King of Creation Chapter 1763 - 1748: First Killing Spear

Ye Zhen thrust his sword upward, and even before the blade met Dalantai, the formidable Sword Qi sent icy dread coursing through him, paralyzing him with fear.

The Sword Qi Ye Zhen had previously injected into Dalantai's body still raged uncontrollably, preventing him from mounting any effective defense.

Even if Dalantai possessed the full capability to defend and evade, the opportunity simply wouldn't have presented itself.

There was truly nothing he could do, as Ye Zhen's speed was simply too overwhelming.

Even Dalantai himself could not clearly discern Ye Zhen's movements.

All he could muster was a single thought: just by observing Ye Zhen's Sword Momentum, Dalantai knew his fate was sealed by Ye Zhen's will.

If Ye Zhen showed no leniency, Dalantai was certain to perish; should he be even slightly merciful, Dalantai would suffer grievous wounds.

And such a severe injury would directly impact his virility, leaving an indelible psychological scar for any future romantic pursuits.

All of these dire possibilities flashed through the mind of Dalantai, the Right Chief Priest of War Soul Hall, in an instant.

Ye Zhen's Sword Momentum continued its relentless advance, and as it appeared Dalantai was about to be cleaved by the sword at any second, onlookers from every direction let out sharp gasps of astonishment.

In the course of martial arts contests, injuries are an everyday occurrence, and though fatalities are uncommon, they do happen.

However, such deaths typically stem from a loss of control or desperate exchanges of True Fire; what Ye Zhen was seemingly poised to deliver, akin to a brutal massacre, was exceedingly rare.

But at that precise moment, the space behind Dalantai rippled with intense energy, and a voice boomed out abruptly through the air.

"Stop!"

A palm imprint materialized instantly before Dalantai's groin, effectively halting Ye Zhen's powerful Sword Momentum.

What astonished all the observing priests even further was that, the very instant the palm imprint appeared, Ye Zhen's Sword Momentum vanished into thin air, leaving only trace amounts of residual Sword Qi that slowly dissipated into the void.

This extraordinary display not only left the witnessing priests gaping in bewilderment, but also caused Bi Ze, the Hall Master of War Soul Hall, who had just rushed in to save Dalantai, to reveal a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

As an expert in the Dao Realm, he understood acutely how incredibly difficult it was for a Martial Artist to cause their Sword Momentum to dissipate from nothingness during a full-powered assault.

In essence, even he could not achieve the feat of making an already formed Sword Momentum vanish instantaneously.

It was akin to unleashing a furious fist towards a target; could one suddenly retract it as if it had never been thrown?

The answer, unequivocally, was no.

Yet, Ye Zhen accomplished precisely that, signifying that he had harbored the intention to dissipate the Sword Momentum even before launching his attack on Dalantai.

Only by pre-emptively preparing to disperse the Sword Momentum as the sword was swung could one achieve such effortless dissipation at will.

This illuminated the fact that Ye Zhen had never truly intended to inflict severe harm or kill Dalantai.

Similarly, an unsettled Dalantai now regarded Ye Zhen with a degree of bewilderment. He comprehended the situation, yet he had undeniably been terrified by Ye Zhen moments earlier.

"Hall Master Bi, were you perhaps excessively anxious? I am Ye Zhen, here to issue a challenge and engage in a spar with War Soul Hall, with no intention of causing alarm to Hall Master Bi. Please accept my apologies." Ye Zhen clasped his hands in a grand gesture, causing the aged face of War Soul Hall Master Bi Ze to contort slightly in displeasure.

The crux of the matter was, given the preceding circumstances, who could have guaranteed that Ye Zhen would refrain from delivering a fatal blow, considering their existing animosity?

One could only lament that Ye Zhen possessed an exceptionally vexing nature.

In reality, Ye Zhen's act of dispersing the Sword Momentum at that critical juncture bore no connection to the opportune arrival of War Soul Hall Master Bi Ze.

Ye Zhen had, in fact, made preparations beforehand.

The rationale behind this was straightforward.

Ye Zhen's ultimate objective was to employ certain methods to compel War Soul Hall into conceding and leasing the fragment of the Ten Thousand Bones Reincarnation Seal, which was of paramount importance to him.

Had he proceeded to severely injure or outright kill Dalantai, the Right Chief Priest of War Soul Hall, on the spot, it would have irrevocably forged an irreconcilable enmity between them.

At that juncture, unless Ye Zhen succeeded in pushing War Soul Hall to the very precipice of annihilation, no compromise would be possible due to such profound hatred.

This was also the very reason why Ye Zhen had only inflicted minor injuries upon the seventeen Moon Priests he had bested previously, with the sole exception of the one he had ambushed.

Otherwise, considering Ye Zhen's astonishing speed and the formidable power of the Purple Spirit Immortal Sword, dispatching all seventeen would not have posed a significant challenge.

"Left Chief Priest Ye, what precisely is your purpose in obstructing the entrance to my War Soul Hall and inflicting harm upon a number of my Moon Priests?" inquired War Soul Hall Master Bi Ze, his tone heavy.

"What am I doing? I am here to issue a challenge and engage in a martial skills spar, adhering strictly to the established traditions and regulations of Ancestor God Temple."

As he uttered these words, Ye Zhen abruptly elevated his voice by a significant margin, "Eighteen consecutive victories! How can the strength of your War Soul Hall be so wanting? Is there truly no one within War Soul Hall capable of defeating a mere Early Stage Realm King like myself..."

"Silence!"

Bi Ze roared in anger, his composure completely shattering.

"If you are displeased, then pray tell, Hall Master Bi, deign to send forth a true master to defeat me!"

As words spilled from his lips, Ye Zhen swiftly erected another flagpole, then ascended into the air, inscribing a message upon the white banner.

"On June 7th, the Moon Priests of War Soul Hall issued a challenge to Ye Zhen and were soundly defeated eighteen consecutive times!"

Upon reading this declaration, War Soul Hall Master Bi Ze was incensed beyond measure!

Was this an accusation that War Soul Hall lacked skilled individuals?

It was akin to publicly defaming War Soul Hall and delivering a series of stinging rebukes.

Their esteemed Moon Priest of War Soul Hall had astonishingly succumbed to defeat eighteen times at the hands of Ye Zhen, who was merely at the Ninth Stage of the Divine Communication Realm. To be sure, this Ye Zhen was no ordinary cultivator.

He held the prestigious title of Inherited Divine Messenger of the Barbarian Spirit Hall, serving as its Left Chief Priest. Yet, the crux of the issue was that such distinctions would undoubtedly be overshadowed once the news spread.

For the world would know that their War Soul Hall's Moon Priest, a cultivator in the Realm King Realm, had been vanquished eighteen times by a mere Sky Priest operating within the Ninth Stage of the Divine Communication Realm!

Bi Ze felt as though his aged face had been struck with a heavy blow.

Observing the Moon Priests who had previously suffered consecutive defeats at Ye Zhen's hands, and then casting his gaze upon the bloodied arm of Dalantai, Bi Ze's brow furrowed deeply in an instant.

This predicament was proving far more formidable than he had initially anticipated.

Dalantai's ascent to the position of Right Chief Priest within War Soul Hall was not predicated on his martial prowess, but rather on his unwavering loyalty as Bi Ze's confidant and his adeptness in managing worldly affairs.

Nevertheless, among the numerous Moon Priests of War Soul Hall, Dalantai's combat strength, while not the absolute peak, still held a respectable position.

After all, the cultivation base of the Ninth Stage of the Realm King Realm was not to be trifled with; as the Right Chief Priest, he also had access to slightly more abundant resources.

Consequently, Dalantai's combat capabilities could generally be ranked within the top twenty among the Moon Priests of War Soul Hall.

Given this assessment, the available pool of candidates for War Soul Hall Master Bi Ze to consider was significantly limited.

Primarily, any individuals possessing strength comparable or closely aligned to Dalantai's were immediately disqualified.

Since Ye Zhen had demonstrated a crushing superiority, the chosen opponent had to be a Moon Priest whose combat power far eclipsed Dalantai's.

In essence, these Moon Priests, whose martial prowess vastly surpassed Dalantai's, were the very ones capable of contending with cultivators at the Half-step Dao Realm, or even those in the Early Dao Realm – true prodigies of martial arts.

Such exceptionally gifted martial artists were few and far between, but fortunately, War Soul Hall was blessed with an abundance of talent, possessing two such promising individuals.

These two were Qi Bing, who held the first rank in combat power among War Soul Hall's Moon Priests, and Sima Yan, who was ranked second.

War Soul Hall's fortune smiled upon them, as Qi Bing, the foremost in combat strength, was currently in the midst of attempting a breakthrough. Consequently, he had spent years adventuring, seeking opportunities to advance his cultivation and was not present.

However, Sima Yan, the second-ranked Moon Priest in terms of combat power, had been diligently cultivating within the confines of War Soul Hall in recent years.

Furthermore, in Bi Ze's considered opinion, while Qi Bing was experiencing a surge of strength due to ample preparation, Bi Ze held a greater degree of optimism for Sima Yan.

Should Sima Yan's cultivation reach the same level of accumulation as Qi Bing's, Bi Ze firmly believed that Qi Bing would prove no match for Sima Yan.

And Sima Yan, precisely because he had heeded Hall Master Bi Ze's counsel, had devoted himself to meticulous cultivation within War Soul Hall for the past three years.

"It appears that for the sake of absolute safety, our only viable option is to deploy Sima Yan!" With this crucial decision made, War Soul Hall Master Bi Ze dispatched a Dao Talisman Communication, channeling his Divine Sense.

"Hall Master Bi, are you planning to send someone, or will you leave me to challenge any individual at random?"

As he spoke, Ye Zhen's gaze shifted, sweeping across the assembled Moon Priests drawn by the commotion.

Under Ye Zhen's piercing scrutiny, the gathered Moon Priests hastily lowered their heads, deliberately avoiding his gaze, fearful of being selected by him.

After all, if even the esteemed Right Chief Priest Dalantai had been utterly defeated, then their chances were surely nonexistent.

War Soul Hall Master Bi Ze witnessed this scene, his anger intensifying to the point where his nose felt as though it would contort, a profound display of humiliation!

"Patience, for good things often await those who wait. Naturally, someone will emerge to defeat you!" Bi Ze retorted with a sneer.

"I merely fear that your War Soul Hall..."

"Silence!"

Abruptly, a thunderous voice erupted from the inner sanctum of War Soul Hall. Almost instantaneously with the vocal outburst, a spear light tinged with a blood-red hue shot forth from the main gate of War Soul Hall. Tens of thousands of spear points traversed the throng, hurtling directly towards Ye Zhen.

As the blood-red spear light exploded outwards, a ferocious Killing Qi, like an overwhelming tide or the mournful cry of a vengeful spirit, surged forth with unrestrained ferocity.

Ye Zhen's expression shifted dramatically as he drew his Purple Spirit Immortal Sword, weaving a formidable net of sword energy to intercept the incoming onslaught.

Yet, the spear blossoms appeared inexhaustible, relentlessly overwhelming Ye Zhen. The spearlight weaved an intricate, crisscrossing pattern, piercing the very fabric of the air.