Chapter 179: Knife Soul Peak

Meng Chuan could have easily caught up to the Blackwater Palace Lord by using his movement technique while carrying Senior Brother Yang Fang. So why did he continue to strike with his saber again and again?

"Almost, just a little more."

At that moment, Meng Chuan felt a powerful urge.

The core will of his Saber Soul was 'Slaying Demons'! Seeing the hope of slaying a fourth-heavenly-layer demon, Meng Chuan was incredibly excited! To kill a fourth-heavenly-layer demon? This greatly heightened Meng Chuan's fighting spirit; his strong will, as he struck with his saber, also began to elevate his saber arts.

The Saber Soul is composed of two parts: saber techniques and inner will. The will acts as the core, governing the techniques and solidifying them into a single entity, thus forming the 'Saber Soul'.

A strong will naturally enhances saber techniques.

"Slay, slay, slay! Even a fourth-heavenly-layer demon can be slain!" Meng Chuan struck again, still using the Heart Saber style, still unleashing dozens of consecutive strikes, each showing a slight improvement. His saber arts were undergoing a transformation.

His saber techniques became more direct!

More decisive!

And imbued with stronger killing intent!

"Slay!" Meng Chuan watched the 'Blackwater Palace Lord', who had a bloody wound cleaved into his chest by a great axe, retreat violently and flee again. Meng Chuan struck once more.

This time, as he delivered the seventeenth strike,

Meng Chuan experienced a sudden breakthrough.

"Boom!" His saber light, when unleashed, became more concentrated and his killing intent sharper.

Saber Soul Peak!

After more than two years since descending the mountain, guided by the Black Iron Heavenly Book's artistic conception, Meng Chuan finally broke through to the 'Saber Soul Peak' while encircling and slaying the fourth-heavenly-layer demon.

This was considered a very high realm among Sun-rank Godfiends, as the next stage was the 'Saber Dao Realm'. Meng Chuan had long since condensed his Primordial Spirit, and once he reached the 'Saber Dao Realm', he would become a Marquis Godfiend.

"Lightning Demonic Mark!" Lightning demonic marks began to appear on Meng Chuan's back.

As a practitioner of the Thunder World Extinction Demonic Body, 'lightning' was a core power. When lightning demonic marks were inscribed within the body, the power of lightning would surge dramatically as it passed through them. For example, a first-level Lightning Demonic Mark could triple the power of lightning. A second-level Lightning Demonic Mark could increase its power tenfold. The later levels offered even more astonishing boosts.

There were a total of five levels of Lightning Demonic Marks.

Under normal circumstances, Sun-rank Godfiends, Marquis Godfiends, King Godfiends, and Creation Sovereigns corresponded to the first four levels, respectively. The fifth level was theoretically possible, but only the 'Thunder God Sovereign', who created the Thunder World Extinction Demonic Body, had ever achieved it.

A second-level Lightning Demonic Mark typically required reaching the 'Dao Realm' and the controlled assistance of a 'first-level Primordial Spirit' to be successfully inscribed.

Meng Chuan had attempted this before when he reached the second level of his Primordial Spirit... At that time, he had only achieved great mastery of his Saber Soul, and his attempt had failed.

"Whoosh."

Having tried many times in the past,

now that he had reached the Saber Soul Peak, Meng Chuan instinctively felt he could succeed. Guided by the 'Saber Soul Peak' artistic conception, he used his Primordial Spirit power to precisely control his true essence, inscribing the more complex second-level Lightning Demonic Mark into each of his body's acupoints.

Visibly, the lightning demonic marks on his back became more intricate and profound, seemingly layered. In reality, this was merely the outward manifestation of the demonic marks within his body.

"It's done," Meng Chuan exclaimed with joy.

The Lightning Demonic Mark was a type of Godfiend rune.

Many Godfiends on Yuanchu Mountain researched Godfiend runes. Many divine bodies, like the Phoenix Divine Body, naturally formed Godfiend runes as they cultivated. This led to generations of Godfiends studying them and making many discoveries. The 'Lightning Demonic Mark', for instance, was created by the Thunder God Sovereign himself, rather than being naturally formed.

Though it sounds slow, Meng Chuan's second-level Lightning Demonic Mark appeared on his back in just a single breath's time.

"This Meng Chuan has been constantly blocking me," the Blackwater Palace Lord thought. His tail was severed, and he had gruesome wounds on his chest and shoulder, though they had stopped bleeding.

He shook off Yang Fang again and continued to flee straight ahead.

Fleeing in one direction!

"Senior Brother Yang and Senior Brother Zhang are both too old; continuously using forbidden Godfiend arts puts too much strain on their bodies." Meng Chuan could see that Senior Brother Yang Fang might be somewhat better off, as he still had several decades left before his lifespan limit. However, Senior Brother Zhang was much older; when he used the forbidden Godfiend art, his blood boiled throughout his body and his skin turned completely crimson, which worried Meng Chuan.

Previously, his strength was insufficient, but now that he had reached the Saber Soul Peak, his technique realm had improved. With the second level of Lightning Demonic Marks, his movement speed had also increased again.

This gave Meng Chuan the confidence to act.

"Senior Brother Zhang, Senior Brother Yang, I have a secret technique that allows me to unleash thirty explosive moves! I can cooperate with Senior Brother Yang to encircle this demon," Meng Chuan transmitted. "We must slay him within thirty moves."

"Junior Brother Meng, don't take risks," Yang Fang immediately transmitted anxiously. "We can fight with our lives, but you are still young and your strength is still somewhat weaker; you shouldn't go head-to-head."

"Let's join forces." Meng Chuan made his move, first unleashing dozens of saber lights in quick succession to slow down the Blackwater Palace Lord. Senior Brother Yang Fang also arrived, his gaze trying to stop Meng Chuan: "Junior Brother Meng, retreat."

"Go!"

Yet, Meng Chuan did not retreat.

Relying on Senior Brother Yang Fang indeed offered hope of killing the Blackwater Palace Lord, but it was just hope, and failure was still possible. Even if they eventually exhausted the Blackwater Palace Lord to death, it would likely take a long time. The Blackwater Palace Lord's desperate counterattack before death could lead to countless mortal casualties.

Furthermore, it was possible that... before exhausting the Blackwater Palace Lord, Senior Brother Zhang's body would give out.

And since he possessed sufficient strength, he naturally had to act.

"Boom." Meng Chuan's aura surged dramatically as he also activated a forbidden Godfiend art, simultaneously mobilizing his Primordial Spirit power to draw upon his Sun-rank true essence.

"Flying Swallow Dragon's Roar Style!"

Meng Chuan made his move.

"Meng Chuan is engaging me in close combat?" Seeing the lightning-fast figure suddenly close in, the Blackwater Palace Lord felt joy instead of alarm. Only by killing Meng Chuan could he escape his current predicament.

But then he was stunned to discover eight figures appearing all around him, incredibly fast, with saber lights swirling in for a crushing attack.

"How is he even faster than before?" The Blackwater Palace Lord panicked.

Under Senior Brother Zhang's forbidden art domain, the Blackwater Palace Lord's movement speed was even slower than usual. What about Meng Chuan? Although his Primordial Spirit power only mobilized Sun-rank true essence, resulting in slower consumption, he could still execute thirty moves. However, the power of each move was already no less than his previous peak burst, and his techniques were even more refined. The 'second-level Lightning Demonic Mark' caused lightning to flicker on Meng Chuan's body, making his movement even faster.

Previously, he could cover three li in a flash; now, he could cover four or five li.

His movement technique was more agile and his speed faster, preventing the Blackwater Palace Lord from even touching Meng Chuan's figure, while Meng Chuan's saber was already before him.

One strike twisted space, shortening a distance of ten zhang to arm's reach.

"Clang, clang, clang." The Blackwater Palace Lord frantically wielded his water-splitting trident, trying his best to block.

"Die." Yang Fang's even more terrifying axe arrived!

The Blackwater Palace Lord instinctively moved to block Yang Fang's axe. Meng Chuan's saber arts could injure him, but Yang Fang's axe could take his life!

As he struggled to parry the axe, a saber light had already pierced his abdomen. This was intentional! Because if it had struck his head, heart, or other vital areas, it would have caused much greater trouble.

"Puff." The Dragon's Roar Style possessed astonishing penetrative power! Meng Chuan's move might have been weaker in power, but it still possessed thirty percent of the Blackwater Palace Lord's normal strength. To not resist at all? To endure it with just his physical body? Or was it a technique skilled in penetration?

One saber strike pierced the Blackwater Palace Lord's abdomen, creating a gaping wound.

However, the Blackwater Palace Lord's flesh twisted and forcibly closed the wound, though his face also paled somewhat.

He would rather endure this saber strike than suffer an axe blow from Yang Fang.

"Well done!" Yang Fang exclaimed with delight upon seeing this.

"Surround and kill him!" Senior Brother Zhang Junfeng, struggling to maintain the forbidden art, was also greatly invigorated at this moment.

"Go!" Meng Chuan pressed on without hesitation.

He and Senior Brother Yang Fang joined forces; Yang Fang exerted frontal pressure! Meng Chuan, with his terrifyingly fast movement technique, encircled the Blackwater Palace Lord. When movement speed reached a certain level, it became extremely difficult to defend against.

Without the domain's suppression, the Blackwater Palace Lord could have counterattacked.

But at this moment, the Blackwater Palace Lord was indeed completely suppressed.

"Puff." "Puff."

One Dragon's Roar strike after another left bloody holes on the Blackwater Palace Lord. He tried his best to take the blows in non-vital areas, but his injuries still grew heavier.

"This demon's physical vitality is truly strong; he's still not dead?" Finally, as Meng Chuan's saber slashed across the Blackwater Palace Lord's chest, it also successfully sliced off his arm, sending a severed limb flying.

"This damned Meng Chuan!" The Blackwater Palace Lord was filled with grief and indignation, but with only one arm, he could no longer possibly defend against Yang Fang.

With determination in his eyes, the Blackwater Palace Lord suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a black demon core. At the same time, his body instantly transformed into black water currents, splitting into seven streams that wildly fled into the distance.

"He's going to self-detonate his demon core." Lightning flickered on Meng Chuan's body as his figure blurred. He instantly grabbed Senior Brother Yang Fang and swiftly moved two hundred zhang sideways. It was only then that the demon core finally exploded! This was because the Blackwater Palace Lord dared not detonate it too early, fearing it would affect himself.

As a heavenly demon, physical strength was dominant. Although losing his demon core was a huge cost, he could still survive.

The Blackwater Palace Lord now only wanted to live!