Chapter 553 563: Celestial Thunder Punishment

The crowd was momentarily stunned by Tangg Guanzhong's victory over Zhang Bubai. They never would have imagined that Zhang Bubai, a supreme master of the older generation, would actually be defeated at the hands of Tangg Guanzhong.

Xia Qianhe wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled. "After today, Brother Tangg's reputation will surely soar once more, making him unrivaled in this generation."

The Great Elder of the Heaven-Burying Sect, Ouyang, frowned and was silent for a moment before saying, "He's so strong. We should have killed that Tangg Guanzhong years ago. If we had, we wouldn't be facing this disaster today."

Tangg Guanzhong calmly gazed into the cloud of dust, his expression as serene and untroubled as an ancient well.

The cloud of dust slowly dissipated, revealing a frail, swaying figure rising to his feet. He was drenched in blood, his robes tattered and torn. It was none other than the Invincible Nine Swords, Zhang Bubai.

Zhang Bubai stared intently at the Peak Master of Chaotian Peak, Tangg Guanzhong, and said, "Tangg Guanzhong, I underestimated you."

Tangg Guanzhong shook his head and laughed. He looked at the Heaven-Burying Sect's Great Elder Ouyang and said, "Ouyang, you join him. The two of you can attack together. Otherwise, I'll just kill you both one by one."

"Arrogant!" The Great Elder of the Heaven-Burying Sect snorted coldly. In a flash, he appeared beside Zhang Bubai. "We'll attack together. We need to end this fight quickly."

"Alright." Zhang Bubai nodded without hesitation.

"That's more like it!"

Tangg Guanzhong laughed loudly and took a step forward. The wide meridians within his body surged like a mighty, unending river, rushing toward his palms.

BOOM!

Then, an overwhelming tide of Primordial Qi burst forth like a flood from an opened dam, surging violently outward.

"Kill!"

Luu Jing roared, his sword already slashing toward the three Elders from Purple Bamboo Peak before him.

Of these three Purple Bamboo Peak Elders, one was at the Life and Death Realm Second Layer and two were at the Life and Death Realm Third Layer Heaven. Individually, none of them were a match for Luu Jing. The three exchanged a glance and simultaneously unleashed their most powerful Martial Arts.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

But the three had clearly overestimated themselves—or perhaps underestimated Luu Jing. The bodies of the three Purple Bamboo Peak Elders were sent flying like scraps of paper.

Luu Jing took a deep breath. He had just used his full strength, and the prolonged battle had left his robes soaked with sweat.

Aside from Tangg Guanzhong's duel, the tide of the battle had clearly turned. Experts from the four sects—the Celestial Profound Sect, the Three Realms Sect, the Flowing Cloud Sect, and the Celestial Thunder Hall—were falling from the sky one after another, and the number of airborne combatants was dwindling.

"If you want me dead, I'll take a piece of you with me!"

A sharp roar echoed in everyone's ears, and they all instinctively looked over.

Wuu Lie was bathed in blood. Facing him, both Xing Yu of the Asura Sect and Zhou Kongkong, the Right Protector of the Heaven-Burying Sect, were panting heavily, their bodies covered in dust and wounds.

Following Wuu Lie's roar, the Token in his hand erupted with a brilliant purple light. Like the brightest star in the night sky, it captivated the hearts of all onlookers.

"Wuu Lie, what are you doing?" Zhou Kongkong said in astonishment upon seeing this.

"I will see you dead!"

Wuu Lie's eyes were blood-red. His chilling voice, combined with the Token in his hand, was truly soul-shaking.

The next moment, dark, oppressive clouds gathered for hundreds of miles around the battlefield, hanging so low it felt as if they would crush the very sky.

A low rumble of thunder echoed from within the black clouds. It contained a trace of the world's natural might—it didn't feel like thunder condensed from Primordial Qi, but a terrifying power born from heaven and earth itself...

Everyone suddenly sensed the terrifying power and immediately looked up, their pupils constricting in shock.

As Zhou Kongkong and Xing Yu stared at the spreading black clouds, a shiver ran through their hearts, and their expressions grew stiff.

"Celestial Thunder Punishment!"

Wuu Lie's great roar seemed to carry the might of the world, shaking the hearts of all who heard it.

Wuu Lie's robes billowed, and his body seemed to contract upon itself. A crazed glint appeared in his eyes.

RUMBLE!

The low rumble, imbued with some of the world's might, echoed across the battlefield, growing ever louder. Above, the black thunderclouds converged at an astonishing speed. Black lightning flickered within them, like a massive black Thunder Dragon writhing.

"It's over for Wuu Lie," Xia Qianhe said, shaking his head and sighing.

"Run!"

Xing Yu instantly knew things were bad and turned to flee, but by then, Zhou Kongkong was already dozens of feet away.

The thundercloud tore open. A thousand-foot-long bolt of crimson lightning, its color seemingly drawn from Wuu Lie's own Essence Blood, descended with a tremendous roar, like a ferocious Thunder Dragon lunging at its prey.

The air filled with the thick smell of burning. Where the lightning bolt tore through the sky, it left a long scar upon the very void.

The dark thunder pierced heaven and earth, penetrating all things. It seemed nothing could stand in its way—it was the power of pure destruction.

SIZZLE!

The black thunder struck Xing Yu directly. His Protective Gang Qi was instantly pierced through. Before Xing Yu could even let out a scream, he disintegrated into the air, not a single trace left behind.

The surrounding crowd erupted in an uproar. Everyone was dumbfounded by such terrifying destructive power.

Seeing this from a distance, Zhou Kongkong's terror reached its peak. He grabbed a nearby Life and Death Realm Second Layer expert from Siyun Mansion and hurled him toward the roaring Thunder Dragon.

"AHH!"

The expert from Siyun Mansion had no time to react before the charging Thunder Dragon was upon him.

RUMBLE!

His fate was no different from Xing Yu's. The lightning continued onward without the slightest pause.

Zhou Kongkong was just about to flee again, but the Thunder Dragon had already reached his back.

Just then, Wuu Lie spat out a mouthful of crimson blood. His eyes, filled with utter resentment, were fixed on Zhou Kongkong's figure. Wuu Lie's body faltered before plummeting to the ground.

"Hall Master!" "Hall Master!"

Several nearby Elders from the Celestial Thunder Hall cried out in alarm.

Seeing this, Zhou Kongkong had a sudden realization. "Hahaha! That old dog Wuu Lie is dead! Everyone, with me! Kill them all!"

The combatants snapped back to their senses. The members of the Heaven-Burying Sect were, of course, overjoyed. Wuu Lie was the Hall Master of the Celestial Thunder Hall, and now he was dead, his spirit extinguished. For them, this was a tremendous boost to their morale.

The battle grew increasingly critical and perilous. Following Wuu Lie's example, it wasn't just members of the Celestial Thunder Hall; fighters from the other sects also began resorting to desperate, life-sacrificing techniques.

A battle of such tragic intensity was exceedingly rare in the Eastern Profound Domain.

Some distant experts who wanted to investigate the scene didn't dare approach, afraid of being struck by the roiling waves of Primordial Qi.

Wen Qingye slowly withdrew his peripheral vision, his heart sinking. 'The number of experts from the four allied sects is dwindling. That Hall Master of the Celestial Thunder Hall, Wuu Lie, used his final, life-sacrificing move and only managed to kill Xing Yu. It didn't change the course of the battle at all.'

CLANG!

A fiery red Long Saber slashed horizontally through the air, crashing down on Wen Qingye like a colossal wave. He raised the One Thought Sword to block.

Wen Qingye was thrown back several dozen steps. The force of the blow left his arm numb and nearly immobile. Blood trickled from the web of his hand, running down the blade of the One Thought Sword before dripping to the ground.

Wen Qingye's Qi Sea churned relentlessly. He looked down at the One Thought Sword in his hand and said slowly, "I can't just wait here to be killed. Qingg Ruo'ai, use it."