Chapter 392

Chapter 392: Endless Saints

Zhang Yang couldn’t help but sigh at the sheer number of saints within the Taixu Dynasty, it truly exceeded all expectations.

By that point, nearly twenty saints had already been slain, and yet they continued to appear without end. Although at least ten of them barely resembled true saints in strength, the fact remained, they were saints nonetheless.

It was no wonder that the upper echelons of the major holy dynasties in the Western Desert feared the Taixu Dynasty.

The first saint to burst in was powerful, clearly superior to the ones before, though not quite at the level of Jin Wudi.

Zhang Yang responded with two decisive actions.

With his left hand, he hurled a meteor pendant at the charging saint.

In truth, he had intended to use the Mother-and-child Bead again. But to his shock, the forbidden laws triggered by Jin Shengtian had somehow countered its effects. Cold sweat formed on his back, he had not anticipated this.

This moment drove home just how terrifying the Taixu Dynasty truly was.

With his right hand, he gripped the Beast Bone alongside Bing Yuyan, both channeling their true essence into the ancient teleportation array.

Nine Extremes True Essence and elemental energy surged together.

Although Zhang Yang’s quantity was relatively small, its quality and power were immense, especially with Bing Yuyan pouring in her full strength.

Buzz!

They were just about to teleport again.

The first saint who had charged in was blasted away by the force of the meteor pendant.

“Kill!” Jin Shengtian bellowed.

The saints behind him and the Great Boundless beings all combined their strength, unleashing a coordinated strike.

At the same time, Jin Shengtian frantically activated all of the forbidden holy laws within the Imperial Hall.

Boom!

The space ahead shattered completely.

Blinding light flickered everywhere.

Zhang Yang and Bing Yuyan reappeared near the southeastern side of the burning palace.

As he landed, Zhang Yang couldn’t help but exclaim inwardly, the Taixu Dynasty was indeed a dragon’s lair and a tiger’s den.

Of course, he also understood one thing very clearly: no matter how powerful a holy treasure might be, it was not all-powerful.

The Mother-and-child Bead’s suppression of saints had a very limited duration. In a place swarming with saints, its effects were sporadic at best. Relying on it for actual combat was wildly unrealistic.

To put it plainly, saints were the highest combat power in the world for a very good reason.

While Zhang Yang reflected on everything, Bing Yuyan pulled him aside and once again activated the ancient teleportation array.

This time, no one stopped them.

No matter how powerful the saints were, locating them instantly still required a moment of reaction.

Bing Yuyan, after all, was capable of contending with ordinary saints. In her desperate bid for survival, her speed naturally surpassed theirs.

Whoosh!

They vanished from the spot.

At that moment, several saints arrived and launched fierce attacks from afar, but it was already too late.

Behind them, the palace was ablaze, flames surging into the sky.

They had lost five more saints.

Even more troubling was that their emperor, the newly appointed Taixu Emperor, Jin Shengtian had lost an arm.

The implications of this incident were staggering.

At the same time, the leadership realized something chilling: in just one month, the succession of attacks had dealt such heavy blows to their reputation that the Taixu Dynasty’s once-unquestioned dominance over the Western Desert now seemed vulnerable. If other powers chose this moment to strike at their agents and uproot their infiltrators, the dynasty’s ten-thousand-year-old foundation could be shaken to its core.

Golden light surged across the void.

Jin Wudi returned.

After failing to catch Zhang Yang, he had rushed back, only to learn that Zhang Yang had returned again and caused even greater devastation. Enraged, he leapt into a fury.

“I will kill him!”

Jin Wudi went mad.

He rushed straight toward the Crimson Flame Dynasty.

Back in the Taixu Imperial Capital, an eerie silence had descended. Those who once took pride in their heritage as members of the Taixu Dynasty now stood dazed, questioning whether this was still the invincible force they once believed in.

In the Crimson Flame Imperial Capital, within the Sword Pavilion, the Treasure Gathering Night Banquet continued in an orderly fashion. Everyone remained focused on their tasks. Earning the recognition of a holy sword was never easy. Zhang Yang and Bing Yuyan returned quietly.

Aside from Yan Mengqing, Chi Jiuxiao, Jin Liuli, and a few others who had yet to attempt communication with the holy sword, no one noticed their return.

A strange glint flashed in Yan Mengqing’s bright eyes. Then a look of confusion crossed her face as she asked, “What happened to the Lord of the Sacred Forest? Why is there such a heavy murderous aura around him?”

“I was bored, so I went for a stroll,” Zhang Yang replied casually. “By the way, the princess should quickly summon the Star Flame Saint to oversee this place. Otherwise, an unimaginable disaster may occur.”

Yan Mengqing furrowed her brows and spoke sternly, “Is the Lord of the Sacred Forest joking?”

Zhang Yang replied calmly, “I’m telling you this as the Cang Mang Lord of the Sacred Forest.”

Yan Mengqing’s expression shifted at once. She could feel the pressure radiating from Zhang Yang, especially the residual murderous aura that still lingered around him, making her heart race.

“Understood!”

Without hesitation, Yan Mengqing activated the ancient teleportation array and vanished, returning to the palace.

Zhang Yang let out a quiet sigh of relief.

If Yan Mengqing had not taken action, he would have chosen to leave with the others.

Now, he felt far more at ease.

The identity of the Cang Mang Lord of the Sacred Forest was proving quite useful.

Zhang Yang exchanged a glance with Bing Yuyan.

Even through the veil she had just put back on, the connection in their gaze was unmistakable.

What they had experienced wasn’t just danger and excitement, it was a brush with death. The experience had been even more harrowing than their time in the Chaos Demon’s Graveyard.

Their hearts stirred with powerful emotions.

If their renown from the Battle at Heavenly Reaching Mountain stemmed in large part from the mountain’s own power, and if the death of the Black Cloaked Strategist could be blamed on his own missteps and martial failings, then this time, the danger had been real. This time was the most intense, the most perilous, and the most thrilling.

“I might need to enter seclusion,” Bing Yuyan murmured.

Having fought a saint in Liu Town during the day, suppressed the Moon-Returning Dragon’s Holy Body in the afternoon, and endured this ordeal at night had taken a deep toll on her.

Her seclusion was intended for deeper comprehension, strengthening her inner foundation and raising her combat ability as a result.

Unlike Zhang Yang, who already possessed peak combat power and did not require such cultivation, Bing Yuyan still needed to reinforce her base. This was a necessary path for her transformation, to one day reach her pinnacle.

“It’s time for some quiet; this day has been busy enough,” Zhang Yang said with a smile.

Bing Yuyan pressed her lips together in agreement, it had indeed been a long day.

The atmosphere here was peaceful.

Zhang Yang took a sip of wine and looked around. No one had yet succeeded in communicating with the holy sword.

He walked over to Demon Sword Yi and gave him a light kick.

“Don’t disturb me,” Demon Sword Yi grumbled irritably.

Zhang Yang returned the meteor pendant to him.

Demon Sword Yi was startled. “You’re actually giving back the original item? Weren’t you supposed to exchange it for a better one?”

“For you, it’s always better to save a bit,” Zhang Yang said with a chuckle.

“Stingy!” Demon Sword Yi muttered, stashing it away.

Zhang Yang teased, “You’re from the Demon Sword Forbidden Area, born to be linked with swords. To call you a sword person or rather, a lowly person who wouldn’t be too far off. So why is it that you still can’t communicate with the holy sword? It’s truly a disgrace to your title as a lowly person.”

Demon Sword Yi was agitated and failed to catch the nuance in Zhang Yang’s words. He sighed in frustration. “I don’t know why, but I always struggle to concentrate on my heart’s sword path.”

“What’s going on? Don’t tell me Yan Mengqing has bewitched you,” Zhang Yang remarked.

Demon Sword Yi rolled his eyes. “I have always sought the Great Path; how could I be distracted by beauty?” He pointed to the third eye on his forehead and lamented, “This eye continues to trouble me. Every time I try to focus on the sword path, it brings about strange insights, causing my inner sword to shift and change.”

“Oh?” Zhang Yang’s interest was piqued. Could such a thing truly happen?

“I feel like I must make a choice, either abandon this eye or give up the sword path. They cannot coexist,” Demon Sword Yi said solemnly.

“Then the choice is clear, it must be the sword path. How many years have you dedicated to it? How can you hesitate now?” Zhang Yang responded firmly.

Demon Sword Yi sighed. “That’s the most frustrating part. My intuition tells me this eye could help me surpass the saint level.”

Zhang Yang raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure it’s not an illusion? You might consider that Eternal Night is incompatible with the immortal path.”

Demon Sword Yi gave him a glare and muttered, “Don’t even think about destroying my belief in the immortal path. That’s impossible.”

“I’m even more curious now. What gives you such confidence? What kind of inheritance or sign has this third eye given you?” Zhang Yang asked.

Demon Sword Yi paused for a moment, then said, “What appears in my mind is a three-pronged, double-edged dagger.”