Chapter 364: Decisive Battle (Part I)

A pillar of energy connected heaven and earth, appearing exceptionally striking in the night, like a sharp sword pointing straight at the firmament, tearing the night sky asunder.

For a moment, whether it was the people of the Taiyi Sect or Zanpu Dunzhu, everyone was stunned.

Amidst the gaze of the masses, Chen Che's figure slowly emerged from the energy pillar.

He held the injured and unconscious Xie Wanning in his arms, his entire body glowing with a dazzling white light, like a heavenly deity descending to earth, stepping through the air as he approached.

With every step he took, ripples like water splashed in the void, and various elements of nature flowed over him as if they were loyal believers.

The True Qi within his body had perfectly merged with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi; his pace was slow, yet with a single step, he had already arrived above the plaza.

Around him, the air began to twist, and a powerful wave of energy spread out like ripples.

Zanpu Dunzhu looked up at Chen Che; that blinding light made him inexplicably irritable, yet a trace of apprehension rose faintly within him.

He suddenly widened his eyes, only to discover that Chen Che, who had been hovering in the sky just a moment ago, was gone.

Turning his head back, he discovered that Yang Simin, whom he had been clutching in his hand, had also vanished.

A heatwave struck; Zanpu Dunzhu gritted his teeth and waved his large hand, causing black Qi to permeate the air to confront the white heatwave, only to be defeated in an instant.

Chen Che appeared among the people of the Taiyi Sect, set Yang Simin and Xie Wanning down, and used the Ghost Gate Needle to Seal their acupoints.

Afterward, he pulled the Black Rods out of the four elders one by one.

"Help me take care of them."

Leaving behind these words, Chen Che walked toward Zanpu Dunzhu under the stunned gazes of everyone.

The two were separated by only ten paces, their eyes locked.

The light drifted away from Chen Che, revealing his original appearance, with sacred golden light flickering within his sharp eyes.

Zanpu Dunzhu felt the changes within Chen Che's body, as well as that power capable of contending with his own; an inexplicable fire rose in his chest, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "You... you actually..."

"It's time to end this."

As his voice fell, a dazzling light suddenly erupted from within Chen Che's body, once again forming a massive pillar of light that shot straight into the clouds.

This pillar of light was like a bridge connecting heaven and earth, tightly linking Chen Che to the mysteries of the universe.

Within the pillar of light, countless golden runes swirled as if recounting ancient secrets, each flicker carrying a soul-shaking power.

The wind and clouds between heaven and earth changed color because of it; the clouds in the sky were torn apart by this power, revealing the deep starry sky.

The stars seemed to become even more brilliant at this moment, as if cheering for Chen Che's breakthrough.

The plants on the ground also seemed to sense this power; they grew at a speed visible to the naked eye, radiating vibrant vitality.

The surrounding air began to vibrate, emitting a low, rumbling sound, as if the entire world were resonating with this scene.

The distant mountains and rivers seemed to become more magnificent at this moment, the peaks more towering, the rivers more surging.

A firm light flickered in Chen Che's eyes; he took a deep breath, feeling the surging power within his body, and then took a step, arriving before Zanpu Dunzhu in the blink of an eye.

"Boom!"

Without any sign of transitioning into an attack, he struck Zanpu Dunzhu's chest with a punch, completely without warning.

This punch gathered thousands of forces, swift as thunder, directly breaking through the black Qi that instinctively protected its master, and struck Zanpu Dunzhu fiercely.

Zanpu Dunzhu widened his eyes in disbelief, spat out a mouthful of blood, and his entire body flew backward toward the sky.

Chen Che stomped his foot, causing the ground to shatter and collapse; with a violent sonic boom, Chen Che's figure shot out, pursuing Zanpu Dunzhu.

At this scene, everyone in the Taiyi Sect felt that soul-shaking power.

Yuan Ming and the other Disciples all stared at Chen Che's retreating back, dumbfounded, their eyes filled with awe and astonishment.

The four elders—Lv Hong, Shi Ning, Zhong Xing, and Yin Jiang—were even more excited; they looked at each other, their eyes flickering with excited light.

They knew that an unprecedented genius had appeared in the Taiyi Sect once again, a powerhouse capable of breaking through the Heavenly Master Great Perfection realm, a Sect Master they could rely on and trust in times of crisis!

"This power, this power..." Great Elder Lv Hong said with a trembling voice, his eyes filled with tears of excitement, "This is the true Heavenly Master Great Perfection! No, it's even stronger than the old Sect Master was back then! It is power that transcends the Heavenly Master realm!"

"We are saved! We will not lose! Sect Master is our lucky star, the person we can trust!"

Second Elder Shi Ning was equally emotional, saying with tears streaming down his face.

"I felt it; the Heavenly Book is with the Sect Master, the Heavenly Book has further strengthened the Sect Master's power!"

Third Elder Zhong Xing stood up with the support of his disciple Tang Yue, staring unblinkingly at Chen Che fighting in the sky, his excitement beyond words.

Fourth Elder Yin Jiang also had tears in his eyes; guarding the corpse of his head disciple Ji Rong, he shouted, "Sect Master, kill him! Avenge the dead Taiyi Sect Disciples!"

"I said the Sect Master couldn't have died so easily; Sect Master, kill him!"

"With the Sect Master here, we don't have to be afraid anymore; the Sect Master is our backing, our source of confidence!"

"That's right, Sect Master, kill him! Avenge our fallen fellow disciples!"

The Disciples were shocked by the power Chen Che erupted with; they were extremely excited, waving flags and shouting with flushed faces, as if they themselves had become a part of this power.

"How is this possible?!" The sent-flying Zanpu Dunzhu widened his eyes, his face full of terror, "Even with the blessing of the Heavenly Book, it is impossible for you to break through your realm in such a short time, and even more impossible for you to be stronger than my Heavenly Master Great Perfection!"

"I don't believe it! I don't believe it!"

Zanpu Dunzhu suddenly steadied his figure; though his mouth said he didn't believe it, the visceral sensation had already made him panic.

Black Qi coiled around him like silk, condensing into solid black spheres.

Countless black spheres shot toward the pursuing Chen Che with whistling sounds, surrounding Chen Che in a hail of bullets in an instant.

Chen Che was unhurried; he formed a seal with one hand, and a golden character condensed and grew in his palm, transforming into a shield to block in front of him as he continued his charge.

Every black sphere that hit the character shield dissipated completely, without exception.

Zanpu Dunzhu's brows twitched; he recalled all the black spheres, transformed them into a Black Rod once again, and charged toward Chen Che while gripping it.

"Hummm~~"

The Black Rod collided with the golden shield, but it did not emit a metallic clanging sound; instead, it produced a humming, a Sanskrit sound similar to the tolling of a great temple bell.

The sound waves spread like ripples, and all the surrounding space twisted, cracking open into fissures.

"Crack!"

A faint, crisp sound came, yet it exploded in Zanpu Dunzhu's ears like a thunderclap.

A crack split open at the tip of the Black Rod, gradually spreading across the entire body of the rod, and with an even crisper sound, the Black Rod shattered completely.

Zanpu Dunzhu looked stunned, roaring in anger: "I don't believe it!"

The roar resounded through the sky, and a blood-colored giant hand rose from the ground, its palm, large enough to cover the heavens, spreading open as it reached out to grab Chen Che.

Chen Che let out a cold snort and formed a seal with his hands: "Xun Wood Bind!"

Vine-like tentacles burst out from the soil, wrapping around the giant hand like tentacles and restricting the giant hand's upward growth.

"Come again!"

Zanpu Dunzhu's Dao heart was already destroyed; ever since he felt that power on Chen Che that was no weaker than his own, he had already panicked.

He was not afraid of death; what he feared was missing out on the Heavenly Book once again, and he feared that after Chen Che possessed the Heavenly Book, he would replace him in finishing what he wanted to do.

"The god of this world is me, it can only be me!"

Zanpu Dunzhu roared wildly at the sky, black Qi spreading out around his body, and blood-colored giant hands appeared in the air behind him, as if demons were tearing through space.

"Dong... hum~~~"

Zanpu Dunzhu's move was forcibly interrupted as a Golden Great Bell inlaid with Heavenly Book Characters descended from the sky, covering Zanpu Dunzhu within it and slamming heavily into the ground.

The humming of the bell mingled with Buddhist sounds and spread to the surroundings, and wherever the sound waves passed, life flourished.

Chen Che hovered in mid-air, pressed his palms together, and whispered softly: "Qian Gold Buddha Sound."

………