Ch. 1566 - Xu Zimo Awakens

The thunderous shout echoed across the sky like a bolt striking the heavens. The sound alone shook the void apart. Everyone instantly turned toward its source.

From the eastern horizon, a figure stepped through the air toward them. His presence radiated overwhelming righteous energy. His aura distorted the very fabric of the void, covering heaven and earth and sending wave after wave of pressure outward.

His speed was incredible, within moments he had crossed half the sky.

Crackling sounds sparked in the air as his force pressed down.

When he strode closer, everyone finally saw him clearly: thick brows, broad ears, and a face filled with unshakeable integrity. He wore a plain gray robe made of coarse linen, yet the power rolling off him tore at the surroundings.

He looked at the swarm of dragon-serpents.

Without hesitation, he drew the longsword at his waist.

A brilliant sword light erupted, sweeping through the heavens and illuminating the entire realm.

A thunderous boom split the air.

With one strike, the sky itself seemed cleaved in two. The massive cluster of dragon-serpents was annihilated under the force of his sword energy.

…

“You… who are you?” Ocean Dragon Prince narrowed his eyes and asked coolly.

“And who are you,” the young man asked coldly, “to commit violence here in broad daylight?”

“This is an internal affair of the Ancient Dragon God-Empire. Stay out of it,” Ocean Dragon Prince replied.

“Then today I insist on interfering,” the young man shot back.

“Yan Pingfan… You’re that Yan Pingfan whose name has been spreading lately?” Ocean Dragon Prince’s expression changed.

“The one who crushed the Three Thieves and killed the flower thief Wang Feng?”

“That’s right,” Yan Pingfan said.

“I loathe bullies more than anything. What happens to this sect today is my concern.”

“Then you’d better have the strength to match your words!” Ocean Dragon Prince roared.

Behind him, endless dragon-serpents erupted once more, dense enough to blot out the entire sky as they charged forward with murderous fury.

“Myriad Heavenly Swords,” Yan Pingfan said calmly.

He flicked his sword, drawing a flower of sword light through the air. He swung the blade again and again, each burst of sword force carrying world-shaking power. With every slash, many dragon-serpents exploded into pieces.

In the span of a few breaths, Ocean Dragon Prince’s millions of serpent beasts were wiped out.

Their corpses rained from the sky in a grim, drizzling downpour.

Ocean Dragon Prince’s expression twisted. He transformed into his half-dragon, half-python form, caught midway through metamorphosis. The massive creature roared, spraying foul wind and bloody mist.

The air shattered around its enormous body as it lunged. Its gigantic tail swept out like a collapsing mountain.

Yan Pingfan snorted, raised his sword, and met it head-on.

“Heaven-Shocking Sword, Sky Severing Cut.”

His figure blurred as his sword force engulfed the entire world. His blade, impossibly sharp, struck with overwhelming force and severed the giant tail cleanly.

The dragon-python howled in agony and rage.

Yan Pingfan ignored both. He stepped high into the air, aura erupting, and landed directly on the monster’s head. His sword spun once, then drove sharply downward into Ocean Dragon Prince’s skull.

“Dragon Crying Tempest!”

Ocean Dragon Prince unleashed his final trump card. A violent burst of power erupted, flinging Yan Pingfan away.

“Damn you! Just wait!” Ocean Dragon Prince shouted. With his tail severed and humiliation burning through him, he fled in a panic, racing into the distance.

“I’ll be back! When the armies of my Ancient Dragon God-Empire arrive, it will be your death day, Yan Pingfan, and the day the True Martial Sect is destroyed!”

The dragon ship tore through the sky and vanished.

…

When everything finally calmed, Yan Pingfan descended into the True Martial Sect.

“Thank you, benefactor, for saving us from annihilation,” Wang Hengzhi said solemnly, nearly kneeling before him.

Yan Pingfan quickly helped him back up. “Don’t say things like that. As cultivators, it’s our duty to stand against injustice and protect the weak. I only did what I should. But what caused this?” he asked. “How did it escalate to the point of destroying your sect?”

“It was the Ancient Dragon God-Empire stirring up trouble,” Deng Linyu said, eyes sparkling with admiration as she looked at him. “They’ve pushed us too far. We had no choice.”

“I believe you,” Yan Pingfan said. “The weak often have no room to choose.”

A nearby elder spoke anxiously. “Even if we drove the prince away, Ocean Dragon Prince isn’t that strong. When the Ancient Dragon God-Empire brings its full army… what do we do?”

Yan Pingfan fell silent for a moment, thinking.

“Since I’ve stepped into this matter, I’ll see it through.”

“This won’t do,” Wang Hengzhi said quickly. “True Martial Sect’s problems shouldn’t drag a young master like you down.”

“Don’t worry,” Yan Pingfan said, shaking his head with a smile. “I don’t fear the Ancient Dragon God-Empire. I’ll protect this sect no matter what.”

“Then on behalf of the members of True Martial Sect, I thank you,” Wang Hengzhi said sincerely. He truly didn’t want to burden Yan Pingfan, but with the sect’s current situation, they had no better choice.

…

Yan Pingfan’s arrival breathed life back into True Martial Sect. Wang Hengzhi welcomed him with full respect, and the sect became lively again.

But on Xiao An’an’s mountain peak, everything remained quiet.

Xiao An’an was cultivating, yet something felt wrong. Her sword intent dispersed after leaving her body and refused to gather. At first she thought her sword intent was too weak, so she trained harder over the years, growing stronger and stronger, yet the cohesion still never appeared.

She finally realized the problem lay elsewhere.

Frowning, deep in thought, she suddenly heard a voice.

“The True Martial Sword Physique cannot be cultivated this way.”

“Who… who said that?” Xiao An’an jolted. Then a thought struck her. She turned toward the wheelchair.

The young man sitting in it had opened his eyes. His gaze was deep and completely dark.

“You… you’re awake!” Xiao An’an said, unable to hide her excitement.

“Just woke up,” Xu Zimo replied.

In truth, he’d been conscious for some time but focused entirely on repairing his body, delaying his awakening.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

“Not bad. I still can’t walk yet,” Xu Zimo said.

“That’s fine, I can push you,” Xiao An’an said quickly. “Are you the Imperial Ancestor of our True Martial Sacred Ground?”

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