292: Chapter 291 Battle and Slaughter

Seeing this, Princess Yueli immediately circulated her Shamanic Power, holding her jade sword horizontally in front of her to shield Jiang Hanzhou. Her body was enveloped in a layer of ice-blue light—the Ice Soul Shamanic Power passed down through generations in the Ancient Kingdom of Yellow Sands. It was out of place in the searing heat of the Western Desert, yet it contained an unspeakable power.

“Young Master Jiang, let me help you!” Her voice was cold and resolute.

Yi Qianfan snorted coldly, glancing at Princess Yueli with disdain. His gaze was like looking at an ant, filled with contempt and impatience.

“A mere princess of the Ancient Kingdom of Yellow Sands dares to stand in my way. You seek death!” With a wave of his hand, the five-colored longsword in his palm shot out, transforming into a sharp Saber Intent that flew straight for Princess Yueli. Wherever the Saber Intent passed, the air tore apart, and the stone slabs on the ground were carved with deep gouges by the Sword Qi.

Jiang Hanzhou immediately activated his Li Fire Golden Body, and crimson-gold flames emerged from the surface of his skin, wrapping his body in layers. His figure flashed as he blocked the path in front of Princess Yueli, holding the tiger soul saber across his chest. The dark gold patterns on the blade erupted with a blinding light. He poured both Pure Yang True Intent and Metal Sharpness True Intent into the blade simultaneously and slashed out, colliding with that Saber Intent.

Boom.

The moment the saber light and Saber Intent collided, a deafening roar erupted. Sparks flew everywhere and air currents surged. Jiang Hanzhou’s body was shaken back three steps by the massive impact, his feet cracking three stone slabs beneath him. However, his blade blocked the Saber Intent, preventing Yi Qianfan from harming Princess Yueli in the slightest.

“Princess, go get the formation core. Leave this to me,” Jiang Hanzhou said without looking back, his voice calm and firm. The web between his thumb and forefinger felt numb, and the tiger soul saber was vibrating slightly. The intelligence within the blade sent urgent hums, as if warning him of the enemy's strength.

Princess Yueli glanced at him, bit her lip, and then nodded. She turned and walked to the hidden compartment, stabbing her jade sword into the ground beside her, and reached both hands into the blood-colored light curtain. Blood-red threads from the curtain wrapped around her arms, making a sizzling sound as they corroded tiny holes into her leather armor. But she clenched her teeth and did not retreat, gripping the jade box with both hands and pulling it out of the compartment with all her might.

The moment the jade box was removed, the blood-colored light curtain dimmed abruptly and then shattered inch by inch, dissipating into red light specks in the air.

Seeing this, Yi Qianfan’s expression changed drastically. He raised his right hand and activated his Dragon-Slaying True Intent. Five-colored brilliance surged from his palm, transforming into an even larger longsword that shot toward Princess Yueli.

“Don't even think about it!” Jiang Hanzhou shouted. Pushing his Wave-Treading Step to the limit, his figure left an afterimage in the air as he blocked Princess Yueli. The tiger soul saber slashed horizontally, shattering the five-colored longsword in one blow.

But he knew this couldn't continue. Yi Qianfan’s cultivation was a full major Realm higher than his, and the purity and density of his Dragon-Slaying True Intent far exceeded his own. In a head-on clash, he had almost no chance of winning. He had to use a stronger killing move; he had to find an opportunity to counterattack before Yi Qianfan fully exploded with power.

He mobilized all seven of the insights in his Sea of Consciousness at once.

Tidal True Intent from the gentle Tides of the East Sea and the cold ice Tides of the North. Pure Yang True Intent from the heat of the Li Fire Golden Body and the violence of the Dragon Blood Pool. Metal Sharpness True Intent from Dragon Slaying True Person’s sword dao brand and the tiger soul saber's edge. Heavenly Fire True Intent from the Earth Fire Cave’s baleful fire and the tempering of the Ice Fire Two Energies Valley. Ice Cold True Intent from the extreme cold of the North and the ice Tides of the Mystic Ice Vast Sea. Yellow Sand True Intent from the sandstorms of the Western Desert and the deathly silence of dried riverbeds. Buddha Power True Intent from the Ancient Buddha Temple’s light and the sarira power within the buddha bone jade pendant.

The seven powers intertwined in his Dantian like seven rivers of different colors, merging into a vast ocean. His body was trembling—not from fear, but because the backlash of the seven powers was tearing at his Meridians. Veins bulged on his face and a trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth, but he did not stop.

The tiger soul saber felt its master's will, and the dark gold patterns on the blade erupted with unprecedented light. The intelligence within the blade let out a world-shaking chime that sounded like a dragon’s roar, echoing through the hall. The dragon soul remnant woke from deep within the blade, transforming into an illusory dragon shadow that coiled around the edge.

He poured all his power into the tiger soul saber, perfectly fusing the seven True Intents into a brand-new killing move.

Myriad Dao Dragon Slaying Art.

The moment the saber light slashed out, the entire hall trembled. That saber light was seven-colored, containing the endurance of the Tide, the heat of Pure Yang, the sharpness of Metal Sharpness, the fury of Heavenly Fire, the piercing cold of ice, the violence of yellow sand, and the majesty of Buddha Power. The seven powers layered upon each other like a rainbow, yet also like a world-splitting divine sword, slashing toward Yi Qianfan.

Yi Qianfan’s pupils constricted suddenly. He hadn't expected that a Cultivator in the Late Stage of the Dragon Fetus Realm could explode with power comparable to the Dragon-Elephant Intersection Realm. He clenched his teeth and pushed the Dragon-Slaying True Intent within his body to the limit. Five-colored brilliance surged from his Dantian, condensing into a massive five-colored divine sword in front of him.

The saber light and Saber Intent collided.

Rumble.

The entire hall was on the verge of collapse. The stone slabs on the floor were shattered, and debris flew everywhere. The Arhat statues on both sides of the hall toppled one after another; some were blown away by the airwaves, some were shattered into pieces, and others rolled across the floor with dull thuds. The Buddha statue shook slightly in the tremors, the runes on its base flashing and dying rapidly as the Buddha light flickered. Dust and rubble fell from the ceiling, hitting the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Relying on his Dragon-Elephant Intersection Realm cultivation, Yi Qianfan held the upper hand. His five-colored divine sword was more solid and heavy than Jiang Hanzhou’s seven-colored saber light. The two forces remained in a stalemate for three breaths before cracks began to appear on the seven-colored saber light, spreading from the edges toward the center, growing denser and deeper.

Jiang Hanzhou’s body bent slightly under the immense pressure, his feet sinking into the stone slabs of the floor as his knees let out a creaking sound. His face was deathly pale, and more and more blood dripped from the corner of his mouth onto the ground. But his eyes were bright, shining like two balls of fire.

He did not retreat.

The sixth-grade Late Bloomer fate gave him an incredibly stable Foundation. His Meridians were several times tougher than those of Cultivators of the same rank, his blood qi was several times more abundant, and his Divine Soul was several times stronger. Those Foundations weren't obvious normally, but when he was pushed to his limits, they became his only hope for persevering.

fate power surged from deep within his Dantian, flowing slowly along his ruptured Meridians, repairing his damage and supporting his will. That power was very faint—so faint it was almost imperceptible—but it was very stable, so stable that no force could interrupt it.

He clenched his teeth and squeezed the last ounce of power from his body, injecting it into the tiger soul saber. The seven-colored light on the blade brightened once more, and the cracks began to heal slowly.

A flash of surprise crossed Yi Qianfan’s eyes. He hadn't expected Jiang Hanzhou to be able to hold on. He mobilized even more Dragon-Slaying True Intent, and the power of the five-colored divine sword increased again, pushing back the seven-colored saber light bit by bit.

But Jiang Hanzhou was waiting. Waiting for Yi Qianfan to reveal a flaw, waiting for the dao seed within his body to fluctuate.

Every dao seed had a weakness. Master Kurong’s dao seed weakness was the backlash of the mother Gu; Great Elder Su Heng’s dao seed weakness was the precise cutting of the Dao-Slaying Blade Intent; Han Qing’s dao seed weakness was its symbiotic connection with the Sword Gu. And the weakness of Yi Qianfan’s dao seed lay in the fact that it was fused too closely with the host's Divine Soul.

A close Fusion meant that once the dao seed was damaged, the host's Divine Soul would also suffer a violent backlash. This was a double-edged sword—both Yi Qianfan’s advantage and his fatal weakness.

Jiang Hanzhou’s Divine Sense locked onto the dao seed in Yi Qianfan’s Dantian. The Dao-Slaying Blade Intent condensed within his Heart Blade, waiting for the opportunity for a one-hit kill.

In the hall, the saber light and Saber Intent were still locked in a stalemate.

Debris was still falling.

The Buddha statue was still shaking.

Princess Yueli clutched the jade box and curled up behind the Buddha statue, watching Jiang Hanzhou’s back. Her pale gold eyes were filled with shock.

She didn't know who would win this battle.

But she knew that regardless of the outcome, she would never forget the sight of Jiang Hanzhou’s back for the rest of her life.