Chapter 549: Encountering the Integration Stage

Just as Zhang Nuo and Chen Shuang'er were approaching the territory of the Wuliang Dao Sect step by step, an old man stood in the middle of many cultivators behind them, his brows tightly furrowed!

This person was the Integration Stage old man who had been pursuing Zhang Nuo and the others all these years. Seeing the number of Spirit Severing Stage cultivators around him constantly decreasing, the old man could not help but feel a sense of horror in his heart!

In just a few short years, Zhang Nuo had slaughtered seventeen or eighteen Spirit Severing Stage cultivators from the Human Emperor Palace! Such a terrifying number was simply unimaginable!

If the opponent were some high-level cultivator, that would be one thing, but it just so happened that the opponent was also a Spirit Severing Stage cultivator! If it weren't for Zhang Nuo's unpredictable whereabouts, the old man would have struck long ago! How could so many cultivators have fallen in vain? Even if he could capture Chen Shuang'er and take her back, he feared a scolding from the Human Emperor would be unavoidable!

Just as the old man was hesitating, a streak of light suddenly flew in from the horizon and landed in front of the old man in the blink of an eye! The light faded to reveal a middle-aged cultivator. As soon as this person landed, he ran to the old man in a panic and said:

"Senior Niu! The eight cultivators previously sent to scout for Chen Shuang'er's whereabouts have all fallen! Your subordinate discovered their remains not far ahead!"

This news made the situation even worse for the pursuing group! Who exactly was the cultivator who escaped with Chen Shuang'er to have slaughtered eight cultivators of the same rank in one go? Even the old man surnamed Niu might not be capable of such terrifying strength!

"It seems we have all underestimated this person's divine abilities! If this continues, even more cultivators will fall!"

Muttering to himself with his head bowed, the old man surnamed Niu kept recalling everything that had happened before. Slowly, he seemed to have grasped a pattern: although the route Chen Shuang'er and the others took to escape kept changing, no matter how they changed direction, they ultimately returned to one path!

"Hehe! Even a wise man may make a mistake! You have revealed your flaws after all! Pass on my order! Everyone need not go searching for Chen Shuang'er's whereabouts anymore; follow me to the junction of the Wuliang Dao Sect and the Human Emperor Realm to wait for them!"

The crowd did not know the old man's intention, but they dared not ask further and could only fly away following the old man surnamed Niu.

Zhang Nuo and Chen Shuang'er did not encounter any more cultivators from the Human Emperor Palace during the rest of their flight, which made Zhang Nuo quite surprised! Even after changing directions several times, there was still no interception!

"Fairy Shuang'er, I think there is something fishy about this!"

While flying, Zhang Nuo said to Chen Shuang'er.

"I also feel it is very strange! In the last few months, cultivators from the Human Emperor Palace have appeared more and more frequently, but during this period, it is as if they have vanished into thin air! Could they be brewing some major conspiracy?"

Although Chen Shuang'er was not old, her experience was very seasoned; she and Zhang Nuo thought almost exactly the same thing!

"We should still be careful! Let's try to enter the territory of the Wuliang Dao Sect a day early; perhaps only then will the cultivators of the Human Emperor Palace restrain themselves a bit!"

Holding this thought in his heart, Zhang Nuo stopped taking detours and flew straight toward the territory of the Wuliang Dao Sect! A few months later, the two finally saw a glimmer of hope; as long as they flew forward for another half a day, they would be out of the Human Emperor Realm's jurisdiction!

Chen Shuang'er let out a long breath and looked back at the road they had traveled, feeling as if she had just had a nightmare! However, Zhang Nuo stopped in mid-air with a gloomy face! His Divine Sense kept scanning downward, and he always had a strange feeling! His mind was in turmoil, as if some major event was about to happen!

After flying forward for another distance, several roars suddenly came from the ground, followed by dozens of streaks of light rising one after another. Seeing this scene, Zhang Nuo understood everything; it turned out that these cultivators from the Human Emperor Realm had been waiting here all along! No wonder they hadn't appeared for all these days!

What surprised Zhang Nuo even more was that among these dozens of cultivators, there was actually an Integration Stage old man. This person was only at the Integration Early Stage, his body was filled with murderous intent, and his green robe fluttered without wind! Three wisps of beard drifted across his chest! He did have the air of a high-level cultivator!

"Haha! Little fellow, we finally meet! I have been waiting for you here for many days!"

The one speaking was the old man surnamed Niu! He had waited for Zhang Nuo in this place for several full days, and finally, hard work paid off; he had indeed waited for Zhang Nuo!

"Fellow Daoist Zhang! This person is named Niu Xiukong, a cultivator from the Human Emperor Palace. He was the only one who intercepted the Third Elder back then!"

With her red lips moving slightly, Chen Shuang'er transmitted her voice to Zhang Nuo! Upon hearing this, a look of indifference appeared on Zhang Nuo's face. It seemed that the Human Emperor Palace had not taken him seriously at all back then, otherwise they would not have sent only one Integration Stage existence!

"Senior Niu, it seems you had already anticipated that this junior would pass through here!"

Facing this Integration Stage existence, Zhang Nuo was neither humble nor arrogant. A single indifferent sentence from him, however, shocked Niu Xiukong! This child was not old, but such a calm state of mind in the face of chaos was extremely rare. With dozens of Spirit Severing Stage disciples from the Human Emperor Palace around, plus himself, an Integration Stage cultivator, he could still be this composed!

"Brat, what is your name? To dare to oppose the Human Emperor—this woman belongs to the Human Emperor. If you are sensible, hand her over quickly!"

"Belongs to the Human Emperor? Hehe! How is it that the Human Emperor is shameless enough on his own, and you are following him in being shameless too?"

One might ask, in the entire Immortal Domain, who would dare to speak ill of the Human Emperor? But Zhang Nuo, in front of so many people, openly cursed the Human Emperor for being shameless. If this were to spread, what face would the Human Emperor have left?

"Audacious! What kind of thing are you to dare to curse Lord Human Emperor!"

Beside Zhang Nuo, a Spirit Severing Stage cultivator, hearing Zhang Nuo insult the Human Emperor, immediately rebuked him loudly! Relying on Niu Xiukong's backing, this cultivator flicked his robe sleeve, and a bright Flying Sword was summoned, slashing down toward Zhang Nuo's body!

"Running dog!"

Zhang Nuo let out a cold snort from his nose, then his figure moved suddenly, dodging the Flying Sword that was slashing at him. However, just as the bright Flying Sword was about to pass by him, he suddenly stretched out his five fingers, golden light flowing continuously on his hand! With one stretch and one contraction, he grabbed the cultivator's Flying Sword into his hand!

With a single force of his hand! With a 'Crack!', the Flying Sword was forcibly crushed into several pieces by Zhang Nuo!

"With such meager cultivation, you dare to make a move against me!"

As he spoke, Zhang Nuo turned his head to look at that cultivator, and a white light flashed between his brows, striking directly at the cultivator who had summoned the Flying Sword!

His Magic Treasure had been destroyed by Zhang Nuo, and the cultivator had not yet recovered from his shock when he suddenly saw a white light rush before his eyes; he wanted to dodge, but it was already too late!

This 'Divine Sense Spike' hit his head squarely! He felt as if his entire mind had been stirred into a pot of porridge. The cultivator let out a miserable scream, his body unable to even control his flight light, and he fell directly toward the ground!

At the same time, Zhang Nuo flicked his robe sleeve, and several cold lights shot out from it, moving even faster than the falling cultivator!

*Pu pu! * With a few soft sounds, several bloody holes appeared on the cultivator's body, and then the cold light flashed and returned to Zhang Nuo's body.

In front of Niu Xiukong, Zhang Nuo had slaughtered a cultivator of the same rank with a single move, causing the surrounding crowd to retreat far away! Niu Xiukong was even more furious!

"Good brat! I will come and test your divine abilities!"

Red bloodshot veins burst out in his eyes; Niu Xiukong was so angry his lungs were about to explode! If it were just some cultivators Zhang Nuo had killed before, that would be one thing, but now that he was right in front of him, he had actually lost another Spirit Severing Stage cultivator. This old face was completely disgraced!

"Fairy Shuang'er, you hide to the side first! Once the battle starts, I may not have the chance to look after you!"

Seeing Niu Xiukong rushing toward him, Zhang Nuo sent a voice transmission to Chen Shuang'er beside him, and then the light on his body surged, and he rushed directly toward the old man!

Chen Shuang'er looked at Zhang Nuo with a solemn expression, secretly breaking into a cold sweat in her heart! Regardless, Zhang Nuo was only a Spirit Severing Stage cultivator. Even if he had the True Spirit Bloodline passed to him by Chen Sihuai, it was hard to say whether he could be a match for an Integration Stage cultivator!

Niu Xiukong was still in his flight light when he stretched out a hand and grabbed at the void in front of him; a seemingly dilapidated Gourd Magic Treasure appeared in his hand!

This Magic Treasure emitted a layer of green light and was a foot in size. He patted the bottom of the gourd, and hundreds of green light orbs shot out from it. Each of these light orbs was the size of a fist, and the power contained within them was unfathomable!

Facing such an Integration Stage existence, Zhang Nuo dared not be arrogant anymore. With a slight opening of his mouth, he spat out the Nine Dragon Sword Case. Following a dragon's roar, eighty-one Flying Swords were summoned simultaneously from the light orb transformed by the Sword Box! They turned into dots of cold light and slashed toward those green light orbs!

Boom! Boom!

A series of thunderous explosions like popping beans rang out in the sky, and countless green lights and Sword Qi intertwined! Taking advantage of the moment to slightly block Niu Xiukong's attack, Zhang Nuo's figure flickered, and Black Butterfly Wings grew from his back. At the same time, he flipped one hand, and a pair of dark red fire wings, two zhang long, were also inserted on his back!

He formed hand seals with both hands simultaneously, and a golden light flowed over his body. Above his head, the Phantom Immortal Dharma Image condensed and emerged. The Dharma Image suddenly opened its eyes, cold light flashing in its blood-red eyes, and it let out a long roar from its mouth!

Upon making his move, Zhang Nuo held back almost nothing and directly brought out all his divine abilities! The Phantom Immortal Dharma Image swung both fists simultaneously, and gusts of wind passed through the space where the green light and Sword Qi were intertwined, striking toward Niu Xiukong!

"Dharma Image Golden Body!"

When Niu Xiukong saw Zhang Nuo's Phantom Immortal Dharma Image, he could not help but be shocked! No wonder thirty-some Spirit Severing Stage cultivators from the Human Emperor Palace had all fallen into the hands of the youth before him; the opponent had actually cultivated a Dharma Image Golden Body! If he were allowed to advance to the Integration Stage, he would simply be a terrifying existence!