Chapter 768: A Single Sword Strike Explodes

Bang! Bang!

Amidst two muffled thuds, the Xianghu King and the White Ape King spat out fresh blood, flying backward through the air and crashing down like meteorites.

They slammed heavily into the ground, sending earth and stone flying.

The two looked up at Meng Shenji atop the dragon's head, their faces filled with terror.

Previously, they had seen Meng Shenji steering the Nine Fire Flame Dragon, about to enter the dark clouds of the Thunder Tribulation.

Since the two had promised to protect Yu Liancheng, they naturally did their utmost and went to intercept him.

Yet, the tyrannical attacks of these two demon immortals were enough to shatter mountains.

But as they landed within thirty feet of Meng Shenji, the opponent's sleeves fluttered without wind, and all the tyrannical attacks vanished into nothingness.

With just a sweep of Meng Shenji's gaze, the two felt as if they had been struck by lightning, retreating in serious injury.

Too strong.

Is this the true strength of the number one person in the world?

Boom!!

At this very moment, the dragon claws of the Nine Fire Flame Dragon descended from the nine heavens toward the two.

The violent, grasping momentum shattered the void layer by layer, enough to make one's liver and gallbladder split in terror.

Caught by the claw's momentum, the Xianghu King and the White Ape King felt the surrounding air compressing like solid matter, causing their bones and muscles to creak as if they were about to be crushed to pieces. At this moment, the two had not yet regained control over their bodies and spirits; seeing the dragon claw drawing ever closer, they were completely helpless.

"Vile beast, how dare you!!"

From within the thunderclouds, a roar erupted.

At the same time, a War God with soaring momentum and clad in armor appeared in the void. He reached out to grab the Shangmang Divine Spear and violently hurled it at the Nine Fire Flame Dragon.

In an instant, the spearhead blazed with brilliant light, like a long rainbow shooting over from afar, as if it would pierce the firmament and the vast sky—stunning and beyond compare.

——The seventh of the seven great killing moves: Long Rainbow Piercing Sun.

The Nine Fire Flame Dragon sensed an extreme threat from this Shangmang Divine Spear, and the cloud dragon reached out its claws to grab at it.

Compared to the dragon claw, which was three or four miles in size, the Shangmang Divine Spear was unimaginably small, not even comparable to a toothpick.

But when the Shangmang Divine Spear collided with the dragon claw at a speed exceeding time and space, it instantly pierced through the claw, exploding a ball of void fire, and then shot toward the head of the Nine Fire Flame Dragon.

It looked as if the Shangmang Divine Spear was about to pierce the head of the Nine Fire Flame Dragon.

Standing on the dragon's head, Meng Shenji finally moved; he fixed his gaze upon the Shangmang Divine Spear.

Hum hum!

The space surrounding the Shangmang Divine Spear suddenly began to vibrate minutely, and the heavens and earth shook.

The Shangmang Divine Spear was frozen in mid-air, unable to advance another inch.

Immediately following, all the power of the Shangmang Divine Spear was exhausted, and it fell from the sky.

However, before it could fall halfway, it was caught by a hand.

It was Yu Liancheng.

He had walked out from the thunderclouds.

At this moment, Yu Liancheng's appearance was no different from before he entered the thunderclouds. But the feeling he gave off seemed to have sublimated, as if he had become another person.

"Ziyue, Lady Yuan, how are you?" Yu Liancheng turned his gaze toward the two demon immortals.

"Only light injuries, no matter," Bai Ziyue shook his head.

Yuan Xiang'er said worriedly, "Young Master Yu, be careful, this person is Meng Shenji, the number one person in the world."

"Mm," Yu Liancheng nodded slightly, and with a wave of his sleeve, a thousand thoughts floated in the air. Each thought was crystalline and round, emitting a faint glow, and even carrying wisps of electric arcs—evidently left behind by an expert approaching the Third Lightning Tribulation: "You two first absorb and refine these thoughts; I expect they will be able to heal your injuries."

These Second Tribulation Thoughts were, of course, those of Zhou San Taizi.

Yu Liancheng's accumulation was profound, and he had consumed almost nothing while undergoing the Thunder Tribulation.

But with Meng Shenji appearing, in order to deal with this number one person in the world, he had directly extracted the thoughts of Zhou San Taizi to further strengthen his own thoughts.

The two demon immortals were injured protecting him, so he naturally would not be stingy.

"Second Tribulation Thoughts? No, this is too precious," the White Ape King said hurriedly.

"Indeed, this is too valuable; we only acted as your protectors, and we didn't even play much of a role," the Xianghu King also said.

Before the Great Contention of the World had truly begun, the Second Lightning Tribulation was already considered a top-tier expert. Even the current White Ape King was merely a Ghost Immortal and had not even passed the First Lightning Tribulation.

For the two demon kings, Second Tribulation Thoughts could not only heal all their injuries but also greatly advance their cultivation; this was indeed a great temptation, but both refused.

"Since you two are my friends, why worry about mere Second Tribulation Thoughts? You heal, and I will go meet this number one person in the world." Yu Liancheng soared into the air, his figure appearing a thousand feet high, his gaze fixed directly on Meng Shenji. He stood tall in the void, looking straight at Meng Shenji on the dragon's head: "Sect Leader Meng, we meet again."

In the past, at Tianzhu Shan, the two had met once.

Or rather, Yu Liancheng had fled at the sight of him.

"Remarkable, remarkable," Meng Shenji stood on the head of the Nine Fire Flame Dragon, looking at Yu Liancheng with calm eyes, and said unhurriedly: "In such a short time, you have actually passed the Second Lightning Tribulation and even used the Thunder Tribulation to temper your physical body to the level of a Human Immortal; it is simply incredible."

"Sect Leader Meng has a sharp eye, but it is a pity; if not for your sudden appearance, Sect Leader, perhaps I would have already passed the Fourth or even the Fifth Lightning Tribulation," Yu Liancheng looked at Meng Shenji and said calmly: "Why did you suddenly appear, Sect Leader Meng?"

"To tell the truth, I think highly of you," Meng Shenji smiled slightly: "The twenty-five provinces of the seven eastern states are located on the border and have been plagued by constant war, originally bitter and barren, but under your management, they have become very prosperous, and the people live in peace and contentment. Although you are the illegitimate son of Yang Pan, you are more suited to be Emperor than any of the Imperial Princes."

"Haha, great minds think alike."

Yu Liancheng laughed: "Coincidentally, I think so too."

"I can assist you; the entire Profound Heaven Sect can assist you."

Meng Shenji looked at Yu Liancheng with burning eyes: "With the help of my Profound Heaven Sect, you have a better chance than any Imperial Prince to sit in that position."

"Hahaha, the prerequisite is that I must abolish my Ghost Immortal and Thunder Tribulation cultivation, right?" Yu Liancheng's eyes flashed.

"Correct, you are indeed a smart man," Meng Shenji smiled and nodded.

"The Profound Heaven Sect considers itself the overseer of the world and does not allow for immortal emperors. Whichever emperor cultivates to the Ghost Immortal realm must be killed," Yu Liancheng said calmly.

"You are only fourteen or fifteen, yet you have already reached the level of the Second Tribulation; you are truly gifted, far surpassing the current Emperor Yang Pan. If you become Emperor, you will be able to hold the divine instruments of the state for ten thousand autumns, which is something my Profound Heaven Sect does not allow," Meng Shenji looked at Yu Liancheng: "If you do not agree, to prevent future trouble, I can only take action to suppress and kill you."

"The number one person in the world, Sect Leader of the Profound Heaven Sect, Sevenfold Creator... what truly frightening titles. If your true body had arrived, I might have had to flee at the sight of you again," Yu Liancheng looked at Meng Shenji leisurely: "Unfortunately, what is before me now is only an avatar, and it only has the cultivation of the Fifth Tribulation..."

"But to deal with you, it is enough." Having been identified as an avatar, Meng Shenji remained indifferent.

"Really? I don't believe it." Yu Liancheng shook his head.

"You will believe it soon enough."

Within Meng Shenji's gentle eyes, hundreds and thousands of emotions suddenly flashed: joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, misery, bitterness, worry, the joys and sorrows of parting and reunion, the beauty of nature—all were contained within.

The emotions in his two eyes actually wove into a great net, shrouding Yu Liancheng like a net cast from heaven and earth.

"Human emotions are of a thousand and ten thousand kinds; in the ups and downs of the human world, what is the bitter sea? The word 'emotion' itself is the bitter sea. I use heaven and earth as emotion, weaving them into a net."

Meng Shenji suddenly spoke.

The "emotional threads" radiating from his eyes wove into an "emotional net" that swept over, instantly capturing and binding Yu Liancheng, making him like a flying insect trapped in a spider's web, unable to break free; the more he struggled, the tighter it bound him.

"The emotional net is hard to break; the higher one's Zhihui, the less one can penetrate the word 'emotion.' Even if one flies across a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers, one still cannot pass the barrier of emotion."

"Really? I don't believe it."

Yu Liancheng stood in the void, letting the emotional threads bind him.

The green threads grew more and more numerous, continuous and lingering, almost transforming into a sea of emotional threads.

Anyone who fell into this sea of emotional threads would inevitably have their heart and mind swayed by emotions, unaware of what was before them.

Under the layer upon layer of entanglement of the green threads, it was difficult even to move.

This was the means of the number one person in the world; just by using an avatar, standing there without moving, he could trap and bind a Thunder Tribulation expert.

However, a scene that even Meng Shenji could hardly have foreseen appeared.

Yu Liancheng was actually moving within the sea of emotional threads.

He moved with ease.

With every step he took, his expression shifted.

Seeming nostalgic, seeming sweet, seeming happy, and also seeming compassionate... countless emotions filled his expression, constantly weaving and changing.

Yet he still stepped through the void, walking toward Meng Shenji step by step.

The emotional threads had surged into an emotional sea, constantly rising in turbulent waves.

And Yu Liancheng was a small boat upon the turbulent waves, but no matter how the emotional sea churned, that small boat, under the control of an experienced boatman, was in no danger of capsizing.

"The emotional net cannot trap you, yet you are not a truly heartless person like me, having not severed emotion and cut off desire." Meng Shenji seemed somewhat surprised, then immediately clapped his hands in admiration: "Good, being overly emotional is even more heartless. You appear to be a man of great emotion, with countless women in your harem, but these are merely games played on a whim; those so-called harem members are nothing more than your playthings. Champion Marquis, I must say, you are very well-suited for our Supreme Dao."

"Bullshit, I am sincere to every woman."

Yu Liancheng said solemnly.

At the same time, he also understood that relying solely on himself, it seemed he could not yet walk out of the emotional sea.

As his thoughts stirred, crystalline and rounded thoughts flew out, condensed, and then transformed into a Fotu three zhang tall, sitting cross-legged in the void.

The Fotu's appearance was handsome, similar to Yu Liancheng's true self.

A magnificent aura radiated from the Fotu, suppressing all evil thoughts.

It was the visualization image of the Past Amitabha Sutra.

—My Buddha forms the Dharma seal, guarding the original mind, suppressing the inner Demons of the ten directions.

Boom!

Under the protection of the Past Amitabha Sutra, the emotional threads and the emotional net were suppressed, torn apart, and Broken.

"Good, then taste my Bell of the Universe!"

The moment the emotional net was broken, Meng Shenji waved his wide sleeves, and in his palm appeared an ancient bronze bell three feet tall, painted with countless flowers, birds, fish, insects, the sun, the moon, and the stars.

It looked very ancient, as if cast from bronze.

The moment it appeared, it carried a heavy, vast, and solid feeling.

This bell was not a physical object, but a God visualized within Meng Shenji's soul.

Back then, the Supreme Dao Sheng Nü Su Mu had also used this highest divine ability of the two Supreme Dao universe scriptures, the Bell of the Universe.

But compared to the Bell of the Universe of Meng Shenji's avatar, Su Mu's was truly like heaven compared to earth.

The moment this bronze bell appeared, it was as if the entire Great Thousand World had been packed into it; time could be manipulated at will, and the universe could be played with at will.

Clang!!

A resonant bell toll rang out.

This bell sound seemed to possess infinite magic, instantly freezing time and bringing history to a halt.

Yu Liancheng only felt the surrounding space turn into substance; every movement, including his thoughts, became incomparably slow and difficult to operate.

In this situation, Yu Liancheng's own physical speed and soul thoughts were ten or a hundred times slower than usual.

Like a fast-running rabbit turning into a slowly crawling tortoise.

"Yu Liancheng, die!!"

At the same time, the Nine Fire Flame Dragon's roar resounded for a hundred miles around.

It was Meng Shenji's creation and had grasped the best moment to strike. It exerted all its cultivation, reaching out to grab Yu Liancheng.

In the process of the dragon claw reaching down, countless spaces shattered, and the ground for a hundred miles around seemed to turn into a pile of paste.

The White Ape King and the Xianghu King wanted to rescue him, but as soon as they took to the air, they entered the range of the Bell of the Universe; their entire bodies instantly froze, their thoughts became slow, and their movements were worse than a snail's, leaving them only able to watch helplessly as the Nine Fire Flame Dragon grabbed toward Yu Liancheng.

Boom!

Yet at this very moment.

A brilliant, piercing sword light diffused from Yu Liancheng's body.

At this moment, Yu Liancheng was both man and sword; man and sword were one, inseparable.

And that sword light began to infect heaven and earth, dominating the firmament.

The sword light collided with the power of the Bell of the Universe, and in less than an instant, it broke the blockade of the Bell of the Universe.

—Jian Twenty-Three.

Yu Liancheng became the sword himself and unleashed Jian Twenty-Three.

Jian Twenty-Three was similar in effect to the Universe Extreme Bell; two forces, both capable of freezing time, collided and mutually annihilated each other.

Precisely because of this, Yu Liancheng regained his freedom.

The next moment, Yu Liancheng pressed his fingers together like a sword and swung; a Sword Qi belonging to Sword Twenty-Three also struck out.

Sharp fluctuations of energy spread outward, carving a long crack into the sky.

This was a sword technique capable of slaughtering heaven and earth; before this sword, everything between heaven and earth seemed to have no choice but to be slaughtered.

The Nine Fire Flame Dragon, comparable to a master of the Thunder Tribulation, was equally unable to withstand a single blow before this Sword Qi.

Amidst a mournful cry, the Sword Qi swept past, and the body of the Nine Fire Flame Dragon suddenly exploded. Violent heat waves swept across heaven and earth, as if a sun had burst open.

The remaining Sword Qi headed toward the avatar of Meng Shenji. With a "clang," Meng Shenji's Universe Extreme Bell rang once more, freezing the Sword Qi, and then Meng Shenji reached out his palm and casually crushed the Sword Qi to pieces.

"In the world I opened up, there is a Hualong Chi. Seven days after the Nine Fire Flame Dragon is destroyed, it will be reborn within the Hualong Chi, and then, with the help of the medicinal power of the water, it will recover its strength. Perhaps it won't be long before you and the Nine Fire Flame Dragon meet again."

In the gaze Meng Shenji directed at Yu Liancheng, there was a hint of admiration: "I rarely praise people, but you are indeed brilliant. To have such strength at only fourteen or fifteen years of age—that is why I want to eliminate you more and more."

"Meng Shenji, how about we make a bet?" Yu Liancheng suddenly said.

"What kind of bet?" Meng Shenji asked with interest.

"Aren't you known as the number one person in the world? Even if this is just an avatar, it is quite remarkable. If you can take the sword strike I am about to unleash, I will abolish my Immortal Dao cultivation, specialize in Martial Dao, and cooperate with you. If you can't take it, it's no big deal; you will just lose an avatar," Yu Liancheng smiled.

Meng Shenji pondered for a moment and nodded: "Very well."

"Good, worthy of being the number one person in the world."

After speaking, Yu Liancheng took a deep breath, and his aura began to change incessantly, sometimes domineering, sometimes gentle.

When he stopped, his whole person was filled with benevolence and peace, as if he would not even be willing to crush an ant to death.

Yet, within those eyes, it was as deep as a vast galaxy, revealing infinite wisdom capable of seeing through every mystery and profound secret.

Furthermore, his expression carried the courage and integrity of the ancient sages, the spirit of "I shall go forward even if there are thousands of people against me."

Now, absolutely no one would associate Yu Liancheng with the domineering, lecherous, and greedy Champion Marquis.

There was simply not a trace of negativity on him; even his smile carried a hint of innocence.

"Come to my hand."

Yu Liancheng made a grasping motion in the void, a crack appeared in the air, and a sword with an ancient and strange design rushed out.

Within this sword, a sense of courage, benevolence, wisdom, and integrity was revealed; it was precisely the Pan Emperor Life-Spirit Sword.

"Pan Emperor Life-Spirit Sword, you have also felt my aura, haven't you? Being domineering and tyrannical is only my exterior; I have also unified the world and educated the masses. Only in my hands can you exert your power to the greatest extent."

Yu Liancheng gently stroked the Pan Emperor Life-Spirit Sword; he had obtained this sword when he was five, but it would only appear in situations of extreme danger.

Now that he displayed an aura of "courage, benevolence, wisdom, and integrity," it immediately became obedient, voluntarily flying from the void into his palm.

"So easy to fool," Yu Liancheng muttered to himself before looking at Meng Shenji again, holding the Pan Emperor Life-Spirit Sword.

That unparalleled spirit impacted the high heavens, causing the firmament to lose its color: "Today, you and I shall together slay this number one person in the world."

The Pan Emperor Life-Spirit Sword hummed, full of spirituality.

As Meng Shenji's avatar grew increasingly vigilant, Yu Liancheng finally swung his sword.

One sword, City-Toppling.

This was the flawless sword technique Yu Liancheng once used to roam the martial world and defeat all masters.

It was just that later, as he learned more and more ultimate arts and his cultivation grew stronger, the "Three Flawless Styles" no longer had a place to be used.

Now, as he integrated all his martial arts into the Gui Cang Nine Paths, his cultivation in Martial Dao had reached an unknown level of advancement.

And as he continuously pushed the "City-Toppling" style further, this sword now fused the Heaven-Slaying Sword Art, Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens, Sword Twenty-Three, and many other sword techniques, making it worthy of being called a Divine Sword from beyond the heavens, exceeding the imagination of mortals. Coupled with the "Pan Emperor Life-Spirit Sword" in his hand, it could truly topple a city—a Divine Mountain city.

Boom—!!

A crimson-gold, bright, and shimmering Sword Qi, a massive blade of light half a mile wide and ten miles long, shot out from this artifact of the ancient holy emperor, tearing through the void and charging straight into the sky. The heavens seemed to be split open, and the thunderclouds that had been coiled in the sky were shattered by the Sword Qi.

Even watching from afar, the Xianghu King and the White Ape King felt insignificant before this sword, like ants.

Before the Sword Qi even arrived, Meng Shenji felt the surrounding air, space, and even time—everything tangible and intangible—begin to run wild and be stirred up. The torrent of vital energy rolled like a terrifying wave, raising earth waves over a hundred zhang high, while the ground was shaved away layer by layer and vanished.

"A bit interesting." Meng Shenji stood within this torrent of vital energy, yet he remained motionless, like a Divine Mountain that had stood tall since the opening of heaven and earth.

"Three Supreme Moves! Reversing the Universe! Turning the Tide!!"

Meng Shenji took a step forward, shook his hands, and violent energy surged out.

He formed a fist seal with each hand; his fist intent was everywhere, covering the sky and earth, filling every inch of the hundred-mile radius.

Boom, boom, boom!!

The fist intent was unleashed completely, tyrannical and vast, as if it possessed the power to shatter the Great Thousand World, meeting "City-Toppling" head-on. Before these two fists, all sound and color became chaotic; this was a lethal technique capable of "reversing the universe and turning the tide." Furthermore, at the same time, Meng Shenji condensed the "Tower of Universe" and slammed it over.

Boom!

Boom, boom, boom!!

With both of them exerting their full strength, a collision exceeding everything erupted, and the spatial torrent swept in all directions, threatening to turn heaven and earth into chaos.

After a brief stalemate, Meng Shenji's expression changed slightly. Although this was an avatar, its strength was at the peak of the Fivefold Lightning Tribulation, and with his Supreme Dao martial arts and techniques, he could even fight a Sixfold Tribulation expert.

Yet, facing the "City-Toppling Sword," he had consecutively used the Three Supreme Moves and the Universe Extreme Bell, and he actually felt a sense of being unable to resist.

He only felt a vast, unimaginable gravitational pressure bearing down on him; both his physical body and his soul were enduring an inconceivable weight, feeling as if they could be crushed at any moment.

This was because Yu Liancheng's sword at this moment truly resonated with the "courage, benevolence, wisdom, and integrity" within the Pan Emperor Life-Spirit Sword, bringing out the true power of the sword that the Pan Emperor had painstakingly forged.

In the sword strike that had just been unleashed, there was not only terrifying, majestic Sword Qi, but also the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, plants, trees, and all living beings—these were immeasurable existences, exceeding the limits of endurance. The mere scattered energy was enough to sweep away mountains within a hundred-zhang radius, blasting them into countless fine powders.

Boom—!!

Meng Shenji finally could not hold out.

The Sword Qi slashed down completely.

This sword fused the essence of the Heaven-Slaying Sword Art, allowing for perfect control.

Once it struck the target, the remaining Sword Qi vanished into the void; otherwise, a sword scar ten miles long would have been left upon the ground.

As for Meng Shenji, he was transformed into a speck of insignificant blood mist; this avatar did not even have time to utter a final word before he was forcibly blasted apart by Yu Liancheng.

Yu Liancheng's face turned pale, and he suddenly plummeted from the sky.

This sword strike consumed too much; even with his Immortal Human body and being at the second level of Thunder Tribulation, he could barely withstand it.

"Meng Shenji, Meng Shenji..." Yu Liancheng muttered to himself.

In a certain small world, Meng Shenji suddenly opened his eyes.

"Yu Liancheng, Yu Liancheng..."