Chapter 160: The First Display of Might in Changing Heaven and Striking Earth (Seeking Subscriptions) - Dedicated to Helm Master He

Deep within the dense forest, the darkness grew heavier by the moment.

However, for the martial arts experts present, seeing in the dark was hardly an obstacle.

Listening to Zheng Jian’s dismissive remarks about the Ice-Fulfilling Force, Yuwen Huaji was so furious he felt as though he might explode on the spot!

Resentment from Yuwen Huaji +1999.

"At such a tender age, this boy already possesses the strength of a Grand Master. Now that we have crossed paths and formed a feud, he absolutely cannot be allowed to live!" The intent to kill in Yuwen Huaji's heart raged fiercely.

Feeling Yuwen Huaji’s intense, almost tangible murderous aura, Zheng Jian remained entirely unfazed. Yuwen Huaji's strength could hardly be considered top-tier among Grand Masters; it was merely intermediate.

Amidst the silence, the auras of the two men continued to clash. Yuwen Huaji’s state of mind was exceptionally steady. Although he was astonished by the Imprint of Immortality, he was a veteran of countless battles and naturally knew that while miraculous techniques were a factor, the outcome ultimately depended on the person wielding them!

And it was abundantly clear that Zheng Jian was not Shi Zhixuan; otherwise, Yuwen Huaji would have run as far away as he possibly could at the very first opportunity...

At the exact instant their auras reached their absolute peak, both men moved almost simultaneously. Brilliant flashes of light shot from Yuwen Huaji’s eyes, and as his figure lifted into the air, he unleashed two consecutive punches.

Zheng Jian thrust forward with the Tear-Stained Sword at an immensely bizarre angle. By now, he had grown completely serious. His mind was as clear and serene as a calm lake mirroring everything around him, including the incoming punch force of Yuwen Huaji, with absolute tranquility.

"Sword Qi罡!"

Just as the sword energy of the Tear-Stained Sword was about to collide with Yuwen Huaji’s fist force, a three-inch sword罡 materialized abruptly at the tip of the blade, vibrating with a humming sound as it lunged toward Yuwen Huaji with unstoppable sharpness!

Yuwen Huaji’s pupils contracted sharply. Sensing the terrifying destructive power packed into that tiny point of sword energy on Zheng Jian’s blade, he instantly slid sideways a few feet, attempting to evade the sharpest edge of the attack.

Yet, Zheng Jian seemed to have anticipated Yuwen Huaji’s movement entirely. With a rapid succession of blurred shifts in position, three phantom figures of Zheng Jian holding swords appeared in the void, charging from different directions and sealing off all possible paths of retreat for Yuwen Huaji!

With the Imprint of Immortality at his disposal, Zheng Jian had no need to worry about recovering his internal energy. Furthermore, the Demonic Illusion Movement elevated his agility to a whole new level, and combined with the sword罡, Zheng Jian’s combat prowess at this moment could only be described as terrifying!

Zheng Jian had undoubtedly unleashed his full strength, holding nothing back!

Yuwen Huaji’s expression shifted drastically. For the very first time, he felt the true threat of death!

This was no exaggeration; it was a cold, hard reality!

"Break for this old man!" Yuwen Huaji roared aloud, his Ice-Fulfilling Force instantly flooding the surrounding space to form a wall of piercing cold, while his fists circled inward as he poured his absolute all into a desperate defense.

"Boom!"

The sword罡 and the Ice-Fulfilling Force finally crashed against each other without the slightest restraint.

A violent explosion of internal energy caused the very space around them to visibly distort and warp.

"Yuwen Huaji! Go to hell!" Zheng Jian let out a resounding shout as well, unleashing the boundless, peerless internal energy within his body to convert all the impending death aura into his own surging vitality.

Immediately, cracks began to web across the icy wall before Yuwen Huaji, and then—it shattered!

Reeling from the backlash of this tremendous internal energy, Yuwen Huaji coughed up a mouthful of blood. Before any other thought could form in his mind, a flash of sword light appeared right before his eyes, growing closer by the fraction of a second!

The Tear-Stained Sword pierced directly between Yuwen Huaji’s brows, and the internal energy contained within the blade instantly erupted, penetrating straight through his skull!

A generation's Grand Master and the second-in-command of the Yuwen Clan, Yuwen Huaji, perished right then and there.

"Don't move!"

Before Zheng Jian even had a chance to catch his breath, a cold shout echoed from nearby.

He turned to look and saw that, at some unknown moment, Yang Xuyan had actually captured Dan Wanqing, the slender blade of his sword pressed tightly against her fair, delicate neck.

"Yang Xuyan, I advise you not to seek your own destruction!" Zheng Jian said, panting heavily.

Yang Xuyan completely ignored Zheng Jian’s warning. "Cut the crap! If you don't want her to die right before your eyes, shut your mouth!"

Tears welled up in Dan Wanqing’s eyes. At that moment, she bitterly hated herself for not practicing her martial arts more diligently, rendering herself not only unable to help, but a liability captured to threaten Zheng Jian.

Zheng Jian smiled faintly, plunging the Tear-Stained Sword into the ground. "You can see my sincerity now, can't you? Speak your mind, what do you want?"

Yang Xuyan tightened his grip on the sword slightly, and a thin line of blood immediately seeped out from Dan Wanqing’s neck. "Tell me, how is it that you know the supreme arts of my Mending Heaven Pavilion? Where did you steal them from?"

Zheng Jian glanced at Dan Wanqing before turning his gaze back to Yang Xuyan. "You want to know?"

"Tell me quickly!" Yang Xuyan barked. He had only come to kill Zheng Jian today upon accepting a commission from the Yuwen Clan. Now that Yuwen Huaji was dead, whether Zheng Jian lived or died was largely inconsequential to him!

However, he could never tolerate anyone else knowing the supreme techniques of his master, the Evil King!

"If... if this Zheng Jian is also a disciple of Master..." Panic fluttered momentarily in the depths of Yang Xuyan’s heart...

Zheng Jian seemed to have guessed what Yang Xuyan was thinking and smiled. "You know very well that both the *Imprint of Immortality* and the *Demonic Illusion Movement* are supreme arts created by the Evil King himself. Think about it—how do you suppose I learned them?"

Yang Xuyan’s mind reeled with shock. "Impossible! That's impossible!" He knew he had another junior martial brother from a different branch, but that person inherited the orthodox lineage of the Remnant Sect and could by no means be the Zheng Jian standing before him.

At that exact fraction of a second, Zheng Jian’s eyes suddenly transformed into a chaotic ocean, within which vortexes swirled faintly alongside countless microscopic golden fragments.

Meeting Zheng Jian’s gaze, Yang Xuyan instantly sensed that something was terribly wrong, but it was already far too late. The scenery before his eyes shifted once more, and he was once again plunged straight into Zheng Jian’s *Heaven-Changing and Earth-Shattering Spiritual Great Technique*.

Amidst a spinning world, Yang Xuyan found himself seemingly transported into another life this time. He appeared in a strange room—small in space, filled entirely with bizarre objects. The tables and chairs were completely unlike anything he had ever seen before, and a strange black box sat atop a desk. As he turned around in bewilderment, he caught sight of a mirror.

Within the reflection of the mirror stood a figure dressed in peculiar garments. Yang Xuyan’s gaze suddenly froze—that face belonged to...

Suddenly, a wave of excruciating pain surged through his chest. Looking down, Yang Xuyan discovered a sword thrust deep into his chest cavity, with the hilt entirely empty!

The moment the wave of pain engulfed his entire being, he seemed to sense a connection stretching from beyond endless time and space. The scenery before him shattered like glazed glass, and he was violently jerked back into reality.

As Yang Xuyan regained his senses, he realized that Dan Wanqing, whom he had held hostage just moments ago, had already escaped to safety. Meanwhile, his own chest was impaled by that very sword—only this time, a hand was firmly gripping the hilt.

Struggling to raise his head, Yang Xuyan looked up and met Zheng Jian’s cold, indifferent expression.

With a sudden jerk, Zheng Jian pulled the sword free. Yang Xuyan collapsed backward in a daze, his eyes wide open, though his pupils had long since dilated and all life had faded away.

Pitiful enough to rival Ba Fenghan in the later stages of his life, this talented prodigy had simply met his end just like that...

Only at this moment did Zheng Jian feel his mind relax slightly, as an indescribable wave of exhaustion washed over him. The world grew darker and darker before his eyes, and the strength in his limbs seemed to have been entirely drained.

Zheng Jian’s body slowly went limp, sliding softly to the ground. Before losing consciousness entirely, the last thing he saw was Dan Wanqing’s panic-stricken little face...

...