Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

He had passed by this grove of short trees before.

There was nothing unusual at the time, but when he passed through here again on his way back, a feeling of being targeted surfaced in his mind.

At first, Jiang Chen didn’t pay it much mind, but the next moment, his hair suddenly stood on end.

An aura of death enveloped his heart.

SWOOSH SWOOSH SWOOSH—

A series of scalp-numbing whooshes came from the small woods. A dense volley of over ten thousand silver arrows shot toward him, like an inescapable net.

On the tip of each sharp arrow, an exceptionally piercing silver light shimmered.

This was a lethal poison that could kill with a single touch, potent enough to slay an ordinary Heavenly Destiny Realm expert—Yellow Springs Mithril.

Yellow Springs Mithril is incredibly precious. Its toxicity is heaven-defying, enough to poison even a Heavenly Destiny expert.

Therefore, each drop of Yellow Springs Mithril is extremely valuable, worth several hundred Spirit Crystals. Given the sheer number of poisoned arrows in this barrage, there had to be over ten thousand of them. Just coating the tips of these arrows with Yellow Springs Mithril would have cost at least forty to fifty thousand Lower-Grade Spirit Crystals. This was an absolutely extravagant move!

Jiang Chen’s gaze turned icy, and he sneered inwardly. ’Forty to fifty thousand Lower-Grade Spirit Crystals just to kill me? What an extravagant move!’

Just as the poisoned arrows were about to reach him, Jiang Chen’s body suddenly blurred.

One became two, two became four...

In an instant, ten identical figures appeared, shooting off in ten different directions at incredible speed. Each clone left a dazzling trail of True Essence Light in its wake.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The poisoned arrows collided with one another, creating a series of thunderous explosions. The venom rained down like droplets, pattering to the ground.

As the Yellow Springs Mithril hit the ground, it instantly corroded large holes into the earth. Poisonous fumes rose to the sky, and the lush trees and plants in the grove yellowed, withered, and died at a visible rate, turning the area into a desolate land of death, utterly devoid of life.

In the distant sky, the ten figures of Jiang Chen merged back into one.

His expression was grim. He stared down at the grove, now a wasteland, his gaze heavy as he said coldly, "Come out!"

"..."

There was no response.

Jiang Chen snorted. With a flick of his finger, a sharp Sword Finger technique shot toward the ground.

BOOM—

The ground erupted, creating a crater dozens of meters deep. A figure cloaked in black burst from the earth and flew into the sky to face Jiang Chen. A sinister voice emanated from the black-robed man, "Hehehe, I didn’t expect that even the Yellow Springs Mithril arrow formation couldn’t kill you. It seems I have to handle this myself. Jiang Chen, you should be proud to die at my hands!"

"Who are you?"

Jiang Chen frowned, looking at the black-robed man with a puzzled expression.

The black-robed man laughed heartily. "Who am I? I’m the one who’s going to kill you!"

The moment he finished speaking, the black-robed man had already struck out with his palm.

"Black Heaven Demon Claw!"

As this claw reached out, the world was shrouded in thick, black clouds that roiled ominously, striking fear into the hearts of all who witnessed it.

Jiang Chen raised his own palm to meet the attack.

BOOM—

Two colossal palms collided in mid-air, unleashing a terrifying roar. The two surging torrents of energy clashed and intertwined, transforming into a swirling tempest that stirred the very clouds.

"Black Heaven Poison Dragon Kill!"

The black-robed man thrust his hand into the air, and a Long Spear materialized in his grasp. He twirled the spear with one hand, creating a dazzling flourish.

It was a black flower of spear light, its petals tightly furled like a black lotus.

One by one, the petals peeled away.

But these falling petals transformed into ferocious, venomous snakes that drifted toward Jiang Chen.

"Be destroyed!"

Jiang Chen snorted coldly. He swept his sword, and a blinding Sword Aura tore through the air.

Each ray of the Sword Aura drifted like a snowflake, slicing through the black petals one by one.

However, it was not over... 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

From the center of the black lotus, a jet-black dragon roared and lunged out, baring its fangs and claws as it tried to bite Jiang Chen.

Caught off guard, the Black Dragon bit down directly on Jiang Chen’s body.

The black-robed man was overjoyed. His face lit up with excitement as he clenched his fist tighter and tighter.

The Black Dragon wrapped around Jiang Chen also constricted continuously. The faint sound of Jiang Chen’s bones cracking could be heard.

BOOM—

The Black Dragon erupted in a brilliant flash of black light and exploded completely.

No trace of Jiang Chen could be seen in the void.

The black-robed man scanned the area but found no sign of Jiang Chen. He roared with excitement, "Hahaha, you think you can survive after being caught by my Poison Dragon Kill? Jiang Chen, oh Jiang Chen, what does it matter how talented you are? In the end, you still died at my, Zong Han’s, hands!"

Just as the black-robed man was reveling in his excitement, the smile on his face suddenly froze. A calm voice exploded next to his ear.

"So, you’re Zong Han! Third Elder, I trust you’ve been well."

Jiang Chen appeared, completely unharmed, striding through the air. His eyes flashed with cold light as he stared at the black-robed man, a frosty glint in his gaze. "I never would have guessed it was you. The dignified Third Elder of the Saint Martial Sword Sect’s Outer Sect, ambushing and trying to kill a sect disciple. Tsk, tsk, what a fine scheme!"

"Hmph!"

Zong Han snorted but did not reply.

A cold smile touched the corners of Jiang Chen’s mouth. "What’s wrong? The Third Elder was brave enough to ambush me, but now you’ve lost the courage to even speak?"

"Jiang Chen, shut your mouth!"

Zong Han’s face was grim as he tore the hood from his head. His eyes shone with a sharp, cold light, and he looked as if he wanted to swallow Jiang Chen whole. "To think that last attack didn’t kill you. What a pity!"

"There’s nothing to be pitied. That last move of yours has thoroughly enraged me. It will be the last Martial Skill you ever use in this lifetime. Don’t forget it when you reach the Yellow Springs!" The ferocity in Jiang Chen’s eyes gradually subsided as he spoke, enunciating each word.

Zong Han’s face darkened. "You little bastard, you’re too arrogant!"

Before he could finish, Jiang Chen cut him off. A jet-black longsword was now in his hand.

The blade was entirely black, save for a single crimson blood groove running down its center.

Jiang Chen’s long robes fluttered, and his black hair danced wildly. Standing in mid-air, he suddenly unleashed a sword technique. "Clear Wind Embracing the Moon!"

SWISH—

A soft, azure breeze began to blow. Each wisp of this "breeze" was a strand of Sword Qi. Amidst the whistling wind, a crescent moon appeared, hanging high in the sky.

Streams of Sword Qi howled as they tore through the air, like a violent storm sweeping across the world.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Zong Han continuously swung his Long Spear, unleashing torrents of black spear light to block Jiang Chen’s attack. But the Sword Qi was simply too sharp. The clash between spear light and Sword Qi resulted in a stalemate.

But just then...

Jiang Chen’s longsword suddenly slashed down from above.

The crescent moon in the sky also plummeted downward.

"Not good! Block it!"

Zong Han’s expression changed drastically. He thrust his Long Spear upward in a heaven-defying stab, attempting to block the sharp sword strike.

CLANG—

When the spear and sword first collided, a piercing clang rang out, but in the next moment, the smile on Zong Han’s face crumbled. The crescent moon, wrapped around the incomparably sharp Dustfall Sword, sliced through the Long Spear as if it were a kitchen knife cutting sugarcane. With a series of HISSING sounds, it cleaved the spear in two.

"Gah..."

The sword fell from the crown of his head and exited between his legs.

Zong Han’s body shuddered, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief. A thin, red line appeared between his eyebrows and ran down the length of his body.

PSHH! PSHH!

His body was sliced clean in two. With a final trace of regret in his eyes, he was torn asunder!

[Fifth update!]