Intercepting the Three Asura Heavenly Kings

Now that their identities were clear, there was no need for further words. At this moment, strength alone would decide everything.

With a roar, one hundred and eight pillars of water surged behind Xiao Chen, like one hundred and eight enormous waterfalls crashing upward into the sky. One hundred and eight brilliant white streams connected heaven and earth, drawing the sea’s waters in a reverse cascade, rumbling up past the clouds. The scene was magnificent beyond measure.

Xiao Chen’s lone interception of three Asura Heavenly Kings—such boldness, paired with this overwhelming display—made the Asura Saintess and the two elders behind her change color.

“There’s nothing to fear,” the Asura Saintess said, suppressing her seductive manner, suddenly appearing like a celestial maiden descending to earth. Crimson light soared from her, shaking the very heavens. “With three Heavenly Kings joining forces, we can annihilate his body and soul.”

With a chi sound, she attacked first, unleashing the full power of Asura arts. The Asura Sacred Hand, white as snow and flawless as jade, seemed delicate yet could rupture space. Where her hand passed, terrifying black holes appeared in the void.

A ding rang out as Xiao Chen’s eyes shot two beams of cold lightning that collided with her jade palm, producing a soul-rattling sound.

In a flash, the Asura Saintess closed in like lightning. Thirteen black holes spiraled between her hands, lightly brushing toward him, devouring all energy. Her seemingly soft palms were terrifyingly lethal, governing life and death. The black holes consumed time and space, destabilizing the very sky.

No flesh-and-blood body could withstand that touch; even steel would be instantly reduced to ashes.

Xiao Chen stood unmoving as a pine on the surging waves, tracing mysterious trajectories with his hand as the saintess drew near. His palm-knife met her attack. The surrounding space seemed to contract, time seemed to freeze. His flesh-and-blood palm contained the true essence of the Dao, as if embracing an entire world.

Bam, bam, bam.

His palm and fingers met the saintess’s jade hand in rapid succession. The sounds were not loud, nor did wild energy surges erupt, yet that region trembled violently, as if on the verge of collapse. Xiao Chen’s palm held worldly power, brimming with life force, while the saintess’s hands were surrounded by deathly black holes. This was a clash of diametrically opposed extremes.

The enchantingly beautiful, intoxicating Asura Saintess frowned slightly; her fingers felt as if they might snap—the pain was excruciating.

Xiao Chen’s martial body was strong beyond imagination. His palm contained the might of a world, and the black holes at her fingertips could not destroy it, nearly causing her to be wounded instead.

Blood light soared. A sinister, chilling aura filled heaven and earth as the two Asura elders attacked, instantly unleashing a ghastly wind across the vast sea. One could tell at a glance that these two old Asura had slain countless strong foes; such killing intent could only be accumulated through endless bloodshed.

With a boom, the one hundred and eight reversed waterfalls behind Xiao Chen seemed to come alive like sacred dragons, spiraling and dancing in the sky. One hundred and eight massive streams hurtled toward the two Asura elders.

The sky was a vast expanse of white, filled with water mist that flooded the heavens.

The baleful aura instantly halved. One old Asura was sealed within a square cage formed by the one hundred and eight reverse waterfalls—a cage made of water.

The Asura Saintess and the other elder frantically attacked to prevent the loss of one of their main combatants. Xiao Chen simultaneously released the Weng sound and the Duo sound, the heavenly tones from the Eight Origin Sounds. Heavy as mountains, sharp as celestial swords, dozens of solid, meteor-like characters smashed toward the two Heavenly Kings.

Both were struck as if by thunder, their bodies convulsing violently. Even before the gleaming “meteors” touched them, they felt their souls trembling. A direct hit would surely scatter their spirits.

Xiao Chen was a lone man fighting two Asura Heavenly Kings.

The Asura Saintess was exceptionally powerful. Her slender, jade-like fingers tore open space-clefts several li long, like a ghost darting across the sky, leaving afterimages in her wake. Her speed was incredible, capable of traversing space, like a phantom dream flower.

She broke through to Xiao Chen’s front. Her bare arms were as tempting as creamy jade, soft and boneless, but in that moment they wound around like poisonous snakes, entangling his arm.

Formidable as it was, the Asura Sacred Hand—snow-white jade—could unleash unimaginable power.

Fortunately, Xiao Chen had cultivated a peerless martial body. He shook his frame, dispersing the destructive force, and simultaneously twisted to reverse the hold on the saintess’s wrists.

A crack sounded—one of her arms, smooth as mutton-fat jade, had been fractured. The Asura Saintess’s face changed dramatically. She retreated with lightning speed, pouring all her divine power into mending her wounded body.

“Asura Heavenly Way!”

The old Asura beside her shouted. A terrifying Asura killing ground appeared in the sky, then crashed down with a rumble. This was spatial power, all surging toward Xiao Chen.

At the same time, the old Asura trapped in the cage exerted every ounce of strength and finally burst out, roaring, “Kill!”

Blood light soared, and endless blood mists spread. The freed elder’s body seemed to ignite, crimson flames surging like boiling blood, drowning Xiao Chen.

The Asura Saintess’s eyes blazed with brilliant radiance. Silently, she drew the Asura Sacred Sword from her back. A bolt of blood-colored lightning tore across the sky and cleaved straight toward Xiao Chen.

This was the Asura Sacred Sword, personally forged by the Asura Half-Ancestor, bestowed upon the saintess for self-defense. A half-ancestor’s supreme treasure was no ordinary object. The blood light directly split that region of heaven in two.

Ding!

A War Sword shot up to meet the Asura Sacred Sword. The two blades clashed, sending sparks flying, scattering divine radiance across the sky. No one could see what was happening on the sea; towering waves swept into the air, completely obscuring the battlefield.

The sea boiled.

Sword energy pierced the sky, divine light dazzled.

The fierce battle lasted a long time before the radiance finally faded.

The saintess’s face was pale, the Sacred Sword in her hand dim as she retreated.

The two old Asura had blood at the corners of their mouths, their bodies trembling as they struggled to stand in the sky.

Xiao Chen was wreathed in divine light. A Heavenly Stele shadow appeared beside him, and a brilliant War Sword floated quietly at his side.

“Kill!”

The Asura Saintess’s crimson hair flew wildly. She bit out the word, her graceful, enchanting body dancing like the wind. With the Asura Sacred Sword in hand, she charged again, followed closely by the two old Asura, each unleashing their strongest arts.

“It ends here,” Xiao Chen said coldly. His hair, like a waterfall, stirred in the wind; his gaze was icy. A soul-shaking vast power erupted from him.

The War Sword soared into the sky, clashing with the Asura Sacred Sword with a series of ringing sounds.

He struck with the Suppress Demon style and the Reverse Chaos style. Heavenly Stele shadows condensed and pressed down toward one old Asura.

At the same time, the Weng sound and the Duo sound resonated continuously, striking the other old Asura like thunder. The immense force sent him flying backward, coughing blood.

After more than half a shichen of battle, the fight finally came to an end.

The Asura Saintess fell into the sea; the two old Asura had also lost their combat power. Xiao Chen sealed them in a watery prison.

“I have no personal grudge against the three of you. All this is because of the Asura Half-Ancestor. I have already killed enough people. Today, I will make an exception and not kill you, but I will imprison you for a time.”

“Kill us!” the two old Asura roared.

The Asura Saintess, however, shifted her gaze, a bewitching smile on her face, showing no fear at all.

A large hand reached out, grabbing the three Heavenly Kings. Xiao Chen cast them into three acupoint spaces within his own body, sealing them within himself.

The Asura Sacred Sword, now bearing a dozen nicks, let out a mournful hum and tried to tear through the sky to escape. Xiao Chen drove his War Sword and struck down. The War Sword, like a rainbow that could cut even the Indestructible Imperial Heavenly Bell and the Heavenly Thunder Hammer, could certainly damage the Asura Sacred Sword.

With a clang, that heaven-shaking blow actually severed the Sacred Sword.

In a distant overseas land, the Asura Half-Ancestor, who had been meditating, abruptly opened his eyes, shooting out two terrifying beams of light.

“How dare you!”

He expelled a breath of essence and let out a light shout.

On the distant sea, Xiao Chen immediately felt a world-shaking killing intent. The broken Asura Sacred Sword was instantly filled with a destructive power, splitting the sky as it cleaved toward him.

Go!

He knew the old Asura had made his move, but he did not want to clash head-on for now. He pushed the Eight-Aspect Extreme to its limit and vanished into the vast blue sea in an instant.

The broken Asura sword chased for over a thousand li before angrily slashing into the sea, then shot up and flew back overseas.

“Do you think that just because I agreed to a twenty-day truce, I, a Half-Ancestor, am bound by it and cannot act?” The Asura Half-Ancestor looked at the broken Sacred Sword, his face grim as ice. He transmitted a thought: “Leng Hanbing, come in.”

A wizened old Asura covered in wrinkles like dried tangerine peel entered the Asura cave. His bald head had barely a few strands of hair, but his eyes gleamed with sharp divine light.

“This old servant awaits your command.” He bowed respectfully.

“You are at the Earth-Penetrating realm. Killing a Perfected Man realm brat should be no problem, yes?”

“A simple task. I will gladly relieve you of your worries.” The ancient, decrepit old Asura, Leng Hanbing, was wreathed in bloody mist.

“Good. Go kill that Xiao Chen.” The Asura Half-Ancestor’s crimson hair flickered with an eerie red light, his voice as piercing as the winter wind. “A mere Perfected Man dares to offend me repeatedly. Now he even intercepts my disciples and grandchildren—truly deserving of death. He wants to fight a Half-Ancestor? He is far from qualified. Go, kill him completely—annihilate his three souls and seven spirits. Let me not hear his name again.”

“Rest assured, old ancestor. This servant will ensure his body and soul are utterly destroyed, and he will vanish from this world forever, never to be heard of again.”

The bald, wrinkled Leng Hanbing bowed and withdrew from the Asura cave.

Naturally, there were hidden experts in the South Sea who witnessed this battle in secret.

News quickly spread back to the Nine Provinces. Xiao Chen had gone alone into the South Sea, intercepted the three Asura Heavenly Kings, and succeeded in one battle.

The news was utterly shocking.

At this point, no one doubted Xiao Chen’s declaration that he was emerging to challenge the Half-Ancestors.

Experts of the Tiger clan, Sun Church Holy Knights, Five Elements Heavenly Kings, Lich King, the most mysterious War King, Yaksha Queen, Winged Dragon King who had mastered the Glorious Years, and others all descended upon the Nine Provinces.

In the ruined Forbidden City of the capital, Wu Ming stood with the Indestructible Imperial Heavenly Bell hovering over his head and the Heavenly Thunder Hammer in his hand, a hundred zhang away from Xiao Chen, on high alert. “Our cooperation is terminated,” he said.

“Afraid?” Xiao Chen looked at him calmly.

“Half-Ancestors have been stirred. How could I not be afraid? I want the Five-Element Souls, but I also want to keep my life.” Wu Ming’s expression was complicated. “I advise you to flee immediately. Fighting a Half-Ancestor—you have no hope of surviving.”

Having extensive intelligence, he naturally knew what had happened in the past two days.

Then Wu Ming added another piece of news: “I have learned a secret. Just yesterday, an Earth-Penetrating realm veteran of the Asura clan entered the Nine Provinces to take your life. I’m afraid you won’t even live to see the day of your duel with the Yaksha Half-Ancestor.”

“Oh? An Earth-Penetrating realm Asura Emperor?” Xiao Chen was startled, then showed a serious expression. After a moment of thought, he said, “The Asura Half-Ancestor truly thinks highly of me, sending such a venerable elder.”

“The hundred races have few members. The entire Asura clan likely has only five or six Earth-Penetrating realm Asura Emperors. They are extremely terrifying undying old monsters—treasures of the clan.”

“Is that so?” Xiao Chen said lightly. “Then I’ll just send that Asura to the Western Heaven. Losing a treasure-level old monster will make the Asura Half-Ancestor’s heart ache for a hundred and eighty years.”

A storm was about to break.