Chapter 324: The Startled Bird

The two swords clashed, and the refined man suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, being forced back a hundred meters.

But the Swordman was even more shocked. He looked at the Heavenly Soldier in his hand, then gazed at the man, and said solemnly, “Not yet at the Heavenly King level, yet you can withstand my full-force strike. You are impressive, and your sword is even more so! You may now say your name. As a worthy opponent, after I slay you, I will always remember you.”

The refined man wiped the blood from his mouth and said, “This sword is called Taia, the sword of the Great Qin Emperor! The current emperor Jian passed away for the sake of the people, and this sword is temporarily in my possession. My title is the King of Linjiang, and as for my name, I have long forgotten it. You only need to remember that my surname is Ji!”

The Swordman stood up in respect and said, “Good!”

He swung his sword and engaged in battle with the King of Linjiang. Only now did the Swordman reveal his true prowess, with his sword techniques wide and powerful, exuding a noble air. If judged solely by swordsmanship, he far surpassed Xuran.

However, the King of Linjiang also had divine sword skills, and although his cultivation was still slightly short of the Heavenly King level, the Swordman was already severely injured, and Taia shone brighter and brighter, gradually overpowering the Heavenly Soldier.

The two were locked in a deadlock, with the King of Linjiang struggling to hold on, but not yet collapsing.

At this moment, Qian Ye watched as the ancient tripod fragments turned into nothingness, and he sighed, “Emissary Xu, it seems it’s our turn now.”

Xuran sneered, “My treasures are still intact. What tricks do you have left? Go ahead and show them!”

Qian Ye stood firm in the void, saying nothing further, and pointed a hand to the sky.

A thunderclap, and the heavens split open!

Through the crack, a torrent of water could be seen, surging forward.

This was the River of Blood, and for the first time in its ancient existence, it appeared in the Evernight.

Seeing the River of Blood, Xuran’s body trembled, and he said, “So you are the one who can summon the River of Blood!”

“Realizing this now is too late.”

Qian Ye reached out, and from the depths of the River of Blood, a dark lightning bolt emerged, crossing through chaotic space and time, and struck directly at Xuran!

The River of Blood spanned countless worlds, and this lightning bolt was like a combined attack from several worlds, causing Xuran’s hair to stand on end!

Only at this moment did he realize why Qian Ye had been holding back until now, fearing that this strike would be evaded by Xuran’s substitute treasure. Thinking of the arrow he had used to kill Empress Li, Xuran felt both heartache and regret.

Now was the time to save his life. Xuran grabbed the talisman paper in a flash, roared, ignited it, and threw it toward the dark lightning.

The silent lightning struck the talisman paper, instantly igniting a brilliant flame that rose to the sky! The aura within the flames was vast and profound, surpassing even that of the Holy Mountain.

Drawn by this aura, the dark lightning wound its way to the flames and was absorbed entirely. The fierce fire turned black, and the dark lightning, having lost its target, circled in the air for a while before reluctantly dissipating.

Qian Ye coughed a few times, a hint of blood appearing on his face, and said, “So you had a substitute treasure. The means of the Celestial Heaven are indeed extraordinary!”

Xuran gritted his teeth and said, “That treasure wasn’t meant to be used like this!”

Clearly, the talisman paper was a precious item, but it had to be used to block Qian Ye’s lightning strike, filling Xuran with immense hatred. Yet, he had no choice; the power of Qian Ye’s attack was beyond imagination, and even the Holy Mountain would fall if it blocked it directly.

Qian Ye, undaunted by his failed strike, said, “Because of you, so many heroes of the Empire and the Evernight have fallen. If you think you can leave this world alive, you are sadly mistaken.”

Xuran glanced at the River of Blood and laughed, “Now that everything is calm, the power of the River has been mostly expended, right? Can you launch another strike?”

In the midst of his laughter, Xuran’s eyes glinted with greed. The River of Blood, in its primordial form, could exert such power in Qian Ye’s hands. If it fell into his hands and he refined it for a thousand years, the power would be unimaginable.

At this moment, the top-tier experts of both the Empire and the Evernight, either dead or exhausted, were few. But he still had Nightgirl and an unutilized treasure, clearly indicating a decisive victory. Unfortunately, the Sun had deviated, and this world was likely doomed.

Qian Ye took out the Manjushaka again, this time with a pair of light wings on the gun, aiming at Xuran.

Xuran sneered, “I’ve seen that before. Do you think I’ll fall for it again?” He waved his sleeve, and countless mirrors appeared, swirling around him. He had been using his treasure all along, but now he was showing his true abilities.

“These eighty-one exquisite mirrors have their own spirit and can determine how much threat they need to counter, protecting their master. In the Celestial Heaven, this method is often used to test the power of secret arts. This shot of yours seems to have been well-prepared. Well, do you want to give it a try?”

Qian Ye didn’t waste any words and fired a black feather!

As the black feather arrived, almost all the mirrors moved!

Xuran was dumbfounded as most of the mirrors merged to meet the black feather. The black feather disappeared silently, and dozens of the mirrors shattered, leaving less than twenty.

Xuran never expected that his proudest secret art would be broken by Qian Ye’s single shot!

A phoenix cry suddenly rose in the wind.

Xuran looked up and saw countless strong men on the Holy Mountain, though most were ordinary, mainly below the rank of Duke, but there were hundreds, if not thousands.

Xuran sneered, “What do you ants think you can do? Do you believe that more ants can kill me?”

The strong men stood still, and Xuran felt a sense of foreboding.

Suddenly, red flowers bloomed all over the Holy Mountain. All the Evernight strong men stood in the sea of flowers, with flowers continuously blossoming and withering on their bodies.

A small bird leaped from the flower sea, perched on a strong man’s head, and chirped. Countless bird calls echoed, and red birds flew from the flower sea, eventually forming a cloud of birds at the peak of the Holy Mountain!

The birds turned and suddenly pounced on Xuran!

In an instant, Xuran was surrounded by the flock, with countless birds colliding with the exquisite mirrors, shattering them. The red birds then swarmed Xuran.

“Dare!” A roar echoed from the bird mass, and golden rays shot out, instantly obliterating all the birds.

On the Holy Mountain, countless Evernight strong men collapsed, exhausted and unconscious.

Xuran reappeared, his robe now in tatters, and strangely, his sleeves were gone, revealing bare arms. His sleeves were apparently a treasure with considerable power.

Xuran looked at the black-haired girl standing atop the Holy Mountain and was struck by her beauty. For a moment, he did not continue his attack but asked, “Who are you?!”

Suddenly, he saw his reflection in the girl’s eyes!

Xuran was shocked, feeling a sharp pain in his forehead and momentarily disoriented. In that brief moment, the girl held a gun, and a stream of light attacked, turning into a scattering glow, like the passage of time, irreversible.

With a snap, Xuran’s gold hair band exploded, and his long hair scattered. A trickle of blood ran down his forehead, making him look extremely sinister.

“Good, good, good!” Xuran said three times, his face grim, and gritted his teeth, “When you fall into my hands, I will make you wish you were dead!”

He shouted, “Swordman, if not now, when will you use the medicine?”

The Swordman took out the red elixir, drank it, and instantly, veins bulged on his forehead, and he roared like a beast.

Xuran, meanwhile, grabbed the last piece of white jade, bit his finger, and drew a blood rune on it!