Volume 16 Chapter 35: Your Greatness Is Not My Greatness
Zhang Ping stopped his steps.
He couldn't kill an already dead person.
He turned around to look at Lin Xi.
"Do you still not understand?" As that Yunqin high ranking officer's hot blood scattered outwards, Lin Xi looked at Zhang Ping and furiously screamed, "For most Yunqin people, the interest of the empire is above all! It is just like how this officer would rather die than let use more soul force to save him. After all, he is fighting for us, sacrificing himself for this empire! For the sake of this empire, who knows how many people have already given up their lives! It isn't you alone who has suffered, yet you are still alive in the end..."
"If I give up on killing you, will this empire become great?" Zhang Ping ruthlessly cut Lin Xi off. "The greatness you all pursue is not the same as my greatness."
"Don't waste any more words on him."
Nangong Weiyang looked at Lin Xi and said, "Speaking any more to his current self already lacks all meaning unless you can beat him to the ground."
Lin Xi became quiet, no longer saying anything.
...
A copper bell was ruffled by the winds Lin Xi and the others produced. However, before it could even release its pleasant sound, this bell was smashed to pieces along with the roof it hung from under Zhang Ping's armor.
An unusual and extremely disturbing chase was carried out in Central Continent City's streets and alleys.
All of the cultivators on Lin Xi's side followed Lin Xi and Nangong Weiyang, turning into a faint trail of shadows.
Zhang Ping spread the black wings slightly. The heavy armor rose a few feet from the ground, continuously hovering through the air, pursuing closely behind Lin Xi's group.
Just this brief chase already made Lin Xi and the others certain that the gliding of the wings behind Zhang Ping made it so that even if he was covered in heavy armor, the amount of soul force Zhang Ping exhausted wouldn't be greater than them.
Zhang Ping was a Sacred Expert, Lin Xi and Nangong Weiyang were both Sacred Experts as well. However, Qin Xiyue, Chi Yuyin and the others weren't.
As such, the amount of soul force exhausted from running wasn't used to fight. It was better for them to block directly in front of Zhang Ping.
Since they couldn't wear down their enemy, then fighting was the only choice!
Lin Xi gave Zhang Ping on the other side of the snowy ground a look. There were previously countless methods that could be used during a battle between cultivators, yet today, they faced a tank not even sacred level power could do much against. All of the possible methods instead became one, which was to use pure force to strike this tank, see when they could break down this tank this way.
...
Zhang Ping's gaze landed on Qin Xiyue.
He reached his hand towards Qin Xiyue.
"Come to my side... instead of being destroyed with him and Green Luan Academy, it is much better to witness a world like never before together with me."
His voice was full of indescribable enticement, even carving out many transparent runes in the air.
Many people standing in the distance couldn't resist the temptation of this voice. Their eyes began to flicker with perplexity, starting to subconsciously move their feet.
However, a clear noise sounded.
It was as if a remote flower quietly blossomed, as if someone was walking through a floral field with a gourd of wine in hand, using a finger to tap on the sheathless long blade.
Qin Xiyue raised her head to give Lin Xi a look.
Then, she slowly moved towards Zhang Ping.
Lin Xi, Nangong Weiyang and everyone else also walked with her towards Zhang Ping.
"This is truly a scene of kindred spirits." Zhang Ping said quietly in self mockery, shaking his head.
...
Six dark green arrows tore through the sky.
The instant Chi Mang made his move, Chi Shan's petite body began to float from the release of soul force again. Countless fine streaks of blood flowed out from within her dark green robes, releasing a clear and sweet fragrance.
A bewitching spiritual mushroom filled with green fluorescence that appeared once before in their battle against the Sea Fiend King took form in her palm. Then, it quickly dimmed and disappeared.
There were immediately many roots that formed in the snow land. Many fine roots spread over the runes on Zhang Ping's legs. They were continuously cut down by the lightning radiance inside, but then continuously grew again, stabbing inside.
Qin Xiyue's finger lightly tapped against the flower-like small bell around her wrist. Countless faint green rune threads suddenly appeared in the air, continuously surging across Zhang Ping's armor.
Lin Xi and Nangong Weiyang's flying swords also ripped through the air at this instant, moving together with the six burning arrows, striking Zhang Ping's body simultaneously.
At this instant, Zhang Ping felt pain.
He felt as if he was being crushed by many mountains at the same time.
This was especially the instant that strange green fluorescent light faded in Chi Shan's hand, feeling as if countless fine dust entered his body. Then, this fine dust began to quickly grow within his body.
He felt as if he truly became a devil.
When facing Qin Xiyue, Lin Xi and these powerful experts, he instead seemed to feel a mysterious sense of release and joy from this pain.
"I've wanted to beat you down a long time ago."
A delighted voice sounded from the depths of his heart.
When facing the power that crushed against his armor and dug into his body, he only did a single thing.
He ignited his own body.
Endless fine red-purple flames took form within his body, spreading throughout, burning all of the intruding dust to ashes. Then, it was released outside of his body, seeped into the armor's runes, and then spread outwards.
The sapphire blue armor surface began to burn with a layer of raging red-purple flames.
This type of devil flame was named 'Soul Devourer'.
...
Chi Mang's burning arrows instantly evaporated, not even dust left behind.
The strands of grass Chi Xiaoye spurred on melted like wax. The white snow instantly melted, the hard ground burned until it cracked.
The green sound threads and the strange notes in the air instantly vanished. There were even more fine red-purple flames that began to appear in the air around Zhang Ping like peach blossom petals.
Lin Xi and Nangong Weiyang's flying swords hurriedly withdrew.
There was only a bit of the red-purple flames that appeared on their flying swords, yet they instantly covered the swords.
The flying swords' soul force flow was cut short while rapidly retreating, roaring as they fell behind Lin Xi and Nangong Weiyang.
Inside the armor, a trace of ink black blood flowed out from the corners of Zhang Ping's lips. However, he instead took a step forward, and then a fist smashed out.
There weren't even any wind sounds in front of him.
However, those red-purple flames that fluttered through the air like fireflies instead flew like snowflakes, crushing down on the barrier outside Chi Yuyin's body.
The energies of the world shook like space itself was going to collapse.
Chi Yuyin released a muffled groan. Her entire body flew backwards again.
The arrows were destroyed.
The swords fell.
The grass was burned down.
The sounds were crushed.
...
Zhang Ping's attack broke down all of their attacks. The armor covering him didn't suffer any damage.
Even the white snow in the streets seemed to have ignited, the white snow that covered the roofs also began to become scorched black, lit aflame.
The expressions of the countless people watching this scene from the distance changed.
Right now, he seemed to be even more powerful than the Purgatory Mountain Patriarch in front of Thousand Leaf Pass.
However, when she saw the metal figures that continuously approached, Nangong Weiyang's expression instead calmed. "His soul force must have suffered severe consumption as well." She turned to say to Lin Xi next to her.
Lin Xi nodded his head.
A wave of powerful soul force erupted again from his body, making the flying sword behind him fly again. It wove about in the air in front of Zhang Ping's body with shocking speed, instantly forming three formations of Sunset Light Swords!
He could also already sense that Zhang Ping's aura was already weakening and becoming chaotic. This meant that after large amounts of soul force consumption, he has already found it a bit hard to continue. Moreover, under their joint attacks, Zhang Ping had also already suffered some internal injuries.
He was still a bit worried before, thinking that the soul force in Zhang Ping may exceeded his as well. But now, Zhang Ping's changes in aura that couldn't be concealed also made him certain that the amount of soul force in Zhang Ping's body still couldn't compare to his 'two bowls'.
In that case, he was currently precisely the one who posed the greatest threat to Zhang Ping. He could completely use his own soul force to whittle down Zhang Ping.
...
Countless crystal-like sword lights blossomed in front of Zhang Ping.
Wind and snow quickly danced about, forming a huge sphere between Lin Xi's retreating group and Zhang Ping.
The inside of the sphere was transparent water vapor evaporated by the terrifying flames, the middle white colored mist, while the outside was the white snow swept up by the whirling winds.
This giant sphere became larger and larger. During this time, Lin Xi's flying sword completed its movements countless times, forming who knew how many transparent sword scars in front of Zhang Ping. This giant sphere exploded, scattering out thousands to over ten thousand streaks.
Several hundred homes collapsed after shaking violently.
Lin Xi continuously coughed blood.
The longsword entered his hand. His soul force consumption was great to the point where it was hard for him to even control the flying sword. However, everyone could see that all of the runes on Zhang Ping's sapphire armor, as well as the swimming golden strands became extremely dim, as if they might fade at any time.
The deathly white faced Chi Su supported Lin Xi and Chi Shan.
Nangong Weiyang slowly raised her brows. Her flying sword began to flicker with dazzling azure brilliance again.
Zhang Ping's soul force was also on the verge of disappearing, but he still had quite a bit of strength left.
Right at this time, endless metal striking sounds could be heard from the distant street.
Even though that high ranking officer died, his military order had still been issued.
The heavy cavalry and heavy armored troops in Central Continent City already rushed over.
Under the iron hooves sounds and rumbling of soul force that was even more thrilling than thunder in summer, Zhang Ping who continuously pushed forward also stopped. When facing Nangong Weiyang's accelerating sword, he slowly lowered his head. The runes on the sapphire blue armor he wore, as well as all of the golden light strands, were completely extinguished under this action.