CHAPTER 1916: CHAPTER 1917: LUO SHEN’S SWAN SONG

The duel between Xu Nanzhi and Cui Manlou intertwined several times, and only then did Long Ao Tian and the others recover from the previous strike.

Watching Cui Manlou shatter the Divine Artifact infused with Heavenly Gang Divine Wind with just two fingers, Long Ao Tian spoke in confusion.

"What kind of monster is this guy, not a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, how could he do such a thing?"

First was Yu Yanshu, then Cui Manlou.

In a single day, Long Ao Tian’s understanding of the Nascent Soul Realm had been repeatedly challenged, shaking the self-confidence of this God Beast from the Immortal World.

Beside him, Bai Qiu also furrowed her brows tightly, as things were unusual, yet she couldn’t detect a single flaw, which made her extremely uneasy.

"It’s Nascent Soul, not Nascent Soul Realm."

"Hmm?"

Ling Xiao’s sudden words caught everyone’s attention.

Before Ling Xiao could explain, Cui Manlou spoke first.

"In the end, someone who falls into the mortal world from the Immortal World, isn’t as blind as I imagined."

"Did he guess correctly?"

Long Ao Tian looked at Ling Xiao with even more confusion.

And Xu Nanzhi had already reacted: "It’s an External Avatar, this guy is Cui Manlou’s Nascent Soul true form."

Ling Xiao nodded, looking at Cui Manlou, and said gravely: "And if my feelings are right, this guy isn’t even a complete Nascent Soul, just a part of it."

Everyone’s expressions turned astonished, giving Cui Manlou even stranger looks.

Countless pieces of information regarding Cui Manlou connected in Xu Nanzhi’s mind, and she finally realized something.

"Previously, you were using this method to appear simultaneously in Xia Country, Bei Luo, and other places, weren’t you?"

Cui Manlou smiled: "I knew that sooner or later someone would see through my little trick. I suspected it might be Su Chengyu, or Long Xuan, or Ye Qingci. I didn’t expect the first to discover this would be you all. Such a useful card, wasted half of it. Truly a pity."

The words didn’t match the smile on his face, showing not a hint of tension from his secret being revealed.

Obviously, this was just a trivial card among the countless ones in Cui Manlou’s hand, and even with Xu Nanzhi and the others realizing this, they still didn’t know how to deal with it.

After all, a Nascent Soul is not a True Nascent Soul.

The power of one that was enough to contend with all of them was real nonetheless.

"No external force was used, the power to shatter my sword came entirely from that body’s own strength."

Unnoticed, Yu Shuang returned to the group and shared the information she had just scouted.

Xu Nanzhi turned and saw Yu Shuang’s slightly pale face, and asked worriedly: "Are you okay?"

Yu Shuang shook her head: "Nothing serious."

"Really? It seems the demonic Qi didn’t directly penetrate your Sea of Consciousness, what a pity, I thought this time I would manage to neutralize the one holding an Earth Core Lotus Fragment."

"You even know about that?"

Xu Nanzhi squinted her eyes at Cui Manlou, once again astonished by how much this mastermind of the Demonic Path knew.

Yet Cui Manlou remained with that look of having everything under control, chuckling lightly.

"You always think I’m the same type as you, at most considering me as the demonic Long Xuan, or the rising Ye Qingci. But you have no idea how I reached this point. After coming out of Dadao Mountain, I’m no longer the Cui Manlou I used to be. I am the hope of the Demonic Path, the aggregate of all the accumulated power of the Demonic Path over millennia, and..."

The words suddenly stopped, he looked up at the crowd with a cold smile.

"You are not worthy to know."

Boom!

Eight demonic auras transformed into eight enormous black hands, with purple demonic Qi spreading from the edges, flying towards the group, arriving in mere moments.

Xu Nanzhi watched this, gripped the Weak Water Sword tightly, and stepped forward, directly positioning herself in front of everyone.

"Luo Shen Nine Heavens!"

As the Luo Shen Dharma appeared, radiant Xu Nanzhi seemed like a reborn fairy. The Dharma Body merged completely with Xu Nanzhi’s movements, without letting anyone else assist her, and Xu Nanzhi swept her sword, holding the eight black hands at bay before her.

The chain of explosions echoed before everyone, and as the purple-black demonic Qi came into contact with the Dharma Body, it instantly shattered in mid-air, but the accompanying immense impact also forced Xu Nanzhi’s figure rapidly backwards.

If it weren’t for being in this special space, just the impact from the explosion would have been enough to send Xu Nanzhi’s body flying a thousand meters away.

Yet the distance and the blurred rules of heaven and earth didn’t reduce the power of the clash by a bit.

With each explosion, the Dharma Body behind Xu Nanzhi grew weaker, and she herself felt blood surging in her chest, her entire body’s meridians on the brink of rupture.

"Nan Zhi? You..."

"Don’t worry about me, this guy is progressing by relying on those other three, Bai Qiu, you go and delay them as much as possible."

"But..."

"Yu Shuang is here. And don’t worry, before seeing Chengyu, I won’t die in this place."

Xu Nanzhi’s gaze was determined, though she spoke of having Yu Shuang’s support, her appearance of standing alone with one sword before everyone clearly stated her intention to hold off all of Cui Manlou’s attacks by herself.

"Interesting, using the Road of Destruction’s violent power to forcibly dissolve my offensive. A fine plan; how long do you think your body, not even at the Void Middle Stage, can hold out? Do you truly think you still have a chance to see that man again by doing this?"

"None of your business!"

Xu Nanzhi roared, no longer able to bear Cui Manlou’s condescending demeanor.

Once, she was just an ordinary person, a mere decorative vase, unable to attract more attention than that.

Later, she became the Saintess of the Ancient Clan, seemingly high in status, yet just a sacrificial piece for the entire clan.

More than once, she thought about ending everything, letting her tragic life come to a close.

Because of Su Chengyu, she made it to today, reached the pinnacle of this world’s hierarchical system.

She no longer wanted to live by the gaze of others, she didn’t want her life to be controlled by anyone else.

"Today, I will see Chengyu, and no one can stop me!"

"Luo Shen’s Ultimate Aria!"

Xu Nanzhi ultimately chose to attack, understanding that fighting recklessly like this was unlikely to defeat the unfathomably powerful Cui Manlou before her.

But it was her only confident way to hold Cui Manlou at bay.

Using the Road of Destruction’s irresistible destructive force to compel the opponent to focus at least partially on her.

The opponent was strong, but nowhere near reaching the threshold of an Earth Immortal, as long as that was the case, her assault carrying the Road of Destruction couldn’t be completely ignored.

"Xu Nanzhi..."