Chapter 349: The Ironclad Death God

Chapter 349: The Ironclad Death God

A muffled groan escaped the Ghost Bat King’s lips as he channeled Martial Path Origin Qi to staunch the bleeding from his wound. Transforming into a wisp of Demonic Qi, he fled toward the horizon.

The Ghost Bat King had been utterly terrified by Ning Xiaochuan’s earlier strike, realizing that Ning Xiaochuan’s true combat power far surpassed his own—so much so that resistance was futile.

His only option was to flee!

"Demonic Body Disintegration." Ning Xiaochuan frowned slightly.

Originally, Ning Xiaochuan’s strike should have been enough to shatter the Ghost Bat King’s martial body and end his life. However, the Ghost Bat King had employed the Divine Ability "Demonic Body Disintegration," sacrificing an arm to preserve his life.

Ning Xiaochuan had no intention of letting the Ghost Bat King escape. Allowing a Martial Venerable to flee would only invite endless trouble—he had to eradicate the threat completely.

Activating the Rainbow Teleportation technique, Ning Xiaochuan pursued the Ghost Bat King at lightning speed.

Killing a Martial Venerable was an extremely difficult task for two reasons. First, their vitality was immense, making them hard to kill. Second, they all possessed life-saving methods; unless the gap in cultivation was overwhelmingly vast, they could usually escape.

But for Ning Xiaochuan, things were different. His speed far exceeded that of other Martial Artists in the same cultivation realm. Even if a Martial Venerable of the same level tried to flee, Ning Xiaochuan would quickly catch up.

Ning Xiaochuan unleashed a massive palm strike, slamming the Black-Haired Ghost Bat Beast to the ground. He then hurled his 87-meter-long giant sword, piercing through one of the beast’s enormous black wings and pinning it firmly to the earth.

The Black-Haired Ghost Bat Beast writhed on the ground, emitting strange cries, but it couldn’t shake off the colossal sword.

Without the weight of the giant sword, Ning Xiaochuan’s speed increased even further. He soon closed in on the Ghost Bat King, tearing toward his back with a claw-like strike.

His fingers crackled with lightning, emitting a series of sharp snaps.

From the Ghost Bat King’s back emerged a towering Martial Soul Avatar—a seven-meter-tall black figure resembling the Ghost Bat King himself, complete with a pair of bat-like wings.

This Martial Soul Avatar blocked Ning Xiaochuan’s strike.

"Tch!"

Ning Xiaochuan’s eyes darkened as he unleashed the Divine Ability "Lightning Divine Beast," shattering the Ghost Bat King’s Martial Soul Avatar. The fragments dissolved into streams of Origin Qi, flowing back into the Ghost Bat King’s body.

The destruction of the Martial Soul Avatar was akin to a devastating blow to the soul. The Ghost Bat King’s face turned deathly pale.

Clutching his chest in agony, as if his internal organs had been crushed, the Ghost Bat King vomited mouthfuls of blood.

"Ning… Xiao… chuan…" The Ghost Bat King still couldn’t believe he had been defeated by someone so young.

His eyes burned with venomous hatred.

Ning Xiaochuan had no interest in wasting words. He raised his palm, aiming to strike the Ghost Bat King’s skull.

At that moment, ripples appeared behind the Ghost Bat King. A steel-armored figure emerged from the distortion, thrusting out a metallic arm to clash directly with Ning Xiaochuan’s palm.

"Boom!"

The impact was like two colossal iron mountains colliding, producing a deafening metallic clang.

Ning Xiaochuan felt an overwhelming force surge through his palm, causing a faint ache in his bones. He immediately retreated, landing over 60 meters away.

Steadying his stance, his expression turned grave as he demanded, "Who goes there?"

A warrior entirely clad in steel armor emerged from the void.

Embedded in his back was a pair of crimson steel wings, composed of overlapping sharp blades. The edges of the wings were lined with razor-sharp sword tips, gleaming with chilling Sword Qi.

His eyes, mouth, and ears were all concealed beneath the armor, making it impossible to discern his gender or appearance.

Yet, the moment this steel-clad figure appeared, a commotion erupted in the Imperial City. Many veteran Martial Artists who had been spectating were stunned.

"The legendary 'Ironclad Death God' of the Lifeless Dao!"

Even standing on the ground, one could feel the bone-chilling killing intent radiating from the Ironclad Death God, sending shivers down the spine.

It was said that every generation of the Lifeless Dao Leader would nurture two Ironclad Death Gods. Aside from the leader themselves, they were the most formidable existences within the sect.

To become an Ironclad Death God, one had to possess talent far surpassing ordinary people. From childhood, their bones were replaced with rare metals, fusing metal and flesh into one.

Man became metal, and metal became man.

The Ironclad Death Gods possessed extraordinarily long lifespans. Even if the previous Lifeless Dao Leader died of old age, they might still remain alive.

Currently, the Lifeless Dao had four Ironclad Death Gods in total—two nurtured by the previous leader and two by the current one.

The two Death Warriors trained by the former leader typically remained stationed at the Lifeless Dao's altar, guarding the tomb of their deceased master. Unless the Lifeless Dao faced annihilation, they would never act, remaining until their own deaths before their predecessor's grave.

Clearly, this Ironclad Death God was one of the two Death Warriors under the current Lifeless Dao Leader.

"Impressive! The Jian Pavilion Marquis House truly has no shortage of talent. With Ning Qianyi dead, Ning Xiaochuan emerges. The son surpasses the father." The Iron Sword Wings on the Ironclad Death God's back flapped continuously, emitting a metallic clatter.

His voice was grating, like metal scraping against metal.

After the Ironclad Death God appeared, the Ghost Bat King finally let out a sigh of relief.

With the Death God taking action, even if Ning Xiaochuan had three heads and six arms, there would be no chance of survival today.

Ning Xiaochuan said, "The Lifeless Dao is also teeming with experts, isn't it? But if the Lifeless Dao dares to provoke the Jian Pavilion Marquis House, I guarantee I will plunge it into the abyss, never to rise again."

"What arrogance. Heh! But for a twenty-year-old to reach the Earthly Venerable Realm and even defeat the Ghost Bat King, such pride is only natural." The Ironclad Death God laughed.

The Ghost Bat King interjected, "The only reason he reached the Earthly Venerable Realm at twenty is because of the 'Northern Abyss Divine Art.' If we could obtain it, the Lifeless Dao would surely become invincible!"

Having witnessed Ning Xiaochuan's strength, everyone attributed it to the 'Northern Abyss Divine Art,' fueling their greed to seize this miraculous technique for themselves.

"Ning Xiaochuan, dare you face me in an Alternate Dimension?" the Ironclad Death God challenged.

"Why wouldn’t I dare?" Ning Xiaochuan replied with composure, his demeanor steady and seasoned, far beyond his years, yet still exuding unyielding pride.

The Ironclad Death God swung his scythe, instantly tearing open a rift in space, leading to an Alternate Dimension.

The Ghost Bat King attempted to flee, but Ning Xiaochuan intercepted him, slamming him into an Alternate Dimension with a single palm strike. Simultaneously, Ning Xiaochuan himself flew into the Alternate Dimension.

Three Martial Venerable-level experts vanished above the Imperial City.

"Ning Xiaochuan, what is the meaning of this?"

"Does he intend to fight the Ironclad Death God? Don’t forget, the Ironclad Death God specializes in killing Martial Venerables—this is suicide!"

"Is Ning Xiaochuan being too arrogant? He even forced the Ghost Bat King into the Alternate Dimension. Does he plan to take on two Demon Sect powerhouses at once?"

Many believed Ning Xiaochuan was overconfident. The Ironclad Death God’s strength was beyond his ability to withstand, and he would likely meet a tragic end, becoming nothing more than a pile of young bones.

The elders of the Divine Sword Palace were frantic with worry, convinced Ning Xiaochuan had been reckless and fallen for the Ironclad Death God’s taunts. They feared he might perish within the Alternate Dimension.

They immediately dispatched messengers to report back to the Jian Pavilion Marquis House. Only the Old Marquis could intervene and rescue the Minor Marquis.

……

…………

Only a Martial Venerable could open an Alternate Dimension.

Generally, Martial Venerables preferred to battle within Alternate Dimensions for two reasons: First, their destructive power was too immense—fighting within a small city could reduce the entire settlement to ruins.

Second, Martial Venerables possessed their own unique techniques, which they preferred to keep hidden. Engaging in combat within an Alternate Dimension ensured their true strength remained concealed.

This was Ning Xiaochuan’s first time entering an Alternate Dimension.

The so-called "Alternate Dimension" was essentially an unformed fragment of the Emperor's Ruins.

If the real world was likened to a vast ocean, then an Alternate Dimension would be like a tiny bubble floating within it.

Once one’s cultivation reached the Earthly Venerable Realm, they could sense small pockets of Space beyond the real world. By breaking through the spatial barrier, they could engage in one-on-one duels within.

The Ghost Bat King was furious. Losing an arm had already been a humiliating disgrace, and now Ning Xiaochuan had forced him into the Alternate Dimension. "You brat, you brought this upon yourself. Don’t blame us. We, the Martial Artists of the Demon Sect, don’t fight fair one-on-one. Death God, I’ll cut off his retreat—you capture him alive!"

Ning Xiaochuan remained composed. "You think I’d run?"

"Too late to escape now!" The Ironclad Death God flapped his Dual Wings, unleashing a storm of 72 Blade-like Wings that rained down on Ning Xiaochuan like a deadly sword shower.

Instead of retreating, Ning Xiaochuan advanced, summoning the Blood City Iron Seal. It transformed into a massive iron block over 60 meters tall, smashing aside the 72 Blade-like Wings and slamming into the Ironclad Death God.

The Ironclad Death God’s body was indeed formidable. Even when struck by a Seventh-grade Mystic Artifact, his Armor only dented slightly, leaving him unharmed.

The Ironclad Death God’s combat prowess was comparable to a Third Level Earthly Venerable Realm expert.

Of course, he was far stronger than Mu Honglai had been. When Mu Honglai fought Ning Xiaochuan, both his arms were crippled, and the Demonic Sword’s corruption left him with less than a third of his strength—nowhere near the Ironclad Death God’s level.

Ning Xiaochuan attacked ruthlessly, moving with blinding speed. Holding nothing back, he summoned the Demonic Sword and with a single slash, severed one of the Ironclad Death God’s steel wings.

"My Iron Sword Wings are forged from Meteorite Iron. Even a seventh-grade Mystic Artifact cannot sever them." The Ironclad Death God felt a deep sense of foreboding, for the killing intent erupting from the Demonic Sword in Ning Xiaochuan's hand was overwhelmingly dense.

The Demonic Qi radiating from Ning Xiaochuan was even heavier than that of the Demon Sect's leaders.

"Now you know fear? Now you realize who should be running? Pity—none of you will escape today."

Shrouded in sinister Demonic Qi, Ning Xiaochuan stood atop a demonic diagram depicting 'Mountains of Corpses and Seas of Blood,' sweeping the Ghost Bat King toward him. He drove the Demonic Sword through the top of his skull, annihilating him at the diagram's center.

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