Chapter 117 - Two Swords in Perfect Harmony!
At that moment, the tempestuous azure storm on the Heaven Burial Sword Soul suddenly dissipated. All returned to silence.
Yet, the Forbidden Arena, littered with skeletal remains and the kneeling, headless bodies of thousands, was a sight that the tens of thousands of onlookers would never forget!
Inside the Forbidden Tower arena, an eerie quiet reigned. Outside, not a peep could be heard. Every eye was fixed on the young man in white. With hearts racing, many recoiled a few steps, their faces gone pale as sheets. Their prior dealings with him in the Sea of Swords hadn't endeared him to them. Yet now, they were scared, truly awed.
Yun Xiao saw the tens of thousands of anxious eyes and said, “That fear is just right! You all should fear me!” Respect might last a moment. Fear, however, could last a lifetime.
“Remember this scene. Anyone who dares harm my comrades from the Azure Spirit Sword Sect will meet this fate!”
The path of a cultivator wasn't one of charity.
When Yun Xiao cast his gaze outside, it felt as if the hearts of tens of thousands simultaneously stopped, their faces turning to offer him a nervous, awkward smile. Cold sweat drenched the backs of the multitudes.
“Rightfully so, the Forbidden Tower issued a kill order on Yun Xiao to protect Ye Guying. Everyone was after him, and so he razed the tower. Makes sense to me!”
“The Sword Lord, seeking his sword bone, betrayed Yun Xiao's trust. Then those four thousand Sword Heaven Sword Cultivators, discarding all sense of righteousness, sought Yun Xiao's life. They got what they deserved!”
Without Yun Xiao uttering a word, these masses raised a banner of justice on his behalf. He was now the righteous avenger. However, had he been torn apart by wild swords today, within mere moments, he would have been painted as a reckless youth, challenging authority with the audacity of an ant.
Such was reality. The strong, the victors, dictated the narrative. To silence others, one had to pierce their tongue with a sword.
With Yun Xiao's strike, it felt as if he had stabbed into the throats of these tens of thousands, each feeling the taste of fresh blood in their mouths. Folks like Madam Qian, Ning Yan, Elder Wang, and others were genuinely elated. Others, including a group from the Ning Family and the newly arrived Sword Heaven cultivators, just stood there, feeling a cold chill at their necks...
Had they made the wrong choice half an hour ago, their heads would now be rolling on the ground. The Forbidden Arena was littered with mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.
"The thing is..." someone whispered, "the divine power in Yun Xiao's sword seems to have vanished..."
"Had he used that power against the Sword Lord or the Tower Lord just now, those two would already be pushing daisies. Those five thousand Sword Cultivators wouldn't even need to fight; they'd likely run in terror."
"Why would he go to the extreme of slaughtering five thousand men? It's like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut."
Even in their reverence for Yun Xiao, folks were baffled.
The Sword Lord and the Tower Lord were just as puzzled.
When Yun Xiao went on his rampant killing spree, their faces drained of color. Only realizing that the dark azure storm around Yun Xiao was weakening did they not flee. But now, everything seemed to have returned to some semblance of normalcy. The only problem? Nearly all of their supporters were dead.
The Sword Lord and Tower Lord exchanged a deep look.
"Ye Guying might need some more time," the Tower Lord remarked, looking up at the sky which hinted at the coming of dawn. "Lil Feng, it seems we're back to our younger days, fighting side by side, ready to stake it all."
"Let's do it," the Sword Lord responded, his voice raspy, his eyes bloodthirsty. The jovial, carefree man who loved a good drink was nowhere to be seen.
"It's fine, it's fine..." Xiao Xue'er, the only one left by their side, said in a feeble voice. "In terms of raw combat strength, Yun Xiao is no match for you two! Kill him, and I'll go after that Zhao—"
Before she could finish, a streak of sword light flashed. THUD! Her head landed in the Tower Lord's hands.
In the distance, a young man gripped his Flying Sword, pointing its tip at the Sword Lord and Tower Lord, his gaze defiant. "You two so-called mighty leaders of the Sea of Swords, dare you face me together in death?"
The Tower Lord's hands trembled, staring at Xiao Xue'er's head. With her death, the thousand-year legacy of the Forbidden Tower boiled down to just him and Ye Guying. His heart wasn't just bleeding. It was gushing. This was an undying enmity, a towering hatred.
"Has Yun Xiao become too cocky? If you really count raw strength, both the Sword Lord and Tower Lord are in the Late Sovereign Dragon Realm. Rumor has it they both possess nine-thousand-year-old Sword Rings. They rose to power by slaughtering their way to the top. Facing them one on one is already challenging, but taking on both? That's a tad too overconfident," Ancestor Ning commented shakily.
"Enough with the talking, or I fear we'll have egg on our faces again!" Ning Que snapped at his father.
"..." Ancestor Ning merely sighed and said no more. Even if doubt gnawed at him, he, too, was wary of the embarrassment of being proven wrong.
"If Yun Xiao prevails..." Ancestor Ning's voice was ragged, "we'll bow to him immediately and arrange for Lil Yan to wed into the Azure Spirit Sword Sect. From then on, in the Sea of Swords, only our Ning Family will stand as the supreme household."
"But that hinges on whether Zhao Jianxing even wants Lil Yan," Ning Que interjected, "They barely know each other!"
"It's fine! They have... a child." Ancestor Ning cast an appreciative glance at the lady in the black gown. "My granddaughter, a result of our distinguished lineage. Just look at her! Had she grown up in Sword Heaven, she wouldn't just be limited to the Establishment Divine Sea Realm. She'd be a Sword Princeling at the very least."
Ning Que, clearly exasperated, pointed out, "You do realize this girl's life is still in danger, right...?!" As the words left his mouth, a mischievous little black beast appeared from seemingly nowhere, sneakily snapping the chains holding the woman in the black gown.
Ning Que's heart leapt into his throat. "Father, Lil Yan! To the rescue!" he commanded.
Without hesitation, Ning Yan and Ancestor Ning darted towards the Forbidden Tower's shadow, taking advantage of the momentary distraction of the Sword Lord and the Tower Lord who were preoccupied with Yun Xiao.
Just as the two powerful lords took a step forward, the Ning Trio intercepted them.
"My daughter...!" Ning Yan cried, rushing forward, tears glistening. She embraced the lady, who showed a flash of annoyance at seeing her but understood the urgency of the moment.
The trio swiftly whisked her away, under the very noses of the distracted lords.
"Ning Family!" The Sword Lord spun around, fury evident in his gaze. "You dare to oppose me? Once this whelp is taken care of, I'll settle the score with your entire household!"
Ning Yan shot back, dripping with scorn, "Lin Qingfeng, you're nothing but a decaying, poisoned old fool. You can't even protect your own family and you have the nerve to threaten us? How long do you even have left to live?"
"You..." Stung by the words, the Sword Lord's face darkened, a storm brewing in his eyes. Overwhelmed by murderous intent, he and the Tower Lord knew one thing. They had to kill Yun Xiao or their reputation and legacies would be forever tarnished, reduced to mere jest.
By killing Yun Xiao, the two at least had a chance to take back control of the situation. There was no turning back now!
Fortunately, Yun Xiao might have succeeded in his rescue, but he showed no intention of leaving. The moment he ensured his beloved Zhao Xuanran was safe, the boulder in his heart settled. From then on, all he saw when he looked at the Sword Lord and Tower Lord, amid the power fluctuations from the top floor of the Forbidden Tower, were targets for his blade!
THUD THUD THUD! Yun Xiao advanced, stepping over the bodies of Sword Heaven and the Forbidden Tower's fallen, marching towards the two true powerhouses of the Sea of Swords.
The wisest course would've been to wipe them out with the Sword Heart, but Yun Xiao wasn’t about wisdom today!
It wasn’t merely because he intended to finish off five thousand souls; it was the indomitable belief in his heart that guided him. Throughout his journey, aside from his battle with Lin Chen, he’d met no worthy adversary...
The Rebirth of the Creator Immortal spanned a mere fourteen days! From the very start, cutting through the Azure Spirit Sword Sect, piercing the Sea of Swords, he’d ended up right beneath this Forbidden Tower! With no influential background, not born with a silver spoon or a powerful lineage, no mentors, and no fancy connections, he still rose against the odds, unbeaten at every turn. This was true invincibility!
Now, these two long-standing overlords finally posed a challenge. And what a challenge it was! The pressure was immense, and Yun Xiao craved a straightforward, no-nonsense fight. Clad in white, sword in hand, and standing atop countless foes, he’d finally earned this battle.
Fortunately, the Sword Lord and Tower Lord didn’t disappoint. When the battle was back on an even keel, the two, driven by boundless fury and grudges, showed no hint of fear or distortion in their intentions.
HUM HUM! Their gaze was cold as ice, and standing side by side, they unleashed their swords in near unison, blanketing Yun Xiao with a torrent of sword energy and murderous intent.
The Sword Lord’s sword, much like Lin Chen’s, was a pristine white Upper Planet grade Holy Radiance Sword Soul, adorned with fifty-nine layers of Sword Aura. The Tower Lord's Sword Soul, on the other hand, was a spectacle of violet and crimson. Violet lightning rolled around it, while crimson flames scorched its surface—a rare dual-element Thunder Flame Sword Soul with sixty layers of Sword Aura.
Before the emergence of two monstrous talents, Yun Xiao and Ye Guying, their Sword Auras were hailed as the top two in the Sea of Swords! Even more terrifying than their Sword Auras were the Sword Rings adorning their blades.
Each had two. Four in total, all forged from nine-thousand-year-old demons. These ancient demons, now in the Sovereign Body Realm, no longer possessed their Demon Cores. Instead, their entire bodies were refined and crystallized into Blood Crystals, forming the so-called Blood Crystal Sword Rings. A Blood Crystal, born of an entire demon's flesh and essence, naturally boasted greater power than a mere Demon Core.
Each man had two nine-thousand year-old Blood Crystal Sword Rings. This was the arsenal of the two mightiest beings in the Sea of Swords, surpassing talents like Lin Chen and Great Elders like Xiao Yuan.
These two lords, while seemingly adversaries, were in fact long-time friends. The Sword Lord's Sword Rings wielded the power of wind and water, invoking the demon magic Heavenly Tempest and Earthly Ocean Surge. On the other hand, the Tower Lord's Sword Rings commanded fire and lightning, known as White Abyssal Flame and Violet Lightning Seal.
Their swords danced, bringing forth elemental chaos. One sword churned the seas and whipped up storms, while the other brought forth roaring thunder and searing flames.
These four Sword Rings, while not as potent as Yun Xiao's earlier dark azure storm, were several times more formidable than his Thousand Waters Lure and Ghostly Inferno.
BOOM BOOM! With the Sword Lord on the left and the Tower Lord on the right, they encircled Yun Xiao.
"To think that two such powerhouses would team up against a youngster!"
"We're witnessing history here..."
What defined a peerless prodigy? This was it. While the world outside buzzed with chatter, the three combatants within this Forbidden Arena only had eyes for the dance of swords, their gazes burning red.
"Attack!" With the Sword Lord's sword cutting through like a raging storm and the Tower Lord's like a hellfire of lightning, their synchronized strikes and unparalleled teamwork lunged forward in a deadly assault!
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