Chapter 858: Counter-Invasion of the Xuluo

Qiantuo, sensing a threat from afar, opened his mouth to howl. The force of lightning imbued the sound waves he emitted. Heaven's might clashed against Zhang Lie's underworld river in a series of stunning explosions that sent genetic energy flying in all directions.

Even a single drop that struck the xuluo would cause them to decompose rapidly amidst a series of frenzied screams.

Qiantuo's face grew alarmed. Only now did he realize that, while he was fighting off Li Zongming, Zhang Lie had slain two of the great xuluo lords. Knowing that he wasn't as strong as Fuzhang or Luohou, Qiantuo would have immediately retreated if he could—but Zhang Lie would hardly allow that.

"[The Boundless Blade: the River Lethe]!" Zhang Lie lifted the blade in his hand high above his head as pitch-black energy exploded from him. He looked like a demon descending on the world. Black genetic energy filled the battlefield. Even the xuluo had never seen genetic energy so vast and so concentrated—a veritable sea of genetic energy, roaring in rage.

Waves charged forward across its surface, sounding like peals of thunder, like stampeding hooves.

The entire sea roiled, and lightning crackled amidst the void. Countless serpents swam across the raging sea as lightning flashed ominously overhead, a scene right out of an apocalypse.

As Zhang Lie struck, an underworld river hurtled into existence, roaring into the sea. The sword energy roiled like black waves. The sea had morphed into a boundless battlefield. The sea breeze was as a horn to action, and the serpents, thousands of courageous soldiers heeding its call.

Qiantuo roared once more, imbuing heaven's might into his voice. His sound waves and lightning formed a coherent attack that struck the surface of Zhang Lie's sea and caused the serpents swimming underneath its surface to explode into black genetic energy. As the energy seeped deeper into the sea, more and more serpents were generated.

Zhang Lie had revised his [Fists of the Silent Sea] as a result of inspiration from Sun Mengmeng's technique. For [The Boundless Blade: the River Lethe], he had taken inspiration from Yang Ze.

Yang Ze had surrounded the battlefield in mist, then conjured packs of sharks that would roam the mist.

Zhang Lie was a mentor and friend to the members of Team Zenith, and they all learned and improved from each other. The members of Team Zenith treated Zhang Lie as an example to emulate, while Zhang Lie refined his techniques with the help of Team Zenith.

Zhang Lie had incorporated Yang Ze's sharks and mist into his [The Boundless Blade], so that the serpents that swam within the sea could be reconstituted by the sea after being destroyed.

As long as the sea remained, more and more serpents would spawn—the boundless sea was the font of life, which gave birth to an endless stream of creatures.

Even Qiantuo's lightning-infused attacks were unable to counter the sea's might. The sea swallowed up Qiantuo, devouring him with corrosive genetic energy. The serpents within the sea gathered around him and bit at his body, causing Qiantuo to shriek and struggle as he tried to free himself in vain.

Qiantuo's body was very large, but Zhang Lie's [The Boundless Blade], at full power, could cover up a third of a superior world.

Qiantuo's body was slowly devoured by the serpents, leaving only his bones behind—but even so, with Qiantuo's tremendous vitality and strength, he somehow remained alive. That didn't, however, mean that he had survived.

"Sleep forevermore! [The Boundless Blade: Requiem of the End]!" Zhang Lie thrust the blade into Qiantuo's skeleton. A small black hurricane of genetic energy seeped within the cut, and blades of shining light erupted all over Qiantuo's bones.

The bones cracked and dissipated into powder as the remnant genetic energy exploded.

The xuluo stared at the scene in shock as the final xuluo lord was defeated. Their last hope had been extinguished; Qiantuo too had fallen to Zhang Lie.

None of the four great lords of the xuluo were a match for Zhang Lie—but before the xuluo could think about what to do next, Zhang Lie struck at them.

"[The Boundless Blade: Dragon's Wrath]!" Zhang Lie thrust forward with Guicang, summong a blood dragon. A dragon's roar shook heaven and earth. The blood dragon's figure overshadowed a huge swathe of the xuluo.

Zhang Lie slashed forward with Guicang. "[Blade of the Heavens: the Sea Swells]!"

Energy poured out of Zhang Lie in waves, honing the edge of his blade. The pulses of energy struck the sea like a tsunami, devouring everything within. The pitch-black sword slash grew larger as it headed toward the xuluo, slicing them all apart in one fell swoop.

The battlefield filled with silence.

Li Zongming hobbled over. "Zhang Lie, th-thank goodness you were here!"

Zhang Lie smiled. "Can you open a wormhole to the xuluo world?"

Li Zongming nodded. "Now that I've familiarized myself a little with the power of a superior king, I can. What's more, that arrogant bastard from the xuluo world opened a wormhole right by my doorstep. I can easily reverse the manipulation.

"As long as the Zongming world remains a superior world, the xuluo world will never give up on their invasion—we have no choice but to fight. Rather than have them come to our doorstep, we may as well go to theirs."

Thirty million xuluo had died, as well as all four of the great xuluo lords. The only defense the xuluo world boasted was its king.

"The king must be lonely without his subordinates—I'll go pay him a visit and send him to the underworld myself," Zhang Lie replied, sheathing Guicang and Hanguang.

Li Zongming smiled wryly. "Do you need my help?"

"No. You'd better deal with the xuluo that got past the two disaster-grade lifeforms and have invaded the world. Don't let them hurt Qianlin—leave the counterattack on the xuluo world to me."

Upon being reminded of the dregs of the xuluo still remaining in the Zongming world, Li Zongming's face turned ugly. "I'll leave the xuluo world to you, then. Don't force yourself to keep going if you can't—you have to come back alive."

Zhang Lie laughed. "Take good care of Qianlin. If she's missing even a finger, I'll raze the Zongling world to the ground myself."

Li Zongming rolled his eyes. "Who do you think I am? Would her father allow Li Qianlin to come to any harm?"