Chapter 73: Chapter 71: Ding Xiaodao of the Ancient Saber Family
PUFF!
The Demon Shadow Huang Chuang had summoned was just about to snatch the Ice Dragon Flower from Jiang Jichen’s hand when a flash of blade aura cut through it. The Demon Shadow instantly shattered, dissipating into the Void.
A trace of seven-colored light flashed in Jiang Jichen’s palm before vanishing in an instant, not to be seen again.
The moment he saw the unadorned ancient saber appear, Jiang Jichen stopped himself from unsealing his Seven-colored Spiritual Power at the last second.
"Who dares destroy my Demon Shadow?"
Huang Chuang felt his Demon Shadow get obliterated by the large saber. The Ice Dragon Flower had been within his grasp, but now all his efforts were for naught. How could he not be furious?
"It was I!"
A skinny youth approached, seeming to walk on air. His clothes were simple, his face plain, his expression wooden. He suddenly pointed a finger at the unadorned ancient saber.
CLANG!
The saber’s ring was piercing, shaking the very heavens. An endless torrent of Saber Qi crisscrossed the air, and in an instant, it annihilated the last of the Demon Shadows before Jiang Jichen, leaving not a single wisp behind.
The crowd was stunned. Some had witnessed the saber-wielding youth’s terrifying power before and couldn’t help but cry out, "It’s him!"
In that instant, the youth was no longer ordinary. He was like a Blade Aura soaring to the heavens, his presence overwhelming the entire battlefield and causing the world itself to pale in comparison.
"What kind of Saber Intent is this? It can channel the Heaven and Earth Dao itself! It’s utterly terrifying!"
An Elder Cultivator said with a trembling voice, a look of terror on his face.
"For a youth his age to possess such mastery of the Saber Dao... he... he must be a genius from one of the four great powers of the Southern Continent!"
Others voiced similar speculations.
The supposedly small Moonlight Forest was anything but peaceful. People from the Song Family of Yun Country had come, an expert stronger than a Grandmaster had emerged from its depths, and now there was a young genius from one of the four great powers of the Southern Continent...
From this day on, the peaceful and remote Celestial Pearl Country would likely become far more eventful.
"You’re courting death!"
Before anyone could dwell on it, Huang Chuang let out an earth-shattering roar that nearly knocked many of the onlookers unconscious.
The Ice Dragon Flower he’d been about to obtain was lost, and the horde of Demon Shadows he’d condensed had been annihilated!
Huang Chuang’s eyes turned bloodshot. He was truly enraged now. Staring at the skinny youth who had appeared from nowhere, his killing intent boiled over. His hatred surged to the heavens and, with a furious roar, he used Condensing Spirit to transform, unleashing a torrent of Demonic Qi as he charged the saber-wielding youth.
The saber-wielding youth faced Huang Chuang’s attack with utter composure. With a casual gesture, the unadorned ancient saber flew into his hand.
"Outer Demon Transformation, and a pseudo-demon at that. Nothing but trash."
The saber-wielding youth spoke dispassionately with his head slightly bowed. Without even glancing at the massive Demon Shadow charging at him, he simply raised the unadorned ancient saber and slashed it across the sky.
ROAR!
The Blade Aura lit up the sky as the giant demon roared. The other powerful cultivators, who had been about to charge, froze in their tracks, staring in utter shock at the breathtakingly brilliant slash.
The Demon Shadow’s roars were unending. Its body, sliced in two at the waist by the Blade Aura, could not heal. Its upper and lower halves could only writhe in agony.
Everyone stared blankly at the scene. Even Huang Chuang was overcome by a profound sense of defeat, his face a deathly white.
The giant demon shadow created by Outer Demon Transformation was an existence that was nearly impossible to kill. As long as its user’s Magic Power did not run out, the shadow could fight on endlessly with savage ferocity.
But the saber-wielding youth, with just a single, effortless slash, had cut the giant demon shadow in two, preventing it from ever healing again.
"Who are you? How do you know about Outer Demon Transformation?"
Having lost nearly all his will to fight, Huang Chuang asked, his voice hollow and defeated.
"A true Outer Demon Transformation can battle heaven and fight earth, shatter the sky with a palm, and crack the ground with a stomp. It’s so powerful that even my Celestial Blade Intent might not destroy it with ease. Yours... Hmph!"
When it came to Huang Chuang’s Outer Demon Transformation, the saber-wielding youth seemed too disdainful to even speak of it further.
Huang Chuang muttered to himself, "Is mine truly just a pseudo-demon? Trash? No, that’s impossible. That Demon told me this was an authentic, ancient Demon Technique. How could he have lied to me?"
"An authentic, ancient Demon Technique? Ha..."
The saber-wielding youth showed a rare flash of humor before raising his saber and slashing once more.
PUFF! PUFF! PUFF!
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
The giant demon shadow was shredded by the endless Blade Aura and, with a final roar, dissipated into the Void.
"Ah!" PUFF!
With his Demon Technique shattered, Huang Chuang spat out a mouthful of black blood. His face was impossibly pale, but his eyes turned incomparably cold and sinister. His voice was chilling as he said, "Fine. Now that you’ve destroyed my Demon Body, I can focus on cultivating the Celestial Ghost Yin Claw Skill. Haha... Little whelp, I really must thank you. And to show my gratitude, I’ll let you die by my Celestial Ghost Yin Claw Skill!"
As he spoke, Huang Chuang’s aura suddenly turned ghastly, and his face took on a terrifying, sickly green hue.
At that moment, Murong Hai and the others charged forward again.
Jiang Jichen remained silent. He was still holding the Ice Dragon Flower, which he casually put away. He then pulled Jiang Ling’Er, who was standing nearby, and used Shadow Step to instantly create some distance between them and the saber-wielding youth.
"I just saved your life, and you’re running from me?"
The saber-wielding youth looked at Jiang Jichen and asked, puzzled.
As if by chance, Jiang Jichen had drifted back into the dried-up Blood Pool, landing right beside the Dragon King’s Throne. He looked up at the saber-wielding youth. "Are you sure you saved my life? By that logic, I could also say that I had a chance to escape just now, but your Blade Aura blocked my path. Now I’ve lost my last chance to flee and am trapped in a desperate situation—all thanks to you!"
The saber-wielding youth was taken aback. He gave Jiang Jichen a serious look, then actually gave a slight bow. "My apologies. I was being presumptuous. However, I still can’t let you leave unless you give me the Ice Dragon Flower."
Jiang Ling’Er, who had been watching from the sidelines for a while, said unhappily, "And why should he? I was the one who got this Ice Dragon Flower first, and I gave it to my Chen’Er. Don’t even think about taking it! Hmph!"
But just then, Huang Chuang’s sinister voice cut in. "No need to argue. You’re all going to die anyway. Everyone, how about we kill these three young ones first, and then we can fight for the Ice Dragon Flower based on our own strengths?"
Murong Hai, the gifted elder from the Five Spirits Sect, Elder Liu from the Mountain Sect, and the others all nodded. Not wanting any more surprises, they closed in simultaneously, raising their palms to unleash a killing blow on Jiang Jichen and Jiang Ling’Er in the Blood Pool.
As for Huang Chuang, he locked his eyes on the saber-wielding youth and struck again.
This time, he unleashed the Celestial Ghost Yin Claw Technique, now stronger after having been broken and re-established. Using Condensing Spirit, he formed a massive ghostly claw that lunged toward its target with uncanny speed.
"I, Ding Xiaodao of the Ancient Saber Family, am here! How could a pitiful ghost claw like this possibly harm me? Break!"
Although the saber-wielding youth’s cultivation was only at the Innate Second Realm, his mastery of the Saber Dao was terrifying. His Celestial Blade Intent surged like an endless tide, wave after wave annihilating the innumerable ghost claws in an instant.
Only at this moment did Ding Xiaodao reveal his true power.
PUFF!
The Celestial Ghost Yin Claws shattered, and Huang Chuang was sent flying.
Meanwhile, in the dried-up Blood Pool, Jiang Jichen and Jiang Ling’Er were engulfed by several terrifying attacks.
A sky full of Spirit Seals rained down, leaving the two of them with nowhere to run.
This was the combined attack of experts at the mid-stage, late-stage, and even Perfection Realm of the Innate Fourth Layer—a truly terrifying display of power.
But Jiang Jichen seemed completely oblivious to their attacks. The longsword in his hand transformed into an incredibly swift Sword Aura, which he slashed toward the Dragon King’s Throne beside him.
BOOM!
The very instant the attacks landed, the Dragon Blood Altar suddenly trembled. The floor of the dried-up Blood Pool then burst open, revealing a huge cavern into which both Jiang Jichen and Jiang Ling’Er disappeared.
The cavern appeared and vanished in a flash, sealing itself shut almost the very instant the two of them fell inside.
And so, all of their attacks slammed into the red Blood Jade that made up the floor of the Blood Pool.
