Chapter 873: Enemies on All Sides
Within the magma, strands of Purifying Divine Flame were contained, piercing through the saintly qi barrier that Zhuang Xuan Kong had condensed, falling down in a sky-covering manner.
Zhuang Xuan Kong saw the wave of heat surging toward him, and the circulation speed of the saintly qi within his body immediately slowed down a bit. Startled inwardly, he used a Yin-Yang chessboard to protect his body and executed a ghost-like movement technique, quickly retreating backward.
"Facing flames and yang energy, Zhuang Xuan Kong is indeed somewhat constrained."
Zhang Ruochen nodded slightly, continuing to mobilize the masculine energy within his Xuan Tai to suppress the yin-cold force on Zhuang Xuan Kong's body.
Then, he formed a sword technique with his fingers and executed a move from the Mountains and Rivers Sword Art.
"Piercing Mountains, Splitting Earth." The Abyssal Ancient Sword in Zhang Ruochen's hand seemed to transform into a heavy mountain, charging forward violently, striking toward Zhuang Xuan Kong's chest.
This was a ghost-rank upper-grade sword technique, but when executed by Zhang Ruochen, it unleashed power comparable to a supreme technique.
The war sword flew out, emitting a deep "humming" sound. Around the sword's body, phantom images resembling mountain and river patterns condensed, pressing down with a resounding crash.
Zhuang Xuan Kong was no pushover either. He planted his feet firmly, supported the Yin-Yang chessboard with one hand, and saintly qi surged from his palm, pouring into it continuously.
"Boom!"
The Abyssal Ancient Sword struck the center of the Yin-Yang chessboard, forcing Zhuang Xuan Kong back more than ten steps, leaving a series of half-foot-deep footprints on the ground.
Zhuang Xuan Kong shook his aching arms, his expression growing even darker.
A dignified sixth-rank Half-Saint, actually repelled by a junior at the Fish-Dragon Realm—this was an utter disgrace. If word got out, his reputation would surely be ruined.
"Let's go."
Zhang Ruochen didn't want to continue the fight. He flew onto Xiao Hei's back and rushed into the darkness, preparing to leave this place.
"Where do you think you're escaping?"
Wan Xiang Wang and Zhuang Xuan Kong chased after him from the left and right, striking out with the Thunder God Halberd and the Yin-Yang chessboard, aiming at Zhang Ruochen ahead.
The Thunder God Halberd hovered in midair, emitting dense purple electric light, like dragons and snakes shuttling through the void. Then, with a sharp whistling sound, it shot down toward Zhang Ruochen's head.
The Yin-Yang chessboard radiated icy cold energy, and at its center, a black beam condensed, slicing horizontally toward Zhang Ruochen below.
Zhang Ruochen naturally bore immense pressure, feeling as if dozens of mountains were hanging above his head, ready to crush him into pieces if they fell.
Even with Xiao Hei's saintly qi protection, Li Min was still severely injured by the power of the sacred artifacts. Blood continuously flowed from her mouth, and her face grew paler.
"Sword Three."
Zhang Ruochen fully released the sword intent within him, channeling it into the Abyssal Ancient Sword and striking it against the incoming Thunder God Halberd.
Sword Three represented the three forces of heaven, earth, and man. If cultivated to Great Perfection, these three forces would stack together, unleashing a terrifying power surpassing ordinary sacred arts.
Although Zhang Ruochen hadn't cultivated Sword Three to Great Perfection, with his sword dao realm of unity between man and sword, executing this move unleashed power even more formidable than some supreme techniques.
Sword Three's penetrative power was extraordinary, capable of breaking through a point to defeat a surface, making it difficult even for sacred artifacts to withstand.
"Bang."
The sword tip and halberd edge collided, the two forces evenly matched. After a brief stalemate, they flew backward in opposite directions.
Zhang Ruochen's sword dao realm and weapon both held an advantage, but his cultivation level was still far behind Wan Xiang Wang's. The fact that they could fight to a draw had already stunned many.
In the sky, the black beam from the Yin-Yang chessboard was like an icy heavenly blade, descending from the heavens to the ground. Wherever it sliced, it left a black trench over ten meters deep.
Moreover, around the black trench, thick ice would form, freezing the earth.
Fortunately, Xiao Hei's speed was extremely fast, allowing them to dodge the black beam's attacks repeatedly. Otherwise, with Zhang Ruochen's current cultivation, trying to fend off both Wan Xiang Wang and Zhuang Xuan Kong alone would likely result in defeat within ten moves.
The round, bright moon hung at the center of the sky, appearing exceptionally serene, forming a stark contrast with the earth-shaking battle of the three powerhouses below.
A rather refined middle-aged man stood atop a hill a hundred miles away.
He carried an ancient green sword on his back, had a slender build, and deep-set eyes. Gazing at the distant battlefield, he said, "When Zhang Ruochen clashed with Wan Xiang Wang, the sword move he executed was Sword Three. Judging by the power of that sword technique, it's probably close to reaching Great Perfection."
This man was named Jian Kongzi, the top among the ten experts selected by Wan Zhaoyi from the Yuan Prefecture military camp. He was far more formidable than Wan Xiang Wang or Bei Lang Wang.
He was an extremely skilled sword cultivator, having reached the seventh-rank Half-Saint realm. Though he appeared to be around forty years old, he had actually been cultivating for nearly two hundred years.
For Half-Saints, two hundred years was an important watershed.
Before two hundred years, a Half-Saint could rely on powerful saintly qi to sustain their body's vitality, slowing down the aging of their appearance and organs.
However, once past two hundred years, a Half-Saint would rapidly age in a very short time, reverting to the appearance befitting their actual age—white hair overnight, declining blood energy, and reduced physical strength.
If they didn't encounter an earth-shattering opportunity, it was almost impossible to break through further in cultivation. At most, they could only improve their combat skills and saintly insights.
In other words, once a Half-Saint passed two hundred years, their life's achievements were almost set in stone.
In his youth, Jian Kongzi was also a prodigy of his generation, able to contend with saintly bodies. Three years ago, he fought and defeated the Blood Dragon Hall Master, pushing his reputation to its peak, becoming a pivotal figure in the vast lands of Yuan Prefecture.
Yet, he was well aware that without an extraordinary opportunity, he would never reach the Saint realm in this lifetime.
If he couldn't become a Saint, what was the point of two hundred years of bitter cultivation?
In the Kunlun Realm, countless brilliant talents failed to become Saints before two hundred years. Due to inner imbalance, believing the heavens were mocking them, many strayed onto the wrong path. Some, with deep obsessions, even fell into demonic possession.
Now, an opportunity lay before Jian Kongzi. Wan Zhaoyi had already declared that if he could capture Zhang Ruochen, he would be given a Snow Blue Saint Pill.
Only by taking the Snow Blue Saint Pill could Jian Kongzi have full confidence in breaking through to the ninth-rank Half-Saint realm before turning two hundred. By then, he would be just one step away from the Saint realm.
Originally, Jian Kongzi thought that with his cultivation, dealing with a Fish-Dragon Realm cultivator would be as easy as picking something up. How much force does an elephant need to crush an ant?
But after actually seeing Zhang Ruochen, Jian Kongzi found it somewhat troublesome.
"This kid is far too terrifying. At the Fish-Dragon Realm, he can already contend with Wan Xiang Wang and Zhuang Xuan Kong. I wonder how formidable he'll be when he breaks through to the Half-Saint realm?" Feng Qin said.
Feng Qin was a burly man three meters tall, with arms thicker than an ordinary person's waist. He wore seven or eight pieces of iron armor distributed across his arms, legs, waist, abdomen, and chest.
Apart from the armor, his body was covered in dense, crimson-red muscles, like a mighty barbarian god.
"If this kid weren't so formidable, why would the Empress personally order his capture?"
Jian Kongzi glanced at Feng Qin and added, "To have cultivated Sword Three to such a level at the Fish-Dragon Realm—even the Sword Emperor of the past might not have been this brilliant."
Jian Kongzi sighed with emotion. He too had once been called a sword dao prodigy, but at the Fish-Dragon Realm, he hadn't even cultivated Sword One to Great Perfection.
Compared to Zhang Ruochen, his former sword dao talent was utterly worthless.
"However, since he hasn't broken through to the Half-Saint realm yet, even if he can stir up some waves, I can still suppress him," Jian Kongzi said confidently.
Any sword cultivator would naturally be full of confidence in their own strength.
Zhang Ruochen's execution of Sword Three also startled cultivators from other forces. In the night sky, a wave of sharp intakes of breath could be heard.
Many were whispering, unanimously agreeing, "The Empress's order to capture Zhang Ruochen is not without reason. If Zhang Ruochen grows up, he might truly threaten the Empress's rule."
Xiao Hei's speed, when compared to Zhang Ruochen executing the Phoenix Divine Seal Step, was on par, naturally far faster than Wan Xiang Wang and Zhuang Xuan Kong. Soon, they left the two far behind.
Zhang Ruochen's nerves remained taut, not relaxing. Suddenly, he looked up ahead and saw a burly man like an iron tower standing atop a giant black scorpion, blocking the way.
The man's physique was extremely robust, towering over ordinary humans. But the black scorpion beneath him was even larger—its pincers alone were six or seven meters long, appearing exceptionally sharp.
On the scorpion's body surface, hundreds of blood-red inscriptions were distributed. It crouched on the ground, pressing the earth within a hundred zhang radius into a depression.
"Giant Scorpion King, Feng Qin."
Seeing the burly man standing ahead, Li Min felt a sense of despair.
Just Wan Xiang Wang and Zhuang Xuan Kong alone had them fleeing for their lives. With Feng Qin, this fierce man, added to the mix, was there any hope of escape?
"Whoosh."
Feng Qin stood atop the scorpion's head, opened his mouth, and inhaled. In an instant, all the air within a hundred miles was drawn into his abdomen.
His belly swelled outward, forming a huge ball.
Even with the naked eye, one could see white light emanating from inside Feng Qin's belly, nurturing a terrifying energy.
Then, Feng Qin opened his mouth and spat out tens of thousands of wind blades, surging forth with a sharp sound.
Some of these wind blades even condensed into human or beast forms.
Any human-shaped or beast-shaped wind blade had the power to kill a low-rank Half-Saint.
Dozens of human-shaped and beast-shaped wind blades, mixed within the hurricane—imagine the terrifying power they unleashed!
(First chapter posted. One more chapter to come.)