Ling Han had concocted a lot of alchemical pills targeting his own condition, allowing him to better self-regulate and improve the level of his body arts.
After another month, he finally advanced his body arts to the peak level of the Heaven Tier.
At this time, the elites of the middle state’s five great sects once again initiated an attack.
Chapter 815 - : Assault of the Elites
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The assault of the five clans of the middle state was something Ling Han had expected would happen, so he was naturally not surprised. On the other hand, that it had taken so long for someone from the five sects to come was actually slightly out of Ling Han’s expectations. This was most likely because they had been facing too much pressure from the Purple Moon Empire, and could only now draw out a portion of their people from the five sects.
He was a little expectant—who would be coming?
Ling Han walked out of the imperial palace, and saw a battleship hovering in the skies above the imperial palace. There was a raised flag on which was drawn a creature that could either be an earthworm or a long serpent on it.
The Earth Dragon Sect!
True, he had killed Jia Ming, so it was logical that the Earth Dragon Sect would send an elite to kill him in vengeance.
“Hmph, such a minor character would actually dare to establish his own nation and empire, what nonsense!” An ice-cold voice was heard from the skies.
This voice was a little familiar.
The Beast Snake King!
Ling Han immediately remembered him. Previously, when the Fifteen-eyed Corpse King appeared, a total of three Shattering Void Tier elites had arrived from the five great sects, and the elite from the Earth Dragon Sect was precisely this Beast Snake King.
“Hehe, bite me?” Ling Han laughed.
“Lord Beast Snake King, could you allow me to first battle with this person?” Xu Xiu Ran’s voice was heard from aboard the battleship.
“All right, this person could be considered your internal demon. As long as you eliminate this man, you would be able to break through to the Shattering Void Tier in the shortest amount of time. Furthermore, with your talent, as well as the full support and nurturing of your sect, it would not be difficult for you to rush up to the ninth layer of the Shattering Void Tier in ten-plus years, with much awaited battle prowess.”
Although Xu Xiu Ran was not the strongest genius in the history of the Absolute Saber Sect, he was the only one who had been recognized by the Absolute Saber. Precisely because of this, even the Beast Snake King expected much from him, or in other words, attached much importance to him. After all, that old elder of the Absolute Saber Sect was still alive!
“Thank you, Milord!” Xu Xiu Ran leaped down from the battleship, and stood on empty air in the skies. He declared, “Ling Han, neither of us will use external aids. Let us have a good battle to our heart’s content!”
Ling Han shook his head, and replied, “You are a little bit shameless. You obviously have the cultivation level of the peak of the Heaven Tier, yet proclaim your desire to have a good battle with me. I really don’t know what’s wrong with your head.”
He smiled faintly, and answered, “However, if I don’t battle with you, you would think I’m actually scared of you!”
Xiu , he leaped on empty air, and stood on the same level with Xu Xiu Ran. He said, “Come, I am the ruler of the Great Ling Empire. A bunch of clowns… see how I shall suppress you!”
Xu Xiu Ran humphed coldly, and said, “What ruler of the Great Ling Empire, you are merely a false ruler. Today, I shall kill you with my saber, so where would there still be any Great Ling Empire!”
Ling Han picked at his ear, and asked, “How many times have you said you would kill me? I’m already bored of listening to it, so could you try saying something new?”
“Then just die!” Xu Xiu Ran flew over, wielding the Absolute Saber in a slash in Ling Han’s direction.
There was not much technique in this move. It could be described in one word, and that was “fast”.
Xiu , the saber seemed to have just been raised, yet had already slashed down right in front of Ling Han. Saber Ray shone blindingly as if it were the beginning of the world.
This Xu Xiu Ran could really not be underestimated. Mere weeks had passed, and his abilities once again improved astonishingly. It was not in cultivation, but battle prowess. His comprehension of the path of the saber had increased greatly once again.
Weng , the Revere Life Sword in Ling Han’s hand was trembling as if it was about to fly out of his grip.
Saber Heart!
Ling Han smiled faintly. Sword Heart unfolded, and the Revere Life Sword immediately steadied. He raised his sword to parry, clang , and just managed to block the blade of the saber that Xu Xiu Ran had slashed at him with.
If it had been any other cultivator in the Deity Transformation Tier, or even in the Heaven Tier, they would have been likely beheaded by this strike without seeing more than a blur, for it was so fast that there was no possible way to block it. Even if the eyes could catch sight of the movement of the saber, if one moved too slowly, they would still be unable to block it, and could only use their Origin Power to take it head on.
But Ling Han was a body cultivator, and had furthermore improved his physique to the level of the Heaven Tier. It was naturally extremely easy for him to block this strike.
The sword and saber clashed, the friction giving rise to endless luster as blinding as the sun.
Ling Han gave a strong shove. Peng . Xu Xiu Ran was sent flying by the force. He smiled, and said, “This strike is indeed very fast, but the power does not seem to be enough!”
Of course. Power and speed could not be simultaneously achieved. His strike was extremely fast, so its power was naturally lacking. This was also due to the fact that Xu Xiu Ran knew that Ling Han had a strange motion technique, and had deliberately practiced fast strikes. He had not thought that Ling Han was so atypical that he’d block it forcefully without even dodging or ducking.
With a flip of his body, he steadied his balance. He raised the Absolute Saber levelly, his eyes cold. Endless saber intent circulated inside his body, solidified, and gushed out, forming thousands of sabers around him.
There were all types and shapes, and they had all been formed from saber intent. This would not damage the physical body, but was capable of striking at one’s very soul, which was very terrifying.
Sword Heart, once mastered, could cut the soul, and Saber Heart, once mastered, could do it as well.
“Then take another strike from me!” Xu Xiu Ran declared coldly. His expression turned serious, and the Absolute Saber moved slightly, forming multiple ripples. “Cracking Wind Slash!”
Ling Han dared not be careless. The power of this slash was indeed frightening. He raised the Revere Life Sword to chest level, and the sword intent of the Mysterious Three Thousand circulated as a similarly tremendously powerful aura spread out.
“Yi?” Aboard the battleship, the Beast Snake King could not help but let out a light exclamation of surprise. Being the strong existence that he was, he naturally immediately realized that Ling Han’s sword intent gave him a feeling of familiarity. “This is… the Three Techniques of Black Origin!”
This was one of the ultimate techniques of the Heaven’s Sword Sect; he was definitely not unfamiliar with it.
Xu Xiu Ran gave a soft shout, and brandished the Absolute Saber in an attack. Instantly, the world around them paled, and only pure darkness was left behind. There was merely the endless brightness that was being exuded from the Absolute Saber, and it surged towards Ling Han.
Even if Ling Han opened his eyes, he would not be able to spot Xu Xiu Ran. The only thing left was that brilliant saber that was slashing down in his direction.
No sight of the wielder, merely the saber!
Ling Han remained unafraid. He simply closed his eyes, and merely used his he
art to “see”.
Sword Heart.
A smile lifted up the corners of his lips. His long sword waved, delivering 3100 brilliant sword flashes. Each strike was severe, and they shot towards Xu Xiu Ran.
In theory, 10,000 Techniques Return to One was the strongest individual killing move, whereas the Mysterious Three Thousand was to be used in group attacks. Because the power of the attack was divided, its destructive power was naturally not on the same level as 10,000 Techniques Return to One. Yet Ling Han was too strong now, and added with the advantage the Revere Life Sword gave him, the power of even a single strike was enough to become a huge threat to Xu Xiu Ran. Thus, using the Mysterious Three Thousand was naturally even more effective as the range of attack could be widened.
Immediately upon contact, both sides were using their ultimate moves.
Hong!
Sword flash and saber flash clashed, creating a massive explosion in the skies. Temporarily, everyone had lost their sight and hearing, everything completely white in front of their eyes, and merely a soft humming was left in their ears.
When the light subsided, Xu Xiu Ran had already retreated 300 meters away. There was a total of five wounds on his body that blood was seeping out of, and no matter what he tried, the blood’s flow would not cease.
In case of a wound that had been inflicted by the Revere Life Sword, how could the bleeding be stopped so easily?
There were also three spots on Ling Han where his clothes had been torn open, but he was still mild and humid like jade, and it could not be seen that he was wounded anywhere—after his cultivation of his body art had entered the Heaven Tier, his physique had also once again improved to another level, and had reached the extent of Level Ten precious metal.
In the hands of a Shattering Void Tier elite, the Absolute Saber should be able to leave a mark on Level Ten precious metal as well, but if it was Xu Xiu Ran? It was obviously impossible!
Just a bit of a gap could mean a world of difference.
Chapter 816 - Suppressed
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Xu Xiu Ran’s expression took a drastic change. His battle prowess was not the slightest bit inferior to Ling Han’s, yet his physique was far from being on the same level.
In a battle wherein both sides were about equal in power, this difference was absolutely fatal.
He took a deep breath, his expression becoming somber. His fighting spirit blazed. If he could still defeat Ling Han in a disadvantageous position, the boost to his confidence would be indescribable.
He might even be able to take that final step, and become an elite of the Shattering Void Tier.
Currently, he could only claim to be a young genius, possessing great potential, yet without achieving the Shattering Void Tier cultivation, he was still a minor character at the end of the day. In this great era, only the Shattering Void Tier would translate to influence, and have a decisive effect on the situation.
Thus, he needed to battle and improve his battle prowess to the utmost. After winning, his mental state would be improved to another level, and his Saber Heart would enter mastery level. His cultivation would break through to the Shattering Void Tier, and he would ascend to the peak of humanity.
“We battle!” he declared grandly, his full head of black locks dancing behind him, his eyes bright.
“As you wish!” Ling Han’s battle spirit blazed as well. Xu Xiu Ran had formed Saber Heart; furthermore, he had reached the level of major accomplishment, so he was precisely the best opponent he could have. Fighting a battle with the latter, Ling Han, too, would be able to enrich his own Sword Heart.
Fight, fight, fight!
The two fighters engaged in a ferocious battle. Sword and saber clashed, the collision creating ripples of power that spread out to their surroundings time and again.
The Absolute Saber and Revere Life Sword endlessly clashed. Both were not only Level Ten Spirit Tools, but also in the upper tier amongst such. Even in the hands of these people, they managed to release a terrifying might.
The Beast Snake King nodded continuously, and could not help but admit that these two were super-geniuses, which made a feeling of treasuring talent arise in him. Unfortunately, one of them was definitely going to die here today.
It was not that the Earth Dragon Sect did not have such a genius—he had died in Ling Han’s hands. This was also the main reason why he was personally here. Otherwise, with the tense situation in the war with the Purple Moon Empire, how could an ultimate elite be so easily dispatched here?
“Odd, how could this brat possibly learn the ultimate technique of the Heaven’s Sword Sect?” The Beast Snake King was internally confused. The Three Techniques of Black Origin were no ordinary techniques, but one of the core secret techniques of the Heaven’s Sword Sect. Even among the true disciples, there were not many that could learn this technique.
So what allowed an outsider to learn this technique?
However, this was fine. In the end, Immortals would descend from the Immortal Realm, and refine all life of this realm into the Realm Pill. Even if everyone learnt the Three Techniques of Black Origin, so what?
Ling Han’s right hand wielded his sword, and he had his left palm facing outwards. He endlessly shot strikes with the Earth Overturning Seal—golden light flickered, and the destructive power was incomparably frightening. With the upgrade of the Thunderclap Ninth Heaven, his speed was slightly faster than Xu Xiu Ran’s, forcing the latter into taking his attacks head on.
This Xu Xiu Ran was naturally seriously wounded!
Ling Han was a cultivator of body arts, and had terrifying brute power. In a battle at close quarters, for every blow Xu Xiu Ran delivered, he could at least return ten. How colossal was this difference? Furthermore, his physique had reached the level of the Shattering Void Tier, so even if the Beast Snake King moved, he would have to spend a great amount of effort to refine him to death, what more when it was Xu Xiu Ran!
Take note, it was not “beat to death”, but to “refine to death”!
With physique on the level of Level Ten precious metal, who would be able to kill him straight off? They could only use secret techniques to eliminate Ling Han’s life force, or have someone with a fully mastered Sword Heart cut Ling Han’s soul. Slicing open his physical body could only be mere thought.
From this aspect, Xu Xiu Ran was already not on the same level as Ling Han.
Ling Han was using his opponent to polish his Sword Heart. In his eyes, this was the only value of Xu Xiu Ran’s life.
Xu Xiu Ran had used all the ultimate techniques in his repertoire. He was indeed very strong, very, very strong, and was definitely one of the strongest elites beneath the level of the Shattering Void Tier. However, his opponent was too much of a monster, who, by nature, was already standing in an invincible position. No matter how hard he tried, it was all empty effort, and he could only harvest the bitter fruit of failure.
When Ling Han became more and more familiar with using the Sword Heart, Xu Xiu Ran began falling into a disadvantage. Then, it became more and more obvious, until he was inhibited. Among every ten of his moves, nine were defensive.
Xu Xiu Ran’s expression turned ugly. He had already improved his battle prowess to the maximum, but still could not match Ling Han. More importantly, the latter was still in the Deity Transformation Tier—though his body art was terrifying and had already reached the Heaven Tier, body art had always been used as something supplementary. What was more important was cultivation!
Even if he had the advantage of a whole and a half cultivation Tier over Ling Han, he had still been beaten to the point that he practically could not fight back, which made him feel extremely depressed.
He could not defeat Ling Han. Even if the Beast Snake King killed Ling Han later, so what? A sore point would be left behind in his heart, and this would naturally become a massive shortcoming when he attempted to break through to the Shattering Void Tier, and it would
practically be impossible for him to survive the fateful calamity.
“Enough.” The Beast Snake King voiced out. Initially, he had planned to let Xu Xiu Ran defeat Ling Han before he made his move so that the former would have the opportunity to break through. Yet the end result was that he had helped Ling Han succeed.
He could naturally sense that Ling Han’s Sword Heart was improving.
“I have not lost!” Xu Xiu Ran called out harshly. He was definitely not going to accept defeat!
In the few battles he had with Ling Han, he was actually slightly superior. If it was not because he desired to kill Ling Han too much, he would not even need to awaken the Absolute Saber. The result was that he failed every time, and could only watch as Ling Han became stronger and stronger.
“Humph!” The Beast Snake King moved directly, grabbing onto Xu Xiu Ran. After sealing his cultivation, he tossed him on board the battleship. He looked at Ling Han coldly, and commanded, “Kill yourself!”
“Old Beast Snake, where does your confidence come from?” Ling Han asked loftily.
The Beast Snake King smirked coldly, and said, “You merely have a Formation Technique, but that is only worth eight Stars of Shattering Void Tier at most. Do you know what my battle prowess is worth?”
“I don’t, but it hasn’t reached fifteen Stars in any case,” Ling Han replied without the slightest reservations and with complete honesty.
You f**king actually dare to say it!
The Beast Snake King could not help but feel gloomy. His battle prowess naturally could not possibly have reached fifteen Stars. If not, why would he have been afraid of that Fifteen-eyed Corpse King? This brat really was stubborn! He could not help but move. His right hand stretched out, and his arm, like a serpent, was twisting and turning, heading to grab in Ling Han’s direction.
Ling Han was not the slightest bit afraid, and brandished his sword to take this blow head on.
The Beast Snake King was enraged. A mere junior in the Deity Transformation Tier…! Although his body art’s cultivation had reached the Heaven Tier, it was still who knew how many years away from being able to take on the attack of a Shattering Void Tier elite; this was practically an insult to him!
Alchemy Emperor of the Divine Dao c1-1294 Page 417