Grace and Might

This streak of green sword radiance appeared almost soundlessly, without the slightest show of force. It merely slashed Tang Qingxiang's Natal Sword Essence three times before whizzing back, yet Tang Qingxiang seemed to have been struck by lightning. His entire body convulsed, and with a pfft, he spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with his Natal True Essence.

Having just recovered their senses and prepared to intercept him, Zen Master Bule and True Person Gong Li were both stunned once more.

Naturally, both of them could see that what Old Zhao Nan had unleashed was also a streak of sword radiance.

Flying sword against flying sword—this was a direct clash without the slightest trickery, a contest of flying swords and cultivation.

Natal Sword Essence was the pinnacle of all flying sword arts in the world. What flying sword could possibly rival the power of Natal Sword Essence, where the flying sword's own force and one's cultivation were fused into one?

Zen Master Bule and True Person Gong Li were both masters of their respective sects and immensely knowledgeable, yet throughout their years of cultivation, they had only seen Natal Sword Essence on Tang Qingxiang today.

Natal Sword Essence completely combined a magic treasure with one's own Dao essence. Disregarding all else, it was a Daoist art that pursued pure killing power. The moment they saw Tang Qingxiang use his Natal Sword Essence, Bule and Gong Li understood as clearly as a bright mirror that even an expert whose cultivation surpassed Tang Qingxiang's and who possessed a formidable magic treasure on the level of the Heavenly Golden Spider Fire Spirit might not be able to guarantee escaping injury at Tang Qingxiang's hands.

Yet Old Zhao Nan had met Tang Qingxiang's Natal Sword Essence head-on with a flying sword and, in an instant, struck Tang Qingxiang so badly that even his Primordial Spirit suffered grievous damage, forcing him to spit out his vital blood. What kind of cultivation was that?

"Tiandu Minghe!"

After Tang Qingxiang spat out that mouthful of blood, his face immediately turned ashen. He could no longer control his aerial Daoist art and began falling.

From the incomparably refined and pure Li Fire Qi rippling from that flying sword, Tang Qingxiang recognized it as the Tiandu Minghe Sword—the sword General Luo had used that day to test Yuan Tianyi's character and cultivation.

The Tiandu Minghe Sword was also a rare magic treasure lost after Qingcheng's sect leader, Li Futu, fell during the battle between the righteous and demonic paths at Golden Peak several centuries ago. In terms of the sword embryo's inherent quality, it was several degrees better than Tang Qingxiang's Gui Shui Divine Sword. Yet Tang Qingxiang, who specialized in sword essence, could tell that Old Zhao Nan's sword radiance had only reached the Sword Induction into Body stage. It was still one step short of Natal Sword Essence.

At the Sword Induction into Body stage, one merely tempered the flying sword with one's own True Essence and Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, attaching one's Primordial Spirit and True Essence to it. When facing an enemy, at most thirty or forty percent of one's True Essence and Dao power could be attached to the flying sword.

Yet even so, in that direct collision, Tang Qingxiang had been severely injured in an instant.

If Old Zhao Nan cultivated Natal Sword Essence, then Tang Qingxiang's Natal Sword Essence would certainly be no match for it.

Tang Qingxiang's face was ashen at that moment, and he could not control his Dao power. Half of it was due to his injuries, while the other half was because his confidence had been shattered in that instant.

To specialize in a single path, one needed unwavering conviction—one had to believe that one's sword essence was invincible and could shatter anything. Only then could the power of Natal Sword Essence be brought forth. Tang Qingxiang's sword had been broken by another sword; once his confidence was lost, his mind collapsed in an instant and his Dao power ran out of control.

Wentian had secluded himself for decades to cultivate supreme sword intent. Yet after his battle with Yuan Tianyi, Yuan Tianyi had struck his confidence down, and the power of his Natal Sword Essence had dropped by at least a whole level. That was precisely why.

Zhuo Chendao's Purple Thunder God Piercer missed its strike, and Tang Qingxiang's Natal Sword Essence had likewise failed to stop Old Zhao Nan. In just a few finger snaps, Old Zhao Nan's figure was already dozens of li away.

"Do not pursue him!"

Zhuo Chendao's expression changed several times as he prepared to give chase, but a calm voice suddenly rolled in from afar.

"Yes, Senior Brother Qilian."

The moment he heard that voice, Zhuo Chendao immediately stopped where he was and lowered his head.

"He used the Aurora Escape Technique. He will fly faster and faster; since we could not stop him at the start, it is already too late to catch him now."

"I never expected a servant of Luofu to possess such cultivation."

"However, his external incarnation has not yet been fully formed. He forcibly completed it in order to break through our encirclement, then used his Primordial Spirit flying sword to clash head-on with Junior Brother Tang's Natal Sword Essence. He has already suffered severe injuries and cannot recover in a short time. Even if he flees, he cannot get very far."

Only after these unhurried words did a figure come streaking through the distant clouds.

That figure flew so swiftly that it seemed to blink and leap through the void. In only a few breaths, he crossed over a hundred li. At such speed, when he had spoken just now, he had still been a thousand li away.

He wore plain, coarse hemp clothes, yet an icy, sovereign aura of slaughter faintly emanated from him—an aura that only a commander who had led armies through a thousand battles and commanded hundreds of thousands of troops on the battlefield could possess.

That aura alone was enough to make others feel that his heart was firm as iron, impervious to any outside influence.

"Senior Brother Qilian." Tang Qingxiang, standing amid the ruined street, lowered his head as soon as he saw him.

This man was Qi Lianliancheng, one of Huang Wushen's four direct disciples and, among the generation of Kunlun disciples that included Zhuo Chendao and Tang Qingxiang, arguably the one with the most profound cultivation.

So he is Qi Lianliancheng, Huang Wushen's direct disciple? They say he is Huang Wushen's most trusted and beloved disciple, and Kunlun's next sect leader may very well be him. His cultivation is so unfathomably deep...

Merely gazing at Qi Lianliancheng from afar caused Zen Master Bule and True Person Gong Li's faces to turn pale again, as though they had exhausted tremendous strength in battle. Though they were still a hundred li away from Qi Lianliancheng, a mere sweep of his eyes gave them the feeling that they were standing naked before him, as though their cultivation, foundations, and weaknesses had all been seen through at a glance.

Even a mere direct disciple possesses such cultivation. Then what realm has Huang Wushen, the exalted sect leader of Kunlun, reached? A Tribulation Transcending True Immortal?

Zen Master Bule and True Person Gong Li were both sect leaders and grandmaster-level figures in the cultivation world, but after witnessing Old Zhao Nan's and Qi Lianliancheng's cultivation, they understood more deeply than ever that beyond every mountain lay another mountain. In their hearts, the thought arose that they absolutely could not show even the slightest defiance toward Kunlun.

"Junior Brother Tang, your injuries are quite severe. Go first to Gouli Dao's mountain gate and recuperate. Come meet me again in three days."

"Ye Zhaonan will certainly flee toward Northern Ju Province. But given his injuries, the Aurora Escape Technique cannot sustain him all the way there. Junior Brother Zhuo, go find Junior Brother Gui Beiming and have him use the Spiritual Light Void-Leaping Art to go to Beimang. Have the Beimang Sect and Gouchen Heavenly Dao's experts assist in intercepting and killing him."

"Zen Master Bule, you have contributed greatly on this journey. This Golden Bodhi Pill of our Kunlun will be of some use in your cultivation of Buddhist arts. Please accept it."

"True Person Gong Li, none of us expected Ye Zhaonan to possess such cultivation, causing your Qianyuan Palace to lose its sect-protecting magic treasure. A treasure like the Heavenly Golden Spider Fire Spirit is difficult to obtain, and Kunlun cannot compensate for it. I possess a Golden Liquid Flowing Elixir Art that may benefit Qianyuan Palace's Daoist arts somewhat, to make up a little for this regret."

Once Qi Lianliancheng arrived before the four of them, he spoke these words to each in turn.

"Golden Bodhi Pill!"

"Golden Liquid Flowing Elixir Art!"

The instant Zen Master Bule and True Person Gong Li heard Qi Lianliancheng's words, blazing divine light burst from their eyes. After taking a deep breath, both bowed to Qi Lianliancheng.

The Golden Bodhi Pill was one of the sacred Buddhist elixirs of the exoteric school. Legend said that it was refined by an exoteric living Buddha from thousand-year Golden Bodhi seeds and supplemented by Buddhist cultivation. Not only could it raise one's cultivation, but when taken at a bottleneck before a breakthrough, it could also calm the soul and enhance one's resistance to the illusory realm of heavenly demons. Zen Master Bule cultivated Buddhist arts and was extremely susceptible to attacks from Heart Demons during cultivation. To him, this Golden Bodhi Pill was something that could be encountered only by chance and never sought.

Qianyuan Palace's most powerful Daoist art was the Three Yang True Fire Art passed down by True Person Gong Li's master, True Person Chimei. Yet while the Three Yang True Fire Art emphasized the power of its techniques, it placed little importance on nourishing life. Thus, although True Person Chimei's cultivation was extraordinary, he lived for only a little over one hundred and fifty years. Compared with some profound arts whose practitioners, if they avoided strife and were not killed by others, could easily live two or three hundred years, this art had a tremendous shortcoming. True Person Gong Li had cultivated the Three Yang True Fire Art for many years and had also been seeking a Daoist art that emphasized nourishing life. The Golden Liquid Flowing Elixir Art was precisely an excellent life-nourishing Daoist art. To Qianyuan Palace, its significance was no less than that of the Heavenly Golden Spider Fire Spirit.

Thus, both of them sincerely bowed in thanks.

"There is no need for such courtesy, you two. I have one more presumptuous request." Qi Lianliancheng returned the gesture and slowly continued, "A few days ago, I invited the Great Luo Sect to lend us aid. If the Great Luo Sect's Star-Chasing Moon-Falling Bow had been present, it would have been much harder for Ye Zhaonan to escape. Yet not a single member of the Great Luo Sect came. They must be mindful of old ties with Yuan Tianyi. Yuan Tianyi has offended Kunlun; the Great Luo Sect's actions are no different from becoming Kunlun's enemy. We must pursue Ye Zhaonan and cannot attend to both matters, so I ask Zen Master Bule and True Person Gong Li to help me eliminate the Great Luo Sect."

Zen Master Bule and True Person Gong Li exchanged a glance, then both nodded.

How could they not nod? Zhuo Chendao had merely decided one man's life or death with a casual word, but Qi Lianliancheng, with just a few sentences, would destroy an entire sect. His approach was a textbook blend of grace and might. That icy aura of slaughter, that heart firm as iron, made dense beads of cold sweat seep from Zen Master Bule and True Person Gong Li's backs.

If they refused, the sect facing extermination might not be the Great Luo Sect, but Datong Temple and Qianyuan Palace.

Zhuo Chendao, Tang Qingxiang, Zen Master Bule, and True Person Gong Li immediately accepted their orders and departed. Even Zhuo Chendao and Tang Qingxiang felt an extremely uncomfortable sense of oppression before Qi Lianliancheng.

Above the shattered street, after that earth-shaking battle, only Qi Lianliancheng remained in the empty expanse.

"This dragon core truly is a supreme treasure of Heaven and Earth. Not only has it greatly advanced my cultivation, allowing me to form my Nascent Soul in another dozen or so days, it has also fused the dragon's sovereign aura and natural majesty into me."

A streak of red light, imperceptible to the naked eye, flashed across Qi Lianliancheng's face.

This was because the dragon core's inner essence had not yet been completely refined by Qi Lianliancheng.

With Huang Wushen's authorization, Qi Lianliancheng commanded half of Kunlun's disciples training abroad. He had not taken part in this interception because he had been devoting all his strength to refining the dragon core Huang Wushen had given him. Had he not sensed this battle through Daoist arts, discovered in surprise that Old Zhao Nan's cultivation had reached such a level, and emerged from seclusion to rush here, then in a few more days he might have formed his Nascent Soul and become Kunlun's foremost cultivator in terms of advancement speed over the past several centuries.

Of course, the foremost reason for such advancement was still his valiant, relentless progress and a heart incomparably firm as iron!

Yet after Zhuo Chendao and the other four departed, as he faced the direction in which Old Zhao Nan had vanished, a faint trace of confusion unexpectedly flashed through his eyes.

If we had not injured him, he should have been able to cultivate a true Great Majestic Virtue Vajra external incarnation.

A demon actually cultivates Buddhist arts—and has cultivated them to such a level, forming a Great Majestic Virtue Vajra external incarnation with great wisdom. Is my understanding truly right, or is it wrong?

But that faint trace of confusion rippled for only an instant before vanishing without a trace.

His gaze immediately filled once more with an icy aura of slaughter, and his heart became firm as iron again, without the slightest doubt or distracting thought!

"What Master points to must be the Great Dao!"