Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 161 - 154: Casting the Sword VI

Chapter 161: Chapter 154: Casting the Sword VI

Outside, the skirmish over the manor’s treasures continued, as the loose cultivators clashed with the retainers defending the manor. With only a few Innate cultivators on the manor’s side, they were naturally no match for the loose cultivators and could only barely resist by relying on the power of the formations.

Listening to the mayhem outside, Lin Xin’s heart was bleeding. These were the accumulations of his manor over many years. Although most of the wealth had been spent, and Xiao Lingling was under the protection of the "Yellow Shirt", there were still many disciples inside the manor whom he had personally taught. At that moment, these most loyal disciples were being brutally slaughtered.

But things had come to this point, and there was no way to turn back.

The Spiritual Energy and the Red Flower Sword had now merged into one. The Red Flower Sword was completely repaired, and his cultivation level also began to slowly rise.

Moreover, he discovered to his astonishment that after the Red Flower Sword ascended to a Third Grade Magic Artifact, the Spiritual Energy flowing through it, in return, became even more pure and abundant. His cultivation speed was more than twice as fast as before.

Time ticked by every second, every minute.

Soon, half an hour was about to pass. The White Tiger Demon King suddenly stood up, and upon seeing Daoist Master Bai Yun make a slight movement, he was ready to act.

Whoosh!

He suddenly exploded into a burst of white clouds, shooting towards Lin Xin.

Daoist Master Bai Yun was not slow either; instead of using his flying carpet, he spun his body and in an instant turned into a streak of black light, vanishing in a flash.

When he reappeared, he was already behind Lin Xin.

Just as both launched their attacks, a soft sound emanated from the Red Flower Sword in Lin Xin’s hand, and his lips moved slightly.

Hiss... Countless vines shot up into the sky, fiercely blocking in front of him, obstructing the path of the White Tiger Demon King’s pounce.

But on Daoist Master Bai Yun’s side, a figure abruptly appeared, blocking the space between him and Lin Xin.

There stood a coldly beautiful woman with black hair cascading like a waterfall and a silver vertical scar on her brow.

"Merely Divine Path?"

With her sword in hand, the woman swung it as if it multiplied into countless blades in an instant. With numerous overlapping afterimages that seemed slow but were actually swift, the strikes heavily fell right in front of Daoist Master Bai Yun.

"Dugu Lin!!??" Daoist Master Bai Yun’s face changed drastically, and he quickly retreated.

Dugu Lin was notoriously ferocious. Those who had encountered her and resisted were left with only death as the end result, hardly ever leaving any survivors. Her aggressive methods could be compared to those of the Demon Path cultivators.

As he prepared to quickly leave, he realized something was amiss. Dugu Lin’s sword had a shadow but carried no actual force; it was only the imposing aura it created. Moreover, Dugu Lin was known for cultivating the Cloud Heart Divine Sword, primarily attacking with the undetectable Heart Sword. Against a loose cultivator like him, presumably a single glance from her Heart Sword could overwhelm; why then, would she need to exert such full force?

"An illusion?" He instantly understood, then glanced at Lin Xin to see a smile that wasn’t quite a smile on his face.

"Does the Daoist Master cultivate the Divine Path?... My senior sister Dugu is on her way here, and she will arrive shortly. The incense offerings needed for the Divine Path are difficult to find again on short notice... Daoist Master, please think carefully."

Dugu Lin...

Daoist Master Bai Yun’s expression grew grave, and hesitation flashed in his eyes. He had flown here without killing a single person, precisely for fear of repercussions. Furthermore, his purpose for coming here was not to seize the artifact...

His thoughts whirled, and he began to quietly send a voice transmission. From his bosom, he took out an item, a piece of Talisman Paper.

"Is this your creation?"

The two quickly communicated with each other using voice transmission.

After a brief conversation, Lin Xin hesitated for a moment but then nodded decisively almost instantly.

The White Tiger Demon King was engaged on one side, battling with dozens of bursting flower roots, but with each palm strike, he was able to break one. The situation seemed unlikely to last more than a few minutes.

"So this is the power of a Third Grade Magic Artifact? Good, good, good!!" The White Tiger Demon King instead began to laugh wildly. A mere Innate cultivator could use a magic artifact to temporarily bind him, which showed just how powerful this artifact was. If a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator like him could obtain the artifact, the hatred from being chased out of the Demon Sect years ago might just have the chance to be avenged!

Summoning his Spiritual Energy, he leaped up and flew, breaking the last two roots and shooting towards Lin Xin. At the same time, Daoist Master Bai Yun also flew diagonally, coming from another angle towards Lin Xin. Both had their sights set on the Red Flower Sword.

Hiss...

The figure of Dugu Lin suddenly emerged behind the White Tiger Demon King, wielding her blade ready to stab it into his back.

The immense aura made even Lin Xin himself slightly moved.

"Who!" The White Tiger Demon King violently swung his claw behind him, but he saw Dugu Lin disperse in an instant - she was only an illusion, which he had crushed with one swipe.

Boom!!

All at once, a black palm like lightning struck him squarely in the chest.

"Divine Glyph Palm!"

Humming, a circle of Talisman Wheels erupted from the White Tiger Demon King’s chest, forming a hazy figure of a crowned sovereign.

The figure vanished in a blink, revealing the complex expression of Daoist Master Bai Yun.

"Bai Yun, you!!!"

The White Tiger Demon King looked at him with rage, never expecting him to strike with full force.

With a thunderous crash, his entire body was knocked down into the furnace, smashing into the glowing coal pit below. Countless sparks surged towards the sky.

"Thank you for your aid, Daoist Master," Lin Xin also breathed a sigh of relief. Bai Yun had been hesitant and indecisive, something that Lin Xin had noticed. Furthermore, a Taoist Cultivator couldn’t easily abandon their nurtured territory. The consequences of offending the Immortal Sect were much more troublesome than dealing with the White Tiger Demon King.

He had just voice transmitted to the other party, attempting to persuade him, but was surprised to discover that the other party’s original intention was not to seize the magic artifact, but was actually planning to ask for his help in engraving an array. With this in mind, they were even more perfectly aligned. As for his earlier move, it was merely motivated by the thought of gaining a small advantage.

And just now, while the White Tiger Demon King was entangled, the two exchanged swift communications several times.

Taking advantage of the White Tiger seizing the Red Flower Sword, Bao Ying proved himself to be a decisive person. Having reached such a realm without the support of a sect, he naturally wouldn’t be indecisive. He resolutely launched an attack, ambushing the White Tiger Demon King.

No matter what, first taking down the White Tiger Demon King, no matter the outcome, it would be favorable to himself.

If that kid kept to the agreement, then all the better, but if he didn’t, the Third Grade magic artifact would still become his own to snatch away!

The two communicated once again at this moment.

Lin Xin admitted he was a master of inscribing formations and agreed to custom-make a magic artifact for Bao Ying. He also promised that his manor would help to spread his renown. And they quickly came to an agreement.

At this point, a cold sneer escaped from Daoist Master Bao Ying’s lips, a fierce light flashing in his eyes as he looked below at the Demon King and launched himself downward to deliver a finishing blow.

"These demon kinds have such simple minds."

"You idiot! You start infighting before even getting your hands on the prize!" The White Tiger Demon King’s roar, tinged with fury, emanated from within the glaringly red furnace.

He soared to the skies, transforming into a yellow-furred tiger with a white forehead, his limbs stepping on white clouds, as he ferociously pounced towards Bao Ying.

"The prize? I value the Villa Master himself even more," Bao Ying said disdainfully. In fact, he had been observing the nearby black market for a long time and had recently discovered the emergence of a new type of Resentment Talisman. Three talisman formations superimposed on one piece of talisman paper - only a Formation Path master could possess such skill.

By chance, he heard that this manor had a Third Grade anomaly emerge, so he took the initiative to come here, blending into a group of chattering loose cultivators. Little did he expect that the villa master would turn out to be the so-called master of the Formation Path.

At this moment above the furnace, the Demon King emitted white vapor from his body, clashing amidst the clouds against Bao Ying.

Bao Ying’s palms seemed to be cast from iron, colliding head-on with the Demon King repeatedly. Each collision set off an explosion of talisman wheels, their power extraordinary. Moreover, every talisman wheel explosion produced different types of spiritual energy blasts.

Sometimes it was fire, sometimes ice, sometimes poison.

Having been ambushed unexpectedly, the Demon King was caught off guard, breaking several ribs. Even though Bao Ying’s cultivation was superior to his, the Demon King was a demon, inherently stronger in physical combat than human cultivators, so they were relatively evenly matched.

However, because of the initial ambush and a slight injury to his physical body, the scales of battle began to tip.

The two fought above the furnace for a while without a clear victor until Bao Ying took a flying leap back and growled lowly.

"Swift!"

Suddenly, a black ring shot out from his sleeve.

The ring spun, its periphery emitting black light, prickly and needle-like, flying towards the opponent.

The Demon King spat out a breath of white vapor from his mouth, which, like a sword, struck fiercely against the black ring.

Clang!!

Under the intense vibration, the black ring rotated at high speed, with images of turtles and snakes emerging around it. The turtles and snakes hissed in unison, instantly enhancing the ring’s might as it pressed down forcefully, breaking through the white vapor.

Bang!

The ring struck the Demon King’s forehead, causing a large bump to form. He let out a painful howl and immediately fled.

Dozens of flower roots emerged again, trying to block his way, but in his tiger form, the Demon King simply swiped with his claws, severing a swath of roots and forcefully breaking through.

Lin Xin’s brows knitted tightly together as he turned to look at Daoist Master Bao Ying, only to see him pale-faced, with a trace of fresh blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

"Thanks to Daoist Master’s intervention, otherwise this would have spelled real trouble," Lin Xin quickly realized that Daoist Master Bao Ying had given his all and suffered repercussions.

"Don’t mention it. I hope for your full effort in fulfilling the earlier request, Villa Master Lin," Daoist Master Bao Ying said earnestly.

"Of course," Lin Xin nodded.

He looked towards the lower right, where a slender figure slowly emerged, carrying a sharp, cold edge.

"Daoist Sister Dugu, it seems we didn’t need to trouble you to take action after all."

"I’ve come here for nothing," Dugu Lin said impatiently. She had only just arrived, thinking she might gain some benefit, but to her surprise, the cunning kid had managed to solve the problem by simply using her reputation, so she turned and prepared to leave.

"Daoist Sister’s intervention comes at a high price, and I’m somewhat unable to afford it," Lin Xin admitted with a bitter smile.

"But if Daoist Sister also seeks a Third Grade magic artifact, I could agree to craft one for you, provided you supply the materials, of course."

"What’s the request?" Dugu Lin’s interest was immediately piqued. She happened to be in need of a good sword.

"Kill the White Tiger Demon King and those loose cultivators outside," Lin Xin said, his expression turning cold.

Dugu Lin was taken aback.

"You sure hold me in high regard," she said.

"It’s not about holding you in high regard, but rather trust," Lin Xin replied.

When Lin Xin saw Dugu Lin arrive, he too relaxed completely.

Considering the troubles he might face, how could he not employ the strongest fighter he could? That’s why Dugu Lin was sure to come.

"Interesting," Dugu Lin chuckled softly and stepped out from the furnace.

Daoist Master Bao Ying, who was floating beside Lin Xin, was now drenched in cold sweat. Lin Xin had not deceived him, Dugu Lin indeed had arrived. It was just a little later than planned. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote and support it on Qidian (qidian.com). Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)