Chapter 170 - 171 Canopy Sword
Having executed that strike, Zhu Minglang didn’t pause to regulate his breath.
He directly stepped on the severed tail that had fallen, leaping up and instantly reaching hundreds of meters into the sky.
While suspended in the air, he drew his sword and pointed it towards the earth.
The sky darkened, and suddenly, Zhu Minglang vanished from everyone’s sight. Looking up, all they could see was the darkening sky seemingly pressing down, giving off an oppressive feeling that made it hard to breathe.
“Canopy Sword!”
A high-pitched voice came from the sky; the gloomy firmament seemed to collapse instantly, and people like Huo Shangjun, Pu Hanrong, He Qingqian, Zhao Chen, Fu Xumei, and Ye Guang in Tomb Mountain showed expressions of shock.
The people on the city walls and Mysterious Walls only saw Zhu Minglang falling sword-first from above. Despite the astonishing sight, they couldn’t feel the power of the strike. It was only the ones inside Nine Army Tomb Mountain who were truly under the Canopy Sword; what they saw was the sky crashing down upon them, enveloping the surrounding world in darkness, facing annihilation and fragmentation!!
Soon, even those far away began to feel the destructive force of the sword because all nine peaks of the Nine Army Tomb Mountain had crumbled…
The tailless Golden Dome Dragon, with its gold helmet completely shattered and golden scales pulverized, fell from the blood-soaked skies.
The Purple Cloud Dragon didn’t escape unscathed either, as it was battered by the Canopy Sword.
As for Zhao Chen’s Dark Bone Dragon, which was capable of reassembling its bones, it had only recently been chopped into several pieces by Zhu Minglang. This didn’t cause fatal damage to the Bone Dragon, which could reconstitute its body after absorbing some death energy…
But just as it had painstakingly reformed its skeletal shape, the Canopy Sword crushed its newly fitted bones again, causing the Dark Bone Dragon to collapse into several segments once more!
The Talisman Master He Qingqian was in utter panic.
In her view, everything seemed to be getting crushed by the vault of heaven. Not only was there endless darkness around her, but a force of destruction was also advancing towards her.
She unleashed all the protective talismans she could use. One could see three layers of talisman light sheltering her: the Gold Helmet Talisman Armor, Water Defense Talisman Shield, and Earth Rock Talisman Eaves
Yet with each layer of defensive talisman that disappeared, her face grew more and more panic-stricken!
Ye Guang was already injured. He didn’t want to exit the battle like this, enduring the pain in his shoulder as he continued to fight.
An enormous wind barrier formed around him, protecting him within, but sweat still covered his forehead, indicating he was having a hard time holding up.
…
Nine Army Tomb Mountain was in a state of utter ruin.
It was only then that the disciples who had already fled from Nine Army Tomb Mountain realized that Zhu Minglang had been holding back before.
If he had used the Canopy Sword earlier, many would likely have lost their lives.
They then looked at the Monarch Level Powerhouses on top of the military tomb peaks of Nine Army Cemetery, struggling to withstand the pressure.
“Zhu Minglang’s Sword Territory is truly higher. The power of that strike, I’m afraid, reaches a Middle-level Monarch Level Divine and Mortal,” Wu Feng of Yaoshan Sword Sect remarked from the city wall.
With a high level in the Sword Territory, even if one’s Cultivation Base hasn’t reached Middle-level Monarch Level, they can still match them in battle.
“Middle-level?” Yun Zhonghe asked, puzzled.
“Although we generally classify each level into Lower, Upper, and Peak, once reaching Monarch Level, there are actually wider degrees of hierarchy, much like rivers compared to oceans. Rivers can be sufficiently described in three categories, but oceans, not quite so. Normally, at Monarch Level, we make a more detailed distinction into five rankings: Quasi-positional, Lower, Middle-level, Upper, and Peak,” Wu Feng explained to Yun Zhonghe.
Yun Zhonghe’s Cultivation Base was only at Peak King Level. While his Sword Territory allowed him to barely exchange a few blows with those at Quasi-positional Monarch Level, there was still a huge gap between him and a true Monarch Level.
That Sword Spirit Dragon, based on its Cultivation Base, should be at Lower Monarch Level.
But Zhu Minglang’s Sword Territory was very high, enabling him to unleash a might comparable to that of a Middle-level Monarch Level.
Such was the power of the Canopy Sword!
The chief disciples from the major forces on Tomb Mountain and extraordinary talents like He Qingqian, in essence, only have cultivation bases at the Quasi-positional Monarch level and Lower Monarch level. Naturally, they found it very difficult to withstand Zhu Minglang’s Canopy Sword!
“In fact, Zhu Minglang and that Sword Spirit Dragon probably still need more coordination. I remember when Zhu Minglang’s cultivation was at the Lower Monarch level, he actually crossed swords with those at the High Monarch level, although he couldn’t win” Wu Feng continued to say.
When Zhu Minglang first left the mountains, it was Wu Feng who took him to “kindly visit” the various powerful forces. Wu Feng was very familiar with Zhu Minglang’s strength.
But Yun Zhonghe’s gaze had already turned dull, lifeless like a stagnant pool of water.
Previously, he might not have realized just how wide the gap was between himself and Zhu Minglang. The closer one gets to Monarch level, the more one realizes there’s just no comparing with the other.
The Canopy Sword’s main target was still Huo Shangjun.
Huo Shangjun was indeed the strongest among these individuals; his Golden Dome Dragon reached the Lower Monarch level, and although the Purple Cloud Dragon was at the Quasi-positional Monarch level, it was equally difficult to deal with.
Currently, the tail of the Golden Dome Dragon was already severed, and all of its scales were shattered.
The Purple Cloud Dragon was even more so covered in wounds, making it very difficult to perform the Azure Dragon Mystics again.
No matter how unwilling Huo Shangjun felt, he could only withdraw these two dragons back into his Spirit Realm.
“Huo Shangjun from the Purple Sect Clan, even he can be defeated!”
“Back in the Ancient Bronze Battlefield, seeing Zhu Minglang commanding his Black Dragon, Azure Dragon, I thought he was just another ordinary disciple among many, who would have thought he’d be this dominant today? He has stepped over all other geniuses. Even if he eventually loses, he should still be recognized as the strongest disciple!”
“Lose?? Which eye of yours sees Zhu Minglang losing? Just look at the others; they are nearly collapsing!”
“Zhu Gate has changed from what it used to be, besides the prosperity of the Family Door over the years, this Big Sword Cultivator genius has made a powerful comeback with the Art of Dragon Shepherd, dominating over everyone”
“So it goes to show, a true divine being, no matter what they cultivate, is beyond our reach to look up to!”
Huo Shangjun withdrew the Purple Cloud Dragon and the Golden Dome Dragon.
He was supposed to be the most dazzling one today, but now he had become merely a backdrop to someone else’s glory.
“Thank you for showing mercy.” In the end, Huo Shangjun chose to give up and suppressed the anger in his heart.
Zhu Minglang’s Mountain Splitting Sword could have aimed for the Golden Dome Dragon’s body instead of the tail.
If Huo Shangjun couldn’t see that the other party had already shown restraint, that would be truly foolish.
He didn’t need to deceive himself anymore; if he wasn’t a match, then he wasn’t a match.
“But I don’t acknowledge your Art of Dragon Shepherd. You’re relying on nothing but this world’s rarely seen Sword Spirit Dragon.”
“Hmph, even if you only rely on this Sword Spirit Dragon, it won’t be long before I surpass you,” Huo Shangjun said to Zhu Minglang.
After saying these words, Huo Shangjun turned to leave Tomb Mountain.
He had lost, and the brocade boxes in the Nine Army Tomb Mountain no longer belonged to him.
“Wait,” Zhu Minglang called out to him.
Huo Shangjun stopped in his tracks, thinking Zhu Minglang might say some impassioned words, but his next sentence turned Huo Shangjun’s face utterly pale with anger and embarrassment.
“You may go, but leave behind the brocade boxes you obtained.”