Super Combat Soldier
Chapter 719 - 718

Chapter 719: 718

[PS: The second update for today has arrived. Little Gou returned home at 9:30 p.m., hadn’t eaten dinner, and quickly started typing. He finally managed to catch up. Thank you all for introducing your friends to the novel!]

Du Wanli, the Saint Heir of the Five Poison Sect and one of the foremost young masters in the Earth Ancient Martial World, faced few opponents. His Sect naturally placed great importance on him, bestowing upon him not only the Snake King Seal but also the Poison Saint Intense Flame Banner, a Holy Treasure. This showed their immense trust in him, leaving no doubt that he would be the next Sect Leader.

Unfortunately, Du Wanli was a person who bullied the weak and feared the strong, with a narrow mind. When faced with someone more powerful than himself, he would run away like a dog, begging on his knees and kowtowing repeatedly. But when he found someone weaker, he would become arrogant and overbearing to the extreme. Such a person completely lacked a moral baseline, a despicable scoundrel willing to do anything to achieve his goals.

What Ye Tianchen had not expected was that Du Wanli would even be afraid to fight him fairly, despite being half a cultivation realm above him. Normally, a difference of one cultivation realm was like the difference between heaven and earth, with even a small discrepancy deciding the outcome at higher, more profound realms.

Yet, Du Wanli did not dare. It was not that his combat strength was inferior to Ye Tianchen’s, but rather that he lacked the courage of an invincible Taoist heart. He just wanted to rely on the Poison Saint Intense Flame Banner in his hand to kill Ye Tianchen utterly, leaving no troubles behind. This was unforeseen for Ye Tianchen. As a martial artist, and one whose cultivation was stronger than his own, to not even have the courage to fight, was unexpected. But Du Wanli’s lack of courage did not matter; as long as he waved the Poison Saint Intense Flame Banner in his right hand, it would be extremely difficult to resist. In that case, all three of them—Ye Tianchen, Dongfang Meng, and Tianshuang—would die here.

The Poison Saint Intense Flame Banner, refined by the founder of the Five Poison Sect, the Poison Saint, was his treasure for domination, a Holy Treasure. Tianshuang had said that the Poison Saint was the only person who, despite not reaching the Emperor Realm, was praised by Emperors, showing just how profound his mastery of poison was. It was easy to imagine just how powerful the Poison Saint Intense Flame Banner, his personal treasure, would be, certainly not something Ye Tianchen could currently contend with.

It’s essential to be self-aware, to have confidence but never arrogant self-importance, as it only leads to a premature death. Rash actions are the most taboo in a world where the strong prey upon the weak.

"You think you can let them escape first? Do you think that’s possible?" Du Wanli said with a sneer.

"My cultivation realm is inferior to yours, and yet you lack even the courage to fight me fairly. Right now, I don’t even consider you my opponent; you’re not worthy!" Ye Tianchen said, staring intently at Du Wanli.

"Say what you will, just go to hell. After you’re dead, no one will know of my disgrace at Sun Never Sets Mountain, and I’ll still be the Saint Heir of the Five Poison Sect, still one of the top geniuses in the Ancient Martial World, adored by everyone!"

As he spoke, Du Wanli fully unfurled the Poison Saint Intense Flame Banner. The banner looked quite ordinary: a black flagpole with black canvas, about a meter wide. On the black canvas was a simple white skull. Though not overly complicated, it gave off a creepy, unfathomable aura, as if the banner had flown out from the Nine Netherworld itself. It was a little horrifying.

Ye Tianchen furrowed his brows fiercely. He knew there was no point in talking to someone as despicable as Du Wanli. Now, his only option was to fight with all his might. Even if he had to die, he would die standing. Even if he couldn’t withstand the power of the Poison Saint Intense Flame Banner, he would resist with all his strength; succumbing to fate was never his choice.

Ye Tianchen sat cross-legged in mid-air, facing Du Wanli, motionless as if he were an old monk, his body radiating a faint golden light with runes extending from it, though they did not possess any formidable attacking power.

"You go first, I’ll follow shortly!" Ye Tianchen sent his thoughts to Dongfang Meng and Tianshuang.

"No, it’s too dangerous. The Poison Saint Intense Flame Banner is definitely not something you can contend with!" Dongfang Meng quickly responded with anxious thoughts.

"That’s right, if we join forces, we might withstand it for a moment, then find a chance to escape. It’s far too dangerous for you alone; you could lose your life!" Tianshuang also sent her urgent thoughts.

"You’re wrong. If you escape first, it will make Du Wanli want to chase you. He is an exceedingly arrogant person and cannot tolerate even a hint of defeat. To prevent his disgrace from being revealed, he waited here for days and nights, ready to kill to keep his secret. If you escape, he’ll fear you might spread the word, and then the entire Ancient Martial World will know how he foolishly trespassed near the Sun Never Sets Mountain and ran away in terror. That will distract him, making it difficult for him to fight me with full strength, and I will have a chance to escape!" Ye Tianchen patiently explained through his divine thoughts.

"But..." Dongfang Meng was still worried and wanted to stay to help Ye Tianchen.

"No more ’buts.’ Hurry up, I’ll buy you time. You surely don’t want to see me destroyed, body and soul, do you?" Ye Tianchen interrupted, raising his voice in his divine thoughts.

Dongfang Meng and Tianshuang exchanged glances, then looked at Ye Tianchen, who sat cross-legged in mid-air. They could feel the dignity of this man who, despite being unromantic, always took the greatest dangers onto himself. Such a man was worth a woman’s admiration. Although Ye Tianchen made it seem easy, the strength of the Poison Saint Intense Flame Banner was undeniable; they knew it was not something they could contend with. To resist a Holy Treasure, one would have to be in the Martial Saint Realm, and even that might not be enough. And since Ye Tianchen was only at the mid-stage of the Martial Venerate, the gap was far too great; contending with a Holy Treasure at his current level was tantamount to seeking death.

"All of you, go to hell!"

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Before Du Wanli had time to shake the Poison Saint Intense Flame Banner, three divine radiances streaked towards him, their terrifying pressure tearing the heavens asunder. Ye Tianchen acted first, aware that if he allowed Du Wanli to make his move, it would be too late. The Poison Saint Intense Flame Banner was a treasure refined by an individual at the late stage of Martial Saint Peak, used for his lifetime of battles. With his strength, resisting such pressure would be difficult—his only option was to strike first in order to possibly secure a chance for Dongfang Meng and Tianshuang to escape.

The three divine radiances converged on Du Wanli, shaking the very earth and sky, even startling Du Wanli himself. He swiftly rotated the Poison Saint Intense Flame Banner in his right hand, enveloping himself in its protection. He could feel the diverse and formidable powers within the three divine radiances shooting out of Ye Tianchen, knowing that even if he could withstand the direct impact, it would come at a great cost.

"Run!" Seeing Du Wanli retreating and swiftly using the Poison Saint Intense Flame Banner to protect himself, Ye Tianchen turned his head and roared at Dongfang Meng and Tianshuang.

"Tianchen..." Dongfang Meng shouted back, with tears in her beautiful eyes.

"I’ll be fine. I can only fight with all my might if you’re safe. Go, now!" Ye Tianchen shouted back loudly.

Tianshuang clenched her fists tightly, grabbed Dongfang Meng’s hand, and forcibly flew away with her from the area, quickly moving forward with Qi Manipulation Flight.

Boom!

A thunderous noise echoed as the Poison Saint Intense Flame Banner unfurled in midair. Du Wanli emerged unscathed and coldly looked at Ye Tianchen, saying, "Three Ancient Divine Swords, I did not expect you to have such divine artifacts hidden. I, Du Wanli, have truly struck it rich this time!"

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The Taie Sword, Xuanyuan Sword, and Fish Intestine Sword, all three Ancient Divine Swords, flew back to Ye Tianchen’s side and stood before him. He had just now channeled his full Martial Arts True Power, commanding the three divine swords to strike in unison, attempting to take down Du Wanli. But Du Wanli’s response was too quick, and the Poison Saint Intense Flame Banner lived up to its reputation—despite the simultaneous attack from the three swords, it remained unbroken and even repelled them back.

Ye Tianchen frowned, realizing he could no longer rely on these three swords. Given his current level of cultivation strength, he could only manipulate them in this fashion once. Another attempt to wield the three Ancient Divine Swords might result in grave self-injury. Since becoming a martial artist, Ye Tianchen felt his command over the Taie Sword, Xuanyuan Sword, and Fish Intestine Sword had become much more fluent and powerful when using Martial Arts True Power. But Master Fang Zheng had also warned him that he must be cautious with these swords, for improper use could not only fail to enhance his strength but also backfire. Thus, Ye Tianchen had always been mindful, never to employ the three Ancient Divine Swords unless absolutely necessary.

"To gain the divine swords on me, you’ll have to see if you’ve got the skill!" Ye Tianchen said coldly, gazing at Du Wanli.

"Arrogant fool, even an ant dares to bark—seeking death!" Du Wanli sneered ferociously.

Rumbling thunder, the Poison Saint Intense Flame Banner unfurled in Du Wanli’s hands, sweeping across the sky and enveloping Ye Tianchen below. The white skeletons on the banner seemed to come to life, their dark and hollow eye sockets emitting a sinister glow, fixated on Ye Tianchen below as they spat out chains of runes. Like chains meant to ensnare souls from hell, hundreds of them linked together, cascading like a black waterfall over Ye Tianchen.

"No one has ever survived under the Poison Saint Intense Flame Banner. I will destroy you, body and soul, and imprison your spirit forever. This is what happens when you dare to challenge me, Du Wanli, and provoke my wrath!" The arrogant voice of Du Wanli resounded throughout the land. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)