A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 255 One Breath, One Hundred Instant Turns; Song Wields the Jade Axe

In Bianliang City, three hundred Taoist priests and sorcerers, along with three thousand elite imperial guards, mustered their troops and set off from the city towards the location from which the strange phenomenon had originated.

The leader of this army was named Xuan Zan. He had a face as black as charcoal and looked like a bear. He sat on a black-scaled dragon horse that had been fed elixir stones, and the dragon horse, which was twice as strong as an ordinary horse, looked small in comparison.

The large sword, with a handle four feet long and a blade eight feet long, felt like a blade of grass in his hand.

Because of his ugly appearance, the Emperor of Heavenly Mandate had always been reluctant to see him, but he also knew that this man was exceptionally gifted, with a head of bronze and a back of iron. He was never short of the various alchemical techniques and cultivation methods he was given, and was well-nurtured and extremely loyal.

After he led his men out of the city, he did not hesitate to have the Taoist priests cast spells that shortened the lifespan of the horses, causing the three thousand imperial guards to leap three feet off the ground and disappear in a flash.

When the group reached the middle of the road, suddenly many large stone spikes were launched from the ground, hitting the horses' bellies and hindering the riders.

The cavalry formation was thrown into disarray, and the Taoist priests, quick to react, immediately used their magic to suppress the boulders.

But ahead, more and more thick, sharp stone pillars rose up on the road.

Xuanzan roared, drawing upon the demonic energy of the three thousand imperial guards. Instantly, the entire cavalry formation became like a single entity, distributing the damage from any single horse's impact. They charged forward without restraint, crushing numerous stone pillars.

However, once they all rushed into the dust and debris, the speed at which the stone fragments scattered in mid-air were ejected slowed down inexplicably, and they slowly tumbled and trembled in the air.

Sizzle!

A milky white flash of electricity flickered on the edge of the gravel.

In an instant, lightning flashed and thunderbolts danced, and countless pieces of rock were pulled back by the lightning, shooting and piercing through the air.

Even though the Imperial Guards were the elite of the elite, having trained to the point of being able to integrate demonic energy into one, they still couldn't protect them completely under these circumstances, and over a hundred of them were killed instantly.

There were over a thousand others, their faces bruised and swollen, bleeding from injuries, and their horses were battered and bruised, their scales flying everywhere, jumping and thrashing about.

The clouds in the sky rolled and turned into a jade-white color, and the celestial songs rang out, accompanied by the appearance of a group of Taoist priests.

Lin Lingsu led her men to intercept the Imperial Guards. In an instant, shouts of battle arose, arrows flew everywhere, spears pierced the sky, and generals of all ranks charged through the air.

However, no one was able to cross the line.

………………

"Qin, let us die a martyr!"

When the Emperor of Destiny unleashed this move, the flesh and blood on his two palms seemed to instantly turn into acrid, pungent smoke. Smoke swirled around his body, accompanied by a battle song that sounded like a heart-wrenching scream.

Rough, indistinct, and sorrowful, with not a single lyric audible, yet also heroic, valiant, and stubborn, roaring out an indomitable spirit of unity and unbreakable resolve with uneven tones.

After a brief but intense exchange, Emperor Tianming was fairly certain that Guan Luoyang's skill was slightly inferior to his own.

Then there's no need for probing. Just use the most powerful move from the "Eternal Calamity Manual" to force Guan Luoyang to fight him head-on, and that will be enough to injure Guan Luoyang.

In battles at this level, any injury to either side, even a minor one, will immediately become a weakness that the opponent will relentlessly exploit until the situation becomes unmanageable.

Moreover, the Heavenly Emperor's skeletal hands, covered in ashes, had ten incredibly long fingers with sharp points and large knuckles. The surface of the bones was covered with mottled marks. In addition to the overwhelming power like a tsunami, they also possessed a toxicity that distorted the viewer's vision and was immediately apparent: the poison of the Golden Spear and the poison of the Broken Armor.

With the wound compounded by poison, and with the "backup plan" already activated by the Emperor of Heaven, capturing Guan Luoyang alive is not just empty talk. Even if they had to settle for second best, they could still eliminate this number one traitor right here.

Faced with the Emperor's seemingly inevitable and powerful attack, Guan Luoyang's counterattack was swift and decisive. His slight body shift, locked gaze, and impeccable coordination of steps and shoulders revealed a fierce and swift spirit like a storm.

However, the movements made by his two fleshy hands were by no means crude or reckless; on the contrary, they were extremely skillful and precise.

The fleeting shadows that cannot be captured by human hands, the time that cannot be held back by fingertips, all seemed to be held back by Guan Luoyang's heart and captured by his fingers in that instant.

With just a flick of the wrist and a snap of the fingers, a small gravitational field twisted and rotated in mid-air, affecting the opponent's skeletal hand, and Guan Luoyang caught the wrist.

With both hands gripping the emperor's wrists, Guan Luoyang unleashed a burst of power the instant his fingers bent, crushing the emperor's wrist guards and locking the emperor's forearms tightly. His thumb pressed down on the Emperor's wrist joint, preventing his skeletal hand from changing direction and exerting force.

Sky-High Sun-Chasing Grand Capture Technique!!

Although the name contains the word "heaven and earth," this is a martial art created by Guan Luoyang, not a magic spell. How could it only have such a simple method of reaching out from a distance and applying large-scale pressure?

The beauty of martial arts lies in the fact that any move can present a completely different appearance with just a slight adjustment in size and direction. It can be changed at will, with the ability to create a surprising peak within half an inch and reverse the situation in one fell swoop.

The Emperor's expression changed drastically. He had mastered the Eternal Calamity Manual and grasped the methods of the dynasty's fortune. He had also often discussed techniques with Liu Hunkang, Wang Laozhi, Chen Xizhen, and others, and sparred with generals in the court such as Yun Tianbiao. He was not lacking in combat experience.

But if the emperor hadn't actually stood before Guan Luoyang today and witnessed this move firsthand, how could he have imagined that martial arts could be so wondrous?

Compared to that, the sword techniques that Yun Tianbiao, the Grand Commandant of the current dynasty, used in the past were like a broken pot under a wall or a scarecrow in a cavalry field, full of flaws.

Emperor Tianming had no time to think too much. He tried to break free with three forceful swings of his arms, but to no avail. Instead, he felt as if a dam had burst at his wrists, and his internal energy surged out, only to be devoured by Guan Luoyang without hesitation.

"Seriously, such an evil technique exists in the world?!"

The Emperor, both shocked and enraged, laughed fiercely, "Very well, since you harbor such greed for the throne, then let's see if you can bear the fate of the dynasty that is entrusted to me by Heaven!"

The golden light that had dimmed around them suddenly brightened again, and a beam of light shot out from the emperor's body. The beam expanded outwards, and when its edge struck Guan Luoyang's hand, it quickly dimmed, like a whale sucking in water, absorbing all the rivers in the sea.

But the intense golden light continued to burn and erupt endlessly from the Emperor of Heaven's Mandate, and surged from all directions toward the part of the Emperor of Heaven's Mandate where he had been captured.

The speed of the explosion surpassed the speed at which Guan Luoyang absorbed the energy, and a golden halo began to accumulate outside, forming a huge vortex.

The Four Corruptions of Exploding Spirit are divided into Corruption of Qi, Corruption of Bones, Corruption of Spirit, and Corruption of Thought, representing the devouring and plundering of four aspects: internal energy, physical vitality, spiritual power, and memory and inspiration.

This is the version modified by Yan Kuangtu after combining multiple versions of the Heavenly Demon Art. It has almost eliminated the hidden dangers of overload self-destruction, mental schizophrenia, and unstable state of mind that are common in devouring techniques.

However, the problem is that the practitioner must possess a domineering and arrogant mindset to fully unleash the power of this martial art.

Guan Luoyang could be considered a warlike person, and he was also brave enough to go through fire without flinching, but as for what kind of arrogant mindset he had, it was really hard to figure out.

Even with guidance from his future self after ten years of arduous training, Guan Luoyang's current level of application of the Explosive Spirit Four Eclipses technique can only be described as barely satisfactory.

Since he could no longer absorb it, Guan Luoyang decisively changed his move. He flipped and swung his arms, throwing the Emperor of Destiny's hands to the sides, leaving his chest wide open. He then slapped the Emperor of Destiny's chest with his right claw.

Each of his fingers was now wrapped with the intent of the Sky-Piercing Blade. Even if a demonic cultivator had reached the level of a Precious Bone God-Demon, their chest and abdominal bones would not be able to withstand such a claw.

However, Guan Luoyang's five fingers had only just pierced into the flesh and blood, and had not yet reached the heart, when they suddenly stopped and could not continue forward.

Be orderly and dignified!

The only defensive move in the Eternal Calamity Manual.

The State of Qi unified the world and united the feudal lords nine times, not by adopting a defensive posture of clenching its arms and standing upright between its chest and abdomen, but by opening its arms and embracing the grand ambition of encompassing all directions.

It was precisely because of this that Qi's hegemony was truly achieved and truly secured.

Guan Luoyang's claw couldn't penetrate, not because there was some strong force blocking his claw, but because every direction and every gap around his palm was filled with gathered power, imprisoning his palm in a flawless manner.

"Forbid my hand?" Guan Luoyang's eyes flickered. "Can it withstand the eternal, omnipresent gravity?"

The Emperor of Destiny felt his heart suddenly plummet, crashing into his other organs with a clanging sound. The flesh and blood vessels in his chest and abdomen were stretched and deformed, causing excruciating pain. He immediately gathered his energy and ignited the dense, vortex-like golden light of destiny between the two of them.

A golden cloud of light slowly rose from the ground. The explosion was not loud, but it contained immense power and quickly expanded to a radius of three hundred feet.

Then this huge hemispherical ball of light broke apart and deformed, beginning to rise into the sky, transforming into a shape resembling an umbrella or a canopy.

The Heavenly Emperor and Guan Luoyang were both blown away, and it's unknown where they ended up.

The aftershocks of this golden light, after reaching the sky, touched the falling man. Instead of blowing him up, it accelerated his descent.

After a short while, there was silence.

Three miles away from the battlefield, at the foot of the mountain, the Emperor of Destiny rolled up from a pile of earth and rocks, panted, took out a jade bottle, crushed the bottle, rubbed a handful of healing stone powder into the five bloody holes in his chest, and headed towards Guan Luoyang.

He just detonated a portion of the golden light of fortune. The power of the explosion was actually weakened by multiple layers for him, because even the dark side of the dynasty's fortune had long been tamed by him. Once it hit his body, it would be immediately absorbed without causing any harm.

For Guan Luoyang, experiencing such an explosion at close range was by no means an easy task.

If we can't capture him alive...

The Emperor of Destiny was in turmoil, wavering between different thoughts. He looked up and, piercing through the high clouds, sensed the current location of "that person."

It will be a little while before that person actually arrives on the battlefield.

"Fine, capturing him alive is almost impossible. Let that secret die with him!!!"

He traversed the most devastated area in the heart of the battlefield, reaching a small waterfall a few miles away.

The waterfall's flow wasn't very large, and you could clearly see the cliff behind it, which had recently been smashed into a huge crater, with cracks almost covering the entire mountainside.

Just as the Emperor of Heaven arrived less than half a mile from the waterfall, he suddenly noticed something amiss.

Before anyone could react, long plumes of dust rose from the ground.

Originally just a dragon shape formed from yellow soil and mud, it stirred up more gravel and soil as it soared and flew, becoming more realistic, with its scales flying and its spirit defiant.

At that moment, the waterfall in front of them also unleashed long, flowing streams of water.

The water dragon and the earth dragon formed a large encirclement about a mile in diameter. The flowing water seeped into the earth dragon, and the soil was lost into the water dragon. They intertwined and brushed past each other, continuing to fly and swirl, making the entire encirclement even more unbreakable.

Emperor Tianming became alert. Facing the waterfall, he suddenly retreated, intending to use his back to break through the moving earth dragons behind him and escape the encirclement.

Guan Luoyang's figure appeared from the direction of the waterfall, his eyes, ears, and lips were all covered in blood, but he could move freely and raised his hand to strike.

The enormous cyan palm print traced a full arc and actually went along the encirclement, moving as fast as lightning, and crashed into the earth dragons before the Heavenly Emperor.

The earth dragons trembled but continued swimming unharmed. Instead, the palm strike, after being deflected, accelerated again and slammed into the Emperor of Destiny's back, causing him to stagger forward.

Guan Luoyang's figure had already caught up to him, and in the blink of an eye, he unleashed a series of palm strikes and fist imprints, forcing the Emperor of Destiny to take the hits.

In the blink of an eye, after hundreds of attacks and defenses, the Emperor of Destiny was forced by the opponent's offensive. Sometimes his figure fell heavily, his feet slamming into the ground and creating craters, and sometimes he floated up, taking a whip strike head-on, and would float diagonally for more than ten feet.

He had no chance to break out of the encirclement and was forced to move around in circles, constantly blocking. Even when he tried to unleash his power like before, using his golden aura to violently bombard the enemy, the effect was minimal.

Because Guan Luoyang had already seen the golden light of fortune before, it would be intercepted and diverted by Guan Luoyang midway. As for the remaining part, after it impacted the encirclement, the water dragons and earth dragons did not block it head-on, but rather neutralized and dissipated most of it as they swayed and moved.

On the contrary, the energy that Guan Luoyang unleashed, upon encountering the water dragon and earth dragon, was not dissipated at all. Instead, it became more concentrated and sped back, creating an obstacle for the Heavenly Mandate Emperor.

In just three days, Guan Luoyang was not able to master the Feathered Hundred Dragons Dojo, but he could still create a simpler, smaller version for the time being.

This is the best use he has distilled from his existing abilities.

The Emperor of Heaven's methods were always the same few, and once Guan Luoyang figured them out, he became increasingly overwhelmed and suffered three punches and one palm strike in succession.

The five bloody holes in his chest were pressed down by the force of the subsequent punches and palm strikes, causing the blood to flow incessantly. The blood that flowed out sprayed out and landed on the ground, immediately turning into dazzling purple crystals. Within the crystals, wisps of golden light could be faintly seen swaying.

The Emperor of Destiny raised his hand, but his arm was already pressed down, and he was struck in the chest again, the pain excruciating. His face turned deathly pale, and suddenly he clasped his hands together, revealing a strange expression that was both bewildered and devout, seemingly innocent yet... insane!

"You can't kill me."

Guan Luoyang suddenly looked up, and a fiery meteor fell from the sky.

"Song, with illusions in your dreams!"

(End of this chapter)