Chapter 830: Chapter 829: Kirin and Young Dragon_1
Generally, once it reaches the Fifth Tier and above, the gap between each tier represents not only the disparity in attack power but also the difference in combat strength.
Because everyone’s talent is more or less the same, a powerful attack usually suggests that the other aspects won’t be weak either. This is especially true when it comes to the Eighth Tier.
But what did everyone see?
A man who wasn’t even quite at middle Eighth Tier somehow withstood a joint strike from two top Eighth Tier Earth Immortal and three high Eighth Tier Earth Immortals. This was almost like a wild and fanciful tale; it was something they hadn’t even dared to imagine, let alone seen or heard of before.
The people of the six major tribes were nearly driven mad.
"This..."
Zhong Lingsui was dumbfounded.
She herself was the former Saintess of Heavenly Snow Mountain, aloof from worldly matters, and each of her martial ancestors was a giant in the martial world. Through the records of ancient texts, she was well aware of many of the astounding feats of accomplished figures from ancient times.
Her lover was even more of a genius of the current era. Under the age of sixty, he had made all the Earth Immortals in the world bow their heads. Even if Zhong Lingsui didn’t intentionally elevate herself, her perspective and mentality inevitably made her feel superior to others, and there was very little that could surprise her.
But today, she was conquered time and again by the stunning performance of the young man in green attire.
A speed of the sword faster than others, a calmness in the face of danger, supreme skill, almost demon-like adaptability, and profoundly mystical sword techniques. Truly outstanding swordsmen all have distinctive traits, yet the young man in green only made Zhong Lingsui think of the word "perfect."
Perfect is different from well-rounded. Being well-rounded means having no weaknesses, but it often also implies mediocrity. Only when all aspects reach the limits of one’s peers can one qualify as perfect.
Until now, in Zhong Lingsui’s heart, only Zhang Xiangfeng met the criteria of the perfect swordsman, but now there was one more.
"He’s still not dead?"
The most shocked of all were the leaders of the Eternal Night tribe. They watched Shi Xiaole who merely spat blood and whose breath had faltered somewhat; their eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets.
An attack of that magnitude was something even they might not be able to withstand.
"Flying Dragon Calamity!"
Ignoring the reactions of those around him, Shi Xiaole swallowed the blood and forcibly summoned his strength to swing another sword. The Sword Qi divided into five parts, simultaneously impeding all five of them.
For him, such opportunities were rare, chances that truly unearthed his potential. Thus, while others thought Shi Xiaole was in grave danger, he absurdly reveled in it.
The more dangerous, the more thrilled!
Bang bang bang bang bang!
Like the profundity of the night, the deep fist Qi burst forth, shattering the Sword Qi. The five experts turned ashen-faced. Before they could rush forward, Shi Xiaole’s second sword, then the third sword swiftly followed in succession.
At the same time, he moved sideways, swiftly navigating within the torrent of fist force, always managing to avoid the most perilous spots and minimizing the damage to himself.
One moment.
Two moments.
Three moments.
Every moment felt interminably long and as precious as gold. Shi Xiaole, facing five opponents alone and at a disadvantage, somehow managed to stall the advance of the five experts with his enigmatic combat strength.
Hu!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Deafening roars began to emanate from Zhang Xiangfeng’s body, and the invisible Qi spread out, even shattering the ice flowers that almost covered Zhong Lingsui’s head.
"Not good, something’s wrong with that Zhang!"
The leader of the Eternal Night tribe exclaimed, his forehead bulging with veins as he exerted all his strength, striking toward the distance with countless fist Qi.
A streak of green light crossed the sky.
In the gaze of countless onlookers, Shi Xiaole held his sword with both hands, and the Sword Qi erupting from him resembled the aurora at the dawn of the universe, splitting the void, an endless tide of swords surging forth to form an overwhelming flood that blocked everything. Although it was immediately shattered, it still managed to delay them for a brief moment.
"I’m going to chop you into pieces!"
Ye Xuan screamed hoarsely, but whenever he attacked, Shi Xiaole could strike two or three times in response, always altering his advances and causing him to return without success.
Ye Xuan couldn’t understand how the opponent had cultivated such robust Vigorous Air; merely at the fifth tier of the Divine Barrier Realm, the stamina seemed almost comparable to that of a seventh or eighth tier Earth Immortal.
"If this doesn’t work, I’ll have to use a deadly move and wipe one out first."
The miracle-making Shi Xiaole had also reached the end of his rope and was turning this thought in his mind when he suddenly heard a heavy thumping sound coming from behind.
All around heaven and earth, vibrations persisted, like the thundering of drums beaten by thousands of horses, and the source of all this commotion was clearly Zhang Xiangfeng. His breath had plummeted to its lowest point, but at this moment, it climbed rapidly.
Qi Absorption Realm Tier One.
Qi Absorption Realm Tier Two.
...
Divine Barrier Realm Tier Eight.
Divine Barrier Realm Tier Nine, all the way to the peak, then came to a sudden halt.
At this moment, the wind ceased to blow and all was silent. Even the Qi forces of Shi Xiaole and the other five were strongly constrained, starting to compress inwardly.
The leader of the Eternal Night tribe was so terrified that his soul was scattered. He realized something and tried to escape desperately, but his body was like stuck in a swamp, and it took him two moments to travel only a few dozen meters.
"Is he about to break through?"
Shi Xiaole’s eyes sparkled.
No sooner had the words fallen, than a thick beam of light composed of spiritual energy plummeted from the sky, directly engulfing Zhang Xiangfeng. Around the pillar of light, a dense and unyielding vitality spread out.
Mountains collapsed, the ground split, a scene of apocalypse.
Only when it approached Shi Xiaole did the steel-hardened spiritual air suddenly relax and actively merge into his body.
In an instant, Shi Xiaole’s injuries were fully healed, and his cultivation surged rapidly from the early fifth tier of the Divine Barrier Realm to the early sixth tier. It continued to rise until it encountered a barrier, where it finally stopped.
The thick column of light lasted for about a quarter of an hour, and when it dispersed, a figure stood up from the ground. In an instant, it seemed as if the void itself had shrunk by half.
Everything under the heavens, the mountains, and rivers, were merely a backdrop to the man in white. He appeared as if he had stepped out of a painting, while everything around him was but a mere embellishment within that painting.
"Xiangfeng."
Zhong Lingsui watched in a daze.
The man in white took her hand and looked into her eyes. Tenderly, he said, "If you had died just now, I would have killed those five first, then come down to accompany you."
"Don’t you still want to surpass the Martial Emperor?"
"As long as I live, that is my goal. But without you, Zhang Xiangfeng would have lost his reason to live."
Zhong Lingsui covered her lips, tears streaming down uncontrollably.
She was originally doomed to die soon because she had used the Ice Heaven Saint Body Technique. But during the breakthrough just now, Zhang Xiangfeng forcibly shared what should have been his alone, Fortunate Fate, and gave a portion to her. Not only did it restore her to her former state, but her cultivation level also rose by one tier.
Zhong Lingsui did not blame him for doing so; it would be an insult to herself and even more so to Zhang Xiangfeng!
Raising her head, a sincere smile appeared on Zhang Xiangfeng’s handsome face: "Brother Shi, thank you!"
"No need for thanks, I just didn’t want you to die with such frustration," said Shi Xiaole, landing steadily on the ground, his voice light and laughing.
Zhang Xiangfeng’s smile broadened.
"Xiangfeng, you call him Brother Shi, could it be that he really is..."
Zhong Lingsui couldn’t believe what she was looking at Shi Xiaole.
White hair, green clothes, and an innate elegance and talent—if it wasn’t for Shi Xiaole’s excessively monstrous performance, Zhong Lingsui would have already been sure of his identity.
Now, hearing her lover blurt it out, a storm of shock and awe still surged in her heart.
At such an age and with such prowess, isn’t a Kirin even more extraordinary than a Young Dragon among his peers?
"The five great anomalies, with the Kirin at the forefront, you truly are as formidable as your reputation suggests," said Zhang Xiangfeng, looking at Shi Xiaole.
He himself was just as shocked and surprised. Although he was in the midst of a breakthrough before, he was not unaware of what was happening around him. Had it not been for the Kirin, he and Zhong Lingsui would have been filled with regret for the rest of their lives.
"Brother Shi, let’s talk more later," he said, his gaze shifting to the five chiefs of the Eternal Night clan, struggling to escape thousands of meters away. After his breakthrough, an invisible aura had already bound the five, and their efforts to escape were doomed to be futile.
With a casual gesture, Zhang Xiangfeng tapped in the air five times.
Thump thump thump thump thump.
Thousands of meters away, five bursts of blood exploded.
But Zhang Xiangfeng didn’t stop there. He floated into the air and called out, "Old Clan Leader of Teng Serpent, since you’ve come, why the rush to leave?"
As he spoke, boundless Sword Qi pointed in all directions. Following Zhang Xiangfeng’s thoughts, to the west, tens of thousands of meters away, Sword Qi swept across, revealing a hunched, sinister figure.
This old man’s head, neck, and even his limbs were entwined with striped pythons as thick as arms, hissing and flicking their red tongues. In his hand was a body riddled with holes, with bloodthirsty snakes burrowing out and coiling back on him.
The sight made everyone’s scalp tingle, and many of the women turned pale, nearly fainting from the fright.
Releasing the body in his hand, the Teng Serpent Old Clan Leader’s face twisted as he said, "The centipede may be dead, but not stiff—you really have a hard life."
Shi Xiaole noticed that the other’s gaze paused on him for an instant, the deep shock and venom in it nearly giving him goosebumps.
In fact, the Teng Serpent Old Clan Leader would have loved to rip Shi Xiaole’s heart out. He had just arrived a short while ago and immediately captured people from the six major tribes, naturally learning the whole story from them.
This young man’s bloodline has half the similarities with that person from back then; he could very well be a direct descendant! If it weren’t for him, how could the one surnamed Zhang still be hopping around alive?
"It was just the help of a noble person. As for you, it seems your time is finally up," Zhang Xiangfeng said.
"Do you think you can take me down, just having advanced to the Void Origin Realm?"
Despite saying this, the Teng Serpent Old Clan Leader’s heart was filled with dread. He struck with his hands, unleashing hundreds of serpent shadows, coiling and striking at Zhang Xiangfeng, while he himself rapidly retreated.
When this young man was still in the Divine Barrier Realm Ninth Tier, he was only slightly inferior to himself. Now that he had broken through, there was no choice but to join forces with others to deal with him.
But as it turned out, the Teng Serpent Old Clan Leader had still underestimated Zhang Xiangfeng.
The surge of the sword intent, with a few hissing sounds, cut the myriad serpent shadows into countless segments. In the next moment, Zhang Xiangfeng drew his Flying Dragon Sword from his waist and made a slanting upward strike.
What incredible swordsmanship it was—the sword had not yet appeared, but the Sword Qi had already split into three beams, converging right at the Teng Serpent Old Clan Leader’s necessary path of retreat.
Wham!
A cloud of blood mist dispersed.
Amidst cries of horror, the Teng Serpent Old Clan Leader’s right arm bled, several of the poisonous snakes on his body died, and the remaining few raised their triangular heads, spitting venom.
"Snake King Hundred Strikes!"
The small figure swelled, with several venomous snakes burrowing into the Teng Serpent Old Clan Leader’s body, causing his pores to enlarge. Following this, countless snakes shot out from within him, filling the skies with a foul stench that almost caused the cosmos to lose its color.
Seizing the opportunity, the Teng Serpent Old Clan Leader once again attempted to flee.
A look of pronounced disgust flashed across Zhang Xiangfeng’s face, and he changed his lifting motion to a stabbing one. As he thrust out with the Flying Dragon Sword, the sword’s power unexpectedly increased dramatically.
Boom...
The serpent shadows were instantly cleared out and the Teng Serpent Old Clan Leader, terrified beyond belief, was too late to turn direction before being crushed by the Sword Qi; he and the poisonous snakes on him turned into a puddle of mist.
