Chapter 137: A Desperate Life-and-Death Situation

Chapter 137: A Desperate Life-and-Death Situation

"Boom!"

Lu Huntian let out a long roar, spewing a mouthful of Profound Qi that transformed into countless wind blades, shattering the ice on the ground.

A force like a tidal wave slammed into Ning Xiaochuan, sending him flying backward as icy blades left several bloody gashes on his face. The spear in Ning Xiaochuan's hand was seized by Lu Huntian's arm.

A blazing crimson Profound Fire ignited on Lu Huntian's palm, causing the Third Grade Mystic Artifact spear to glow red-hot as if on the verge of melting.

This was the "Heavenly Envy Profound Fire," a divine ability recorded in the Heavenly Cauldron Divine Ability Compendium, ranked eighty-fifth. Cultivating this ability was extremely difficult, requiring the forced refinement of extreme yang firestones into the body, fusing them into the Meridians.

Though the process was excruciating, its destructive power was unparalleled—capable of melting even Mystic Artifacts into molten metal.

Lu Huntian's eyes mocked Ning Xiaochuan as he sneered, "Kid, now do you see the gap between us? The difference between the Fifth Level of the Divine Body Realm and the Eighth Level isn’t just three realms—it’s three insurmountable chasms!"

The flames on Lu Huntian's palm flared even fiercer, and the Third Grade Mystic Artifact spear exploded, scattering into countless red-hot fragments that shot in all directions.

The Mystic Artifact had shattered!

Ning Xiaochuan immediately conjured a barrier of Profound Qi in front of him, but it still couldn’t fully block the fragments. A searing piece of metal embedded itself into his left shoulder, sizzling as it burned through flesh.

"Boom!"

Lu Huntian's arm shot toward Ning Xiaochuan's throat. Though Ning Xiaochuan dodged the fatal strike, three bloody gashes were torn across his chest by the nails on Lu Huntian's arm.

"Ning Xiaochuan, no amount of talent can bridge the gap between us. Give up. I’ll make it quick for you." Lu Huntian wore a cold smile, trying to goad Ning Xiaochuan into suicide.

Only if Ning Xiaochuan killed himself would Lu Huntian feel the greatest sense of triumph.

But suicide was the act of a coward.

Ning Xiaochuan raised both arms, and a devastating sword intent erupted from his body.

The rain in the air suddenly froze, as if time had stopped.

Under the influence of the Annihilation Sword Intent, the raindrops transformed into countless swords, forming a storm of blades that surged toward Lu Huntian.

"An attack of this level can’t even threaten me!"

Lu Huntian charged through the sword rain, only to find Ning Xiaochuan had vanished. A heart-wrenching scream echoed from behind him.

"Ah—!"

Lu Huntian turned to see Ning Xiaochuan beheading a warrior from the Cloud Alliance at the Fourth Level of the Divine Body Realm. The head flew through the air as the corpse collapsed into a pool of blood.

Ning Xiaochuan glanced back at Lu Huntian before lunging toward another warrior at the Fifth Level of the Divine Body Realm.

Though they were of the same cultivation realm, Ning Xiaochuan’s combat prowess far surpassed his peers. In just three moves, he killed the Fifth Level warrior, crushing his heart with a single palm strike.

If he was going to kill, he would make it count.

Even if he died here today, he would make them pay dearly.

Lu Huntian's eyes turned red with fury. As a martial artist at the Eighth Level of the Divine Body Realm, he couldn't subdue a youth at the Fifth Level of the Divine Body Realm in a short time, and worse, he had to watch helplessly as Ning Xiaochuan killed several people right before his eyes.

"Heavenly Envy Profound Fire!"

Lu Huntian slammed his palm onto the ground, unleashing a wave of flames that surged from his hand, evaporating the rainwater on the ground. The fire enveloped Ning Xiaochuan, intending to refine him to death.

The Heavenly Envy Profound Fire could even melt Mystic Artifacts.

For a mere mortal body, attempting to escape the flames would only lead to certain death.

"Let’s see how you kill anyone now. Today, I will reduce you to ashes," Lu Huntian sneered ruthlessly as he strode toward Ning Xiaochuan, who was trapped within the inferno.

"Whoosh!"

A golden streak of fire shot out from within the flames.

Lu Huntian sensed the immense power of the golden firelight, his expression shifting slightly. The light struck him, incinerating the robes on his left leg and searing a large chunk of flesh.

Ning Xiaochuan, now entirely wreathed in flames, burst out of the Heavenly Envy Profound Fire like a blazing figure. A pair of 7-meter-long wings unfurled from his back as he soared into the air.

Between his brows, a mass of flames gathered, radiating a blinding brilliance as bright as the scorching sun.

"Blazing Sun Scorching the Heavens!"

A beam of light shot from Ning Xiaochuan’s brow, piercing through the chest of a martial artist at the Fourth Level of the Divine Body Realm on the ground, leaving a bowl-sized hole that emitted black smoke.

Another life was claimed.

It was worth noting that the Emperor's Martial Palace only recruited the elite of the elite, with each intake consisting of just over a thousand disciples. Though the Cloud Alliance was the largest faction within the palace, its membership was still limited.

In less than half an hour, Ning Xiaochuan had already killed four people—a devastating loss.

Zhang Linshan stood beneath a high wall, his icy gaze fixed on Ning Xiaochuan hovering in the air. Extending a finger, he unleashed a Sword Wave—a beam of light that shot skyward and struck Ning Xiaochuan squarely in the chest.

"Thud!"

Ning Xiaochuan plummeted from the sky, his chest mangled, his internal organs suffering massive trauma. The pain was excruciating, and countless ribs had been shattered by the Sword Wave.

Had his body not been extraordinarily resilient, that single strike would have pierced straight through him.

Zhang Linshan was one of the Imperial City's Ten Outstanding Youths, his cultivation already at the Ninth Level of the Divine Body Realm, on the verge of breaking through to the Transcendent Realm. Moreover, his innate talent was exceptional—despite being at the Ninth Level, he possessed the strength to contend with Transcendent Realm experts.

He was among the most formidable figures of the younger generation, exuding an overwhelming pressure.

Zhang Linshan’s aura completely suppressed Ning Xiaochuan as he toyed with a golden dagger. "Do you know why you’ve ended up like this today? It’s not just because you killed Yao Jindao. It’s because you’re the son of Ning Qianyi and the Demon Sect’s Holy Maiden. Killing you—this is the Marquis’s will."

Ning Xiaochuan finally understood. No wonder the Cloud Alliance could cause such a commotion in Emperor's City without interference. The true mastermind behind it all was none other than Yue Wuyang.

Zhang Linshan’s voice was low, ensuring no outsiders overheard. After all, for someone of Yue Wuyang’s status to order the elimination of a sixteen-year-old youth was hardly a glorious affair.

Zhang Linshan believed he had complete control over Ning Xiaochuan's life, which was why he revealed everything to him. No matter how much a dead man knew, he posed no threat.

Zhang Linshan stepped toward Ning Xiaochuan, laughing. "Isn’t your grandfather the Demon Emperor Duanmu Han? Why don’t you call him to save you? Haha!"

Influenced by Ning Xiaochuan's emotions, the Demonic Sword within his heart spun wildly, forming a massive vortex.

Ning Xiaochuan struck out with his palm, a bloody glow radiating from it.

Zhang Linshan, with his supreme martial prowess, naturally dismissed Ning Xiaochuan’s attack. He pointed a finger directly at Ning Xiaochuan’s palm.

But the moment their hands made contact, his expression changed drastically. He felt a terrifying suction force erupt from Ning Xiaochuan’s body, draining his blood.

Blood seeped from Zhang Linshan’s pores, flowing along his fingers into Ning Xiaochuan’s palm before being absorbed into his body.

Zhang Linshan tried to sever the connection by circulating his Profound Qi, but under the pull of this devouring force, his Profound Qi reversed its flow, merging with his blood and being sucked away by Ning Xiaochuan.

Panic set in as Zhang Linshan stared at Ning Xiaochuan in shock, realizing the dreaded technique at play: "The… Blood… Devouring… Demon Art!"

The Blood Devouring Demon Art was the Demon Sect’s foremost sacred scripture. Only high-ranking members like altar masters were permitted to cultivate it—ordinary disciples had no such privilege.

Ning Xiaochuan’s Blood Qi surged wildly, a bloody mist dispersing around him as the blood he had lost in battle was replenished.

His Sixth Divine Source grew rapidly, as if his Sixth Divine Ability was on the verge of awakening.

Ning Xiaochuan desperately yearned to reach the Sixth Level of the Divine Body Realm. Once he achieved that, the seal left by the Old Marquis in his Martial Arts Heart Palace would automatically break, granting him the Physical Strength of the Ninth Level of the Divine Body Realm. Perhaps then, he could fight his way out of this encirclement.

"Break!"

Zhang Linshan struck his own chest with a palm, sending himself flying backward to finally break free from Ning Xiaochuan’s grasp.

Boom!

Zhang Linshan crashed through a wall, having lost a severe amount of blood. Fortunately, his cultivation hadn’t regressed. "Everyone, be careful! Ning Xiaochuan has cultivated the Blood Devouring Demon Art!"

After shouting this, he immediately began circulating his Profound Qi to stabilize his body and prevent his cultivation from deteriorating.

At the mention of the "Blood Devouring Demon Art," all the martial artists present paled. This demonic technique was far too sinister, feared by warriors across the land.

Ning Xiaochuan steadied his Blood Qi. Though he had absorbed a great deal from Zhang Linshan, he had also been severely wounded by the Sword Wave Zhang Linshan unleashed. His arm hung limp, as if every bone had been shattered.

His Sixth Divine Source had not fully dissolved, meaning he hadn’t reached the Sixth Level of the Divine Body Realm. Though his Blood Qi had recovered, his injuries remained severe—his body was half-crippled, covered in wounds.

Cough, cough! Ning Xiaochuan clutched his chest, blood spilling from his lips.

This wasn’t just about Zhang Linshan—dozens of experts from the Cloud Alliance were here as well. There was no way he could take them all on alone.

He couldn’t stay here any longer.

Ning Xiaochuan spread the Wings of Rage, preparing to escape, but he had only flown a few dozen meters when a battle sword shot out from an ancient building, soaring into the sky and piercing through his ribs, leaving a trail of blood.

Forced to crash to the ground, Ning Xiaochuan heard a cold voice from the ancient building as the sword flew back inside: "This path is blocked."

He tried fleeing in another direction but was met with attacks from martial artists at the Seventh Level of the Divine Body Realm or higher, driving him back once more.

Not only were there warriors from the Cloud Alliance, but experts from other factions also lay in ambush, sealing off all his escape routes.

Yet they did not kill him outright—instead, they forced him back, leaving it to the Cloud Alliance to finish him off.