Daqian Martial Saint

In terms of high-end combat power at the Grandmaster level, their side held a significant advantage. But in the brawl below, the Ten Thousand Demon Thieves were aided by a blood mist. As one side’s strength waned and the other’s grew, their situation was far from optimistic.

Fortunately, their side also had many top-level experts, which helped tip the scales. Zhong Zeyu, in particular, was unleashing his full power, his body glowing with Profound Light as he bombarded the surrounding Ten Thousand Demon Thieves.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

A series of deafening explosions echoed as rocks shattered and rubble flew. The ground itself seemed to tremble and shake.

Chen Ping’an’s expression was serene as his footwork shifted, his saber flashing. The battlefield was chaotic; even a top-level expert couldn’t guarantee their survival. But for him, a battle of this scale felt almost effortless.

SWISH!

With a flash of his saber, a head flew high into the air, spraying blood everywhere.

A burly man wielding a Blood Demon Battleaxe noticed Chen Ping’an. His eyes were crimson, his face twisted into a vicious snarl.

“You killed one of my Ten Thousand Demons brethren! You’ll pay with your life!” With a furious roar, a blood-red light howled through the air like a scarlet bolt of lightning, instantly streaking across the sky toward Chen Ping’an.

This was a core Elder of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, an expert who had reached the very peak of the top tier!

“Eight Steps Chasing Cicada!” Chen Ping’an’s footwork changed, becoming as light and swift as a cicada shedding its shell as he rapidly changed position. At the same time, the Earth Crocodile Golden Flame Saber in his hand blazed with a scorching light as he brought it down in a fierce slash.

BOOM!

The Blood Demon Battleaxe and the Earth Crocodile Golden Flame Saber clashed violently in midair, letting out a deafening roar and sending visible ripples of force through the air.

“Great Vajra Palm!” Chen Ping’an shouted. A pale yellow light, imbued with the toughness and power of a Vajra, rapidly coalesced in his hands. He fearlessly thrust out a palm, and the resulting force howled toward the burly man like a small mountain crashing down.

Although the Great Vajra Palm was only a superior cultivation method, in Chen Ping’an’s hands, it had the effect of a Divine Skill.

‘Power that’s nearly on the level of the Dragon and Tiger Chart!’

The Battle Axe Strongman’s face fell. He’d thought he was facing a veteran top-level master, but he hadn’t expected to have picked a fight with someone this tough.

VMMMM—

A light flashed from between his eyebrows as the True Qi around his body surged. He hastily mobilized all his strength to resist Chen Ping’an’s ferocious palm. But unfortunately for him, after exchanging that first blow, the immense impact had left a slight flaw in his circulation; his True Qi had not yet fully recovered.

With a thunderous boom, the Battle Axe Strongman was sent flying backward. He carved a long arc through the air before crashing heavily to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust and rubble.

“Die!” As if he didn’t need a moment to recover, Chen Ping’an’s figure flashed, and he lunged toward his opponent once more.

The Battle Axe Strongman never expected Chen Ping’an to be so fast. Watching the figure leap high and bring down another attack, a flash of terror sparked in his eyes.

Profound Light Penetrating Objects!

The surrounding rubble lifted into the air and shot toward Chen Ping’an.

Unfortunately for him, a trick like this wasn’t even enough to distract Chen Ping’an.

While a top-level expert could use Profound Light Penetrating Objects for attacks, it was really only effective against those in the Inner Qi Realm. It was less useful against the Profound Light Realm, and completely useless against someone like Chen Ping’an. In a battle between experts of the same realm, this move was rarely used. Aside from consuming Profound Light Spirituality, it served little purpose.

However, in special circumstances, it could be a lifesaver. For instance, Xu Dejun of the Earth Fire Town Suppression Bureau had used it to move his Waist Token at a critical moment, barely managing to survive.

The Battle Axe Strongman struggled to his feet. His boots had just planted themselves firmly on the ground when, before he could even regain his balance, Chen Ping’an’s fierce palm strike thundered toward him once more.

PTHOO!

The Battle Axe Strongman’s True Qi surged as he forced himself to meet the palm head-on. His body shuddered violently from the heavy blow. His face turned deathly pale, and blood trickled uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth as he staggered back, almost falling again.

“Damn it! You forced my hand!”

The Battle Axe Strongman’s voice was hoarse and furious, a final roar seemingly squeezed from the depths of his throat. His eyes turned crimson, and his entire aura changed in an instant as a violent, frenzied energy erupted from him like a flash flood.

Burst Secret Technique!

Chen Ping’an remained as calm as still water, his eyes like a deep, ancient well. Even though the Battle Axe Strongman had used a Burst Secret Technique, it meant little to him. If not for the presence of several Mid-Jade Balance Stage Grandmasters, he would have long since unleashed his full power and obliterated this top-level expert from the Ten Thousand Demons Sect in a single, thunderous strike.

“Soul-breaking Slash!”

After a few more exchanges, Chen Ping’an found his opening. A flash of grayish-white light, intertwined with a ghostly gleam, suddenly blazed to life, instantly shearing through his opponent’s Protective True Qi.

Beneath the saber’s light, the Battle Axe Strongman was sliced in two, his life extinguished.

With a loud CLANG, the Blood Demon Battleaxe slipped from his lifeless grasp and fell into the dust.

The peak top-level expert of the Ten Thousand Demons Sect, Blood Demon Battleaxe, was dead!

Beside the corpse, Chen Ping’an quickly and skillfully searched the body. His expression was indifferent, as if he were handling a trivial matter.

He still remembered how, back then, he’d had to use every trick up his sleeve and exhaust nearly all his strength just to barely kill Cao Yingxiong. And now, this Blood Demon Battleaxe, an expert of the same caliber, had been as fragile as a child before him.

It was a poignant thought: what a difference time made. A once-formidable enemy could now be vanquished with a flick of his finger.

Just as Chen Ping’an stood up, he heard a tremendous crash.

He saw a Ten Thousand Demons Grandmaster slam into the cavern wall like a meteorite, sending a shower of rubble and dust into the air.

‘The Beidou Divine Fist!’ A thought struck Chen Ping’an, and he quickly took in the scene.

This Ten Thousand Demons Grandmaster had been fighting Beidou Divine Fist Qu Zhaocheng. Just a moment ago, Qu Zhaocheng had seized an opportunity to land a Beidou Hundred Split Fist, sending the Grandmaster flying.

A huge crater had been smashed into the stone wall, surrounded by shattered rock. The Ten Thousand Demons Grandmaster looked utterly battered, with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. That single punch had clearly left him severely wounded. True Essence circulated within him, attempting to repair his broken body. He was just about to push himself up when a sudden, inexplicable sense of crisis washed over him, making his scalp tingle.

SHIING! SHIING! SHIING!

He snapped his head up to see several Divine Needles, glinting with a cold light, shooting toward him.

‘This is bad!’ His expression changed in an instant. A crimson light enveloped him, and his arms turned blood-red.

Divine Needles pierced the air, weaving through blood-red shadows.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

With a series of thuds, the Divine Needles struck his body, causing blossoms of blood to spray into the air. Despite his desperate attempts to defend himself, he couldn’t completely evade the fatal volley.

One Divine Needle broke through his defenses and pierced the spot between his eyes. He tried to struggle, but as the Ice Soul energy condensed within him, blood began to pour from his seven orifices. His body collapsed limply to the ground, the flame of his life extinguished.

The Ten Thousand Demons Grandmaster, Blood Demon Hand, was dead!

The Profound Ice Divine Needle. Gu Qingchan had made her move!

‘Multitasking to provide ranged support?’

Chen Ping’an’s gaze sharpened as he looked into the distance. Over there, Gu Qingchan was teaming up with Situ Ba to keep the Blood Robe Man suppressed.

Even in that situation, Gu Qingchan had seized the opportunity presented by the Grandmaster’s injury. Multitasking, she had unleashed a decisive strike to kill him in one blow, eliminating a major threat from the Ten Thousand Demons Sect!

Seeing Blood Demon Hand fall, Beidou Divine Fist Qu Zhaocheng was overjoyed.

He had just used his Beidou Hundred Split Fist to severely injure Blood Demon Hand, but the attack had also consumed most of his True Essence. Under these circumstances, even a heavily wounded Blood Demon Hand would have been difficult to finish off. Though there were differences in power between them, both were powerhouses at the Early Jade Balance Stage. Killing such an opponent often required paying an enormous price. One careless mistake could lead to utter and complete ruin.

“My thanks to Fairy Gu for her aid!” Qu Zhaocheng’s voice boomed like a great bronze bell, echoing across the battlefield.

…

PS: How should the plot develop from here? Any fellow readers care to offer a suggestion?