695: Chapter 694 Golden Spears Rending the Heavens

The moment the golden sword rain poured down, Xuanyuan Zhandao moved.

He did not dodge.

He did not retreat.

He did not even raise a single bit of extra protective True Qi.

He did something that no one had expected—

With one step, he shattered the golden bricks, and his entire body rose into the sky against the rain of sword light.

Like an ancient Vicious Beast that had been dormant for three thousand years and had torn off its disguise, this figure wrapped in pitch-black heavy armor carried an earth-shattering momentum, slamming into the center of the densest sword rain in an almost barbaric manner!

"Boom—Boom, boom, boom!!!"

The golden sword light struck his dark-black True Qi barrier, the explosions merging into one, as if thousands of iron hammers were striking an anvil at the same time, or like Nine Heavens thunder repeatedly exploding in a confined space.

These dense sword lights, which were enough to pierce ordinary Mahayana Cultivators, fell upon his thick layer of True Qi like rain hitting mountain rocks, shattering and dissipating after blooming into ripples, without even leaving a shallow mark.

Xuanyuan Zhandao's figure paused abruptly in mid-air, his right fist clenched tight.

There were no flashy Moves, no complex incantations—he simply threw a pure, unreserved punch.

Where the fist landed, the space crumbled inch by inch.

Pitch-black cracks spread like spiderwebs along the fist's momentum, tearing hideous gashes in the Void Realm, swallowing all surrounding light.

The golden array patterns of the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Imperial Suppression Array actually appeared to have a visible, twisted depression under this punch, as if it were a giant net being torn by brute force, collapsing inward in the center with an unbearable creaking sound.

"Hmm?!"

Old Ancestor Qingfeng's expression truly changed for the first time.

He had originally turned into a cyan stream of light and approached within a hundred feet of Xuanyuan Zhandao, but now he suddenly halted his figure, his hands forming seals rapidly before him, moving so fast that only blurry afterimages remained.

A cyan barrier condensed out of thin air, shrouding him within it; runes flowed across the barrier, emitting an ancient and thick Qi.

The next instant, the aftermath of Xuanyuan Zhandao's punch swept over like a tsunami!

The cyan barrier trembled violently, the ear-piercing creaking sound incessant, and cracks spread densely across its surface, like spiderwebs covering the entire barrier—yet it did not shatter.

Old Ancestor Qingfeng retreated three steps, each step leaving a deep footprint on the golden brick floor, his robes fluttering loudly; looking at Xuanyuan Zhandao again, his gaze held a trace of bone-chilling gravity:

"Xuanyuan Batian's 'Army-Breaking Fist'... you actually managed to master this Move?"

Xuanyuan Zhandao did not reply.

He steadied his figure in mid-air, the gaze beneath his black mask as cold as a blade, sweeping over the five elders at the Peak of the Late Mahayana Stage, his voice hoarse and deep, like two pieces of iron rubbing together:

"Too much nonsense."

Before the words faded, his figure disappeared from the spot again.

At the same time, on the ground, the long sword in First-Rank Prince Jian Jiuzhou's hand, which had never been fully unsheathed, was finally drawn seven-tenths of the way.

A streak of bright sword light flowed out from the gap in the scabbard, silently sweeping across the Void Realm.

This sword light did not look dazzling; it was even as plain as water, merely like the clear radiance of moonlight spilled unintentionally.

But wherever it passed, time in the entire world seemed to slow down—

The golden sword rain stalled in mid-air, the surging array patterns solidified like a painting, the five elders stood frozen in place, and even the dust suspended in the air stopped drifting...

Everything, under the lingering charm of this sword strike, became sluggish and stagnant, like insects fallen into amber, permanently fixed in this moment.

Only that streak of sword light advanced at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Unstoppable.

It sliced through the three-layered overlapping array pattern blockade as easily as cutting paper; these Restrictions, which were enough to trap and kill Mahayana Cultivators, were as fragile as thin paper before it, emitting a series of crisp shattering sounds.

The sword light slashed straight toward the nearest gray-robed elder.

The gray-robed elder's pupils shrank to pinpricks, his palms suddenly closing, and a pitch-black, ink-like talisman seal condensed in his palms, covered in twisted ancient characters and emitting a rich aura of death, meeting the sword light.

However, the moment they made contact, his face flushed red—the sharpness of this sword light far exceeded his expectations, and the pitch-black talisman seal was split in two from the center, the cut as smooth as a mirror, without even a sliver of room for struggle.

The sword light's momentum remained undiminished, leaving a wound deep enough to see bone on his chest!

The moment blood spurted out, the gray-robed elder retreated violently, his eyes filled with undisguised horror—the kind of fear that old monsters who had cultivated for thousands of years only revealed when facing a threat of death.

One sword strike forced back a Peak Mahayana Stage expert.

This was First-Rank Prince Jian Jiuzhou.

However, at the very same moment this sword strike achieved success, Old Ancestor Qingfeng deep in the imperial palace had already completed his technique.

"Suppress!"

As the word fell, the lines of the entire Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Imperial Suppression Array suddenly tightened.

The golden array patterns that had originally spread in all directions like spiderwebs suddenly contracted inward, turning into nine golden chains as thick as ancient trees, winding toward First-Rank Prince Jian Jiuzhou from nine directions simultaneously.

The chains were densely inscribed with ancient runes, each emitting a thick aura originating from the same source as the grand array, as if they had existed since the creation of the world, crushing down with irresistible heavenly might.

First-Rank Prince Jian Jiuzhou frowned slightly.

His sword momentum had just been unleashed, and this was the gap where the old strength was exhausted and the new strength had not yet been born, a momentary vacancy in the circulation of True Qi within his body.

The nine golden chains came extremely fast, like nine golden giant pythons choosing people to devour, opening their bloody maws, arriving within three feet of him in the blink of an eye, the suppression power emitted by the chains making the air thick and heavy.

But just at this moment—

A crimson figure flashed past from the side; Jian Tanghuang's long sword swept out, wrapped in blazing flames, and wherever the sword edge passed, the air was ignited, leaving a burning trajectory, forcibly knocking the nearest two chains off course.

On the other side, Xuanyuan Zhanxian had appeared in mid-air at some unknown time; the silver runes wrapped around his left arm squirmed and moved like living things, and with a palm strike, one golden chain was shattered into pieces by his brute force, fragments scattering everywhere!

"Don't look down on people..."

Xuanyuan Zhanxian wore that faint arc at the corner of his mouth, his voice carrying a trace of careless ostentation, as if he had merely done an insignificant small thing:

"Although I am a Junior, I am not just standing there watching the show."

Jian Tanghuang did not reply; her gaze was tightly locked on the trajectories of the remaining seven chains, her crimson combat outfit fluttering in the golden array light, like a Phoenix bathing in fire, breathtakingly beautiful, yet dangerous to the extreme.

And Chu Zhanxiao, while everyone was focusing their attention on those Mahayana Stage powerhouses, made an extremely bold decision.

He did not stay in place to defend.

Nor did he rush toward those old monsters whose cultivation far exceeded his own.

His gaze crossed the sky full of array patterns and intersecting figures, landing on the figure wearing dragon robes on the distant eaves.

Zhenwu Emperor Li Tianxuan.

To capture the bandits, first capture the king.

These five words flashed through Chu Zhanxiao's mind, and the next moment his body was already in motion.

Silver-gold True Qi exploded beneath his feet, blasting a deep pit into the golden brick floor, pushing his speed to the limit instantly.

He was like a silver meteor, weaving across the edge of the battlefield, avoiding one golden sword light after another, his figure as agile as a fish swimming through water, charging straight toward the palace eaves.

It was too fast—so fast that even the array's automatic attacks couldn't lock onto him.

It was too crafty—so crafty that even Old Ancestor Qingfeng, who was fighting Xuanyuan Zhandao, failed to notice it at the first moment.

When he rushed within a hundred feet of the eaves, Zhenwu Emperor Li Tianxuan finally noticed this young man who had come straight for him.

Zhenwu Emperor Li Tianxuan's gaze fell upon that young face; he was stunned for a moment, and then a smile of unclear meaning appeared at the corner of his mouth.

This smile held contempt, playfulness, and a trace of complex emotion that was hard to describe:

"Chu Zhanxiao... My subject."

He stood with his hands behind his back, not dodging or avoiding, not even releasing any protective True Qi, just looking down at the silver-gold figure approaching rapidly, as if watching a farce that had nothing to do with him.

"You actually dare to come and kill me?"

Zhenwu Emperor Li Tianxuan's voice carried a strange emotion, unclear whether it was mockery or something else:

"Courage is commendable."

"Pity—"

He raised his right hand and pointed his index finger forward casually.

A golden beam of light shot up from the ground of the imperial palace, precisely blocking Chu Zhanxiao's path!

The light beam was as thick as a human waist, emitting a vast aura originating from the same source as the entire grand array, the golden light dazzling, condensed as if it were a physical object, countless ancient runes flowing on it, emitting a suffocating sense of oppression.

If he collided head-on, with Chu Zhanxiao's current cultivation, he would be dead or injured.

But Chu Zhanxiao did not slow down.

The silver-gold great halberd in his hand swept horizontally, and the cold light on the tip of the halberd suddenly became as blazing as a star exploding at this moment—

The moment the halberd edge collided with the golden light beam, a roar far more intense than any previous one resounded throughout the arena!

The golden light exploded, air currents rolled.

The golden light beam was cut off from the center, the broken end bursting with dazzling radiance, and then it turned into a sky full of fireflies and shattered, falling like golden snowflakes.

Chu Zhanxiao's figure passed through the shattered light beam, light surging like a tide in his silver-gold pupils, and a shallow scratch from being burned by the golden light appeared on his face at some point, blood sliding down his cheek, but his eyes were startlingly bright—bright as two burning stars!

The tip of his halberd was less than three feet away from Zhenwu Emperor Li Tianxuan's chest.

The smile on Zhenwu Emperor Li Tianxuan's face finally solidified.

He had not expected Chu Zhanxiao to be able to break through that defense.

Even less did he expect that this youth, who in his memory was just a child, had actually grown to this point—grown to the point of being able to threaten him.

He subconsciously took half a step back.

It was this half step that allowed Chu Zhanxiao to seize every opportunity!

The silver-gold great halberd was like a dawn breaking through the darkness, tearing through the gloom, carrying all of Chu Zhanxiao's strength and will, stabbing straight out—

But just as the halberd tip was about to touch the dragon robe, a cyan figure appeared silently in front of Zhenwu Emperor Li Tianxuan.

Old Ancestor Qingfeng extended a finger and gently pressed it against the tip of the halberd.

The silver-gold light and the cyan True Qi collided violently, erupting with blinding radiance, two completely different forces clashing fiercely in a confined space, emitting an ear-piercing metallic grinding sound.

Chu Zhanxiao only felt a mountain-toppling force rebounding from the halberd shaft, domineering and barbaric, like angry waves crashing against the shore—his web between thumb and index finger instantly split and bled, his arms shook violently, his bones groaned under the unbearable weight, and his entire body was pushed flying backward dozens of feet by that force, only managing to steady his figure after flipping several times in the air.

Old Ancestor Qingfeng withdrew his finger, a very shallow white mark on his fingertip, which vanished in a flash.

He looked down at the white mark, his gaze flickering slightly, then turned to Chu Zhanxiao, his voice carrying a trace of sincere admiration—that admiration even mixed with a hint of wariness:

"With the body of a Void Refining cultivator, breaking the grand array's defense, forcing back a Mahayana True Emperor, and injuring this old man by a finger... The disciple taught by Chu Changsheng is indeed not simple."

Chu Zhanxiao knelt on one knee, his arms trembling slightly, blood dripping from the halberd shaft onto the golden bricks, evaporating into wisps of white Qi, blooming into bleak and beautiful blood flowers on the cold golden bricks.

He raised his head, his silver-gold eyes filled with a blazing, unquenchable, unyielding light, staring fixedly at the two figures in front.

And in the distance, Xuanyuan Zhandao's roar and First-Rank Prince Jian Jiuzhou's sword hum resonated through the world almost simultaneously, like two ancient Vicious Beasts roaring, shaking the entire Imperial City until it trembled.