Nu Qinghui's seemingly simple palm strike had sent Zhong Shan flying!
Although Zhong Shan was only at the Tenth Level of the Imperial Extreme realm, his displayed strength was undeniably at the Imperial Extreme realm level. Yet, even with such power, he was so easily knocked away by Nu Qinghui.
One palm strike? Just one? The gap between the Heavenly Extreme realm and the Imperial Extreme realm was truly immense!
Despite being sent flying, Zhong Shan wasn't significantly harmed. The Heavenly Demon Body Tempering Art primarily focused on body strengthening, with the power boost being a secondary effect.
After being pushed back, Zhong Shan managed to stop himself mid-air.
But just as he stabilized, an overwhelming aura surged toward him, forcing him to retreat further. This aura carried a strong sense of threat.
Reaching the edge of the Snow God Extinguishes the World Formation, where the formation's effect weakened, Zhong Shan's presence dispersed the surrounding snowstorm.
As he steadied himself again, Nu Qinghui suddenly appeared before him.
A look of shock flashed in Zhong Shan's eyes. Even with the strength of an Imperial Extreme realm expert, he was completely outmatched by a Heavenly Extreme realm expert. He was being toyed with.
"I told you, with just you?" Nu Qinghui sneered.
Zhong Shan remained calm. He hadn't yet revealed his true power. He had the unbeatable Eight Extremes Heavenly Tail, which had grown exponentially stronger after devouring the brain-eating beast. Zhong Shan believed that once unleashed, the Eight Extremes Heavenly Tail would at least defeat Nu Qinghui, if not achieve invincibility.
"With just me! You can't hurt me!" Zhong Shan declared, staring at Nu Qinghui.
Indeed, Nu Qinghui's powerful palm strike had only sent him flying without injuring him. Zhong Shan's body, now at the sixth level of the Heavenly Demon Body Tempering Art, could rival the physical toughness of dragon clans.
Nu Qinghui sneered but didn't refute his claim. She had also been startled by Zhong Shan's physical defense. Perhaps his defense was approaching that of the ancient Gu Shentong!
Thinking of Gu Shentong, Nu Qinghui's eyes turned cold.
"Hmm?" Zhong Shan noticed something strange.
The stone ground beneath him suddenly softened. Looking down, Zhong Shan saw that the ground had turned pitch black, like viscous mud, eerily shifting and pulling at him, trying to drag him down.
Swamp? In a short time, the entire area around Zhong Shan had turned into a swamp.
Far away, countless onlookers widened their eyes in shock. A swamp? Where did it come from? What kind of formation was this?
Formation? No, this was Nu Qinghui's doing.
The swamp was bizarre. The black mud constantly entangled Zhong Shan. When he tried to fly, the mud exerted a tremendous force, holding him down. Using his internal energy to shatter the mud proved ineffective as the mud dispersed the force, rendering most of it useless, and only a small part acted on the mud, which rippled and spread the force evenly.
How could this be? Even the techniques specializing in the Ze Bei Cang Sheng couldn't achieve this effect!
Zhong Shan felt that Nu Qinghui had somehow merged with the swamp.
He slashed downward with his great blade.
A terrifying strike unleashed a massive blade aura.
"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
The blade's immense power cut through the black mud, creating a deep gash. However, the mud quickly flowed back, closing the wound as if it had never been cut. Zhong Shan's expression turned grim. This wasn't just an ordinary swamp; it had a life of its own, reflecting Nu Qinghui's overwhelming power.
Nu Qinghui's smile grew colder. "You're outmatched, Zhong Shan. The swamp is a manifestation of my power. Your resistance is futile."
Zhong Shan's mind raced. He had to find a way to counter this overwhelming power. The swamp continued to pull at him, relentless and unyielding. His eyes narrowed as he prepared for the next move, knowing that this battle would push him to his limits.
The clash between them was not just a test of strength but also a battle of wits and resilience. The outcome of this duel would determine the fate of many, and Zhong Shan was determined not to fall.
Chapter 607: Body of the Exchange Cauldron (Continued)
"Whoosh~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
Before the blade aura could reach the swamp, countless streams of black mud shot into the sky from all directions, frantically enveloping Zhong Shan. In an instant, the area within a diameter of a hundred miles had turned into a massive mud swamp, with Nu Qinghui and Zhong Shan at its center.
Onlookers saw a colossal mud mountain rising from the ground and quickly encompassing the area, leaving nothing visible except the giant mud mountain.
Mud cascaded down the mountain, and in no time, it flattened into a swampy plain. But the two figures within had disappeared.
"Gone?"
"They're beneath the swamp!" someone suddenly shouted.
Everyone turned their gaze to the center of the swamp, where waves of ripples indicated a fierce battle beneath.
Indeed, Zhong Shan and Nu Qinghui were submerged in the swamp. The black mud had a mysterious power, gradually seeping through Zhong Shan's protective aura, clinging to his body like a cocoon.
On the other side, Nu Qinghui watched Zhong Shan with a satisfied smile. The mud dispersed around her, making her seem like the master of the swamp.
"So, can I handle you now? This black mud is my special creation. Each passing moment, its binding power doubles. No matter how strong your body, it will crush you into pulp. It won't even spare your soul," Nu Qinghui said coldly.
Zhong Shan struggled violently, creating waves in the mud.
"So, you possess the Exchange Cauldron body? No wonder you can use the Exchange Binding Scripture," Zhong Shan said in surprise.
Nu Qinghui's pupils contracted.
"How could you know?" Nu Qinghui's eyes were filled with disbelief, as if this were her greatest secret.
"Why wouldn't I know?" Zhong Shan smiled.
"Facing death, and you can still laugh? This technique was passed from the Great Thousand World to the underworld a thousand years ago. You know it too. Are you from the underworld?" Nu Qinghui stared at Zhong Shan.
"What do you think?" Zhong Shan smiled faintly, as if stalling for time.
Zhong Shan did indeed know this technique. Because of his shadow body's cultivation of the Ze Bei Cang Sheng, a similar technique, he had once consulted Mr. Shi. Mr. Shi had shared tales about the Exchange Binding Scripture, a powerful technique requiring the practitioner to possess the Exchange Cauldron body.
Nu Qinghui's expression shifted but then turned icy. "I don't care where you're from. Now that you know about this technique, you must die!"
As she finished speaking, the entire swamp churned. The binding force around Zhong Shan intensified.
"Look, the swamp is churning!" a spectator shouted.
"What violent power!"
… As people watched in horror, Zhong Shan endured wave after wave of black mud. The powerful surges continuously tested his limits. Though his body remained intact, the pain from each impact was real.
Gritting his teeth, Zhong Shan's eyes grew colder, as if trying to defeat Nu Qinghui with his gaze alone.
Seeing Zhong Shan's struggle, Nu Qinghui smiled. Once Zhong Shan was dead, no one would know her secret.
Was Zhong Shan waiting to die? Of course not. From the moment Nu Qinghui had dragged him into the swamp, the Red Luan Mist had been surging out of him, spreading in all directions.
As the black mud churned, more and more of the Red Luan Mist was mixed into Nu Qinghui's surroundings. This colorless, odorless mist was slowly but surely seeping towards Nu Qinghui, surrounding her.
Nu Qinghui controlled the black mud, repeatedly washing over Zhong Shan, increasing the binding force with each pass. Meanwhile, Zhong Shan silently continued infusing the Red Luan Mist into the environment around Nu Qinghui.
This wasn't an immediate solution. Both had to bide their time, locked in a tense standoff.
Among the three battlefields, the one between Wang Ku and Gui Shou was the calmest, as the two simply locked their auras on each other.
The clash between the Snow God Extinguishes the World Formation and the Qi Ling Tower was the most violent, with avalanches and golden light clashing, creating a spectacular display.
The confrontation between Zhong Shan and Nu Qinghui lay somewhere in between—not as visually striking, yet not entirely calm, with the swamp continuously churning. This was the battlefield everyone cared about the most.
Everyone at the entrance of the Chao Tian Hall kept their eyes on this battle.
Bei Qingsi, Bing Xuan, and another elder from the Longevity Realm all stared intently, knowing this battle would determine everything.
"Zzz~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
Suddenly, two discordant sounds echoed from the front of the Chao Tian Hall.
Everyone turned to look, their eyes widening. The last elder from the Longevity Realm had a purple sword piercing through his chest.
This elder was at the Imperial Extreme realm! He had been ambushed? A sword through his chest!
No, there was also a fine cut on his head, from which blood was steadily flowing.
Dead? The elder's eyes widened in disbelief. He had been ambushed? A sword to the head, another to the heart, severing his spirit. How was this possible? How could he not have noticed?
"You dare~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
An angry roar erupted from inside the Chao Tian Hall, and a powerful flame shot towards the elder's location. A black shadow flashed a thousand zhang away into the sky. The roar came from the last Heavenly Extreme realm expert inside the Chao Tian Hall, Crow Supreme, Wu Huan!
Wu Huan had been monitoring the three battlefields, so he wasn't paying close attention. But even so, how could someone have snuck in under his nose and assassinated the elder?
This was terrifying. The stealth was so strong it had even eluded a Heavenly Extreme realm expert!
Who was it? Who was so terrifying?
Everyone looked to see a black-robed figure standing in the sky. The figure was imposing, holding a purple sword. Clearly, once discovered by Wu Huan, there was no hiding.
In an instant, Wu Huan appeared outside the hall, glaring angrily at the black-robed, purple-sword-wielding man.
"Who are you?" Wu Huan asked coldly, his eyes flashing with rage.
"Dark Emperor! Greetings, Wu Huan Supreme!" the Dark Emperor replied solemnly.