Chapter 1801: Zhang Hongtian Falls

Master Yang’s guess was accurate. The main reason Zhang Hongtian chose to challenge Elder Ghost Desire at that moment was his knowledge of the techniques and flaws in Elder Ghost Desire’s cultivation method.

Though he appeared to be on the defensive at that moment, in reality, he was, just like his opponent, searching for an opportunity to deliver a single, decisive strike for an instant kill.

Countless streams of sword qi transformed into massive dragons, surging towards the sky. Elder Ghost Desire, with a flick of his ghostly claw, moved against the surging force.

“Now!” Seeing that his opponent’s flaw was exactly as Zhang Xuan had described, Zhang Hongtian could no longer hold back. His longsword flashed, immediately concealed within one of the sword-qi dragons, and thrust forward.

Hidden Sword in Flowing Water! This technique was reportedly created by a deeply devoted genius from the Zhang clan. His wife had been killed by an enemy who was adept at manipulating water, even using it to evade capture. To exact revenge, he developed this sword art, concealing his sword within flowing water, waiting for his opponent to use water to hide, and then piercing their throat.

Zhang Hongtian, at this moment, was using the sword-qi dragons to conceal his longsword, achieving a similar effect.

“Break!” As expected, Elder Ghost Desire did not detect the longsword. His ghostly claw incessantly swung in the air, parrying the sword qi.

One of the dragons twitched, and the longsword emerged, growing larger and larger in his pupils.

However, at that very moment, his strength was at its weakest, with the old power waning and new power yet to form. He could no longer dodge. With a ‘thump,’ it pierced his throat, and the surging power within relentlessly destroyed the vitality in his body.

“You… you… how could you know that there’s a one-hundredth of a breath pause in my true qi at the end of this move?” His eyes wide with disbelief, Elder Ghost Desire couldn’t believe he had been killed just like that, even in death.

For ten thousand years, they had fought countless battles, knowing each other’s techniques and abilities inside out. Zhang Hongtian was indeed slightly stronger, but only marginally so. Elder Ghost Desire might not have been able to defeat him, but survival shouldn’t have been difficult...

But now… his chain of Ghost Claws, continuously unleashed, had a one-hundredth of a breath pause at the seventeenth move. This flaw, due to the extreme speed, was unknown even to his fellow cultivators, and even Emperor Chen Ling had not detected it.

How did this fellow in front of him know? And how did he manage to seize that precise moment to break through his defenses in one swift move?

“You lose!” Without bothering to answer, Zhang Hongtian let out a sigh of relief, his eyebrows rising sharply.

Boom! The countless sword qi contained within the longsword immediately exploded. Elder Ghost Desire could no longer withstand it, and his body suddenly burst apart.

Zzzzt! Just then, a book flew over. It absorbed the exploded flesh and blood, shaking slightly as it devoured everything completely.

Looking up, he then saw Zhang Xuan, who had, at some unknown point, refined the straw cloak. Zhang Xuan looked over, cupping his fists, saying, “Congratulations, Ancestor!”

“To be able to slay him, I owe it all to you!” With a hearty laugh, Zhang Hongtian, his mind relaxed, could no longer stand and collapsed to the ground.

Although he had slain Elder Ghost Desire, he was already at the end of his tether, his power completely depleted.

“Ancestor…” Zhang Xuan rushed over and poured his Heavenly Path true qi into him. However, he discovered that the body of this powerful ancient saint was like a tattered sack, no longer able to hold the power of true qi.

“This is impossible…” He panicked instantly. He hurriedly took out many life-saving Level-9 pills and shoved them into Zhang Hongtian’s mouth as if they were worthless.

His Heavenly Path true qi was always effective, even capable of bringing people back from the dead. This was the first time it had no effect at all.

Zhang Hongtian was the last ancient saint ancestor of the Zhang clan. Zhang Xuan particularly admired his temperament and character, and desperately hoped nothing would happen to him.

“Let me see…” Ancient Sage Yan Qing flew over, helped Zhang Hongtian sit up, placed a finger on his pulse, and examined him for a moment. A grim expression appeared on her face, and she shook her head. “His… his life has reached its end! There’s nothing we can do to save him…”

“How is that possible? He’s the youngest among all of you; how could his lifespan be the first to run out…?” Zhang Xuan refused to believe it.

This ancestor was exceptionally gifted, reaching the Ancient Sage realm at merely five hundred years old, and was known as the most talented super-expert of his time. Although he had lived for ten thousand years, he had spent most of that time in slumber. Under normal circumstances, even if his lifespan was reaching its limit, he should have lived much longer than the others. How could it be that others were fine, but he was the first to succumb?

“During his battle with Emperor Chen Yong, he consumed eighty to ninety percent of his vital blood and lifespan. To slay Elder Ghost Desire, he held nothing back… I have no way to help him!”

Although she had known for a long time that they would all fall eventually, Ancient Sage Yan Qing still wore a mournful expression and couldn’t help but shake her head.

Ancient Sages could reattach severed limbs and regenerate from a drop of blood, but they still could not resist the ultimate limit of their lifespan. When that limit arrived, no matter how powerful one was, they could only turn to dust. Be they kings, nobles, generals, or commoners, none could escape it.

Just like Zhang Hongtian, though he was relatively young among the ancient sages, he had held nothing back in every battle. The vitality within his body had long been depleted.

If he hadn’t undergone a blood change twenty years ago, he might have died long ago. That he could persist for so long, enduring even two more battles, was already beyond imagination.

“Master Yang, aren’t you capable of blood replacement? My blood can still be used…” Zhang Xuan urgently looked at Yang Xuan.

Seeing his expression, Yang Xuan also shook his head helplessly. “Senior Brother… your blood has already been replaced once. For him, it’s no longer useful…”

“But…” Zhang Xuan wanted to say more, but Master Yang interrupted him. “Birth, old age, sickness, and death—these are the laws of nature, unavoidable even for Ancient Sages. Back then, the Zhang clan’s nine great Ancient Sages were incredibly powerful, dominating the world. Yet now, they have all become memorial tablets, only able to receive the reverence of their descendants!”

Zhang Xuan was speechless.

“Don’t be sad!” Zhang Hongtian recovered some of his strength. Seeing Zhang Xuan’s distressed look, he smiled gently, his eyes filled with warmth and affection. “The reason I kept holding on was because I was the last Ancient Sage of the Zhang clan. If I died, the entire clan would decline… Now that you have appeared, possessing an Ancient Sage-level longsword and various other abilities, your true combat strength is no weaker than mine! There’s nothing left to worry about!”

“I…” Zhang Xuan’s eyes reddened.

“Where there is life, there is death. Life is impermanent; I have known this for a long time! From the moment I learned that there was no longer the power of Ancient Sages in the world, and I decided to go into slumber… Zhang Hongtian was already dead! My prolonged existence was merely to allow my clansmen, and humanity, to progress further.”

Zhang Hongtian looked at him. “Now, I can finally put down my burden and no longer worry. This is liberation; what is there to be sad about? On the contrary, you are only at the peak of the Golden Body realm, yet you bear the heavy responsibility of protecting the clan… that is far more difficult than what I faced!”

After saying this, he felt the vitality draining from his body, knowing it was irreversible. Zhang Hongtian turned his head, surveyed his surroundings, and let out a hearty laugh.

“Alright, my friends, I hope we can fight side-by-side again in the next life! I, Zhang Hongtian, am a bit lazy and will take my leave first…”

Before he could finish his words, his eyes closed, and he passed away peacefully.