Chapter 853: Chapter 24: Absolutely Not Zhou Yan
Zhou Yan remained silent for a while, slowly nodding, as if he didn’t quite understand Jiang Tianxin’s words.
He nodded, and in Jiang Tianxin’s view, it was unclear whether Zhou Yan was choosing the first condition or the second.
Jiang Tianxin kept his eyes on Zhou Yan, observing the changes in his expression, but he couldn’t discern anything, as if the former Lei Yan King, the Zhou Yan he once knew and could easily manipulate, had now become completely unfathomable and unpredictable.
Zhou Yan seemed to have become weaker, more ordinary, more like an ant, but he was definitely not just an ant anymore.
Even if he were truly an ant, he would be an ant that had completely transformed, with the strength to look up at the heavens!
Jiang Tianxin felt a little apprehensive, realizing that the changes in the plane’s time weren’t fast. From then until now, not too many years had passed. From the time the Star River incident happened until now, it had only been a little over ten years.
Despite the plane’s descent causing the Sword Burial Ancestor Star’s time to displace by nearly a hundred years, there hadn’t been much change in the overall time of the plane.
Eleven years.
In Jiang Tianxin’s view, eleven years were merely an interval for enlightenment, not even enough time for a break, yet Zhou Yan seemed to have lived another lifetime, approaching perfection without flaw in every aspect.
Zhou Yan’s greatest flaw, his emotional weaknesses, seemed to no longer exist.
At the very least, in the past, in an unstable environment, without a grand scene, Zhou Yan would never have allowed Zhou Zheng to marry Gongcheng Qingwan.
But no one expected that in such a simple and incomplete environment, unnoticed by cultivators, Zhou Yan allowed Zhou Zheng and Gongcheng Qingwan to marry.
This not only interrupted many plans but also highlighted a very serious issue—the fundamental change in Zhou Yan’s nature.
This was the key point.
For Jiang Tianxin, he no longer felt confident he could control Zhou Yan’s every move.
That strong confidence melted away quickly like spring snow under the sun due to Zhou Yan’s actions.
"It seems you’ve chosen the second option—to die. What a pity."
Unable to grasp Zhou Yan’s intentions or actions, Jiang Tianxin probed him.
Though it was merely a probe, his words contained no lack of murderous intent, ready to act at any slight indication from Zhou Yan.
Gongcheng Diewu and others were filled with concern, wisely stepping back, not getting involved in this situation.
They knew well that their strength couldn’t help, and their involvement would only become a burden, so they stepped back to let Zhou Yan fight without worry.
Jiang Tianxin finished his words, exerting a limitless imposing force to suppress Zhou Yan, seemingly wanting him to submit.
While this pressure would be deadly to other cultivators, it had no effect on Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan remained silent.
Jiang Tianxin continued to watch Zhou Yan, saying, "What’s the matter, you can’t fight back? Or do you wish to die? You should know, if you miss seeing the Holy Daughter this time, you’ll never have the chance again. The changes in this plane surpass your imagination."
"Whether I see the Holy Daughter is unimportant, isn’t it? Ultimately, what I would see is not the real Holy Daughter, just a puppet. As for choices, I’ve made mine; it’s just you who hasn’t realized it yet. I choose neither path, but a third one—you die!"
Zhou Yan replied calmly.
"Your strength is indeed formidable, your combat prowess astonishing, but you can’t kill me, and even if you did, it’d be meaningless because I’m merely an avatar. Killing my avatar won’t hurt me much; you would lose your last chance to face your Holy Daughter, the last one! Do you think I’m just scaremongering? In my eyes, Zhou Yan, you’ve never been someone worth my deception. Your existence is so insignificant that you don’t even qualify to be tricked by me!"
Jiang Tianxin sneered coldly.
That disdain, stemming directly from a sense of superiority within his soul, was evident, as if he were divine and Zhou Yan was an ant.
His words, his demeanor, his everything indicated the truth of it all.
Even Zhou Zheng, Gongcheng Qingwan, Gongcheng Qingyang, and others behind Zhou Yan felt that Zhou Yan should go, or he would regret it in the future.
But Zhou Yan showed no signs of anxiety, nor the intention to act according to Jiang Tianxin’s words.
"Killing you, simply because I want to."
Zhou Yan’s tone was indifferent, having ceased to concern himself with the Holy Daughter Jiang Tianxin mentioned. Perhaps it was his indifference, or his calmness, that finally introduced an unspoken sense of panic into Jiang Tianxin’s well-strategized mind.
The calmness of Zhou Yan brought fear, unease!
And with this unease, Zhou Yan suddenly made his move.
It was an unparalleled strike of thunder, erupting in an instant with boundless, fierce intent to kill.
That murderous intent was like a stormy sea condensed into one point, like a world-destroying Killing Spirit Divine Dao converged in one place. Jiang Tianxin momentarily saw chaos!
He saw endless chaos, the countless Ancient Sword Bodies derived from murderous intent transforming into chaos.
Killing Spirit Divine Dao!
Xingyi Zun Dao!
Soul Slash Zun Dao!
Thunderflame Divine Dao!
Silent Annihilation Purple Flame!
Even the Soul Sword filled with divinity and so on, it seems all ways, all Tao return to unity, converge at a point, and are unleashed in one strike.
The realm Zhou Yan displayed was merely that of the Nine Sword Saint Sources; even if his combat power broke the Fifth and Ninth Transition, in Jiang Tianxin’s eyes, it was only around the Sword God Fifth Transition, an unimaginable gap from his Venerable Realm.
Yet, Jiang Tianxin discovered that the Void Double Saints beside him didn’t even sense the killing intent, making no move at all, as if not detecting the lethal intent at all.
This scene was too bizarre and incredible.
Jiang Tianxin’s heart trembled, sensing that Zhou Yan at this moment was not in the Nine Origin Sword Saint Realm but rather like the reincarnation of Lei Yan King, nearly in a state of calm, exuding an indescribable immortal divinity.
This was something impossible for Zhou Yan, as he inherited the incomplete Emperor Blood, making it impossible for him to possess an Immortal Evil Soul; there must be defects. But the person before him clearly had a soul level of Great Perfection, nearly with an immortal soul body, and if not for the apparent insufficient realm of the body, achieving immortality might not be too difficult!
In other words, the person before him absolutely could not be Zhou Yan!
This person is not Zhou Yan, yet appears with Zhou Yan’s identity and behavior, for what reason?
Moreover, the capabilities demonstrated by this person, able to make the enslaved Void Dual Venerables disobey commands, a power like this, such divine soul suppression strength, is beyond what Zhou Yan could ever achieve?
Suddenly, Jiang Tianxin thought of a person, a fearful and extremely mysterious individual, and for a moment, he was taken aback.
For a strong master, a momentary lapse could determine victory or defeat, let alone at such a critical time, Jiang Tianxin’s distraction could only be courting death.
Indeed, the terrifying divine power, combined with a trace of immortal divine killing intent, derived into a golden Emperor Sword sword light, which was unleashed.
In an instant, Jiang Tianxin felt his body pierced through, experiencing a brief loss of control over his six senses.
As his six senses recovered, Jiang Tianxin realized he had returned to his main body, completely unaware of the fate of his avatar.
Clearly, the avatar had been instantly annihilated.
Yet, Jiang Tianxin was neither angry nor agitated, remaining remarkably calm.
Anomalies surely indicate something odd.
The Zhou Yan he encountered was too peculiar, appearing in an extraordinarily bizarre manner, with behavior and methods that were exceedingly strange, not at all like the real Zhou Yan.
Furthermore, the real Zhou Yan, once knowing the Holy Daughter’s life was in jeopardy, would never remain so calm and composed.
As someone in the Earth Spirit Sky Sword Venerable Realm, Jiang Tianxin would never misjudge whether a cultivator is truly calm or not.
But the Zhou Yan he met was genuinely composed, as though indifferent to the Holy Daughter, as if she was not worth mentioning, completely disregarded.
"This Zhou Yan..."
Jiang Tianxin’s heart sank, the vague premonition seemed to grow stronger, so he concentrated and held his breath, donned his guardian supreme armor, and to prevent himself from being cut down, projected his true body, instantly descending upon that specific region.
And that particular region was precisely where Zhou Yan had just killed Jiang Tianxin’s avatar.
...
Zhou Yan harnessed the limited energy from the ’Great Domain’ within the Throne, performing the Undying Rebirth Technique and Nirvana Rebirth Technique with the last wisp of Emperor Xuan Yuan’s Energy in his body, using the energy from Jiang Tianxin’s unexpectedly slain avatar to instantaneously restore his soul power.
Despite this, Zhou Yan still felt himself nearly exhausted, almost completely depleted of his accumulations.
But fortunately, Jiang Tianxin was not present, so this momentary weakness went unnoticed by anyone.
As for the Void Double Saints—the enslavement on a soul level was such that they would not attack Zhou Yan at this nearly Immortal Evil Soul level.
Of course, Zhou Yan was also unable to command the two who had become puppets.
Thus, the Void Double Saints could only stand silently in the void, like statues, as if inert.
In an instant, Zhou Yan eradicated his bodily frailty; although all his accumulations were depleted, with some subsequent weakness, he was no longer worried.
A nearly immortal perfect soul, an almost condensed soul embryo level, combined with the Rebellious Bone Heavenly Tribulation and the inheritance and training on Earth, the transformation through Ancestor Worship, allowed Zhou Yan to transcend strategic calculations, so any unfolding situation would be intuitively perceived and unraveled by Zhou Yan.
It was precisely due to this that, when facing Zhou Zheng’s sealing and toxins, the bloodline shackles, Zhou Yan did not hesitate to use Emperor Xuan Yuan’s Energy, and while treating Zhou Zheng, he awaited the advent of a strong master.