Daqin Zhentiansi

It's no longer a blanket attack, but a concentrated barrage of fire as precise as a surgical operation!
The deep blue, frozen arrows, like a cold downpour, precisely pierced the bone ship's most vulnerable "joints"!
"Snap! Sizzle—!"

The extreme freezing air bursts forth instantly!
The enormous, ear-piercing friction sound solidified, became stagnant, and even cracked!
Several skeletal ships that were charging at the forefront suddenly became stiff and clumsy, like giant beasts trapped in a viscous glacier, their hulls losing balance and tilting!
But this is only the first step.

Zhang Yuan's figure had already shot off like an arrow, leaving the core of the central army!
"The murderous sword—clear the way!"

"Zheng! Zheng! Zheng!"

The three most ferocious and swift sword shadows—the Immortal Slayer, the Immortal Slayer, and the Immortal Trapper—emerged in response to his command, encircling his body and tearing through the filthy demonic clouds, like three destructive comets tearing through the darkness!

Zhang Yuan stepped on the sword light, merging his body with the sword, and his speed soared to the extreme.

Ignoring the barrage of demonic light and the onrushing three-headed Netherwolf Riders, he transformed into a streak of dark ink that tore through the battlefield, and crashed headlong into the core of the Myriad Soul Bone Ship cluster!
His target was those three largest bone ship flagships, whose main guns were the most dazzling when charged, and which were heavily guarded!
Thirteen illusory swords swirled around him, their destructive sword energy spontaneously shredding any approaching demonic soldiers. The ultimate weapon secretly allocated in the "Gui" level contingency plan of the Myriad Tribulations Talisman Sect—the "Demon-Slaying Sword Talisman"—had been activated by his divine sense and was now in his palm!

That was not a talisman, but three shuttle-shaped sword cores carved from Primordial Thunder Jade Marrow, each sealed with a trace of the "Collapse World Thunder Core" destruction Dao pattern!

"Break the demons—annihilate evil!"

With a low shout from Zhang Yuan, the three sword spirits were precisely projected by the power of the fierce sword, ignoring the spirit-devouring demonic patterns protecting the surface of the bone ships. Like a hot knife cutting through oil, they instantly pierced the massive engine cores of the three flagship bone ships, which were forged from the molten bones of countless vengeful spirits and were pulsating violently!
"Zzz—BOOM!!!!!!!!!"

First, a tooth-grinding shriek, as if ten thousand souls were being forcibly torn apart and annihilated, came from inside the engine. Then, a more dazzling and purer exorcising lightning than the Netherworld Erosion Cannon suddenly erupted from inside the bone ship!

Three purple-gold lightning orbs, each nearly a hundred feet in diameter, instantly devoured the core of the bone ship!

The explosion, containing the supreme demon-breaking essence of the Myriad Tribulations Talisman Sect and the violent power of the "World Collapse Thunder Core," not only completely shattered the engine but also triggered a chain reaction of explosions!
The robust keel of the skeleton broke inch by inch.

The ship's hull, like an eggshell crushed by an invisible giant hand, disintegrated amidst the collision of lightning, fire, and demonic energy.

The massive wreckage, burning with purple-gold lightning flames, plummeted like a meteorite towards the already scorched land of Sword Gorge below!
Flagship fallen!

The demon fleet was shaken!

"Om-"

Just then, a terrifying demonic pressure, colder, purer, and carrying an aura of annihilation than that of the Shaking Mountain Demon Emperor, suddenly emanated from the core depths of the largest Ten Thousand Souls Bone Ship!
The space seemed to freeze, and the fierce battle between the dragon eagle cavalry and the demon soldiers was momentarily halted!
The core of the bone ship unfolded layer by layer like flower petals, with thick, viscous demonic energy surging forth.

A figure stepped out.

It is not a physical entity, but rather a mixture of the deepest darkness and countless painful, twisted remnants of souls, barely maintaining a human-like outline.

What covered his entire body was not armor, but "Void Ember Demon Flame" that flowed and devoured light.

Its face was indistinct, except for a pair of bluish-white eyes, like an inextinguishable cold fire deep within the Ruins of Return, staring at Zhang Yuan, and also at the entire crumbling Zhao Zhou.

Its mental fluctuations directly crushed the souls of all living beings present, carrying an indifference and greed that looked down upon the bottom of the food chain.

"When the Ruins of Return devour the thirty-six continents, your bones will become my new ships! This place is merely the beginning of a grand feast!"

A hint of seriousness appeared in Zhang Yuan's eyes.

He recognized the person opposite him.

The Bone-Eating Demon Lord.

The commander of the Netherworld Demon Realm's expeditionary force.

The demons it commands use the bones of countless worlds as ships and the souls of living beings as fuel; devouring and destruction are their sole purposes.

The "Void Ember Demon Flame" surging around it was no ordinary supernatural power, but a manifestation that touched the fundamental laws of heaven and earth, eroding through the barriers of space as if walking on thin ice.

Its overwhelming power far surpassed that of the previous Mountain-Shaking Demon Emperor and had clearly reached the Venerable Realm.

That is a terrifying level that transcends the four realms of Saint Reincarnation, Creation, Time, and Destiny, and begins to reconstruct the fundamental rules of the world!
Looking across the entire land, such a realm is already legendary.

Ordinary cultivators need to go through the four realms of Grandmaster: breaking through illusions, penetrating the darkness, controlling the void, and seeking the truth to understand the rudiments of the laws, and then break through the four domains of Semi-Saint: Azure Dragon Transformation, White Tiger Fiend, Vermilion Bird Burning, and Black Tortoise Suppressing to manifest the power of the domain.

Ultimately, only by integrating the laws within the four realms of sainthood—reincarnation, creation, time, and destiny—and glimpsing spacetime and altering cause and effect, can one have a slim chance to inquire about the threshold of the Venerable One.

Zhang Yuan, with his extraordinary talent, has tempered his physical body and soul to the peak of the Saint Realm, and his cultivation of the "Nine Revolutions Primordial Chaos Nourishing Qi and Returning to Truth Saint Chapter" has also reached the seventh level, "Suppressing the Prison Without Interference." His control over power has reached the point of unity with heaven and man, and he has touched the realm of shattering the void.

However, the difference in their levels of understanding is like an insurmountable chasm.

However, he was well-versed in military strategy and could use himself as a pivot to draw upon the fierce aura of a million Qin soldiers to empower himself.

At this moment, his aura surged infinitely, touching the edge of the first level of the Venerable Realm, the 'Chaos Realm'.

High above the sky, he faced off against the Venerable Demon Lord from the Demon Realm of Guixu without being at a disadvantage!
At this moment, the Bone-Eating Demon Lord's azure-white demonic eyes swept over the shattered Zhao Zhou below, his mental fluctuations carrying an indifferent and greedy gaze that looked down upon ants:

"When the Ruins of Return devour the thirty-six continents, your bones will become my new ships! This place is merely the beginning of a grand feast!"

Facing this demonic commander from the depths of the Ruins, Zhang Yuan showed no fear, his black python robe remaining perfectly still amidst the raging energy turbulence.

He took a step forward, the "Autumn Chill Blade" in his hand that had once severed the Blood Eye of the Erosion Realm pointing diagonally to the sky.

The blade did not immediately slash out, but instead trembled slightly!
"Om-!"

Where the blade traced its path, a deep, dark spatial rift silently opened up!

The edges of the crack were not chaotic void currents, but rather ice crystal fractures frozen by extreme cold, shimmering with crystalline starlight!
Within this terrifying illusory sword mark, a huge, dark purple pupil, frozen in ice, consumed by filth and blood, and filled with resentment and unwillingness, vaguely emerges.

It was the Blood Eye of the Erosion Realm that was annihilated by Zhang Yuan with a single strike on the battlefield of Xuzhou!
Zhang Yuan's voice was not loud, but it was like the clanging of cold iron from the deepest hell, carrying the supreme majesty of a dragon and elephant suppressing the prison, clearly penetrating the demonic pressure of the Bone-Eating Demon Lord.

"This blade has slain the claws and fangs of Guixu; today, it will sever the backbone of the Demon Realm once more!"

The words were barely out of his mouth when a flash of light appeared!

"Qiang——!"

The Autumn Cold Blade drew a line as cold and clear as the moonlight in late autumn, yet it contained an unparalleled sharpness that could sever the cycle of reincarnation, and cleaved straight at the Bone-Eating Demon Lord!
Wherever the blade flashed, space was frozen and torn apart, and the filthy demonic energy crumbled upon contact!
"Hmph! The light of an ant!"

The Bone-Eating Demon Lord's cold mental fluctuations carried a hint of anger, and his blurry figure suddenly became ethereal, as if merging into the churning Netherworld demonic energy around him.

It did not take Zhang Yuan's attack head-on.

Even the Bone-Eating Demon Lord, who roamed the heavens, dared not take this blow head-on!

His blue-white demonic eyes blazed with light, and the "Void Ember Demonic Flame" surrounding him instantly transformed into billions of thin, yet powerful, black demonic needles that swept back towards Zhang Yuan like a torrential rain!
At the same time, a gigantic demonic claw, composed entirely of illusory flames and seemingly capable of crushing stars, ignored spatial distance and struck first, grabbing at Zhang Yuan's head!

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

The sky transformed into a battlefield! Two forces representing the pinnacle of their respective realms collided with a deafening roar!
Blade against demonic claws!

Sword Qi Demon-Slaying Needle!
The shadow of the Prison-Suppressing Monument shakes the Demon Realm's barrier!
The malevolent sword's murderous aura erodes the soul-demon flames!
Ten breaths!

In just ten breaths!

There were a total of seven collisions at the primordial level!

Each collision was like the annihilation of stars!

The violent energy shockwave spread out wildly in a ring!
The already fragile Zhao Zhou Sky Dome finally reached its limit!
"Crack! Crack! Rumble ...

The sky, like a giant glass dome, shattered at the center of the seventh collision!

A terrifying void, nearly a million feet in diameter, with chaotic demonic energy and shattered laws flowing along its edges, appeared above the battlefield!

The raging void energy surged in, instantly shredding the approaching bone ship fragments and dragon vulture wreckage into dust!

However, at the center of this cataclysmic collision, two figures stood upright!
The thirteen illusory swords around Zhang Yuan flickered, his black python robe fluttered, and a trace of pale golden blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes remained as sharp as ever, and the illusory image of the Dragon Elephant Prison Stele was still majestic.

The blurry figure of the Bone-Eating Demon Lord rippled slightly, the surrounding Void Ember Demon Flame dimmed a bit, and the indifference in his blue-white demon eyes was finally replaced by a trace of solemnity.

It never expected that Zhang Yuan, who used martial arts to fight immortals, could actually withstand it without being at a disadvantage in such a short and direct confrontation of origins!
"retreat!"

The Bone-Eating Demon Lord's chilling mental commands instantly spread across the battlefield.

Under the Demon Lord's will, the remaining Soul Bone Ships cluster rapidly retreated, releasing viscous demonic energy into the terrifying void in the sky to repair the barrier, and regrouped deep within the demonic clouds at the edge of the void.

The Demon Lord's figure slowly retreated into the shadow of the largest bone ship. His blue-white demonic eyes gave Zhang Yuan a deep look, as if he wanted to firmly imprint this "accident" that hindered the progress of the Ruins' devouring.

It needs to reorganize the fleet and assess this variable.

The battlefield in Zhaozhou was no longer the one-sided crushing defeat that had been expected.

Deeper still, the Star-Eating Demon Eye, suspended in the Void Demon Realm like a cold star, seemed to have its will slightly fluctuate due to this brief but intense confrontation.

The first round of bloody battle on the Sky Dome Front ended with Ling Jueding being spared, three bone ship flagships falling, the Sky Dome collapsing, and the Demon Lord temporarily retreating to regroup.

However, the enormous void in the sky, like the eye of a demon, signifies that the threat from the Ruins is far from over, and an even stronger storm is brewing beyond the void.

----------------

Where the sky had shattered, a chaotic, blood-stained demonic aura flowed.

The Bone-Eating Demon Lord and the remaining bone ships retreated into the depths of the churning demonic clouds at the edge of the void, like lurking venomous pythons, waiting for their chance to devour again.

Below, the battlefield of Tianjian Gorge was filled with the heavy stench of blood and burnt smells. The smoke of battle had not yet dissipated, and the corpses of demons and cultivators were scattered among the ruins.

The light of the fortress has been rekindled, but it carries the weariness of surviving a catastrophe.

Zhang Yuan's figure slowly descended from the high sky, his black python robe stained with dark gold bloodstains and demonic burn marks, yet this did not diminish his majesty.

He stepped onto the broken, blood-stained base of the "Suppressing Sea Sword" at the Jianxia Pass. The thousand-foot-tall phantom of the "Dragon Elephant Prison Suppressing Stele" slowly receded, transforming into a solid, mountain-like will that enveloped the entire defensive line.

Cheng Yue, Wu Daoling, Ling Hao, Xuan Chengzi, and other remaining high-ranking officials immediately gathered around.

"My lord!" Cheng Yue's voice was hoarse.

The heroic scene of Sect Master Yun Canglan and the six Supreme Elders burning their souls to block the enemy and imprinting their mark on the Demon Realm is still vivid in my mind.

Not only him, but everyone else was also injured and weak, yet their eyes burned with hope and determination.

Zhang Yuan's gaze swept over the crowd, he nodded slightly, and said in a deep voice, "The seven saints' martyrdom won us the opportunity to fight, and also left their mark on us."

"This hatred and grudge must be washed away with demonic blood! Cheng Yue, the lineage of the Flowing Cloud Sword Washing Pavilion will not perish; you shall temporarily lead it."

"Yes." Cheng Yue knelt on one knee, his grief and indignation turning into strength.

“Wu Daoling.” Zhang Yuan turned to the commander of the Qin Sword and Armor Army in Yongzhou.

"Here!" Wu Daoling's armor was shattered, his heavy sword was on the ground, but his body stood straight.

Upon leaving Yongtian Continent, now that it is wartime, all orders must be obeyed.

"Report on the current strength, combat power, and distribution of inheritance in Zhao Zhou." Zhang Yuan's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable power of control.

Wu Daoling took a deep breath, placed his hand on the communication jade disc at his waist, and a beam of mysterious light projected the incomplete map of Zhaozhou.

Most of its area was covered by a blinding, foul, and demonic light.

Only in the southwest 30% of the region, as well as near Tianjian Gorge and a few scattered dangerous places, can faint spiritual light still flicker.

This means that more than 70% of the entire Zhao Continent has been occupied by the Heavenly Demons!

"Reporting to the Marquis!" Wu Daoling's voice was solemn. "Since the outbreak of the demonic calamity, demonic energy has been flowing back into the Qizhou occupied areas, and the will of the Star-Eating Demon Eye has descended. Zhaozhou has been the first to be affected, and now seventy percent of its territory has fallen!"

"The existing resistance forces are mainly concentrated in the core defense line of our Tianjian Gorge, as well as three remaining strongholds in the southwest 'Thousand Blade Mountains', the north 'Frost Ice Plains', and the east 'Falling Star Sea', which are held by some sects and tribes that have not fallen."

"In terms of inheritance, Zhao Zhou truly lives up to the name 'Sword Continent'!" His tone was tinged with a complex mix of emotions and regret. "It boasts numerous schools and a profound heritage."

Before Wu Daoling, a shimmering light appeared, and messages from various sword sects of Zhao Zhou emerged.

Besides the Liuyun Sword Washing Pavilion located here, and the alliance formed by other sword-wielding forces, there are still quite a few sects remaining in Zhao Zhou.

"In the Thousand Blade Mountains, the cultivators of Hidden Edge Valley inherit the way of nurturing their natal sword embryos, accumulating strength for a future breakthrough. The Valley Master, 'Hidden Edge Elder,' is at the peak of the Half-Saint realm. He has been in seclusion for over thirty years nurturing the 'Sword Without Edge,' and his aura is as deep and restrained as an abyss. He is truly the one in Zhao Zhou who is recognized as the closest to a Sword Saint."

"His elite disciple, Mo Chenzhou, has reached the level of a Grandmaster of the Dao Inquiry. He has been nurturing his sword for ten years without drawing it. It is said that the power of his sword can startle ghosts and gods."

Once outside Yongtian Continent, without the endless suppression of the Great Dao, it is much easier for cultivators to improve their cultivation.

Reaching the four realms of a Grandmaster—breaking through illusion, penetrating the profound, breaking through the void, and even the fourth realm of seeking the Dao—is not difficult.

The semi-saint realm, above the Grandmaster level, controls the Four Symbols domain, especially the sword domain, which is extremely rare in Zhao Zhou.

As for the Holy Realm, it remains extremely rare. (End of Chapter)