Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

Bluestone Mountain Range.

Beastly roars echoed endlessly. Countless Demon Beasts lived throughout the entire mountain range.

Some of the more powerful Demon Beasts could even kill experts of the True Martial Realm, making it a place fraught with death and danger.

At that moment, deep within the dense jungle, Jiang Chen, clad in white and holding a longsword, moved with the agility of a Spiritual Ape as he weaved through the trees.

The sword in Jiang Chen’s hand danced through the air, unleashing streams of razor-sharp Sword Qi.

Each stream of Sword Qi was incredibly fast, ignoring wind resistance, as nimble and ethereal as the wind itself.

Wherever the Sword Qi passed, the surrounding vegetation seemed to cower.

Ahead of Jiang Chen, an Iron Armor Earth Dragon over ten meters long was frantically fleeing. The Iron Armor Earth Dragon was a Tier One High-level Demon Beast, with combat power comparable to a human expert at the Martial Arts Ninth Stage.

Furthermore, its body was covered in incredibly tough armor. Even some experts at the Martial Arts Ninth Stage would struggle to breach its defenses with a full-powered attack.

But at this moment, the Iron Armor Earth Dragon was covered in wounds.

Its nigh-impenetrable armor was riddled with glaring, bloody gashes from which fresh blood flowed. It fled madly through the dense jungle. In its wake, as if hit by a flash flood, plants were knocked askew, and even hundred-meter-tall ancient trees were snapped in two by its charge.

It had forcibly carved a path of devastation through the thick jungle, looking as if it intended to tear the entire forest apart.

"Cursed beast, take this!" Jiang Chen shouted, abruptly thrusting his sword forward.

The surface of the longsword pulsed with streams of cyan Sword Qi. A dot of cyan Sword Qi fluctuated and condensed at the tip, and one could faintly see it spinning rapidly within a vortex.

As Jiang Chen stabbed forward...

The Sword Qi that had been gathering for some time shot forward with a BOOM. The spiraling energy transformed into a cyan tempest as thick as a bucket and surged outward.

BOOM—

The cyan tempest viciously slammed into the Iron Armor Earth Dragon’s side and exploded, sending chunks of earth and rock flying. The nearby vegetation was pulverized by the storm’s churning force.

The Iron Armor Earth Dragon let out a wretched howl, "AAGH!" It was thrown off its feet, rolling three full times before coming to a stop.

As the dust settled, a pit two meters deep and five or six meters in diameter was revealed in the ground!

The Iron Armor Earth Dragon struggled to its feet and glanced at the nearby crater. On its angular head, its eyes blazed with furious fire as it roared, "ROAR... Human, do you really think I can’t defeat you? If you keep pushing me like this, I’ll take you down with me, even if it costs me my life!"

Within a hundred-li radius, the Iron Armor Earth Dragon was the undisputed king of the Demon Beasts.

In the past, other Demon Beasts and human Martial Artists dared not set foot in its territory. Today, however, it was being chased all over by this human, Jiang Chen, and had been reduced to a sorry state. How could it not be furious?

With a graceful leap, Jiang Chen descended from a treetop a dozen meters high. He landed, holding his sword in one hand, completely ignoring the Iron Armor Earth Dragon’s furious roar.

He frowned slightly, replaying the previous move in his mind. He reviewed its trajectory, power, angle, and speed, not missing a single detail. Suddenly, Jiang Chen’s eyes lit up. ’So that’s the problem... Although Wind Sword Intent can make my sword faster, the faster the blade, the harder it is to control. Even if the angle of my strike is off by a hair, by the time it reaches the target, it’s missed by a mile!’

’To control my sword with greater precision, I need a more refined Sword Technique. The Aurora Sword Technique can no longer keep up with the demands of my Wind Sword Intent. It seems I’ll have to find a way to get a High-Level Sword Technique!’ A look of understanding dawned on Jiang Chen’s face as he muttered to himself.

This sent the Iron Armor Earth Dragon into a complete rage!

"Human, you have no respect for beasts! Earth Wave..." the Iron Armor Earth Dragon roared, rearing up its front half before slamming its two iron-like hooves down like pillars.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—

The entire ground began to shake violently, as if a boulder had been dropped into a still lake, sending out ripple after ripple.

The earth trembled as circular shockwaves blasted out in all directions.

Wherever the waves passed, plants were instantly pulverized. Even large trees, firmly rooted in the earth, were uprooted and shattered from their base.

"Instant Sword!"

His sharp brows knitted, and his longsword cut across the air.

The Cyan Blade Sword shot out, a sliver of light tearing through the void to collide with the incoming shockwave, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Now that I’ve found the flaw in my Swordsmanship, you’ve lost your usefulness. If I delay any longer, Little White will probably pass out from hunger!" The corner of Jiang Chen’s mouth lifted, his cold gaze becoming almost tangible. The moment the words left his lips, his figure shot into the air.

As he leaped high, he spun in mid-air, his legs sweeping out to kick down several trees dozens of meters tall. The trunks flew out like heavenly pillars, landing around the Iron Armor Earth Dragon and trapping it in a wooden cage.

At the same time, the Cyan Blade Sword in Jiang Chen’s hand erupted with light, firing off streams of sharp Sword Qi.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

The Sword Qi filled the air, transforming into a torrential rain of swords that poured down, completely engulfing the Iron Armor Earth Dragon.

"ROAR... ROAR..."

The Iron Armor Earth Dragon shrieked in agony as the streams of Sword Qi struck it dead-on, piercing its sturdy armor. It wanted to dodge, but its movements were restricted by the wooden cage. It was brutally torn in half by the downpour of Sword Qi, and its blood pooled on the ground.

Jiang Chen landed beside the Iron Armor Earth Dragon’s corpse and retrieved a fist-sized Demon Core from its flesh and blood.

He then selected a section of its ribs, cut off a huge rack weighing a good hundred to two hundred pounds, and placed the meat directly into his Storage Ring. ’Little White loves roasted ribs the most; this should be enough for two meals. And with this Demon Core, once I absorb it, I should be able to break through to the Martial Arts Ninth Stage. After I reach the Ninth Stage, I can enter the core region of the Bluestone Mountain Range and cross it!’

Five days had passed since he left Yandu City.

Jiang Chen had been fighting powerful Demon Beasts all along the way, honing his Martial Skills, hunting for Demon Cores to absorb their energy, and cultivating the Profound Yellow Undying Technique!

After five days of relentless travel, they had reached the central region of the Bluestone Mountain Range.

The Iron Armor Earth Dragon was the strongest Demon Beast in this central region!

As for the core region...

That was where Tier Two Demon Beasts dwelled—tyrannical creatures comparable to the True Martial Realm. Jiang Chen would only be confident enough to cross the core region after breaking through to the Martial Arts Ninth Stage.

Returning to the temporary cave...

It took a full two double-hours, but Jiang Chen finally finished roasting the huge rack of ribs. The golden-brown meat sizzled as fat dripped from it. Little White was already hopping up and down at the side, incredibly excited. "Boss, can I eat now? I’m hungry! I’m so hungry I’m practically wasting away..."

"You little glutton, go on and eat!"

Jiang Chen ruffled Little White’s head, cut off a piece of meat for himself, and tossed the rest to his companion.

Little White pounced on it excitedly and began to feast with loud CHOMP CHOMP CHOMPS.

Watching Little White bury its entire body in the roasted meat until it was out of sight, Jiang Chen shook his head helplessly. A gentle smile touched his lips. ’It’s a good thing I have Little White with me on this journey, otherwise it would be so lonely!’

Full and satisfied!

Jiang Chen had Little White stand guard at the cave entrance while he went deeper inside to begin absorbing the Iron Armor Earth Dragon’s Demon Core, preparing to break through to the Martial Arts Ninth Stage...