Zhang Yan noticed the momentum of the flying saber, and his heart stirred slightly. The Treasure Protection Robe and Qiankun Leaf on his body were capable of fully protecting him; no matter which direction an attack came from, there were no openings like those of ordinary Dharma Treasures. He didnât believe Shen Lintu wouldnât see through this. Knowing this, the opponent still acted that way, indicating there was a deeper purpose involved.
Though he couldnât discern it at the moment, he wouldnât let the opponent have his way. Therefore, he didnât get entangled with the approaching Sword Light but used sword escape to dodge the sharp edge.
Shen Lintu was relentlessly persistent, continually driving several flying sabers, maneuvering them into a pincer formation, seemingly intent on trapping him inside.
Seeing this scenario, Zhang Yan was more confident in his thoughts. Relying on the extraordinary speed of sword escape, a beam of sword light circled the field, always managing to escape the encirclement of the flying sabers in time.
Although he was dodging and flying, he wasnât just avoiding; he was secretly looking for a good opportunity to counterattack.
However, Shen Lintu didnât relax his defense because Zhang Yan was a Nascent Soul First Realm Cultivator. His own defenses were exceedingly tight.
When using the flying sabers, he wasnât releasing them all impulsively but always reserved some Sword Light behind for reinforcement, along with the Protective Treasure Light that flowed around him like clouds, making it hard to breach.
Shen Lintu exerted himself in driving the flying sabers, intercepting and pursuing continuously, yet unable to trap Zhang Yan. After several hours, he started feeling impatient, flipped his hand to produce a silver ring, aimed at Zhang Yanâs escape trajectory, and threw it out.
Zhang Yan had been watching his movements all along. Not waiting for the Dharma Treasure to approach, he cried out, summoning the "Blessing and Longevity Locking Yang Chant," sending a point of Clear Light straight at the treasure. With a crisp "ding," it adhered to the treasure, firmly fixing it mid-air.
Shen Lintuâs mouth twitched slightly. Each of his attacks was dissolved by Zhang Yanâs Dharma Treasures, and each item was extraordinary. Even he, an elder of Chongyue True Temple, couldnât boast such wealth.
Thinking that if he didnât utilize some methods and continued like this, the outcome wouldnât differ even after several days and nights, he couldnât help but think, "I originally planned to capture this man, then force him to reveal the Yin Slaughter Saber. I didnât expect him to be so difficult to handle, so I might as well kill him first and then interrogate the Primordial Spirit."
Though he originally didnât want to break relations with the Mingcang Sect, without achieving his goal, he saw no hope of attaining the Dao, leaving no choice but to use deadly force.
With the great calamity rising in the East Splendor Continent, he didnât believe Zhang Yan could spare the power to come to Chongyue True Templeâs doorstep.
As for Zhang Yanâs claim of giving the saber to his disciple, he considered it a deceit.
True Slaughter Devices are one in a hundred and extremely hard to find. Although Chongyue True Temple holds three major treasures, only this one can be used offensively in battle.
He didnât believe Zhang Yan couldnât see the value, thus preferring to believe the Yin Slaughter Saber was unwilling to be commanded by him.
With this murderous intent rising in his heart, he no longer held back.
Dropping his eyelids, he silently practiced the Mysterious Skill, mana rising layer by layer until a cloud of swirling white mist appeared above him. Once it reached the clouds, it spread outward, and within a moment, it covered a ten-mile radius, shrouding the sky in darkness.
Zhang Yan suddenly felt an invisible force pressing down, as if a giant stone weighed upon him. His movements felt significantly more sluggish than before.
Though his body was momentarily hindered, this small delay allowed the pursuing flying sabers to seize the opportunity, scattering and surrounding him from all sides, yet not rushing to attack but subtly blocking his escape routes.
Zhang Yanâs eyes swept around the circle. He could vaguely sense that these flying sabers contained a mysterious Dharma technique, somewhat resembling an array, sealing off this space and preventing him from flying out.
A sense of caution arose in him. When fighting with the Divine Venerable of the Lie Xuan Sect in the past, they used a similar technique when in a deadlock.
Past lessons freshly in mind, he dared not take this lightly.
At this moment, Shen Lintu gestured, rapidly executing several intricate spells as spiritual energy surged behind him. Suddenly, a Sword Light soared into the sky, half black and half white, ferociously spewing out its sharpness, reaching a thousand fathoms from sea to sky.
After holding back for a long time, he suddenly opened his eyes, their light blazing as he shouted fiercely and pointed at Zhang Yan. The Sword Light behind him trembled as if a mountain was collapsing, fiercely slashing down, seemingly intent on cutting him down in one blow!
This majestic Sword Rainbow spanned several miles across the sky. Before it even descended, the waves below split from both sides.
Seeing the power of this saber, Zhang Yan knew he couldnât withstand it head-on. He took a deep breath, lightly touched his foot on a cloud, and immediately activated the Little All Heaven Moving Technique, instantly moving a hundred feet away. Hearing a loud crash behind him, he looked back to see the saber splitting the palace below in two, creating a gully over ten feet wide and several miles long.
Seeing him dodge, Shen Lintu sneered, swinging the saber again, this time at an angle. Zhang Yanâs figure flickered and vanished, retreating another hundred feet, hearing a thunderous boom as a section of the coral wall of Bijiao Prefecture was sliced off.
Shen Lintu swung several more times. Now each cut carried immense power, greatly consuming his mana. If he hadnât trapped Zhang Yan, he would never use it this way.
However, he never expected to rely solely on this to kill Zhang Yan but used it to force him to keep dodging and distracting him, leaving no chance for him to attend to anything else.
Meanwhile, he drove the 486 flying sabers beneath the main blade, continuously tightening them inward, gradually squeezing Zhang Yanâs space for evasion.
Seeing that a few more strikes would leave Zhang Yan with no place to dodge, Shen Lintu felt victory within grasp, a smile slowly spreading across his face.
...
...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)