Abyss Swallows Mountain and Land

Qi Refining, Fourth Layer!

Peak Fourth Layer!

Fifth Layer!

The entire venue erupted in an uproar.

"Qi Refining, Fifth Layer! He's actually at Qi Refining, Fifth Layer!"

"How is that possible? How long has it been since he entered the sect?!"

"He's been hiding his cultivation all along!"

Elder Li's gaze flickered as he looked toward Cloudveil True Person, only to find him still wearing a calm expression, as if nothing had happened.

Lu Chen's heart lurched!

Whether in quantity or purity, the mana Shen Qingzhou erupted with at this moment surpassed his own!

Qi Refining, Fifth Layer!

How could that be?

In just a few short months, he had gone from the peak of Qi Refining Third Layer, crossed an entire major realm, and entered Qi Refining, Fifth Layer? What kind of cultivation speed was that? Even a sect's core true disciple, force-fed heavenly treasures, might not advance so quickly!

"You!" He only had time to spit out one word.

Shen Qingzhou had no intention of giving him another chance.

"My turn."

He no longer retreated. With a stomp of his foot, he unleashed the [Abyssal Step] movement technique, turning into an afterimage as he took the initiative to meet Lu Chen's sword.

Tidal Sword Canon—Fall!

Deep-black Abyss-Hiding Sword Essence surged from the Ripple-Pattern Sword.

Clang!

Their weapons collided once more.

This time, Lu Chen was the one forced back!

A sinister yet tyrannical force traveled through his sword, the Metal-Water Qi within it frantically eroding his protective spiritual energy.

Worse still, that force carried a sinking intent, making even the Wèi Earth spiritual energy in his dantian circulate sluggishly.

Seizing the advantage without mercy, Shen Qingzhou shifted his Sword Force and silently unfolded [Water-Curtain Radiance].

The scene before Lu Chen's eyes warped. Shen Qingzhou's figure split into several copies, attacking from different angles at once.

He knew it was an illusion, so he immediately steadied his mind and relied on [Heavy Domain] to sense the true body. Yet in that instant of delay, Shen Qingzhou's sword had already broken through his defense.

Rip!

A streak of sword light grazed his shoulder, slicing open his daoist robe and leaving behind a shallow bloody mark.

Now it was Lu Chen's turn to retreat step by step beneath Shen Qingzhou's unceasing offensive, looking thoroughly disheveled.

Shen Qingzhou's cultivation, swordsmanship, movement technique, and spells blended together too perfectly. There was not a single flaw to be found in his assault.

Lu Chen had been suppressed.

Though his [Heavy Domain] was powerful, Shen Qingzhou's mana was stronger. [Abyssal Descent Momentum] could neutralize part of the pressure, and with that bizarre footwork and the interference of illusions, he could not lock onto Shen Qingzhou at all. He could only passively endure the blows.

"Ahhh!"

Lu Chen roared in unwilling fury.

He could not lose! Especially not after losing once in a debate on the Dao—he could not then lose to the same person again in the sword battle he took the greatest pride in!

His opponent's combat style was too complete, practically without weakness. More importantly, under ordinary circumstances, the Wèi Earth lineage was naturally restrained by the Kan Water Lineage.

The humiliation of being crushed on every front made the towering Divine Mountain in his sea of consciousness tremble violently.

"A mountain does not crush others through brute force."

"A mountain is the foundation of momentum, the pivot of heaven and earth."

"Use your own aura to stir the earth veins; transform them into the weight of ten thousand jun, and make them my domain. Within my Domain, I am the rule!"

The aged voice echoed through his sea of consciousness.

A trace of resolve flashed through Lu Chen's eyes.

Lu Chen forced Shen Qingzhou back with a sword strike, then stomped both feet onto the ground and let out a low roar.

"Suppress!"

His Qi Seed revolved as he slashed out with his sword, a dusky yellow aura flaring from its blade.

As that word left his mouth, his entire body seemed to become one with the earth beneath his feet.

A far heavier pressure came crashing down.

Shen Qingzhou, who had been about to charge forward, paused for a moment.

"Within my Heavy Domain, your speed and your changes are all meaningless."

Lu Chen's voice rang out again. This was the Sword Force he had cultivated with his life.

He walked toward Shen Qingzhou step by step.

The spectators below were all dumbstruck. Was this a battle between geniuses?

Another reversal—the battle had become far too fierce!

Cloudveil True Person's eyes gleamed as he fixed his gaze on the two of them.

Shen Qingzhou stood at the center of [Heavy Domain], bearing pressure like Mount Tai pressing down upon his head.

He admitted that Lu Chen truly was a heaven-sent genius. To comprehend such a complete "momentum" at the Qi Refining stage, even drawing upon the power of the earth veins—this had already surpassed the bounds of ordinary genius.

Had it been any cultivator of the same realm, they would likely have been crushed long ago.

But...

"Though mountains are heavy, they still have peaks."

"But the abyss... has no bottom."

Shen Qingzhou raised his head, his expression still calm. He had not yet exhausted his tricks.

He had prepared thoroughly for this day as well, running through the possibilities countless times. Suddenly, he withdrew all resistance.

The [Abyssal Descent Momentum] protecting his body completely converged, shrinking back to the tip of the Ripple-Pattern Sword.

With no obstacle remaining, that crushing force surged toward him wildly, intent on grinding him to dust.

Lu Chen froze, unable to understand why Shen Qingzhou was seeking his own death.

But in the next moment, the expression on his face stiffened.

The crushing force rushing toward Shen Qingzhou did not crush him when it touched his body. Instead, like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, it was frantically swallowed by an invisible black hole!

Only now did Shen Qingzhou's [Abyssal Descent Momentum] reveal its true form.

Devour! Assimilate!

It had become an abyss capable of swallowing all things!

"What I seek is absolute suppression!" For the first time, a fierce gleam appeared in Shen Qingzhou's eyes.

With the Profession Panel's enhancement, the fortune brought by [Dao Strife] was still rising!

The stronger Lu Chen's [Heavy Domain], the stronger the abyss's pull became! The mountain-suppressing power he took such pride in instead became nourishment feeding his opponent's Sword Force!

A sword cultivator had to temper himself through contention and slaughter, find himself, and merge with himself!

"No... that's impossible!" Lu Chen was completely stunned.

He could feel his Sword Force gradually collapsing, his connection to the earth being forcibly severed.

"Sigh, enough, enough. This spirit has already scattered... Admit defeat. You are no match for that boy right now. If you keep forcing it, you will only damage your foundation."

Turtle Elder's voice sounded in his sea of consciousness.

In the next instant, his defeat collapsed like mountains toppling.

As if reliving ancient times, the light of Wèi Earth was once again drowned by Kan Water!

His Sword Force had been broken!

"Your sword Dao is far too impure."

Shen Qingzhou moved.

As though taking a leisurely stroll through a courtyard, he walked toward Lu Chen.

One step.

[Heavy Domain] shook violently, cracks spreading across it.

Two steps.

[Heavy Domain] shattered with a thunderous crash!

It was as if Lu Chen had been struck viciously by a giant hammer. He spat out a mouthful of blood, staggered backward, then fell to one knee with a thud, his longsword clattering to the ground.

"Huff... huff..."

He gasped heavily, raising his head to stare blankly at the figure standing ahead with his sword sheathed.

Defeated—just like that?

Defeated so thoroughly, so cleanly.

From cultivation, to swordsmanship, to Sword Force, he had been crushed on every front.

There was no disputing it. The entire venue fell deathly silent.