Chapter 553 - 538: Despair
An ethereal, blood-red river of stars ran through the Sword Qi. It was as if the Azure Vault itself had been torn in two, a torrent of blood gushing from the rift. The sight chilled the onlookers to the bone, their bodies turning cold as they trembled uncontrollably.
If the power of the first sword lay in its thousands of corporeal Sword Qi, leaving no room to dodge and forcing one to endure an endless assault...
Then this second sword was the Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sect, condensing all that Sword Qi into a single strike!
Just one strike!
But its Sword Intent was invincible, peerless in all the world!
Shen Lang merged with the sword, his body integrating with the Dao, the Dao with the heavens, and the heavens with fate.
In that moment, his and Yuan Bupu’s bodies became a single sword—the one and only Netherworld King’s Sword in all of heaven and earth!
And so, to the onlookers’ utter terror, the two streams of blood-red Sword Qi, one after the other, majestically tore through the void and slashed straight down!
Below, the Zombie King was still using its Celestial Spirit Corpse Qi Wave to deal with the endless Sword Qi of the first attack. The moment it saw this new sword light that seemed to shatter the Azure Vault, it was aghast!
With Yuan Bupu’s own Cultivation at the King Martial Realm Second Heaven, further amplified by activating the second level of the Nine-Star Profound Meaning—the Tianren Star—this second strike of the Netherworld King’s Three Extremes Sword finally made the Zombie King feel a sense of threat!
Even with the powerful physical body of a Corpse Emperor, it was not, after all, indestructible.
This strike from the Desolate Domain Demon Ape before it had the potential to slice its body open!
In its shock and fury, the Zombie King tried to dodge.
However, the instant the sword light appeared, it was already upon it!
The Zombie King only had time to raise its right arm. The two streams of sword light instantly shattered its defense and landed on its arm!
"RAWR!"
The Zombie King let out a wretched howl as it was viciously sent flying by the sword light, a shriveled arm soaring through the air!
Shen Lang’s strike was slightly weaker and didn’t cause much damage, but Yuan Bupu himself was at the King Martial Realm Second Heaven. In the Burst state from opening the second level, the Tianren Star, his strike had instantly severed the Zombie King’s right arm!
"Flower Soul, Yin Qianshang!" Shen Lang roared.
"Kill!"
The two had long been waiting behind the stone pillars, gathering their power. At Shen Lang’s shout, they shot out like lightning!
"Boundless Thunder Prison!"
While still in mid-air, Yin Qianshang swung his Giant Blade, unleashing over a dozen slashes in an instant.
The crisscrossing bolts of thunderous light formed a massive net, instantly ensnaring the Zombie King as it flew backward!
On the other side, Flower Soul’s sexy red lips parted slightly, and a black light flashed out of existence.
"Demon Suppression Stele, suppress!"
An incomparably frigid voice issued from Flower Soul’s lips.
A massive black stele then materialized above the Zombie King’s head. It pulsed with an unsettling, spectral glow as it viciously smashed down on the Zombie King below!
The colossal black stele was densely covered with runes and a network of Spiritual Lines. Like a mountain, it bore down on the Zombie King, forcing it to its knees!
But even so, the Zombie King had still not suffered a fatal blow!
"ROAR!"
A furious roar that knocked a crowd of people to the ground echoed through the Twin Towers Hall. The Zombie King pushed itself up with its one remaining hand, supporting the Thunder Net and the black stele, and once again stood tall.
The incredibly powerful Thunder Power struck its body, causing white smoke to billow off it with a sizzling sound!
Just as the stele began to grow unstable and tremble violently...
The third strike of the Netherworld King’s Three Extremes Sword arrived!
"With the third sword, heaven and earth collapse; Yin and Yang reverse, shattering the scales of balance!"
Shen Lang’s thunderous voice resounded through the heavens, deafening all. Everyone present felt their blood boil with excitement, their hearts surging in their chests!
A stream of blood-red Sword Qi that blotted out the sky began to shrink, condensing into a Sword Gang that seemed capable of sundering all creation!
A peerless sword light, its edge incomparably sharp, domineering over all the world!
The first two strikes had already shaken the heavens and awed the earth, but when this third strike appeared, they paled in comparison!
The Evil Qi surged to the heavens. One invincible strike!
As this sword slashed out, time seemed to stand still.
It was as if the entire world had ceased to exist, leaving only this supremely domineering strike...
"ZING!"
In a daze, they heard a sound like a dragon’s cry, so piercing it made their eardrums ache.
The peerless Sword Gang descended past the edge of the Demon Suppression Stele, instantly blasting it away. It then sliced through the Thunder Net and slammed heavily into the Zombie King’s chest!
"BOOM!"
A blood-curdling shriek erupted from the Zombie King’s mouth, echoing throughout the Twin Towers Hall!
Ripples of unimaginably terrifying Energy spread out from the Zombie King’s chest. Its massive body was sent flying backward like a withered leaf, completely out of control.
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
The floor, which was layered with Restrictions and inscribed with runes, actually collapsed under the force of its retreating steps! Slabs of runed flagstone were swept up, shooting out in all directions before exploding into dust a few meters away!
Before anyone could cheer, they saw the black gas around the Zombie King disperse, revealing Dark Gold armor underneath.
Right over its chest, the armor had been blown wide open, and black gas was continuously pouring out!
"Phecda Star, open!"
With that soft cry, Shen Lang activated the first level of the Nine-Star Profound Meaning, the Phecda Star!
His aura skyrocketed, climbing higher and higher!
His exposed muscles were instantly covered in fine, glistening, jet-black Scales!
He drew upon the full power of his Chaos Divine Body!
His figure shot forward like a streak of black light, covering more than thirty meters in the blink of an eye!
Just as Flower Soul and Yin Qianshang were lunging toward the Zombie King, the Long Spear in Shen Lang’s hand, which was glowing faintly, suddenly trembled!
Endless Thunder Power was instantly channeled into the Long Spear.
The shaft of the originally ink-black Long Spear immediately began to flicker with lightning, which coiled around it like tiny snakes...
While running, Shen Lang switched the spear between his hands, finally gripping the shaft tightly with his right and roaring, "Kill!"
As his Killing Intent surged...
Shen Lang’s figure spun, and with a single hand, he gave the spear another violent shake, producing a sky-shattering, air-piercing whistle!
The black Long Spear instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning. Like a giant python of thunder, it tore through the air with a sharp whistle and a low sonic boom, shooting viciously toward the Zombie King’s neck!
Shen Lang understood the terrifying resilience of the Zombie King’s body and knew the extent of the damage from the Netherworld King’s Three Extremes Sword.
He also had a perfect grasp of his own strength and speed.
This attack was timed to absolute perfection!
He seized the moment while the Zombie King was still trying to expel the violent Sword Qi from its body and was unable to move. The specially crafted Long Spear finally shot forward with incredible speed!
"PFFT!"
The black Long Spear instantly pierced the Zombie King’s neck and carried its massive body backward.
With a resounding THUD, it pinned the creature to one of the giant stone pillars!
The Zombie King’s body, which had withstood even the first strike of the Netherworld King’s Three Extremes Sword, was like tofu before this Long Spear!
And the stone pillar, whose defenses were incredibly formidable, finally showed damage for the first time, cracks spreading across its surface!
The power of this spear strike, which utilized the full strength of the Chaos Divine Body plus the boost from activating the first level of the Nine-Star Profound Meaning, the Phecda Star, was powerful beyond imagination!
Not only that, but it also fused the power of all Ten Elements Mansions within Shen Lang’s body. The powers of Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water from the Ten Elements Mansions merged and transformed within the spear, brewing a supreme and profound divine might... This was the first form of the Nine Revolutions of Life and Death Mysterious Technique, "Netherworld Demon Tribulation," fused into the Long Spear!
That supreme power, along with the destructive Energy within it that was about to explode...
Even Yin Qianshang and Flower Soul, who were rushing forward through the air, stopped dead in their tracks, horrified!
At that moment, a terrifying power surged out from the black Long Spear like a tidal wave!
The Thunder Power, which countered Zombies, and various other energies blasted into the Zombie King’s body, instantly paralyzing it and rendering it immobile.
And the power of the Ten Elements Mansions, now driven by Shen Lang’s Nine Revolutions of Life and Death Mysterious Technique, was essentially a mutated version of the technique’s first form, "Netherworld Demon Tribulation"!
The Zombie King tried to scream, but with its neck pierced, it could only make strange, gurgling noises.
It wanted to struggle free, but its strength was completely suppressed by the power in the spear, leaving it unable to move a muscle!
"Flower Soul, you two, get back!"
Shen Lang roared at that moment!
King Martial Realm experts could move as fast as they could think. Hearing Shen Lang’s voice, the two of them spun around and were already behind a stone pillar!
In that instant, the terrifying power of the Netherworld Demon Tribulation finally erupted!
"BOOM!"
A thunderous explosion rang out within the Twin Towers Hall.
A mushroom cloud suddenly erupted from the Zombie King’s body, rolling outward like a volcanic eruption!
The onlookers in the rear, who were already trembling with fear, were nearly knocked unconscious despite being under Xue Dangdang’s protection. They all clutched their ears, their faces contorted in pain!
Alarmed, Xue Dangdang threw her hands up and forcibly lifted all several hundred people, moving them diagonally to take cover behind a stone pillar!
Terrifying Energy rampaged through the Twin Towers Hall as a massive storm howled past, sweeping across the entire area!
The unusually sturdy Twin Towers Hall seemed to shudder violently. Cracks burst open on the floor and spread outward in all directions.
Of the massive stone pillars that lined the Twin Towers Hall, half were now severely damaged!
The Twin Towers Hall, which had remained intact even during the battles between King Martial Realm experts, was now a complete wreck...
The storm slowly dissipated. As the dust settled, the crowd moved to the edge of the pillar and took in the scene.
Instantly, everyone froze.
The Twin Towers Hall fell deathly silent...
In their line of sight, the Zombie King was still pinned to the stone pillar. Two-thirds of the pillar had been blasted away, leaving only a thin section remaining.
The Zombie King’s Dark Gold Scale Armor was completely shattered, revealing ghastly white bone all over its body. Its neck had been blasted wide open, creating a hole through which they could see the pillar behind it...
Even a full-power slash from Yin Qianshang, a King Martial Realm expert, couldn’t sever its arm.
Yet now, the Zombie King had been beaten to such a miserable state...
Flower Soul, emerging from behind the pillar, stared at the scene, momentarily stunned. Then her red lips parted, her face a mask of shock!
But before anyone could process what they were seeing...
"Heh heh heh heh!"
A cold laugh filled with soaring resentment suddenly echoed through the Twin Towers Hall.
Then, the black Long Spear pinning the Zombie King began to tremble violently, as if a powerful force was gripping it and trying to pull it out.
A biting, bone-chilling wind of resentful Evil Qi burst forth from the Zombie King’s body and spread rapidly!
It chilled them to the bone and made them tremble all over!
The endless black gas in the surroundings immediately began to converge on the Zombie King and was absorbed into its body...
"It’s not dead!"
Someone screamed.
Such a powerful attack still hadn’t killed the Zombie King!
Everyone’s hearts sank completely...
A feeling of hopeless despair swept over them all!