He looked up, and his eyes met the sight.
A silver river stretched across the sky from north to southwest, its starlight brilliant like a torrent, spanning more than a hundred million miles.
The night sky shone resplendently.
As time passed, the brilliant stars in the night sky gradually dimmed, replaced by a streak of light rising from the horizon.
Chen Jiuyang wondered if, among the countless stars in the sky, there were the six people from his team, and if their next reunion would be among those celestial bodies.
He hadn't exchanged many words with Number One and the others; they mostly worked in silence. Just like this outing, he hadn't even had time to leave a last will before losing his life here.
Thinking of the families behind the six people, Chen Jiuyang's heart ached. If he survived, with what face could he meet the families of these six?
"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!" Chen Jiuyang, covered in blood, knelt on one knee, gripping the Yan Sheng Blade and propping himself on the ground, gasping for breath.
Before him lay a field of corpses. Most of the ninjas who came to support and rescue Fujimoto Sakurai had died by his blade. However, Chen Jiuyang himself was covered in wounds, perhaps dozens, perhaps hundreds?
Any other Earth Realm martial artist would have long since perished. Yet, Chen Jiuyang possessed the Pure Yang physique, cultivated the Eight-Nine Arcane Art and the Emperor Yu Divine Body Art, and the Yan Sheng Blade, which devoured others' fortunes to nourish his Kidney Divine Palace. Coupled with the elixirs he carried, these allowed Chen Jiuyang to persist and survive.
Ironically, by killing so many Eastern Ying Earth Realm ninjas, his martial cultivation had advanced from the Kidney Divine Palace to the second level of the Earth Realm, the Lung Divine Palace.
However, he had no time to cultivate and stabilize his realm; the enemies before him were not yet all dead.
Fujimoto Sakurai's face was ashen, but a hint of fear flickered in her eyes. She gritted her teeth and said, "Abandon the pursuit of Chen Jiuyang. Escort me back to Eastern Ying, and we will rise again another day to kill this man."
One hundred members of the Eastern Ying Imperial Guard, all Grandmasters of the Earth Realm, had been annihilated by Chen Jiuyang alone on this nameless island. Ninety-three Earth Realm Upper Ninjas had fallen to his blade. The entire Eastern Ying Imperial Guard now consisted of only six wounded Upper Ninjas!
She had never expected Chen Jiuyang's combat power and vitality to be so formidable, causing such heavy losses to the Imperial Guard.
Although Chen Jiuyang was severely wounded, his combat effectiveness had strangely not diminished. She dared not risk the remaining guards any further; it would take the death of several more Upper Ninjas to kill Chen Jiuyang.
Chen Jiuyang looked at the corpses of the six members of his team, a wave of grief surging within him. It was his overconfidence and arrogance that had led to the deaths of these six.
He cast a distant glance towards the direction of Dragon Country, a self-mocking smile playing on his lips. The support that Number Two had roared for until his death had not arrived even after a night.
Yet, this Eastern Ying princess had a hundred Earth Realm Upper Ninja reinforcements. How had she broken through the Dragon Country's naval blockade, and how had these hundred Earth Realm Upper Ninjas arrived precisely here? These questions weighed heavily on Chen Jiuyang's mind.
"Clang!"
Chen Jiuyang, holding his blade, staggered to his feet. He suddenly raised his head, his face no longer bearing tear streaks or water droplets. In their place was a resolute expression and icy eyes. His voice was hoarse as he declared, "You wish to flee back to Eastern Ying? You must first ask if I agree!"
"Instant Annihilation Martial Dao - Jade Shattering!"
A cold, merciless voice echoed at the scene, sending a chill through Fujimoto Sakurai and the others. This person not only wouldn't let them escape but intended to annihilate them all?
If Chen Jiuyang had known earlier that this Eastern Ying princess was colluding with people within Dragon Country, if he had known that Fujimoto Sakurai's reinforcements were so powerful, he should have used this move from the very beginning.
What is Jade Shattering?
Better to shatter jade than to remain unbroken tiles!
As Chen Jiuyang's words fell, the method of using the divine intent of Jade Shattering surged into his mind.
What is divine intent? It is the integration of essence, energy, and spirit, activated by the soul. The soul is wondrous and boundless. Therefore, when using divine intent techniques, one must call out its name.
"Rumble!"
In an instant, fiery red, visible true qi erupted from Chen Jiuyang's entire body. His Three Revolutions Pure Yang qi and blood were burning, transforming into his true qi, his soul power, and the source of his physical strength.
Chen Jiuyang's foundation was profound. The precious materials and spiritual herbs he had consumed earlier still had a trace of their medicinal power within his body. With this move, Chen Jiuyang's injuries began to heal rapidly, and his crew-cut hair started to grow wildly. In the blink of an eye, Chen Jiuyang's black hair cascaded like a waterfall, framing his handsome and sinister features, making him appear like a banished immortal from ancient mythology.
However, there was one detail: amidst his black hair, a single strand of crystal clear, snow-white hair appeared. This was the side effect of using Jade Shattering, and this side effect had only just begun.
But this scene, witnessed by Fujimoto Sakurai and the remaining six Earth Realm Upper Ninjas, made their eyelids twitch violently, and a sense of mortal danger welled up in their hearts.
"Escape! We must escape!"
This was their first reaction.
Fujimoto Sakurai's expression changed drastically, and she blurted out, "He is using a secret technique that consumes his life essence to temporarily boost his combat power."
"Quick! Escape!"
Seeing Chen Jiuyang on the verge of collapse, only for him to stand up vigorously again, completely terrified Fujimoto Sakurai.
With that, the seven of them turned and fled at full speed.
However, how could Chen Jiuyang let them escape? He lightly swung the Yan Sheng Blade six times, coldly spitting out a few words: "Instant Annihilation Martial Dao - Soul Sever!"
As the voice fell, a nascent divine might surged from Chen Jiuyang's body.
"Thump—"
The bodies of Fujimoto Sakurai's remaining six Imperial Guard members suddenly stiffened, then fell to the ground, their lives extinguished.
Fujimoto Sakurai broke out in a cold sweat, fleeing desperately. The deaths of these people meant nothing to her; she had to survive.
She was a princess of Eastern Ying; she absolutely could not die here!
"Pfft—" With the use of this move, a trace of blood trickled from the corner of Chen Jiuyang's mouth. His eyes, once as bright as stars, dimmed slightly, and he felt the backlash of emptiness and pain within his body.
Chen Jiuyang could no longer move. Trembling, he raised a finger towards Fujimoto Sakurai and uttered a few cold words: "Instant Annihilation Martial Dao - Annihilation!"
A fiery red, sharp sword light shot out from his finger, directly severing Fujimoto Sakurai's legs.
"Ah!" Fujimoto Sakurai's legs snapped, blood gushing out. She fell to the ground, letting out a piercing scream.
Chen Jiuyang gritted his teeth, forcing himself to endure the pain of the backlash. He enveloped her with his divine soul and asked, "Who did you collude with in Dragon Country? Who provided you with the means and channels for your escape?"
Because of this person, six members of his team had died. He had to know the answer to this question.
Fujimoto Sakurai's expression became vacant, and she truthfully replied, "It was Zhou Fang, the third king of the Heaven Realm in Dragon Country..."
Before she could utter the last word.
"Ching—"
A sword descended from the sky, piercing directly into Fujimoto Sakurai's skull.
Fujimoto Sakurai died on the spot.
An old man with a full head of black hair descended, floating through the air, landing beside Fujimoto Sakurai's corpse. He then pulled the sharp sword from her skull.
"I have come to provide support under the golden decree of the Zhennan King." The old man with black hair spoke to Chen Jiuyang with icy killing intent, pointing his long sword at him.
"The princess of Eastern Ying is dead. The Marquis title mission is complete."
"Next, it is a personal matter of life and death, isn't it, Zhong Zhuwu."
Chen Jiuyang said calmly.
Who was Zhong Zhuwu? He was the Fengzhui Marquis of Feng Province!