The Strongest Dandy in the City Chapter 2344 - 2333: Fatal Strike! Death Devouring!

Ye Chenfeng’s feet touched the earth.

He hoisted the Coffin of Death once more, and Jin Hongsheng’s form had already been reduced to mere fragments.

Not once throughout the entire ordeal had he paid heed to his preceding injuries; even now, his body remained thoroughly coated in blood.

With the dark coffin a burden on his back, his entire being slick with gore, his eyes burned with a savage, bloodthirsty gleam.

Ye Chenfeng presented the very image of a grim reaper, an emissary of death plucked straight from the deepest abyss.

Admittedly, this Coffin of Death operated on a principle of immense risk, a ‘win a thousand battles, yet suffer eight hundred wounds’ scenario; Ye Chenfeng’s own body was likewise under siege from the insidious incursion of deathly qi.

However, his current state was considerably more manageable. While the deathly qi invading his system, though insidiously slow in its consumption of his life force, exerted a far more potent influence over his mind, relentlessly amplifying the homicidal urge within his heart.

Zhao Jinpeng, Wu Lingxiang, and the others who had managed to flee the zone saturated with the dense deathly qi, witnessing Ye Chenfeng effortlessly negate the combined assault of Hua Wanchuan and his cohorts, and then obliterate Jin Hongsheng into a pulpy mess, could not help but draw sharp, audible gasps.

A number of the cultivators who had previously hemmed in Zhao Jinpeng and his companions had also extricated themselves from the boundaries of the deathly qi’s spread. Upon perceiving the terrifying might Ye Chenfeng unleashed, they immediately scattered like birds startled from a roost.

As for those cultivators who had prudently elected to observe from a safe distance, offering no aid to either faction, they slowly exhaled sighs of profound relief.

Hua Wanchuan, Luo Qianhai, Zhao Wanzhong, and Li Yuanmu—these four, upon seeing Jin Hongsheng reduced to a mere pulp, felt a palpable darkness descend upon their spirits. An incessant tide of thick, deathly qi continued to emanate from the Coffin of Death, an effect that even experts within the Divine King Realm, such as themselves, could not withstand indefinitely. They harbored the grim certainty that if this onslaught persisted, their demise at Ye Chenfeng’s hands was a distinct possibility. It was utterly beyond their comprehension that a mere youth, a cultivator at the Initial Stage of the Divine King Realm, could force them into such a dire predicament!

Luo Qianhai and Zhao Wanzhong, both notable figures from the Xiao Yao Palace, exchanged a knowing glance, and Zhao Wanzhong offered Luo Qianhai a subtle, affirmative nod.

Just as Ye Chenfeng prepared to press his advantage with another devastating strike, Zhao Wanzhong, a formidable cultivator at the late stage of the Divine King Realm, suddenly unleashed a furious aura from deep within his being. His palm movements became a blur in the air, rapidly weaving a Seal Formation. A complex sigil materialized in the void before him, into which he channeled the entirety of the Spiritual Energy erupting from his body.

Concurrently.

Luo Qianhai’s eyes narrowed to slits, and the very air surrounding him began to shimmer with intense heat. Azure veins stood out starkly on his forehead as the Spiritual Energy coursing through his body surged outwards in all directions, spontaneously generating vortex after vortex around his person.

With a resounding ‘thump!’

A gaping, bloody wound abruptly tore open across Luo Qianhai’s abdomen. In the precise instant this wound manifested, the intricate sigil, meticulously condensed by Zhao Wanzhong, surged forcefully into the newly formed breach in his flesh.

Luo Qianhai’s expression contorted into a mask of fierce resolve. “Xiao Yao Heavenly Art!”

Following the assimilation of the complex sigil, meticulously crafted by Zhao Wanzhong, into the abdominal wound, the laceration on Luo Qianhai’s stomach began to seal itself with remarkable speed. Simultaneously, his aura experienced a dramatic surge, instantly catapulting him to the precipice of the Peak of the Divine King Realm — a mere breath away from breaching the threshold into the Half-step Divine Venerable level. Though his power had previously resided at the Peak of the Divine King Realm, a significant gulf had still separated him from the Half-step Divine Venerable. It was evident that his current combat prowess had been amplified immeasurably compared to mere moments prior.

This particular technique, the Xiao Yao Heavenly Art, was a closely guarded secret within the Xiao Yao Palace, a skill not readily employed.

The Xiao Yao Heavenly Art possessed the unique capability to temporarily siphon the strength of others, empowering its user to draw upon the Spiritual Energy residing within other individuals for their own augmentation.

Now that Luo Qianhai’s aura had been so dramatically elevated, bringing him tantalizingly close to the Half-step Divine Venerable realm, he was entirely dependent on the Spiritual Energy generously provided by Zhao Wanzhong.

When engaging in coordinated assaults, their collective power would inevitably be dissipated; consolidating all available might into a single, formidable entity proved a far more strategically sound approach.

Nevertheless, the Xiao Yao Heavenly Art was not without its inherent detriments, its dual nature encompassing both potent advantages and significant drawbacks.

Following the transference of his Spiritual Energy to Luo Qianhai, Zhao Wanzhong faced the prospect of being incapacitated for an entire year, potentially rendering him unable to even rise from his bed. Conversely, Luo Qianhai, who had received this infusion of power, would also find himself unable to achieve even the slightest increment in personal strength during that same twelve-month period.

Regrettably, this clandestine technique belonged exclusively to the Xiao Yao Palace; Hua Wanchuan and Li Yuanmu, esteemed members of the Heavenly Sword Sect, remained entirely unaware of its existence. Had they also possessed the means to lend their power to Luo Qianhai, it was conceivable that he might have temporarily ascended to the Half-step Divine Venerable level, or perhaps even reached the Early Divine Venerate Realm.

After lending his power for Luo Qianhai to draw upon, Zhao Wanzhong slumped onto the ground, his complexion alarmingly pale. The deathly Qi that had infiltrated his body now began to accelerate its consumption of his life force.

Witnessing this, Luo Qianhai understood that any delay was too great a luxury. He directed his palm towards the charging Ye Chenfeng, and the Spiritual Energy within him surged like a sudden flood. The very fabric of the surrounding space fractured, revealing jagged black fissures.

"Death Devouring!"

A torrent of black energy spewed forth from Luo Qianhai’s palm. Upon its release, this dark beam relentlessly expanded, its destructive path causing space to crumble rapidly as it surged with immense force towards Ye Chenfeng.

The expanse of space outside the Ancient City of Heavenly Origin quaked under the onslaught.

This technique, Death Devouring, was a clandestine, forbidden art of the Xiao Yao Palace. Its execution carried an exceedingly high probability of the practitioner incurring a Heart Demon.

It appeared Luo Qianhai had committed himself entirely to this gamble.

By first borrowing Zhao Wanzhong’s strength and then unleashing a forbidden art, the sheer power of this assault far surpassed the earlier strike commanded by Hua Wanchuan. After all, previously, Luo Qianhai and his companions had merely operated within their standard capabilities. Now, however, both a secret technique and a forbidden art were invoked. Although Luo Qianhai had only drawn upon the power of Zhao Wanzhong, his offensive might had been magnified tremendously.

Meanwhile, from the perspective of Hua Wanchuan and Li Yuanmu.

Concurrent with Luo Qianhai and Zhao Wanzhong’s execution of the Xiao Yao Heavenly Art, these two also reached a mutual understanding.

Hua Wanchuan would maintain his control over the Sky-Slashing Blade, while Li Yuanmu would provide support from the sidelines. This time, however, an exceptionally peculiar power erupted from both Hua Wanchuan and Li Yuanmu, causing their auras to ascend dramatically.

The blood-red radiance that bloomed upon the Sky-Slashing Blade shone with an intensity greater than before.

The atmosphere surrounding the pair grew violently turbulent, and the space warped and twisted, layer upon layer.

Hua Wanchuan and Li Yuanmu simultaneously channeled their entire Spiritual Energy into the Sky-Slashing Blade, transforming the surrounding air into a deep, blood-red hue.

It was as if rivers of blood were flowing ceaselessly through the very air.

"Desperate Strike!"

With a powerful swing, Hua Wanchuan brought down the Sky-Slashing Blade.

Ten massive shadows, tinged with a blood-red light, materialized in the sky. Each shadow possessed power far exceeding the single blade shadow seen previously. Crimson droplets rained down from the heavens, as if the celestial expanse itself were weeping blood.

These ten colossal blade shadows descended relentlessly upon Ye Chenfeng.

This Desperate Strike was, similarly, a forbidden art belonging to the Heavenly Sword Sect.

This technique possessed the capability to amplify the practitioner’s attack power manifold. However, the cost incurred was that upon its successful execution, the practitioner’s cultivation would regress by a minor realm.

Hua Wanchuan and Li Yuanmu had also resolutely cast aside all reservations; their intention was clear – to annihilate Ye Chenfeng in a single, decisive blow. They, too, could acutely perceive the uncanny nature of Ye Chenfeng and understood that further hesitation was not an option.

... (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you’re welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)