Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword
Chapter 173 - 168: Battle with the Heaven-Opening Realm Again (4/5, Please Vote for the Month)

Chapter 173: Chapter 168: Battle with the Heaven-Opening Realm Again (4/5, Please Vote for the Month)

This kid is too brutal!

Everyone was speechless. Considering how vigorous Zhou Heng’s vitality was, he couldn’t be over fifty years old at most. He had only been in the Land Cleaving Realm for a few years, yet he was already overpowering the veteran Lai Xingyun!

Who is Lai Xingyun? He is the top figure in the Land Cleaving Realm of Yundian Country. Many even rank him alongside those in the Heaven-Opening Realm, just one step shy of breaking into that realm! Once he advanced, he would certainly be among the top three in the ranks of Heaven-Opening Realm experts!

But as the saying goes, every generation produces its own talents, and now a monster has emerged!

Fang Heqing and his sister were dumbfounded, especially Fang Heqing. The deeper his understanding of Zhou Heng, the more unbelievable Zhou Heng’s current achievements seemed. Just a few months ago, Zhou Heng was still in the Initial Separation Realm!

Not the third layer of Initial Separation, but he had barely advanced to the First Layer Heaven of Initial Separation!

Monster, he’s truly a monster!

Amidst the whispers of the crowd, Zhou Heng forcefully pressed on. His strength was already greater than Lai Xingyun’s, and the Eight-Colored Lotus was equivalent to a middle or even upper grade Heaven-Level Martial Arts Technique, making its power immensely formidable.

Lai Xingyun was initially able to withstand the attacks, but as Zhou Heng went all out, Lai Xingyun was utterly overwhelmed and could only keep retreating and dodging.

But to compare speed with Zhou Heng, who possesses the Swift Cloud Radiant Step, wasn’t that just asking for embarrassment?

Bam—he took a punch to the face! Bam—he received a punch to the chest! Bam—his abdomen was hammered with a punch!

Poor Lai Xingyun, reputed as the strongest in the Land Cleaving Realm, was like a punching bag in Zhou Heng’s hands; from the first punch he was struck, he was doomed to a fate of being continuously hit. Bam, bam, bam! Zhou Heng’s fists rained down like a storm, shockingly fierce.

"I admit defeat!" Lai Xingyun said bleakly, his face full of despair and disillusionment.

Martial Artists don’t fear defeat. It’s beneficial for breaking through one’s realm to experience both victory and defeat. Why fear defeat when you can win it back later? That’s part of the training.

But Zhou Heng is too young and too powerful. How could such an opponent be defeated?

This planted a permanent shadow in Lai Xingyun’s heart, one that would never fade. He was just one step away from breaking into the Heaven-Opening Realm, but now, with his spirit greatly damaged, he might never take that step.

—He had lost his confidence.

Zhou Heng stepped back. He had simply wanted a full-powered battle. Unfortunately, Lai Xingyun couldn’t even force out all his strength. As for whether the opponent was struck emotionally, what did that have to do with him? It was a test of his own mental fortitude!

If you can’t endure it, it means your mind and cultivation level are lacking. Even if you managed to advance to the Heaven-Opening Realm by force, you might succumb to inner demons later, and the consequences would extend beyond mere stagnation in cultivation.

This battle saw Zhou Heng effortlessly emerge victorious with shockingly powerful strength that blew everyone away.

"Truly monstrous, this kid can even be considered half a step into the Heaven-Opening Realm now!"

"I just found out that the kid isn’t even twenty years old yet!"

"What, are you joking?"

"Advancing to the Land Cleaving Realm at twenty isn’t unheard of, but to dominate the peak of the Third Layer Heaven of Land Cleaving Realm, and especially someone like Lai Xingyun who is almost invincible at his level, that’s just too astonishing!"

"Too bad!"

"It’s a pity his next opponent is from the Heaven-Opening Realm. It’s the suppression of a greater realm; no matter how monstrous he is, he can’t bridge such a gap!"

"The higher the realm, the greater the disparity in strength between realms. Perhaps a prodigious Initial Separation Realm can compete against the Land Cleaving Realm, but even a monstrous Land Cleaving Realm must bow down before the Heaven-Opening Realm!"

After much discussion, and despite high regard for Zhou Heng’s strength and potential, no one believed he could win in the upcoming battle.

The battle among those in the Heaven-Opening Realm turned out to be unexpectedly lengthy, nothing like Zhou Heng overpowering Lai Xingyun. The two combatants were evenly matched, each unleashing their ultimate moves, making it hard to determine the victor.

Both knew that winning this battle would lead to victory in the final fight, securing a tenth of the Spirit Stone Mine’s output! As individuals, they could also, like Zhou Heng and An Luochen, take a portion as private property.

This was a staggeringly large number, enticing even to those in the Heaven-Opening Realm!

So, both fought without reservation, using every ultimate technique available, and even forbidden moves were brutally thrown into the mix. This was no longer a friendly match to determine a winner but a bloody battle to the death!

After seven grueling hours, the battle finally concluded with the expert from Water Origin Country emerging victorious.

Per the rules, the next battle was to commence immediately.

"Boy, do you dare fight against me?" The fighter from Water Origin Country, appearing to be only in his forties and robustly built, his muscles bulging like rocks at least twice as wide as an ordinary person, challenged him.

His name was Li Aobo, a veteran Heaven-Opening Realm fighter from Water Origin Country, who had been trapped in the First Layer Heaven of the Heaven-Opening Realm for over a hundred years. Known for his immense brute strength, combined with his spiritual power, he could exert a force exceeding that of the First Layer Heaven, which was key to his final victory.

He naturally looked down upon Zhou Heng immensely. Although he had fought hard for seven hours, could he not crush a mere Land Cleaving Realm youngster with a single finger?

"To receive senior’s guidance, I naturally couldn’t ask for more. Please!" Zhou Heng said, neither servile nor overbearing, as he clasped his fists in a salute. Given the opponent’s strength and cultivation realm, Li Aobo truly deserved such a salute.

"Haha, begging won’t help. I will only use one finger!" Despite his significant depletion of spiritual power, Li Aobo’s fighting spirit surged to the skies, as defeating a fellow martial artist of the same rank greatly boosted his morale.

He pointed a finger, simply and succinctly, yet it seemed like a towering mountain collapsing gaving an unavoidable, unstoppable terrifying pressure, that was distressing enough to make one want to spew blood.

This was a mental suppression, a natural realm influence that the Heaven-Opening Realm had over the Land Cleaving Realm.

Zhou Heng proudly smiled. Mind suppression? What a joke. He didn’t even take the pressure of the Divine Dragon seriously, let alone the pressure from a mere Heaven-Opening Realm! He summoned the Black Sword and first released an Eight-Colored Lotus with his left hand, then transformed it into the Golden Holy Fist; a sword, a fist, a lotus, boldly meeting that finger.

Everyone’s eyes were stuck open!

This guy was too incredible, daring to directly confront a Heaven-Opening Realm expert head-on!

Many people were already cursing Zhou Heng for his foolishness, but even more were thinking that if he was going to be defeated, it might as well be in a bright, upright, and grand manner! If he were to lose a direct confrontation with a Heaven-Opening Realm, what was there to regret?

Fang Xiwen’s eyes were lit with stars as she stared at Zhou Heng like a love-struck fool.

She had a strong brother-complex, considering her brother as the most outstanding person under the heavens, a future major figure who would stir up storms! But compared with Zhou Heng, who was the same age, that gap was not a small one!

In ten years, Fang Heqing might have a chance to battle with the Land Cleaving Realm, and in fifty to a hundred years, maybe challenge the Heaven-Opening Realm! But by then, what heights would Zhou Heng have reached?

A girl in the throes of spring naturally adores the powerful, and while there are many stronger than Zhou Heng, which one isn’t a "old monster" of over a hundred years?

She felt as if a deer was pounding in her heart, wishing she could immediately throw herself into Zhou Heng’s arms, even kneel at his feet, to express her admiration.

Boom!

Under everyone’s gaze, Zhou Heng’s released Sword Fist Lotus met that ultimate finger! Amid the resounding crash, that massive mountain-like finger was actually blasted into fragments, and Zhou Heng’s figure directly charged through Li Aobo’s attack, heading straight for him.

Hisss!

Everyone uncontrollably twitched their faces. That was too exaggerated; Zhou Heng actually shattered an attack from a Heaven-Opening Realm expert?

Even though Li Aobo had just gone through a great battle and had consumed a large amount of spiritual power, even though this finger did not display his true battle power, a Heaven-Opening Realm was still a Heaven-Opening Realm, it shouldn’t have been shattered so easily!

The opponent was only in the Land Cleaving Realm!

People from the Cold Blue Country were all excited; maybe Zhou Heng had a chance to overturn the great ship and win for Cold Blue Country a portion of the spirit stone mine. Six battles, all lost, that was too embarrassing. They had to win at least one, right?

The Heavenly Star Sect, which had previously disregarded Zhou Heng, thinking the rumors were exaggerated, were now all as silent as cicadas in winter. These rumors were not only not exaggerated but had even understated reality. Such a monster truly was not something that Nangong Changkong and the other Old Ancestors could suppress.

Nangong Changkong and Liu Qingxuan’s faces turned pale. The more outstanding Zhou Heng’s performance, the worse they felt.

Under Mei Yixiang’s forceful intervention, they dared not make a move against Zhou Heng, and Zhou Heng also did not yet have the ability to threaten them. But what about in another two, three, or five years? With Zhou Heng’s monstrous Heaven-Opening Realm, how could he be contained!

Once that young man entered the Heaven-Opening Realm, he would surely be an invincible existence within the Great Realm, and even if they could break through to the Second Layer Heaven of the Heaven-Opening Realm, they likely wouldn’t be his match!

They couldn’t make a move against Zhou Heng, but Mei Yixiang hadn’t stipulated that Zhou Heng couldn’t make a move against them. When Zhou Heng later came knocking for revenge, whom could they complain to?

The two major Heaven-Opening Realm experts looked at each other and could both see a hint of bitterness in each other’s eyes, having such a limitless potential enemy truly left people uneasy!

"Well played, young man!" Li Aobo’s eyes flickered with surprise, then immediately he pointed again with increased power.

Boom!

Terrifying power surged, far surmounting the level of the previous battle between Zhou Heng and Lai Xingyun. The crowd, already retreating far enough, now had to retreat even further.

Zhou Heng and Li Aobo stood dozens of meters apart, the mountain wind blowing, their robes fluttering.

"Boy, I must admit, I was nowhere near your match when I was young!" Li Aobo laughed heartily, "But today is not about exchanging skills, I must win, so I can only resort to bullying a junior!"

This towering man roared towards the sky, immediately changing the wind and clouds, as a Heaven-Opening Realm expert’s Inner World already possessed a sky and earth, to a certain extent able to affect the real world.

"Take this punch!" he bellowed, and his punch suddenly transformed into a boulder, blasting violently towards Zhou Heng.

The real pressure of a mountain bearing down!(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com, your votes, whether monthly tickets or recommendation tickets, are my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)