A three-foot wave of earth suddenly rose from the ground and spread outward with Han Zongwang at its center. The Chen army's vanguard tried to form ranks against it, but their iron shields crumbled to dust the instant they touched the wave. The soldiers struck what felt like an invisible mountain, the cracking of their bones forming an eerie resonance with the ringing blade.
"Second strike!"
Han Zongwang spun and slashed again, his blade drawing heaven and earth into turmoil. The century-old pines on both sides of the gorge suddenly toppled together, their needles shooting out like a torrential downpour, each wrapped in razor-sharp blade energy.
The charging cavalry rode straight into a pear-blossom storm. Hundreds upon thousands of bloody holes instantly blossomed across their leather armor. Their horses collapsed to their knees, whinnying in agony, and the horse blood seeping into the soil actually hissed as though boiling.
Ling Wenyue's fighting spirit soared. Driving his True Martial secret art to its utmost, he thrust his sword at Han Zongwang, its edge shining brilliantly, its Sword Qi streaking like a rainbow.
Han Zongwang flicked the flat of his blade with a finger. A strand of blade energy shot out, abruptly cutting off the rainbow of Sword Qi.
To his horror, Ling Wenyue discovered that the sword in his hand was rusting, as though a pair of invisible hands had compressed ten years into a single instant.
This Years-Destroying Blade Intent surpassed the Grandmaster Realm. Mortal weapons decayed at its touch.
"Third strike!"
As this slash fell, heaven and earth changed color. The clouds gathered above the gorge were drawn by the blade energy into a vortex a hundred zhang across. Thunder rolled within the clouds, and every bolt of lightning struck down along the path of the blade.
The rain