When the first ray of dawn pierced the lattice windows of Flowing Cloud Pavilion, Ling Yun was sitting cross-legged on a cushion, a crimson Fire Lotus Pill held in his palm. Driven by the Chaos Sword Body, the pill slowly released scorching energy that surged through his meridians into his dantian—this was the last Fire Lotus Pill Su Qingyuan had brought him yesterday, refined from three-hundred-year-old volcanic lotus seeds supplemented with Heart-Clearing Grass, made specifically to stabilize Fire-Attribute Sword Intent.
"Buzz—" The six-colored Sword Intent pearl within his dantian suddenly trembled. The crimson Fire-Attribute Sword Intent and earthy-yellow Earth Element Sword Intent actually entwined of their own accord, forming a vortex of interwoven red and yellow. Sword Elder's voice brimmed with delight. "The Chaos Sword Body truly is extraordinary! The Fire Lotus Pill's energy has triggered resonance between the two Sword Intents. Try fusing them—you may be able to create a sword technique that counters the Sword Devouring Art!"
Ling Yun immediately did as instructed, sinking his consciousness into his dantian and guiding the Fire and Earth Sword Intents through his meridians and into his arm before finally pouring them into the Sky-Rending Sword. The sword's silver-red patterns interwove with an earthy-yellow glow. Red and yellow light shimmered along its edge as he raised his hand and swung. The instant the sword tip touched the ground, a sword scar half a foot deep appeared, while a layer of scorching rock armor condensed over the ground around it—this was the union of fire's blazing heat and earth's weight, capable of both breaking defenses and providing protection.
"Excellent technique!" Sword Elder praised. "The Sword Devouring Art relies on devouring Sword Souls to increase its power. Its techniques are insidious and carry demonic qi. This 'Fire-Earth Demon Suppressing Slash' can burn away demonic qi with its heat and block wicked swords with its heaviness—it is the perfect counter! Keep practicing and make the connection between the two Sword Intents smoother. During the Grand Competition, you will surely catch them off guard and seize victory."
Ling Yun nodded and swung again. The Sky-Rending Sword moved through his hand as naturally as an arm, its red-yellow Sword Qi ripping through the air and leaving scorching trails behind. By noon, fine sweat had seeped across his brow, and more than half his Sword Intent had been spent, yet he had brought the Fire-Earth Demon Suppressing Slash to perfection. Now, when he used the technique, he could form a rock armor barrier several yards wide at the site of the sword scar, protecting himself while restricting his opponent's movements.
"Ling Yun, look what I brought?" Su Qingyuan's voice came from beyond the door. She carried a bamboo basket containing a porcelain bottle of pale-green medicinal liquid and several beast-hide maps. "This is Soul Cleansing Dew. It can neutralize the poison of Soul-Corroding Powder. I refined it using ten kinds of antidote herbs; even if you come into contact with Soul-Corroding Powder, it can dispel it within three breaths. And these maps were drawn by Medicine Immortal Valley's covert agents in Qingfeng Town. They mark the secret passages used by the Zhao Family and demonic cultivators, as well as the Zhao Family's poison powder caches and the demonic cultivators' strongholds. They may be useful to you."
Ling Yun accepted the porcelain bottle and pulled out the stopper. A fresh herbal fragrance rushed toward him, and even the Sword Intent in his dantian calmed somewhat. Looking at the dense red dots on the beast-hide maps, warmth rose in his heart. "Thank you. These things... are very important to me."
"We are friends, aren't we?" Su Qingyuan's cheeks flushed faintly as she spoke softly. "I also learned from my master that the Sword Devouring Art has a fatal weakness—it grows stronger by devouring Sword Souls, but the more Sword Souls it devours, the more chaotic the demonic qi in its dantian becomes. If you attack its dantian with power containing Sword Soul Origin, the demonic qi will backlash. The Remnant Soul Imprint of the Primordial Sword between your brows happens to contain Sword Soul Origin. It may come in handy."
A sharp gleam flashed in Ling Yun's eyes. This was precisely the method he had been seeking to break the technique. He raised a hand and touched his brow. The pale-white imprint there grew faintly warm, clearly resonating with the Sky-Rending Sword within his dantian. It seemed the Primordial Sword's remnant soul could not only strengthen his sword techniques, but also become the key to dealing with the Sword Devouring Art.
At that moment, Murong Shuang hurried in, her expression grave. "This is bad—the rules of the Sect Grand Competition have changed! The Zhao Family has joined forces with Black Wind Stronghold and the Blazing Fire Gate to pressure the Sect Master, demanding the addition of a 'Life-and-Death Arena.' Any disciple who reaches the finals may voluntarily choose a deathmatch, where the victor decides whether the loser lives or dies. And... there are now two Zhao Family members on the judges' platform, supposedly as 'specially invited guests.'"
"A Life-and-Death Arena?" Ling Yun tightened his grip on the Sky-Rending Sword, the red-yellow radiance on its blade turning cold. "Zhao Kun wants to kill me openly on the arena stage, and he is afraid the judges will get in his way, so he deliberately bribed people."
"The Sect Master could not do anything either. The Zhao Family has joined forces with two major lineages; if he refused, they would unite with other factions and withdraw from Qingyun Region's Sword Dao Alliance." Murong Shuang gritted her teeth. "But do not worry. I have already pleaded with several inner sect elders. They have agreed to keep an eye on the judges in secret and will not let the Zhao Family act too brazenly. And I will do my best to reach the finals. If I face you, I will surrender voluntarily, so you can focus on dealing with Zhao Hao."
Ling Yun looked into Murong Shuang's resolute eyes, and gratitude stirred within him. He knew she was fiercely competitive. For her to offer to surrender voluntarily meant that she had truly regarded him as an ally.
"There is no need." Ling Yun shook his head. "If you face Zhao Hao, you may not necessarily lose. He cultivates the Sword Devouring Art. Though his sword techniques are powerful, he has lost the true heart of Sword Dao. As long as you steady your mind and use Wind Silk Slash to break the transitions in his sword techniques, you may still have a chance of victory."
Murong Shuang froze for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "Fine. Then we will each rely on our own abilities and see who encounters Zhao Hao first!"
As the three spoke, a sudden uproar rose from outside the mountain gate of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect. Ling Yun walked to the window and saw a group of black-clad cultivators surrounding a richly dressed youth as they entered the gate. The youth had a face like carved jade, but his eyes carried a sinister cast. The sword at his waist emitted faint black qi. He was Zhao Hao, heir to the Zhao Family. Two cultivators with formidable auras followed behind him, one wielding a great saber and the other holding a flaming staff. They were clearly experts from Black Wind Stronghold and the Blazing Fire Gate.
"Zhao Hao is here, three days earlier than expected." Sword Elder's voice was wary. "Those two cultivators behind him are both in the early Sword Master Realm. They must have come to bolster his presence. Before the Grand Competition, you must be especially careful. Do not let them ambush you."
Ling Yun nodded, his gaze fixed on Zhao Hao. He could clearly sense that Zhao Hao's Sword Intent was mixed with dense demonic qi, even stronger than the black qi Zhao Kun had possessed while cultivating three years ago. Zhao Hao had clearly devoured quite a few Sword Souls, and his strength had likely already neared the peak of the late Great Swordsman Realm.
"I will go take a look," Su Qingyuan said softly. "I will disguise myself as a medicine attendant and investigate their movements. While I am at it, I will see if I can find out exactly how Soul-Corroding Powder is used."
Ling Yun had just wanted to stop her when Su Qingyuan had already turned around, fetched her medicine case, changed into gray cloth garments, and hurried out of Flowing Cloud Pavilion. Murong Shuang watched her departing figure and said, "Do not worry. She learned disguise techniques in Medicine Immortal Valley from a young age. She will not be discovered. What we should do now is seize these last few days and raise our strength a little further."
Ling Yun took a deep breath, turned back to the cushion, and gripped the Sky-Rending Sword once more. Red-yellow Sword Qi flared again, and the speed of his sword practice grew faster and faster. The air within the Sword Hut was churned by Sword Qi into tiny vortices. He knew that the Sect Grand Competition three days later would not merely be a contest of Sword Dao, but the beginning of revenge—he had to win, not only for himself, but for his clansmen on Burial Sword Slope and for those he wished to protect.
Meanwhile, within the Zhao Family's temporary residence outside the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect, Zhao Hao held a longsword wreathed in black qi. Three strands of pale-white Sword Souls coiled around the blade—ones he had devoured from three low-ranking cultivators just yesterday. A black-clad demonic cultivator stood behind him, holding a black porcelain bottle in hand. "Young Master, this is an upgraded version of Soul Corrupting Powder. It explodes upon encountering Sword Intent and can instantly contaminate an opponent's Sword Soul. Even a Chaos Sword Body will be affected. During the Grand Competition, as long as you smear it onto your sword, Ling Yun will surely die without even a burial ground."
Zhao Hao accepted the porcelain bottle, a ruthless glint flashing through his eyes. "Ling Yun? He is nothing more than a stray dog that has lost his home. On the Life-and-Death Arena three days from now, I will use his Sword Soul to pay tribute to the Zhao Family clansmen who died!"
The demonic cultivator bowed and smiled. "Young Master is wise. Once you slay Ling Yun and seize the Chaos Sword Body, the Family Head will certainly seek merit for you from the Lord of Blood Fiend Hall. Then you will be able to travel to the Spirit Realm and cultivate even more superior demonic arts!"
Zhao Hao gave a cold laugh and swung his sword, unleashing a streak of black Sword Qi that split the wooden table before him in two. The demonic qi in the Sword Qi spread outward, filling the entire room with a pungent stench—a conspiracy centered on the Sect Grand Competition was quietly brewing, waiting only for three days later to erupt completely upon the arena stage of the Flowing Cloud Sword Sect.
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