Sublimation, Ecstasy

Over a thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Myriad Venom Dynasty unleashed their killing moves at the confinement array in unison.

For a moment, spells and the radiance of magic treasures blazed in a dazzling riot of dangerously vivid colors.

Even the body cultivators blasted out long rainbows of vital blood energy.

Fear swelled in their hearts. They could never have imagined that the addition of just one Sword Cultivator could allow a squad of Sword Cultivators on the verge of annihilation to erupt with such terrifying killing power.

Precisely because they had begun to believe that Sword Cultivators were unrivaled in offense, their fear drove them to kill these Sword Cultivators at any cost.

But before their combined attacks arrived, a breach popped open in the confinement array.

It was a weak point Li Yang had prepared long ago. Earlier, he had controlled the sword formation to lure the enemy's attacks into that very spot.

Now, with everyone striking together at full strength, the Ten Directions Sword Formation manifested a giant sword, merging the Sword Qi and sword light of over a dozen Sword Cultivators, himself included.

Once freed, they were like a flood dragon returning to the sea.

Li Yang did not even turn to look at the confinement array drowning beneath the dazzling attacks behind him. His eyes held nothing but those tantalizing, fragrant lives.

"Damn it! They've broken free!"

"Don't be afraid! However strong they are, there are only a dozen or so of them. We can wear them down to death!"

But that was easier said than done.

They were selfish demonic cultivators to begin with, joined by Trial Takers with even less sense of belonging. How could they possibly work as one?

They cherished their lives too much, and that gave Li Yang the opportunity to slaughter them with abandon.

Spirit Sword in hand, Li Yang drove the Ten Directions Sword Formation in every direction, following no discernible pattern. His movements were impossible to track.

In mere moments, over two hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Myriad Venom Dynasty had fallen.

And the death toll was still climbing rapidly.

Their pursuit of the Heavenly Origin Dynasty's Foundation Establishment cultivators ground to a halt as well.

They dared not keep chasing. No one could guarantee they would not stand in the path of Li Yang's next sudden killing charge.

"H-how is this possible?!"

The fleeing Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Heavenly Origin Dynasty slowed.

They could scarcely believe that a mere dozen or so people could shake an enemy force ten thousand strong!

Those who had doubted Li Yang earlier felt their faces burn especially fiercely.

"Who is that Sword Cultivator? Is he listed on the Nine Provinces' Heavenly Prodigy Ranking?" one Trial Taker asked, staring intently at the figure leading the Ten Directions Sword Formation.

"It's Qin Feng of the Mystic Heaven Sword Sect!" A female cultivator from Kun Province recognized him. "The Mystic Heaven Sword Sect has been making quite a splash lately. First came Li Yang, who killed a whole group of Kun Province's prodigies, and now there's Qin Feng, another equally monstrous talent."

"The Mystic Heaven Sword Sect? Never heard of it."

"The Mystic Heaven Sword Sect may only be an ordinary major sect, but its parent sect is the Xuanyuan Sword Sect. I suspect Li Yang might actually come from the Xuanyuan Sword Sect. Otherwise, he couldn't possibly have acted with such utter disregard for all taboos during Senior Ning Qingfeng's mortal transfiguration affair. As for Qin Feng... I suspect he is Li Yang!" Someone's gaze sharpened, as though he could see through Li Yang's human-skin mask.

Three or four thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators remained on the Heavenly Origin Dynasty's side, most of them Trial Takers.

They would never truly lay down their lives for the Heavenly Origin Dynasty.

But given the chance, they naturally wanted to kill more people to seize an early advantage within the secret realm.

Even if they did not aspire to obtain an ancient immortal's inheritance, acquiring just one or two immortal opportunities would be enough to defy the heavens and change their fates.

Thus, they could not understand why Li Yang and the other Sword Cultivators fought with such fearless disregard for death.

"Should we turn back and help?" Seeing Li Yang and the others fighting drenched in blood, someone felt an impulse stir within.

"I admit that Sword Cultivator's sword-commanding art is exquisite, but there are only a dozen or so of them. Two Sword Cultivators who hadn't even reached Foundation Establishment were already shaken to death inside the sword formation. Their spiritual power is draining faster and faster. They can't hold out much longer, while the Myriad Venom Dynasty still has at least eight thousand five hundred Foundation Establishment enemies. Go yourself if you want."

Some Sword Cultivators on the Heavenly Origin Dynasty's side were also itching to act.

But they lacked Li Yang's strength and courage, and dared not charge over to join the Ten Directions Sword Formation.

The slaughter never ceased.

Li Yang was utterly blood-drunk now. Everything in his sight had turned crimson.

In his world, the spiritual energy that had once been thin had already condensed into mist.

But he could not practice his cultivation method, and even his dantian was beginning to run dry.

Cultivation absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, while combat released spiritual power.

The meridians could only perform one of these functions at a time: absorption or release.

If someone cultivated while fighting, spiritual power and spiritual energy would collide. At best, their meridians would rupture inch by inch; at worst, their body could explode and kill them.

Li Yang was not foolish enough to fight to the death without retreating. Behind him, Su Hen and the others were already gritting their teeth to hold on. Clearly, they could not afford to linger in battle.

He immediately soared up on his sword and retreated toward the Rockhold Commandery checkpoint.

"He's running out of strength! We have to kill him!"

"A dozen of them killed over a thousand of us! We have to use their souls to light sky lanterns!"

The Myriad Venom Dynasty's cultivators clamored.

But Li Yang suddenly turned and slashed, cutting down another dozen or so on the spot.

Now, however desperately they wanted to kill Li Yang and the other Sword Cultivators, none dared pursue farther than the others.

Li Yang led the Ten Directions Sword Formation back into the Heavenly Origin Dynasty's crowd of Foundation Establishment cultivators and forcibly tossed Qin Feng, Su Hen, and the others out.

"Are there any Sword Cultivators willing to follow me back into battle?" Li Yang swept his gaze around.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, don't push yourself. You've expended a great deal of power too. I have a top-grade Spirit-Gathering Array disc here. Come cultivate and recover." Worry filled a young female cultivator's beautiful eyes. Li Yang's strength had already won her over, and admiration shone in her gaze.

Yet faced with this kindness, Li Yang's gaze hardened.

"Cultivate? On my way here, I passed through so many mortal villages. If this horde of fiends breaks through, what kind of hell on earth will they become?!

"Your fear of death is only human, but I implore you all to take those mortals with you as you flee.

"If no one will resist these fiends alongside me, then I will hold them back alone!"

With that, Li Yang abandoned the Ten Directions Sword Formation, which was already covered in cracks, and took to his sword again, charging alone into the pursuing army of the Myriad Venom Dynasty's Foundation Establishment cultivators.

At that moment-

The mocking voices within the Heavenly Origin Dynasty's Foundation Establishment army vanished.

Li Yang was no sanctimonious hypocrite who would say, "Countless mortals are behind us, so you have to hold the line."

But neither was he a saint. He did not possess such boundless love for all.

Naturally, he had something to rely on if he dared turn back.

Killing intent can accumulate? What wonderful laws of heaven!

The killing intent around Li Yang took tangible form.

His spiritual power was indeed nearing exhaustion. His dantian no longer held enough spiritual energy to supply his meridians.

In its place flowed mist-like killing intent!

Killing intent possessed no physical substance, but it was indeed a common form of energy in the cultivation world, an existence closer to the spiritual plane.

It was peculiar. When attached to an attack, it could greatly enhance its sharpness.

Sword Cultivators were said to be unrivaled in offense precisely because they took slaying demons and defending the righteous path as their duty. If they were not fighting, they were on their way to a fight.

Every truly powerful Sword Cultivator had slaughtered their way to where they stood.

By commanding the Ten Directions Sword Formation to slay over a thousand cultivators just now, he had gained not only the killing intent normally obtained through slaughter, but also the killing intent those thousand cultivators had possessed.

Within this vast secret realm, killing intent seemed to have become an energy akin to spiritual power.

The difference was that spiritual power existed between heaven and earth, while killing intent had to be obtained by killing enemies.

Now, the killing intent around Li Yang was so dense that it seemed to drape him in a blood-red robe.

"Wait for me!" Ning Xi's voice rang beside Li Yang's ear.

Then a pair of fair, delicate hands wrapped around his body.

Two soft mounds pressed against his back, sending him a sensation that set his thoughts galloping. Ning Xi breathed with orchid-sweet breath.

"Senior Brother, your spiritual power is exhausted. Even if you can still fight, you still need to fly on a sword, don't you?"

Li Yang did not refuse.

Ning Xi was right.

He could certainly kill enemies at close range with his grade-two, eight-pattern Spirit Sword, but if his spiritual power ran dry, he would not even be able to fly on a sword. How could he employ his sword-commanding combat art then? He would simply become a living target for thousands of fiends.

"Aren't you afraid of dying?" Li Yang asked.

Ning Xi hugged him tighter, pressing her cheek against his broad, powerful back.

"I am.

"But you won't die, Senior Brother.

"I only hope that someday I can find a place in your heart, and you won't be so heartless toward me."

A smile curved Li Yang's lips.

He put away his own flying sword and stepped onto Ning Xi's.

"Entrust your whole body and soul to me. Your senior brother will show you life's most brilliant sublimation! Enjoy the most exquisite ecstasy this world has to offer!"