A sword beam soared into the sky, streaking in from the distance like a rainbow that could pierce the heavens.
The sword beam was over fifty feet long. A profound yet vicious sharpness flowed along its length, cleaving through the air as it shot straight for Hong Yu.
"Hmph!"
Hong Yu snorted. With his spear in one hand, he spun and unleashed a sudden, horizontal sweep.
The Breaking Army Spear pulsed with a sharp Spear Aura. It resembled a fiery red serpent twisting its body, opening its gaping maw to tear into the sword beam.
"BOOM!"
The two powerful energies collided, deadlocked for an instant before erupting in a violent explosion.
A blinding glare filled the sky.
Hong Yu tilted his head up and squinted. Through the glare, he could faintly make out a silver figure shooting toward him.
The figure was still over a thousand ters away.
He bounded and soared between the broken walls and ruins. Each leap carried him twenty to thirty ters into the air, and by the ti he landed, he had already covered a hundred ters of ground.
After a few more bounds, he finally landed before Hong Yu.
"BAM!"
His legs slamd into the ground, kicking up a swirling cloud of sand and dust. The shockwave blasted outward in all directions. As it passed, weathered ruins and ancient bones were swept up as if by a gale, tossed high into the air before crashing down and raising yet another cloud of dust.
"To think you could block one of my sword strikes... you're not weak. I never imagined a side branch of the Hong Family could produce a genius like you."
His voice was detached and cold, like the grating clang of tal on tal—hard, piercing, and filled with condescending arrogance.
"SWOOSH!"
A fierce Sword Qi erupted from him like a geyser, blasting away the shroud of dust.
He carried himself with a magnificent air, his features sharp and striking. His eyes glinted like a pair of sharp swords capable of piercing the void.
This was the formidable third-ranked True Disciple—Hong Gang!
Hong Gang lived up to his na, which ant "unyielding."
His pride was as unbending as steel. His tall, straight posture was like that of a born Divine Sword—he lived and breathed for the blade.
He had entered the Cyan Nether Sword Sect three years ago and quickly followed in Hong Renjie's footsteps, making a na for himself with his Flowing Cloud Swordsmanship and slaying countless foes.
In his three years at the Sword Sect, he had only ever been defeated by Feng Xue Xin and Hong Renjie.
Now, three years later, just how much had his strength grown?
Hong Yu had gotten a taste of it from that single, sky-cleaving sword strike. 'This man's power is likely on par with Ding Yuanshan, the leader of the Eight Desolates Mansion!'
And he was a mighty Half-step Heavenly Soul Realm expert!
Hong Gang gave Hong Yu a cold glance. "Release Hong Long," he said flatly. His tone was devoid of emotion, like a king issuing a decree to his court.
Hong Yu raised an eyebrow. "And if I don't?"
Hong Gang remained impassive, his tone unruffled. "Release him, and I'll give you a fair fight. If you don't, I will cut you down where you stand."
"You're that confident you can kill ?" Hong Yu chuckled.
Hong Gang shook his head. "I don't need confidence to deal with you. As long as this sword is in my hand, your death is a certainty."
The longsword in his hand seed to sense its master's chilling intent, letting out a low hum. HUMMM.
His condescending, look-down-on-everyone attitude disgusted Hong Yu.
Hong Yu sneered. "Sorry, but I don't respond well to threats."
The mont he finished speaking, his fingers clenched.
"CRACK!"
Hong Long's neck was snapped. He died, his face a mask of bitter unwillingness, before his body dissipated into the Cyan Cloud Secret Realm.
The mighty Hong Long, an expert who should have had a chance to break into the top one hundred on the Celestial List, had just been eliminated from the Inner Sect promotion competition.
Hong Gang's pupils contracted. His gaze, fixed on Hong Yu, grew sharper and more nacing. "Very good. It's been a long ti since anyone dared to defy so openly. I will kill you now and eliminate you from the Cyan Cloud Secret Realm. The next ti we et will be the day of your death!"
"SWOOSH!"
With a flash of his sword, hundreds, even thousands of dazzling Sword Auras shot forth like a teor shower, tearing through the sky as they descended upon Hong Yu.
Each beam was solid and potent, as tangible as a real sword.
"Break!"
Hong Yu's eyes hardened. With a low shout, he swept out with his Breaking Army Spear.
The Breaking Army Spear spun in his grasp, its faint red glow of Primordial Spirit Power forming a round Fla Shield.
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
The spear's afterimages t the incoming sword beams.
When the last of the attacks dissipated, Hong Yu flicked his spear to his side and fixed Hong Gang with a chilling glare. "Third on the Celestial List? You're nothing special."
"Excellent. You are worthy of my full attention!"
An intense battle lust erupted from Hong Gang.
This was the way of a Sword Cultivator.
They were born to fight.
The stronger the opponent, the stronger they beca.
Hong Yu's considerable skill had ignited his Sword Heart, awakening a true desire for battle. This desire was like a single spark, ready to grow into a raging inferno.
"Flowing Cloud Swordsmanship—Shattering Void Star Mark!"
With a slight flick of his wrist, his Mortal-level Middle-grade Primordial Weapon, the Broken Light Longsword, blurred into a flurry of intricate movents.
Solidified Power of Primordial Spirit enveloped the blade.
The Power of Primordial Spirit swirled around it, making the blade appear brighter, almost translucent. Wherever the incomparably sharp edge passed, the air vibrated with a scalp-tingling sound. WHOOSH.
Thirty-six beams of sword light appeared, like teors falling from the apex of the cosmos, tearing through the dark sky.
The beams were incredibly fast.
Unbelievably so.
'Such fast sword strikes,' Hong Yu thought, surprised.
Startled but not panicked, a cyan light swirled in his left eye. Under the power of his Cyan Eyes, the speed of the incoming beams slowed to a tenth of their original velocity, their every trajectory laid bare before him.
The corner of Hong Yu's mouth twitched into a chilling smirk. "Destruction!"
His arm shot forward, the Breaking Army Spear thrusting out in a straight line as if it were an extension of his limb.
As Hong Yu's wrist quivered, the Breaking Army Spear radiated a faint light, creating dozens of fleeting, illusory afterimages.
Then, they abruptly condensed, fusing into a single, formidable Spear Aura half a ter in diater.
The thirty-six sharp sword beams slamd into the Breaking Army Spear one after another. The imnse force of the impacts made the web of Hong Yu's hand go numb. The spear trembled violently, threatening to fly from his grasp at any mont.
"BANG!"
When the thirty-second sword beam struck, Hong Yu could no longer hold his ground. His Breaking Army Spear faltered, and the remaining four beams broke through his defense, shooting straight for him.
They moved with incredible speed, too fast for Hong Yu to react.
Watching his sword beams easily shatter Hong Yu's defense, a flicker of emotion finally crossed Hong Gang's face. A hint of smug amusent entered his gaze, which was as sharp as his Sword Dao. "Even Brother Jie and Feng Xue Xin would have to use seventy percent of their strength to dispel my Shattering Void Star Mark. For a re Mid-stage Earth Soul Realm cultivator like you to face head-on... you truly don't know your own limits."
As third on the Celestial List, in Hong Gang's eyes, the only Inner Sect Disciples in the entire Cyan Nether Sword Sect worthy of being his opponents were Feng Xue Xin, Hong Renjie, and the elusive Chief Disciple, who was as mysterious as a Divine Dragon that shows its head but never its tail.
Everyone else was just worthless trash.
Seeing that Hong Yu couldn't even block the First Technique of his Flowing Cloud Swordsmanship, a cruel, triumphant sneer spread across his face. He was certain Hong Yu would die a miserable death under the four remaining Sword Auras.
"And to think Brother Jie went to such lengths to deal with you. You're so weak, it's a real disappointnt." Hong Gang shook his head with a cold laugh, already moving to sheathe his Broken Light Longsword.
But he quickly realized things weren't going as he'd expected.
When the four sharp sword beams struck Hong Yu, the expected outco—his death—did not happen.
Each Sword Aura was powerful enough to kill an ordinary Late-stage Earth Soul Realm cultivator, yet when they struck Hong Yu, they only produced a shower of sparks. A faint Golden Flowing Light Armor covered his body. As the golden light flared, the supposedly unstoppable Sword Auras were deflected and shattered with sharp ringing sounds. PING! PING!
They disintegrated into motes of light and drifted away.
"How is that possible?"
Hong Gang's pupils contracted. His grip on the Broken Light Longsword tightened instinctively.
He couldn't believe soone could withstand his attack with their physical body alone.
And yet, it was happening right before his eyes.
Hong Yu rubbed his chest. Even with a physical defense comparable to a Mortal-level High-Grade Primordial Weapon, thanks to his Eight Desolates Saint Slaying Technique, such a powerful attack still stung.
Wincing, Hong Yu looked at Hong Gang. "Impressive swordsmanship. If my Eight Desolates Saint Slaying Technique hadn't reached the Fourth Transformation Realm, those last few strikes would have been enough to kill ."
"How did you do that?" Hong Gang asked, his voice low.
Hong Yu grinned and uttered two words that made Hong Gang's blood boil: "You guess!"
"Bastard! Don't think you can challenge the might of the third-ranked disciple on the Celestial List just because you have so Body-Protecting Divine Techniques! Today, not even the Celestial King himself could stop from kicking you out of the Cyan Cloud Secret Realm!" Hong Gang's sharp eyebrows furrowed, and fury blazed in his eyes.
"Flowing Cloud Swordsmanship—Sky-breaking Slash!"
Hong Gang swung his sword in a fierce, one-handed arc.
A five-ter-long sword beam materialized and slashed toward Hong Yu.
'This strike seems weaker than the last one,' Hong Yu thought with a flicker of confusion.
Though confused, Hong Yu didn't hesitate.
With his Breaking Army Spear held diagonally at his side, he gathered Profound Light in his free right hand. The Power of Primordial Spirit converged, forming a furious flaming dragon. "Void Fire Dragon, go!"
"ROAR!"
The magnificent Fire Dragon charged at the five-ter sword beam.
"BOOM!"
The Fire Dragon coiled around the Sword Aura, its massive body constricting it. The Sword Aura imdiately began to dim.
However, Hong Gang's expression remained unchanged as he continued to swing his Broken Light Longsword.
This ti, he didn't pause for even an instant, swinging forty-nine tis in quick succession.
The movents seed slow, but all forty-nine swings were completed in the blink of an eye.
"SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!"
Forty-nine sword-shadows appeared in the air, one after another, forming a line as they slashed toward Hong Yu.
"Block it!"
Hong Yu stomped hard on the ground. His arms traced a profound arc as he unleashed Void Fire Dragon once more. Three Flaming Long Dragons shot toward the Sword Auras, rging mid-flight into a single Fire Dragon over thirty ters long. The first sword beam struck, and the Fire Dragon rely trembled.
But then ca the second, the third, the fourth...
...all forty-nine Sword Auras superimposed on one another, charging forward and rging into a colossal blade of light, a full forty-nine ters long.
This greatsword of light contained the combined power of forty-nine strikes. Its might was extraordinary. The condensed Void Fire Dragon only held for a mont before being sliced in two and disintegrating.
「anwhile...」
The finally-condensed, ferocious Sword Aura descended from the heavens, shattering the void as it aid straight for Hong Yu!
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