The wind roared, and sword energy raged.
This flat-topped mountain, which had once stood tall and majestic on the outskirts of the dark plains, piercing the clouds, was now rapidly crumbling. Under the powerful residual battle waves, countless rocks tumbled from its peak, their sound like thunder, as if the heavens were breaking.
Smoke and dust filled the air, enveloping the combatants. The onlookers' vision was obscured, and their divine senses dared not probe too deeply. All they could hear were the clangs of weapons and the explosions of spells, which only fueled their curiosity about the ongoing battle.
Zhang Fan felt an immense sense of exhilaration. As his cultivation advanced, so did the divine abilities and spells he could wield. Despite fighting for hundreds of rounds, he hadn't managed to defeat a single opponent. In fact, under the precise coordination of ten adversaries, he had sustained some injuries. Yet, he paid them no mind.
After achieving near-perfection in his divine body, his physical form had reached a level that even peak cultivators of the Nine Tribulations realm found unattainable. Ordinary wounds would heal in the blink of an eye.
His mind was clear and focused. No matter what kind of attack he faced, he countered it with sword techniques or sword dao divine abilities. He unleashed various sword techniques and divine abilities one after another, a distant memory flashing through his mind. Zhang Fan was completely immersed, his aura quietly transforming. The sword dao rules, already near completion, were slowly growing during the battle, unnoticed by him.
"What kind of monster is he? The sword dao spells and divine abilities that my Canghai Palace has collected over a million years, not a single cultivator at the Eighth Tribulations realm has mastered as many!" The more Cang Lan Qiuyue fought Zhang Fan, the more fear gripped her.
Zhang Fan's sword techniques were ever-changing, powerful sword arts flowing from him effortlessly. In thousands of rounds, he had displayed over a thousand different styles of swordplay, each one profoundly mysterious, enough for a Nascent Soul cultivator to spend their lifetime comprehending.
She herself was a genius of the sword dao, breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm with her sword. Moreover, she had cultivated a rare, top-tier golden Nascent Soul, her talent surpassing that of her elder brother.
Now, she had reached the late stage of the Nine Tribulations realm, and her sword dao rules had cultivated to nearly eight hundred thousand, far exceeding Fu Tianling and the others. The more this was the case, the more she realized how monstrous Zhang Fan was.
Although every sword cultivator would learn various sword techniques and comprehend different sword dao rules, they would ultimately forge their own path and develop their own style.
Her sword dao was about mastery. It was not the most ferocious or the fastest sword, but it was meticulous, pushing details to the extreme, allowing her to control the entire battlefield.
However, Zhang Fan was unlike any sword cultivator she had ever seen. He had no weaknesses in terms of speed, power, technique, or even the application of rules. No matter what kind of offensive technique he faced, he could break it in the most ingenious way. While the coordinated efforts of the others could inflict some injuries on him, they were all minor.
Nangong Feng, Fu Tianling, Zhan Feiyang, Qin Hao, and the siblings Cang Lan Mingyue and Cang Lan Qiuyue, six top Nine Tribulations realm cultivators, were engaging Zhang Fan in close combat. Four Nine Tribulations realm cultivators provided spell support. Although they could not inflict fatal injuries on Zhang Fan, they had him steadily suppressed. They believed that as long as the battle continued, Zhang Fan's defeat was only a matter of time.
Suddenly, an incredibly brilliant sword light erupted on the battlefield. Accompanied by a heaven-shattering explosion, Fu Tianling and Zhan Feiyang were sent flying backward. After tumbling for several kilometers in the air, they forcibly stopped, blood spewing from their mouths. They exchanged glances, and in each other's eyes, they saw unconcealed shock.
Under the siege of six individuals, Zhang Fan had suddenly erupted, sending two of them flying and spitting blood with a single sword strike. Furthermore, the battle weapons in their hands had also sustained some damage.
The others were also stunned by Zhang Fan's sudden burst of power, and for a moment, they did not attack again.
By now, the smoke and dust had completely dispersed. Zhang Fan felt that the sword dao rules within him had reached an astonishing count of nine hundred and eighty thousand, filling him with immense joy.
After all, the closer one got to the perfection of rules, the more difficult it became to make further progress. In this battle, Zhang Fan had forsaken other means and completely immersed himself in the sword dao, which had yielded such results.
Of course, it was also because his opponents in this battle were not weak. Otherwise, Zhang Fan would not have been able to fully unleash his sword techniques.
"To be able to help me achieve a breakthrough, your deaths here today are well-deserved." Zhang Fan smiled, a genuine smile born from the joy of achieving a breakthrough in his rules, but his intention remained unchanged.
"Fellow Daoist Zhang Fan indeed possesses peerless talent, but the outcome of today's battle is not yet decided. It is too early to say such things!" Cang Lan Mingyue spoke softly, a hint of arrogance in his expression.
Zhang Fan was indeed very strong, but defeating him and his sister would not be so easy.
Everyone knew that Cang Lan Mingyue and Cang Lan Qiuyue each cultivated the dao of the saber and the sword, respectively. They were known as the Twin Blades of the Canghai Palace, representing the pinnacle of the dao of the saber and the sword among the younger generation in the Wushan Star Domain.
Furthermore, the siblings had cultivated together since childhood and had learned combined saber and sword techniques. When they fought together, their combat power would increase tremendously.
Although they had all attacked with full force during the siege of Zhang Fan earlier, they had not employed their combined saber and sword techniques. Clearly, in their hearts, they did not wish to completely sever ties with Zhang Fan.
Once they revealed their trump card, it would signify a fight to the death.
"You only dare to be so ferocious by relying on the advantage of a top-tier heavenly treasure. Without this divine weapon, you would have long since perished under my sword!"
Zhan Feiyang's face was flushed, and he felt an indescribable sense of grievance and jealousy. The proud talents cultivated by their top forces did not possess top-tier heavenly treasures, yet Zhang Fan, with no background, could own one. How could he not be resentful?
"Oh? It seems you're still unconvinced?"
Hearing this, Zhang Fan's smile widened. "Very well, considering you have helped me cultivate today, I shall let you die with understanding."
With that, Zhang Fan actually put away the top-tier heavenly treasure iron sword in his hand. This left the onlookers astonished.
Although Zhang Fan had proven his strength in this battle, truly formidable and unmatched among the younger generation, even ten people working together could not defeat him in a short time. However, in the eyes of many, the top-tier heavenly treasure iron sword in Zhang Fan's hand was a crucial factor.
Yet, at this moment, Zhang Fan had actually put away the top-tier heavenly treasure iron sword simply because of Zhan Feiyang's words. The onlookers were unsure if Zhang Fan was too foolish or too confident.
"It is rumored that Senior Zhang Fan has achieved great success in body refinement, but relying on his physical body to face a group of powerful Nine Tribulations realm cultivators might be too much."
"Hmph, didn't you also say he couldn't handle fighting ten people earlier? And yet, he's holding his own now? Perhaps the real show is about to begin."
Some were worried, while others were full of confidence in Zhang Fan. But everyone, equally, was even more eager for the battle to come.
"Master is finally stopping his reservations and preparing to end the fight?" Lin Haotian had followed Zhang Fan for many years and naturally knew how terrifying his master's achievements were in body refinement.
His master had once said, "A divine body at near-perfection can suppress peak Nascent Souls!"
This single sentence was enough to understand how terrifying near-perfection in the divine body was.