Wind and Thunder

Wind and Thunder

The palm imprint was like a towering mountain, carrying an overwhelming force as it bore down on Lu Zhaojin.

A streak of Sword Light flashed abruptly, like lightning that vanished in an instant. What followed close behind was deafening thunder.

Boom!

It was as though a bright lamp had been lit here, its illumination spreading outward like ripples.

Within Yuanyang City.

Those martial wanderers who sensed the energy fluctuations were jolted awake from sleep or cultivation. Some walked, some employed movement techniques, all choosing places with broad views as they looked toward the city outskirts in unspoken accord, their faces filled with shock and confusion.

Then they all rushed toward the source of the energy fluctuations, wanting to see what had happened.

The light was fading.

The residual energy formed a terrifying gale, scattering White Cloud Villa's disciples in all directions and leaving them in a sorry state.

Atop the city wall.

With Tian Geng, a Sixth-Rank Martial Artist, present, the True Martial Guard remained fairly composed. Still, every face bore a different expression—fear, panic, solemnity, wariness, and more.

Yet they all shared one thing: regret.

They regretted taking part in the plan to capture Lu Zhaojin. Judging solely by the strength Lu Zhaojin had displayed, and considering he was a Sword Cultivator with the greatest killing power, no one knew how many would die before they could successfully bring him in.

After pondering for a long while, Tian Geng did not rush to make a move.

He was waiting for an opportunity.

Watching the evenly matched pair, a sharp glint flashed through Tian Geng's eyes. He was waiting for a chance to kill them both.

The light completely dispersed, yet another stream of Sword Qi shot straight toward Duan Xuan.

Relying on his abundant true essence, Duan Xuan could remain suspended in the air briefly. Though it lasted only two breaths, he narrowly avoided the Sword Qi. He counterattacked forcefully, slamming down another palm that formed a heavy force field. Lu Zhaojin seemed to have fallen into a mire; every sword strike met resistance, slowing him somewhat.

However, even more powerful Sword Intent burst from within him. That invisible force field was like cloth, while the Gale Sword Intent was a sharp blade. Several streaks of Sword Light crisscrossed, slicing the cloth into fragments.

Lu Zhaojin's eyes were filled with indifference as he looked at Duan Xuan, whose feet had landed on the ground. Every martial artist capable of breaking through to the Sixth-Rank Realm is no easy character. Tonight's battle will be no lie.

The more Duan Xuan fought, the more alarmed he became. He had already realized that he could not handle Lu Zhaojin. "Disciples, heed my command! Quickly form the Heavenly Net Sword Formation and follow this elder in slaying this fiend!"

He had abandoned all thought of having Lu Zhaojin join White Cloud Villa.

Duan Xuan understood as well that a young man of such exceptional talent either had a powerful backing or possessed lofty ambitions, a ruthless sort determined to forge an invincible heart.

Lu Zhaojin clearly did not have powerful backing, because his origins were written in black and white on the Dragon Ranking.

A youth from Mount Qi, seeking to carve out a path of his own beyond home—he resembled a certain Sword Saint from long ago, except that man's ending had not been beautiful... The Great Ding Dynasty was vast beyond measure, with eleven prefectures... no, it should be twelve now. Martial wanderers were as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river, countless beyond count, yet the lion's share forever belonged to only a few. Not to mention the dynasty itself—a true colossus.

Duan Xuan looked at the youth trapped within the sword formation. Reaching the Sixth Rank at such a young age, Lu Zhaojin would have been considered a prodigy even in the Imperial Capital. Though not a monster among monsters, he was enough to make White Cloud Villa take him seriously. Since there could be no peaceful resolution, he had to be strangled in the cradle.

A heavenly net and earthly snare—nowhere to flee, nowhere to hide.

Lu Zhaojin had never intended to flee in the first place.

He stood there straight as a ramrod, Autumn Equinox Sword in hand and pointed at the ground. His majestic Sword Momentum surged ever fiercer.

All the White Cloud Villa disciples were Eighth-Rank Martial Artists. Facing that mountain-heavy pressure, they felt an immense burden. Yet once the sword formation was completed, they seemed to gain courage. As they shifted and rotated, they unleashed countless streams of Sword Qi, sealing off every vital point around Lu Zhaojin. It was like weaving a fishing net to catch him like a fish.

Elder Duan Xuan knew the power of the sword formation.

When these Eighth-Rank disciples formed the sword formation, it was extraordinarily effective against Seventh-Rank Martial Artists. Against Sixth-Rank Martial Artists, however, it was rather useless.

This formation emphasized one word: entanglement.

Put bluntly, it meant using numbers to bully the few, filling the gap in cultivation with bodies and wearing down the opponent's reserves of true qi or true essence.

Lu Zhaojin had likely only just broken through to the Sixth Rank and had not yet cultivated a higher-grade cultivation method. His reserves of true essence certainly could not be great.

Thus, although Duan Xuan knew these disciples would merely be chopped apart by Lu Zhaojin like melons and vegetables, as long as they depleted Lu Zhaojin's true essence, he would have a chance to palm Lu Zhaojin to death.

Just as Duan Xuan had expected, the sword formation could not stop Lu Zhaojin. An invisible greatsword formed from endless sharpness stretched across the sky, tearing through the fishing net woven from Sword Qi. The scattered Sword Intent slew those disciples as well, every one of them cut into several pieces. Blood flowed across the ground, a ghastly and bloody sight.

Experience +500 for killing an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist

Experience +500 for killing an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist

Experience: 35078

Watching from the rear, Duan Xuan saw Lu Zhaojin's expression change slightly and his face turn somewhat pale. Joy rose in Duan Xuan's heart. He knew his opportunity had arrived.

Nine Layered Wave Palm.

He stomped the ground and shot toward Lu Zhaojin like a cannonball leaving its barrel. The true essence within his body churned madly, and the palm he struck out shone with an azure glow. It seemed to carry the sound of surging waves, one layer stacking upon another, finally forming a tsunami that seemed to link heaven and earth, intent on utterly swallowing Lu Zhaojin.

A savage smile spread across Elder Duan Xuan's face. He could already picture that palm landing on Lu Zhaojin and blasting his entire body to pieces.

Yet a smile of a scheme succeeding suddenly appeared on Lu Zhaojin's face, making Elder Duan Xuan's heart palpitate. A howling wind abruptly rang beside his ears. That was not all—a flicker of lightning flashed before his eyes, followed by burning pain across his cheek as though it had been cut by a sharp blade. Blood began to flow.

Wind Thunder Slash.

A sword move created by combining the Gale Sword Intent with the Lightning Sword Intent. It possessed both the Gale Sword Intent's formless speed and the Lightning Sword Intent's devastating power to crush all in its path.

This sword was like the faint glimmer that broke through at dawn. In the blink of an eye, it shone from the horizon onto Duan Xuan's face, leaving him unable to see anything. Only the wind howled and thunder roared—those were the only things his consciousness could perceive.

Experience +50000 for killing a Sixth-Rank Martial Artist

Experience: 85078

Elder Duan Xuan remained in his palm-striking stance, his hand only an inch away from Lu Zhaojin. Even with the Golden Body Technique protecting him, if that palm had struck his body, he likely would not have been able to endure it. Even if it did not kill him, he would have been severely injured.

Others were still watching from the shadows. He could not afford to be injured lightly, or he would end up like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

That was why Lu Zhaojin had deliberately shown Duan Xuan a flaw, luring him into attacking before revealing Wind Thunder Slash, his trump card.

Lu Zhaojin had originally intended to use this move only against Zhao Jinzhi. But after killing Ye Hao and obtaining the even more formidable Thirteen Swords of Life-Taking, it no longer mattered whether this trump card was exposed.

The fifty thousand experience gained from killing a Sixth-Rank Martial Artist let Lu Zhaojin catch his breath, but he was still somewhat short of the experience needed to upgrade Thirteen Swords of Life-Taking.

Then he could only obtain it from those people.

Tian Geng descended from the sky. Seeing that things had gone wrong, he had originally meant to save Duan Xuan, but he had still been too late.

He landed behind Duan Xuan and exchanged a glance with Lu Zhaojin through Duan Xuan's body. Then he looked at Duan Xuan and discovered a red line encircling his neck. Tian Geng's pupils contracted slightly, and his gaze toward Lu Zhaojin became exceedingly grave.