Chapter 313: Slaying Yin Shan
On the backs of the giant elephants stood heavily armored soldiers, each with a burly physique. They held long spears, exuding a chilling aura like reapers of death.
"Zhang Ruochen, do you think you can escape this time?"
Guo Shisan, carrying a heavy sword on his back, leaped onto the wall and glared at Zhang Ruochen from a distance. From the other two directions, the old eunuch Cao Lin and the sword master Yin Shan also appeared.
Zhang Ruochen smiled faintly. "It's you again. Last time, you couldn't keep me here. This time, you won't be able to do anything to me either."
"Hehe, boy, you overestimate yourself. This old man wants to see just how strong you really are!"
Cao Lin stomped the ground, shattering it into pieces. Using the rebound force, his speed surged, turning him into a streak of light as he charged at Zhang Ruochen.
At Cao Lin's level of martial cultivation, his speed had surpassed the speed of sound. Relying solely on sound was no longer enough to accurately track his movements. One had to use their eyes and spiritual power to capture Cao Lin's techniques and find a countermeasure in the shortest possible time.
For other Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artists, eyesight and spiritual power were their advantages. But when facing Zhang Ruochen, they held no edge—his eyesight was sharper, and his spiritual power stronger.
The moment Cao Lin made his move, Zhang Ruochen acted immediately.
True qi surged rapidly through his meridians, rushing to his left thumb as he pointed outward. A crimson glow bloomed at his fingertip, releasing a powerful sword wave. Centered on Zhang Ruochen's fingertip, the surrounding space formed a ring of air ripples ten zhang in diameter.
"Whoosh!"
Sensing the power of the sword wave, Cao Lin slowed down and immediately spread his arms, forming a protective Heavenly Gang barrier.
The so-called "Protective Heavenly Gang" was a qualitative change in true qi when a martial artist reached the Heavenly Extreme Realm. When true qi was released externally, it became like innate gang qi. The higher the martial cultivation, the thicker and stronger the Heavenly Gang.
"Boom!"
The Solar Pulse Sword Wave collided with Cao Lin's Protective Heavenly Gang, turning into a powerful force that sent him flying backward.
Drops of blood trickled from Cao Lin's fingers, as if flames were burning within them. The pain was piercing, and his hands trembled uncontrollably. Sword qi had entered his body, destroying his meridians.
"What a formidable sword wave—it broke through this old man's Protective Heavenly Gang."
Cao Lin immediately mobilized his cold true qi to expel the invading sword qi from his body.
"Pity it's only at the minor achievement level. If it had reached the major achievement level, that strike would have killed you," Zhang Ruochen said calmly.
"Don't waste words with him—he's stalling for time."
Guo Shisan drew his war sword and roared, "Elephant Army, hear my command! Charge in immediately! Kill everyone in the estate without exception!"
Outside the estate, the Elephant Army numbered three hundred. The sheer aura of three hundred giant elephants was enough to terrify anyone, as if the sky itself had darkened. The three hundred elephant soldiers launched their attack simultaneously, storming into the estate in an instant and trampling it into rubble.
Watching the growing number of elephant soldiers, Zhang Ruochen immediately infused true qi into the Cloud Sea Diagram.
The Cloud Sea Diagram was a defensive battle map. As Zhang Ruochen poured true qi into it, a white mist surged out, enveloping the entire estate and even the surrounding city district in thick fog. It was as if a white cloud had fallen from the sky and landed in the Death City.
Beyond ten steps, no one could be seen.
"First, a large number of Dragon-Elephant Soldiers appear, and now this 'White Mist Shrouds the City' phenomenon—something big is about to happen in Death City."
"Where did those Dragon-Elephant Soldiers come from? It's too shocking. If they charged through, even the million-strong army stationed in Death City might not be able to stop them."
...
After activating the Cloud Sea Diagram, Zhang Ruochen put on the Flying Fish Armor and charged out.
"Shua!"
Zhang Ruochen swung his sword, sending out a long streak of sword qi that severed the legs of a giant elephant. The elephant let out a mournful cry, and its massive body crashed to the ground. The soldier on its back fell heavily as well.
Wearing the Flying Fish Armor, Zhang Ruochen could move at the speed of sound. Weaving through the white mist, he cut down the legs of a giant elephant almost every instant. Soon, dozens of elephants in the estate had their legs severed, their mournful roars rising one after another, throwing the Elephant Army into chaos.
Moreover, the Elephant Army couldn't see Zhang Ruochen at all, making it impossible for them to coordinate their attacks.
Zhang Ruochen mobilized his martial soul, releasing his Space Domain. He could clearly see the entire estate's situation, catching the powerful Elephant Army off guard and slaughtering them.
Suddenly, Zhang Ruochen spotted the archery master Yin Shan. A murderous intent flashed in his eyes as he charged toward him.
Yin Shan's archery skills were formidable, posing a significant threat to Zhang Ruochen. He had to eliminate him first.
Because the estate was filled with mist, Yin Shan couldn't see Zhang Ruochen's whereabouts. Although he could track Zhang Ruochen's movements by ear, Zhang Ruochen's speed was at the speed of sound—by the time the sound reached him, Zhang Ruochen was already in another position.
Suddenly, Yin Shan saw a figure rushing toward him.
"Come on!"
Yin Shan released his fingers, and the Phoenix Feather Arrow on his bowstring flew out. The arrow seemed to possess intelligence, curving slightly as it flew toward Zhang Ruochen's chest.
"Dragon-Elephant Returns to the Field."
Zhang Ruochen struck out with his palm. The true qi in his arm formed a dragon shadow as it shot forward.
Since Zhang Ruochen had mastered the fifth palm, the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm had reached the level of a Spirit-level Mid-rank martial technique, unleashing power even greater than some Spirit-level High-rank techniques.
"Dragon-Elephant Returns to the Field" was the third palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm. Though it couldn't match the ninefold power of the fifth palm, it could still unleash at least sevenfold power—a level only Spirit-level High-rank martial techniques could achieve.
"Roar!"
A faint dragon shadow flew from Zhang Ruochen's palm, deflecting the Phoenix Feather Arrow. The palm wind struck Yin Shan, forcing him to retreat repeatedly.
"What a domineering palm technique."
Yin Shan's expression changed. He felt his blood and qi flowing unevenly, as if an invisible force was pressing against his chest.
As Yin Shan took his seventh step back, Zhang Ruochen appeared on his left side and slashed his sword toward Yin Shan's neck.
Not good.
Yin Shan's face turned pale. Zhang Ruochen's strike was too fast to dodge.
Forced into a corner, Yin Shan had to infuse true qi into a string of jade beads on his wrist. It was a protective treasure he had bought for over ten million silver coins.
As the inscriptions on the beads were activated, a two-meter-long light shield materialized in the air, blocking in front of Yin Shan.
"Boom!"
In the face of the Abyssal Ancient Sword, the light shield was shattered instantly. The sword qi swept across Yin Shan's neck.
Yin Shan's eyes widened. The crimson war bow in his hand fell to the ground, and his body became motionless.
Zhang Ruochen withdrew the Abyssal Ancient Sword and glanced at the jade beads on Yin Shan's wrist. "Your protective treasure's grade is too low. It might block someone else's sword, but not mine."
"Chi!"
A bloodline appeared on Yin Shan's neck. Blood gushed out like a waterfall, sending his head flying.
Yin Shan's martial cultivation was actually quite profound—he had reached the peak of the late Heavenly Extreme Realm and could even contend with martial artists at the Minor Extreme Position of the Heavenly Extreme Realm. That was why, in their last encounter, he had been able to severely injure Zhang Ruochen with a single arrow.
But as an archery master, once Zhang Ruochen closed in to within ten steps, even the most advanced archery skills were useless. His death at Zhang Ruochen's sword didn't mean he was necessarily weaker—it was just that the battle environment was unfavorable.
"They should have entered the underground river by now. It's time for me to withdraw."
Just as Zhang Ruochen was about to retreat, a thunderous voice rang out from the white mist: "Zhang Ruochen, return my daughter's life!"
Jin Chuan, clad in a golden robe, charged into the estate, flying through layers of white mist as he struck a palm toward Zhang Ruochen.
"Boom!"
The entire space trembled slightly.
Even though Jin Chuan was still over ten zhang away, Zhang Ruochen's internal organs shook violently, as if they were about to be shattered by Jin Chuan's palm force.
"Pfft!"
Zhang Ruochen spat out a mouthful of blood, his body retreating explosively as he landed in the center of a formation he had set up earlier.
As the tenth-ranked martial expert among the Four Directions Commandery, Jin Chuan's cultivation had reached the Minor Extreme Position of the Heavenly Extreme Realm. Moreover, he was a Two-Absolute Expert, so his true strength could rival martial artists at the Major Extreme Position of the Heavenly Extreme Realm.
Compared to Jin Chuan, Yin Shan and Jin Yeyun were like children—they weren't on the same power level. When a master of this caliber struck with full force, it naturally created a stormy momentum. Not just one Zhang Ruochen, but even ten of him would be killed with a single palm.
Standing in the center of the formation, Zhang Ruochen stomped hard on the ground. True qi traveled from his foot, splitting into thirty-two streams that activated thirty-two formation flags.
Water-Fire Wind-Thunder Formation!
"Rumble!"
In an instant, the thirty-two formation flags shot up beams of light simultaneously, connecting into a massive formation. Jin Chuan's palm print struck the formation's light barrier, causing it to sink slightly and ripple with undulating waves.
Zhang Ruochen pointed his finger, mobilizing the formation's power to attack Jin Chuan.
From the sixteen formation flags on Zhang Ruochen's left, a blue water-qi force condensed. From the sixteen on his right, a crimson flame force flew out. The two forces merged, forming a water-fire intertwined Taiji Bagua rune that spun continuously.
"Attack!"
The water-fire force surged outward, striking at Jin Chuan at the edge of the formation.