Chapter 1148: Single-handedly Quelling the Demonic Tide
“Will you stand with me?”
Li Fan’s voice boomed like thunder, piercing the white mist and momentarily drowning out even the wails from the Abyss of Roars, its echoes reverberating throughout the Eternal Immortal Fortress.
Feeling the countless gazes of the Azure Mysterious Army converge upon him, Shang Shaojun’s flickering form finally settled and grew calm.
He revealed his true appearance.
Dressed in a simple green robe that billowed around his tall, slender frame, Shang Shaojun’s eyes flashed with a sharp light as he stared at Li Fan. “Fellow Daoist, I fear you are being arrogant. Your sword may be sharp, but it is not enough to stop that terrifying demonic sound tide, let alone your delusion of suppressing the abyss for all eternity...”
“How will we know if we do not try? It seems to me, Shaojun, that you have guarded the edge of this abyss for so long that your courage has been worn away!” the Sacred Fetus Li Fan retorted, yielding no ground.
“Hmph. Your words are sharp, but little else.”
In an instant, thousands of shadows seemed to materialize around Shang Shaojun. He himself appeared to recede into this tide of darkness, peering out at Li Fan, ready to unleash a fatal blow at any moment.
“There are rumors within the Alliance that the demonic sound of the abyss benefits Shang Shaojun’s cultivation, which is why he has willingly stood guard here for a century without leaving. It seems those rumors were true.”
Back when he was still in the Foundation Establishment realm, Li Fan had experienced the terror of the demonic sound up close.
Now, Shang Shaojun was like a walking abyss, capable of erupting with a demonic tide at any time!
Above the Sacred Fetus Li Fan's head, a simple, unadorned black sword suddenly manifested.
Its tip pointed directly at Shang Shaojun.
Though assailed by the phantom sound of a million demons, the moment the blade locked onto him, a sliver of danger arose in Shang Shaojun’s heart.
He could almost see, behind that single black sword, a sky filled with countless blades raining down, all aimed at him!
“Where did this master come from...?”
A grave expression settled on Shang Shaojun’s face.
The two faced each other in the void, a great battle seemingly on the verge of erupting.
But at that critical moment, a strange fluctuation emanated from nearby.
It began with a few sporadic, sharp tearing sounds, like an autumn wind.
Then, like the urgent stampede of hooves, it suddenly burst forth with the intensity of a torrential storm.
It was as if all the ghosts of the deepest hell were wailing in unison, or the desperate howls of a world echoing on the eve of its apocalypse.
The white mist churned, roiling violently.
And the Severed Palm Immortal City itself trembled like a small boat on a stormy sea, perilously close to being capsized!
“The demonic sound tide!”
It seemed that the suppressive power of Li Fan’s sword light had provoked a backlash from the Abyss of Roars.
This time, the intensity and scale of the demonic sound tide far exceeded any before.
The Eternal Immortal Fortress, bearing the brunt of the impact, felt like a leaf on a branch, in danger of being blown away at any second!
Shang Shaojun’s expression changed drastically. He could no longer be bothered with Li Fan; his figure flashed, returning to the Severed Palm Immortal City.
With Shang Shaojun presiding over it, a halo of azure light enveloped the fortress, and the Eternal Immortal Fortress slowly began to stabilize amidst the demonic tide.
Just as the soldiers of the Azure Mysterious Army were steadying their rattled nerves, they discovered to their horror that Li Fan, whom they thought had vanished in the tide, was still standing silently in the void.
Even as the demonic sound raged around him and the white mist billowed.
He remained utterly unshaken.
And what Li Fan did next was something no one could have ever anticipated.
He strolled casually, as if taking a leisurely walk, to the very edge of the Severed Palm Immortal City.
Facing the endless Abyss of Roars, Li Fan sat down cross-legged.
An unadorned black sword appeared beneath him just in time to serve as his seat.
Li Fan raised his right hand, curled his finger, and tapped the body of the sword.
“Clang!”
The crisp, clear sound was startlingly prominent, even within the raging demonic cacophony!
As the sword’s chime echoed, countless different sword phantoms instantly materialized behind Li Fan.
The phantoms stretched out in an unbroken line, like a great wall, shielding the Severed Palm Immortal City.
A forest of ten thousand swords, all pointing toward the abyss!
“The demonic sound is piercing his mind, yet he’s completely unaffected! How is he doing that?”
“He’s sitting in front of the city... what is he planning?”
This stunning spectacle left the million soldiers of the Azure Mysterious Army utterly dumbfounded.
Even Shang Shaojun shot up from his position, staring at Li Fan’s back from across the city wall.
If the demonic sound tide was a relentless, raging, monstrous wave, then Li Fan, at this moment, was a great rock standing firm on the shore.
Unwavering, unmovable.
He let the demonic sound rage, yet it could not harm him in the slightest.
And Li Fan’s performance had only just begun.
“Go!”
Facing the tide, Li Fan uttered a soft command.
From the great wall of ten thousand sword phantoms behind him, a single blade shot forth.
Just like the world-shaking sword light he had unleashed before, it hurtled straight towards the demonic sound tide.
Before the surging tide, the sword's light gradually dimmed.
But the soldiers of the Azure Mysterious Army within the Severed Palm Immortal City clearly felt that the tide’s power had diminished ever so slightly because of that single blade!
“Could it be...”
A thought involuntarily surfaced in their minds.
Everyone in the immortal city began to tremble slightly.
Then, a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives unfolded before them.
Tens of thousands of flying swords charged forward, one after another, throwing themselves into the Abyss of Roars without a hint of hesitation.
Countless streaks of sword light flashed incessantly, completely illuminating the Eternal Immortal Fortress.
With every attack, the demonic sound tide weakened.
The terrifying wails reaching their ears slowly became listless and faint.
The vast immortal city fell completely silent.
Everyone watched Li Fan’s back in silence.
There was no room in their minds for any other thought.
Like a great storm finally passing, the sky cleared.
Outside the immortal city, not a single demonic sound could be heard.
Yet the sword lights behind Li Fan were still as numerous as before.
Endless, inexhaustible.
“That senior...”
“Perhaps his earlier claim of suppressing the abyss for all eternity was not impossible after all.”
This thought emerged in the minds of the Azure Mysterious Army soldiers in unison.
With his back to the Severed Palm Immortal City, Li Fan did not rise.
The soldiers, too, seemed frozen in place, not daring to make the slightest move.
“By blocking the demonic sound tide with my sword, the Xuanhuang Realm's recognition of my Sword Dao has deepened considerably.”
The Sacred Fetus Li Fan was, in fact, comprehending the changes happening within him.
“As expected, the Heavenly Dao of Xuanhuang is instinctively repulsed by these [foreign objects]. If I can act in accordance with the will of heaven, I will receive its favor in return.”
With this thought, Li Fan slowly stood up, turned around, and looked at the countless cultivators within the Eternal Immortal Fortress.
He asked with a smile, “Does Shaojun still think me arrogant?”
The immortal city was deathly silent.
A moment later, Shang Shaojun’s figure reappeared before Li Fan.
He bowed slightly and said with a sigh of admiration, “I was wrong.”
“Fellow Daoist’s talent is truly a rare sight in this world.”
Just as he was about to say more, Li Fan raised a hand, cutting him off.
“So, Shaojun, will you stand with me?”
Li Fan asked once more.
Seeing this, Shang Shaojun gritted his teeth and replied with resigned determination, “In that case, I will stake my life and join you!”
As his words fell, a thunderous cheer erupted from within the Severed Palm Immortal City.
Just one chapter today.
(End of this chapter)
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