Chapter 348
by post_apiChapter 348: Slaughtering the Sages
The great battle had begun.
The clash of powers surpassing the path of a saint not only brought about dramatic upheaval but also turned mountains and rivers to dust. More importantly, even when the battle unfolded right before one’s eyes, its terrifying force blinded all perception.
Even with the Fiery Eyes granted by the Stone Monkey of the "Xiao" Palace, Zhang Yang found it difficult to see clearly at his current level.
He could only vaguely perceive the Headless Monk emerging from the Abyss of the Buried Immortals. After receiving the starry head formed from the starlight of the Heavenly Reaching Mountain, he seemed to possess boundless Buddhist power. It surged forth, overwhelming the infinite darkness of the sky as if the very heavens were collapsing.
The Supreme Emperor roared furiously, igniting the boiling darkness. He wielded immeasurable dark power and fought with savage intensity.
They were simply too powerful.
This was power that transcended the saintly path, a force that Eternal Night could not allow to exist. Thus, they battled beyond the clouds, much like the Great Path Sacred Fruit Tree Zhang Yang had once seen, where the tree existed in one space while its fruit grew in another.
It was as if they had entered an alternate realm, a space untouched by that devastating force.
Nevertheless, the darkness continued to surge, indicating that the Headless Monk had not fully suppressed it. The battle remained in a state of fierce, blinding intensity.
Zhang Yang felt a strange sense of serenity and exhilaration. His thoughts soared, he yearned for the day he could reach such heights, no—surpass them.
But a long, piercing howl shattered his reverie.
"Ancestral Supreme Emperor’s bloodline order! The Taixu Dynasty shall slay the world-destroying demon, root of chaos… Zhang Yang! The Ten Great Sages emerge! Zhang Yang, do you not kneel and submit to death?"
The Holy Voice echoed through the heavens and earth.
On the horizon, ten sages appeared, each radiating boundless holy light as they furiously surged toward Zhang Yang.
The sight terrified the entire Falling Star Mountain Range.
The sages had come.
And not just one or two, but ten. All aimed at Zhang Yang, who had just reached the Ascending to Heaven realm.
The sheer scale of the event stirred overwhelming fear.
Zhang Yang was shocked, but not surprised.
Long ago, when he shattered the Remnant Soul from the Supreme Emperor’s portrait, the Supreme Emperor had issued a bloodline order, commanding the Taixu Dynasty to cast aside all other matters and prioritize his death.
The arrival of the ten great sages now was not unexpected.
What stunned him, however, was not just their presence.
Their speed was incredible, and the holy light they unleashed surged like a tide, sweeping across the Nine Heavens, devouring everything behind them.
From within that brilliance, numerous powerful figures began to materialize, each exuding the vast aura of the Great Boundless. Still more figures could be seen flying through the air or moving underground, over a hundred in total emerging under the halo of the ten great sages’ holy light.
And yet, it was still not over.
The howls of wolves pierced the air as countless soldiers clad in black armor and wielding black spears, charged forward on the backs of black demon wolves.
Among them, two figures stood out prominently.
One radiated a brilliant, glass-like light.
The other was shrouded in pure holy radiance.
They were Jin Liuli and Jin Zhihong, elder siblings of the current emperor of the Taixu Dynasty.
Jin Liuli’s wild voice roared above the howls of the wolves:
"One hundred thousand Black Wolf Riders—shatter the Vast Forest!"
It was clear that the full might of the Vast Forest had been mobilized.
Such power was staggering to behold.
Ten Great Sages!
A hundred Great Boundless figures!
One hundred thousand elite Black Wolf Riders!
This was enough to make even the most powerful holy places tremble.
How many sacred sects, imperial dynasties, or forbidden zones in the Southern Region or the Western Desert could summon such strength so easily?
To unleash this magnitude of force all at once was enough to shake the very foundations of the holy realms.
It was important to remember that even with those in seclusion striving to become saints, the Vast Forest had only produced five.
Zhang Yang sighed quietly to himself. The majesty of the Supreme Emperor remained eternal and unyielding.
Though the Supreme Emperor had long vanished from the world’s stage, the bloodline order he had issued was treated as a sacred decree by the Taixu Dynasty. They dared not disobey and had mobilized a force strong enough to annihilate a holy sect.
And yet, Zhang Yang’s expression turned strangely thoughtful.
Could it be that the Supreme Emperor was unaware of the mysteries hidden within the Heavenly Reaching Mountain?
Or perhaps his ability was limited? After all, the Remnant Soul, the imposing will in the Abyss of the Buried Immortals, the killing intent emanating from the Heavenly Reaching Mountain, and the current battle with the Headless Monk were all disconnected, preventing any timely transmission of vital information.
Zhang Yang sent a message down the mountain, instructing Lie Qingshan, Yaoruoxian, and the others to retreat immediately.
Though they had witnessed the dark upheaval of the Heavenly Reaching Mountain, they remained unaware of its deeper mysteries—and thus did not fear.
They quickly withdrew.
Leaving the ten great sages and the hundred Great Boundless cultivators to charge directly toward the summit of the Heavenly Reaching Mountain.
Perhaps everyone knew that the Heavenly Reaching Mountain was one of the eight wonders of the Western Desert, an ancient, forbidden place upon which no one had ever dared to stand. Naturally, this inspired some trepidation. There was also concern that Zhang Yang might be relying on the mountain, rendering it impossible for them to strike effectively.
As a result, the Ten Great Sages and the hundred Great Boundless figures joined forces from a distance, activating their holy weapons and boundless artifacts before launching a fierce assault toward the summit.
To their surprise, they encountered no resistance, forcing their way up to the peak of the Heavenly Reaching Mountain.
This unexpected ease caused one of the saints to exclaim in shock, “You two, go down the mountain and investigate. If possible, lift the Heavenly Reaching Mountain for me, let us see what secrets lie within. If feasible, bring it back to our Taixu Dynasty.”
Two saints responded immediately, descending toward the mountain’s base.
Thus, eight great saints landed on the mountaintop, surrounded by a hundred Great Boundless figures.
“Hehe.”
Zhang Yang smiled at them.
The expressions of the eight saints and the hundred Great Boundless figures changed drastically.
One of the saints, overwhelmed by fear, shouted, “Eighth Level of Ascending to Heaven!”
“We’re being restricted!”
“Damn it! What kind of force is suppressing us? Why didn’t we sense it earlier?”
“So what if he’s Eighth Level of Ascending to Heaven? He’s only Ninth Level! Kill him!”
“Kill him!”
The eight great saints and the hundred Great Boundless cultivators revealed their ruthless side. Wasting no more words, they launched their full-strength assault, like lions pouncing upon a rabbit.
Each strike aimed to kill.
Zhang Yang’s laughter grew louder and wilder, erupting into unrestrained guffaws as he roared toward the heavens, “Supreme Emperor! Thank you for sending me endless heads!”
As the final word escaped his lips, a dazzling bolt of lightning burst from his body.
Slaughter Thunder Saint Power—Great Perfection!
What kind of terrifying force did a power not permitted to exist after Eternal Night truly possess?
Zhang Yang didn’t know.
He only felt that even a slight exertion drained his entire Nine Extremes True Essence, and his Divine Gold Holy Body weakened significantly. It was a power unimaginable, even at the Ninth Level of Ascending to Heaven—far beyond expectation.
“I want to slay a saint!”
Overwhelmed and stimulated by this extraordinary force, he threw back his head and howled.
His hair danced in the storm, his eyes burned with golden flames, and his garments billowed violently as countless streams of Slaughter Sacred Thunder radiated from his body.
Boom!
The Slaughter Sacred Thunder exploded outward.
In an instant, atop the mountain, only the raging thunderstorm remained. The saints couldn’t see anything. The Great Boundless figures couldn’t see anything. Even Zhang Yang himself couldn’t see through the sheer brilliance of the sacred thunder.
The blinding light quickly faded.
Even though Zhang Yang had only briefly invoked it—exhausting his Nine Extremes True Essence, he could not maintain it for long.
As the radiance faded, the mountaintop came back into view.
Time seemed to halt.
Zhang Yang stood at the center, wrapped in arcs of lightning, while the eight great saints and the hundred Great Boundless figures, who had charged in to attack were pierced through their chests and brows by the unleashed Slaughter Sacred Thunder. Countless more bolts grazed their bodies as they passed, burning through them.