Chapter 69: Rebirth as the Great Villain (7) |
The clash of countless prodigies unleashed terrifying waves of destruction that left the heart trembling. One genius after another—figures who had rarely appeared in centuries—were blasted into bloody mist. Their cultivation and fortunes dissolved into the saint herb's dao rhythms, making the flower appear even more bewitchingly radiant.
The brutality of the battle was beyond anything Su Chen had witnessed before. Even he felt a lingering chill in his bones. Compared to this slaughter, the war between the Southwest Domains' geniuses seemed like child's play. A lifetime of effort amounted to nothing more than dust. One general's triumph left ten thousand generations withered.
Su Chen watched as Gu Tiangang, who had charged into the fray for the saint herb, was obliterated by a single casual punch from a passing powerhouse. Other Gu Clan prodigies no weaker than Gu Tiangang were surrounded and slain by coalitions of prodigies from various domains, dying without even a corpse left behind.
In this grand war, the geniuses of the Gu Clan were no different from roadside weeds.
"The glory of a saint clan truly is the cheapest thing in existence," Gu Lan murmured bitterly behind Su Chen. He had chosen not to follow Gu Tiangang but stayed close to Su Chen instead.
Seeing Gu Lan's dao heart on the verge of collapse, Su Chen had no time to offer comfort. His attention was locked on Lin Zhan, who was already drawing near the saint herb's location.
Su Chen stepped into the void. When an extraterrestrial prodigy noticed someone else trying to enter the battlefield and attacked him, Su Chen swept his sword and forced the attacker back. But that single exchange drew even more hostility.
Just as Su Chen prepared to cut them all down regardless of cost in order to block Lin Zhan's path, Gu Lan stepped in front of him. His face was ashen.
"I owe you a life," Gu Lan said. "These people—I'll hold them off. Consider the debt settled."
He immediately withdrew from the main chaos and pressed toward Lin Zhan. Not long after, a scorching heat erupted behind him, followed by earth-shaking explosions. In this meat grinder of a battlefield, such sounds had already become commonplace.
Without hesitation, Su Chen slashed a sword toward Lin Zhan.
"With this saint herb, Master will surely live a new life. He might even truly achieve sainthood!"
Longing burned in Lin Zhan's heart. Using the Blue Spirit Clan's supreme treasure to conceal his presence, he only needed to seize the saint herb. Once his master ascended to sainthood, they could sweep into the Heavenly Profound Domain without restraint, slaughter the Gu Clan, and avenge the past!
The hatred from those days haunted him every waking and sleeping moment—he had never dared forget it for even an instant. Yet a single sword beam shattered his fantasy, reducing everything to bubbles.
Lin Zhan blocked the sudden strike, only to see the figure he had thought about day and night appear before him. A sword barred his path. His eyes instantly turned bloodshot. Teeth grinding, he snarled, "Gu Chen! It's you!"
Su Chen met that devouring gaze calmly. "Lin Zhan, you won't get the saint herb."
"Then I'll kill you first, and take it afterward!"
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Seeing his mortal enemy, rage overwhelmed Lin Zhan's reason. Killing Su Chen had become far more important than claiming the saint herb!
"War God Art!"
With a furious shout, Lin Zhan no longer hid his strength. A powerful aura erupted from his body. Gripping a silver war halberd, he charged like a reincarnated war god. Though only at the sixth layer of Profound Connection, his combat power surged straight toward the peak of the realm.
Su Chen swung his sword. Sword shadows multiplied. He released his full aura without restraint.
Profound Connection ninth layer!
"Eclipse Moon Sword Art"
A full moon rose behind Su Chen. Sword Dao trembled through the air, drawing the attention of countless prodigies.
"Who is that? His sword dao has reached such terrifying heights?"
"So strong… not quite at the level of a divine physique genius, but definitely top-tier beneath them."
"Is that the War God Hall's master? Damn it—he actually sneaked in here. He wants to steal the saint herb while we're distracted?"
"Lin Zhan of the War God Hall—you've finally shown yourself. Today is the day you die!"
In an instant, prodigies who bore grudges against Lin Zhan joined the fray and began surrounding him!
Su Chen exchanged dozens of blows with Lin Zhan. Even with the clear realm advantage, he had to admit: a Child of Destiny was truly freakish.
Fortunately, Lin Zhan had made enough enemies to relieve some of the pressure on Su Chen.
"Gu Chen, today I will definitely kill you!"
Lin Zhan fought like a rabid dog, ignoring everyone else and focusing solely on Su Chen. Lin Zhan wanted Su Chen dead. Su Chen wanted Lin Zhan dead even more. He refused to believe that with so many geniuses attacking, they still couldn't kill one Lin Zhan.
"This War God Art is ridiculously tough!"
Su Chen cursed inwardly. Trading blows with Lin Zhan felt like fighting a monster whose health bar thinned but never emptied. Every time Lin Zhan seemed on the verge of collapse—bloodied, exhausted, barely able to stand—he would explode with another burst of power at the critical moment.
If not for Su Chen's accumulated caution across multiple lifetimes, he would have died countless times already. The helpers who had joined out of hatred for Lin Zhan had already been replaced wave after wave.
Just as Lin Zhan was finally reaching his limit, geniuses from the War God Hall broke through the encirclement.
"Venerable, we'll hold off the enemies! You must leave now!"
Prodigies from various races fearlessly stepped in front of Lin Zhan, ready to die.
Lin Zhan dragged his broken body forward. He watched the geniuses he had painstakingly gathered fall one after another in his defense. Hot blood-tears streamed from his eyes as he roared in anguish, "Gu Chen—I swear I will make you die!"
Su Chen, equally grievously wounded, showed no mercy toward the incoming waves of War God Hall members. One genius after another fell beneath his blade as he pressed relentlessly toward Lin Zhan. He knew he had to end Lin Zhan here. Otherwise, who could predict what monstrous heights the other would reach next time they met?
When the prodigies realized they couldn't match Su Chen, many chose to self-destruct without hesitation, buying Lin Zhan even a few more seconds to escape.
"Lin Zhan, you coward! Back then, you abandoned the Spirit Fox Clan and fled alone. Now you're going to abandon the War God Hall you built with your own hands? Abandon these subordinates who are dying for you, and run away by yourself?"
Su Chen deliberately taunted him, trying to provoke Lin Zhan into turning back and throwing his life away.
Lin Zhan clenched his fists so hard his knuckles cracked. A woman had thrown herself around him, holding him tightly.
The remaining War God Hall members roared in unison, "Take the Venerable and go! Don't let our brothers die for nothing!"
The woman began chanting an incantation. A pitch-black spatial rift tore open in front of them. Just as she prepared to drag Lin Zhan inside, Su Chen panicked. He gathered every last scrap of remaining vital energy and poured it into his sword.
"One Sword—Cease Conflict."
The world around him seemed to slow dozens of times over. In that final, desperate instant, Su Chen's sword dao advanced another step. This strike carried bone-chilling killing intent, determined to leave Lin Zhan here forever.
Right as the sword was about to claim Lin Zhan's life, the woman used her frail body to shield him. With her last ounce of strength, she shoved Lin Zhan fully into the rift.
"Brother Lin… you have to live…"
The spatial tear sealed shut. Faintly, Lin Zhan's heartbroken, furious roar still echoed from the other side.
Watching Lin Zhan escape for the second time, Su Chen's rage boiled over. He swung once, severing the woman's head, then turned and left the battlefield without looking back. Even with all the mental fortitude he had built over lifetimes, in this moment, only one word remained in his mind.
"Fuck!"
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