Volume 16 Chapter 34: Meaningful, Meaningless

Dang dang dang dang... Concentrated teeth numbing arrow noises sounded at nearly the same time as Zhang Ping's cold laughter.

Imperial City's guards were only lacking a bit in experience compared to the border army. In terms of martial skill, archery skill and equipment, they were even a bit superior to the border armies.

At the very least, there were over a hundred arrows that simultaneously struck Zhang Ping, quite a few among them belonging to cultivators in the army.

This type of concentrated arrow barrage was completely different from the additive power an ordinary person imagined. Any soldier or cultivator with experience understood extremely clearly that when over a hundred arrows struck the body at the same time, the weight alone would already be extremely shocking.

The feeling of being struck by so many arrows at the same time would make every single arrow seem to carry this type of weight.

Normally, even if cultivators used soul force to contend against this type of power, they would still feel as if they were rammed by a speeding carriage, the feeling extremely unpleasant. Yet right now, Zhang Ping's cold laughter didn't pause in the slightest. The power of these arrows didn't even seem to pass through the outermost layer of vital energy protection. The powerful impact was instead reflected into these arrows, forming countless arrow shaft explosions around Zhang Ping's body, producing a huge black flower!

All Yunqin officials and high ranking officers looked at the unchanged sapphire armor with horror.

None of them replied to Zhang Ping's question.

Zhang Ping's question, for them, was indeed hard to answer.

Right now, most of the Yunqin officials and high ranking officers couldn't be certain of their attitudes toward Lin Xi. This type of mentality was extremely tangled and complicated. However, now that things already reached this point, the interest of the entire empire was what most of these Yunqin officials and military officers cared about the most.

They also clearly realized that Lin Xi's action of making the Imperial Princess take the throne was indeed the best way for Yunqin Empire to make it through this peacefully. This was especially the case when Lin Xi already expressed that Green Luan Academy had no interest in taking the imperial position, this making most people decide to cooperate with Green Luan Academy's actions after careful consideration.

Currently, all of the Yunqin officials and military soldiers around this workshop didn't even know what kind of background this armor that suddenly appeared from the mysterious workshop came from, or who the one in the armor was. They were only sure that he was definitely Lin Xi's enemy. It was purely because Lin Xi wanted the Imperial Princess to control the greater situation, and this person should precisely be the mastermind behind her disappearance, that these Yunqin officers issued the orders to attack.

Only, this still made the current Zhang Ping feel unfairness.

He thought how back in Purgatory Mountain, when news of Purgatory Mountain Patriarch's death was announced, he had to face that Purgatory Mountain Great Elder and all of those red robed Divine Adjudicators alone.

He even recalled how he killed endless Purgatory Mountain red robed Divine Adjudicators, the scene where he ultimately walked into the palace on the tallest volcano while covered in blood.

He recalled the giant face in Sky Devil Prison Plains, the recordings he saw regarding the ancient world of cultivation.

"Demon dao cultivators have always reached the highest stage through stepping on countless corpses. In that case, that is precisely what I will do, carve out a path of blood to become this world's greatest king."

As arrows rained down on him, Zhang Ping coldly thought this to himself.

...

When the arrows poured down onto Zhang Ping's body, Lin Xi and Nangong Weiyang were always concentrating all of their perception, their eyes always aimed at Zhang Ping's body.

This rain of arrows carried different meanings for the two of them.

"Did you sense anything?"

When they saw Zhang Ping start to descend, Nangong Weiyang used a voice only her and Lin Xi could hear to ask.

Lin Xi shook his head.

After officially rising to the sacred level, together with Green Luan Academy and Sanskrit Temple's secret techniques, as well as even Zhang Ping's Devil Transformation, he already became a Sacred Expert who exceeded most of the world. However, under the rain of arrows just now, regardless of whether it was what he perceived with his eyes or perception, Zhang Ping's armor didn't have any weaknesses.

The vital energy in this armor's runes perfectly melded all of the pieces through a strange method. It could be said that these runes were instead this armor's weakness. All soul force and vital energy flow would be made through these runes. However, these runes were even smaller than the finest strands of hair, and within them flowed the special powerful electricity of True Dragon Gems. If they really had to pick at a weakness, then those black wings behind Zhang Ping were the only weakness, the only things that seemed to have a chance of being broken.

However, even with their powerful attacks just now, they couldn't damage those black wings in the slightest.

Lin Xi only shook his head. He didn't say anything, but Nangong Weiyang could see through his thoughts just from his expression.

"Breaking his wings won't do much, at the very least it wouldn't be useful right now." She shook her head, saying seriously with a quiet voice, "There is no way his soul force can be limitless."

Lin Xi also understood what Nangong Weiyang was thinking.

Even though Zhang Ping concealed too many things, no one understanding just how powerful of a state Zhang Ping's body has reached, Zhang Ping's strength still couldn't possibly compare to a devil cultivator at the peak of the Immortal Devil War. There was naturally no way for him to endlessly devour the vital energy of other cultivators and use this way to replenish his soul force.

As long as his soul force wasn't endless, then he could naturally slowly whittle him to death through numbers.

However, at the same time, Lin Xi also thought that right now, Zhang Ping was just like the past Principal Zhang, grasping everything in this world. There was no way Zhang Ping didn't consider this before, so he might have other hidden methods. "Prepare yourself, fight while retreating!" He didn't show much hesitation, directly saying this to Nangong Weiyang.

After saying this, his body straightened a bit more. Without stopping for a moment, he shouted a strict order to the Yunqin officer who was currently attacking Zhang Ping. "Everyone retreat!"

Lin Xi had already commanded countless great battles. Right now, his orders naturally carried an unquestionable iron-blooded aura. Even though his order was simple, all of the Yunqin officers here immediately understood the meaning of his words.

"Transfer over Divine Edge Camp's heavy armored soldiers and heavy cavalry!"

The Yunqin officer who previously ordered the attacks on Zhang Ping decisively made a gesture for a complete retreat, at the same time quickly giving out this order.

The instant he gave this order, Zhang Ping already turned into a blurry string of afterimages, charging over.

Everyone could tell he wanted to kill this Yunqin high ranking officer.

A Yunqin official was between Zhang Ping and this Yunqin officer.

He didn't have any intentions to fight to the death against Zhang Ping, but Zhang Ping's speed was just too fast, so he couldn't even evade in time before Zhang Ping passed his body.

The reason why it looked like he 'passed' them was because in this instant, any movement Zhang Ping made would directly turn the bodies he made contact with into countless scattering pieces of flying flesh. Zhang Ping's afterimages passed right through the crushed flesh without stopping at all.

"Retreat!"

Lin Xi released a fierce scream again, blood dripping out from the corners of his mouth. His flying sword passed over Zhang Ping's afterimages, scattering a layer of sunset light in front of him.

The sunset light turned into countless transparent light strands, becoming like countless transparent small crystal swords.

Zhang Ping's body didn't change in the slightest. Following a low roar, he directly passed through these transparent little swords. The countless transparent light strands were smashed in front of him, blasted to pieces.

At the same time, there was a great rumbling noise. Nangong Weiyang's flying sword descended from the sky like a rod of heavenly judgment, smashing down towards the charging Zhang Ping's head with absolute accuracy.

Endless azure radiance erupted from Zhang Ping's helmet, instantly turning into countless fist-sized heavy water droplets that reflected endless faces of fear.

The heavy armor was forcibly smashed into the ground by the tremendous force.

But immediately afterwards, the armor's feet rose again. The ground that was packed extremely tightly didn't even experience the impending quaking, yet began to crumble like crispy flat cakes around Zhang Ping's feet. When Zhang Ping's feet truly made contact with the ground, only then did the ground break into several pieces, bursting and erupting with noise.

Zhang Ping continued forward, rushing straight towards that Yunqin high ranking officer.

An expanse of dark green grass suddenly formed under Zhang Ping's feet. Endless witch hair like long blades frantically swept about, cutting at Zhang Ping's legs.

Zhang Ping began to feel as if he was sinking into a swamp.

His feet's armor, apart from having the roving golden wisps of light, it began to burn like it had just come out of a furnace, releasing endless red-purple sparks.

When these extremely fine sparks landed in the dark green grassland, they seemed like they would quickly vanish. However, immediately afterwards, the entire dark green grassland was lit aflame, everything burning. The purple-red sparks were already no longer visible, but the heat that surged formed endless ashes that were still flickering with dark yellow radiance.

Zhang Ping moved through the flames and ashes.

The current battle already became Zhang Ping's intention to kill this Yunqin high ranking officer, while Lin Xi's side wanted to stop this Yunqin officer from being killed.

No one considered just what kind of meaning this type of battle had right now.

As he watched Zhang Ping walk through the flames and ashes, Lin Xi released a ferocious roar.

His voice was extremely loud and vicious. He seemed to want to squeeze out all of his pent-up emotions at this moment.

At the same time, surging soul force erupted from his body. His flying sword directly drew out countless streaks of transparent sword light around Zhang Ping's body.

As soul force exceeding his body's limit was released, fine droplets of blood shot out from every pore in his body.

"You want to kill me?"

"You will never be able to kill me."

This Yunqin high ranking officer who was frantically retreating and many other Yunqin soldiers saw the pink bloody mist that suddenly formed around Lin Xi's body. A decisive expression suddenly flickered through this Yunqin high ranking officer's eyes. He suddenly stopped, looked at the approaching Zhang Ping with disdain and coldly said these two lines.

When these two lines had just sounded, the black long blade in his hands already sliced through his own neck.

While his voice was still lingering through the air, this Yunqin high ranking officer's head flew.