Chapter 221: Chapter 168: Battling the Demon Venerable Alone; A Disciple of the Sword Venerable?

The pillar of Saber Qi soaring into the sky drew attention from all directions.

Immediately, Human Race experts from a thousand li around were drawn by it, all heading toward the center of the light pillar.

“What is that? Such powerful Sword Intent!”

The Human Race Cultivators within the city stared at the distant pillar of Saber Qi in the sky, finding it unbelievable.

Among the Cultivators, a well-traveled old man looked at the sky, a reminiscent look appearing on his face.

“If I’m not mistaken, this Slaughter Saber Qi must be from the eleventh-ranked blade under heaven, the Famous Sword Yang Su. It appeared once a century ago, and I was fortunate enough to have witnessed it.”

“But back then, the radiance was only twenty zhang high. This beam of Saber Qi, however, shoots straight to the clouds. It’s truly unheard of!”

A learned Confucian Scholar gazed at the saber’s light and said in a low voice, “There are many stories about this. Those with different aptitudes can draw out different lengths of light when they wield Yang Su. An extraordinary talent can elicit a five-chi glow, a supreme talent can elicit ten chi, and a peerless prodigy can elicit twenty chi… The greater one’s talent, the higher the light it unleashes. Legend has it that if the burst of light can shoot straight to the heavens, then that person is fated to be the blade’s master. This is also the origin of the sword’s name.”

A Golden Core Cultivator from a major sect looked puzzled. “Yang Su? As far as I know, wasn’t that blade lost? A century ago, that peerless Swordsman went to the Northern Realm to challenge the Sword Venerable, but his body was destroyed and his Dao extinguished. Yang Su disappeared along with him. How has it reappeared now?”

“In any case, this is a good thing. It means the Human Race expert who came as reinforcements is quite powerful.”

“Yes, if he can defeat the Demon Venerable, then we’ll be saved.”

…

「Elsewhere.」

Although Lady Flower Venerate, in the void, couldn’t see through Lu Mingyuan’s Realm at a glance, she could judge from the aura he was emitting that he was somewhere around the Ninth Realm.

For someone with a Ninth Realm Cultivation to be able to slay so many Demon Kings proved his strength was extraordinary. She absolutely could not let her guard down.

As she gazed at the Saber Qi shooting toward the heavens, a wary look appeared in her eyes.

The smile on her face gradually faded, replaced by a cold expression. She said flatly,

“To reach this Realm at such a young age is certainly not easy. Your potential is immense. Across all the great worlds, prodigies as strong as you can be counted on one hand. What a pity. You’ve met me, so you are destined to fall here in regret.”

“If I didn’t have some confidence, I wouldn’t have come here to slay demons,” Lu Mingyuan replied calmly, his gaze serene.

“Oh? You seem very confident. It must be the recklessness of youth. You’re like a frog in a well, ignorant of what true heavenly might is.”

With her last word, Lady Flower Venerate finally made her move.

Lady Flower Venerate dove down, piercing through the clouds. One of her feet transformed into a towering tree, and its madly spreading green thorns erupted with black Evil Qi.

Lu Mingyuan infused Primordial Qi into his eyes and saw a monstrous wave of Demon Qi surge up from below. Countless vines shot toward him, each one as thick as a giant tree.

A flower bud split open into a five-petaled maw filled with sharp teeth, trying to swallow him in one gulp.

“CLANG!”

But with a raise of his hand, Lu Mingyuan sliced it in two with a single strike.

He’d figured it out. This Lady Flower Venerate was a Cannibal Flower that had been cultivating for who knew how many years.

The Demon Qi within her body was as vast and complex as the sea.

He had read in ancient texts that Cannibal Flowers often grew on Medieval Battlefields, feeding on corpses to grow. They would lie low, developing in secret until they gained sentience, began to cultivate, and finally became a king of their generation.

This Lady Flower Venerate was born in the Wilderness World. She had likely grown up slowly in such a dog-eat-dog environment, eventually becoming a Tenth Realm Great Demon.

Thick green roots spread across the ground. Before they even reached Lu Mingyuan, the yellow earth began to collapse. A complex web of thorny vines locked onto him, determined to crush him.

Lu Mingyuan knew there was still a significant gap between him and Lady Flower Venerate. His Realm was slightly lower than hers, but with the enhancement from his Fate Grids, he stood a fighting chance.

Ever since breaking through to the Ninth Realm, his strength had skyrocketed, but he had yet to fight a true, all-out battle.

The Demon Kings before had been nothing; he had crushed them all.

Now was a good time to see where his true strength lay.

From the divination signs, Lu Mingyuan knew he had to stall for as long as possible until the Human Race experts arrived. Half an Hour was too short. Even if the Human Race Cultivators managed to break out of Yingsha Ancient City, they wouldn’t get far and would still face annihilation.

Therefore, he had to do his utmost to hold back the Demon Kings—and this Demon Venerable—for a while longer.

For every quarter of an hour he held out, the Human Race Cultivators’ chance of escape would increase by ten percent.

With that thought, he tightened his grip on Yang Su, his expression turning serious.

“Begone!”

Lu Mingyuan let out a great shout. In the blink of an eye, six blades shot out from his body, forming a violent storm of Saber Qi. His robes billowed, and his long hair whipped through the air.

This move was one of his ultimate techniques, Celestial Spirit Hidden Dragon.

Having cultivated Celestial Spirit Hidden Dragon to the Great Success Realm, the technique he now unleashed possessed an impressive aura, rivaling the one Zhao Xuanwu had displayed in Qingzhu Hall.

Two streams of Saber Qi converged into azure dragons, accompanied by a tremendous BOOM.

His Thunder Prison Sword Intent surged out completely, spreading in all directions.

The ground for a hundred li around began to collapse. Hundreds of massive fissures appeared, swallowing all the nearby members of the Demon Race.

The terrifying tornado that formed startled Lady Flower Venerate.

She felt that this Saber Technique was familiar. She had seen it before, by the Venerable Lord’s side. In the hands of a peerless Blade Cultivator, this very technique had once killed one of the lords on the throne.

“Die!”

A cold glint flashed in Lady Flower Venerate’s eyes. Her lower body transformed completely into plants, and countless branches and leaves formed a dense forest.

It enveloped Lu Mingyuan, and the fleshy walls of the plants secreted a corrosive liquid that would erode flesh and bone on contact.

“Celestial Spirit, Hidden Dragon!” Lu Mingyuan shouted calmly, unhurried.

The vortex of Saber Qi, led by two majestic azure dragons, transformed into a tornado. It charged forward like a roaming dragon, heavy with killing intent!

The move was so powerful that the sky-piercing light from Yang Su flared, and countless plant fragments rained down.

Lady Flower Venerate remained expressionless. A mass of twisted green wood gathered together, forming a wall to block the unstoppable Saber Technique.

Her movements were extremely fast, and she managed to block the vast majority of Celestial Spirit Hidden Dragon’s power. Yet, in the instant the wall closed, she was still struck by a stray wave of oppressive Saber Qi.

“SWISH!”

A perfectly fine head fell to the ground.

Lu Mingyuan’s Thunder Saber flashed. His posture was like that of the Thunder God Master—composed and calm, the Divine Fire Pattern on his brow flickering.

In an instant, the head burned to ash.

However, Lu Mingyuan’s expression was not so optimistic, because he noticed Lady Flower Venerate’s body hadn’t fallen.

Clearly, the battle wasn’t over.

The headless Lady Flower Venerate touched the green blood flowing from her neck in disbelief.

She was actually bleeding.

And she’d lost her head?

’I may not die from this, but it’s unforgivable!’

“I’m going to kill you!”

A low, irrepressible roar echoed.

Lady Flower Venerate finally dropped all pretense, abandoning her previous elegant demeanor. She attacked wantonly as countless vines merged and grew a new head.

But this new head of Lady Flower Venerate’s had a dislocated jaw, with sharp teeth spilling out. Her mouth grew larger and larger, her eyes vanished, her hair receded, and her entire head transformed into the likeness of a Cannibal Flower.

[Deep Blue Destiny – Blade Master, Refinement Level increased to 65%]

[Trait “Bullfighting” has been promoted to (Middle Level)]

[Bullfighting (Middle Level): The stars turn, the sun and moon shine, and the Saber Qi rushes to the heavens. When holding a blade, Saber Technique and Cultivation are greatly enhanced.]

While Lu Mingyuan was checking the notifications, “WHOOSH!” a great breath blew from Lady Flower Venerate’s massive mouth. A large amount of pollen with hallucinogenic effects rained down from the sky.

[Triggered “Zen Heart.” Lustful thoughts cannot be generated. Hallucinogenic aphrodisiac pollen is ineffective.]

[Venerable Purple Fate Grid – Nine Orifices Exquisite, Refinement Level increased to 40%]

By the time Lu Mingyuan noticed, it was a little late, but with his Daoxin and Zen Heart, his Spiritual Power was incredibly strong. No distracting thoughts or Heart Demons could affect him.

Lu Mingyuan’s eyes remained clear and lucid.

This point greatly surprised even the Flower Venerable.

She couldn’t understand why her pollen had no effect at all.

Lu Mingyuan gripped Yang Su and suddenly struck, unleashing his Thunder Prison Sword Qi.

“SHIIING—”

Yang Su swung down, leaving an arc-shaped trail over twenty zhang long of intertwined crimson light and Purple Thunder, like a blood-red moon descending from the sky.

The blade was incomparably sharp, directly cleaving the entire Cannibal Flower that was Lady Flower Venerate in two. The strike pierced through her most solid heart-protecting petals and cut her in half at the waist.

Green Demon Blood rained down with a “SPLOOSH, SPLOOSH.”

But before Lu Mingyuan could even breathe a sigh of relief, “SWOOSH!” a huge green tentacle shot out from the void, striking toward Lu Mingyuan.

Immediately after, the ground split open, and another giant Cannibal Flower burst out. It opened its great maw, intending to swallow Lu Mingyuan whole.

“WHOOSH!”

However, it was severed by a blade that flew out from behind Lu Mingyuan.

“You actually managed to destroy one of my avatars. Your skills have grown, but I have more avatars than you can imagine.”

Lady Flower Venerate’s figure reappeared in mid-air, reforming into a human body. She looked toward the Cannibal Flower, narrowed her eyes, and said coldly,

“To be honest, the strength you’ve displayed has truly surprised me. It’s as if your Cultivation is constantly rising. Even during the Human-Demon War, there was never a Human Race member as strange as you. Perhaps if you were just a little stronger, I really wouldn’t be your match.”

“Your Saber Technique also feels familiar. I even suspect you’re the disciple of that person from a century ago. Could it be you’re really a disciple of the Sword Venerable?”

Lu Mingyuan remained very calm in response to this.

’In truth, I had already guessed it.’

’My master is the Sword Venerable.’

’The Sword Venerable, ranked first among the Four Great Tributors of Great Yan.’

’The Swordsman who once reached the Thirteenth Realm as a Martial Artist.’

The reason he had never seen Zhao Xuanwu’s name in the rankings of the great world’s masters was because people only remembered his title: Sword Venerable.

People only remembered his godlike Saber Technique, his unparalleled might, but his name remained unknown to the public.

’And now, I certainly cannot tarnish the reputation of a disciple of the Sword Venerable!’

“I don’t care who you are! You will only be fuel for my Refinement! Die!”

Lady Flower Venerate’s tone was furious.

’I am a magnificent Tenth Realm Great Demon, yet my avatar was destroyed by a Ninth Realm Blade Cultivator! What a disgrace!’

Seeing this, Lu Mingyuan waved his hand, summoning the six Thunder Prison Flying Sabers from his back to block the attack. At the same time, he thought to himself, ’It seems I can’t kill her completely unless I destroy her Demon Soul and Primordial Spirit. But she must have hidden such vital parts away somewhere.’

Lady Flower Venerate’s limbs transformed into long, shimmering green vines that grew from the ground to the sky. At their tips, vibrant flowers began to bloom, one after another, emitting an eerie white light like sacred, lit oil lamps.

Then the buds blossomed, and from within each one stepped a body identical to Lady Flower Venerate.

Lu Mingyuan continuously poured the Primordial Qi from his body into Yang Su.

On the blade’s body, Cloud Thunder Runes appeared one by one. A surging killing aura erupted madly, like a pillar of light shooting from the ground to the heavens.

The Slaughter Saber Qi that had been brewing within Yang Su for a hundred years was finally being mastered and wielded by Lu Mingyuan.

“SHIIING—”

Lu Mingyuan and Yang Su merged as one, achieving the state of Unity of Man and Blade. He stomped his foot on the ground and transformed into a shuttle of light, charging up to meet the thousands of vines descending from the sky.

「Just as the two were locked in a fierce battle.」

A stunningly beautiful Immortal Lady holding a Duster and dressed in a Black and White Tai Chi Robe streaked through the void, tore across the sky, and arrived outside Yingsha Ancient City.

’So this is the source of the pillar of Saber Qi. It seems the Human Race prodigy here has managed to hold out until now.’

…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep