Chapter 358: Showdown with Hua Qingye
The power behind Zhang Ruochen's sword strike had nearly transcended the bounds of martial arts, reaching an entirely different realm.
Streams of air were forced backward by the sword's energy, forming a spindle-shaped wave of air that burst into crimson flames.
Hua Qingye let out a soft exclamation of surprise. He closed his five fingers, condensing a mass of true qi to block Zhang Ruochen's thrusting sword.
Twisting his arm, he dispersed the power gathered on the sword, then struck another palm toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen kicked off the ground, leaping into the air to evade Hua Qingye's force.
"Shua!"
Zhang Ruochen retreated rapidly, landing on the roof of a palace hall.
At the same time, he launched the Abyssal Ancient Sword, standing dozens of zhang away and using the art of flying swords to continuously attack Hua Qingye.
Zhang Ruochen understood clearly that fighting Hua Qingye at close quarters would not end well for him. His speed was far inferior to Hua Qingye's, so he could only rely on the power of Sword Heart Illumination to attack from a distance.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword was imbued with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Each strike carried immense power, and even the stray sword qi that escaped left terrifying sword scars across the royal palace.
The clash between Zhang Ruochen and Hua Qingye left the once magnificent and luxurious palace riddled with holes and damage.
"Zhang Ruochen can actually trade blows with Hua Qingye? This... this is impossible..."
Zhang Tiangui was not just shocked; he was nearly in despair.
Zhang Ruochen was like a bottomless pit. No one knew just how deep his abilities ran. The stronger the martial artist he faced, the greater the power he displayed.
"So what if you've reached Sword Heart Illumination? Kid, you still have a long way to go."
Hua Qingye let out a loud roar, sending the Abyssal Ancient Sword flying with a palm strike. He soared up from the palace walls, rushed above Zhang Ruochen's head, and stomped down.
Startled, Zhang Ruochen immediately raised his arms, gathering the strength of every muscle and bone in his body, and struck upward with both palms.
The martial soul standing behind Zhang Ruochen assumed the same posture, striking upward with both palms.
Though invisible to the naked eye, wisps of spiritual energy surged from the ground, merging with the martial soul and causing its power to steadily rise, transforming it into a giant figure.
"Boom!"
As Hua Qingye's foot came down, the palace roof split apart, and Zhang Ruochen plummeted downward.
"Bang!"
Zhang Ruochen felt as if a massive mountain had pressed down on him from above. In his field of vision, the entire world seemed to shake violently.
When he regained his senses, he realized that the lower half of his body was almost entirely buried in the ground. His whole body felt as if it had been shattered, wracked with excruciating pain.
The entire hall was in ruins—the floor cracked, walls collapsed, tiles shattered, and even the bronze pillars swayed as if about to topple.
"Cluck, cluck!"
Hua Qingye stepped over the broken tiles and approached Zhang Ruochen. His single arm was wrapped in true qi, condensing icy cold energy, his five fingers like sharp iron claws.
He stared coldly at Zhang Ruochen and said, "Kid, you're truly formidable—far stronger than the legendary prodigies. To think you, at the initial stage of the Heavenly Extreme Realm, managed to exchange eleven moves with me."
Zhang Ruochen, while secretly gathering his strength, replied coldly, "You flatter me too much."
Hua Qingye said, "Your martial soul is incredibly powerful—far stronger than mine. It's only because your cultivation is too weak that you lost to me. If you could break through to the middle stage of the Heavenly Extreme Realm and unleash the power of your martial soul, it might take me a hundred moves to defeat you. What secret are you hiding? If you tell me, I might just spare your life."
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, "I have no secrets."
Hua Qingye's face darkened. "If you had no secrets, could you have achieved Sword Heart Illumination? Could you possess such a powerful martial soul? Kid, it's best to be honest with me. Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit."
For someone at the initial stage of the Heavenly Extreme Realm to possess such terrifying strength completely defied Hua Qingye's understanding.
Zhang Ruochen undoubtedly harbored a massive secret.
Hua Qingye had broken through to the Fish-Dragon Realm twenty years ago, and while his cultivation had steadily improved, there was no sign of him reaching the second transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm.
He knew his potential was exhausted. He would never advance again in this lifetime—unless he encountered a great opportunity.
And clearly, that opportunity stood right before him, in Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Fine. If you truly want to know, I'm not unwilling to tell you. But I have one condition."
"What condition?"
Hua Qingye's heart surged with joy. A blazing light shone in his old eyes, and he involuntarily took a step forward.
"Xiu!"
At that moment, the Abyssal Ancient Sword flew in from outside the hall, turning into a streak of light aimed at Hua Qingye's back.
Hua Qingye's reaction speed was astonishing. In an instant, he twisted his body, extended two fingers, and caught the Abyssal Ancient Sword.
The sword trembled incessantly, emitting a ringing sound, but it could not break free from Hua Qingye's grip.
Zhang Ruochen sighed inwardly. Hua Qingye's martial cultivation was too high, and his reaction speed too fast. Even though Zhang Ruochen had secretly mobilized his sword intent to control the Abyssal Ancient Sword, his sneak attack had failed.
At this rate, even using a Space Rift might not be enough to injure this old man.
What should he do now? Would he really have to unseal the first layer of the Sarira?
"Trying to ambush me, kid? You're still too green. Back when I was ambushing others, your father was still nursing."
Hua Qingye twisted his fingers, gripping the hilt of the Abyssal Ancient Sword. He glanced at it and praised, "Fine sword. It should be a sacred sword, but unfortunately, it's broken. Now it's only a ninth-rank True Martial Treasure. Zhang Ruochen, I'll give you one last chance. If you still refuse to speak, I'll use this broken sword to slice the flesh off your body piece by piece and slowly search for the answer."
"If you do that, you'll never find the secret on me."
Zhang Ruochen continued, "As I said earlier, if you agree to one condition, I'll tell you why I possess such a powerful martial soul. And... it might also be an opportunity for you."
"Speak."
Hua Qingye grew cautious, wary that Zhang Ruochen might launch another sneak attack.
Zhang Ruochen said, "My condition is that you kill Zhang Tiangui."
"Kill Zhang Tiangui..."
Hua Qingye stared at Zhang Ruochen, then suddenly burst into loud laughter. His gaze turned cold. "Kid, you want to use me? Do you think I'm that easy to fool?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "If you think I'm lying, then so be it. But think carefully. I'm already in your hands. You could kill me with a single raised hand. I have no reason to play tricks with you. Moreover, with my talent, I still have a long road ahead. If I can survive, why would I choose death?"
Hua Qingye said, "Zhang Tiangui is now a favored figure by the young master of the Black Market First Class Hall. If I kill him, wouldn't I be opposing the entire Black Market?"
"Young master of the Black Market First Class Hall? Di Yi? Don't you know that I've already ripped out his demon heart, severely wounding him? He fled the Demon Ridge and might already be dead on the road," Zhang Ruochen said.
"Impossible. Di Yi's strength is immense. How could you have severely wounded him?" Hua Qingye said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "If I hadn't defeated Di Yi, how could I have left the Tongming River and appeared here? Besides, given the strength I've just displayed, am I not truly stronger than Di Yi?"
Hua Qingye was momentarily stunned. He thought to himself, That's right. Zhang Ruochen is indeed monstrously powerful. If Di Yi fought him, there's no way he could win.
All along, Hua Qingye had been indoctrinated with the belief that Di Yi was the greatest prodigy of his generation, unbeatable by anyone. So he had overlooked Zhang Ruochen's power.
Now that he realized it, based on the strength Zhang Ruochen had just shown, not even ten Di Yis combined could match him.
The secret Zhang Ruochen carried was a fatal temptation for Hua Qingye.
If he could obtain that secret, he could rise to the heavens in a single step, perhaps even have a chance to assault the Half-Saint realm in the future, no longer needing to kowtow to Di Yi.
One of Hua Qingye's arms had been severed by the Purple Wind Star Envoy, so he had always harbored resentment toward Di Yi and the Seven Evil Star Envoys. But because his strength was far inferior to the Purple Wind Star Envoy, he had to swallow his anger and grovel before a junior like Di Yi, living like a dog.
Now that Zhang Ruochen had severely wounded Di Yi, and Di Yi had likely left the Demon Ridge, Hua Qingye's last shred of hesitation vanished.
Without Di Yi's protection, Zhang Tiangui was nothing in Hua Qingye's eyes. Hua Qingye could crush him with a single casual move.
Of course, Hua Qingye didn't fully believe Zhang Ruochen's words. A sinister smile crept onto his face. "Zhang Ruochen, if you're playing games with me, you know what the consequences will be, don't you?"
"Of course I do," Zhang Ruochen said.
Just then, Zhang Tiangui hurried in from outside. Seeing Zhang Ruochen embedded in the ground, he was overjoyed and flattered, "Senior Hua is truly a grandmaster of the Fish-Dragon Realm. In your presence, Zhang Ruochen is nothing but an ant you can crush with a flick of your finger."
Hua Qingye slowly turned his head to look at Zhang Tiangui, a strange smile spreading across his fierce, wrinkled face.
(Monday, requesting votes!)