Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 336 - 329 Challenge 3

Chapter 336: Chapter 329 Challenge 3

"Go!"

At Zheng Yunzhen’s command, the white Sword Array immediately enveloped Lin Xin.

Lin Xin, facing it, also swung his sword.

With a loud boom, red flames transformed into a beast head several meters high, roaring as it charged at the Sword Array.

The moment they collided, fierce turbulence arose, sending violent air currents scattering around, with white Spiritual Energy and red Spiritual Energy creating black electric arcs from their friction.

Lin Xin stood quietly holding the Red Flower Sword, making no further movement. After transforming into a Qilin, he could now maintain it for half an hour, unlike previously where he could only sustain it for about the duration of an incense stick.

It seemed his Primitive Demon Body increased his endurance and reduced the consumption rate of Spiritual Energy. Transforming into a Qilin could enhance his destructive power and Explosive Power significantly, especially when manifesting solid flame beast heads, which consumed a vast amount of energy and were also extremely terrifying in power.

However, such moves could not be used frequently. Even he did not dare to use them in succession, as that would risk depleting his Spiritual Energy completely.

He and Zheng Yunzhen were now separated by about five or six meters, with the white Sword Array and the Qilin Flames furiously battling in the air between them.

Zheng Yunzhen could clearly feel that his opponent hid something that made his own heart palpitate, so he did not plan to use his Dao Seeking ultimate technique first.

If he used Dao Seeking, he could easily destroy the opponent’s crimson flame beast head, but he feared escalating the battle situation.

At his level, he avoided an all-out battle as much as possible, aiming for stability.

Given the opponent’s significantly younger age and far greater potential, unlike himself who could no longer advance, he preferred not to make enemies if avoidable, lest it brought future troubles. After all, if he failed to kill his opponent, allowing him to escape, it would cause unnecessary hassle. An impulsive act of bravery could lead to long-standing troubles.

Simply put, Zheng Yunzhen’s ability to steadily maintain control over Sun Spring and leading his sect to its current scale was rooted in these cautious principles.

At this moment, he only needed to slightly overpower his opponent yet without damaging his pride, mastering the delicate balance was the best approach.

With this thought, he pinched a Sword Technique, and instantly two triangular white light membranes appeared beside him, each as tall as a person and slowly rotating, picking up speed increasingly.

"Go!"

With a flick of his hand, the light membranes transformed into two disc-like white objects, rapidly shooting towards his opponent.

’With such stamina-intensive powerful moves, in terms of endurance, my seasoned Golden Core Dao Seeking is definitely much stronger than his; with this kind of consumption battle, adding just one more straw to break the camel’s back isn’t too much, yet it forces him to contend with it. Surely, it will achieve the desired effect.’

His mind clear, he manipulated the two triangular discs to slice towards Lin Xin from both sides.

Clang, clang!!

Suddenly, two crisp sounds rang out.

Lin Xin, holding the Red Flower Sword, blurred his arm, and instantly shattered the two triangular discs.

The blood-red flames on the sword blade surged fiercely.

Lin Xin slowly arched his body, his gaze becoming sharper.

"Qilin!!"

He fiercely slashed forward.

Boom!!

A large cluster of crimson flame beast heads burst forth, as if alive, charging toward Zheng Yunzhen, screaming deafeningly even while still in mid-air.

Zheng Yunzhen’s expression changed, realizing his opponent still had the strength to use such moves, knowing he could no longer hold back.

A white small sword quietly appeared in his left hand.

"Dao Seeking’s First Sword: Heartless!!"

He suddenly raised his hand, and a white misty vortex appeared in front of him, with dozens of white Flying Swords forming, each about twice as powerful as those he had previously released.

A whirl of howling and sharp air-cutting sounds was piercingly intense.

"Go!"

Zheng Yunzhen pointed with his left hand, the white Flying Swords in his hand silently shooting out.

Amidst many condensed Flying Swords, they hissed towards Lin Xin like a rain of arrows.

All the white Flying Swords seemed to merge into a white dragon, roaring as it flew towards Lin Xin, directly meeting the oncoming Flame Qilin.

Boom!!

A massive explosion erupted, with white fragments and red fireballs scattering around.

Lin Xin, struck by the huge blast, staggered back repeatedly.

His Spiritual Energy had been greatly depleted after consecutively unleashing the Qilin twice, and his opponent’s cultivation was clearly much more formidable than that of Wusheng Daughters.

Justly so, as a seasoned Dao Seeker hidden for years, his first strike alone made Lin Xin involuntarily step back several times.

"I cannot use the Primitive Demon Body, I need to comprehend Sword Intent and Taoist Intent; if I rely on the Demon Body, besides winning, there will be nothing else gained."

Lin Xin had just thought about using the Demon Body, but immediately suppressed the urge. He desired to advance his Sword Intent, surpassing the Intent Level, and although these were the conditions put forth by the Yuan Dou Demonic Technique, they undoubtedly represented a clear path for Lin Xin who hadn’t been able to advance his Red Flower Sword Path.

Just as he reined in his energized Demon Body, Lin Xin’s mind raced, and he suddenly felt a wave of danger approaching from behind.

He quickly flipped forward while the Red Flower Sword swiftly blocked behind him.

Ding!!!

An extremely sharp object seemed fiercely pressed against the very tip of the Red Flower Sword. It nearly got past the blade; had it penetrated, it would surely have pierced through his chest, causing severe injury in an instant.

Lin Xin’s face tensed, he rushed forward, diving to the ground.

Whoosh!!

The sharp object behind him pierced through the air above him, emitting a huge whooshing sound, targeting directly at Zheng Yunzhen in front of him.

With a gesture, Zheng Yunzhen easily recalled the Flying Sword, his expression serious for the first time since the battle began.

"Dao Seeking Second Sword: Sea of Clouds!!"

With a wave of his hands, countless trails of white smoke burst forth from behind him, quickly enveloping the surrounding area within hundreds of meters.

Caught off guard and unable to react in time, Lin Xin found himself engulfed in the midst as well.

Instantly, all the cloud and white smoke exploded, dispersing into scattered clouds all around.

Within less than a breath’s time in the sea of clouds, Lin Xin suddenly felt the hairs on his body stand on end, a wave of intense crisis threatening to drown him in an instant.

"Retreat!"

Without using his Demon Body, he couldn’t possibly withstand the opponent’s technique.

This man, rather than wielding a sword, seemed more adept with Flying Daggers. Moreover, the power was far greater than any Dao Seeking expert Lin Xin had encountered before, surpassing even the Heaven’s Will Saber from before by several levels.

In the blink of an eye, Lin Xin frantically retreated, but it was already too late. A breeze that seemed casual, yet carried a sharp and piercing essence, quickly assaulted him.

Without time to think, Lin Xin raised his sword vertically in front of him.

"Qilin!!!" For the third time, the Qilin, he vigorously summoned all the Spiritual Energy within him, the third head of the blood-red fiery beast fiercely charging forward.

True danger began to emerge within the clouds.

It was a long, sharp silver spike, its length unknown. At a closer look, it was actually composed of countless silver Flying Swords linked together, at least hundreds of them connected as one, crazily hurtling towards Lin Xin.

The fired Qilin just opened its mouth to roar when it was punctured instantly upon contact, like a thin balloon, the blood-red flames inside not even having the chance to explode before being penetrated by the spike, dispersing in all directions.

Lin Xin’s expression turned cold, barely managing to twist his body, tilting the Red Flower Sword upward. He fiercely met the spike just below its surface.

An overwhelming force surged from the spike, thrusting him backwards as he was flung back.

His face turning red, with a crack, Lin Xin broke through the Protective Shield, flying backwards into the distant sky, in the blink of an eye turning into a small dot, drawing a parabolic trajectory as he plummeted down from the sea of clouds.

As the cloud and spike dispersed, the Eight Trigrams platform was left in a mess of ruin, Zheng Yunzhen stood in place, contemplative.

"Elder!"

"Great Grandfather!"

"Elder!"

A large group of younger sect members hurriedly gathered around.

The chubby Taoist was the first to rush forward.

"Elder, is that man dead or alive?" He was somewhat worried. "He shouldn’t have significant backing, right?"

Zheng Yunzhen pinched his beard.

"Rest assured, I held back. The foe is severely injured at most, and not in fatal areas. He should know what’s good for him and leave on his own. Disputes must be resolved, not intensified, and we must lead others by virtue to ensure our longevity."

"We will heed the Elder’s teachings," the disciples promptly responded, all relieved.

The girl in the red dress was the most nervous of all.

In previous years, challengers had been defeated with just ordinary techniques, but this time, the opponent had pushed the Elder to use the second Dao Seeking killing move, indicating how troublesome it was.

Fortunately, everything was okay now; the man had lost and should know better than to come again. They could continue to live their secluded lives in peace.

She felt a great relief in her heart.

*************************

Within the Sea of Clouds.

Lin Xin fell straight down with his back to the earth, swiftly piercing through layers of white clouds as if passing through layers of thin cotton.

Blood poured out of his mouth in great gulps.

His internal organs had suffered varying degrees of trauma, and his Spiritual Energy was depleted. Not to mention the Protective Aura, which was destroyed in a mere instant of contact.

For disciples of lower levels, the Protective Aura serves as a decent natural barrier, but against higher-level cultivators, it’s little more than a slightly thicker sheet of paper.

"Dao Seeking’s peak, just the second move inflicted severe injuries on me. As expected, his reputation is well-deserved. Without using the Demon Body, I’m likely no match for him now."

His expression was calm, as if he had anticipated this outcome.

"If I were to use my Demon Body, my total Spiritual Energy would greatly increase, reaching nine times its normal amount. The two additional arms would allow for commanding powerful Sword Techniques as naturally as my own limbs. A single ordinary move could instantly triple in strength. This includes enhancements in strength, defense, and speed. Perhaps I might have a chance to defeat Zheng Yunzhen."

He flipped over, facing towards the earth.

"But it is just perhaps. The gap in strength among Dao Seeking experts is quite large; a single Zheng Yunzhen could probably take on two Wusheng Saber wielders, provided they stood and fought to the death."

His body rapidly filled with wisps of black air, which became more and more abundant, wrapping around his body. Before long, it dispersed, and his body had transformed into the Primitive Demon Body form.

The dried-up Spiritual Energy within him quickly recovered, increasing significantly.

Boom!

A blast of black air shot downward, nicely countering the force of his rapid descent.

Internally, his injuries healed rapidly with each breath.

In just five breaths, the originally grievously damaged areas of his internals had recovered by half.

But strands of silver-white energy, similar to flowing currents, permeated his body, stubbornly remaining within his organs and impeding the final complete recovery.

Lin Xin floated in midair, slowly descending to the ground.

Below was a vast sea of red flowers, all triangular red blossoms with three petals, their numbers vast and densely packed, covering the entire mountainside like a floral field.

As he landed among the flowers,

the black air around him dissipated, blowing the surrounding red flowers outward, clearing a space around him.