Chapter 295: The Path to Heaven Exists, Yet They Choose Not to Take It

Chapter 295: The Path to Heaven Exists, Yet They Choose Not to Take It

The clouds in the sky pressed lower and lower, dark masses gathering layer upon layer as if they were about to crush the earth. Lightning weaved through the clouds, accompanied by the deafening roar of Heavenly Thunder.

"Boom—"

A massive palm imprint descended from above, stretching hundreds of meters long, entirely composed of intertwined lightning. Every single strand of its power could slay a Martial Artist, let alone a palm imprint formed from millions of such strands—its might was unimaginable.

Standing beneath the palm imprint, the Black-Clad Woman appeared minuscule, like a tiny ant on the verge of being obliterated.

Though her entire body was shrouded in black robes, they could not conceal her peerless grace—her slender, willow-like figure enveloped in a faint mist of Profound Qi, resembling demonic clouds wrapping around her.

She stood firm on the ground, her long black hair fluttering in the wind. Her beautiful eyes burned with unwavering resolve as she raised a delicate finger, pointing directly at the sky.

"Boom—"

Five ice pillars erupted from the earth around her, each over 10 meters in diameter, like towering glaciers rising from the ground. A piercing Freezing Energy radiated from them, meeting the colossal descending palm.

"Crash—"

The five ice pillars shattered, the earth trembling as massive chunks of ice, weighing thousands of kilograms, tumbled down, crashing toward the Black-Clad Woman.

In response, she unleashed 72 Cold Shadow Sword Strikes, her body flickering into 72 ethereal afterimages.

The Sword Qi shattered the falling ice, and her lithe figure soared through the air.

"Whoosh—"

Yue Wuyang descended from the heavens, his majestic figure clad in armor and wreathed in Origin Qi. His stern gaze was sharp as lightning, resembling an invincible war god.

His palm took on a Green Gold hue, sharp as a blade, as it slammed down toward the Black-Clad Woman.

Her movements were agile, her cultivation profound—the Origin Qi within her surged like an endless ocean.

She thrust out 360 Sword Strikes in rapid succession, weaving a net of Sword Qi to block Yue Wuyang’s earth-splitting palm.

"Swish—"

Like a fleeting rainbow, her sword pierced through 66.67 meters in an instant, striking directly at Cloud Marquis’s palm.

This was her Martial Arts Divine Ability—Rainbow Sword—its speed amplified thirteenfold. The terrifying velocity, combined with power rivaling a Martial Venerable, unleashed an attack beyond ordinary comprehension.

Any other Martial Artist would have been torn to shreds by such a strike, reduced to minced flesh.

Yet, this sword failed to pierce Yue Wuyang’s palm, blocked by a ring of glowing mist he conjured.

This was Yue Wuyang’s Black Tortoise Battle Qi, the foremost defensive Divine Ability of the Yulan Empire, said to be unbreakable.

Yue Wuyang sneered coldly. "Conspiring with Young Master Chuan to murder a Marquis in broad daylight—this is a capital offense."

The Black-Clad Woman’s expression shifted as an overwhelming force traveled up her blade, numbing her arm until she nearly lost all sensation.

"Crack—"

The tip of her sword splintered, and in the next moment, the entire blade shattered into fragments.

The shards shot back toward her—each one a lethal blade capable of piercing even a Martial Venerable’s protective Origin Qi barrier.

The Black-Clad Woman activated Cloud-Treading Steps, stepping on the void as if walking on air, instantly retreating 300 meters away.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Though Cloud-Treading Steps were incredibly fast and her movements were profound, five sword fragments still struck her body, piercing through and leaving five bloody holes.

Her body was severely wounded, yet the azure mist around her did not dissipate, still shrouding her peerless figure. Clearly, she did not want others to know her identity.

Yue Wuyang strode forward with heavy steps, his body weighing like 5,000,000 kg, shaking the ground beneath him. His armor emitted a crimson glow, dyeing the night sky scarlet, while the earth beneath him seemed to melt into lava.

"As an accomplice of Young Master Chuan, you are also guilty of a capital crime."

The Crown Prince and the Lingyi State Preceptor arrived from two other directions, surrounding the Black-Clad Woman in the center.

The Lingyi State Preceptor took out a blue High-Grade Mystic Stone and embedded it into a spiritual node 300 meters high, forming a massive blue moon that cast seventy-two beams of light, sealing the space and transforming it into a colossal Gilded Cage.

Last time, Young Master Chuan had escaped from the Lingyi State Preceptor's Gilded Cage, forcing him to reflect deeply and spend an exorbitant price to acquire a High-Grade Mystic Stone.

Using a High-Grade Mystic Stone to perform a Dao Technique and form the "Gilded Cage," even a Martial Venerable would find it difficult to break free.

"To think Young Master Chuan escaped again—how infuriating! Let’s capture this witch first!" The Crown Prince’s eyes gleamed with cruelty as golden light surged from his hands, coalescing into a massive golden Divine Dragon.

This was the "Nine-Five Divine Dragon Qi," a divine ability only the imperial family could cultivate—extremely domineering, with attack power unmatched among Martial Artists of the same cultivation realm.

"Roar!"

The golden Divine Dragon coiled and twisted, its head enormous, eyes like lanterns, fangs like swords, spewing divine flames as it extended a massive claw, charging into the Heavenly Emperor's Gilded Cage.

Standing before the golden Divine Dragon, the Black-Clad Woman looked as fragile as a blade of grass.

Blood trickled from the corner of her lips, her chest, legs, and face slashed by sword fragments. Slowly, she raised her arm, condensing a Profound Qi Sword.

Her beautiful eyes darkened as she swung the sword with overwhelming force.

"Boom!"

The dragon’s head was shattered by the Sword Qi, dispersing into golden droplets of light rain.

The Crown Prince, the Lingyi State Preceptor, and Yue Wuyang turned into three blurs, rushing forward and unleashing their Martial Arts Divine Abilities.

"Rumble—!"

The earth split open, the Moat burst, and massive waves surged out, flooding fields and forests, rushing toward the distant Border Market. Countless houses were submerged.

The clash of four Martial Venerable-level figures sent shockwaves with every Martial Arts Divine Ability, darkening the sky and causing lava to erupt from the ground.

Ning Xiaochiao had already fled 50 km away. Glancing back, he saw the Imperial City shrouded in Dark Clouds, Lightning flashing, and a blue moon suspended in the void, sealing the space.

A battle of this magnitude could be seen even from hundreds of kilometers away—utterly awe-inspiring.

Ning Xiaochiao stopped in his tracks, no longer fleeing, his eyes filled with worry.

"She can't be left behind. She’s definitely no match for the three Martial Venerables."

Gritting his teeth, Ning Xiaochiao turned and sprinted back toward the Imperial City, soon standing atop a small hill as he watched the fierce battle not far away.

The ground trembled incessantly, making it almost impossible to keep his footing.

The clash of four Martial Venerables sent shockwaves of power rippling outward, flattening small hills and leaving craters 10 meters in diameter across the land.

Ning Xiaochiao took out the Reflecting World Mirror and aimed it toward the Imperial City.

An image of a massive ancient city appeared on the mirror’s surface.

The projection flew out from the mirror, transforming into a colossal, real city that crashed into the blue moon in the sky.

Boom!

The blue moon plummeted from the heavens.

The "Gilded Cage" set up by the Lingyi State Preceptor was instantly shattered, and the Black-Clad Woman was sent flying out of the sealed space.

Her body skidded across the ground for several dozen meters, smashing through the earth before collapsing into the dust. With a cough, she spat out a mouthful of blood.

The Lingyi State Preceptor transformed into a streak of cyan light, wielding a horsetail whisk as he struck toward the Black-Clad Woman’s forehead.

Already severely wounded from the combined assault of the three Martial Venerables, with over ten meridians broken, she could fight no longer. Resigned, she closed her beautiful eyes.

Swish!

Ning Xiaochiao landed in front of her, gripping the hilt of his blade with both hands and slashing in a circular motion.

A single downward strike unleashed the Heavenly Emperor's Blade’s Sword Qi, carrying the Majestic Aura of a Ruler as it shattered the Lingyi State Preceptor’s whisk into scattered strands.

The Lingyi State Preceptor was sent flying backward by the Sword Qi, a bloody gash on his arm. His heart trembled in shock. "Such an overwhelming blade technique!"

Ning Xiaochiao swung again, sending the Lingyi State Preceptor flying several dozen meters away, his Taoist robes torn to tattered rags.

Ning Xiaochiao handed the Reflecting World Mirror to the Heavenly Emperor's Blade, offering it as sustenance. In return, the blade lent him its power.

Trading a Seventh-Grade Mystic Artifact for temporary strength was undoubtedly the worst deal Ning Xiaochiao had ever made.

But he had no choice. Without borrowing the Heavenly Emperor's Blade’s power, he stood no chance against a Martial Venerable.

The blade was quite "principled"—without a Seventh-Grade Mystic Artifact, it absolutely refused to lend its strength.

"Kid, I should warn you—the power I’m lending you is limited. It’ll keep you alive, but it won’t be enough to kill three Martial Venerables." The Heavenly Emperor's Blade’s voice carried a smug laugh as it began refining the Seventh-Grade Mystic Artifact, the Reflecting World Mirror.

Every time it refined a Mystic Artifact, its grade would rise, and it was naturally thrilled.

Not wanting Yue Wuyang or the Crown Prince to discover he possessed the Heavenly Emperor's Blade, Ning Xiaochiao had it alter its form, transforming into a simple, two-meter-long narrow blade.

"Why did you come back?" The Black-Clad Woman struggled to her feet, disheveled and weak, yet still breathtakingly beautiful. Every inch of her skin visible beneath her black robes was like flawless jade.

"I’m not the kind of person who only cares about saving himself. If we leave, we leave together."

Ning Xiaochiao stood in front of the Black-Clad Woman, wielding the Heavenly Emperor's Blade to amplify his power by at least tenfold, making him capable of rivaling a Martial Venerable.

"No one leaves, Young Master Chuan. The path to heaven lies open, yet you choose the gates of hell," the Crown Prince declared. With a flick of his sleeve, eighteen pearl-like orbs the size of washbasins flew out, hovering in the sky and illuminating the night with dazzling brilliance. They emitted eighteen surges of draconic aura.

These were eighteen Dragon Eyes—genuine eyes of a dragon. As the eighteen Dragon Eyes collided, they instantly coalesced into a Savage Dragon towering over 70 meters tall. Its legs were like pillars, its scales as large as water vats, and its body exuded a primal, savage aura.

With a single stomp, the Savage Dragon left a crater larger than a human body, shaking the earth violently.