Outside Tiandou City, night lay like ink.
The cold moonlight shone over the wilderness. The air was suddenly filled with a dense, murderous aura, so thick it seemed almost tangible.
Lin Chen stood with his hands behind his back. A familiar series of system prompts suddenly rang in his mind, accompanied by an almost unbelievable divine sensation.
[Ding! Today's diary entry has been completed!]
[Completion rate: 95%! Congratulations, Host. All soul rings' ages have increased by 1,000 years!]
"Huh—!"
At that instant, an immense, heavy wave of soul power surged out of Lin Chen like a mountain crashing down.
His soul power also began to boil.
His yellow, purple, purple, and black soul rings appeared in succession.
His third soul ring, which had originally carried the soul power of a ten-thousand-year soul beast, crossed the threshold of a hundred thousand years in an instant, thanks to the thousand-year increase.
The purple light faded, replaced by a deep, heavy black.
A profound black radiance.
It warped the space around him and stirred the hearts of all who saw it.
My third soul ring was already a ten-thousand-year ring. I never imagined that a thousand-year increase would push it straight to a hundred thousand years.
Lin Chen smiled with satisfaction.
That thousand-year increase might have seemed like only one step, but it was an enormous leap.
"Huh—!"
The powerful black radiance distorted the space around Lin Chen, making it seem as though the very fabric of reality was twisting.
It was the combined pressure of a hundred-thousand-year soul ring and a powerful soul aura. At that moment, Lin Chen's soul power was only at the Soul Ancestor level, but its profound foundation was enough to make even a titled Soul King tremble.
"Since you've come, show yourself."
Lin Chen withdrew his soul ring and looked toward the distorted shadows in the distance.
Since you want to covet the Zhuxian Sword Intent, why bother hiding in the dark?
As his voice fell, a golden radiance flashed through the cold night.
A figure appeared, powerful enough to blot out the moon.
She had shed Qian Ling'er's gentle, elegant disguise, revealing her true form. Her golden eyes were like stars; her beauty was peerless, and her bearing was noble and cold. Behind her spread six pairs of white wings, like a flawless work of art.
And yet, what made Lin Chen gape was this:
This high-and-mighty young mistress of the Spirit Hall, this angel who had descended from heaven, was wearing a short white skirt that barely concealed her thighs.
"I can't believe it!"
Lin Chen couldn't help exclaiming.
The short skirt barely covered her long, jade-white legs, and under the moonlight, Qian Ling'er looked like—
A radiant beauty.
Lin Chen's mouth twitched. He fought back a laugh, then deliberately remarked with a straight face,
"Qian Ling'er, I take back what I said about you. That outfit is... much more suitable than the one you wore when you came to the riverside with that little ghost."
Qian Ling'er's beautiful eyes widened. She stared at him, stunned.
"Ah!"
Qian Ling'er gritted her teeth. Her expression, usually so composed, had grown flustered despite herself.
If not for the Zhuxian Sword Intent mentioned in the diary—
That shameless, self-important Zhuxian Sword was someone she would never have done anything so ridiculous for!
Fine!
She had only come because she was curious!
Lin Chen didn't say anything. He simply looked at her white skirt, then at himself.
"..."
"Ling'er, I came here for one thing."
Qian Ling'er turned her hand over. A golden angelic phantom appeared beside her, and a terrifying soul power surged out like a landslide and a flood.
"Since we both know each other's identities!"
"I, Qian Ling'er, want to be your friend, but before that, I want to test you."
"Huh—!!"
The seven soul rings beneath Qian Ling'er's feet trembled. Her powerful soul aura crushed the trees and grass within a hundred meters.
"You want the Zhuxian Sword Intent? Then show me what you've got."
Lin Chen's expression turned solemn. His right hand suddenly shot into the air.
"Zhuxian Sword, appear!"
"Huh—!"
A clear sword cry rang out, piercing through space and time as if from the dawn of creation. The dark Zhuxian Sword instantly appeared in his hand.
At that moment, the murderous aura around Lin Chen surged.
It was so intense that it made the air feel dangerous and sent chills through the wilderness!
Beneath him, his newly evolved black soul ring blazed with a deep glow.
"Angel's Sword..."
"Perfect. I want to see for myself what power the legendary Six-Winged Angel possesses."
Lin Chen smiled faintly.
A clear sword light surrounded him, enveloping his whole body. Even the oppressive pressure of his Soul Ancestor cultivation seemed to vanish.
He wasn't afraid in the slightest.
Qian Ling'er made the first move. Her wings beat fiercely, and her entire body transformed into a streak of golden light.
"Angel's Wings!"
Dark divine light gathered at the tip of her sword, condensing into a burning blade that could melt all things. Her attack was overwhelmingly powerful, and golden light filled the air as she thrust straight at Lin Chen!
Lin Chen's expression remained calm. The Zhuxian Sword in his hand swept out in a subtle arc.
"First Soul Skill: Zhuxian Sword Formation!"
There was no unnecessary movement, only an astonishing burst of speed and force.
A clear, cold sword light flashed out in a crescent arc. In midair, it cut through the dark divine light and opened a narrow gap in it.
The two powers collided, producing a piercing, grating screech.
"Huh—!"
Qian Ling'er was astonished. What terrifying sword intent! He's clearly only a Soul Ancestor, yet his soul power can actually contend with mine?
If he possessed the Zhuxian Sword Intent.
How could there be such a tremendous gap in soul power?!
"You haven't shown me everything yet!"
Qian Ling'er let out a clear cry, and a dazzling golden light sprang up around her.
"Angel's Descent!"
The golden radiance erupted in an instant, weakening Lin Chen's strength. But the fourth black soul ring beneath him immediately burst into dazzling light.
A streak of light descended from the heavens, so powerful that it seemed to tear the sky apart.
Like a ray of heavenly light.
It looked as though it would split the sky open.
"Fourth Soul Skill: Netherworld Demon Barrier!"
Lin Chen thrust the Zhuxian Sword into the ground.
At that instant, countless pitch-black, illusory sword shadows burst from the earth in every direction. This was no ordinary physical attack—
It was a terrifying outpouring of murderous energy, enough to make even gods and demons shudder!
Each sword shadow devoured the golden radiance of Angel's Descent.
The silent Zhuxian Sword Intent left Qian Ling'er's heart trembling.
"That sword intent... it's clearly the terrifying power of the Zhuxian Sword..."
Qian Ling'er felt the force of it in her soul. Her eyes were full of solemnity.
"Zhuxian Sword..."
"Could it be that he's already reached the divine level—or even become a Martial Soul beyond the divine level?!"
She paused in midair, then unleashed an even more powerful attack!
The golden sword aura swelled to a hundred meters in an instant, sweeping forward with unstoppable force and shattering the sword shadows before her.
"Break!"
Lin Chen's eyes blazed with sword intent. His whole body seemed to merge with the Zhuxian Sword in his hand, and the countless sword shadows gathered into a single blade. A black radiance streaked through the sky, meeting the enormous golden sword head-on.
"Boom—!"
The violent shock wave shaved three feet off the ground around them. Amid that boundless, heaven-shaking clash, Qian Ling'er staggered backward!
Her hands gripping the sword trembled slightly, while Lin Chen stood rooted to the spot. He looked a little disheveled, but his fighting spirit remained undiminished.
He looked at the white-winged angel, whose expression had turned grave, and laughed. "Well? Your Angel Sword Formation is powerful, but within the Zhuxian Sword's domain, it still falls a level short."
Qian Ling'er understood at last.
She had held nothing back, and yet the difference in strength between them was enormous.
Clearly, she had lost this round.
The truth was, Lin Chen had won by a whole level.
Before you continue