Chapter 787: Sword from Grand Void
"What?"
Zhou Liu was startled, thinking, what a bizarre Demonic Technique.
"Hoo—"
Ke Huai frowned slightly: "Are you ready?"
"It’s really hard for me to deal with it alone, I need to conserve my strength for escaping later."
"Mm."
Yang Kaijun hummed softly, then slowly stood up: "I’m ready."
The originally huge Devilish Qi phantom now condensed and shrunk, transforming into six purple demonic lights that extended from behind Yang Kaijun.
His entire body was covered in a cloak of Devilish Qi, and even his eyes had turned light purple.
Bang!
Yang Kaijun took a step, and his figure instantly vanished.
A warning bell rang in Zhou Liu’s heart, and he swiftly dodged in all directions.
Barely evading a pair of demonic palms, Zhou Liu hadn’t even stabilized himself in the air before he activated his golden Talisman and counter-attacked again.
One of the purple demonic lights, like a swimming snake, deftly dodged the Sword Qi strike and directly lunged at the Flying Sword itself.
"Tsk."
Yang Kaijun exhaled through his nose.
He formed hand seals, and the Devilish Qi surging around him suppressed the spiritual light of the golden Talisman, eroding Zhou Liu’s mind inch by inch.
Zhou Liu only felt his Divine Soul tremble violently, and the circulation of his true essence became sluggish and difficult.
His Natal Sword Talisman, which he had once wielded with ease, now felt as heavy as a thousand jun, its spiritual essence greatly diminished, and its light rapidly dimmed.
"Pfft!"
With his mind injured and his true essence backfiring, Zhou Liu suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his body staggering backward.
The excruciating pain from the Devilish Qi’s erosion penetrated his bones, as if countless tiny demonic insects were gnawing at his Meridians.
But before he could pull himself away, Ke Huai’s attack was already upon him.
The bone whip, with a whistling sound, struck fiercely at the gaps in his spiritual energy circulation and the weak points of his protective spiritual armor.
It pierced through his body, disturbing his mind.
The golden protective light around him was being worn away inch by inch by the bone whip. He could only dodge and parry in a desperate manner, his protective light shield now flickering erratically, on the verge of shattering.
Ke Huai sneered, his speed increasing. Yang Kaijun’s six demonic lights weaved through the battlefield.
The two cooperated seamlessly. The vast and powerful Devilish Qi of a Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivator was far beyond what ordinary Cultivators could compare to.
The more Zhou Liu fought, the more alarmed and stifled he felt.
His spiritual energy was abundant, his Spells were sharp, and he had his Natal Talisman Seed, yet under the opponent’s airtight cooperation, he was completely at a disadvantage.
The two opponents’ combat experience clearly surpassed his.
"Get lost!"
Zhou Liu’s eyes were bloodshot, almost insane.
He couldn’t accept being suppressed like this by two stray dogs!
His fury made him burst forth with all his strength, forming hand seals repeatedly, unleashing one powerful Spell after another without restraint.
"Heh heh, pathetic."
Just as he struggled to maintain his stance, demonic flames surged around Ke Huai, transforming into a sinister black shadow that appeared beside Zhou Liu.
The bone whip was suddenly covered in dense black-purple scales, carrying a bone-chilling cold, and stabbed out fiercely.
Bang!
After another direct hit, Zhou Liu spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and his protective spiritual light finally completely dissipated.
He flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the rubble and ruins, raising a cloud of dust!
"Leave us whole bodies?"
Ke Huai leisurely strolled over and stepped on Zhou Liu’s wrist as he tried to prop himself up.
A crisp sound of bone cracking rang out.
"Ah—!"
Zhou Liu let out a shrill scream.
Ke Huai bent down, grabbed his hair, and lifted Zhou Liu’s head.
"Is this the strength of the younger generation in Chu State...?"
Ke Huai’s face came very close, staring at Zhou Liu’s pained, twisted face, and he let out a mocking laugh.
"Tsk tsk tsk... completely rotten, aren’t you."
Zhou Liu’s eyes were about to burst from their sockets; he wanted to curse back, but his entire body’s Meridians felt like they were tearing apart, his spiritual energy was dispersed, and his mind, especially, had been repeatedly tormented by the bone whip and Devilish Qi. The intense pain almost made him faint.
An unprecedented sense of defeat and fear of death now swept through his entire body.
Yang Kaijun’s voice was cold and emotionless: "Kill him, take his Talisman Seed, and let’s leave quickly."
Ke Huai raised an eyebrow, also knowing that now was not the time to torment his prey: "Little friend, pay more attention in your next life."
The surrounding Devilish Qi instantly condensed into a demonic claw, reaching towards Zhou Liu’s Dantian.
Zhou Liu tried to struggle, but the Devilish Qi was like a maggot in the bone, not only suppressing the spiritual energy in his body but also continuously eroding his will and mind along the Talisman Seed.
Just as the demonic claw was about to pierce Zhou Liu’s Dantian and extract his Talisman Seed... Buzz—
A black and white spiritual light streaked across the sky above the ruins. Ke Huai instantly felt a strong warning and retreated backward.
The playful, cat-and-mouse expression on his face instantly froze, replaced by a hint of solemnity.
Ke Huai pulled back.
Yang Kaijun’s originally calm eyes showed a faint surge of anger.
"If you hadn’t said those few useless words, by now, we would have already taken the Talisman Seed and left."
"..."
Ke Huai ignored him, looking up at the sky.
He saw a black and white Flying Sword plunged directly into the ruins, with Sword Qi surging around it. A crow flapped its wings and landed on the sword hilt.
"Caw—!"
At the same time, four other Flying Swords, dragging trails of sword shadows, slowly descended at the four cardinal directions of the Yang Family.
The smoke and clouds slowly dissipated, and a figure appeared above the ruins.
The person was dressed in a black and gold Daoist robe, with an ancient black and white sword box on his back.
His gaze swept across the entire ruins: the severely wounded and dying Zhou Liu, two familiar faces exuding dense Devilish Qi, and several broken bodies on the ground that had long lost their life, with the air permeated by a strong smell of blood and Devilish Qi.
His gaze finally settled on Ke Huai’s face, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
"It seems the true Fellow Daoist Ke Huai is already dead, then."
This person was none other than Song Yan.
He spoke slowly, his voice devoid of emotion.
Ke Huai sneered: "I wondered who it was, turns out it’s you..."
"Might as well kill him too and take him back to Elder Liu for a reward."
Although Yang Kaijun’s accusation made Ke Huai very displeased, to be honest, it was indeed his own fault.
The longer they delayed, the more complications would arise. It was better to act swiftly and decisively, kill both of them, and then leave.
Currently, the other demonic Cultivators could still divert some attention. Once they all fled Dragon Pool Mountain, it would be difficult for them to escape.
Song Yan sighed lightly, then slowly closed his eyes.
Although he wasn’t very familiar with Fellow Daoist Ke Huai, he had played chess with him in the Heart Cultivation Dao field just a few days ago.
How could they be separated by Yin and Yang in the blink of an eye?
A pity.
"Xiao He."
He waved his sleeve, and a green snake shadow darted out from his Daoist robe.
"Keep an eye on him, don’t let him move."
Xiao He transformed into human form and sat cross-legged beside Zhou Liu.
Although there was a common enemy in the demonic Cultivators, Song Yan did not trust anyone from the Profound Origin Sect at all.
Having Xiao He watch him was safer.
Ke Huai and Yang Kaijun, with their Devilish Qi surging and spiritual energy fully unleashed, charged towards Song Yan.
Ke Huai scoffed: "What, are you perhaps still trying to... "
Song Yan, however, wasted no words. He simply raised his palm, joined his middle and index fingers, and gently lifted them upward.
He softly uttered two words.
"Howling Sun."
Buzz—!
Above the ruins, spiritual energy began to surge, transforming into Sword Qi, pouring into the black and white Flying Sword.
The Unmoored Boat slowly floated in the air, and at the four directions of the ruins, four Flying Swords hummed and vibrated.
Within Song Yan’s Zhen Dao Sword Mansion, Sword Qi surged wildly.
Ke Huai and Yang Kaijun both felt a scorching heat rush towards them.
Sword Qi filled the sky, thread by thread, like surging winds and clouds, gathering towards the Unmoored Boat one by one.
A giant phantom of a sun wheel slowly rose beneath these ruins!
A powerful scorching sensation sealed off the sky above this ruined area, and the spiritual energy within became thick and solidified, like a quagmire.
It was unknown from which converging Sword Qi it began, but a hint of Fenru Karma Fire appeared.
Immediately, golden-white flames began to burn around the Flying Sword.
Without any warning, a powerful, irresistible golden-white sword light shot rapidly towards Ke Huai.
"!?"
Both of their faces changed drastically. The might of this sword far exceeded their expectations.
Without much thought, Yang Kaijun violently pushed his hands forward.
Violent black demonic flames erupted, condensing into a Devilish Qi shield covered with tormented, twisted faces of resentful Souls, attempting to block in front of them both.
At the same time, Devilish Qi surged around him, and countless twisted Soul shadows shrieked as they lunged towards Song Yan.
Ke Huai also let out a sharp howl, and the black demonic power on his body similarly erupted without reservation.
His hands transformed into dark claws, directly clashing with the incoming sword light.
Both of them were Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators, and their combined power was enough to instantly collapse a small mountain.
Boom—!
A terrifying roar, deafening.
It only lasted for one breath.
The Sword Qi was like a scorching sun melting ice. The resentful Soul demonic shield melted and evaporated at a visible speed, emitting countless shrill, despairing wails.
The resentful Souls that lunged towards Song Yan were instantly pulverized into dust by the circulating Sword Qi within the sword Formation as they approached.
The two demonic Cultivator figures quickly retreated.
Ke Huai frowned, looking at his palm. There was no bleeding wound there, only a pure golden-red flame.
This flame, like a maggot in the bone, was furiously spreading and burning through the wound on his palm into his body.
No matter what method he used to suppress it, it had little effect.
Moreover, the aura of this flame made his Soul feel an instinctive fear deep down.
"Karma Fire..."
Song Yan’s face was expressionless, his gaze cold.
This was the first time he had unleashed this sword Formation, "Howling Sun," and its effect was even stronger than his original expectation.
This sword Formation was not originally created for offense. In fact, Song Yan’s initial envisioned effect was primarily control and defense.
However, combined with his current understanding of the Dao of the Sword from the Grand Void Transformation Tome, and the Fenru Karma Fire’s seemingly strong suppressive effect on demonic Cultivators... this sword Formation, Howling Sun, was far more powerful than he had imagined.
The Fenru Karma Fire merged with the free-flowing Sword Qi within the sword Formation, condensing into golden-red chains that slowly wrapped around Yang Kaijun’s and Ke Huai’s hands and feet.
The sun wheel in the sky began to slowly rotate, and the Sword Qi chains became more solid and heavy, making both of them feel their bodies become as heavy as ten thousand jun.
"Go!"
Yang Kaijun made a decisive decision.
The current situation no longer allowed the two of them to determine a winner against this Cultivator named Song Yan in a short period of time.
Soon, many Righteous Path Cultivators would rush over from the ruins of Dragon Pool Great Abyss, and by then, it would probably be difficult to escape.
Almost the instant Yang Kaijun spoke, both of them felt several Foundation Establishment Realm auras approaching from a distance.
Ke Huai’s eyes, filled with hatred, glared at Song Yan, then swept over Zhou Liu, who was struggling in pain on the ground, before finally letting out a ferocious growl.
"Song Yan, I’ve got my eye on you. I will repay today’s grudge tenfold in the future!"
The two almost didn’t hesitate; the strong sense of crisis overshadowed everything.
Ke Huai gritted his teeth, and the Devilish Qi around him rapidly collapsed inward, forming a strange point of light.
He crushed a pitch-black Talisman in his hand, and a drop of vital blood was forced out and merged into the Talisman.
Chirp.
In the scorching air, a deep black crack was torn open.
Ke Huai instantly transformed into a wisp of black smoke, dragging Yang Kaijun and disappearing into the rift.
The Sword Qi chains wrapped around them snapped under the tearing force.
Trying to leave?
Song Yan closed his eyes.
At this moment, many Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators from the Nine Pulses, sensing the great battle here, had already rushed over.
"Cough cough... Who are you...?"
Zhou Liu, dragging his heavily injured body, struggled to get up.
"No, no, no, Yan Yan said..."
Xiao He, however, reached out a finger and pressed it firmly on his shoulder.
"You can’t move."
A powerful force pressed down heavily from his shoulder; Zhou Liu’s body was already severely injured and weak, yet he was deeply slammed back onto the ground by the little girl’s finger.
"Cough—"
A mouthful of fresh blood gushed out; Zhou Liu was furious, his eyes wide with anger, but he was choked by the blood and couldn’t speak.
He could only lie on the ground, looking up at Song Yan, who was still in the air.
The Demonic Cultivators had fled; this matter should be over now.
Above the Yang Family ruins, the four Flying Swords returned one by one into the endless treasury behind him.
Only the Unmoored Boat remained, its scorching Sword Qi, which belonged to Fenru, had long since dissipated.
At this moment, the Profound Origin Sect members had also arrived here. Xi Shuyan’s brows were tightly furrowed, wondering why Zhou Liu had become like this.
She was about to step forward and scold the little girl away.
But as she took one step forward, her foot paused.
The Nine Pulses Cultivators all sensed something and looked up.
At this moment, within Song Yan’s Sword Mansion, surging Sword Qi poured out instantly, gathering on the Unmoored Boat.
That dream-like color drifted out, and behind his head, it vaguely condensed into a cluster of radiant light.
Its sharpness was fully revealed, unstoppable.
In an instant.
In the vast sky, white jade palace cities rose ethereal, spotless and pure, with surging seas of clouds.
Buzz—
Between heaven and earth, wind and clouds stirred.
The sound of a sword’s hum gently echoed in the ears of every Cultivator on Dragon Pool Mountain.
Immediately, countless sword hums converged.
Xiao He’s body suddenly tensed, and the few scales at her temples trembled slightly.
This was the instinct for survival from the Demon Beast Bloodline.
For the first time, a look of terror appeared in her emerald eyes as she looked at Song Yan.
Every Flying Sword offered on Dragon Pool Mountain trembled faintly, and a group of Cultivators looked up in surprise at the figure in the sky.
Song Yan held the black and white Flying Sword in front of him, with countless Sword Qi surging around him.
He opened his eyes.
Song Yan’s eyes were dyed golden-white by countless Sword Qi, and behind him was the phantom of the endless celestial palace in the sky.
A solitary moon reflected behind him.
Mirror not mirror, flower not flower. Water not water, moon not moon.
Song Yan’s figure seemed to blur in place, yet also seemed to be everywhere.
His expression was indifferent as he gazed into the distance.
A hundred miles away, Ke Huai and Yang Kaijun, who were fleeing northeast, inexplicably felt a chill run down their spines.
It was as if a pair of emotionless, cold eyes were gazing at the two from the vast heavens.
Clang—!
A sword hum rose from the ground by their ears.
Yet, no Sword Qi or sword shadow was seen.
But above the sea of clouds, the white jade immortal city, layer upon layer, merged into a stream of light.
The next instant.
Yang Kaijun’s body suddenly stiffened, without wounds, without bleeding.
His head tilted slightly, and all spiritual vitality in his eyes, which were contorted by pain and fear, was instantly drained, quickly extinguishing their light.
Immediately after, a vast Sword Qi instantly disintegrated his body.
Blood and Devilish Qi were cut out several zhang away before slowly stopping.
"Poof!"
The moment the sword hum sounded, Ke Huai violently spat out a large mouthful of Demonic blood, his aura instantly becoming extremely weak.
If he hadn’t reacted quickly enough and used that precious Talisman to block most of the Sword Dao spiritual energy, his fate would definitely have been the same as Yang Kaijun’s.
Without time to care about anything, and not daring to hesitate in the slightest, Ke Huai’s body erupted with Devilish Qi, and blood profusely seeped from his entire body.
Taking advantage of the Talisman secret art not being completely interrupted, he burned his vital essence at all costs, like a startled bird, fleeing in a panic.
In Dragon Pool Mountain.
The black and white sword light flew back and disappeared into the endless treasury.
Song Yan slowly lowered his hands, and the golden-white color in his eyes gradually faded.
The sense of emptiness around him quickly receded.
"One escaped."
Dragon Pool Great Fall ruins.
The two Golden Core Immortal Masters stationed there seemed to sense something.
"Sword Intent, huh..."
Immortal Master Li Luo of Hanging Sword Mountain opened his eyes, looking at the sky, his gaze sparkling with brilliance.
"I wonder where the Cave Abyss Sect found such a good seedling."
Master Mingxin, however, slowly lowered his head, clasped his hands, closed his eyes, and murmured, "Namo Amitabha, Namo Amitabha..."
Then, he began to chant Buddhist scriptures.
In a hidden corner of Dragon Pool Mountain, Hermit Xin Shan still maintained his plain face, looking towards the horizon.
At this moment, the immortal city in the clouds and the sword light between heaven and earth had all dissipated.
However, he remained in a daze, maintaining his watching posture.
"Truly terrifying..."
Hermit Xin Shan pondered carefully; even he, if he were to take that sword strike head-on, would find it difficult to guarantee he wouldn’t be injured.
The two small paper figures beside him, without faces, clung to his pant legs, trembling.
"Useless things."
Hermit Xin Shan looked down at them, shook them, and threw the small paper figures far away.
He raised his head again, his gaze becoming more focused.
"Before I leave, I should just kill him."
Letting him grow would not benefit him... The celestial palace in the sky and the immortal sword in the clouds just now were naturally within the range of the spiritual cloud displayed on Dragon Pool Mountain.
Outside, in the Cave Abyss Sect’s library.
Wu Xusheng watched the young man with interest, occasionally glancing at the Sect Master beside him.
Chen Linyuan remained silent, looking at Song Yan, his usually lazy expression completely gone, his eyes even showing a hint of solemnity.
"Sect Master..." Wu Xusheng chuckled, "How is it?"
Chen Linyuan still said nothing.
Even Old Wu, who didn’t know much about Sword Cultivators, could see the extraordinary nature of this sword strike.
How could he not be moved?
It was just that, although he didn’t say it aloud, some of his original thoughts had quietly changed at this moment.
On Dragon Pool Mountain, at the Yang Family ruins.
The Nine Pulses Cultivators were all stunned, no one speaking.
At this time, Cultivators who had finished clearing other areas were still constantly arriving.
Upon reaching this place, they found it silent, no one speaking, and they didn’t know what had happened.
Zhou Liu still lay on the ground, his lips mumbling, as if he wanted to say something, but he also made no sound.
Song Yan slowly descended from the sky and waved to Xiao He.
"Xiao He, come."
Snake Babe transformed into a green light and entered his sleeve, then Song Yan left the place under the gaze of everyone.
He was only worried that the despicable people of the Profound Origin Sect would stab him in the back, which was why he had Xiao He watch; it wasn’t meant to be a life-or-death struggle.
Xi Shuyan and Fan Dongchen quickly stepped forward to help Zhou Liu up.
But what they saw were confused eyes that had lost their light.
"How... how is this possible...?"
Xi Shuyan’s eyes flickered as she looked at Song Yan’s retreating back, remaining silent.
The Golden Core Demonic Cultivators had already left, and most of these Foundation Establishment Realm and Qi Refining Demonic Cultivators had scattered and fled.
The clearing proceeded quickly.
Song Zhenzong, Yu Nanxi, and Wang Renming just stood in a corner, and no Demonic Cultivator could leave there alive.
The sixteen Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivators who had activated the Formation on the Great Enclosure Building were also killed one by one by the concerted efforts of the Nine Pulses Cultivators, not a single one missed.
Elder Xu Ziqing carried a head that seemed to belong to someone of special status and reported it to Elder Zhang Guangyuan.
After identification, this person was named Liu Ciming.
He was a Demonic Cultivator of the Yellow Springs Path.
He happened to be encountered by Elder Xu Ziqing during his escape and was killed in passing.
Speaking of which, the Demonic Cultivators of the Yellow Springs Path were all very strange.
Upon entering the Yellow Springs Path, the last character of one’s name would be changed to "Ming" or have the character "Ming" added to it.
No one knew why this strange tradition existed.
Soon, the Nine Pulses Cultivators regrouped below the Dragon Pool Great Fall.
Three streaks of Golden Core Realm escape light appeared in the sky, and in a flash, they landed on the Great Fall ruins.
The five Golden Core Immortal Masters exchanged messages for a while, their expressions all showing changes.
Finally, with the exception of Master Mingxin of Huadu Temple, the other four Golden Core Cultivators called their respective Cultivators, gave a few instructions.
Then, they transformed into streaks of light and left Dragon Pool Mountain one by one.
The once spiritually rich immortal blessed land was now in ruins, with broken walls and shattered remnants everywhere.
The chaos caused by the Demonic Cultivators left wounds that needed healing.
Master Mingxin, wearing a simple kasaya and a compassionate expression, voluntarily stayed here to oversee the reconstruction of Dragon Pool Mountain.
A gentle and resilient golden Buddhist light emanated from his body; this light was not scorching, but it carried a strange power that soothed the mind and purified defilement.
Standing in the ruins after the collapse of the Dragon Pool, he clasped his hands, and the clear sound of a Buddhist bell reverberated gently in the mountain wind.
"Amitabha."
Master Mingxin opened his eyes, filled with compassion for the world, "This great catastrophe has brought suffering to all living beings. The first priority is to clear the dead and transcend their Souls."
The Disciples of the Six Major Sects naturally obeyed, and although the Cultivators of the other three pulses were not forced, very few left.
Under the guidance of this Golden Core Realm Buddhist Cultivator, the Nine Pulses Cultivators immediately took action, tending to the injured and clearing the ruins.
While the Buddhist Cultivators of Huadu Temple rushed about, they also chanted scriptures and incantations to transcend the Souls of the deceased.
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