Chapter 249: Chapter 248: Within the Secret Realm

Chapter 248: Within the Secret Realm

The oppressive pressure eased for the onlookers, yet they remained shaken.

“That was… terrifying…”

“It hasn’t been fully destroyed… Quick, we need to call for more powerful cultivators, mid-stage Nascent Soul, or even late-stage!”

“Where are we going to find such powerful figures near Daybreak City? The news about the Soulblade Specter just spread less than half a day ago.”

“But if this threat isn’t eliminated… wait, what about that Golden Core cultivator from earlier?”

The last remark sounded strange to everyone.

They vaguely recognized the one who had slashed the Soulblade Specter, the same youth who had single-handedly suppressed five Nascent Souls outside Daybreak Mountain.

One strike from someone at the peak of the Golden Core stage had managed to severely wound a Soulblade Specter that four Nascent Souls combined couldn’t defeat… The thought left them all with mixed feelings.

“That one… he must have truly left by now, right?” someone in the crowd muttered in disbelief. “No matter how powerful his techniques, he’s still just a Golden Core cultivator. It’s unbelievable he was able to injure the Soulblade Specter this much. But against something that can’t be killed…”

The atmosphere grew tense.

The Soulblade Specter’s body was still recovering, even now.

“But if he couldn’t win, why did he act?”

“To give us a chance to breathe, of course! I heard stories about him yesterday, about his courage and compassion for the people. It’s no surprise that he wouldn’t let such a disaster run rampant… But, it seems this time, he’s already given everything he had…”

“…So, what do we do now? Return to Daybreak City? Can anyone else slay this Soulblade Specter?”

“I… I want to leave, but my legs won’t move…”

“Same here…”

<+>

On the battlefield in Daybreak Mountain, four Nascent Soul cultivators trembled slightly.

They had experienced the full force of Luo Wusheng’s slash up close.

There was no doubt that under such an attack, they, at the early Nascent Soul stage, would have died instantly, without even a chance to let their Nascent Souls escape.

At this moment, they were immensely grateful that they hadn’t foolishly challenged the youth outside Daybreak Mountain.

Otherwise, their fate would have been sealed.

But even such a devastating strike hadn’t killed the Soulblade Specter… and if it weren’t for whatever technique the youth had used, the Soulblade Specter’s injuries would have healed instantly.

Staring at the massive Soulblade Specter, its twisted head slowly knitting back together, the fear in their hearts reached a peak.

This was no longer a creature that anyone at the Nascent Soul stage could defeat.

The old man, who wielded five swords, picked up his flying sword, which had lost its light after being struck by the Soulblade Specter.

He held the unlucky sword in silence.

It seemed that their only option now was to flee.

If the Soulblade Specter fully recovered and drew its terrifying black mist sword again, even a Nascent Soul cultivator like himself might become another victim of the Soulblade Specter.

He might even become the first Nascent Soul cultivator to die at the hands of a Soulblade Specter.

What had once been a local curiosity in Sword Province had turned into something that now held their lives in its hands… The thought was bitter.

“The weapon in that one’s hand… Was it a divine artifact?” a Nascent Soul sword cultivator asked nervously, swallowing hard.

“…Even if it wasn’t, it must be close,” the old man muttered, his eyes flashing. “Otherwise, with his cultivation, there’s no way one slash could have such devastating power. No… he only swung half the blade. As I suspected earlier, he can likely only manage one full slash.”

A nearby Nascent Soul cultivator nodded. “But… where have he and the Sword Sect cultivator gone?”

They hadn’t dared approach during the terrifying strike, their attention entirely focused on the Soulblade Specter’s decapitated head.

They hadn’t realized that Luo Wusheng and Ling Shuangxue had vanished in the next instant.

“They have the ability to teleport even with the power of heaven and earth suppressed. And I never even sensed where they appeared from…”

“More importantly…” The old man, who had barely restored the power of his sixth sword, took a small step back as he looked at the slowly healing Soulblade Specter.

<+>

Meanwhile, Luo Wusheng, who had just made a grand display in front of everyone, was feeling slightly awkward.

He and the young woman beside him had successfully entered the secret realm… but he found himself momentarily distracted from taking in their surroundings.

His heartbeat had quickened slightly, and his breathing was a bit heated.

Ahem, the tear in the space might have been a little too small.

And the spatial adjustment mechanism had worked better than he’d anticipated.

The moment they entered the tear, he and Ling Shuangxue were practically pressed together.

The process of forcibly entering the secret realm through the tear had taken about ten breaths.

During those brief ten breaths, the torn space had started to adjust, and the passageway shrank.

Under the spatial pressure, the two of them had ended up fully pressed against each other… and by the end, it seemed like every possible inappropriate place had been touched.

Only after entering the secret realm did they return to the more normal state of simply holding hands.

Sneaking a glance at the beautiful woman beside him, with her unreadable expression, Luo Wusheng couldn’t help but suppress his restless thoughts, recalling the softness he’d just felt.

But now wasn’t the time for distractions.

They were still on a mission, and their surroundings were dangerous and unknown.

He couldn’t afford to lose focus.

So, he shifted his attention elsewhere.

’Everything is going as planned.’

With the new blessing he’d received from Little Yuli, along with a bit of luck, the chaotic teleportation had brought them close to a weak point in the secret realm’s boundary.

At that moment, the Sword Sect cultivator beside him had only been able to wield her sword light at three-quarters of her peak power…

Fortunately, nothing had gone wrong.

She had blocked one of the Soulblade Specter’s attacks, assisted him in opening the space tear, and still had the strength to spare without falling into a weakened state.

As for himself…

’The recognition value I got from cutting through the Soulblade Specter’s head in front of the crowd really is quite a lot… Or maybe the Soulblade Specter had already put that much psychological pressure on the onlookers?’

The recognition value he had just spent was instantly replenished.

Once he finished recharging [Phantomless 2.0], he could unleash another attack of equal power.

That was almost at the level of the Divine Artifact, The Human Emperor Sword.

’The Human Emperor Sword, though, has no such limitations. Its powers can be drawn upon as needed, and it can continue to fight for extended periods. Plus, it has that power to protect the people… Truly worthy of being called a divine artifact .’

His [Phantomless 2.0] could only mimic the power of a divine artifact for a single strike, and after that, his spiritual energy would almost be depleted.

But this time, to recharge [Phantomless 2.0]…

There didn’t seem to be anyone else around to stop him.

Just as Luo Wusheng was thinking this, he suddenly felt the hand holding his tremble slightly.

“Sword Emperor of the Heavenly Gate…”

Ling Shuangxue’s somewhat confused voice gently entered his ears.

<+>

Note: Link to the character Illustration:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lkIcPnCxeyuyZA4Kkb621dPC05UvWjhD

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep