Ze Tian Ji

Edited by: Michyrr

Countless sword glows surged out of the sheath and exploded against the sea of blood. Muffled booms and sounds of slashing resounded all at once, dazzling light illuminating the small courtyard. They shone upon the severed walls, the cut-riddled crabapple trees, and the viscous sea of blood, and also shone upon Zhou Tong’s pale face.

These swords were like innumerable meteorites descending from the sky, carrying a horrifying light and heat as they incessantly stabbed at the blood and pressure.

Zhou Tong’s cultivation was already at the peak of Star Condensation and he had already made preparations for Chen Changsheng’s tricks. Chen Changsheng’s Intellectual Sword had failed to find a true gap and, on the contrary, had actually fallen under his control, but how could his Star Domain endure the assault of so many swords? No matter how close to perfection, it still was not true perfection. As long as there was a gap, it would inevitably be pierced through!

The sphere of blood condensed from the sea of blood had imprisoned the incomparably sharp Stainless Sword within it. Now, under the assault of countless sword glows, it was beginning to show signs of fracturing.

There was a pop like a leather bag filled with wine being stabbed by a sharp sword, or like the paper of a window being lightly poked through by a finger.

The sea of blood had broken!

Zhou Tong’s complexion turned abnormally pale, his eyes growing even deeper and quieter. In the deepest part of his eyes, a tinge of fear was visible.

Innumerable sword glows pierced through the sea of blood, carrying an awe-inspiring sword intent as they fell upon his body!

With the harsh whistling of swords slashing down, countless real streams of blood shot into the night, accompanied by an angry and pained howl.

In an instant, Zhou Tong’s body was covered in several hundred slashes with fresh blood flowing out of them, even white bone faintly visible!

Zhou Tong knew that Chen Changsheng had many swords, and had also thought of the possibility that he might have placed those swords within the sheath known as the Vault Sheath, but he had never expected for Chen Changsheng to have the ability to simultaneously control all of them!

It must be known that these swords were all swords of the most outstanding and fearsome reputation, handed down from ancient times. For what reason could a youth who had just entered the initial level of Star Condensation be able to control them?

Blood spurted crazily into the dark courtyard, flowing into the cracked flagstones, and also pouring into that seemingly illusory Star Domain of blood.

The sea of blood had been broken, but it had not scattered. On the contrary, it grew even more violent with the flowing of Zhou Tong’s real blood, the blood-soaked aura growing even stronger.

A hand emerged from the sea of blood, emerged from the darkness—it was Zhou Tong’s left hand. His palm was now covered in countless wounds, flesh coming apart and drenched in blood. It even seemed like two of his fingers had been shorn of all flesh by the sword intents, leaving behind only white bone, an abnormally horrifying sight.

Just like the miserable situation of those prisoners he often saw in the prison below this courtyard...

This hand of shattered flesh and bone trembled in the wind as if it could snap at any moment, yet it fiercely and persistently moved forward, extending towards Chen Changsheng’s throat.

White bones emerging from a sea of blood!

Under the assault of several thousand sword glows, Zhou Tong had suffered severe wounds, but since he had not instantly died, he still had the ability to fight!

He floated in the air, his body covered in the blood. His great crimson official’s gown had long since been soaked through, dripping blood incessantly onto the floor.

The front of the official’s robe had already been cut into tatters by the sword intents, revealing the object behind.

Not his body, but an incredibly bright flexible armor, suffused with a faint sacred aura. On the flexible armor, at his chest, was an extremely tiny hole.

Chen Changsheng’s eyes slightly narrowed, immediately recognizing...that this was the treasure of the Tianhai clan, the Six Protections Divine Armor!

The tiny hole on the Six Protections Divine Armor had been personally made by him last autumn in front of the Orthodox Academy.

That the Stainless Sword could break through the Six Protections Divine Armor did not mean that these renowned swords had a similar ability.

The Six Protections Divine Armor was the most famous flexible armor on the Tier of Legendary Weapons, even approaching the efficacy of a divine artifact, allowing Zhou Tong to successfully block the majority of these several thousand sword glows!

Why had this divine armor appeared on Zhou Tong’s body?

That left hand of white bone pierced through the darkness and the sea of blood, snatching at Chen Changsheng’s throat.

Zhou Tong’s sinister and furious voice resounded in Chen Changsheng’s sea of consciousness, "Did you think I didn’t make the slightest preparation!"

The crimson official’s gown soaked in blood wildly danced in the destroyed courtyard, sprinkling blood in all directions, as well as his anger and resentment.

The terrifying might of the sea of blood enveloped the courtyard.

The several thousand bright sword glows had broken through the sea of blood and flown straight into the night sky, unable to immediately return.

Chen Changsheng used the Yeshi Step to repeatedly retreat!

However, it was hard to cross the sea of suffering, and the same applied to the sea of blood.

No matter how erratically his figure moved, it ultimately still remained at its original position, the Stainless Sword still unable to escape Zhou Tong’s hand.

With a dull click, the hand of white bone dripping blood gripped Chen Changsheng’s throat.

Even though his body had been bathed in dragon blood, it still could not resist the full strength of this bony hand emerging from the sea of blood. Chen Changsheng’s throat was almost crushed, yet not a drop of blood emerged.

Zhou Tong stood in front of him, his official’s robe reeking of blood. It was just like some damp swamp, its smell repulsive.

Chen Changsheng was very pale, but his eyes were very bright.

Zhou Tong’s face was very pale, his eyes very dark and serene.

This was the closest the two had been since the beginning of the battle, not even a foot apart.

Would this bitter struggle end like this?

No, Chen Changsheng did not think so.

Neither did Zhou Tong.

Zhou Tong was the person who had killed the most in the world, who had seen the most death, so he was the most fearful of death and did not want to die.

He had lived his life with prudence, never missing out on a single detail.

He did not know that Chen Changsheng would come to kill, but in these several decades, people would attempt to kill him at any time, so he was constantly prepared.

When Chen Changsheng appeared in this courtyard that once bloomed with crabapple blossoms, his preparations and prudence both showed their use.

He knew how capable Chen Changsheng was, how many fortuitous encounters he had.

He knew that Su Li had taught Chen Changsheng three swords, knew that Chen Changsheng had taken countless swords out of the Garden of Zhou.

He naturally had corresponding responses, like the sea of blood that was his Star Domain becoming a sphere of blood in his hands, or the Six Protections Divine Armor hidden under his crimson official’s robe.

Was this all of it? No, he knew that Chen Changsheng still had more stores to pull upon, like the magical artifacts Princess Luoluo had gifted to him, or some life-protecting item that Su Li might have left for him, or the Divine Staff the Pope had bestowed upon him, so he naturally had correspondingly powerful responses.

Even when he was heavily injured, his blood and flesh sliced into a miserable state by those sword glows, he still did not use his most powerful techniques, because he always remembered that Divine Staff.

The Divine Staff that represented the power of the Orthodoxy, the Divine Staff that was said to possess the ability to split the heavens and earth.

It’s already reached this point, I’m clutching your throat and bringing a cruel fate. What are you still waiting for?

Zhou Tong’s eyes became abnormally deep and quiet, narrowed like some sort of monster until they almost became straight lines.

He knew that in the next moment, Chen Changsheng would use the Divine Staff of the Orthodoxy and make his most decisive attack.

He was waiting for the moment that light arrived.

......

......

Innumerable sword glows pierced through the sea of blood and flew into the night sky, still yet to return.

The hand of white bone drenched in blood clutched Chen Changsheng’s throat.

This was the moment he was closest to death, and also closest to Zhou Tong.

Chen Changsheng had been waiting for just this moment.

He struck.

Just as Zhou Tong had expected, he struck with light.

Zhou Tong was made abnormally pale under the illumination of this light, yet there was no surprise or fear upon his face ,because all this was as he had expected.

The blood-colored official’s robe was suffused with a bizarre and mystical luster under this light. As blood dripped to the floor, a magical artifact exuding an ancient Qi floated out of his sleeve and stood in front of the light. It was a mirror, the ancient Qi exuding a mysterious aura. The surface of the mirror was as smooth as water, like it could reflect all light.

If Chen Changsheng were able to recognize this bronze mirror, he would know that although the mirror could not completely obstruct the light of the Orthodoxy’s Divine Staff, it was enough to buy Zhou Tong a little time.

He only needed the briefest amount of time for that hand of bone dripping blood to twist off Chen Changsheng’s head from his neck.

Yet this sort of event did not occur.

The deep and quiet look in Zhou Tong’s eyes was driven away by the light, revealing a tinge of fright.

Because the light heading towards his body was not a piece, but a streak of light.

A streak of incomparably bright light flashed across his eyes.

Where did this light come from?

It was not from the sword glows swiftly flying back.

Similarly, it was not the sacred light emitted by the Divine Staff.

This streak of light was pure without the slightest impurity. Solely because of this, it was monstrously terrifying.

A streak of light that was resolute, fierce, breathtaking.

Zhou Tong’s eyes were the first to see this light, thus his eyelashes were halved. Soon after, a line of blood appeared on his eye as it too was halved down the middle.

The bronze mirror that had floated out of his sleeve was utterly useless, halving down the middle.

This fierce blade glow seemed to rise up from the dome of the night and descend to the Yellow Springs, slashing right through him. (TN: The Yellow Springs is a name for the Chinese underworld.)

A shrill and wretched howl burst from his bloodstained lips.

The countless magical artifacts on his person exploded one by one, fireworks seeming to rise from the courtyard, yet it was impossible to stop that light from descending.

The great crimson official’s gown crazily danced in fear, his body becoming a gloomy shadow as he retreated into the depths of the courtyard, yet he could not avoid the descent of this light.

The streak of light descended upon his body.

The ties of the Six Protections Divine Armor were broken.

His earlobe was cut off.

His shoulder was chopped open.

His left arm was chopped open.

Before this streak of bright light, all things, even the light emitted from other sources and the wind were all cut apart.

This streak of light was a blade glow.

The blade glow descended, a straight line extending from Zhou Tong’s face to his body, from his left eye to below his ribs.

With a ploof, a stream of blood spurted out of his eyes, his left cheek peeled away in the wind, his left shoulder was cut away, his left arm fell to the ground.

Then, he finally crashed heavily against the floor, spitting out a thick ball of congealed blood.

What sort of blade was this?

Chen Changsheng walked out of the ruins, a blade in his hand.

It was the kitchen knife he had taken from the Orthodox Academy’s kitchen before leaving.

This was the most frightening blade in the world since time immemorial.

Before this blade, even mountain ranges and rivers would be halved.

One blade, two halves.