Lu Changsheng closed his eyes and waited for Tian Xin's arrival.
As ti passed, more and more people gathered around him, but most remained more than ten li away, and so even twenty li. The northern barbarians in particular did not dare co close to Dao Shi'er out of fear.
Over the past month, Dao Shi'er had swept across the battlefield, killing their kind, leaving them terrified. Even though they knew he would not easily strike at them during his duel with Tian Xin, they still held back.
Only the martial artists from Beiling City remained within ten li of him.
Just then, Lu Changsheng sensed a figure in white robes entering his field of awareness. He lifted his head and opened his eyes. He could not see the man clearly, but he had no doubt that he was Tian Xin.
Tian Xin moved swiftly across the grasslands. His movent technique showed no flashy patterns or complicated footwork. Each step was direct and precise, without a trace of wasted motion. His feet still brushed the grass beneath him, but from a distance, it almost looked as though he were walking through the air.
He made a movent technique that most martial artists could barely control appear as effortless as an ordinary stroll.
"You're finally here, Tian Xin," Lu Changsheng said.
A year ago, Tian Xin had hunted him relentlessly, but they had always kept a distance. Now, they stood less than ten zhang apart.
"Dao Shi'er. Were you the one who killed Sheng Yuanyi?" Tian Xin asked.
"Yes," Lu Changsheng replied.
"So you've obtained ten thousand cauldrons' worth of strength," Tian Xin said with a sweet smile. It was hard to believe that this calm, gentle-looking man had comprehended the most terrifying Slaughter Intent and was approaching completion at it.
"I have a question. Back then, how did you lock onto my location?" Lu Changsheng asked. "Your Slaughter Intent is formidable, but it should not have been able to pinpoint ."
This burning question had been bothering him over the past year.
"The Imperial court invited an Immortal Master, and he used his divine consciousness to locate you. After that, I made a move," Tian Xin replied.
Tian Xin did not bother hiding the truth. In his eyes, Dao Shi'er was already a dead man.
"An Immortal Master... I see."
The divine consciousness of Immortal Masters far exceeded the range of his Wind Sense Intent. Since his position was revealed that way, it was no wonder he couldn't escape Tian Xin no matter how far he fled.
But that was all in the past. Lu Changsheng would not be fleeing again.
"Finished asking questions? No regrets left?" Tian Xin smiled.
He was not mocking Lu Changsheng. He was waiting. He wanted to make sure that Lu Changsheng could go all out, as only such an opponent could allow him to complete his Slaughter Intent.
Lu Changsheng understood Tian Xin's goal. "I know you want to use as a stepping stone, but I'm going to kill you."
Lu Changsheng activated his Intents.
Buzz!
Just then, the surroundings changed. The endless grasslands faded into darkness, replaced by a vast starry sky. A three-thousand-chi waterfall hung from the heavens, pouring straight down through the void.
The distant roar of waves echoed, and far away, a tide seed to roll forward. A mont later, violent winds howled, driving the waters into towering wuthering waves a hundred zhang high.
"Three Intents?" Tian Xin's eyes brightened. "This trip is going to be worthwhile."
A martial artist capable of comprehending three Intents was exceedingly rare. Most people devoted their entire lives to one and would still struggle to perfect it. Attempting several at the sa ti only made achieving Perfection in it far more difficult.
In the past, whenever Lu Changsheng displayed these three Intents, his opponents would be imdiately suppressed. Even Sheng Yuanyi was no exception. The combined pressure alone was overwhelming, after all.
However, Tian Xin did not react. He simply stood there.
"The fusion of three Intents strengthens them greatly. It's not bad," he said. "Unfortunately, they are too weak before ."
Just then, the starry sky turned crimson. Boundless killing intent spread outward. The air grew heavy, becoming thick with the scent of blood. The stars vanished, and the waves disappeared. Even the raging wind fell silent.
In Lu Changsheng's vision, only endless red remained.
Slaughter Intent!
This was Lu Changsheng's first ti experiencing it directly. The progress of Tian Xin's Slaughter Intent was above ninety percent, perhaps even ninety-nine percent. At that level, it was already going through a fundantal transformation.
Whether it was three or more Intents, before a Slaughter Intent nearing Perfection, they all ant nothing. They would all be suppressed.
Lu Changsheng also finally realized why You Shifei and the others had failed to withstand even a single blow from Tian Xin, even when the four of them had attacked Tian Xin together. Anyone who had never faced Tian Xin's Slaughter Intent would never understand how overwhelming it truly was.
Whoosh!
Lu Changsheng swung his saber.
A streak of crimson light split the air as the Third Transformation surged through him and strengthened his physique. The strike he had just unleashed carried the force of six thousand cauldrons. His three Intents also flowed into the saber technique, yet its power did not increase at all.
Lu Changsheng then realized that they were being suppressed. Tian Xin's Slaughter Intent pressed down on them, preventing them from reinforcing the attack. The blow remained only at six thousand cauldrons' worth of strength.
Boom!
Lu Changsheng's crimson saber light descended on Tian Xin. Tian Xin rely answered with a casual punch, and a blood-colored aura rolled outward, erasing the saber light completely.
Lu Changsheng frowned. This was the first ti his drawn saber had achieved nothing. Tian Xin had not even moved from where he stood.
"I underestimated you," Lu Changsheng said.
Tian Xin truly deserved his rank as number one on the Divine Strength Rankings. He possessed no fancy techniques, only the Slaughter Intent that he had cultivated to an extre.
Lu Changsheng had to admit that, under the suppression of Tian Xin's Slaughter Intent, his three Intents could not even be applied to his saber technique, much less unleash their combined power. However, he had not co unprepared.
"My turn," Tian Xin said with a faint smile.
He raised a single finger and pointed at Lu Changsheng.
Lu Changsheng recognized the move at once. It was this sa finger that had killed You Shifei. Tian Xin's Slaughter Intent crashed down on Lu Changsheng, freezing him in place.
"Lin!"
Lu Changsheng activated the Nine-Character Mantra, and the pressure vanished in an instant. At the sa ti, Tian Xin's mind wavered, and he paused briefly.
Tian Xin's ntal strength was too strong, and the mantra could only restrain him for a brief mont.
"Sever!"
Lu Changsheng released the Heart Sword he had just ford, and it shot straight into Tian Xin's mind.
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