Traveling across the globe for the first time

Chapter 976: Single-handedly challenge the Emperor
Through this period of battle, Zhang Haoran's strength has increased again, and his Qi and Blood have reached 3800 million. He is only 200 million away from breaking through the third Void Gate. If converted into basic Qi and Blood, that would be several hundred thousand.

This was largely due to the intense battle, which gave him many new insights, and the speed at which he digested them improved significantly through mutual verification.

However, it's mostly due to the accumulation of previous experience. Zhang Haoran has had too many battles and adventures recently, and he has a lot of insights that he hasn't had time to digest. Now, his basic Qi and blood are improving every moment.

If given some time to properly digest these insights, reaching the limit of breaking through eight is entirely possible.

Seeing that Zhang Haoran had merely enveloped himself in his sword domain and hadn't immediately made a move, Emperor Ji was happy to have more time to recover. He sneered, "Heh! Sword Master! You want to experience the swordsmanship of an emperor? I'm more than willing to grant your wish!"

"So you mean you want to fight me one-on-one, and no one else will interfere?"

Human Emperor Ji saw through Zhang Haoran's strength at a glance. With nearly 4000 million units of blood energy and a powerful sword intent, he should be considered a top-tier existence among the strongest.

However, there is still a considerable gap between them. If it were a one-on-one duel, he could quickly defeat him if he was willing to pay a price.

Unfortunately, this isn't a one-on-one fight. He still needs to preserve some of his health to defend against attacks from others. If he can't inflict overwhelming damage, this battle will be difficult.

Swordsmen are all very arrogant, and he wanted to use words to provoke Zhang Haoran into a one-on-one fight.

As long as he wasn't surrounded, he was quite confident that he could kill or even capture a swordsman of supreme strength.

Zhang Haoran naturally understood the provocation in the other party's words. He nodded seriously and said, "Yes! That's right, I want to challenge you to a one-on-one fight!"

Let's have a one-on-one swordsmanship contest.

"Don't accuse me of taking advantage of your misfortune or kicking you when you're down. You're a King, while I'm just a lowly eighth-ranked player, so there are conditions to this one-on-one duel."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Ji's eyes lit up, and he was overjoyed. Could it be that this kid has lost his mind and really wants to fight him one-on-one?

"Oh! What are your conditions? Tell me!"

As long as it's not too outrageous, I can consider it.

The Emperor was thinking, "If you stop attacking and give me some time to recover from my injuries, I won't be as strong as I am now."

Zhang Haoran said earnestly, "As long as the treacherous emperor is willing to suppress his strength to the same level as mine, I would be very willing to learn your swordsmanship."

I wonder if Your Majesty the treacherous emperor dares to do so?
"If you agree, we can swear an oath to the heavens to guarantee that this battle will be absolutely fair."

Zhang Haoran could obviously see what the other party was up to, but he didn't care at all.

Because this challenge is a trap. Once Emperor Ji agrees, he will be pulled into the duel space while suppressing his strength, and then he will really have a chance to kill Emperor Ji.

The duel space opened up by the system is outside the Three Realms, and even if all eight other emperors were to mobilize, they would not be able to stop it.

Emperor Ji's face turned ashen. What a joke! How could he possibly suppress his strength?

What if he suppresses his strength and continues to be besieged?
The oath of Heaven isn't very reliable either!

As long as one is willing to accept punishment, there is no need to care about oaths made in accordance with the will of Heaven.

If he actually believed the other party's nonsense and suppressed his strength, not to mention others, Tianbi would definitely be the first to rush over and self-destruct, taking him down with him.

They've already prepared to die, so why would they fear divine punishment?
Therefore, there is no way he could agree to this condition.

Refusing now would be quite troublesome, as this is a challenge from a supreme being, and the conditions proposed seem quite fair. If he dares not agree, it would damage the dignity of the emperor.

Emperor Ji cursed inwardly, "Damn it, who said swordsmen are all straightforward? This kid is more cunning than anyone else."

Upon seeing that the Human Emperor dared not accept the challenge, the crowd's morale soared, and their attack frequency increased several times.

Zhang Haoran shook his head helplessly and said, "If the treacherous emperor dares not fight against those of equal rank, then he intends to bully the weak!"
Such a one-on-one match is unfair, and I believe everyone would find it hard to accept.

Let me make it clear beforehand that I've already handed over command. If anyone takes advantage of our one-on-one situation to kick you when you're down, that's none of my business.

He came here to get something for nothing and had no intention of learning any swordsmanship. Besides, the Emperor's Sword had already been divided up between him and Zhang Tao, so what was the other party going to use to demonstrate their swordsmanship?
When I said we should fight against each other at the same level, it was just to undermine the opponent's confidence and make him lose face.

The Emperor Ji would absolutely not agree to this.

It should be noted that Tianbi is not the only one in the Three Realms who is not afraid of death. Mo Wenjian and those novice martial artists are absolutely willing to perish together with him.

Human Emperor Ji was speechless for a moment. The others continued to attack. What kind of one-on-one fight was that? Did I take on all of you by myself?

However, both of them understood that once they engaged in close combat, the number of attacks that Emperor Ji would receive would be greatly reduced.

Other powerful individuals, fearing collateral damage, will no longer bombard the enemy with the same unbridled ferocity as before.

So it's fine to say this is a one-on-one fight.

Zhang Haoran didn't care about fairness; as long as he could undermine the emperor's authority and boost everyone's confidence, that was enough.

He flashed to his opponent's side; close combat was a swordsman's forte. A faint light shimmered on his Blood Shadow Sword as he slashed towards his opponent's neck with incredible speed.
He immediately unleashed a deadly move, employing a decapitation sword technique. The most distinctive feature of this move is its ability to lock onto the opponent's neck, and once the decapitation is successful, there is a certain probability of a fatal effect.

The dark red Blood Shadow Sword slashed down with an air of certainty of hitting its mark.

Human Emperor Ji was startled by Zhang Haoran's movement. He didn't even see what happened. He only felt a blur before his eyes, and the person was already in front of him.

This is definitely teleportation.

You must understand that after such a long battle, the surrounding space is extremely chaotic. Even the Human Emperor Ji dared not attempt spatial traversal, for if he were to be drawn into the deeper space, he would be in serious trouble.

Don't think that emperors can do whatever they want. The concept of space is not limited to the Three Realms. Once you are drawn into the deeper space, you may be thrown directly into chaos.

He hadn't expected that his opponent could teleport in such a chaotic situation, catching him completely off guard as soon as they engaged in combat.

Engaging in close combat with a swordsman is not a good choice.

It was too late for Emperor Ji to create distance; by then, the Blood Shadow Sword had already slashed to within two meters.

He immediately sensed the difference in this sword technique; the sword's momentum firmly locked onto his neck, and no matter how he dodged, he could not avoid it.

Even more deadly was that this sword strike seemed to have triggered some kind of law. He could sense that once his head was severed, he would suffer unimaginable damage and might even perish. He smelled the scent of death in this sword strike.

This terrified the Emperor.

"What kind of sword technique is this? It's too bizarre. It can even kill an emperor instantly."

The deadly crisis put him on high alert.

"Go away!"

Human Emperor Ji roared, unleashing his full power, and a powerful shockwave spread outwards, instantly weakening the harassing attacks by more than half. This is the helplessness one feels when surrounded; not only must one deal with the opponent before them, but one must also guard against other enemies taking advantage of their misfortune. Therefore, whether attacking or defending, he needs to unleash a burst of energy to clear his field.

As expected of an emperor, Emperor Ji reacted very quickly. Even after unleashing a burst of energy, he still had enough strength to withstand the sword strike.

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and his hands shot out with lightning speed. His left fist slammed towards the Blood Shadow Sword. Since he couldn't dodge it, he would fight it head-on.

He didn't need to blast the Blood Shadow Sword away; he just needed to block the attack.
Emperor Ji concentrated most of his vital energy in his right fist.

Since Zhang Haoran has chosen close combat, let him know what the ultimate skill of an emperor truly is.

The Emperor's right fist glowed with a dark golden light as he struck directly at his opponent's heart.

If Tianbi were here, he would definitely warn Zhang Haoran to be careful of this punch. He had been hit by such a move before, which caused him to lose his ability to resist.

Although they used palm techniques before, they are now using fists, but the aura they exude is the same.

Emperor Ji slammed his right fist toward Zhang Haoran's heart, seemingly intending to repeat his old trick, first shattering the heart and then guiding the blood and qi to surge back.

Taking advantage of the moment when his body was out of control, he grabbed him and used him as a shield. Although using a swordsman as a shield was somewhat dangerous, it was the best option at the moment.

Zhang Haoran's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he felt a faint pain in his chest. He could sense that the power of this punch was extraordinary and must have been a very skillful fighting technique.

However, he didn't care at all. A smile appeared on his lips. The Emperor Ji reacted quickly and his tactics were very clever. However, his opponent underestimated his defense and should not have attacked his heart.

Zhang Haoran is not a superhuman; he won't lose his fighting ability if he gets hit by a single punch.

His indestructible body was incredibly powerful; it couldn't be destroyed by an attack of this magnitude, especially since the opponent was attacking his heart, which was the most defensive part of his body, bar none.

With a flick of his wrist, Zhang Haoran's longsword no longer aimed at the opponent's neck, but instead at the approaching arm.

He unleashed a Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms strike with his left hand, aiming for his opponent's chest in return. He used the opponent's own methods against them. Although he didn't know any specific tactics to attack the enemy's heart, he could still apply force.

Moreover, there is such a move in the Finger Flicking Divine Skill, which involves first infusing blood and qi into the opponent's body and then detonating it. He can use this technique to generate power.

The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms are known for their fierce power, and can also cause an enemy's blood and qi to stagnate for a moment.

This is clearly an attempt to trade injury for injury.

Human Emperor Ji was surprised by Zhang Haoran's choice. After all, he was an emperor, and not only was his blood and qi twice as high as the other party's, but the strength of his golden body was also beyond the other party's reach.

This kind of injury exchange is definitely a disadvantage for the opponent.

"Since you're courting death, then I, the Emperor, will grant your wish."

The two sides were too close and the attack speed was too fast, so Emperor Ji had no time to think. He only had time to draw some of his blood and energy to enhance his right fist, intending to kill with one blow.

However, Emperor Ji forgot one thing: Zhang Haoran was not fighting alone, or rather, he hadn't forgotten, but was simply helpless.

Just as the two sides were about to clash, Fang Ping provided a divine assist. He joined forces with Zhen Tianwang and the others to simultaneously detonate the Heaven-Sealing Gate, causing a violent shock within the origin space of the Human Emperor Era, which slowed down his actions by a fraction.

Human Emperor Ji was prepared for this, and completely ignored the turbulent Origin Space, instead drawing more of his vital energy into his right fist.

Boom boom!

A punch and a palm strike landed simultaneously on the opponent's chest, causing a surge of violent blood and energy to erupt within the opponent's body.

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Both men coughed up a mouthful of blood, which included fragments of internal organs.

However, Zhang Haoran did not pause for a moment as expected. The Blood Shadow Sword in his hand swept past the opponent's shoulder, and an arm flew high into the air, with golden blood scattering in the void.

The next instant, the blood spurting from the arms and the two men disappeared.

He used this move to cut Hongkun's arm several times; he was very skilled at it.

Deng Deng Deng!
The violent surge of energy caused the two to stagger back a few steps, creating some distance between them.

The Human Emperor was extremely surprised. He concentrated most of his vital energy in his right fist and unleashed a unique fighting technique, unleashing a power exceeding seventy million.

Logically speaking, if someone is punched by you, their heart should shatter, their blood and qi should rush back, and their body should pause for a moment.

But the other party did not pause at all, and instead swung his sword and cut off his arm.

In fact, he could tell just now that Zhang Haoran's Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms was just a casual gesture, with all his blood and energy concentrated on the longsword. The reason he still needed to change his injuries was because he was confident in his own fighting style.

Just like the Heavenly Arm, no matter how much blood and energy you gather, or how powerful your killing move is, it's all for nothing if your body can't move.

However, Zhang Haoran was not affected at all by the punch he received, and still managed to strike with his sword.

This was incredibly unbelievable to the emperor. Could it be that his heart was protected by some divine artifact? Otherwise, his heart should have been blown apart.

Little did he know that Zhang Haoran's heart contained a vast amount of indestructible power, far more robust than any divine artifact.

If the Human Emperor's attack had targeted a different area, it might have been able to penetrate the body, or at least allow the blood and qi to rage within.

After all, the difference in their vital energy was enormous, but his attack on the heart was misdirected. Not only did he fail to shatter the heart, but the vital energy that entered his body was also assimilated and absorbed by the power of immortality.

Zhang Haoran licked his lips excitedly; he had really struck gold this time.

Not only did he gain an arm of an emperor, but the immortal power within his body also increased by a trace.

That's enough for him to be fully resurrected once.

A complete resurrection means being resurrected after being completely wiped out, with nothing left.

If only the skull is shattered and the spiritual body is destroyed, but the golden body remains, then resurrection wouldn't require so much immortal power.

Zhang Haoran now felt that Emperor Ji was very considerate, specifically targeting the areas where he was not afraid of being attacked.

Under normal circumstances, given the difference in strength between the two, he would definitely be suppressed and beaten, and he would have to pay a huge price if he wanted to gain any advantage.

He never expected his opponent to attack his heart and abandon his arm defense, which made him incredibly lucky.

Hmm! We can't be complacent, we have to keep going! Let's try to cut off a few more arms.

(End of this chapter)