Chapter 443: A Force of One Hundred Thousand

"What?"

His pupils contracted, and then he saw the dust slowly settle as a figure walked over.

Who else could it be but Zhang Xuan?

At this moment, Zhang Xuan showed no sign of dishevelment; he was spotless, as if the attack had never landed on him.

More importantly, his entire aura was like a cloud, with狂暴 power shooting out from every acupoint on his body, many times stronger than before.

"You... you..."

Ding Hong's whole body went rigid.

The full-force attack had landed squarely on him, yet instead of killing him, it had allowed him to break through and truly reach Half-Step Mortal Deity. This... couldn't be real!

The "young master" and others, who had thought Zhang Xuan would surely meet his doom this time, were all frozen in place.

Was he a cockroach?

Even a hit like that left him unscathed?

"Half-Step Mortal Deity or not, die!"

Ding Hong's eyes turned bloodshot. Gritting his teeth, he flipped his wrist, and a long sword appeared in his palm, thrusting straight forward.

He hadn't used a weapon before, not out of mercy, but because he thought it unnecessary against a Sovereign realm peak cultivator. Now that this guy was so heaven-defying, if he didn't use it, he might really die here.

He could no longer hold back.

Whoosh!

The sword light was like water, the cold air like frost.

Having reached the Mortal Deity realm and immersed himself in the way of the sword for over a hundred years, his skill had long reached perfection. With a single move, sword energy crisscrossed, and white sword light enveloped an area tens of meters wide, making it hard for anyone to approach.

"That's Sword Intent!"

Everyone's expressions tightened.

To comprehend the true intent of a weapon meant that one's understanding of it had reached an extremely profound level, allowing one to wield it as if it were an extension of one's arm.

This was a kind of artistic conception, a realization and insight into weapons that could hardly be achieved without years of hard work. Once comprehended, it was nearly impossible for someone of the same level to defeat them.

"Not only has he comprehended Sword Intent, but he has also advanced far along that path!"

Jin Conghai frowned. "It seems that Teacher Zhang has almost no chance of winning!"

Before Zhang Xuan's breakthrough, Ding Hong could still injure him with martial techniques alone, though killing him would require considerable effort. But now that he had displayed Sword Intent, it was a different story.

Sword Intent represented the sharpness and speed of the sword. Among experts of the same level, those who had comprehended this level were clearly superior.

And this Teacher Zhang, not even twenty years old, used a spear. His understanding of Sword Intent was likely far inferior, making it extremely difficult for him to win.

The "young master" and Wei Yuqing didn't speak, but their expressions were grave, clearly acknowledging this fact.

A Mortal Deity realm expert who had comprehended Sword Intent was terrifying beyond measure. It could be said that even if Jin Conghai were to fight him, it would take considerable effort to win.

Whoosh!

The sword energy swept straight across, carving a deep trench in the ground.

"Well done!"

Unlike the tension of the others, Zhang Xuan showed no trace of anxiety. Instead, he smiled lightly and stepped forward.

His figure flickered, and in the blink of an eye, he advanced four or five meters.

As if he had foreseen the opponent's moves and sword light, his body swayed left and right, and the sharp sword energy brushed past his skin without causing any harm.

At this moment, Zhang Xuan was like a nimble fish, able to find gaps and slip through even a net of sword energy.

"Half-Step Mortal Deity... truly powerful!"

Feeling the change in his own strength, Zhang Xuan sighed as he advanced.

Under normal circumstances, he would not have been able to break through to Half-Step Mortal Deity.

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen had collected many Sovereign realm secret manuals, but there were few on how to break through to Half-Step Mortal Deity. Even the scattered records, when compiled, were incomplete and could not form a true Heavenly Path manual.

That was why he had stopped after successfully breaking through to Sovereign realm peak.

However, the power within the Crimson Flame Lotus Seed was too violent. He wanted to stop, but the power hadn't been fully consumed, and he couldn't halt, leading to the situation where he continued to冲击 Half-Step Mortal Deity.

Logically, without a corresponding Heavenly Path technique, forcefully冲击 could easily lead to qi deviation, and might even cause injury.

It could be said to be extremely dangerous; he had nearly lost control of the violent power within him.

Just then, Ding Hong made his move.

The powerful force surged toward him, immediately suppressing the nearly exploding Zhang Xuan. The collision of the two forces not only left him unharmed but also allowed him to break through the shackles and successfully advance.

In fact, if this fellow hadn't attacked, he might have suffered qi deviation from the violent power of the Crimson Flame Lotus Seed and been injured without even fighting.

Though Ding Hong had intended to kill him, he had inadvertently helped him break through smoothly.

That was why his earlier "thank you" had been sincere, without any falsehood.

Of course, if Ding Hong knew this, he would surely vomit three liters of blood and die of rage on the spot.

What kind of nonsense was this?

If he had known, he wouldn't have been so hasty and wouldn't have attacked...

...

The thought flashed through his mind. Stepping into the opponent's sword light zone, Zhang Xuan threw a punch.

At this moment, patterns flowed in his eyes as the Eye of Insight activated once more.

His discerning eyes could see through the weaknesses of an opponent a minor level above him.

Under the flowing patterns, Ding Hong, who was at the initial stage of the Mortal Transformation First Layer Life Extension Realm, found all his flaws and techniques completely exposed.

Boom!

The Fist of Heaven, combined with brilliant true qi, formed a fist rainbow that shot through the middle of the sword light.

"Damn it!"

Unexpectedly, even after unleashing sword light, the opponent still managed to slip through and land a punch. Ding Hong's face turned grim as he roared, swinging his long sword in a half-circle to block.

Ding!

The fist rainbow struck the sword blade. The powerful attack produced a crisp metallic clang, and Ding Hong couldn't help but retreat two steps.

"A hundred thousand tons of force? The power of the Life Extension Realm?"

His face turned pale.

The Supreme Realm, also known as the Ten Thousand Cauldron Realm, means that one's strength surpasses ten thousand cauldrons, allowing one to dominate the world with sheer power alone.

Upon reaching this level, each minor advancement increases one's strength by ten thousand cauldrons.

A normal late-stage Supreme has exactly forty thousand cauldrons of power.

As for the Mortal Transformation Realm, transcending the mortal body, although one can borrow the power of heaven and earth to unleash extraordinary combat strength, there are still limitations.

For the First Layer Life Extension Realm, under normal circumstances, a full-force burst reaches its limit at a hundred thousand cauldrons.

Hence, it is also called the hundred-thousand-ton force.

If ten thousand cauldrons represent the Supreme, then a hundred thousand tons represent Mortal Transformation.

This person before him, only a half-step Mortal Transformation, can unleash a hundred thousand tons of force... How is that possible?

Originally, Ding Hong thought that even if the opponent broke through, he would still be inferior in absolute strength. But after receiving that punch, he immediately knew that this advantage was completely gone.

"Even if your strength reaches a hundred thousand, so what? Do you think you can break my sword intent with just your fist technique? Not a chance!"

He gritted his teeth again.

Whoosh!

The long sword danced, sword light like a shuttle. In the blink of an eye, strands of sword intent covered his entire body, forming a halo like flowing water.

"Shameless!"

Seeing this move, the 'Young Master' snorted.

"Indeed, quite shameless!"

Jin Conghai nodded: "Using sword intent to envelop oneself is essentially adopting a defensive stance—seeking no merit but no fault. A dignified Mortal Transformation expert forced into defense by a half-step Mortal Transformation—truly bizarre!"

Ding Hong's current move was not meant to kill Zhang Xuan but to defend himself.

The sharp sword light enveloped his body airtight; no matter how strong the fist, it couldn't harm him.

In other words, this fellow had been scared by the young man's successive moves.

Realizing that killing the opponent was no longer possible, he directly adopted a defensive posture.

A Mortal Transformation expert, even in the Ten-Nation Alliance, is a lofty figure. Being forced into such a state by a half-step Mortal Transformation—even witnessing it with one's own eyes was dizzying.

"Active defense... Does that mean Teacher Zhang has no way?"

Wei Yuqing couldn't help but ask.

"Indeed, there's no good way. Sword intent covers his entire body, flowing continuously, leaving no gaps. Unless one also comprehends the realm of sword intent, breaking through such a defense is very difficult!"

Jin Conghai said.

Adopting this defensive stance, with sword intent flowing, his whole body was covered in sharp剑气. No matter how hard the fist, it was still mortal flesh; how could it contend with the sharpness of剑气?

"Zhang Xuan, you are very powerful, but now neither of us can harm the other. Since Ding Mu is already dead, why don't we call it quits and stay out of each other's way? How about it?"

Having defended against the opponent's attack, Ding Hong finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the young man not far away, speaking.

He had intended to kill the one who slew his most beloved great-grandson to assert his authority, but now he found that not only could he not kill him, but he might even die himself. After much deliberation, he decided to back down.

Ding Mu was dead; there were many descendants, and he could always choose a new one to succeed the throne. But if he himself were killed, he would truly lose everything.

"Can't harm you?" Zhang Xuan shook his head: "You think too much!"

"Oh? My sword intent is suspended, covering my entire body. Do you still intend to break it with your fist?"

Ding Hong sneered: "Unless you have also comprehended sword intent and use sword intent against sword intent... But is that possible?"

Ridiculous!

To comprehend sword intent, he had ventured into barren lands and spent a full thirty years before finally breaking through. This young man was not even twenty; even if he started practicing the sword from the womb, how much could he have comprehended?

Moreover, he had seen the young man's spear technique earlier—pure moves, full of power, clearly showing profound mastery.

Weapons, though without restrictions, allow one to practice several kinds, but to master one to the limit requires immense effort.

It was already impressive to have cultivated spear technique to such a level; wanting to also develop sword intent... Was that possible?

"You want me to display sword intent? That is indeed unlikely!"

Knowing his thoughts, Zhang Xuan smiled faintly, turned his wrist, and a long sword appeared in his palm.

"Because... this thing's level is too low!"

With these words, he grasped the hilt and slowly drew the sword.

Hum! Hum! Hum!

Before the sword was fully unsheathed, the swords at the waists of all those present began to ring uncontrollably, trembling as if paying homage to an emperor.

"Ten thousand swords ringing in unison, dragon roar soaring to the sky... This is, this is... a realm higher than sword intent... the Sword Heart Realm?"

His scalp tingling, Ding Hong's vision went dark.