"Hum—!"
A streak of green sword qi shot straight for Fang Xuan’s face.
Fang Xuan did not meet it head-on, instead drawing his black sword to block it.
"Boom!"
The sword qi collided with the blade of the black sword, letting out a massive roar.
The immense impact was not completely neutralized; instead, it blasted Fang Xuan upward, slamming him heavily into the thick ice on the cave ceiling.
The mystic ice shattered upon impact, shards flying everywhere.
Almost at the same moment, Ning Xian moved as well.
With a light tap of her foot, she followed the opening and exited the ice cave, arriving atop the snowy mountain.
Just as Fang Xuan was about to fall, she reached out her arms and caught him steadily, cradling him in her embrace.
Fang Xuan: "..."
....
Shen Chen’s female body followed them out. Without further words, he made a gripping motion with one hand.
The whistling wind and snow outside seemed to answer an invisible summons, condensing into countless crystal-clear ice swords.
With a press of his wrist, they poured down like a torrential rain of pear blossoms, cascading toward the two.
Just as Fang Xuan stepped out of Ning Xian’s arms, she had already shot forward like an arrow from a bow to meet the attack.
Without using spirit power, she simply flicked her wrist, and the sword intent condensed between her fingers traced a sharp trajectory.
The leading ice swords shattered instantly, turning into a cloud of ice crystals.
These crystals did not dissipate; instead, they rapidly gathered in front of Ning Xian, forming a sword of frost and snow that radiated a chilling sword intent.
She gripped the ice sword, her body moving with the blade, transforming into a flickering white shadow that wove through the dense rain of ice swords.
"Borrowing momentum to manifest form?!" Shen Chen’s voice rang out, a mix of shock and fury.
This was clearly a manifestation of sword intent reached only at an extremely high level! Although Ning Xian’s talent was high, how could she possibly achieve this level?!
Fang Xuan also stepped forward at the same time, his figure moving like lightning as he delivered a simple, direct diagonal slash.
Seven or eight ice swords coming his way shattered into dust as if they had hit an invisible iron wall.
The black sword’s momentum did not slow, slashing straight toward Shen Chen!
Shen Chen’s expression changed slightly, not expecting Fang Xuan’s sword momentum to be so domineering and tyrannical.
He tapped his foot and retreated rapidly to the side, simultaneously drawing a green spirit sword and holding it horizontally in front of him.
"Clang—!!!"
The black sword and the spirit sword collided violently!
There were no expected splashes of spiritual light, only a dull, massive thud like an ancient bell being struck, making the entire snowy mountain tremble.
Shen Chen felt an incomparable giant force travel through the sword, causing the tiger’s mouth on his hand to vibrate violently.
The longsword’s glow dimmed instantly, and he flew backward uncontrollably, his feet plowing two deep furrows into the ground!
What kind of monster had this much strength?!
Before he could even steady himself, a cold sword light pursued him like a shadow following a bone!
It was Ning Xian.
She had broken through the remaining ice swords at some point, and the longsword made of shattered crystals was now pointing directly at Shen Chen’s heart.
"Seeking death!" Shen Chen roared. In his haste, he could only discard his sword. His left hand glowed with dense green light as he used his control as a golden core realm cultivator to grab the tip of Ning Xian’s sword.
He was confident that even if this body was only at the early-stage Void Core Realm, with his experience and soul strength, catching this sword with his bare hands would not be difficult.
"Puff!"
The sword tip pierced the green light in his palm, making a sound like puncturing leather.
Shen Chen’s fingers tightened suddenly, and he actually caught Ning Xian’s sword in a death grip.
The blade trembled and the ice crystals cracked, yet it could not advance another inch.
But the moment he caught the tip of her sword, he glimpsed Fang Xuan’s figure appearing at his side from the corner of his eye.
Another sword strike, still a simple diagonal slash without any flourishes.
But the momentum condensed in this strike was even heavier and more profound than before!
Wherever the blade passed, the air let out an overwhelmed booming sound.
Shen Chen’s pupils shrank!
He had just caught Ning Xian’s sword; his old strength was spent, and new strength had yet to rise. He simply could not block this strike in time!
He could only make the most ruthless choice—
To take it head-on!
He twisted his body violently, moving his vital organs away from the primary trajectory of Fang Xuan’s blade.
At the same time, his right hand formed a sword finger, condensing his remaining spirit power to point at Fang Xuan’s throat, intending to trade an injury for a life.
"Squelch—!"
But Fang Xuan’s black sword fell first after all.
The blade slashed down across Shen Chen’s left shoulder, and blood instantly sprayed out, staining the white dress and the crystalline ice red.
The terrifying force did more than just cut through flesh and bone; it sent Shen Chen flying horizontally, slamming him heavily into the mountain wall, shattering the ice.
His desperate finger jab toward Fang Xuan’s throat was easily avoided, leaving only a shallow bloodstain on the side of Fang Xuan's neck.
Almost the moment Shen Chen hit the ice wall, Ning Xian followed up with several strikes of sword qi.
The sword qi slashed into Shen Chen, leaving him bloodied and battered.
"Blargh—!"
The female body controlled by Shen Chen spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura instantly withering.
But the resentment in his eyes had reached its peak.
As a peak golden core realm cultivator, being forced to this point by two juniors was an absolute humiliation!
The remaining spirit power in his body boiled recklessly.
Another green sword astral rapidly condensed in his palm, and the space around it distorted slightly.
He was going to start fighting for his life.
But he had just raised his arm, the sword astral about to be unleashed—
When a fist rapidly enlarged before his eyes.
Fang Xuan was not about to give Shen Chen a chance to use a powerful technique. He closed in directly and smashed a fist right into Shen Chen’s face, which was twisted with rage.
"Bang!!!"
Shen Chen’s vision went dark, and the bridge of his nose collapsed.
The half-condensed sword astral vanished instantly, and the punch sent him flying backward again.
He was slammed heavily into the ice wall, seeing stars.
"You...!" He wanted to roar, trying to regain control of the body.
"Bang!"
Another punch landed in the exact same spot.
Shen Chen’s head was knocked to the side, his ears ringing.
What kind of fighting style was this? What kind of sword cultivator puts aside their sword to use their fists to pummel a face!
"Ah...!" Unwilling to give up, he struggled, trying to detonate the remaining spirit power in this body, even if it meant dying together.
"Bang!"
The third punch was even heavier and more ruthless.
A crack sounded from the neck of Shen Chen’s female body, and the head twisted to the side at an unnatural angle, blood gushing from the mouth.
The head had been beaten crooked.
Even though this body was only at the early-stage Void Core Realm, with a sliver of Shen Chen’s split remnant soul presiding over it and driving the sword techniques, it should have been no problem to display the strength of the late-stage Void Core Realm!
How could he be beaten so helplessly by a kid in the middle-stage Void Core Realm in such an almost insulting manner?!
Fang Xuan did not care what he was thinking.
Looking at the other’s crooked neck and fading eyes, he frowned slightly.
"So tough?" he muttered.
But his hands did not stop for a second.
He grabbed the head of Shen Chen’s female body again and slammed it against a nearby protruding ice rock mound!
The ice rock shattered, and Shen Chen’s struggles grew weaker and weaker.
Fang Xuan slammed him seven or eight times. Feeling that the person in his hand was about to lose all movement, he finally paused and lifted him up.
Shen Chen’s female body was now unrecognizable, his aura faint.
Only the deepest resentment in his eyes was still burning.
He knew this vessel was reaching its limit, and his split remnant soul was also severely damaged.
But he had lost... he had lost so completely and so pathetically!
Resentment consumed his last shred of reason.
"Let's... die together!!!"
He exhausted his last bit of strength, and the illusory core seed of an early-stage Void Core suddenly manifested.
He was going to self-detonate this body!
Even if he could not kill these two, he would heavily injure them and destroy the jade marrow in this cave, preventing them from gaining any benefits!
In any case, it was just a vessel and a sliver of his soul. Although the loss was heavy, his main body still existed.
Ning Xian’s expression changed, instantly seeing through Shen Chen’s intention.
She immediately flashed in front of Fang Xuan, condensing an ice sword in her hand again, prepared to block it by force.
Fang Xuan moved even faster.
Sensing the spirit power inside Shen Chen beginning to reverse frantically, his gaze turned cold, and he directly let go of the other’s head.
He pulled his right fist back, condensing all the spirit power in his body onto his knuckles.
Aiming at Shen Chen’s dantian where the light was growing brighter and brighter, he threw a punch.
As he punched, he held up his black sword horizontally.
"Yunchang, protect me."
"Boom—!!!!!"
The explosion echoed across the snow plains.
All the origin blood essence, spirit power, and even a portion of the soul power contained within Shen Chen’s split remnant soul were released in this instant.
Fissures opened in the ground.
The violent spirit power slammed fiercely against the blade of the black sword.
But the torrent of spirit power, which was enough to heavily injure or even kill an ordinary late-stage Void Core Realm cultivator, remained completely still upon hitting the sword.
At least, from the perspective of Fang Xuan and Ning Xian, it was calm behind the black sword, without even a ripple of spirit power passing through.
Only in front of the blade was there a scene of total destruction.
The black sword floated there quietly, clearly separating destruction from peace...
Rate on N.U.
