Chapter 1655 1648: Spirit of War!
Zhan Jiangwen"s words thrummed through the void, piercing across time, and s.p.a.ce, transforming into light, quelling all the chaotic forms of mana, and finally, impacting the Mystic Soul with blasting precision. Sage Imentet was mid-way into her fleeing attempt when her Soulguard was shaken, her seductively attractive lips trembled, and her forward momentum was halted entirely!
She paused unnaturally in the Dark Void. Her eyes widened and her pupils constricted to their absolute limits. She felt the imposition of the Law of Momentum on her, and it was almost irresistible. Instinctively, her Mystic Soul and her soul fought back as her mystic aura explosively unleashed to its fullest extent!
The celestial alignment of this region had long since been disturbed by their fight, but her raging, pulsating, violently erupting aura once again caused incalculable changes as planets, stars, lunar satellites, and loose celestial debris were sent spiraling by a tempest of power.
Sage Pakhet barely raised her slender, toned, and sharp-nailed hands upwards, s.h.i.+elding her body as she was blown away by Sage Imentet. She growled with fangs bared as she used her legs and arms to spin within the Dark Void, performing an acrobatic maneuver as she dispersed the voice and used her splayed legs and a single arm to claw against the surface of s.p.a.ce and chaos mana, forcing a platform by which she could skid across to prevent further uncontrollable movements. As her claws dug into the platform of solid s.p.a.ce and chaos mana, she resisted the repeated battering of mystic aura and lifted her gaze toward Sage Imentet.
What in the flying fu-
"What are you doing?!" She yelled in indignation. The spiritual rice that contained Sage Nepit"s spiritual power was blown away, and she couldn"t locate it in this storm of mystic aura with her Spiritual Sense. Moreover, she hadn"t cultivated to the True Soul Phase and was enlightened, so her Soul Perception was non-existent. She was effectively blind in this storm of mystic aura. The entire world was black and white as light was being forcefully affected by her aura.
With gritted teeth, Sage Pakhet could only establish multiple layers of defenses as a thick Mystic Ward encapsulated her with vivid spiritual images of dozens of large lionesses leaping around her. They were each ferocious predators ready to defend against any incoming a.s.sault.
Sage Imentet didn"t answer. Instead, she was solemnly staring ahead at a figure that was wading through her mystic aura with ease. Clear light flowed smoothly across his body, and her black and white aura was moved aside as if it were only a petulant child, completely ignored.
Her eyes reflected the image of Zhan Jiangwen entirely, and while he matched the description of Teng Jiangwen, there were notable differences between his appearance. He was usually said to be wearing robes, yet he wore battle armor with greaves, pauldrons, and vambraces. He resembled a knight born from an army.
Unlike the past descriptions that stated he had a carefree, slightly sinister presence of a demonically-inspired cultivator, he pulsated with an aura of everlasting war. He resembled an ancient spirit of war in pristinely white armor that had conquered the battlefield for an indeterminate period. The sight of him shook her heart and soul to their deepest depths.
Additionally, that clear light swirling about her body felt peerless, perfect, and perpetual. It was as if he was a Paragon of the Ages, blessed by the Dao of War to champion a lofty cause in its name. Despite Sage Pakhet"s all-out attack, he was unharmed!
His fists were bare, yet the clear light that emanated from it was surging with fiery white light. Her heart began to palpitate uncontrollably. However, the fist she expected to be lanced her way remained at his sides. Those silvery eyes of his observed her cautiously, inspecting her curiously. It was as if he was questioning something profound.
And indeed he was! Zhan Jiangwen had used his voice to halt all momentum around Sage Imentet. For a brief period, she was halted entirely. If not for her explosive response, she might have been placed in a state of pseudo-stasis as her innate energies, mystic power, and thoughts might not be able to gather momentum.
The Law of Momentum was extremely profound and was not simply limited to executing tyrannical fists, each more powerful than the last, but he never had the strength to affect Sages before, even at his height of power! Yet casually, he had imposed such domineering restriction by stripping away Sage Imentet"s generated momentum.
Of course, it was casually executed, so it wasn"t enough to last longer than a picosecond of time. However, that time was enough for him to move to intercept her.
"Is this Master"s energy?" He s.h.i.+fted his attention to his flaming white fists, observing as the clear light fueled his Asura Power. He had never felt such quality or abundance before, especially not from mystic force! Even his mystic power before was incomparable!
Suddenly, Sage Imentet spoke:
"Teng Jiangwen, right?"
Her mystic aura kept its explosively pulsating state, ready to react despite the sheer cost of mystic power meant to unleash such a display. However, she couldn"t drop her aura. The feeling of her momentum coming to a stop was horrifically imprinted on her soul. A single lapse of movement and attention was enough for an elite Sage with a Minor Law to severely damage her Soulguard or kill her.
Zhan Jiangwen reacted, moving his gaze to Sage Imentet"s exact location. When his silvery gaze met her, he could see through his newfound Soul Perception that her very soul s.h.i.+vered. It was clear she hadn"t expected him to pinpoint her so clearly in her turbulent mystic aura.
She sweetly smiled. She didn"t say anything else. She only smiled at him with a helpless and defeated look in her eyes. It was a non-explicit statement of surrender!
Zhan Jiangwen chuckled. He found this amusing. She was nigh-flawlessly beautiful, and any hot-blooded man would capitulate to such an expression and begin making deals. Unfortunately for her, he had abandoned his status as a man. Today, he was only a Spirit of War! By his Lord"s orders, he would wage wars against the very heavens!
"HA!"
Zhan Jiangwen threw his fist forward with peerlessly demonic momentum! Half of the galaxy shook!
ASURA"S FIRST FIST!
A blast of flaming white light jetted through the air and pierced through the aura of black and white like it was pressurized air facing water! It pierced through!
Sage Imentet"s pupils widened! She hurriedly summoned an ikem, a wooden s.h.i.+eld with vivid imagery of the black desert and the setting white sun formed, and placed it before herself! This wasn"t an ordinary s.h.i.+eld!
It released the aura of a Law!
A Heavenly Treasure!
She poured all her remaining power into it. Unlike Sage Pakhet who used Mystic-World graded treasures to defend herself, Sage Imentet refused to hold back after sensing a lethal threat from a single fist. The s.h.i.+eld manifested a larger s.h.i.+eld about ten thousand miles wide, a projection that could halt a planet.
With her s.h.i.+eld before her, she hunkered down and pressed her delicate feet against the Dark Void, forming a platform, and her painted toes curled to hold her in place. Solemn in expression and soul, she repeated a mantra of bravery and strength of the desert. Halfway through-
BOOM!!!
Her s.h.i.+eld was impacted by the fist power! For a fraction of a second, she felt her entire body go weightless and her heart experienced an endless pounding of horror. Her bones holding the s.h.i.+eld had already fractured upon impact. Then, she felt the pushback. With mystic power, she reinforced herself and all her rampant mystic aura receded swiftly into her, empowering her to hold firm.
She was pushed back a few million miles, skidding across the Dark Void and leaving behind a streak of chaotic s.p.a.ce. Her toes had ripped away the layers of fixed and stable s.p.a.ce! Her entire body was in pain.
"Urgh!" She stifled her shout. Even through a Heavenly Treasure?!
Shockingly, the Heavenly Treasure was one imbued with the Law of Wind, so it wasn"t very suitable for defense, yet it was still a Heavenly Treasure!
ASURA"S SECOND FIST!!
Zhan Jiangwen never thought his first fist was enough. He launched his second fist almost immediately, yet the backlash he thought he would experience was nullified by an infusion of abundant energy. There was a feeling of defiance against all norms within.
"Incredible!"
He laughed heartily as his second fist was fully powered despite its swiftness of launch!
Sage Imentet cursed. Yet her words were drowned by the explosive impact of fist force against Heavenly Treasure. With another boom, she felt her arms break and blood spewed out of her mouth as she skidded across for tens of millions of miles. Her once pretty toes and feet were bloodied and rife with chaotic spatial energies. Her mouth, neck, and upper bosom were drenched in spewed blood.
"SAGE PAKHET! HELP ME!!" She screamed without care for her image. She didn"t want to die!
ASURA"S THIRD FIST!!!
She lost feeling in her arms and legs immediately upon impact, and her body was barely holding onto the s.h.i.+eld. If she was blown back without protection, the opening would be enough for that to land a direct fist! She refused to die like this!
CRACK!!
Her Heavenly Treasure s.h.i.+eld began to fracture! A single crack appeared on its bottom-right edge.
"PAKHET!!!"
Sage Pakhet released a low growl as her body wreathed in yellowish light and blitzed toward Zhan Jiangwen at her fastest speed, timing her movement just after the launch of the third fist! She waved her hand and a golden khopesh appeared. With a hearty grip, she held it as her legs moved like flowing light, exhibiting indescribable speed!
The golden khopesh, a sickle-shaped sword, released the aura of Law! Another Heavenly Treasure! Its blade seemed to have been forged of bone rather than metal. Few were aware that Sage Pakhet had extracted her own bones for this blade, repeatedly forging this item until it became a full-fledged Heavenly Treasure.
WHOOs.h.!.+
She arrived a few thousand miles from Zhan Jiangwen. Without the slightest hesitation, she swung her khopes.h.!.+ A primal, savagely sharp light sundered the void, slicing toward Zhan Jiangwen"s neck! Her goal? Disrupt his momentum before the fourth fist was unleashed! Her timing was certainly perfect...if this was the past Zhan Jiangwen!
ASURA"S FOURTH FIST!!!!
Zhan Jiangwen redirected his fist toward Sage Pakhet. Before she was engulfed by his asura power, her pupils constricted as a flash of horror swept her expression. The sharp light was drowned out and her body along with it.
A single grain of spiritual rice suddenly appeared a few miles away from Zhan Jiangwen and released a resonating hum of spiritual power. Like worms burrowing through the Dark Void, all of it was directed toward Zhan Jiangwen.
Within Zhan Jiangwen"s Sea of Consciousness, the Neo-Dawn Visualization Method held steady, guarding against any mental disruption while the clear light annihilated all foreign spiritual forces without the slightest mercy, tracing it back to its source and releasing a retaliatory spell!
"WHAT?!" A shocked voice resounded from the spiritual rice before its crystal-like form shattered and crumbled into dust. Back in the Yang Grain Major Region, Sage Nepit"s pupils and irises vanished as he went still.
"THEY NEED a.s.sISTANCE!" Sage Nepri"s voice rippled through every region of the galaxy. The four other Sages from the other Major Regions, shockingly and unexpectedly, were already making their way over before Sage Nepri said anything! Two of them had moved the moment Sage Imentet"s sandy prison proved unable to hold their opponent!
Meanwhile, Mystic Overlords that had congregated in unity began to activate various arrays, sending the power of their entire regions over. They wouldn"t want to exhaust the energies of their planets, stars, and resources if they didn"t need to, but after Sage Nepri"s words, as agreed on, they all paid the price!
Suddenly, Sage Imentet and Sage Nepit released increasingly intense auras as their bodies, souls, and Mystic Souls began to rejuvenate.
Sage Pakhet was engulfed by fist force, yet her aura was rising as well! She was still alive!
The eight Sages and top-tier powers of the No-Name Galaxy had banded together to face a single thief!
-----
While that was unfolding, Wei Wuyin was already moving on to the third Major Region, Sage-led vault.
Wei Wuyin received a panicked high-speed message from the Nexus War Flag from Zhan Jiangwen. He had almost killed Sage Pakhet! And that they"ve finally begun to use the arrays of the Minor Regions and Major Regions!
Wei Wuyin revealed a slight smile.
"Keep them distracted. Exhaust as much power as you can under the guise of attempting to escape," he instructed. With a step, he melded with the void and made his way toward the next Major Region.
This step of his plan was going swimmingly. The No-Name Galaxy will not escape his grasp regardless of its Supreme Sage"s protection!