Chapter 666: Fall of a Saint Ruler (Four)
“Is this the power of a Fifth Heavenly Layer Saint Ruler? It’s far stronger than a Fourth Heavenly Layer Saint Ruler.” Jian Chen remarked to himself. Up against the Fourth Heavenly Layer Situ Qing, Jian Chen wasn’t at a good chance of winning, but he was at the very least assured that Situ Qing would be unable to pose a threat to him. But now that Situ Qing’s strength broke through to the Fifth Heavenly Layer, Jian Chen felt that he was up against a tremendous threat. This incoming strike would spell out a fatal blow to even him.
“Raah!” Jian Chen howled. All of the Chaotic Force in his dantian immediately rushed out of it to reinforce his entire body so that he could break free from the solidified space around him.
The solidified space around Jian Chen was assaulted by the surge of power coming from Jian Chen’s body and shook violently. In no time at all, the solidified space around Jian Chen had returned back to its normal condition and gave Jian Chen back his mobility. As a result, Jian Chen was able to dodge so that Situ Qing’s sword passed harmlessly overhead.
“Whoosh!” At that moment, another golden arrow shot at the Saint Weapon poised for Jian Chen’s forehead and knocked it aside. Simultaneously, a golden figure immediately sped in from the side and slammed against the Saint Weapon of Situ Qing so that it wouldn’t be able to hit Jian Chen again.
Being blocked by these two men were already within Situ Qing’s considerations. His reaction to them were equally swift, and his right hand gave up the Saint Weapon in favor to strike at Jian Chen’s chest with his fist.
“Bang!”
Following an explosive sound, the clothes on Jian Chen’s chest exploded into powder and his chest into a mangled mess as if it were made of clay. Spiderweb-like fractures began to crawl up his skin. This would be the very first time Situ Qing’s palm had enough energy to invade Jian Chen’s body and disperse the Chaotic Force in it to destroy his internal organs. Even his heart had failed to escape injury and was torn apart.
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Jian Chen’s body fell from the skies and landed ruthlessly onto the ground below. His descent had been strong enough to smash into the ground and form a giant crater in the earth.
“Brother Jian Chen!” Huang Tianba cried out in alarm. Stabbing out at Situ Qing with frightening speed, he successfully skewered Situ Qing’s body and then followed it up with a powerful palm strike onto his back to send Situ Qing flying downwards before he could react.
Situ Qing let out a mouthful of blood; his entire body came hurtling down to the ground at great speed. As it were, his life was already at an end, and using his own lifeforce to temporarily boost his own strength left him with practically no lifeforce left. Combined with the poison from Nubis invading his body and devouring his innards, he was already an arrow at the end of its trajectory, a candle with its wick almost burnt away.
“Boom!”
Another explosion. Situ Qing was sent tumbling a hundred meters away from Jian Chen and slammed into the ground. The cliff in which he was smashed against was shattered into many different pieces.
Flying down, Huang Tianba and Jian Chen descended from the skies to reach the edge of where Jian Chen was.
“Brother Jian Chen, are you alright!” Huang Tianba asked in concern. Waving his hand, the energy of the world pulled Jian Chen up from the crater and gingerly laid him down onto the nearby patch of grass.
Nubis stared carefully at the beaten body of Jian Chen as well. He was more than aware of just how powerful Situ Qing’s palm strike was, and even if Jian Chen’s body was perversely strong, it wasn’t still at a comparable level with those of a Saint Ruler. Since Situ Qing was at the Fifth Heavenly Layer, Jian Chen would be hard-pressed to accept it.
Of the nine Heavenly Layers that defined the Saint Ruler realm, each Heavenly Layer was extremely substantial in difference from one another. The Fifth Heavenly Layer and Fourth Heavenly Layer for example had a tremendous difference from one another. If a Saint Ruler of the Fifth Heavenly Layer were to fight a Fourth Heavenly Layer Saint Ruler, he’d be able to fight two of them to a standstill. Their comprehension of the mysteries of the world and mysteries of space was substantially lacking in contrast to the Fifth Heavenly Layer Saint Ruler. Jian Chen was no Saint Ruler in this aspect, and he could only borrow on his powerful body to contest against a Saint Ruler. But in front of a Fifth Heavenly Layer Saint Ruler, Jian Chen was powerless.
Jian Chen’s face was extremely pale from his spot on the grassy ground. Several mouthful of blood were coughed out, but he managed to look weakly at Huang Tianba and Nubis anyways. “I’m managing. At the very least, I am still alive. It was unexpected that his palm strike would be that strong; I was almost unable to bear the brunt of it.”
Seeing Jian Chen manage to respond, Nubis and Huang Tianba both felt their concerns ease up a bit. Giving a faint smile, Huang Tianba spoke, “Jian Chen, there is a huge difference in strength between a Saint Ruler of the Fourth Heavenly Layer and the Fifth Heavenly Layer. With your powerful body, you’d be able to make do against a Fourth Heavenly Layer Saint Ruler, but a Fifth Heavenly Layer Saint Ruler would make you look as if you had no defenses at all.”
“But the fact that you were able to stay alive after receiving an all out blow from a Fifth Heavenly Layer Saint Ruler is a very proud achievement to have.”
Painfully, Jian Chen struggled to climb to his feet, “Has Situ Qing died?”
“Of course not. Do you really think a Saint Ruler is that easy to kill? He’s a very enduring person, and unless there’s a great difference in strength, a Saint Ruler won’t die so easily.” Nubis spoke. “But that Saint Ruler has already been poisoned by my toxins. Combined with the fact that he used his own life force as fuel for his power, he’s not too far away from death itself.”
News of that made Jian Chen immediately ignore his own injured state to try and drag himself to where the Saint Ruler was a hundred meters away.
He could see that Situ Qing’s face was as pale as paper due to the lack of blood flowing in it. His eyes were closed and still from where he was, and his blood continue to pool underneath him in large amounts. Even the poison that had invaded his body started to appear in the blood around him.
Now that he used up his life force, he looked even older than before. His previously grizzly-white hair was all gone from his head, and his skin was wrinkled all over the place with flab that covered his face.
Seeing the appearance of Situ Qing, Jian Chen had felt rather conflicted about the situation. This man was a Saint Ruler, a high and mighty entity. But now he was reduced to such a miserable state like this.
Taking in a deep breath, Jian Chen schooled the emotions in his mind and looked to the man. “I know you haven’t died just yet. You must answer me. That man named Bi Hai from the other day, where is he now?”
Slowly, Situ Qing opened his eyes to stare weakly at Jian Chen. With an equally weak voice, he spoke, “What….vitality you have. To be...alive still… from that.”
“Answer my question!” Jian Chen glared.
A slight smile appeared on his face, “I’m already a dying person, give up on trying to learn something from me.”
A furious light entered Jian Chen’s eyes, “That may be true, you’re a dying person about to leave this world. But don’t forget you still have thousands of disciples in your Sect of Dragon and Tiger. Do you wish for their corpses to be buried with you into your next life?”
Some vigor reentered Situ Qing’s eyes at that. Glaring, he looked to Jian Chen, “Ji--Jian Chen. You….what are you...planning?”
Smiling victoriously, Jian Chen replied, “Seems like you still care somewhat for the Sect of Dragon and Tiger. I, Jian Chen, promise you that if you tell me what I need to know about Bi Hai, then I’ll spare the Sect of Dragon and Tiger. If you don’t, then I’ll wipe them off the continent.”
Hesitation befell Situ Qing for a brief moment. Then finally, a look of resolution appeared on his face as he finally relented to Jian Chen for the sake of the Sect of Dragon and Tiger. “You win, Jian Chen. I….I’ll tell you about Bi Hai. I hope that you’ll….keep to your word then….”