Chapter 560: The Fierce Battle

"Your Majesty, we should retreat!" Zhihuo quickly expressed his concern.

The Heaven Extreme Realm, even in an incomplete form, was an extremely terrifying existence. Shen Qitian?

Everyone else was also worried, especially Gu Qianyou, who was well aware of the enmity between Zhong Shan and Shen Qitian. If Shen Qitian's power exploded and he managed to kill Jian Hong, what would happen next?

"Don't worry!" Zhong Shan shook his head.

Zhong Shan's assured response left everyone slightly surprised. Did the emperor already have the power to face someone at the Heaven Extreme Realm? Otherwise, why was he so calm?

"Yes!" Zhihuo responded immediately.

Zhao Suoxiang, standing nearby, also looked at Zhong Shan curiously. Although Zhao Suoxiang had never encountered a Heaven Extreme Realm powerhouse, he knew they were monstrously powerful. Compared to his own level, there were three tiers of difference, akin to a Nascent Soul stage facing a Xiantian stage opponent. Yet, Zhong Shan showed no sign of concern. Was he confident in Jian Hong, or in himself?

The main reason for Zhong Shan's calmness, however, was the unchanging pink lotus at his brow, which gave him confidence that he was not in immediate danger.

In the distance, Shen Qitian pressed his finger to his brow, and immediately a green energy emanated from him. A powerful soul pressure forced the surrounding monkeys and apes to their knees, filled with deep-rooted fear.

"Roar!"

Shen Qitian tilted his head back and let out a wild roar. The sound echoed to the heavens, dispersing countless sword rains. His eyes bulged with pain and his face contorted, while a swirling storm of dust enveloped the peak he stood on.

Nearby, Jian Hong, seeing Shen Qitian's surge in power, showed no fear. Her sword movements grew more ferocious, inflicting severe wounds on both the Monkey King and the Ape King. Her strength was overwhelming.

If not for their loyalty to their supreme leader, the two Emperor Extreme Realm powerhouses would have fled by now, for this woman was simply too terrifying.

As Shen Qitian's Beast Soul Seal unlocked, his past life's memories and cultivation poured into his current human form. The objectives and plans of his past life resurfaced, yet the release of the Beast Soul Seal also meant the end of those plans.

"Roar!"

From within the dust storm, Shen Qitian's furious roar echoed again, shattering the surrounding sword energy.

"Slash!"

Jian Hong's sword descended upon the Ape King, slicing him in two. Her blade then twisted, destroying the Ape King's spirit.

Turning her sword towards the Monkey King, the Monkey King, witnessing the Ape King's gruesome death, turned pale with fear. Initially, he believed they could hold out a bit longer, but Jian Hong's swordsmanship was too overwhelming.

In an instant, he darted towards Shen Qitian, hoping to escape. But would Jian Hong let him go? Having just slain the Ape King, the pressure on her lessened significantly, and she aimed to kill the Monkey King next.

With a swift movement, she unleashed a massive sword strike towards the Monkey King. In a panic, the Monkey King raised his club to block, confident that from several thousand meters away, the sword energy alone wouldn't defeat him.

But as the Monkey King blocked, Jian Hong's figure blurred, and she appeared right in front of him.

Her sword pierced the Monkey King's Purple Palace in the blink of an eye.

With the Monkey King's eyes wide in disbelief, her sword ran through his heart, then slashed horizontally, shredding his spirit and cutting his body in half. The lifeless body was hurled towards Shen Qitian.

At that very moment, Shen Qitian's past life memories had fully returned. His expression grew dark and profound. Seeing Jian Hong's fatal strike on the Monkey King, he was a step too late to save him, and the Monkey King was destroyed by Jian Hong's sword.

Now fully aware of his past and the present threat, Shen Qitian's expression hardened. This battle was not over, and the real confrontation was about to begin.

The corpse landing at Shen Qitian's feet added to the humiliation.

"Are you Shen Qitian?" Jian Hong asked, her eyes fixed on him with a mixture of curiosity and doubt.

Shen Qitian exuded a terrifying aura, not because of his overwhelming power but because his presence felt different from the Shen Qitian she had been hunting all these years.

Shen Qitian appeared extremely composed, his face dark and brooding as he glared at Jian Hong. A flicker of anger burned in his eyes.

"Three thousand years. I spent three thousand years planning that soul-sealing reincarnation, and you ruined it. Jian Hong, you've done well. It's been a long time since anyone has made me this furious," Shen Qitian said coldly.

"You are indeed Shen Qitian!" Jian Hong confirmed his identity.

The moment she was sure of his identity, Jian Hong swung her sword, thrusting it straight at Shen Qitian. The ferocious strike filled the air with a sharp, piercing sound.

Her sword aimed directly at Shen Qitian, embodying all her towering hatred, intending to kill him with one blow.

"Boom!"

Jian Hong's strike was met with a powerful counter from Shen Qitian's long staff, creating ripples in the space around them. Shen Qitian's staff skillfully deflected Jian Hong's attack.

Shen Qitian then swung his staff in a wide arc, bringing it down on Jian Hong with immense force. The staff grew enormously, transforming into a colossal weapon tens of thousands of feet long, bearing down on Jian Hong.

The speed and force of the strike were so overwhelming that even the mighty Jian Hong found it unavoidable. She had no choice but to meet it with her full strength.

"Boom!"

The clash of sword and staff was the collision of two formidable warriors. Shen Qitian, a supreme being from his past life with Heaven Extreme Realm cultivation, fought with ruthless ferocity. Jian Hong, known for her previous displays of overwhelming power, found herself outmatched.

Though Shen Qitian had not regained his full past-life strength, his purple-gold dragon-patterned staff unleashed its full might. The staff descended like a force of nature, creating a violet streak in the sky as it struck Jian Hong's black sword.

Jian Hong's sword energy shattered on impact. The sheer power of Shen Qitian's strike was beyond what the newly advanced Emperor Extreme Realm Jian Hong could withstand, especially with her previous injuries and her unhealed left arm.

"Boom!"

Jian Hong was smashed into the ground, creating a deep crater as she plunged below the surface.

The purple-gold dragon-patterned staff followed through, smashing into the ground with devastating force.

"Boom!"

The earth shook, sending tremors through the surrounding space. A deep chasm, a thousand feet deep, marked the impact of Shen Qitian's strike.

The massive crater not only demonstrated Shen Qitian's formidable strength but also signaled Jian Hong's peril. Even if she managed to evade the direct blow underground, the seismic force would have inflicted severe damage on her.

Shen Qitian smirked coldly, lifting his enormous staff.

As he raised his staff, the ground near him erupted. A red figure burst forth, Jian Hong. Her experience and instincts were unparalleled. She seized the moment of Shen Qitian's withdrawal to launch a counterattack. Her clothes were in tatters, her body covered in blood, displaying a wild, desperate resolve. She appeared ready to fight Shen Qitian to the death.

Her eyes blazed with madness, her every move dripping with the intent to kill. Despite her injuries, Jian Hong's fierce spirit remained unbroken, ready to clash once more with her nemesis.

"How dare you!" Shen Qitian roared in fury.

"Slash!"

Jian Hong's sword had already cut deeply into Shen Qitian's shoulder, aiming to sever it. Shen Qitian quickly dodged, but a significant amount of blood still sprayed from his wound. The sword strike had its effect, but it did not sever Shen Qitian. Jian Hong, however, paid the ultimate price for her attack.

Shen Qitian's staff appeared suddenly before Jian Hong.

"Boom!"

The purple-gold dragon-patterned staff extended, smashing through Jian Hong's heart and destroying her Purple Palace. Her body was flung far away, directly towards the direction where Zhong Shan and his group stood.

"Mother!" Jian Hong's son screamed in terror, rushing forward.

Perhaps out of sheer anger, Shen Qitian, despite being a Heaven Extreme Realm powerhouse, was wounded by this woman. His physical body was fragile, unable to withstand such injuries. The purple-gold dragon-patterned staff extended even further, delivering a devastating blow to Jian Hong. Blood sprayed from her body, and the severe injuries were clearly fatal.

Perhaps subconsciously, Shen Qitian intended to deal with Zhong Shan next, sending Jian Hong's gravely injured body flying in Zhong Shan's direction.

Zhong Shan's eyes turned cold as Shen Qitian retracted his staff, and Jian Hong's body was hurled towards them.

Reaching out, Zhong Shan caught Jian Hong's broken body.

At this moment, Jian Hong looked extremely pitiful. Her left arm was crippled, her body covered in countless wounds, blood gushing out, and her clothes were tattered. Her hair was disheveled and matted with blood, her heart shattered, her Purple Palace destroyed, and her spirit severely damaged. She was doomed.

The proud Sword God Palace's master had met such a tragic end.

Yet, despite her grievous injuries, Jian Hong showed no fear. Instead, a faint, sorrowful smile appeared on her face, and a tear glistened as it rolled down her cheek.

She had failed to avenge Xiao Wang, but perhaps she could now join him in death.

Not wanting Jian Hong's soul to dissipate, Zhong Shan immediately infused three drops of soul-consolidating liquid into her body.

"Mother!" Her son arrived, embracing Jian Hong desperately.

Meanwhile, Shen Qitian, after a burst of radiant light, had fully healed his injuries. Stepping forward, he advanced towards Zhong Shan.

The tension among Zhong Shan's group was palpable, but Zhong Shan waved them off, halting their movements.

Zhong Shan stepped forward, standing face to face with Shen Qitian across the distance.

"Shen Qitian," Zhong Shan called out, his voice cold and unwavering.

"You've come far, Zhong Shan. You've interfered in my plans for the last time," Shen Qitian said, his voice dripping with malice.

"Do you think you can win this time?" Zhong Shan replied calmly, his eyes sharp and focused.

Shen Qitian's expression darkened further. "I am not the same as before. Today, I will end you and all your meddling."

"You underestimate the power of vengeance and determination," Zhong Shan said, his voice steady and resolute.

With that, the stage was set for an imminent clash between the two formidable figures. The air was thick with tension, and the impending battle promised to be nothing short of cataclysmic.