Broken with a Single Sword Strike

Xu Sanchi thought that his junior uncle had seen through the trick and come to his senses, but to his surprise, his junior uncle actually agreed.

"In that case, how about we set it for three days from now? Junior Uncle looks travel-worn; he must have just returned and needs a few days to rest."

Xu Sanchi slowly cupped his hands in greeting, his tone calm, but something in his eyes was already hard to contain.

"Three days later, I Sword-Illuminating Mystic Peak before the Water-Curtain Cave on Deer-Sleeping Peak, Xu Sanchi swordsmanship from Xuanfeng, and request guidance from my junior uncle."

At this point, he looked at Chu Zhuo again. "I would like to ask my martial uncle to be a witness for our bet."

Chu Zhuo nodded slightly, bowed to Chen Lingxi, then took a step back and rose into the air with Xu Sanchi.

Two figures rose from in front of the Water-Curtain Cave, passed over the layers of clouds on Deer-Sleeping Peak, and disappeared into the surging sea of clouds in an instant.

A slight smile appeared on Chen Lingxi's lips as she stood with her hands behind her back before the Water-Curtain Cave, watching the two figures disappear into the sea of clouds on the horizon.

Then he slowly turned around, parted the curtain of water, and stepped into the cave.

Above the Water-Curtain Cave, amidst the extremely high and distant clouds and mist of the sky.

A white figure sat cross-legged amidst the sea of clouds.

The man was tall and slender, dressed in white, with a sword at his waist; he was none other than Shen Xiu'an, the eldest disciple of Deer-Sleeping Peak.

His sword intent was completely concealed.

It is like an ancient sword that has sunk to the bottom of a deep pool, revealing no sharpness whatsoever.

The three people in front of the Water-Curtain Cave were completely unaware that there was another person present in the mist.

However, Shen Xiu'an overheard the entire exchange between Chen Lingxi, Chu Zhuo, and Xu Sanchi.

At this moment, watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Shen Xiu'an slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

"Junior brother is still young and his cultivation is still shallow, so it's understandable that he can't see through that great Divine Ability, the Raging Tide Law."

While his heart was filled with emotion, a hint of coldness appeared in his eyes.

"How interesting, daring to plot against a direct descendant of my Deer-Sleeping Peak."

Even if you, Xu Sanchi, win, so what?

He snorted coldly, the chill in his eyes growing even stronger.

In Shen Xiu'an's view, Chen Lingxi's Dao Origin was indeed not Xu Sanchi's.

Moreover, Xu Sanchi has cultivated the sword path for a long time and is the second person on the Immortal Ranking.

His accumulated Dao Origin was so vast that, without a rare fortuitous opportunity, an ordinary cultivator at the Dao Foundation Early Stage might not be able to match even half of it even after a hundred years.

Moreover, Xu Sanchi has already cultivated two great Divine Ability.

One of them is called [Mystic-Birth Eye], which can see through illusions and detect the flaws in an opponent's Divine Ability. When I cultivate it to the extreme, I can even see the flaws in heaven and earth.

The other one is even more extraordinary, called [Sword-Qi Great Prayer], which uses one's own swordsmanship beliefs to cultivate an unparalleled sword light day and night, with terrifying power!

Xu Sanchi wields these two Divine Ability simultaneously, one for observation and the other for killing, one for defense and the other for offense, making him a figure of immense Killing Power among sword cultivators.

Chen Lingxi is currently cultivating the second Divine Ability, which is the Heavenly-Law Edict.

The Heavenly-Law Edict are the grand principles of Heaven and Earth, their methods obscure and fraught with obstacles.

"Junior brother, you cannot cultivate the Heavenly-Law Edict so easily."

"With one great Divine Ability Divine Ability against two, my junior brother is bound to lose."

His brows furrowed slightly. "Chu Zhuo, you are truly unworthy of being a sword cultivator!"

Chu Zhuo, a cultivator at the Fourth Profound, possesses profound cultivation, yet he is so despicable...

Thinking of this, Shen Xiu'an's Sword Qi became even more refined.

He glanced down at the churning water curtain beneath the Water-Curtain Cave.

Inside the cave, Chen Lingxi's aura had already subsided.

"If I were to protect you, no one beneath the Golden Grotto could plot against you."

He slowly closed his eyes, and a sword intent quietly flowed from the clouds surrounding him.

--

Three days passed in a flash.

Outside the Water-Curtain Cave, sunlight slowly filters through the clouds.

The phantom of the Divine Deer on Deer-Sleeping Peak still hangs high in the Void, its rays illuminating the sea of clouds with crystal clarity.

The thousand-foot waterfall cascades down from the cliff top, its roar like thunder.

The water curtain opens.

A figure in black slowly emerged from the swirling water.

He wore a dark black brocade robe with gold patterns, and his aura was calm and composed.

As he walked, his aura seemed to blend seamlessly with the world around him.

It was Chen Lingxi.

Meanwhile, above the distant clouds, many more figures from the Sword-Illuminating Mystic Peak came to observe the swordplay, hovering above the clouds and gazing down at this spot.

All eyes were on Chen Lingxi.

Chen Lingxi didn't look at those people; he simply raised his head and gazed at the surging sea of clouds.

Deep within the sea of clouds, a figure in white robes slowly descended from the Void.

It's exactly three feet away!

He was still wearing that white robe today, with spiritual patterns flowing on it, and his sword intent was even more solid than it had been three days ago.

He descended from the clouds to the other end of the stone steps, gazing at Chen Lingxi from afar, and then bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

"Junior Uncle."

Xu Sanchi spoke slowly, his voice clear and melodious.

"Today is not about victory or defeat, but merely a contest of swordsmanship."

"Junior Uncle, there's no need to hold back."

Chen Lingxi nodded.

Xu Sanchi took a step forward without hesitation!

With this step, he was like a drawn sword, unleashing his full sword intent!

Xu Sanchi has been practicing swordsmanship for who knows how many years!

Once the attack is made, a surge of sword light soars into the sky, radiating brilliance.

At the same time, two glints flashed in his eyes as he looked directly at Chen Lingxi!

It was that great Divine Ability called [Mystic-Birth Eye]!

This profound and mysterious supernatural Divine Ability directly sees through illusion. When cultivated to its deepest level, one can even glimpse the flaws in an opponent's Divine Ability and the cracks in the workings of heaven and earth!

At that moment, when the faint light in Xu San's eyes fell on Chen Lingxi, he immediately saw the Dao Origin flowing around Chen Lingxi's body, like a river and a tide, clearly visible.

But when he used the double pupils of the [Mystic-Birth Eye] to focus his attention on the Weiji Thunderlight transformed from Chen Lingxi's Thunder Thunder-Prison Heaven Divine Ability, he couldn't help but frown.

"Thunder-Prison Heaven, Killing Power Great Art."

He silently recited it in his heart.

He had previously witnessed Chen Lingxi's sword strike before the Dragon-Transformation Immortal Ranking and knew that Chen Lingxi possessed extraordinary Killing Power.

But Thunder-Prison Heaven is ultimately a Killing Power Divine Ability, using killing to counter killing and attack to counter attack, and it often contains many flaws.

Chen Lingxi's Thunder-Prison Heaven, however, was a complete and unified whole. The thunder patterns on it resembled dragons, and every thunderclap and every ray of lightning was perfectly blended and solid, without a single empty word.

Chen Ling had already mastered this Divine Ability to perfection during his Chen Lingxi.

The clear light in Xu Sanchi's eyes condensed slightly for a moment, then dispersed.

"Don't worry about it."

"When the battle begins, there will inevitably be weaknesses!"

He whispered to himself, and then without hesitation activated the second great Divine Ability he had cultivated!

"Great prayer."

In an instant! Countless fine Sword Qi rose from the Void around him.

At first, those Sword Qi were just thin lines, like threads, floating in the wind.

But in just a few breaths, it spread out around him like a surging river.

Sword Qi surged forth, its sharpness fully revealed.

That gleam of sword light was the [Great-Prayer Sword Qi] that he had cultivated day and night for thirty years by Sword-Qi Great Prayer with his own swordsmanship beliefs!

Xu Sanchi has been cultivating this sword light for thirty years.

He prayed with his own belief in swordsmanship, pouring all the myriad images of that sword in his heart into that Sword Qi day and night.

Over the course of thirty years, he contemplated day and night, reciting mantras in his mind, gradually sketching out the phantom of the "peerless sword light" in his heart onto that Sword Qi.

Even today, this Great Prayer Sword Light is incomparably sharp!

With a single sword strike, no one in the Dao Foundation Early Stage could withstand it.

"This is my proudest sword strike."

He silently recited it in his heart.

The next moment.

Xu Sanchi had already raised his hand!

The Great-Prayer Sword Qi slashed down towards Chen Lingxi's head.

The moment the sword light left his hand, it shot into the sky.

In the blink of an eye, the sword light traversed the sky, transforming into a dazzling bolt of light capable of tearing the heavens apart, and fell straight down towards the dark figure in front of the Water-Curtain Cave.

Where the sword light passed, the sky was cleaved apart by that Sword Qi.

The Void shattered inch by inch under the sword light, revealing countless fine cracks, the edges of which gleamed with silvery-white Sword Qi energy.

"What powerful Sword Qi!"

Among the disciples of Sword-Illuminating Mystic Peak the battle from the cloud, some cheered!

This sword strike was far more terrifying than the rumors suggested.

At this moment, Chen Lingxi remained standing in the same spot.

His Divine Sense flowed, and he clearly perceived the Great Prayer Sword Light falling towards him from the sky like an inverted Milky Way.

The power of this Sword Qi was so overwhelming that it caused the entire sky to lose its color.

However, Chen Lingxi's expression remained calm and composed.

The next moment!

But then he flicked his finger slightly!

At his fingertips, a wisp of pale gold pattern slowly flowed out from the depths of his Dao Platform, then dissipated into the air!

Great Divine Ability Heavenly-Law Edict!

"Imperial Edict!"

"Sword light shines here!"

"Those who do not receive the light of heaven above, nor the vital energy of earth below, will not attain lasting brilliance unless they are born of my Dao."

Deep within the clouds and mist, Chu Zhuo, who was observing the battle, showed a slight change in expression.

Xu Sanchi's pupils narrowed slightly, and the heavens and earth even trembled slightly!

Just then, the Xu Sanchi- long Great Prayer Sword Light enough to tear the sky apart, landed in mid-air above Chen Lingxi's head.

Before it could even touch half an inch above Chen Lingxi's head, the sword light suddenly stopped.

Xu Sanchi's expression finally changed drastically. He clearly sensed that the sharpness flowing continuously from his swordsmanship beliefs on the Great Prayer Sword Light, which he had cultivated day and night for thirty years, was beginning to weaken at this moment!

The sharpness of the sword light faded slightly in an instant.

And in the next instant, it faded even further.

The Great Prayer Sword Light, which illuminated the surrounding area and inspired awe in onlookers, was now like a peerless sword whose source had been gradually cut off. Its sharpness remained, but its brilliance had dimmed.

Xu Sanchi's heart suddenly trembled.

Three moments later, the light of the sword had dimmed by three-tenths.

Five moments later, the sharpness of that sword strike had diminished by half.

"What kind of Divine Ability is this?"

Xu Sanchi was utterly astonished; he had never seen such methods before.

His mind was still undecided, yet he was about to unleash other Divine Ability and other sword lights!

But in the next instant, the Abyssal Heaven Spirit Sword suddenly shot out from beside Chen Lingxi!

The remaining patterns of the hundred restrictions on the sword simultaneously lit up, and an incomparably violent sword intent soared into the sky from the blade.

The Jade Tiger Sea-Reversing Sword Light burst forth from the Abyssal Heaven Spirit Sword!

Deep within his Consciousness Sea, a Great Prison Furnace suddenly rose up.

The myriad lightning bolts deep within the Thunder-Prison Heaven surged forth from that furnace, all converging into the Jade Tiger Sea-Reversing Sword Light.

The sword light surged.

One path transforms into ten, ten paths into a hundred, and a hundred paths into countless more.

The sword light traversed the sky like a blue-gold tiger that had broken free from its ancient shackles and was about to devour the world. It carried immense thunderous power and a murderous aura as it slashed straight at the Great Prayer Sword Light, which had already weakened by more than half.

The Jade Tiger Sea-Reversing Sword Light collided with the Great Prayer Sword Light, which had already weakened by more than half!

Its terrifying Killing Power shook the surrounding area!

The sword lights collided violently in mid-air.

The Great Prayer Sword Light, which had already weakened by more than half, was only able to withstand the overwhelming sword light of Chen Lingxi for a few breaths before collapsing inch by inch, turning into countless tiny fragments of light. These fragments were then shredded into nothingness by the Jade Tiger Sea-Reversing Sword Light.

The Great Prayer Sword Light that Xu Sanchi had nurtured for thirty years shattered at that moment.

Xu Sanchi suddenly staggered back several steps from the Void, his face turning deathly pale.

How is that possible?

His sword intent dissipated from his body, and his eyes finally showed a look of near disbelief.

His unparalleled sword light was actually suppressed and killed in the Void at this moment!

"Two powerful divine Divine Ability, terrifying Killing Power... Primordial Spirit Bearer, with such a foundation, why are you only second on the One-Mystic Ranking?"

Xu Sanchi stood still, still having the strength, but already knowing that he was no match for this junior uncle.

If I were to force myself to do it, I'm afraid I would only lose face even more.

The many figures on the clouds were also somewhat at a loss.

Xu Sanchi was One-Mystic Ranking! He was the number one person in the Dao Foundation Early Stage the Illumination Peak, but today he was defeated cleanly and decisively by this little-known junior uncle.

This inevitably surprised them.

Sunlight streamed down through the gaps in the clouds, illuminating the stone steps. Chen Lingxi slowly sheathed her sword, then turned around and bowed to Xu Sanchi.

"Nephew Xu."

He spoke, his tone calm. "Your sword strike was indeed extraordinary."

Xu Sanchi remained silent for a long time before finally slowly cupping his hands and bowing.

"Junior Uncle's swordsmanship is profound; I am no match for him."

As he finished speaking, he took the Sword-Nurturing Cage from his sleeve and placed it in front of the Water-Curtain Cave.

"A bet's a bet; the prize goes to Junior Uncle."

After he finished speaking, he took a step back and looked into the clouds.

The clouds dissipated, revealing Chu Zhuo's figure.

He looked at Chen Lingxi, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"Junior Uncle's Divine Ability can actually command the sword light to fade away..."

"In all my years of cultivation, I have never seen anyone of the same level break through the Great Prayer Sword Light so easily."

Chen Lingxi did not answer.

Just then.

Chu Zhuo's expression suddenly changed.

He slowly raised his head and looked into the depths of the sea of clouds hanging high outside the Water-Curtain Cave.

Amidst the sea of clouds, countless Divine Sense rose from various parts of Deer-Sleeping Peak, slowly converging towards this place.

It was the Divine Sense of several hall masters within the six halls of Deer-Sleeping Peak.

The Deer-Sleeping Peak Discipline Enforcement Hall Master, the Opportunity Seeking Hall Master, the Dharma Transmission Hall Master, and even the elders who rarely ventured out, all sent their Divine Sense from their respective cave abode to this Water-Curtain Cave.

Chu Zhuo's heart sank slightly.

He raised his head and looked into the distance of the sea of clouds.

There, another Divine Sense descended from the Void of the side peak of Deer-Sleeping Peak, faintly flowing with the unique sword intent of the Deer-Sleeping Peak lineage.

Amidst the surging sea of clouds, a sudden explosion occurred.

At this moment, the thick clouds split open from the center, turning into clouds and mist that scattered across the sky.

Among them, a figure in white slowly emerged.

It was Shen Xiu'an.

He sat cross-legged in the Void, his body radiating a powerful sword intent, like a fine, all-encompassing sharpness that spread out in all directions from his body.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked down at Chu Zhuo on Sword-Illuminating Mystic Peak.

"Brother Chu."

He spoke, his voice calm, yet possessing an imposing aura.

"You were defeated by me and never obtained the fortuitous opportunity to Suspended-Qi Fruit Projection."

"Now, you actually want to use such means to cheat my junior brother out of his fortuitous opportunity."

"--That's just too despicable."