C365 The Sword Entered the Room!(2)

The old man leaped back, but his speed was slowing down. Woo Zhengyang's sword strike had stirred the surrounding Heaven and Earth Vital Energy, causing it to condense. As a result, the energy naturally rushed to fill the void, turning the old man's retreat into a struggle against the current.

Realizing this, the old man summoned his Vital Spirit Giant Hand repeatedly to block the sword force. However, the sword force was powered by the boundless energy of the world, while the Vital Spirit Giant Hand was under the old man's control—one was endless, the other finite, and the difference was clear.

"Crack... Crack..." The Vital Spirit Giant Hand split down the middle, but the sword force pressed on relentlessly.

Eventually, a wisp of dark green Explosive Essence Powder merged into the old man's body. Instantly, the Vital Energy within him began to boil. This energy, born from the transformation of true energy into liquid form, was hundreds of times more potent.

As the Explosive Essence Powder fused with the old man's Vital Energy, it was like a spark igniting a prairie fire. His body suddenly radiated like a small sun bursting with intense light. Before he could suppress the explosion of Vital Energy, more Explosive Essence Powder entered his body, causing him to flicker continuously—an indication that his Vital Energy was about to detonate.

"Spurt... Spurt... Spurt..." The old man coughed up blood repeatedly. He had spent his life mastering poisons, yet ironically, he fell victim to the Explosive Essence Powder he had underestimated.

Frustration, gloom, regret! The old man's emotions were incredibly complex. If he had known Woo Zhengyang had honed his martial will, he would never have used the Explosive Essence Powder. Without it, relying solely on his own strength, he might have stood a fighting chance. But now, his own tactics had backfired. Had he known Woo Zhengyang had just refined his martial will, he might have been driven even more to madness.

Woo Zhengyang paid little attention to the old man's vital energy explosion and the flickering of his body. His martial will had finally achieved some success, reaching the brink of a minor accomplishment in the force of martial will, though much still needed to be settled and accumulated.

On the golden platform of the Heavenly Martial Dao Discussing Great Association, the sword force displayed by Moh Lunhui was confined by a golden protective barrier, yet its effect was powerful. Now, Woo Zhengyang, unrestricted in the vast world, found his sword force to be several times weaker than Moh Lunhui's display that day.

The effect of the recent strike was indeed formidable, but it owed its strength to the power of the Explosive Essence Powder. Without it, that strike might not have inflicted significant damage on the old man. According to Woo Zhengyang's current assessment, Moh Lunhui's special technique likely allowed his martial will to directly reach a minor accomplishment in force, perhaps even greater achievements.

Woo Zhengyang wasn't discouraged. Moh Lunhui was a reborn emperor, while he was just an ordinary person who had been training for a little over a year. Being able to condense martial will at this stage was already beyond the norm. Given time, he believed he would reach Moh Lunhui's level and then surpass it.

After a few breaths, the flickering around the old man finally stopped. He looked much older now, his vital energy depleted, his meridians damaged, and he had no strength left, collapsing to the ground.

"Now, can you tell me who you really are?" Woo Zhengyang asked, standing beside the old man. At this point, there were no more surprises. For the old man and Zhang Tia, death was inevitable, and even how they would die was in Woo Zhengyang's hands.

Zhang Tia knew that the enmity between him and Woo Zhengyang had been long-standing. If he had secrets, he would certainly kill to keep them, let alone this man who had once annihilated the entire Heavenly Martial Academy in the Mystic Trace Realm. So, when the old man was defeated, Zhang Tia chose to end his own life. Unfortunately, Woo Zhengyang didn't allow it, quickly immobilizing him.

As for the old man, even speaking was a struggle, let alone taking his own life. In the end, Woo Zhengyang got the information he wanted from both of them. After dealing with them, he collected the spoils and the array flags, and left the dense forest.

According to what the two people said, the forces led by the three sects of the Fallen Sun Country, along with the families that held grudges against Woo Zhengyang, had surrounded the Profound Heaven Sect but hadn't made a move yet.

Many disciples of the Profound Heaven Sect took off their sect robes and slipped away, trying to escape the brewing conflict. Zhang Tia was among them.

It wasn't until later that Zhang Tia realized they were allowed to leave on purpose by the Fallen Sun Sect and others, who planned to pick them off one by one afterward. An old man skilled in poison was one of these hunters.

Even among the hunters, there was competition. Zhang Tia, being a minor martial artist, wasn't of interest to the old man. He was actually after a group that had something he wanted.

Unexpectedly, he encountered Woo Zhengyang in the dense forest. Knowing Woo Zhengyang's strength and confident in his own skills, he decided to try and seize Woo Zhengyang's secrets for himself. He thought he could hold out until reinforcements arrived, but he underestimated Woo Zhengyang's caution. Woo had already set up a sound array and honed his martial will. In the end, the old man's plan failed, costing him his life.