Undying Life

Chapter 197: Heavenly Mandate

What was Zhong Shan chasing? Although he didn't see it clearly, with his uncanny intellect, he quickly deduced the possibilities. At the site of the great crater, apart from Great Qin City, there were no other objects. The massive impact could only have been caused by fragments of Great Qin City or that dark jade talisman.

If it were fragments of Great Qin City, there would be more than one piece. Besides, could Great Qin City be shattered by a single blow from those experts? The probability was low. As for the dark jade talisman, it was already rising out of Great Qin City. A powerful strike could indeed send it flying. This possibility was very high. More importantly, although Zhong Shan hadn't seen the talisman, he did catch a fleeting glimpse of silver light—the light that had previously surrounded the talisman in the moonlight.

Without hesitation, Zhong Shan pursued. He had no role to play in the battle at Great Qin City, but obtaining this dark jade talisman would already be an extravagant gain for him.

Zhong Shan rode his saber at high speed, quickly exiting the area shrouded in black energy. He finally caught sight of the distant object—the silver light was fading, revealing the dark jade talisman. It was shooting towards the horizon.

"Fourth Layer of the Celestial Demon Refinement Technique!"

With a fivefold increase in power, his speed soared. The talisman's speed slowed due to wind resistance as it flew over eight mountains. Zhong Shan was closing in.

But he didn't get complacent. Fortune and misfortune are interdependent. Although it seemed unrelated, years of cultivation had taught Zhong Shan to believe this. Danger often lurked at moments of triumph.

While chasing the talisman, Zhong Shan scanned his surroundings. He glanced back and his heart tightened. His caution had once again saved him. Among the generals besieging Great Qin City, one had also given chase.

A Nascent Soul stage expert was flying effortlessly on the wind, unlike Zhong Shan, who rode his saber. High in the sky, the Nascent Soul cultivator saw the talisman flying away and Zhong Shan chasing below. He sneered at the sight of a Golden Core stage cultivator using a saber. Spreading his divine sense, he locked onto Zhong Shan, surprised at his speed.

Zhong Shan felt a surge of urgency. He pushed his speed to the limit, determined to grab the talisman before the Nascent Soul cultivator.

The talisman was right in front of him, about to fall into a great river below. Zhong Shan reached out to grasp it. The Nascent Soul expert above, seeing this, hastily swung his great saber.

"Boom!"

A massive saber aura, a hundred feet long, slashed towards Zhong Shan. Despite his protective energy shield, Zhong Shan was struck and plunged into the river, causing huge waves to erupt.

"Splurt!"

Zhong Shan spat out a mouthful of blood as he sank into the river. But he had succeeded. At the last moment, he had grabbed the dark jade talisman.

To his astonishment, the talisman couldn't be stored in his storage bracelet.

Clutching the talisman tightly, Zhong Shan was both shocked and worried. If he could store the talisman in the bracelet, he would have leverage to negotiate with the Nascent Soul cultivator. With his intellect, he could certainly outmaneuver the general. But without this option, the general would have no qualms about killing him to take the talisman.

What to do?

As he sank towards the riverbed, Zhong Shan's mind raced.

"Such a treasure!" The general on the river surface exclaimed with delight. He had witnessed Zhong Shan's actions and realized that the dark jade talisman couldn't be stored in a spatial storage device. This alone indicated its immense value. The general showed no concern; after all, his opponent was merely at the Golden Core stage, and his divine sense had been locked onto Zhong Shan the entire time. Escape? Where could he possibly run to?

The river was deep, and as Zhong Shan sank halfway down, he squinted his eyes, his injuries slowing him. He then darted upstream, unleashing the Hongluan Mist in full force. The pink mist spread with the river's current, washing downstream. On this day, the river's creatures were destined to be overwhelmed with a sudden urge.

The general pursued unhurriedly, following Zhong Shan to a waterfall where the river water cascaded into a deep pool, which then flowed downstream again. Zhong Shan had reached this deep pool, with nowhere left to retreat.

The general smirked, thinking, "Let's see where you can run now."

Zhong Shan remained calm; the more dangerous the situation, the calmer he had to be. He had once killed a Nascent Soul stage Thunder General while still at the Innate stage. Now, at the fourth level of the Golden Core stage, could he not defeat another Nascent Soul cultivator?

The deep pool was an advantage. Zhong Shan slowly sank to the bottom, finding a large rock to hide behind. He gripped his nightmare blade, watching the surface with keen eyes, as the Hongluan Mist subtly spread, enveloping the pool. With dawn yet to break, the mist's color was not particularly noticeable.

The Nascent Soul general stood above the pool, his divine sense tracking Zhong Shan. He sneered, "You can't escape. Hand over the talisman, and I'll spare your life."

Would Zhong Shan believe him? Alone here, the general would simply kill him to take the talisman. No way he would let him go.

Zhong Shan remained silent, observing the water in the deep pool, his eyes narrowed. He held his blade firmly, unmoving.

Zhong Shan did not look directly at the general on the surface, which puzzled the latter. Was he cross-eyed? But the general didn't dwell on it; to him, Zhong Shan was already a fish in a barrel.

The general raised his blade and slashed down at the pool.

"Boom!"

Zhong Shan met the attack with his own. A massive explosion sent water spraying everywhere.

However, the general's attack was rendered ineffective, the power significantly diminished by the two hundred meters of water. Zhong Shan, at the fourth level of the Golden Core stage, had increased his strength fivefold in this short time.

With his first strike failing, the general's eyes grew cold. Meanwhile, Zhong Shan continued to look at the water as if cross-eyed, focusing on the gurgling currents.

"Humph," the general snorted, enveloped himself in a protective aura, and slowly descended into the pool.

As the general entered the water, a sly smile crept onto Zhong Shan's face.

Still hiding behind the large rock, Zhong Shan watched as the general descended to a depth of one hundred meters. His pupils contracted, and he swung his blade with all his might, filling it with thirty meters of blade energy, striking upwards.

No visible blade aura, just pure blade energy. The general's lips curled in a sneer. With only thirty meters of blade energy, Zhong Shan was still over a hundred meters away, now down to eighty meters. The attack wouldn't reach him. Not only was Zhong Shan cross-eyed, but he was also a fool.

Seeing Zhong Shan's forehead veins bulge as he swung with all his might, the general continued his descent with a mocking smile.

Zhong Shan's bulging veins indicated a full-power strike, but was he really just a fool? Those who knew Zhong Shan would never call him a fool, for anyone who did would be the true fool.

Zhong Shan's full-strength strike descended, not aimed at the general but at the water of the deep pool. His eyes had not been fixed on the general earlier; instead, he was studying the patterns in the water.

This was a technique Zhong Shan had created himself, though it was not yet perfected. However, as long as he had time and his opponent dared to underestimate his strike, the price to pay would be unprecedented.

As the general sneered at Zhong Shan, his thoughts suddenly became chaotic. A stunning beauty flashed in his mind, making him realize something was wrong. It was an illusion-type spell!

"Boom!"

A massive thunderbolt descended upon the general from above. Refocusing, the general sneered coldly and swung his blade upwards.

"Boom!"

He shattered the thunderbolt with a single slash. The general grinned because it seemed the thunderbolt had almost missed its mark. Was Zhong Shan cross-eyed? How could such a person reach the Golden Core stage?

While the general was blocking the thunderbolt, sneering at the thought, Zhong Shan's blade finally completed its strike.

As his blade descended, the water parted as if an immense force were tearing it apart. Water, inherently shapeless, seemed to split eagerly, torn by an invisible power. From the tip of Zhong Shan's blade, it appeared as though the water was being ripped apart, like a fabric tearing, creating a rift that surged upwards toward the general.

The general's pupils contracted in shock. He couldn't understand what was happening, but an intense sense of danger surged within him.

The moment the rift in the water touched his protective aura, the general was struck with terror. The force wasn't a collision but a terrifying pull from both sides of the rift, exerting immense pressure on his protective barrier.

Despite being a Nascent Soul cultivator, his protective aura, dense and crimson like a shell, held only for a brief moment before it was ripped apart. The powerful pulling force continued along the direction of the rift.

The general's eyes widened in panic. His right leg, waist, and right arm were all torn apart by the immense force.

Even as he died, the general couldn't believe what was happening. How could a Golden Core cultivator possess such strength? How could this be possible? Why?

"What is this blade technique?" the general asked in disbelief as he took his last breath.

Looking coldly at the dying general, Zhong Shan replied slowly, "It's my own creation. It had no name until today. Remember, this blade technique is called 'Heaven's Law' ."