The Arrogant Immortal
Chapter 328 - 327 Intense Battle

Chapter 328: Chapter 327 Intense Battle

"Lin Ba’s Dao heart has become unstable,"

remarked Lord Guangcheng, who was secretly observing the battle.

Lord Guangluo responded, "This man’s mind is cluttered with too many extraneous thoughts; no wonder it is so."

"Put someone else in his place, and I’m afraid their Dao heart would be just as shaky," Lord Xiaoyuan raised an eyebrow, speaking with veiled criticism. "A sword cultivator, yet not even as good as a disciple who uses basic swordsmanship."

The others seemed to agree with his comment.

How could they not? Anyone else would probably also have an unstable Dao heart.

Toiling away at sword practice for hundreds of years with considerable self-regard, only to one day realize you’re actually worthless, unable to defeat a disciple several ranks below you.

Not only that, but the opponent was not even a sword cultivator and was using the most basic swordsmanship from the Sect — a style that any disciple of the Sect was qualified to practice!

Even though Lin Ba had not yet lost in reality, in the eyes of the wise, he had already been defeated.

So naturally, Lin Ba’s mentality was bound to be agitated.

Defeated by the very swordsmanship he took pride in, he couldn’t help but doubt everything he had learned, questioning his own path of the sword. Unwittingly, cracks started forming in his Dao heart.

Unless he could kill his opponent!

But was Xie Jiuniang that easy to kill?

If she were, the current situation would not have arisen.

Lord Xiaoyuan’s profound eyes were filled with admiration, "This is the first time this lord has realized that Tianxu Sect’s basic swordsmanship could be so powerful."

Being from a Sword Sect himself, he naturally studied various swordsmanship styles from different Sects and schools in the Cultivation World. Moreover, Tianxu Sect’s basic swordsmanship was not a secret; anyone persistent enough could find it.

He had looked at it once before.

And had then dismissed it.

Yet today, this seemingly mundane swordsmanship allowed a disciple to exude the pressure of high-level swords.

The others nodded in agreement as well.

Some of the prominent figures from his own Sect laughed quietly without saying a word. Not just Lord Xiaoyuan and other external figures of power, but they too had only noticed today.

With their discerning eyes, they had long seen that Xie Jiuniang was using basic swordsmanship, which didn’t seem like basic swordsmanship at all, as if there was also a specific set of patterns in motion.

The sword moves were sometimes fast, sometimes slow, seeming endlessly variable and without pattern.

Suddenly, clang!

A sound of a sword clashing rang out.

Lin Ba’s heavy sword broke on cue!

In an instant, Xie Jiuniang swiftly retreated, and in the next moment, she advanced again like a phantom, as if performing the Sword Drawing Technique, closing in rapidly.

What kind of momentum was that?

The sword’s force soared in a split second, the momentum was overwhelming, and a vast killing intent was unleashed!

This was the Sword Drawing Technique!

As Lin Ba, who faced her, only felt the heavy sword break and the flicker of light and shadow before his eyes for an instant, he suddenly faced a massive killing move, as formidable sword lights concealed a terrifying killing intent.

It was an earth-shattering, sudden onslaught!

Lin Ba didn’t even have time to react, let alone dodge.

Boom!

Suddenly, the platform erupted with sword light, surrounded by a mass of sword glows, blinding those watching below for an instant.

"Ah? What is this?"

"I can’t keep my eyes open; I can’t see clearly!"

"Did Lin Ba die? Goodness, I bet on him to win. My thousand Spirit Stones!"

"Only a thousand? I’m in worse shape; I gambled two thousand."

"I heard someone placed a bet of a billion," a disciple suddenly dropped a bombshell.

Someone exclaimed in shock, "Who is it?"

"Don’t know, but someone did. Do you know who they bet on to win? Haha, I bet you don’t know. The answer is —"

"They bet on Little Profiteer winning! I know that."

"Scram, brat! You wretch, how dare you steal my words, I’ll fight you for this." The disciple whose words were stolen was so angry he was ready to sever ties with his brother.

He was quickly suppressed by someone nearby.

That person said coldly, "Is the battle on stage not exciting enough for you? Do you still have the mood to quarrel?"

"No, no, no, it’s exactly because it’s too exciting that we couldn’t help ourselves. We are good brothers, just fooling around. We apologize for disturbing elder." The quarreling people immediately begged for forgiveness.

That person wasn’t truly interested in dealing with them.

It was just that they happened to be standing in front of him, obstructing his view of the stage.

When the sword light on the stage dissipated, everyone thought matters were settled.

But they were not!

A set of intricate black gold battle armor surfaced on Lin Ba’s body, emitting a dim mysterious light, hinting at its profound enigma.

This battle armor was clearly no ordinary item.

"What is that?" Xie Jiuniang asked with furrowed brows and intense focus as she held her sword.

Jian Lingyan gasped in shock, "It’s Semi-Immortal Level battle armor! Do you know what battle armor is? During the ancient wars between gods and demons, the most popular were these battle armors. Wearing a battle armor can elevate one’s combat ability by a whole major rank."

Xie Jiuniang’s heart sank.

Did those families actually possess such treasures?

Around the watching crowd, a wave of commotion arose, and many started to cautiously discuss what was on Lin Ba’s body.

"What is that? I’ve never seen it before."

"I know that, it’s battle armor."

"The methods for refining battle armor were lost long ago, weren’t they? The Lin Family actually still has one!"

This speculation shocked everyone.

The powerful figures hidden in the shadows were surprised; compared to the various guesses of the outer disciples, what they knew was much more reliable.

An Outer Sect’s Divinity Transformation Path cultivator said, "The Lin Family doesn’t have an Artifact Refining Master capable of creating a Semi-Immortal Artifact. This battle armor might be a serendipitous find."

"The Lin Family is really willing to part with it, taking it out for this occasion," another Divinity Transformation cultivator remarked.

Lord Xiaoyuan suddenly said, "The Nangong Family once found a piece of battle armor in an ancient site. I had the fortune to see it once, and it looked very similar to this one."

His reference to similarity was subtle.

To certain powerful ears listening, it meant it was the very same one.

Lord Guangcheng scoffed, "The Nangong Family? Aren’t they afraid of the proverb ’throwing a meat bun to a dog’, only to lose it forever?"

"The Nangong Family is wealthy and bold, such a Semi-Immortal Artifact is nothing to them. They probably have several more in their family," said Lord Ziyang, the speaker being none other than himself.

Xiaoyuan chuckled lightly, "That might be the case."

Ziyang’s words, once out, made it difficult for the Nangong Family to stay out of trouble.

You should know that in this world, there are practically no Immortal Artifacts, and only a few Semi-Immortal Artifacts existed, usually found in various secret realms or ancient ruins, often as damaged Immortal Artifacts reduced to the Semi-Immortal Level.

Some long-standing Sects and aristocratic families might possess one or two, but no power would ever disregard a Semi-Immortal Artifact.

Did that mean the Nangong Family possessed more than one?

This statement was quite venomous!

Yet, all the powerful figures silently agreed.

If the Nangong Family of the Northern Region didn’t have several Semi-Immortal Artifacts, why else would they give one such artifact to a Golden Core Sword Cultivator of the Lin Family? Was it because they harbored ill intentions, wishing to take Xie Jiuniang’s life?

Not everyone believes in so-called rumors.

At this moment, Xie Jiuniang also thought of a question.

Such a Semi-Immortal Artifact, regardless of who brought it out, would they really be willing to give it to a mere Golden Core?

Contemplating this, Xie Jiuniang’s eyes flickered slightly.

She focused her gaze on Lin Ba, who was not far away.

His expression remained the same, just as lifeless as before, devoid of any emotion. Yet, his slightly pale face betrayed his unease.

From this, it could be seen that the previous sword strike.

What followed would not come without a cost.

This discovery slightly stabilized Xie Jiuniang’s spirit.