Against the Gods

Chapter 74 – Burst!

The lightning sword strike that would’ve determined the victory had actually missed, which also spoiled his plan of killing Yun Che in a single blow. Lu Zhannan was quite surprised in his heart. He quickly turned around without pause, and the longsword swept straight toward Yun Che.

The spear has a spear’s advantage, so naturally, the sword has its own advantages too. A spear’s oppression has no equal, yet a sword’s swift fierceness was unmatched. Together with the sword’s power, Lu Zhannan carried the imposing aura of a turbulent storm; and as if it were a stream of light, the sword flew toward Yun Che’s chest.

Yun Che’s had an indifferent expression; his body casually leaned a small diagonal step backwards, and easily dodged Lu Zhannan’s second sword strike. Only a *riiip* sound blared about; like a silver shark that broke out of thin ice, a deep trench was carved out from the Main Palace’s floor in the direction the sword pointed.

The power behind this sword strike made quite a few disciples gasp.

“Lu Zhannan didn’t hold back in the slightest; moreover, both sword strikes were aimed at the vitals... He’s obviously going in for the kill!”

“To kill people inside the New Moon Profound Palace, the only one who would dare to do so is probably this Lu Zhannan. However, if this happens, this Yun Che might really be finished here.”

Qin Wuyou sat on the main seat of the Main Palace as he watched the battle between Yun Che and Lu Zhannan with a calm gaze. Although Sikong Han continued to shoot him meaningful glances in hope that he would use the Palace Chief’s status to stop this unfair battle between two who were at completely different levels, it was as if Qin Wuyou had not noticed Sikong Han’s intentions at all; he also did not have any intentions of stopping the battle, which left Sikong Han with no choice but to only helplessly worry.

As Qin Wuyou watched Yun Che, his heart was swayed for a long time... This youngster, he indeed only had the profound strength of the first level of Nascent Profound Realm. However, during the moment he struck, the huge surge of his profound power was extraordinary; what exactly is going on here? Is he hiding his true strength? Impossible, if I can’t even see through the strength of a junior generation correctly, wouldn’t the dozen of years I lived through, have been for naught?

His strength was already enough to stir up an uproar in New Moon City when he had defeated Tie Hengjun with his age and condition. If he were to also win against this Lu Zhannan.... Then, this battle that I’m witnessing before my eyes, may be the sudden rise of a future ‘Throne’!

(TL: Someone at the Emperor Profound Realm in Blue Wind Empire)

He appeared to be extremely arrogant right from the start, and was even a bit overly presumptuous and supercilious. But was that really his true nature? When he was facing against Tie Hengjun, he had a completely different attitude. Wildly arrogant people are usually impatient and restless, but both his aura and gaze had always been too tranquil; it was so calm that ought not to emerge from a sixteen year old youngster’s body. As one who possessed this kind of gaze and aura; how could he possibly be a wildly arrogant person....

Then the only explanation, would be that the various arrogant stances and attitude from the start, were all deliberately done.... Even including the angering and provoking of the seven great sects; they were all intentional!

Since he decided to enter this New Moon Profound Palace while also deliberately provoking the seven great sects, just what exactly was his goal?

Qing Wuyou’s thoughts continuously rotated, yet his vision was firmly locked on Yun Che the whole time, as he projected an admiration that was impossible to hide.

The Yun Che at this time, had already been drawn into the shadows of Lu Zhannan’s sword.

Lu Zhannan’s sword became faster and faster. There was clearly only one sword in his hand but it swung out as many as a few dozen of shadowy swords that covered the sky. One simply could not differentiate which sword shadow was real, and which sword shadows were illusory. However, inside the terrifyingly dense sword shadows, Yun Che’s body kept on swaying and shifting continuously. The sword was like a tempest, but it didn’t leave the slightest trace of wound on Yun che’s body.

This undoubtedly implied, that Yun Che’s speed of body movements.... were even faster than Lu Zhannan’s sword!!

All the disciples in the palace became stupefied from watching this. When Lu Zhannan entered the stage, they had all thought that Yun Che was completely done for. Under hands of Lu Zhannan, Yun Che’s most likely outcome would be a one second defeat. Lu Zhannan didn’t let anyone down either; every sword strike that left his hand, could all be considered as marvelous.... Yet, up until now, he had almost consecutively struck out his sword for nearly one hundred times, but still was incapable of even touching a corner of Yun Che’s clothes.

Every moment Lu Zhannan swung out his sword, Yun Che’s body would immediately shift in the next; and every single time, Lu Zhannan’s sword could only stab into his afterimage. What Yun Che exhibited was the “Star God’s Broken Shadows” in a very tiny margin; with all Fifty Four Profound Veins opened, it could be freely released instantaneously while keeping the consumption of profound energy very low. However, there was a prerequisite that’s absolutely necessary... That was, that Yun Che must have a sharp enough perceptive ability; he would need to be able to judge the sword’s trajectory the instant Lu Zhannan released his sword.

The disciples in the palace were silent for a long time; what they had received after waiting was not Yun Che’s miserable defeat, but rather, another shock. After staring for a long time while dumbstruck, Sikong absentmindedly muttered to himself: “No wonder... He’s actually using the air currents to perceive! However, in early periods of profound cultivation, the eyes should be the main method of perceiving. To be able to analyze and perceive using the profound energy’s aura and air current, one would need to at least accumulate a dozen years of battle experience... One would at least need to be twenty five or older to be able to accomplish this! Absolutely none of the young disciples that were present would be able to do this. Yun Che was clearly only sixteen years old, but he could already accomplish it to such a degree! Furthermore, he had done so effortlessly; even amidst the cage of sword shadows, he was still unruffled, and dodged without the slightest margin of error!”

“Xiao Lie.... Exactly what method did he use to bring up such an anomalous grandchild!!”

Line after line of sword flashes sliced toward his body; in the midst of Yun Che’s swift dodges, he felt the faint pain of the sharp sword aura scrape his face and arms. At this time, Jasmine’s warning tone of voice suddenly came from his mind: “You should end the battle quickly. It’s your first time using Evil Soul, and you actually fought consecutively; it’s much too straining. You should also be feeling the burden on your body and profound veins. With your current condition, Evil Soul can at most be maintained for another thirty seconds. Any longer than that, your profound veins would have the possibility of being severely damaged.”

The inside of Yun Che’s heart all of a sudden, faintly trembled.

“You piece of trash, do you only know how to dodge?” Since more than one hundred of his sword strikes didn’t even injure a single strand Yun Che’s hair, flustered and exasperated, Lu Zhannan increasingly became nervous as he lowly roared.

Under his irritation, Lu Zhannan’s profound strength crazily swelled from his entire body as the power behind his sword became increasingly violent. Under the sweeping sword shadows, it was as if an extremely sharp gust of violent wind blew inside the Main Palace; the marble floor was continuously cut and shattered by the sword’s aura, and was sent scattering by the sword’s wind.

It was as if Lu Zhannan’s words were effective; his next sword strike thrusted down at an angle, but Yun Che didn’t choose to dodge using his impeccably bizarre movement skill again. Instead, he suddenly closed in to face the blade of his sword, and forcibly attacked toward his body.

Yun Che’s actions made Lu Zhannan pleased beyond his belief, as he lowly roared in his heart: Fool, you have a death wish!

Rip!!

Lu Zhannan’s longsword viciously sliced at Yun Che’s left arm, and the strike unquestionably splattered blood. However, when he saw the bloody laceration he had cut on Yun Che’s arm, Lu Zhannan wasn’t overjoyed, but was instead shocked.... Because the sword strike filled with his profound energy of the sevens level of the Nascent Profound Realm, actually only cut a wound onto his body; let alone chopping his entire arm off, even the bones had not been touched!

The profound power in Yun Che’s body, was undoubtedly only at the first level of the Nascent Profound Realm!

As Yun Che took his sword head on, his right fist that was filled with all his power, also ferociously crashed onto Lu Zhannan’s chest.

Bang!!

Was it possible for a profound strength at the first level of the Nascent Profound Realm to break through the protective profound energy of an opponent at the seventh level of the Nascent Profound Realm?

Lu Zhannan was originally about to simply dismiss Yun Che’s strike, but then, his complexion abruptly changed greatly.

His chest’s protective profound energy didn’t even last half a breath, and was immediately shattered. Lu Zhannan felt as if his chest had been directly smashed by a heavy hammer that weighed five hundred kilograms. His innards violently tumbled as he consecutively retreated seven or eight steps, and almost plunged onto the ground.

Impossible! He clearly had the mere profound strength of a first ranker at the Nascent Profound Realm! Even if his profound strength was much thicker than ones of the same level, it would at most be able to match the third or fourth level; however I, myself am over half a realm stronger! How was it possible for me to be embarrassed into such a state after one of his strikes, when I couldn’t even cut through his protective profound energy?

His mind was in chaos as his intention to kill rose even higher. Just as he was about to use Seven Deadly Sword Pavilion’s strongest ultimate skill, he suddenly saw Yun Che extend his right hand in his direction, while revealing a bizarre smile on his face.

“Burst!!” Yun Che’s five open fingers that faced Lu Zhannan suddenly grasped tightly, as a muffled word leaked out from his mouth.

Just as everyone was bewildered by his actions and the word he spoke, they suddenly heard a *fwoosh* sound come from Lu Zhannan’s body. Right after, Lu Zhannan’s blood-curling scream of agony resounded through the entire Main Palace.

“UWAAAAAAA!!”

A ball of flame suddenly soared out from Lu Zhannan’s chest, which also happened to be the spot where Yun Che had struck him. Flesh, bones, and even the nearby organs were all enveloped into the scorching flame. Lu Zhannan painfully tumbled on the ground as both of his hands desperately patted and slapped in an attempt to extinguish the “demonic fire” that came from who knows where. However, these flames were ignited from the profound energy that Yun Che had poured into the inside of his chest; unless he tore open his own chest, there was simply no chance of it being extinguished.

To even make someone with the nickname “ Cold-Blooded” scream like this, one could imagine the pain he was bearing at this moment. Not to mention a fire ignited inside one’s body, being burned by fire was already difficult to endure for an ordinary person. The complexions of everyone within the Main Palace all changed; some became ashen, some became ghastly, and some had even started to shiver from head to toe.

“It’s fire... Fire attribute Profound Arts! He can actually also use profound arts of the fire attribute!!”

“My heavens! Isn’t this the remote ignition of the profound that can only be achieved within the higher realms of fire attribute profound arts? Not only does this Yun Che possess fire attribute profound arts, he unexpectedly, had already reached this state.... He’s obviously only sixteen! How can this be possible!”

“So that’s why! No wonder Yan Ming was so battered before, that wasn’t some low level mistake at all; it was because Yun Che also had fire attribute profound arts, and he was clearly much better at it than Yan Ming! For Yan Ming to play with fire against him, he was completely digging his own grave!” As they watched the flame that exploded from Lu Zhannan’s chest, many had come back to their senses from the shock.

And Yan Ming, who had been defeated by Yun Che earlier, became as dazed as a wooden chicken. The remote ignition of profound energy was an ability that could be achieved with his sect’s profound art only when one had cultivated it to the sixth realm; he didn’t even dare to think about achieving it before the age of thirty. However, Yun Che had done it, and indisputably displayed it right before everyone’s eyes. At this time, he thoroughly understood that his loss did not carry the slightest bit of injustice. To play with fire against an anomaly who could remotely ignite profound energy.... It was virtually showing off one’s skills of the axe in front of a master carpenter, and asking to be humiliated.

After being struck, if only Lu Zhannan hadn’t immediately gnashed his teeth and reaccumulated his strength in order to regain his “momentum” but instead, immediately forced out Yun Che’s profound energy that had been smashed into his body, the outcome would’ve been undeniably different. However, even though Lu Zhannan was blown back with just a single hit from Yun Che’s fist, he was still unwilling to recognize Yun Che’s power; he even more so, had not expected that Yun Che actually possessed such a powerful ability to control fire.

Yun Che walked beside his feet, looked at him with an gaze of pity, and spoke with an indifferent tone: “Like I’ve said before, I don’t have the slightest interest in your name anymore. Someone with the strength at the seventh level of the Nascent Profound Realm, couldn’t even defeat a first ranker of the Nascent Profound Realm; this kind of trash, is not necessary for me to know at all.”

After he finished speaking, he lightly flicked his finger as he smiling disdainfully. The nightmarish fire on Lu Zhannan’s chest was then finally extinguished.

Against people he hated, Yun Che didn’t mind adding insult to their injury at all; moreover, this Lu Zhannan also had the intention of killing him. If it wasn’t under the watchful eyes of everyone inside this New Moon Profound Palace’s Main Palace, he never would’ve been kind enough to extinguish the fire on Lu Zhannan’s body.