Chapter 729

Amidst the raindrops, the bull constellation's sword blade froze with specks of frost, which instantly spread backward along his wrist.

The bull constellation immediately sensed the unusual nature of this frost power.

It wasn't just his wrist frozen—his perception and the transmission of his inner strength both slowed abruptly under this frost power.

With his vast experience, the bull constellation realized at once that Fang Yue's frost power was extraordinary.

Yet as he channeled a surge of inner strength to his right hand, the spread of the frost slowed instantly, even halting entirely.

The sword pierced through the rain like a bamboo shoot split open, straight toward Fang Yue's face.

At that moment, walls of ice rose from the ground, forming shield-like barriers before the sword, while a two-meter Ice Blade already slashed toward his waist from the side.

"Child's play."

The thought flashed through his mind.

Years of accumulated inner strength erupted violently from his body.

This shockwave differed slightly from ordinary bursts of inner strength.

It resembled an invisible Lianyi, spreading outward—Fang Yue's two-meter Ice Blade instantly cracked with sharp, clattering sounds, as if shattered by sonic waves.

When the two-meter Ice Blade struck the bull constellation's body, it shattered completely into a shower of ice shards, inflicting no harm whatsoever on his physical form.

Meanwhile, the bull constellation's sword had already pierced through the front ice shield.

One layer, two layers, three layers…

The sword cut through all the ice shields as if they were bamboo shoots, stabbing straight toward Fang Yue's face!

Seeing Fang Yue frozen like a wooden statue, the bull constellation sneered inwardly.

A 【Spirit Root】 that hasn't fully matured is nothing but an ordinary martial artist.

Until reaching the Immortal rank, how can Spirit Root power possibly manifest!

The bull constellation had no intention of killing Fang Yue—if he did, he would have used his full strength.

But now, seeing Fang Yue offer no resistance, he was already holding back, preparing only to wound him and take him alive.

Yet just as he began to withdraw his strength and reduce the sword's power…

He suddenly sensed something wrong—a nameless threat emanating from Fang Yue.

It was as if the closer he got, the stronger the threat became.

The sword's momentum, which he had intended to weaken, surged instead—its power exploded!

With inner strength clinging to it, a faint sword hum resonated.

As its power surged, the sword accelerated violently forward…

At the instant of contact…

Boom!!

The ground shattered and caved inward; an explosive shockwave erupted from between them, hurling debris outward and carving a massive circular crater.

Dust and smoke swirled thickly, obscuring the vision of everyone around.

Thus, none of them saw the true truth!

It was a Lianyi—a powerful, rippling wave.

It appeared out of thin air between the sword and Fang Yue's face, cascading outward in layers, causing even the bull constellation's right hand's tiger's mouth to tremble.

To the bull constellation, it looked as though a thin yet impossibly thick membrane blocked the sword from penetrating further and harming Fang Yue's body.

"What… is this?"

467!

The floating number stunned the bull constellation where he stood.

His strike, even with the sudden power boost at the last moment, was enough to kill an ordinary High-Level Human-Rank cultivator!

And yet… this was all?

Even this guy hadn't moved an inch—he'd taken his sword strike head-on!

Humiliation… he was mocking me!

The bull constellation's right hand trembled slightly; for the first time in years, he felt the sting of humiliation.

"How dare you!"

The bull constellation stared deeply at Fang Yue, icy intent flashing in his eyes.

Though he couldn't kill a true 【Spirit Root】, he only needed him alive—cutting off limbs would make him easier to control.

Yet he failed to notice that Fang Yue's eyes, too, flickered with deep wariness.

Just now, Fang Yue's 【Deception Value】 had plummeted sharply.

The 【Deception Membrane】 was powerful, but its consumption of 【Deception Value】 was extreme.

Before his 【Deception Value】 reached a sufficient total, overusing the 【Deception Membrane】's survival ability would only worsen his situation—since 【Deception Value】 could only recover over time or by killing enemies.

Thus, Fang Yue knew: to win, he must end this swiftly.

So Fang Yue moved.

At the very moment the bull constellation prepared to retract his sword and strike again, Fang Yue moved.

In that instant, Fang Yue's motion could only be described as still as a maiden, swift as a startled hare.

His speed reached its peak—he moved so fast even the bull constellation's eyes struggled to keep pace; by the time his vision caught Fang Yue's afterimage, Fang Yue had already moved again.

After several frantic attempts to track his movements…

A white stream of coldness suddenly slashed across the bull constellation's arm, leaving him no time to react.

"So fast!!"

The bull constellation was stunned, deeply shaken.

He had never seen anyone move so swiftly, so light and agile!

Is this the true power of the Ghost Spirit Root? Is this the height a Ghost Spirit Root should reach?

Even as Niu Zuo was shaken, his wrist had already been sliced open by the Ice Blade.

At that moment, even the pain seemed to delay a moment before reaching his brain.

Even the speed of the blood spurting out was so slow…

Wait?!

Niu Zuo immediately sensed something was wrong.

Other things could be explained, but the speed of the blood spurting out—like a slow-motion scene—was clearly unnatural!

The first thing Niu Zuo thought of was 【Deceitful Curse】.

"What kind of Deceitful Curse is this?"

"When did I get hit?"

"No! I can't just sit here and wait to die, let that guy lead me by the nose! If I keep going like this, I'll die without a sound!"

"How could I… die in a place like this!!"

Niu Zuo suppressed the shock in his heart and unleashed his internal energy in a frenzy.

Vast internal energy erupted within him, exploding outward.

Even though Fang Yue possessed strength rivaling a Human Grade High-Level Warrior, his actual realm was still Human Grade Low-Level; though his internal energy had surged, it still could not match Niu Zuo's seasoned prowess as a veteran Human Grade expert.

Amid the explosion of internal energy, Fang Yue indeed could not withstand the pressure and was blasted backward.

After Fang Yue was thrown back, the blood spurting from his wrist, the speed of his thoughts, and all his bodily perceptions instantly synchronized back into place!

His mind became active again.

Only then did Niu Zuo truly grasp Fang Yue's terrifying nature, staring in disbelief at the man standing upright and brushing off dust in the distance.

"You—what ability did you awaken?!"

Fang Yue said nothing, only grinned.

He charged toward Niu Zuo, and with every step forward, the ice and frost within a ten-meter radius froze further ahead of him.

Fang Yue himself seemed like a moving winter landscape—wherever he passed, snow and ice covered the ground!

(End of Chapter)