Embers of Sword

Chapter 711 The Great Enemy
The snowstorm subsided, but blood continued to flow.

King Yanle lay on the ground, his pupils filled with confusion and bewilderment.

He doesn't understand...

Why would the Holy Prince of Great Ape Mountain attack me?

The demon kingdom's ambition to expand southward has never died. Although there have been internal conflicts among the major demon holy lands in recent years, their attitude towards human cultivators has been consistent: those who are not of our race will surely have different hearts. We must never allow the human race to produce leaders of the caliber of "Zhao Chunyang" and "Xiaoyaozi" again!

And Xie Xuanyi is such a person!
Logically speaking, the Holy Prince would not miss the opportunity to severely injure or kill Xie Xuanyi!
hum!
A sword's cry rang out!
Without hesitation, Xie Xuanyi summoned his flying sword and beheaded the King of Banquet.

This prince of Beijun, who betrayed Da Chu and allowed the demon kingdom to invade the south under the manipulation of the Paper Dolls, died with resentment.

The entire battlefield instantly became quiet.

In the void, two figures stood facing each other. The Holy Prince held a golden staff, his gaze fixed on Xie Xuanyi, his eyes filled with a desire for battle.

But Xie Xuanyi's thoughts... were not on this.

After the wind and snow broke apart.

Xie Xuanyi's divine sense enveloped the entire battlefield. Chi Wu was no longer there. It seemed that the real weapon she used to lure him here was the Holy Prince of Great Ape Mountain!

The Paper Dolls arranged this southward migration of the demon kingdom.

Once the King of Banquet opens the walls of Junfeng City, the Holy Prince will surely meet him!

This is a very clever plan...

At this moment, the monkey holding the golden cudgel not far away was putting immense pressure on Xie Xuanyi!

"You are Xie Xuanyi?"

At the edge of the void, the Holy Prince stared intently at Xie Xuanyi for a long time before finally speaking.

The overwhelming pressure of the Great Dao was overflowing.

The very act of uttering those few words caused the void to tremble!

"……it's me."

Xie Xuanyi gently exhaled a breath of stale air, casting aside all distracting thoughts.

"The demon kingdom says you are the strongest sword cultivator of the Da Chu generation."

The Holy Prince's eyes flashed, and he chuckled softly, "That's interesting... You and I have different ideas."

In his early years, he traveled throughout the four borders of the demon kingdom.

The life-or-death struggles in the demon kingdom are far more intense than those on the human side!
Bearing the title of "invincible among his peers," the Holy Prince has faced countless life-or-death challenges... Countless genius demon cultivators want to kill him, thereby ascending to the heavens in one step and proving their own worth!
These powerful demons are all geniuses!

However, the Holy Prince is even more talented than them!

Treading on piles of white bones and through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the Holy Prince finally returned to Great Ape Mountain, now tempered into steel, and defeated the entire demon realm, making them bow down and dare not disobey.

He didn't take the rumors circulating among the humans to heart at all.

Is Xie Xuanyi very powerful?
Any cultivator of the same generation who could withstand a blow from him and survive was already a dragon among men! A rare genius!

After achieving Dao Condensation, the Holy Prince became even more invincible!
Among the top geniuses of his generation, two or three had also completed the "Condensation of the Dao," and when he sparred with them, he still had an overwhelming advantage!
But Xie Xuanyi...

Not only did he accept his own "Daoist intent," but he also showed signs of challenging him on equal footing.

The Holy Prince was well aware that his "Battle Dao" had some restraint over the "Destruction Dao," which led to the previous suppression. In terms of Dao comprehension and combat strength alone, his opponent was no less than him.

"You think differently from me."

Xie Xuanyi took a deep breath and calmed his mind.

During the long pursuit, he fought against the Law Master, Ye Zu, and the Banquet King. Coupled with the Dragon Locking Formation and the iron cavalry charge, much of the vital energy accumulated within the Sword Qi Cave was depleted.

While they were talking, they were able to recover some of their energy.

"Oh...you've heard of me before?"

The Holy Prince smiled; he had, of course, seen through Xie Xuanyi's intentions.

The reason he stopped immediately after striking twice was to avoid gaining an advantage... This young human sword immortal in front of him seemed to have expended a lot of energy.

"The Holy Prince of Great Ape Mountain".

Xie Xuanyi smiled and said, "The future leader of the demon kingdom... who doesn't know him? I heard of your name many years ago. If I'm not mistaken, this should be the legendary treasure of Great Ape Mountain, the 'Spirit Yang Staff'?"

talking.

His gaze fell on the long staff in the monkey's hand.

That attack just now shattered half of the Annihilation Domain, which was certainly due to the "Battle Dao" being incompatible with it.

But it also possesses the power of a precious artifact!
His own "chronic illness" was not of a high enough grade, but he still had an advantage when facing innate spiritual treasures.

However, if it comes to a truly precious treasure, it will pale in comparison!
"good."

The Holy Prince spoke proudly, shook his long staff, and a circle of golden light rippled out, the crisp sound resounding through the sky!

"If that's the case, then the Holy Prince has now inherited the Great Ape Mountain?"

Xie Xuanyi continued speaking.

The "Spiritual Yang Staff" of Great Ape Mountain is similar to Lotus Peak and Mysterious Water Cave of Great Eagle Sword Palace... Only future leaders are qualified to inherit it.

Why are you so talkative?

The Holy Prince frowned, looking somewhat impatient.

He wanted to have a fair fight with Xie Xuanyi, so he deliberately gave up space for Xie Xuanyi to rest, but this guy... seemed to be trying to get close to him all the time.

It's no wonder that the Holy Prince had such thoughts.

For Xie Xuanyi, this world of spiritual travel is one he must eventually leave!
However, figures like the "Holy Prince" usually hide deep within the Demon Kingdom, and even the library cannot gather much relevant information about him.

At this moment, meeting in person and getting any information we can would be a great thing!
"I just feel a little sentimental and wistful."

Xie Xuanyi's smile remained unchanged.

He showed a look of regret and sighed, "When I was young, I heard rumors about you. Back then, everyone said that you were the number one being among your peers in the demon race... To meet you today..."

Speaking of which.

Xie Xuanyi paused deliberately.

"……Um?"

The Holy Prince frowned even deeper, vaguely sensing that something was wrong.

Logically speaking.

The second half of this sentence should be "its reputation is well-deserved".

But Xie Xuanyi changed the subject and said indifferently, "Today's meeting has truly disappointed me."

"disappointment?"

The Holy Prince sneered, a surge of anger rising within him.

This statement came out.

He didn't care about rest or fairness.

Xie Xuanyi had already started mocking him, clearly showing his disdain for the two blows he had just received!

boom!
The Spirit Yang Staff emitted a tremor, and the Holy Prince instantly vanished from his spot, wielding the staff with both hands and bringing it down heavily on Xie Xuanyi's head—

Having witnessed the power of the Battle Dao, how could Xie Xuanyi possibly confront it head-on again?

With a whoosh.

Xie Xuanyi also vanished from his spot, using sword energy and movement techniques to leap backward. His strike missed its mark, but instead landed squarely on a small hill in the distance!
A dull thud was heard!
It was like a thunderbolt exploding on the ground!

Hundreds of feet away, the small mountain peak was directly smashed and collapsed by the force of the staff, countless rock fragments were scattered in all directions, and the rolling snow was also torn to shreds by the force of the Dao!
"..."

Xie Xuanyi, who had flashed a mile away, couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat upon seeing this scene.

The Holy Prince's Dao intent is indeed too fierce and violent.

Without the blessing of the "Way of Life", the only way to withstand that blow would probably be by using a sword technique as powerful and fierce as "Burning Flower". With the physique of a great cultivator from the Demon Kingdom, it would probably be easy for him to unleash such a blow, but with his current physique, he could not use the "Burning Flower" sword technique many times.

After the blow missed.

"Thank you, Xuanyi!"

The Holy Prince stood atop the sky, speaking coldly and demanding in a low voice, "Why are you hiding? Are you afraid? Are you terrified?"

"That's a bad word."

Xie Xuanyi chuckled lightly, unmoved, and said calmly, "The Holy Prince's blow was indeed remarkable... but must I take it head-on? I am neither afraid nor apprehensive."

"Is it?"

Upon hearing this, the Holy Prince scoffed and immediately swung his staff a second time.

Golden light spread everywhere, and the sky shattered.

A powerful fighting intent surged forth, but Xie Xuanyi continued to retreat on his sword. Since the Holy Prince wanted to overpower him with sheer force, he might as well retreat three feet first.

The second strike missed again!
Countless snowflakes shattered and scattered under the sweeping force of the stick.

Then came the third and fourth blows!
Rumble, rumble.

As the two clashed, the void shattered continuously, and snow-capped mountains were swept and blasted apart by the force of the staff.

Xie Xuanyi fought and retreated, seemingly intending to flee a thousand miles away. If the two were trapped in the same cave, even if his sword speed was faster than the Holy Prince's, and he could dodge one or two blows, he would still have to continue fighting.

But things are different now.

Without the Dragon-Locking Formation to restrict it, this battlefield is simply too vast!

After striking the blows a dozen or so times, the Holy Prince stopped his attack.

"Such behavior makes me underestimate you."

The monkey stood in the void, expressionless, and said, "The Great Wall of Da Chu has been breached. Every inch you retreat now is a concession of Da Chu's territory. Xie Xuanyi, I never expected you to be this kind of person... I thought we would have a fierce battle. After such a defeat, you still dare to say you are not afraid of me?"

This statement came out.

Xie Xuanyi indeed stopped retreating.

“There should indeed be a fierce battle between us, but not now, not here.”

Xie Xuanyi calmly said, "If this battle had not taken place here... I would not have retreated a single step."

"...?"

The Holy Prince frowned, somewhat puzzled by Xie Xuanyi's words.

“The Holy Prince is my mortal enemy, and should not have believed Xie’s words.”

Xie Xuanyi paused, then continued with utmost seriousness, "But I have indeed encountered a 'same realm cultivator' who is stronger than the Holy Prince... This person, even at the Yin God realm, can fight to the death with the Yang God, and has also cultivated the two top-level Dao intents of 'Yin and Yang'."

Upon hearing this, the Holy Prince's pupils contracted, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face: "What did you say?"

The realm of Yin spirits allows one to fight against Yang spirits.

This is something that no one has been able to do in the past thousand years!

The Holy Prince was no exception.

After achieving the Great Perfection of Yin Spirit, he was far stronger than other cultivators of the same realm, but even so, he was still far from reaching the "Yang Spirit" level. He honestly admitted that perhaps when facing a Great Venerable of Yang Spirit, even with all his abilities, he could at least offer some self-defense, but to engage in a life-or-death battle with such a Venerable... was simply impossible.

"How could such a person exist in this world, yet remain completely unknown to this day?"

The Holy Prince scoffed and immediately rejected the idea.

"This person is named 'Cui Zhen'. If I'm not mistaken, he is the reincarnation of the Great Venerable Mo Zhen!"

Xie Xuanyi waved his sleeve and used his divine sense to draw Cui Zhen's image.

He didn't know if Cui Zhen still existed in this divine realm... but such divine images were almost impossible to replicate easily. So the Holy Prince's attention was immediately drawn to "Cui Zhen," and Xie Xuanyi directly released the scene of the duel in the desolate mountains of the Sword Palace, where Cui Zhen used the "Path of Yin Turbidity" to wash the earth with the Yin Turbid Waterfall.

"Cui Yu?!"

The Holy Prince's expression darkened.

He was revered as the new Holy Emperor of Great Ape Mountain. In terms of status and position, in the entire demon kingdom, only the throne of the Heavenly Phoenix Palace could compare with him!

If Xie Xuanyi's words are true, then it means that the Heavenly Phoenix Palace has always been hiding something from the Great Ape Mountain!
With the grand undertaking of heading south imminent, how dare these bastards still hide their trump cards?
"There's something even more important than 'Cui Zhen'—"

Xie Xuanyi continued to wave his sleeve, using his divine sense to display the portrait of "Paper Doll" Lu Yuzhen: "Has the Holy Prince ever seen this person?"

"..."

The Holy Prince stared at Lu Yuzhen for a long time before finally shaking his head slowly.

Is this good news?
Seeing this reaction, Xie Xuanyi felt relieved... It seems that the Paper Doll Sect's infiltration of the Demon Kingdom was not "complete". This southward demon tide should just be a "plan" completed by Chi Wu manipulating the Banquet King!
Driven by the prevailing trend, the Holy Prince breached the Great Wall of Junfeng and met with him.

A life-or-death struggle, a battle as fierce as fire and water!
Unfortunately.

Chi Wu was not Lu Yuzhen after all. She planned this demon tide, but she could not scheme against people's hearts like the Dao Lord... Chi Wu never expected that the Holy Prince would give his great enemy Xie Xuanyi a chance to breathe, and she never expected that the two would talk about the existence of "Paper Doll Dao" halfway through their fight!

With a thought, Xie Xuanyi condensed the existence, conspiracy, and schemes of the Paper Doll Path into a jade slip.

The royal family of the Great Chu Dynasty has been almost entirely controlled by the Paper Doll Path...

It seems that the demon kingdom has also been greatly infiltrated!
hum!
The jade slip was thrown out.

The Holy Prince raised his hand and caught the jade slip directly.

Whether the Holy Prince trusts me or not is unimportant. Consider this jade slip a gift from me to the Holy Prince…

Xie Xuanyi said quietly, "Doesn't the Holy Prince think that the collapse of Junfeng Great Wall today was a little too easy?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, the Holy Prince's golden eyes narrowed, he gripped the jade slip tightly, and remained silent.

indeed.

The collapse of the Great Wall of Junfeng was far too smooth.

The dignified Prince of Beijun had actually "sold out his country for personal gain," defecting to the demon race... Before personally breaching the Great Wall, the Holy Prince simply couldn't believe the intelligence from within the demon kingdom regarding the all-out attack; in his view, it was utterly incomprehensible. Why would the Prince of Yanle help the demon race and willingly switch sides?

"In any case, the demon race breaking through the wall... is a joyous occasion worth celebrating."

Xie Xuanyi suddenly said, "However, the Holy Prince has been chasing me for thirty miles. Are you sure you want to continue?"

The Wall in the north is a line of defense.

If the Great Wall were to fall...

So, these desolate snow-capped mountains in the heart of Beijun form the second line of defense. During the most brutal period of the Battle of Drinking Poison, nearly half of Beijun was occupied by the demon kingdom. If the fighting continues, the battle lines will shrink to Qingzhou and Bingzhou.

"The reason you've been avoiding battle all this time is to lure me here?"

The Holy Prince narrowed his eyes and spoke coldly.

The reason for stopping the war here was certainly not because we were tired or weary.

It was because he himself sensed danger!
Xie Xuanyi retreated all the way, seemingly intending to cede the northern territory... But he was alone, and if he continued the pursuit deeper, he might very well fall into the encirclement of the Great Chu Yang God! Everything that had happened today had gone too smoothly, and the Holy Prince had to remind himself to be careful!
"Don't worry, there's no one here, and no one will be able to ambush us."

Xie Xuanyi smiled nonchalantly and said meaningfully, "Rather than luring you into the game, I want to prove... that luring you into the game is not difficult."

(End of this chapter)