At this moment, Qin Ling stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes bright and spirited, flashing like lightning. A sharp, peerless Sword Intent and unconcealable pride glinted within them.
His jet-black hair was parted down the middle, draping over his shoulders.
His presence was as profound as an abyss and as immovable as a mountain, projecting a dignified and awe-inspiring might.
Strapped to his back was a sheathed longsword that radiated an ancient aura. Strange, water-like patterns were faintly visible on the scabbard, seeming to ripple and move with the slightest motion, a truly peculiar sight.
SHINK!
Qin Ling drew the longsword from his back, revealing a blade of pale blue.
He stared coldly at Shen Lang and declared, "Youâre arrogant, but arrogance requires qualification. Without it, death is what comes next!"
"Whether Iâm qualified or not... why donât you test me and find out?"
With his single saber in hand, Shen Langâs eyes filled with a surging Sword Intent, and a peerless, sharp aura burst forth!
"Hmph, a frog in a well. Do you really think that just because youâve learned some powerful Sword Skill you can challenge those above your level? Let me tell you, the man standing before you, Qin Ling, has the Cultivation of a Spirit Martial Realm Sixth Heaven! A mere Spirit Martial Realm First Heaven like you dares to act so presumptuously before us? You donât even know how to spell the word âdeathâ!" the richly dressed youth, Yun Qing, sneered.
"Enough nonsense. To die by my âFiery Fire Springâ is an honorable end. When you get to Hell, remember my name. I am Qin Ling!"
With a cold shout, Qin Lingâs astonishing momentum climbed higher and higher, instantly erupting to engulf the entire area.
A fiery light flashed in his eyes, a flame as vast as the sea that seemed ready to burst forth!
Following his shout, his longsword began to exude roiling Celestial Fire. A powerful pressure immediately billowed out, enveloping Shen Lang!
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Qin Ling took another step forward. Instantly, a fiery hurricane tore across the ground, cracking it into pieces. Countless bluestones were sent flying, striking everything around them with a series of sharp cracks.
"Haha, Brother Qin Ling has already mastered seventy percent of this Fiery Fire Spring. How incredibly powerful! He hasnât even fully executed the move, yet his momentum is already this astonishing! It seems my Elixir Pill is as good as lost!" Yun Qing said with a laugh, clapping his hands.
"Very impressive! He hasnât even struck, yet heâs already sealed off all his opponentâs possible escape routes," Long Fong noted with an appreciative nod.
In contrast, Shen Lang, despite the indomitable Battle Intent rising within him, remained completely motionless. Not even the corner of his robe stirred.
By comparison, his presence seemed far weaker.
The members of the Imperial Dragon Sect immediately broke into scornful laughter, their eyes already looking at Shen Lang as if he were a dead man.
âYou idiot, you donât even know to strike first against me? Once I unleash my âFiery Fire Spring,â you wonât have another chance!â
Seeing Shen Lang standing there so casually, a wave of fury inexplicably erupted in Qin Lingâs heart.
âIn his eyes, this brat is looking down on me! He isnât taking me seriously at all!â
"Youâre as full of crap as ever. Iâm getting impatient just waiting for you, and youâre still dawdling. Has no one ever told you that you talk too much?" Shen Lang said, his face a mask of annoyance. "Hurry up and use your âFiery Fire... Rutâ ultimate move!"
Qin Ling was so furious he could have burst. Among all his martial brothers from the various peaks of the Imperial Dragon Sectâs Inner Sect, he was known for being the most cold and taciturn. To think that today, someone would accuse him of talking too much!
And this brat, on the verge of death, had dared to call the Sword Technique he took so much pride in "Fiery Fire... Rut." His audacity knew no bounds!
"Go to hell!"
Qin Ling waited no longer. He rushed forward several steps, channeling the vast Spiritual Power of his entire body into his longsword. Activating the "Fiery Fire Spring" Heart Method, he slashed down at Shen Lang!
A colossal wave of Sword Qi, wreathed in endless flames, descended from the sky.
This Sword Qi was nearly the size of an entire field, a force that seemed to tear through the Azure Vault as it completely enveloped Shen Lang.
The moment this strike was unleashed, the members of the Imperial Dragon Sect, along with Xu Daolin, all broke into smiles.
They had initially worried that Qin Ling might not use his full strength. They never expected that a few words from that brat would provoke him into a furious attack, pushing his Fiery Fire Spring Sword Technique to its absolute limit!
Faced with such might, even Long Fong would likely have to give it a wide berth!
This Fiery Fire Spring was unlike their masterâs Light Palm. The Light Palm was a single entity, so it was plausible that Shen Lang could shatter it with a powerful Magical Treasure.
But the Fiery Fire Spring was composed of countless strands of Flame Sword Qi.
In other words, this single slash was actually thousands upon thousands of densely packed Sword Qi strands in the air, each one powerful enough to tear an opponent in two!
Even if one or two strands were broken, the rest of the Sword Qi would still shred the enemy to pieces.
Just as the members of the Imperial Dragon Sect eagerly awaited the sight of Shen Langâs gruesome death,
Shen Lang, now completely engulfed by the Sword Qi of the Fiery Fire Spring, finally moved. His Battle Intent surged as he gripped his long saber with both hands, swiftly raising it above his head. Making no attempt to dodge or evade, he slashed out like a bolt of lightning!
A peerless flash of saber light, imbued with the Power of Thunder and Lightning, shot across the sky. It tore through the Azure Vault, instantly shattering the thousands of astonishing Sword Qi strands. It was like a single slash parting the ocean waves, carving a canyon-like channel through the water!
PFFT!
A soft sound was heard. Then, the body of the imperious Qin Ling suddenly split in two and, with a sickening SPLAT, exploded outwards!
He had no chance to dodge or defend, nor did he even let out a scream. The same Qin Ling who had boasted of killing Shen Lang in a single strike died a miserable death on the spot!
The Sword Qi of "Fiery Fire Spring" instantly collapsed, scattering like a cloud of fire before vanishing into the void.
It was as if none of it had ever happened.
The only thing that had truly happened was that one simple, yet world-dominating, slash!
The silence that fell over the scene was terrifying...
Not a single person had expected such an outcome.
This youth, whom Xu Daolin had called trash, who possessed the Celestial Vein Sacred Body and was unable to practice Cultivationâsetting aside the truth of that claim for a moment.
Just this morning, the Netherworld Wolf King had returned alone and told them everything it had encountered.
This very morning, this same youth had been cornered and hard-pressed by the Netherworld Wolf King. In the end, it seemed he had used some kind of Secret Technique that exhausted his stamina to unleash his potential, forcefully blasting several strands of Sword Qi into the Wolf Kingâs body and scaring it into retreat.
Because of this, even after seeing Shen Lang break through their masterâs palm strike, they all believed he had relied on his Treasure Saber, or perhaps even a bit of luck!
They never expected...
With just one slashâa single slashâhe had not only broken Qin Lingâs strongest Sword Technique but had done so before Qin Ling could even react, slicing him in half!
"Fiery Fire Spring!"
Such a powerful Sword Technique, coupled with the formidable Armor Qin Ling was wearing, had been torn apart as if made of paper... cleaved in two by a single slash.
How was this possible!
"Hmph!"
Saber in hand, Shen Lang walked forward with heavy, deliberate steps. "What a worthless piece of crap, this âFiery Fire Springâ!" he said coldly. "You make a move so gaudy and flashy, yet it canât even block a single casual slash from me. And you had the nerve to talk about one move? Even pigs arenât as stupid as you!"
"You... should thank me. Now you donât have to hand over a Qianyuan Creation Golden Pill..."
As he spoke, he looked towards Yun Qing, the one who had made the bet with Qin Ling.