The teachings and imparting of the Dao grew increasingly intense, leaving all the Sword Cultivators feeling as though each second was an eternity.
At this moment, Elder Wuxin suddenly paused briefly. Unable to contain himself, he bent over, his eyes widened as his gaze repeatedly swept over the Sword Ghost.
He was trying to locate Li Mo, whose Sword Intent had briefly emerged.
The fleeting Sword Intent disappeared in an instant, leaving Elder Wuxin with nothing to show for his efforts but to withdraw his head.
Though it spanned only one or two breaths, this brief respite allowed the Sword Cultivators to catch their breath and stabilize their injuries. Some of them actively formed alliances.
Xu Guang’s eye sockets became surrounded by bulging veins, and his breathing grew heavier.
"Hidden within Juxin Temple, are they planning to be the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?"
Xu Guang thought of those two suspicious-looking oxen, but the pair had long vanished without a trace.
"What kind of method could allow a Sword Cultivator to blend among the Sword Ghosts..."
He mulled over the Sword Cultivators he knew from Purple Sun Palace, yet none possessed such Skills, nor were Magic Artifact Talismans remotely plausible.
His gaze shifted to the other two Five Qi Period Sword Cultivators.
Daoist Bai Shuo had detected the anomaly in the Sword Ghosts earlier than he had, and now wore an expression of bewildered suspicion. Only Fire Room remained indifferent and unmoving.
"Perhaps it’s the work of Fire Room, intentionally interfering with me and Daoist Bai Shuo."
Xu Guang let out a cold snort and reached to his chest, pulling out his Lifebound Flying Sword, [Fire Charcoal]. The sword resembled a heart forged from coal, constantly pulsating.
"Fire Room usually keeps to himself, focusing solely on cultivation and ignoring worldly affairs, yet now it seems he carries some cunning schemes."
Xu Guang realized he could no longer afford to waste time. After throwing him a deep glance, he immersed his consciousness into communicating with his Lifebound Flying Sword.
Daoist Bai Shuo, noticing the two of them lying low, belatedly became aware of their actions.
Compared to the chilling Sword Intent in the shadows that unnerved him, the upcoming sword duel was the far greater deadly peril to his life. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novᴇlfire.net
The Five Qi Period cultivators gradually closed their eyes; not far away lay a trial ground littered with severed limbs and broken bodies.
Daoist Ye Zhuo was drenched in cold sweat. Particularly at the moment Elder Wuxin bent forward, he even felt a haunting illusion of imminent death and the dissipation of his Dao.
His legs weakened, and he couldn’t help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.
"Senior brother, oh, senior brother, I beg you, don’t act recklessly. Lives are at risk here."
Daoist Ye Zhuo couldn’t help but feel relieved that Li Mo had timely restrained his aura; otherwise, it might have unintentionally triggered some taboos in Elder Wuxin.
"Thanks to your interruption, I reckon these Sword Cultivators can persist for another hour. Maybe I should first observe Xu Guang and the others’ intentions..."
Before he could finish speaking, he noticed that Li Mo’s figure had vanished.
It seemed as though at the very moment his aura had been withdrawn, Li Mo had already retreated elsewhere, leaving even Daoist Ye Zhuo unable to detect any trace.
Daoist Ye Zhuo’s mouth twitched.
"Could it be that the newly emerging Sword Intent cannot yet be wielded at will? Is Taiyi temporarily retreating to the side chamber?"
After pondering it carefully, the notion seemed quite plausible. In any case, dressed as a Deceitful Person, there was no need to deliberately risk venturing into Kou Xian Sect.
The Teaching Daoist Temple only opened once every hundred days; if it wasn’t secure, he might as well wait until March.
"Ah, if it doesn’t work out, I’ll just treat it as a visit to Juxin Temple to watch the show."
Daoist Ye Zhuo sighed.
Without Li Mo present, he wouldn’t be able to maneuver freely, relying solely on himself. Recklessly stepping into the fray would likely lead to him meeting his end within Juxin Temple.
Adjusting his mindset, Daoist Ye Zhuo felt that merely spectating from the sidelines seemed rather relaxing.
"Jin Ruo’s injuries are the most severe, but she clearly excels at wielding her Hand Sword. She’s now adapted to Elder Wuxin’s Sword Qi—yes, not bad."
"The sword wounds around Fire Mountain’s two flanks will undoubtedly create openings in his attacks."
Daoist Ye Zhuo muttered to himself while stroking his chin. His right hand reflexively moved to open his Storage Bag, his inner gambling impulse stirred by Kou Xian Sect.
"Boring. The folks from Poison Horn Sword Tomb are much more uninhibited."
Over time, Daoist Ye Zhuo discovered that the swordsmanship refined by Li Mo had become even more top-quality, while the Kou Xian Sect cultivators fell short by comparison.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t be incapable of mounting even the smallest countermeasure.
Daoist Ye Zhuo heard the piercing screams of a Sword Cultivator echoing through the air and immediately snapped to attention.
The tides of the situation had shifted dramatically.
The first to fall into danger was neither Jin Ruo nor Fire Mountain but Rui Ming, whose swordsmanship ranked among the top three. Rui Ming had carelessly wandered into a sword light-covered death zone.
By the time Rui Ming realized the peril, it was too late to escape. A spark had already ignited the corner of his Daoist robe.
Even at the Divine Separation Stage, the strength of the flesh was abnormally fragile within Juxin Temple. The Sword Qi flashed in an instant, sending limbs and chunks of flesh splattering everywhere.
Rui Ming regained his senses to find that his body had been reduced to just his head and attached chest cavity. His right arm, which wielded his Lifebound Flying Sword, had been shredded into several segments.
Instinctively, he activated his Spiritual Power, hoping to escape Juxin Temple.
A crisp noise sounded as the ground split open with a chasm, from which emerged several skinless arms that seized Rui Ming and pulled him deeper.
Rui Ming’s eyes bulged wide as he was drawn underground. During the descent, he seemed to experience an indescribable horror, his teeth trembling uncontrollably.
The Sword Cultivators couldn’t help but feel a chill in their hearts, yet none dared to divert their focus to Rui Ming.
With death and injury imminent, Elder Wuxin’s mental state began to deteriorate into wild madness. His head slammed violently against the ground, and his sword movements grew evidently impaired.
Fire Room opened his eyes, stepped forward without hesitation, and proclaimed loudly:
"Junior Fire Room, willing to test swords with my life, challenging the Third Level of the Immortal Gate."
Elder Wuxin gave no response to Fire Room. From Elder Wuxin’s abdomen, a two-hundred-meter-long arm emerged, piercing from his ear canal into his bloated head.
Following the screech of intense Sword Sound.
The arm tightly gripped a Blood Spine Sword, drenched in Brain Marrow Liquid.
Fire Room advanced unflinchingly.
His Life-bound Magical Artifact erupted with a burning wheat-straw essence, releasing an overwhelmingly tangible Fire Burning Sword Intent. Compared to the other Sword Cultivators, his display could practically be considered a communion with the Sword Dao.
No Spiritual Power, no refined techniques—just pure, unadulterated Sword Intent.