"Escape!"
Ning Xi had plenty of escape talismans. Evading the chaotic barrage of attacks, she followed Li Yang's will and thoughts, appearing fearlessly amid the Myriad Venom Dynasty's Foundation Establishment army.
Clang!
Li Yang slashed his sword, employing no flashy secret sword arts-not even a broad sweep of sword qi.
He merely coated the spirit sword in his hand with crimson killing intent.
Schlick!
The body of a middle-stage Foundation Establishment evil fiend was cleaved apart, along with the protective barrier cast by his magic treasure.
The light gleaming from that blood-red sword was so sharp that merely sensing it with divine sense made their souls ache as though pierced.
One plain, unadorned stroke reaped a life, and then he took flight on his sword again.
Li Yang employed guerrilla tactics, changing positions after every slash.
Life-and-death combat was his gift. To avoid being pinned down while killing, he settled life and death with his enemies in the shortest time possible.
Escape to close the distance, kill with one stroke, fly away on his sword, then repeat the slaughter.
And that was not all!
Li Yang no longer needed to expend spiritual power. He killed with his spirit sword and killing intent alone, while Ning Xi handled sword flight for him.
With his meridians freed up, he circulated the Blood Sea Asura Sword Art, beginning to absorb the increasingly dense spiritual energy between heaven and earth.
"What?! This damned sword cultivator actually dares cultivate in battle! He doesn't take us seriously at all!"
"What incredible nerve! Even if he can cultivate without using spiritual power right now, the slightest mistake could throw his energy into disarray. He must be the elite of the Xuanyuan Sword Sect's elite-a Crown Champion of this age!"
"He's killed too many people, and his cultivation is rising far too quickly! How long has it been? He's already reached the third layer of Foundation Establishment!"
"That female cultivator has staggering resources. She's used at least five hundred escape talismans. And she's cultivating too! Though she must be using a secret art to assist her, merely replenishing the spiritual power she consumes, it's still heaven-defying!"
"That's Ning Xi of the Ancient Immortal Ning Lineage in Kun Province. She also commands the Zhu You Secret Art, whose healing effects are astonishing. She's keeping that damned sword cultivator at his peak."
The Myriad Venom Dynasty's Foundation Establishment forces were completely tied down.
This was even more troublesome than when Li Yang had led over a dozen sword cultivators earlier.
For Li Yang was now a single target, and his killing intent enhanced his sword flight, letting him cut through the air even faster.
His targets also gradually shifted from early- and middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators to those at the late stage and above.
His killing intent grew ever more terrifying, as though it had formed a slaughter sword domain.
Every slash carried crushing force, breaking ordinary defenses on contact.
Blinding speed + unmatched attacks + supreme talent for life-and-death combat = invincibility they refused to acknowledge!
At Rockhold Commandery's border fortress.
Thousands of Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Heavenly Origin Dynasty had emerged from within the formation once more.
For all their enemies were now being held up by Li Yang and Ning Xi.
The enemies dared not neglect their rear. With Ning Xi's escape talismans assisting him, Li Yang's killing range was not only vast but unpredictable. None could guarantee they would not become his next target.
"Should we help?" someone asked again.
"Kill!" Su Hen and the other sword cultivators had recovered some of their strength and charged out first.
Besides fighting spirit, their eyes held admiration for Li Yang.
As sword cultivators, they understood the gulf between themselves and him.
But they felt no jealousy, for in his place, they would not dare be so "reckless."
Yet neither could they keep standing idly by while Li Yang fought deep within the enemy army.
Especially Su Hen. He had abandoned Li Yang once already, and could not tolerate betraying a leader of the sword path a second time.
Qin Feng witnessed this scene.
He finally understood why Ning Xi, who was even more outstanding than the five senior sisters on Sect Master Peak, clung so shamelessly to Li Yang.
It was not a swan falling for a toad.
Rather, a Crown Champion of the sword path with extraordinary personal magnetism had deeply captivated Ning Xi, whose strength lay in supporting others.
"If no one will stand with me against the evil fiends, I shall hold them back alone." Li Yang's words had landed with bold, ringing conviction, and every barrier in Qin Feng's heart vanished like smoke.
Father, you hoped I would learn from him... but I'm not even qualified to follow him!
At that moment, Qin Feng let go of his obsession with his five senior sisters.
He had found a role model.
Or perhaps-a spiritual leader he could never surpass!
The burning desire for slaughter in the sword cultivators' bones was utterly ignited by Li Yang at that moment.
With them leading the charge, large numbers of Heavenly Origin Dynasty Foundation Establishment cultivators gritted their teeth and counterattacked, one after another.
"Give it everything!"
"Junior sister, I'll avenge you!"
"Behind me are the common people, my own kin among them-kill!"
They had been preparing to flee, but seeing Li Yang bathed in blood as he fought alone, their fear was smothered by shame, which turned into anger-anger at the enemy, and even more at their own cowardice in battle.
Moreover, Li Yang's actions transformed their original motive of fighting for personal gain, rebuilding a shared sense of belonging and inspiring the tragic resolve to live and die together.
Life and death gained a collective purpose: protecting their hero, defending the common people, and following honor.
"He alone has lit the torch in every heart!" High above, Rockhold Commandery's Nascent Soul True Person could not help marveling.
"Damn him! To think there's a system that makes slaying fiends and defending the righteous path its duty! Such a thing should never exist!" The Myriad Venom Dynasty's Nascent Soul True Person sounded furious and frustrated.
It was not that he had never considered breaking the established rules to snuff out Li Yang.
Rather, every time he stirred his killing intent and prepared to strike, Ning Xi activated an escape talisman at precisely the right moment to conceal them.
Furthermore, Rockhold Commandery's Nascent Soul True Person was stronger than him. One careless move could get him killed, making him even more reluctant to act rashly.
He could only watch helplessly as Li Yang's cultivation reached the seventh layer of Foundation Establishment!
This war between cultivators lasted several days.
At last, Li Yang stopped cultivating.
For at this realm, he could begin attempting something-slaying a Golden Core cultivator!
Ning Xi clearly sensed Li Yang's intention.
She could not help holding him tighter.
"Don't take the risk. Victory on the Foundation Establishment battlefield is already assured. You've tipped the scales in our favor. And your sword's edge has rolled."
Li Yang raised his hand. The sword in his grip had been completely stained blood-red, the blood seeping into its very body.
Even a second-grade, eight-pattern spirit sword had suffered a rolled edge and lost spirituality after such intense combat, clashing head-on with so many similarly high-quality magic treasures.
Li Yang tightened his grip without speaking.
But Ning Xi knew very well that once Li Yang had made a decision, no one could dissuade him.
"Ah... I give up."
Ning Xi felt helpless.
With a turn of her delicate hand, a familiar wooden box appeared, bearing a sealing talisman of an absurdly high grade.
Thump, thump, thump!
The wooden box shook violently. Something alive inside was pounding against it, trying to get out.
Li Yang froze.
Wasn't this Ning Qingfeng's Phoenix Sword?!
"Ancestor said it's all your fault! Changli used to be so quiet, but ever since you held it and slaughtered with it, it's fallen in love with that feeling. It acts up every day. So Ancestor simply entrusted it to me. She meant for me to carry it and let it experience a sword cultivator's slaughter."
Ning Xi removed the seal.
A longsword as exquisite as a work of art flew out, like a child finally let loose.
But it quickly fixed on Li Yang and hovered quietly before him.
He could feel it restraining its excitement.
Especially the instant Li Yang grasped it, its sword cry rang across the entire battlefield like the long call of a phoenix!
Ning Xi huffed, somewhat displeased.
She felt rather betrayed.
Li Yang reached up and grasped the hilt, only to be immediately repelled as a restriction appeared upon it.
"To keep Changli from being lured away by someone with ulterior motives"-Ning Xi placed particular emphasis on "someone with ulterior motives"-"Ancestor specifically placed a restriction on it. Only someone of the Ning Lineage's blood can use it. I'll suffer a little loss here. You hold me instead, and we'll grip the sword together."
Li Yang did not refuse.
The Phoenix Sword truly felt natural in his hand.
Besides, this served the slaughter. He could accept a little inconvenience along the way.
Ning Xi's waist was slender and soft, yet also supple and resilient.
In short, this unfamiliar, intimate sensation left him somewhat unaccustomed to it.
He could not quite describe the feeling.
For once he successfully grasped the Phoenix Sword together with Ning Xi, his heart of slaughter occupied his entire mind, leaving no spare attention to savor anything else.
"Golden Core cultivators may not kill Foundation Establishment cultivators, but no one said Foundation Establishment cultivators may not kill Golden Core cultivators!"
Li Yang looked up toward the far vaster Golden Core battlefield, his fighting spirit and killing intent both reaching their peaks.
Clang-!
Finally held by the sword cultivator it favored, the Phoenix Sword gave a long, phoenix-like cry, clear and ringing. Infused with Li Yang's presence, it shattered the composure of all who heard it!
"Kill!!!"
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