The Nouveau Riche

Xie Zhaoyang had been keeping his eyes on Zhang Tao. Seeing that Zhang Tao wasn't running away, but was instead heading toward the Rank 8, his eyes nearly split from rage as he roared, "Don't be reckless!"

With that, he erupted with all his vital energy, sending a Rank 7 opponent flying with a single slash. The other Rank 7, seeing Xie Zhaoyang in such a state, didn't dare to block him either. Xie Zhaoyang immediately took flight, chasing after Zhang Tao.

"Oh, come on!" Zhang Tao exclaimed in surprise. He never expected Xie Zhaoyang to actually follow him, so he shouted, "Brother Xie, don't come over! I know what I'm doing!"

Xie Zhaoyang was stunned. You know what you're doing? You don't know a damn thing. You probably have no idea about the gap between a Rank 8 and a Rank 7.

Even he, at the peak of Rank 7, wouldn't dare to tangle with a Rank 8. A powerful Rank 8 could kill him completely in less than two minutes.

Seeing Xie Zhaoyang coming over anyway, Zhang Tao felt helpless. At the same time, his mind raced; he realized that going into the Rank 8 zone alone might actually be difficult. After all, if a Rank 8 came to intercept him, he wasn't entirely sure he could handle it.

"Brother Xie, take this! When that Rank 8 comes, hack him!" Zhang Tao said, tossing the God-Slaying Blade from his hand.

Xie Zhaoyang caught it instinctively and quickly asked, "Holy crap, what about you!"

Zhang Tao pulled his Rank 7 Divine Weapon from his Three Burner Gates. He had been nourishing it for some time, and he believed that a single strike from it would make even a Rank 8 think twice.

"You rich bastard!" Xie Zhaoyang cursed under his breath. This guy really had a lot of Divine Weapons.

Just then, the Rank 8 expert flew over. Before he could say anything, Zhang Tao had already slashed at him. In that instant, a crimson beam of light shot out like lightning, tearing through the dark night sky. The light was so dazzling, like a burning meteor streaking across the horizon, carrying endless energy and intensity that made it impossible to look at directly.

Under the illumination of that light, everything became clearly visible. It lit up people's faces, revealing their expressions to one another. It illuminated the surrounding scenery, allowing everyone to see the landscape around them.

The light was incredibly powerful, but the Rank 8 expert merely gave a disdainful smile. With a casual wave, a golden barrier appeared before him, intending to block Zhang Tao's strike.

In his eyes, it was just flashy nonsense. He was a Rank 8, a powerhouse at the Golden Body Third Stage; even if he stood still and let you hack at him, you might not even be able to break his defense.

However, his golden barrier only held for a second before being shattered by Zhang Tao's blade aura. Seeing the blade aura closing in on his face, the Rank 8 panicked. But as a Rank 8 expert—and one who had been in constant combat—he still had his skills, and he immediately shifted to protect his vital points.

His chest was struck hard by the blade, and his golden bone was instantly exposed, leaving a deep, bottomless wound across his chest.

However, Zhang Tao did not stop. He followed up with several more slashes, the crimson light weaving together to form a bloody net. Although the attack power wasn't as strong as the first, it was the result of Zhang Tao channeling the Blood Blade Art.

Seeing this, Xie Zhaoyang didn't hesitate to swing the God-Slaying Blade and join the fray.

Having just blocked Zhang Tao's attack, the Rank 8 Third Stage powerhouse hadn't even had a chance to catch his breath when he saw Xie Zhaoyang slashing over. Xie Zhaoyang's strike was completely restrained, and seeing nothing special about it, the Rank 8 didn't take it to heart and simply used his arm to block.

However, the next second, his arm was cleanly severed. Even Xie Zhaoyang was dumbfounded. Am I this strong? How did I not know? I can cut off a Rank 8's arm with one strike?

No, it wasn't that he was strong; it was the blade that was strong.

Hiss~ Xie Zhaoyang gasped. Where did this kid, Zhang Tao, get this blade? No wonder he could charge in and out of the Rank 7s like he was chopping vegetables. Damn it, with this blade, I could do it too!

"Ah!" The Rank 8 roared, his entire body radiating intense golden light. Indestructible Substance surged forth, forming a golden radiance that he unleashed toward the two of them.

Zhang Tao hurriedly used his Divine Weapon to block, but the moment he touched that golden light, he felt a massive impact, as if he had been hit by a heavy truck. He spat out a mouthful of blood instantly and was sent flying.

Xie Zhaoyang was also blocking. With the God-Slaying Blade in front, it collided with the golden light with a muffled thud. Xie Zhaoyang was pushed back a dozen steps, but that was all. After all, with the God-Slaying Blade in hand, the world was his.

Xie Zhaoyang was now in high spirits. Without a second thought, he charged forward and slashed again.

As a veteran Grandmaster, Xie Zhaoyang's control over his power was different from Zhang Tao's; it had been honed bit by bit. His blade was not only restrained, showing no abnormalities on the outside, but it could erupt with powerful attacks the moment it made contact.

The Rank 8 martial artist realized the danger—after all, he had already paid the price of an arm. But a Rank 8 was still a Rank 8. Knowing there was something wrong with Xie Zhaoyang's blade, he didn't choose to clash head-on. Instead, while dodging, he moved to kill Zhang Tao, as Zhang Tao was his true target.

Xie Zhaoyang wouldn't let him have his way. As a veteran Grandmaster, his combat techniques were no small matter, and now with the help of the God-Slaying Blade, the Rank 8 felt quite stifled for a moment.

Zhang Tao recovered slightly. That golden light from earlier was indeed powerful; it lived up to the name of Destruction Power. Rank 8 battles were fought using Indestructible Substance, but for all these years, no one had possessed a method to cultivate spiritual power, which was why they hadn't dared to use Indestructible Substance like this.

This Catacombs Martial Artist clearly didn't care anymore.

"Let's see how much Indestructible Substance you have!" Zhang Tao sneered, and the Rank 7 Divine Weapon in his hand lit up once again.

With Zhang Tao's long-range attacks, the Catacombs Rank 8 martial artist became flustered. Every time he wanted to attack Zhang Tao, Xie Zhaoyang would intercept him first, leaving him feeling incredibly frustrated.

"Haha, Brother Xie, hack him!" Zhang Tao laughed. Rank 8? So what if he's Rank 8?

"Watch closely! This is my specialty, Brother Xie!" Xie Zhaoyang also laughed. He felt it was about time; after all, this Rank 8 had already consumed a lot of Indestructible Substance. With a flash of his blade, a fierce tiger suddenly appeared, baring its fangs and claws as it charged toward the Rank 8. Within the tiger, a dazzling beam of light arrived in an instant.

After the Rank 8 blocked the tiger, his spirit suffered a brief lapse, and the light hidden within the tiger slashed across his body.

Before the Rank 8 martial artist could even scream, he was split in two.

"Good man, Brother Xie, how did you pull that off?" Zhang Tao's eyes widened. He hadn't expected Xie Zhaoyang to have such a trick up his sleeve.

This must have been an attack that combined both spirit and body.