Chapter 678

A bolt of furious lightning fell from the sky.

Tens of zhang-thick purple lightning wrapped a horned heavy axe, which viciously cleaved onto Xiang Feiyu's left shoulder.

Xiang Feiyu wore a set of taotie-patterned mail armor; the lightning-wrapped axe struck, shattering the taotie-head pauldrons on his left shoulder. Heedless, he swung up his wagon-wheel great axe with a loud laugh and cleaved toward the War Demon several li away.

The War Demon, one of the Grand Wu's Supreme Elders, possessed cultivation at the third heaven of the Divine Manifest realm, equal to Xiang Feiyu's.

He wore a horned helmet, scale-linked armor, a blood-red cape fluttering behind him, and six three-foot-thick mountain shields whirled around him; the War Demon, armed to the teeth, roared loudly and grabbed at the void with his left hand.

The horned heavy axe, wrapped in lightning and having dealt Xiang Feiyu a vicious blow from the sky, flew back into the War Demon's hand; he gripped a single-handed heavy axe in each hand, just like Xiang Feiyu, his face twisted as he bellowed and charged at the enemy.

The wagon-wheel great axe and two horned heavy axes clashed heavily, sending sparks flying and shaking the four directions.

After a series of 'dong dong dong' sounds, a tremendous crash rang out; the War Demon's horned heavy axe shattered explosively, leaving only two lonely handles clutched in his hand.

Xiang Feiyu laughed loudly; his wagon-wheel great axe swept sideways, cleaving the two giant mountain shields into four pieces in one blow. The axe swept across the War Demon's chest, tearing open his thick linked armor and leaving a gruesome wound through which his writhing entrails could be seen.

The War Demon winced in pain and retreated swiftly.

Gaining the upper hand, Xiang Feiyu pursued relentlessly, shouting mockingly: 'Old Wu, it's not me saying this, but in terms of tactics, every one of your Grand Wu lot could be called a stalwart.'

'But what kind of junk are you using? How many times have I shattered your weapons and wounded you?'

The War Demon clutched his bleeding chest wound with both hands, bellowed angrily to the heavens, and fled at full speed.

Xiang Feiyu burst into laughter: 'Before, we all fought just for fun, nobody wanting to go all out, but this time… sorry, Old Wu, I'm taking your head.'

After a heavy sigh, Xiang Feiyu caught up to the staggering War Demon and swung his great axe at his neck.

'If I die, my whole family will have nothing to rely on.'

'If Grand Wei ultimately wins… my descendants would still have a chance to serve as slaves or servants, for those pale-faced scholars of Grand Wei still reason things out. After all, the so-called refined scholars may be hypocritical or pretentious, but they care about face.'

'But as for you Grand Wu… I don't want my descendants to be thrown straight into your cauldrons and pots. Even your so-called top clans are slaves of your Wu family… no, they are livestock raised by your Wu family… tsk, my descendants being slaves or servants is already miserable enough; how could they be lambs awaiting slaughter?'

The great axe danced wildly; in just a few short sentences, the War Demon's four mountain shields were violently split apart by Xiang Feiyu.

The great axe tore through the War Demon's battle armor, leaving gruesome wounds that spilled crimson divine blood tinged with electric sparks, which fell to the ground and made the earth thunder 'boom boom boom' continuously.

The dueling battlefield's ground frenziedly drank the divine blood flowing from the War Demon's body; the Blood Light erupting from the surrounding mountains grew ever stronger, the battlefield's ground became increasingly solid, and the sealing power around it intensified.

The War Demon let out a great roar, in the midst of the chaos pulling out a bottle of lifesaving Grand Dao treasure pill, stuffing the bottle and all into his mouth, chewing and swallowing it in big gulps; he drew a strangely shaped triangular shield with his left hand and swung a peculiarly formed golden dragon hook with his right, viciously hooking it toward Xiang Feiyu.

Several large masses bulged on Xiang Feiyu's back as he transformed into a three-headed, six-armed battle form; the newly grown four arms each gripped two heavy swords and two long blades, and together with his original wagon-wheel great axe they unleashed countless blades of cold light, slicing the War Demon until blood sprayed all over his body.

The weapons' edges struck the War Demon's bones, producing a piercing roar.

The War Demon screamed in agony, vicious toxic flames spewing from his eyes as he glared fixedly at Xiang Feiyu, continually uttering vicious curses.

While fiercely cleaving the War Demon, Xiang Feiyu coldly remarked: 'No wonder I'm ruthless… this dueling battlefield's environment is so bizarre, those pale-faced scholars of Grand Wei probably can't survive.'

'In this decisive battle, either you or we will survive; the ultimate victor will be either Qingqiu or Grand Wu.'

Xiang Feiyu lowered his voice: 'Although I have a short temper, I'm not really stupid.'

'Ah, those Grand Wei fellows are clearly committing the same taboo against the gods as our late crown prince did back then.'

'Listen to the slogans of those Grand Wei fellows—hehe, 'Revive the Hundred Schools, transmit civilization'—haha, they're all puffed up with pride, forgetting their own roots… I know full well that our ancestral arts have been tampered with by the gods…'

'Revive the Hundred Schools? They also have to be willing!'

'Look at this dueling battlefield… look… Old Wu, it's clearly meant to give no way out for those Grand Wei people; it's definitely meant to make them die.'

'Setting aside Grand Wei, either you or we…' Xiang Feiyu suddenly bellowed, two fist-sized masses bulging on his spine behind his waist; beyond his three-headed, six-armed form, two new arms sprouted at his waist, each gripping a poisoned dagger, and with lightning speed he stabbed the War Demon dozens of times.

The War Demon's facial skin rapidly darkened, with faint multicolored spots appearing in the black mist; his face instantly took on the appearance of a deadly poisonous mushroom.

'You wouldn't believe it? I've been upright and straightforward all my life, facing enemies head‑on… yet I've gone bad, learned ambush tactics, learned to wield poisoned weapons.' Xiang Feiyu furiously chopped the swearing War Demon with over a hundred axe blows, hacking him until he was drenched in blood and flung backward.

'Hmm, I've always been an upright fellow… but over the past year or so I've been led astray by a little brat.'

Xiang Feiyu laughed especially brightly: 'That brat's sidekick, a strange young man, has a divine gift of deadly poison… I gave that kid a little favor and obtained from him a trace of his innate essence‑blood poison.'

'Hehe, how does it taste? Looks like it won't kill you, but it should at least weaken your strength by a few notches.'

Xiang Feiyu suddenly bellowed, the two blades and two swords behind him whirling out like a vortex; after a few loud crashes, the War Demon's shield and golden dragon hook were shattered outright by his blades.

As Xiang Feiyu said, these Divine Manifest realm elders of the Grand Wu Divine State possess extremely strong cultivation, yet the weapons they use are genuinely inferior to his by more than a margin.

This is also an old failing of the Grand Wu Divine State: among the three nations, its individual combat strength is the strongest, but in the fields of forging, talismans, formations, and elixirs it lags far behind.

The War Demon, blasted hundreds of zhang away, landed in a sorry state; his legs gave out and he collapsed straight to the ground, rolling far backward.

The brat Xiang Feiyu spoke of was naturally the Demon Chapter King beside Wu Tie.

As the Demon Chapter King's cultivation grew stronger, his bloodline divine ability became ever more terrifying; the deadly poison he now releases cannot yet directly slay a Divine Manifest realm elder, but it is enough to greatly weaken such an elder's power.

Besides his grave wounds, the War Demon had the Demon Chapter King's deadly poison enter his body, making it extraordinarily difficult for him even to stay upright.

Xiang Feiyu strode after the War Demon, his voice low: 'Your Grand Wu style is too crude, too barbaric; if my descendants fell into your hands, they'd likely not survive three months…'

'Besides, the lovely daughters and daughters‑in‑law in my household, if they fell into the hands of those pale‑faces, they'd still know how to cherish fragrance and jade… but alas, how many civilian women die each year under your abuse?'

'So, for the sake of our descendants, please just go die!'

Xiang Feiyu approached the War Demon, raising his great axe high: 'This time, I kill not for wealth and honor, not for the first time to increase my strength, not for the first time to satisfy the killing intent in my heart.'

'This time I kill solely to seek a path of survival for my descendants!'

The great axe came down heavily, and Xiang Feiyu roared: 'Whoever dares to block me, die!'

A bolt of lightning and a huge mountain roared forth from behind Xiang Feiyu at once; with a tremendous crash, the lightning‑wrapped heavy trident about two zhang long slammed fiercely into his back.

The armor plates on Xiang Feiyu's back were shattered by the heavy trident, while the mountain, three thousand zhang tall, suddenly shrank to three feet as it neared his body, striking his exposed back with a deep, terrifying rumble.

With a tremendous crash, Xiang Feiyu's spine emitted a piercing crack.

His three‑headed, six‑armed divine ability was shattered by this blow; the two extra heads and four arms on his back were completely pulverized by the three‑foot‑high little mountain.

Xiang Feiyu spat out mouthfuls of blood, his body fluttering like a leaf in the wind as he drifted forward.

He flew over a thousand zhang away, then slammed head‑first into a small hill, with most of his body embedded in the rock.

Two heavily armored Grand Wu elders came running; one, a big man with a full red beard, bellowed: 'War Demon, you worthless donkey‑… I should have tossed you into a water vat and drowned you back then.'

'Damn it, you actually lost to that waste Xiang Feiyu!'

'You, you, you—don't ever call yourself my son again; I have no offspring like you!'

Xiang Feiyu painfully pulled half his body out from inside the mountain, gritting his teeth as he stared at the two Great Martial Elders who had sneak‑attacked him from behind.

"Wu Santu, do you still have any shame?" Xiang Feiyu pointed at Wu Santu and hissed a curse: "You are……"

Wu Santu, his face covered in a red beard, kicked Wu Zhanmo so hard he howled "Ah—ah!", then casually tossed him a life‑saving precious pill, puffed out his chest, pointed at Xiang Feiyu, and violently cut off his cursing: "I am your grandfather, my son is your father……hahaha, this battlefield is truly a heaven‑sent gift……no more talk, kill him!"

Wu Santu roared excitedly, layer upon layer of mountain silhouettes looming behind him; from his palms rose two towering phantom mountains, each flashing with multicolored strange light, wrapped in howling wind and thunder.

"Kill Xiang Feiyu……then follow me to slaughter the weaklings of Great Wei and Green Hill……when I, Great Martial, unify the world, Wu Zhanmo, you brat, you will personally exterminate the Xiang clan!"

After swallowing the precious pill Wu Santu had thrown down, Wu Zhanmo gave a sinister "heh‑heh" laugh, slowly pushed himself up, his wounds continually oozing multicolored toxic blood while they writhed and rapidly began to heal.

"Father, rest assured, I'll make sure the job is spotless—not even a mouse will be left." Wu Zhanmo gave a low laugh: "In these three states, it's fine if my Wu clan reigns supreme; others can just be slaves, that's fine……as for the Xiang clan, Xiang Feiyu, you Xiangs aren't even qualified to be slaves."

Wu Zhanmo touched the gruesome wound on his chest that exposed his inner organs, and hoarsely shouted: "You cut me, it hurts so much!"

Wu Santu, Wu Zhanmo, and another Great Martial Elder of the same generation as Wu Zhanmo, Wu Zhanling, laughed together and sprang forward at full speed toward Xiang Feiyu.

Xiang Feiyu's face twisted, he glared at Wu Santu and the others with clenched teeth.

On this terrifying battlefield, the spell cultivators of Great Wei were heavily suppressed, and the many ancestral elders of Green Hill's noble houses had only one foe: the powerful enemies of the Great Martial Divine State.

The Great Martial Divine State is brutal, domineering, primitive, and savage; they follow a pure body‑cultivation path.

Moreover, in the Great Martial Divine State only the Wu clan stands supreme; the few other aristocratic clans are their slaves, their stewards—mere lackeys propped up to assist the Wu clan in ruling its vast territory.

Great Wei is wealthy and decadent, Green Hill is balanced and stable, only the Great Martial Divine State madly squeezes the world, exhausting all its strength to support its own clan.

Therefore, in every aspect—civilization, economy, even domestic livelihood—the Great Martial Divine State is a complete mess.

Yet the number of Divinity Realm Elders in the Great Martial Divine State is the highest among the three states.

Of course, in peacetime, even with many Divinity Realm Elders, the Great Martial Divine State gains no real strategic advantage; aside from their numbers, they have no other strengths.

Take Wu Zhanmo, for example—his personal weapon was smashed to pieces by a few wild slashes from Xiang Feiyu; even if there were many such Divinity Realm Elders, what good would they be?

But on this damned battlefield, body cultivators hold an absolute edge; their numerical superiority could very well turn into the final victory.

Before Wu Santu and his two companions could reach Xiang Feiyu, a long whistle sounded from afar.

Several streaks of Blood Light came racing forward—they weren't flying, but simply sprinted over.

They were five Divinity Realm Elders of the Great Martial Divine State, who all the way howled toward the sky; three of them held bloody heads in their hands.

"Hahaha, Santu, haven't you dealt with these brats yet?"

"Let's see, how's our luck? As soon as we arrived we ran into three pale‑faced Great Wei elders……hahaha, their formations, talismans, and even their personal military cities have become so weak."

"I only needed the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, and I chopped down three."

Xiang Feiyu was drenched in cold sweat; he looked toward the direction where the five Great Martial Elders were charging—even though the void was filled with thick blood mist, his vision weakened to the extreme, he could still see, hundreds of li away, three faint pillars of light shooting up into the sky!

Wu Santu laughed boisterously: "All right, all right, it's just a matter of one strike……tell the brothers and the kids to team up, don't go solo and let others take advantage."

"This time our Wu clan has over four thousand Elders entering the battlefield……hehe……victory, it's assured, just don't lose too many of our people, or it'll be embarrassing."

Xiang Feiyu shivered all over.

Over four thousand Elders……

These Great Martial lunatics!

The number of Divinity Realm Elders in their Wu clan alone rivals the combined total of Great Wei and Green Hill.

Although in absolute numbers Great Martial still falls a bit short of the two states combined……the problem is, on this damned battlefield, Great Wei's spell cultivators are practically negligible.

Great Martial's strength holds an absolute advantage!