads..." After two hundred years, he sensed the breath of the dreadmaster again. He would never forget a deadly but unique breath which was extremely cold and gloomy.

Lachlan's face became solemn, knowing what was coming.