Chapter 592 - 419: Celestial Thunder Hammer, Frost Blade, Battle of Tribulation Crossing Powerhouses

Wu Hao saw that things had come to this point; if the fight continued, he was certain he’d end up the loser.

That would be one hell of an embarrassment.

Boom—

Wu Hao unleashed the full power of his Celestial Thunder Hammer, shattering the ice around him, then blasted backward to retreat.

But as soon as Wu Hao landed, he was shocked to find waves of cold ice power spreading up from his feet.

It locked his feet in place.

Yan Zhen seized the opening, slashing with her sword—the razor-sharp sword aura ripped through space, heading straight for Wu Hao.

Wu Hao saw the sword aura coming at him again, but there was no time to think. He forced power into his legs, shattering the ice on the ground.

He then leapt up, narrowly dodging the deadly sword aura.

Boom, boom, boom—

The sword aura landed in the distant mountains, instantly collapsing countless peaks.

And the falling mountains were slowly invaded by cold ice qi, transforming into blocks of ice stone.

"Such a powerful cold ice force!"

Wu Hao’s heart trembled—the treasure in Yan Zhen’s hand was clearly stronger than his own.

If things kept going like this, he’d definitely end up at a disadvantage.

"Sumeru Celestial Thunder Hammer!"

Wu Hao roared, unleashing his strongest attack.

If even this couldn’t defeat Yan Zhen, he’d make his escape.

Because any further fighting wouldn’t gain him much.

There was no way he could kill her by force.

As Wu Hao swung the Celestial Thunder Hammer in his hand, the sky above whipped into a raging cyclone, thunder roaring, as if a colossal celestial lightning vortex was forming in the heavens.

Countless celestial lightning and swirling winds merged, spreading thunder over a radius of fifty miles.

Luckily, Lin Chang’sheng wasn’t at the center; if he had been hit by this, he’d be dead with nothing left of his corpse.

Yan Zhen saw the sudden upheaval in the sky; she knew this was Wu Hao’s strongest strike and didn’t dare be careless.

"Thousand-Mile Ice Seal!"

Yan Zhen cried out, and the cold ice power within her Frost Sword exploded to its limit. In an instant, she formed a giant Frost Giant Sword, tearing through the sky towards Wu Hao above.

"Kill!"

Wu Hao roared, unleashing a silver giant hammer condensed from celestial thunder—unstoppable—shooting out from the lightning vortex at Yan Zhen’s position in a flash.

The battle between two Tribulation Crossing powerhouses made Lin Chang’sheng feel his Integration Stage cultivation wasn’t even worth mentioning.

If he were caught between their attacks, he probably wouldn’t be able to block even a single move. He’d be blasted to pieces in an instant.

At this moment, he knew he still had to keep training, building up his cultivation.

The Immortal Realm truly was a forest of powerhouses, prodigies everywhere you looked.

A single careless moment could mean death.

Even a genius like Lin Chang’sheng wasn’t exempt.

If it hadn’t been for Xiaobai and Yan Zhen’s help this time, he’d likely be dead.

Rumble—

In the distance, the silver celestial thunder giant hammer clashed ferociously with the Frost Giant Sword.

Besides the heaven-shaking explosion, a blinding white light surged forth, leaving Lin Chang’sheng unable to see a thing.

When everything settled down—

Lin Chang’sheng concentrated his gaze, finding Wu Hao had been frozen instantly into an ice sculpture, landing hard on the ground.

And not far in front of Yan Zhen, the silver giant hammer had smashed out a huge pit a hundred feet wide and long—a testament to its sheer power.

Fortunately, Yan Zhen wasn’t at the pit’s center. Otherwise, she’d have taken heavy damage from that strike.

Crack, crack, crack—

The next moment, cracks appeared in the ice covering Wu Hao. Amid a booming roar, Wu Hao tore free from the cold ice power holding him.

Now, his earlier arrogance was gone, and the look in his eyes towards Yan Zhen was tinged with lingering fear.

He’d never expected that even his full-force attack couldn’t do a thing to her.

"No wonder that’s a Middle Grade Celestial Immortal Treasure—the power really is extraordinary. This time, I’ll let Lin Chang’sheng live. Next time, if I run into you again, you won’t be so lucky!"

After dropping those words, Wu Hao spun and fled, his speed so fast he vanished on the horizon in an instant.

He was worried Yan Zhen might try to force him to stay if he didn’t get away fast enough.

Today, Wu Hao had taken a hit—not only did he fail to kill Lin Chang’sheng, he got injured himself.

Talk about trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice.

He couldn’t kill Lin Chang’sheng today. If he tried by force, not only would he make an enemy of the Immortal Palace, but also the Ice Frost Empress. By then, he’d have way more enemies, and no good outcome.

This could only be put on hold—he’d surely find a chance to kill Lin Chang’sheng another time.

Yan Zhen watched Wu Hao flee but didn’t give chase.

Because killing Wu Hao would also cost her dearly.

Unless it was absolutely necessary, those above the Tribulation Crossing Stage rarely fought to the death.

Once a real showdown erupted, it always ended in mutual destruction.

Spurt—

But just as Wu Hao left, Yan Zhen spat out a mouthful of bloody spittle, instantly showing signs of weakness.

Clang—

Thankfully, her Frost Sword was in her hand, and she anchored it to the ground, keeping herself from collapsing.

Although she’d seemed to have the upper hand in the fight with Wu Hao, in reality, she’d burned through plenty of primordial power, and even took hits from the power of celestial thunder.

If she hadn’t faked being unscathed, chances are Wu Hao wouldn’t have fled, and the battle would’ve turned ugly.

At that point, both she and Lin Chang’sheng might’ve died right here.

Yan Zhen’s cultivation time was still too short—to reach this stage was already defying the heavens.

If she had a few hundred, even a thousand more years, Yan Zhen would absolutely reach the Ice Frost Empress’s peak.

At her peak, the Ice Frost Empress possessed an Immortal’s body.

"Sister Zhen, are you alright?"

After Wu Hao left, Lin Chang’sheng immediately rushed over.

"Let’s go!"

Yan Zhen barked with urgency.

If the enemy realized she was wounded, he might double back to kill her.

Then neither of them would likely make it out alive.

Lin Chang’sheng immediately carved out a Teleportation Array, taking Yan Zhen far away—over two hundred thousand miles—finally finding a hidden spot to rest.

Yan Zhen needed time to recover, and he could use the chance to cultivate too.

After all, Lin Chang’sheng’s storage bag held plenty of treasures he hadn’t absorbed.

"Chang’sheng, I’m so glad to see you’re alright!"

In front of Lin Chang’sheng, Yan Zhen didn’t show the proud, regal air of the Ice Frost Empress—she was just as approachable as she’d always been.

Lin Chang’sheng hadn’t felt such warmth in ages—it was like being with family.

"Sister Zhen, don’t worry! I’m not that easy to get rid of!"

Lin Chang’sheng replied with a grin.

"If I hadn’t gotten here in time, you probably—"

Before she finished, Yan Zhen trailed off.

That left Lin Chang’sheng a bit embarrassed, but it was the truth.

If Yan Zhen hadn’t arrived when she did, he’d only have had a death sentence.

"Next time I’ll be more careful—just didn’t expect how terrifyingly strong Tribulation Crossing cultivators were!"

Lin Chang’sheng scratched his head awkwardly.

Just like the little boy eating noodles in the old noodle shop.

Back then, Yan Zhen had protected him in the noodle shop; now, she was protecting him once more.

It made Lin Chang’sheng feel as if he’d returned to those days.

"By the way, Sister Zhen, how did you find me?"

Lin Chang’sheng asked curiously.

"After we said goodbye last time, I went to the Land of Extreme Ice, followed the guidance to find the Heaven-Reaching Immortal Treasure. I was honored as the Ice Frost Empress. I also heard you won first on the Celestial Pride List. But when I heard you disappeared, I got worried and came searching for you! Seeing you safe is the best news possible!"

Yan Zhen answered.

"Ice Frost Empress? No wonder your cultivation’s skyrocketed!"

Lin Chang’sheng exclaimed in surprise.

It seemed Yan Zhen really reaped plenty of good fortune in the Land of Extreme Ice.

Otherwise, there’s no way her cultivation would’ve advanced so fast.

"Compared to being Empress, I’d rather remember my days in Mu City—maybe just living as a commoner suits me better."

Yan Zhen said quietly, then looked down at her hands. At this point, her hands were stained with blood; Yan Zhen couldn’t have imagined that someone so kind-hearted would one day kill so many people.

These words she would only ever share with Lin Chang’sheng.

She’d always been pure and gentle; to survive in the killing fields of the cultivation world meant you had to be ruthless.

But Yan Zhen loathed endless slaughter.

Seeing so many lives perish at her hands, Yan Zhen was overwhelmed by guilt.

"Sister Zhen, this world is just like that. If we don’t kill them, they’ll kill us!"

Lin Chang’sheng comforted her.

Yan Zhen fell silent, but after a moment, seemed to see things through. She slowly looked up at Lin Chang’sheng.

"But it’s not all bad; at least I can still protect you!"

Yan Zhen offered a faint smile.

It warmed Lin Chang’sheng’s heart.

Lin Chang’sheng knew—maybe Yan Zhen saw him as her only family now.

And, truth be told, so did he.