Immortal Sword Master

Chapter 138: Chapter 135: Giant Ape Battle Array

SWISH SWISH SWISH—

Numerous experts poured into the Li Family estate, surrounding the area.

Before long, there were more than one hundred and fifty Innate Realm experts surrounding them.

One or two Innate Realm experts were enough to establish a small, third-tier family.

A dozen could create a second-tier family.

But now, there were over one hundred and fifty Innate Realm masters here.

This was the true power of a Noble Family, far surpassing that of the Liu and Wang Families of Luoyang City. Families like those only averaged around thirty-odd Innate Realm masters.

Even the Li Family, a top-level First-Class Noble House, had never exceeded one hundred Innate Realm masters.

More than one hundred and fifty Innate Realm masters formed an impenetrable cordon around them.

”What are they doing? No matter how many Innate Realm experts there are, they can’t do anything to him, can they?”

Li Shiyu froze for a moment, her lovely brows furrowing. She didn’t understand the point of this formation.

For an expert of Ning Jiang’s caliber, any number of Innate Realm cultivators would just be effortlessly slaughtered by him.

’He can kill an Innate Realm expert with a flick of his finger. What difference does a large number make?’

’Unless a change in quantity could lead to a change in quality... say, a thousand Innate Realm experts attacking in unison. Only then could they possibly threaten Ning Jiang.’

’As they are now, even if they all charged at once, they would just be throwing their lives away.’

”Silly child, there’s something you don’t know. The Huangfu Family became a Noble Family, their might shaking Cyan Cloud, not just because of a great expert like Huangfu Feihong. In reality, these Innate Realm masters are even more important. With them, even someone in the top ten of the Innate List wouldn’t dare to disrespect the Huangfu Family.”

Li Tongsheng took a deep breath. ”Keep watching. You’ll understand.”

”Heh heh, everyone has arrived. The real show is about to begin. The four of us were merely probing you earlier.”

A grin spread across Huangfu Cheng’s face, his gloomy expression replaced by surging confidence.

”Can the strength of ants shake an elephant?” Ning Jiang said, completely unfazed.

”Ants may be insignificant in your eyes, but when they unite, they can devour a giant elephant. Ning Jiang, your power is indeed immense, but the one who will lose today is you!”

A sharp glint flashed in Huangfu Feihong’s eyes as he bellowed, ”Form the Battle Array!”

His voice exploded like thunder, shaking the very air.

SWISH SWISH SWISH—

Instantly, the one hundred fifty-plus experts of the Huangfu Family each produced an Array Banner. As their Innate Gang Qi surged into the flags, the banners began to flutter, and a powerful aura rose from them.

Even Huangfu Feihong and the other three Innate Limit experts held an Array Banner, desperately pouring their Gang Yuan into it.

After a few breaths, a ray of light shot out from every Array Banner, converging on a single point.

The stronger the cultivator, the thicker the beam of light. The beams from Huangfu Feihong and the other three were as thick as water buckets.

As all the beams of light converged, they slowly formed a behemoth!

It was a giant ape, so lifelike it seemed real. Its body was enormous, standing ten zhang tall. Its muscles bulged as if cast from steel, brimming with explosive power.

”ROAR!”

The moment the giant ape appeared, it let out a deafening roar. The massive soundwave shook the surroundings, and throughout the Li Family estate, innumerable paper windows were instantly blown to shreds.

Precious antique porcelains shattered with a ”CRACK,” leaving a scene of devastation.

Many members of the Li Family clapped their hands over their ears. Those with weaker cultivation even had blood trickling from their ears, which were ringing loudly. They were nearly knocked unconscious by the force of the roar.

”So, this is the Huangfu Family’s trump card.”

Li Shiyu’s beautiful eyes were filled with shock. She sensed a suffocating danger emanating from the giant ape.

This giant ape was the culmination of the Power of the Four Great Innate Limits, plus more than one hundred and fifty Innate Realm experts!

The expressions of the couple, Ning Changfeng and Li Qingyun, grew heavy as iron.

Even Ning Yu’an, who had always had the utmost faith in Ning Jiang, secretly clenched her fists and bit her lip.

Dark resentment filled the eyes of Li Qinglan’s mother. She desperately wished for Ning Jiang to die at the hands of the Huangfu Family. ’I hope the Huangfu Family beats that little bastard to death.’

”Ning Jiang, you never should have crossed our Huangfu Family! Do you see this? This is the true power of my Huangfu Family! Today, your death is certain!”

Huangfu Feihong’s voice boomed, brimming with confidence.

Long before coming here, they had heard that Ning Jiang had killed Young Master Floating Snow with a single punch, so they already had some understanding of his terrifying power.

Yet they still came to seek revenge. Their true confidence stemmed from this very Battle Array.

”This is the Giant Ape Battle Array. In the last several decades, our Huangfu Family has only used it once. That time, we killed an expert ranked in the top ten of the Innate List. You are the second person to face it. You should feel honored to die by its hand!”

Huangfu Feihong continued slowly, ”It is this very Giant Ape Battle Array that allows our Huangfu Family’s might to shake Cyan Cloud.”

”It’s just a mediocre Battle Array. It’s still not enough to contend with me,” Ning Jiang said, his voice indifferent.

’The truly terrifying Battle Arrays were the ones I saw one hundred thousand years ago,’ he mused.

’Those arrays could gather the power of millions. A single strike could sink an entire province. That kind of power could contend with a Venerable.’

’There were even some heaven-defying Battle Arrays that would make even a Venerable flee on sight.’

’This paltry Giant Ape Battle Array is powered by a mere hundred or so people. Given what I’ve seen, how could I possibly take it seriously?’

”Arrogant.”

Huangfu Feihong paid his words no mind. His expression as grim as a stormy sea, he formed a series of hand seals to control the giant ape.

The Giant Ape Battle Array was guided by his will; he was its core, and the giant ape moved at his command.

”Giant Ape Divine Fist!”

Huangfu Feihong desperately controlled the ten-zhang-tall giant ape. His body trembled, and cracking sounds emanated from within him; his physical form was struggling to contain the immense Power gathered from over one hundred and fifty people.

An ordinary person would have simply exploded trying to control such a creature.

At his command, the giant ape charged toward Ning Jiang and threw a punch.

Before the fist even arrived, an overwhelming pressure descended.

All around, grass and trees were bent flat by the immense force. Li Huqing and the other members of the Li Family had already retreated to a safe distance, terrified of being caught in the aftermath.

”Ning Jiang, with this Battle Array, I shall test your world-shaking Martial Arts!” Huangfu Feihong’s voice boomed like thunder.

With every word he uttered, his face grew a shade paler and his body trembled more violently. Soon, his face was ashen, but he paid it no mind. His eyes were filled with glee.

”Xiao’er, I have avenged you.”

Huangfu Feihong was convinced that there was no way Ning Jiang could block such a terrifying punch. Years ago, a single, similar punch had obliterated a top-ten expert on the Innate List without any contest.

’To survive a punch like that, you’d have to be one of the top three on the Innate List, wouldn’t you?’

He forced his eyes open, staring unblinkingly at Ning Jiang, eager to watch him be flattened into paste by the blow.

”A house of cards.”

A torrent of vital energy, like a golden rainbow, erupted from Ning Jiang’s body. It soared into the sky, coalescing into a golden Dharma Body.

Within the golden Dharma Body, he resembled the Taiyang God Child, inviolable by the Myriad Techniques, sacred and noble.

BOOM.

He threw a punch!

”RUMBLE—”

In that instant, a sound like collapsing mountains and tumbling boulders—a sound that could shatter stone and pierce metal—erupted.

The colossal sound wasn’t just heard within the Li Family estate; the many Martial Artists throughout Golden Cauldron City heard it as well, and they all turned shocked gazes in that direction.

”That sound seems to be coming from the Li Family’s estate. What’s going on? Has a great battle broken out there?”

”No way. Who would dare cause trouble at the Li Family estate? Do they have a death wish?”

The Martial Artists discussed among themselves.

Back at the Li Family estate, the earth-shattering collision had produced more than just a massive sound. A tidal wave of energy, like an avalanche, swept out in all directions.

The ground crumbled like tofu. Before this torrent, the buildings of the Li Family estate proved to be utterly fragile, unable to withstand the force.

In just a few moments, an area with a hundred-zhang radius within the Li Family estate was razed to the ground, not a single blade of grass left standing!

”Hiss...”

The members of the Li Family all gasped, struck dumb by the sight.

Anyone other than an Innate Limit expert caught in such a shockwave would be obliterated without a trace. Even an ordinary Innate Limit expert would be severely injured.

”Who won?”

Li Huqing, Li Tongsheng, Li Shiyu, and the others all stared wide-eyed at the center of the billowing dust cloud.

Was the Battle Array stronger, or were his Martial Arts Heaven-Reaching?

The members of the Li Family had no idea what to think. Ning Jiang’s power was astonishing, seemingly invincible. But the Giant Ape Battle Array, combining the Four Great Innate Limits with over one hundred and fifty Innate Realm experts, had forcefully raised its might to an absolute peak.

It was a case of many ants biting an elephant to death.

’If even a Battle Array like this can’t kill him, just how terrifying is Ning Jiang?’

”Little brother...”

Ning Yu’an bit her red lip, her beautiful eyes dimming. If anything happened to Ning Jiang, her own life would become meaningless.

”*Cough, cough*... We won.”

Huangfu Feihong’s body trembled as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

All the other experts of the Huangfu Family also coughed up blood, their faces deathly pale.

”Faced with the Giant Ape Battle Array, he couldn’t possibly win unless he was one of the top three on the Innate List,” Huangfu Cheng said with a ragged laugh.

”I can’t believe a single strike drained all of our Power. This one was even stronger than the one all those years ago,” Huangfu Lin said.

The price they paid for activating the Giant Ape Battle Array this time was heavy indeed; everyone had suffered from the array’s backlash.

But to them, killing a formidable enemy like Ning Jiang made it all worthwhile.

”We must celebrate properly when we get back.”

A smile had just begun to form on Huangfu Xiong’s face when he suddenly saw the old Patriarch, Huangfu Feihong’s, expression change drastically. His eyes were filled with disbelief and... even despair!

He whipped his head around and saw a golden figure slowly emerging from the swirling dust.

The figure was bathed in surging golden light, with a full head of white hair and an incomparably handsome face.

It was none other than Ning Jiang!

”It seems you’re celebrating a bit too early.”

As the eyes of everyone from the Huangfu Family filled with despair, Ning Jiang’s indifferent voice slowly echoed.

The area fell deathly silent.