Chapter 147: Fierce Battle

Chapter 147: Chapter 147: Fierce Battle

After about ten minutes of travel, Ye Xing finally arrived near the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree on his Gale Leopard.

Ye Xing didn’t rush forward, instead hiding himself in a thicket near the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree and peering ahead.

Before him, the once lush and verdant foliage of the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree was withering at a speed visible to the naked eye. Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, along with countless rays of green light, surged toward the center of the tree, converging within its main trunk. The trunk itself began to emit a green glow, its radiance growing ever stronger.

Withered yellow leaves rustled down, dancing and swirling in the wind before blanketing the ground.

SHING! SHING-SHING!

More than a hundred Qi Condensation Stage Martial Artists surrounded the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree. With swords and sabers drawn, they kept their distance from one another, their expressions guarded and incredibly tense. Their gazes were locked onto the main trunk of the banyan tree.

The green light on the main trunk reached its absolute peak. A moment later, the light receded, condensing into an object no larger than a person’s palm. The immense Life Force of the entire Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree had coalesced into that single piece of Thunder Heart Spring Wood, now resting in the core of the tree. All one had to do was split open the trunk to retrieve the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasure, the Thunder Heart Spring Wood.

"Is it mature?"

"Almost. It should be mature any second now!"

"It’s mature! The Thunder Heart Spring Wood is mature!"

Someone let out an excited roar. The next instant, everyone moved. They all charged toward the main trunk of the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree, none willing to be left behind, and a fierce battle instantly erupted.

CLANG! CLASH-CLASH-CLANG!

SQUELCH! "AHH!"

SHING! BANG! BANG! BANG!

In an instant, the air filled with the flash of sabers and swords. Sparks flew, and the clang of metal on metal echoed across the fields. Several Martial Artists were killed in the brutal melee, and another dozen or two were injured, some lightly, some severely. Blood sprayed everywhere as the battle steadily escalated.

The man in linen clothes, Fu Yifan, was slender and moved with incredible, monkey-like agility. He was the first to reach the main trunk of the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree. His sharp sword shot out, stabbing toward the trunk as he prepared to dig the Thunder Heart Spring Wood from its core.

Just then—

With a SWISH, an iron whip lashed through the air like a great serpent, instantly coiling around the sharp sword.

"Gao Zhisong, you dare stand in my way!" Fu Yifan, the man in linen, roared, his body seething with killing intent.

"And what if I do? The Thunder Heart Spring Wood is mine!" Gao Zhisong, the "Seven-Snake Centipede Whip," barked. He swung his iron whip, and it cracked like thunder in the air as he engaged in a fierce battle with Fu Yifan, the "Cross Breaking Sword."

"Haha, you two can take your sweet time fighting. The Thunder Heart Spring Wood is mine!" cackled Shen Sanniang, the "Mother Yecha." She swiftly closed in on the trunk of the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree, channeled her True Qi, and slashed out with her dual sabers. The blades flashed as they chopped toward the main trunk.

BOOM!

The great tree shuddered violently as the entire Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree was hacked in two.

Before the Thunder Heart Spring Wood had matured, the tree could have quickly regenerated even if its branches were severed. But now, with all of the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree’s Life Force concentrated within the wood, the tree itself had become a dead husk and was easily cut down.

With a great RUSTLE of branches and leaves, the top half of the trunk crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust as fallen leaves danced through the air.

All that remained was a man-high stump. In the very center of it, a green light pulsed. The Thunder Heart Spring Wood was there.

A look of immense joy and excitement spread across Shen Sanniang’s, the "Mother Yecha’s," face. She swung her dual sabers at the stump again, chopping straight down to dig out the Thunder Heart Spring Wood.

However, just as her sabers touched the stump, the WHOOSH of a fist cut through the air to her left.

An iron fist shot forward with incredible speed and smashed into the "Mother Yecha" Shen Sanniang’s dual sabers.

BANG!

With a deafening crash, Shen Sanniang’s dual sabers were knocked aside.

The four top masters from the Wind and Cloud List immediately broke into a fierce four-way battle. "Seven-Snake Centipede Whip" Gao Zhisong faced off against "Cross Breaking Sword" Fu Yifan. Gao Zhisong’s Whip Skill was agile and ferocious, while Fu Yifan’s Cross Breaking Sword was simple yet deadly; they were evenly matched.

Meanwhile, "Mother Yecha" Shen Sanniang was locked in a heated battle with "Mountain Shattering Fist" Shao Shantai. Shen Sanniang’s Saber Skill was swift; wielding two sabers, she delivered a relentless flurry of attacks. Shao Shantai’s Mountain Shattering Fist was incomparably ferocious. Each punch seemed to carry the force of a landslide, his movements broad and open, his power immense.

The four top masters from the Wind and Cloud List were locked in a fierce, evenly-matched struggle; it was clear the battle wouldn’t be decided anytime soon.

One of the Seventh Realm Martial Artists, seeing that the four masters from the Wind and Cloud List were all locked in a bitter struggle, seized the opportunity to sneak over to the stump of the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree, intending to snatch the Thunder Heart Spring Wood.

The Thunder Heart Spring Wood pulsed with a life-like green glow, right before his eyes and within his grasp. The man was ecstatic, completely failing to notice the pitying looks the other Martial Artists were giving him.

Sure enough, just as the Seventh Realm Martial Artist reached out to take the Thunder Heart Spring Wood from the stump’s core...

SWOOSH!

A brilliant, cold flash of a saber slashed toward the Martial Artist’s back at astonishing speed.

SQUELCH!

The Martial Artist, a cultivator of the Martial Arts Seventh Realm, didn’t even have time to react before the saber flash cut him in half at the waist. Blood and guts—a mess of red and white—spilled all over the ground.

"Pathetic trash. With that little strength, you dare try to steal my Thunder Heart Spring Wood? If this were my restaurant, I’d turn you into a meat pie! Could probably even sell it for a good price." A murderous glint flashed in the "Mother Yecha" Shen Sanniang’s eyes as she retracted her sabers and resumed her battle with "Mountain Shattering Fist" Shao Shantai.

Clearly, although the four top masters from the Wind and Cloud List were fighting fiercely, they weren’t going all out; each was holding something in reserve. Anyone who thought they could take advantage of the chaos and snatch the Thunder Heart Spring Wood from right under their noses was simply courting death.

After the Martial Artist from the Martial Arts Seventh Realm was slain by the "Mother Yecha" Shen Sanniang’s single strike, the other Martial Artists no longer dared to make a rash move. They continued to battle one another, but now they were all watching and waiting for the perfect opportunity to act.

CLANG! CLASH-CLASH-CLANG!

SQUELCH! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The battle raged on, draining everyone’s True Qi. As time passed, tempers flared, and the fighting escalated, growing even more brutal. The number of casualties was increasing rapidly.

In the thicket near the Thousand-Year-Old Banyan Tree, Ye Xing remained hidden, surveying the unfolding battle.

’They’ve fought for so long. People are dead, people are wounded, and their True Qi is depleted. It’s about time. Alright, scum, it’s my turn. Prepare to ascend to the heavens!’ A vicious light flashed in Ye Xing’s eyes as he took out a remote detonator and quickly pressed a red button on it.