Chapter 386: Chapter 286: The Final Battle in the Spotlight Chapter 386: Chapter 286: The Final Battle in the Spotlight Upon seeing the iron cavalry of Pingyang Guard appearing, the gathered experts from all over the world were greatly heartened.

Zongzheng Huachun’s eyelids twitched as well.

The dust swirled up, and Qiu Lun tightened the reins, and his black steed neighed before stopping its hooves.

Facing the many experts of Jianghu and the military might of Houjin, along with the attention of the Heavenly Martial Great Grandmaster, the Holy Master of Houjin, Qiu Lun laughed and said, “Houjin sure has put up quite a show today!”

“Qiu Lun, you truly are not afraid of death!”

Just then, a clear shout rang out. Jiren Tai rode forth from the Houjin army, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

This Left Minister, one of Zongzheng Huachun’s trusted aides and significant contributors to Houjin’s rapid growth over the past twenty years, was not well understood by many; his achievements were not only astonishing in civil administration but also in military strategies, making him a talent in both pen and sword within the Houjin court.

Qiu Lun, looking at Jiren Tai, a cold light flashed in his eyes. He said, “A clay pot is not apart from the well’s edge; a great general often dies in front of the formation. Ever since I put on this armor, I have not considered the matters of life and death.”

Furthermore, you arrogant and ignorant child, you think you can kill me?”

As Qiu Lun spoke, his inner strength surged, and his voice spread outward like ripples.

Jiren Tai coldly said, “Take a good look around; do you know where this is?”

Meanwhile, the iron cavalry of Houjin had already closed in, and immediately, hundreds of thousands of troops faced off, the deadly aura of the military was about to explode, and the atmosphere instantly tensed to its limit. The experts present all held their breath and watched.

“Hahahaha.”

Qiu Lun burst into laughter, turning to look back at the tens of thousands of Pingyang Guards. “Did you hear the Left Minister’s words? Are you afraid?”

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

The Pingyang Guards all raised their arms and shouted out loud; the sounds of fighting thunderous and earth-shaking.

Seeing this, Jiren Tai narrowed his eyes. If it were an ordinary army witnessing this scene, they would not have been able to muster an ounce of resistance. But the Pingyang Guard?

It was evident that Qiu Lun was an exceptional military commander, no less than his father, Qiu Heng.

Jiren Tai waved his hand without a change in expression; the elite iron cavalry of Houjin all drew their curved bows from behind, their movements extremely synchronized.

The experts from Great Yan Martial World, Zhao Country Martial World, and the Southern Barbarians, among others, did not understand Jiren Tai well, but the people of Houjin were very aware of the Left Minister’s decisiveness and resolution.

Qiu Lun also gripped the long saber in his hand, a sharp gleam appearing in his eyes.

“Roar!”

Just then, an earth-shaking roar came from a distance. The sound had such penetrative power, like an arrow piercing straight through.

The sound of a Flood Dragon!

The entire world was well aware that the Ghost Swordsman had a Black Flood Dragon as his mount.

Instantly, the experts around Ba Mountain were stirred up; the globally renowned, invincible Great Sword Immortal had finally arrived.

Zongzheng Huachun also looked over, his eyes deep and gleaming, as if trying to peer through the air to see clearly the person coming from afar.

In a few blinks, a whooshing sound came from the sky, and a massive Black Flood Dragon appeared before everyone. Merely looking at it evoked an extremely suffocating feeling.

“This… what kind of exotic beast can someone actually tame…?”

Some people gasped in shock.

With such a huge form, giving off a terrifying and hair-raising aura, how could such an exotic beast be tamed?

Jiren Tai also frowned, with a hint of solemnity in his eyes.

Is this the Black Flood Dragon!?

The Black Flood Dragon was inherently a ferocious and fierce exotic beast of the world; if it could transform into a True Dragon, its strength would not only match that of a Great Grandmaster but also have the continuous good fortune thereafter.

The cultivation level of this Black Flood Dragon seemed near perfection, seemingly only a step away from transforming into a True Dragon.

This Black Flood Dragon truly was a rare and precious exotic beast of the world.

As the Black Flood Dragon drew nearer, everyone could clearly see a figure in white standing on its back.

The person’s robes danced in the violent wind, making a whipping sound, and his hair flowed like spilled ink. He carried a sword box on his back, as if carrying a mountain, but everyone in the world knew that the ‘mountain’ contained the sharpest blades of this age.

An Jing’s face was calm, letting the wild wind blow past him; he remained unmovable, like an ethereal Immortal.

All eyes converged on the contemporary Sword Immortal, and even their breaths seemed to catch.

The Ghost Swordsman had arrived!

Only Zongzheng Huachun’s heart remained as calm as water, tranquil and indifferent, with not a single ripple of disturbance.

This day, it seemed, he had been waiting far too long.

“Big brother!”

Qiu Lun looked up at the An Jing in the sky and joyfully said.

An Jing nodded at Qiu Lun, then looked towards Zongzheng Huachun in the distance at Ba Mountain. “Zongzheng Huachun, today is the day we conclude everything once and for all.”

The most powerful among the world’s experts and the Emperor of Houjin, the master of Snow Mountain.

Zongzheng Huachun slowly said, “From today onwards, you have no more ties with this world.”

Zongzheng Huachun spoke in a tone that was exceedingly calm, as if stating a fact that he had already determined.

It was as though today, he truly intended to kill An Jing, and moreover, he could kill An Jing.

That was an aura formed from immense confidence.

The murderous intent of the man who wanted to become the greatest emperor ever was not concealed in the slightest.

An Jing chuckled lightly, “It seems that even the Holy Master cannot avoid falling into cliche.”

Zongzheng Huachun said, “The people of this world are all commoners, emperors are also commoners, swordsmen are also commoners; we are no different. If there must be a distinction, it is merely that of a slightly more powerful commoner.”

An Jing said, “The Holy Master is no commoner, for you are the emperor who controls the lives and deaths of countless commoners.”

What are commoners?

They are the vast multitude, ordinary people busy with their lives; these are called commoners because they live amidst the worldly dust, and so they are commoners.

Their fates are like worldly dust, manipulated by others, molded by others’ hands.

Zongzheng Huachun calmly said, “But this king still has not transcended life and death.”

An Jing countered, “Is transcending life and death what it means to transcend mundanity?”

Zongzheng Huachun inquired, “Does your excellency think not?”

An Jing said, “In my heart, whether it is or isn’t is irrelevant.”

Zongzheng Huachun asked, “Then what is important?”

An Jing answered, “Your life!”

Zongzheng Huachun countered, “My life?”

An Jing seriously said, “Since the Holy Master finds transcending mundanity so troublesome, I think it’s better not to transcend at all. Born of this land, let it also be where you are buried.”

Zongzheng Huachun narrowed his eyes and stated, “You wish to stop me?”

The conversation between the two took a turn, seeming foggy to listeners, yet only a few understood the deeper implications.

In today’s world, many great grandmasters and experts set their sights on the Earth Vein Spirit of the Dragon Locking Well, foolishly hoping to uncover secrets of eternal longevity.

“Life is a gift from the heavens, death is my gift to you.”

An Jing paused briefly in his speech and said, “Today, please hasten to your death, Holy Master.”

This pronouncement echoed through heaven and earth like a booming bell, resonating within everyone’s hearts, and those with weaker cultivation actually shook with the force Qi in their Dantian.

The Sect Leader of the White Mist Sect paled greatly and exclaimed, “Such terrifying strength!”

Merely a single aphorism made one feel as if the Qi Sea trembled, and the Ghost Swordsman’s primary target was not the bystanders but rather Zongzheng Huachun himself, directly in the center.

The Island Master of Bibo Island also felt a tightness in his heart, his footsteps subconsciously retreating backward.

Zongzheng Huachun’s expression was as still as an ancient well, without any ripples.

Neither of them spoke again, the atmosphere had become utterly frozen.

Far away, Zhao Qingmei landed and approached the gathering of many Demon Sect experts.

“Sect Hierarch!”

The Demon Sect experts, seeing Zhao Qingmei, quickly bowed and greeted her with clasped hands.

Zhao Qingmei nodded slightly, her beautiful eyes gazing toward the distant Ba Mountain.

At this moment, her man was battling with one of the current top experts.

Standing behind Li Fuzhou, Jia Meixian raised her head, cautiously observing the face of the Demon Sect Hierarch, and couldn’t help but secretly exclaim in awe.

This world indeed had such a beautiful person, no wonder only such a woman could capture his heart.

Everyone’s eyes were on the battling pair, and they could clearly see sparks in their gazes.

The winds howled increasingly intensely, like blades sweeping in, and though the two had not yet made a move, those present knew that a world-shaking, earth-shattering battle was about to begin.

One was the Heavenly Martial Emperor of Houjin, a long-renowned grandmaster expert, while the other was the widely famed invincible Sword Immortal, undefeated in battle.

Zongzheng Huachun extended his palm, and a round of white light surged to the sky behind him, stirring the hearts of the crowd. True Qi from miles around crazily surged toward Zongzheng Huachun, and an overwhelmingly vast aura pressed down toward An Jing like a mountain crashing down.

Bang bang bang bang bang!

The terrifying pressure came crashing down, the air itself reverberating with the impact. High-ranked martial artists of Jianghu felt their scalps tingle, their faces drastically changing.

Great Snow Mountain Holy Body Technique!

When Zongzheng Huachun made a move, it was with the Great Snow Mountain Holy Body Technique, seemingly determined to unleash his full strength without holding anything back.

An Jing drew out the Slaying Immortal Sword, his eyes flashing like cold glimmers.

The chilling edge was like layers of ice, sending shivers down one’s spine, and the moment Zongzheng Huachun’s aura was about to strike, it seemed as if it were frozen by those icy currents.

Zongzheng Huachun maintained a calm exterior but inwardly thought, “The Ghost Swordsman’s strength seems even greater than before; he really has reached the Five Qi Realm.”

The last time beneath the Royal Court, the two had faced off, each revealing a hint of their power. Clearly, An Jing had achieved a tremendous increase since, advancing from the Four Qi Realm to the Five Qi Realm.

The significant boost in his strength within just a few months was both surprising and alarming.

Zongzheng Huachun’s mouth curved into a cold sneer as he suddenly moved his foot and disappeared from the spot, his body turning into fragments of afterimages that burst out in an instant.

Except for those above the Five Qi Grandmaster level, ordinary people of Jianghu couldn’t even see Zongzheng Huachun’s body, let alone his afterimages.

Whoosh!

Zongzheng Huachun moved as fast as thunder, and in a flash, he seemed to have turned into a beam of light, carrying a tremendous Qi Mechanism, charging straight at An Jing.

An Jing, with a slightly fierce look in his eyes, watched the rapidly enlarging figure in his pupils. With this move, Zongzheng Huachun had displayed the strength of a top-tier Five Qi Grandmaster.

However, An Jing had killed several Five Qi Grandmasters, and even top-tier grandmasters like Xiao Qianqiu.

At that moment, An Jing stepped sideways, his body also tilting into an arc.

Bang Bang Bang!

And as An Jing’s body tilted, the air in front of him suddenly exploded, Zongzheng Huachun’s palm had turned into a Dragon Claw, carrying robust True Qi, grabbing towards An Jing’s Heavenly Spirit.

Azure Dragon Claw Eight Forms! Azure Dragon Emerges from the Sea!

Once Zongzheng Huachun made his move, the attack was saturated with ruthlessness and trickiness.

The cyan fingers, emitting a sharp light, rapidly enlarged in An Jing’s pupils, but just as the cyan light was about to land on An Jing, layers of starlight surged around him, majestically refracting in all directions.

Great Celestial Star Refining Body Technique!

The Snow Mountain Holy Body Technique is a Heavenly Martial level martial art, but the Great Celestial Star Refining Body Technique surpasses the Heavenly Martial level.

Clang!

At the moment of contact, both their Qi Forces vibrated, creating a visible ripple of Force Qi that spread in all directions.

People around were astounded, never expecting the two top experts to clash so fiercely right from the start, the sight was intense and terrifying.

Suddenly, An Jing sensed something and his pupils sharply contracted.

Splat!

Zongzheng Huachun’s claws flashed, and the surroundings were filled with cyan divine light, resembling a massive dragon claw coming at him, breaking through the void with lightning speed, targeting An Jing’s chest.

Splash! Splash!

Zongzheng Huachun was too fast, his Five Qi Grandmaster cultivation was pushing to the limit, and with the enhancement from the Snow Mountain Holy Body Technique, his power was immensely great.

But such tactics would suffice against an average Five Qi Grandmaster, yet his opponent was An Jing.

An Jing lightly shifted his body to dodge the claw, and even his Qi Force was completely dissolved by the Great Celestial Star Refining Body Technique. His left hand shot out fast as lightning, his fingers directly targeting Zongzheng Huachun’s throat.

Fast!

Too fast!

Even in Zongzheng Huachun’s eyes, the speed of the fingers was as fast as lightning, let alone others.

“Boom!”

A cold light emerged in Zongzheng Huachun’s eyes as he kept retreating backwards, but it was already too late. The fingers directly hit his shoulders, sending a sharp pain through him.

The crowd saw Zongzheng Huachun continuously falling back, his shoulders tearing through his clothes, revealing two blood holes; trickles of fresh blood seeped out, staining the front of his clothes with blood red.

Wow!

The exchange in the arena was almost instantaneous, thus, when everyone saw Zongzheng Huachun severely wounded by An Jing, an uproar spread throughout the crowd.

“Ghost Swordsman is not only skilled in swordsmanship, but his unarmed combat skills are also first-class in the world…”

“To have injured Zongzheng Huachun with just one move, truly impressive!”

“Several masters have already died at the hands of Ghost Swordsman, he truly deserves to be one of the top three experts in the world.”

……

Jiren Tai, Zongzheng Yue, and others’ expressions also changed slightly at this moment.

All the experts from Houjin knew well how strong Zongzheng Huachun was– even Demon Sect’s Jun Qinglin was no match for him, and he had even infiltrated the Great Yan Palace and escaped unscathed, but they hadn’t expected that he would be injured just by clashing with Ghost Swordsman; and Ghost Swordsman hadn’t even drawn his weapon yet. Was Ghost Swordsman really that powerful?

Qiu Lun couldn’t help but laugh and said, “How could An Jing possibly be a match for Zongzheng Huachun.”

Xiao Qianqiu glanced at Qiu Lun from afar and said, “Although it seems that Zongzheng Huachun has been injured, if you only look at the surface, you’ve been completely deceived by Zongzheng Huachun.”

Luo Chongyang calmly said, “That’s right, An Jing didn’t even probe, he just launched his true power. It looks like Zongzheng Huachun has been injured, but that injury, let alone damaging the muscles and bones, doesn’t even count as a light injury.”

“So strong!”

Cong Yue, watching their duel, couldn’t help but draw in a cold breath.

Ordinarily, duels between masters were very rare, let alone clashes between Five Qi Grandmasters, the strongest fighters in the world; such events were unprecedented in any era.

The ruler of the Southern Barbarians, seeing this, said gravely, “It hasn’t even started yet.”

In the arena, An Jing gazed at the distant Zongzheng Huachun. He knew how formidable his Finger Force was; if this strike had landed on an ordinary Four Qi Grandmaster, it would have caused severe injury, but it had only grazed Zongzheng Huachun’s skin.

“Very strong Finger Force.”

Zongzheng Huachun rubbed the blood on his shoulders and straightened up as if he had never suffered any injury at all.

Following the recent probing, Zongzheng Huachun could tell that An Jing’s displayed strength had indeed seen a massive enhancement.

Zongzheng Huachun initially hunched back instantly straightened, and a black stream of energy burst around him, flowing toward the distance like a vast river.

The black energy flow and the backdrop of the Great Snow Mountain merged continuously, creating a unique and magical scene.

In the eyes of ordinary people, Zongzheng Huachun’s body gradually became translucent as if merging into the air.

The fierce wind howled, cold as a knife, while the sky gathered dark clouds like lightning and thunder.

Heavenly Human Communication!

With the practice of Heavenly Human Communication, Zongzheng Huachun gained the enhancement of the forces of heaven and earth on his being, after which his aura grew even more formidable.

Behind him appeared a gray silhouette holding a trident-like massive shadow, appearing from afar like a hellish Asura, emitting a terrifying murderous aura.

An Jing, seeing Zongzheng Huachun’s suddenly much more impressive momentum, also used Heavenly Human Communication, starting to harness the power of heaven and earth onto himself.

Thunder roared–!

Thunder and lightning boomed, emitting a quaking sound that scared many people into pale faces and soul-shaken terror.

Instantly, a vast and domineering aura surged from his body, in no way inferior to the momentum bursting from Zongzheng Huachun.

The power of heaven and earth used by both was nearly equal, which indicated that their sensitivity to the forces between heaven and earth was also not much different.

“Heavenly Human Communication!”

Experts in the distance, seeing their bodies connected with heaven and earth, were all deeply solemn.

From this, it was clear to everyone that their understanding of the natural order was at an exceedingly profound level.

Xiao Qianqiu said seriously, “The battle between Zongzheng Huachun and An Jing is definitely one of the pinnacle battles in the world.”

Luo Chongyang sighed, “Unmatched.”

The brief exchange between the two had already shaken the minds of those present, sufficiently indicating the intensity and fierceness of their battle.

All the experts at the scene were now looking up, watching this battle that shook the entire world.

Zongzheng Huachun, eyes sparkling with a strange light, watched An Jing’s changes. He could sense that An Jing’s aura had suddenly become several times more formidable.

Also employing Heavenly Human Communication, he had surprisingly increased his aura several times more than Zongzheng Huachun.

“His True Qi!?”

Zongzheng Huachun thought of the True Qi that An Jing had released when using his techniques, his eyes narrowed into slits.

That True Qi was mysterious and vast; merely touching it made him feel as if he was being burnt by fierce flames, contributing to his consecutive retreats. It seemed that things were not as simple as they appeared on the surface.

“Bang!”

An Jing’s eyes surged with golden light as he watched Zongzheng Huachun. In the next flash, his feet stomped fiercely, his True Qi exploded, and almost instantly, his figure appeared in front of Zongzheng Huachun.

“Shush!”

An Jing twisted his wrist, and the air turned bitterly cold.

Evil Suppressing Sword!

No one in the world didn’t know about the Evil Suppressing Sword, made by the Great Zhou Dynasty to suppress and seal. In the beginning, top experts of the royal family perished due to this sword.

In the next moment, An Jing leaped forward, swinging the Evil Suppressing Sword in his hand.

Shush!

A sword light like a length of satin spewed out from the blade, sweeping toward Zongzheng Huachun.

“Thump!”

The True Qi in front now turned into a series of tumultuous waves. Everyone could see the void, distorted slightly wherever the Evil Suppressing Sword passed.

“Dang!”

However, Zongzheng Huachun, facing the Evil Suppressing Sword, did not retreat an inch. A transparent bead emerged from his hand, blocking the tip of the Evil Suppressing Sword.

The moment the sword tip collided with the bead, a sound like clashing gold and iron immediately pierced ears from the center of the field, and a ring of ripples swept open, abruptly exploding all the True Qi within several meters.

“Huh? An exotic treasure?”

An Jing hadn’t expected the bead to block his Evil Suppressing Sword. Clearly, this bead was a rare exotic treasure.

This was the Mudust Pearl, a national treasure of Houjin, reportedly left behind by an Immortal who attained the Dao. It was said that cultivating with this pearl would set one on the path to becoming an Immortal.

The origins of this pearl were widely debated, and no one could conclusively trace its history. However, it was very famous, known as one of the three pearls of ancient and modern times.

Then, as Zongzheng Huachun steadied himself, the Qi mechanism within the pearl surged toward him. He then bent his two fingers, turning them into two streaks of black light, tearing through the True Qi, and targeting An Jing’s eyes with an exceedingly tricky trajectory as quick as lightning.

“Clang!”

An Jing’s arm vibrated, and the Evil Suppressing Sword stretched out to block the two fierce gray lights, immediately leaning forward with a burst of speed, his sword dance unleashed and his attack pouring down like a torrential downpour, directly enveloping Zongzheng Huachun.

Facing An Jing’s ferocious attack, Zongzheng Huachun’s eyes blazed intensely, he raised his palms, the pearl in his hands bursting with light, and then patterns densely packed appeared on his body, erupting with formidable power to confront An Jing head-on.

……..