Chapter 1295: Mad Demon Power Breaking Pill

This surge of sword qi was incredibly powerful; Ma Minghai’s strength paled in comparison, rendering him utterly insignificant.

Zhang Xuan’s eyes grew serious, filled with vigilance. Even with his current strength, he would have been sliced in half by that sword if he hadn't reacted quickly.

Who could be so formidable?

*Creak!*

The door opened, and a figure slowly emerged.

"It's the market master from the underground black market!"

Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows shot up. The person who walked out of the thatched hut was none other than the very market master from the black market who had been violently beaten by over a hundred low-grade Saint artifacts! How did he end up here?

His injuries had mostly healed by now, but the horrific scars from his previous ordeal were still visible, covering him like crawling centipedes.

"Zhang Xuan, you disgraced my market, robbed my property, and defied my rules. Today… marks your demise!"

With a grim expression, the market master, Ji Lingfeng, glared at Zhang Xuan, his eyes brimming with intense hatred. Although the black market disregarded most rules, anyone who entered, be they a Master Teacher or Combat Master, was expected to abide by its internal regulations. No one dared to defy them. Yet, this fellow... he caused chaos the moment he arrived, disrupting everything and even severely injuring him! If he swallowed this humiliation, how could Qianchong Black Market maintain its standing within the empire in the future?

"You knew I'd be here for the retest and set up an ambush beforehand?" Zhang Xuan inquired, puzzled.

Only Zhao Xingmo and Hall Master Yue knew he would be here for the retest; he himself had only learned about it after taming the Twilight Cloud Sword. Yet, this man had been waiting in ambush… Could he have discovered Zhang Xuan's movements? For genius Master Teachers from the Master Teacher Pavilion, gathered in one place, to have their whereabouts known, and for an opponent to lie in wait within a formation for a sneak attack… it was truly terrifying!

"You'll know when you're dead!"

Disdaining further words, Ji Lingfeng roared, brandished the long sword in his hand, and another surge of sword qi whistled towards Zhang Xuan. His sword was only about three feet long, but it emanated a bone-chilling cold. Even before its blade light reached him, a strange, mournful sound echoed in his ears, threatening to plunge his mind into a stupor.

A sudden roar filled Zhang Xuan’s mind, and his pupils contracted. He usually employed this very technique against others, yet unexpectedly, it was used on him. A moment of carelessness, and he was hit directly, falling into a state of confusion.

However, with his Heart of Tranquil Water reaching 25.1, comparable to an 8-star mid-tier Master Teacher, this state of confusion lasted only an instant before he snapped out of it. His Heaven’s Path zhenqi circulated, and as soon as the haze cleared, he saw the sword qi already upon him, its wind making his skin ache as if it would tear at any moment.

His fists clenched, and cold sweat trickled down his back. Fortunately, he had reacted in time. Otherwise, a large hole would have been ripped through his chest, and even if he survived, he would instantly lose all combat capability.

He stomped his foot, vanished from his spot, and reappeared a hundred meters away.

*Way of the Wanderer!*

Having cultivated the Path of Heaven’s Emptiness to the second level, his comprehension of the Way of the Wanderer had deepened, making him even faster. Activating it at full power, he seemed to break through the constraints of space, instantly teleporting away.

"Trying to escape? It's not that easy!"

Ji Lingfeng roared again, swinging his long sword horizontally. The sword’s energy extended over two hundred meters, engulfing a large area around them.

"This sword… it actually reached the peak of the Nascent Divinity realm…"

Zhang Xuan was astonished. No wonder this fellow dared to seek trouble right after being defeated. It turned out his sword had reached the peak of mid-grade Saint artifacts, comparable to a peak Nascent Divinity realm expert! A weapon of this caliber was primarily focused on offense… far more terrifying than the Golden Origin Cauldron! With the two of them working together, even Hall Master Yue might be able to put up a fight.

"If he had taken out this sword when we fought yesterday, I might have been in a desperate situation, unable to cope. But now…"

Perceiving the strength of his opponent and his sword, Zhang Xuan no longer felt flustered. Instead, he shook his head. He had been caught off guard earlier, but now that he had truly reacted, with his own strength, an opponent of this caliber was, frankly speaking, still far from enough!

"Grand Demon Palm of Great Sorrow!"

With a flick of his palm, a massive palm print materialized in the air, soaring straight towards its target. The moment the palm strike met the brilliant sword energy, it was as if several tons of gunpowder had detonated on the spot. A violent shockwave spread outwards in all directions. Fortunately, they were inside an 8-tier formation. With its protection, the nearby rock wall would have been instantly flattened by that impact.

*Thud, thud, thud, thud!*

Ji Lingfeng staggered back several steps, his qi and blood churning, and his eyes turned scarlet. After just one night, this fellow had actually become even more powerful than yesterday! If this continued, how could he possibly be an opponent?

"I told you, you will die by my hand today, and so you shall!"

Ji Lingfeng swallowed a pill, and the aura within his body instantly surged. In a short time, he broke through the peak of the Nascent Divinity realm, reaching the Half-Step Domain realm.

"An 8-tier pill… the Berserk Might Breaking Pill?"

Zhang Xuan’s expression grew grave. The Berserk Might Breaking Pill was somewhat similar to a stimulant. Once consumed, it could temporarily break a cultivator's limits, causing their strength to skyrocket. However, it had a limited duration, and once its effects wore off, not only would the user's cultivation suffer severe damage, but their body would also be greatly harmed. This fellow was actually willing to risk such damage to kill him… truly ruthless! Then again, if he failed to kill Zhang Xuan and allowed him to escape, the Master Teacher Pavilion would undoubtedly intervene and eliminate him for the crime of assaulting a 7-star Master Teacher. There would be no chance of survival. From every perspective, he had to eliminate Zhang Xuan, no matter the cost, without hesitation.

"Strike them mid-stream before they cross!"

Zhang Xuan scoffed, his hand sweeping through the air, and over a hundred puppets instantly materialized before him. He was never one to adhere strictly to rules. With his opponent already attacking, he certainly wouldn't foolishly wait for the effects of the pill to stabilize before making his move. The pill would still take some time to fully take effect. So… he would seize this moment to subdue him first! Anyway, they were inside an 8-tier formation, and the Queen Bee already controlled the Thousand Ant Bees that monitored him. Zhao Xingmo and the others wouldn't know, so his qualifications wouldn't be revoked.

*Whoosh!*

The moment they appeared, over a hundred puppets immediately charged towards Ji Lingfeng. Each one emanated surging aura, their power raining down. Working together, they could easily overwhelm even a true Half-Step Domain realm expert like Yue Yiquan. Although the opponent's strength was not weak, he certainly wouldn't be able to withstand them.

"You think I'm unprepared, knowing you possess these?"

Ji Lingfeng sneered, suddenly raising a finger to throw out a formation disc. While still in the air, it sprayed a thick mist that enveloped the direction from which the puppets were charging.

"A quasi-8-tier formation disc? This fellow has quite a few treasures…"

Zhang Xuan was momentarily stunned, then his eyes lit up. As expected of the black market master, he had accumulated quite a few valuable items over the years! Setting aside the preciousness of the Berserk Might Breaking Pill, this quasi-8-tier formation disc alone was immensely valuable, worth at least several thousand high-grade spirit stones. Once activated, a formation disc of this caliber could trap even an expert like Yue Yiquan, making escape impossible in a short time… No wonder he had the confidence to consume the pill right there. Puppets inherently lacked the spiritual power of humans, so it was easy to imagine that once trapped, they would immediately lose their combat effectiveness. It seemed Ji Lingfeng knew about his numerous puppets and had prepared a countermeasure. It was a good strategy; a peak 7-star formation master would be helpless against it. But for Zhang Xuan, it was no problem at all!

Calling out "Defect!" in his mind, a tremor ran through him, and a book appeared in his consciousness. With a light tap of his finger, the flaws of the formation disc were instantly revealed in his memory.

"Go!"

His eyebrows rose again, and he raised a finger. Over a hundred long blades *whooshed* into the mist. A series of *clinking and clanking* sounds followed, as if some special structure had been severed, and the mist dissipated like receding tide.

The formation… was broken!

"Come here!"

With a hook of his finger, a long blade lifted the formation disc and brought it to him. Zhang Xuan gently took it and tapped it several times, instantly refining it.

*Boom!*

Zhang Xuan was incredibly fast, but he still lost a few breaths. In that short time, Ji Lingfeng had completely absorbed the Berserk Might Breaking Pill, and his entire being radiated a stable, monstrous power, like a primeval beast ready to tear anyone apart at any moment. The terrifying aura he exuded was even more formidable than that of Hong Yang before!

"It seems this market master has probably fought in many black market brawls…"

Zhang Xuan narrowed his eyes, filled with caution. From his aura, it was clear that this fellow had definitely participated in life-and-death duels, not only surviving numerous close calls but also killing many people. Otherwise, he couldn't possibly possess such a dense, malevolent aura! No wonder he dared to attack, even knowing Zhang Xuan was a genius Master Teacher… It seemed countless lives had been spilled by his hands, which naturally diminished his reverence for Master Teachers compared to others.

"To crack a quasi-8-tier formation disc so quickly, you are indeed formidable. However… no matter what tricks you possess, you will die today!"

Clenching his teeth, Ji Lingfeng’s intense hatred surged like a hurricane. He let out another long roar, raising his long sword and bringing it down with crushing force.

*Rip!*

The strength of a Half-Step Domain realm expert, combined with a weapon at the peak of the Nascent Divinity realm, seemed to rip through space, threatening to shred anyone into pieces. With this single move, his strength was several times greater than that of Yue Yiquan! Although Yue Yiquan was a Hall Master of the Master Teacher Pavilion, his status meant he lacked extensive combat experience. How could he compare to a black market master who had faced countless life-or-death situations, even killing an unknown number of Master Teachers? Without such experiences, one would be far inferior in both ruthlessness and courage, and naturally, their combat power couldn't compare.

"So powerful…"

A grim expression finally appeared on Zhang Xuan’s face.

"You're no longer useful against an expert of this caliber… Retreat!"

He swept his hand, storing the numerous puppets and long blades back into his storage ring. These puppets, only at the mid to late Nascent Divinity realm, simply couldn't withstand attacks of this level. Keeping them out would only lead to their destruction. The long blades were no different.

"Out!"

Having retrieved his items, Zhang Xuan pointed forward, and a circle of light about a meter in diameter enveloped him.

*Path of Heaven’s Emptiness, Second Level!*

Sensing the extreme danger, Zhang Xuan finally unleashed his strongest combat power!