Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword
Chapter 474 - 458: The Final Battle with Ying Cheng’en (3/3)

Chapter 474: Chapter 458: The Final Battle with Ying Cheng’en (3/3)

When Fang Heqing spoke like that, Zhou Heng understood; it turned out this fellow had long since allied himself with Ying Cheng’en.

It made sense, after all. A strategic talent like him was truly invaluable to an ambitious overlord like Ying Cheng’en who aspired to carve out a vast empire! Because, no matter how much military genius Ying Cheng’en possessed, this was ultimately a world where personal strength reigned supreme.

As the leader, Ying Cheng’en had to have the strongest cultivation level, which meant he was destined to spend most of his time on cultivation and not have much time to deal with the affairs of Heaven’s Grace Sect.

Fang Heqing was undoubtedly the best substitute.

In this case, this guy must have been living quite comfortably.

Zhou Heng’s gaze swept across and he couldn’t help but be slightly startled as he said, "Brother Fang, you haven’t received the Bloodline Power of the Ying Family?"

Fang Heqing smiled and replied, "When I first joined Heaven’s Grace Sect, Ying Cheng’en did not have the ability to bestow Bloodline Power on others, and by the time he had that ability, I had already heard about the grudges between Brother Zhou and Ying Cheng’en, so I politely declined the gracious offer from Ying Cheng’en to endow me with Bloodline Power."

Zhou Heng thought to himself that if you had agreed, you might have been devoured by Ying Cheng’en by now! However, Fang Heqing was a strategic talent, and Ying Cheng’en probably wasn’t foolish enough to "eat" someone who could truly share his worries and solve his problems.

But then again, Ying Cheng’en likely didn’t know that the collapse of Xuanqian Star was imminent. What’s the use of establishing such a grand foundation here when the day of the continent’s demise arrives, and any grand ambition would turn to smoke.

In that case, Fang Heqing’s position wasn’t that important after all, because Ying Cheng’en couldn’t take his army into the Immortal Realm!

Therefore, Fang Heqing resolutely betrayed Heaven’s Grace Sect, using Ying Cheng’en’s whereabouts as a bargaining chip to secure two spots to go to Dragon River Continent.

"Where is Ying Cheng’en?" Zhou Heng asked directly, his Realm now did not require him to beat around the bush.

"Dragon Saliva Mountain, Qianting Valley!" Fang Heqing was also sensible, not insisting that Zhou Heng make any guarantees of sorts.

He too must have known that if Zhou Heng wanted to renege, he actually had no ability to do anything. Therefore, it was better to trust Zhou Heng completely, placing all hopes on Zhou Heng’s honor.

Fang Qinghe was a smart man and had crossed paths with Zhou Heng several times; he should have some understanding of Zhou Heng’s character by now.

Zhou Heng nodded and said, "You stay here for a few days, I am off to slaughter someone!"

Though he didn’t specify who he was going to kill, if Fang Heqing couldn’t guess it was Ying Cheng’en, then all his smarts indeed belonged to a dog. Yet, despite Ying Cheng’en’s status as a Heavenly Venerate, Zhou Heng’s tone was so casual it was as though he was talking about slaughtering a pig; the domineering attitude made Fang Heqing feel utterly in awe.

If Zhou Heng were to offer an olive branch at this moment, Fang Heqing would undoubtedly throw himself under Zhou Heng’s command without hesitation. However, Zhou Heng had no interest in establishing any grand empire whatsoever.

What he yearned for was the strength of his own being!

"Brother Zhou, please feel free!" Fang Heqing hurriedly stood up, and although he still called him Brother Zhou, his tone was now clearly laced with reverence.

Zhou Heng took a couple of steps, then suddenly turned around and said, "Brother Fang, if you had not negotiated with me but instead directly made a request from the start, you would probably already be on Dragon River Continent by now!"

Saying this, he stepped hard on the ground and soared into the sky.

Fang Heqing choked up for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh.

The message from Zhou Heng was clear. If Fang had approached him from the beginning as an old friend, Zhou Heng would have treated him with the camaraderie of former friendship, without any conditions or exchanges, for they were friends!

What need was there to speak of conditions between friends?

I... I still don’t truly understand Zhou Heng, do I? Fang Heqing sighed. It was understandable, considering how incredibly strong Zhou Heng was now; Fang simply had no chance of standing as an equal before him. Had he not held some sort of bargaining chip, would he dare to brazenly negotiate terms with a Heavenly Venerate?

It was a pity, really. He could have had a Heavenly Venerate as a friend. But now... after conducting a transaction, naturally, they would part ways once it concluded.

...

Zhou Heng set out alone on this journey, not to seek treasure but revenge. Therefore, there was no need to bring the Black Donkey!

The Seven Lush Mountains were guarded by the Moon Shadow Saintess and the Blazing Flame Demon Venerate, two great Heavenly Venerates, so all should be well there! Besides, if the Poisonous Vast Heavenly Venerate or the Death Heavenly Venerate truly sought revenge, Huo Tian of the Heaven’s Grace Sect was not to be underestimated!

He could leave with peace of mind.

The time had come to put an end to his grudge with the Ying Family!

If Ying Cheng’en were to die of old age amidst the cold of space as Xuanqian Star collapsed, that would undoubtedly be a regret!

Zhou Heng exuded a murderous aura, heading straight for Dragon Saliva Mountain.

He did not believe Fang Heqing would dare to deceive him with some sort of trickery like luring the tiger away from the mountain. If Ying Cheng’en were to attack Seven Lush Mountains now, the forces left there would be enough to make Ying Cheng’en weep!

Nine days later, he arrived at Dragon Saliva Mountain.

Legend had it that this place was once where a Divine Dragon slumbered. However, even if it were a dragon, it would be a lazy one, always asleep, with its drool nurturing the mountain, thus giving Dragon Saliva Mountain its name.

The mountain’s speciality was the Dragon Saliva Fruit, believed to contain a hint of True Dragon’s Power. Extremely rare and despite the promise of such fruit, no power dared to claim these lands due to the rampant Demon Beasts here, some even of the Divine Infant Realm level!

Therefore, while the existence of Dragon Saliva Fruit was known, no power dared to stake a claim to it.

But now, as one Heavenly Venerate after another emerged, even the Divine Infant Realm Demon Beasts of old, nearly invincible, were no longer so fearsome!

The mountain was large, but having the more precise location of Qianting Valley made the search much easier, and Zhou Heng quickly found himself before the valley.

Qianting Valley, rather than being called a valley, is more accurately described as a huge basin. The expanse within the valley is vast, and due to the surrounding mountains, the temperature stays spring-like throughout the year. Blossoms fill the valley, and trees vie with each other in the flush of spring, creating a scene reminiscent of a paradisiacal haven.

Unfortunately, this graceful place has now become a den of filth and corruption!

Zhou Heng strode in, releasing his Divine Sense. Thousands of miles in the sky and miles below the earth, no life force could escape his grasp.

Indeed, there were many people!

"Ying Cheng’en, come out and fight me!" Zhou Heng bellowed, his voice thunderous like the roar of the heavens.

"How bold, daring to come alone into my domain!" Ying Cheng’en’s voice also sounded, deep yet piercing.

"What’s there to fear, come out!" Zhou Heng shouted fiercely, reaching into the void with both hands and ripping a large swath of land from the ground, like a small hill. With a casual throw, the "small hill" was hurled away, smashing against the ground with a thunderous crash that made the entire valley tremble.

"Come out!"

"Come out!"

"Come out!"

Zhou Heng shouted, lifting large sections of rocky earth, while echoes reverberated around the valley.

His body radiated dazzling golden light as if a celestial being had descended, emanating a momentum of unrivaled domination.

I am the one who, with fist and sword alone, dares to venture into the most perilous places! But do you, Ying Cheng’en, dare to come out and battle?

Bang!

An explosive sound echoed as the ground fractured, and a figure shot into the sky, wrapped in silver-gray light, exuding a demonic and fearsome aura.

"Hahaha, Ying Cheng’en, you finally decided to show up!" Zhou Heng laughed heartily, soaring into the sky toward the silver-gray figure above.

"Damn you!" Ying Cheng’en howled, thrusting his fists towards Zhou Heng to strike back.

Nearly a year had gone by, and he had indeed made significant progress. Devouring Bloodline Power was truly a secret technique from ancient times—his strength had now become comparable to that of the Moon Shadow Saintess!

Who knows how many he has consumed this time!

Ying Cheng’en threw punch after punch, each fist sprouting a three-foot-long Bone Spur, gleaming with silver light and a holy aura. Rather than calling it a punch, it might as well have been a sword, for every punch was like a sword strike.

Zhou Heng bellowed with laughter, puffing up his fists and fearlessly clashing head-on with Ying Cheng’en.

Such straightforward and unsophisticated confrontations were his absolute favorite!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The two fought fiercely. Ying Cheng’en’s strength had greatly increased, each punch stirring the winds and clouds, his Silver Thorns seemingly capable of ripping through space, exceedingly powerful and irresistible.

Meanwhile, Zhou Heng had reached the peak of the Divine Infant Third Layer Heaven, touching the threshold of the Divinity Transformation Realm. With his terrifying accumulation of Spiritual Power and Brutal Strength, he too unleashed an overwhelmingly potent force.

In terms of strength, Ying Cheng’en had a slight edge, but due to Zhou Heng’s fearsome defensive power, the two were evenly matched for the moment.

As Ying Cheng’en made progress, Zhou Heng had not been idle either!

"Dammit!" Ying Cheng’en roared incessantly; he had not yet reached his peak state and needed more time to devour Bloodline Power to directly boost his Cultivation Level to the Divinity Transformation Third Layer Heaven, closely approaching the status of a One-Tribulation Quasi-Immortal.

But One-Tribulation Quasi-Immortal was a threshold he could not cross by merely devouring Bloodline Power; he had to carve out his own Grand Path.

Yet before reaching that step, Zhou Heng had come to strike him down!

If only he had a little more time!

Ying Cheng’en raged, his body constantly sprouting Silver Thorns, turning him almost into a hedgehog.

"Die!" His eyes filled with malice, he pushed the Domain Path to its limits. Within ten miles of Zhou Heng, everything turned into a realm of silver spikes—this was his territory, where he was the emperor and sovereign!

He ruled over all!

Zhou Heng snorted coldly as a golden figure danced in his Sea of Consciousness, releasing a golden light to contend with the silver world.

His world was much more complex, filled with black sword arrows bobbing up and down, purple flames surging, and similarly golden fists raised in rage towards the sky!

This was Zhou Heng’s Dao!

"Hmph, broad yet mixed, not a single Path here reaches the highest peak!" Ying Cheng’en sneered, his punch bursting forth as the silver world responded in unison, countless Silver Thorns sweeping towards Zhou Heng as if the whole world was against him.

With a straightforward punch, Zhou Heng’s golden fist radiated brightly, fearless and undaunted.

Bang!

The two crashed against each other with their punches, their worlds violently colliding. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)