A flicker of sword light ascended, utterly silent, darting away into the distance. The Saber-Wielding Martial Cultivator, still fixed at the initial stage of the Immortal Realm, remained oblivious.
Once more, the blade flashed, trailing myriad yellow beams, striking downward with full force! With him leading the charge, the cultivators ahead, along with the countless expanding waves of intent, also stirred restlessly.
Several swift streaks of light successively shot towards this position. Dozens of Void Ships were likewise poised for battle, weapons drawn against each other.
It was only at this juncture that the twelve Shi Jue Yu Dao Long Ya Jian finally arrived. The Saber-Wielding Martial Cultivator was startled at first, watching the osseous long swords fly towards him from afar.
Initially, he was astonished by how these swords approached him almost without a sound. But upon seeing that the swords were exceedingly ugly, with even their spiritual energy readings being faint, he let out a cold sneer: "This is a sword formation?
So bizarre, this is the first time this Lord has ever witnessed such a thing! Is this some specialty of your Cloud Realm?" His face was filled with utter contempt, yet his response was cautious.
The light of his saber retracted slightly, then he attacked instead of defending. One slash erupted, carrying the momentum of towering mountains, slicing through the void.
It cleaved the entire expanse of nothingness in two, subtly isolating and separating the twelve sword shadows. Using this method, no matter what sword formation he faced, it was always foolproof, a technique tried and true.
Indeed, with that single saber strike, the connection between the twelve long swords was forcibly severed. The cycle of the sword path stuttered momentarily— The entire formation was forcefully held beyond the escape velocity of the one-breath Immortal Realm by his saber aura.
Unable to approach, it was thrown into complete disarray. "I heard that the Martial Dao of the Cloud Realm a myriad of ages ago reached its zenith.
There were Saint Venerables in the world, six of whom originated from the Cloud Realm. Looking at it now, it seems to be undeserved.
No, one should say it is utterly laughable—" However, in the very next instant, before the words had fully left his mouth, the twelve stark white long swords flickered once more. They warped space, and in the blink of an eye, materialized right beside him.
As the sword aura erupted, the Saber-Wielding Martial Cultivator felt the space around him suddenly twist violently. The lower half of his body accelerated, while the upper half slowed down.
His left side felt as heavy as a thousand mountains pressing down, while his right side was utterly weightless, light as a feather. Furthermore, two diametrically opposed, yet incredibly powerful, repulsive forces bore down upon his body.
In that moment, the sensation was as if a dozen experts had simultaneously attacked him. Before he could even grasp what was happening, he was utterly shredded into dust by the killing light within the sword formation!
His primordial spirit couldn't even flee in time; in an instant, it was torn apart. Zong Shou watched from a distance, letting out a cold chuckle, then sighed slightly, pondering, Why must it come to this?
He had just been worrying about not finding a suitable chicken to slaughter as a warning to others. This fellow, however, had impatiently jumped out to volunteer.
He felt a slight chill at the might of this sword formation. The Shi Jue Yu Dao Jue Mie Jian Zhen (Ten Absolutes Dao-Governing Extinction Sword Formation) indeed shared some similarities with his San Qian Xing Luo Jue (Three Thousand Star Fall Art).
Both manipulated myriad Great Daos; the Shi Jue Yu Dao Jue Mie Jian Zhen carried them through its enshrined weapons. Whereas his San Qian Xing Luo Jue utilized the void stars within his own heart as its implements.
One internal, one external; in terms of conceptual depth, naturally his 'Three Thousand Star Fall' was superior. However, the Shi Jue Yu Dao Jue Mie Jian Zhen was much easier to master quickly.
If one didn't seek complete unity between the heart and the implement, commissioning friends or others to refine the sword artifacts was just as effective and much more convenient. Yet, the two methods, in his hands at this moment, could complement and perfect each other.
What he was currently employing, although primarily the power of the sword formation, had borrowed some of the might of the San Qian Xing Luo Jue. When the sword formation deployed, each sword could wield the law of a single Great Dao, unleashing it instantly without requiring spirit incantations.
This Immortal Realm cultivator was naturally cleaved in a single strike. With his death, the entire void instantly fell silent.
The agitated atmosphere of the void seemed to be drenched in ice water, falling into a cold stillness. The figures that had been rapidly fleeing also halted midway, their expressions cautious.
But it lasted only half a breath before a furious roar cut through: "All of you, timid cowards who hesitate at every step! Just one Cloud Realm native with some skill, and a sword formation capable of space transposition—are you all scared out of your wits?" Zong Shou's eyes narrowed slightly, casting a sidelong glance over there.
He saw one figure still hurtling forward. Blood light blazed overwhelmingly, within which a vague silhouette seemed to hold a long staff, transforming into a colossal giant ten thousand fathoms high, slamming down toward one of the ships!
The three Spirit Realm cultivators guarding that vessel offered only a slight resistance before they all groaned simultaneously, clearly already injured. Even with the support of the ship's spirit array, the combined efforts of the three were struggling to hold.
Initial stage Immortal Realm, a Demonic Cultivator? This person's combat prowess surpassed the previous Saber-Wielding Martial Cultivator by nearly double!
The dispersed spiritual senses could detect that the auras which had been suppressed around them began to stir again because of this person. Zong Shou let out a cold smile, killing intent boiling in his eyes.
Today, it seemed there was no alternative but to stop war with war, and cease aggression with martial might! He needed to strike with the speed of thunder and cut through the mess swiftly.
Surrounded by villains like this was no place for tempering. In the Yuan Lian Realm within, who knew what the situation was, and what trials they might face?
Before that, it was best to preserve the fighting strength of everyone as much as possible. With the decision to kill set, Zong Shou rose into the air, leaving his flagship to stand above the fleet.
Then, with a mental command, the twelve stark white long swords flickered again several times, moving as fast as instantaneous shadows, soaring toward the mass of blood-red light to strike! The figure wielding the staff within the blood light let out a cold laugh upon seeing this.
"I am not that Zhu Er! Such a meager sword formation, a trivial trick, could it possibly harm this Lord?" He struck out with his staff, sealing the void within a radius of one hundred thousand fathoms.
The momentum was heavy and profound, accompanied by clashing sounds of metal and stone. It managed to scatter the twelve sword lights, sending them flying everywhere.
He followed up with a stir, causing the sword shadows to disperse even further. However, the moment the power of his staff waned, the twelve stark white sword lights spun back and descended in a revolving strike.
"Truly bothersome!" The bloody silhouette didn't care in the slightest. He struck again, shattering the void.
But after this blow, he could no longer disperse the sword formation. The twelve flying swords moved with incomparable agility, as if they possessed life, yet their sharpness was undiminished.
Following trajectories mysteriously profound and indescribably arcane, they simultaneously sliced downward, directly engaging the staff aura. Then, just like a master chef dissecting an ox, effortlessly, they began to carve the gigantic staff shadow into dust inch by inch!
Starting from the thinnest weak points, they were incredibly swift and decisive! And sharp to the extreme!
The figure within the blood flames was initially stunned. By the time he reacted, the twelve sword shadows had already flashed before him.
His vaunted bloody spiritual aura couldn't withstand the flying swords for even a moment. Instantly, it was forced open.
The figure inside didn't even have time for one complete thought to cross his mind. Why does this sword formation feel like twelve Immortal Realm spiritual cultivators, each grasping a different Dao intent, attacking me simultaneously?
Though the power is significantly weaker, it is absolutely at the Immortal level— How can I possibly resist? The sword light swept over, and once again, a rain of blood scattered across the void.
"Lord Xue Hun—" Several cries of alarm came from a distance; it seemed these three words were the name of the fallen demonic cultivator who had been inside the blood light. The other few cultivators who had followed and intended to attack together also froze midway, halting their (escape lights), hesitating whether to risk pressing forward or retreat.
They exchanged glances, a trace of shock flickering in their eyes. Both Lord Xue Hun and Venerable Zhu Er, who had just been slain in succession, were top figures among their peers, heroes in their own right.
Yet, both were cut down by that sword formation in a single strike. If these two were so easily defeated, what hope did they, who were only at the Spirit Realm, possess?
More gazes converged on the young man hovering above the fleet. As a mere late-stage Spirit Realm cultivator, he stood alone in the void, like a pillar supporting the heavens, directly confronting the myriad cultivators surrounding them.
Zong Shou, however, had no patience to wait for them to make a decision. If he wanted to establish authority, there could be no hesitation or indecision, not even a shred of softness or pity.
It needed to be a force of overwhelming thunder to truly shock these people into submission. The Cloud Realm had been dormant for too long.
Even cultivators who left the Cloud Realm—those truly outstanding individuals who ascended to the Spirit Realm through their own efforts—would not remain in the resource-scarce and lower-tiered Cloud Realm to develop. Those who remained were those who had cultivated to the seventh or ninth stage, capable of brief flight in the void but unable to advance further.
They would scheme to leave the Cloud Realm, choosing other places, or even going directly to the Heaven's Vault Realm to advance their status. Over time, people had begun to underestimate it.
The twelve Shi Jue Yu Dao Long Ya Jian immediately shifted their trajectory, transforming into more than a dozen light projections. In just one breath, another mist of blood drifted— Causing the dozen or so cultivators in the distance to be momentarily stunned, staring blankly as one of their own was sliced into chunks of minced meat by the sword light!
This individual had merely gotten slightly too close; aside from projecting intent, he hadn't actually attacked the Cloud Realm fleet at all. A mixture of shock and fury followed, and then another person was dismembered by the sword light.
These two were only the beginning; following closely behind were several more Spirit Realm cultivators who were successively cut down. It was nothing short of a one-sided slaughter!
The sword formation was so keen that no one could withstand it for even half a moment. The survivors lost all will to resist the Cloud Realm fleet.
The surrounding Void Ships also quickly retreated far away, scattering in panic. Zong Shou’s expression was indifferent, coldly observing the scene.
"Those who flaunt their power near my solitary dwelling recently—executed! Those who imply threat—executed!
Anyone who approaches within three breaths of the Immortal Realm escape velocity—executed! When you die, do not say I did not warn you in advance!" The void fell silent.
Almost everyone consciously retreated beyond the three-breath Immortal Realm escape velocity. And just a few breaths later, a figure in a golden robe suddenly appeared.
His majestic voice vibrated through the void. "Well said, 'Flaunters of power executed!
Impliers of threat executed!' This Lord has traversed myriad realms for a thousand years and has never seen such an arrogant junior—" Before the words were finished, a sliver of silver light shot out from Zong Shou's sleeve. It traversed the void rapidly, appearing as a thousand consecutive shadows in everyone's eyes.
When all the silver shadows vanished, that flying dagger was already embedded between the golden-robed figure's eyebrows!