Yun Xiao's Sword Soul was indeed dimmed, but those around him, ruthless and filled with murderous intent, moved in for the kill.
With a sharp clang, their eyes narrowed coldly as they gripped their swords, stepping closer to Yun Xiao!
At Dingshan, tens of thousands watched anxiously, all eyes fixed on the young man in white.
His Divine Sea power was nearly exhausted—how could he defend himself now?
Yet Yun Xiao's gaze remained calm, as if one with the heavens. He held his ground, and his Sword Soul transformed into a three-foot azure blade! Standing with his sword horizontal, he faced nearly a hundred sword cultivators.
"I, Yun Xiao, have one rule: anyone who wants to kill me—no matter their morality, intentions, or good and evil—must first face death themselves!"
With that, he raised his azure blade toward the hundred sword cultivators.
"Take another step, and it's the path to hell!"
The surrounding sword array trembled at his words. His voice carried a terrifying conviction, enough to shake the strongest among them!
His white robes fluttered, and the azure sword glowed fiercely.
"His power's gone, yet he dares to boast!" sneered one of the sword cultivators.
Another called out, "Brothers, 100 Divine Sea Pills await us!"
Their eyes gleamed with killing intent. To them, Yun Xiao was already a dead man, his life worth only those hundred pills.
They tightened their grips on their swords and stepped forward.
One step… two steps… ten steps…
"Yun Xiao, you're mistaken! You don't spare us; we simply choose not to spare you!" Tianyuan mocked.
"Good! I won't waste words again!" Yun Xiao replied, pulling five dark-red beads from his robe.
No one else knew what they were, but he had prepared them for this moment.
He had entered this battle not out of recklessness but with the utmost resolve. He, Yun Xiao, could claim victory here!
The Buddhist relic of Heavenly Dao surged with power, and his Sword Soul blazed with a fierce light!
"Ahh!" Tianyuan's eyes squinted, unable to bear the glare.
"Kill!" cried the Heaven's Chosen of First Jianfeng as they closed in, swords drawn.
In the dazzling azure light, Yun Xiao's voice echoed powerfully through the battlefield:
"I am a free soul in this mortal world,
A drinker wandering life's bustling paths!
With this three-foot azure blade,
I'll slay all who dare block my way!"
The azure light exploded as Yun Xiao swept forward, his white robe swaying, his sword a blur, leaving trails of blood.
This was… a massacre.
The anguished cries of the dying filled the air, their despair and terror dissipating into nothingness.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Blood soaked the ground, the corpses lay scattered, painting the earth red.
Yun Xiao had not exhausted his power after all.
What remained was an unstoppable force, cutting down enemies as if under Heaven's command.
"You all said that a year ago, my Senior Sister Zhao wore nothing but blood-soaked robes…"
"Today, my white robe too is dyed scarlet…"
"But—" he shouted, his voice unwavering. "Not a single drop of this blood is Yun Xiao's!"
His voice rang through the mountains, and everyone watching at Dingshan felt as if a sword had cleaved their foreheads.
Even the elders felt a chill run down their spines.
Sword Pavilion had sent only one warrior into battle.
And that one warrior had slaughtered the 120 prodigies of First Jianfeng, leaving them in chaos and fear!
The silence in the audience was profound, like the stillness of death.
Sword Pavilion's disciples clenched their fists, their eyes red, tears streaming down. Even those unrelated to the sect felt a lump in their throats.
In all his rage, Yun Xiao had avenged his Senior Sister Zhao. Yet, as he stood, blood-stained but victorious, a question lingered.
For whom does the young man fight? For whom does he seethe with fury?
The azure sword flashed; the corpses underfoot lay uncountable, yet his Sword Heart remained unbroken!
"Stop!!" someone finally yelled, unable to endure it any longer, fear overtaking them as they felt blood drain from their faces.
Furious roars echoed from the stage as elders and cultivators from First, Third, and Sixth Jianfeng—led by Ye Tiance and Elder Yao Manxue—charged toward the battlefield.
Clank!
Hundreds of flying swords converged, piercing through the air toward Yun Xiao.
Bang Bang Bang!
The Sword Sealing Array trembled violently, echoing with loud bangs, but inside, Yun Xiao continued his relentless slaughter.
Suddenly, Ye Tiance's own sword glowed as his eyes blazed with fury. He swung his blade, intending to shatter the Sword Sealing Array himself, but the array flung his attack back, forcing him to stagger.
Others around him grew impatient, eager to break through the Sword Sealing Array, their eyes bloodshot with urgency and frustration. The loss was unbearable—120 of First Jianfeng's strongest disciples. If they all fell here, it would be a catastrophic blow to First Jianfeng, a loss that was unimaginable.
"Haha…" An elder of Sword Pavilion, Grandpa Qin, let out a harsh, mocking laugh.
"Just a year ago, the one who nearly broke this Sword Sealing Array was me, old blind Qin! And today, it's your turn?"
"Heaven's justice is good; who does Heaven spare?" he sneered.
Zhao Xuanran, standing beside him, added with a smile, "And the best part? This array was set up by a certain someone here, wasn't it?" She looked at Ye Tiance with a mocking gleam.
Ye Tiance's face contorted with rage, veins pulsing. Inside, he felt like a volcano ready to explode.
"Senior Sister Zhao is right…" others muttered around him.
"First Jianfeng's top swordsman set his own trap."
"What a disgrace!"
The murmurs spread, each word like a sharp blade stabbing Ye Tiance's pride. The same crowd that once watched him arrange the Sword Sealing Array with admiration now mocked him openly.
"Lord Jian Zun!" someone called out. Fatty Qian Kun of Lingbao Pavilion appeared before Ye Tiance, his expression serious.
"You mustn't act rashly," Qian Kun advised solemnly. "This battle for the right to ascend isn't just any fight; it concerns Lingbao Pavilion's wager. Fairness and justice are the first principles here! Lingbao Pavilion's reputation is on the line, and by extension, so is Blue Soul Sect's. If you act impulsively, you'll make this contest a joke in the eyes of all immortals!"
Ye Tiance's face twisted, his mind reeling with the implications.
"Yes! I bet on First Jianfeng—I won't tolerate any foul play!" another elder chimed in.
"This is a joke! Yesterday, that boy Yun Xiao even dared to take Senior Sister Zhao's spirit crystals from Sword Pavilion's treasure pond! I thought he was just bluffing!"
Voices erupted all around, and someone else scoffed, "This concerns honor! Lingbao Pavilion's Manager Qian is absolutely right. Blue Soul Sect has a reputation to uphold—how can we expect to keep friends if we act disgracefully?"
The words struck like knives.
Even if Ye Tiance could break the Sword Sealing Array, doing so now would not only stain his reputation but also put him at odds with Lingbao Pavilion!
Thinking of this, Ye Tiance remembered the honored guest he had invited.
"The old Buddhist master is here!" He snapped back to reality and whispered urgently to Yao Manxue, "Quick, go to the Buddhist master and try to win his favor!"
"Understood!" Yao Manxue hurried off but glanced back over her shoulder. She saw the Sword Sealing Array littered with countless bodies, only a few survivors left.
"The disciples of First Jianfeng—they're all being slaughtered!" Her mind was spinning as she realized the extent of Yun Xiao's wrath.
"Yun Xiao!" Ye Tiance roared from outside the array, his voice ice-cold. "Stop now, and there may still be a way for Sword Pavilion to survive!"
"Stop?" Yun Xiao's laughter echoed from within.
Bang!
Ye Tiance's eyes widened in shock—his son, Tianyuan, was flung to the ground before him, separated from him by the array's barrier.
"Father…" Tianyuan's face was filled with fear as he struggled to remain upright, his face pale and dim, and then he crumpled.
The boy's corpse hit the ground with a sickening thud, and Ye Tiance glared into the array.
Inside, a blood-stained young man with a calm expression held Jiang Yue, a trembling girl who could barely contain her terror. Yun Xiao dragged her forward, his expression eerily serene.
"Lord Jian Zun," Yun Xiao called out. "Are there 300 more disciples at First Jianfeng who are strong enough to come and try their luck?"
CHAPTER 32
Yun Xiao released Jiang Yue, who collapsed onto the ground before him, her defiant persona shattered. Her once proud face was streaked with blood and dirt, her hair disheveled, and her entire body trembling with fear. Her eyelids, fingers, and lips quivered uncontrollably, her wide eyes reflecting sheer terror as she looked up at him.
This was the third time she'd fallen at his feet. Every time she'd tried to stamp out this ordinary young man, she had ended up defeated, knocked down by his blade again and again. And this was the worst of all—her most humiliating defeat yet. Jiang Yue let out a mournful, wretched cry in the silence of the crowd, gazing upon her senior brothers and sisters, over a hundred of them—the pride of the first Sword Peak—slain, lying lifeless around her.
Each time Yun Xiao struck, his eyes remained fixed on her, his sword stabbing deep, almost as if each strike against her allies had been aimed at Jiang Yue's heart and soul. When that sword slashed through Tian Yuan's defenses, leaving Jiang Yue unable to counter Yun Xiao's attacks, a deep, crawling fear gripped her, as if countless venomous insects gnawed at her mind and body, dragging her down into a shadowy hell.
The barrier that once kept him out had become her nightmare. Her master, Ye Tiance, stood less than four meters away, yet it felt as if she were trapped on the road to the underworld.
"Yun… Yun…" Jiang Yue's mouth moved, but it felt as if a searing stone blocked her throat; she couldn't even say his name. Her fingers clawed at the ground, trembling as she sobbed, her blood-matted hair clinging to her cheeks, unsure of how many senior brothers and sisters had lost their lives here today.
"Mercy, have mercy!" she choked out, her voice shaking with exhaustion and terror, her complexion pale as paper.
"Are you afraid of death?"
Suddenly, Yun Xiao's azure Sword Soul appeared in front of her, lifting her chin and forcing her to look up. The sharp sword point, radiating a fierce aura, stopped right at her delicate throat.
"Yes, yes... I'm afraid…" Jiang Yue stammered, trembling uncontrollably, forced to look up at him as blood-red tears streamed down her face.
At that moment, Yun Xiao looked down upon her, his gaze dark and devilish, a cold, mocking smile playing on his lips. "So, the esteemed, peerless genius kneels before me today, begging for mercy. So many people are watching. After you reach immortality, this humiliation will be a stain on your life, one that will never wash away."
The cold steel pressed against her throat, and Jiang Yue trembled, losing control entirely. Outside the barrier, everyone was watching.
"Yun Xiao, as long as you let me go, once I reach immortality, I'll give you ten thousand Divine Sea pills! I won't dare oppose you again, please… I'm begging you, have mercy!"
Her once fierce, proud voice was now broken, crying out desperately in front of everyone. These pitiful pleas stunned the Sword Cultivators outside the first Sword Peak; their faces turned pale.
To witness a proud genius reduced to this pitiful state was shocking. But none of them could look down on Jiang Yue, for when Yun Xiao's sword had just slain more than a hundred of her peers, most realized they would have fared no better.
Ye Tiance, Yao Manxue, and the others looked on, their expressions dark as night.
"You think achieving immortality will allow you to repay me?" Yun Xiao's lips curved into a cold smile.
He retracted his Sword Soul and, gripping her neck with one hand, lifted her off the ground effortlessly.
"Jiang Yue…" Yun Xiao stared down at her, each word gritted out through clenched teeth, "You know why your path to immortality will never be easy?"
"What?" Jiang Yue asked, her pupils dilating in fear.
"Because you're blind!"
In a swift motion, two sword rays shot out from Yun Xiao's fingers and pierced Jiang Yue's eyes.
"Aagh!"
Jiang Yue shrieked, clutching at her bleeding eyes. Her wails echoed through the crowd, many feeling as if their own eyes were burning in sympathy.
"He's blinded her!"
"Unbelievable… so ruthless…"
To the onlookers, this supposed immortal goddess, now a helpless figure struggling like a trapped animal, was gripped by Yun Xiao's merciless hands.
In the tense silence, a strong sword aura burst into the air as beams of bright light shattered the barrier.
"Someone's finally intervening!" cried a voice in the crowd. Sword Cultivators from the first Sword Peak who had watched helplessly could no longer hold back. It was a grand assembly, and breaking the rules would mean a fierce backlash from the Blue Soul alliance.
Now that the Sword Soul barrier had been shattered, the atmosphere turned tense, as sword cultivators from various sects drew their weapons, the pressure of their combined power bearing down on Yun Xiao and his allies.
Among the newcomers was Shangguan Yu, a powerful figure from the second Sword Peak, who arrived with an impressive force from the second, fourth, and fifth peaks, her entry changing the power dynamic immediately.
Seeing her appearance, Ye Tiance's eyebrows knit together in a deep frown. Shangguan Yu had been one of his strongest rivals in the Blue Soul alliance, and her siding against him now could complicate things further.
"Ye Tiance," Shangguan Yu addressed him sternly, glancing at the bloodied battlefield before speaking. "As president of the Eight Sword Alliance, you were supposed to guarantee the fairness of this competition. Instead, you secretly opened the Sword Soul barrier to interfere. Are you willing to tarnish the reputation of the Blue Soul for your personal vendettas?"
Her powerful words struck with overwhelming momentum, forcing Ye Tiance to respond.
"Very well," he said through gritted teeth, a sinister gleam in his eyes. "Sword Pavilion wins this round. However, if anyone dares to harm another of my first Sword Peak disciples now, they declare war on me and my entire sect. This contest may be over, but I will protect my people."
In that moment, the crowd was filled with tension as Yun Xiao remained silent, watching everything unfold. Then, unexpectedly, he let out a soft chuckle.
"Everyone is so serious… why would I kill a peerless genius without testing her Sword Soul? That would be too easy."
As he spoke, he tossed Jiang Yue toward Ye Tiance like a discarded item.
Jiang Yue, sobbing in relief, was caught by her master. But even in her weakened state, her pride burned with fury and hatred.
"Master!" she cried, her expression feral with rage, "I want to measure my Sword Soul now! I'll prove to the world that my potential far surpasses his!"
With Ye Tiance's support, her eyes glowed with a twisted resolve. With the right Sword Soul, she would reclaim her lost pride, her immortal path awaiting her revenge.
Looking upon her rage-filled, distorted face, the crowd whispered among themselves, feeling the shift in the once-great genius. This battle had twisted her, her mind now set on a single goal: to surpass Yun Xiao, no matter the cost.
Bang bang bang!
As Jiang Yue, resembling an empress of immortals, strode toward the Four-Pole Sword Stone, every heart within the Blue Soul Sect pounded wildly. Even Ye Tiance's eyes grew red with emotion, deeply affected by the scene before him.
In his entire life, he had never encountered a Sword Soul spirit surpassing the Kaiyang level.
"This girl's talent… nothing in this world can hold her back!" On the stage, Yao Manxue clasped her hands tightly, unable to remain seated as she stared intently at the scene.
Yet, there was one man who sat unmoved: a Buddhist monk with a calm, contemplative gaze. His expression was inscrutable, his eyes piercing as he watched the events unfold.
"Two people measuring their Sword Souls simultaneously? Who's the other measuring their Sword Soul along with Jiang Yue?" he asked Yao Manxue.
"I'm not sure. No one of note stepped forward—must be a nobody," Yao Manxue replied with a smirk. "But there's no need to worry, Buddhist elder. My younger sister is overseeing this event; her meticulous planning ensures nothing unexpected will occur."
"Your younger sister?" the monk inquired, his tone unreadable.
Yao Manxue paused, momentarily taken aback. "Yes… my younger sister."
"Then let the first measurement begin," the monk murmured, falling silent again.
In the distance, Senior Sister Zhao's gaze settled on the young man in white. A glimmer of interest flickered in her eyes, her lips parting slightly in a faint smile.
Few knew who was standing alongside Jiang Yue for this trial. But the Sword Pavilion disciples did.
"Oh, Junior Brother Yun must be looking forward to this moment," whispered Senior Sister Zhao with a knowing smile. "It seems… this will be quite the spectacle."