Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 346 - 339: Sneak Attack Part 2

Chapter 346: Chapter 339: Sneak Attack Part 2

"This guy is so strong, he must be a character with significant authority. Both are practicing Demonic Arts, if I kill him, I should be able to absorb a large amount of Demonic Qi...."

Lin Xin, now practicing the early stages of Yuan Dou Demonic Technique, was in need of abundant Demonic Qi.

However, unlike Spiritual Energy, there are only two ways to obtain Demonic Qi.

First, it could be transformed from other negative energies, such as resentment or death aura, all of which required bloody and inhumane rituals to acquire.

He was unwilling to do so, that left only the second method.

The second was hunting, hunting other demon cultivators to seize and absorb their refined Demonic Qi. This was the fastest method, but also the most difficult.

"Furthermore, I haven’t completely broken free from the spirit prison; I’ve only temporarily suppressed it; slaughter also comes with cultivation advancement rewards."

Lin Xin had started planning in his mind. Advancing both Demonic Qi and the spirit prison could potentially push him to the Second Layer of the Yuan Dou Demonic Technique.

He stealthily lay in wait, activated a Concealment Formation, and given the fierce battle the opposing forces were engaged in, no one noticed his presence.

In time, he managed to sneak within a hundred meters, hiding behind a giant stone boulder taller than a man.

Carefully observing and sensing the battle, Lin Xin quickly discerned who was who.

The Black-robed Daoist appeared to be the Demonic Arm Venerable he was targeting. All around him were his disciples.

The man in red clothes wielding a golden spear was evidently a highly skilled warrior from the Red Spine Sect, probably here to assert influence.

Time ticked away bit by bit.

The battle grew fiercer and fiercer.

The Black-robed Daoist, with a strange hand seal, pressed straight down. His whole body lifted an eerie, amber glow, carrying a deathly Taoist intent.

The man in red clothes holding the golden spear, equipped with a white belt, stood solemn with spear in hand, suddenly transforming the spear into a vast forest of spears which then merged into a burst of golden light shooting upwards. The surrounding flames roared even ferociously, his Taoist intent blazingly focused on one mantra: Burn!

Deathly stillness versus burning ferocity, both Taoist intents were intensively suitable for real combat, a stark contrast to his own mournful intent, which was suited for physical combat.

The clash between the black hand and the golden spear happened in an instant.

There was no deafening explosion nor blinding golden brilliance.

The moment they collided, they suddenly vanished without a trace.

Vanishing in mid-air, leaving not a trace behind.

Ah!

A group of disciples clad in black robes screamed, sent flying in disarray, crashing to the ground. The Demonic Arm Venerable’s eyes burst open suddenly, blood streaming down his face.

"Cheng Sheng Ming!!!"

He shouted furiously, his hands shaped like claws, as he wildly lunged at the man in red clothes wielding a golden spear.

The one called Cheng Sheng Ming, with the white belt, stood his ground but could not help spewing a mouthful of black blood. Seeing his opponent’s charge, he struggled to stand, shaking his golden spear toward the opponent’s throat.

"Shooting Divine Spear!"

The spear tip suddenly exploded like a lotus flower, shooting towards the Demonic Arm Venerable from all sides.

In an instant, a swirl of black hair and golden brilliance mingled into one. Their clash kicked up dust and stones as metallic sounds echoed, epic clashes of Demonic Qi exploded into twisted whirlwinds, lingering in the air where the two had crossed paths.

Lin Xin calmly waited for the right moment.

Both men were now severely depleted of Demonic Qi and not lightly wounded. However, as top warriors at the Dao Seeking Level, both undoubtedly had their own ultimate moves.

He was waiting, waiting for the two to reveal their true deadly techniques.

Leaning against the rock, Lin Xin relaxed as much as possible, his entire body’s Spiritual Energy slowing and contracting.

When not in Demonic Body Transformation, his body contained no Demonic Qi, only Star Force. Or rather, in the normal state of his Primitive Demon Body, he used Star Force, which could mimic both Spiritual Energy and Demonic Qi.

However, his Red Flower Sword Path and abilities like the Qilin required Spiritual Energy as the driving force. That’s why he habitually converted Star Force to Spiritual Energy.

The booming of explosions continued incessantly, finally reaching a climactic point.

A massive aura of deathly stillness suddenly burst forth.

Simultaneously, the opposing searing flames erupted too, both forces in direct confrontation.

"As thin as a crescent!" the Demonic Arm Venerable roared, all his black hair condensing into an extremely fine black line, shooting towards his opponent like a spike.

Behind this black line was a faintly emerging shadow of a bizarre Buddha statue with three heads and six arms.

"Dao Seeking Curtain Spear! Wan Lin!!!"

Cheng Sheng Ming also roared lowly, his golden spear suddenly melted away, replaced by continuous eruptions of golden spear tips from the ground around him.

The densely packed golden spears shot up from the ground, forming a forest of spears, swiftly advancing towards the black line.

Boom!!!

This time, it was a straightforward, violent collision.

The two surges of boiling Demonic Qi clashed wildly, the ripples of the explosion instantly reducing any surviving disciples to mincemeat.

The mountaintop was also obliterated, a large chunk of rock blasting away, rolling down the peak toward the deep cliffs.

Only the spots where the two warriors stood, as well as Lin Xin’s hiding place, remained unaffected; however, the Taoist temple buildings situated a bit further could not escape the catastrophe. Rocks fragmented and plummeted downwards with the breaking of the mountainside.

Chilling winds howled. Both men lay on the precipice, one to the left and one to the right, still struggling to rise, but clearly, both were exhausted.

Lin Xin pondered for a moment and then stepped out from behind the stone. He walked straight toward Cheng Sheng Ming.

"I’ve long heard of the Demonic Arm Venerable’s formidable power, and seeing it now, it truly is fierce. Even the fire-based Demonic Arts, which should restrain you, have had such a brutal match."

He walked as he spoke.

"Who are you... who are you!" Chi Shengming’s expression slightly changed, this time he truly miscalculated. Little did he expect that the Demonic Arm Venerable’s strength was astonishing, able to leverage the power of the disciples and the formation, fighting him to a mutual defeat, evenly matched.

At this moment, the Demonic Arm Venerable’s expression also changed, looking towards Lin Xin with uncertainty and astonishment.

Lin Xin smiled.

Actually, both of them were venerable figures of the Demon Path, each a domineering lord of their own right.

The reason he waited for them to both be injured before making a move was precisely to capitalize on their weakened state.

"Who I am is not important. What is important is..."

Lin Xin slowly drew out the Red Flower Sword, a flash of red light in his eyes.

"With both of you so heavily injured, isn’t it a perfect time for me to benefit?"

With a swoosh, the Red Flower Sword Qi suddenly transformed into two brilliant crimson rays, shooting towards them both.

At this moment, the two were utterly unable to block such fast sword qi and could only watch as the sword qi rapidly approached.

Suddenly, a silver-white giant axe descended from the sky, rotating at great velocity, releasing two white lights that fiercely chopped the two strands of sword qi apart.

Clang!

The sound of the axe’s light colliding with the sword qi rang out, crisp and clear to the extreme.

Lin Xin’s expression changed, looking up at the sky.

The giant axe harshly landed, thunderously burying itself into the ground, revealing its handle and part of the axe’s body, which was distinctly engraved with a silver phoenix pattern.

"Silver Phoenix Axe!?" the Demonic Arm exclaimed in astonishment.

"No, I must kill Chi Shengming quickly; otherwise, once we become sworn enemies, allowing these two to recover, I won’t stand a chance against either of them now!"

Lin Xin’s mind raced, and he suddenly disappeared. With several flashes, he crossed a distance of dozens of meters, appearing behind Chi Shengming like teleporting, and stabbed towards his heart with a sword.

Clang!

Another crisp sound rang out—the Silver Phoenix Axe appeared yet again in front of him, blocking the Red Flower Sword.

Lin Xin was expressionless, his body rolling with dark energy, his right arm moved like lightning, stabbing out three sword shadows simultaneously.

"Divine Shadow!" he roared.

The speed of his swordplay immediately increased by more than a fold, appearing on the Silver Phoenix Axe in the blink of an eye, thrusting eighty-one continuous strikes.

Clang!

All the sounds of sword clashes converged into one, producing a loud clang, sparks erupting massively, the sword blade directly flinging the Silver Phoenix Axe away.

Gathering all his strength, Lin Xin fiercely raised his sword and then slashed downward.

Shick!

Unexpectedly, it missed.

In the nick of time, Chi Shengming awkwardly rolled away, narrowly avoiding the slash.

With a hissing sound, the remainder of his Divine Wind rock layer explosively cracked open a terrifyingly deep gash, which extended over a hundred meters to the edge of the cliff before disappearing from sight.

"Taking advantage of others’ weakness is not the act of a gentleman!" a clear female voice came from mid-air.

"The Red Spine Sect causes chaos in the world; there’s no need to speak of honor with these minions!"

Lin Xin held his sword and spoke lightly.

"Righteousness is the Taoist Intent. Only with the philosophy in heart can intent follow; it’s not for show," the female voice replied coldly.

"Silver Phoenix, the old sect indeed needs to rely on you!" The Demonic Arm Venerable laughed from the side.

Lin Xin glanced at him, who evidently hadn’t shown up in person but had remotely controlled his sacrificially refined treasure to fight against him. Even so, he was able to catch his full-force strike. His cultivation was clearly far superior to his, possibly even stronger than the Demonic Arm Venerable and Chi Shengming.

With a rapid turn of thoughts, a slight smile appeared on Lin Xin’s face.

"Why must the senior be angered? The junior was merely joking with Senior Demonic Arm. It wasn’t my intention to harm him; otherwise, I wouldn’t have attacked Chi Shengming from the start."

"Really?" The woman’s voice carried a hint of sarcasm.

"Absolutely," Lin Xin replied without changing his expression. "The junior had old grievances with the Red Spine Sect, and had hated them to the bone; hence in a moment of impulsiveness, I burst forth."

"There is actually someone in this world who can lie without batting an eyelid, utterly shameless!" the woman’s tone carried a hint of anger, seemingly in extreme disdain for such people.

"Why must the senior be angry? The junior is merely keen on revenge, which is a common human sentiment. Back in the day, when I was hunted by the Red Spine Sect, there was nowhere in heaven or earth for me to escape..."

He began to ramble, drawing a little from various tragic stories he had seen, and adding them all to his own experience.

The woman was growing increasingly impatient.

Shick!

Suddenly, a sound of dispersing blood qi.

Lin Xin’s words abruptly stopped. A cryptic smile appeared on his face as his figure slowly faded away, revealing that the one who had been speaking was just an image formed by Spiritual Energy.

"Seeking death!!!" The woman immediately realized something was amiss and looked towards Chi Shengming, only to see that a bowl-sized hole had appeared in his chest at some unknown time. Pale golden blood flowed like a fountain, crazily being absorbed into something beneath the ground.

Chi Shengming’s complexion turned ashen, disbelief shining in his eyes.

He was still holding a Thousand-Mile Escape Talisman, but unfortunately, he hadn’t managed to crush it in time. He had intended to observe the situation before escaping.

The sneak attack came without warning, and if his strength had been intact, he might have sensed it, but now...