Chapter 252: Chapter 252: Peak of the Seventh Rank! Projection of the Divine Sword!
Sizzle!
The incredibly sharp blade light seemed to tear through the void. The formidable attack launched by the Monster Emperor was returned with interest by Zhou Heng, who reversed its direction and sent it slashing back at the Monster Emperor!
However, due to the deflection from the undying seal method and the combat technique that redirected attacks, the power of the blade light had significantly weakened and posed no threat to the Monster Emperor.
Clang!
It sounded like a clash of metal as the Monster Emperor caught the blade light with one hand and squeezed it forcefully, shattering it into countless black sparkles that scattered in all directions.
“Interesting,” the Monster Emperor smirked, saying, “For a human, you are indeed strong. If it were more than a month ago, you might have actually posed a significant threat to me, but unfortunately…”
“Too much nonsense!” Zhou Heng’s footing became unstable, casting multiple shadows, and before his speech ended, he had already reached the Monster Emperor’s face.
At the same time, he lifted his right hand with fingers spread. A dark and profound energy emanated from his palm, carrying the might that could encompass everything and crush the heavens, and he slammed his hand down towards the Monster Emperor’s head.
Overturning Heaven Three Palms!
The world seemed to invert!
Boom!
This palm strike appeared to compress the surrounding air, causing ear-splitting roars to erupt.
The inner landscape that encompassed all life seemed to be pulling on the local laws of the world, wildly gathering elemental energy from all directions. Above Zhou Heng’s palm, there formed a massive, boundless mountain phantom that towered into the sky.
But the peak of this mountain seemed broken, like a divine column holding up the heavens had collapsed and the broken end was now in Zhou Heng’s palm, resembling a divine being holding a mountain, pressing it downward!
“Impressive!” the Monster Emperor howled, facing Zhou Heng’s palm strike with neither dodge nor evasion. Instead, it stacked its hands and lifted them upward, intending to clash head-on with Zhou Heng’s attack.
Furthermore, as its hands were lifted, the surging black aura around its body became more intense, demon energy soared to the sky, drawing a vast amount of elemental energy, which converged on its palms.
Bang!
Zhou Heng’s palm strike collided with the Monster Emperor’s hands, creating an impact where two streams of elemental energy clashed. The violent shock wave spread outward, turning trees within a radius of over thirty yards into dust.
The land under their feet was also overturned, as if it had just been plowed, with many rocks rolling down the hillside. Yet before they could fall, the shock wave shattered them into countless pebbles, scattering in all directions.
“Such a powerful force, is this the attack after mobilizing a great amount of elemental energy?!” Zhou Heng was inwardly shocked, feeling a numbness in his right hand and couldn’t help but want to retreat.
In fact, the instant he clashed palms with the Monster Emperor, he felt an overwhelming force coming from the Monster Emperor’s hands, which robustly neutralized the palm force of the world inversion and even had a counterattacking strength.
This wasn’t the Monster Emperor’s own strength but that of the natural world’s might it obtained after mobilizing elemental energy. It was the work of the natural world’s creation, a level of power that individual life forms couldn’t match.
Although Zhou Heng could also manipulate elemental energy to some extent, and even distort external principles with internal landscapes to enhance himself,
Ultimately, he had yet to reach the peak of the Seventh Rank.
All of this was only achieved through the effect of martial arts and the additional attributes of his spiritual root, spirit, physique, and so forth, all of which had their flaws.
In battles against most at the peak of the Seventh Rank, such awareness wasn’t a big deal, but when facing the Monster Emperor who, while not yet at the Secret Sixth Rank, already possessed most traits of that rank, the gap became apparent.
Zhou Heng’s earth-shattering palm strike was indeed powerful, but the Demon Emperor could summon several times more elemental energy from heaven and earth than Zhou Heng could. Such a disparity was enough to allow the Demon Emperor to overcome him with overwhelming force.
Bang!
Only a muffled sound was heard as Zhou Heng’s palm force disintegrated. At the same time, the surging power from the Demon Emperor, like a mountainous wave and tsunami, came crashing toward him. Zhou Heng was sent flying backward, and only after reaching a distance of over ten zhang was he able to use the Thousand Catty Falling Method to land on the ground.
This was the strength of one approaching the Secret Sixth Rank, the ability to command vast amounts of heavenly and earthly energy, to harness the forces of nature. This was the essential gap between their realms, as wide as a chasm.
Even someone as strong as Zhou Heng, who had not yet reached the Peak of the Seventh Rank or had been able to truly externalize his inner landscape and begin merging with heaven and earth, still found it difficult to bridge such a gap.
“Over so soon? I thought you were stronger!” The Demon Emperor laughed heartily, feeling the strength within his body far exceeding that of before, and his mood was extremely uplifted.
With a stomp of its foot, the ground trembled with a thud, and the ruler of the Demon Clan transformed into a shadow that in an instant reached Zhou Heng, spreading its arms with sharp claws emerging from each fingertip, reaching out to grab Zhou Heng.
“Human! Just accept your death quietly!”
Clang!!
But at that moment, the sound of a sword’s cry echoed, like a crane calling to the skies, piercing through all directions. A bright silver sword light appeared out of nowhere, slicing through the sky to strike down.
The Demon Emperor’s heart gave a strong alarm, and it immediately retreated to dodge this sword light.
But its speed was ultimately a step slower compared to the sword light.
Although its hands were not severed, the sharp claws that had just emerged from its fingertips were all slashed off by the sword light.
The Demon Emperor withdrew over ten zhang and saw a bright silver longsword, floating in the air next to Zhou Heng, emitting cold light and brimming with a murderous intent.
Sword Control Technique!
“What kind of technique is this?!” The Demon Emperor was astounded, having never seen such a technique before, feeling extremely shocked.
At this point, Zhou Heng took advantage of the Demon Emperor’s brief moment of distraction, formed hand seals, and immediately a ball of crimson fire lit in his hands, filled with an ominous aura.
Then the flame suddenly surged, drifting toward the Demon Emperor like a meteor, intending to charge at the Demon Emperor. But as soon as the fire left Zhou Heng’s palm, it disappeared without a trace, as if it had never existed.
At this moment, the Demon Emperor had also regained its composure and was fuming with anger, ready to counterattack Zhou Heng, when it suddenly sensed a dramatic change in the weather, dark clouds gathering, and golden snakes wildly dancing.
As the flame vanished, Zhou Heng changed his hand seals, gathering the qi of the five viscera and the Five Elements, condensing it into the seed of thunder, moving like fire and wind, commanding thunder to punish all things.
Five Thunder Righteous Method!
Boom, boom, boom!
Amidst the loud thunder, golden thunderbolts descended from the sky, striking unerringly at the Demon Emperor. The speed of the attack gave the Demon Emperor no chance to dodge, forcing it to withstand the hit directly.
However, Zhou Heng did not expect the Five Thunder Righteous Method to kill the Demon Emperor on its own. While the Demon Emperor was immobilized by the Five Thunder Righteous Method, Zhou Heng charged in front of it.
Then, he raised his right hand again, no longer using the earth-shattering technique, but a move that showed no specific patterns yet seemed to contain infinite martial arts within it.
Before Zhou Heng could bring down his palm, his palm seemed to exhibit layers upon layers, and as his fingers flickered, it was as if he was simultaneously performing countless martial arts.
There were palms, fists, sabers, swords, thunder, and the five elements… Overturning Heaven Three Palms, Purple Thunder Blade Skill, Five Thunder Righteous Method, Immortal Imprint Technique, Golden Light Three Forms, Six Meridian Divine Sword…
Including everything, embracing it all!
Creating all life!
Meanwhile, the golden thunder that had been brought down by the Five Thunder Righteous Method had mostly dispersed, revealing the form of the Demon King. Its whole body was charred like coal, and it was trembling nonstop, clearly not in good condition.
Yet it still retained most of its strength and had not been damaged at its core.
The Demon King belonged to the demons and was restrained by the Five Thunder Righteous Method.
In this targeted attack, the Sect Fifth Rank’s Taoist Formulas were even more effective than the Absolute Fourth Rank Martial Arts, which were only at beginner proficiency.
However, the Demon King’s power was too great. The Five Thunder Righteous Method wielded by Zhou Heng at his current level of cultivation was not enough to slay it, only enough to injure it slightly.
This injury completely enraged the Demon King; it grew furious, roaring out, “Humans, I will kill you, then exterminate your entire race, eradicate the Human Race ah!”
But as soon as this roar left its mouth, it faced head-on Zhou Heng’s move, Creating All Life.
In an instant, the Demon King even felt as though there were dozens of experts attacking it simultaneously, causing its spirit to become somewhat delirious. With a violent snap back to reality, it realized it was just a palm strike from Zhou Heng.
Yet, that momentary stupor caused it to lose the initiative. Additionally, as it had been struck by the Five Thunder Righteous Method earlier, its movements were not agile, and in a split second, it found itself unable to retaliate.
Even though it tried to use its spirit to manipulate the natural energies of the world for defense, it coincidentally met a vortex created by the previous collision of natural energies, which greatly increased the difficulty of its attempt to manipulate them.
At this moment, the Demon King felt it had suddenly become unlucky, inexplicably unlucky, and could only receive Zhou Heng’s descending palm strike head-on, without even the chance to defend itself.
This was all because Zhou Heng had previously cast the curse technique “Bewitching Guarding Heart Curse Method.” This technique could be used to release flames to burn monsters and evil demons, but it could also be used to curse others with misfortune and calamity.
Boom!
Zhou Heng’s palm struck solidly onto the Demon King, and all the Martial Arts he had learned thus far exploded simultaneously, creating an extremely powerful force that struck the Demon King.
On the spot, the Demon Clan’s ruler had its chest pierced by Zhou Heng’s palm, its flesh, ribs, heart, lungs, and other organs were sent flying and exploded mid-air.
The Demon King itself was blasted away by this immensely powerful force, its blood flowing freely, staining the sky.
At the same time, Zhou Heng’s Inner Qi seemed to boil over, his Innate Pure Yang Inner Qi seeping out of his body, forming bright and resplendent golden light, as the inner scene of Creating All Life suddenly also rushed out, merging with the world.
“Ah!”
Zhou Heng let out a long howl, his Qi piercing the rainbow.
His momentum soared abruptly, the power inside his body seemed to leap across a barrier as it rose rapidly, his body radiated golden light, his blood roared like a rushing river, his bones became refined, and even his skin and fascia displayed the color of hidden power!
Undergoing a complete transformation!
The inner scene manifested externally!
Merging with the world!
Peak of the Seventh Rank!
Zhou Heng had broken through; through this battle, exerting his full strength, he released the move “Exerting All Strength for the Creation of All Things”. He had finally succeeded in crossing his current barrier, arriving at the last level before stepping into the boundary of Secret Sixth Rank Innate Realm.
His strength naturally surged dramatically.
He even had a feeling that his current self, if fighting his former self, could defeat ten of them!
“Humans, now is not your time to roar!” The voice of the Demon Emperor came, indicating that it had not died yet.
Furthermore, at the spot where it had fallen, a pure white column of light suddenly rose into the sky, within which a figure slowly levitated up. It spread its arms, and behind it, six wings unfolded, with white feathers scattering about.
The figure flew out from the column of light, and it was indeed the Demon Emperor’s form. However, its chest wound had completely healed as if it had never been injured.
On its back, six wings with snow-white feathers spread out, their slight quivering able to stir up gales and draw in the massive energies of heaven and earth.
Seeing this, Zhou Heng’s brows slightly lifted, and he felt a sense of shock and trepidation.
“Humans, you should feel honored to witness my True Form. Why aren’t you kneeling to thank me?” The Demon Emperor was draped in a mantle of pure white light, appearing supremely saintly and noble.
It gently fluttered its wings, emanating an incomparable and terrifying might, causing the energies of heaven and earth for miles around to converge, forming a vortex above its head.
“Star Lord, this monster is no longer pretending to be Secret Sixth Rank. It can now genuinely manipulate the great energies of heaven and earth on a massive scale. This is the true Secret Sixth Rank Innate External Landscape!” Cheng Jianjian exclaimed in shock, her hands that were gathering the power of the Big Dipper momentarily pausing.
“Worthy of the Empress revered by the Human Race, you do have some insight. I don’t know what your Secret Sixth Rank means, and I’m not interested in knowing. But now that I am able to reveal my True Form, I am indeed invincible under heaven,” the Demon Emperor arrogantly declared, looking toward Zhou Heng with a light laugh. “Actually, I should thank you. I had not fully digested the Seven Lords I devoured, but after battling with you, I have finally finished digesting them, able to truly exhibit the power of my original True Form.”
“Star Lord, I will strike together with you!” Cheng Jianjian clenched her silver teeth, ready to completely withdraw her spell and abandon gathering the Big Dipper’s power to confront the Demon Emperor with Zhou Heng.
“There’s no need; I have my methods,” Zhou Heng shook his head, and then he sighed lightly, “Actually, this time I wanted to rely solely on my own power.”
“Then what trick do you have left?” The Demon Emperor curiously watched Zhou Heng. Now endowed with the power of the Six-Winged True Form, it felt unbeatable, as if nothing in existence could harm it.
“It’s all because your stupidity forced me to cheat,” Zhou Heng sighed heavily and then, all of a sudden, a majestic Sword Qi surged from his body and shot straight into the heavens.
“Activate the weapon projection card!
“Tianya Sword!”
A sky-blue sword light coalesced out of thin air and landed in Zhou Heng’s palm, transforming into a longsword that seemed to ripple with shimmering waves, with a clear aura lingering around it as if it were a divine weapon from the Immortal Home, a treasure of extraordinary value.
This was a treasure weapon comparable to a Sect Fifth Rank, now projected in hand, its power undiminished, equating to a Fifth Rank Sect Master personally striking!
At the same time, Zhou Heng held the sword with his right hand pointing towards the heavens, while his left hand formed seals. The internal and external landscapes merged, the great energies of heaven and earth stirred, and suddenly, lightning illuminated his body. The sword’s edge directed the firmament to instantly cloud over with dark thunderheads, as his mouth seemed to murmur and chant in low tones.
“Nine Heavens Mysterious Extermination, transform into divine thunder!
“Brilliance Heavenly Power, drawn by the sword!”