Embers of Sword

Chapter 622 Fighting Apes
"What a fast sword!"

Just as Zhu Yanxin became alert, the golden sword shot out from the forest mist, aimed directly at his face, forcing him to lower his raised fist and switch to defense. The black-robed white ape raised his arms to block in front of his face, and in the next instant, the tip of the golden sword collided with the iron arm, producing a sharp, teeth-grinding screech.

A powerful Daoist intent burst forth from the tip of the sword—

The Way of Annihilation!

If it were merely a nascent Dao intent that had not yet condensed into the Great Dao, this attack would be nothing to Zhu Yan.

But at the moment the sword tips clashed, an invisible wave rippled outwards!
From the distant woods, a very soft whisper could be heard.

"...Yuan Tun!"

A strange fluctuation emanated from the tip of the sword. Zhu Yan felt that the "Dao Intent" that was attached to his arms was suddenly erased for a moment. It was in this moment that the Dao Intent of Annihilation was able to invade his body.

The black-robed white ape's expression changed drastically, as if struck by lightning.

He almost flew off the Vermilion Bird's back, his arms swinging rapidly as if on fire, finally stepping on the ground for dozens of feet before coming to a stop.

"..."

Zhu Yan's expression was extremely gloomy as he looked down at his forearm.

Just one blow.

The sword energy tore a gash in the flesh of his forearm... The sword intent of annihilation continued to tear at the wound, trying to penetrate deeper. Fortunately, his physique was strong enough to forcibly suppress this faint Dao intent, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.

He slowly raised his head and stared at the end of the forest mist.

It's hard to believe.

The one who made this attack was only at the Yin God Realm.

In the past thousand years, has anyone been able to fight against a yang god with the body of a yin god?
In short, I've never heard of Zhu Yan.

The lords of the Demon Kingdom and the three sect leaders of the human race are all top-tier cultivators with exceptional talent. Even these top-tier beings cannot cross a major realm and use the power of the Dao Realm to fight against a mountain-level cultivator who has condensed the Great Dao.

“…Xie Xuanyi”.

Zhu Yan was imprisoned in the Imperial City for a full sixty years. The Holy Empress kept him in a grotto-heaven prison, but as a Yang God, he was not reduced to the level of a domestic animal or a dog. Most of the time, he cultivated in the grotto-heaven. The Imperial City Bureau was responsible for transmitting messages about the outside world.

Zhu Yan knew that in recent years, the fortunes of the Great Chu Kingdom had turned around, and many extraordinary geniuses had emerged from the various sects.

Xie Xuanyi was the most dazzling among all the geniuses.

This young man surnamed Xie seems to have a very deep connection with the imperial city... to the point that even a "big figure" like the Empress Dowager wants to put him to death.

If Yinshan had lost the battle of Beihai ten years ago...

The conflict will not end there.

Zhu Yan will leave the imperial city to take over the unfinished mission of Yinshan and personally deal with this exceptionally talented young man who is still one step away from the summit.

The human realm established the "Ten Heroes" system to restrict the actions of Yang God Realm experts... but this great demon of the Yang God Realm was not subject to this restriction, which is why the Holy Empress imprisoned him in the Great Chu Imperial City. He was the Holy Empress's hidden "hand," needed to do some dirty things that the Holy Empress couldn't reveal herself at crucial moments.

Of course, it must be done cleanly and efficiently, without anyone noticing.

Ten years ago, Zhu Yan had already made preparations to leave the city and head north.

But in the end, the battle in Beihai did not turn out as expected.

Looking back now, Zhu Yan has to admit that Zhao Chunyang was more skilled, arranging for Xie Xuanyi to fake his death and escape the Empress's sight... What would have happened if the battle in Beihai had been fought to the end? Both sides would have used all their trump cards, and today's Sword Palace battle would have been brought forward. Back then, the Great Sui Sword Palace had no chance of winning at all.

Zhao Chunyang secured ten years of peace for the Great Sui Sword Palace, allowing it to recuperate and thrive. During these ten years, the young people who were not yet capable of making a name for themselves in the Sword Palace gradually grew up and became independent "mountain lords".

Unfortunately.

Faced with the overwhelming and insidious power of Renshou Palace, the chances of victory for these people remain slim.

All sorts of thoughts settled in an instant.

Zhu Yan held his breath, raised his hands, and formed a hand seal.

Rumble!
A sudden gust of wind swept through, causing the sea of ​​fire to sway and ripple. Zhu Yan's black robes fluttered, and countless snow-white ape hairs sprayed towards the sword forest. This time, he unleashed his military calamity once again, but his target was only one person.

Sword cultivators are physically weak.

Now that the flying sword is outside the sword forest.

Then I will definitely be unable to defend myself at this moment.

"kill!"

"kill!!"

Hundreds of white apes rode the wind and took shape upon landing, then swept towards the sword forest.

A figure dressed in black sped out from the forest mist.

Xie Xuanyi, bare-handed, concealed his martial arts divine embryo, transforming the dual paths of life and death into a yin-yang fish. Two wisps of black and white primordial energy entwined and clung to his forearm. He forcefully charged into the white ape horde conjured by the Divine Power of War and Calamity, his moves wide and sweeping, fighting his way through. With each strike, he shattered a white ape avatar.

He cried out loudly, his feathers bristling in anger.

Xie Xuanyi's sword strike had saved him from danger, and without hesitation, he immediately retaliated. His iron wings, like long blades, sliced ​​through a hundred feet, aiming to slash at Zhu Yan's head—

"Humph!"

After unleashing its divine power of war and disaster, the black-robed white ape moved swiftly and threw a punch at the top of the sky.

Golden light burst forth.

The two powerful demons were evenly matched. When the punch landed on the iron wing, the Vermilion Bird used the momentum to fly back towards the top of the sky, while the Zhu Yan retreated dozens of steps with a muffled groan.

After a fierce exchange of blows.

Zhu Yan steadied his breathing, and just as he was about to continue his battle with Zhu Que, a slight glance out of the corner of his eye sent chills down his spine.

The dense fog that had previously shrouded the Sword Forest in war was now completely clear. Hundreds of white-haired apes had been reduced to blood mist in mere moments, and the figure in black had vanished without a trace. A familiar, unsettling, and chilling feeling surged within Zhu Yan's heart once more. He suddenly turned around, only to see, under the scorching sun, a young man in black, his form like a ghost, appear behind him. As if anticipating his turn, the figure leaped high into the air, his fist, intertwined with the principles of life and death, brimming with power, before slamming down with tremendous force!

boom!
Zhu Yan once again assumed a fighting stance, awkwardly taking the blow.

Xie Xuanyi threw a punch without any expression.

The dual paths of birth and death, the divine embryo of martial arts, the primordial devouring divine power—all these methods were unleashed simultaneously in an instant.

A burst of golden light!

Zhu Yan's mind was buzzing, and for a moment it went blank.

He planted his feet firmly on the ground, trying to use the momentum to deflect the punch, but the force of the punch was extremely strange, with two distinct ripples spreading outwards together—

Swallow the Dao!

Devour the Yuan!

The wisp of energy that Zhu Yan had raised was wiped out by the [Yuan Tun Divine Power], leaving him with no choice but to accept the Yin God's attack in a disheveled and humiliating manner.

The white ape in black robes bent its knees slightly.

click!
First, a huge spider web appeared on the ground.

Then it shattered inch by inch.

With a roar, Zhu Yan was blasted into a dent, and one knee slammed heavily into the ground!

After so many years of cultivation... Zhu Yan never imagined that he would be forced to this extent by a Yin God!
"Kill!!!" A furious shout filled with ferocity exploded like thunder.

Smoke and dust billowed.

After Xie Xuanyi threw a punch, he immediately rolled back, but it was too late. The originally thin and withered white ape body in the dust suddenly expanded dozens of times, turning into a small mountain!
Zhu Yan was driven to the brink of despair and unleashed his true form!
With a loud bang, a sonic boom exploded in our ears, and countless dust particles were shattered by a long whip—it was Zhu Yan's arm!
boom!
This attack was extremely fast and ruthless, and Xie Xuanyi forcibly withstood it using his martial arts divine body—

He was sent flying backward uncontrollably, his body and internal organs almost shattered. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, but fortunately, he was supported by the Undying Spring... Xie Xuanyi, who was flying backward, was caught in mid-air by a fiery red shadow. Ci Jing carried him high into the air and used the Fire Sea Dao Domain to suppress the giant white ape for a short time.

"Boy, are you okay?"

Zhuque was still in relatively good condition. After fighting with Zhuyan, he was seriously injured, but fortunately, he still had that wisp of immortal spring water vapor.

"He's alright, still alive."

Xie Xuanyi wiped the corner of his lips with the back of his hand, his expression calm.

This blow...

If it were any other spirit that came to receive him, he would surely die ten times over.

Even a Yin God at the Great Perfection stage cannot withstand a full-force attack from a Yang God demon.

Xie Xuanyi's entire body was invaded by the demonic energy of the Zhu Yan. Half of his flesh was corroded and turned into bare bones under the erosion of the demonic energy. This scene looked extremely terrifying... But Ci Jing only glanced at it and then looked away. The injuries that this kid suffered in the previous battle with Chong Kan were much more serious than this.

This young man surnamed Xie possesses the Fountain of Immortality; he can practically be considered a living "True Immortal of the Yin God Realm."

If he could withstand the Heavenly Sword Strangulation attack from Grand Master Chongkan, this kind of injury shouldn't be a big problem.

"That white-haired ape is probably going mad."

Ci Jing gritted his teeth, his expression worried.

He wasn't afraid of fighting Zhu Yan to the death.

But this battle...

There are also many Sword Palace cultivators near the Sword Forest battlefield.

Once one cultivates to the Yang God Realm, one is powerful enough to move mountains and overturn seas; if one so desires, one can destroy a city with a mere gesture.

With the mountain-suppressing formation broken, if "Zhu Yan" were to unleash its true demonic form and start slaughtering the young disciples of the Great Sui Sword Palace, it would be difficult to stop it. The only thing I could do was to retaliate by slaughtering the "Great Chu Treasure Ship" in return... But the problem is that Zhu Yan doesn't care at all. This great demon is too lazy to care about the lives of the Imperial City Guard cultivators. He probably wishes both groups would be wiped out at the same time.

“I’ll lead him.”

In just a few breaths, nourished by the Fountain of Immortality, Xie Xuanyi's white bones began to regrow with lustrous flesh and blood.

He sat on the back of the Vermilion Bird, indifferently watching the enormous figure that was darting around in the sea of ​​fire.

Zhu Yan's murderous intent had already solidified into a tangible form.

Xie Xuanyi knew that as long as he showed himself, this great demon would definitely try to kill him regardless of the cost.

To keep Zhu Yan away from the battlefield, all we need to do is use ourselves as bait.

"you……"

Just as Ci Jing was about to speak, he suddenly felt a lightness on his back.

Xie Xuanyi jumped off the Vermilion Bird, just as he had jumped into the sea of ​​clouds before... This time he jumped directly into the Fire Sea Domain, falling from the sky, holding his natal flying sword, and stabbing it down at the head of the Vermilion Bird.

珰!
Despite appearing to have gone mad, the white-haired demon ape's divine sense was actually always locked onto Xie Xuanyi.

The moment the wind howled in the high sky, Zhu Yan focused all his attention and waited intently for Xie Xuanyi to land.

The flying sword, carrying the force of thunder, pierced down. The giant demon ape lowered its head and stretched out its palm to block the slash at its neck, "just right"!

"..."

Xie Xuanyi frowned slightly. He had just landed on the white ape when his vision was immediately clouded by gloom, and the sound of explosions rang in his ears again.

A second hand swept across.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xie Xuanyi immediately abandoned his natal flying sword, used the force to propel himself away from the sea of ​​fire.

【Chronic Illness】was held firmly in Zhu Yan's palm.

During the battle with Grand Master Chongkan, a crack had already appeared in this natal flying sword.

At this moment, the great demon of the Yang God Realm suddenly exerted its strength, pouring all its power into its palm, trying to crush the flying sword directly, thereby severing the life of the sword master connected to its natal flying sword... Unfortunately, this attempt did not succeed. Although the [Sickness] was cracked by Chong Kan, it was not a treasure that Zhu Yan could shake.

One squeeze yielded nothing.

Zhu Yan let out a low roar and chased after the black-clad swordsman.

A man and an ape, one in front and one behind, crashed into the sea of ​​fire.

Xie Xuanyi's purpose was very clear... He never expected the flying sword attack to be effective from the beginning. All he did was to provoke Zhu Yan. Outside the sea of ​​fire, countless Imperial City Guard cultivators were on high alert, and one after another, the Great Chu Treasure Ships had landed on the flat ground of the Great Sui Sword Palace's mountain gate.

At this moment, under the horrified gazes of these cultivators, a gap was blasted open in the sea of ​​fire, and a slender black figure darted into the treasure ship formation.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Yan, having unleashed its true form, charged forward without hesitation!

"Open the formation!"

"Activate the formation!!"

"Take off! Take off now!"

A horrified roar echoed through the Great Chu Treasure Ship formation, but it was too late.

Xie Xuanyi crashed onto the deck of the foremost of the large Chu treasure ships. Several black-clad spies were still on the first floor of the ship.

Under the horrified gazes of the crowd, Xie Xuanyi "lightly" pressed down and killed the nearest spy with a palm strike, then casually kicked the scabbard at the spy's waist, and used the momentum to draw his sword. The kicked-over scabbard flew ten feet with a whoosh, piercing through several Qi Control Realm spies on the ship and heavily nailing them to the mast of the large ship.

The natal flying sword is still in Zhu Yan's palm.

But not important.

After the Battle of Beihai, all the swords of the Imperial City Guard's spies were forged in imitation of the "Sinking Illness".

hum!
Xie Xuanyi wiped the sword with two fingers, and the original owner's divine sense was erased, and it was completely refined.

Xie Xuanyi lightly stepped onto the mast and reached the high point in a few steps.

He looked around and threw the flying sword in his hand.

next moment.

A sword's cry echoed outwards.

The counterfeit [Sickness] transformed into a stream of light, weaving between the Great Chu Treasure Ships. Masts collapsed one after another, the great formation shattered completely, and those heavy treasure ships that wanted to take off lost their will to fly, crashing heavily to the ground one after another.

The Imperial City Guard monks trapped on the ship were all pale-faced.

What made them even more desperate was yet to come—

Rumble!
A tremor and a roar came from the far end of the ground.

The Zhu Yan demon, who had been imprisoned in the Imperial City Cave Heaven for a long time and had suppressed his murderous intent, completely released the restraints on his demonic body. With each step he took, his demonic body grew ten feet taller, and the massive Chu treasure ship, which was dozens of feet long, was as vulnerable as clay bricks and tiles in front of him... His eyes were only on the black-clad figure standing at the top of the mast.

Zhu Yan headed straight for Xie Xuanyi, smashing all the treasure ships along the way to pieces!
(End of this chapter)