The wind howled, and sword energy raged.
This flat-topped mountain, which originally stood towering into the clouds on the outskirts of the dark plains, was now rapidly crumbling. Under the powerful aftermath of the battle, countless rocks rolled down from the summit, sounding like thunder and resembling the collapse of heaven.
Smoke and dust billowed up, shrouding the combatants. Spectators' vision was obstructed, and their divine senses dared not probe within. All that could be heard were the sounds of weapons clashing and spells exploding, which only served to heighten the curiosity about the battle's progress.
Zhang Fan felt an incomparable sense of exhilaration. As his cultivation improved, he could unleash more divine abilities and spells. Although he had fought for hundreds of rounds and had yet to defeat any of his opponents, and even sustained some injuries under the precise coordination of the ten of them, he remained unfazed.
After achieving the minor completion of his divine body, his physical form had reached a level that even peak experts of the Nine Tribulation realm found unattainable. Ordinary injuries could be healed in the blink of an eye.
His mind was clear and enlightened. Regardless of the attacks he faced, he countered them with sword techniques or sword-path divine abilities. Various sword techniques and sword-path divine abilities were unleashed by him one after another. A distant memory flashed in his mind, and Zhang Fan became completely immersed in it. His aura began to subtly shift. The sword-path rules, which were already close to completion, were slowly growing during the battle, a fact he was unaware of.
"What kind of monster is this? Even after a million years of collecting sword-path spells and divine abilities, our Canghai Hall has never had a cultivator of the Eight Tribulation realm who masters as many as he does!" The more Cang Lan Qiuyue fought Zhang Fan, the more terrified she became.
Zhang Fan's sword techniques were ever-changing, and powerful sword arts flowed from him effortlessly. After thousands of rounds, he had displayed over a thousand sword techniques of different styles, each one profoundly mysterious and enough for a Nascent Soul cultivator to spend a lifetime comprehending.
She herself was a sword-path prodigy, breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm through the sword path, and cultivating a rare top-tier golden Nascent Soul. In terms of talent, she was even superior to her elder brother.
Now, she had cultivated to the late stage of the Nine Tribulation realm, and her sword-path rules had reached nearly eight hundred thousand, far surpassing Fu Tianling and 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-path rules, they would ultimately forge their own path and develop their own style.
Her sword path was one of mastery. Not the most ferocious sword, nor the fastest, but one that meticulously focused on details to the extreme, thus controlling the entire battlefield.
However, Zhang Fan was different from 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 attack he faced, he could break it with the most ingenious method. Although 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 Cang Lan siblings, the six top Nine Tribulation realm cultivators, surrounded Zhang Fan in close combat, while four Nine Tribulation realm cultivators provided auxiliary support with spells. Although they could not inflict fatal injuries on Zhang Fan, they had him firmly suppressed. They believed that as long as the battle continued, Zhang Fan's defeat was only a matter of time.
Suddenly, an incomparably brilliant sword light erupted in the battlefield. With a thunderous explosion, Fu Tianling and Zhan Feiyang were sent flying rapidly. After tumbling for several kilometers in the air, they forcefully stopped, blood spurting from their mouths. They exchanged glances, both seeing the unconcealed shock in each other's eyes.
Under the siege of six people, Zhang Fan had suddenly erupted and sent 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.
At this moment, the smoke and dust had completely dispersed. Zhang Fan felt that the sword-path rules within him had reached a staggering nine hundred and eighty thousand, bringing him immense joy.
After all, the closer one got to the perfection of rules, the more difficult it became to advance. In this battle, Zhang Fan had abandoned all other means and fully immersed himself in the sword path, which had led to 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 display his sword techniques.
"To be able to help me break through, your deaths here today will be meaningful." Zhang Fan smiled, a genuine smile born from the joy of his breakthrough in rules, but his intentions remained unchanged.
"Fellow Daoist Zhang Fan indeed possesses peerless talent, but the outcome of today's battle is yet undecided. Isn't it too early to say such things!" Cang Lan Mingyue said softly, a hint of arrogance in his expression.
Zhang Fan was indeed very strong, but defeating him and his sister would not be easy.
Everyone knew that Cang Lan Mingyue and Cang Lan Qiuyue each cultivated the dao of the blade and the sword respectively, and were known as the Twin Blades and Swords of Canghai Hall, representing the pinnacle of the younger generation's dao of the blade and sword in the Wushan Star Domain.
Furthermore, the siblings had cultivated together since childhood and had practiced combined blade and sword techniques. When they joined forces, their combat prowess would increase tremendously.
Although they had all exerted their full strength during the siege of Zhang Fan, they had not used their combined blade and sword techniques. Clearly, in their hearts, they did not want to completely break ties with Zhang Fan.
Once their trump card was revealed, it would be a battle to the death.
"You only dare to act so ferociously by relying on the advantage of a top-grade heavenly treasure. Without this divine weapon, you would have long since become a soul under my sword!"
Zhan Feiyang's face flushed, and he felt an unspeakable sense of frustration and jealousy. The prodigies cultivated by their top factions did not possess top-grade heavenly treasures, yet Zhang Fan, with no background, could own one. How could he remain calm?
"Oh? It seems you are still unconvinced?"
Hearing this, the smile on Zhang Fan's face deepened. "Very well, since you have assisted me in my cultivation today, I shall let you die with clarity."
After speaking, Zhang Fan actually sheathed the top-grade heavenly treasure iron sword in his hand, a sight that astonished all the spectators.
Although Zhang Fan had proven his strength in this battle, truly being unrivaled among the younger generation, and even ten people joining forces could not easily subdue him for a short period, in the eyes of many, the top-grade heavenly treasure iron sword in Zhang Fan's hand was also a key factor.
Yet, at this moment, Zhang Fan actually sheathed the top-grade heavenly treasure iron sword just because of Zhan Feiyang's words. The spectators wondered if Zhang Fan was too foolish or too confident.
"It is rumored that Senior Zhang Fan has also achieved great success in body cultivation. But to face a group of powerful Nine Tribulation realm cultivators with just his physique, I fear he may not be able to withstand it."
"Hmph, didn't you also say he wouldn't be able to withstand it when Senior Zhang Fan said he would fight ten of them earlier? And haven't they held on until now? Perhaps the real show is yet to come."
Some worried, while others were full of confidence in Zhang Fan. But everyone was equally eager for the upcoming battle.
"Master is finally no longer holding back and is preparing to end the battle?" Lin Haotian, having followed Zhang Fan for many years, naturally knew how terrifying his master's achievements in body cultivation were.
His master had once said, "Minor completion of the divine body can suppress a peak Nascent Soul!"
With these few words, one could grasp how terrifying the minor completion of the divine body was.