476: Chapter 476 Withstanding a direct hit from Tian Jianzi and escaping unscathed

"Pfft!"

Xu Ruyu spat out a mouthful of blood, his entire body sent flying back by the shock, slamming heavily against the rocks behind him.

The massive rock was shattered by the impact.

His back struck the jagged rubble, sharp stones piercing his skin as blood flowed freely.

On his chest, a sword light had carved a wound so deep that bone was visible.

It extended from his left shoulder all the way to his right ribs; the flesh was mangled and peeled back, revealing his pale white ribs inside.

Blood gushed out, staining his robes red, a shocking sight under the moonlight.

His left arm had been caught by the aftershock of the Sword Qi; the flesh was torn, exposing the white bone beneath.

He looked down and could clearly see his own bones, deathly white and clinging with bits of flesh.

The intense pain almost made him faint, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself not to make a sound.

His right leg was also wounded by the Sword Qi; a long gash stretched from his calf to his ankle, and blood flowed down his pant leg, dripping onto the ground with a rhythmic "drip-drop" sound.

His face was cut in several places by flying stone shards, blood sliding down his cheeks and dripping to the ground.

His hair was disheveled, his robes were in tatters, and he was covered in blood, looking incredibly wretched.

Yet his eyes remained bright.

In those eyes, there was no fear, no despair, only a stubborn refusal to admit defeat.

Gritting his teeth, he braced himself against a piece of rubble and slowly stood up.

His body trembled slightly and his legs felt weak, but he still stood perfectly straight.

He raised his head to look at Tian Jianzi, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint smile.

"Tian Jianzi," his voice was raspy yet clear, every word sounding as if it took all his strength, "is this all the power a Half-step True Immortal can muster in a full-strength strike?

You can't even kill a Qi Refinement Stage kid like me. Could it be that you're old and useless now?"

Tian Jianzi stood where he was, staring at Xu Ruyu, his eyes filled with shock.

He had used eighty percent of his power in that strike.

He had thought that this single blow would be enough to cleave Xu Ruyu in two.

He never expected that Xu Ruyu would actually take it head-on.

Despite being heavily injured and covered in blood, he was still alive, still standing, and even able to smile.

"You..." Tian Jianzi's voice trembled slightly as he pointed a finger at Xu Ruyu, his eyes full of disbelief. "You're actually not dead?

How could a mere Half-step Saint Realm take a hit from my sword?"

In all his years of life, he had never seen anyone like Xu Ruyu.

A Half-step Saint Realm kid had taken a full-strength blow from him, a Half-step True Immortal, and hadn't died—hadn't even fallen down.

How was this possible? It defied all common sense!

Xu Ruyu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, looked at him, and laughed.

"Tian Jianzi," his voice was raspy but clear, "did you think I, Xu Ruyu, only relied on my Cultivation? Did you think the things I learned in the Taihu Clan were just for show?

Furthermore, what do you mean 'how could a mere Half-step Saint Realm take a hit from your sword'?

You old geezer, has your brain rotted from anger?

I didn't just survive a strike from a Half-step True Immortal like you; I killed Zhao Qian right in front of your eyes, and you didn't even have the chance to react.

Tell me, are you pissed off or what?

Hahaha, those old farts who think they're so great... it seems you're just a dead old man who's all talk!"

Xu Ruyu's words were thick with mockery, causing Tian Jianzi's face to instantly turn livid.

Fire practically spat from his eyes as he raised his longsword again. The runes on the blade lit up once more, emitting a piercing white light.

"Zhao Qian was right, you're like a cooked duck—nothing left but a hard beak.

Today, I shall see how many strikes a Half-step Saint Realm brat like you can take.

Your spiritual energy is exhausted and you are heavily wounded. Can you take my second strike?"

Just as he was about to attack again, Xu Ruyu moved first.

Xu Ruyu's right hand suddenly pulled something out of his storage ring.

It was a fist-sized sphere, dark gold in color, with the surface covered in dense Array Pattern.

Those Array Pattern were extremely complex and layered, over ten times more exquisite than those on the qi-breaking gun.

Inside the sphere, a silver-white light faintly flowed, emitting heart-palpitating energy fluctuations.

This was the ultimate weapon Xu Ruyu had refined during his time Artifact Refining in the Illusory Moon Well—the Spiritual Qi Bomb! He had spent three days and nights making it behind the Taihao Clan's back, using the finest Materials from her collection.

He had never shown this to anyone.

Even the Taihao Clan didn't know he had it.

The principle of this bomb was to compress a massive amount of Haotian True Qi into a tiny space and then use special Array Pattern to stabilize it.

The compression ratio was as high as a hundred to one, meaning this fist-sized bomb contained energy equivalent to a hundred times his full output.

Once detonated, the compressed Haotian True Qi would release instantly, creating a terrifying explosion.

Its power was more than ten times that of a psionic rocket launcher.

He originally didn't want to use it because once it was gone, it was gone, and refining it had cost him a great deal of effort.

But now, he had no choice.

If he didn't use it, he would die.