Sword Essence

Hiss...

Wang Xi's eyes were bloodshot, his spiritual power seething like boiling water, his ocher Daoist robe billowing like clouds.

At that moment, all earth-aspect spiritual power in the marsh had vanished. He could only draw on the spiritual power previously poured into the Mountain-Subduing Seal.

He crossed his palms, dazzling spiritual light bursting from his knuckles. The Mountain-Subduing Seal suspended in the air shuddered with a thunderous rumble.

The giant crab's mangled body was crushed beneath the mountain's shadow. Its shell cracked like exploding firecrackers, foul-smelling demon blood splashing everywhere with the mud.

"A mere ant... die!"

Blood seeped from the corner of Wang Xi's mouth as he snatched three blood-red jade talismans from his robes. The talismans burned, three mountain shadows coalescing in the air before plummeting.

Wan Songran gritted his teeth, his spiritual power surging once more. The Yi Wood Spirit-Severing Talisman before him blazed with emerald light.

The three mountain shadows crumbled continuously as they fell, but as Wang Xi drove the Spirit Talismans as though his life meant nothing, the mountains still came crashing down.

Song Yan's legs sank deep into the rocky soil. His protective Spiritual Qi shattered like thin ice, and his ears rang incessantly.

The spiritual power throughout his body abruptly dispersed, gathering upon his flying sword.

Humm-

Wreathed in spiritual fire and falling lightning, the flying sword sent a streak of white sword light up to meet the plunging peaks.

"Mountain-Splitting Slash!"

Rumble!!!

The phantom peaks abruptly stalled, then collapsed with a deafening crash.

The Peachwood Gengjin Flying Sword gave a dying keen amid the lightning and fire. Cracks spread across its blade like a spiderweb. Already barely holding together, the blade finally split apart from its collision with the phantom mountains!

Bang!!!

Blazing light flashed, and the flying sword shattered with a bang. The phantom mountains dispersed in midair, and the earth-aspect spiritual power within the Mountain-Subduing Seal also began to dissipate.

The giant crab's corpse had not yet stiffened and still thrashed beneath the marsh, churning up waves of mud.

Wang Xi hurriedly flew backward, about to escape the Yi Wood Spirit-Severing Talisman's range.

Swish, swish, swish-

Three broken blades carrying lingering lightning and crimson flames crossed half the battlefield!

Under Wang Xi's horrified gaze, they easily tore through his already faltering protective Spiritual Qi, simultaneously piercing his forehead, chest, and Dantian.

"Impos..."

"...sible..."

Wang Xi's throat worked, squeezing out half a whimper of unwillingness. The Mountain-Subduing Seal kept shrinking, falling into the marsh among the rubble.

He fell to his knees. Lightning and fire danced in the bloody hole in his forehead, burning the flesh within to ash.

Before long, the lightning dispersed and the flames died.

Wang Xi, an Inner Sect disciple of the Xuanyuan Sect, died, his Dao extinguished.

"Cough, cough..."

Song Yan coughed up a mouthful of blood, swayed, and collapsed to the ground.

The destruction of his peachwood flying sword had severely affected his Divine Sense, leaving his head aching as though it would split. Controlling three broken blades after the flying sword shattered had already made him a spent arrow.

"Huff... huff... cough, cough..."

On top of that, his earlier head-on clash with Wang Xi had left wounds all over his body. Now he had no strength left and kept coughing up blood.

At some point, Wan Songran had seated himself on the Hard-Shelled Giant Crab's corpse, toying with its Demon Beast Core.

The Yi Wood Spirit-Severing Talisman became a spent talisman and fell into his hand.

"Ah..."

Wan Songran sighed with some pain at the loss and casually tossed it into the marsh.

He stood up and looked down at Song Yan from above.

"Heh, Fellow Daoist Song, what splendid sword control..."

He held the Glutton Tail Flute crosswise, and a strange flute melody rang out.

Song Yan's heart sank. This man still had enough strength left to play the Ancient Flute...

Grass and leaves rustled in the woods, crows and sparrows scattering in alarm as several jade-eyed falcons swooped from the shadows.

Song Yan rolled several times, barely keeping his vital points out of danger, but a falcon's beak tore a wound in his left arm deep enough to expose bone.

"Please don't hold this against me, fellow Daoist."

Wan Songran spoke politely, but his smile grew ever more deranged.

"You're the scapegoat the Xuanyuan Sect wants, and you've witnessed the wondrous uses of my Glutton Tail Flute. You have to die..."

"If you don't..."

"I won't sleep at night. I'll find no peace eating or resting!"

Wan Songran lightly pointed his short flute as though mustering troops on a battlefield. The falcons beat their wings, waiting for their moment to move.

"Rest assured, I'll leave your corpse intact."

"Song Yan, a disciple of the Dongyuan Sect, saw that Senior Brother Wang Xi's spiritual power was depleted and that he was wounded, and sought to murder him for his treasures. But Senior Brother Wang saw through him, and he ultimately died to Senior Brother Wang's Method Formula."

"Sadly, Senior Brother Wang Xi's wounds were too severe, and he ultimately died, his Dao extinguished."

"Are you satisfied with that account?"

Song Yan lay collapsed on the ground, panting heavily and coughing up blood, yet his gaze was as calm as still water.

"..."

Within his Dantian, that quiet wisp of keen Spiritual Qi began rapidly breaking apart.

A faint, barely perceptible spiritual light began gathering along Song Yan's right hand.

"Heh. How dull."

Wan Songran waved his hand. "Kill him."

Three to five falcons swooped toward him, bearing a bloody, baleful presence.

When the first wisp of Sword Qi formed at his fingertip, the spiritual light abruptly gathered faster, like a shark catching the scent of blood.

He still lay collapsed on the ground, but he mustered all his strength and shouted:

"Xiao He!"

"Hiss-"

A green snake shielded Song Yan, spitting poisonous mist that drove the falcons back.

"Oh?"

Wan Songran stared at the little green snake demon, intense interest in his eyes.

"A spirit demon that's gained intelligence? Once I kill you, I'll take this little snake for myself."

An incomparably keen, austere wisp of Sword Qi had already gathered at Song Yan's fingertip, without a sound or any fluctuation of spiritual power.

This was a wisp of Sword Dao True Essence, restrained to the utmost!

Song Yan knew very well that this would be his last chance.

For some reason, at this moment of life and death, Song Yan felt not the slightest nervousness or fear.

His heavy breathing gradually steadied.

"I really must thank you properly, Fellow Daoist Song. You've even given me a generous gift before dying!"

"Is that so..."

Song Yan struggled to curl the corner of his mouth. "Then you're thanking me... a little too soon..."

"I have..."

"...more than one generous gift here."

"Hmm?"

Song Yan gently raised his right hand and pointed his fingertip into the air.

Sword Shadows suddenly tore through the air. Blue-gold cracks lit up along their path, and the air rang with a brittle sound like shattering glass.

Humm-

From Song Yan's fingertip to the armored crab demon's corpse where Wan Songran stood was roughly fifteen zhang.

How far was fifteen zhang?

For this Sword Dao True Essence, it was only an instant.

Like a streak of dawn sunlight piercing the clouds.

By the time Song Yan blinked again, the Sword Essence had already dispersed in the distant sky.

Wan Songran's mouth hung slightly open, his expression blank. He slowly lowered his head, staring in disbelief at the bloody hole in his chest.

"...You..."

His expression was complicated.

Confusion, absurdity, disbelief...

The Jade-Eyed Falcons circling nearby seemed to wake from a dream and scattered in every direction.

Thud...

Wan Songran toppled headfirst from the armored crab's enormous corpse, slowly sinking into the marsh.

Deathly silence returned to the surroundings.

Blood seeped from Song Yan's seven orifices as he sensed that slowly dispersing keen edge.

"Yanyan, are you all right?"

Xiao He assumed human form and rummaged through Song Yan's bloodstained robes for medicinal pills.

"Cough, cough... Xiao He."

"Don't worry about me... go... drag him up for me."

Song Yan waved his hand and took out a Blood Pill from his Heaven and Earth Bag himself.

"Huh? Oh!"

Xiao He hooked her tail around Wan Songran's corpse, which was about to sink into the mire, and dragged it ashore.

Song Yan took the healing pills, recovered some strength, and barely managed to sit up. He then swallowed a few Qi-Nourishing Pills, slowly restoring his spiritual power.

His spiritual power was now exhausted and his meridians torn. Song Yan worried that rashly taking a Yellow Sprout Pill with overly potent spiritual power would have the opposite effect.

He only needed to slowly nourish his Spiritual Qi and repair his meridians.

"Judging by the time, if Wan Songran told the truth, the entrance to this secret realm should reopen very soon..."

There was no time for a thorough search. Song Yan broke all the restrictions on the Heaven and Earth Bags carried by Wan Songran and Wang Xi.

With the Heaven and Earth Bags' owners dead and their spiritual power dispersed, it took little effort.

He had no time to examine anything, dumping all their contents and several Spirit Talismans into his own Heaven and Earth Bag in one go.

Then he removed the jade pendant from Wang Xi's body and followed the spiritual light's guidance, dragging his severely wounded body toward the secret realm's exit.

Not long after Song Yan left.

Shao Sichao slowly emerged from deep in the woods. He gave the direction Song Yan had left a long look, but did not hurry after him.

He extended his Divine Sense into the marsh, searching everywhere.

"Ah! Here it is."

His spiritual power turned into a stream of water, rinsing the object he had retrieved and revealing the Mountain-Subduing Seal.

"This junior brother really was far too wasteful."

Thanks to No Stele, No Grave for the 500 Qidian coins! Thanks to 120721164051958 for the 100 Qidian coins and one monthly vote! Thank you!!! (voice cracking