Peerless talent, sword - intent like a rainbow.
Everyone was stunned by the sight of the full moon, left speechless.
Wu Duan Tian rose to his feet unsteadily, his composure shattered.
Qingxuan Taoist's Qingxuan Sword trembled slightly in his grasp.
Deep within the Qingyun Sect's mountain, in a secluded cave, a white - haired old woman meditating with eyes closed suddenly furrowed her brows.
Fang Qingzhi gazed up at the moonlight, enraptured.
In the moon, someone danced with a sword, unrestrained and wild.
" Bright moon rises from Tian Shan, vast clouds and seas between — ! "
A distant voice echoed through the moonlight, its resonance penetrating the ears without being overwhelming, instead captivating and mesmerizing.
The sword dance in the moonlight was like a dream, with piercing cold light cutting through the clouds.
Suddenly, the sword - intent shifted, swift as thunder!
Again, the distant voice laughed loudly: " Long winds span thousands of miles, blowing through the Jade Gate Pass — ! "
" Condense —! "
High in the sky, the sword - intent was formidable.
The figure dancing with the sword halted, their flying sword lightly slicing downward.
Clang!
The clouds parted to the left and right, the world cleared, and the moonlight intensified.
Limitless killing intent descended.
Wu Duan Tian felt a chill run down his spine, his face pale as he urgently barked at his surroundings:
" This is bad! Quickly stabilize the sect - protecting formation and evacuate the disciples from the square immediately! "
When that mysterious cultivator had appeared earlier, exuding a late - stage Soul Transformation aura, Wu Duan Tian hadn't taken it seriously.
He had assumed that even if Qingxuan Taoist couldn't prevail, he could at least hold out until the elders stepped in.
Who would have thought that as soon as the other party's sword technique began, the sheer sword - intent alone froze him from head to toe.
Could this cultivator be a reclusive sword master from the Sword Pavilion?
To wield such a terrifying sword technique!
It's common knowledge that while many cultivators use swords, pure sword cultivators rarely achieve great things.
Yet, once a sword cultivator does achieve something, their techniques' destructive power is unparalleled in the Cangyun Realm.
Without time to ponder, the sword descended, targeting Qingxuan Taoist.
The moonlight's coldness merged with the sword - intent's sharpness.
From afar, the figure still had form, but up close, the vision was filled with nothing but silver white.
Qingxuan Taoist, gripping his sword, couldn't discern whether it was moonlight or sword - light in his eyes. Surrounded on all sides, there was nowhere to flee. He gritted his teeth and unleashed his strongest move with the Great Unison Sword Technique—Embrace the Star River.
The Qingxuan Sword carried a streak of starlight, dazzling to the eye.
This was supposed to be a magnificent strike, yet under the moonlight, it seemed naive and absurd.
A single spark can start a prairie fire.
But starlight before the bright moon can only be swallowed and dissipated.
...
The full moon vanished.
The Qingyun Sect square was riddled with countless sword holes, denser toward the center.
Qingxuan Taoist, drenched in blood, propped up his barely standing body with his sword. The Qingxuan Sword, his companion for over a century, was now riddled with holes, much like his body, which seemed to shatter at the slightest movement.
A beam of moonlight fell behind Qingxuan Taoist.
Chen Ping An emerged from the moonlight, not sparing a glance at the bloodied figure kneeling in the square's center. He strode up to Lu Changtian and asked, "Will you do it yourself, or shall I assist you?"
Lu Changtian looked up at Chen Ping An, his face growing paler. His throat convulsed as he rasped, "I... I'll do it myself..."
Spiritual energy reversed its flow, and with a muffled thud, Lu Changtian clutched his Dantian, writhing in agony on the ground.
Piercing screams echoed across the square.
Qingxuan Taoist's body stirred; he attempted to rise but after two struggles, collapsed back into the pool of blood.
"Every grudge has its origin, every debt its account."
Chen Ping An approached Mu Bai Shuang, gazing at the exquisite yet terrified young girl. His golden vertical pupils held only indifference.
At this moment, the girl resembled a frightened fawn, her face etched with horror, her lips and body trembling.
Her pitiable appearance was alluring, as if a mere gesture could tear her apart.
Yet, a bead of sweat trickled down Chen Ping An's temple.
[Mu Bai Shuang - Female - 347 years old - Late Stage Soul Transformation (currently self - sealed) - Innate Charm]
Two bad pieces of news.
First, she was an elite hidden powerhouse.
Second, in his attempt to show off, his mana pool was now empty.
They locked eyes for a moment before Chen Ping An spoke slowly, "Hand over Fang Qingzhi's water spiritual root."
"Senior, I..."
"Will you hand it over, or not?"
Gazing into those killing - intent - filled golden vertical pupils, Mu Bai Shuang bit her lip, seriously weighing her options.
If she refused, she would have to break her cultivation seal and fight this monstrous sword cultivator. Not only would it expose her identity, but if the opponent still had strength left, she would be doomed.
She had to survive to assist her young master.
She couldn't afford to expose herself.
It was nothing more than a water spiritual root, useless to her young master, and she didn't care for it.
"I'll hand it over," Mu Bai Shuang put on a wronged expression, thrusting her chest out towards Chen Ping An, tilting her head to reveal her fair neck. Her delicate face was filled with sorrow, and tears streamed down as she spoke, "Senior, take it directly."
Truly a is born with a tendency to be fond of bones
Chen Ping An was speechless.
[Which spiritual root would you like to extract?]
What a surprise!
Chen Ping An inwardly marveled.
Though he didn't know how this enchantress had hidden the previous spiritual roots from Qingxuan Taoist's detection,
now was the time to seize the opportunity.
Remove both, kkkk!
Since she was a hidden identity enchantress, would she dare to say anything? Would she dare to expose herself?
Chen Ping An selected both options.
A glow emanated from Mu Bai Shuang's lower abdomen. He reached out, his hand passing through her body without resistance, extracting both light orbs and stuffing them into his backpack. He then shot Mu Bai Shuang a meaningful glance.
Mu Bai Shuang was stunned.
The pain of losing her spiritual roots was nothing compared to the fear and horror that made her scalp tingle.
With her innate charm, she originally had no spiritual roots. She had stolen others' spiritual roots and cultivated a method from the Heavenly Demon Art to conceal them. Even a Unity with the Dao cultivator shouldn't have detected her secrets. How did this person...
She dwelled on that meaningful glance, feeling a chill run down her spine.
Did this cultivator see through her?
If he did, why not expose her?
Could he also be a demon cultivator?!
Her mind was in turmoil as she tried to catch Chen Ping An's eye again.
But Chen Ping An had already turned and walked toward Fang Qingzhi.
...
He had beaten people, settled scores, taken what he needed, and depleted his mana.
Chen Ping An prepared to flee with Fang Qingzhi.
Passing by Qingxuan Taoist, he considered whether to deliver a finishing blow to the half - dead old man. Then he sensed multiple late - stage Soul Transformation auras locking onto them.
Wu Duan Tian remained silent.
But Chen Ping An could read the message in the silence.
Know when to stop; otherwise, it would become a grudge that wouldn't die.
Very well. Qingxuan Taoist wasn't a heinous villain, at most a master who failed to guide his disciples properly.
"Fang Qingzhi, let's go."
"Leave?" A hoarse voice sounded from behind.
Unbeknownst to them, a white - clad old woman now stood beside Qingxuan Taoist.
She leaned on a dragon - head cane, her turbid eyes fixed on Chen Ping An. No aura emanated from her; she appeared and stood there soundlessly, blending with the surroundings.
"You come to my Qingyun Sect to wreak havoc and then just plan to walk away?" the old woman said.
"I'm afraid that's not acceptable," she added.
The old woman stamped her dragon - head cane on the ground.
BooM——!
A cyan ripple spread like water, and several late - stage Soul Transformation elders of Qingyun Sect, along with Wu Duan Tian, knelt and bowed their heads.
In front of the sect's main hall, all was deathly silent.