Chapter 572 - 492: With a Blade in the Heart, Killing Intent Arises

Chapter 572: Chapter 492: With a Blade in the Heart, Killing Intent Arises

CRACK.

In an instant, a crisp snap echoed out.

In the void, a semi-transparent orb inscribed with countless runes was struck by the Sword Qi, forcing it out of its cloaked state.

The Sword Qi exploded. The runic orb shattered, turning into countless tiny diamonds that fell to the ground before vanishing like bubbles.

This was a spatial restriction.

To stall for time, the creator of the Array had divided the space within it into countless folded dimensions.

To reach the Array’s core, one had to push through layer after layer, like peeling an onion.

Moreover, unlike in a game, killing all the guardians wouldn’t trigger an automatic teleport.

The cultivators had to locate and destroy the restriction themselves to reach the next layer of space.

Even Nascent Soul True Monarchs couldn’t just speedrun through it. The guardian was clearly skilled at delaying intruders.

At this moment...

HUMMM.

As the orb shattered, the ground beneath them seemed to shift as the world spun and the scene transformed.

"Prepare for battle."

Zheng Yunzhe’s expression was grave as talismans spun into the air around him.

The other Golden Core cultivators also readied themselves for a fight.

Based on their experience, divine servitor-guards would swarm them shortly after teleporting, launching attacks to interfere.

But this time, something seemed different.

The scene had not yet fully solidified, but just then...

the expressions of the two Nascent Soul True Monarchs, Fuyunzi and Yuan Lan, changed simultaneously.

The next instant!

BOOM!

A waterfall of incredibly brilliant golden flames cascaded down!

Above the heads of the cultivators, an area dozens of miles wide was completely blotted out by the golden flames!

WHOOSH!

The golden flames blazed, carrying an extreme heat.

The Golden Core cultivators present, even a powerful Late-stage Golden Core cultivator like Zheng Yunzhe, felt a bone-deep terror rise within them as they watched the overwhelming deluge of flames.

’Fifth-tier!’

’A fifth-tier being is attacking!’

Facing a fifth-tier entity, their only hope was their own Nascent Soul cultivators!

Fortunately, these two Nascent Soul True Monarchs were quite reliable.

Yuan Lan’s voice was stern. "Everyone, to my side!"

Yuan Lan formed a hand seal, and a frigid, pitch-black intent of death spread out, forming an icy shield of negative energy!

The dark shield of negative energy, like a giant inverted bowl, enveloped him and the seven Golden Core cultivators.

As for Fuyunzi, his actions were even more direct!

SHIING!

His Spirit Sword left its sheath!

Fuyunzi had summoned his life-bound Spirit Sword!

HUMMM!

A lustrous white sword light suddenly flared!

As another Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator, Fuyunzi’s Sword Intent was unlike Yuan Lan’s, which ingeniously incorporated the Law of Death to imbue it with an aura of silent annihilation.

His Sword Intent was very simple!

Utterly pure and sacred—it was nothing but the sword!

"With a single sword, I can shatter ten thousand techniques!"

SWISH!

The Sword Qi soared to the heavens, incomparably sharp. A single slash tore through the sky of golden flames!

Like cloth under a tailor’s scissors, the sky-filling golden flames were split apart by Fuyunzi’s single strike!

The golden flames scattered, raining down on the surroundings like a meteor shower.

BOOM!

Thundering explosions rang out as the falling golden flames detonated continuously on the ground!

For dozens of miles around, buildings burned and the ground shattered, revealing one ghastly, blackened crater after another!

And this was within the Array’s space, which was naturally reinforced. If this had been in the outside world, that single strike would have been enough to destroy a large island!

The might of a fifth-tier being was plain to see!

"This is..."

"A fifth-tier being..."

Fuyunzi gazed into the distance, his pupils shrinking.

A proud figure wreathed in golden flames, as if wearing a crown, appeared in his line of sight.

—The Fire Element Monarch!

’A fifth-tier guardian... It seems this is the core of the Array... As long as we kill it, this Array core will be broken!’

Yuan Lan narrowed his eyes. "All of you, fall back! Evacuate the battlefield!"

He dismissed the Golden Core cultivators. In a battle like this, they were of no help and would only require the Nascent Soul cultivators to divert their attention to protect them.

Hearing this, the Golden Core cultivators summoned their Escape Lights and fled the battlefield at top speed. A battle between fifth-tier beings was not something they could possibly participate in!

For them, even the slightest aftershock could lead to serious injury, or even death!

BOOM!

Golden fireballs shot out.

The Fire Element Monarch was highly intelligent and naturally knew to pick the softest targets first.

In its eyes, the fleeing Golden Core cultivators were prey to be killed first!

SWISH!

A sword light flashed.

Fuyunzi flicked his Spirit Sword, and countless streams of Sword Qi shot out to intercept the golden fireballs.

At the same time,

"It’s only proper to return the favor!"

Yuan Lan let out a savage grin. His Nascent Soul Magical Power surged, and the pitch-black, frigid intent of death manifested, forming a colossal, shadowy hand that blotted out the sun and was as massive as a mountain!

The giant hand swept through the air, smacking down toward the Fire Element Monarch!

"Die!"

Yuan Lan’s attack left the Fire Element Monarch with no time to pursue the Golden Core cultivators.

It swept out its golden flames, whipping up a firestorm that incinerated the giant shadowy hand!

But immediately after,

a lustrous white flying sword came whistling toward it!

Yuan Lan and Fuyunzi, the two Nascent Soul True Monarchs, relied on their Divine Sense to communicate and their vast combat experience to achieve flawless coordination.

Even though the Fire Element Monarch was enhanced by the Grotto Heaven and possessed a sharp intellect, as the battle dragged on, it inevitably began to lose the upper hand!

After all,

as a Grotto Heaven creature, it had little real combat experience. It was simply no match for the Yao Guang Nascent Soul cultivators, who had grown up through brutal life-and-death struggles.

All it could rely on was the enhancement from the Grotto Heaven, but that boost increased its combat power by fifty percent at most. And the Fire Element Monarch’s opponents were two Nascent Soul True Monarchs!

A righteous two-on-one!

However, as an energy-based lifeform,

the Fire Element Monarch had a very long health bar, and with the support of the Grotto Heaven’s power, its regeneration speed was also very fast.

It would be very difficult for the two Nascent Soul True Monarchs to kill the Fire Element Monarch in a short amount of time.

Of course,

Fuyunzi and Yuan Lan were in no hurry.

On the battlefield,

Fuyunzi’s sword light crisscrossed the area. He used his pure Sword Intent to slash through the Fire Element Monarch’s elemental body, inflicting wounds.

Yuan Lan manipulated negative energy, using his Law of Death to apply debuffs to the Fire Element Monarch and accumulate damage over time.

The two Nascent Soul cultivators fought steadily, wearing down the Fire Element Monarch and gradually pushing its health toward the execution threshold.

Yuan Lan said, "Almost there. A little longer."

Fuyunzi replied, "Alright."

Yuan Lan commanded the Law of Death, so he naturally possessed an instant-death ability that could settle the fight in one blow!

However, against a being of the same tier, this kind of ability required the target’s health to drop below a certain point.

Otherwise, it would be ineffective and easily resisted.

「A quarter of an hour later.」

The Fire Element Monarch’s golden flames had dimmed, and its body was covered in numerous sword gashes and dark patches that refused to heal.

Darkness swirled in Yuan Lan’s eyes as he used the Law of Death to sense the Fire Element Monarch’s life force.

Then,

he raised an eyebrow and sent a message with his Divine Sense:

"Now’s the time!"

"Fuyunzi, use your full power and severely wound it!"

The Fire Element Monarch’s health had already dropped to a dangerous level.

As long as Fuyunzi attacked with a high-damage sword technique and inflicted another wound, the Fire Element Monarch’s health would drop directly below the execution threshold!

At that point,

Yuan Lan could use his instant-death ability to secure their victory!

Fifth-tier beings were difficult to kill, and they worried about unforeseen complications. That’s why they planned to use the instant-death ability—to give their opponent no chance for a last-ditch counterattack and end it decisively!

Hearing this,

Fuyunzi’s green robes billowed. A divine light burst from his eyes, and he suddenly let out a long cry.

His Spirit Sword transformed into a shooting star, its lustrous white radiance dazzlingly bright!

"Extreme Intent - Evil Extermination!"

But...

just at that moment, Fuyunzi suddenly felt a palpitation in his heart!

His Sword Heart trembled, warning him of danger!

He whipped his head around and immediately saw a ferocious, demonic figure whose face was obscured, its entire body wreathed in black smoke!

"A Nascent Soul?!"

"This aura... it’s you?!"

Fuyunzi’s eyes widened in fury, his heart pounding with terror!

He scrambled to defend himself, but the Evil Extermination sword strike had already taken all his strength.

Even someone like Fuyunzi would need three breaths of time before he could change his move.

However,

when high-tier cultivators clashed, their thoughts moved at extreme speeds.

Even one breath was enough time to do many things, let alone a full three breaths!

"Fuyunzi!"

Su Ye’s eyes were dark and filled with chilling killing intent as he ruthlessly struck!

He had been waiting a long time for this opportunity!

POW!

He threw a palm strike. With a whistling gust of wind and speed faster than one could react, it landed squarely on Fuyunzi’s back!

The force from a fifth-tier physique, on par with that of a Great Yao, caused Fuyunzi’s internal organs to rupture and blood to pour from all seven of his orifices!