As Han Zhen faced off against Ying Bing, his body, rooted in the remnants of the Upper Profound Realm, was no ordinary opponent; not by a long shot compared to the Green Young Man.
However…
He never expected that the bl**d phoenix essence power he had painstakingly amassed would be used against him.
He certainly never imagined…
Ying Bing would be this terrifying.
Normally, when anyone’s realm suddenly skyrocketed by a big leap, they’d be lucky to unleash three or four-tenths of their strength at best.
Yet, Ying Bing… was stronger than any Guan Shen he had ever encountered.
Including himself.
That’s why he summoned Yin Huaxuan to take care of Ying Bing first.
Li Mo’s strength was equally jaw-dropping. With the accumulation of the Dragon and Tiger Golden Cloak, he possessed immense power, but in the end, he posed no real threat to Han Zhen.
No matter how strong he was, he could never break what was nearly indestructible.
All Han Zhen needed was to reclaim the bl**d phoenix essence, and the situation would be in his favor.
“Ying Bing!”
“Is it still your intention to resist?”
Yin Huaxuan’s voice thundered through the sky.
In the arena, he simply summoned winds and called the rain, creating ominous clouds.
A tempest roared to life, and bloodthirsty beasts twisted and intertwined behind him, their savage, roaring power brewing.
Inner Scene Eightfold.
It was enough to change the color of heaven and earth.
The Fourfold Bronze Palaces trembled at his mere presence, almost collapsing under the weight of his aura.
“That’s… Elder Yin Hua?”
Ouyang, the elder brother of Ruyi Peak, changed color dramatically.
What on earth was he doing in a secret realm?
And what was he doing attacking Ying Bing, his junior sister?
Everyone present was stunned, including Bai Jinghong. No one thought that this bl**d Phoenix Secret Realm, which only allowed Guan Shen-level individuals, would allow an Inner Scene Eightfold being to appear.
It was unexpected that this individual was an elder from the Qingyuan Sect.
Even more shocking was that this figure was definitely an enemy.
As thoughts flickered by, the half-human, half-drag onyx shadow—burning with wrath—charged down like a raging volcano.
“Yin Huaxuan…”
Ying Bing seemed to realize something.
With the power accumulated from the bl**d phoenix essence, she was not afraid of the Inner Scene in a one-on-one fight.
But grouped together, things would get tricky.
Han Zhen, once a master of the Upper Profound Realm, had untraceable tricks up his sleeve.
And the remnants of that Upper Profound Realm were difficult to harm; with Yin Huaxuan interfering, she couldn’t even take a breather to unleash that ‘No Self, One Sword’ attack.
More importantly…
The bl**d phoenix essence didn’t fully belong to her yet.
Li Mo…
Even if he summoned his divine weapon, he probably couldn’t seal the deal.
Yin Huaxuan was many times stronger than that Earth Fiend Killer from Misty Rain Tower.
Each time he wielded the Rock Calamity Meteor Hammer, Li Mo would be drained, falling into weakness, putting him in danger.
What she sought was the bl**d phoenix essence.
In her past life, ascending to the Nine Heavens, she had faced numerous challenges and even more dire situations, slaying enemies stronger than this.
But she had never stood behind anyone.
“Buzz—”
Moonlight surged endlessly, reversing the flow and momentarily freezing Han Zhen in place.
Countless sword auras coalesced, enveloped in radiant clouds, forming an awe-inspiring tide of sword light.
She moved forward on the radiant glow, going against the current.
Clang, clang, clang—
The sword auras surged, cutting the air wildly, and torrential winds washed over Yin Huaxuan’s half-human, half-dragon form, momentarily obliterating countless beast shadows.
Yet, he remained unscathed.
The Inner Scene Eightfold made his realm far too elevated.
Han Zhen was only momentarily stalled.
Ying Bing stood still, a sickly hue surfacing on her otherwise radiant face.
Forget Guan Shen.
Even any Inner Scene being would find it nearly impossible to withstand this duo.
Even with the full capability of Guan Shen, along with her past life experiences, she couldn’t help but feel the strain.
“It’s over.”
“Refusing hospitality only invites punishment, hmph.”
Han Zhen moved, his figure flickering as if vanishing into thin air.
His palm, bearing the essence of the Upper Profound Realm, trapped all the space around Ying Bing.
Yin Huaxuan lay in wait; as soon as Ying Bing made a move, he would unleash a thunderous strike.
He too was filled with astonishment.
Faced with this rare prodigy, he had to be fully on guard.
The geniuses watching from afar…
Their hearts dropped.
At this point, the tension was palpable.
At this moment, it was clear that the bl**d Phoenix Secret Realm was suspect; it had been a trap all along!
If Ying Bing and Li Mo were taken care of, would they be able to survive?
Ying Bing didn’t look as pale as Han Zhen and Yin Huaxuan imagined.
The girl was cloaked in her blazing phoenix feather attire, increasingly pure and mysterious.
It was time to use that move.
True Phoenix Transformation.
No matter how profound a martial skill or esoteric technique, everything comes with a cost.
For instance, the True Phoenix Bloodburning Technique.
If Han Zhen hadn’t bled out countless spirits and bl**d for her, she wouldn’t have been able to leverage the bl**d phoenix essence and elevate herself to the Ninth Level of Guan Shen, nor could she maintain it for this long.
True Phoenix Transformation also had a price.
After using it, the True Phoenix Feathers would temporarily lose their sentience and need time to recover.
In the next rankings comparison, she would no longer count as her full fighting power.
This meant…
She might have to drop down to rank seven again, and that meant she’d have to…
At this moment,
Ying Bing’s brows furrowed, divine light swirling from her forehead, her overwhelming aura surfaced…
Han Zhen’s expression suddenly changed.
He quickly turned.
A black meteor, engulfed in boundless karma fire, shot down like a star fallen from the sky.
Anything in this meteor’s path felt incredibly fragile.
This monstrous might surpassed the limits of human strength.
Clang—
A palm strike from the confining space collided with the black meteor.
Thunder cracked.
The piercing energy surged, and the bronze ground seemed to roll like ocean waves, oppressive air sweeping over everything.
This strike didn’t target anyone else.
But every onlooker felt a wave of fear and insignificance rise from the depths of their hearts.
“A divine weapon?”
Han Zhen felt his consciousness tremble, carving a deep trench in the ground as he was forced back.
The remnants of the Upper Profound Realm felt like they were about to break apart.
As he focused, he realized that what he and Yin Huacheng just saw was an ancient, peculiar short hammer at the epicenter of that immense power; the murderous energy rippling and distorting the surrounding space.
“The Rock Calamity Meteor Hammer!”
Han Zhen recognized it.
“No way, divine weapons can’t even be activated by Inner Scene beings, is that Shangguan Wencang arrived?!”
This thought was quickly dismissed.
But another crazier thought sprang to mind.
Since earlier, the news of young Han Zhen’s defeat had already reached middle-aged Han Zhen.
Was it him?
“Oi.”
A figure stepped through the bl**d river, bare-chested, not overweight but filled with explosive power, like iron cast.
Behind him, a bl**d-soaked war general rose, filled with surging fighting spirit.
The desire for battle had reached a boiling point!
Ying Bing was stunned.
Didn’t he say he could only use divine weapons once each time?
To use divine weapons consecutively… was it because of the war spirit behind him?
“I’m just more enduring today.”
Li Mo grinned, slowly pulling the Rock Calamity Meteor Hammer from the ground.
The more he fought, the stronger he became; it was somewhat akin to a rage meter filling up.
“Sure enough, you killed Cheng’er!”
Yin Huacheng roared in fury.
“You… shall d*e!”
Middle-aged Han Zhen sensed young Han Zhen’s aura vanished and fixed a fierce glare at the boy.
“I wanted to bond with you guys as a swordsman.”
“Now, thanks to you, my 40 and 80 have been outed. How on earth am I supposed to navigate the world and introduce myself from now on, hmm?”
“I’m gonna hammer you all to bits!!!”
Little Li, filled with untamed rage.
The rage meter was maxed out.
The crowd below swallowed hard.
So who was challenging whom?
This was not right.
If they had played a game, they would know…
This kind of oppressive feeling was akin to a boss entering the final stage, entering a rampage.
