Chapter 2358: A Single Misstep Leads to Total Defeat

The women beside her were all stunned to hear Jing Teng’s affectionate “confession.”

They had just held a glimmer of hope, thinking that Jing Teng might be having an argument with her ex-boyfriend and was deliberately saying those things to provoke him.

Lending Zu An to her for a performance wouldn’t be a problem.

But the more they listened, the stranger it became. Was a fated destiny really at play?

It was as if they didn’t exist!

Divination in this world was not a trick to deceive people for money; it was one of the seven genuine cultivation techniques, imbued with powerful mystic energy.

If Immortal Baopu had indeed divined such a hexagram, it proved that she and Zu An truly shared a romantic destiny.

While angry, the women wondered if they could divine their own fortunes with A’Zu.

Unfortunately, Immortal Baopu was no longer alive, and no one possessed his level of divination skill.

The women originally harbored some resentment, but luckily, Sun En timely diverted their attention.

As soon as Sun En finished speaking, he casually slapped towards Zang Ao.

Although it was a casual strike, the palm instantly expanded, covering dozens of yards around the opponent.

At the edge of the palm’s coverage, light and shadow became dim and distorted, clearly indicating that the space itself was beginning to collapse.

“Grand Heavenly Net Hand!” Wang Youjun exclaimed, his heart pounding. His attention had previously been entirely on the Sect Master’s three divine talismans, almost making him forget his intrinsic ultimate skill.

Zu An and the others observed carefully. Sun En’s strike was indeed powerful, though slightly weaker than Zhao Hao’s. However, having heard Yun Jianyue and Xie Daoyun mention that he possessed three more powerful divine talismans, they estimated that combined, he could contend with Zhao Hao.

Their thoughts raced for only a moment, as the Grand Heavenly Net Hand had already struck

down upon Zang Ao’s head.

Yet, he neither dodged nor evaded, merely standing casually with his hands clasped behind his back.

Just then, the four old men he had brought moved. With a loud shout, they each pressed their palms against the back of the person in front of them, forming a straight line. Then, the chest of the foremost person bulged like a ball, and he slowly pushed his palms forward, unleashing a powerful, overwhelming force.

This force directly met Sun En’s Grand Heavenly Net Hand. With a loud boom, the massive palm shattered, and strong winds swept through the surroundings.

Sun En let out a surprised “eh?” He had intended to test Zang Ao, but never expected his retinue to parry the attack. Although they clearly used a combined attack technique, blocking his strike was still something to be proud of.

Zu An thought to himself, “As expected of the Adventurers’ Guild Master, his subordinates are indeed a gathering of experts.”

“The Four Sages of Liangshan!” Only Wang Youjun among those present seemed well-informed about the Adventurers’ Guild. He immediately blurted out, “Legend says the Adventurers’ Guild has four most mysterious guest elders, whose cultivation is second only to the Guild Master’s. I never expected them all to be dispatched this time.”

Zang Ao smiled slightly: “There’s no other way. With all the turmoil around the great tomb, I need to find some people to protect myself, don’t I?”

The other people in the tomb chamber had strange expressions. *As if we’d believe that!* they thought. *Your cultivation is clearly so high, why would you need others to protect you?*

At this, Sun En scoffed, “Do you think you’re the only one with subordinates?”

Hearing this, Wang Youjun’s scalp tingled. He thought, *You wouldn’t make me go, would you? Although I can handle one or two, if all four of them team up, I definitely won’t be able to match them.*

Just then, Sun En conjured a special talisman, uttering, “By supreme decree! Generals under the Northern Emperor, Lord of Demon Suppression, heed my command!”

The Northern Emperor Demon Suppression Talisman!

The talisman glowed with shimmering light, and then phantom images of heavenly soldiers and generals materialized. Seemingly having received orders, they charged towards the Four Sages of Liangshan.

Zu An and the others had never seen such an item before, and watched in utter amazement.

Zu An, in particular, couldn’t help but notice how similar these phantoms were to the heavenly soldiers and generals he used to see on TV. *Could there truly be a Celestial Realm,* he wondered, *and were the heavenly soldiers and generals within it projecting their will into this world upon his summons?*

Chu Chuyan also watched the talisman in mid-air with wide, beautiful eyes. While White Jade Capital also excelled in talisman arts, their talismans primarily served as auxiliary tools for cultivation. They certainly didn’t possess such incredibly powerful and wondrous talismans.

It wasn’t Xie Daoyun’s first time seeing this, but she was still mesmerized. Unlike Chu Chuyan, who only dabbled in talisman arts, Xie Daoyun majored in them.

However, her studies leaned more towards rune formations. She had never imagined that talismans could be used for such direct attacks.

She meticulously observed every detail. While some insights dawned on her, more questions arose.

If she couldn’t fully comprehend its mysteries herself, she would discuss it with her teacher upon returning and research it together. Perhaps then they could grasp its principles.

On the other side, the Four Sages of Liangshan quickly found themselves in a difficult situation. Their combined attack technique was originally best suited for dealing with a single top-tier expert, allowing all four of their powers to converge on a target. Moreover, no matter which of the four the opponent attacked, it would draw the swift counterattack of the other three.

Of course, they weren’t entirely incapable of handling group attacks, as each of them possessed high cultivation.

But if the enemies attacking in groups were numerous and each was very powerful, then

it would be troublesome.

These heavenly soldiers and generals quickly surrounded the Four Sages of Liangshan. Although the four could initially coordinate and support each other, the heavenly soldiers and generals were simply too numerous. Soon, the four found themselves overwhelmed, unable to attend to everything at once—a situation their enemies usually faced. It seemed the tables had turned.

Just then, one heavenly soldier and general, unable to squeeze into the fray, locked his gaze onto Zang Ao. Wielding two massive golden hammers, he directly smashed them towards Zang Ao’s head.

Such enormous golden hammers, combined with the immense power displayed in their swings, meant that let alone a human, even a prehistoric mammoth beast would be smashed into a bloody pulp.

At this point, Zang Ao finally moved. He threw an upward punch. Compared to the massive golden hammers, his fist was like an ant facing an elephant.

But as the two made contact, in a way that was both unexpected yet seemingly inevitable, Zang Ao remained completely motionless, while the surface of the huge golden hammers developed numerous cracks.

The cracks continued to spread upwards, quickly reaching the surface of the golden-armored divine general. The higher they went, the denser the cracks became, soon resembling a spiderweb.

With a series of crisp cracking sounds, the massive divine general suddenly shattered completely, turning into countless fragments that dissolved into dust.

Zu An and his companions watched with grave expressions. No wonder Jing Teng had said Zang Ao was a top expert of this era; seeing him now, it was indeed true.

Yun Jianyue felt even more dejected. She had always been proud and arrogant, but ever since arriving in this world, she had suffered repeated setbacks. Sun En was one thing; his cultivation time was much longer than hers, and with the aid of three divine talismans, it was normal that she couldn’t defeat him.

Anyway, they were both sect masters, and sometimes even conversed pleasantly, so it wasn’t

a complete loss of face.

But what about this Zang Ao? The power of that single punch already indicated his strength far surpassed hers.

And to think, he wasn’t very old, and from their conversation, it seemed he hadn’t been cultivating for many years either.

Was there any justice left in the world?

For years, she had held herself in high regard, believing she was incredibly formidable. Yet now, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of helpless defeat.

“You finally couldn’t hold back and made your move,” Sun En said, calmly staring at Zang Ao.

Zang Ao glanced at the Four Sages of Liangshan nearby. Although they were in a sorry state, they wouldn’t be defeated anytime soon. Only then did he speak: “Sect Master Sun, there’s no irreconcilable hatred between us. Why must you attack me? Shouldn’t we first capture these people, get information about the immortal destiny from them, and then discuss other matters?”

“The strength of these people is not to be underestimated either. If we fight to a mutual defeat, wouldn’t that just benefit them?”

Sun En calmly replied, “What you say does make a lot of sense, but I was already schemed against by you once back then. I don’t want to make the same mistake again.”

No sooner had he spoken than another talisman rose above his head. A faint purple light emanated from this talisman, and lightning flashed across it. Every streak of lightning radiated destructive intent.

The Exalted Divine Heaven Talisman!

The talisman suddenly brightened, and almost simultaneously, an arm-thick bolt of lightning struck down from above Zang Ao. This was no ordinary lightning; it was akin to tribulation lightning, targeting not only the cultivator’s body but also their spirit.

Even Zang Ao dared not take it head-on. His figure flickered, moving even faster than the lightning, and he charged directly towards Sun En.

He knew that continuously dodging the lightning would ultimately be a passive approach; he had to close the distance

to prevent Sun En from using his lightning techniques.

Yet, it was as if Sun En had anticipated his choice. Suddenly, a brilliant purple light erupted in the space between them, and countless bolts of lightning, as thick as water buckets, poured down. They densely filled every inch of space, appearing almost substantial, and even glowed with a reddish hue.

Yun Jianyue and Xie Daoyun’s expressions changed. This power surpassed even the terrifying lightning storm they encountered when first landing on the island. It seemed Sun En was going all out against Zang Ao.

Zu An and the others were witnessing this terrifying lightning storm for the first time, and their faces also paled. Legends said that ascending to immortality required enduring the baptism of terrifying tribulation lightning. But what kind of cultivator could survive a lightning storm of this magnitude?

Zang Ao, who was charging forward, seemed to have walked straight into a trap, instantly engulfed by the terrifying lightning storm, letting out a series of horrifying screams.

Faintly, a shroud of light mist could be seen rising around him, clearly indicating that his body-protecting magic artifact had been activated.

Unfortunately, before such a terrifying lightning field akin to tribulation lightning, no body-protecting magic artifact could last long, almost instantly shattering.

As expected of the Adventurers’ Guild Master, Zang Ao quickly summoned various other magic artifacts.

But they quickly shattered one by one. Under this terrifying tribulation lightning, each artifact could at most last for about a second.

As time passed, he expended more and more magic artifacts, yet the overwhelming lightning storm showed no sign of stopping.

Zang Ao’s magic artifacts were, after all, limited. Towards the end, he could only rely on his own cultivation to cast various spells in resistance.

Unfortunately, how could he withstand the terrifying power of tribulation lightning? After another moment, he finally couldn’t hold on, and his entire body, charred like charcoal, collapsed with a thud.

“Guild Master!” The Four Sages of Liangshan’s faces turned

ashen. They knew that even if their Guild Master’s cultivation was inferior to Sun En’s, he shouldn’t have been defeated so quickly. Who would have thought that a single misstep would lead to complete defeat!