Longevity Martial Arts: I have a Mysterious Water Snake Avatar-Chapter 201 - 193: Another Killing! A Storm Is Brewing!
The Heavenly River Sword is a Demon Sword!
Li Zixing could use the King’s Sword as a guarantee that the ’Blood Demon Sword’ held by Li Jianhe was, through and through, a Demon Sword.
At this moment, in Luo City’s Altar of Heaven, Li Zixing once again raised the King’s Sword high, connecting with the starlight, intending to locate the Heavenly River Sword through the King’s Sword. The King’s Sword was not only a sword of unyielding righteousness but also a sword of destiny, representing secular royal power. When its seven constituent swords united, they would become a Holy Artifact, possessing the ability to discern the native evil spirits of the Qinglu Taoist Temple.
"With my righteous essence, combined with the Creation of heaven and earth, aid me, King’s Sword!" Li Zixing shouted, and the storm abruptly intensified.
CRACKLE! CRACKLE! Huge lightning bolts, like iron chains, flashed across the sky intermittently as dark clouds gathered. However, this strange phenomenon lasted only a moment before dissipating like smoke.
Has it failed again? Sigh, if I could merge with the other sub-swords of the King’s Sword, perhaps I could detect the whereabouts of that ’Blood Demon Sword,’ Li Zixing mused. He helplessly put away the King’s Sword and looked up at the dim night sky.
The autumn night sky was desolate, the stars lonely and dim. Only the bright moon seemed even colder and more noble.
Just then, a commotion arose from the outer palace. Li Zixing looked down, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. When he saw clearly who was entering, his pupils dilated, evidently shocked by their arrival.
Qin Yuzhu, a True Disciple of the Qinglu Taoist Temple and a fourth-rank junior Luck Tao Martial Artist.
Zhuge Chou, an External Elder of the Qinglu Taoist Temple and a fifth-rank superior Wisdom Tao Martial Artist.
And... Li Ziyang of the Qinglu Tutelage!
Li Ziyang was tall and lean, with a handsome face. Dressed in a plain black robe and holding a scroll, he exuded an air of serene detachment, as if nothing in the world could leave a mark on his heart.
A member of the Qinglu Tutelage descending the mountain—why would it be him? Li Zixing couldn’t help but grip the King’s Sword tighter, his heart sinking. The seven swords of the King’s Sword combine to form a Holy Artifact, but a Holy Artifact can only have one master! 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"Junior Brother, I trust you’ve been well," Li Ziyang greeted Li Zixing with a faint smile. "Don’t be too nervous. I’m here to borrow this place’s telluric luck to assist Elder Zhuge in deducing the whereabouts of the ’Blood Demon Sword’."
Li Zixing forced a smile, watching the three newcomers ascend the steps and enter the Altar of Heaven.
As the saying goes, ’Learning the Tao has its sequence, and every art has its specialty.’ They all yielded the central position, watching Elder Zhuge perform his ritual. Elder Zhuge held a feather fan, lit a seven-star lamp, and released a paper kite.
"Wisdom Tao Sub-Divine Power: Quick Wits!"
Suddenly, the flames of the seven-star lamp flared intensely, and the paper kite’s string snapped, sending it spinning rapidly in the sky. Dark clouds gathered, and gusts of wind surged. Qin Yuzhu was also casting Luck Tao techniques to bolster Elder Zhuge.
Wisdom Tao Martial Artists understand some heavenly secrets and excel at planning and scheming, often ensnaring others without a trace. When facing a Wisdom Tao Martial Artist as an enemy, the more information they have on you, the easier it is to be targeted. Not to mention there was a Luck Tao Martial Artist assisting nearby!
Gradually, through the mist, Elder Zhuge vaguely saw a lake stained red.
...
「Yunze Lake.」
Hiding in a cave on a small island, Jiang Keyi listened to the screams and wails from outside and the occasional booming sounds of impact. Trembling with fear, she clutched Guan Lan tightly.
"I want to return to the Sect! I want to go back to the Sect! I’m never coming out again, never again! WAHHH..." Jiang Keyi’s face streamed with silent tears, her body shaking uncontrollably. Just moments ago, she had witnessed an island being leveled by a Sword Light, vanishing into nothingness. She had been only a step away from death!
Guan Lan had also lost his usual composure. He was shocked as he felt the surrounding Essence Qi fluctuate and listened to the sounds from outside. His heart drew a conclusion, Sword Qi, Sword Intent, Sword Light, such wanton displays—the ’Blood Demon Sword’ is so ferocious! Yet, he dared not believe it.
BOOM!
Another swift Sword Light obliterated an island, causing Jiang Keyi to break down and weep bitterly. It wasn’t just Jiang Keyi who broke down; the armored soldiers on the warships were also collapsing in despair. Facing Hong Yuan, they had no power to resist.
"Save me!"
"No, no!"
"I haven’t become a Qinglu Warrior yet!"
One warship after another was struck down by Hong Yuan. His expression was indifferent, but the Heavenly River Sword in his hand struck with unmatched ferocity. The armored soldiers were like leeks, harvested by Hong Yuan’s successive Sword Lights. Wisps of white smoke emerged from their bodies, all absorbed by the Heavenly River Sword, strengthening it.
"Damn Demon Tao scoundrel!" Jin Tianchun was incandescent with rage, wishing he could devour Hong Yuan alive.
"S-Senior Brother, let’s... let’s run! Quickly!" Tang Size stammered, clearly terrified by Hong Yuan into a state of panic.
If not for their cunning strategy of hiding in a hidden boat while decoys were on the flagship, they, the real targets, would have already died on the spot. Indeed, the ’Blood Demon Sword’ had first attacked the flagship, heading straight for the two decoys!
Jin Tianchun clenched his teeth and dove directly into the river, swimming underwater, with Tang Size following closely. The surroundings teemed with lethal Sword Qi; a mere touch meant death. Even underwater, Sword Qi and Sword Intent permeated everything. Forced into a corner, both men used their True Essence to evade, quickly fleeing the battlefield.
Their movement, slight as it was, immediately alerted Hong Yuan that something was amiss. On closer inspection, Hong Yuan discovered that the ’dead’ Jin Tianchun and ’Tang Size’ had somehow revived.
Hong Yuan’s mind raced, and he instantly understood. So that’s it! No wonder it was so smooth. You were playing dirty with me all along!
"Sword Tao Sub-Divine Power: Sword Qi Thunder Sound!"
BOOM! RUMBLE! RUMBLE RUMBLE!
A deafening thunderclap truly echoed from the sky as a white shockwave, the size of a small hill, surged directly towards Jin Tianchun and Tang Size. Wherever the white shockwave passed, be it enemy soldiers or Ferocious Beasts, all had their eyes roll back, falling silent forever. When the white shockwave struck the lake, the water immediately erupted upwards, creating immense waves and momentarily exposing a dry patch on the lakebed.
In the dry area, Tang Size and Jin Tianchun were shockingly revealed!
"AAAH—" Jin Tianchun shrieked. Before he could react, he was obliterated into dust. Tang Size didn’t even realize what had happened before the shockwave instantly erased his existence.
Suspended in mid-air, Hong Yuan released the Heavenly River Sword, allowing it to devour wisp after wisp of white smoke at will. The Heavenly River Sword seemed to possess a gravitational pull; the wisps of white smoke transformed into White Pythons, which it greedily devoured.
Yunze Lake instantly churned with massive waves, its waters turning blood-red, resembling a Human World Purgatory. Not only weapons and armor but even the wooden planks of the warships flew into the air, devoured by the Heavenly River Sword. At this moment, the azure Heavenly River Sword resembled an ancient, malevolent Demon Sword reborn into the world!
Devouring everything... Hong Yuan was momentarily speechless. After a long pause, he mused grimly, So, my other side is this avaricious...
Suddenly, Hong Yuan felt his Sea of True Essence begin to churn, and a purple crystalline membrane appeared within his Aperture. Breaking through this crystalline membrane would mean advancing from the fifth-rank middle stage to the fifth-rank high stage.
Glancing at the Heavenly River Sword, still voraciously devouring everything, Hong Yuan made his decision. Indiscriminate slaughter will only invite calamity. Besides, with the Heavenly River Sword assisting the Sword Tao Incarnation, there’s no need to worry about foundational stability.
GURGLE, GURGLE.
The Sword Origin in his Sea of True Essence surged, continuously scouring the crystalline membrane. A short while later, the crystalline membrane shattered, and deep purple True Essence flowed out. Pale purple True Essence signified the fifth-rank middle stage, while deep purple True Essence denoted the fifth-rank high stage.
At this moment, the Sword Tao Incarnation’s cultivation surpassed that of the Power Tao Incarnation, making him a fifth-rank high-stage big shot.
Fifth-rank high stage. The Asking Heaven and Earth epiphany has arrived as well, Hong Yuan thought. He closed his eyes slightly, the Heavenly River Sword standing guard.
After the Asking Heaven and Earth epiphany concluded, Hong Yuan successfully elevated his remaining three ultimate techniques to the Sub-Divine Power level, just as he had hoped. From this point forward, excluding the Sword Sparrow Worm, all techniques in Hong Yuan’s combat repertoire began at the Sub-Divine Power level, with his trump cards even reaching Human-level Divine Power!
With my combat system starting at the Sub-Divine Power level, I might actually be able to rank among the Phoenix Creek Tutelage now!
Clutching the Heavenly River Sword tightly, Hong Yuan’s face lit up with a joyous smile, his heart leaping with elation. The Phoenix Creek Tutelage! They were the favored children of heaven, possessing blessed lands, almost half-Martial Saints. With access to vast resources and authority, their strength was on a completely different plane, capable of delivering a crushing, dimensionally superior blow to anyone not of the Phoenix Creek Tutelage.
And now, through his own relentless efforts, Hong Yuan had finally reached this level.
It’s time to head back, Hong Yuan thought. He glanced at Yunze Lake, its waterways now altered, then, with a powerful push from his feet, he transformed into a sword rainbow and vanished in an instant.
However, midway through his flight, Hong Yuan suddenly felt a sense of unease, a premonition of impending calamity weighing heavily on his heart.
"Life Lamp Worm, activate!" Hong Yuan commanded internally. He activated the Life Lamp Worm to inspect his luck.
The moment he inspected it, Hong Yuan’s brows furrowed, and his heart sank. His red luck still soared dozens of meters high, resembling a river of swords. However, this river of sword-shaped luck, resembling the Heavenly River Sword, was now tainted with a gray aura. Looking further, this grayness enveloped the entirety of his luck! This gray aura was like a scabbard, firmly locking down Hong Yuan’s luck.
Am I being targeted? Hong Yuan realized. He mused wistfully, It makes sense. The Qinglu Taoist Temple is a hegemon on par with the Phoenix Creek Sect. It would be a joke if I could truly come and go as I pleased.
Hong Yuan found a small riverbank to land on, drew the Heavenly River Sword, regulated his breathing, and began to formulate a new plan. One must always consider defeat before victory. Hong Yuan was now focused on how to escape this encirclement. After all, he still had to go to Luo City and eliminate the last four disciples who had harmed his Senior Brother Nine Nether.
If it ends like this, wouldn’t I have to create another Incarnation just to make another trip? How troublesome.
Perhaps returning to the large ship could temporarily delay the crisis, but that would be a detrimental move with no real benefit—something Hong Yuan was unwilling to do.
...
「An hour ago.」
At the Altar of Heaven in Pengcheng, whenever Elder Zhuge was on the verge of pinpointing Hong Yuan’s tracks, he was consistently repelled by a flicker of light, unable to proceed further. Upon learning of Elder Zhuge’s request for help, Li Ziyang and Li Zixing, both wielders of King’s Swords, understood that the ’Blood Demon Sword’ was protected by a Luck-Protecting Instrument. They both took out their personal luck-bestowing items and handed them to Elder Zhuge, yet they still fell short of pinpointing Hong Yuan’s location by a mere hair’s breadth.
Only one method remained: the two King’s Swords had to merge. But if the King’s Swords merged, who would become its true master? Li Ziyang and Li Zixing both hesitated.
A complete King’s Sword! That was an intact Holy Artifact, powerful enough to serve as a Dao-protector!
"HUFF..." Li Ziyang exhaled softly, a brilliant smile gracing his lips. "Heaven’s gifts unclaimed become calamities. Junior Brother Zixing, don’t let me down."
To everyone’s astonishment, Li Ziyang, a member of the Qinglu Tutelage, voluntarily relinquished his King’s Sword.
"This..." Li Zixing looked up abruptly, staring at his elder cousin in shock. Honestly, he knew he couldn’t be as magnanimous as Li Ziyang.
Once the two King’s Swords merged into one, Li Zixing gripped it tightly, activated his technique, and together they pinpointed Hong Yuan’s location. Thus, the defenses of the Life Lamp Worm were breached.
An hour later, Li Ziyang, Li Zixing, and their contingent, leading thirty thousand Qinglu Warriors aboard numerous flying vessels, soared majestically through the sky like Heavenly Soldiers reborn!
Their forces advanced towards Yunze Lake.
