Chapter 213

That was a sword. Its entire body was dark silver, fine patterns flowing across the blade. One side was pure platinum, the other a deep black-purple. A dark crystal was embedded in the hilt, with something like mist churning within it. When he tightened his grip on the hilt, the crystal flashed.

Judgment Sword. A Level 8 close-combat Soul Tool produced by Mingde Hall. The blade contained both light and darkness attributes and could switch between them freely. The cost was equally severe—its user's vitality and cultivation would be continuously drained. The veins in his arm bulged more prominently the moment he gripped the sword, fine sweat seeped from his temples, and his breathing grew heavier than before. He intended to decide the outcome with one final gamble.

He did not wait for Xue Lingyun to approach. Instead, he stepped forward, and the Judgment Sword carved a dark purple arc through his hand. The sword's darkness attribute had already been activated. Xue Lingyun did not take the strike head-on. He retreated half a step as an Ice Crystal longsword condensed in his hand, its tip angled toward the ground without any needless adjustment. The two swords collided head-on in midair. Dark purple sword light and icy-blue radiance exploded from the point of impact, and a visible shockwave rippled through the air. Ma Rulong slid several steps backward after the collision before steadying himself. Xue Lingyun remained where he was, his footsteps unmoved and the arm holding his sword utterly steady.

Yet at the instant their blades met, a faint strand of dark energy seeped through the point of contact between the swords. That darkness did not seem like an attack. It seemed more like a probe, as though something was slipping through a crack toward the area below his chest—it