Chapter 342: Shifting from Defense to Offense

“Look! There’s movement at Clearwater Pool!”

“The Yin-Yang Sword Intent is gone… could that senior have comprehended it, or maybe obtained a treasure from within?!”

The average cultivators were still hanging around, watching the show.

But the more seasoned ones had already started retreating from the scene.

Because as the saying went, robbing and killing for treasure was a time-honored virtue among cultivators of the Cangyun Realm.

When ordinary cultivators did it, it was called “murder and looting.” But at the Void Fusion Realm?

That was called “fighting over a fateful encounter.”

There were still two Void Fusion cultivators present.

A battle for fortune was clearly brewing.

No one could even imagine what it’d look like if three Void Fusion cultivators started fighting—but one thing was certain: low-tier cultivators like them wouldn’t survive it.

Sticking around now was no different from courting death.

The surface of Clearwater Pool rippled.

Chen Huaian stepped out, walking atop the water.

Feeling the Yin-Yang Sword Intent on him, Li Ziping’s eyes turned red—

That was the Sword Intent of a Real Person from Zhenwu Holy Land!

How could it be passed on to an outsider?!

Even if this was the Sword Pavilion Ancestor, so what?

He still wasn’t one of them!

Even though Zhang Mengchu wanted to collaborate with the Sword Pavilion, she hadn’t returned yet. Who knew how it would all turn out?

Li Ziping didn’t think that far.

All he felt was shame and fury.

Reverend Karma, on the other hand, was simpler.

The Sword Pavilion Ancestor was at the Eighth Realm of Void Fusion—so was he.

That meant this Yin-Yang Sword Intent might also be his fate to claim.

So, the moment Chen Huaian surfaced, two Void Fusion auras locked onto him.

Li Ziping didn’t harbor killing intent, but Reverend Karma certainly did.

“Your Excellency,” Li Ziping stepped forward, cupped his hands, and bowed deeply. “This Yin-Yang Sword Intent is tied to the Real Person of our Zhenwu Holy Land. I hope you’ll hand over what you acquired from the pool. Whatever resources you require, just say the word—Zhenwu Holy Land is willing to exchange anything!”

In terms of cultivation, Chen Huaian was his senior.

So even if he didn’t like the guy, he still offered all proper courtesy.

“Old Zhang,” Chen Huaian spoke in his heart to Zhang Yibai, “your Zhenwu juniors sure are stubborn. Not a great look.”

Blackscale Sword trembled slightly. “Why do you say that? I can’t sense anything from the outside.”

Chen Huaian relayed Li Ziping’s seemingly polite but aggressively worded proposal.

Zhang Yibai chuckled. “Learning all the wrong things… That mule-headed temper really is a family trait. No wonder he’s a Zhenwu elder.”

“How about you come out and talk to him yourself?”

Zhang Yibai was just about to agree—when a cold, sinister laugh rang out.

“Well, well, Zhenwu Holy Land… All glitz on the surface, and all shady business underneath.”

Reverend Karma sneered, stepping forward, his narrow eyes fixed on Chen Huaian:

“But this humble monk is different. Whatever I want, I say straight to your face... Fellow cultivator, this monk has calculated that you and the Sword Soul you just acquired share a deep karmic bond. How about you hand it over? In return, this monk guarantees your future will be filled with merit and virtue! Amitabha~”

That made Chen Huaian laugh.

“Old Zhang, the monk from Burning Purity Holy Land wants to make you his watchdog. What do you say to that?”

“What do I say?!” The voice from Blackscale Sword now brimmed with murderous intent. “Bro, peel off his mutt skin! I’ll teach you a ruthless move!”

“OK then, I’m in!” Chen Huaian reached for the hilt of Chenjian with his right hand.

He was now traveling with two swords. Though Chenjian wasn’t his natal flying sword, it was more than enough to deal with the old monk in front of him.

“Master Reverend Karma, is it? What a coincidence—this Venerable One feels a karmic bond with you too.”

“Oh?” Reverend Karma’s squint opened a slit. “What kind of karmic bond might that be?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.” Chen Huaian suddenly gripped the hilt tightly.

His hand bore none of the calluses of a lifelong sword cultivator—nor was it particularly broad or elegant.

But the moment he held the sword, it no longer seemed like a mere weapon.

It became an extension of his body.

Chenjian vibrated violently in its sheath like a wild beast breaking out of its cage, letting out sharp sword cries.

The sound rippled out, and soon, the swords at the waists of every nearby cultivator began to tremble in response.

The cultivators were shocked. They couldn’t believe that their flying swords—usually dormant—were suddenly reacting like they had gained sentience.

Some tried to hold their swords down, but couldn’t.

A few swords flew out of their scabbards on their own.

An invisible Sword Intent had begun to gather in the world.

At first, it was like a soft drizzle nourishing everything quietly.

But in a blink, it had become a torrential flood that made it hard to breathe.

Reverend Karma’s hand, which had been turning prayer beads, suddenly stopped.

His fingers curled, and one bead shot out.

As it caught the wind, it expanded, becoming a golden fist the size of a round table, covered in burning script and surging with terrifying power as it shot toward Chen Huaian.

Fighting a sword cultivator? Never let them close.

You also had to watch what kind of sword path they followed.

In his view, the Sword Pavilion Ancestor practiced momentum swordsmanship, which relied on building up force.

The downside of momentum swordplay was simple—if you interrupted their rhythm, their power plummeted.

They were equals in cultivation. So all he needed was an unrelenting barrage of attacks to throw Chen Huaian off balance.

As the first bead flew out, the second followed right after.

Behind Reverend Karma, a golden Buddhist realm began to materialize.

His expression turned solemn, robes fluttering without wind. One hand rose vertically before his chest, while the other snapped forward, launching more beads.

Each time his fingers bent, wisps of golden Buddhist aura flowed from the illusionary realm into his palm and into the flying beads, transforming them into terrifying golden fists.

These beads were one of his supreme-grade spiritual weapons—they could generate endlessly.

In the blink of an eye, a hundred beads had flown out, each forming a fist.

Chen Huaian’s sky was filled with blazing golden fists, like a hundred suns suddenly rising overhead.

“Not good! That old monk’s gone mad—those fists are hitting all of us!”

Nearby cultivators panicked as they realized they were caught in the attack radius.

They were absolutely right. Reverend Karma had always intended to silence them.

Dead men told no tales, after all.

In front of Clearwater Pool, the heavy sound of massive objects plummeting from the sky thundered repeatedly.

The lower the golden fists fell, the faster they moved—twisting the air and making it scream.

As they neared their target, Buddhist flames coated each fist, making them truly resemble miniature suns crashing from the heavens.

“No wonder they call him the bald dog from Burning Purity Holy Land.”

Watching the overwhelming might, even Chen Huaian had to admit it.

Yaoshi Holy Land had once been known for music and alchemy.

Even after shifting to combat under Real Person Yuyao, they still couldn’t compare to Burning Purity’s battle strength.

This monk embodied the peak of what an Eighth Realm Void Fusion cultivator should be.

But...

Too bad he was fighting a sword cultivator.

“Brother, how do you plan to handle this?”

Zhang Yibai’s voice echoed from within Blackscale Sword.

He couldn’t see the outside world, but he felt the force Reverend Karma was unleashing.

There was a hint of concern in his voice.

He’d taken a real liking to Chen Huaian and didn’t want him getting hurt.

Chen Huaian’s lips curled into a slight smile.

He replied calmly, “By turning defense into offense.”

…