Chapter 1781: Zhang Hongtian Falls

Yang Shi guessed correctly. The biggest reason Zhang Hongtian chose to challenge Old Ghost Yu at this moment was that he knew the techniques and flaws in the other's martial art.

At this moment, he appeared to be on the defensive, but in reality, like his opponent, he was looking for an opportunity to strike with one sure blow and kill him on the spot!

Countless sword qi transformed into giant dragons, sweeping toward the sky. Old Ghost Yu's ghost claw flickered and moved against the current.

"Now is the time!"

Seeing that his opponent's flaw matched exactly what Zhang Xuan had described, Zhang Hongtian could no longer hold back. His long sword flashed, instantly hiding within the giant dragon, and thrust forward.

Hidden Sword in Flowing Water!

It was said to have been created by a lovesick genius of the Zhang family. His wife was killed by an enemy who excelled in water techniques, even using water to conceal his form, making him hard to capture. To avenge her, he created this sword technique, hiding the sword within water currents, and when the opponent borrowed water, he pierced through the throat.

Now, Zhang Hongtian used the dragon of sword qi to hide his long sword, achieving the same effect.

"Break!"

Old Ghost Yu indeed did not notice the long sword. His ghost claw waved in the air, blocking the sword qi.

Hum!

The giant dragon trembled, and the long sword emerged, growing larger and larger in his pupils.

However, at this moment, his power was at the point where old strength was exhausted and new strength had not yet arisen. He could no longer dodge. With a "puchi" sound, the sword pierced through his throat, and the surging power within it continuously destroyed the life force in his body.

"You... you... how did you know that after this move, there would be a pause in true qi lasting one-hundredth of a breath?"

His eyes wide with disbelief, Old Ghost Yu could not believe he had been killed like this!

Over ten thousand years, the two had fought countless times and knew each other's methods and abilities thoroughly. This fellow was indeed stronger than him, but only by a little. He could not win, but it should not be hard to preserve his life...

But now...

His Ghost Claw Chain, when executed continuously, had a pause of one-hundredth of a breath at the seventeenth move. This flaw, because of the speed, was unknown even to his fellow cultivators, and even Chen Linghuang had not noticed it.

How did this fellow know about it, and how did he precisely seize that brief moment to break through his defense?

"You lose!"

Too lazy to answer, Zhang Hongtian breathed a sigh of relief and raised his brows sharply.

Rumble!

Countless sword qi contained in the blade immediately exploded. Old Ghost Yu could no longer withstand it, and his body suddenly burst apart.

Sizzle!

At that moment, a book flew over, shook the exploding flesh and blood, and devoured it cleanly.

Looking up, Zhang Xuan saw that the other had somehow already refined the straw rain cape, and he clasped his hands: "Congratulations, Ancestor!"

"Killing him was all thanks to you!"

With a hearty laugh, Zhang Hongtian relaxed his mind and could no longer hold on, collapsing to the ground.

Although he had killed Old Ghost Yu, he was also utterly exhausted, his power completely depleted.

"Ancestor..."

Hurrying over, Zhang Xuan channeled his Heavenly Dao true qi into him, only to find that this powerful ancient sage's body was already like a tattered sack, unable to bear the power of true qi.

"This can't be..."

Panicking, he quickly took out many life-saving ninth-grade pills and fed them into the other's mouth as if they cost nothing.

His Heavenly Dao true qi was always effective, even capable of raising the dead, but now it had no effect at all—this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

This Zhang Hongtian was the last ancient sage ancestor of the Zhang family. He liked his temperament and character very much; he absolutely must not come to harm.

"Let me take a look..."

Yan Qing ancient sage flew over, helped Zhang Hongtian sit up, and placed his fingers on his pulse. After a moment, his face showed a look of dejection, and he shook his head: "He... his lifespan has ended! There is no remedy..."

"How is that possible? Among your group, he is the youngest. How could his lifespan be the first to run out..."

Zhang Xuan did not believe it.

This ancestor had extraordinary talent, reaching the ancient sage level at around five hundred years old, hailed as the strongest super expert of his time. Although he had lived for ten thousand years, he had been in slumber most of the time. Under normal circumstances, even if his lifespan ended, he should have lived much longer than the others.

How could he be the first to fail while the others were fine?

"In his battle with Chen Yonghuang, he consumed eighty or ninety percent of his essence blood and lifespan. To kill Old Ghost Yu, he held nothing back... I have no way either!"

Although he had long known that they would all fall eventually, Yan Qing ancient sage still showed a lonely expression and could not help shaking his head.

Ancient sages could regrow severed limbs and be reborn from a drop of blood, but they still could not withstand the limit of lifespan.

When the deadline came, no matter how strong one's strength, one could only turn into a handful of dust. Whether you were a prince or a commoner, none could escape.

Take this Zhang Hongtian, for example. Although he was relatively young among the many ancient sages, he held nothing back in every battle, and the life force within him had long been damaged.

Had it not been for the blood transfusion twenty years ago, he might have already died.

Being able to persist this long, even enduring two battles, was already beyond imagination.

"Yang Shi, can't you perform a blood transfusion? My blood can still be used..." Zhang Xuan hurriedly looked at Yang Xuan.

Seeing his expression, Yang Xuan also shook his head helplessly: "Brother... your blood has already been transfused once. It is of no use to him anymore..."

"But..." Zhang Xuan wanted to say something more, but Yang Shi interrupted: "Birth, aging, sickness, and death—these are the laws. Even ancient sages cannot avoid them. Back then, the nine ancient sages of the Zhang family roamed heaven and earth, how powerful they were! And now, they have all turned into memorial tablets, only able to enjoy the reverence of their descendants!"

Zhang Xuan was speechless.

"Don't be sad!"

Zhang Hongtian regained some spirit and, seeing his expression, smiled slightly with affection in his eyes: "I have always wanted to hold on because the Zhang family had only me left as an ancient sage. Once I died, the entire family would decline... Now, you have appeared. With an ancient sage-level long blade and various means, in a real fight, you are not weaker than me! There is nothing more to worry about!"

"I..."

Zhang Xuan's eyes reddened.

"Where there is life, there is death. Life is impermanent—I have known this for a long time! Since I learned that there is no more ancient sage power in heaven and earth, the moment I decided to go into slumber... Zhang Hongtian was already dead! I have only been lingering on, just to let my clan and humanity go further."

Zhang Hongtian looked over: "Now, I can finally lay down my burden, no longer worry, and be liberated. What is there to be sad about? On the contrary, you, though only at the peak of the Golden Body realm, have taken on the heavy responsibility of protecting the family... That is more difficult than for me!"

Having said this, feeling the life force draining from his body and knowing it was beyond recovery, Zhang Hongtian turned his head to look around and laughed heartily.

"Alright, friends, I hope in the next life we can fight side by side again! I, Zhang Hongtian, am a bit lazy and wish to take my leave first..."

Before his voice faded, his eyes closed, and he passed away peacefully.