Arc 13: Wild Beast Plains | Chapter 235: Fourth Realm of Sword Intent
Translator: Lynn
In the following moment, an overwhelmingly terrifying thought suddenly descended!
This thought, like an imposing mountain and a profound sea, surged in all directions involuntarily.
Several wild beasts were the first to succumb, with blood spurting from their mouths, noses, and ears immediately. As if compressed by a heavy force, their entire bodies and fur turned crimson with overflowing blood. Their eyes bulged, bloodshot, and though they opened their mouths to roar, no sound came out before succumbing to sudden death.
A bit farther away, this thought continued to spread, leaving behind countless beast carcasses in its wake. Even the remains of the beasts that perished earlier seemed to shatter once more and become lifeless.
As the thought drew closer, everyone on the red cloud immediately sensed this dreadful pressure.
The silver-clothed youth, who had been wearing a smile, had his expression change upon realizing this. “Such a vast sword intent is indeed the power of the fourth realm!” Although he had never witnessed it before, he had heard Xi Lin talk about it.
In the first realm of Sword Intent, sword cultivators could create countless illusions, making their intent illusory. In the second realm, their thoughts were half-void and half-true, capable of directly attacking the soul and shattering the divine mind. The third realm transformed the sword intent from imaginary to real, creating a sword field that could freely injure others and fulfill desires. The fourth level of Sword Intent, covering an area with its domain, suppressed the will of all sword cultivators unless they were at the same level or superior. Even non-swordsmen would be affected, with the strength of the mind determining the extent of the influence.
The silver-clothed youth’s expression was complex. Before the sword intent arrived, he seemed to see an endless sword shadow about to invade his sea of consciousness. Even Xi Lin couldn’t accomplish this. If it weren’t for the fourth level of sword intent, why?
At that moment, he spat out a small, fiery red cauldron and released more than ten balls of bright red flames that hovered in front of him. This lessened the pressure on the silver-clothed youth.
However, the sword intent barely reached a foot in front of the red cloud, halting its spread.
Xu Ziqing’s Qingyun Needle emitted a green light that rebounded off the sword intent, leaving him unharmed.
Observing this, the young man in silver pondered.
Even the onlookers standing hundreds of feet away felt the impact in this fourth realm. Xi Lin, within the sword domain, stared at this, and his thoughts grew increasingly impatient. In less than two breaths, a thread of blood was faintly oozing from his seven orifices.
Xi Lin, with a resolute expression, exclaimed, “Haa!”
In an instant, a long sword soared from between his eyebrows. Simultaneously, a blue radiance dazzlingly adorned the sword’s edge, unleashing an intense cold that swept in all directions. After the chill erupted, it formed a small sword field, appearing real and unreal, pressing against the top of Xi Lin’s head, providing him a moment to catch his breath.
Xi Lin wiped the blood from his face, took a deep breath, and uttered with difficulty, “The fourth level of Sword Intent, as expected… well-deserved reputation.”
Yun Lie maintained his impassive expression and remained silent.
The sword pressure remained unchanged, creating a slightly chilling atmosphere.
Xi Lin opened his mouth, releasing a ball of blood onto the snow-colored long sword.
Upon being sprayed with blood, the long sword briefly took on a light red hue, intensifying the aura and reinforcing the sword field above his head.
The sword field continuously absorbed cold air from the long sword, causing the illusory field to solidify. However, this solidification revealed a tiny crack under the vast sword pressure. The crack expanded gradually, spreading across the entire Sword Domain.
Despite the ongoing replenishment of cold air, the visible cracks on the sword domain persisted. The situation seemed precarious, as if the Sword Domain could shatter at any moment—a testament to the gap between realms.
In the path of swordsmanship, there are no tricks; it all depends on one’s comprehension of sword intent, this is a key aspect of the way of swordsmanship. Each realm above the sword intent differs significantly, divided into ten perfection levels.
For instance, the first state encompasses only 10% to 30% of sword intent; the second state, 40% to 60%; the third state, 70% to 90%; and the fourth state, also known as the perfect state, reaches 100% of sword intent.
Yun Lie effortlessly suppressed the third realm with his Domain realm, showcasing the disparity in their realms. Xi Lin’s defeat was inevitable.
The competition initially focused on the number of beasts hunted, and Xi Lin’s request to witness Yun Lie’s fourth-level prowess was a challenge. Challenges among sword practitioners are common, but when they reach this level, life and death become the primary concerns.
As Yun Lie’s sword field crushed Xi Lin’s, it marked the moment of Xi Lin’s defeat and impending demise.
A hundred feet away, the silver-clothed youth’s expression shifted. With keen eyesight, he observed the inevitable outcome of Xi Lin’s defeat, realizing the gravity of the life-and-death situation.
Xi Lin, a valuable subordinate, exceptionally talented, and one in a million, couldn’t be allowed to fall due to a mere duel. He needed intervention.
The silver-clothed youth decisively turned to the green-clothed youth beside him and said, “Little brother, it’s a mere skirmish; don’t lose your temper. I’m going to intervene in the life-and-death struggle. Would you join me?”
While Xu Ziqing recognized that the silver-clothed youth had some calculations in mind, he also sensed the lack of malicious intent and considered the potential benefit for his senior brother. Therefore, he agreed to go with the silver-clothed youth to observe and intervene if necessary. He smiled and nodded, “I’m determined to assist, without any demands.”
Anxious but smiling, the silver-clothed youth made a tactic to activate the small cauldron, riding the red cloud beneath his feet, and swiftly headed in the direction of the sword field.
The small cauldron, ablaze with flames, collided abruptly—
A surge of boundless killing thoughts flooded in, as if countless “kill” commands filled the sea of consciousness, igniting intense killing intent in the chest. Eyes turned scarlet, fueled by an unstoppable urge to kill everywhere.
Four words flashed in his mind: “Kill the world!”
—This wasn’t good!
The silver-clothed young man suddenly snapped to attention, realizing the immense power of the Sword Domain and the unwavering will of the sword cultivator. Despite being a late-stage Golden Core Stage cultivator, he found himself unexpectedly affected. He had always considered himself resolute and impervious to external influences, but today’s encounter proved otherwise.
Quickly shaking his head, the silver-clothed youth reminded himself of the pervasive killing intent in this place, recognizing its potential to easily confound him. However, he also acknowledged that, in a different setting, such confusion might not occur. With this realization, he dispelled the darkness lingering in his heart.
The others behind him gradually regained consciousness, each possessing their own magic weapons and supernatural abilities. They had only been momentarily stunned and were not ensnared by the Sword Domain.
The silver-clothed youth turned to observe Xu Ziqing, finding nothing amiss. This surprised him momentarily, but he attributed it to the presence of Xu Ziqing’s senior brother, assuming that the young man had likely witnessed such situations many times and developed resistance.
As the group awoke, they understood the peril of advancing further, realizing the Sword Domain’s lethal threat. Breaking through would likely result in dire consequences. Their attention shifted to the white-clothed swordsman standing amidst the carnage, exuding a chilling and emotionless demeanor.
Though not physically imposing, at this moment, he seemed to dominate the entire world, leaving only his figure among countless sentient beings. The world transformed into a realm of killing intent, with a terrifying sword intent emanating from the white-clothed figure.
Witnessing this, the silver-clothed youth became grave and sent a voice transmission, urging the swordsman to cease, not wanting to escalate the situation.
The white-clothed swordsman turned his head slightly, calmly scanning each individual. His demeanor lacked joy, anger, worry, or fear, seemingly impervious to worldly emotions.
The silver-clothed youth frowned, realizing that confrontation might be unavoidable this time. Troubled by the heavy killing intent, he sought the swordsman’s flaw but found none. Suddenly, he exclaimed, realizing that the swordsman’s gaze was fixed on the young man in green clothes beside him.
This revelation made the silver-clothed youth’s heart skip a beat. After pondering for a moment, he said, “I tried communicating with your shixiong, but there was no response. I fear I cannot convey it. Brother Xu, the situation is at a standstill. Please try and ask your shixiong to show mercy.”
Xu Ziqing, sensing the urgency in the silver-clothed youth’s words, believed there was no need to risk a life-and-death battle. He promptly responded, “Shixiong has a cold demeanor but a kind heart. Let me attempt it.”
Xu Ziqing then sent a voice transmission, calling out, “Shixiong, Shixiong! Stop, you’re going to kill someone!”
Strangely, the repeated calls to “Shixiong” finally elicited a response from Yun Lie. He stood motionless in the void, his sword intent dissipating instantly, and the pressure lifted.
The killing intent vanished, and the intense squeezing force disappeared.
Everyone felt relief as their minds cleared.
With a sense of ease, Xu Ziqing ran over against the wind.
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