Chapter 487 462: Wind Binding

"The Wind Realm!"

A tall, thin young man stared at Zhaang Ye and said slowly, "Zhaang Ye, no wonder you dared to challenge us. So you've already comprehended a Realm—and the Wind Realm, at that, known for its speed."

"The Wind Realm! No wonder!"

"So that's a Realm!"

"To comprehend the Wind Realm just after entering the True Dao, that's just..."

The few Inner Sect Disciples only just snapped back to their senses. They were well-traveled, battle-hardened masters. The moment they heard "Wind Realm," realization dawned on them, and they were filled with shock and horror.

Zhaang Ye neither confirmed nor denied it. His gaze was fixed on the five Inner Sect Disciples as he said in a deep voice, "Do you dare to fight me? If not, leave behind ten thousand Low-grade Essence Stones and be on your way."

A flash of anger appeared in the eyes of all five Inner Sect Disciples.

The tall, thin young man's eyes glinted coldly as he said, "Zhaang Ye, don't think that just because you've comprehended the Wind Realm, you're invincible in the Inner Sect. Today, I, Ning Qingfeng, will test you and see just how formidable your Wind Realm truly is."

As soon as he finished speaking, a pure white Hua'Er suddenly appeared above Ning Qingfeng's head. The moment it appeared, the pure white Hua'Er instantly expanded, enveloping Ning Qingfeng's entire body. Then, the pure white Hua'Er slowly faded away, and Ning Qingfeng vanished along with it. Even an all-pervasive Spiritual Sense couldn't find Ning Qingfeng's position.

It turned out that this Ning Qingfeng was an expert in Body Techniques. Although he hadn't comprehended the Wind Realm, his Body Technique was famous among the Inner Sect Disciples. Hearing Zhaang Ye's repeated provocations, a competitive urge arose in him, and he prepared to experience Zhaang Ye's Wind Realm for himself.

"Nice!"

Seeing Ning Qingfeng display such a miraculous Body Technique, the other Inner Sect Disciples cried out their approval in unison. Zhaang Ye was now their common enemy, and they wished for nothing more than for Ning Qingfeng to defeat him cleanly and decisively.

A flash of surprise appeared in Zhaang Ye's eyes; he hadn't expected this Ning Qingfeng to possess such an ability. However, the Wind Realm Zhaang Ye had comprehended was all about speed, about being traceless. The moment Ning Qingfeng vanished, he immediately entered a wondrous state of his own. His form faded from solid to ethereal, and he too disappeared into the void.

Ning Qingfeng's Body Technique involved merging his body with the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi to hide his form, then using a mystical method to shuttle back and forth within it. Even Zhaang Ye found this wondrous Body Technique exceptionally profound. Relying on his Wind Realm alone, he couldn't find Ning Qingfeng's hiding place right away.

However, Zhaang Ye's Comprehension was extremely high, and he had a wide array of attack methods. Though he couldn't see Ning Qingfeng's hiding spot, he could use a technique to force Ning Qingfeng to reveal himself.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!

With a slight stir of his will, a series of brilliant golden Tornadoes instantly appeared in the void. The Tornadoes spun wildly, unleashing waves of tyrannical Devouring Power that threw the space for several thousand feet around into chaos. The Heaven and Earth Essence Qi also grew chaotic with the Tornadoes' spinning, like a pool of water being constantly stirred by a stick.

Under the assault of Zhaang Ye's dense barrage of Tornadoes, Ning Qingfeng could no longer merge seamlessly with the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi. His movement faltered slightly, and he emitted a faint trace of his aura.

Zhaang Ye's Spiritual Sense was incredibly sharp. The moment Ning Qingfeng's aura was exposed, he captured it instantly. With a flicker of thought, Zhaang Ye's dense cluster of Tornadoes enveloped Ning Qingfeng in an instant, sealing off every path of escape.

'This is bad!'

Ning Qingfeng's heart skipped a beat. He quickly thrust out his palm, and a vast amount of Innate True Qi surged forth, shattering the few Tornadoes blocking his path.

After dissipating the Tornadoes, Ning Qingfeng tried to use his Body Technique to hide in the void again. But by this time, Zhaang Ye had already passed through the dense storm of Tornadoes and arrived behind him.

WHOOSH!

A brilliant golden palm, like an incomparably sharp greatsaber, suddenly appeared behind Ning Qingfeng. It carried an unstoppable momentum as it slashed toward him!

This slash from Zhaang Ye was none other than his Self-Created Combat Skill—Mountain-Breaking Slash. Zhaang Ye's Mountain-Breaking Slash had long been cultivated to the Great Success Realm, and in terms of its conceptual Realm, it was becoming more and more like a Space Storm. A slash from such close range was like a terrifying Space Storm suddenly erupting beside him. Ning Qingfeng felt as if his entire body and soul were about to be torn to shreds!

'What a bizarre Combat Skill!'

Ning Qingfeng's heart leaped. He couldn't afford to hide his form any longer. The Innate True Qi in his body erupted wildly, and a Short Sword appeared in his hand. With a thrust of his arm, the Short Sword transformed into a dazzling white rainbow, carrying the faint rumble of thunder as it stabbed toward Zhaang Ye's palm!

This Short Sword of Ning Qingfeng's had eighteen Arrays carved onto it, making it an Eighth-Grade True Artifact. Among them, the "Sharp Gold Array" could easily cut through anything, the "Gentle Wind Array" could increase the speed of his strikes, and the "Giant Spirit Formation" could make the Short Sword weigh tens of millions of pounds in an instant, greatly increasing its power!

Ning Qingfeng's Body Technique was outstanding, but his Cultivation was inferior to Bao Jinglei's. Having seen Bao Jinglei fall to Zhaang Ye, he knew Zhaang Ye's strength was no small matter. Thus, he decisively brought out his weapon, intending to force Zhaang Ye back with the Short Sword in his hand.

"Hmph!"

Zhaang Ye snorted coldly. He completely ignored Ning Qingfeng's Short Sword, his brilliant golden palm continuing its slash straight toward him!

'You're courting death! I'll use the power of my Short Sword to chop off your hand!'

Ning Qingfeng's pupils shrank slightly. He couldn't believe Zhaang Ye was this arrogant. He knew the Short Sword in his hand was a True Artifact, yet Zhaang Ye still chose to meet it head-on. This was nothing short of contempt.

The watching Inner Sect Disciples sneered when they saw Zhaang Ye using his bare palm to clash with Ning Qingfeng's Short Sword. A True Artifact was a True Artifact. This kind of True Artifact, engraved with eighteen Arrays, was incredibly sharp and unbelievably powerful. To face such a True Artifact with a bare palm was the height of arrogance!

BOOM!

Amidst a deafening roar, Zhaang Ye's palm collided with Ning Qingfeng's Short Sword. Within the massive boom, Zhaang Ye's flesh-and-blood palm actually erupted with an overwhelming force. In the face of this terrifying power, Ning Qingfeng's Short Sword couldn't even cut Zhaang Ye's palm. Instead, he himself was sent flying backward by the force!

HISS!

Even a True Artifact couldn't cut Zhaang Ye's palm! Ning Qingfeng's expression changed drastically, as did the expressions of the spectating Inner Sect Disciples. Zhaang Ye's feat of clashing with a True Artifact bare-handed was far beyond their imagination!

'This Zhaang Ye's methods are terrifying! I have to get far away to have any chance of winning!' The blood in Ning Qingfeng's body roiled. He now understood just how formidable Zhaang Ye was and prepared to quickly open the distance before figuring out his next move.

Just then, Zhaang Ye grabbed at the empty air with one hand and shouted, "Wind Realm—Wind Binding!"

Following Zhaang Ye's low shout, the wind in the void suddenly converged. The formless, incorporeal wind acted like invisible ropes, binding themselves around Ning Qingfeng!

"Ah!"

Ning Qingfeng was greatly alarmed. With a loud roar, the Innate True Qi in his body erupted. At the same time, his Short Sword flashed like lightning through the air, cutting the binding ropes one by one.

Ning Qingfeng's reaction was swift; the time it took to cut the ropes was but a brief instant. But in that fleeting moment, Zhaang Ye had already closed the distance again. A brilliant golden palm, like the hand of a supreme being in control of everything, descended straight for the top of his head, carrying an indescribable might!

BOOM!

Ning Qingfeng met the blow head-on and was smashed out of the sky like a meteor, his entire body driven into the ground. A long while later, he finally crawled out from underground, looking completely disheveled, his clothes torn to shreds.

PTUI! PTUI! PTUI!

Ning Qingfeng spat out several mouthfuls of blood and said with a bitter smile, "What a formidable Wind Realm, what tyrannical strength, and what a marvelous Saber Technique! This battle, I have lost!"

After speaking, Ning Qingfeng, with extreme reluctance, took out ten thousand Low-grade Essence Stones. Then, without a backward glance, he quickly disappeared. He had taken two direct hits from Zhaang Ye and was already injured. He had to hurry back for Healing.

After Ning Qingfeng's defeat, four Inner Sect Disciples remained. At this point, the faces of the four Inner Sect Disciples were grim. They sized up Zhaang Ye as if he were a monster.

Generally speaking, those with formidable Body Techniques didn't have outstanding strength, and vice versa. Like Ning Qingfeng, whose Body Technique was incredible, but his strength was average. Zhaang Ye, however, not only had a formidable Body Technique and immense strength, but his Saber Technique was also exceptionally powerful. Although the four Inner Sect Disciples each had their own unique skills, facing an opponent like Zhaang Ye, who had almost no weaknesses, gave them all a massive headache.

Zhaang Ye's gaze fell upon the four Inner Sect Disciples. "There are four of you left," he said. "Let's continue the battle. The loser hands over ten thousand Low-grade Essence Stones. Who's next?"

The four Inner Sect Disciples exchanged glances. Finally, a tall, burly, bald man spoke up slowly, "Zhaang Ye, I am Pang Wushuang, ranked thirty-fifth among the Inner Sect Disciples. I would like to compete with you in Fist Technique. Do you dare?"

Zhaang Ye raised an eyebrow. "Speak. What are the rules of the competition?"

Pang Wushuang chuckled and pointed at the cliff face beside them. "The two of us will each strike the cliff with a single punch, blasting a cave into it. Whoever's cave is deeper, wins. What do you think?"

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)