Chapter 510: The Stunning Sword Strike
Dragon Transformation was a martial technique, reaching the Ghost-grade Upper Rank, truly a supreme art.
Yet, no matter how powerful this supreme technique was, it was still flesh and blood—how could it withstand six Sacred Swords fused into one?
Just as the golden dragon's head was about to be severed by the six Sacred Swords,
Every martial artist present held their breath, eyes wide with tension. They all knew that Zhang Ruochen and Huang Shenyi were about to determine the victor.
"It's all over. The one who wins in the end is still me. Haha!" Huang Shenyi's eyes gleamed with cruel light as he laughed loudly.
Suddenly, the radiance of that golden dragon began to fade, condensing into a mass of golden dragon qi.
Zhang Ruochen, wielding the Abyssal Ancient Sword, flew out from that dragon qi, piercing through the sword aura of the six Sacred Swords, charging before Huang Shenyi and thrusting his sword forward.
"Zhang Ruochen actually voluntarily dissolved the Dragon Transformation." Xun Long showed a surprised expression.
Zhuang Xingtian nodded, saying, "Only by willingly abandoning the Dragon Transformation could he find a way out of a dead end. To think of a way to break the crisis in such a short time—though Zhang Ruochen is young, his adaptability in battle is no less than Huang Shenyi's."
Xun Long snorted coldly, "If Zhang Ruochen had maintained the Dragon Transformation, he could still contend with Huang Shenyi's Black Tortoise All Gods Sword Formation. Now, without even the Dragon Transformation, how can he match Huang Shenyi?"
"There's no other choice. In that critical situation, if Zhang Ruochen hadn't dissolved the Dragon Transformation, even if he didn't die, he would have been severely wounded," Zhuang Xingtian said.
The battle on the Heavenly-stage platform changed in an instant; life and death could be decided in any moment.
If either Zhang Ruochen or Huang Shenyi made the slightest mistake, they would immediately lose.
"Swish!"
The sword in Zhang Ruochen's hand moved like a swimming dragon, thrusting toward Huang Shenyi's brow.
Huang Shenyi's speed was slightly inferior to Zhang Ruochen's; he simply couldn't dodge this strike. At this moment, he could only rely on his protective treasure.
Huang Shenyi's protective treasure was a fingernail-sized green tortoise shell.
He infused true qi into the shell.
In an instant, streams of green light surged from the shell, forming a circular qi barrier.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword struck the barrier, like a pebble hitting water, penetrating it and creating ripples of true qi.
The Abyssal Ancient Sword slowed down, stopping completely three inches from Huang Shenyi's brow.
Sweat beaded on Huang Shenyi's forehead like beans; if he relaxed even slightly, the Abyssal Ancient Sword would fly forward and pierce his skull.
"Black Tortoise Power, Black Hole Devouring God."
Huang Shenyi's bones, muscles, and meridians all tensed, squeezing out every ounce of strength. He raised his injured right arm with difficulty, joining both hands together.
Behind him, a small black dot appeared.
That black dot expanded rapidly, forming a black circular vortex that devoured all the true qi and light around it.
The technique he unleashed was the same one that had defeated Xun Long earlier.
"That move again."
Xun Long clenched his fists, his pupils contracting.
He knew better than anyone how powerful that move was—almost an invincible technique. As long as he couldn't break it, he would never be Huang Shenyi's match.
Could Zhang Ruochen break it?
Xun Long shook his head, not believing Zhang Ruochen could withstand that move.
Just then, the crowd on the viewing platform saw Zhang Ruochen not retreating but charging forward instead.
"Come on!"
Huang Shenyi pushed off the ground with both feet, raised his hands, and struck downward, sending that black vortex flying out.
"Instant Without Trace."
Zhang Ruochen murmured in his heart.
"Swish!"
He swung his sword in a slash.
The trajectory of the sword move flowed like drifting clouds and running water, turning into a beam of light. With a tearing sound, it split the black vortex in two, cleaving it apart.
Time on the Heavenly-stage platform seemed to freeze for an instant.
The next moment, Zhang Ruochen lightly landed back on the ground. With a flick of his arm, the Abyssal Ancient Sword spun once and returned to its sheath.
In midair, Huang Shenyi's eyes bulged wide. His body jerked, and a thin line of blood appeared on his neck.
That bloodline circled his neck once.
"Pfft!"
His head and neck separated, flying in opposite directions, and with a thud, both fell to the ground.
That head bounced like a leather ball twice on the platform before rolling off the edge.
The headless corpse's arms and legs struggled desperately to stand, but in the end, it collapsed, completely devoid of life.
A peerless genius had ultimately failed to grow and died on the Heavenly-stage platform.
The entire Martial Market Arena fell into dead silence.
Even top experts like Zhuang Xingtian and Xun Long felt a chill at their necks and a tingling scalp, staring in shock at Zhang Ruochen standing on the platform.
Zhuang Xingtian swallowed a mouthful of saliva and, after a long pause, finally reacted, saying, "Did you see what technique he used in that last sword strike?"
Xun Long shook his head, "No. That sword strike was too terrifying! If I had been in Huang Shenyi's position, I probably wouldn't have escaped death either."
Originally, Xun Long's nature was proud and arrogant; he hadn't thought much of Zhang Ruochen.
But after witnessing that stunning final sword strike, he changed his view, instead feeling that Zhang Ruochen's strength was unfathomable—an extremely formidable opponent.
Not just Xun Long, but Zhuang Xingtian felt the same.
Originally, no matter who won between Zhang Ruochen and Huang Shenyi, Zhuang Xingtian had planned to step onto the platform to challenge the victor and vie for the top spot on the Heavenly Ranking.
But after seeing Zhang Ruochen's final sword strike, he hesitated. He still hadn't figured out how to counter that sword technique.
If he couldn't break that move, then even if he stepped onto the platform, he would likely lose more often than win.
Zhang Ruochen's final sword strike was indeed breathtaking; many only saw a flash of light, not the sword itself.
Outside the Martial Market Arena, a group of mysterious figures walked in.
They exuded a chilling coldness, giving off a murderous aura. The martial artists inside the arena all stepped back, clearing a path for them.
Among them, the one walking at the very front wore a black robe and a golden metal mask, revealing only a pair of bright eyes.
With his hands behind his back, he walked with a dragon's stride and a tiger's step, exuding an extraordinary bearing.
Stopping below the platform, he looked up at Zhang Ruochen and praised, "Such a fast sword. What sword technique is this?"
Zhang Ruochen glanced at him, his eyes narrowing as he recognized him.
But Zhang Ruochen didn't make a big deal of it and simply said, "Instant Without Trace."
The man in the golden metal mask was naturally the young master of the Black Market First Class Hall, Di Yi.
Only he possessed that kind of aura—a blend of coldness, elegance, nobility, and ruthlessness all in one, standing out like a crane among chickens wherever he went.
In fact, Di Yi had already arrived at the Martial Market Arena but had been watching Zhang Ruochen and Huang Shenyi's battle in silence without revealing himself.
"With the speed of that sword technique, it truly lives up to the name 'Instant Without Trace.'"
Di Yi nodded in admiration but then changed his tone, saying, "However, that sword technique of yours may not be truly unbreakable. At least, if I stood three zhang away from you, you couldn't harm me. Your sword speed is fast, but your footwork speed might not match it. Am I wrong?"
Di Yi's words were simple: as long as one was faster than Zhang Ruochen, his footwork couldn't keep up. No matter how fast his sword was, what use was it?
Zhang Ruochen had to admit that Di Yi was indeed extraordinary in some aspects.
He had only seen Zhang Ruochen use the technique once and had already spotted the weakness of "Instant Without Trace." Such insight was beyond Xun Long, Zhuang Xingtian, and Huang Shenyi.
Of course, Di Yi revealing the flaw of Instant Without Trace was merely to suppress Zhang Ruochen's momentum, not because he could actually counter the technique.
First, below the Fish-Dragon Realm, no one was faster than Zhang Ruochen. Even Di Yi couldn't match him.
Since speed couldn't surpass Zhang Ruochen, he would inevitably be caught up. Once caught, wasn't it a dead end?
Second, for a cultivator to defeat Zhang Ruochen without getting within three zhang of him was nearly impossible.
Thus, even knowing the weakness of Zhang Ruochen's sword technique, Di Yi wouldn't easily engage him in battle.
Although Huang Shenyi had died, he left behind seven Sacred Swords.
Six of those swords could form a sword formation, unleashing unparalleled power—truly priceless treasures.
Each Sacred Sword was a treasure worth a fortune, something even Fish-Dragon Realm cultivators would fight over, and Half-Saints would covet.
Let alone seven Sacred Swords!
Moreover, since Huang Shenyi had obtained the Black Tortoise inheritance, he must have gained many remarkable treasures, far beyond just seven Sacred Swords.
Could there be other treasures hidden on Huang Shenyi's body?
A smile appeared in Di Yi's eyes as he ordered, "Whoever can step onto the platform, collect Huang Shen Star Envoy's remains, and retrieve his belongings will become the next Huang Shen Star Envoy."
"Boom!"
Hearing this, the Black Market martial artists behind Di Yi all became excited and thrilled, flames burning in their eyes.
Who didn't want to rise to the top overnight? Who didn't want to become a person above others?
As long as one could become the new Huang Shen Star Envoy, their status in the Black Market would skyrocket, making them a figure revered by countless evil path martial artists.
(One more chapter, very late, estimated around 1 AM. Everyone rest early and read it tomorrow morning!)