Chapter 335: Powerful Internal Elixir Realm Warriors
Neither Ray nor Conn expected it, and they were astonished!
Then the two of them laughed loudly as if they'd just heard a hilarious joke.
Echoing their laughter, the entourage standing behind the princes laughed heartily as well.
Behind Ray, the guests guffawed, laughing so hard that some were doubled over, clutching their bellies.
Zen's threat was the funniest joke they'd ever heard.
“Did I hear him right? Did he say that he would destroy our country? My word, this boy isn't in his right mind.”
“The empire has survived many threats, and is still standing. It's strong, and will stand forever. How dare he threaten us? Has he lost his mind completely!?”
“I thought I had confidence! This man takes the cake! Ha-ha! He has so much bluster that his wind could cause a tornado!”
Even the usually serious, taciturn chief eunuch smiled, as did Hendy.
Zen was indeed a genius from the Cloud Sect, the type of genius that came once a millennium.
But, as with any title, genius, denoted potential, and not necessarily what he had already achieved.
Many geniuses were born into the world every year, but, few endured long enough to mature into seasoned warriors because it was the age of survival of the fittest!
A few worked to make their way up towards the top, whereas the rest blended into the crowd, or worse yet, became nothing more than a heap of bones on the ground. The world might be full of opportunities, but it also demanded precise moves. One wrong step could mean doom, on any given day. A genius would be wise to maintain a low profile if he wanted to survive. As a fledgling, which Zen was, he'd made a grave mistake.
Because the Burning Sky Empire was like a huge monster. It was the largest, and strongest empire in the Eastern Region, making this a superpower to be reckoned with.
On the grander scale, there were more prominent countries than the Burning Sky, and, no country could remain the most powerful in this big, evil world.
And one day, doom was bound to befall the empire, but not at Zen's hands.
In order to destroy the Burning Sky Empire, Zen would need to be as formidable, if not stronger, as Kenneth, and as far as Ray and Conn could see, that was a slim to none possibility. Zen had the same odds of being as powerful as Kenneth, as being struck by lightning walking down the street, on a bright, sunny day.
Ray sighed loudly and said, “Zen, I was about to draw you over to my side. But, I see now that you are brainless, so, I give up!”
Conn shook his head and echoing the sentiment, added, “Normally, anyone bold enough to offend either of us would be dead by now. You aren't like them though. Since you are about to submit yourself to the Test of the Cloud Road, you won't be killed. However, you do need to be taught a lesson!”
At that, the chief eunuch stepped from behind Conn with an explosion of power bursting from within him, building around him, and billowing like endless sea waves.
As the pressure continued to increase, it rose above the level an Illuminating Soul warrior possessed, and everyone there became overwhelmed with the crushing force, particularly, Zen.
Now Zen realized that the eunuch was stronger than he'd initially thought. Instead of being at the consummation stage of Illuminating Soul Realm, this guy was an expert warrior at the Internal Elixir Realm.
The Internal Elixir Realm was a level Zen hadn't learned much about, yet.
And the only warrior Zen knew who was at the Internal Elixir Realm was Kenneth.
It had been just the other day that Zen had witnessed Kenneth's strength in battle. Kenneth's destructive power shocked the entire Cloud Sect population when he threw a single strike, which eliminated Saint Viana as he attempted to escape, and turned him into a pile of charred, bloody entrails and flesh.
Although Zen presumed the eunuch's strength was the same as Kenneth's, the eunuch didn't strike at Zen. Alternatively, the eunuch used his energy, building it to crush Zen's soul.
The intense pressure exerted weighted Zen down and it felt as though he was sinking in a large lake with thousands of pounds of cold water, where the force made it impossible for him to breathe.
Concurrently, Hendy moved, releasing his hidden strengths, and forcing a tremendous amount of pressure onto Zen.
As Zen felt the intensity, he determined Hendy was a warrior at the Internal Elixir Realm too.
Albeit, there were subtle differences in the strength wielded by each assailant. If the eunuch's force was like the rippling, icy-cold lake, then, Hendy's was a high mountain, falling on Zen's soul with brutal intensity.
Together, the two were a savage pair, and most opponents crumbled quickly. If Zen had been an ordinary warrior, he'd be dead by now!
The impact of the pressure each attacker forced onto Zen challenged his soul, while it tortured his physical form.
Having a body forged and enhanced like an indestructible fortress meant it was easier for Zen to deal with bodily harm. And while he could virtually ignore the corporeality pressure exerted on him, the real difficulty was the weight pushing against him mentally.
“Zen!” Aura called out in an anxiety-ridden voice. Even if the two masters promised not to hurt Zen physically, they could decimate him mentally, which would cause more damage than any physical attack, and yet, wouldn't be violating the rules.
She was worried, but, she couldn't do anything about it.
What could she do though? When Zen was faced with Vale, she used her title as a deterrence.
When Zen was attacked by the saints, she helped him out again, by utilizing her position and power to resolve the dilemma.
Now though, there wasn't any way for her to help him!
Her current situation was complicated. She wasn't able to fend for herself because her brothers looked down on her while her title and position were nothing special to them. How could she deter her brothers and their escorts to help Zen?
Her eyes grew large, brimming with anxiety, but she was helpless.
Aura stamped her foot in nervous anger. Just when she would have acted rashly, she felt Zen's arm seize hers. She looked over and saw Zen shaking his head, before giving her a calming tranquil glance, even though the pressure pushing in on him was so intense that he couldn't make a sound.
When Aura saw the look in his eyes, she was dumbfounded. She knew that he was silently telling her he would endure and not to worry.
Zen's soul was firmer and stronger than most fighters. All this time, Zen had defeated many fighters, not only warriors that were the same rank as him, but the ones who were above him, at the preliminary stages of Illuminating Soul Realm.
But strong as his soul was, it wasn't stronger than that of an Internal Elixir Realm warrior. When a fighter entered the Internal Elixir Realm, he was addressed as an expert and treated respectfully throughout the Eastern Region. The Internal Elixir Realm warriors were representative of the elite martial art warriors that the Eastern Region offered. And when they used their might against Zen, it was a stiff trial.
“Cra-aa-ck!”
Under the immense pressure, Zen's soul began to shudder. Subconsciously, his voice vibrated in his throat. Still, he gazed at Aura with comforting warmth.
Aura could sense the agony he felt though, and looking in his eyes, she saw his pain deep in there. She knew Zen was close to the brink of destruction and failure. Zen was indeed the genius who took first place in the All Peaks Competition, and he did it even though he was at the nature level. Still, there were warriors at the Illuminating Soul Realm and also the Internal Elixir Realm above the nature creatures.
Next to them, Zen might as well have been an ant. He'd been proud of the intensity of his soul, but, it was no longer an advantage. It was just a matter of time before he was beaten, and crushed until only ashes remained.
Aura took Zen's hand in silence and squeezed it so tightly that her knuckles began to turn white from the force.
She had the urge to kneel before her half-brothers and beg them to let Zen go.
Experience had taught her that no amount of pleading with them would work though. There wasn't much family affection in the royal family, and they'd endangered themselves before struggling with each other. The only way that her brothers would listen was if Aura offered something that they were interested in having.
What should she do though? How could she possibly help? Desperately racking her brain for an idea, Aura began to feel overwhelmed, and couldn't recall ever feeling so vulnerable and fragile. Her eyes welled up with tears.
Alongside Aura, Zen's soul shook more violently and was on the verge of giving way. If his soul disintegrated, he would never recover his sanity, and he'd be an idiot forever.
The chief eunuch and Hendy reined in their assault when they saw how close Zen was to the edge, allowing him a small respite. Since they were aware if Zen suffered irreversible damage, it would aggravate Kenneth and bring trouble to the two princes, they didn't want that to happen.
Suddenly, a thunderous laugh was heard in the sky above them.
“Ha-ha-ha! Bullying my disciple, what powerful Internal Elixir Realm warriors you two must be! Shame on you!”
As soon as the newcomer finished speaking, an invisible force spread and enveloped Zen. The barrier of protection stopped the storm of pressure from falling on him, ricocheting it back at Hendy and the chief eunuch.
Hurt by the injuries the two got from the rebounding, they groaned and turned pale. The eunuch suffering more retreated a few paces. The two of them stared at the newcomer with disbelief.
“Boom!”
As the colossal figure, he slammed into the ground from the air, and his feet crushed the stone tiling.
Standing in front of them was an unshakable mountain of a man!
“Master Shi!” Aura's eyes glistened as she shouted joyfully.
Kenneth nodded in acknowledgement before he gave Zen a glance and asked, “You still alive over there?”
Zen bobbed his head and took a deep breath. The color returned to his face quickly and he was able to think straight. Only moments ago, he'd been at a critical juncture and thought his soul would give out.
In his mind, the cyan dragon gave his head a slight disapproving shake and said to himself, 'His soul is always absolutely safe with me here.'
The dragon was still too weak to remain awake for long since the Killing Sword Mountain, and had been sleeping soundly earlier. When Zen was attacked, and the pressure became unbearable, the cyan dragon woke up, and, even though he remained silent, he watched Zen and his two opponents. But, the cyan dragon was only there to observe and didn't intend to rush to his aid because Zen needed to overcome every obstacle on his own.
Zen might be gifted, intelligent, and blessed, but for him to be truly strong, he needed to be able to manage alone. Outside forces, after all, would be another's power, and Zen couldn't rely on others all the time.
Since there was a light-ray within the furnace that was capable of repairing any soul damage, instantly, the cyan dragon planned on waiting until Zen's soul had been disintegrated.
Unfortunately, Kenneth interrupted his plans when he suddenly appeared, saved Zen, and prevented Zen's soul from disintegrating.
Actually, Kenneth had been there, watching for some time too. He hadn't showed himself until a critical point came and Zen was about to fail.
Of course, Kenneth didn't know that the cyan dragon was in Zen and could have saved him at the last minute. So, to ensure that Zen didn't end up mindless, he needed to step in and help. After all, Zen was the most significant disciple participating in the Cloud Road Test. Therefore, Kenneth needed to prevent any accidents from befalling him, especially any that would damage his soul and leave him an idiot forever.
This was why he had shown up, and forced the two attackers to retreat.