Chapter 807: Expropriate
Translator: Yukidaruma Translations Editor: Yukidaruma Translations
"What?!" The eyelids of the Sacred Fire Order's Patriarch twitched fiercely. He raised his head and saw that the entire city had turned into a state of ruins. Several hundred thousand of the Sand Country's citizens were all charred, and even the entire Great Radiant World had plunged down onto the capital. The two cities of flames and physical particles collided, completely vaporizing all living things within and outside the city.
"I didn't make a move..."
Fang Xingjian looked at the Patriarch and asked, "Is that so?
"Are you certain that your senses toward your body, your powers, and the Great Radiant World are all real?"
"I'm certain!" The Patriarch's tone expressed he was extremely certain of it. He looked at Fang Xingjian and said, "These are all illusions! I didn't make a move, and the city isn't destroyed!
"I know because I can still sense the existence of the formation. Moreover, even if it's at the microscopic level, it's impossible for you to directly change the powers that are being controlled by others. Therefore, everything I've seen is all an illusion.
"Furthermore, as long as I'm in this city, there's no way that you can kill me. As long as I don't make a move, there's nothing that you can do," the Sacred Fire Order's Patriarch said as he looked coldly at Fang Xingjian. "Do you think that you can keep sustaining this illusory art?
"The amount of energy depleted from using your powers on the microscopic world isn't something that can be easily achieved."
"Are you really not going to make a move?" Fang Xingjian looked at he Sacred Fire Order's Patriarch and smiled. Simultaneously, a hint of sword light lit up on his fingertips. It looked like the stars that flickered about in the universe, emitting streams of piercing light that penetrated through the skies.
The Patriarch's eyelids twitched while his palms opened up and clenched tightly together. He said coldly, "Don't think of trying to lie to me. I won't make a move. Who is this? My Grand Priest? My disciple? Or is it the Sand Country's princess?"
Fang Xingjian did not reply and only tapped out a finger. The sword light at the tip of his finger scattered out like a spray of meteor rain across the entire city. All these sword lights were transformed from Infiltrating Void sword intents, darting about above the space. There was no protection from the formation. The sword lights pierced through the city and landed on every single person like phantom images.
"Is it alright even if you see me attacking your citizens like this?"
Watching the scene before him, the Patriarch's gaze narrowed slightly. He kept on looking to and fro between the people in the city and Fang Xingjian, but he still did not make a move. However, the hesitation in his gaze became more and more intense.
As the sword lights dissipated, Fang Xingjian threw a calm glance toward the Patriarch and spoke out through his martial will.
"Your life will be kept here temporarily.
"The next time I come here, I'll take it away."
Fang Xingjian's words seethed in the Patriarch's mind, and the Patriarch's countenance became increasingly grim. He looked abruptly toward the city. It had turned into a state of chaos, and countless people were crying out. The place was filled with furious bellows, agonizing cries, and despairing howls.
Through the eyes of the several million people in the entire city, the entire battle progressed extremely simply. Endless piercing sword light lit up on Fang Xingjian's fingertip, and the Patriarch just stood there on the spot as if in a daze.
"This sword attack will be considered as punishment for your disrespect. If you make another mistake, I'll bathe your entire Sand Country in blood."
Sword light then pierced through the air and entered the bodies of the several million citizens in the city.
At first, every single citizen of the Sand Country, who was pierced by the sword light, found that their lives were not at risk. Yet, right after that, they let out agonizing cries.
It was because the several million people in the desert discovered that their systems had disappeared. In other words, the Knight system of several million people had vanished.
When Knights cultivated to the Divine level, they basically no longer relied on their systems to cultivate. They moved on to cultivating their senses toward the world, their control in their powers, and secret arts and manuals, as well as their progress in the Nine-Tiered Heavens.
However, regardless of whether it was the second transition experts' skill synthesis, the first transition experts' job transitions and conversion of potential, or the apprentices' job transitions and Nurturing and Training techniques... All of these relied on the existence of their systems.
Without the support of their systems, all of the experts below the Divine level had lost almost all of their ability to cultivate and become stronger.
For these members of the Sand Country's upper echelon, aristocrats, commoners, soldiers, and even slaves, what did it mean to lose their possibility of cultivating?
It was a result that was worse than being in hell.
Countless people dropped down to their knees, staring dazedly at their hands. The people could no longer sense their attributes or their skills. They could no longer sense any existences of their systems.
This was unprecedented. They suddenly felt that they were so like strangers to their own bodies.
"Oh, God! Have you abandoned your people?"
"Lord Patriarch, we can't cultivate anymore!"
"Skills, attributes... We can't sense any of these anymore!"
Some people started to kowtow in Fang Xingjian's direction. There were even people prostrating with regretful expressions, tears, and snot covering up their faces.
Many of them treated the Fang Xingjian in the sky as a god.
"To think that he's able to take away the foundation of our cultivations..."
"Could it be that he is a god?"
To them, being able to take away their systems was an unprecedented miracle. Everyone in Miracle World possessed systems from the moment they were born. It was like a part of their bodies that only existed in their wills and their thoughts. Even Divine level experts had not been able to cut them off.
Faced with such a situation, it was fully acceptable for them to treat Fang Xingjian as a god.
"Sir, please spare us."
"God, please pardon us for our sins and ignorance."
"I'm willing to offer all my wealth, women, and slaves! Please bestow me with the right to cultivate once again!"
This sword attack left the entire city in terror, but Fang Xingjian just threw a cold glance toward the city under his feet. Then with a flash, he completely disappeared, leaving behind the people inside the city in a state of complete chaos and breakdown.
The Empire's intelligence team was also in a state of great shock and despair as they watched Fang Xingjian's disappear into the sky. It was because Fang Xingjian's earlier sword attack had been indiscrete. After all, there was a population of several million people in the city. How could Fang Xingjian have possibly differentiated each person in an instant when he launched his attack?
This meant that their team's systems had also been cut off.
The team leader looked toward the sky, and his lips curled up into a hint of a bitter smile. "To think that he's able to cut off one's cultivation foundation with a single sword... This person's sword arts are really beyond extraordinary."
The young lady who had just joined recently said, "To barge into the Sand Country single-handedly with a sword... Not only did he kill the Erupting Sand King but he also pushed back the Sacred Fire Order's Patriarch, slashing away the cultivation foundation of all of the Sand Country's upper echelon right before the Patriarch's eyes. He is really..."
Everyone could not find a word to describe Fang Xingjian's impression in their hearts. They only knew that with Fang Xingjian's actions this time around, an unprecedented storm would surge across the entire desert.
All members of the upper echelon who were below the Divine level had lost their cultivation foundation. This meant that there would be a reshuffle of the many aristocrats, reputable clans, great generals, and factions.
However, no matter how things ended up, Fang Xingjian would still be the nightmare of the entire desert.
The Sacred Fire Order's Patriarch continued to stand there stiffly in the sky. His eyes were filled with shock and bewilderment.
To be able to cut off one's system... Such an unbelievable matter made the Patriarch unable to be certain if what he had seen was an illusion or reality.