Innate Immortal Seed

Chapter 371: Chapter 369: Slaughter True Intent Reveals Its Divine Techniques

’One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws... So True Monarch Tang Fei was holding back when he fought me...’

As sword lights clashed, the two Mid-Stage Nascent Soul Sword Cultivators fought fiercely, yet the resulting shockwaves were somehow confined to a single mountaintop.

Any given Core Formation Cultivator, using their full power, would have created a much larger blast radius.

Of everyone present, Bai Zichen’s Cultivation was the lowest, a fundamental difference in Realm.

Aside from the conceited Kong Bai, who only had eyes for the few genius Sword Cultivators from the Central Domain, everyone else had tacitly accepted Bai Zichen’s presence among them.

This meant that in the eyes of these Nascent Soul True Monarchs, Bai Zichen was already an equal, and his Shattering Core and Transforming into Nascent Soul was a foregone conclusion.

They saw nothing improper about being in the company of a Core Formation True Man.

In terms of Sword Dao proficiency, even Yann Yuanzai was on the same level as him.

At most, Yann Yuanzai had invested more time and was more skilled in Refining Sword into Silk, but there was no fundamental difference between them.

Bai Zichen could tell at a glance that this phenomenon wasn’t because Tang Fei and Xiangg Ji lacked power.

A Nascent Soul Sword Cultivator wielding a Tier Four Flying Sword could easily level a mountaintop with a single strike.

It was purely because their control over their True Essence was so refined and masterful, with not a single trace leaking out, that they could achieve such a feat.

Only when they could no longer contain the power, when the range of their sword light began to expand, would it mean the battle had reached its true climax.

The Life-Killing Demon Sword was forged from Xiangg Ji’s own arm bone and fueled by his Sword Dao Realm, growing stronger through slaughter.

From the moment it was forged, it was linked to his bloodline and connected to his very soul.

It required no century of ritualistic refinement, becoming his Lifebound Flying Sword in an instant.

It was even more intimate than a typical Lifebound Flying Sword, moving like a natural extension of his body, capable of striking even before the intent to do so was fully formed.

The Sword Spirit’s complete trust in its master was such that it would self-destruct without a moment’s hesitation if commanded—a level of loyalty that a Lifebound Flying Sword refined through Acquired means could never achieve.

The Life-Killing Demon Sword transformed into a streak of inky sword light, looking plain and unremarkable, showing none of the expected might of a Tier Four Flying Sword.

But wherever the inky sword light passed, all things withered and all life was extinguished.

That pure killing intent made Bai Zichen’s blood run cold and his heart slow. He only felt some relief after draping himself in Moonlight.

The killing intent wasn’t just aimed at living beings. When it struck the vibrant sword light of the Supreme Profound White-Haired Sword, the latter dimmed, losing some of its Spiritual nature.

This happened even to a fellow Tier Four Flying Sword. A Tier Three Flying Sword or an ordinary Spiritual Treasure would likely have its Spiritual nature extinguished in a single clash.

Although Xiangg Ji himself had no Sword Dao Realm to speak of, his Slaughter True Intent was terrifyingly potent.

Of course, he couldn’t achieve the Fifth Realm of Sword Dao, where Sword Intent is fully integrated and every single strike is imbued with the Power of the Great Dao.

But by merely brushing against its edge, he already displayed some of the might of a Late-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivator.

The reason Late-Stage Nascent Soul cultivators are called Great True Monarchs, setting them clearly apart from other Nascent Soul True Monarchs, is because they can begin to draw upon Grotto Heaven Power.

By combining it with their mastered Great Dao True Intent, they can project their Nascent Soul Realm and alter the very Laws of Heaven and Earth in the vicinity.

For any cultivator below the Late-Stage Nascent Soul, fighting a Great True Monarch meant being at a disadvantage before the battle even began, as if fighting on enemy territory.

Bound by Grotto Heaven Power, even escape becomes nearly impossible.

This is also why the few recorded deaths of Nascent Soul True Monarchs in the Cultivation Realm were either at the hands of a Great True Monarch or because they were lured into a specially prepared environment.

This also indirectly highlighted the shockwave sent through the world when Bai Zichen, while still in the Core Formation Realm, defied his station and slew True Monarch Jiulian.

That single feat had directly intimidated Blood God True Monarch and the Celestial Principle Sect at the time, both of whom had ample reason to target the Qingfeng Sect.

The former sought to refine the Blood River, while the latter coveted the Tier Four Spirit Vein suspected of hiding an Ancient Sword Cultivation Secret Realm.

Yet neither had made a move against the Qingfeng Sect, allowing it to develop in peace.

That astonishingly brilliant feat of swordsmanship had certainly played a major role in their hesitation.

In the Northern Domain, the vast majority of cultivators came to accept the Tianhe Sword Sect’s claim: he was, without a doubt, the greatest Sword Dao Talent to appear in ten thousand years.

At least in the Northern Domain, there was no longer any dispute.

The Life-Killing Demon Sword had nothing to do with Grotto Heaven Power, but its incredibly pure Slaughter True Intent grew ever more condensed, shrinking Tang Fei’s room to maneuver and achieving a similar suppressive effect.

Seeing he was losing ground, Tang Fei flicked his sleeves. Hair-thin Sword Threads shot out, weaving through the air and striking from impossible angles with untraceable movements.

With One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws, he forcibly dispersed the Slaughter True Intent.

Any of the Profound Ink Sword Light that drew near was shredded to pieces, without exception.

If Tang Fei had displayed such unparalleled, sharp lethality during their spar, Bai Zichen wouldn’t have lasted more than a few exchanges.

Nor would he have been able to use the unique properties of the Supreme Qingwei Sword Box to exhaust the True Essence of True Monarch Tang Fei—who had suppressed his Cultivation to the Late-Stage Core Formation—and fight him to a draw.

’Sharp True Intent...’

Bai Zichen thought to himself as he watched the Sword Silk, transformed from the Supreme Profound White-Haired Sword, pass by. Wherever it went, packed snow and ice were cleanly split in half.

That Sharp True Intent was so potent it sliced the thick, falling snowflakes into countless imperceptible motes.

”It’s not necessarily that Senior Brother held back, but rather that a Late-Stage Core Formation Cultivation is insufficient to fully display the realm of One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws... Given time, Little Friend Bai, your Sword Dao Talent will surely surpass our own.”

Yann Yuanzai spoke matter-of-factly; Tang Fei had clearly told him about their spar.

”Senior Brother invited you here because he wanted you to learn from this battle... Regardless of the outcome, he doesn’t have enough lifespan left to advance any further. He hopes you can go on in his stead, to see the higher vistas of the Sword Dao, to compete with the Sword Sects of the Central Domain, and to prove that it’s not only cultivators from the Central Domain who can become a Divinity Transformation Sword Cultivation!”

Bai Zichen was reeling with shock. From the tone of Yann Yuanzai’s words, it sounded as if True Monarch Tang Fei had entered this duel prepared to die.

After all, he still had nearly two hundred years of life left—by no means a short time for any Nascent Soul True Monarch.

Once a successor for the Tianhe Sword Sect was in place, True Monarch Tang Fei had gladly accepted this life-and-death duel.

He intended to finally settle the score with Xiangg Ji, a rival he had been entangled with since their youth.

He also hoped to achieve an epiphany in the heat of battle, a breakthrough that would grant him a glimpse of the Fourth Realm of Sword Dao.

Through normal Cultivation, it was highly unlikely he would ever reach the realm of Sword Light Division before his time was up.

As a Sword Cultivator, to burn brightly, even for just a single moment, was enough.

”When man reveals his killing intent, heaven and earth are overturned!”

Though he seemed to have the advantage, his prolonged assault had yielded no real results, prompting Xiangg Ji to change his tactics.

Xiangg Ji pointed a calloused finger at the Life-Killing Demon Sword. With a piercing shriek, the Profound Ink Sword Light twisted into the form of a writhing Black Dragon, and the sky instantly went dark.

Black clouds blotted out the sun. The world seemed to spin as the killing intent bore down.

A Qilin burst from a Jade Talisman on Tang Fei’s body. The Five-Colored Auspicious Beast charged forward, but it instantly turned pitch-black.

The moment the killing intent washed over it, the Tier Four Jade Talisman exploded.

For the first time in the entire duel, the Profound Ink Sword Light reached Tang Fei. His Sword Silk had failed to intercept it in time, activating his Protective Jade Talisman.

Tang Fei felt a prickling sense of extreme danger. His mercury-like blood circulated furiously to resist the Slaughter True Intent invading his body.

Had he the time to look within himself, he would have discovered a patch of his crimson blood had turned gray. It had lost all vitality and now radiated an aura of deathly stillness.

’If I let Xiangg Ji continue, the world will be consumed by his killing intent, and I’ll have no chance of victory... Qian is Heaven, encompassing all things. Though I’ve never fully mastered this Swordsmanship, I have no choice but to risk it all!’

Tang Fei felt the threat of death, yet his mind became perfectly clear and calm. He had never experienced such a moment of lucidity.

The obscure passages of the incomplete Sword Technique he had acquired in his youth suddenly became crystal clear. He executed the technique with a feeling of utter, exhilarating release.

He slammed a fist against his chest, spitting out an arrow of blood. The Sword Path of his hair-thin Sword Silk instantly changed, becoming ethereal and boundless.

It no longer hunted down every last strand of the Profound Ink Sword Light. Instead, it only shredded a few, even intentionally allowing a couple to slip through.

”Huh? The True Monarch’s Sword Path has changed. The style is completely different. Is this a hidden trump card?” ℴℴ𝘮

Bai Zichen, who cultivated the True Enlightenment Sword Technique, possessed Sword Heart Clarity, allowing him to deconstruct any Sword Path in the world.

No Swordsmanship could hide its secrets from him; given enough time, he could break down and analyze any technique.

He noticed the change a step ahead of Yann Yuanzai, who stood beside him.

”To search the highest Azure Heaven and the deepest Yellow Springs... This Sword Path is a series of interlocking rings, self-perpetuating and endless. It can even envelop all things and absorb them into itself... But because he lacks the complete Sword Technique, he must expend his own Essence Blood to forcefully use it.”

Yann Yuanzai’s expression was tense, his grip on his Xing Yao Sword tightening again and again.

Tang Fei’s Sword Path was now sublime and far-reaching, as vast as the eternal sky, yet all-encompassing.

When the Slaughter True Intent entered his Sword Circle, it created no ripples. It was simply merged and assimilated, rendered completely ineffective.

”Earth’s Killing Intent! Dragons and snakes rise from the land!”

Xiangg Ji bellowed once more. The Black Dragon threw its head back and roared, its body stretching as it soared into the sky.

It coiled and twisted, its massive form covering several Snow Peaks and forcing the spectators to retreat another hundred miles.

A colossal sword, as black as ink, descended from the heavens, looking as if it would cleave the very sky in two.

Tang Fei’s ten fingers became a blur. The Sword Silk scattered like a Celestial Maiden Scattering Flowers, clashing with the colossal sword hundreds, even thousands of times in a single instant, producing a crisp melody like pearls striking a jade plate.

CRACK!

The ink-black colossal sword was riddled with holes by the Sword Silk and shattered into countless motes of black light, which melted away the tops of several Snow Peaks, lowering them by a thousand feet.

A remnant of the colossal sword, merely a tenth of its original size, crashed down on Tang Fei. He let out a muffled groan, his body swaying as he coughed up another mouthful of Essence Blood.

The Slaughter True Intent invaded his body once more, forcing him to divert True Essence to resist its corrosion. This further weakened the power he could channel into his Flying Sword.

If not for the fact that the Celestial River Technique was renowned for its vast reserves of True Essence, any other Mid-Stage Nascent Soul cultivator in his position would have collapsed long ago.

”With this final strike, you will become the first sacrifice on the Life-Killing Demon Sword’s path to Tier Five!”

Xiangg Ji looked completely unhinged, his hair disheveled. His eyes were now pupil-less orbs of pure black.

Yann Yuanzai’s face fell. He was desperate to draw his sword and intervene, his heart pounding in his chest.

Bai Zichen and Ge Cang exchanged a glance, neither having expected Xiangg Ji to be this powerful.

Of course, this was also because Tang Fei was resolved to fight to the death and had no intention of fleeing.

Even Xiangg Ji would have found it difficult to kill one of the Early-Stage Nascent Soul Cultivators if their opponent was focused solely on escaping.

The two Nascent Soul Cultivators from the Life-Killing Sword Sect looked overjoyed. After this battle, Xiangg Ji’s strength was sure to improve, increasing his chances of becoming a Late-Stage Nascent Soul Great True Monarch by another ten percent.

”AAAAH!”

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream rang out. An awl materialized from the void and stabbed straight through the chest of the elderly man from the Life-Killing Sword Sect, emerging from his back.