Chapter 509: Xuanwu God-Slaying Sword Formation
Everyone present had witnessed how powerful Huang Shenyi was.
Even an expert like Xun Long could only force Huang Shenyi back a single step, ultimately losing to him.
They had assumed that, given Zhang Ruochen's strength, he wouldn't be able to withstand even a single move from Huang Shenyi.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Ruochen's power was so formidable. Standing still, relying solely on the power of his sword path, he was able to injure Huang Shenyi.
Someone sighed, "Truly, among the strong, there is always a stronger; beyond one mountain, there is always a higher mountain."
On the viewing platform, Duanmu Xingling and Huang Yanchen both breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Duanmu Xingling's slender, jade-like fingers gently touched her sharp chin, a peculiar expression flickering in her round eyes. "Zhang Ruochen's strength has already reached such a level. No wonder he appeared so confident."
In the past, Duanmu Xingling was very confident that if she released her sealed power, she could definitely defeat Zhang Ruochen.
But now, she felt that even if she unsealed herself and unleashed her full strength, she might not be a match for Zhang Ruochen.
"He... is actually this strong..." Orange Moon Star Envoy was somewhat dazed, staring at Zhang Ruochen in astonishment.
Half a month ago, Zhang Ruochen's strength was even weaker than Pei Ji's.
In just half a month, he had reached a level where he could contend with Huang Shenyi.
Zhang Ruochen had claimed he was going to the Wood Spirit Ruins Realm to handle a major matter. Could it be that because of that matter, his strength had skyrocketed?
Orange Moon Star Envoy's mood was quite complicated.
The stronger Zhang Ruochen became, the harder it would be for her to escape. Now, she could only hope that Huang Shenyi had been underestimating his opponent earlier, which was why he had been repelled.
Huang Shenyi had obtained the inheritance of Xuanwu; he could surely turn the battle around.
"Tian Bang" number six, Zhuang Xingtian, let out an admiring sigh. "To have reached the mid-level of Sword Heart Illumination at the Heavenly Extreme Realm, Zhang Ruochen is truly a genius of the sword path. Among his peers, anyone who duels him in swordsmanship will likely suffer defeat. Huang Shenyi managing to hold his own against him to this point is already quite impressive."
Xun Long snorted coldly. "This Heir of the Buddha Emperor is indeed unmatched in his sword path attainments. But Huang Shenyi's strength is not limited to swordsmanship alone."
"Where Huang Shenyi truly excels is his talent in formations. Coupled with the Xuanwu inheritance, Huang Shenyi has almost no weaknesses."
"No matter how brilliant the Heir of the Buddha Emperor's swordsmanship is, can it break through the Xuanwu's defense?"
Zhuang Xingtian nodded as well. "If Huang Shenyi had not obtained the Xuanwu inheritance, he would surely lose this battle. Since he has the Xuanwu inheritance, he is already in an undefeatable position. His chances of winning are at least eighty percent."
On the battle stage.
Huang Shenyi put away his contempt, his eyes fixed intently on Zhang Ruochen. "Zhang Ruochen, it seems I truly underestimated you. With the strength you've displayed, you've earned the right for me to take this battle seriously."
"Oh? Your strength is not bad either. However, your temperament falls short of Di Yi's. Today, I'm afraid you will lose." Zhang Ruochen said.
Huang Shenyi hated it most when people compared him to Di Yi. A nameless fire of anger surged within him.
Huang Shenyi's left palm pushed forward, revealing a black hollow in the center of his palm.
If one looked closely, they would see wisps of wind force swirling and flowing around the black hollow.
"Shua! Shua!"
In succession, six three-foot-long golden swords flew out from his palm, suspending in the void, surrounding Zhang Ruochen to form a sword formation.
"Xuanwu God-Slaying Sword Formation."
From Huang Shenyi's palm, six streams of true qi flew out, each striking one of the golden swords.
All six golden swords were sacred artifacts. Under the impetus of the true qi, patterns of inscriptions emerged on the surface of the sword bodies.
All the inscriptions flew out, intertwining like a spider's web, converging to form a massive phantom of a Xuanwu.
Looking from afar, the scene appeared as if a giant Xuanwu was lying on the Heavenly-level Battle Stage, its enormous body completely pressing down on the stage.
Of course, Zhang Ruochen was also crushed beneath the Xuanwu's phantom.
"Huang Shenyi actually possesses six sacred artifact-level golden swords. It seems he truly obtained the Xuanwu inheritance. I wonder, besides the six sacred swords, what other remarkable treasures he has acquired?"
"Huang Shenyi was already extremely skilled in formations. Now, with the aid of six sacred swords, his combat power has reached another level. No matter how brilliant Zhang Ruochen's swordsmanship is, he won't be able to stir up any waves."
Even some Half-Saint families only had a single sacred artifact as their clan's treasured heirloom.
Yet Huang Shenyi had brought out six sacred swords in one go, truly inspiring both admiration and envy, as well as some fear. With so many sacred artifacts, who in the same realm could still be his opponent?
Under the suppression of the Xuanwu phantom, Zhang Ruochen's body trembled violently. It felt as if a massive iron mountain had been pressed onto him, threatening to crush every bone in his body.
"Zhang Ruochen, forcing me to use the Xuanwu God-Slaying Sword Formation is already an impressive feat, even if you die on this battle stage." Huang Shenyi sneered, his expression turning ferocious.
He immediately mobilized his spiritual power, merging it into the black sacred sword in his hand. Then, using the sacred sword as a brush, he began inscribing formation inscriptions around the perimeter of the sword formation.
As the formation inscriptions grew more numerous and complex, the power of the sword formation continuously escalated.
The Xuanwu phantom became increasingly solid, as if a real Xuanwu had crossed through time from the ancient wilderness to appear on the battle stage, exuding a suffocating pressure.
Even the spectators on the viewing platform could feel the overwhelming pressure bearing down on them, making their legs tremble.
At the top of the "Tian Bang" stone tablet, Shengshu Cainü's expression grew serious. "Facing the Xuanwu God-Slaying Sword Formation, Zhang Ruochen still refuses to admit defeat?"
Shengshu Cainü wasn't looking down on Zhang Ruochen; on the contrary, she thought highly of him and had already recorded his name in her scrolls.
That was why she didn't want to see such a prodigy die on the battle stage.
If he could admit defeat, why insist on persisting?
As long as the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood.
The "Tian Bang" artifact spirit chuckled. "Zhang Ruochen's temperament may seem easygoing, but in truth, his heart is quite proud. How could he possibly admit defeat?"
Shengshu Cainü sighed. "It's just a pity that the power of the Xuanwu God-Slaying Sword Formation is too great, not something a Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artist can withstand. Are we just supposed to watch him die within the formation?"
"That may not be the case," the "Tian Bang" artifact spirit said.
Shengshu Cainü's expression shifted. "Does Senior mean that Zhang Ruochen still has other trump cards?"
The "Tian Bang" artifact spirit shook its head. "I cannot see through him either. His body seems shrouded in a layer of mist, concealing all his secrets."
"Is there anything in this world that Senior cannot see through?"
Shengshu Cainü lightly pursed her lips and smiled, not believing that the "Tian Bang" artifact spirit couldn't see through Zhang Ruochen. She thought the spirit simply didn't want to reveal Zhang Ruochen's secrets to her.
After all, the "Tian Bang" artifact spirit was a sage of the Martial Market Bank.
And Zhang Ruochen was one of the most outstanding geniuses of the younger generation in the Martial Market Bank. It was only natural that the artifact spirit wouldn't want to disclose his secrets to her.
The "Tian Bang" artifact spirit merely smiled. "Girl, you are too clever. But there is a saying: cleverness may overreach itself. I truly cannot see through Zhang Ruochen; there's no need to deceive you. It is precisely because I cannot see through him that I don't believe he will die within the Xuanwu God-Slaying Sword Formation."
Shengshu Cainü remained noncommittal. "If Senior is unwilling to say more, I won't press the matter. As long as Zhang Ruochen doesn't die in the Xuanwu God-Slaying Sword Formation, I will definitely go see him and personally uncover the secrets on his body. Senior, you should believe that I have that ability."
Just then, a soft exclamation escaped Shengshu Cainü's lips as she looked down at the Heavenly-level Battle Stage. "What is he doing?"
At the center of the Xuanwu God-Slaying Sword Formation, Zhang Ruochen slowly began to move, shifting his feet in a stepping technique. His arms also started to move, slowly executing palm strikes.
At such a critical moment, he was actually practicing palm techniques within the Xuanwu God-Slaying Sword Formation—the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm.
As his palm strikes grew faster and faster, the dragon pearl in his heart began to spin rapidly. The surface of the dragon pearl emitted a dazzling golden light.
"The greater the pressure, the more it can stimulate the power of the dragon pearl."
When Zhang Ruochen executed the seventh repetition of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, a deafening dragon roar suddenly erupted from within his body.
"Divine Dragon Transformation!"
Golden scales emerged on the surface of Zhang Ruochen's skin. His arms and legs transformed into dragon claws, and his entire body turned into a golden dragon over ten zhang long.
"Bang!"
The golden dragon smashed through the Xuanwu phantom, circled once on the Heavenly-level Battle Stage, and lashed out with a golden claw aimed at Huang Shenyi's head.
Within Huang Shenyi's pupils, the golden dragon claw grew larger and larger, completely dyeing his irises gold.
"Not good!"
Huang Shenyi reacted extremely quickly, hastily stepping to the left.
Even so, the golden dragon claw still grazed his right shoulder.
With a crack, the bones in Huang Shenyi's right shoulder turned to powder, and half of his body went numb.
Huang Shenyi flew sideways, tumbling and rolling on the ground in a miserable state, his mouth full of blood. Even the black sacred sword slipped from his grasp and was flung away, embedding itself below the battle stage.
But without any hesitation, he immediately flipped back up and charged into the Xuanwu God-Slaying Sword Formation.
"Roar!"
The golden dragon pressed its advantage, flying over once more and striking the Xuanwu God-Slaying Sword Formation with its claw.
Huang Shenyi gritted his teeth, releasing all his true qi to drive the six sacred swords.
The six sacred swords spun rapidly.
Under the guidance of the formation inscriptions, the Xuanwu phantom actually came to life, clashing with the golden dragon.
"Zhang Ruochen, it won't be so easy for you to defeat me. Even if you use the Divine Dragon Transformation, I will slaughter this dragon of yours!"
Huang Shenyi's face was pale, and droplets of blood oozed from every pore on his body, as if he were about to explode.
Clearly, controlling the Xuanwu God-Slaying Sword Formation placed an immense burden on him as well.
"Die!"
Huang Shenyi raised his arm. In an instant, the six sacred swords merged into one, forming a giant sword that hung in midair, slashing toward the neck of the golden dragon.