The charging momentum was like a landslide.

A horrifying gash was carved into the earth, a finger’s width wide and several feet deep, stretching from a hundred zhang away right to Chen Che’s feet.

"Cleave!"

Chen Che’s expression was utterly grave.

With sword in hand, he and his blade moved as one, transforming into a streak of sword light to meet the blow. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

CLANG!

It was like a sudden, deafening clap of thunder.

It was as if the great bell of Hanshan Temple had been struck, the invisible soundwaves becoming visible to the naked eye. The ground around Chen Che, the epicentre, shattered inch by inch. Dust and pulverized earth were swept up into a roiling tide, the roar like that of ten thousand stampeding horses!

Chen Che’s feet sank as he was driven into the ground.

"Not bad!"

Ye Jingzhou formed a Seal Technique.

"Let’s see what you think of this next attack!"

HUMMM!

The repelled Black Blade quivered softly, then split into two in mid-air, then four, and in the blink of an eye, multiplied into thousands.

Then, as Ye Jingzhou clenched his fist, the sky full of Black Blades instantly converged on Chen Che. In that moment, it was as if ten thousand heavy Crossbows had all been fired at once!

A volley of ten thousand arrows would pale in comparison.

"Cleave!"

Chen Che stood as immovable as a mountain, spinning his sword light into an impenetrable web of steel.

"Looking to die?"

Suddenly, Ye Jingzhou’s gaze shifted, landing on Rong Zhongxuan.

Rong Zhongxuan had just conjured a Flaming Spear and was about to hurl it. But when Ye Jingzhou’s gaze fell upon him, he felt his blood run cold. Before he could react, three massive blades tore through the air and pierced his chest, abdomen, and shoulder.

THUD!

Another dull thud echoed as the tremendous force of the blades pinned him to a giant tree.

"ARGH!"

Rong Zhongxuan screamed in agony, feeling as though the blow had shattered every bone and sinew in his body.

WHOOSH~

In that same instant.

Thirty percent of his blood was drained away by the Grand Array.

’He’s terrifying!’

Struck with horror, he immediately circulated his True Essence to resist the Grand Array’s pull.

"Hm?"

After injuring Rong Zhongxuan in one move, Ye Jingzhou looked back at Chen Che, his brow furrowing slightly.

’I thought I could kill him easily since he just reached Foundation Establishment. But I never expected his True Essence to be so condensed. It’s not just not weaker than mine—it’s even a fair bit stronger. And his reserves... they’re like a boundless ocean, endless.’

’With my profound Cultivation powering this technique of ten thousand blades, any ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator would have been riddled with holes by now.’

Yet Chen Che had blocked every single one of the countless blades.

He remained completely unharmed.

’I can’t let this drag on. The longer this takes, the more risk of something unexpected happening!’

Ye Jingzhou waved his hand, and the Soul-Calling Banner flew to him. His body suddenly bent, tensing from head to toe into a straight line like a taut bowstring. The Soul-Calling Banner in his hand became the nocked and waiting Fury Arrow!

"Die!"

The Soul-Calling Banner shot forth!

He had not yet completed the Sacrificial Refinement of the Soul-Calling Banner, nor had he mastered its use.

Even so, its power was still immense and unparalleled.

Swift as the wind!

Loud as thunder!

Fierce as lightning!

As his True Essence surged, countless strands of black light wove themselves around the Soul-Calling Banner, layer upon layer.

The moment the Soul-Calling Banner left his hand, it was a mere seven feet long. But in a flash, it swelled to a length of thirty zhang. In that instant, it was like a comet striking the moon, a white rainbow piercing the sun. It seemed to tear through the void itself, arriving before Chen Che in the blink of an eye!

RRRIIIP!

The web of swords that had blocked tens of thousands of black blades was torn asunder in an instant.

Chen Che’s eyes narrowed. He raised his right hand, and the Celestial Secret Umbrella shot out.

CRACK!

This was, after all, Xiao Chan’s greatest treasure, an Evil Artifact that had claimed countless lives. Yet in the blink of an eye, the Celestial Secret Umbrella gave way. The canopy ripped, the ribs shattered, and the handle itself disintegrated inch by inch, its fragments scattering on the wind.

Chen Che waved his hand again, and the Black Dragon Lock Chain snaked out, wrapping around the Soul-Calling Banner and halting its advance for a moment.

Then.

The Pure Jun Sword, imbued with immense power, came crashing down.

But.

This was Ye Jingzhou’s ultimate strike, infused with all three hundred years of his Cultivation.

Even after being weakened by several layers of defense, its momentum was still unstoppable.

CLANG!

The spear and sword collided.

As Rong Zhongxuan and Hu Yao watched in horror, Chen Che was sent flying backward for dozens of zhang, his feet dragging along the ground and carving two deep furrows in the earth. The Pure Jun Sword in his hand snapped clean in two.

The Soul-Calling Banner, its momentum barely diminished, grazed his cheek and drew a line of blood.

A trickle of his blood was instantly siphoned away, flowing toward the Pill Furnace.

But almost immediately.

The wound on his face healed.

"You are the most brilliant and talented Cultivator I have met in my three hundred years. To think that a mere Foundation Establishment Cultivator could last so long against me. Your strength far surpasses the likes of Lü Hong and Leng Shaoyu. That’s certainly worthy of praise..."

Ye Jingzhou hovered in mid-air, long hair whipping in the wind, and looked down with utter derision in his eyes.

"My lifespan is long, and my memory isn’t what it used to be. I seem to recall you saying something earlier... What was it you came here to do? Could you perhaps repeat those words for me?"

At these words.

Rong Zhongxuan’s eyes filled with despair.

’The Celestial Secret Umbrella shattered, the Pure Jun Sword is broken, the Black Dragon Lock Chain was useless.’

’Even Chen Che is no match for Ye Jingzhou. Who could possibly stop a being like this, a god or a demon in the flesh?’

Hu Yao closed his eyes in resignation. Between Ye Jingzhou, who had sacrificed all of Jinyun Valley, and Chen Che, he had obviously been rooting for the latter.

"To kill you!"

Chen Che raised his head.

"Oh?"

Ye Jingzhou looked momentarily stunned, then slowly shook his head.

"Your courage is commendable, but alas... In this world, courage isn’t enough. You need strength. Still, to serve as a stepping stone on my path to immortality... you can consider it a worthy death!"

With that said.

He gestured with his hand, and the Soul-Calling Banner circled in mid-air before returning to his grasp.

As he poured his True Essence into it, countless strands of black light enveloped the banner, layer by layer, causing it to swell in size. Once again, it transformed into a gigantic Black Spear that seemed to span the heavens. Clearly, he was done talking.

"You’re right. It is time to end this!"

Chen Che sighed softly and put away the broken halves of his Pure Jun Sword.

"Oh? You have another trick up your sleeve?"

Ye Jingzhou was utterly unconvinced.

’Chen Che only reached Foundation Establishment a few days ago. What other tricks could he possibly have?’

’The fact that he’s lasted this long already puts him far above any other Foundation Establishment Cultivator I’ve ever known. I refuse to believe he has an even stronger technique in reserve.’

"Die!"

His patience exhausted, Ye Jingzhou waved his hand forcefully.

RUMBLE!

The Soul-Calling Banner shot toward Chen Che like a black bolt of lightning tearing through the void. In that moment, Ye Jingzhou held nothing back. His terrifying pressure crashed down, instantly pulverizing every flower, plant, and building within Jinyun Valley.

Even the very plaza sank, forming a massive bowl as the invisible pressure crushed it several meters deep!

Beneath the giant spear, Chen Che stood alone. Annihilation was but a moment away.

A triumphant smile was spreading across Ye Jingzhou’s face when his expression suddenly froze, as if he had seen the impossible. Facing the world-shattering attack, Chen Che had taken a single step forward, and from between his brows, a single flower petal emerged.

The petal looked as if it had just drifted from a blooming flower, dancing on the wind. It seemed so fragile it would be torn to shreds in an instant, yet it flew straight toward the Soul-Calling Banner.

SWOOSH!

In that instant, a single streak of Sword Aura was all that anyone could see.

BOOM!

The moment the spear and the sword-light met, an endless Spiritual Light bloomed, filling the space between heaven and earth.

It felt like an instant.

And yet, it felt like a century!

Indeed.

In that moment, it seemed even time itself had stopped.

Only after a long while did the thunderous sound finally reach their ears.

CRASH!

Before everyone’s disbelieving eyes, the Soul-Calling Banner was knocked aside. It flew off at an angle with a WHOOSH, plunging into a massive boulder in the valley until its entire shaft was buried.

"What?!"

Horror filled Ye Jingzhou’s eyes. He wanted to dodge, but it was too late. The streak of Sword Aura arrived in a flash. It pierced the center of his brow, shattered the Possession Pill within, and burst from the back of his skull in a spray of blood. Ye Jingzhou’s body convulsed and then froze.

His eyes were filled with utter disbelief.

"How... How could I possibly..."

His voice trailed off.

Then, his seven-zhang-tall body of blood, unable to sustain itself any longer, exploded with a bang. It dissolved into countless streams of blood that rained down from the sky.

Ye Jingzhou!

Dead!

On the plaza, only a single figure in green robes remained.