"Today, you and I, father and son, shall fight side by side, and live or die without regret," Sha Zhaohong said with spirit.
Sha Tianxiang also leapt forward, standing to the left of Sha Zhaohong, saying, "If there’s going to be a battle, our family should be united."
"Brother, I’m sorry. This all happened because of me. I was wrong, and I regret it deeply. If by some stroke of luck we live through today, I will apologize to Su Chengyu myself. Whatever punishment he deems fitting, I will accept," Sha Tianxiang said.
"Very well! Then let’s fight with everything we’ve got, without regret!" Sha Tianyang let out a hearty laugh.
Li Yue mocked, "Your family really doesn’t know when to give up. Sha Zhaohong, you may have once been a Martial Saint, but what percentage of your strength can you call upon now?"
"Enough to kill both of you," Sha Zhaohong responded.
"Junior Brother, hold them off. I’ll kill this old man Sha Zhaohong first, then assist you." Tang Cheng said.
"Tianxiang, go help our father. As for this Li Yue, I’ll deal with him."
Even though Li Yue was ranked as a Ninth Grade Marquis, Sha Tianyang was of the Martial King Realm, confident he could slay Li Yue within thirty moves.
Both Sha Tianxiang and Sha Zhaohong acted at the same time -- attacking Tang Cheng, while Sha Tianyang dealt with Li Yue. Sha Zhaohong, being a Martial Saint, could use both his storage pouch and his Magic Artifact. He pulled out a long black spear named ’Wu Yue’ from his storage pouch, a superior-grade Spiritual Artifact.
Sha Tianxiang and Sha Tianyang, on the other hand, condensed their Qi into spears, employing the Sha Family’s Spear Technique.
In the sky, Chen Mengmeng and Lu Chong were fighting fiercely. Lu Chong was already at the ninth level of the Tongxuan Realm, hence his strength was considerable. Chen Mengmeng’s cultivation method was different; his realm didn’t have levels. By opening the second orifice, he had entered the Tongxuan Realm and opening another would take him to the Golden Core Realm.
Since Chen Mengmeng had only recently opened his second orifice, his current strength was only about comparable to the sixth or seventh level of the Tongxuan Realm. However, since he was the direct disciple of the Qingcheng Mountain Sect Leader and adept in the unique Qing Cheng Taoism, his combat ability couldn’t be measured by ordinary standards.
Besides, Chen Mengmeng’s most powerful ability was not his swordsmanship or Daoism Method, but the divine skills granted to him by the Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart, which allowed his words to become reality.
Even though Lu Chong was tangling swords with Chen Mengmeng, he noticed that the Sha Family trio had started attacking his two disciples down there. Lu Chong couldn’t leave to help, but he didn’t care too much about the life or death of these two disciples.
If his disciples died, he could always take on new ones. Moreover, he had more than these two disciples.
Chen Mengmeng hovered in mid-air, molding a sword technique with his hands. His Mengyi Sword split into thirty-six, revolving around him in continuous assaults.
Upon seeing this, Lu Chong’s face turned somber, and he solemnly said, "The Qingcheng Mountain’s Thirty-Six Heavenly Qi-breaking Sword Techniques!"
"I have thirty-six Mengyi Swords, take this!"
Chen Mengmeng shaped a sword technique in his hands, pointed a finger, and thirty-six peach wood swords flew toward Lu Chong. Lu Chong dared not be careless. The Qingcheng Mountain’s Thirty-Six Heavenly Qi-breaking Sword Technique was famous and incredibly powerful. He unleashed his bottom of the barrel technique, his mana surged dramatically, causing a sea of clouds to roll behind him.
This was the Liuyun Sword Art of the God Farmer Gate, considered advanced even within the God Farmer Gate. Lu Chong had received this as a reward for his significant contributions as a cultivator. The Liuyun Sword Art was one of Lu Chong’s most powerful techniques.
The Qi-breaking Sword Techniques clashed with the Liuyun Sword Art, each of their Sword Qi resembling rainbows. For a time, it was hard to differentiate between the two as their Sword Qi continuously confronted each other.
Down below, Sha Tianyang showed no mercy, relentlessly pushing Li Yue back. Unable to defend, Li Yue shouted, "Senior Brother, save me."
However, Tang Cheng was barely holding his own against the combined efforts of Sha Zhaohong and Sha Tianxiang; he was losing ground. There was no way he could spare a hand to assist Li Yue, who was barely hanging on by a thread himself.
Sha Tianyang’s spear thrust forward ferociously, an endless barrage of attacks, leaving Li Yue defenseless. Li Yue was swept away, struggling to keep his balance. Seizing the opportunity, Sha Tianyang advanced, impaling Li Yue with his spear. Li Yue died on the spot.
Tang Cheng, injured by Sha Zhaohong, was coughing up blood profusely. He repelled Sha Tianxiang’s attempted follow-up attack with a sudden palm strike, then turned to flee. But Sha Zhaohong threw his Wu Yue Spear, which pierced through Tang Cheng’s body and pinned him to the wall of the eastern tower.
"Tianxiang, are you okay?" Sha Tianyang asked.
"Brother, I’m fine," Sha Tianxiang shook his head in response.
In mid-air, the sword qi of Chen Mengmeng and Lu Chong was still at a deadlock. Out of the thirty-six Mengyi Swords, twenty-eight had been broken. Lu Chong was also barely hanging on, drenched in sweat and his inner Mana draining rapidly.
Chen Mengmeng’s Seven Orifices Exquisite Heart pulsated heavily within him. His eyes sparkled with a clear light and his pupils turned golden. Then, Chen Mengmeng said, "Disintegrate, enemy’s sword qi."
His voice thundered like a decree from heaven, carrying an irresistible force. Lu Chong’s sprawling Liuyun Sword Qi instantly fell apart. Shocked and confused, Lu Chong had no clue what had just happened. His sword posture and sword qi had vanished into nothingness.
With the decree of heaven in his mouth, and Dao following his words, this was Chen Mengmeng’s strongest secret technique.
Lu Chong hasted to invoke his Mana, attempting to form another sword posture, but Chen Mengmeng, who had used his secret technique, would not give him another opportunity. The remaining eight Mengyi Swords took advantage of the situation and hit Lu Chong.
Screaming, Lu Chong fell from mid-air, crashing to the ground, smoke and dust rising from the impact.
When the smoke cleared, Lu Chong crawled out of the pit, covered in blood and dust. He was gravely wounded, but alive.
It wasn’t because Chen Mengmeng’s eight Mengyi Swords couldn’t kill Lu Chong, but at the very last moment, Chen Mengmeng held back, sparing Lu Chong’s life.
Chen Mengmeng had never killed anyone before and nor did he intend to start. He chose to severely wound, not kill.
"He’s still not dead?" Sha Tianyang remarked in surprise.
Although Lu Chong had managed to crawl out of the pit, he was depleted of all fighting strength. Chen Mengmeng said, "I spared your life, now return the painting."
Reluctantly, but defeated, Lu Chong was now only focused on surviving. Weakly, he responded, "You’re a disciple of Mount Qingcheng, your word is your bond. You won’t break your promise, will you?"
"Of course not. If I wanted to kill you, you would have died just now. I don’t kill," said Chen Mengmeng, ever the honest, straightforward child.
Upon hearing this, Lu Chong sighed in relief. With the mountains still intact, there’s no shortage of wood to burn. Survival was the most important thing for now.
Lu Chong retrieved the Thousand-Mile Mountain and River Map from his storage bag and tossed it to Chen Mengmeng.
Chen Mengmeng unfurled the Thousand-Mile Mountain and River Map and yelled, "Brother! It’s me, Mengmeng! You’re safe now, come out."
From within the world of the painting, Su Chengyu heard Chen Mengmeng’s voice. With a shift in his thoughts, he exited the painting and saw the severely wounded Lu Chong as well as the lifeless bodies of his two disciples.
"Mengmeng, you arrived just in time. You’ve been through a lot coming here from so far away," Su Chengyu patted Chen Mengmeng’s shoulder thankfully.
"Even if you were thousands of miles away, Brother, I would have still come if you were in trouble," Chen Mengmeng scratched his head and said.