Chapter 720: Chapter 703 Snow Eagle

Whether it’s the Western Regions or Xiangyang, this is not a place where Zhao Changhe should be appearing right now.

Snow Eagle finally understood why Yue Hongling, who is always as cautious as a fox and even more like an assassin than himself, fell so carelessly into a trap this time. It turns out that her man had come, lying in wait for him!

Having a man’s support is awesome, especially when your man is truly formidable.

Without mentioning anything else, just the fact that he was lurking in the distance for so long without me detecting anything unusual, shows that his control over his own energy fluctuations is not something ordinary people can compare with. He has truly mastered each ounce of his strength, each wisp of his qi as easily as his arm commands.

Now, if Zhao Changhe said, “I am invincible under the Imperial Realm,” or “Heavenly List isn’t complete without me,” there would probably be very few people who could dispute that.

After all, he defeated Desolate Calamity and Feng Yin in a back-to-back battle against two Imperial Realm opponents. Regardless of how much power he borrowed from Divine Artifacts, and no matter how much of his battle achievements are inflated, that is an ironclad fact. Speaking of borrowing the power of Divine Artifacts, he still has them with him, not lost yet!

Take, for example, this strike…

Zhao Changhe didn’t respond to his words, his longsword already swinging towards the face. It was like the Galaxy pouring down from the Nine Heavens, rushing to the sea, unstoppable!

“Clang!” Snow Eagle diagonally parried with his longsword, half-blocking and half-redirecting the blow to the side of Dragon Sparrow.

However, he had just evaded the sneak attack from the Dragon Soul Bow and hadn’t even adjusted his posture when he was forced to use brute strength to counterattack, which put him at a great disadvantage. The surge of power burst forth, impossible to deflect completely, as blood vicious qi surged within him, invading and roiling in discomfort.

Zhao Changhe, following Vermilion Bird’s suggestion, focused on his Galaxy Dharma Image, supplemented by the properties of Blood Evil Skill to forge a Sword Intent unique to him, and in this strike, his might was evident! This might also be the first time in this world that Zhao Changhe has directly faced off against an old Heavenly List figure and had the upper hand!

Snow Eagle, an esteemed veteran of the Heavenly List, couldn’t withstand the force of the strike and had to rely on his bodily movements to dissipate the energy.

But retreating was easier said than done.

Yue Hongling’s combat experience surpassed even Zhao Changhe’s. As Zhao Changhe delivered the strike, she had already anticipated Snow Eagle’s next move. As the shape of Snow Eagle retreated, the tip of her sword was already waiting behind him, leaving no room for evasion!

Fortunately for him, he wasn’t alone. The shadows of Destruction also formed a thousand shadow spears, chasing after Yue Hongling and aiming straight for her back.

As Zhao Changhe attacked Snow Eagle, he flung out his Star River with his left hand, clearing the threats behind his wife. Thousands of sword qi, like flashing stars, mingled and clashed with the endless shadows, dissolving the danger chase behind Yue Hongling with a hissing sound.

If not for the fact that this sword was used to clear the threat, if it had also been thrown at Snow Eagle, Snow Eagle might have already died on the spot.

However, as one of the world’s top assassins, Snow Eagle had his own means. His figure bizarrely flickered and in the next moment, as the couple’s swords passed through him, they were shocked to find they’d only struck an afterimage!

His true form had already appeared a mile away, fleeing: “Everyone says Zhao Changhe is the true dragon of this generation, and rightfully so. Ha…”

Zhao Changhe watched the dissipating afterimage with a bit of shock, it still held the expression Snow Eagle had before fleeing.

This was also the first time Zhao Changhe had seen Snow Eagle’s true face. Despite being well-known for many years, his appearance was still that of a young man in white, tall and handsome, with indifferent and calm eyes that showed no trace of the ferocity of an assassin; instead, he seemed rather gentle. Accompanying his true form’s words, the afterimage began to fluctuate and disappear. The twisting face during the fluctuation seemed to mock and reveal previously unseen ferocity.

Zhao Changhe wasn’t in the mood to appreciate it, and, seething with anger, he fiercely pounced at Destruction, who had seen the situation turning sour and had started to flee.

Yue Hongling’s sword had already turned towards Destruction as well.

Destruction, who had been cooperatively fighting alongside his ally, saw that his ally didn’t even bother to endure a moment longer before running away, filling his heart with curses, and was totally uninterested in fighting. He instantly merged into the shadows behind a rock, vanishing without a trace.

However, just as he merged with the shadows, the Galaxy Sword pierced into them with a “clang.” Although it seemed to hit only the rock, blood oozed from the stone and a muffled groan echoed as if from another distant dimension.

He was wounded!

Before, with the attribute of Vermilion Bird reigning supreme over him, Destruction always had the Undying Fire adhering to his body, dragging down his combat effectiveness considerably, hence why Yue Hongling dared not to single-handedly walk into a trap. But that kind of injury was only a drag, like having a splinter in the body of a normal person, not extent enough to harm the root. However, under the Galaxy Sword’s unique attribute, this strike truly hurt him to the core!

Because the Galaxy Sword truly symbolized night and darkness; shadows could not hide from it. It was only because the master failed to see the true form of the opponent that this strike didn’t end Destruction’s life.

Zhao Changhe knew he had messed up and awkwardly tried to save face: “Damn, why is it called Destruction? Why not call yourself Hidden Blade?”

Yue Hongling looked at her husband in awe, her eyes filled with joy and unspeakable complexity: “You… have become stronger than me.”

Yes, Zhao Changhe today was stronger than her.

She had just broken through to the Third Layer Secret Treasure not long ago, and Zhao Changhe’s current state clearly indicated that he was already seeking a Breakthrough.

As the two locked eyes, countless memories flashed in their gaze, truly an overwhelming flood of emotions.

Buddha: “…”

The Buddha had been in a daze ever since blocking Yue Hongling’s punch and still stood off to the side like a statue. Despite shining brighter than any lantern with his golden radiance, he still couldn’t prevent the couple from gazing into each other’s eyes.

Suddenly, a female voice came from Dragon Sparrow: “Don’t forget to pick up the arrows! Always have to remind you, you wasteful thing!”

Yue Hongling: “?”

Zhao Changhe: “…”

“Next time if you’re going to miss, could you not shoot at all? Just watching makes my heart clench.”

The two finally could not stand staring at each other any longer, and Zhao Changhe said irritably, “You also know about shooting arrows?”

“Speak human language.”

“Stuff about shooting or not shooting arrows is none of a kid’s business!”

“…”

Yue Hongling looked at Dragon Sparrow in surprise, “Your sword can actually talk now? And it’s a girl… can she come out for a look? My sword also seems to have a spirit nurturing within, it might serve as a reference.”

Zhao Changhe thought to himself that this was truly admirable. His Sword Spirit was established with the help of others, but Yue Hongling had truly nurtured her own Sword Spirit through hundreds of battles. Her sword material had some tricks too. After her sword had broken, she selected one from the Spirit Clan’s collection of ancient fine swords. It probably had some special durability, which allowed her to use it until now. But to develop from having no spirit to having a spirit was really awesome.

Out of the blue, he reached out, grabbed Dragon Sparrow by the hair, and pulled her out of the sword.

Dragon Sparrow: “?”

She had never actually left the sword before, and upon suddenly seeing the sunlight, she actually had to shield her eyes, not quite used to it.

Yue Hongling examined her with surprise, “This girl has quite a common appearance.”

Zhao Changhe paused before he realized the meaning and nearly burst out laughing. Dragon Sparrow angrily retorted, “What do you mean by common appearance? I have incorporated the best traits from many, what would you, a rustic woman, know?”

Yue Hongling smiled slightly, “Do I contribute to any of that?”

Dragon Sparrow: “…Yes.”

Yue Hongling grinned and gave her a pat, “Call me Mom.”

Dragon Sparrow was dumbfounded. It was her first time leaving the sword, and her mind was so muddled that she didn’t know how to respond to that statement. I have a common appearance, so does my mom…

“Rustic woman and such, you must have learned that from Xia Chichi.” Yue Hongling sighed, “That auntie hasn’t taught you well. From now on, your mother will teach you personally.”

Dragon Sparrow was stunned, are you tearing each other apart over this distance?

However, Zhao Changhe’s mind stirred, sensing something different in Yue Hongling’s words.

When had she ever loved to compete with others over this… But this time…

Could it be that fate has brought us to this point, and she no longer wishes to leave?

“Are you tired?” he suddenly asked.

Yue Hongling looked at him for a long while, then smiled faintly, “You’re overthinking it.”

“Your words can’t be trusted!”

“Did your sister ever tell you that a woman’s words can’t be trusted?”

“She did not.”

Buddha: “…”

Will you ever finish?

“Buddha!” A sound of someone sweeping through the air started far away, as Yuan Cheng and Yuan Xing finally caught up. Seeing Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling here, they felt as if they were in a dream.

Is this not our temple’s Secret Realm? Why are you two here?

Dragon Sparrow slipped back into the sword, and Zhao Changhe finally sighed, “It’s a long story, I’ll explain back at the temple.”

Yuan Cheng went composed himself and commanded those around him, “You all go first, prepare the vegetarian feast and guest residences, and entertain King Zhao.”

Zhao Changhe said, “There’s no need for that, but do you have hot springs here? That’s the most important Divine Artifact…”

Yue Hongling kicked him on the leg, turning around and walking away irritated.

Meanwhile, at another place, atop a very distant mountain, Snow Eagle, dressed in white, stood alone at the peak, gazing in their direction, though it was unclear what he could see.

Desolate Calamity stumbled out from the shadows, grumbling, “Why didn’t you hold on a bit longer? Just one more blow, and I could have injured Yue Hongling!”

Snow Eagle’s gaze moved from the distance to him, noting the dripping blood, and his eyes held a strange look, “I wonder, will the Chaotic World Book report the fall of this place?”

A shiver ran through Desolate Calamity’s heart, “You…”

A sword tip suddenly pierced through his heart, and Snow Eagle, with a calm expression, stated indifferently, “Chaos and Shadow always lose to the Light precisely because they’re always so scattered… What use are you and other old fossils like Desolate Calamity, really?”

Desolate Calamity looked in disbelief at the sword embedded in his heart, “You… your strength is not just what you showed before… and in the face of a great enemy, you were plotting against me?”

Snow Eagle did not answer his question, continuing with his own thoughts instead, “I’ve been thinking, your existence serves only one purpose, which is to personify the chaos and destruction of the end of the world in human form, the so-called Innate Demon Gods… and then passed down to this day, handing over this demonic will to the people of today. Thus, your historical mission… is also completed.”