(A fervent recommendation for No Demons Under Heaven by the Platinum Winter-Snow Clear Evening of the female genre: An urban confrontation between the Xuanmen sect and Great Demons. After the Primordial Dream awakens, where can a demon find refuge? Book ID: 2371159)
Jin Buhui had been buried in his meal, but hearing these words, he instantly froze. After his expression sobered slightly, he casually pulled out a cloth and began wiping the oil from his hands. With meticulous care, not a trace was left behind, ensuring absolutely nothing would affect his grip on his sword.
“Xinran, Demon Corpse Mountain? Are you referring to Gong Xinran?”
The atmosphere around the campfire instantly turned frigid. Zong Shou’s gaze narrowed briefly before returning to its calm state.
“Brother Jin, how do you know of it?”
“I have been there before!”
Jin Buhui’s demeanor turned distant as he grasped the great golden sword planted beside him.
“I just heard him call you ‘Your Highness,’ so your identity is likely that of a sovereign ruler, correct? Let old Jin guess—at the age of fourteen, perhaps only that Demon King from Qiantian Mountain, who seized seven provinces in a mere few months, fits the description.”
Zong Shou’s cold eyebrows quirked upwards; he could already perceive the surging battle intent in Jin Buhui’s mind. Though utterly confused, he felt no fear.
Zong Yuan also ceased his movements, his entire body taut like a drawn bowstring, poised for release.
The next instant, Jin Buhui let out another sharp, cold laugh.
“When I first saw that tomb, I assumed your setup for the ultimate Yin convergence was accidental. Now, it seems that is not the case. Your Highness truly lives up to the rumors of being a brilliant strategist, full of cunning. A year ago, you already foresaw a decade ahead—what poisonous foresight!”
The ultimate Yin convergence? What was this about?
Zong Shou’s expression flickered in surprise, sensing a vague, ominous premonition. Just as he was about to inquire further, Jin Buhui abruptly unleashed a sword strike. As the golden greatsword cleaved down, it carried a majestic and brilliant momentum!
Zong Yuan, already prepared on the other side, thrust his spear forward across a distance of thirty feet, swift as lightning, aiming directly for Jin Buhui’s brow.
“Clang!”
As spear met sword, a torrent of vast, vigorous gang energy exploded outward across the ten-foot radius of the stone pillar.
Gong Yue, whose cultivation was the lowest, had her ears ringing so severely she nearly tumbled from the massive stone. Fortunately, Zong Shou reacted in time, pulling her behind him to shield her.
“Vast Sword Intent?”
Zong Yuan retreated several steps, his expression solemn. This was his first encounter with an opponent who also commanded the intent of the martial path!
Yet, displaying fierce courage, he continued to spear forward without hesitation! In an instant, the space spanning several feet echoed with a dozen successive sounds of metal clashing, the resulting gusts of energy ceaseless.
Even those from the Linhai Academy a hundred feet away found the noise unbearable.
All the Sixth-Tier experts watched with twitching eyelids. With only a few feet separating the combatants, a sword or spear could reach its target in a flash—a scenario that tested one’s martial instinct to the extreme and was incredibly perilous.
Zong Yuan grew increasingly alarmed as the fight progressed; with every sword strike Jin Buhui delivered, the momentum and intent of his blade grew heavier and more profound. His presence was vast and upright, pressing down like a mountain!
After nearly every parry, Zong Yuan was forced to step back. After only twenty strikes, he had retreated to the edge of the stone pillar.
Gritting his teeth, already contemplating a counterattack, he heard Zong Shou’s voice: “Fall back! Your spear is too long; this fight is for me!”
A streak of purple sword light suddenly sliced in. With a sharp ding, it struck the spine of the golden sword shadow, forcing it back slightly and momentarily stifling its aura.
Then, it erupted like a sudden, surging tide. Countless purple sword shadows, laced with lightning, swept forward.
“It’s Raging Thunder Thousand Strikes!”
Zong Yuan recognized the technique, his eyes brightening, yet his heart simultaneously relaxed with relief. Immediately, a sharp sense of unwillingness gnawed at his heart.
He knew Zong Shou was considerate of his pride, saying his spear was too long. In close combat, long weapons were indeed less flexible than short ones.
However, Zong Yuan also knew that even if he excelled with the sword, facing this armored fatty, he could at best hold out for thirty more moves. At that point, defeat was certain, with no chance of escape.
Thousands of sword lights suddenly surged wildly. Jin Buhui was clearly caught somewhat off guard. He retaliated with sword strikes of his own, his golden sword shadows hacking out. The speed wasn't excessive, but the weight behind each blow was heavier. Every strike targeted a vital point, forcing several sword shadows to retreat completely. It possessed the strategic elegance of, ‘No matter how many routes you attack from, I will meet you on my single path.’ He stood like an iron wall, firmly blocking the sword of Raging Thunder Thousand Strikes!
He sneered, “Are you trying to overwhelm me with numbers?”
Zong Shou merely offered a slight smirk. “Against you, such measures are unnecessary!”
The Thunder Winged Solar Serpent suddenly swelled, and countless purple lightning energies were channeled into Zong Shou’s body in that instant.
The World-Shaking True Qi within his dual meridians was drawn to its absolute peak. His internal six spirit veins provided an abundance of electrical source spirits.
Just as the purple rain of swords began to lose its momentum, all thousand sword lights solidified in mid-air, then receded one by one.
They all coalesced into a single sword, thrusting forward with immense force! All the thunder, all the true qi, even the power provided by the Thunder Walked Exoskeleton, converged within the blade.
Raging Thunder Flashes, a single strike to shatter the void!
Filled with chaotic intent, the sword light seemed aimless, seeking only to destroy and shatter everything in its path, piercing into the distance—as if this single flash could genuinely rip space apart!
Zong Yuan’s eyes lit up; this was the true Raging Thunder Sword Intent, worthy of the name ‘Raging’!
Jin Buhui’s aura spiked simultaneously, accompanied by an exclamation of surprise.
“You have already achieved sword path sentience? The Cross Sword!”
The golden sword shadow carved out its path. With a sweep and a chop, sword energy dramatically etched a massive golden cross in the void. Precisely at the center of this cross, it met the tip of the purple sword blade head-on.
With a resounding peng, before the two swords truly intersected, the tremendous gang wind from their collision met in the void. The sword energies, condensed with the full power of both combatants, clashed prematurely, then exploded outward.
Both figures were violently forced back by the resulting recoil, tumbling off the edge of the great stone.
The ant swarm outside, unaware of why these humans had suddenly turned on each other, instinctively leaped up, swarming towards the two figures. The next instant, two streams of sword light—one gold, one purple—flashed again across the sky. Dozens of flying ant corpses instantly plummeted to the ground.
Jin Buhui’s cultivation was superior after all. He recovered first and swung another sword overhead.
“Vast Wave of the Dharma!”
This horizontal slash resembled the immense, majestic waves of the sea—utterly grand and righteous!
Zong Shou was finally enraged. He paid no mind to the matter of the ultimate Yin convergence and equally brought his sword down!
Thunderous Might!
The sword shadows clashed in the void, shaking the entire world. A deafening clang of sword resonance followed. Two colossal surges of sword force shattered into dozens, even hundreds of fragments, scattering outward—shredding several more flying ants into pieces.
The people from Linhai Academy grew even quieter. Several Sixth-Tier experts wore solemn expressions.
The previous exchange was one thing, but this single sword strike clearly surpassed the level of the Xuanwu Sect!
Zhong Lishuang and He Yan, who vaguely knew Jin Buhui’s identity, stared dumbfounded at the scene.
This Zong Shou was not merely unfathomably strong in combat prowess; he was powerful enough to directly contend with one of the most outstanding figures of the younger generation from the Central Cloud Continent!
Jin Buhui unleashed several more sword lights, slicing down the close-approaching Magic Fire Crystal Ants one by one.
Fire burned in his eyes. Suddenly, he swept his sleeve, sending out ten golden talismans. They ascended into the air, igniting one by one, releasing spiritual light that coalesced and augmented his body.
He muttered an incantation, then his expression hardened. “Your Highness’s cultivation is not as high as mine, but your swordsmanship far surpasses Jin Buhui’s. Forgive me, but Jin Buhui cannot fight you fairly. Today, I must eliminate this demon with all my strength!”
Zong Shou said nothing, focusing entirely on regulating his breathing. His World-Shaking Spiral True Force was naturally least susceptible to this recoil, and his body, tempered by the Profound Lightning Body Tempering Art, had reached a new height.
However, there was still a full tier of difference in actual strength. That last sword strike, relying on the naturally bestowed Thunder Winged Solar Serpent and the power of the Exoskeleton, was still slightly inferior. He had managed parity, or even a slight advantage, purely through superior martial technique, but his internal body was already deeply wounded.
If the stalemate continued, his stamina would inevitably fail. Therefore, a decision must be reached within these next few strikes!
He could not afford distraction or hold back in the slightest.
He, too, launched several talismans from his sleeve. There were only seven, but the one at the center bore the characters ‘Transport’ and ‘Swallow.’
The Primordial One Sword flew out from his Soul Sea, sinking into the Thunder Winged Sword. In an instant, the sword’s radiance took on a layer of gold.
The vast vortex of soul power spun wildly. The seven true talismans, spiritual restrictions, and the image of the Thunder Luan above shone with ultimate brilliance.
As he squeezed out every last remaining ounce of strength, Jin Buhui struck first: “Ten Talismans True Spirit, Sword Extreme Profound Vast!”
Ten more talismans gathered in the void, transforming into a sword shape that cleaved downwards. Jin Buhui himself also thrust out a sword. The two golden sword lights converged, merging instantly, the sword glow exploding severalfold, becoming overwhelmingly grand.
Where the sword descended, the ground beneath cracked, and countless flying ants exploded, their bodies crushed by the mere aftershock of the sword light before they could even approach.
At that very instant, however, Jin Buhui felt a wave of alarm, sensing an unusually dangerous fluctuation emanating from Zong Shou’s vicinity.
“One of the World-Shaking Swords—The Great Spiral Sword!”
A single sword swing changed the face of heaven and earth. The entire space spanning several hundred feet split into blue and red hues. Ice power and flame mixed, shifting between cold and hot, yet still churning and changing. Every inch of space, every moment of temperature, was different—suddenly frigid and silent, then scorching like lava!
A sword energy, alternating between red and blue, tinged slightly with purple lightning, soared forth from afar.
Silently, wherever it passed, the golden sword shadow instantly disintegrated! (To be continued)