Chapter 899: Amidst Great Radiance, the Phoenix Arrives
In the eyes of the Prince of Xiang and those who believed they knew the inside story, Bie Yanghong was backing Wuqiong Bi.
Chen Changsheng was no ordinary man.
He was the Pope.
To kill a Pope was to invite the most unexpected of circumstances.
And to kill a Pope, one had to prevent all unexpected occurrences.
For instance, that blade.
Up to this moment, no one still knew whether that iron blade had actually come to Saintess Peak, but likewise, no one knew whether, in the very next moment, that iron blade would descend from the sky without any warning, just as it had that year by the Luo River in the capital, cutting down everything it wished to cut.
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Who could come to save him now? Chen Changsheng did not dwell on this.
In Wenshui City, he had known that iron blade was always outside the city, because that was his request.
Afterward, from Fengyang County to Saintess Peak, he had come too hastily, with no chance to notify the other party. Moreover, ever since learning of his fate at the age of ten, no matter how perilous the situation—such as that night of deathly darkness—he had grown accustomed to facing it alone.
If you placed your fate in the hands of others, it meant you could not control your own destiny.
He did not want to be that kind of person. He was not that kind of person.
From beginning to end, he had placed his hope in his own hands.
Gazing at that lotus sea, which concealed infinite danger, and sensing that aura filled with the meaning of extinction, he knew he could no longer hide his strength.
Facing a Sacred Domain expert, any scheme or concealment meant underestimation, and that would surely invite punishment.
His right hand still gripped the sword hilt; the countless swords within the sheath were ready, poised to turn into a stream of light and strike at any moment.
His left hand had already risen; the countless demon beasts within the Garden of Zhou were ready, poised to surge forth like a tidal wave over the mountains at any moment.
Within the Garden of Zhou, Nanke was ready.
On his wrist, the Heaven-Scroll Stele was ready.
He believed that Zhexiu, who had yet to appear, should also be ready.
And there was the yellow paper umbrella, the Falling Star Stone, and the Divine Staff of the State Religion.
No one had ever seen all of Chen Changsheng’s methods.
Even on that night at Xueling, when facing the legendary Demon Lord, he had held back many techniques.
In his original plan, those techniques were meant to be used against a certain elder.
Now, it seemed, they had to be revealed to the world ahead of time.
Even so, could he withstand a full-force strike from a Sacred Domain expert?
He had no confidence, because that threshold was truly high.
Even heaven and earth had no confidence—otherwise, why would so many people be rushing over?
Were those people anxious, despairing, or beginning to grieve in advance?
Suddenly, heaven and earth changed color.
Thick dark clouds were painted with a layer of golden light.
The dim sky became exceedingly bright.
The forests among the mountains began to burn.
Expressions of anxiety, despair, and grief were replaced by shock.
Everyone looked up at the sky.
A straight line of fire appeared in the sky.
That line of fire was very long, its origin on the other side of the veiling clouds.
Those who had visited Nanxi Zhai could guess that it should be the summit of Saintess Peak.
The line of fire extended toward the cliff terrace at an unimaginable speed, looking like the burning trail of a meteor falling from the sky.
No one had time to react; they could only watch as the line of fire landed at the edge of the cliff terrace.
The shattered fragments of the parasol tree, which had been broken earlier, burst into flames with a whoosh, spraying countless sparks, light, and heat.
A pair of supremely beautiful phoenix wings fluttered and danced amidst the fire!
A crystal-clear phoenix cry resounded through heaven and earth!
An unimaginable number of life-filled flames surged toward that lotus sea, which was filled with the meaning of extinction.
Countless sword shadows appeared and disappeared within, rising and falling, yet without any sense of treachery; instead, they felt upright, solemn, and supremely sacred.
The two auras collided, like an invisible giant bell struck by a god returning from the sea of stars. The violent sound traveled directly to the Tong River, dozens of li away.
Countless waves rose on the river. Fishermen in their boats and townsfolk in the settlement fell to their knees in terror, praying incessantly.
On the cliff terrace, those cultivators who were closer and weaker in cultivation were directly knocked unconscious by the shock.
No one knew how long passed before the terrifying torrent of aura gradually calmed, the burning flames slowly died down, yet the traces of light lingered for a long time without fading.
Looking at those still solemn and fierce sword intents within the light, those exquisitely subtle sword marks, many recalled a famous scene.
It was from years ago on the Naihe Bridge in the capital, that battle amidst the wind and snow.
Looking at the slender figure within the dust and smoke, people were shocked beyond measure, vaguely guessing at something.
Countless sword intents gathered within the light, only merging into one sword when the dust finally settled.
It was indeed the legendary Great Radiance Sword!
It was indeed the Saintess Xu Yourong!
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Xu Yourong stood shoulder to shoulder with Chen Changsheng at the edge of the cliff, facing Wuqiong Bi.
Chen Changsheng held the Stainless Sword in his hand; Xu Yourong held the Zhai Sword.
Their faces were somewhat pale, likely injured, but their expressions remained calm.
The cliff terrace was deathly silent. The crowd was stunned into speechlessness, utterly unable to believe their eyes, feeling that what they saw was not real.
The Saintess had emerged from seclusion early!
Did she not know how great a price this would cost? Could it bring irreversible harm to her cultivation? People looked at Chen Changsheng beside her, guessed the reason for her early emergence, and realized that the rumors were indeed true. Their emotions became extremely complex—some envious, some yearning, but mostly jealous.
Of course, there was another possibility: that Xu Yourong had already entered the Sacred Domain and thus broken out of seclusion. The problem was, who could achieve that in just two short years? Chen Xuanba back then could not, Emperor Taizong could not, Wang Zhice could not, and even Zhou Dufu could not.
Facts proved that Xu Yourong had indeed not succeeded. As the light gradually faded, the aura she emitted became clearer. Though holy and sublime, it was still an insurmountable distance from that threshold. If that were the case, how could she withstand a full-force strike from a Sacred Domain expert?
This was what shocked people the most.
The most shocked was Wuqiong Bi, for she was the one involved.
She looked at Xu Yourong and Chen Changsheng standing shoulder to shoulder, her face slightly pale, her gaze deep to the extreme.
The Zhai Sword was indeed formidable, concealing infinite sword intent within infinite radiance. In terms of technique alone, it could be said to be the most powerful sword art in the world.
But if that were all, Xu Yourong could never have blocked her full-force strike.
Under the crushing weight of an absolute realm gap, no matter how exquisite the sword art, it was meaningless.
But earlier, just as she was about to use the extinction Dao technique within the lotus sea to suppress them directly, another sword intent had joined the battle.
That was, of course, Chen Changsheng’s sword.
With the entry of Chen Changsheng’s sword intent, Xu Yourong’s Great Radiance Sword intent had become even more harmonious, approaching perfection.
In fact, when she swung the Zhai Sword, it even faintly carried a hint of sacredness!
What shocked and unsettled her even more was that the momentum of the Great Radiance Sword had suddenly surged at that moment, becoming several times stronger!
What on earth was going on?