Dragon's Soul Chapter 178: Ah, My Back!!

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"Be gone… I will not be dragged into your fight." Zhang's voice reverberated through the air as he unleashed his powers and exerted a heavy pressure across the area around him choking and compressing upon the group of men dressed in red robes that were charging toward him and the beauties.

As the pressure that Zhang released enveloped them the disciples of the Sun Hall Sect stopped in their tracks and stood motionless in the air. Realizing that Zhang was, in fact, a saint and upon having an unbelievable amount of force pressing at them from all sides, they knew that they were absolutely no match for Zhang.

"It seems our sources were wrong and there's actually one more saint than expected, not that it matters since the addition of a single small fry doesn't mean a thing when we've brought twice the number of people they have." Grand Elder Huo Yan of the Sun Hall Sect snickered as he waved his hand and signaled for a few lesser saints and a full Saint to descend toward where Zhang was.

"I'll handle them, everyone else head toward where the fortress and stay a safe distance away from the fighting." Zhang said as his gazed shifted from each one of the beauties and to the faces of some of the elite guard. As things were it was likely impossible for them to avoid being dragged into the battle so the best option for Zhang was to have his people and his wives leave so if needed he could escape on his own without having to be slowed down by moving in a large group of people.

"Come back soon or else I won't save any leftovers for you to eat." Ai said before following the others who had begun to move according to Zhang's orders.

"Collect their corpses for me, although we won't get much heavenly energy from the lesser saints absorbing a few full saints may allow us to break through." Yuying said as she tossed the Ruler's Domain Ring to Zhang so he could store away the corpses of the saints that he manages to slay.

As the beauties and elite guard began to depart, Zhang launched himself through the air and toward the group of saints that were aiming to attack him. 

A total of twelve lesser saints and a full saint descended and surrounded Zhang from all sides once they met in midair. 

Since trying to talk his way out of the current situation wasn't an option, with a thought he condensed two crystal blades using the power of the Underworld Heart and rushed toward the nearest lesser saint while extruding an intense amount of bloodlust that caused all of his opponents to be taken back.

Although Zhang lacked the fundamental basics that were taught to every disciple of a sect, although the number of techniques he knew could be counted with the number of fingers that a person possesses, what he did have was a vast amount of combat experience and an immeasurable amount of bloodlust that most people apart of sects did not.

As members of prestigious sects there was no real reason to engage in mass slaughter or fight to the bitter end time and time again, but as a general of an army who had carved out an empire from the ashes and corpses of hundreds of thousands of enemies, Zhang's hands were stained red by the blood of the countless people who fell to his blade.

"Thank you for your belongings." Zhang said in a merry tune as arrived behind a lesser saint and plunged his twin swords into the man's back. As the delicate looking crystal blades pierced through the lesser saint's body, with a twist of his hands Zhang not only bisected his victim's body into two but also decapitated the man before anyone could intervene. 

With his kill secured, Zhang activated the power of the Ruler's Domain and in a flash deposited the fallen saint's body away before speeding toward another enemy. 

Realizing how powerful Zhang was the saints of the Sun Hall Sect backed off and created some distance between themselves and Zhang while falling into formation.  

Simultaneously they all pointed their swords at Zhang and lashed out with purplish colored flames in the shape of fierce lions. As the purplish lion shaped flames charged through the sky and toward Zhang, his cape that acted as a gate into the abyss fluttered and began to expand. 

Before long the cape wrapped around Zhang's entire body as dozens of Abyssal Eagles shot out from the darkness and collided with the purplish lion shapes flames.

Once the Abyssal beasts collided with the flames, they were instantly returned to the shadows while also scattering the purplish flames causing hundreds of fist sizes flames to shower down from the sky before dissipating.

"Initiate the Heaven Scorcher Formation!" Someone yelled, prompting the members of the Sun Hall Sect that were surrounding Zhang to fill the sky with fire. 

Eleven torrents of flame shot into the heavens and the toward the earth as Zhang found himself within a ring of scorching flames. The combined heat generated by the saints apart of the formation burned away the air and ignited a sea of fire on the ground that threatened to turn Zhang into ashes.

"I guess now would be the best time to use that technique since they don't have vision on me any longer due to the walls of fire." Zhang though as eleven slits through space appeared around him.

Employing the second ability granted to him by the Dragon Heart Necklace, Zhang plunged his swords into the eleven slits that cut through space one after the other.

"As you can see like that small fry there, you all will fall one after the other." Grand Elder Huo Yan of the Sun Hall Sect said in a snicker as he watched the dancing flames conjured by his subordinates. 

While smiles appeared on all of the faces of the saints of the Sun Hall Sect and Earthly Palace Sect, scowls appeared on the faces of the saints of the Lunar Sect.

Being in the desperate situation they were, seeing a possible ally fall was rather disheartening.

"I didn't practically like him but dragging an innocent bystander into our battle leaves a bad taste in my mouth." Grand Elder Du Zhao said with a sigh.

"Looks could be deceiving, what appears to be defeat may actually be a victory." Grand Elder Hua Xiong said as the torrent of flames that shot into the heavens began to dwindle.

As the towering flames evaporated, the group of eleven saints from the Sun Hall Sect could be seen levitating in midair before their bodies slumped downward and they began to fall out of the skies.

But before any of them crashed onto the ground, small portals opened up underneath them and deposited their corpses into the Ruler's Domain.

Flabbergasted everyone had a face filled with shock besides Grand Elder Hua Xiong.

"Since I was involuntarily dragged into their battle, I might as well make them compensate my wasted time." Zhang said as his gaze was focused on the chaotic battle taking place between the disciples of the three sects.

Hundreds of demonic beasts, flying war chariots, and countless attacks littered the sky but all Zhang saw were thousands of money bags that were ripe for the picking. 

With money signs in his eyes, Zhang shot through the air with his weapons ready to strike down everyone in his path. 

"Little friend, ten thousand essence stones and ten war chariots along with anything you manage to collect off of the enemies you kill of you agree to help us." Grand Elder Hua Xiong said with a smile. 

"Deal!" Zhang's voice could be heard as hundreds of thousands of arrows instantaneously were withdrew from his interspatial ring and appeared in the air.

"Since I was going to kill them all anyway." Zhang thought as a wicked grin crept onto his face before he waved his hand and made a sea of arrows pierce through the sky. 

As the arrows screamed across the air blocking out the sun, the disciples of the three sects all ceased what they were doing and either fled or tried to shield themselves. Seeing that all of their disciples may end up dead the saints of the Sun Hall and Earthly Palace sect had the entirety of their attention stolen, giving the saints of the Lunar Sect an opportunity to turn things around.

"Although they too were worried about their disciples, since Zhang's attack was on such a massive scale, Grand Elder Hua Xiong had secretly used his divine sense to reassure them not to worry.

So while some of the saints who were from the Sun Hall or Earthly Palace tried to break off and save their disciples, they found themselves instead being bombarded by attacks from the Lunar Sect.

Sword auras constructed out of essence, blades of wind, shards of ice and a wide variety of other attacks were employed as the saints of the Lunar Sect went on the offensive. Despite being outnumbered two to one, if their task was only to stall for time then the saints of the Lunar Sect were more than capable of doing so.

Left without means to aid their disciples without possibly risking their own lives, the saints of the two sects were forced to watch as the hundreds of thousands of arrows under Zhang's control descend. 

As the arrows rained downward, the disciples of the Lunar Sect found themselves relatively safe as none of them were hit by any arrows. In the meantime, the disciples of the other two sects were literally pelted.

Try to flee as they might, the area encompassed by Zhang's attack was too large and the speed of the arrows which were boosted by the power of a saint was too fast. So besides the powerful, the brave souls who stood their ground and repelled the arrows and the lucky few, all of the people in the Sun Hall Sect and Heavenly Palace sect who tried to flee was run through by hundreds of arrows and a few mithril tipped ballista bolts mixed in for good measure.

"Although the storm of arrows ended, I'm only getting started." Zhang said as the Abyssal Cape encompassed him and the area around him in a ball of darkness.

Seeing this pitch black ball everyone began to trembling with fear.

"Wa-wa-what is that." A few people cried, regardless if they were Zhang's targets of not.

As if replying to their questions, the pitch black ball began to emit a deafening babble of screams, roars, and screeches that echoes all the way to the heavens. Adding to everyone's terror and disbelief were hundreds if not thousands of gleaming blood red eyes that seemed to gaze into one's very soul. 

"Everyone flee!" A disciple of the Heavenly Palace screamed, but to no avail, because a living nightmare began before anyone could even move. 

Beasts, ghouls, ghosts, demons, and horror of all shapes and sizes began to fly out from the darkness and attack everyone but the members of the Lunar Sect.

Bodies and limbs were torn and ripped to shreds as blood began to rain down on the burning forest below. Although thousands of people had died no bodies fell to the ground, this was because they were collected into the Ruler's Domain much like the bodies of the saints that Zhang had slain. 

As disciples of prestigious sects, everyone was in possession of valuable cultivation resources and rare magical treasures, being who he is, Zhang, of course, would not let any of these spoils slip out of his hands.

"Hahaha, it seems we won't be the ones to suffer a loss today but rather it will be you!" Grand Elder Du Zhao laughed as he dropped the lifeless corpse of a lesser saint, whose skull was crushed, into the ground.

"If you think killing some of our disciples means that you'll avoid death then you've sadly mistaken." A grand elder of the Heavenly Palace sect roared as he led a group of saints toward Grand Elder Du Zhao with bloodshot eyes.

"Twerp! Kill off all of their disciples and help me take the heads of these bastards and let alone ten thousand essence stones, I'll give you twenty thousand essence stones." Grand Elder Du Zhao said in a merry tune as if he forgot about his interactions with Zhang prior to being ambushed.

"Thirty thousand and you got a deal!" Zhang replied.

"What the?! You accepted my senior brother's offer of only ten thousand stones but not my offer of twenty thousand?" Du Zhao said with a puzzled face.

"I sort of used up a bit too much of my strength so if I were to continue helping you guys I might put my life at risk. Ah, my back it hurts..." Zhang said as he pretended that he was suffering from back pain.

"Twenty-five thousand…" Grand Elder Du Zhao said with a sigh. 

"Owe my wrist… I think only forty thousand essence stones would suffice now." Zhang said as he rubbed his left wrist.

"I'll give you fifty thousand essence stone and forgive you for killing our disciples if you kill all of the people from the Lunar Sect!" Grand Elder Huo Yan of the Sun Hall Sect said as he tossed an interspatial ring at Zhang.

"Hmmm, fifty thousand essence stones…" Zhang said as he stored away the ring. 

"I'll take this fifty thousand as payment to cancel my deal with him." Zhang said as he looked at Grand Elder Hua Xiong with a smile.

"I bid you all a good day and it was a pleasure doing business with you all." Zhang said as he began to fly away now that no one was really trying to attack him any longer after seeing his display of power.

"Little friend before you go I have a few words of advice for you. If he has enough essence stones to simply give you fifty thousand stones without batting an eye, then I'm sure you can get much more if you robbed him." Grand Elder Hua Xiong said with a smile.

"Your right!" Zhang said with twinkling eyes.

"Then the same goes for them!" Grand Elder Huo Yan of the Sun Hall Sect said.

"There isn't anything for him to gain from us." Grand Elder Hua Xiong said with a laugh as he took off the golden colored interspatial he wore on his finger and tossed it to Zhang. Following his example soon all of the saints of the Lunar Sect gave Zhang their interspatial rings.

After storing away, a dozen interspatial rings Zhang was left with a wide grin on his face as he imagined all of the loot he had just acquired, however, what he didn't know was that most of the time when saints from the Lunar Sect went out into the ousted world they would leave most of their belongings within the sect.

"I'll even make things easier for you to decide. Activate the Lunar Singularity Sphere Formation!" Grand Elder Hua Xiong said as he lifted his hand into the air and released a pulse of essence.

Alone this pulse of essence did not amount to much but while no one was paying attention, a few of the other saints of the Lunar Sect had actually repositioned themselves and created a large ring around the saints of the Sun Hall and Earthly Palace. 

As the saints of the Lunar Sect released pulses of essence and activated their spell formation, a silver colored transparent sphere slowly formed and enveloped them and the saints of the other sect. Within the sphere, all of the saints other than those of the Lunar Sect were being bombarded but thousands upon thousands of pulses of essence that would travel through their bodies and assault their innards.

But they did not sustain too much damage before the saints of the Sun Hall and Earthly Palace banded together to create a defensive spell formation that the pulses could not break through.

"Decide quickly we won't be able to hold on for long." Grand Elder Hua Xiong yellowed toward Zhang.

Chapter end