Demonic Futu! Divine Sword Warning! (Thirteenth Extra Chapter for Alliance Leader Murong Shimeng DH)

"Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Art!"

"Eight Trigrams Profound Palm!"

"Tai Chi Divine Sword!"

Zhang Mingdao unleashed every profound martial art he had mastered to the utmost, his fists, palms, fingers, and sword techniques pounding Tang Jie's body like a torrential downpour.

Bang bang bang bang!

Even though Tang Jie had cultivated the Indestructible Golden Bell Body and pushed the Tendon Strengthening Classic to its limits, circulating his protective true essence throughout his body, each attack that struck him still sent waves of agonizing pain through him.

Yet Tang Jie was delighted rather than alarmed. He felt out the traits within Zhang Mingdao's attacks: hardness concealed within softness, yin and yang working in harmony. Every move seemed to reverse yin and yang, possessing boundless might.

"Burning Wood Saber Art!"

"Divine Elephant Fist!"

"True Dragon Roar!"

Tang Jie was no less ferocious. He unleashed everything he had learned in his lifetime at Zhang Mingdao, every move incomparably tyrannical, as though splitting heaven and earth apart!

It was not only Tang Jie and Zhang Mingdao who were fighting. In the other battle zones, Maha, Wu Changkong, and the others had also encountered formidable foes, and they fought with blazing excitement and utter exhilaration.

Across the entire Martial Saint Stage, powerful martial cultivators rarely seen in ten thousand years were fighting with all their might. Their battle intent soared into the heavens, while smoke and carnage filled the air!

"Excellent, excellent, excellent! Fight well! Make it even more intense!"

Outside the Martial Saint Stage, the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy could not restrain his wild laughter.

Within the spatial prisons at the edge of the Martial Saint Stage, dozens of martial cultivators were imprisoned. Black runes coiled around their bodies, endlessly extracting their power.

These martial cultivators were all people who had been defeated on the Martial Saint Stage. They had never imagined that after losing, they would fall into spatial prisons, becoming nourishment and tools for refining pills!

Their power was continuously drawn out. Meanwhile, the battle intent and martial will accumulating within the Martial Saint Stage rose like blazing flames, refining that power into a pill!

"Soon! It's almost complete. I'll return to this land once more and make the world tremble beneath my fear!"

The Golden Robe Imperial Envoy watched the pill gradually taking shape within the flames formed from martial will above the Martial Saint Stage. The corners of his mouth curved upward beneath his mask.

The humiliation of the past would be washed away. He would return to the peak—and perhaps even advance another step!

"Everyone... be careful... It's a trap... this is a trap!"

"You damned bastard! I swear I won't let you off even as a ghost!"

As for the defeated martial cultivators who had fallen into the prisons and become materials for pill refinement, some shouted anxiously, hoping the other martial cultivators fighting on the Martial Saint Stage would notice something was wrong.

Others were so enraged at having been deceived by the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy that their eyes bled. Every one of them had abandoned everything to welcome the so-called golden age of martial arts, yet all of it had been nothing more than the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy's deception. His true purpose was simply to gather them together and accomplish some hidden objective.

Tang Jie and the others fighting on the Martial Saint Stage knew nothing of this.

"What formidable power. Tang Jie's potential seems endless, and each strike is heavier than the last! There's also a force within it capable of corroding both the body and the spirit. It's extremely troublesome."

Zhang Mingdao was secretly shocked. Tang Jie's attacks grew heavier and heavier, as if they had no limit. They battered him until he nearly vomited blood, while the power of the Black Level Futu made him suffer even more.

"Zhang Mingdao's Nine Heavens True Scripture truly lives up to its reputation. If I hadn't cultivated the Indestructible Golden Bell Body and unified my inner and outer selves, refining even my internal organs until they were flawless, his blows would have shattered my organs! What's more, nine-tenths of the power of my attacks are neutralized when they land on him!"

Tang Jie was equally shaken as he experienced Zhang Mingdao's attacks.

Zhang Mingdao had cultivated the Nine Heavens True Scripture to the Tai Chi Returning Origin realm. It excelled at both offense and defense, and could continuously devour and dissolve an enemy's attacks, leaving less than one-tenth of their might intact. It was profoundly mysterious!

"Bang bang bang!"

After the two exchanged more than a hundred blows, they simultaneously retreated several steps.

"Cough!"

Zhang Mingdao coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood. He had clearly suffered internal injuries. Even though he could use the soft force of the Nine Heavens True Scripture to devour and dissolve more than ninety percent of Tang Jie's attacks, the remaining tenth had accumulated and still wounded him.

Zhang Mingdao wiped away the blood with his sleeve, his face nevertheless filled with excitement.

Tang Jie likewise felt a stuffiness in his chest. Only after circulating his power did he dispel it. He was extremely excited. Zhang Mingdao's Nine Heavens True Scripture was extraordinarily well-rounded in offense and defense, and could even fight him head-on without falling behind in the slightest!

"Come!"

Tang Jie was thrilled and prepared to advance once more and decide the victor.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Mingdao happily waved to stop him. "Stop. No more fighting! You win!"

"What... how did I win?"

Tang Jie was stunned, his brows knitting tightly. He had only just finished warming up, yet Zhang Mingdao was admitting defeat?

Zhang Mingdao smiled with delight. "During that battle, I gained an insight. I have to seize that fleeting glimmer of inspiration and push my Nine Heavens True Scripture to a higher realm! Perhaps... once I do, I'll break through!"

"I see... Congratulations, Senior Zhang."

Tang Jie helplessly reined in his aura. During his fierce battle with Tang Jie, Zhang Mingdao had gained an insight and urgently needed to grasp that inspiration, enter seclusion, and attempt a breakthrough. Thus, he had ended the battle and directly admitted defeat.

Although Tang Jie had not yet fought to his satisfaction, he was happy for Zhang Mingdao as well.

"Next time we meet, we'll have a proper fight!"

Amidst his laughter, Zhang Mingdao's figure slowly vanished. He could hardly wait to attempt cultivating his Nine Heavens True Scripture to a higher realm!

"Sigh..."

Tang Jie watched Zhang Mingdao disappear, rendered somewhat speechless. He had only just entered the flow of battle, and Zhang Mingdao had already stopped fighting?

There was nothing he could do but wait, hoping that in the next battle he would encounter a powerhouse no weaker than Zhang Mingdao—someone who could put pressure on him and help him break through.

"Here he comes!"

Nearly half a stick of incense later, a shadow slowly appeared within the battle zone.

"It's you?"

When Tang Jie saw the newcomer, astonishment appeared on his face despite himself.

"Amitabha. It seems this is fate's arrangement. You and I were indeed destined to fight."

The man was likewise somewhat surprised to see Tang Jie, then smiled.

He was none other than the black-robed young monk, Maha!

As far as Tang Jie knew, Maha also belonged to Patriarch Bodhidharma's lineage, yet almost nothing had been recorded about him. His origins and identity were shrouded in mystery.

One thing was certain, however: Maha's strength was unfathomably deep and definitely no weaker than Zhang Mingdao's!

"I've wanted to fight you for a long time!" Tang Jie's eyes burned brightly.

Tendon Strengthening Classic. Second Interstitial Battle Mark!

"Rumble!"

Tang Jie instantly activated the Second Interstitial Battle Mark. Black lightning descended, transforming into two battle marks that condensed on his forehead. As black radiance flashed, it seemed to drag people into hell!

"The Tendon Strengthening Classic... You and this humble monk have taken two entirely different extremes."

Maha was not surprised to see Tang Jie display his martial art.

When Mad Beast had fought Tang Jie previously, Maha had already secretly witnessed Tang Jie using the Tendon Strengthening Classic.

"Boom!"

Dark radiance likewise emerged from Maha's body. This was the Black Level Futu realm of the Tendon Strengthening Classic!

Yet something unexpected happened to Tang Jie. Blinding golden light shone from the left half of Maha's body, brilliant as the sun!

"Golden Body Art?"

Tang Jie recognized that Maha was using the Golden Body Art!

The highest realm of the Boyhood Art was the Red Sun Art. In truth, however, after cultivating the Golden Bell Shield to the tenth level, one could combine the two and cultivate the higher realm of the Golden Body Art.

Like Tang Jie, Maha had cultivated the Boyhood Art beyond the Red Sun Art realm.

Golden radiance shone from the left half of Maha's body, while black radiance gleamed from the right. The two slowly fused together, transforming into a dark gold color. The power of the Golden Body Art and the Black Level Futu merged perfectly, exuding indescribable evil and a demonic nature!

"The Tendon Strengthening Classic... combined with the Boyhood Art?"

Tang Jie was shocked by the sight. Maha's body had turned dark gold, making him look like a snarling, clawed demon. His former carefree and amiable air had vanished, replaced by boundless savagery.

Maha slowly said, "I was Patriarch Bodhidharma's personally accepted disciple and learned all his martial arts. But there is a demon living within my heart... It once drove me to commit some truly absurd deeds. I broke the prohibition against killing, and not merely killed—I slaughtered. The innocent were dragged into it as well. Family scandals are not meant to be aired, so I was expelled from Shaolin Temple and had no face to meet my master..."

Maha was Patriarch Bodhidharma's direct disciple and greatly favored by him. Patriarch Bodhidharma had imparted all his martial arts to him without reservation. Yet Maha's true nature was extremely violent, filled with murderous energy that even reciting Buddhist scriptures could barely dispel.

Thus, Maha almost never fought with anyone. Once he began, he could not control himself. In one battle, he had slaughtered his way through his opponents and implicated innocents. When he awoke afterward, guilt filled his heart, and he left Shaolin Temple. Shaolin Temple, meanwhile, had not recorded his name because of the scandal, leaving few people in later generations who knew of him.

Yet Maha himself was an unquestionable martial arts prodigy. The fact that Patriarch Bodhidharma had accepted him as a direct disciple and heir to his legacy was proof enough of his excellence!

"The Black Level Futu of the Tendon Strengthening Classic and the Golden Body Art of the Boyhood Art were both created by my master. They are upright and harmonious, containing Buddhist principles. But I let my demonic nature take the lead and combined the two, cultivating this brand-new Futu Golden Body! It exists only for slaughter and battle!"

A dark-golden aura radiated from Maha's body, and his eyes were webbed with blood vessels.

"Be careful... Once I begin, I may not be able to suppress this demonic nature!"

Maha's voice was hoarse. Very few people who had fought him had survived.

"That's precisely why this is perfect!"

Tang Jie was delighted rather than alarmed. Maha likewise cultivated the martial arts of Patriarch Bodhidharma's lineage, yet had taken an unorthodox path of his own. He had combined the Tendon Strengthening Classic with the Boyhood Art and cultivated the Futu Golden Body solely for battle and slaughter, filling it with demonic nature!

An extremely dangerous aura surrounded Maha. It drove Tang Jie's battle intent to its absolute peak. Perhaps he would gain a new insight from this fight with Maha!

"Futu Art. Demonic Futu!"

Maha roared like a demon. His delicate features were filled with savagery as his dark-golden body crossed the vast distance and struck toward Tang Jie with a palm. That palm carried tyrannical demonic might, making him seem like a demon king ruling over hell!

"Come!"

Dragon scales emerged across Tang Jie's body. The battle marks on his forehead shone as he poured all his strength into a punch, like the gates of hell thrown open, with countless evil spirits charging out!

"Rumble!"

The two divine forces collided, nearly tearing heaven and earth apart. Boundless divine power roared, as though crossing the endless river of time, threatening to collapse both heaven and hell!

At this moment, one of the seven people on the Martial Saint Stage had drawn a bye, while the other two battle zones were still engaged in combat.

Flames billowed around Wu Changkong's entire body. It seemed as if nine suns were blazing within him. The scorching flames distorted the void, as though they would burn everything to ashes!

His opponent was a white-haired old man with an otherworldly, transcendent air.

"Carefree Duke, don't keep dodging! If this continues, when will we ever decide the victor?"

Every one of Wu Changkong's fists and palms seemed like a volcanic eruption. He growled as the white-haired old man continuously shifted and moved with his footwork.

The white-haired old man, Carefree Duke, twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth. He was secretly horrified. Wu Changkong's true essence is far too tyrannical. My North Profound Divine Art has reached its highest realm, capable of devouring and transforming everything, yet I still can't dissolve his true essence?

Carefree Duke was deeply shaken. In his previous battles, he had completely drained his opponents. His North Profound Divine Art could transform the power of others into his own. After reaching a profound realm, he had even cultivated North Profound True Essence, which united yin and yang and was incomparably fierce and tyrannical.

Yet now, facing Wu Changkong's Nine Yang Divine Skill, he felt as though he could not withstand it.

"Only an idiot would clash with you head-on!"

Carefree Duke sneered. It was not that he lacked a chance to win. As long as he continued entangling Wu Changkong, the characteristics of his North Profound Divine Art would gradually make the strong weaker and the weak stronger. In the end, he would surely win!

In the third battle zone, two burly men were also fighting to the death. One of them was named Lian Zhan. The other had won several battles to reach this point, so he was naturally no weakling. Their battle was equally fierce!

Of the seven people remaining, six were locked in bitter combat. Only one sat cross-legged on the spot, waiting. He held a sword in his arms—he was Ancient Sword.

Ancient Sword's brows were tightly furrowed. "My luck... how did it get so bad? I've drawn a bye two battles in a row?"

Ancient Sword's luck was terrible—or perhaps excellent—for he had drawn a bye in two consecutive battles. In the thirteen-versus-seven round, one person drew a bye, and that person was Ancient Sword!

Then, in the seven-versus-four round, one person would draw another bye, and Ancient Sword drew it again.

This left Ancient Sword utterly helpless. His purpose in coming to the Martial Saint Stage was to fight the other martial cultivators. Drawing byes two times in a row made him unsure whether to call his luck bad or good.

With nothing to do, Ancient Sword now had time to observe his surroundings. He was somewhat puzzled. "Why... can't I see the other people's battles? Waiting here in silence is far too boring!"

If Ancient Sword had designed the Martial Saint Stage, he would definitely have made it possible to view the other battles. That would help pass the time and allow people to watch others fight and gain insights.

Yet the Martial Saint Stage happened not to have such a function. Everyone fought in isolation.

"Besides, have those defeated martial cultivators already left the Martial Saint Stage?"

Ancient Sword was also concerned about where the defeated martial cultivators were now—whether they had left the Martial Saint Stage and were watching their battles.

"Buzz buzz buzz!"

Just as Ancient Sword was pondering this, his sword suddenly rang out, causing his expression to change.

Ancient Sword cultivated the Sword Dao and had long since reached the realm of unity between man and sword. He had even nurtured spirituality within the sword in his hand, allowing it to protect its master automatically.

"The Divine Edge Sword is ringing... It's warning me!"

Ancient Sword's expression was grim. He had encountered many life-and-death crises throughout his life, and each time, the warning from the sword in his hand had allowed him to remain vigilant and turn disaster into fortune.

But this time, the ringing of the Divine Edge Sword was exceptionally sharp. Danger! Extreme danger! A danger that could leave him doomed beyond redemption!

"Damn it... There's something wrong with this Martial Saint Stage! There's something wrong with the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy!" Ancient Sword's expression darkened. In truth, the so-called warning from the Divine Edge Sword was his own intuition. But when that intuition grew strong enough, it affected his sword.

Ancient Sword had already harbored suspicions toward the Golden Robe Imperial Envoy, and his doubts about the Martial Saint Stage had grown increasingly numerous. That was what had triggered the divine sword's warning!

"How are the others? You won't let me see? Then I insist on looking!"

Ancient Sword rose from the ground. He no longer remained motionless. Holding the Divine Edge Sword, he gathered his sword intent and slashed toward the distant void.

"Whoosh!"

Sword Qi crisscrossed the air, but when it entered that stretch of void, it silently dispersed, as though it had been dissolved.

"One sword isn't enough? Then ten swords, a hundred swords! Heaven Slaying Sword Art!"

Ancient Sword held the Divine Edge Sword as sword intent and true essence gathered. Sword light tore apart heaven and earth, annihilating everything!

When Ancient Sword was born, the number-one swordsman in the world at that time had come to his door, declaring that he was a swordsmanship prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years, and had accepted him as a disciple.

And that was indeed the truth. By the age of eighteen, Ancient Sword's swordsmanship had already surpassed his master's. He had swept all before him and reached the peak, relying on nothing but the sword in his hand—the sword that could cleave heaven and earth apart!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Wave after wave of sword light slashed at the same point. After thirty or forty strikes, that stretch of void finally seemed unable to endure. It tore open, revealing a massive rift.

Through the rift, Ancient Sword's entire body trembled. Within the split void, he saw a spatial prison gleaming with faint light. Inside it, a man was wrapped in black, snake-like runes. His body was shriveled, almost nothing more than skin stretched over bones!

"Brother Ming Jian, how... how did you end up here?"

Ancient Sword cried out in shock. He recognized the emaciated man as Ming Jian, the opponent he had encountered in his second battle after entering the Martial Saint Stage. Ming Jian was likewise a powerful swordsman. Ancient Sword had defeated him, and the two had admired one another, agreeing to discuss the Sword Dao together in the future.

Yet Ming Jian had become like this? He was barely alive, his entire body shriveled as if all his blood had been drained!

Hearing Ancient Sword's voice, the emaciated man opened his eyes in a final burst of strength. His gray eyes were filled with despair and fury as he hoarsely roared, "A conspiracy... It's a conspiracy! We... we were all tricked by that despicable Golden Robe Imperial Envoy!"