Ximen Huanyu had always been wise, acting only after thinking. As the leader of the School of Kismet State, he had been reputable throughout the years, earning the acknowledgment of others.
He could be considered a man of wisdom of his time.
However, the three masterly experts who made a sudden appearance now befuddled him to no end!
This caused half of the six that arrived from the School of Kismet State to be extinguished in the blink of an eye, while the three remaining survivors suffered severe injuries in unison, discounting their combat power.
Such a hefty loss was an unprecedented first in the long history of the School of Kismet State!
"Who? Who are you people?"
Hai Wujiang howled repeatedly in his panic as he countered the attacks in a rush. He was being wounded continuously, blood spluttering from his body. His tone was one of terror, the trauma and pain taking over his entire being.
The person who fought him flashed back and forth like an illusion. A cold voice rang out, "Didn"t the School of Kismet State investigate before you tried to harm Yutang? Don"t you know that Yutang"s guardian is called Supreme Cloud?"
"Supreme Cloud? How… how can your ability be so menacing?" Hai Wujiang bellowed. "Supreme Cloud isn"t so powerful!"
"That"s why I asked; didn"t you conduct a thorough check beforehand? I really don"t understand how your school"s so-called tens of millenniums of years of legacy came by – did you all waste all those years away?"
Yun Yang spoke icily, "Never mind. When you turn into ghosts upon going to the underworld, there are no more worries about the information. Have a good trip to h.e.l.l!"
Then, there was an abrupt cry. "Do you see it? Eighteen levels of h.e.l.l!"
A blazing saber light gleamed as eight ghastly underworld apparitions appeared in mid-air.
Upon the previous battle, Yun Yang, who had experienced actual combat, advanced in his new comprehension of the Destiny Blade yet again. With one style, the underworld had increased to eight courts now.
The countless evil spirits contained within seemed to be wanting to charge out like a storm.
In the face of such an overwhelming technique, Hai Wujiang was stripped of any ability to defend himself. With a cry, he was halved; the ghosts his company for the departure to the ghoulish realm.
On the other side, Ling Xiaozui"s intense sword light engulfed Ping s.h.i.+shui. The latter"s cultivation base was already lower in addition to the pa.s.sive position he was forced to take from being ambushed; he could only try his best to push through. In spite of this, dread had already washed over his face.
"Ling Xiaozui, is that you? How could it be you?"
Ping s.h.i.+shui"s cultivation base was incredibly proficient but placed next to Ling Xiaozui, it was still meager.
Ling Xiaozui"s expression was aloof as he replied, "Since the birth of Tianxuan, the imperialists have never allowed the manipulation of martial schools. The position of the continent"s overlord is never a pie to be cut by those with ill intentions. Does the School of Kismet State think that control is yours just because you"ve been existing for so long? You who have violated the laws of cultivators can be banished!"
Ping s.h.i.+shui shrieked but new wounds were added to his body endlessly. Blood was dripping from his mouth, evidence that his end was near.
"Die, should you be in my way!"
Among the three duels happening, the only one from the School of Kismet State who was not yet at the losing end was Ximen Huanyu. Nevertheless, he was already bathed in blood. The grace and composed mannerism earlier had long been replaced by a savage expression.
Squared off against Dugu Chou, he attacked with his all, as if crazed. Yet, Dugu Chou was like an immovable mountain that was stretched before him, the secure defense rendering Ximen Huanyu"s attacks futile.
Strictly speaking, Ximen Huanyu"s cultivation base was extremely proficient. If he had not been wounded, he could have had thousands of exchanges in a fair battle against Dugu Chou, even though he would lose in the end. Now, the situation was a total opposite. Not only was Ximen Huanyu ambushed and wounded, but his disciples were also killed. Everything that transpired had filled him with hysterical terror.
How could he get by with luck when facing an established Unrivaled Expert like Dugu Chou? If it were not for Dugu Chou"s awareness that victory was secure with them and his reluctance to jeopardize himself and thus extended the battle, the old expert could easily counterattack Ximen Huanyu and end the match!
As his series of aggressive attempts turned out to be in vain and his stream of consciousness slowly came clear, Hai Wujiang, Jiao Buqi, Meng Wuliang, Kong Wubo and others who had succ.u.mbed to the ambush came to Ximen Huanyu"s view. He was conscious of the fact that the situation was no longer theirs to command.
Suddenly, with a loud bellow, his sword light rose in a burst as the fallen leader now turned to pounce at the emperor.
Everyone was stricken with alarm.
It was where Ximen Huanyu"s only chance of survival lied. Only by holding the emperor hostage could he hope to escape!
Dugu Chou spun and thrust his sword before flicking it. A stretch of a sword mountain materialized intimidatingly and descended, promptly sealing off Ximen Huanyu"s advance.
Lo and behold, this was actually Ximen Huanyu"s distraction. Watching the sword mountain emerge, he sprung up and separated into three clones with a spin. Like three falling meteors, the three duplicates raced towards the exit to escape.
This man was a smart one. The wish of holding the emperor hostage was wonderful, but it was also a challenge to realize. Instead, he leveraged on the trick to escape.
Dugu Chou"s sword glow escalated as he watched Ximen Huanyu flee. He stopped one of his forms immediately, chopping the silhouette into two with a gleam of his sword.
Ling Xiaozui flew across diagonally. As the tip of his sword swiped past Ping s.h.i.+shui"s neck and tossed a head up in the air, he, too, halted one of the three shadows. A billow of sword energy crushed the clone into dust.
In spite of this, the third glimmer of the replicate had charged to the entrance of the great hall. One more step was all it took before the borderless sky was Ximen Huanyu"s to roam freely.
Whether it was Ling Xiaozui or Dugu Chou, they were no longer in time to stop him.
It was during this very moment that a sense of murderous intent spread across the wide hall.
Yun Yang"s voice rang out once again.
"So What… If The Word Is Ma.s.sacred!"
His words were still ricocheting but a beam of luminous sword light had bolted out at an incomparable speed right as it greeted the world astonis.h.i.+ngly.
The speed of this sword light far exceeded that of a lightning strike!
It was a sword style!
Yun Yang, who had always used the saber, had actually unleashed a sword technique during this critical juncture!
Furthermore, the murderous intent and sanguinariness of the sword style was unrivaled in force. Experts like Ling Xiaozui and Dugu Chou who witnessed the technique felt chills in their spine. The p.r.i.c.kle of cold actually made their hair stand on end!
What a blood-curdling style!
The ray of light that was Ximen Huanyu who had managed to flee from the hall twinkled, a sliver of relief inching into the man"s mind, but he suddenly felt palpitations. Then, he felt a sense of iciness in his chest.
He, who had been speeding in the air, looked down only to see the tip of a sword emerging from his chest. The blinding sparkle of steel was stained with the crimson of blood.
Ximen Huanyu"s eyes bulged.
"I"ve been struck?"
"How is this possible?"
Before his doubt could be properly a.s.suaged, he watched as the s.h.i.+ny tip of the sword disappeared with a swoosh.