Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 797 On this journey to the Blood Sea, we shall use the power of ten thousand jun of water to unleash the sharpness of this sea and mountain!
"Wow!"

"Boom!"

It crashed through the railings of the waterside hermitage, plunging into the roaring waterfall below, splashing up a large spray of water, and was swept away by the surging current into the deep pool, its fate unknown!
Dead!

Absolute silence!
Only the deafening roar of the waterfall crashing into the bottom of the pool reminded everyone that what was happening before their eyes was not an illusion.

The disciples who were cheering just a moment ago froze completely, their eagerness instantly replaced by fear and blankness.

The sound of the wine glass shattering when it was accidentally dropped was particularly jarring.

The entire waterside retreat was now silent, save for the roar of the water and the faint groans emanating from the lower reaches of the deep pool, like a death knell.

The feigned innocence on Ling Hao's face instantly turned into a cold, gloomy expression!

A surge of anger mixed with the fear of that terrifying power rushed straight to the top of his head!

He suddenly stood up, and his fierce sword energy at the peak of the second level of the Grandmaster realm erupted, causing the waterfall to splash everywhere.

"Zhang Yuan! You went too far!"

Ling Hao's voice was like a cold spring hitting a rock, and he stared intently at Zhang Yuan.

"A fellow disciple sparring match, yet they resort to such cruelty! What do they think of the rules of the Great River Sword Sect?!"

He took a deep breath, suppressing his shock and anger.

"I will report this matter to the elders! As for now... let me consider what makes you so special that you deserve Uncle Mu Bai's favor!"

Before Ling Hao finished speaking, the three azure longswords behind him transformed into three roaring, furious dragon sword lights, carrying the immense sword energy of a Grandmaster Level Two, and rushed straight towards Zhang Yuan!

Before the sword light even arrived, the water in the hermitage was already stirred by the sword energy, condensing into dozens of swirling spikes that blocked Zhang Yuan's retreat.

Zhang Yuan's right hand was still pressed on the broken handle of the dark, heavy ruler "Broken Waves," his body as steady as a reef.

Faced with the vortex of sword light that was closing in, he suddenly flicked his wrist!
"boom--!"

The heavy "Broken Waves" suddenly unleashed a dark, abyss-like surge of dark waves!

There were no elaborate sword techniques, only a pure, horizontal strike carrying the weight of a thousand tons of water!

The roar of the sword tearing through the air drowned out the sword's cry, and the violent power directly shattered the blocking vortex, crashing into the three sword dragons!

"Clang! Clang! Snap—!"

A sudden, metallic clang rang out!

Two azure longswords flew backward with a mournful cry, and the third one was actually broken in two by the impact!
Ling Hao was struck dumb, his tiger's mouth split open and bleeding profusely. He staggered backward, crashing into half a stone wall, his eyes filled with horror.

His prized "Three Rivers Dividing Waves Sword" couldn't even withstand a single, brutal sweeping strike from his opponent!

Zhang Yuan stood with the ruler in hand, his black robe undamaged.

Ignoring the deathly silence around him and Ling Hao's pale face, he left only a faint sentence: "A heavy sword has no edge, why bother with tricks?"

After speaking, he stepped out of the broken hut, his toes barely touching the cascading waterfall, and he walked on the waves as if on flat ground. His figure disappeared into the twilight mist and headed straight for the Nine-Bend Sword Wall.

Everyone stared at Zhang Yuan's departing figure, their eyes filled with nothing but horror.

Ling Hao, the number one young talent of the Great River Sword Sect, was defeated in a single move!

Who exactly is this disciple that Uncle Mu Bai has taken in?

What they didn't know was that Zhang Yuan hadn't used a single bit of his power.

With the body of a Great Sage and the power of the Five Heavens, he could crush Ling Hao with just a flick of his finger.

Moreover, this place is Yangtianzhou.

Without the suppression of the Great Dao of Yongtianzhou, Zhang Yuan himself couldn't say for sure how much power he could unleash.

He was also curious about what it would be like if he went all out.

……

Early morning three days later.

A misty fog hangs over the "Nine-Bend Sword Wall," one of the forbidden areas of the Great River Sword Sect.

This naturally formed steep rock face meanders like a mountain stream, and is covered with natural sword marks left by the erosion of flowing water over countless years and the deliberate guidance of sect masters.

On the day of Sword Enlightenment, disciples can draw upon the vast flowing sword intent contained on the wall to impact and temper their own sword heart.

The elder on duty stood before the wall and by the water, proclaiming loudly, "The time for meditation has arrived; each of you should seek your own—"

Before he could finish speaking, a dark figure streaked across the mist like a meteor and landed in a depression on the innermost side of the sword wall where the water flow was most turbulent.

It was Zhang Yuan!

Ignoring the whispers of his disciples below, he placed one hand on the cold, flowing water and sword marks that resembled dragons and snakes tracing their paths.

"Arrogant! The water here flows with fierce sword intent; a slight misstep could lead to disaster..." someone whispered urgently.

"Buzz—whoosh—!!!"

The entire water area of ​​the Nine-Bend Sword Wall suddenly shone brightly!
Countless sword marks of flowing water seemed to be activated instantly, and the cascading waterfalls and flowing streams on the wall emitted a real, deafening roar!

The entire stone wall seemed to transform into a roaring, ancient dragon!
For ordinary disciples, drawing upon sword intent is merely like a stream flowing into their own bodies.

But at this moment, where Zhang Yuan was, the essence of water and the sharpness of swords in the entire Nine-Bend Sword Wall seemed to have found a single outlet, turning into a raging torrent that rushed towards him!

Zhang Yuan's eyes were slightly closed, and a faint golden wheel-like phantom flickered between his brows.

The power of the Soul-Devouring Wheel deeply analyzes the watermarks, sword essence, and the will of heaven and earth accumulated on the stone wall over countless years.

He stood at the center of this raging torrent of sword intent, without directly guiding it. He turned his body slightly to the side and held the dark, heavy ruler "Broken Wave" at his side. The thick, blunt sword spine seemed to deflect outwards slowly but actually swiftly and extremely naturally!

"Clang—Buzz—!"

A deep, resonant sound, like an ancient bell mixed with the roar of the deep sea, suddenly exploded!
It didn't just resonate in the physical space, but echoed throughout the hearts of all the disciples present!

The heavy "Broken Waves" in Zhang Yuan's hand seemed to become a stabilizing force and an anchor for the rivers and seas. A deep, abyss-like, and imprisonable "force" of water element suddenly spread out from him!
Something horrifying has happened!

The surging, all-consuming torrent of sword intent, upon contact with his "momentum," was like a raging wave crashing against an ancient reef, and they parted with a deafening roar!

As if the rushing river had been cleaved in two by an invisible giant pillar, two magnificent yet docile "water sword walls" formed just three feet in front of Zhang Yuan!
Even more astonishing was that the sword intent of the separated water streams did not dissipate. Instead, guided by the powerful momentum of "Broken Waves," it began to slowly rotate and condense along a mysterious trajectory!
The water shimmered on the wall, and within it, the phantom image of a mighty river rushing and flowing could be seen!

It is a "water" principle that is more magnificent and fundamental than simple, sharp sword energy!

"Turning a torrent into a whirlpool... A heavy sword carrying the vast waves?!" The elder on duty nearly slipped and fell into the pool beside him, his withered old face filled with shock and disbelief!

The Nine-Bend Sword Wall, eroded over a thousand years, has left behind mostly sharp, impactful traces of sword intent. Yet this young man, with his heavy, unsharpened weapon, not only steadily withstood the torrent's onslaught but also transformed its fierce edge into a vast and profound "water force"?!

The artistic conception flowing on that heavy ruler clearly touched upon the supreme realm of "a heavy sword has no edge, great skill is without artifice"! Above the sea of ​​clouds, in the depths of the vast and boundless waves.

Inside a crystal palace that seemed to be formed from the solidification of ten thousand acres of waves.

A man dressed in a blue robe and carrying an ancient-style longsword stood quietly.

It was none other than Li Mubai, the giant of the Great River Sword Sect!

His gaze pierced through the layers of mist and landed on the mysterious shadow of the Nine-Bend Sword Wall that calmed the sea and divided the streams.

The disciple standing beside him was the one who had seen the token at the mountain gate that day.

“Uncle-Master,” the disciple bowed, his tone complex, “this boy holds your token, yet he clings to the heavy ruler. Within three days, he comprehended the true meaning of the ‘Endless Canglang Sword Manual.’ Today, he even stirred up a torrent at the Nine-Bend Sword Wall… His path seems close to the sword but is actually far from it.”

"The Dao?" Li Mubai's lips curled up slightly, like a smile rising from the vast ocean. "If one can encompass the boundless ocean, then all things can be the Dao."

Li Mubai's gaze was fixed on the distant river rushing into the sea. His fingers unconsciously tapped the ancient scabbard at his waist, producing a clear and melodious sound like jade.

"Order: In three days, the 'Demon Abyss Blood Sea' will open. Those who wield the 'Severing Waves' heavy ruler may enter the core sequence to compete for the qualification to enter the abyss."

His gaze shifted to the churning blood-red clouds in the west, his voice carrying a chilling edge, "The claws of the Outer Realm Demon Cave should be chopped off."

……

As night fell, the Great River Sword Sect was shrouded in damp air and the ceaseless roar of the waves.

Zhang Yuan stood atop a solitary reef jutting deep into the river, letting the damp air wash over him.

He rubbed the rough, cold surface of the heavy ruler, "Broken Waves," in his palm.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed!
On the western horizon, that filthy river of blood that once shattered the sky rolled in once more!

This time, however, the Blood River did not rush straight towards the Immortal Alliance; instead, it twisted and coiled like a venomous python.

Outside the light screen of the Great River Sword Sect's protective "All Waters Return to One" formation, three viscous, dazzling, and foul-smelling hundred-foot-tall blood shadows condensed!
A shrill, neither male nor female scream can be heard from within the film:
"Hehehe... Li Mubai! I heard you've found a fine 'whetstone'? How about lending it to me to refine my demonic body through the Blood River?"

The blood river suddenly surged, and a giant claw made entirely of filthy demonic blood, with claws like blood-stained hooks, carrying a vicious and stench that corroded the soul and purged the spirit, ignored the great formation's water curtain and went straight for Zhang Yuan on the reef!

Before the devil's claws even arrived, the rushing river below hissed and steamed with foul-smelling black smoke!
A close call!
A cold glint flashed in Zhang Yuan's eyes as he thrust the heavy ruler "Broken Waves" upside down onto the reef!
With his free right palm spread wide, facing the demonic claw tearing through the air, he seemed to gather a vast expanse of water from thin air and pressed it forward with a mighty force!
Instead of sword energy emanating from his palm, a profound, vast, all-encompassing, and boundless water elemental aura bursts forth!

"The vast ocean—endless!"

As the three words were uttered, the roaring river beneath their feet suddenly thundered!

Centered on his palm, the torrents and water vapor within a ten-zhang space in front of him instantly condensed and transformed into a deep and endless "water element barrier"!
It lacks the impact of towering waves, but possesses the depth of the ocean and the boundless power of inclusiveness and dissolution, like an ancient wall of rivers and seas crashing into that filthy claw that destroys the world!

"Boom—crash—!!!"

The tainted blood demonic energy and the endless water energy clashed fiercely!
The ferocious demonic energy on the demon's claws seemed to plunge into a bottomless abyss, where it was eroded, worn away, and blocked layer by layer by the continuous, deep, and heavy "Canglang" water!
The viscous, foul blood disintegrated piece by piece, and the water element barrier also shook violently, evaporating in large swaths into foul air.

A wisp of heavy sword spirit, hidden in the crevices of the water element, crashed against the current like an anchor in the deep sea, fiercely chiseling into the depths of the blood river!
"Humph!"

A muffled groan of pain came from within the blood-red shadow. The murky river of blood convulsed violently as if burned, then receded like a receding tide, leaving only a more venomous roar piercing the night sky: "What a magnificent weapon to stabilize the sea! What a true essence of water! I will remember it!"

Zhang Yuan slowly withdrew his palm, and the violently shaking water element barrier in front of him gradually turned into ordinary river water flowing down.

He slightly clenched his palm, and half of the Soul-Devouring Wheel's illusory image quietly disappeared. The "Shattering Demon" true meaning that had just flowed up through the water element and the heavy sword's intent was released through this.

He looked up toward the crystal palace deep in the Canglang River; the palace gates had been quietly opened at some point.

Under the moonlight, Li Mubai stood quietly in the doorway, his green robe fluttering in the wind, and the ancient sword behind him seemed to roar like a dragon.

His gaze swept across the blood-stained, still-smoking rocky river surface, finally settling on Zhang Yuan, who stood firm in the water. His voice was calm, yet each word was sharp and clear, piercing through the crashing waves:
“Deep within the Blood Sea of ​​the Demon Abyss, divine metal once sank into the water and transformed into the ‘Sea Suppressor.’ If you can subdue it with the heavy ruler in your hand…” He paused, his eyes reflecting the mighty surging river, “The Great River Sword Sect will take you as its pillar!”

The rushing water against the rocks whipped up the hem of Zhang Yuanxuan's robe, making it flutter loudly.

He lifted the heavy "Broken Waves" with his backhand, the rough back of the ruler gleaming darkly in the moonlight, and a faint smile curved his lips.

A heavy ruler without a sharp edge?

Go forth into the sea of ​​blood, and with the power of ten thousand jun of water, unleash the sharpness of this sea and mountain!
----------------

Spring Mountain Cave.

A babbling brook.

The water flows gently, and the aroma of tea wafts through the air.

Zhao Yu nestled in Zhang Yuan's arms, her fingertips unconsciously drawing circles on his chest, a hint of solemnity on her bright face.

"The imperial decree has been issued to the world," she said softly, her voice exceptionally clear in the tranquil cave, "The Crown Prince Ying Rong of the Western Front commands Qingtianzhou and part of the Northern Border Army to deter Chenzhou."

"Duke Han Qi of Ningguo personally went to the eastern border, and the main force pressed towards Wei and Zhao."

"In the southern region, the Third Prince is in charge, with a million-strong army eyeing the heavens and pacifying the two domains."

"To the north, the Fifth Prince is leading the Northwest Army to intimidate the Yan Kingdom..."

She looked up, her eyes flashing with a mixture of shrewdness and worry.

"As a result, the flames of war were ignited almost simultaneously across the four borders of the Great Qin! The three princes personally came to the front lines to oversee the situation. This is unprecedented, and the pressure is immense." She paused, "...

Zhang Yuan gently combed her hair with his fingers, his gaze calmly fixed on the stream flowing within the cave, as if he could see through endless time and space.

"Your Majesty is setting the stage for the 'War to Reshape the Nine Provinces'." His voice was deep and resolute. "This arrangement achieves several goals at once. For me, the greatest benefit is that it relieves some of the pressure."

Sensing Zhao Yu's questioning gaze, Zhang Yuan's lips curled into a knowing smile: "With the three princes personally leading the troops and many veteran warriors going into battle, the military merits will be mostly taken by them."

"After this battle, at least five or six war marquises should be appointed."

"In this situation, I, the young Marquis of Qingyang who has already been ennobled and put in charge of military affairs, will not appear to be so 'overwhelmingly powerful'."

"A sharp edge that is too exposed is easily broken; concealing one's edge is the best long-term strategy."

Zhao Yu nodded.

He understood that this was His Majesty's plan to protect Zhang Yuan.

Zhang Yuan tightened his grip on Zhao Yu's arm slightly: "His Majesty sent me to Yangtianzhou, ostensibly for the crisis at Sword Tomb, but in reality, it was to give me a valuable opportunity to get away from the heart of the storm and accumulate strength."

"Once the clarion call to reshape the Nine Provinces is truly sounded, those ancient sages who have been lying dormant in the dust of history, the top old monsters of each continent, and even the peerless powerhouses who are wandering outside Yongtian Continent will inevitably appear one after another, either being drawn in or alarmed."

"At that time, what the Great Qin will need is truly unparalleled military power capable of 'protecting the country' to support the situation."

Zhang Yuan's eyes sharpened like knives: "Whether it's the Ancestral Dragon Guard deep in the void, the ancient beings that have suppressed the Great Wall in the north, or those reclusive powerhouses who have submitted to or returned due to the rise of the Great Qin's national fortune..."

“If these people or forces do not have a powerful force that can convince them to submit or even instill fear in them, it will be difficult to truly control them by relying solely on the prestige of the Zhen Tian Si.”

"Once the power cannot be consolidated, the Qin Dynasty, this behemoth, will begin to crumble from within, becoming a disorganized mess. How can it contend for supremacy over the Nine Provinces?"

(End of this chapter)