Immortal Sword Art

Chen Jingjing and Zhang Rumeng disappeared into the forest. Not a single Heavy Sword Peak disciple dared to stop them, and no one dared follow. With Nalan Tian's death, some of them had lost the support they'd relied on; the rest stood on Chen Fan's side—or, rather, they were neutral, following neither the sect nor the strong.

"Could Heavy Sword Peak have been in the wrong? Chen Fan actually killed Nalan Tian all by himself. Everyone saw how strong he is. If he really had colluded with the Demon Sect, Heavy Sword Peak wouldn't have stood a chance." One disciple spoke up loudly.

"Exactly. Our Heavy Sword Peak Master has been away cultivating for years and hasn't returned. We have only Peak Master Yang, a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator, holding down the fort. The other elders are all only at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer. If Chen Fan colluded with the Demon Sect, could Heavy Sword Peak withstand the Demon Sect Master and Chen Fan together? There must be some misunderstanding." Another disciple spoke with equal agitation.

"A misunderstanding? And what would that change? The Young Sect Master of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect has the whole of Heavy Sword Peak under his thumb. He says the word, and it's done. Even Peak Master Yang doesn't dare defy him. He was the one who ordered Chen Fan killed this time, too. The collusion with the Demon Sect is probably just an excuse." A female disciple saw through the situation and shook her head with a bitter smile.

"Alas, forget Heavy Sword Peak. The Immortal Sect's people are hunting Senior Martial Brother Chen now, too. Even if Senior Martial Brother Chen's strength is unmatched, two fists can't fight four hands. Those two sword cultivators still haven't made a move—they're surely waiting for the other two to arrive." A disciple who admired Chen Fan spoke with worry etched across his face.

"To force the Immortal Sect to go this far, Senior Martial Brother Chen is already the greatest among our generation. When the young genius Xiao Munan was Senior Martial Brother Chen's age, he probably hadn't achieved anything like this."

The crowd murmured among themselves, and Chen Fan heard every word. He stood with his sword raised, facing the two sword cultivators, his expression unchanged.

"Did the Immortal Sect only send you two?" Chen Fan watched the pair coldly, a faint smile curling his lips.

That smile, however, felt like mockery and humiliation to the two sword cultivators.

But it was the truth. The mighty Immortal Sect had sent four Foundation Establishment cultivators and a Spirit Tool just to deal with a Qi Refining sword cultivator. One of them was even Elder Han's personal disciple—the Junior Sister Bai they spoke of.

And now the two of them stood before a Qi Refining Ninth Layer sword cultivator, yet still didn't dare act rashly. Chen Fan's smile carried far too many meanings.

"Chen Fan, I know you're strong, but once my senior brother and junior sister arrive, you're doomed to be killed," the blue-robed sword cultivator said with a frown.

"You have only yourself to blame for offending someone you shouldn't have. The Immortal Sect is far greater than you can imagine," the green-robed sword cultivator said coldly.

Chen Fan's smile grew broader. He shook his head slightly and said softly, "Whether I wait for your senior brother and junior sister isn't up to you. It's up to me. And right now, I don't want to wait."

"Buzz!"

As he spoke, the long sword in Chen Fan's hand suddenly shuddered. Its piercing ring rang out again, like the sound of a death knell in the two men's ears. Their expressions changed at once. They hadn't expected their prey to come challenging them when they'd chosen not to strike first.

But they still felt uneasy over the Immortal Sword Art Chen Fan had displayed in his battle against Nalan Tian.

"Whether you fight or not isn't up to you." Chen Fan let out a deep shout. His figure swayed and blurred like a ghost, a golden sword ray in hand as he charged at the pair amid the sharp ringing of his sword.

The two sword cultivators' expressions turned grave. True Essence Power surged within them, and a glow sprang from each of their blades.

This was the Five Elements Sword Art unique to Foundation Establishment sword cultivators. The blue-robed sword cultivator was Du Yuan, and the glow emanating from his blade was blue. It belonged to the water aspect of the Five Elements Sword Art, rich with the essence of the five elements. As he swept his sword, it stirred the spiritual energy in the air, conjuring a thin trail of water.

The glow on the blade of the green-robed sword cultivator, Yang Yunpo, was red, belonging to a fire-aspect sword art. Wherever his sword went, it turned the surrounding spiritual energy into flames, leaving a streak across the air.

The two raised their swords and clashed at once. Yang Yunpo roared, "Burning Wood Sword Art!"

The red glow conjured a sea of flames, its immense heat scorching as it swept toward Chen Fan, who was rushing at them.

"Clang!"

A crisp ring rang out as Chen Fan's Blazing Heaven Sword Qi collided with Yang Yunpo's sea of flames. The two were instantly knocked apart.

"Sea Shark Sword Art!"

The blue-robed Du Yuan shouted as well. His sword carved out a sheet of water that surged toward Chen Fan. Chen Fan's gaze sharpened, and his blade spun swiftly!

"Clang!"

The Blazing Heaven Sword Qi collided with the blue glow. Flames and droplets of water burst in every direction!

"Five Dwellings Center."

Skirt three, evade five; command the sword to strike its mark! Chen Fan's Sword Intent shifted in an instant to the Nine Palaces Sword Art. His golden blade circled him, transforming into a golden ribbon that knocked both Du Yuan and Yang Yunpo's swords away.

Du Yuan was pressed back by Chen Fan's Blazing Heaven Sword Qi. The water conjured by the Sea Shark Sword Art was instantly vaporized.

"Why can he suppress us so thoroughly with the same Immortal Sword Art?" Du Yuan's face darkened. He was one of the finest Foundation Establishment disciples in the Immortal Sect, yet he couldn't even take down a Qi Refining Ninth Layer sword cultivator.

"His understanding of the sword seems terrifyingly profound," Yang Yunpo said, staring coldly at Chen Fan.

"Buzz!"

Chen Fan clearly had no intention of giving them a moment to catch their breath. The ringing of his sword rose sharply, and the circle of golden light grew ever more dazzling.

Two and four as the shoulders, six and eight as the feet; three on the left, seven on the right; nine above, one below, five at the center!

"Ha!" Chen Fan shouted. He stepped into the Nine Palaces Footwork, carrying a sky-covering shadow of swords as it surged toward the two.

Du Yuan's heart gave a faint jolt. True Essence Power burst from him in full, and the blue glow on his blade grew denser, as though it were about to turn into water. But he hadn't yet mastered that level. The blue glow was almost water, but not quite. Before Chen Fan's golden sword rays, it traced a great circle, forming a curtain of water.

"Deep Sea Shark!" Du Yuan shouted. He completed a sword form, and the great circular sheet of water grew deeper and deeper, suddenly becoming a vast abyssal sea.

Then came a tremendous crash. The seawater burst apart, and a giant shark opened its maw of sharp teeth and lunged to bite Chen Fan.

Chen Fan's gaze sharpened. He abruptly stepped into the Nine Palaces Footwork, sidestepping to evade the attack.

"Roar!" The giant shark let out an unearthly roar, then darted back into the deep sea. The entire abyssal sea slowly faded, becoming a thin curtain of water.

Chen Fan had no time to wonder why a shark would roar like a Monster Beast. His golden sword shadow swept toward the two again, while the Nine Palaces Footwork beneath his feet never stopped. He shifted positions continuously, weaving between them like a ghost.

At that moment, Yang Yunpo and Du Yuan exchanged a glance. Their blades suddenly turned, trapping Chen Fan between them, and the glows on their swords burst forth.

"Vast Sea of Fire," Yang Yunpo said in a low voice. True Essence Power surged through him like a torrent, pouring into his blade. He wielded the Burning Wood Sword Art to its fullest. Releasing his grip, he sent the sword spinning through the air around them. Its red glow transformed the nearby spiritual energy into a sea of flames, trapping Chen Fan in the middle. Chen Fan had only just begun to grasp the Nine Palaces Footwork, and now he was obstructed, unable to step out of the flames.

"Flame Explosion!"

Seeing Chen Fan trapped in the sea of fire, Yang Yunpo shouted again. His spinning sword returned to his hand. He pointed it at the heavens, pouring out every last bit of his True Essence Power without holding anything back.

Rumble!

The cloudless sky gradually filled with dark clouds. Flames flickered within them as they pressed down from the horizon, leaving everyone present with prickling scalps.

"It's over. That sword cultivator used up all his True Essence Power to unleash those two Immortal Sword Art techniques. He means to kill Senior Martial Brother Chen here," a Heavy Sword Peak disciple said worriedly.

"After the sea of flames comes a sky full of fiery clouds. Even Peak Master Yang might not dare withstand such a terrifying Immortal Sword Art head-on."

"This is just like immortals fighting!"

"Wait, it's not over. The blue-robed sword cultivator is risking everything, too..."

A cry of alarm rang out. Everyone turned to Du Yuan, the blue-robed sword cultivator. True Essence Power was pouring out of him as well, and the blue glow on his blade had grown so dense it looked ready to drip.

"Deep Sea Man-Eating Shark!" Du Yuan took a strange series of steps, drawing five circular curtains of water around Chen Fan and connecting them together. As he continued pouring True Essence Power into them, the five circular curtains transformed into an abyssal sea.

The crowd turned pale at the sight, already guessing what was coming.

"Crash!" Five tremendous splashes rang out at once. The surfaces of the five circular seas burst open, and five even more ferocious man-eating sharks leaped out, their gaping jaws lined with teeth that glinted coldly.

Rumble!!!

Almost at the same moment, fiery clouds rolled overhead. Countless balls of fire, as numerous as the stars and as dense as a sudden downpour, hurtled toward Chen Fan.

Chen Fan frowned and crushed a Spirit Stone in his hand. Using the Nine Palaces Sword Art for so long had nearly exhausted the True Qi within him. Now that he faced such an all-out assault, his expression turned grave.

He focused his thoughts again, and another Spirit Stone burst in his hand. He drew its endless spiritual energy into his dantian.

"Two and four as the shoulders, six and eight as the feet!" Chen Fan silently recited the formula for the Nine Palaces Footwork, while spiritual energy flowed faintly toward the tip of his sword.

A vast power seemed to be gathering.

By then, the fangs of the five man-eating sharks were almost touching his scalp.

Whoosh!

The man-eating sharks snapped their jaws shut. All five bit down on Chen Fan's head at once!

"Senior Martial Brother Chen!" Some disciples couldn't bear to watch, afraid they would see Chen Fan's brains splattered everywhere.

But in the next moment, the figure the sharks had bitten slowly faded, then vanished from the spot.

"It was only an afterimage," Du Yuan said in shock. Just how fast did he have to be to pull that off?

Whoosh!

A soft rush of air sounded again. Chen Fan appeared outside the sea of flames, stepping into the Nine Palaces Footwork. His toes lightly touched the empty air, and every step sent ripples circling through it.

"How... could this be?" Yang Yunpo's eyes widened in shock. Both his Vast Sea of Fire and the rain of flames from the sky had missed completely!

"It's over." Chen Fan's voice rang out, calm and cold, like a heavy hammer striking Yang Yunpo and Du Yuan in the chest.

The True Qi within him had nearly been drained by the Nine Palaces Footwork. Mustering all his strength, he took advantage of the two men's momentary distraction and thrust his long sword at their throats, moving like a ghost.

"Stop!"

Just then, a streak of light came howling from the horizon. Two figures leaped down from above. One controlled the golden wheel and wore a stern expression as he shouted at Chen Fan.

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