Daqin Zhentiansi

Xuan Chengzi said solemnly, "It's the power of space! The spatial folding properties of the meteorite iron have become the container for the power of that projected wisp of calamity fire sword..."

"No wonder the sword energy can ignore distance and jump through space!" A trace of worry flashed in his eyes. "Even such divine materials cannot withstand its scattered power... That Calamity Fire Fierce Sword is probably... about to be unable to be suppressed!"

Zhang Yuan waved his hand, and several pieces of meteorite iron fell into his palm. They felt cold to the touch, but inside they seemed to contain countless tiny spatial vortexes.

In his sea of ​​consciousness, the chaotic furnace roared, and the fragments of power that had just destroyed the projection were forcibly stripped away and refined.

It is not a memory of a scene, but a pure understanding of the Dao.

A bizarre and deadly sword principle that tears through spatial barriers and leaps to kill, carrying the violent aftertaste of incinerating all things, is deeply imprinted in his origin.

More importantly, by slaying the projections and refining their essence, Zhang Yuan keenly sensed a distant yet clear sense of direction.

As if in the deeper reaches of hell, an extremely huge, violent, and twisted spatial source was violently undulating and struggling, like an ancient ferocious beast that had been imprisoned, and the aura emanating from its core was that of the Calamity Fire Ferocious Sword!
His gaze was sharp as a knife as he looked into the depths of the raging lava river within the Molten Core Prison: "I can feel it...it's struggling! The seal is collapsing at an accelerated rate! Let's go!"

The four suppressed their injuries and quickly gathered their spoils. Yin Xiaozi had already cleverly stored the other pieces of meteorite iron in a specially made jade box and continued along the lava riverbank.

Although the spatial power of the meteorite iron was used to contain the projection of the evil sword, its original form is still a rare treasure.

However, after only venturing a few dozen miles, and before even seeing the more dangerous and perilous place they had anticipated, the scene ahead caused the four of them to suddenly shrink in shock.

The lava river bends past a huge reddish-brown valley, and suddenly a vast lava lake opens up before you.

The sky above the lake, which should have been filled with rolling heat waves and sulfurous fumes, was now covered by a strange "black cloud"!

Those were not dark clouds, but tens of thousands of strange crows, each only the size of a palm, and as black as ink!

They hovered silently in the scorching air, their eyes two points of eerie green phosphorescence, converging like gaps in the gates of hell, silently watching the intruders.

Each black crow exudes a chilling, bone-deep poison that specifically erodes the soul, making it completely out of place in this scorching hell!
Countless cold and resentful fluctuations of divine soul converged into an invisible black wave, and the aura that froze the mind and soul made the boiling lava lake seem to freeze for a moment!
"Soul-Devouring Crows!" Xuan Chengzi's expression changed. "Damn it! These things are the most troublesome! How could they appear in the depths of this fiery hell?!"

His answer was a dark, deathly cloud that seemed to pour down like ink from above the lake!

Like a black torrent bursting its banks, the crows swept up a chilling, soul-corroding wind, blotting out the sky as they swarmed toward the four!

The chilling cold that seemed to freeze the soul instantly enveloped the entire area, making the lava beneath their feet appear to solidify!

The road ahead was completely covered by these wings of death originating from the Netherworld.

"boom--"

The deathly silence above the lava lake was completely shattered.

The sky-covering flock of Soul-Devouring Crows, like billions of black jade meteors from the deepest abyss, swooped down with a chilling, poisonous wind that could freeze souls!

"Protect the Niwan Palace! Form the formation!"

Xuan Chengzi shouted, and his whisk danced rapidly, forming a semi-circular protective shield that enveloped the four of them.

The protective shield was instantly covered by countless crashing crow shadows, and the eerie green ghost fire eyes gleamed with greedy ferocity.

"Sizzle... sizzle!"

The soul-corroding cold poison rubbed violently against the Xuan Guang shield, producing a teeth-grinding sound, and the shield visibly rippled.

Yin Xiaozi's withered face became even more distorted, his dark green cloak billowed, urging the remaining sword slaves to form a second line of defense.

These cold metal puppets have a certain resistance to the cold poison. They wield their rusted longswords, constantly cutting down crows that explode into a cloud of black mist that chills to the bone.

The sword slave's armor was quickly covered in white frost, and his movements became stiff and sluggish.

"This won't stop it! The cold poison and the fiery aura clash, causing an even more intense eruption!" Cheng Yue coughed up a mouthful of blood mixed with ice shards.

His previous injuries at the Sword Stele Forest were aggravated by the cold air, and his hand holding the sword trembled slightly, but his eyes remained as sharp as a rock.

"It requires the power of extreme Yang or extreme Yin to break its core!"

Zhang Yuan stood expressionless in the center of the protective shield.

The crows' charge and screams had little effect on his powerful soul, but he sensed a cold and concentrated will governing this terrifying torrent from behind the flock.

He slowly raised his right arm, and the phantom image of the Chaos Sword flashed and disappeared behind him.

A wisp of chaotic true essence condensed at his fingertips, its extreme restraint containing destructive power, and he aimed it at the protective shield, forcibly devouring the power of the cold crow with the chaotic furnace.

Just then, Xuan Chengzi's whisk suddenly emitted an extremely pure and bright light, like moonlight piercing through dark clouds!
Xuan Chengzi's voice was clear and melodious: "Fellow Daoist Zhang, wait! I will ignite the earth fire! The yin and yang will clash, breaking its foundation!"

He formed hand seals and took a series of magical steps. The clear light, like a key, precisely imprinted itself onto a certain spot on the boiling lava lake!
"Boom——!!!"

The lava lake exploded violently, like an oil drum that had been set ablaze!

Towering pillars of crimson magma shot into the sky, as the scorching and violent pure yang fire clashed fiercely with the icy and soul-corroding black aura of crows!

"laugh--!"

The piercing sound echoed through the sky!

Crimson and inky black intertwine and vanish, like an apocalyptic symphony of ice and fire.

Large flocks of crows burst apart under the extreme temperature difference, or were incinerated by the ground fire, their black jade-like feathers instantly charred and peeled off.

The entire flock of crows halted their attack, and mournful cries filled the air.

Taking advantage of the brief moment when the forces of heaven and earth clashed, Zhang Yuan's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he locked onto the core of the crow flock that emanated a domineering will.

A crow king, over ten feet tall, with three dark blue feathers on its head!
"Duh!"

Zhang Yuan shouted, his right fist transforming into a finger, and the long-condensed chaotic power silently pointed out.

There was no dazzling light, only a slight distortion of space.

A finger strike, refined to its utmost, disregarded distance and instantly pierced through dozens of fearless guards in front of the Crow King, striking the Crow King's azure feathered crest with pinpoint accuracy!
"唳——!!!"

A piercing scream, sharp to the extreme, echoed through the soul!
The crow king's crest shattered, and a burst of eerie blue light erupted.

The massive flock of crows suddenly went out of control, like a swarm of bees without a queen, falling into chaotic self-inflicted damage and disintegration, wailing and scattering in all directions, quickly disappearing into the depths of the lava canyon.

The Soul-Devouring Raven Plague, which was enough to kill even ordinary Saint Realm experts, was finally dismantled thanks to Zhang Yuan's intervention and Xuan Chengzi's leverage.

The air was still scorching, dispelling the bone-chilling cold.

The four landed on a relatively intact obsidian platform by the lava lake.

Cheng Yue immediately sat down cross-legged, his face deathly pale, blood still wet at the corner of his mouth. The injuries he sustained in the Sword Stele Forest, coupled with the forceful exertion of his true energy to resist the cold poison, had severely damaged his internal organs.

Yin Xiaozi looked at the sword slave with heartache, whose spirit had been severely damaged by the cold poison, and cursed under his breath while trying to regulate his breathing.

Xuan Chengzi lightly swept his whisk, setting up a simple purification array to help everyone expel the remaining cold poison, and then tossed Cheng Yue a warm and smooth pill.

"Fellow Daoist Cheng, this is the 'Jade Elixir Rejuvenating Pill' of Qingxu Temple. Take it quickly."

"Thank you, Brother Xuancheng." Cheng Yue accepted the medicine and closed his eyes to focus on healing his injuries.

Zhang Yuan stood at the edge of the platform, his gaze sweeping over the strange metal fragments and several dark blue crow feathers left behind by the crows, which shimmered with ghostly blue starlight and were not completely burned.

He reached out and grasped, and a few fragments and crow feathers fell into his palm.

The fragments felt cold to the touch, and faintly retained a unique mark of soul power.

“These are ‘Netherworld Profound Iron’ and ‘Netherworld Raven True Feathers’,” Xuan Chengzi walked over slowly, looking at the materials in Zhang Yuan’s hand. “The Soul-Devouring Cold Raven has been entrenched at the intersection of the Nine Netherworld and the Realm of Death and Silence for many years. This material will condense near its core nest, and it has miraculous effects in refining soul-protecting magic weapons or cultivating yin-cold techniques.”

Zhang Yuan nodded, and with a slight thought, he stored the materials into the Chaos Furnace space.

At the same time, the Chaos Furnace started to operate slightly, and a trace of the original aura of the Soul-Devouring Crow was stripped away and analyzed, deepening his understanding of this cold and strange soul power. It was as if a dark lamp had been lit at the level of the soul, allowing him to understand some of its operating rules.

After absorbing a portion of the Cold Crow's essence, his divine sense seemed to become more refined, and his perception of soul power fluctuations also improved.

Just then, a series of chaotic footsteps and terrified shouts came from the canyon upstream of the lava river.

A group of about seven or eight people, dressed in rags and breathing heavily, were fleeing down the mountain in a disheveled state, each of them bearing the immense fear of surviving a disaster.

When they saw Zhang Yuan and the others standing on the platform from afar, especially Yin Xiaozi's signature dark green cloak, they were terrified.

"Demon... Demon!"

"And there's Zhang Qingyang, the nemesis of the Great River Sword Sect! How did they get here?"

"Run! That monster is chasing us!"

The group scrambled around the platform and rushed towards the opposite bank of the lava lake without looking back, as if they were being chased by a vengeful ghost. They didn't even bother to investigate the strangeness of the place where a fierce battle had just broken out.

From their sporadic shouts, words such as "moving gold mountain" and "life-threatening blade light" were vaguely mentioned.

Zhang Yuan and his accomplices ignored their escape.

Cheng Yue opened his eyes, his complexion improving slightly, and said in a deep voice, "What they're talking about... could it be the legendary 'Spell-Breaking Golden Man'?"

Yin Xiaozi said in a sinister tone, "Hmph, it's probably a mechanical bronze man formation! This formation is also recorded in demonic scriptures, with vicious dogs blocking the way in the middle of the third level."

"Looks like these good-for-nothings have alerted those iron lumps."

Xuan Chengzi nodded: "If it really is a mechanical bronze statue formation... we must be careful."

"The Golden Man of Breaking Laws is impervious to swords and spears, and cannot be harmed by water or fire. He possesses immense strength and can combine divine weapons in countless ways."

"What's even more terrifying is that they feel no pain and are not afraid of attacks on the soul. Only by destroying their core hub with absolute power can they be completely destroyed."

After everyone calmed down a bit, they rested for a while longer.

With the support of the elixir and his own strong will, Cheng Yue stabilized his injuries, and his fighting spirit was rekindled.

Yin Xiaozi managed to repair a few of the less damaged sword slaves, but put away the ones that had suffered greater losses.

After recovering briefly, the four continued on their way.

Less than ten miles along the lava riverbank, we saw the canyon passage ahead blocked by a huge brass-colored metal wall!
The barrier consists of twelve golden golems, each three zhang tall.

They stood silently, cast entirely from a strange, dark gold metal, covered with intricate and flowing rune lines, their cold, hard texture reflecting the light of lava fire was breathtaking.

The faces of these golden figures are cold, flat metal surfaces, with only two scarlet crystals inlaid as "pupils".

The moment the four stepped into the attack range, the twelve crimson dots suddenly lit up!

"Buzz—Click! Click! Click!"

A synchronized, teeth-grinding sound of metal rubbing and deforming filled the air!
The giant bronze pillar in the hands of the golden men instantly disintegrated, deformed, and reformed!
Some transformed into giant horse-slaying swords covered with serrated chain blades, some became heavy shields the size of a door panel with sharp cutting blades popping out from their edges, and some combined into spears with hooks and locks that could spray corrosive gold liquid!
Their movements are so swift that they are completely disproportionate to their enormous size.

The heavy footsteps echoed dully like war drums as they pounded on the obsidian ground formed from cooled lava!
The Jin army's formation moved with effortless ease, instantly splitting into several groups!
Three golden figures wielding serrated heavy blades formed a cone formation, charging forward like bulldozers, their speed incredibly fast, the massive blades tearing through the air!
The four figures holding shields guard the two wings, their shields gleaming with a cold light, subtly forming a moving barrier that seals off the space.

The remaining golden figures, wielding transforming weapons, blocked off any space for escape, whether at a distance or close by.

The chains of the spear lashed out with a whistling wind, spraying corrosive liquid gold like a torrential rain!

Their coordination is exquisite, and their killing intent is chilling, far surpassing the previous Soul-Devouring Crows. They are a cold-blooded killing machine legion!
"I'll block the front!" Cheng Yue roared, disregarding his unhealed injuries, and forcefully activated his true energy.

The ancient gray sword on his back emitted an excited low hum for the first time.

He did not directly confront the charge of the three golden men with double blades. Instead, he turned his body quickly, his steps following a mysterious trajectory. The ancient sword in his hand no longer pursued the breadth of sword energy, but became as condensed as a needle, drawing upon the earth's energy!
"With a clumsy sword, a thousand mountains crumble!"

The tip of the sword barely touched the ground!
Three incredibly sharp, earthen-yellow sword cones, carrying immense pressure, struck the ankle joints of the heavily-bladed golden man with perfect precision, like three small mountains rising from the ground!

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

Sparks fly!

The terrifying momentum of the frontal charge was forcibly slowed down and interrupted!
Although the Jin soldiers did not fall, they lost their balance instantly, and their momentum was forcibly stopped!
The price was that Cheng Yue's face turned pale again, as he forcibly aggravated his injuries.

"Mysterious Light Stabilizes!"

Xuan Chengzi flicked his whisk, and the pure, ethereal light, like threads, instantly wrapped around the joints of several golden figures, attempting to lock their movements and create openings for others.

Yin Xiaozi let out a strange howl, urging his remaining sword slaves to rush towards the shield-wielding golden man on the flank.

He knew he couldn't damage the opponent's core, he only wanted to disrupt them!
The dark green poisonous mist spread again, attempting to corrode its runes, while simultaneously throwing out several metal nails coated with a special potion and shimmering with a dark green light, which slammed into the gaps in the golden man's shield, causing a slight energy disturbance.

The three giant shield-bearing golden figures were entangled by mysterious light, attacked by sword slaves, interfered with by poisonous mist, and destroyed by ink nails, causing a slight gap to appear in the defensive shield formation!
Zhang Yuan had already locked onto a Jin man in the rear of the Jin formation, who was relatively central and whose movements seemed to play a coordinating role!

Zhang Yuan took a step forward, his figure shrinking as if he were an inch across the earth, passing through the chaotic gaps created by Cheng Yue and Xuan Chengzi, and rushing straight towards the core golden man!

"Roar!"

The core golden man's eyes blazed with red light, and the transforming weapon in his hand recombined, transforming into a huge, strangely shaped weapon with three points and two blades. It swirled up a raging wave that tore through space, determined to shred Zhang Yuan!
"open!"

Zhang Yuan let out a low shout, neither dodging nor yielding, and unleashed the Yuanyue Heavy Sword with indescribable speed! (End of Chapter)