Chapter 583: Slaying the Golden Hook Marquis and Obtaining the Fruits

“AHHH!!!”

Taishu Gang’s soul nearly scattered in terror. His muscles and bones began to vibrate in a profound way, and a metallic sheen appeared on his skin.

At the same time, Taishu Gang frantically thrust his long spear, a tangible Spear Aura shooting straight for Zhaang Ye. This was a move of mutual destruction. If Zhaang Ye’s Broken Wave Saber came straight down, Taishu Gang would surely die, but Zhaang Ye would be unable to dodge this spear strike!

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhaang Ye’s eyes. His Broken Wave Saber made an impossible, profound transformation, slicing in from an uncanny angle.

“ROAR!”

As the Broken Wave Saber swept past, a cloud of blood mist erupted in the air. Taishu Gang let out a massive roar and retreated at high speed. By now, the distant Barbaric Beasts had arrived, and Taishu Gang actually dove headfirst into the dense horde. In the blink of an eye, he vanished among them.

Zhaang Ye held his Broken Wave Saber in a reverse grip and stood in mid-air, not giving chase. His gaze shifted to the distance as he said slowly, “You there. You’ve been watching for a while. Come on out.”

The moment Zhaang Ye’s voice fell, a man in leather appeared above the distant woods. He had a formidable build with deep-set eyes that glinted like a wild wolf’s. What was most striking were the two gleaming golden hooks on his arms, each as thick as a child’s arm. A frigid, sinister aura radiated from the hooks, sending a chill down the spine.

The leather-clad man walked through the void, step by step, and said in a chilling tone, “Brat, these three Jade Marrow Fruits belong to me, the Golden Hook Marquis. If you know what’s good for you, kill yourself at once. I can grant you an intact corpse.”

Zhaang Ye sneered and said, “You must be from the Black Cloud Domain, right? What gives you the right to tell me to kill myself?”

The Golden Hook Marquis’s expression changed slightly. A murderous aura surged from him, and his two Golden Hooks radiated a frigid presence. Under this chilling aura, even the nearby Barbaric Beasts scrambled to get away.

The Golden Hook Marquis pointed a Golden Hook at Zhaang Ye and said icily, “I, the Golden Hook Marquis, am one of the Four Marquises. Since my debut, no one has ever dared to curse me. Brat, I’ve changed my mind. I’m no longer giving you the chance to commit suicide. Today, I will drain your blood drop by drop and use it to baptize my Golden Hooks.”

Zhaang Ye’s heart stirred. Suppressing his raging killing intent, he asked coolly, “The Four Marquises? Does the Black Cloud Domain have four young experts with your level of strength?”

The Golden Hook Marquis laughed arrogantly. “Of course! This time, my Black Cloud Domain’s younger generation has one King and four Marquises entering the Sword Monarch Ruins. Brat, your Purple Spirit Domain is destined to be completely annihilated. All right, I can’t be bothered to talk to you anymore. Just die for me!”

A cruel smile touched the corner of the Golden Hook Marquis’s mouth. He brandished his two gleaming Golden Hooks and shot toward Zhaang Ye with an extremely profound Body Technique.

Brutal!

Exceptionally brutal!

If Taishu Gang’s spear was the epitome of fierce power, then the Combat Skill this Golden Hook Marquis unleashed was the epitome of brutality. The moment he struck with his two Golden Hooks, an aura of utter brutality enveloped the area for dozens of miles. This brutal aura had a terrifyingly infectious quality; the surrounding Barbaric Beasts were engulfed by it and immediately flew into a frenzy, roaring and attacking wildly.

Seeing the Golden Hook Marquis attack so suddenly, Zhaang Ye sighed softly. He had planned to pry some information about the Black Cloud Domain’s experts from his mouth. He hadn’t expected the Golden Hook Marquis to be so vigilant and decisive, attacking at a moment’s notice.

“If you’re so eager to die, then die!”

Zhaang Ye sneered. His body suddenly merged with the Broken Wave Saber, and a colossal blade slashed through the void, flying out at an unbelievable speed!

Cloud-Breaking Slash!

“SWISH!”

The Golden Hook Marquis’s rapidly flying body suddenly slowed. The brutal aura on his Golden Hooks also dissipated bit by bit, like ice melting under a scorching sun.

The Golden Hook Marquis stood in the void in disbelief, his deep-set eyes fixed on Zhaang Ye as he stammered, “Y-You… what kind of Saber Technique is this? What Saber Technique is this?”

This was the second time Zhaang Ye had used the Cloud-Breaking Slash today. From using the Saber Technique so frequently, his face was slightly pale, and the qi and blood in his body churned restlessly.

Zhaang Ye suppressed the churning in his body and said, enunciating each word, “Cloud-Breaking Slash. Sir, to die by this Saber Technique of mine is a fitting end for you.”

“SPURT! SPURT! SPURT! SPURT!”

With every word Zhaang Ye spoke, a stream of blood erupted from the Golden Hook Marquis’s body. By the time he finished speaking, the marquis’s brow split open, his eyes filled with intense, venomous hatred.

“Brat, don’t celebrate too soon. Zi Nuhou, the Iron Hand Marquis, the Bloodline Marquis, and the Flower King have also entered the Sword Monarch Ruins! You’ll be killed by them soon enough! You’re dead, you’re dea—”

Before the Golden Hook Marquis could finish his words, the crack between his brows suddenly widened. Then, his body slowly split in two and fell from the sky.

It turned out that Zhaang Ye’s Cloud-Breaking Slash had instantly cleaved the Golden Hook Marquis’s body in two. The marquis had relied on his formidable Cultivation to hold himself together for a moment, but in the end, his body still split apart, killing him on the spot.

“WHOOSH!”

Zhaang Ye reached out a hand, grabbed the Golden Hook Marquis’s corpse, and tossed it into the Fire Spirit Realm. The Golden Hook Marquis was a True Dao Sixth Layer expert, after all. His flesh and blood contained abundant Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, which would be perfect for nourishing the Fire Spirit Realm.

Just as he stored away the Golden Hook Marquis’s body, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi suddenly began to fluctuate violently. The Primordial Qi from over three hundred miles around surged madly toward the cliff and the Jade Marrow tree!

The Fire Spirit said excitedly, “The Jade Marrow Fruits are about to ripen! Master, be careful of the Barbaric Beasts! They will launch a desperate attack the moment the fruits mature!”

The Fire Spirit’s voice had barely faded when the distant Barbaric Beasts suddenly accelerated toward the cliff. Meanwhile, several hundred giant birds appeared in the sky. These strange-looking birds each possessed the combat power of the Early Stage of the True Dao Fifth Layer. They let out shrill cries and dove straight for the Jade Marrow tree!

“KILL!”

Zhaang Ye roared. His Broken Wave Saber shot out a ten-thousand-zhang Sword Gang that slashed toward the sky. The terrifying Sword Gang swept through the void, instantly killing dozens of the giant birds.

Instant kills!

After Zhaang Ye refined the Sword Monarch’s will, the Sword Gang he produced was more condensed and even more terrifyingly powerful. Although these giant birds possessed the combat power of the True Dao Fifth Layer and had agile bodies and astonishing Defense Power, they couldn’t withstand it.

“SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!”

Ignoring the churning of qi and blood inside him, Zhaang Ye unleashed five slashes in a single breath. Five ten-thousand-zhang Sword Gangs swept through the void, instantly beheading over two hundred giant birds.

After slaughtering the giant birds, Zhaang Ye looked toward the Jade Marrow tree. It was surrounded by extremely dense Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. The three bright red Jade Marrow Fruits were like black holes, madly absorbing the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. They grew redder by the second, and the fragrance they emitted became richer and spread farther.

“CAW! CAW! CAW! CAW! CAW!”

The rich fragrance drove the giant birds into a frenzy. Over a thousand more suddenly flew in from the distant void. The thunderous flight of a thousand giant birds blotted out the sky, and the Gang Wind they kicked up was so powerful it made the ground tremble violently, turning all the trees to dust.

“ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!”

The Barbaric Beasts on the ground also smelled the ever-thickening fragrance and began to charge wildly. Some of the massive Barbaric Beasts used their enormous bodies to slam violently against the cliff face!

“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!”

Though the cliff was ten thousand zhang tall, it was teetering on the brink of collapse under the Barbaric Beasts’ impacts. The Jade Marrow tree growing on it swayed violently, and the three Jade Marrow Fruits looked as if they could fall at any moment!

Zhaang Ye’s heart jumped. He silently released his Celestial River Righteous Qi, firmly suppressing the area a thousand zhang around him. At the same time, he swung his Broken Wave Saber, slashing again and again to cut down the giant birds in the sky.

“CRASH! CRASH!”

The bodies of the giant birds rained from the sky. In just the span of five blinks, more than three hundred giant birds had been slain by Zhaang Ye and came tumbling down.

“SKREEE!”

Suddenly, a bird’s cry echoed from the sky. It was extremely shrill and incredibly loud, drowning out all other sounds. Following this cry, the giant birds in the sky suddenly flew aside, and a two-headed giant bird with a thousand-zhang wingspan parted the clouds. Its two talons, each dozens of zhang long and as thick as a water tank, descended from afar!

The Fire Spirit shouted, “Be careful! This two-headed bird’s combat power is comparable to a True Dao Sixth Layer Middle Stage master! Its Defense Power and Attack Power are both terrifying!”

‘True Dao Sixth Layer Middle Stage… Heavens!’ Zhaang Ye groaned inwardly. He swiftly brandished his Broken Wave Saber, sending tangible Sword Gangs hurtling toward the two-headed giant bird, barely managing to block its attack.

The two-headed giant bird’s Defense Power was astonishing, its body was massive, and its Life Power was immense. Unless Zhaang Ye used the Cloud-Breaking Slash, it would be impossible to kill it. Zhaang Ye’s plan now was to stall for time, wait for the fruits to ripen, and then grab them and leave immediately.

“ROOOOAR!”

Just as Zhaang Ye was desperately fending off the two-headed giant bird, an enormous monster over 1,200 zhang long and 300 zhang tall suddenly emerged from the Barbaric Beast horde. This massive monster shimmered with a green light and had more than ten gleaming golden scales on its head, giving it an exceptionally imposing appearance.

“BOOM!”

The monster flicked its head, and a golden scale shot out like lightning, slicing toward Zhaang Ye. The golden scale was about three chi thick and ten zhang across, making it utterly terrifying at high speed.

“Fire Spirit!”

Zhaang Ye bellowed. The Fire Spirit immediately flew up, transformed into a huge ball of fire, and flew toward the two-headed giant bird to block its attack. With his hands now free, Zhaang Ye turned his Broken Wave Saber into a terrifying Sword Gang and slashed squarely at the golden scale.

“BOOM!”

Zhaang Ye sent the golden scale flying, but the immense force from it made him spit up blood. His Broken Wave Saber hummed loudly, and a chip appeared on its blade.

‘Heavens, this Barbaric Beast’s combat power has actually reached the Late Stage of True Dao Sixth Layer!’ Zhaang Ye thought, horrified, as he looked at the beast below the cliff.

“ROOOOAR!”

More roars from Barbaric Beasts echoed in the distance. Judging from the sounds, not a single one of these beasts had combat power below the True Dao Sixth Layer!

‘Heavens, I have to go! If I don’t leave now, I’ll be eaten by these Barbaric Beasts sooner or later!’ Zhaang Ye thought. He swung his Broken Wave Saber, knocking away another golden scale, and then grabbed at the Jade Marrow tree. He didn’t care if the fruits were ripe or not; he snatched all three and stored them in the Fire Spirit Realm. Then, he unleashed his Wind Realm and flew away at high speed, sticking close to the cliff face.