Chapter 208: Slaying the Celestial, Breakthrough in the Divine Intent Realm

Chapter 208: Slaying the Celestial, Breakthrough in the Divine Intent Realm

In Jiaoming's eyes, although Xu Yan's strength was unexpected, the idea that he could kill him with three swords was nothing but a pipe dream.

After all, he cultivated a powerful set of fist techniques from a formidable force.

Each punch was surrounded by astral light, like falling stars, containing destructive power.

Even though Jiaoming had only started his training, his destructive power was not weak. However, when it came to destroying these illusory scenes, he faced no obstacles.

In the early stages of the Small Celestial stage, Jiaoming couldn't be considered a strong cultivator, but he was far from weak.

With this punch, Jiaoming was confident that he could destroy the illusory projection, and then he would seize the opportunity to launch a powerful offensive and suppress his opponent!

Whoosh!

A gentle breeze brushed past, causing Jiaoming to startle. Where did this wind come from? How could it ignore his own fist's power and blow against him?

Suddenly, his head throbbed painfully, his divine might wobbled, and his consciousness darkened, making him dizzy.

The gentle breeze didn't blow on his body but on his consciousness, affecting his very being! The soft breeze was sharp, and in an instant, it seemed to be tearing at his spiritual sense.

Puh!

Jiaoming's body swayed, and the light of his fist dimmed as he began to stagger.

"Oh no!"

Jiaoming's heart sank with dread. What kind of technique was this that attacked his spirit-gathering body directly?

In the Small Celestial stage, one cultivates the spirit-gathering stage, condensing one's own divine being. Although it possesses immense divine might, the spirit-gathering body is extremely illusory and frail.

Only by becoming a Refining God Celestial would one be considered to have completed the process of refining a spiritual body.

Rumor has it that only Refining God Celestials possess the means to directly attack spiritual consciousness.

At that time, the spiritual soul can already exist independently, naturally possessing such abilities.

However, Xu Yan was definitely not a Refining God Celestial, so how did he have the ability to directly assault spiritual consciousness?

Jiaoming didn't have time to ponder the reason. He only felt his consciousness darkening and his spirit wobbling, as if it was being torn apart bit by bit.

Danger!

A crisis of life and death!

Roar!

Suddenly, Jiaoming roared, his body erupting with a formidable aura. He threw desperate punches, creating a strong defensive force around himself.

At the same time, he operated the spirit-gathering technique, condensing his spiritual consciousness, which was about to dissipate, and pulling himself out of the darkness of his consciousness.

As he moved to retreat, two sword discs swept across, bringing with them a strong sense of crisis.

Puh!

The starlight surrounding his punches was broken bit by bit.

Jiaoming sensed a sharp sword light and threw a punch to resist this extremely dangerous attack.

However, just as he threw the punch, the sharp sword light suddenly turned into a continuous stream, shifting from offense to defense. And the sword light that had not sensed any danger suddenly became sharp and deadly!

Puh!

Jiaoming's defense was shattering, and his face paled with shock.

The throbbing pain in his head had not subsided, and his consciousness was still cloudy, slowing down his reactions. Even though Jiaoming was a Martial Celestial, he was at a disadvantageous position, and he still managed to deploy a life-saving technique in the face of this crisis.

Boom!

Jiaoming's body erupted with a circle of light, enveloping him and forming a defensive barrier.

This was a desperate move he made when he was at his most vulnerable. Under the operation of the spirit-gathering technique, his consciousness cleared slightly, and he decisively burned a portion of his power to unleash this defense.

With no gaps or blind spots in his defense, he could temporarily avoid this deadly strike!

He didn't care about the consumption of his power or the damage to his foundation. Even a slight hesitation could cost him his life.

Jiaoming frantically operated the spirit-gathering technique, trying to regain clarity of consciousness and re-gather his spiritual consciousness, which was on the verge of shattering.

Buzz!

In his consciousness, he seemed to see a sword light.

The gentle breeze appeared once more.

In that instant, Jiaoming's expression changed drastically. Just as his spiritual consciousness was about to recover, it suddenly felt like it was being ravaged by a violent wind, becoming fragmented and chaotic.

His head was muddled, and his consciousness was in turmoil. Even with the slightest bit of clarity, he frantically operated the spirit-gathering technique, trying to re-gather his spiritual consciousness and escape this crisis.

But it was already too late.

When powerful cultivators clashed, the outcome was decided in an instant.

He heard Xu Yan's voice.

"The third sword, to slay you!"

Buzz!

Mountains and rivers manifested, transforming into a bolt of thunder that fell like divine punishment!

Puh!

Xu Yan marveled inwardly. As expected of a Martial Celestial, his own deployment of the Xun Wind Sword Intent had failed to completely eradicate his spiritual consciousness with two swords.

The third sword, the Shocking Thunder Sword, fell!

Puh!

Jiaoming's body was sliced in half, and the wound turned charred black, spreading rapidly. A small toad-like pouch fell out of his body.

Xu Yan reached out and easily retrieved the storage pouch.

Jiaoming's charred body immediately crumbled into ashes and dispersed like flying dust.

At that spot, there was a faint spiritual consciousness fluctuation.

In the gentle breeze, it dissipated without a trace.

From its appearance to its dispersal into ashes, only a short time had passed.

From the moment Jiaoming started acting arrogantly, his fate had already been sealed.

After slaying a Martial Celestial, Xu Yan's expression remained calm and unperturbed.

He didn't even bother to find out the name of this Martial Celestial or why he had come to the Ice Pavilion.

"My Xun Wind Sword Intent is still not strong enough. I need to spend some time to continue improving it so that next time, I can kill a Small Celestial's spirit-gathering body with just one sword."

Xu Yan made a mental note.

A figure approached from the horizon, moving at an incredible speed, like a bolt of angry thunder tearing through the sky.

Meng Chong!

"Junior Brother, why are you here?"

Xu Yan asked in surprise.

Moreover, the direction Meng Chong came from seemed to be the same as that of the Martial Celestial.

At this moment, Meng Chong looked confused. He had been chasing after the Martial Celestial to find out his purpose for coming to the inner domain, but now...

The man was gone.

Killed by his Senior Brother.

Zi Yun's face was filled with shock. That was a Martial Celestial, and he had been killed just like that?

The way she looked at Xu Yan, he might as well have been a monster.

"Did you come because of that Martial Celestial?"

Xu Yan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Senior Brother, what was that Martial Celestial's purpose here?"

Meng Chong was filled with curiosity. Why had that Celestial ended up opposing his Senior Brother?

"I don't know either. Maybe he was looking for someone?"

Xu Yan shook his head, a hint of displeasure in his voice. "That so-called Celestial was so arrogant, looking down on others. I killed him with three swords. His strength was nothing special."

Zi Yun: ...

A lofty Martial Celestial, killed with just three swords?

"Junior Brother, do you know his background?"

Xu Yan asked.

Meng Chong told Xu Yan everything about his trip to the Land of Cang North, the Spirit Domain, and the opening of the Spirit Domain Gate.

"The Demon Master?"

Xu Yan was surprised. "The tomb of the Celestial that Du Juan and I went to was the Demon Master's tomb. In the Spirit Domain, he was known as the Blood Demon.

"Moreover, I suspect that the person who possessed Wu's body, the one you killed, Junior Brother, was the Demon Master!"

Meng Chong was stunned.

The two brothers confirmed each other's suspicions, and they were now almost certain that the residual soul that Meng Chong had killed, which was parasitizing the insect, belonged to the Demon Master!

Finally, they returned to the topic of the Spirit Domain Gate.

Xu Yan replied calmly. Before venturing into the Spirit Realm, he had to stabilize the Great Wilderness.

Meng Chong nodded in agreement, acknowledging that the Spirit Realm was their inevitable destination.

Finally, the conversation turned back to the deceased Wu, the Martial Celestial. With his death, the reason for his intrusion into the inner domain would forever remain a mystery.

Xu Yan opened up Jiao Ming's storage pouch and found not only spiritual herbs and crystals but also a pair of hand gauntlets, their fingers sharpened into blades devoid of coldness. These were undoubtedly the fallen warrior's weapons.

However, overwhelmed by Xu Yan's overwhelming strength, Jiao Ming never even had the chance to draw them out.

The hand gauntlets were clearly extraordinary, befitting a Martial Celestial.

Xu Yan examined them briefly before handing them over to his junior disciple. "Here, these are for you."

The gauntlets, it seemed, were more suited to Meng Chong than himself.

"Thank you, Senior Brother!" Meng Chong exclaimed excitedly as he accepted the gift.

Xu Yan then reached back into the storage pouch and pulled out a jade plaque.

"Water Star Palace, Jiao Ming?" he read aloud.

Water Star Palace was evidently the faction to which Jiao Ming had belonged.

"No wonder he wasn't very strong. He was just a poor ghost!" Xu Yan scoffed. Despite the presence of several fifth-grade spiritual herbs, the meager contents of the storage pouch were hardly impressive for a Martial Celestial.

If not a poor ghost, then what?

With this matter concluded, it was time to return to Canglan Island.

The Ice Pavilion had been destroyed in the battle, and any stored spiritual herbs had likely been ruined as well.

Du Yu'er heaved a sigh of relief now that the battle was over. Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, could finally find peace.

As for Xu Yan, he was invincible! Even a Martial Celestial had fallen to him.

"I'll escort Miss Du back to the Seven Stars Academy. What about you, Junior Brother?"

"I'll go with Senior Brother," Meng Chong replied, turning to Zi Yun. "You do as you please."

Zi Yun huffed. "Meng Chong, I'll come looking for you. Let's enter the Spirit Realm Gate together, okay?"

"I can't say when I'll enter the Spirit Realm Gate. Our paths may not align," Meng Chong shook his head.

"Regardless, I will definitely come find you," Zi Yun asserted firmly.

"Suit yourself!" Meng Chong retorted, uninterested in indulging her further.

And so, Zi Yun departed. Having obtained what she needed, it was time for her to focus on improving her strength and addressing some other matters.

Xu Yan escorted Du Yu'er back to the Seven Stars Academy, with Meng Chong accompanying them. The opening of the Spirit Realm Gate heralded a new world of possibilities.

Jiao Ming, the Martial Celestial, had emerged from the Spirit Realm Gate, but would there be a second or third visitor?

And with Jiao Ming's death, would the Water Star Palace send another powerful expert to seek revenge?

...

Back on Canglan Island, Li Xuan lived a carefree life.

There had been no further news from Meng Chong regarding the snow bear or the slain celestial's remnant soul.

Xu Yan remained unperturbed, having encountered no unusual situations within the Celestial's tomb.

Apparently, there were no dangers lurking there.

Huff!

Over the past two days, thunderous sounds had been emanating from within Canglan Island.

They were coming from the massive red cat, which lay sleeping on the ground. From time to time, a thunderous roar would escape its body, accompanied by a faint aura.

The cat was on the verge of transforming into a mighty beast.

Li Xuan was thrilled. The red cat he had casually captured was about to become a powerful beast.

"I wonder what kind of feedback I'll get when the red cat fully transforms into a beast?" Li Xuan wondered eagerly.

"Master, is the red cat about to become a beast?" Su Lingxiu asked excitedly.

"Soon," Li Xuan nodded.

"Will the red cat be able to shrink in size after it becomes a beast?" Su Lingxiu asked, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

The red cat's current size was enormous, its paws larger than her entire body.

"It depends on how much it comprehends," Li Xuan replied, not wanting to make any definite predictions.

He had no idea if the red cat would be able to shrink its body at will after its transformation.

Everyone on Canglan Island was eagerly anticipating the red cat's transformation.

Each day, the cat's body grew larger, resembling a small mountain. The aura it exuded became increasingly powerful and awe-inspiring.

"That must be demonic energy, right?" Li Xuan thought to himself.

"Once the red cat transforms into a beast, its strength will rival that of a peak grandmaster. With its formidable physical might and mountain-like size, it will be an opponent that even a typical peak grandmaster won't be able to handle." Li Xuan assessed the red cat's potential.

Boom!

On this particular day, the thick golden chain around the red cat's neck snapped due to its ever-increasing size.

Shi Er wore a worried expression. They had already enlarged the chain, yet it still couldn't accommodate the cat's rapid growth.

"Time to forge a new chain," Shi Er sighed, resigned to the task ahead. He couldn't help but feel annoyed with himself for letting the red cat develop a fondness for wearing the chain.

Li Xuan had not ventured out onto the Cang River for several days, choosing instead to remain on Canglan Island, awaiting the red cat's transformation. He wanted to be there in case any unforeseen circumstances arose during the process.

Suddenly, a golden light appeared.

"Your disciple Xu Yan has comprehended your fabricated divine intent martial arts. As a result, you've broken through to the Divine Intent Realm!"

Boom!

Li Xuan was taken aback. Xu Yan had comprehended the divine intent martial arts faster than he had anticipated.

Boom!

In that instant, Li Xuan felt as though he had undergone a tremendous transformation.

His Niwan Palace opened, and his spiritual platform manifested.

Upon the spiritual platform, divine intent converged, transforming the intent of the heavens and earth into divine intent. In that moment, his divine intent enveloped Canglan Island, leaving nothing hidden from his perception.

Under the blanket of his divine intent, the heavens and earth seemed to have taken on a new form.

With a single thought, Li Xuan could turn an insect on Canglan Island into ashes.

Every person on the island was laid bare before his divine intent, their cultivation progress, the strength of their true qi, and even the condition of their bones revealed.

He had gained complete insight into everything on Canglan Island.

Under the influence of his divine intent, the transforming red cat exhibited a tremendous power within its body—the power of a mighty beast.

On the red cat's head, the acupuncture point that Li Xuan often tapped with his bamboo staff was opening, shrouded in a mysterious aura. It was the point that unlocked the cat's spiritual intellect.

On the red cat's chest, another acupuncture point was opening, growing larger and larger as the heavenly spiritual energy flowed into it, nurturing something profound.

On the cat's abdomen, yet another acupuncture point was opening, cultivating something profound that seemed capable of devouring everything.

There was also an opening acupuncture point on its back...

The acupuncture points on the red cat's body were interacting with each other, forming a kind of cycle. The points that Li Xuan had guided the cat to focus on were among those that the art of the mighty beast had indicated.

Nothing could escape the reach of his divine intent.

In that moment, Li Xuan deeply comprehended the meaning of "my intent is the heavens' intent."

His Niwan Palace continued to expand and open, his spiritual platform solidifying and glowing with a mysterious light. Upon the platform, a form of divine intent took shape, resembling him yet also capable of resonating with any terrain or environment in the heavens and earth.

"My form is the heavens' form!"

He had broken through to the fourth realm of martial arts, the Divine Intent Realm!

(End of Chapter)

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