Chapter 524 - 498: Awaiting a Single Strike

Chapter 524: Chapter 498: Awaiting a Single Strike

Xiang Banshan curiously sized up Bai Zichen, his aura surging, transforming from a low hill into a towering mountain peak.

"Even if you’re as strong as Ge Cang, you’re still light-years away from challenging me... Ah, right. The Northern Domain has no Late-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivators, so you probably don’t even know what a Great True Monarch represents. How about this: ten breaths. Within ten breaths, I will shatter your limbs, imprison your Nascent Soul, and wait for Ge Cang to come begging for your life!"

The moment his voice fell, countless mountains materialized behind Xiang Banshan. A dim Divine Light flickered, and gravity fell out of balance for dozens of miles around.

A flock of wild geese happened to be flying overhead. Without a single cry, they plummeted straight down, crashing heavily onto the ground.

A dignified Great True Monarch, facing a mere Early-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator, had actually struck first. He directly manifested his Realm and invoked his Great Dao True Intent, skipping any probing attacks entirely.

Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit.

Xiang Banshan was a veteran of a hundred battles. He had overcome countless hardships to reach his current position and would never underestimate any Cultivator.

Besides, an Early-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator actively challenging a Great True Monarch was bizarre in itself.

If his visit to White Python Mountain hadn’t been on a whim, he would have suspected the Five Phoenix Sword Sect of plotting against him.

’He must be relying on some immensely powerful Exotic Treasure, thinking he can actually threaten a Great True Monarch. In that case, I’ll just suppress him directly. What good is a Heaven-Defying Secret Treasure if you never get the chance to use it?’

In truth, Xiang Banshan didn’t believe Bai Zichen could actually harm him with a Secret Treasure; he was simply being cautious.

Bai Zichen hadn’t expected Xiang Banshan to disregard his status as a Great True Monarch and attack first, but he felt no panic.

From the moment he had stepped forward, he had a thorough plan in mind.

’That old man must be over eight hundred years old. A Late-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator has to have taken Life-Extending Elixirs, so he surely has more than two hundred years of life left. Plus, with my Great Dao True Intent weakened, one strike definitely won’t be enough to kill him. What a pity...’

Xiang Banshan had threatened everyone in the Qingfeng Sect and harbored a deep hatred for Ge Cang. Bai Zichen was already set on killing him.

He was even willing to expose his Qing Emperor Longevity Sword to take the man’s life.

Besides, now that he had the Star River Sword Array as another trump card, it didn’t matter if he openly used the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword.

He had kept his sword hidden before not only to avoid revealing his trump card, but also to prevent news of him possessing the Qing Emperor Longevity Sword from reaching the Outer Sea and the Star Constellation Sea Dragon King.

But now, the Dragon Monarch already knew he had the Holy Beast Essence Blood and had repeatedly dispatched forces to the mainland to deal with him.

Hiding it excessively was no longer necessary.

’The only shame is that my Hidden Sword isn’t complete. Otherwise, if I combined it with my Time Ring Body and unleashed my Dual Swords, I refuse to believe that old man Xiang could withstand it!’

Several plans flashed through Bai Zichen’s mind. Facing the Earth Power True Intent, he flicked his hands, and two Wandering Dragon Sword Threads pierced through the deep, abyssal Divine Light.

The Sword Silk danced around his body, riddling the dim, yellow Divine Light with countless holes and holding the immense gravity at bay, preventing it from bearing down on him.

"One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws plus two Tier Four Flying Swords... Interesting. You’re no worse than those so-called Dual Profound Sword Cultivators. Wouldn’t it be better for you and Ge Cang to stay in the Northern Domain? In a few hundred years, the entire region would be yours. Why bother coming to the Central Domain to show off?"

For the first time, a flicker of emotion crossed Xiang Banshan’s old, farmer-like face. He pushed out with both palms, and dozens of Jade Talismans materialized in mid-air. Each was engraved with strange Talismanic Text and radiated a terrifying aura.

"Heavenly Scripture and Earthly Weave, Central Yin Mechanism Yang... True Eternal Dao of Profound Silence, Great Divine Power."

Four of the Jade Talismans transformed into Yin Yang Lock Chains. The faint phantoms of four great mountains converged, closing in on Bai Zichen.

Yin and Yang were inverted, the Five Elements reversed. Within the world enveloped by Xiang Banshan’s Realm, only one rule remained: an infinite accumulation of Earth Power for all but him.

This was the terrifying power of a Grotto Heaven. Even in its embryonic form, it could project its rules onto reality, affecting the entire area.

Any ordinary Nascent Soul Cultivator would have long been crushed by the infinite gravity, reduced to a pile of mush on the ground.

Bai Zichen, however, acted as if nothing was wrong. His Swordsmanship Divine severed the True Intent of gravity, allowing less than twenty percent of its force to land on him.

Furthermore, his Five Crystal Glaze Body shimmered beneath his Hydration Robe, allowing him to withstand the remaining force with a physique comparable to a Nascent Soul Body Cultivator. He remained completely unmoved.

"The Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Jade Talismans? Is that the Top-Grade Spiritual Treasure set, re-refined from the Jade Talismans of Ancient Times that were based on the Flower Bird Talisman?"

Han Chaoran, being the youngest and least experienced, was the one who asked.

"That’s the one. Everyone says Xiang Banshan is number one in the art of the Jade Talisman, but few know his skill with the Flower Bird Talisman is also worthy of the top spot. The Nine Tribulations Sect was clearly founded on the Beast Taming Skill, but after him, the sect’s focus has shifted toward the path of talismans. He’s quite a character."

Ma Youx stood with his hands tucked in his sleeves, ready to intervene at any moment.

He had already decided that he could not, under any circumstances, allow Bai Zichen to die on White Python Mountain.

If an invited guest were killed by Xiang Banshan at the Five Phoenix Sword Sect’s celebration, the news would be a devastating blow to the sect’s reputation.

Outsiders wouldn’t care about the details. They would only think the Five Phoenix Sword Sect lacked the strength to protect its own guests, allowing a Great True Monarch from the Nine Tribulations Sect to act so arrogantly on their territory.

That matter was indeed important, but not when compared to the ten-thousand-year reputation of the Five Phoenix Sword Sect.

Besides, Ma Youx was confident that while the Nine Tribulations Sect did indeed control an exclusive channel, they could only achieve the greatest profit by working with the Five Phoenix Sword Sect.

It would be incredibly unwise of them to terminate their cooperation over such a trivial matter.

"Senior Brother Zhuo, you seem very nervous?"

Zhang Zishou remarked, watching the fight with great interest from the perspective of a spectator. Both Xiang Banshan’s Jade Talisman Technique and the Northern Domain True Monarch’s wondrous swordsmanship were a true eye-opener for him.