Chapter 644: Tian Jian Zhen

As Shen Shen Jinxiao crushed half of the pulsing, living heart within the secret chamber, Pei Hao, who was locked in battle with Li Luo, suddenly shuddered violently, then reeled backward, letting out a muffled cry of pain from his throat as beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He pressed his palm against his heart, a shadow flickering across his eyes.

He clearly felt that a corner of his heart was now missing.

This was a permanent loss, and it would inevitably leave him with grave hidden dangers—perhaps even damaging his foundational cultivation.

But Pei Hao understood this was the result of the man behind him growing impatient with his prolonged struggle against Li Luo, and deciding to intervene to end the battle.

There was nothing Pei Hao could do about it, for during their earlier clash, he had already realized that even with the backing of his unseen patron temporarily boosting his power to Da Tian Xiang Jing, he still could not crush Li Luo—Li Luo's hidden cards and preparations for today were every bit as formidable as his own.

This truly filled Pei Hao with shock and fury, for when they had met a year ago in the old mansion, Li Luo had been nothing but a worthless Kongxiang Shaofuzhu, possessing only a hollow title, and Pei Hao had never truly regarded him as a threat.

Had it not been for Jiang Jiang Qinge's protection, Pei Hao would have long ago eliminated this Shaofuzhu with a covert strike.

Who could have imagined that in just one year, that worthless Kongxiang Shaofuzhu had gained strength and methods capable of standing against him?

If he had known this would happen, he should have mustered the resolve back then and eliminated this threat early!

Otherwise, he would not now be paying such a terrible price.

Pei Hao's eyes glowed with venomous malice as he fixed them on Li Luo's figure, his forehead twitching with bulging veins, revealing the storm of emotion within.

Yet despite the missing portion of his heart, Pei Hao clearly sensed a terrifying force surging endlessly from the void.

Though this force did not rival the Marquis Realm, it was more than enough to crush ordinary Da Tian Xiang Jing cultivators.

This alone was sufficient to kill the Li Luo before him.

At this thought, Pei Hao's killing intent surged violently.

Li Luo, since I have paid such a terrible price, let your life be the compensation!

As Pei Hao unleashed his venomous killing intent, Li Luo sharply sensed the danger, his brow furrowing as he locked onto Pei Hao and slowly clenched his Zhu Xuan Xiang Dao.

Both sides had prepared thoroughly for today, so he must remain ever vigilant against any of Pei Hao's hidden moves.

Outside the arena, even Jiang Jiang Qinge now fixed her gaze intently on Pei Hao, her slender frame straightening slightly, her long, delicate fingers gently closing, a faint flow of Light Phase energy beginning to circulate over her body.

She too had sensed the unusual fluctuations suddenly emerging from Pei Hao's body.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Pei Hao grinned, revealing rows of sharp white teeth; in the next instant, strands of golden light continuously rose from the crown of his head, blindingly brilliant and radiating an extreme sharpness.

Outside the arena, even Yuan Qing, a Xiao Tian Xiang Jing powerhouse, could not suppress a change in expression upon seeing those golden strands, his eyes filled with shock.

For in his perception, those golden strands carried an indescribable sense of danger—each strand alone could pierce him through, let alone the sheer number converging together—what kind of awe-inspiring, tyrannical force was this?

This made him realize Pei Hao had surely prepared his final killing technique to end this Shaofu Sacrifice contest.

And could the Shaofuzhu possibly withstand such a terrifying attack?

Xu Xu Tianling also watched this scene, a faint smile on his face; even he could not stop Pei Hao now—this battle was surely about to reach its conclusion.

Amid the sea of stunned gazes, Pei Hao slowly rose into the air, as if standing upon countless golden streams of light, resembling a golden cloud that covered the entire House Luolan Mansion headquarters.

When his aura reached its peak, he formed a sword seal, his eyes cold and cruel.

The next instant, his chilling, killing-intent-filled voice rang out softly.

"Shaofuzhu, try my strongest Phase Art."

"High-Level Dragon General Art: Tian Jian Zhen."

Boom—Boom!

The moment his words ended, the celestial energy surged violently; behind him, the golden clouds slowly tore open, and with horrified eyes, the crowd witnessed a golden sword-shadow, roughly a hundred zhang long, piercing through the clouds and pointing directly at Li Luo.

When the hundred-zhang golden sword-shadow appeared, the air rang continuously with the singing of swords.

Even the air itself seemed transformed into sword qi; those outside the arena felt a sharp pain in their throats with every breath.

And this was merely the residual ripple—imagine the pressure Li Luo, locked within and targeted, now bore.

Li Luo also looked up, his pupils reflecting the golden sword-shadow; with Pei Hao's sudden surge of strange power combined with this high-level Dragon General Art, its power had reached an astonishingly terrifying level.

An ordinary Da Tian Xiang Jing cultivator would be instantly obliterated by this blade.

Li Luo's expression grew solemn, yet his eyes held no fear—he had never underestimated Pei Hao from the start, but if Pei Hao believed this killing technique alone could end the Shaofu Sacrifice contest, he had vastly underestimated Li Luo.

Li Luo's preparations for today were no less than Pei Hao's—perhaps even more.

Above, the colossal golden sword-shadow now descended like a heavenly blade; the instant it struck, the vast blue stone plaza beneath began to crack, the fissures smooth as mirrors.

Outside the plaza, numerous Phase-energy protective barriers rose to shield the House Luolan Mansion headquarters from the battle's residual waves.

Yuan Qing, Cai Wei, and others cast their anxious, worried gazes toward Li Luo.

They did not know how Li Luo could possibly withstand Pei Hao's terrifying assault.

"Young Lady, if all else fails, perhaps you should intervene." Yuan Qing could not help but glance at Jiang Jiang Qinge and whispered.

Though Pei Hao now seemed terrifyingly powerful, Yuan Qing somehow possessed an inexplicable confidence in Jiang Jiang Qinge—perhaps because over the years, Jiang Jiang Qinge had consistently amazed everyone.

Jiang Jiang Qinge stared at the golden sword-shadow descending from the clouds, and slowly shook her head.

"Wait a little longer," she said, her golden eyes shifting to the tall, slender figure in the arena; Li Luo's face showed no fear—she had watched his progress over the past year, and his preparations for today were no less than her own.

So she trusted Li Luo.

Though Pei Hao had no doubt paid a terrible price for his power, he could never compare to Li Luo.

Hearing Jiang Jiang Qinge say this, Yuan Qing could only sigh inwardly and turn his gaze back to the arena.

In the plaza, Li Luo now moved—he formed a hand seal with his ten fingers, and the violent energy within him surged forth without restraint; at the same time, his complexion rapidly paled.

"Such a terrifying drain…"

Feeling the violent energy within him vanish at an alarming rate, Li Luo was deeply shaken—this Phase Art was truly extraordinary.

Moreover, as he unleashed this Phase Art, the surrounding celestial energy seemed driven by some mysterious force, forming a colossal energy vortex centered on his body.

After several breaths, Li Luo drew a deep breath, his face utterly colorless.

Simultaneously, his hands slowly parted, fingers grasping—then everyone saw a slightly illusory black dragon banner appear in Li Luo's hands.

When the black dragon banner appeared, an inexplicable weighty pressure began to slowly spread from the arena.