"The battle begins, only life or death!"
"Who dares to initiate this first round? This Emperor bestows upon them a scroll of the Rong Tian realm cultivation technique!" Ying Zhong drank the wine in his cup, looking at the many Rong Tian realm powerhouses in the world.
Pei Yin scanned the surroundings, his face showing a hint of sorrow. The human race, having barely established itself in the Southwest Domain, had been constantly harassed by the Ancient Wilderness. Even the outside world had no information about the Southwest Domain; it was entirely surrounded by the Ancient Wilderness.
The Great Cloud Dynasty, the Holy Origin Dynasty, and the Blood Sun Dynasty had all attempted to sail around the Ancient Wilderness, but alas, no survivor had returned in the past hundred thousand years.
With great difficulty, a new human force emerged in the Southwest Domain. Instead of offering support and assistance, these dynasties cruelly attacked, annihilating the Great Han in one fell swoop.
The Rong Tian realm powerhouses seated here were all supreme beings tempered by holy wars. Especially Qin Nan, the Great General of the Northern Cold Dynasty, and Xiong Feng, the Superior General of the Great Cloud Dynasty, including the two Rong Tian realm powerhouses now beside Ying Zhong. These were all recognized as top-tier cultivators at the second layer of the Rong Tian realm by the Ten Great Dynasties. Each one of them, taken individually, could cleave three Rong Tian realm cultivators of the same level. Their strength was terrifyingly immense.
Now gathered together, united against a common enemy, the Great Han's position was precarious!
Several breaths after Ying Zhong finished speaking, no imperial dynasty responded. Zhang Liao and the others were unrecognized, but Li Bai, the Azure Lotus Sword Immortal, and Chen Qiu, the Sword Saint, were both sword cultivators who specialized in combat. No one dared to step forward. No one was foolish enough to act as guests from afar without their patrons making a statement.
"Good!"
Ying Zhong's expression turned grim. This matter had been instigated by him. The Holy Origin Dynasty was the most humiliated among the Ten Great Dynasties. The Sword Saint had defected and betrayed the country, and the Dan Qing Pavilion had been absorbed by the Great Han. This battle was for him to initiate.
"Uncle!"
"This battle, please trouble you, Uncle!" Ying Zhong turned his head slightly to look at Ying Ji beside him. Ying Ji was the brother of the former Emperor of the Holy Origin Dynasty, Ying Qu, and Ying Zhong's uncle. He held a position in the Imperial Clan Office of the Holy Origin Dynasty and was a powerhouse at the second layer of the Rong Tian realm.
"Human Emperor, rest assured, I will be back shortly!" Ying Ji strode forward, looking at Li Bai with disdain. "Azure Lotus Sword Immortal, what a lofty claim, daring to tarnish the word 'Immortal.' Arrogant!"
"You all have acted with impunity in our court, first taking in Chen Qiu, who betrayed our nation, then disrespecting our imperial alchemists in the Dan Qing Pavilion. Now, you dare to infiltrate the capital. Today, I will shatter your three feet of green steel!" Ying Ji's facial muscles twitched, and immense primal energy surged forth, immensely powerful. His two large hands were tinged with purple and black.
"Boom!"
Ying Ji took a step forward, landing directly on the arena stage in the plaza. He extended a finger and beckoned Li Bai lightly. "Hurry down and accept your death!"
The Rong Tian realm powerhouses in the pavilion couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing Ying Zhong dispatch Ying Ji. Ying Ji was the second strongest in the Holy Origin Dynasty, second only to the one at the fourth layer of the Rong Tian realm. He was also ranked among the top three at the second layer of the Rong Tian realm in the Ten Great Dynasties. His combat power was formidable, and his 'Rift Valley Fierce Fist' held sway over the vassals.
"You!" Chen Qiu, drawing his sword, was about to step forward but was gently stopped by Zhang Liao beside him. He shook his head at Chen Qiu.
His strength, compared to when he first appeared, had also improved by a minor realm. Zhang Liao slowly rose, gripping his hook saber, causing Lie Fenghou and Pei Yin to stare intently at him. Despite being a member of the Great Han, this man was not well-known. A casual snort from him a few days prior had directly shattered Lie Fenghou's primal energy suppression, indicating considerable strength. Sū Dān Novels
Zhang Liao stood up and strode towards the plaza, his hook saber dragging on the ground, scraping sparks.
"Another Rong Tian realm powerhouse!" The atmosphere in the pavilion instantly became oppressive. So far, the Great Han had revealed three Rong Tian realm powerhouses to outsiders. This foundation alone was enough to establish a powerful imperial force.
Everyone was puzzled why so many Rong Tian realm powerhouses were willing to humble themselves and bow to a mere dynasty.
"Who are you?"
"Let Li Bai fight me!" Ying Ji was instantly furious. He wanted to tear Li Bai apart in front of the world, sacrificing his fierce fists in blood. Compared to the man walking towards him, Li Bai's reputation had long since spread far and wide, his prestige was immense. This battle would be enough to place his name at the pinnacle of fame once again.
"Former General of the Great Han, Commander of the Vermilion Bird Legion—Zhang Liao!" Zhang Liao spoke softly, his voice echoing throughout the plaza. Most people had never heard of Zhang Liao before, but the Vermilion Bird Legion had already earned a formidable reputation during the Great Han's conquest of eight dynasties.
It was even ranked as one of the Great Han's three most formidable military legions by various imperial forces!
As soon as Zhang Liao finished speaking, he gripped his hook saber, and a blue saber light instantly tore through the clouds. The saber light shot towards the sky, his clasped hands making cracking sounds. He unleashed a single saber strike!
The blue saber energy, like a thunder dragon, resounded in all directions, illuminating ten thousand feet. The saber light traversed the sky, with strands of lightning intertwining on its surface, dazzling and piercing.
"You court death!"
Ying Ji instantly became enraged, his face turning dark and ashen. To be so presumptuous in front of the world, showing him no respect, he instantly unleashed a thunderous fury.
His body exploded forth, the ground of the arena rumbling. His fists were clenched, and streaks of black light appeared on them, like empty black holes. With a single punch, it seemed as if he could turn heaven and earth into nothingness.
Ying Ji threw a punch!
Black light roared, and fist shadows, each three zhang in size, crisscrossed the void. From a distance, it looked like a furious Vajra, shattering the void and shaking the vast sky.
"Boom!!"
A thunderous explosion. The blue saber light directly shattered the black fist shadows and then pressed down from above Ying Ji, forcing him into the ground.
Zhang Liao's expression was cold, his eyes glinting with killing intent. On the edge of his hook saber, saber intent continuously condensed. He stood in the void, looking down at Ying Ji below.
Ying Ji dispersed his ferocious saber energy. He clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes, looking at Zhang Liao, who was clad in scarlet armor in the void. His fists trembled slightly and were quickly hidden within his robes.
Although the strike seemed to be from the second layer of the Rong Tian realm, the Vermilion Bird Armor had the amplification of the Vermilion Bird divine beast, which could boost its wearer by three minor realms. That casual strike from Zhang Liao had already suppressed him from the void to the ground.
His heart instantly began to beat rapidly. This was a crisis of life and death. All the hairs on his body stood on end. The intense pressure emanating from Zhang Liao in the scarlet armor in the void was even greater than the pressure from his own ancestor.
"Boom!"
All the martial artists in the pavilion stood up, their eyes filled with astonishment as they witnessed this scene. The mighty Ying Ji had been struck down by Zhang Liao's casual blow without any ability to retaliate, and he was completely overwhelmed by an immense pressure from head to toe.