Traveling across the globe for the first time

Chapter 979 The Emperor's Heart
Hongkun was only a top-tier expert at the eighth level, while Dugu Nine Swords could launch attacks on weaknesses once it reached the fourth level.

That punch just now was delivered by an emperor. Although Emperor Ji's strength had been greatly weakened, his martial arts realm remained. The laws contained in that punch had not diminished, and the power it unleashed exceeded 80 million, more than twice that of Zhang Haoran.

Despite the vast difference in their qi and blood, he was able to break through with a single sword strike, which everyone found incredible.

The same thought arose in everyone's mind: One sword can break all laws!

Is this what a true swordsman is like?
This inevitably reminded some people of the War Emperor, whose blood and energy were not much stronger than other emperors, yet no one dared to take a hit from his arrow.

Because he can concentrate all his vital energy on one point, no emperor can withstand such an arrow, not even the Heavenly Emperor.

Zhang Haoran's sword strike gave them a similar feeling to that of Zhan Tiandi—both were so amazing and so incredible.

In everyone's eyes, he had become a monster. There had to be a limit to defying the higher realms.

You should know that there is still a gap between the strongest and the emperor, which is the level of breaking through nine. Now you can go head-to-head with the emperor, which makes our pursuit of the emperor not as great as before.

Actually, they overestimated Zhang Haoran's combat strength.

With his current strength, if he were to fight a king one-on-one, he could only guarantee that he wouldn't be killed, but he would definitely be suppressed. It was only because of the restraint from the others that he dared to fight so recklessly.

After all, the difference in their vital energy was too great. Even with his indestructible body being so strong, he couldn't withstand the crushing damage.

If Emperor Ji's punch just now wasn't a wide-range attack, a map-wide attack, it wouldn't be so easy to find a flaw.

Zhang Haoran first used the trace of time law he had comprehended from the fast swordsmanship to buy himself enough time. With the inspiration brought by his breakthrough in swordsmanship, he found the flaw in the fist shadow.

Only when the right timing, location, and people are all in place can one break through the opponent's deadly move.

If Emperor Ji were to unleash a battle technique of equal power now, it wouldn't be so easy for him to break through it.

Without the ability to exploit weaknesses, he will inevitably be suppressed by the opponent's powerful aura.

However, the Dugu Nine Swords has now been upgraded to the fourth level, reaching the level of laws. Even if no weakness can be found, it can weaken the opponent's attack power because the characteristic of this sword path is to break the law.

Overall, Zhang Haoran's situation is much better than before. With everyone holding him back, he can still confront the Human Emperor head-on.

Boom boom boom.

This is a battlefield, and there is no time for people to be stunned. Just as Emperor Ji was in a daze, the second wave of attacks organized by Fang Ping arrived, and dozens of Heavenly King killing moves completely overwhelmed him.

Even though the Human Emperor instinctively tried to dodge, he was still hit squarely.

"Haha! You've come at the perfect time!"

Taking advantage of someone's misfortune is an essential skill for every martial artist, and Zhang Haoran certainly wouldn't miss the opportunity to kick someone when they're down.

He rushed forward without even waiting for the aftershocks of the explosion to dissipate.

A flash of black light appeared on the Blood Shadow Sword as it slashed out, and the surging, violent energy immediately slid away from both sides.

These scattered energies were precisely countered by the Dugu Nine Swords, and could not cause him any harm.

"boom!"

A golden fist shadow hurtled towards them amidst the raging energy...

It turned out that Emperor Ji sensed the danger and acted in advance. He didn't want to fight a swordsman in close combat again. However, the aftershocks of the explosion had not yet dissipated, and some of his killing moves were still unleashing their power. The power of this punch was weakened by more than half.

"Heh heh! Prepare to die, you treacherous emperor!"

Zhang Haoran sensed that after the impact, the burst of blood energy from the fist shadow was only about 5000 million calories, which posed no threat to him at all.

He stepped with sword-like steps, his figure transforming into a streak of sword light, slashing towards the fist shadow. A black glint flashed on the sword light, its spell-breaking properties being brought to their maximum potential.

"Zheng!"

A crisp sword cry rang out, and the golden fist shadow was cleaved in two, along with the aftershocks of the explosion.

Zhang Haoran had already reached the Human Emperor Ji, and with a slash of his longsword, he was still using the decapitation sword technique.

As long as you can cut off the other person's head, the entire golden body will be yours.

It wasn't that he was greedy; it was mainly because his opponent had just been brutally beaten and hadn't had time to recover, leaving too many openings.

The reason why Emperor Ji could persist for so long like an unkillable cockroach was because he had a little time to recover after each round of attacks.

The emperor's recovery ability is extremely strong; he can usually recover 70-80% of his injuries before the next round of attacks.

Those skilled in close combat are afraid of being caught in the crossfire, so generally no one dares to interrupt the opponent's recovery.

Zhang Haoran, however, braved the violent impact and charged forward. The Human Emperor Ji's golden body was badly damaged and he was still seriously injured, so Zhang Haoran had a great chance of succeeding.

"roll!"

Human Emperor Ji was truly enraged this time! A large amount of blood gushed from the cracks in his golden body. He no longer used his qi and blood to suppress his injuries, but began to unleash his full power.

Since we can't run away, then we won't run!
He's willing to risk damaging his own essence to eliminate Zhang Haoran.

He simply refused to believe that he, a dignified emperor, could be defeated by someone who had broken the eighth rank in a one-on-one fight.
"boom!"

This time, Emperor Ji didn't even look at the incoming Blood Shadow Sword, but instead threw a full-force punch at the opponent's chest.

Although he didn't know what happened last time that he failed to blast the opponent's heart with one punch, it didn't stop him from continuing to attack vital points.

Even if you can't blow his heart out, you can still severely injure him and at least create some distance for him.

Zhang Haoran showed no joy at the opponent's abandonment of defense.

He believed that, given the level of the old silver coins in the Human Emperor's era, they would definitely not just wait to be killed; they must have thought of a way to restrain his decapitation sword technique.

We must not underestimate these emperors. They have lived for tens of thousands of years and fought countless battles. Their combat experience and tactics are far beyond our reach. Therefore, we must be prepared for both possibilities.

Then he reached out with his left hand, curled his fingers into a claw, and a white light about an inch long burst from his fingertips.

It was none other than the Nine Yin White Bone Claw!

This was the first martial art he learned, but he rarely used it in actual combat because it had no attack power bonus and could only cause damage by relying on his own health and mana.

This is a claw technique, which cannot be amplified by sword intent. The amount of blood energy it can unleash is only around 1800 million, which is not enough to reach the level of a supreme expert.

The reason for using this move is its ability to penetrate defenses. With force exerted through the five fingers, it can break through anything and destroy the enemy's head as easily as piercing through rotten soil.

With the Human Emperor abandoning defense and launching a full-scale counterattack, this tactic was just what he needed. Zhang Haoran knew he couldn't kill the Human Emperor today; someone would definitely step forward at the crucial moment to forcibly end the war.

Just now, when the other party was in danger, he vaguely sensed a powerful divine thought, which should come from the God Emperor or the Fighting Emperor. Both of them are sixth-level experts. As long as they are willing to help, it should not be a problem to help the Human Emperor get out of trouble.

Since we can't kill the other party, we have to find a way to gain more benefits.

The first to arrive was the Blood Shadow Sword. In close combat, having a weapon still has an advantage; an inch longer is an inch stronger!
"Zheng!"

The Blood Shadow Sword emitted a dark red glow as it slashed towards the opponent's neck.

Since Emperor Ji dared to go all out despite his injuries, he must have been prepared. A white light emanated from his neck, and a protective light barrier appeared around his neck like a collar.

He had previously used his qi and blood to form a shield, but no one expected him to be able to perform such a precise maneuver.

If he could cover his body with such a protective layer, he would truly be invincible.

Because this close-range defense, like Su Xiao's crystal layer, does not hinder offense.

Unfortunately, with the current control capabilities of the Human Emperor, he can only create an eggshell-like protective light barrier or provide localized defense; he cannot yet form such a protective light barrier over his entire body surface.

when!
The Blood Shadow Sword slammed into the light barrier, sending sparks flying. With Zhang Haoran's current strength, he was unable to forcefully break through this defense. The powerful recoil repelled the Blood Shadow Sword, shattering any subsequent killing moves and preventing him from severing another arm.

boom!
puff!

The two men's punches and claws struck each other's chests almost simultaneously.

The Emperor was cunning. He guessed that Zhang Haoran might have a heart problem, so at the last moment of his punch, he slightly deviated and did not hit the heart.

Instead, it struck the very center of the sternum. There was no undying power protecting this area, and the defensive power of the undying body alone could not withstand the full force of an emperor's attack.

"Crack!"

A large section of his sternum collapsed, and half of Emperor Ji's arm was embedded in his body. Not only was his sternum pierced, but his spine was also broken, creating a transparent hole in his chest.

His internal organs were shattered by the impact of the violent blood and qi, and Zhang Haoran suffered an unprecedented severe injury!
"Damn it, we've been ambushed! That old guy wasn't even aiming for the heart!"

However, he's not one to suffer a loss.

"Hey, then let me show you the secret techniques of my sect."

puff!
He spat out a mouthful of blood, which shot straight towards the other man's left eye.

Blood Arrow Technique!

This is Lü Fengrou's signature skill, and also one of the first combat techniques Zhang Haoran mastered. He had long since honed it to perfection and even made some improvements, turning it into an extremely fierce combat technique.

This blood sword not only contains blood and fragments of internal organs, but when the battle technique is activated, the user's own blood and qi also bring along a portion of the energy raging within their body, which is then incorporated into the blood arrow.

It is a very practical counterattack tactic. The more seriously injured you are, the stronger your attack becomes. Moreover, since the two sides are so close, the enemy has no way to dodge.

"Pfft!"

The left eye of the Human Emperor was pierced by a blood arrow, and the blood droplets that spurted out also had extremely strong penetrating power, shooting many bloody holes in his face.

This spurt of blood not only severely injured the enemy, but also expelled most of the energy raging within his own body.

At the same time, Zhang Haoran's left hand grabbed the other's chest, and the pale white finger light pierced through the golden body's defense as easily as piercing tofu.

The Nine Yin White Bone Claw, also known as the Destroying Divine Claw, is characterized by its indestructibility.

Moreover, Emperor Ji used all his vital energy to attack and defend against the Blood Shadow Sword. With only the basic defense of his golden body, he could not withstand this claw at all, and his chest was easily pierced open.

Human Emperor Ji's left fist came crashing down again, and Zhang Haoran raised his leg and kicked out. However, since the two had just unleashed their killing moves, there wasn't much blood and energy contained in this punch and kick.

The Human Emperor's foundational blood and qi were even higher. Although it was a hasty attack, the blood and qi that this punch unleashed exceeded 20 million.

"boom!"

He finally managed to send his opponent flying, but the distance he created was not far, only a few hundred meters, and he was still unable to escape the range of the sword domain.

Zhang Haoran looks terrible. There's a hole the size of a bowl in the center of his chest, and almost all of his internal organs are shattered. Only his dark gold heart is still beating.

The Emperor Ji was not having an easy time either. He also had a bloody hole torn in his chest, lost his left eye, and was sprayed with blood.

You have to understand that the head is a vital organ, so it's hard to say who gained or lost in this exchange.

"hey-hey!"

Zhang Haoran wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. The two were indeed in similar condition, but he knew he had come out on top.

Because in his left hand, there was a heart beating, the heart of an emperor, an absolute priceless treasure containing a large amount of vital essence.

Previously, Emperor Ji wanted to scare everyone by self-destructing, gathering a large amount of blood and qi into his heart. Although he did not actually self-destruct, he left a large amount of essence and blood in his heart.

Blood and qi are not the same thing, but they are closely related.

In a sense, the blood of the strong is also a rare treasure, especially their essence blood.

Back in the Emperor's Tomb, Fang Ping and Li Changsheng completed the Nine Forgings of the Golden Body by relying on the residual blood and qi in the heart of the War Emperor. Wang Jinyang and others also benefited greatly from this.

It should be noted that the War Emperor had been dead for tens of thousands of years, and most of the blood and qi in his heart had long since dissipated. Later, it was used by Mo Wenjian to cultivate the Emperor Corpse. The blood and qi that Fang Ping and the others absorbed was less than one-tenth of that.

Even so, the remaining essence and blood could still help Fang Ping and the others complete the Nine Forgings of the Golden Body.

What Zhang Haoran is holding now is a freshly extracted emperor's heart, still pounding loudly.

The essence and blood contained within are full of vitality and life force. Not to mention helping an eighth-rank martial artist complete the Nine Forgings of the Golden Body, even a Heavenly King who absorbs the essence and blood of an Emperor can gain considerable benefits.

Zhang Haoran could sense that the essence blood contained within his heart was extremely powerful, much stronger than the blood he had obtained after being modified by the Dragon Blood Fruit. If it weren't for the possibility of obtaining true blood, he would have wanted to absorb all of this essence blood.

After all, Emperor Ji created the Blood Transformation Technique, and the energy contained in his blood was much stronger than that of other emperors.

This heart is definitely worth more than the arm that was cut off before.

However, the losses in this Human Emperor Era were not too great. Unlike jade bones, the heart cannot be restored simply by using indestructible substances. The lost essence and blood can also be replenished through life essence.

Both were seriously injured and began to recover.

The Human Emperor's body shone with golden light, and his removed heart and blinded eyes quickly recovered.
Zhang Haoran recovered even faster. Dark golden light emanated from his golden body. The large hole in his chest, the shattered internal organs, and the broken bones were restored to their original state in the blink of an eye, as if time had reversed. Moreover, his strength did not decrease at all, and even seemed to increase slightly.

(End of this chapter)