Yin Fire Talisman Sword

A rain of blood spilled from the sky, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.

As they stared at the saber-wielding youth, his clothes soaked in blood, the surviving Blood Wolf Gang members outside the arena felt an icy chill crawl up their spines. They could not help but shudder.

Old Daoist Liu, Zhao Gang, and the others watching from afar likewise stared wide-eyed, their faces full of disbelief.

Old Daoist Liu in particular knew just how formidable the White Lotus Dao Soldiers were. Seeing the youth blow A Jia apart with a single slash left him standing there in a daze, unable to recover for a long while.

At the center of the ruins.

Feeling the Incense and Fire Prayer Power ebbing away from within him like the tide, Chen Yan remained calm.

What followed was a faint sense of emptiness, along with waves of stabbing pain from his dantian.

Chen Yan knew this was the backlash from excessively draining his magical power.

After all, including today, he had only been cultivating for two days.

The pitiful thread-thin magical power within Chen Yan's dantian had already done remarkably well to support his use of Spirit Striking and his all-out slash.

Still, Spirit Striking truly was powerful.

Anything produced by the Heavenly Book of Merit was bound to be exceptional.

Those thousand merit points had been spent well.

Spirit Striking lived up to the name Deity's Incarnation. Even first-rank Spirit Striking had brought earth-shaking changes to Chen Yan.

This was Chen Yan's first time unleashing Spirit Striking at full strength without holding anything back. It also let him understand just how immense first-rank Spirit Striking's enhancement to his physique truly was.

Tenfold!

A full tenfold increase!

It was no exaggeration to say that, in his first-rank Spirit Striking state, even though Chen Yan was merely in the Third Blood Qi Realm, he was confident that even a Martial Grandmaster could not compare to him in physical strength and constitution.

Even A Jia, the White Lotus Dao Soldier, had been utterly crushed by Chen Yan after he activated first-rank Spirit Striking. One could well imagine how terrifying the power within Chen Yan had been at that moment.

It could be said that Spirit Striking had completely made up for Chen Yan's weakness in physical combat. Combined with his Blood Fiend Saber Technique, which had reached the pinnacle of perfection—

Chen Yan in the first-rank Spirit Striking state could truly be called a "young grandmaster"!

The only regret was that Chen Yan had only recently begun cultivating, and the magical power in his dantian was pitifully scarce.

It was nowhere near enough for him to maintain first-rank Spirit Striking as a normal combat state. He could only use it as a trump card, a killing move.

Chen Yan estimated that even the Embryonic Breath stage would not be enough. Perhaps only after reaching the Dao Foundation realm, establishing the foundation of his Dao, would this situation improve.

It was no exaggeration to say that, in his first-rank Spirit Striking state, even though Chen Yan was merely in the Third Blood Qi Realm, he was confident that even a Martial Grandmaster could not compare to him in physical strength and constitution.

Even A Jia, the White Lotus Dao Soldier, had been utterly crushed by Chen Yan after he activated first-rank Spirit Striking. One could well imagine how terrifying the power within Chen Yan had been at that moment.

It could be said that Spirit Striking had completely made up for Chen Yan's weakness in physical combat. Combined with his Blood Fiend Saber Technique, which had reached the pinnacle of perfection—

Chen Yan in the first-rank Spirit Striking state could truly be called a "young grandmaster"!

The only regret was that Chen Yan had only recently begun cultivating, and the magical power in his dantian was pitifully scarce.

It was nowhere near enough for him to maintain first-rank Spirit Striking as a normal combat state. He could only use it as a trump card, a killing move.

Chen Yan estimated that even the Embryonic Breath stage would not be enough. Perhaps only after reaching the Dao Foundation realm, establishing the foundation of his Dao, would this situation improve.

A long-lost weariness surged over him. Chen Yan was just about to breathe a sigh of relief.

Then, at that very moment—

"Buzz!"

A ghostly green sword-light suddenly flashed into being!

In a flash, that gleam shot out like a falling star.

Clang!!!

A shrill howl rang through the air, like thunder exploding from level ground.

A talisman sword shot toward him, wrapped in bleak green flames. Its blade was three inches long, and its entire body was jade-green.

The sword trembled faintly, shattering the airflow.

Chen Yan could even clearly see the rippling shockwaves that spread through the air the instant the talisman sword tore through it. As it streaked across the sky, clusters of white airbursts exploded behind it.

It raced like wind and lightning, closing the distance in the blink of an eye.

Danger!

In that instant, Chen Yan's hairs stood on end. An icy, bone-piercing chill surged from his spine straight to the crown of his head!

He could not block this sword!

Had he been at his peak, Chen Yan was confident he could have stopped it. But now, his blood qi was depleted and his magical power exhausted. He was at his weakest.

Moreover, the angle of the talisman sword's attack was exceptionally tricky, and its timing viciously precise. It had launched its sneak attack at the exact moment Chen Yan was drained of all strength and at his most relaxed!

Not far away, Wu Yan's expression was grim. A sinister chill flickered in his eyes as he formed a sword-finger gesture. Watching the helpless youth, a vicious sneer curled across his lips.

Clearly, this suddenly fired talisman sword had come from Wu Yan!

For the dignified Incense Master of the Rebirth Cult to choose such a despicable sneak attack against a youth with no strength left to fight—he was truly shameless beyond measure.

But true spell battles were just like this. Never expect your enemy to fight you openly and fairly. Sneak attacks and counter-sneak attacks were the norm.

At this critical moment, when a thousand pounds hung by a single thread—

An incantation suddenly rang out, like spring thunder in winter, bursting forth without warning.

"Boundless heaven and earth, break evil and slay wickedness! Divine weapon, swiftly obey the law and decree!"

Whoosh!

In an instant, a talisman shot forth and transformed into a roaring mass of flames. The flames gathered, forming a fiery flying sword in an instant, which vanished in a flash!

Boom!

Scorching waves of fire exploded outward, rippling into a visible ring of flame. Chen Yan, standing so close by, could even feel his cheeks being seared painfully.

The next second.

The talisman sword collided with the fire sword.

Bang!!!

A tremendous explosion erupted, like a thunderclap under a clear sky, echoing throughout Shanxi Town.

A massive shockwave swept in every direction, completely flattening the already devastated ruins around them.

Countless Shanxi Town residents were jolted awake from their sleep, their faces filled with panic and confusion.

Only after a long while, when the released energy had finally dispersed, was the Blood Wolf Gang's hall completely razed to the ground. Dust and fragments filled the sky.

Wu Yan's sinister eyes were filled with gloom, and his face had darkened to the extreme. He stared fixedly at the old Daoist standing before the youth and ground out each word through clenched teeth.

"Liu! Fu! Jing!"

Facing Wu Yan's gaze, which seemed ready to devour someone whole, Old Daoist Liu's expression did not change in the slightest. He even met the gaze without yielding, his eyes blazing as he coldly demanded, "Incense Master Wu, you dared openly attack a Flying Fish Guard. Is the Rebirth Cult planning to rebel?!"

"He killed A Jia!"

Wu Yan snapped back through gritted teeth. He shot a vicious glare at the youth behind Old Daoist Liu. If looks could kill, Old Daoist Liu and Chen Yan would already have been pierced through by ten thousand arrows.

Old Daoist Liu's expression remained blank as he said, "This old Daoist suspects that man of involvement in multiple family massacre cases in Shanxi Town. I ordered Flying Fish Guard Chen Yan to arrest him. He resisted to the bitter end and was killed on the spot by Flying Fish Guard Chen Yan. What do you have to say to that?"

With every word the old Daoist spoke, Wu Yan's face darkened another shade. By the end, his expression was black as the bottom of a pot, so gloomy it seemed water might drip from it. His sinister eyes locked onto the old Daoist and Chen Yan as he said through gritted teeth, "Fine! Very good! I, Wu Yan, will remember today's grudge!"

After saying that, he gave the old Daoist and Chen Yan another vicious look before turning to leave.

Only then did figures in white hemp clothing emerge from the streets and alleys. At a rough count, there were no fewer than several hundred Rebirth Cult followers. Without a word, they followed Wu Yan away.

Watching Wu Yan closely all along, Chen Yan broke out in a cold sweat at the sight.

If a conflict had truly erupted, their side might not have won.