Chapter 427: Heaven's Rift |
As his words fell, the True Martial Demon-Quelling Sword in Li Qingyu's hand suddenly emitted a clear, resonant cry that pierced heaven and earth!
He twisted his wrist, bringing the sword body horizontally before his chest, then seemingly casually swept it forward.
No flashy radiance, no complex trajectory, only a pure sword qi that erupted from the sword edge!
This sword qi initially was just a single line, but after leaving the sword it swelled against the wind, in an instant transforming into a mighty river connecting heaven and earth!
Wherever the sword qi passed, the air was forcibly torn open with a twisted, blurred fissure.
The sword qi river surged forward, slashing straight down!
"BOOM!"
At the town center, using the center line between the two as boundary, the rammed earth ground seemed struck by an invisible giant axe, violently collapsing downward!
A massive ravine several zhang deep, over a zhang wide, and dozens of zhang long appeared with a deafening roar and debris shooting skyward!
Just an opening sword strike possessed mountain-splitting, earth-cleaving might!
Facing this terrifying sword qi capable of cleaving ordinary Grandmasters in two, Luo Zhixian's expression didn't change.
The Meteor Star Spear in his hand didn't even rise very high. He merely flicked his wrist, the spear body tracing an arc as it swept diagonally upward to meet that sword qi river from below.
"Hum!"
The spear body trembled. A spear radiance shot from the spear tip.
This spear radiance wasn't particularly magnificent or massive, yet it was heavy and solid, as if countless minute thunderbolts flickered and extinguished within.
Spear radiance and sword qi river collided brazenly in midair!
No earth-shattering explosion occurred as anticipated.
Time seemed to freeze for an instant.
The next moment, two completely different types of terrifying force rapidly annihilated each other!
The dispersed minute qi strikes fell toward the ground, boring bottomless holes. Shot into the air, they made sharp breaking-wind shrieks.
They remained locked together for less than a single breath.
"Crack!"
A subtle yet clear shattering sound rang out.
That seemingly magnificent sword qi river was actually split straight down the middle by that spear radiance!
The spear radiance's momentum didn't decrease. It flowed against the current, crushing the residual sword qi inch by inch, pointing straight at Li Qingyu!
Li Qingyu's left hand formed a sword finger, pointing through the air.
"Suppress!"
That residual sword qi suddenly became heavy as ten thousand jun, like substantial mercury crashing to the ground, forcibly halting the dark gold spear radiance's forward charge for an instant.
Borrowing this gap, Li Qingyu's sword trembled. On the sword body, ancient and mysterious patterns lit up in sequence!
"Hum!"
A sound seemingly from ancient primordial times transmitted from the sword body, shaking hearts and minds.
Immediately after, a phantom ten zhang tall and majestic as a mountain suddenly condensed behind him!
The phantom wore an imperial crown and emperor's robes, holding a long sword. Its features were stern yet blurred, surrounded by primordial yellow qi, emanating supreme majesty.
This was precisely the True Martial Emperor phantom!
The instant the phantom appeared, the might of Li Qingyu's Sword Domain violently surged, suddenly gaining an imperial dignity that suppressed evil and cleansed heaven and earth!
The giant sword condensed from sword intent and primordial yellow qi in the True Martial Emperor phantom's hand, following Li Qingyu's movements, crashed down toward Luo Zhixian!
Where the sword edge pointed, air was squeezed empty, forming a terrifying vacuum zone.
Before the sword arrived, that brilliant imperial dignity and suppressive intent already made Li Yujun's expression change again in the distance. The azure sword curtain before her violently rippled, layer upon layer.
Chen Qing only felt his breathing catch, as if an invisible mountain pressed on his heart. The Supreme Void True Scripture and Dragon-Elephant Prajna Vajra Body within spontaneously circulated rapidly, barely able to resist this dispersed pressure.
He stared fixedly at that True Martial phantom and that descending giant sword, shock beyond words in his heart, "This is Li Qingyu's true strength?"
Facing this heaven-punishment-like sword strike, Luo Zhixian's right foot stepped half a step back. His right hand changed from single-handed spear grip to two-handed, the Meteor Star Spear tip pointing diagonally skyward. The Spear Domain around his entire body, originally solid as a mountain, seemed to come alive!
"CRACK!"
A thunder blast!
Centered on Luo Zhixian, within a hundred zhang radius, sand and stone on the ground eerily floated up, countless fine, violent purple electric serpents leaping across their surfaces!
These electric serpents rapidly spread and interwove. In moments, they transformed this hundred-zhang area into a violent thunder pool where lightning raged!
A divine technique secret art of the Nine Heavens lineage! Nine Heavens Thunder Pool!
Luo Zhixian stood at the thunder pool's center, his long hair and robes wildly dancing without wind, purple electric light around his entire body perfectly fusing with his spear intent.
His eyes now also reflected brilliant lightning.
Thunder Strike!
He thrust the Meteor Star Spear with both hands toward the descending True Martial giant sword!
No flashy spear shadows, only a purple-gold spear radiance formed from destructive thunder and spear intent fusing, gushing from the spear tip, ascending against heaven!
Wherever the spear radiance passed, the ten thousand electric serpents in the thunder pool all merged into it, making its might climb steadily, as if an awakening thunder dragon baring fangs and claws, wanting to tear the firmament!
"DONG!"
Purple-gold thunder dragon and primordial yellow giant sword collided solidly in midair!
At that moment, a tremendous sound like the opening of heaven and earth erupted!
Indescribable blinding light instantly devoured everything.
Immediately after, a terrifying shockwave visible to the naked eye expanded madly in all directions in a perfect sphere!
Wherever it passed, Crimson Sand Town's already broken buildings were completely leveled like sand piles. More distant gobi was forcibly scraped away several feet, exposing deeper-colored strata below!
Li Yujun, the instant the collision occurred, had already shouted fiercely, "Retreat!"
Simultaneously, her hands rapidly formed seals. Azure sword light blazed, transforming into a heavy light barrier, shrouding Chen Qing, Nan Zhuoran, Luo Ping, and the remaining Tianbao Upper Sect disciples behind her.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The shockwave crashed hard against the azure barrier, making dull sounds like beating giant drums.
The barrier violently shook, surface ripples madly spreading, even fine cracks appearing.
Li Yujun's True Origin poured unreservedly into the barrier, desperately stabilizing it.
Even under the barrier's protection, Chen Qing and others felt blood and qi churning, ears buzzing endlessly. Those with slightly weaker cultivation like Huo Qiushui and Zhang Baicheng even had fresh blood seeping from their mouths.
They could only desperately circulate cultivation methods to stabilize themselves.
And at the battlefield's outer periphery, Duanmu Hua confronting Di Cang, Xiao Jiuli facing Nine Nether Ghost Lord in fierce battle, were also affected by this terrifying clash's aftershocks.
Light and smoke slowly dispersed.
At the collision's center appeared a crater over fifty zhang in diameter!
Rock at the crater bottom had melted, presenting a glazed texture. The edges still emitted wisps of smoke.
The True Martial Emperor phantom had already dissipated. Li Qingyu stood at one edge of the giant crater holding his sword.
Luo Zhixian stood at the crater's other end, Meteor Star Spear pointing diagonally at the ground, electric arcs still leaping on the spear body.
Li Qingyu slowly said, "As expected, you won't disappoint me."
Before his words finished falling, the 'Frost Cold Sword Domain' might around his entire body surged again!
Centered on him, ground within a hundred zhang radius rapidly covered with thick profound ice, ice layers continuously spreading.
Extreme low temperature even began distorting light, making his figure appear hazy and terrifying in the cold mist.
In response, the 'Nine Heavens Thunder Pool' beneath Luo Zhixian's feet thunderously responded!
The purple-gold lightning no longer formed winding electric serpents but transformed into roaring thunder dragons, rushing thunder waterfalls!
Countless thunderbolts spawned from the void, madly surging into the thunder pool. The thunder pool's range suddenly expanded, brazenly colliding with the incoming ice front!
"Crackle—BOOM!"
At the boundary where ice and thunder met, an earth-shaking scene erupted!
Profound ice was blasted by violent thunder into sky-filling crystal powder. Thunder was frozen by extreme cold.
Ice powder and electric debris mixed, forming a gray-blue mist shrouding the space between the two.
Luo Zhixian stood at the thunder pool's center holding his spear, spear tip lowered, lightning swirling around his entire body.
He didn't speak much, only raised his eyes, penetrating the ice-thunder interwoven fog barrier, firmly locking onto Li Qingyu.
Li Qingyu seemed unconcerned with Luo Zhixian's silence. His sleeves suddenly swept!
"Clang clang clang clang!"
Clear, resonant sword cries resounded through heaven and earth!
Not one sound, but dozens, hundreds of sword cries simultaneously ringing out, converging into a torrent that shook spirits and souls!
From his wide gray sleeves emerged what seemed like a galaxy of swords!
Instantly, dozens of phantom-and-real-intermingled sword lights poured forth in succession!
These sword lights had ancient forms, identical to the 'True Martial Demon-Quelling Sword' in Li Qingyu's hand.
They didn't shoot forth chaotically but, the instant they appeared, arranged themselves according to some profoundly mysterious trajectory!
Sword lights crisscrossed vertically and horizontally, qi mechanisms drawing each other. In the blink of an eye, a sword formation filled with killing intent already floated above Li Qingyu's head!
The sword formation covered the firmament, slowly rotating. At its center, a blurred phantom of the True Martial Emperor treading on tortoise and snake faintly formed.
Endless sharp sword qi erupted from each sword light, perfectly fusing with the 'Frost Cold Sword Domain' below!
Instantly, within the ice domain, sword qi filled the air!
"True Martial Demon-Quelling Sword Formation!?"
In the distance, Chen Qing's heart pounded wildly!
The True Martial Demon-Quelling Spear Formation he cultivated was precisely derived from this!
This was the True Martial lineage's ultimate great divine technique, killing artistry at its extreme!
Li Qingyu could actually sweep his sleeves and instantly form the sword formation, perfectly harmonious without obstruction, clearly having long cultivated this sword formation to the "thought-activated, wielded freely" perfect supreme realm!
"This sword formation, you've seen it before! Do you still remember?" Li Qingyu shouted low, his voice penetrating the sword formation's humming.
His words just fell when from the sword formation's center, two profound ice giant swords condensed like substance, ten zhang long each, one left one right, emitting ghost-cry-god-howl shrieks, crossed to grind and kill toward Luo Zhixian at the thunder pool's center!
Before the swords arrived, that extreme cold and sharpness already made distant observers fall into ice pits, hearts and minds stinging!
The thunder pool beneath Luo Zhixian's feet suddenly boiled!
The Meteor Star Spear in his hand had its radiance restrained inward, as if compressing all thunder power to the extreme. The spear body became completely dark and somber, only the spear tip condensing a heart-palpitating point of starlight.
Facing the crossed attacking frost giant swords, he didn't dodge but sank his waist, sat his horse, the Meteor Star Spear like a hidden dragon emerging from the abyss, traced an arc from below upward, one spear pointing toward the two sword lights' core junction!
"CLANG!"
The spear tip struck with perfect precision at the sword qi convergence point, making a dull tremendous sound!
As if two icebergs were brazenly struck by thunder!
Violent ice-thunder force exploded in rings, once again scraping away a layer from the already devastated ground between the two!
However, how could the sword formation's might stop at just this?
Li Qingyu's sword finger lightly traced. The massive sword formation in the air suddenly accelerated its rotation!
One after another, sword qi—some massive as heavenly pillars, some fine as ox hair, some directly piercing, some spiraling to slash, some splitting into ten thousand, some condensing to a point—like violent storms, like the heavenly river overturning, endlessly poured down toward Luo Zhixian!
These sword qi responded to each other, connected head to tail, qi mechanisms linking into one piece, as if forming a continuously contracting and grinding sword qi vortex, wanting to thoroughly grind and kill the thunder pool and Luo Zhixian within!
Chen Qing gazed intently, shock beyond measure in his heart.
Li Qingyu lived up to his peerless genius reputation. This True Martial Demon-Quelling Sword Formation in his hands was no longer a fixed formation diagram but seemed to have gained life, becoming an extension of his sword intent and domain. The changes were exquisitely subtle, the power vastly tremendous, far exceeding imagination!
Luo Zhixian stood at the sword qi storm's center, yet his figure remained stable as bedrock, towering unmoved.
The thunder pool beneath his feet roared. The Meteor Star Spear in his hand transformed into violent thunder, each strike precisely meeting one sword qi!
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom...!"
Each collision exploded into a dazzling light sphere, dispersed qi strikes piercing the ground!
Luo Zhixian's spear technique had reached transformation realm. Though the moves seemed simple, they contained terrifying power to collapse mountains and split earth.
Each spear thrust seemed to mobilize the entire thunder pool's power, forcefully contending with the sword formation's might.
In the blink of an eye, he'd already met twenty-seven sword qi strikes!
Just as the twenty-seventh sword qi was scattered by his spear, the lightning in Luo Zhixian's eyes suddenly blazed bright as the sun!
He suddenly stamped the Meteor Star Spear toward the ground beside him!
"Thud!"
A muffled sound, as if beating war drums.
Immediately after, a sudden change occurred!
The Nine Heavens Thunder Pool boiling around Luo Zhixian's entire body—those raging violent thunderbolts seemed to receive an invisible summons, madly converging toward four directions: east, south, west, and north!
"Hum!" "Hum!" "Hum!" "Hum!"
Four strange trembling sounds rang almost simultaneously!
East, south, west, north—each direction had an area where lightning blazed most intensely. The lightning sharply contracted, the radiance growing brighter and brighter, finally condensing into seven fist-sized purple thunder beads!
Seven beads per direction, four directions totaling twenty-eight thunder beads, suspended above the thunder pool according to mysterious positions, slowly rotating, faintly constructing a thunder net connecting heaven and earth!
"Twenty-Eight Constellations Thunder Command!"
Seeing this, Nine Nether Ghost Lord's brows showed a trace of gravity.
Luo Zhixian possessed two spear Dao divine techniques that once shook the Yan Kingdom. One was the Wind Snow Hidden Dragon Roar transmitted to Chen Qing. The second was the offensive-defensive integrated great divine technique Twenty-Eight Constellations Thunder Command that Luo Zhixian created himself by relying on his Spear Domain and Nine Heavens Thunder Arts, comprehending the Dao of constellation movements!
"Eastern Azure Dragon, rise!" Luo Zhixian's low shout was like thunder.
Before his words finished falling, the seven thunder beads in the east—Horn, Neck, Root, Room, Heart, Tail, Winnowing Basket constellations—simultaneously blazed with radiance!
The seven beads' qi mechanisms instantly connected into one. No longer a simple array, they seemed to transform into an azure dragon form condensed from pure destructive thunder!
The dragon head roared, carrying thunder might that tore apart everything, actively meeting the thickest profound ice sword qi falling from the sword formation!
"BOOM!"
The Azure Dragon Seven Constellations and profound ice giant sword collided solidly!
Blinding lightning and ice explosion once again drowned that corner of the sky.
This time, it was no longer simple annihilation.
Though the thunder dragon was forced to roll backward by the sword intent contained in the giant sword, the thunder beads themselves only dimmed slightly without shattering.
They traced flexible arcs in the air, in moments returning to position, arranging into formation. Thunder re-gathered, the azure dragon phantom faintly reappearing, coiling to guard the east.
"Today, watch this old man cross the thunder pool again!"
Li Qingyu's eyes turned stern. His sword finger pointed toward Luo Zhixian's position, fiercely pressing down!
True Martial Demon-Quelling! Sword Suppressing Thunder Pool!
The massive sword formation in the air violently trembled. The True Martial phantom at its center seemed to clarify for an instant.
Immediately after, a full eighteen magnificent profound ice giant swords shot forth from various core nodes of the sword formation!
These eighteen swords no longer attacked separately but spiraled and entwined with each other, transforming into an ice-cold torrent that tore heaven and earth, crushing down toward Luo Zhixian!
Facing this ultimate sword formation strike, Luo Zhixian's expression was grave as water.
He gripped the Meteor Star Spear with both hands, slowly raising it high overhead.
Following his movements, the twenty-eight constellation thunder beads in all four directions simultaneously trembled violently, emitting deafening thunder!
Countless thick thunderbolts erupted from the thunder pool, madly converging toward the Meteor Star Spear in Luo Zhixian's hands!
The Meteor Star Spear seemed to become a black hole devouring thunder. At the spear tip, a point of purple light leaped.
Thunder force gathered, one spear breaking all techniques!
Luo Zhixian thrust the spear gathered with all the Twenty-Eight Constellations Thunder Command's power toward that eighteen-swords-in-one ice-cold torrent!
This thunder light pillar explosively erupted from the Meteor Star Spear tip, instantly devouring the cold current and Li Qingyu.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
The next instant!
"HUM!"
The shockwave expanded outward in a sphere. Wherever it passed, everything was leveled!
Li Yujun, Chen Qing, Nan Zhuoran, and others had prepared early, rapidly retreating to farther distances.
At the battlefield's outer periphery, Duanmu Hua, Di Cang, Xiao Jiuli, Nine Nether Ghost Lord—these four Grandmasters confronting or fiercely battling—also employed various methods to resist this destructive aftershock.
"Worthy of being a Spear Dao Grandmaster!"
Chi Lie desperately stabilized his form while his expression changed in shock, looking toward that destruction light sphere's center. His wariness toward Luo Zhixian reached its peak.
Just as his spirit trembled, an extremely condensed sword light violently shot up from within the thunder pool!
"Swoosh!"
Like a torrent, like a heavenly pillar, it shot straight into the nine heavens, forcibly splitting that not yet fully dispersed violent thunder pool in two from the middle!
Lightning scattered, ice debris flew.
The sword light's momentum didn't wane. It shot skyward, even tearing open a long gap through the sky-filling thunder clouds and cold mist not yet dispersed, revealing the murky yellow yet real sky behind.
Radiance gradually scattered, aftershocks calmed.
…
Taiyi Upper Sect, Autumn Forest Path, atop a mountain cliff.
Lu Yunsong's brows knitted tightly.
"Great Snow Mountain Emissary?"
He repeated in a low voice, his expression becoming complex.
Just then, a figure soundlessly landed on the star observation platform.
Gray robes rippled. It was precisely Feng Shuofang.
"How's the situation?" Feng Shuofang got straight to the point.
Lu Yunsong turned, his speech rate slightly faster, "According to confidential reports, fighting has already broken out at Crimson Sand Town. Ordinary merchants, bandits—those who could escape have all fled. That remaining stretch of gobi..."
He paused, "Has become a Grandmaster battlefield."
Top-tier Grandmaster level clashes could absolutely be called matters of national importance.
Feng Shuofang narrowed his eyes, gazing far toward the northwest direction.
"Di Cang really went personally."
Lu Yunsong continued, "Ghost Witch Sect experts also seem to have manifested, but on Luo Zhixian's side... there also seem to be powerful reinforcements. As for specific details, further investigation is needed."
Feng Shuofang was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "It seems Luo Zhixian prepared long ago. This is him using himself as bait, setting a trap of inviting the lord into the urn, a death situation."
He understood Luo Zhixian better than anyone in the world.
That person sharpened one sword for a hundred years—no, sharpened one spear for a hundred years. The blade's edge pointed toward only one target: Li Qingyu.
"Yes." Lu Yunsong nodded, "But there's another piece of news."
"Speak."
Lu Yunsong took a deep breath, saying each word clearly, "Great Snow Mountain Emissary Xue Li descended the mountain. Three hours ago he passed White Horse Pass. His direction... is precisely Crimson Sand Town."
Feng Shuofang suddenly turned around.
"Xue Li..." He spoke this name in a low voice, his eyes sharp as lightning.
Great Snow Mountain's Holy Master presided over the extreme north, not stepping out of the snow mountain for a hundred years, yet had three emissaries carrying out his will.
These three were all manifestations of Great Snow Mountain's true foundation with unfathomable strength.
Xue Li was one of them. Rumor had it he cultivated the Annihilation Cold Soul True Scripture. One finger out, ten li frozen, vitality severed.
Taiyi Upper Sect guarded the northern border, clashing most with Jinting Eight Divisions, naturally deeply understanding Great Snow Mountain emissaries' weight.
If this person interfered in the Crimson Sand Town battle, it would absolutely affect the situation's direction.
Lu Yunsong lowered his voice, analyzing pros and cons, "In my view, if Xue Li arrives on the scene, the battle situation will certainly change. Though Luo Zhixian has reinforcements assisting, he might be able to hold on, but adding a Great Snow Mountain Emissary makes it completely different..."
Great Snow Mountain Emissaries represented the Great Snow Mountain Holy Master's will. Their strength naturally needed no doubt.
He paused, complex emotions flashing in his eyes, "If Luo Zhixian is gravely injured or even falls, for Tianbao Upper Sect it's naturally a catastrophic disaster. At that time, Tianbao Upper Sect will certainly mobilize the entire sect's strength to retaliate against Jinting. And after this battle, if Di Cang is defeated or injured, Jinting also needs to recuperate."
There was another thing he didn't say—after this battle, it was also an opportunity to settle the hundred-year grudge with Luo Zhixian.
Even if that Luo Zhixian managed to survive, he was destined to wither from then on.
"At that time, our Taiyi Upper Sect can step forward, facilitate the Six Sects alliance to jointly attack Jinting."
Feng Shuofang picked up the thread, his tone flat, "Our sect reaps the benefits, prestige and real power can both rise another level."
Lu Yunsong nodded, "Precisely. This is a once-in-a-millennium excellent opportunity."
Wind passed the star observation platform, sweeping up Feng Shuofang's gray-white hair tips.
He remained silent for a long time, his gaze constantly toward the northwest.
After a long while, Feng Shuofang suddenly asked, "Where has Xue Li reached?"
"According to the latest confidential report just now, he's heading north along 'Ghost Cry Gorge.' At most one hour, he can reach Crimson Sand Town."
Hearing this, Feng Shuofang actually laughed lightly.
That laugh was very soft, yet it made Lu Yunsong's heart jump.
"Senior Brother Feng?" Lu Yunsong didn't understand.
Feng Shuofang didn't answer, only raised his hand.
"Clang!"
A clear spear cry exploded. The next moment, a flowing light broke through the air, falling into Feng Shuofang's palm.
It was precisely his weapon, Intercept Shadow.
The spear body was ancient, faint blood-colored patterns coiling.
"Senior Brother Feng, where are you going?" Lu Yunsong vaguely guessed something but still couldn't help asking.
Feng Shuofang lifted his spear and turned, his robes snapping loudly in the twilight.
"This old man has nothing to do. I'll go meet that Great Snow Mountain Emissary."
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