This middle-aged cultivator had a long sword hanging at his waist, its tassel so long it dragged to the tops of his feet. Clad in a brocade robe with a python belt, he appeared almost like a prince among mortals, standing atop his flying carriage, gazing down with an unmistakable aura of bone-chilling killing intent.
His name was Chen Chizhong, the uncle of Chen Tong. He once apprenticed under one of the Ten Great Profound Sects, the Yuan Yang Sect, to cultivate. However, due to his unruly conduct and impure heart, he was expelled from the sect. Fortunately, his master, who held considerable influence within the sect, defended him staunchly, preventing his cultivation from being stripped away.
This time, he had returned to his clan to seek an opportunity to refine Hua Dan. By coincidence, Chen Tong was waiting for Pu Yuzi at the Three Pools. Since Chen Tong only possessed Ming Qi cultivation and his meeting coincided with a conflict between two sects, the clan elders specifically ordered him to escort Chen Tong.
However, when Chen Tong emerged from the small pavilion of Pu Yuzi, he wore an expression of frustration. Chen Chizhong inquired about it, only to learn that not only had Chen Tong failed to persuade the Bu Tian House emissary to open the treasure scroll for him, but the opportunity had been snatched by someone else. Worse, two-thirds of the treasure scroll had been exposed to others’ view. It wasn’t surprising Chen Tong was in such a foul mood.
Chen Chizhong had responded coldly back then with just one sentence: "Then just kill the person."
Those from the Yuan Yang Sword Sect adhered to the Dao of Killing, viewing killing as a method to resolve all worldly entanglements and causality. Although they rarely unsheathed their swords against fellow Xuanmen cultivators, in Chen Chizhong’s mind, such a thought was entirely rational. Anything else wasn’t worth consideration.
At this moment, when Zhang Yan saw him, he felt the murderous intent surging from his eyes and immediately understood that this confrontation was unavoidable. Without hesitation, he flicked his hand, tossing a talisman to Luo Zhenzhen, and said, "Fellow Daoist Luo, leave first. With this on you, I can find your whereabouts. Let me resolve this matter, and I will come for you later."
Luo Zhenzhen, however, shook her head, unwilling to leave. Just as she was about to speak, a massive hand formed from cloud mist descended from the sky, scooping her away. A distant voice followed: "Fight your fight. This has nothing to do with this Old Daoist. This young girl has some ties with my sect, and I won’t let you kill her."
Hearing this, Zhang Yan recognized Pu Yuzi’s voice and thought to himself, "Very well. With Luo Zhenzhen gone, I can let loose. What of the Chen clan disciples? If they dare provoke me, they shall meet the same end."
Chen Tong, hearing this voice, grew somewhat apprehensive and said softly, "That’s Senior Pu Yuzi..."
Chen Chizhong, however, showed not a trace of fear on his face. With a cold sneer, he replied, "It doesn’t matter. Whoever I, Chen Chizhong, intend to kill, will die. He may protect her for now, but can he protect her forever?"
His gaze locked onto Zhang Yan, and with a sharp motion of his finger, a piercing streak of sword light slashed forth. The sharp whistling of the sword cutting through the air alone spoke of its deadly sharpness.
Zhang Yan waved his hand, sending out dozens of talismans that collided with the sword energy. The sword light cleaved through more than ten talismans in succession before dissipating midair, failing to reach him.
Chen Chizhong displayed a slight expression of surprise and remarked, "Ah, so you are a disciple of the Guangyuan Sect. In that case, let me send you on your way with one strike!"
He shrugged his shoulder, and a white sword light descended. This sword light differed entirely from the previous one. While the earlier slash was indeed sharp, it was merely a casual attack composed of a strand of Geng Metal Energy, neither refined nor imbued with divine intent. At best, it was equivalent to a strike from an ordinary magic artifact.
This strike, however, was different. The sword energy condensed so densely it seemed almost tangible, merging Essence Qi with Divine Intent. Though it was just a single streak of sword energy, it carried an overwhelming murderous intent that vowed to annihilate all obstacles in its path.
Zhang Yan, with his sharp eye for detail, immediately recognized it as Sword Qi Xuan Guang and knew this undoubtedly stemmed from a Yuan Yang Sect dharma technique.
The disciples of this sect practiced a cultivation spell dedicated to plundering the world’s Gold Qi, forging an unyielding and ferocious path. Their cultivation demanded absolute clarity of thought, leaving nothing unslain. Hence, the disciples of this sect were infamous for their defiant and unrelenting natures.
Seeing this strike, Zhang Yan realized that relying solely on talismans would not suffice.
After all, his mastery of talismans had not yet reached profound levels. Last time, it had taken more than twenty talismans to dissolve sword energy. This time, even a hundred talismans might not suffice. Let alone the fact that he simply couldn’t release that many talismans in one go, even if he could, what would he do if his opponent unleashed the sword light once more? How many more talismans could he afford to expend?
With a low shout, a sword ball emerged above his head. With a thought, he commanded it, sending a streak of blue light slashing toward the sword energy.
A resounding metallic clang echoed through the air, reverberating in all directions. As the two forces clashed, the Star Sword Ball quivered slightly, yet the White Tiger Sword Qi was deflected and thrown off course.