Chapter 577 550: Beheading

The dark-skinned young man's voice had just faded when a gentle breeze blew from the distance. Riding the wind, a youth in green robes suddenly appeared before him.

The one who had appeared so silently was none other than Zhaang Ye.

Zhaang Ye had no fondness for Gu Hengshui, but he held even less for this dark-skinned young man. The man had intended to assault Gu Hengshui and repeatedly called the young experts of the Purple Spirit Domain trash, which stirred a murderous intent within Zhaang Ye.

Seeing Zhaang Ye, the dark-skinned young man sneered, "Brat, trying to be the hero saving the damsel in distress? With a measly True Dao Fourth Layer cultivation, you're nothing but trash. You think you can play the hero?"

Zhaang Ye remained silent and impassive, striking with his blade.

Shadowless Blade!

The dark-skinned young man's cultivation had reached the Peak of True Dao Fifth Layer, and his combat strength was comparable to a Sixth-Layer Expert. Although he couldn't see a blade flash or feel any fluctuation in the Heaven and Earth Essence Qi from Zhaang Ye's strike, he felt a sudden sense of danger in his heart.

SWOOSH!

The dark-skinned young man threw up his palms, actually managing to block Zhaang Ye's Shadowless Blade.

PFFT!

The Shadowless Blade's Sword Gang was far more condensed than an ordinary Sword Gang. After blocking the attack, a faint, bloody line immediately appeared on both of his palms.

The dark-skinned young man's heart jumped in shock, and he roared in fury, "Brat, I, Shi Houyuan, will torture you to a slow death, then throw your corpse to the wild dogs and let them gnaw on your bones!"

Zhaang Ye gave a faint smile and said, "So arrogant, even when facing death. I'll take your head in three strikes!"

As he spoke, Zhaang Ye's figure moved and vanished from sight. While concealed, he once again unleashed the Shadowless Blade. With a wave of his hand, a traceless Sword Gang shot toward the dark-skinned youth, Shi Houyuan.

WHOOSH!

Before Shi Houyuan's voice could even fade, a deep gash was cut into his arm, and blood spurted from it like a fountain. More terrifying still, the Sword Gang bored into his Meridians through the wound, rampaging through them and causing him to wince in agony.

"Ah!"

Shi Houyuan was utterly horrified. Zhaang Ye's strange Saber Technique made him feel an extreme sense of danger. With a great roar, the vast Innate True Qi within his body erupted, forming dozens of overlapping defensive layers. At the same time, he waved his palms, preparing to execute an incredibly tight Defense Palm Technique.

Having comprehended the Wind Realm, Zhaang Ye's speed was astonishing. Once he attacked, he wouldn't allow Shi Houyuan a chance to resist. Before Shi Houyuan could even execute his Palm Technique, Zhaang Ye's second strike arrived.

WHOOSH!

This strike actually broke through the layers of Innate True Qi and landed squarely on Shi Houyuan's thigh. Although its power was greatly diminished after being intercepted by the Innate True Qi, Zhaang Ye's Shadowless Blade Gang was still exceptionally sharp. Taking the blow to his thigh, Shi Houyuan's movements momentarily faltered.

Just then, Zhaang Ye's third strike came.

Zhaang Ye's third strike was not the Shadowless Blade, but the Mountain-Breaking Slash. This strike was aimed directly at Shi Houyuan's neck.

BOOM!

Up until now, Zhaang Ye's attacks had been silent and traceless. But now, as he suddenly executed the Mountain-Breaking Slash, his hand chopping forward, an earth-shattering roar erupted!

Horrified, Shi Houyuan blocked with his left palm.

CRACK!

Zhaang Ye's Hand Blade cleanly severed Shi Houyuan's left palm. Before Shi Houyuan could even react, Zhaang Ye's Hand Blade had already slashed across his neck. A head flew high into the air as blood sprayed out, splattering Gu Hengshui, who stood in the distance, from head to face!

Shi Houyuan's eyes were wide with utter terror. Even at the moment of his death, he couldn't believe that with his cultivation at the Peak of True Dao Fifth Layer, he had been unable to withstand three of Zhaang Ye's strikes!

"Ah!"

Splattered with blood, Gu Hengshui let out a sharp cry. She stared blankly at Shi Houyuan's head, her pretty face a mask of disbelief.

The combat strength Zhaang Ye had displayed at the Young Masters' Evaluation Assembly had already shocked her. But now, killing a Peak of True Dao Fifth Layer expert in three strikes... his power was simply heaven-defying. Even as Shi Houyuan's corpse fell, Gu Hengshui couldn't believe her eyes!

Zhaang Ye shot a cool glance at Gu Hengshui, then casually snatched Shi Houyuan's Storage Bag before turning to leave.

Seeing Zhaang Ye leave, Gu Hengshui finally snapped back to her senses. Her eyes darted slightly as she called out, "Zhaang Ye, wait!"

Without turning his head, Zhaang Ye said, "Gu Hengshui, since we are both from the Green Cloud Sect, I'll save you this one time. Be more careful from now on."

Gu Hengshui hurriedly said, "Zhaang Ye, wait! You're planning to enter the Land of Gold, aren't you? Let me tell you, a few experts from the Exotic Realm have gathered inside. They seem to be trying to retrieve some kind of treasure. This Shi Houyuan was their lookout. Now that you've killed him, the experts inside will definitely find out. We should leave, quickly!"

"Leave?"

A glint flashed in Zhaang Ye's eyes. He shook his head slightly, then quickened his pace, heading straight for the depths of the Land of Gold.

Gu Hengshui seemed to have more to say, but seeing that Zhaang Ye was already far away, she stomped her foot and headed in another direction.

As he ventured deeper, a layer of steel-blue color began to coat Zhaang Ye's skin. This color was the Metal Qi. The metallic aura within the Land of Gold was exceptionally dense. If one were to stay in this place for too long, their flesh and blood would gradually metalize, and they would slowly transform into a Metal Man.

The Fire Spirit's voice rang out in Zhaang Ye's mind. 'What a dense metallic aura! Master, it's highly likely that a Gold Origin exists in this place. If you can extract the Gold Origin and place it in your Little World, the benefits will be immense!'

Zhaang Ye asked curiously, "What kind of benefits?"

The Fire Spirit explained, 'All worlds are formed from the evolution of the Five Elements. If you can extract the Gold Origin and place it in the Little World, various metals will gradually begin to appear within it. If you can gather all the Five Elements Origins and place them in the Little World, it will slowly evolve, grow, and expand.'

HISS!

Zhaang Ye was stunned. "You're saying that if I can collect the Gold Origin, Wood Origin, Water Origin, Fire Origin, and Earth Origin, my Little World can grow and gradually expand?"

The Fire Spirit affirmed, 'Exactly! Five Elements Origins are extremely rare, Master. If a Gold Origin truly exists here, you absolutely cannot let it slip away!'

Zhaang Ye nodded slowly. For the sake of his Little World's growth, he would go all out to seize the Five Elements Origin. Anyone who dared to stand in his way would be annihilated.

After traveling for more than two hundred li, he crested a metallic hill, and a small pool of water about three chi in diameter appeared before him.

Four young men of unfathomable strength were sitting cross-legged by the edge of the pool. Each had their hands outstretched, as if trying to lift the water from the pool. But this small body of water seemed to weigh hundreds of millions of jin, and even with their combined efforts, the four powerful youths were clearly struggling.

The moment Zhaang Ye appeared, the four young men sensed him. Eight gazes as sharp as swords shot toward him, and four chilling auras locked onto him.

A young man in purple robes with a sallow face and a jade belt tied around his waist stared at Zhaang Ye, a hint of displeasure on his face. "What's going on? How did a piece of trash from the Purple Spirit Domain get in here? Wasn't Shi Houyuan outside, in charge of killing anyone who approached? Don't tell me that brat went off chasing women!"

Another young man, with a face like polished jade and wearing a tall hat, looked at Zhaang Ye and frowned. "We're about to lift this pool of Innate Heavy Water. We can't afford any interruptions. Lin Zheng, go kill this trash from the Purple Spirit Domain."

The sallow-faced youth in purple, Lin Zheng, shot toward Zhaang Ye like a great bird. As he flew, he sneered, "A mere True Dao Fourth Layer cultivation dares to come here! Trash of the Purple Spirit Domain, die for me!"

HMPH!

The purple-robed youth, Lin Zheng, spread his hand in the air and chopped down with a palm strike.

Lin Zheng's cultivation was at the Peak of True Dao Fifth Layer. A simple palm strike from him contained Mountain-Opening Power. As his palm descended, it stirred the Metal Qi in the air. The dense metallic aura condensed into a giant axe, carrying the power to split mountains and crack the earth as it chopped down toward Zhaang Ye.

Lin Zheng's attack was astonishingly powerful, but in Zhaang Ye's eyes, it was nothing special. Zhaang Ye remained motionless. Only when Lin Zheng's palm was right above his head did he brazenly strike, chopping out with his own palm.

Self-Created Combat Skill—Mountain-Breaking Slash!

Although Zhaang Ye's cultivation hadn't increased in the past ten days, his comprehension of the Sword Dao had risen by a great measure. The moment he unleashed the Mountain-Breaking Slash, the phantom of a Space Storm appeared in the air, and an utterly terrifying Devouring Power erupted from his hand, blasting toward Lin Zheng.

BOOM!

The entire metallic hill trembled violently. A brilliant shower of sparks erupted where their palms met, and a massive force swept out in all directions.

The three young men sitting by the pool felt this immense fluctuation and their expressions changed in unison. They all opened their eyes and exclaimed at the same time, "This is bad! Lin Zheng is in danger!"

And Lin Zheng was indeed in danger. The power of Zhaang Ye's palm strike far exceeded his expectations. What horrified him even more was that Zhaang Ye's palm contained the forces of rotation, devouring, and melting. As these three terrifying powers surged into him at once, his entire arm was mangled into a bloody pulp, the bones within shattering inch by inch!

Lin Zheng was a battle-hardened warrior. Sensing disaster, he immediately roared, unleashing the power in his body in a frantic attempt to pull back and retreat.

How could Zhaang Ye let him retreat? With a slight clench of his palm, a vast Devouring Power locked onto Lin Zheng's body. Then, at a speed the naked eye couldn't follow, Zhaang Ye struck with his blade.

Shadowless Blade!

SHING!

An incomparably sharp Sword Gang slashed across Lin Zheng's neck. In a single move, the expert at the Peak of True Dao Fifth Layer was beheaded by Zhaang Ye!

-

Only one chapter update these past two days, my apologies. I hope to return to a normal schedule tomorrow.