The ash-laden winds stilled, as if the world itself were holding its breath.
Grand Elder Huo’s single eye blazed like molten iron, the fire of countless battles condensed into that one gaze. He raised his right hand, forming two fingers into the shape of a sword. His voice, though calm, carried the weight of a verdict pronounced by Heaven itself.
"Lin Mu," the old warrior intoned, his tone both commanding and solemn. "Do not hold back. Not with your physique, not with your swords, not with your Dao. Today, you will fight with everything you possess, for I too shall not restrain myself."
The words were neither boast nor threat, but a promise.
Lin Mu’s golden eyes overflowing with energy narrowed, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He inclined his head in acknowledgnt, his voice steady as the flowing river yet sharp as a drawn blade.
"Very well. Let this be no spar of re swordsmanship. Let it be a clash of our entire cultivation. Our paths. Our Dao."
At once, the air trembled.
Lin Mu’s aura unfurled like a tidal wave, surging out of him in a golden storm. His Nascent Soul halos blazed: five brilliant rings of immortal light encircling his form, each representing a tribulation conquered.
Water-blue shimred with depthless waves, tal-yellow glinted with sharp edges, earthy-brown radiated stability, woody-green thrumd with vitality and fiery-red pulsed with endless vigor. Together, they painted the sky with the grandeur of his Qi cultivation.
Grand Elder Huo responded in kind.
His aura erupted outward like a volcanic eruption that had slumbered for millennia. The weight of a Transcendent Immortal poured forth, an oppressive might that pressed against the land itself.
The ash that had lain undisturbed for centuries billowed upward, scattered as though a storm had swept across the plains. The lifeless ground beneath was revealed, jagged veins of blackened lava glistening faintly under the burden of their combined presence.
The battlefield was cleared. The storm was about to begin.
Without hesitation, Grand Elder Huo made the first move.
His sword fingers glead, infused with sharpness that transcended mortal comprehension. Sword Qi burst forth, coalescing into a radiant arc that split the very horizon. It carried not only the weight of raw power but also the profound sharpness of Sword Intent honed through thousands of battles.
The slash streaked toward Lin Mu at blinding speed, its trajectory unavoidable, as though it were fated to cleave him in twain.
Daoist Chu, observing from afar, frowned. "That is the One-Eyed Sword Lord’s opening strike. The Grand Elder was well known for it. Many have seen it, and few have survived it."
ng Bai clenched his fists, unsure if even Lin Mu could evade such a blow.
Yet in that instant, Lin Mu’s figure blurred and vanished.
The arc of destruction cut through where he once stood, carving a rift into the ground, molten rock glowing beneath the gash. The air trembled with the force of it, yet Lin Mu was untouched.
"Behind ..." Grand Elder Huo muttered, his single eye widening in surprise.
A fist hurtled toward his back, its speed imnse, its force greater still. The strike was deceptively simple, without flourishes or techniques, yet the raw might of Lin Mu’s body cultivation was enough to shatter mountains.
The Grand Elder reacted with instinctual precision. His sword fingers shifted from slash to thrust, stabbing backward in a motion that split the air.
Fist t finger.
BOOM
The collision detonated like thunder.
A shockwave burst outward, flattening the terrain in every direction, blasting the ash away in a radius of a hundred ters. The very air rippled, and cracks snaked across the hardened lava ground beneath them.
Daoist Chu’s robes fluttered in the wake of the force.
His eyes glead with sharp interest. "Good. Lin Mu has found his match. And Grand Elder Huo... he has not dulled one bit."
Lin Mu’s lips curved upward into a smirk. For once, he had found an opponent who could withstand his blows without crumbling. His heart stirred with excitent, the fighting spirit in his veins boiling.
But he did not relent.
Twisting his body with agile grace, he pivoted, his leg sweeping upward in a kick aid at Grand Elder Huo’s side. The attack ca not just with speed, but with precision sharpened by all his battles so far.
At the sa ti, he summoned forth from his Dantian the power that had slumbered since his tribulations.
The Sword Cradle Divine Sheath Dao Embryo materialized on his back, its majestic form shimring with immortal radiance. The sheath grew to its full size, heavy yet regal, exuding the aura of boundless potential.
From it, two swords erged, answering their master’s call.
Afternoon Pine, double-edged, shone with a golden-yellow brilliance, as if the eternal sun had been captured within its steel. Its blade humd with anticipation, eager for battle.
Ocean Raker, the one-edged longsword, glead with aqua blue light, carrying the depth and boundless weight of the sea. Its edge exuded calm inevitability, like tides that could grind mountains to sand given ti.
Both swords radiated Sword Intent, their voices clear to Lin Mu’s heart. They longed for combat, their spirits restless.
SHING SHING
With a fluid motion, Lin Mu slashed outward with both blades. Afternoon Pine swept in a horizontal arc, while Ocean Raker carved downward in a vertical stroke. Together, they ford a cross-shaped convergence, threatening to trap Grand Elder Huo in a storm of steel.
The old warrior’s eye narrowed. At last, he moved to reveal his true weapon.
With a single motion, he drew his sword.
The blade that erged was simple, double-edged, and silver.
Yet its presence eclipsed simplicity.
RUAAAAAAAA
The mont it left its sheath, a roar reverberated across the battlefield... not the song of a sword, but the thunderous boom of a cannon. The re roar was enough to dissipate Lin Mu’s attack.
The shock of its aura shook the earth, scattering the last traces of ash and splitting the ground further.
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