HSSB996: Yan Zhaoge, the fallen deity
The Southeastern Swordsmistress was inevitably shocked.
What did the death of Qing Shuzi by Yan Zhaoge’s hand entail?
If she were to clash with Yan Zhaoge, she too would likely be slain.
A late Immortal Bridge Martial Saint, slain by a Seeing Divinity Martial Saint?
Before today, this would virtually have been an unimaginable thing for the Southeastern Swordsmistress.
Now, however, this was something that she could not but acknowledge.
This was especially so when it was not just Qing Shuzi who had perished within the Nine Bends Yellow River Formation. According to Yan Zhaoge, Zhang Shuren and Peng He had died there too.
Both of them had died beneath Yan Zhaoge’s Cyclic Heavenly Seal with their heads smashed and their skulls split as their features were barely recognisable.
Corroded by the Nine Bends Yellow River Formation, their fleshly bodies were not as sturdy as before.
Still, their outer garments were something that the Southeastern Swordsmistress could not be any more familiar with.
As longtime Elders of the lineages of the hegemons of the south and the southeast, she had already associated with Zhang Shuren and Peng He for a very long time prior to this.
With the dead Qing Shuzi lying over there, there was clearly no need for Yan Zhaoge to fake corpses.
This caused the Southeastern Swordsmistress to feel even more shocked.
Zhang Shuren and Peng He were both late Immortal Bridge Martial Saint experts.
They both cultivated in direct lineage martial arts of Phoenix Ritual Mountain’s Wutong Slope, both possessing their own areas of specialisation as they possessed remarkable strength.
Battling one against one, the Southeastern Swordsmistress could not say for certain that she would be able to slay either one of them.
Now, these people had clearly all died at Yan Zhaoge’s hands.
“Could it be that the Nine Bends Yellow River Formation which he set up far surpasses imagination? The Southeastern Swordsmistress was bemused.
Previously, while she had not truly barged into the Nine Bends Yellow River formation, upon the appearance of the formation, the Southeastern Swordsmistress had gone to test out its might.
While the formation was very powerful as it was even able to suppress the cultivation bases of late Immortal Bridge Martial Saints, it would still have no way of slaying martial practitioners like herself all on its own.
Moreover, there had been three of them.
Also, looking around, other martial practitioners of the south seemed to have been present as well.
As the Southeastern Swordsmistress scanned the area, she had already spotted Yuan Xiancheng!
‘Phoenix Pupils’ Yuan Xiancheng was the most prided disciple of the Southern Exalt Zhuang Shen and a peak figure amongst the new generation of experts of the southern Blazing Heaven Territory.
Yet, even a figure like this had been slain by Yan Zhaoge.
“Was it the Immortal Artifact?” The Southeastern Swordsmistress thought of a possibility now.
While a Seeing Divinity Martial Saint wielding an Immortal Artifact was similarly inconceivable, she could really think of no other method which Yan Zhaoge might have used to slay Qing Shuzi and the others.
However, she was unable to sense the majestic, remnant aura of an Immortal Artifact.
With that, yet another hypothesis was disproved.
Even the knowledgeable Swordsmistress felt rather at a loss at this moment.
Yan Zhaoge ignored all those gazes that were looking at him like he was a monster, continuing, “Besides those three, there was also Wutong Slope’s Yuan Xiancheng and someone else of the lineage of Illusory Coming Peak.”
“He is Daoist Leading Mist, also a personal disciple of the Heaven Emperor,” The Southeastern Swordsmistress said stiffly.
While she had never seen Daoist Leading Mist in person before, she had viewed images of him.
While the Heaven Emperor did not have many personal disciples, all of them were renowned within the World beyond Worlds.
Looking at all those corpses, the Southeastern Swordsmistress had already identified Daoist Leading Mist too.
“I actually clashed with Zhang Shuren and Yuan Xiancheng at the Announcing Peace Mountain Range to the west of Circumference Mountain. Then, they retreated to Circumference Mountain, and Qing Shuzi and Peng He’s group caught up as well,” Yan Zhaoge said, “Fortunately, water from the Dynasty River happens to flow by Circumference Mountain, thus allowing me to set up the Nine Bends Yellow River Formation. Otherwise, I would really have been unable to do anything to them.”
“The Nine Bends Yellow River Formation encompasses the entirety of the Circumference Mountain Range. All the other martial practitioners of the south in the vicinity were drowned by me as well.”
The surging waters of the yellow river had filled the various lands of the Circumference Mountain Range as it had truly resembled a chaotic flood that could destroy the world itself.
Still, beneath Yan Zhaoge’s control, while the river waters were ferocious, they had not disturbed the ordinary locals.
The floodwaters had avoided all the places where people lived, only having given them a shock.
Still, the local martial practitioners and their lineages had not been so lucky as they had all been assailed by the waters of the yellow river of nine bends.
While Yan Zhaoge did not mind killing people, he did not slaughter people wantonly.
While those powers had suffered a tribulation, no one had been killed as they had only had their guardian grand formations destroyed.
The actual killing had been concentrated on the martial practitioners within the Wutong Phoenix Perching Formation and atop the Riding Wind Heavenly Vessel.
“If the southeast wants to take over Circumference Mountain, I believe that the remaining local martial practitioners will have no way of resisting,” Yan Zhaoge said, “A considerable number of southern experts of the Announcing Peace Mountain Range have been slain by me as well. Vast Spirit Mountain, one of the two greatest sects there, was toppled by me, with their Chief, Daoist East Spring, having been slain by me as well.”
“I believe that there would also not be much obstruction if the southeast were to try advancing into the Announcing Peace Mountain Range.”
In order to prevent the southeastern martial practitioners from assisting Yan Zhaoge or making use of this chance to attack, the southern Blazing Heaven Territory had previously heavily locked down the news of Yan Zhaoge’s rampage.
As a result, this was the first time hearing about it for these martial practitioners of the southeast.
A Golden Court Mountain martial practitioner beside the Southeastern Swordsmistress said with a dazed look on his face, “Daoist East Spring of the Announcing Peace Mountain Range’s Vast Spirit Mountain-I seem to have heard of him before. He should have been an eighth level Martial Saint?”
“That’s right,” Yan Zhaoge said as a thick metal whip in the shape of a dragon’s tail appeared in his hand, “This is the defining treasure of Vast Spirit Mountain.”
At the same time, a sword that flickered with purple light appeared in his other hand, “Apart from them, there was also another person at Vast Spirit Mountain whose skill in the sword was rather outstanding. Still, it seemed like he was not a local of the Announcing Peace Mountain Range.”
Everyone simultaneously exclaimed in shock, “Two high-grade Sacred Artifacts?!”
After examining that sword for a moment, the Southeastern Swordsmistress suddenly said, “Purple Sea Sword, the accompanying sword of ‘Purple Tide Swordsman’ Zhao Zhen of the Bright Connection Sea of the southern Blazing Heaven Territory.”
She paused for a moment before adding, “Also an eighth level Martial Saint.”
She gazed at Yan Zhaoge.
On hearing Yan Zhaoge’s words, she had already understood.
Yan Zhaoge had been able to set up the Nine Bends Yellow River Formation at Circumference Mountain with the help of the water vein of the Dynasty River present in the vicinity.
Yet, there was no great river like the Dynasty River at the Announcing Peace Mountain Range!
If Yan Zhaoge had repelled Yuan Xiancheng and slain Daoist East Spring and Zhao Zhen there, even having repelled Zhang Shuren of the ninth level of the Martial Saint realm as well, this must all have been done based on his own strength!
Even if he had used the power of high-grade Sacred Artifacts like the Extreme Yang Seal or even an Immortal Artifact, there was a single, indisputable fact therein.
Yan Zhaoge was currently just a late Seeing Divinity Martial Saint.
People said that a three-year-old kid wielding a sabre would hurt himself before he hurt others.
However powerful treasures were, if their wielders were too weak, their strength could not be manifested.
Yan Zhaoge had once pursued and slain Shen Lingzi of the eighth level of the Martial Saint realm in the Royal Reed Sea.
This matter was known by the Southeastern Swordsmistress and all the other experts of the southeast present.
Ever since then, they had known how extraordinary this youth was.
Still, one versus one and one versus many were completely different things altogether.
With his own strength, facing their combined onslaught, he had still defeated a flock of mid Immortal Bridge Martial Saints.
Borrowing the power of the Nine Bends Yellow River Formation, he had slain three late Immortal Bridge Martial Saints, Qing Shuzi included.
Such achievements in battle truly left one speechless and gaping.
A living legend-there was no other way to describe him!
Someone could not stop himself from murmuring out loud, “A fallen deity descended into the mortal realm…”