85: Chapter 85 Grass Sword Technique: A single blade of grass can sever the sun, moon, and stars.

The atmosphere above the Tianjian Mountain Range was suffocatingly oppressive.

Zhao Tian Gang lay slumped against the protective sect formation's cracked, shimmering barrier, gasping for air in ragged breaths.

Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, staining the golden robes of the Holy Lord, which once symbolized supreme majesty.

He stared fixedly at the purple-gold figure suspended in mid-air, the terror in his eyes growing like rampant weeds.

Was that sword strike just now truly a casual blow?

Without employing any divine abilities, without triggering any celestial phenomena, relying solely on physical strength and that trace of... terrifying Sword Intent that made his soul tremble, it had nearly bisected him, a late-stage Saint, on the spot!

"Thirty percent of my power..."

Zhao Tian Gang muttered to himself, the three words echoing in his mind like a curse.

If that was true, how could he possibly block the next sword strike?

"Escape!"

"I must escape!"

As an old monster who had lived for millennia, Zhao Tian Gang cherished his life immensely. Face? Dignity? In the face of life and death, they were worth less than dirt! As long as he could flee into the formation's core, perhaps he could hold out until reinforcements arrived from the other Holy Lands of Central Continent, leveraging the legacies left by past patriarchs!

"Blood Sacrifice · Heavenly Sword Evasion!"

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Zhao Tian Gang's eyes as he abruptly bit off the tip of his tongue.

Pfft!

A large mouthful of essence blood, infused with his Saintly origin, sprayed out, instantly transforming into a dense crimson mist that enveloped him.

His aura surged explosively in that instant. His entire being turned into a blood-red streak of light, imperceptible to the naked eye, streaking toward the main peak hall below at a terrifying speed fueled by the burning of his lifespan.

Fast!

Too fast!

This speed even surpassed the constraints of space, causing even a Great Saint powerhouse like Xu Zhan Tian to raise an eyebrow involuntarily.

"Trying to run?"

Xu Zhan Tian snorted coldly, about to hurl the halberd in his hand.

"Ancestor, let me handle it."

Xu Chen's voice remained calm, devoid of any worldly agitation.

He did not give chase to the blood-red light, nor did he even move a muscle. He simply stood there quietly, the demonic sword "burning stillness" in his hand slightly lowered, his eyes slowly closing.

The moment his eyes shut.

The entire Tianjian Mountain Range suddenly fell silent.

Even the chaotic spiritual energy currents still raging within the formation fell into an eerie stagnation at this moment.

An indescribable, ancient, and vast aura slowly seeped from Xu Chen's body.

It wasn't domineering, nor was it sharp.

It was... vitality.

A vitality that no wildfire could burn out, that would revive with the spring breeze.

"Hmm—"

The void behind Xu Chen suddenly rippled with concentric circles.

Under the astonished gazes of everyone—the Xu Family army, the Sword Sect members, and the Tianjian disciples still putting up a desperate resistance—a vivid, verdant image of a small blade of grass quietly materialized behind Xu Chen.

It looked utterly ordinary.

Like a common weed by the roadside, trodden upon by all. It had only three tender green leaves, swaying gently in the void.

But the moment this blade of grass appeared.

Heaven and earth changed color!

The great sun hanging high in the sky inexplicably dimmed, as if even the sun dared not compete for brilliance before this blade of grass.

The spiritual energy of all plants and trees within a radius of ten thousand miles converged frantically towards that phantom image like rivers returning to the sea.

"What... what kind of Sword Intent is this?!"

Xu Zhan Tian's eyes widened like bronze bells, the halberd in his hand trembling slightly.

As a Great Saint, how much of the world had he seen? Yet the Sword Intent emanating from this blade of grass actually made him feel a sense of... insignificance, originating from the depths of his soul!

As if before this blade of grass, sun, moon, and stars could all be severed, and all things between heaven and earth were mere dust!

"Grass Character Sword Art."

Xu Chen whispered softly, his eyes abruptly snapping open.

In that instant, it seemed as if two small blades of grass swayed within his pupils, evolving the supreme mysteries of creation.

"Go."

His wrist flicked lightly. The demonic sword burning stillness in his hand emitted a tremor of extreme excitement.

One leaf of the grass behind him gently flipped, as if merely moved by the wind.

Swish!

A green sword Qi shot forth from the tip of the demonic sword.

This sword Qi was not grand, even as slender as a finger. It looked plain and unremarkable, without any earth-shattering fanfare.

But it was too fast.

Fast enough to transcend the boundaries of time.

Fast enough to disregard the distance of space.

It had just left the sword's tip, and in the next instant, it had already appeared behind that frantically fleeing streak of blood-red light.

Zhao Tian Gang, who had already escaped several kilometers and was on the verge of plunging into the main hall's defensive barrier, suddenly stiffened.

The feeling was like being put on pause.

The relief on his face, the venom in his eyes, all froze in that moment.

He lowered his head, looking somewhat dazedly at his chest.

There was no spray of blood.

Only a small, front-to-back hole with edges as smooth as a mirror.

And on the defensive barrier before him, reputed to be unbreakable except by a Great Saint, appeared a hole of the same size.

"So... so beautiful... grass..."

Zhao Tian Gang's lips moved, uttering the last few words of his life.

Then.

His body began to crumble like a sand sculpture weathered by wind, disintegrating and dissipating bit by bit from his feet upwards, turning into fine dust that returned to heaven and earth.

One sword strike, a Saint perishes!

But this was only the beginning.

After piercing through Zhao Tian Gang, that green sword Qi did not dissipate. Instead, like a dragon just awakened from slumber, it swelled violently in the storm!

BOOM!!!

The sword Qi, originally only as thick as a finger, instantly transformed into a ten-thousand-mile-long green chasm in the sky!

Carrying the supreme sharpness to sever all karma and cut through the realms of Yin and Yang, it slammed mercilessly onto the main peak of the Tianjian Holy Land, which had stood tall for tens of thousands of years.

There was no sound of explosion.

Only a faint, slicing sound, like cutting through tofu.

A hair-thin red line appeared on that towering, ten-thousand-ren high main peak, inscribed with countless defensive arrays, running from its summit to its base.

The next second.

Rumble rumble rumble—!!!

The earth shook and mountains quaked; dust and smoke billowed into the sky.

Under the horrified and despairing gazes of countless people, that massive main peak slowly slid apart along that red line.

The entire mountain was split cleanly in two by this one sword strike!

The cut surface was smooth and even. Even the magma within the mountain's belly was instantly cooled and sealed on the cross-section by the sword Qi, forming a bizarre and spectacular sight.

The sword Qi traversed three thousand miles; a single sword's light chilled the nineteen provinces!

Even the few hidden deep underground beneath the main peak, attempting to cling to life by relying on the earth veins, didn't even have time to scream before their souls were utterly extinguished by the residual power of this sword.

Heaven and earth fell into a deathly silence.

Only the rumbling echoes from the collapse of the two halves of the mountain still reverberated.

"This... this is... a Half-Saint?"

On the Xu Family's warship, a Saint-realm commander swallowed hard with difficulty, his weapon clattering onto the deck.

He felt that his several millennia of cultivation had been for naught.

Is this fucking a Half-Saint?

Even if a Great Saint personally arrived, it would be no more than this, right?!

"Gulp."

Nangong Waner stood behind Xu Chen, staring blankly at the bottomless, immense sword scar, feeling her entire body go weak.

Was this true sword dao?

A blade of grass, severing sun, moon, and stars.

So this wasn't some exaggerated metaphor, but... a literal description?

As for Ye Qingwu, this fellow sword cultivator and Elder, her beautiful eyes now brimmed with tears, trembling with excitement.

Gazing at the white-robed figure ahead who had sheathed his sword and stood tall, the love and admiration in her heart nearly overflowed.

This was her man!

A man capable of creating miracles, a man who could make heaven and earth bow their heads!

"Hah..."

Xu Chen let out a soft sigh, his complexion paling slightly.

Although this sword strike only used thirty percent of his power, it was, after all, the supreme sword art rewarded by the system's critical hit. The consumption of spiritual energy and soul force was immense. If not for his Hongmeng Creation Body, he likely would have been drained dry by this one swing.

"Not bad."

Xu Chen looked down at his masterpiece below, nodded in satisfaction, and casually tossed the demonic sword back into a corner of his storage ring.

"It seems this 'Grass Character Sword Art' does have some substance to it."

He turned around, looking at the Xu Family members behind him who were still stunned, a lazy smile reappearing on his face.

"What are you all standing around for?"

"The fireworks are over. Time to get down to business."

Xu Chen pointed towards the ruins of the Tianjian Holy Land below, which had been split in two, revealing countless treasuries and secret chambers.

"Although Zhao Tian Gang is dead, their accumulations of tens of thousands of years remain."

"Xu Family's Seventh and Ninth Guard Divisions, heed the order!"

"Yes!"

Two thousand Xu Family elites, who had long been itching for action, roared in unison, their killing intent palpable.

"Go down. Move house."

Xu Chen waved his hand grandly, like the most overbearing bandit chief.

"Spirit stones, pills, cultivation manuals, weapons—anything with spiritual energy, take it all!"

"Even a floor tile, if it's made of spirit jade, pry it up for me!"