The Fierce Battle Approaches

"What's wrong?" Zhang Rumeng looked at Chen Jingjing and asked.

"This Water Heaven Prison—I saw it in an ancient text on Heavy Sword Peak. It's a water-element technique with astonishing sealing power." Chen Jingjing's expression was grim as she pondered how to help Chen Fan escape.

Zhang Rumeng turned her gaze to Chen Fan. The water barrier, shaped like a bowl, clamped tightly around him, its surface flowing like a swift river.

"This current multiplies the Water Heaven Prison's defense several times over, and it also drains the moisture from anyone trapped inside, slowly evaporating them dry." Chen Jingjing was at a loss. Even Chen Fan couldn't break the Water Heaven Prison, so she was utterly powerless.

"What a vicious technique." Zhang Rumeng's voice turned heavy.

Nalan Yun watched Chen Fan sealed away and couldn't help but laugh with schadenfreude.

"Chen Fan, I told you long ago—you're dying here today." Her eyes brimmed with vindictive glee.

Nalan Tian also looked at Chen Fan with feigned sympathy, shaking his head. "This is the gap between Foundation Establishment and you—the step between immortal and mortal."

With that, Nalan Tian roared: "Water Bullet Technique!"

Boom! Boom!

The air behind Nalan Tian twisted violently as streams of spiritual power roamed restlessly, slowly coalescing.

Midair, one after another, perfectly round water spheres the size of human heads materialized out of nowhere, densely packed and suspended behind Nalan Tian, looking from afar like countless stars scattered across the sky.

Nalan Tian slowly raised his hand, palm open toward the water prison, as if trying to grasp the entire cage in his grip.

"Die!" Nalan Tian suddenly bellowed. The dense cluster of water spheres midair shot down like ten thousand arrows loosed at once, crashing one after another into the water prison, piercing through its rippling layers like a torrential downpour, slamming straight at Chen Fan!

Woom!

Amid the deafening roar, a sharp, abrupt sword cry rang out!

The next moment, Chen Fan's figure blurred. Countless water spheres smashed into the ground, the booming sounds merging into a continuous thunder.

Within the dense, pounding rain, Chen Fan moved like a phantom, his form dissolving into a hazy blur as he glided between the water spheres, trailing a sharp, rising sword hum that grew louder, as if the blade itself would break free and soar into the sky.

This was the Nine Palaces Footwork—roaming three, evading five, wielding the sword to strike fate. He moved faster and faster, gradually turning into a black shadow within the Water Heaven Prison.

"It's useless. The Water Heaven Prison is even tougher than the Water Heaven Wall. The more he moves, the faster his body's moisture drains." Not far away, a sword cultivator from the Immortal Sect frowned.

"But that footwork seems strange. A mere Water Heaven Prison might not hold him—otherwise, Elder Han wouldn't have been so cautious." Another shook his head slightly.

Woom!

The sharp sword cry suddenly soared!

Boom!

At the top of the water prison, a black shadow shot out like an arrow, trailing a high arc of water behind it!

Then, with a thunderous crash, the water prison collapsed. Amid the sky-filling spray, Chen Fan charged straight at Nalan Tian midair, a dazzling sword light blazing before him.

"You—"

Nalan Tian's face twisted with shock and fury. He had been certain Chen Fan would die in the Water Heaven Prison, never expecting that even a technique as formidable as this could be broken. He knew he couldn't achieve such a feat himself, but the dignity of a Foundation Establishment expert could not tolerate such an affront from a mere Qi Refining cultivator.

Nalan Tian raised his palm, and a talisman instantly transformed into a vast golden light, slammed outward with a thunderous roar!

"Five Dwellings Center!"

Chen Fan gave a soft shout. His sword, wreathed in Blazing Heaven Sword Qi, turned into a golden flying blade that spun rapidly around him, forming a ring of golden light. Chen Fan stood at its center, as if protected by a golden galaxy, stirring the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

This far exceeded the limits of the Qi Refining Realm. Wherever the sword passed, spiritual energy transformed into golden sword qi, its power boundless.

"Immortal Sword Art." The two sword cultivators from the Immortal Sect were stunned, gasping in shock.

"This man is too heaven-defying. To master the Immortal Sword Art at Qi Refining—we cannot let him keep growing, or he'll become a great threat." One of them spoke gravely.

"Brother Liu and Sister Bai haven't arrived yet? My sword intent is already itching to fight him." The other's eyes burned with battle lust.

"Don't act rashly. Since we're here, we need to kill him completely. With his speed, if he decides to flee, we'll be helpless. Only by using the Thunder Sound Golden Wheel against him can we be certain." With that, both turned their solemn gazes back to the battlefield.

Silently, Chen Fan's golden sword light swept toward Nalan Tian. His fingers formed a sword seal, and wherever they pointed, countless golden sword shadows lashed out. The talisman's golden light clashed with the golden sword shadows, and the dazzling talisman glow shattered like fragile glass, breaking into countless fragments of flowing light, fading like a mirage into the air.

Nalan Tian panicked. True Essence Power surged out, conjuring countless Water Heaven Walls to block, but all were shattered by the golden sword shadows.

"Bastard!" he roared, retreating rapidly. He had never been so humiliated—chased down by a Qi Refining Ninth Layer sword cultivator.

Normally, Dao Cultivators above Foundation Establishment were stronger than sword cultivators, but he never expected Chen Fan to wield such an extraordinary sword art.

Just then, a flash of sword light appeared before Nalan Tian's eyes. His pupils contracted sharply—behind the sword's gleam, Chen Fan had vanished!

As Nalan Tian stared in shock, a calm, unyielding voice came from behind him: "Kneel!"

The next moment, a sword shadow swept across his legs!

Nalan Tian's face filled with confusion, but his body involuntarily dropped to his knees, facing Chen Jingjing and the others.

"Ah—"

Only then did a piercing scream tear from his throat.

Chen Fan's sword shadow had shattered his kneecaps. His legs could no longer support his weight, and he collapsed to his knees as bone-deep agony flooded his entire body.

Amid his blood-curdling screams, the disciples of Heavy Sword Peak, including Nalan Yun, snapped back to reality, staring in shock and disbelief at Nalan Tian—and at his knees, where blood seeped through his luxurious robes.

"Brother!" Nalan Yun covered her face and screamed, unable to believe what she had just witnessed.

"Swish!"

A sharp whistling sound tore through the air as a sword, its blade gleaming with blinding sword light, came to a steady stop against Nalan Tian's throat.

"Apologize!"

Chen Fan's voice was ice-cold, and his gaze pierced Nalan Tian's eyes like a sharp sword, stinging them painfully.

"Apologize? I, Nalan Tian, am the future head of the Nalan Family. Do you think I'd apologize to trash like you?" Nalan Tian remained arrogant, still spouting nonsense even while kneeling. The searing pain in his knees twisted his face into a hideous grimace.

"You're already on your knees. What face do you have left?" Zhang Rumeng said with a cold laugh.

"Then you'll all die. I'll wash away today's disgrace with your blood. Chen Jingjing, Zhang Rumeng, you two sluts, I—"

Before Nalan Tian could finish, Chen Fan swung his longsword in a sudden arc, the flat of the blade slamming across his mouth!

"Smack!"

A loud crack echoed across the open ground. Nalan Tian was sent flying, blood spraying from his mouth in an arc through the air, along with several teeth.

"A dog's mouth can't spit out ivory." Chen Fan said coldly.

"Who are you calling a dog? Chen Fan, you're the dog—a mangy mutt always hanging around in my sight." Nalan Yun couldn't accept this outcome. Like a wild cat whose tail had been stepped on, she leaped up from the side and swung her hand toward Chen Fan's cheek.

"Smack!"

Another crisp sound rang out as Nalan Yun was sent flying herself!

And the one who slapped her was Chen Jingjing!

"Nalan Yun, you're nothing but a mad dog now." Chen Jingjing's face was ashen as she glared at Nalan Yun.

Zhang Rumeng covered her slightly open mouth, staring at Chen Jingjing in disbelief, murmuring, "This little girl has such a vicious side?"

"Chen Fan, Chen Jingjing, just you wait. The Nalan Family won't let you off." Nalan Yun clutched her swollen face, her eyes venomously fixed on Chen Jingjing.

Chen Fan paid her no heed. He continued walking toward Nalan Tian, who was writhing on the ground.

"Apologize, or die." Chen Fan looked at Nalan Tian with an expressionless face.

"Trash, you wouldn't dare kill me. If I die, the Nalan Family will hunt you to the ends of the world." Nalan Tian laughed arrogantly again, then added, "I, Nalan Tian, am the future of the Nalan Family—"

"Pfft!"

The cold gleam of the sword sliced across Nalan Tian's throat. He clutched his neck as blood gushed out like a fountain, his eyes wide open, staring fixedly at Chen Fan, as if he couldn't believe Chen Fan had actually killed him.

"Ah..." A shrill scream tore from Nalan Yun's mouth. She pointed at Chen Fan in fury, shrieking, "Chen Fan, you murderer! You dare kill my brother? You're finished—you and Chen Jingjing are both finished! The Nalan Family—"

"Shut up." Chen Jingjing slapped her again, this time with full force, knocking Nalan Yun unconscious.

The world fell silent once more. All the disciples of Heavy Sword Peak stood dumbfounded, none daring to speak.

A Foundation Establishment Early Stage expert had died so easily at Chen Fan's hands.

They knew it wasn't that Nalan Tian was weak—it was that Chen Fan was monstrous.

"Brother." Chen Jingjing walked up to Chen Fan, casting a wary glance at the two sword cultivators not far away.

"Jingjing, you and Rumeng hide for now. These are several powerful Talismans I've refined, and I've written the instructions on this paper." Chen Fan took a stack of yellow Talismans and a white sheet of paper from his Storage Ring and handed them to Chen Jingjing.

"Brother, you..." A bad feeling rose in Chen Jingjing's heart.

But Chen Fan waved his hand, stopping her from continuing. He turned to Zhang Rumeng and said, "Rumeng, this is the sword art I'm most proud of in my life—the Blazing Heaven Sword Art. With your talent, you'll be able to comprehend it."

With that, Chen Fan placed an ancient blue-covered book into Zhang Rumeng's hands.

Then he spoke slowly, "The people from the Immortal Sect will be here soon. This will be a fierce battle, but I will win."

As he finished, Chen Fan angled his longsword toward the ground, a glint of light flashing in his pitch-black eyes as he coldly fixed his gaze on the two Immortal Sect sword cultivators.

Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng were stunned. They could clearly see the overwhelming confidence and resolve in Chen Fan's eyes.

"Brother, you have to win." Chen Jingjing nodded, then grabbed Zhang Rumeng and headed toward the forest.

Zhang Rumeng looked at Chen Jingjing in surprise once more. Normally, Chen Jingjing wouldn't have given in so easily.

"Jingjing, aren't you worried about him? Nalan Tian was one thing, but those two sword cultivators look far more dangerous than him. And Chen Fan just said more people from the Immortal Sect are coming." Zhang Rumeng asked in astonishment as they left together.

"Rumeng, do you think we could help if we stayed?" Chen Jingjing said calmly.

Zhang Rumeng shook her head without hesitation.

"Then we have to leave. This is a fierce battle, and my brother can't look after us. So we need to go—far away—and focus on cultivating what he gave us. He's getting further and further ahead, so we have to keep improving our strength to catch up to him." Chen Jingjing's eyes were filled with determination.

At that moment, a streak of light shot through the air—a golden wheel with two figures standing on it, heading straight toward Chen Fan's location.