Chapter 605: Another Epiphany

Zhaang Ye was in a state of comprehension, his Spiritual Sense exceptionally sharp. He instantly detected the battle intent radiating from Flower King and Shui Daimai, which jolted him out of his meditative state.

Forced out of his comprehension, Zhaang Ye was overcome with a burning rage. He wanted nothing more than to slam Flower King and Shui Daimai to the ground and beat them senseless.

Just then, several loud booms echoed from a distance. Following the roars, Qi Qingle’s body was sent flying like a stone, smashing violently against the stone wall.

It turned out that while Flower King and Shui Daimai were surrounding Zhaang Ye, Iron Hand Marquis and Zi Nuhou had launched an all-out attack on Qi Qingle, intending to kill him in one fell swoop.

Although Qi Qingle had his own fortuitous encounters in the Sword Monarch Ruins and had advanced to the True Dao Sixth Layer, his opponents were Zi Nuhou and Iron Hand Marquis. Either one of them possessed far greater combat power than him. Under the combined assault of two experts, Qi Qingle was immediately and severely wounded, sent flying.

Zhaang Ye frowned slightly. ‘If Qi Qingle is killed, I’ll have to face the combined assault of three experts from the Black Cloud Domain. Even with my powerful Body Technique and high Comprehension, death would be inevitable. Besides, Qi Qingle is a fellow sect member. I can’t just watch him die.’

BUZZ!

Without a word, Zhaang Ye’s body transformed into a visible Tornado. He abruptly retreated, charging straight toward Zi Nuhou and Iron Hand Marquis.

Zhaang Ye’s Wind Realm was already approaching Great Success. Even under the immense pressure of the Sword Array, his speed was still extreme, and he crossed dozens of yards in an instant.

Seeing Zhaang Ye retreat, Flower King sneered, “Zhaang Ye, you can barely save yourself, and yet you want to save someone else! Behold my Raging Red Flames!”

He swept his Folding Fan through the air, and three enormous fireballs, like giant meteors, streaked across the void in an instant, hurtling toward Zhaang Ye’s back.

The Fire Realm!

Flower King had already integrated his Fire Realm into his techniques. The three fireballs he launched each contained an incredible heat, capable of easily burning a master of the True Dao Sixth Layer to ashes.

Zhaang Ye was as fast as lightning, but the fireballs, infused with Flower King’s immense power, were even faster. In the blink of an eye, they reached Zhaang Ye’s back and then exploded, forming three massive Fire Dragons that swept toward him!

‘What terrifying Fire Control! This Flower King truly lives up to his reputation as an expert from the Black Cloud Domain. Not only is his strength immense, but his comprehension of the Fire Realm has also reached an extremely high level! The movements of these three Fire Dragons hold thousands of Transformations, and even I can’t see through them at a glance. It seems that to dodge these three Fire Dragons perfectly, I’ll have to ask the Fire Spirit for some help!’

Zhaang Ye’s heart tightened. In an instant, his mind connected with the Fire Spirit. The Fire Spirit itself was an Ancient Fire Spirit, and its understanding of flames was second to none. Once their minds connected, Zhaang Ye instantly analyzed the weaknesses of the three Fire Dragons and took three incredibly profound steps.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

With those three steps, he moved precisely into the gaps between the three Fire Dragons. The three Fire Dragons launched by Flower King couldn’t even touch the corner of Zhaang Ye’s robes.

“Hm?”

Flower King’s expression darkened. His three Fire Dragons contained thousands of Transformations; even a True Dao Seventh Layer master would have to face them head-on, with no hope of dodging so easily. Yet Zhaang Ye had evaded all three with just three steps, a feat that secretly shocked Flower King.

“Zhaang Ye, take a few more of my moves!”

Flower King roared. Seizing the moment before the Sword Array could launch its third wave of attacks, he moved his Folding Fan in his hand with profound intricacy, sending nine massive fireballs flying toward Zhaang Ye.

At this time, Iron Hand Marquis and Zi Nuhou both leaped into the air, pouncing on Qi Qingle. Qi Qingle was already severely injured, his combat power greatly diminished. Facing the combined assault of Iron Hand Marquis and Zi Nuhou, he could only resort to desperate measures, with each of his moves a suicidal gambit meant to take them down with him.

Although Qi Qingle was willing to fight to the death, his combat power was far inferior to that of Iron Hand Marquis and Zi Nuhou. Even if he fought with his life on the line, he couldn’t last long. After a few exchanges, Qi Qingle’s situation became even more critical; he could be killed by the two young experts at any moment.

Seeing Qi Qingle’s peril, Zhaang Ye roared at Shui Daimai, “Shui Daimai, help Qi Qingle! Don’t you want to fight me? Once we’re out of the Sword Monarch Ruins, I’ll fight you for three days and three nights, no problem!”

Excitement flashed in Shui Daimai’s eyes. She swung a fist through the air and said, “You’re finally willing to fight me! But three days and three nights isn’t enough. I want to fight you for ten days and ten nights, until I comprehend the Water Realm!”

Zhaang Ye now understood that this woman, Shui Daimai, was an absolute Cultivation fanatic. In her eyes, nothing mattered besides Cultivation. Hearing her demand, Zhaang Ye shouted, “No problem! You save Qi Qingle, and I’ll fight you! We can fight for half a year for all I care!”

Though he readily agreed, Zhaang Ye was cursing inwardly: ‘We’re in this kind of situation, and she’s still trying to bargain with me? There’s definitely something wrong with this woman’s head! Once we’re out of the Sword Monarch Ruins, I’ll have to knock some sense into her and teach her a lesson!’

Shui Daimai was unaware of Zhaang Ye’s thoughts. Hearing his promise, she smiled triumphantly. Her body flickered, and with her laughter still echoing, she suddenly crossed dozens of yards to join the fight. Shui Daimai’s combat power was comparable to Flower King’s and Zhaang Ye’s. The moment she joined in, the pressure on Qi Qingle was greatly reduced, and his life was saved for the time being.

Seeing that Qi Qingle’s life was no longer in immediate danger, Zhaang Ye breathed a sigh of relief and immediately focused all his energy on dealing with Flower King.

Zhaang Ye didn’t dare use the Cloud-Breaking Slash, nor did he dare take out the Mysterious Blade Tip, as both were related to the Sword Monarch. Under these circumstances, his combat power was greatly reduced. Even with the Punishment Whip, he couldn’t contend with Flower King and could only passively defend against his attacks.

Flower King grew increasingly wary of Zhaang Ye. He attacked with his full strength, pushing his abundant Innate True Qi and Fire Realm to their limits. Meanwhile, Zhaang Ye relied on the Fire Spirit’s help and his own profound Body Technique to dodge Flower King’s attacks again and again.

One attacked while the other defended. For a time, neither could gain the upper hand.

Suddenly, the stars overhead began to move again.

The specks of starlight spun slowly, and a bone-chilling Sword Intent pressed down on everyone’s hearts. Seeing that the Sword Array was about to attack again, all six young experts present stopped fighting, their gazes fixed on the stars above.

The Transformation of the stars contained the mysteries of the Sword Dao. At this moment, no one wanted to miss out; they all prepared to comprehend new ultimate techniques from the stars.

Tens of thousands of stars shifted slowly, exuding an aura of profound mystery. Zhaang Ye stared intently at the stars, his Spiritual Sense extending into the void, trying with all his might to capture the aura of the stars’ Transformation.

‘No, this won’t work! The Supreme Profound Mysterious Blade Array contains far, far too many mysteries of the Sword Dao! I can’t possibly memorize all the star Transformations by myself, and comprehending the mysteries within is even more difficult! Unless I can enter a state of comprehension every single time, there’s no hope of fully understanding it!’

Zhaang Ye looked at the stars, pondering. Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through his mind. ‘Even if I’m skilled, I can’t possibly memorize all the star Transformations on my own. But if one person can’t do it, I can just ask a few others to help me memorize them!’

Having thought of this, Zhaang Ye commanded in his mind, “Fire Spirit, Gold Spirit, Water Spirit, Wood Spirit! Stop your Healing for now and help me memorize the Transformation of the stars!”

The Five Elements—Gold, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth—corresponded perfectly to the five directions: west, east, north, south, and center. As per Zhaang Ye’s instructions, the Fire Spirit memorized the Transformation of the southern stars, the Gold Spirit the western stars, the Water Spirit the northern stars, and the Wood Spirit the eastern stars. Zhaang Ye himself would memorize the Transformation of the Central Star.

With the help of the Four Spirits, every slight change in the stars was laid bare before Zhaang Ye. His formidable Comprehension began to deduce the various Transformations, and one by one, the Profound Mysteries were unraveled. A light of wisdom shone in his eyes as he entered a state of sudden enlightenment.

BUZZ!

The aura around Zhaang Ye underwent a subtle change. It began to faintly resonate with the stars overhead, exuding an incredibly profound air.

“Hm?”

Zhaang Ye’s entry into a state of sudden enlightenment immediately caught the attention of the other five young experts. They all simultaneously withdrew their gazes from the stars and stared at Zhaang Ye.

Flower King’s eyes widened as he stared at Zhaang Ye. “Incredible! A state of sudden enlightenment is something you hope for but can never seek. For a Cultivator, they might not enter it even once in their entire life. This Zhaang Ye has actually entered it twice in a row. He’s a monster!”

The gazes of Flower King, Iron Hand Marquis, and Zi Nuhou met in mid-air. The three of them made up their minds. ‘This Zhaang Ye’s Comprehension is terrifyingly powerful. He must be killed!’

HAH!

Flower King, Iron Hand Marquis, and Zi Nuhou let out a great roar in unison and pounced on Zhaang Ye. All three were battle-hardened masters and knew that being disturbed during sudden enlightenment was the greatest taboo. Thus, they first let out a great roar to shatter his concentration, then attacked with their full power, intending to kill Zhaang Ye in one fell swoop.

The three of them attacked with exceptional speed. Even Shui Daimai didn’t expect the three young experts to attack Zhaang Ye at the same time. By the time she reacted, the three young experts were already within fifty feet of Zhaang Ye!

“Ah, it’s over!”

Seeing the three attack simultaneously, both Shui Daimai and Qi Qingle were stunned. Shui Daimai sighed with regret in her heart. ‘It’s over. If Zhaang Ye dies, where will I ever find another master who has comprehended the Water Realm?’

Qi Qingle’s face was pale. ‘Every expert in this hall is stronger than me. If Zhaang Ye dies, I’m dead for sure!’

Just as Qi Qingle’s heart filled with despair, Zhaang Ye, who was at the center of the assault, suddenly moved.