NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 458-465
Chapter 458: The last Fruit of Dao
Coming out of the Light of the Sage alive…
This was something unfathomable, but Fang Zhengzhi had done it. He was standing on a huge branch, his body covered in blood.
“How painful!” Fang Zhengzhi’s lips twitched. He was being honest, the pain had cut deep to his bones.
He felt like every inch of his body was burning.
Other than pain…
He also felt bloated. All of the energies in his body were swirling around and clashing with each other. He felt as though his body was going to explode.
He wondered if this was the after effects of what he had just done…
“I see!” Canyang’s voice echoed out as the golden light disappeared and morphed into a single figure.
The golden symbol continued to glow on Canyang’s head.
His eyes were lifeless and he was pale. However, in comparison to Fang Zhengzhi, he had fared much better.
At least his blue robe was still intact.
Below…
Countless eyes were fixated on the human and demon in the sky. They were all trying to guess what Canyang meant.
I see?
Could it be…
A thought flashed past the minds of everyone present. When they looked at Fang Zhengzhi again, their gazes were conflicted.
Gone was the shock…
It was replaced with a myriad of feelings, including respect, hurt, joy, amidst others…
“Sister Yan, could it be…” Ping Yang’s lips quivered as she looked at the bloody figure in the sky.
“Yes, he did it!” Chi Guyan replied before Ping Yang could finish her sentence. She was also trembling…
Yun Qingwu did not speak, but she gripped her dress tightly, so much so that her knuckles whitened.
Her dress flapped in the wind.
It was a beautiful sight, but it was strangely tragic as well.
Fang Zhengzhi clenched his fist.
He did not want to die. That was why he resorted to this. He had no idea what the consequences were.
But he knew one thing…
If he didn’t do this, there was only one fate that awaited him. Death.
Canyang would never let him off.
He would fight to the bitter end!
The demons could drain their demonic eye of power to give themselves a boost of energy. Fang Zhengzhi was doing the same thing now.
He did not have a demonic eye…
But…
He had Fruits of Dao.
Each of the fruits on the tree contained a vast amount of energy. As such, he decided to eat them all!
“You may die.” Canyang ‘looked’ at Fang Zhengzhi, his voice flat and calm.
“Yes, but like you said, it’s only a possibility. Who knows how it would end?” Fang Zhengzhi nodded.
“Mm, you are correct.” Canyang nodded after some hesitation.
Fang Zhengzhi did not speak.
Neither did he wait.
He couldn’t afford to wait.
From the moment he had swallowed that first fruit, he knew that the clock was ticking.
He clenched his fists.
“Bang!”
That was the sonic boom created by his fist flying through the air past the speed of sound.
At the same time, a multitude of colors glowed on his body. The blood on his body clotted and the deep wounds began to heal at a rate that the naked eye could see.
The next moment…
Fang Zhengzhi had arrived in front of Canyang. He punched with all his might, his body bathing in the multi-colored light.
This was an unstable light…
It looked extremely radiant, but each ray of light was tugging at and crashing into each other.
Canyang was not surprised by Fang Zhengzhi’s sudden attack. When Fang Zhengzhi raised his fist, Canyang used his right fist to match the attack. He had already calculated Fang Zhengzhi’s speed.
“Boom!”
The golden light was bright.
A domineering wave of force crashed towards Fang Zhengzhi. This was complete domination.
The fists parted.
Then, a figure came crashing down from the sky.
Columns of dust and rock were sent flying skyward.
At the same time, the tree began to shake as countless leaves fell to the ground, exploding as they hit the floor.
“No, the difference in power is too great!”
“No matter how many Fruits of Dao he eats to increase his power, he cannot possibly win.”
“Yes… his opponent is a Sage. This isn’t even a fair fight to begin with!”
The Dragon Protection Squad, Mountain Breaking Army, and Southern Region soldiers sighed as they watched the battle unfold.
The difference…
This was domination like they’ve never seen before.
It was something that Fang Zhengzhi could not possibly overcome.
“He’s definitely dead this time…”
The demon soldiers looked at the crater in the ground as well as the trembling tree with joy.
However…
Before they could rejoice.
The ground trembled…
An arm could be seen from the ground. It was bloodied and covered with wounds that cut to the bone.
“Ouch…” A voice could be heard.
Then, his other arm grabbed a rock as he tried to pull himself up. His arm was trembling and it took an immense amount of willpower…
But he did it…
With the help of the rock, he managed to pull himself out of the crater. His eyes were still filled with a myriad of colors, but they were significantly dimmer.
The light around his body had also disappeared.
“He’s not dead yet?!”
The demon soldiers could not believe their eyes when they saw the bloodied figure crawling out. How did Fang Zhengzhi survive a hit like that?
Canyang ‘looked’ at Fang Zhengzhi with his lifeless eyes. He was also slightly surprised, but he recovered quickly.
“I never expected his potential to be this great!” Canyang murmured to himself.
As a demon…
He understood what Fang Zhengzhi was doing.
Under normal circumstances, neither humans nor demons could maximize their potential.
However, by draining their source of energy, they could maximize their power for a limited period of time.
The more energy stored in the demonic eye, the greater the boost.
Even though Fang Zhengzhi did not have a demonic eye, he had a pocket dimension and Fruits of Dao. The concept was similar.
Right now…
Fang Zhengzhi’s abilities had already exceeded those of a normal demon who had drained his demonic eye.
Even Canyang was stunned.
As for Fang Zhengzhi…
He did not care about any of this. All he knew was that the explosive power he felt before was disappearing.
It was almost as if he had been emptied.
“It’s gone?” Fang Zhengzhi had no idea if this was a good or bad thing, but when he looked at Canyang bathing in golden light…
He knew…
He had no other choice…
He had to eat more!
Fang Zhengzhi really liked the number 108. It was a number that represented an otherworldly power in his previous world. Even though the number didn’t have any meaning in this world…
He still subconsciously stopped eating at 108.
However, it was clear that the number wasn’t doing anything for him.
F*ck the number!
He’ll eat as much as he could!
Fruits began flying off the tree and into Fang Zhengzhi’s hands.
This was the only advantage he had by being in control of The Vast World.
This was something Fang Zhengzhi took comfort in.
Perhaps combining his pocket dimension with The Vast World wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
“Again?!”
Everyone on the field was stunned when they saw Fang Zhengzhi swallow more fruits.
They were not surprised…
They knew what Fang Zhengzhi was trying to do…
However…
They also knew what the consequences were…
Fang Zhengzhi knew the consequences too, but he had no other choice. He was about to be killed!
He had to eat for power!
However, Canyang had no intention of letting Fang Zhengzhi eat any more fruits.
His body turned into a ray of golden light as he shot down from the sky, the symbol on his forehead glowing radiantly.
Canyang was fast…
But there was another ray of light which arrived before him.
This was a ray of light that shot out from the walls of the Iron Hill Settlement. It was not as fast as Canyang, but the person was much nearer.
As such…
It managed to block Canyang’s attack.
“Boom!”
The radiant purple light crashed into the ground after the impact.
However…
The purple light recovered and shot skyward in the blink of an eye.
“Canyang, even if you are a Sage, I must stop you!”
He straightened his back. One of his hand was covered in blood and his purplish golden robe had been shredded. However, he still glared at Canyang.
He showed no signs of backing down.
He was Xing Yuanguo.
“My lord!”
“Charge, save the lord!”
“Buy time for Fang Zhengzhi!”
Their voices rang out as soldiers began leaping onto the battlefield. These were soldiers from the Dragon Protection Squad and the Mountain Breakin Army.
Shan Ling clenched his fists.
The settlement chiefs looked at Shan Ling, their faces flushed and their mouths agape.
“Crown Prince, the people of the Great Xia have struck! How can we stand back?!”
“Yes, even Fang Zhengzhi is fighting. Your Highness, please give the order!”
“Your Highness, it is almost daybreak. For the survival of the Southern Region, we must buy time for Fang Zhengzhi!”
The settlement chiefs could not hold back any longer.
“Fang Zhengzhi, Fang Zhengzhi… go, go on! Buy Fang Zhengzhi time. He must be able to finish all the fruits!” Shan Ling grit his teeth.
“Yes, your highness!” The settlement chiefs replied in unison.
…
The soldiers charged out of the Iron Hill Settlement and towards Canyang. They were really like moths to a flame.
“Shameless humans, using their numbers against us! We…”
The Demon Domain Chiefs wanted to respond to the charge, but when they looked at Yun Qingwu…
They hesitated.
However, this hesitation did not last very long…
Because…
They saw the figures in black appear above them. They were descending from the heavens once again.
“Fang Zhengzhi!” The Demon Domain Chiefs knew what these figures were.
They wanted to curse and swear.
But could they?
Actually, they could…
But that wouldn’t solve anything. They would still have to fight the figures with everything they got! That was until Canyang came to their rescue.
The golden light glowed radiantly.
Countless golden spots of light flew towards the figures in black.
However, at the same time, the joint forces were also charging at Canyang. Leading the charge was a ray of purple light…
“Die!”
“Die!”
“…”
The sounds of killing reverberated through the air.
It was an awe-inspiring sight.
Below the battle was a person who was constantly shoving fruit after fruit into his mouth. With each fruit he swallowed, another color was added to the rainbow that enveloped him.
“I’ll eat!” Fang Zhengzhi exclaimed as he gobbled down the fruits.
He knew that Xing Yuanguo and the others were no match for Canyang. They could not hold Canyang off for very long. He had to eat as fast as he could.
He gobbled down the fruits constantly.
Alas…
He was stuck.
The fruit in his hand was different… this fruit was at least 10 times larger than the other fruits he had eaten…
Chapter 459: Weird way to die
There was purple light flowing across the skin of the fruit.
It looked like a crystal…
Most importantly, other than the patterns on its skin, the fruit looked like it contained something inside.
That being said, none of this concerned Fang Zhengzhi.
What he was most concerned about was how he was going to eat it!
The previous fruits were the size of a fist, but this was 10 times that!
His mouth wasn’t wide enough.
That was the biggest problem.
He couldn’t possibly cut it into 10.
Even without considering whether he could split it open…
Even if he could, he wouldn’t dare.
He still remembered what happened when Canyang destroyed two of his Fruits of Dao.
The shattering of the fruit released all the energy inside. The Fruits of Dao could not be cut open.
He realized that he did not have many Fruits of Dao left. He had consumed his fruits at a much faster rate this time.
Chew?
He couldn’t possibly do that.
Fang Zhengzhi had no idea if his teeth would break if he chewed the fruit. He decided to swallow the others first.
“Eat, I’ll eat!”
Fang Zhengzhi willed himself to finish all the fruits.
The battle in the sky intensified as soldiers charged at Canyang only to be beaten back down.
The bodies piled up…
But no one stopped.
They were like moths drawn to a flame. Even they know death awaited them, they didn’t think twice.
The Southern Region was the homeland of warriors.
Fang Zhengzhi was not a fan of war. He found it much too brutal…
But war was the only constant in history.
War between countries, states, races, people. So long as there were disagreements, battles were bound to erupt.
The only way to solve it all…
Was win.
Fang Zhengzhi wanted to win. He knew that if he lost, then he would die…
No one wanted to die.
Least of all Fang Zhengzhi. He stood up and held the last fruit in his hand. That was the glowing purple fruit.
He opened his mouth as wide as he could.
What if he couldn’t swallow?
Then he would force it down!
Fang Zhengzhi knew how powerful Canyang was.
Canyang would never give him any chance. He would split his lips if he had to! After all, he could heal his lips back since he was in the Supernatural State!
Swallow!
This needed courage…
Fang Zhengzhi did it.
He regretted it almost instantly.
When he forced the purple fruit into his mouth, he truly understood the meaning of torturous…
“Kacha!”
His teeth shattered.
His lips were torn open…
It was a tragic sight.
All of the Southern Region soldiers who were preparing to charge at Canyang were shocked by what they saw.
The looked at the fruit and Fang Zhengzhi’s broken jaw.
They couldn’t believe what was happening.
What was he doing?!
They weren’t the only ones who were stunned. The demon soldiers, as well as the Great Xia soldiers, were equally stunned.
At that moment, they felt that their sacrifice was meaningless.
Because…
They had a feeling…
That Fang Zhengzhi would choke to death!
If that was true…
Then what were they fighting so hard for? For Fang Zhengzhi to choke himself to death?
What the f*ck?!
At that moment, the battle stopped.
It was a brief respite, but it was enough to emphasize the feelings of everyone present.
Ping Yang’s eyes widened and her face turned red as she looked at Fang Zhengzhi. If she could move, she would definitely help Fang Zhengzhi.
She would step on the fruit and give Fang Zhengzhi a quicker end.
Chi Guyan smiled bitterly. She never thought that she would feel that meeting Fang Zhengzhi was a mistake, but she felt that it was now.
Yun Qingwu was also slightly bitter.
She wasn’t looking at Fang Zhengzhi. Instead, she was looking at Canyang, who was bathing in the golden Light of the Sage.
She had a feeling that…
Canyang didn’t have to do what he was doing…
This fella would have died even without external intervention…
This was a great example of it.
The golden symbol on Canyang’s forehead glowed as he stopped moving. Previously, he wanted to stop Fang Zhengzhi from eating the fruits.
But now…
He didn’t really care.
He rarely saw someone choke to death.
Fang Zhengzhi’s face was completely red. He looked like an apple, but the redness came from blood. All of the blood vessels in his face had burst.
He was regretting his decision.
What was he going to do?
Spit it out?
No…
That was too embarrassing…
If he were to spit it out now, all of his hard work would have gone to waste. Furthermore, when he stuffed the fruit in his mouth, he felt as though the energies in his body were in balance.
It was a strange feeling…
It was almost as if a bickering herd of sheep had run into a ferocious, ravenous wolf.
Without a leader, the ranks would be in disarray.
Fang Zhengzhi had no idea if the energy contained within this purple fruit was the answer, but he knew that the purple fruit was more powerful than any of the others.
So…
He had to give it a go!
He was already past the point of no return.
Fang Zhengzhi wanted to encourage himself, but he could not find the words to. His mouth was filled with the fruit.
His face was red as he raised his fist.
Punch!
He punched the purple fruit.
“Get in!” Fang Zhengzhi yelled to himself.
Then…
He felt the purple fruit enter his mouth a little more. The crack in his mouth widened.
Pain!
Fang Zhengzhi couldn’t find the words to describe the pain he was feeling.
He was suffocating…
Tears were rolling down his cheeks.
He was crying…
He rarely cried…
But right now, he was crying. It was a result of the pain and sadness he was feeling.
Countless eyes were on Fang Zhengzhi.
They watched him suffocate and writhe on the ground. Everyone gulped down the saliva in their mouth.
They could only imagine the suffering Fang Zhengzhi was going through.
“Is he really going to choke?”
At that moment, the same thought flashed through the minds of everyone present. They couldn’t bring themselves to believe it, but…
It looked like that was exactly what was happening.
Fang Zhengzhi was despairing. He wanted to kill himself. The pain was unbearable!
The fruit was stuck… he could neither push it in nor spit it out…
Only those who had experienced it…
Could know how painful it was!
There was a saying, never bite off more than you can chew…
This was meant to teach people not to be too greedy. Right now, Fang Zhengzhi was feeling the literal consequence of biting off more than he could chew!
It was hellish!
But did he have any other choice?
No!
He had to hang in there!
Fang Zhengzhi ignored the looks of those around him as he held his breath. Then, he punched the fruit.
“Bang bang bang…”
The hits constantly echoed…
With each impact, the purple fruit inched into Fang Zhengzhi’s mouth…
Finally…
After almost 100 punches…
The fruit was inside his mouth.
Then, Fang Zhengzhi was faced with a new problem. His throat was blocked… the fruit was stuck in his throat!
It wasn’t going down!
What was he to do?
There was no need to answer that question.
Because…
There was only one solution, force it down.
He was past the point of no return.
“Bang!”
Fang Zhengzhi punched the fruit with all his strength.
At that moment, Fang Zhengzhi felt as though his throat was exploding. It was almost as though his throat was on fire after swallowing a gallon of hot oil.
“Urgh!”
Fang Zhengzhi’s body began to spasm and writhe in pain…
Then, his legs turned to jelly.
He crumpled to the floor.
“He… choked to death?”
The demons thought to themselves as they watched the lifeless Fang Zhengzhi…
Xing Yuanguo’s face turned purple…
It wasn’t because of his weakening glow or his injuries… It was that his heart…
His heart just shattered.
What did he charge out for?
Why did he pin all his hopes on one person?
His heart!!!
He couldn’t believe it.
The hearts of all the joint forces soldiers shattered as well.
They all looked at Fang Zhengzhi in disbelief… how did this man go from battling Canyang to choking to death?!
But…
That was the reality…
Reality was brutal!
There were two figures on the wall of the Iron Hill Settlement.
One of them was in a white academic robe whilst the other wore luxurious leather covered in blood.
Nangong Hao and Shan Ling.
Neither of them jumped onto the battlefield.
“What are you waiting for?” Shan Ling smirked as he looked at the prone Fang Zhengzhi.
“Nothing.” Nangong Hao shook his head.
“I never expected that even Nangong Hao would be afraid of death!” Shan Ling mocked.
“Someone has to stay.” Nangong Hao added.
“Stay?” Shan Ling’s expression froze as he turned to look at Nangong Hao. He tightened the grip on his hilt when he saw how calm Nangong Hao was.
“I have a treaty in my hands. If there is no issue, sign it.” Nangong Hao retrieved a golden parchment.
He threw it at Shan Ling…
“Treaty?!” Shan Ling’s expression changed, his knuckles whitening, “So… you are the real ambassador!”
“Yes.” Nangong Hao nodded.
“What if I don’t sign it?” Shan Ling’s gaze was icy.
“Crown Prince, what do you think I’m staying behind for?” Nangong Hao replied calmly.
“Nangong Hao, I must admit that you are a talent. You have managed to attain powers equivalent to that of a Rebirth State cultivator. However, do you really think you can kill me?” Shan Ling pressed.
“Why don’t you try and find out?” Nangong Hao turned to look at Shan Ling, his grip tightening around his sword.
Shan Ling’s expression changed.
He looked at Nangong Hao, then at the demon soldiers and the joint forces on the field.
He grit his teeth.
“Five years! We will be a vassal for five years!” Shan Ling was shaking in his spot.
“10 years, that is the bottom line.” Nangong Hao shook his head.
“Okay, 10 years it shall be, but I have one condition…” Shan Ling hesitated as he watched Fang Zhengzhi lying lifelessly on the ground, “We only pay half the tithes!”
“This is already inside the treaty, please sign.” Nangong Hao nodded.
“It’s already written?!” Shan Ling was in disbelief.
He picked up the parchment, his expression changing as he unfurled it.
Nangong Hao was right…
It was already included inside.
Furthermore, the 10-year duration was also explicitly stated. Most importantly, there was a red seal at the bottom.
This was the seal of the Emperor!
“I never expected that… this had all been calculated by the Great Xia. Not bad, haha, not bad!” Shan Ling guffawed.
Then, he bit his finger…
And…
Placed his print on the parchment.
Shan Ling did not speak as he gripped the parchment. After a moment of hesitation, he threw it back to Nangong Hao.
Nangong Hao nodded but did not say anything. He kept the parchment and gripped his sword.
In a swift motion.
He leapt off the wall and shot towards the sky.
Shan Ling bit his lip as he watched Nangong Hao disappear. A trickle of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, his aura unstable.
Fury…
Deep-seated fury…
However, his anger was quickly replaced by shock.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something about the lifeless body on the ground…
He saw…
The body twitch…
Chapter 460: How unsightly
“Am I hallucinating?” Shan Ling blinked as he took a second look at the person lying prone on the ground.
Was he…
Really dead?
As Shan Ling was thinking about it, Nangong Hao’s sword had already reached Canyang.
It was a transparent sword.
It was named Standstill.
The tip of the blade exuded an icy chill. A thick mist enveloped Nangong Hao, almost as if he was being wrapped by an icy wind.
Everyone looked at Nangong Hao.
Including Canyang.
Even though he couldn’t see, he was still calm as a mountain. He was the all-powerful Canyang. Nothing could beat him.
The golden Light of the Sage glowed radiantly.
Canyang’s action was simple. It wasn’t fancy but Nangong Hao’s sword stopped in mid-air, almost as though it had been caught by the Light of the Sage.
It wasn’t anything unexpected…
But Nangong Hao’s expression changed, almost as though a giant rock had been thrown into a calm lake.
A multitude of emotions could be seen on his face.
The next moment, Standstill hummed…
Then, Nangong Hao sprang into action…
It was almost as if he forcefully extracted the sword from the Light of the Sage. To be precise, it felt as though the sword had done so independently.
It was a strange feeling…
But those were the facts, the transparent Standstill sword was removed from the Light of the Sage.
A sword within a sword!
What was even stranger was that Nangong Hao’s Standstill Sword seemed to be dragging countless shadows with it.
As he moved back, countless copies of the Standstill Sword appeared.
Each one as transparent as the original.
“Hum!” The blade hummed.
The swords began to twirl manically, almost like a tornado around Canyang. At the same time, Nangong Hao disappeared from sight.
The blade’s humming intensified.
The golden Light of the Sage exploded outwards at the tornado.
Everyone tensed up. They knew how powerful the Light of the Sage was. They had witnessed it with their own eyes.
However, the countless Standstill Swords all expanded with the Light of the Sage.
Even though…
Half were shattered by the light, the remaining half returned to their original state, twirling into a tornado.
This was an even more intense tornado.
The golden Light of the Sage receded.
The tornado followed suit…
This was a shocking sight. What was even more shocking was that when the tornado receded, there was an opening on Canyang’s robe.
It had been sliced open…
The opening was small!
But it was clear for all to see.
“Wow!”
The Dragon Protection Squad and the Mountain Breaking Army were excited. After Canyang became a Sage, Nangong Hao was the first person to injure him…
Or at the very least slice open his clothing!
The fire in the soldiers of the joint forces was reignited.
Shan Ling felt a chill down his spine as beads of sweat formed on his forehead.
He finally understood why Nangong Hao had dared to stay behind… he also understood what Nangong Hao meant when he challenged him.
“Nangong Hao!”
…
“Good, what a strike! Using Standstill to bend the rules!” Xing Yuanguo looked on approvingly.
“Using Standstill to bend the rules?” The Dragon Protection Squad and Mountain Breaking Army knew that Xing Yuanguo was describing Nangong Hao’s technique…
But they couldn’t understand what that statement meant…
That being said…
This was clearly not the right time to ask…
Chi Guyan was also looking at the sky. She seemed to be thinking of something as she watched the tornado of blades.
Few people knew how powerful Nangong Hao was.
It was rare that someone could force Nangong Hao to use everything in his arsenal.
Chi Guyan was one of them.
When Chi Guyan had taken the top spot on the Double Dragon Honor Rolls, Nangong Hao had tried his best but failed.
He had been defeated by Chi Guyan.
“One achieves success not by standing still, but by playing by the rules… even so, I do not have confidence!” Chi Guyan murmured to herself.
“What is Sister Yan saying?” Ping Yang couldn’t understand.
“Nothing much.” Chi Guyan shook her head.
…
In the sky…
The sword continued to hum in the sky. The sound and waves in the air were completely controlled by the tornado formed by the Standstill Swords.
Canyang did not move. He stood quietly in his original spot.
At that moment…
A ray of light shot past…
Opening another hole in Canyang’s robe.
The previous damage had been to his sleeve. But this time, the sword had sliced just below his chest, and it seemed to have drawn blood.
The Dragon Protection Squad and Mountain Breaking Army rejoiced.
“Nangong Hao!”
“Nangong Hao!”
“…”
The demons reacted differently.
The demon soldiers were all furious. They knew what tactic Nangong Hao was employing.
Canyang was a sage…
But he was still Canyang.
He was different from other sages. He could only determine location based on sound and the waves from his surroundings. Right now, Nangong Hao was disrupting both.
In other words…
Nangong Hao had caused himself and his sword to disappear in front of Canyang’s ‘eyes’.
What was even stranger was that the blades could expand and contract with the Light of the Sage.
Even though they didn’t know how Nangong Hao was doing it, they weren’t happy about it.
“Despicable!”
Their eyes were on the verge of popping out of their sockets.
They wanted to curse and swear, but they knew that Nangong Hao was fighting intelligently.
The only thing that mattered in battle.
Was the outcome…
Was the process important?
No one bothered about the process.
…
“Not bad, the disciple of the Nangong family doesn’t disappoint…” Canyang’s voice rang out as he retracted the Light of the Sage.
The symbol on his forehead continued to glow.
All of the demons were shocked to see this. Their jaws dropped, unable to understand why Canyang was doing this.
Wasn’t this equivalent to dropping his defences?
He was blind…
Why would he forgo the protection offered by the Light of the Sage?
None of the demons could understand.
Yun Qingwu clenched her fists anxiously as she watched Canyang hover in mid-air.
Just at that moment…
A figure appeared in the middle of the tornado.
This was a figure who had melded completely into the tornado. He held a sword in his hand.
It was a sword that was mere inches from Canyang’s forehead.
There were no disturbances in the air to announce its arrival.
It was silent and deadly.
It had one name…
The Dragon Combat Plan!
Everyone’s eyes were locked on the sword. They wanted to shout, but they couldn’t. The sword was too fast! They didn’t even have the time to make a sound.
“Clang!” A soft sound echoed out.
It seemed rather insignificant during the chaos of the battle, but after this clash, all of the humming stopped.
Two hands…
Clasped together…
In between was a sword, a transparent, silent, deadly sword.
Nangong Hao’s expression changed.
“Senior, you…” Nangong Hao was in disbelief. He had tried the attack twice and didn’t fail.
“Do you have any other choice other than to target my forehead?” Canyang’s expression was calm as he held the blade of the sword in his hand.
“I see.” Nangong Hao nodded.
Everyone was silent.
The demons smiled because their hope had been restored.
The Dragon Protection Squad, Mountain Breaking Army, and Southern Region soldiers despaired. Their hopes had been quashed once again.
Was it…
All in vain?
Was the war going to end here?
“He may not have a choice, but I do!”
A voice interrupted the silence. The voice had strangely come from the sky.
There were only two figures in the sky.
Canyang and Nangong Hao.
There was no third person.
Yet, the voice had come from the sky. To be precise, it had come from behind Canyang. It was sudden and unexpected.
Canyang’s expression changed instantly.
He paled.
Just as that voice rang out, he felt an unbearable pain below. He had never felt such pain in his life.
“He doesn’t have a choice, but I do!”
The voice echoed in Canyang’s mind.
He was extremely bitter.
He had always known that he had an Achilles heel. That was his forehead… and he would stop at nothing to protect him.
That was his only weakness.
But now…
He realized that he had another weak spot.
That was a spot that no one could possibly know about.
Canyang rarely writhed in pain, but right now, his face was contorted.
“Fang Zhengzhi!” Canyang bellowed in embarrassment and anger.
As a Sage…
He never thought that he would be injured in that area.
But Fang Zhengzhi…
Fang Zhengzhi had aimed for it twice now. More importantly, he had hit his mark this time.
Rage and embarrassment!
Canyang’s body shot skyward before he crashed into the ground with a shudder.
Silence…
The silence previously was a result of joy and sorrow respectively…
But this time, it was a result of shock an awe…
Because…
Everyone knew what had just happened.
They saw a figure standing behind Canyang. That was a naked, bloodied figure.
However, the figure’s posture sent chills down everyone’s spine.
He held his hands together…
It was similar to how Canyang had captured Nangong Hao’s sword, but he had clasped two fingers together.
In a single move…
He struck upwards…
Fang Zhengzhi had used it once and wasn’t going to hesitate to use it again. This time, he poured every ounce of energy he had into it.
“Attack!”
He knew that it was bound to work…
Everyone was stunned as they stared at Fang Zhengzhi. They couldn’t figure out how someone they had left for dead…
Could reappear…
How did he manage to pull that off?!
“He’s not dead!”
“Fang Zhengzhi is alive!”
“He didn’t die?”
No one could believe their eyes… how did Fang Zhengzhi survive that?
That was a gigantic Fruit of Dao.
How did he manage to swallow it?
They were even more shocked by Fang Zhengzhi’s audacity and lack of manners.
That was a Sage!
He actually used such despicable tactics against a sage – twice! How audacious could this man be?
The soldiers of the joint forces concluded that only a man standing on the borders of death would dare to do such a thing.
However, the demons did not think so.
“Shameless!”
“Immensely audacious!”
“How dare he?!”
The soldiers were furious! Their Sage, the most powerful and revered person in their hearts… had just been stabbed!
In the privates!
Most importantly, Canyang fell to the ground?
He crashed!
How embarrassing!
This was unbearable!
All of the demon soldiers pulled their bows taut. They decided to shoot Fang Zhengzhi off the face of the earth.
However, they never released their arrows.
Because…
They saw a pair of eyes.
It was a strange pair of eyes. One of Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes was a deep purple. His other eye was filled with a myriad of colors.
Red, yellow, blue, green…
Never in their wildest imaginations did they think that someone’s eyes could look like that.
Chapter 461: Ouch ouch ouch
The demons looked at Fang Zhengzhi, their hands shaking. They couldn’t even stabilize their hands to fire their arrows.
“Is he even human?”
The same thought flashed through the minds of all the demons.
There was also another question in their minds.
Was that attack…
Coincidence?
Or power?!
If that was power, then that would mean that Fang Zhengzhi was able to…
No way!
They all dismissed that thought instantly.
It had to be a coincidence…
But it was too much of a coincidence…
Firstly, Nangong Hao had disrupted Canyang’s senses using his sword. Then, he forced Canyang to retract the Light of the Sage at the crucial moment.
This had baited Nangong Hao into striking. As such, Canyang had focused completely on the symbol on his head.
That…
Was when tragedy struck.
“Shameless! Absolutely shameless!”
The demons knew that this was opportunistic of Fang Zhengzhi. They hated to admit it, but how many people would be able to recognize such an opportunity?
And of those people, how many would be capable of capitalizing?
That was a Sage!
In order to sneak up on a Sage and capitalize on such an opportunity… He had to time his advance with the Standstill Sword’s strike…
How terrifying!
…
On the ground…
Canyang knelt on the ground, his face pale. He bit his lip…
He was in pain, indescribable pain.
He wanted to stand up, but anyone who had experienced it before knew how difficult it was to stand amidst such pain.
The only thing that he could do was make sure that his posture wasn’t too unglamorous.
However, that only served to exacerbate the pain. Even as a Sage, he felt himself breaking out in cold sweat.
“Master!” Yun Qingwu was shocked to see Fang Zhengzhi in his current state, but she turned her attention to Canyang…
This was a man that she respected even more than her own father…
And now…
This man was in immense pain…
Yun Qingwu did wonder to herself how good it would be if she could help Canyang bear the pain…
However, the moment she thought about it…
She shuddered.
Even she did not want to experience that sort of pain.
She felt rather guilty. As a disciple, she should want to bear the pain on behalf of her master, yet, she was unwilling to do so now.
This was difficult to reconcile
Canyang didn’t respond to Yun Qingwu. He even turned away from Yun Qingwu.
He did not want Yun Qingwu to see his expression.
He clenched his fists.
A vein on his arm throbbed.
…
Two figures faced off in the sky.
One of them was in a white academic robe, his sleeves flapping in the wind.
The other…
Was a naked man who was bloodied from head to toe. A dense killing aura surrounded him, almost as if he was a death god sent from hell.
Fang Zhengzhi was nowhere near as dabber as Nangong Hao.
However, Fang Zhengzhi had an animalistic, domineering aura about him.
His eyes were the most important.
His eyes were completely different. To call it unbelievable would be an understatement.
As for Fang Zhengzhi…
He wasn’t thinking of much…
In fact, he was in a lot of discomfort. He felt like his body was on fire. This was a fire that burned from inside and spread to his skin.
It was hot…
So hot that he wanted to strip off all his clothes.
That being said, he had no clothes right now. He was covered in blood. Right now, the world he saw was strange.
It was red, blue, green, purple…
Most importantly, he felt a strong wave of killing intent building up inside his heart.
This killing intent seemed to cause him to lose his rationality, yet, apart from this killing intent, there was an odd calmness.
There was clarity…
This seemed to balance off the killing intent in his heart.
Fang Zhengzhi had no idea what state he was in right now, neither did he know how long he could keep this up.
However, he did know one thing…
He had to keep up the pressure.
Rest on his laurels?
That was something that he couldn’t afford to do.
He shot to the ground like an eagle swooping in on its prey. He lunged at thee half-kneeling Canyang.
He wanted to take advantage of the situation.
Fang Zhengzhi was fast. He stared at Canyang’s lifeless eyes.
A strange iciness in his eyes…
His purple eye was especially strange.
“Boom!”
There was a loud explosion as Fang Zhengzhi crashed to the ground. He was so fast that his body was a blur.
“How fast!”
The demon soldiers watched columns of sand and dust shoot skyward as they exclaimed to themselves.
Fang Zhengzhi must be courting death!
Doesn’t he know that his previous strike was a lucky one?
Ordinarily…
It was wise to strike while the iron was hot and take advantage of the situation. However, Canyang was a Sage.
The all-powerful Sage!
Without Nangong Hao to run interference, Fang Zhengzhi’s strike would be futile.
They waited for Canyang to incapacitate Fang Zhengzhi once again. This time, Fang Zhengzhi had no more Fruits of Dao. He would not be able to recover!
Moments later…
The dust dispersed…
A bloodied figure could be seen…
Not far away from him was a figure in a blue robe. His palms were on the ground and he looked rather haggard.
“He dodged?!”
The demon soldiers were in disbelief. They knew that Canyang was capable of dodging the attack, but they didn’t expect him to dodge!
Why should he dodge?
Canyang was a Sage! Why would a Sage need to dodge away from an attack from a human?!
The demon soldiers looked at Canyang, who was drenched from head to toe. They couldn’t understand what they were seeing.
Until…
A spearhead appeared in Canyang’s hand.
It was a broken spearhead. The tip was bloodied and drops of blood dripped from the point.
“Clang!”
The spearhead fell to the ground.
Canyang’s body seemed to turn to jelly at that moment as he crumpled to the ground, sweating profusely.
“Spearhead? Where did that come from?”
“Why does Canyang have a spearhead in his hand? And why is it broken?”
“Why is the spearhead bloodied. Whose… whose blood is that?”
A thought flashed through the minds of all the demon soldiers. Their expressions were contorted…
Of course…
There was rage as well.
They finally understood why Canyang couldn’t stand, and they also understood why Canyang had no choice but to dodge.
“This fella actually…”
The demon soldiers looked at Canyang and the figure standing in front of them. They felt a chill at their privates.
More than half of the demon soldiers reacted in the same way.
How could…
How could a person be that shameless?!
How audacious must someone be to be capable of such despicable tactics?!
Shouldn’t he leave some dignity?
The demon soldiers simply couldn’t believe their eyes.
Yun Qingwu was stunned.
She was utterly floored. Ever since the age of five, her mind had never stopped working, but right now, her mind was blank…
“He… he… he actually used a spearhead?!”
The demons were not the only ones who were stunned. The soldiers of the joint forces were equally floored when they realized what had happened.
“Spearhead? He actually…”
“That’s… vicious!”
“…”
The soldiers of the Dragon Protection Squad, Mountain Breaking Army, and Southern Region were rendered speechless.
Chi Guyan, Ping Yang, Xing Yuanguo, Xing Qingsui, even Nangong Hao couldn’t find words to express their feelings.
“Erm…”
“…”
Fang Zhengzhi didn’t hear the discussions around him, but he could guess what they were thinking from the looks on their faces.
In his mind, he was forced into it!
What else was he to do?
Just using his fingers alone would not be powerful enough!
This opportunity…
It was a rare one…
This might be his only chance to get close to Canyang. He had thought of stabbing Canyang in the back.
However, he didn’t dare to try it.
Canyang was a Sage.
He didn’t know how hard a Sage’s body was since every attack of his had been blocked by the Light of the Sage.
As such…
He didn’t want to take any risks.
Most importantly, he didn’t know if stabbing Canyang in the back would be of any use. He didn’t have much of a choice.
There were only a few places he could strike and only one which was guaranteed to ‘incapacitate’ Canyang for an extended period of time.
The demons thought about it…
If Fang Zhengzhi’s attack was not lethal, then the battle was decided.
Canyang would eventually emerge victorious.
However, Fang Zhengzhi still had to give his best.
Fang Zhengzhi didn’t hesitate as he lunged at Canyang once again. He wanted to take advantage of Canyang’s injury.
“Boom!”
Yet another explosion echoed out.
Canyang rolled to the side, his blue robe in shreds and his face pale. There were blood stains on the ground.
“What are you waiting for? Charge!” Fang Zhengzhi glared at Nangong Hao and the soldiers of the joint forces.
He couldn’t take it any longer.
Time was of the essence.
Yet, these people were still watching from the sidelines?
Canyang was already injured! This was the time to attack! What were they waiting for?
Nangong Hao’s expression changed.
As a member of the Nangong Family, he had a set of morals that he guarded fiercely. Even though Canyang was the enemy, he still respected Canyang as a senior.
That being said…
He also knew that this wasn’t the time to consider all those factors. This concerned the survival of the Southern Region and the Great Xia.
His Standstill Sword whirred.
Nangong Hao didn’t hesitate as he melted into the sea of swords, charging towards Canyang in a tornado.
Just as Nangong Hao moved…
A ray of purple light shot out. Xing Yuanguo had attacked too.
Victory was paramount!
In war, everything was fair game.
Given the same opportunity, Xing Yuanguo may even make the same decision as Fang Zhengzhi, provided that…
He could even think of it in the first place!
The swords hummed around Canyang, enveloping Canyang completely.
“Bend the rules!”
There was a purple ray of light filled with battle intent. It shot towards Canyang’s forehead.
Apart from the light…
There was one man…
This was a man covered in blood from head to toe, his eyes unrelenting. One of his eyes was purple while the other was multi-colored.
Time seemed to freeze.
Everyone, demon and humans alike, stared at one point.
That was the point where three figures converged on a half-kneeling youth.
His silver hair danced in the wind, his eyes devoid of any life.
Yet, he grit his teeth.
He grit his teeth so hard that you could see the veins throbbing on his face.
Chapter 462: Fight to the death
It was about to end…
Everyone was tense. They knew that the result of the battle hinged on this clash.
The three figures were extremely quick.
They surrounded Canyang in the blink of an eye.
However, Canyang didn’t move. He simply stared ahead with those blind, lifeless eyes.
Then, the three figures melded into one.
A sword, a palm, and a fist.
The blade was aimed at Canyang’s forehead but ended up hitting Canyang’s shoulder, drawing blood.
The palm…
Came from the side.
This was the attack of the battle-hardened Xing Yuanguo. He didn’t aim for the back, thighs, or butt…
He went straight for the jugular.
However, he ended up hitting Canyang’s chest. “Kacha,” there was a dull sound of bones breaking.
As for the punch…
That was from Fang Zhengzhi.
Fang Zhengzhi’s attack was significantly less lethal, but it promised severe pain.
Fang Zhengzhi targeted Canyang’s face.
This attack…
Was meant to put Canyang in even more pain.
Preferably, he wanted to knock out a few of Canyang’s teeth too.
However…
His punch was blocked by Canyang’s palm.
Did it hit the mark?
No…
“This is targeted! He is targeting me!” Fang Zhengzhi thought to himself when his attack was blocked.
He was the fastest…
Yet…
His attack was the only one which had been blocked.
More importantly, he saw that Canyang’s other palm was headed for his privates at lightning speed.
Fang Zhengzhi’s heart shuddered.
Canyang was clearly out for revenge. He was willing to take the hits from Nangong Hao and Xing Yuanguo just to hurt Fang Zhengzhi.
This was not a fight Fang Zhengzhi wanted.
He snapped his legs shut.
Fang Zhengzhi would never let Canyang’s attack hit. He would rather die than be hit in that spot.
Because…
This was his move.
“Watch out!”
Just at that moment, Xing Yuanguo’s voice rang out by his side. It was so loud that it caused Fang Zhengzhi’s ears to ring.
Fang Zhengzhi knew that Xing Yuanguo was warning him, but he had already seen Canyang’s attack.
He…
Should be in the clear?
At that very moment, a radiant ray of golden light shot out in front of him. It was like a sun ray…
It was much brighter than the Light of the Sage from before. It stained the entire sky golden.
“Fang Zhengzhi!”
A voice filled with rage echoed through the air.
Fang Zhengzhi felt that something was amiss. He hesitated and prepared to escape. After all, Canyang was targeting him.
But it was too late…
Fang Zhengzhi felt something pressing on his chest.
The chest…
Was to humans like the demonic eye was to the demons.
He lowered his head and saw a palm at that position. He was shocked. This palm should not be there…
Could it be that Canyang’s attack…
Was just a feint?!
A bead of sweat rolled down Fang Zhengzhi’s forehead. He finally understood what Canyang kept dodging…
Experience counts…
Fang Zhengzhi knew exactly what the meant, but he never expected that a Sage had to resort to such tactics.
Especially not a Sage who had been humiliated.
How could a Sage possibly tolerate it?
Fang Zhengzhi had underestimated Canyang’s tolerance…
Canyang…
He had hidden in the shadows for countless years before Yun Qingwu found him. His tolerance was something that an ordinary person would never understand.
“Boom!”
A loud explosion rang out.
A golden column of light shot skyward, shattering the tornado.
“Sh*t!” Nangong Hao spat out a mouthful of blood. He continued to have a hold on his sword, but he had been thrown to the side.
Everyone was blown away…
Including Xing Yuanguo.
He had retreated very quickly, but the golden light had still hit him in the chest. The sound of bones breaking caused him to pale.
Canyang…
A Sage…
He had been able to keep his cool despite the humiliation! He had managed to find a way to take all the hits before finding a method to defeat them all.
This was something that Fang Zhengzhi had not calculated.
Xing Yuanguo was forced back…
Fang Zhengzhi wanted to retreat as well…
However, Canyang had a firm grasp on his fist, the lifeless eyes staring straight into his soul.
At that moment…
Countless thoughts flashed through the mind of Fang Zhengzhi.
Back when he had been restrained by Canyang, his life had flashed before his eyes. He had one foot in the grave then.
Now, his death warrant had been signed.
“He wants to kill us both?!” Fang Zhengzhi felt a powerful force at his chest.
He had no other choice.
If he did not strike back now, he would be accepting his death.
He had to fight!
He grit his teeth and ignored the palm at his chest. He raised his other fist and threw a punch at Canyang.
There was only one thought going through his mind.
Hit Canyang!
“Bang!”
The strike was solid and clean. It landed on Canyang’s chest, causing multiple bones to break, but Canyang did not move.
He continued to stare at Fang Zhengzhi.
He allowed Fang Zhengzhi to pummel him.
The Light of the Sage was bright.
It was almost as bright and hot as the sun at noon. It stained the sky golden…
Fang Zhengzhi squinted.
He could feel the golden Light of the Sage closing on him, almost as if it wanted to absorb him.
The burning sensation around his body intensified. He felt like he was more powerful than ever before.
But…
At that moment, he felt a sense of danger…
This was a danger that he had never experienced before.
Sage.
Is this the power of a Sage?
Despite all the Fruits of Dao he had eaten, despite being in control of The Vast World… he couldn’t defeat a Sage.
He wasn’t willing to accept this!
No matter what the result was going to be…
Fang Zhengzhi decided to lay out all his chips. He had no more tricks up his sleeves. He had already used The Vast World and the Fruits of Dao.
Right now, he was only moments from victory.
He had to give it his all!
Fang Zhengzhi clenched his fists. He was ready for his last stand. He would use up every last ounce of his energy.
“Ah! Go to hell!”
He bellowed.
Then, a strange ray of purple light shot to the sky. It could be seen clearly through the Light of the Sage. This column of purple light was surrounded by rays of light of other colors.
Red, blue, green, yellow…
“Kaboom!”
At that moment, the ground split open as spider web-like cracks began to spread in all directions.
The heavens also began to shudder.
The cracks also began to spread in the sky, the darkness swallowing much of the light.
“What’s happening?!”
“What is this?!”
“Could it be…”
The demons were all shocked by what was happening.
Even the soldiers of the joint forces were stunned. Everything had happened too quickly.
They didn’t even have a chance to recover.
What happened?
What was the result?
No one knew…
They only saw the purple column of light inside the golden Light of the Sage.
Right now…
The ground had begun to shake as columns of dust and rock were sent flying into the sky. The trees, walls, and bodies began to rise…
“Could it be…”
“The Vast World has crumbled?!”
“Not good!”
When the soldiers of the joint forces realized what was happening, they turned to look at the two battling figures.
However… the two figures had disappeared.
To be more precise…
They were surrounded by a cloud of dust.
The golden Light of the Sage and that strange purple light had disappeared.
A ray of silver light shone at where the two figures were standing. Then, there was an explosion of light.
The tree became transparent…
Then disappeared…
This was followed by an earthquake…
There was a tsunami made of sand at the epicenter of the silver light. It spread in all directions like a ravenous monster swallowing everything in its way…
Chapter 463: Live or die
The sky darkened.
There was no light in the sky. All that was left as sand and dust, spreading in all directions.
Yun Qingwu didn’t move, allowing the dust to envelop her.
Chi Guyan and Ping Yang did not move either.
Xing Yuanguo was on the ground, his face completely ashen. Xing Qingsui knelt next to him.
“Father!” Xing Qingsui held Xing Yuanguo in his hand as he shielded his father with his body.
Blood trickled from the edge of Nangong Hao’s mouth, his sword stabbed into the ground for stability. However, his shaking body and ashen face were clear signs…
He was injured…
Seriously injured!
Shan Ling watched quietly from the side as the dust crashed towards him. The Southern Region soldiers and settlement chiefs disappeared in front of his eyes.
After a long time…
The cracks in the ground also started to disappear and the trees began to grow. The sun also shone through the clouds.
Figures began to appear…
Demons, soldiers of the joint forces…
The black walls of the Iron Hill Settlement also rose from the ground. It was significantly more scarred than before.
The humans and items were still the same…
However, both humans and demons felt vastly different…
“The Young Master is back!”
“The Vast World has been broken!”
“Thank the Demon Gods!”
The demon soldiers whooped and cheered.
However, Yun Qingwu’s expression showed no joy. The soldiers who were in The Vast World and Yun Qingwu were all looking at the middle of the field.
Over there…
Were two figures…
A light breeze blew past, blowing up a tattered blue robe and silver hair. It caressed the haggard but youthful face of Canyang.
“Could it be…”
The demon soldiers in the distance looked on in disbelief. Canyang’s appearance said it all.
Most importantly…
There was someone else in front of Canyang.
That was a man covered in blood from head to toe. He was naked and his hair was in a mess. There were no words to describe how forlorn he looked.
Most importantly, his palm was on Canyang’s face.
To be exact…
It was on Canyang’s forehead!
The golden symbol!
“How is that possible?!”
“How did he manage to…”
The demons who were spared from The Vast World were shocked to witness this. They couldn’t imagine what had happened in The Vast World.
Even so, there was no one willing to answer their questions.
Everyone who had escaped from The Vast World fell silent…
They had seen it all, but they never imagined that it would end like this.
Was Canyang dead? Or was Fang Zhengzhi dead?
The Vast World had been broken!
This would usually mean only one thing – Fang Zhengzhi’s death. However, the scene in front of them made them doubt their conclusions.
Neither Canyang nor Fang Zhengzhi had any glow surrounding them.
The golden Light of the Sage had disappeared…
Along with the strange purple light…
“Life or death? Who lived? Who died?”
Ordinarily, they would have known the answer in a heartbeat, but the scene in front of them made it impossible to guess.
Xing Yuanguo’s face was devoid of color, but he continued to stare at Fang Zhengzhi and Canyang anxiously.
Nangong Hao had sheathed his sword, but he did not close his eyes. He was also looking at the two figures.
Shan Ling was significantly less anxious. He simply leaned on the city walls and waited patiently.
Yun Qingwu’s white dress danced in the breeze.
“Master…” Yun Qingwu murmured, her eyes filled with sorrow and despair.
There were two figures standing beside her.
Chi Guyan’s pink dress was still as clean as ever, but she did not look well. She stared at the figure with his back to her.
She knew what the destruction of The Vast World meant.
“Shameless fella, you… you can’t die…” Chi Guyan murmured to herself.
“Ah! Let me go! Shameless fella, you better not…” Ping Yang’s voice cut through the silence.
However, she stopped shouting almost immediately…
Because…
She realized something was amiss…
When she was struggling, she realized that she was able to move! The restraints had disappeared!
Wasn’t she being restrained by the Heavenly Dao?
Was Canyang dead?
This was the thought that flashed through her mind. She was extremely excited. Ordinarily, she would be celebrating.
However, for some inexplicable reason, she wasn’t in the mood for celebration.
“Oi, Fang Zhengzhi, you shameless fella! This is your last chance! Come and protect me, your princess! Oi… did you hear me? Fang Zhengzhi!” Ping Yang’s voice rang out.
It was rather aloof but also filled with anticipation.
However…
There was no answer.
Silence.
A strange silence…
The only sound was that of the light breeze caressing their faces. It was daybreak, and the sun was gentle.
After a long pause…
The silence was broken again…
It was a light cough. The sound was frail and raspy. The person sounded weak.
“Ahem…”
When the cough was heard…
The expressions of all the demons changed! They were in disbelief, but they were also happy!
Tears welled up in Yun Qingwu’s eyes.
Two teardrops rolled down her cheeks like dewdrops on a flower…
“Master, you…”
“Ahem!” A cough rang out once again.
A figure began to move, his tattered blue robe shaking unsteadily from side to side.
“Not good, the blind old man isn’t dead!” Ping Yang stared in shock.
However…
Other than shock, there was also a mixture of other complicated emotions.
Her emotions were inexplicable – even Ping Yang herself did not know what she was thinking. However, when she saw Canyang move…
She charged out!
No one knew what Ping Yang was thinking…
Even she herself didn’t know, but she still charged out anyways. She was not fast, but the Blazing Qilin Spear in her hand was rather eye-catching.
Columns of flame shot skyward.
There was a flickering golden light at the tip of her spear.
“No!”
“Ping Yang!”
Just as Ping Yang rushed out, two voices pierced through the air. These were the voices of Yun Qingwu and Chi Guyan.
Yun Qingwu was not fast…
As such, she could not possibly stop Ping Yang.
Chi Guyan was faster than Ping Yang and could stand in her way. However, when she saw Yun Qingwu charge out, she slowed down.
“Ping Yang, don’t go!” Chi Guyan put herself in front of Yun Qingwu, but her eyes were on Ping Yang.
Yun Qingwu stopped.
She looked at Canyang’s body, tears rolling down her cheeks as she shuddered.
As for Ping Yang…
She showed no signs of stopping.
She had always listened to Chi Guyan. No matter what Chi Guyan said, she would listen to her unconditionally.
The reason was simple.
She thought that Chi Guyan was right…
But now, she didn’t stop.
Ping Yang didn’t know why. Perhaps it was because she had been trapped for so long she longed for this freedom…
Perhaps she just wanted to vent her frustrations on Canyang…
After all, as a princess of the Great Xia, she was quite pissed off about being trapped for that long.
Of course…
She also thought that she was doing the right thing.
Ping Yang didn’t stop.
She thrust her Blazing Qilin Spear, the flickering golden light headed straight for the shaking figure of Canyang…
Columns of flame shot skyward.
Then…
They disappeared…
Even the flickering golden glow disappeared.
Ping Yang’s attack was fast and powerful, but the way her attack was stopped was even quicker…
There wasn’t much commotion.
She stopped in her tracks, her eyes staring at the tip of her spear.
There was a hand which grabbed the tip of her spear.
This hand had stopped the Blazing Qilin Spear, one of the ten greatest treasures of the Great Xia Dynasty, in its tracks.
Chapter 464: A Sage is Still a Sage
Ping Yang’s eyes widened. She was in disbelief… this was an expression that was rarely seen on Ping Yang…
She was trying to stab Canyang.
No matter how confident she was, she would never expect that her attack would hit.
Even though Canyang was injured, Ping Yang was only in the Star Conglomerate State…
However, Ping Yang was shocked…
Her clear eyes were wide as coins, her jaw dropped so wide you could fit a fist in it…
“You…” Ping Yang wanted to say something, but every time she opened her mouth, she couldn’t find the words to express her shock.
Ping Yang wasn’t the only one who was shocked.
In fact, Chi Guyan, Yun Qingwu, even Xing Yuanguo and Nangong Hao were also stunned.
The person who had grabbed Ping Yang’s Blazing Qilin Spear was not Canyang…
It was…
Fang Zhengzhi!
His bloodied hand seemed unaffected by the most powerful offensive weapon in the Great Xia. He was able to hold it by the tip.
“How is that possible?!”
“He’s not dead…”
“Even if he’s not dead, where is he getting the strength from? Hasn’t his pocket dimension been crushed? He has no more Fruits of Dao, how is he able to…”
All of the demon soldiers who were inside The Vast World couldn’t believe their eyes. They had no idea what was going on…
Fang Zhengzhi didn’t die…
That was shocking enough on its own. Not only did he survive, he had enough energy to stop an attack from the Blazing Qilin Spear!
What the hell?
Those soldiers were shocked…
The soldiers of the joint forces were floored by what they were witnessing as well.
“What is happening?”
“Didn’t Fang Zhengzhi link his pocket dimension with The Vast World? Now that The Vast World has been broken, how does he still possess such power?!”
“What is happening?”
All of the soldiers looked at each other for answers but found nothing but confusion…
This was not bad for them…
However…
It defied all logic…
A human’s energy came from the pocket dimension. Fang Zhengzhi had linked his pocket dimension with The Vast World. Now that The Vast World has been destroyed…
Fang Zhengzhi should have suffered serious injuries.
His cultivation future was in question. No one expected him to be able to stop the Blazing Qilin Spear. Most importantly, he had eaten all his Fruits of Dao.
What was happening?
No one could understand.
A light breeze blew past and Ping Yang’s fiery armor flowed in the sun. It was a beautiful sight, but no one was looking at her.
They were all looking at the bloodied figure standing in front of her.
The figure moved.
With a light tug…
He took the Blazing Qilin Spear in his hands.
Then, he brought the Blazing Qilin Spear to his chest. He stopped himself…
His expression said it all…
He hesitated before smiling bitterly.
“I forgot…” Fang Zhengzhi said in exasperation. His eyes had reverted to their normal state.
The purple glow had vanished.
The multi-colored glow had also vanished.
All that was left was black and white.
His pupils were dark as ink and the rest of his eye was white as snow.
Ping Yang was stunned when she saw Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes. Then, she remembered something…
Hang on…
This shameless fella was trying to…
Take her Blazing Qilin Spear?
Ping Yang knew exactly what Fang Zhengzhi was trying to do. A wave of rage came over her…
If not for the fact that the Heart Protection Mirror had been destroyed…
The Blazing Qilin Spear would have been kept by Fang Zhengzhi…
“How audacious! You dare to snatch my Blazing Qilin Spear?” Ping Yang was fuming. She wanted to snatch it back.
However, when she looked at Canyang…
She calmed down…
The Blazing Qilin Spear would be more effective in the hands of Fang Zhengzhi.
Just as she was thinking about it, a fiery red glow flashed past her eyes and she felt something in her palms.
“Forget it, I’ll return it to you.” Fang Zhengzhi’s voice echoed out.
“Return it to me?” Ping Yang blinked, visibly stunned. She could not understand why Fang Zhengzhi would hand the spear back at this time…
Shouldn’t he be dealing with Canyang?
Speaking of Canyang…
Ping Yang looked at him subconsciously.
She looked at those lifeless eyes and that youthful face. The golden symbol on his head had dimmed significantly.
Even though it had dimmed, the golden symbol still remained and there was still a faint glow. That meant that Canyang…
Was still a Sage!
A Sage was still a powerful existence.
What about Fang Zhengzhi?
Ping Yang looked at Fang Zhengzhi, realizing that she may have jumped the gun. She was too close to Fang Zhengzhi and Canyang…
Because…
Their battle hadn’t ended!
Ping Yang wanted to run.
But at that moment, Fang Zhengzhi spoke.
“Oi, do you have a fresh set of clothes?”
“Clothes?” Ping Yang was stunned. Then, she looked at Fang Zhengzhi, blushing as she did so, “Shameless… erm… I have a dress…”
“Dress? Then you can keep it for yourself.” Fang Zhengzhi shook his head as he began searching around.
Before long, he found something that caught his eye.
He walked towards a demon corpse nearby.
Ping Yang could tell that this was a high ranking demon. The demon’s armor and helmet were clearly different from the others.
It was brighter and tougher…
But…
That wasn’t the point…
Why did Fang Zhengzhi dare to walk to that corpse so openly?
Was he not afraid that Canyang would catch him?
Ping Yang felt the world crumbling around her. As Fang Zhengzhi walked towards the corpse, Canyang also moved.
He began walking towards Ping Yang.
“Stop right there! Don’t think that I will let you do as you wish simply because you’re a Sage!” Ping Yang bellowed.
She knew that Canyang wouldn’t bother with her…
Her intention was not for Canyang to listen to her, she wanted to remind Fang Zhengzhi that she was in danger.
However…
What she didn’t expect was that…
Fang Zhengzhi ignored her cries. He simply walked over to the body and removed the armor. Then, he tried it on for himself.
Sweat rolled down Ping Yang’s forehead.
She didn’t want to die here. If she could, she would definitely haunt Fang Zhengzhi for the rest of his life.
Canyang was closing in.
Ping Yang couldn’t take it any longer.
She tightened her grip around the Blazing Qilin Spear, grit her teeth, and thrust it at Canyang’s throat.
“Clang!”
The Blazing Qilin Spear fell to the ground.
It felt as though Ping Yang had not held the spear tightly. However, Ping Yang knew the truth… she had been forced to drop the spear by an overwhelming force.
Canyang was next to Ping Yang.
Their shoulders were almost touching.
Ping Yang didn’t move.
However, Canyang continued to walk forward. He brushed past Ping Yang, his silver hair dancing in the wind.
As for Fang Zhengzhi…
He continued to hum a little tune nearby, adjusting his armor, visibly satisfied.
Ping Yang was furious.
What the hell was this guy doing?
Doesn’t he know the consequences of ignoring me? How can he be so sure Canyang won’t attack?
More importantly…
Where did he get all that power from? What happened between him and Canyang just now?
Ping Yang had too many questions…
In fact, these were the questions that were flashing through the minds of all the soldiers. They looked at Fang Zhengzhi and Ping Yang with confusion…
They couldn’t understand what was happening.
Even the demons couldn’t understand what was happening.
Right now…
Yun Qingwu was with Chi Guyan and Canyang had Ping Yang. Why wouldn’t Canyang capture Ping Yang to trade for Yun Qingwu?
All of the demons looked at Canyang with confusion in their eyes.
At that moment, Canyang walked to Chi Guyan, his hollow eyes staring straight ahead, the golden symbol on his forehead dull…
“Exchange hostages.” Canyang’s voice rang out.
“…”
The entire field was silent…
Everyone had expected Canyang to say something different. This was the last thing everyone expected Canyang to say.
“Exchange hostages?”
“Is this the time to discuss the exchange of hostages?!”
Chapter 465: Outstanding results
Everyone was stunned when they heard what Canyang said.
It was obvious…
Neither Canyang nor Fang Zhengzhi was dead. Ordinarily, the two of them should continue fighting!
What was happening?
One went to try on armor from a corpse whilst the other is talking about exchanging hostages?
All of the soldiers looked at each other and saw nothing but confusion in each other’s eyes.
The only explanation they could come up with was…
The two of them must be crazy…
How else could you explain what was happening?
No one could understand.
Countless eyes stared at Canyang.
They could only wait for the answer to be revealed.
Perhaps the answer would lie in Canyang’s next move or Chi Guyan’s answer.
Chi Guyan’s hair and pink dress danced in the wind.
“Okay.” Chi Guyan nodded without hesitation. She proposed no terms of her own, almost as if she had already expected this.
“Mm.” Canyang nodded.
There were no unnecessary words or emotions. Chi Guyan looked as calm as ever.
All of the soldiers couldn’t believe their eyes.
“What is happening?”
“It’s done?!”
“That’s all?”
Every soldier on the battlefield, regardless of demon or human, were utterly confused.
This was unbelievable!
If things were that simple, what was the point of the battle just now? Countless humans and demons had died for nothing!
They couldn’t understand it…
Until…
They heard a ruckus behind them.
It was definitely from some distance away. It came from the direction of the Iron Hill Settlement, and the noises were approaching quickly.
However, when the soldiers heard the noises, their expressions changed.
The demons tensed up.
The soldiers of the joint forces heaved a sigh of relief, a huge weight lifted off their shoulders.
One could see joy and relief in their eyes. Victory was assured.
After an entire day of grueling battle…
The reinforcements had arrived.
Even though this was only the vanguard, the arrival of these soldiers meant that the battle was over.
At this point…
Everyone finally understood why Canyang would propose the idea of exchanging hostages to Chi Guyan.
They also understood why the exchange went so smoothly.
Because…
The battle was meaningless at this point.
The result was clear.
Any battle now would result in heavy losses on all sides. This was something that no one wanted to partake in.
In a battle to the death between two powerhouses…
There will be one who will emerge victorious.
However, if one was not significantly stronger than the other, then any victory would be pyrrhic and would not last very long.
In fact…
It was rare for armies to fight battles that they knew would result in pyrrhic victories.
One of the rare examples was the battle outside the Great Xia’s capital.
It was a brutal battle.
A battle which neither the demons nor the humans wanted to think about. They didn’t want history to repeat itself.
“Master, you…” Yun Qingwu could hear the noises from afar, but she chose to ignore them. She didn’t give the withdrawal order either.
She looked at Canyang. There were no tears in her eyes, but she was slightly worried.
Canyang didn’t advice Yun Qingwu to give the order for withdrawal either. He extended his hand and ruffled Yun Qingwu’s hair.
The demons stayed in their positions.
The soldiers of the joint forces gripped their weapons in anticipation.
This was the final defence.
They could not let down their guard until the reinforcements arrived.
The tension in the air was thick…
Shan Ling was extremely nervous. He could hear the reinforcements coming, but he didn’t know if they were Southern Region soldiers or Great Xia soldiers!
There was only one person who didn’t seem nervous.
That person was Fang Zhengzhi.
After donning his armor, Fang Zhengzhi tidied his hair, wiggled his hips, then walked over to Ping Yang.
“Let’s go.” Fang Zhengzhi’s lips twitched.
“Go? Where?” Ping Yang asked doubtfully.
“Rubbish! I’ve had a long night of fighting! I’m famished, aren’t you?” Fang Zhengzhi chided.
Ping Yang stared blankly at Fang Zhengzhi. She knew that this fella had just eaten.
“You… you’re not full?” Ping Yang asked doubtfully.
“Idiot!” Fang Zhengzhi couldn’t be bothered to entertain her with an answer.
“Idiot!”
Fang Zhengzhi’s voice echoed throughout the entire battlefield.
The Dragon Protection Squad and Mountain Breaking Army knew some of the history between Ping Yang and Fang Zhengzhi. As such, they weren’t too surprised by Fang Zhengzhi’s tone.
However, the Southern Region soldiers were completely floored.
Disrespect…
Disrespecting a Princess?
Hang on…
He disrespected Princess Shan Yu before as well!
All of the Southern Region soldiers shook their heads disapprovingly.
Fang Zhengzhi ignored the reactions of the soldiers. He turned to look at Chi Guyan.
“Are you eating?” Fang Zhengzhi asked impatiently.
“I will eat if you’re cooking.” Chi Guyan nodded after some thought.
“Me? I don’t even have the ingredients to cook.” Fang Zhengzhi shook his head, pointing to his chest as he did so.
“I got some from the last time I was at your house.” Chi Guyan produced a small, exquisite wooden box.
There were more than 10 compartments inside, each one containing a different colored powder.
All of the soldiers were stunned when they saw Chi Guyan take out that small wooden box.
They weren’t surprised by the box…
They were stunned by her words.
His house?
What was she saying?
Of course…
That wasn’t the main point. The current situation was still tense… why was Fang Zhengzhi talking about food?
Why did he drag Chi Guyan into the conversation?
They were still at war! How could the two of them talk about food whilst they were at war?
Most importantly…
Canyang didn’t seem to be angered by it. It was almost as if he didn’t hear the conversation between Fang Zhengzhi and Chi Guyan.
Did he forget what Fang Zhengzhi did to him in The Vast World? Even though he could heal very quickly as a Sage, could he really tolerate being humiliated in that way?
Definitely not!
What had happened at that moment? What happened in The Vast World?
“Girls are so annoying…”
Fang Zhengzhi ignored the gazes of those around him. His eyes glittered when he saw Chi Guyan’s box of spices, but he tried to play it off.
“Then I want some too!” Ping Yang couldn’t resist the temptation. Her eyes glowed in anticipation.
“None for you.” Fang Zhengzhi replied.
“Humph, why not? The ingredients are Sister Yan’s and you are using her ingredients to cook! Half of it is hers, if I, as a princess…”
“I told you before, don’t use your rank with me. That belongs in the palace. When you speak to me, address yourself as ‘I’.” Fang Zhengzhi interrupted.
“I want some!” Ping Yang replied.
“Fine.” Fang Zhengzhi waved her off, then began walking towards the gates of the Iron Hill Settlement.
Chi Guyan and Ping Yang followed behind.
The Southern Region soldiers couldn’t believe what was happening. They never expected Canyang to let Fang Zhengzhi go.
However…
The fact was that Canyang had no intention of stopping Fang Zhengzhi.
“Oi, shameless fella, why didn’t that blind old man come over? Why isn’t he trying to kill you? What secret did you two share?” Ping Yang kept watching Canyang as she walked to the Iron Hill Settlement, but Canyang didn’t move.
Ping Yang couldn’t resist it any longer.
“Idiot.” Fang Zhengzhi replied with disdain.
“You scold me again? Don’t think that you’re a big shot just because you did something great! Aiya… to be honest, you did save us all this time. Even though you couldn’t defeat Canyang, you managed to hold out until the reinforcements arrived. Your feat was witnessed by so many people. I think the Emperor will come to the city gates to welcome you back this time. Do you believe me?”
Ping Yang pouted initially, but when she recalled what Fang Zhengzhi did, she beamed radiantly.
It was almost as if she had done it herself.
“Welcome me at the gates? What use is that? I would rather he give me some gems, oh, no, some treasures would be good. I lost so much blood…”
“What do you know? Ordinarily, only the victorious commander gets welcomed by the Emperor. That usually happens at the gates of the palace! To have him welcome you at the gates to the city is a huge honor! How dare you ask for treasure?” Ping Yang replied scornfully.
“Honor is meaningless, treasure is the way to go.” Fang Zhengzhi retorted.
“What about a promotion? If I am not wrong, you will definitely be promoted. Let me see… it wouldn’t be too much to make you a rank one minister. However, since you lack experience, rank one… may be too much. Rank two should be no problem though. You could be a nobleman, and a hereditary one at that!” Ping Yang said excitedly.
“Hereditary nobility?” Fang Zhengzhi’s heart fluttered.
He didn’t care much for the promotion, but hereditary nobility was a different story altogether.
It was equivalent to becoming a member of the noble elite.
If he was a night, he could give his mother a position as well. His father… it was quite good.
Fang Zhengzhi didn’t care how high those positions were.
They would all be paid for their jobs.
In other words, he would be handed a golden rice bowl. All they had to do was collect their salary every month, even if they did nothing.
How wonderful!
He salivated just thinking about it.
If he returned to the village with a hereditary nobility, all of the villagers would wet themselves.
Fang Zhengzhi smiled radiantly when he thought about this.
When Ping Yang saw this.
Her excitement turned into scorn.
“What’s the big deal about it? Isn’t it just a knighthood?” Ping Yang retorted. Then, she added, “Oi, shameless fella, you haven’t told me. What happened between you and Canyang? Why didn’t he kill you?”
“If I am correct, Canyang did what he did for Yun Qingwu.” Chi Guyan’s voice rang out as she looked at Fang Zhengzhi.
“Yun Qingwu? What has sparing Fang Zhengzhi got to do with Yun Qingwu?” Ping Yang was confused.