Chapter 235: Siege

Chapter 235: Siege

Forty Divine Slaying Crossbows drew their strings simultaneously, launching Divine Slaying Arrows trailing long tails of Profound Qi, tearing through the sky like a dazzling Departing Dragon.

Faced with the Divine Slaying Crossbows, even Xiao Cheng dared not be careless. He swiftly channeled Profound Qi into the Primordial Silver Ring, unleashing a blinding silver light that transformed into a massive circular barrier, slamming against the incoming arrows.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Under the relentless assault of forty Divine Slaying Arrows, Xiao Cheng was forced to retreat step by step.

The arrowheads clashed against the silver barrier, erupting in bursts of searing sparks.

"Pfft!"

One Divine Slaying Arrow breached Xiao Cheng's defenses, piercing through the area above his collarbone and tearing away a chunk of flesh.

Blood streamed down his shoulder, staining a corner of his rhinoceros-hide soft armor crimson.

Xiao Cheng's gaze turned icy and ruthless as he pushed the Primordial Silver Ring to its limits. From the ring, a thousand silver Sword Qi beams erupted, each three meters long, resembling colossal silver greatswords.

The simultaneous eruption of a thousand silver greatswords unleashed unimaginable destructive force, shredding the surrounding forest trees into splinters.

This was the power he had stored within the Primordial Silver Ring—one of his trump cards. The attack sent forty Demon Sect experts flying, impaling five of them to death and severely wounding over a dozen others.

Xiao Cheng retracted the Primordial Silver Ring, slipping it back onto his wrist, then stomped on the chest of a heavily injured Demon Sect expert, growling, "Who sent you to kill me?"

The Demon Sect expert remained silent, merely offering a cold smirk.

Xiao Cheng's face twisted with fury. Just as he was about to deliver a fatal palm strike— "Boom!"

A deafening explosion echoed in the distance as a blue streak shot forth, condensing into a spherical projectile that hurtled toward him like a meteor.

The sheer killing intent radiating from the blue sphere was terrifying—even the sound of its flight through the air was enough to make one's eardrums ache.

Xiao Cheng felt an overwhelming force locking onto him, leaving him no room to evade. His expression twisted in shock. "A Mystic Stone Chariot?! Is the imperial court trying to kill me?"

There was no time to think. He immediately activated the Primordial Silver Ring at full power, its silver radiance painting the sky with a gleaming edge.

"Boom!"

The blue sphere shattered the ring's defenses and struck Xiao Cheng directly, shattering half the bones in his body. His chest exploded in a bloody mess as he was sent flying into the mud, utterly battered.

Xiao Cheng had never suffered such grievous injuries before. His organs felt as if they had been pulverized, and excruciating pain wracked his entire body. Blood poured from his wounds, dyeing the muddy ground red.

The sound of footsteps reached his ears. With great effort, he lifted his head and saw two masked figures standing before him. "Who... who are you? I am... the eldest disciple of the Cloud Marquis, the Alliance Leader of the Emperor's Martial Palace's Cloud Alliance. Killing me... will cost you dearly!"

Ning Xiaochuan removed his mask and tossed it into the mud, smiling. "Brother Xiao Cheng, long time no see?"

"It's... you..."

Xiao Cheng coughed up a mouthful of blood, never imagining that the person he had once dismissed as an ant would bring him to such a devastating downfall.

Xiao Cheng forcibly gathered his last breath and swallowed a silver pill, causing a silver light to erupt from his body.

He propelled himself into the air, landing on the back of the Scorpion Lion, and urged the mount to soar skyward in an attempt to flee. "Ning Xiaochuan, I will make you pay double for today’s humiliation!"

"There won’t be a next time."

Ning Xiaochuan grabbed a Divine Slaying Crossbow, channeled the Dragon-Tiger Profound Qi within him, and drew the bowstring taut like a full moon.

He fused his Divine Martial Ability with the Divine Slaying Arrow.

The arrow, wrapped in crackling lightning, transformed into a ferocious Lightning Divine Beast, charging into the sky and striking the Scorpion Lion’s left scaled wing, tearing open a massive hole two meters in diameter. Blood poured from the wound as the beast let out a mournful cry, its body swaying unsteadily before plummeting toward the ground.

Xiao Cheng’s expression darkened, realizing escape was now impossible. He immediately leaped off the Scorpion Lion’s back, using the silver light within his body to cushion his fall as he crashed to the ground.

Once on the ground, he fled without hesitation.

"Boom!"

The Scorpion Lion slammed into the earth, creating a massive crater that shook the mountains and rivers.

Ning Xiaochuan held the Divine Slaying Crossbow, narrowing his eyes as he watched Xiao Cheng flee. "Xiao Cheng actually had an 'Immortal Silver Pill' on him."

The silver pill Xiao Cheng had consumed earlier was the Immortal Silver Pill—a high-grade Mystic Pill, priceless and nearly impossible to obtain.

This Mystic Pill allowed a Martial Artist to recover swiftly from severe injuries, restoring mobility and a portion of their cultivation power.

Qiu Xinghui said, "He’s gravely injured now, and his martial cultivation must have dropped significantly. Should I send someone to finish him off? In the Soul Domain, taking the life of a wounded Martial Artist is no difficult task."

Ning Xiaochuan picked up the fallen Primordial Silver Ring and stored it in his Heaven and Earth Bag, smiling. "Dealing with a heavily injured Xiao Cheng is like facing a toothless wolf. If I needed Elder Qiu’s help for such a trivial matter, it would only make me seem incompetent. Within three months, I will personally deliver the Great Earth Solemnity Pill to your residence."

With a quiver of Divine Slaying Arrows on his back and the Divine Slaying Crossbow in hand, Ning Xiaochuan activated Rainbow Teleportation and pursued Xiao Cheng.

Pushing his speed to the limit, Ning Xiaochuan emerged from the forest and stood atop a small hill, spotting Xiao Cheng fleeing in the distance.

He nocked another Divine Slaying Arrow, drew the crossbow into a full moon, and infused the arrow with the martial technique of the Lightning Divine Beast.

With a thunderous crackle, the arrow shot forth, transforming into a lightning beast that raced through the air, trailing six lightning tails. It struck Xiao Cheng squarely in the back.

"Bang!"

Xiao Cheng was sent flying once more, crashing through a large tree one meter in diameter. Blood spilled from his lips as he glared venomously at Ning Xiaochuan, clenching his fists in hatred. If he survived, he vowed to tear Ning Xiaochuan to pieces.

Struggling to his feet, he continued his desperate escape.

Ning Xiaochuan took a single step forward, his body transforming into a Rainbow Bridge that spanned three kilometers, landing at the base of the hill. He then activated his movement technique and resumed the chase.

"Whoosh!"

Ning Xiaochuan drew the crossbow string once more and fired a Divine Slaying Arrow, striking Xiao Cheng squarely in the back. The silver light surrounding him shattered, and blood coughed incessantly from his mouth.

"Ning Xiaochuan, don’t get too smug. Once my injuries heal, it will be your death!" Xiao Cheng, disheveled and covered in blood, ran frantically through the mountain ranges, his eyes filled with madness.

Ning Xiaochuan pursued him unhurriedly, laughing coldly. "Do you really think you’ll live long enough for your injuries to heal?"

Whoosh!

Another arrow shot forth, slamming into Xiao Cheng’s back once more, forcing him to vomit blood in utter wretchedness.

Finally, a great river appeared ahead, and Xiao Cheng saw a glimmer of hope. Without hesitation, he plunged into the water, attempting to escape through the river.

Splash!

Ning Xiaochuan followed without delay, diving into the raging currents. Having trained underwater before, he was intimately familiar with its dynamics—his combat prowess only grew stronger in this environment.

Xiao Cheng thought he could flee through the water, but little did he know this would only lead him to his doom.

Boom!

Ning Xiaochuan swiftly caught up to him beneath the surface and unleashed an Annihilation Sword Wave, parting the water currents as it blasted toward Xiao Cheng.

Xiao Cheng summoned Freezing Energy from his palm, solidifying the river water into an icy shield to block the attack. The shield shattered into fragments under the force of the Sword Wave.

Like a Divine Dragon in the water, Ning Xiaochuan closed the distance in an instant. Lightning surged from his palm as he struck down at Xiao Cheng’s skull.

Xiao Cheng hastily reformed his ice shield, but it shattered instantly under the crushing force of Ning Xiaochuan’s palm.

The blow landed squarely on his head, cracking his skull cap and sending blood gushing out.

Ning Xiaochuan pressed his fingers against Xiao Cheng’s scalp, activating the Demonic Sword within him. A devouring force erupted, voraciously absorbing Xiao Cheng’s Blood Qi. Part of it was converted into Ning Xiaochuan’s own power, while the rest was devoured by the Tenth Divine Ability—the Annihilation Divine Monument.

Xiao Cheng was a peak expert of the Transcendent Realm Seventh Level. Had his blood not been severely depleted, Ning Xiaochuan wouldn’t have dared to recklessly refine his Blood Qi with the Demonic Sword—doing so carelessly could have overwhelmed and killed him.

Xiao Cheng trembled violently, suffering unbearable agony as his blood reversed flow, every inch of his skin feeling as if pierced by needles.

"Ning… Ning Xiaochuan… my master… will never… let you go…" Xiao Cheng gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot, his entire body taut with pain.

Ning Xiaochuan remained silent, eyes shut, focusing entirely on refining the surging power flowing into him, converting it into his own strength.

The river churned violently, forming a massive whirlpool. Lightning and thunder erupted within it, electrocuting all aquatic life in the vicinity—the surface soon littered with floating corpses.

The scene was terrifying, enough to make onlookers believe a water monster had awakened within the depths.

Boom!

After a long while, Ning Xiaochuan emerged from the whirlpool, clutching a desiccated corpse, and landed on the riverbank overgrown with water weeds.

His entire body was enveloped in Blood Qi, streaks of lightning crackling within it. The sheer power radiating from him instantly withered the surrounding vegetation.

Tossing the corpse aside, he sat cross-legged and began refining the immense energy now surging within him.

"Refining this power should help me reach the Transcendent Realm Fourth Layer."

Every drop of Ning Xiaochuan's blood transformed into a crimson divine tiger, roaring and surging rapidly within his body.

At the position of his heart, the Martial Arts Heart Palace had become an ocean of Profound Qi, shimmering with seven colors that condensed into seven Divine Bridges, connecting the Martial Arts Heart Palace to the natural world.

A radiant glow erupted from Ning Xiaochuan's body, shooting straight into the clouds and merging with the sky's hues, forming a Rainbow Light that arched over the great river.