activa-t Chapter 109 Slaying True Essence
Chapter 109 Slaying True Essence
Chapter 108 Slaying True Essence
The moment the Black Dragon warship crashed into the rocky beach, Liang Cheng was the first to jump off the bow.
With a swift slash, the three incoming crossbow bolts snapped in two.
He waded through the shallow, turbid waters and shouted sharply, "Form a wedge formation! Martial Academy in front, Black Dragon Guards on the wings, advance!"
Three hundred martial arts academy disciples, like sharp blades drawn from their sheaths, instantly formed a triangular battle formation, condensing their qi and blood into a shield, breaking through the scattered rain of arrows on the beach.
Two hundred Black Dragon Guards followed closely on both sides, raising their crossbows to clear a path for the battle formation ahead.
The beachhead defense was weaker than expected.
Liang Cheng took the lead, unleashing his inner energy, his blade creating a thunderous roar. The Zoroastrian followers hastily engaged in battle, retreating as they fought.
Liang Cheng broke through the first line of defense, leaving behind a large number of Zoroastrian corpses. His gaze swept across the beach and toward the blood-red Broken Dragon Cliff on the island.
Rush over there.
Liang Cheng took the lead, and almost simultaneously, dozens of dark lights shot out from the forest, and dozens of fist-sized black iron balls landed and exploded instantly.
A large cloud of ghastly green poisonous mist exploded, instantly turning the vegetation black and rotting!
"A poisonous miasma that rots bones!"
With a flick of his sleeve, Lü Bingchen unleashed his inner energy, dispelling the poisonous mist that threatened to engulf them. He shouted to everyone, "Take the poison-avoidance pills, cover your mouths and noses, and charge forward!"
In an instant, the battle formation transformed into a long serpent, forcibly traversing the forest despite the poisonous fog.
Liang Chengchong was at the forefront, his Golden Armor Realm fully activated, his skin glowing with a pale golden hue, and the poisonous mist was instantly dispersed upon contact.
When they rushed out of the poisonous fog forest, their vision suddenly opened up, and they saw the flesh altar at the foot of Broken Dragon Cliff, which was instantly shocking.
On the altar, Situ Lang stood with his hands behind his back, his dark purple brocade robe spotless.
Standing beside him was the red-robed Right Envoy, and behind him was a dense, dark mass of Zoroastrian elites, who were now raining arrows down like a forest.
Beneath the altar, Shen Jun and Bai Hong stood back to back, their true essence supporting a small space to block the viscous blood net that slowly pressed down from above.
"stop."
Liang Cheng raised his hand, and the battle formation stopped a hundred feet away from the altar.
Situ Lang's gaze fell on Liang Cheng, and he smiled slightly: "Liang Cheng!"
Liang Cheng took a few steps forward, his voice carrying throughout the surroundings: "Wu Zhenshan has been executed. Situ Lang, you colluded with the Zoroastrian Church, poisoned Commander Yue, and instigated a rebellion in the city. You deserve to die a thousand deaths."
"Deserves to die?"
Situ Lang chuckled lightly, "It's all about the victor being king and the loser being villain; what crime is there in that?"
"I just didn't expect that with such a meticulous plan, you could still manage to get here. I want to ask, how did you manage to win against that piece of trash Wu Zhenshan, who broke through to the True Yuan Realm and cooperated with the Left Envoy?"
Before Liang Cheng could speak, Lü Bingchen suddenly said, "You yourself said Wu Zhenshan was a good-for-nothing, so isn't this ending only natural?"
Knowing that Lü Bingchen didn't want to reveal Elder Huang's situation, Liang Cheng chuckled, "Why don't you guess what happened?"
Situ Lang remained calm, looking at the group behind Liang Cheng: "Is this all the men you brought? Where did you get the nerve?"
Before Lü Bingchen could answer, Shen Jun, standing below the altar, suddenly roared, "Liang Cheng! Situ Lang isn't just colluding with the Zoroastrianism, he is the Zoroastrian leader!"
It exploded like a thunderclap in an instant!
Liang Cheng's pupils dilated in shock.
Situ Lang is the leader of the Zoroastrian cult?!
Situ Lang's smile slowly faded.
"I was originally planning to play a little longer, but since City Lord Shen is in such a hurry to reveal his trump card—"
He suddenly raised his right hand and swung it down hard.
"Then you can all stay here."
"kill-!!!"
Hundreds of Zoroastrian soldiers suddenly emerged from the dense forest and behind the rocks surrounding the altar!
The crossbow bolts rained down like a storm, instantly covering the Martial Academy and Black Dragon Guard camps!
"Form a circular formation! Raise your shields!"
With a sharp shout, Lü Bingchen commanded the battle formation. At the same time, Liang Cheng shot towards the altar like a cannonball.
His target was the altar.
Only by rescuing the Dean and the City Lord can we have any fighting power.
"Stop him!"
With a cold shout from the red-robed right envoy, three gray-robed guardians rushed out from both sides of the altar. Their true energy intertwined, forming a Three Talents Battle Formation, and they unleashed their swords to block Liang Cheng's path.
Liang Cheng charged forward with undiminished momentum, and his blade slashed down fiercely!
"Clang clang clang—!"
The three explosions almost merged into one!
The three guardians were struck as if by lightning, staggering backward, their weapons chipping and breaking off.
Using the force of the recoil, Liang Cheng twisted his body and swept past them, heading straight for the altar!
"How dare you!"
The red-robed right envoy roared and blocked Liang Cheng's path, striking out with a palm. The true essence in his palm condensed into a vortex, and the suction force actually made Liang Cheng's figure slightly sluggish.
True Essence Realm!
He is no less capable than the Left Envoy.
But now that his cultivation has advanced further, anyone else, with his current accumulation, could easily break through to the True Essence Realm.
Liang Cheng's eyes were fierce. He activated the Broken Wave Technique within his body at full power. The light blue true energy on the blade surged like a tide. Without dodging or avoiding, he slashed at the center of the vortex.
"break!"
The blade sliced into the Right Envoy's true energy vortex, and a sudden gust of wind and thunder rang out. His blade speed increased by three points. The red-robed Right Envoy let out a soft exclamation, withdrew his palm, turned to the side, and lightly flicked the back of the blade with his fingertips.
"Buzz—!"
The blade trembled violently, and Liang Cheng was affected by the shock, but he did not retreat even half a step. He unleashed the full power of his Golden Armor Realm, forcefully withstanding the Right Envoy's attack, and slashed upwards with his blade, displaying an imposing aura.
The Right Envoy was taken aback, but quickly recovered. The two exchanged seven blows in the blink of an eye, and Liang Cheng actually managed to hold him off!
On the other side, Lü Bingchen and his group also launched an attack. At this moment, Lü Bingchen showed no mercy and, in coordination with the Martial Academy teacher, actually killed three gray-robed guardians with his sword and rushed towards the altar.
Situ Lang began to slowly walk down the altar.
With each step he took, his aura increased by one point.
The dark purple brocade robe fluttered without wind, and the pressure of the True Yuan Realm spread out as if it were a tangible force, slowing down the movements of the martial arts academy disciples who were fighting around them.
Without testing the waters, Situ Lang immediately launched a killing move. His palm shadows were like mountains pressing down, each palm carrying a strange force that corroded true essence.
Seeing this, Lü Bingchen dared not take the blow head-on. He joined forces with the other martial arts instructors and barely managed to block the attack, deflecting the palm strike layer by layer.
However, the difference in their levels of cultivation remained. After ten moves, Lü Bingchen and the other masters showed signs of exhaustion. Continuing the fight would only lead to defeat and death.
Below the altar, Shen Jun and Bai Hong exchanged a glance, seeing that Situ Lang was focusing most of his energy on the battle.
"We can't wait any longer."
Shen Jun gritted his teeth, and then actually spat out a mouthful of blood essence. The blood essence sprayed onto the blood net, and actually made a series of "sizzling" burning sounds. A small hole was burned in the blood net, and the pressure on the two of them eased instantly.
The instant Bai Hong seized this opening, his entire body's true energy erupted, and then, bearing the pressure head-on, he roared...
"break!"
In an instant, the blood sacrifice bronze cauldron was lifted a foot higher, and Bai Hong and Shen Jun seized the opportunity to rush out.
"boom!"
With a loud bang, the blood altar exploded.
The two dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow, and rolled to the ground.
Seeing this, Situ Lang was enraged and unleashed a torrent of true energy, pushing his power to another level. However, Lu Bingchen and the others managed to withstand the attack together.
We must buy time for the dean and his team.
Liang Cheng then took a blow from the Right Envoy's palm, using the force to fly backward, and pulled out two pills from his robes. Without hesitation, he threw them at Bai Hong and the other man.
"Lord of the City! Dean!"
Shen Jun took the pill, which was the Replenishing Essence Pill refined by Elder Huang!
"You protect me, I'll take the elixir first."
Shen Jun stuffed a Replenishing Pill directly into his mouth, then sat down cross-legged. Bai Hong stood with his sword across his body, blocking his way.
Situ Lang's expression changed: "Stop them!"
The Zoroastrian followers rushed toward the altar, but although Bai Hong's aura was weak, he was still a True Essence Realm expert. How could he let them get past him?
Situ Lang was somewhat anxious. If he hadn't planned it well, how could he have possibly sacrificed Bai Hong and Shen Jun in one fell swoop?
However, Lu Bingchen and the martial arts academy teachers desperately blocked him, and he couldn't break free for a moment. The battle instantly turned into a chaotic mess.
Yun Jinghong's long robe was now stained with blood, but her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
At this moment, the two Zoroastrian disciples, both at the peak of their internal energy cultivation, used insidious techniques and cooperated seamlessly. One wielded a chain spear for ranged attacks and entanglements; the other held a poisoned short blade for close-quarters assaults.
Although Yun Jinghong's swordsmanship was fierce, he was forced into a defensive posture for a time.
After a few moves, one of them thrust his spear like a venomous snake, aiming straight for Yun Jinghong's dantian. Yun Jinghong dodged to the side and used his longsword to slash at the opponent's wrist.
The other man's short blade had already silently slashed towards the back of his neck!
In the critical moment, Yun Jinghong suddenly ducked, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow, but her shoulder was still cut by the blade's wind, and blood soaked through her white clothes.
He groaned, staggered back three steps, and his breathing became somewhat disordered.
Then the two Zoroastrians exchanged a glance and rushed forward simultaneously, unleashing a barrage of deadly moves. The chain gun locked the upper three sides, while the short blade blocked the lower body's escape route.
Yun Jinghong gripped her sword tightly, her life hanging by a thread, as memories of the past flashed through her mind.
"break!"
He let out a low growl, but instead turned inward!
Inside the body, the Lingyun Technique was circulating wildly at an unprecedented speed, and the blood and qi throughout the body were boiling, all of which were pressed into that key point deep inside the body!
At this critical moment, under the pressure of life and death, a crack finally appeared in the bottleneck.
Then-
"Break it!"
A sword was drawn.
"Click."
A soft sound, like glass shattering, echoed within Yun Jinghong's body. The next moment, a sharp, sword-like, and soaring aura erupted from his body!
"What?!"
The two people's expressions changed drastically.
Yun Jinghong's true energy transformed and condensed at a speed visible to the naked eye, with faint blue energy swirling on the surface of her skin, and her robes fluttering without wind.
True Qi Realm!
At this critical juncture of life and death on the battlefield, Yun Jinghong finally broke through his cultivation level!
At this moment, Liang Cheng, Lü Bingchen, and the others who were engaged in the battle all turned to look in this direction. Lü Bingchen was especially pleasantly surprised, as the Martial Academy actually had such a disciple.
Yun Jinghong slowly raised her head, a glint of light flashing in her eyes, and then a sword light appeared.
The Zoroastrian wielding the chain gun only saw a blur before his longsword was already at his throat. In his utter terror, he realized it was too late to return the chain gun to defend himself.
"laugh!"
The sword pierced his throat, and he died instantly.
At the same time, Yun Jinghong turned his finger into a sword, and another cultist was pierced through the chest by the sword energy, instantly dying.
In an instant, the morale of the Martial Academy City Lord's side soared.
At this moment, Situ Lang let out a long roar. Seeing this, the Red-Robed Right Envoy intensified his attack by three times, with palm shadows like waves of blood flowing endlessly, putting Liang Cheng under even more pressure.
At the same time, the Zoroastrian crossbow formation in the distance had adjusted its direction, and the True-Breaking Crossbow bolts began to be fired sporadically towards the area where Bai Hong and Shen Jun were located.
Without hesitation, Liang Cheng fought and moved, blocking Bai Hong and Shen Jun.
"No refunds allowed."
Liang Chengjin activated his Golden Armor Realm to its limit, his skin glowing with a pale golden light. He was fighting with his life on the line, directly clashing with the Right Envoy.
"Your Zoroastrianism's shortcut to the True Essence Realm is nothing special!"
With the fierce power of the Wind and Thunder Slash combined with the long, continuous Nine-Layer Waves of the Broken Wave Technique, Liang Cheng cleaved, slashed, cut, and stabbed, each strike delivered with all his might, each strike carrying the resolute determination to fight to the death.
The Right Envoy was momentarily stalled, and as the situation grew increasingly unfavorable, he finally unleashed his full power, holding nothing back.
As a result, the drawback of the mixed true essence will inevitably require him to recuperate for a long time after the battle in order to suppress the chaotic true essence in his body from eroding his meridians.
But now, there's no other way.
With the Right Envoy's full outburst, he finally struck Liang Cheng's left shoulder with a palm strike.
"Click"
Even at the peak of the Golden Armor Realm, the sound of bones cracking was still clearly audible.
Liang Cheng grunted and seized the opportunity to slash at the opponent's right arm with his blade. The blade sliced through the true energy shield and sprayed a cloud of blood.
Trade wounds for wounds!
Anger flashed in the eyes of the Right Envoy. He had not expected that this kid in the True Qi Realm would be so troublesome, and he had not expected that the other party's hard skills were so strong that he could withstand his palm strike without collapsing.
Twenty moves.
Thirty moves.
Liang Cheng's left shoulder was sunken, and there was a deep, bone-revealing wound on his right rib, his black clothes soaked with blood. But his hand holding the knife remained steady.
He actually managed to hold off the Right Envoy of the True Essence Realm despite his injury!
Beneath the altar, Shen Jun's aura suddenly erupted, the effects of the replenishing pills took hold, and his sallow complexion visibly regained its rosy hue, his weakened true essence surging once more.
He was pleasantly surprised, not expecting the Replenishing Essence Pill to be so effective. Although it was still far from his peak, it already had seventy percent of his power.
"Dean Bai, come here!"
Shen Jun stood up, took the Black Dragon Banner in his hand, and with a flick of the banner, a gust of wind arose, killing several Zoroastrian followers who rushed towards him.
Bai Hong didn't stand on ceremony and immediately took the second Replenishing Essence Pill.
Seeing this scene, Situ Lang finally felt a hint of panic in his eyes.
At this moment, he made the same choice as the Right Envoy, disregarding the hidden dangers of the mixed true energy in his body, and unleashed his full power, launching three fierce attacks to force back Lü Bingchen and the others, his figure shooting towards Bai Hong like lightning.
"Stop him!"
Liang Cheng roared, then ignored the palm strike aimed at his back from the Right Envoy, turned around and lunged at Situ Lang, trying to stop him!
"court death!"
The right palm struck Liang Cheng squarely on the back of the chest.
"puff--!"
Liang Cheng spat out a mouthful of blood, but his body moved even faster with the force of the palm strike, his blade flashing like a shooting star as he thrust straight at Situ Lang's nape!
Situ Lang was forced to turn around, then flicked the blade away with a finger and pressed his palm against Liang Cheng's face.
"Liang Cheng!"
This palm strike was unleashed by Situ Lang in anger, his true essence solidified to the point that the air distorted wherever it passed!
Liang Cheng had nowhere to avoid it.
A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. Under the full power of his Golden Armor Realm, he did not block, but poured all his true energy into the blade. With a slant, he slashed at Situ Lang's waist and abdomen!
It's still the same strategy of mutual destruction!
Situ Lang's pupils contracted. He had already witnessed Liang Cheng's combat strength and dared not confront him head-on. If he were injured, he would be giving Bai Hong and the others an opportunity.
Situ Lang withdrew his palm strike by a third, then dodged to the side. Liang Cheng's blade grazed his waist, tearing off a piece of his clothes and leaving a bloody mark.
The palm strike, though landing on Liang Cheng's right chest, was significantly less powerful due to the force being redirected.
"boom!"
Despite this, Liang Cheng was still sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing into half of a reef. When he struggled to get up, his right chest caved in, and blood gushed from his mouth and nose.
The surrounding Zoroastrian followers' eyes lit up, and one of them immediately swung his sword, but was killed by a sword aura, as Yun Jinghong arrived.
Thank you!
Although he coughed up a mouthful of blood, Liang Cheng used it to neutralize the force of the palm strike and did not suffer any serious internal injuries.
At the same time, Bai Hong opened his eyes.
The bloodstains on his plain robe fell off without wind. He took a step forward, helped Liang Cheng up, and nodded to him. "Now, you rest first. It's our turn to settle accounts."
Liang Cheng leaned against the rock and said, "Dean, I'll rest for a bit."
Situ Lang's face was ashen. He glanced at Shen Jun and Bai Hong, whose auras had returned to their peak, and finally his gaze fell on Liang Cheng, who was covered in blood but still stood holding a knife.
"What a true disciple of Liang!"
Situ Lang squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, "I will remember today's favor."
He suddenly took a step back, returning to the half-collapsed altar, and then suddenly struck the bronze cauldron in the center of the altar. The next moment, the cauldron exploded!
The viscous blood soup turned into a rain of blood, each drop carrying a strong corrosive effect, forcing everyone to use their internal energy to resist it.
Under the cover of the blood rain, Situ Lang retreated rapidly, grabbing the Right Envoy. Unexpectedly, Liang Cheng stood up again, pointing his finger like a sword.
Mysterious Yin Sword Technique.
Insidious and unpredictable, silent and stealthy, by the time Situ Lang reacted, he could only hastily try to stop them. In this delay, Bai Hong and Shen Jun had already surrounded them.
"Situ Lang, I've said before, you can't bear the blood of our comrades."
Shen Jun drew his sword, less than three feet from Situ Lang's back. Situ Lang was horrified and turned to the side, hastily striking back with his right palm, his palm condensing dark red true energy.
"clang-!!"
As the blade and palm clashed, a piercing sound rang out, and Situ Lang let out a muffled groan. His palm was actually cut open by the blade, leaving a deep, bone-revealing gash. A chilling and eerie blade energy entered his body through the wound!
"The Shen Family's Hidden Blade Technique—"
Situ Lang gritted his teeth and forcefully dispersed the invading blade energy, but his movements were momentarily slowed down as a result.
In that instant, Bai Hong arrived.
He stepped forward and struck out with his palm, his movements clear and distinct, as if demonstrating martial arts and instructing students. However, the pale golden true essence in his palm condensed into a substantial seal, majestic and righteous, carrying a terrifying power to suppress everything!
"The Seal of Zhenyue!"
Situ Lang's pupils contracted, and he thrust out both palms simultaneously, his dark red true essence surging like a blood tide to meet the golden energy seal.
boom-!!!
The collision of true essences was deafening, blood and golden light exploded, and the shockwave sent all the broken rocks within a ten-zhang radius flying!
Situ Lang retreated three steps, each step leaving a deep crater in the black stone ground, a trickle of dark red blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
Bai Hong retreated seven steps. After all, he had just recovered from serious injuries and his meridians were already aching from forcibly activating the Zhenyue Seal.
But that's enough.
Shen Jun and Bai Hong had completely surrounded Situ Lang, one in front and one behind.
"Situ Lang".
Shen Jun's voice was calm, "I've said it before, you can't bear the blood of our comrades."
Situ Lang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked around. The Right Envoy was being held back by Liang Cheng, Lü Bingchen and others. Most of the Zoroastrian elites had been routed and the crossbow formation had been broken.
Although the two people in front of him had not recovered to their peak, they were already enough to keep him here.
A desperate situation.
But then he suddenly laughed, a twisted, demonic laugh: "Can't bear it? Martial arts reach the heavens; who hasn't climbed to the top by stepping on corpses?!"
His aura suddenly surged, "You're just luckier than me. In terms of strategy and talent, who among you can surpass me?!"
"Your Linwu City has been at the bottom for thirty years, what right do you have to criticize me?"
But before he could finish speaking, Shen Jun and Bai Hong, their faces grim and showing no intention of speaking, attacked him simultaneously.
Shen Jun's blade flashed like a ghostly apparition, silently slicing towards Situ Lang's neck, while Bai Hong's palm print collapsed like a mountain, blocking all his escape routes.
The blade cuts half an inch into the flesh.
A palm print was imprinted on his chest.
But in that instant, Situ Lang's eyes turned completely blood red, and a violent and ferocious aura suddenly erupted!
"Since we're all going to die, let's all be buried with us!"
Situ Lang laughed wildly, then suddenly raised his arms and tried to hug Shen Junbai Hong.
Unexpectedly, Shen Jun and Bai Hong seemed to be on the same wavelength, and their moves suddenly changed direction, no longer attacking Situ Lang, but instead attacking each other.
Both of them coughed up blood at the same time, but used the force to fly backward, and Situ Lang's arms caught nothing at all.
"No!"
Then, with a deafening roar, Situ Lang's body exploded, and the force of the explosion sent everyone around him flying backward.
Situ Lang, leader of the Zoroastrian Church, is dead!
On the other side—
"Master!!"
Upon seeing Situ Lang dead, the Red-Robed Right Envoy let out a fierce roar and, disregarding the palm strike Lü Bingchen aimed at his back, forcibly turned around.
His true energy surged as if boiling, and he rushed straight at Liang Cheng beside him!
He wants to drag Liang Cheng down with him to be buried with Situ Lang!
If this kid hadn't rescued Bai Hong and Shen Jun, how could Situ Lang have died?
"Stop him!"
Lu Bingchen's eyes were bloodshot. He and the other masters attacked with all their might, their true energy slamming into the right envoy's back. The right envoy coughed up blood, but his forward momentum increased by three times.
Liang Cheng looked at the blood-red figure rushing towards him, but there was no way to dodge it.
At the critical moment of life and death, Liang Chengfu focused his mind, then took a knife in his left hand and a sword with his right hand, striking with both the knife and the sword in a single blow.
At this moment, the Wind and Thunder Slash was fierce and powerful, the Profound Yin Sword Technique was sinister and unpredictable, and the Broken Wave Technique was endless and continuous.
"cut!"
The moment the blade clashed with the bloody palm, there was no loud noise, only a slight hissing sound.
The blood-red palm print split open from the middle.
The blade flashed through the palm print, grazed the right envoy's neck, and then, with its continued force, carved a three-zhang-long deep trench in the black stone ground behind him.
The Right Envoy's forward-leaning figure froze, a line of blood appearing on his neck, his eyes filled with disbelief. His lips moved slightly.
"True Qi Severing True Essence—How is that possible—"
Liang Cheng leaned on his knife, panting, blood dripping down the blade.
That last strike, at the critical moment of life and death, was as powerful as wind and thunder, like a thunderclap on the raging waves of the deep sea, with a ghostly sword shadow appearing amidst the lightning.
But he also knew that this strike had exhausted all his true energy and spirit, and now his meridians were empty and painful, so he could not make a second strike.
But his eyes were frighteningly bright; it always felt like he had touched a threshold, yet could hardly take another step.
The sounds of fighting all around fell silent for a moment. Everyone watched this scene in disbelief, as if they were dreaming.
A hint of helplessness flashed in Yun Jinghong's eyes.
Today, I broke through to the True Qi Realm in the heat of battle, but I'm still so far from being as good as you!
At this moment, only five words were on Lu Bingchen's mind.
"The pride of our martial arts academy!"