Chapter 549: A Sword Strike to Sharpen One's Martial Arts Insight

Chapter 549: A Sword Strike to Sharpen One's Martial Arts Insight

Xuan Yan had no idea about the changes that had taken place in Hongze Heaven and Earth after he left, nor did he know about the existence of the mysterious jade person. He had already moved to another location and continued to hide.

"Old Turtle, are you sure someone is approaching?"

Upon returning to the flying boat, Xuan Yan asked Cang Hai Turtle.

"I'm almost certain," replied Cang Hai Turtle, looking in the direction of the sound.

"In that case, it seems that someone is indeed approaching. If they're not from the Unchanging Temple, then that's even better. I hope it's the three people we met before," said Xuan Yan, nodding in agreement.

"What happened in Hongze Heaven and Earth?" Cang Hai Turtle asked curiously.

"Nothing happened!" Xuan Yan shook his head.

Meng Chong and the others nodded as well.

"That's not right. I sensed something unusual in Hongze Heaven and Earth," Cang Hai Turtle said doubtfully.

"What did you discover?" Xuan Yan asked in surprise.

Had this old turtle, who was scared out of his wits just by looking at Hongze Heaven and Earth, dared to keep an eye on it and thus discovered something unusual?

Cang Hai Turtle shared his findings and said in a low voice, "I thought you might have encountered enemies!"

Xuan Yan smiled and said, "I thought it was something else, but it turns out it was just a little disturbance caused by my breakthrough!"

Cang Hai Turtle was stunned for a moment, "You broke through?"

"Yes!" Xuan Yan nodded.

Gudong!

Cang Hai Turtle swallowed his saliva and asked carefully, "What's your strength now?"

Xuan Yan laughed, "Slicing you, this old turtle, shouldn't be a big problem!"

Cang Hai Turtle was shocked.

Thinking back to when he first met Xuan Yan, he had been so weak. Yet, in just a short period, he now possessed the strength to kill the master of a small heaven and earth?

At this rate of progress, I believe it won't be long before he surpasses Tai Cang and continues to leave him behind, transcending the original Tai Cang!

When it comes to prodigies, Xuan Yan truly is one!

"In that case, if the people coming are the three from the Unchanging Temple, we need not fear them?" Cang Hai Turtle asked excitedly.

"Of course not. It's a perfect opportunity to sharpen my swordsmanship!" said Meng Chong with a grin. "Our strengths have also improved. The three of us working together might be able to fight a Realm Master."

Cang Hai Turtle sighed inwardly. It wouldn't be long before Meng Chong and the others surpassed him as well.

Having lived for such a long time, he felt like a waste that others could surpass him with just a few decades or even a hundred years of cultivation.

Even that purple light of creation didn't seem to be of much help!

Of course, Cang Hai Turtle also knew that the rapid improvement in the strength of Xuan Yan and the others was due to the powerful and excellent martial arts teachings of their master.

"Ancestor!" Cang Hai Turtle sighed inwardly and then felt a bit happy. He could now be considered a turtle under the Ancestor's door as well, right?

Thinking of this, Cang Hai Turtle was glad that he had decided to give Xuan Yan the turtle shell of the Primordial Turtle back then.

"They're here!" Xuan Yan's eyes lit up as he looked into the distance.

Cang Hai Turtle and Meng Chong followed his gaze and vaguely saw three figures slowly approaching them.

One of the True Spirits was probably too scared to come any closer, so these three had left it behind and were being extremely cautious.

"Should we ambush them or attack directly?" asked Cang Hai Turtle.

"Let's attack directly. It'll be a good opportunity to sharpen my swordsmanship," said Xuan Yan in a low voice.

"Alright, Meng Chong and I should be able to hold off two of them," Cang Hai Turtle nodded.

"There's no need for that. With my full strength, I can take out one with a single sword strike. As for the remaining two, I'll use one to sharpen my swordsmanship, and you and your junior brothers can handle the other," said Xuan Yan. He then turned to Meng Chong and the others and said, "A weak Realm Master's strength will be just right for my junior brother to practice his martial arts. He can freely display his martial arts insights without worrying about the opponent being unable to withstand it. The opponent also doesn't have the strength to crush him, so it's perfect for practice."

Meng Chong grinned and clenched his fists, "Senior Brother's words make sense!"

Fang Hao and Jiang Buling also nodded with smiles on their faces.

"It's decided then. After killing these three, we'll discuss how to deal with Hongze Heaven and Earth," said Xuan Yan. He then took a step forward, not bothering to conceal his aura, and headed towards the three people.

"It's a creature of Heaven and Earth!"

As Xuan Yan appeared, the three Realm Masters from the Unchanging Temple were overjoyed.

"It's one of the four who escaped. They must also be here for Hongze Heaven and Earth. We can't let them get away this time!" said one of them in a low voice as he quickly moved towards Xuan Yan.

"Surrender!" he said coldly.

The last two Realm Masters from the Unchanging Temple did not retreat but advanced towards Cang Hai Turtle and Meng Chong's group.

"Remember this, the one who kills you is Sword God Xu Yan!"

Xu Yan's gaze fixed on the slain Realm Master, his eyes intense as he raised his hand. A gray-white sword materialized in his grip.

This gray-white sword emanated neither a sharp aura nor a vibrant sword intent. It appeared somewhat lonely and subdued, seemingly ordinary and lacking in power.

Death Sword!

This was the sword that Xu Yan had realized, embodying the essence and power of death within the heavens and earth.

Swish!

Xu Yan lifted his hand and slashed with the sword, unleashing his most powerful strike at his current level without holding anything back.

The gray-white sword vanished in an instant, only to reappear as it slashed towards one of the approaching Realm Masters from the Unchanging Temple. The Realm Master's expression turned horrified as a dark aura surged around him, and he slashed with his curved blade.

However, to his horror, the gray-white sword seemed intangible, almost illusory, as if it were a condensation of will. His strike only served to allow the gray-white sword to pass through his curved blade and slash downward.

Realizing something was amiss, he tried to change his defense against this bizarre gray-white sword, but it was already too late. He could only roar as he summoned his power, forming a formidable barrier.

He unleashed his secret technique at this critical moment, even burning his source to bolster his defense.

As the gray-white sword drew near, he felt the encroachment of death.

Puh!

The gray-white sword penetrated the defense and slashed his body.

Death had arrived!

In that moment, the Realm Master's face was filled with horror as he felt his vitality being eroded. His flesh withered, and his soul extinguished, overwhelmed by the terrifying aura of death.

"You!"

His face drained of color as he stared at Xu Yan. However, after delivering the fatal blow, Xu Yan didn't even spare him a glance. Instead, he moved towards one of the remaining two Realm Masters.

Puh!

The Realm Master from the Unchanging Temple had his aura extinguished, his flesh withered, and his soul perished. In an instant, he transformed into a corpse that looked like it had been dead for a long time!

Slaughtered by a single sword strike!

Hum!

Xu Yan intercepted one of the two remaining Realm Masters, manifesting the world within his sword and enveloping his opponent within it.

"Come, let's hone my sword path together!"

The Realm Master's expression turned fearful as he exclaimed, "You... how is this possible!"

Having slain his companion with a single sword, Xu Yan now turned to him. How could he possibly resist?

At that moment, fear filled the Realm Master's heart, and he wanted nothing more than to flee.

"You can't escape," Xu Yan said with a nonchalant smile. "Give it your all, and perhaps you'll have a slim chance of survival."

"Then it's all-out war!"

The Realm Master glared, feeling trapped within the world manifested by Xu Yan's sword. He knew that escape was almost impossible, so he had no choice but to fight with all his might!

"That's the spirit!" Xu Yan laughed heartily.

Boom!

Sword intent surged as Xu Yan began to use his opponent to hone his sword path, testing the new sword techniques he had realized and verifying the correctness of his insights.

The battle between Xu Yan and the Realm Master was intense, with the world within the sword trembling from the clash of their attacks. However, it remained unbroken, containing the aftermath of their fight within.

On the other side, Cang Hai Turtle stood ready to intervene, blocking the attacks from the member of the Unchanging Temple while also preventing him from escaping.

In an instant, one of the three Realm Masters fell, and another was locked in a bitter struggle. The situation clearly favored Xu Yan's group, leaving the remaining Realm Master with little choice but to attempt an escape.

Meng Chong did not transform into a giant. Instead, he wore golden armor, resembling a stout and imposing warrior. His aura was awe-inspiring as he unleashed various martial arts techniques.

Fang Hao set up a grand formation, moving within it to harness its power. He bound his opponent with the formation's might, interfering with their movements while using the Qi-mystic cabinet to unleash countless divine soldiers in a torrential assault.

Jiang Buling wielded an extreme-path soul soldier, freely exhibiting his divine abilities to attack his opponent's soul.

Working together, the three of them battled the Realm Master from the Unchanging Temple. Although they couldn't defeat him, they unleashed their martial arts techniques to their heart's content, gaining invaluable experience.

Fear gripped the Realm Master's heart, and he frantically fought back. Despite having the upper hand, he couldn't break through their combined defenses or inflict harm on his enemies.

The intense battle shook the Unchanging Earth, the rumbling sounds reverberating through the once-quiet area.

Although it couldn't compare to the battle between the rulers of the heavens and earth, the clash was exceptionally fierce, the echoes carrying across vast distances.

"That's enough!"

Xu Yan looked at his opponent and smiled. It was time to bring this martial arts training session to a close.

Buzz!

A sword was unsheathed.

The Realm Master panted, his eyes cold and fierce, with a hint of madness.

Boom!

He raised his hand and unleashed a surge of murky energy that enveloped his body, summoning immense power to counter the incoming sword.

Swish!

As the sword clashed with the energy, it began to shatter. Just as the Realm Master was about to catch his breath and launch another attack at Xu Yan, something shocking happened.

From the shattered sword, a golden true dragon emerged!

It seemed like the dragon's rest had been disturbed, and it was furious. It roared ferociously, its body crashing forward.

The angry true dragon seemed intent on taking its enemy with it. Its dragon might was overwhelming, and the violent power of the true dragon was fully unleashed in this strike.

Boom!

The true dragon broke through the Realm Master's defense. As it rushed forward, the terrifying dragon might and power tore at his physical body and soul, causing intense pain.

Ah!

A piercing scream echoed, followed by an explosion of the Realm Master's body. Under the sweep of the dragon's might, he turned into flying ashes!

Divine Ability: True Dragon Fury!

"Divine abilities within divine abilities, one after another, it's so unpredictable! There's still room for improvement in the way I utilize these abilities."

Xu Yan had a mischievous smile on his face. Within his Sword Dao divine ability, he had hidden the True Dragon Fury, and even when his Sword Dao ability was broken, the True Dragon Fury followed up immediately, catching his opponent off guard.

After finishing off his opponent, Xu Yan turned his attention to the battle where Meng Chong and the others were engaged.

At this moment, the remaining Realm Master was filled with fear. He was using secret techniques in an attempt to break through the encirclement and flee.

"How terrifying!"

Not long ago, these four had been chased by them, fleeing in a hurry. But now, in just a short period, they had gained the strength to kill the pursuers.

Either they had deliberately hidden their true strength before, or their strength had increased significantly in a short time.

He leaned towards the latter.

Could it be that some supreme treasure had appeared in Hongze Heaven and Earth, leading to such a drastic improvement in their strength?

"Junior Brother, you can try layering your divine abilities!"

Xu Yan smiled and suggested.

Cang Hai Turtle and the Realm Master from the Unchanging Temple didn't understand what layering divine abilities meant, but Meng Chong and the other two immediately comprehended and began to practice this technique.

Buzz!

Taking advantage of the fact that the trio was still not proficient in layering their divine abilities, the Realm Master from the Unchanging Temple found an opportunity to escape. His figure flickered as he tried to flee.

"Get back here!"

Xu Yan swung his sword, forcing the Realm Master back.

Cang Hai Turtle swallowed hard. He felt that with his strong defense, he might be able to withstand a dozen or twenty swords from Xu Yan without being instantly killed.

"Among the small heaven and earth masters, who can still be Xu Yan's opponent?"

Cang Hai Turtle marveled inwardly.

"Tai He, Tai Kun, and Tai Miao? Although they are stronger, they still can't beat Xu Yan. Xu Yan's martial prowess is beyond their reach. The current Xu Yan may not be the number one master in the small heaven and earth, but he's definitely among the top tier. Moreover, his killing power is even more formidable against those weaker than him."

The more Cang Hai Turtle thought about it, the more amazed he became at Xu Yan's rapid progress.

Furthermore, Xu Yan's martial killing power far exceeded expectations.

Even for strong individuals like Tai He and Tai Kun, killing a Realm Master weaker than them would still take some time and effort.

However, Xu Yan could achieve the same with just a few strikes, and he was not afraid of being surrounded by multiple opponents.

This was mainly because Xu Yan's martial arts were profound and his killing power was extraordinary, far surpassing the martial arts of Tai He and the others.

More importantly, Xu Yan's martial arts seemed to have a certain oppressive advantage over others, including those who cultivated the Tai Cang martial arts. For those slightly weaker, defending against Xu Yan's martial arts attacks was much more difficult than facing someone with similar cultivation in Tai Cang martial arts.

"Die!"

Meng Chong, Fang Hao, and Jiang Buling layered their divine abilities, each of their abilities intertwining with the others'. They unleashed this combined attack toward the Realm Master.

Binding, restraining, destroying the physical body, and eradicating the soul—these multi-pronged divine abilities exploded one after another. Just when the Realm Master thought he had defended against one, there would be two or three more waiting to strike, and they were extremely abrupt.

Boom!

Under this onslaught, the Realm Master was badly injured.

"He's still not dead!"

Meng Chong was surprised for a moment, then roared as a colossal shadow appeared behind him.

Divine Ability: Heaven Shattering Extinction!

Boom!

This divine ability not only contained the violent power of Heaven Shattering Extinction but was also secretly layered with Jiang Buling's Extreme Soul ability, Fang Hao's Restraining ability, and Meng Chong's own Great Sun Submerging ability!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end