231: Chapter 231 Your Territory?

"Rumble!!!"

Where that wall passed, the ground cracked open into several wide fissures, and the spiritual light within the formation base flickered violently twice at the cracks before shattering directly.

"Whoosh!!!"

Han Zheng's feet left the ground as he flew backward several zhang, avoiding the frontal impact, but the aftershock still pushed him back several steps, carving two deep furrows beneath his feet.

The five people beside him reacted a bit slower; one of them was grazed by the edge of the mud wave, let out a muffled groan, and was sent tumbling backward twice before stabilizing his footing. He knelt on one knee, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

The front batch of the three hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators were blown away by the air wave. Some crashed into tree trunks, others fell into muddy water. When they struggled to climb up, lingering terror remained in their eyes, and they had even forgotten to grip their Spiritual Artifacts tightly.

"Such powerful strength!"

one of the Golden Core Cultivators said, looking somewhat incredulous.

After shaking everyone back, the giant turtle slowly retracted its front claws. Its yellowish-brown pupils swept over the Human Race Cultivators who had been blown away by the air wave, its voice neither high nor low.

"I will warn you one more time."

"This pool is my territory. If you all leave quickly, I can pretend this never happened."

After everyone stabilized their footing, they all looked toward Han Zheng.

That strike just now had made them clearly feel the weight of this Turtle Demon.

That single palm strike to the ground had overturned three hundred Foundation Establishment Cultivators and even forced back Golden Core Cultivators. If they were to take it head-on, they likely wouldn't fare well.

To this,

Han Zheng sneered.

"Your territory?"

He flipped his right hand, and spiritual light condensed in his palm, manifesting an Azure Dragon Crescent Blade. The blade was dark cyan, and a slender silver pattern was carved along the spine, extending from the hilt to the tip, casting a cold gleam in the night.

The moment he gripped the hilt, the Aura around him changed abruptly. Spiritual energy exploded from within his body, forming a dense airflow around him, pushing away the surrounding fallen leaves and dust.

"Mere Turtle Demon, you think too highly of yourself."

As he finished speaking, Han Zheng turned his head and glanced at the five people behind him: "Everyone, listen to my command! Deploy the Bright Moon Formation!"

Before the sound of his voice had faded,

Han Zheng kicked off the ground, his figure already darting toward the giant turtle. He dragged the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade behind him, the silver pattern on the blade stretching into a slender arc of light as he sped forward.

"Damn it!"

Watching that figure darting toward him, a layer of genuine anger finally surfaced in the giant turtle's yellowish-brown pupils.

All four claws dug into the muddy ground. At that moment, the cracks on the surface of the tortoise shell seemed to be pried open by something, and a dark light seeped out from the gaps.

Then, it slammed the pool, and the water exploded.

"Boom!!!"

Huge splashes of water shot into the sky, carrying mud and water weeds, transforming into dozens of thick water pillars in mid-air. Like a group of awakened giant pythons, they twisted and smashed toward Han Zheng's direction.

Each water pillar was wrapped in thick Demon Power.

In the rear,

Bai Chi's eyes held a trace of shock.

"So strong. If I were to step forward, I'm afraid I would be torn to shreds in one strike."

Wu Li crossed his arms. Under his Blood Pupil, he saw the situation of the jaw turtle very clearly.

"This old turtle's cultivation is already very similar to Lady Hua's back then."

"As long as the Opportunity is right, it can take that step and become a Demon King of a region."

"It's a pity, though. Don't look at how aggressive it is right now; it contains internal injuries. Most of this is just bluffing. The person leading the Youyue Dynasty should know this as well; otherwise, these people would just be coming here to die."

"Now it's just a question of how long that jaw turtle can maintain its Peak."

Up front,

facing those dozens of water pillars wrapped in Demon Power, Han Zheng did not retreat.

He could feel the heavy weight within those water pillars; each one carried enough impact force to crush a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

But he did not retreat. If he retreated, the three hundred people behind him would have to face this strike head-on, and they wouldn't be able to handle it.

He held the Azure Dragon Crescent Blade horizontally in front of him. With the infusion of spiritual energy, the silver pattern on the blade suddenly lit up. A silver-white blade Aura slashed out from the edge, meeting the three water pillars pressing down from the front.

"Bright Moon · Wave Slasher!"

The blade Aura cut through the water pillars like a hot knife through grease.

The water pillars were split down the middle, divided in two, and scattered to the sides, splashing large amounts of water upon hitting the mud.

However, the remaining water pillars had already bypassed the coverage of the blade Aura, pressing in from the sides and above simultaneously, sealing off his escape routes to the left, right, and overhead.

Han Zheng gritted his teeth and pivoted his feet. The blade followed the momentum, carving a complete arc around his body. The silver-white blade light formed a circular barrier around him.

"Bright Moon · Ring Moon Slash!!"

The blade light collided with the water pillars pressing in from the sides, emitting a harsh cutting sound. The water pillars were shredded by the blade light, turning into a sky full of water mist.

Yet, several water pillars still pierced through the gaps in the blade light, smashing into the mud behind him and blasting out several deep pits.

Han Zheng's figure flickered within the water mist. The hem of his robe was more than half soaked, and his footsteps were slightly unsteady, but he quickly stabilized. He could feel his spiritual energy being consumed at a faster rate than he had anticipated; this old turtle's Demon Power was even heavier than described in the intelligence reports.

"I cannot let it keep suppressing me like this."

This thought flashed through Han Zheng's mind. He gripped the blade with both hands, pointed the tip downward, and slammed it into the ground.

A beam of silver-white light was injected into the ground from the tip of the blade, rapidly spreading along the ground toward the giant turtle.

"Bright Moon · Blade Aura Ground Crack!"

The silver-white beam of light traveled beneath the ground like a snake pressed underground, heading straight for the giant turtle's claws.

The giant turtle watched the beam of light spreading toward its feet and did not dodge.

It could feel the vibration beneath its feet. That layer of blade light was approaching, but it was not in a hurry.

It could sense the force of this strike; it was more solid than the previous probing attacks, but it was not enough to break through the thickness of its shell.

It lowered its head to watch the crack spread to its feet, colliding with the edge of its tortoise shell with a dull thud, and was immediately swallowed by that layer of dark luster. The ground cracked, but it did not move.

The giant turtle lowered its head to look at the crack, then raised its head to look at Han Zheng.

"Do you really want to fight to the death!"

The giant turtle opened its mouth, and a dark-colored water pillar sprayed out, coated with mud and gravel. Like an undercurrent that had been compressed for too long suddenly finding an exit, it shot straight for Han Zheng's face.

It had added thirty percent more power to this strike; it did not want to drag this out any longer.

"Boom!"

Han Zheng blocked with his blade held horizontally. The blade collided with the water pillar, emitting a dull roar. He slid backward several feet, plowing two deep furrows into the ground. The silver pattern on the blade flickered uncertainly under the impact of the water pillar.

Under this strike,

his webbing between his thumb and index finger had begun to go numb, and the circulation of his spiritual energy had also experienced a momentary lag. But he gritted his teeth and did not let go, abruptly flicking the blade upward to split the water pillar down the middle.

The water pillar was torn into two streams, grazing past his sides and smashing into the mud behind him, blasting out two large craters and splashing muddy water several zhang high.

Han Zheng stood between the gullies, his blade held horizontally in front of him, his breathing heavier than before.

He stared at the giant turtle, knowing very well that the opponent had only used a little over half its power in that last strike, and he was already struggling to receive it.