Chapter 343: Returning It All to You

Chapter 343: Returning It All to You

Chenjian left its sheath, held crosswise before him.

No sword light. No sword energy.

But sword intent settled in this very moment.

The sword stood upright, and so did Chen Huaian.

Facing the falling suns overhead, even the space around him stilled—

Not a strand of his hair or the hem of his robes moved.

"The Sword Pavilion stands proud and majestic."

A drifting voice pierced through the burning roar of Buddhist incantations from the sky.

The scattered sword intent in the air suddenly converged.

The surrounding cultivators widened their eyes—behind Chen Huaian, they saw a vast mountain pass beneath a setting sun.

A long straight path led into the heavens. Jagged cliffs flanked it like wolf fangs.

Rocks, weathered by endless ages, still stood firm and unmoved.

At that very moment, Reverend Karma's fiery fists came crashing down.

By the time they reached overhead, the fist shadows had swollen countless times over, blanketing all of Clearwater Pool in a single blow.

Those who couldn’t escape in time stared up in despair—legs shaking—hoping the mountain-backed figure before them could block the strike.

A cold glint flashed in Chen Huaian’s eyes. He raised his gaze to the heavens.

Both hands pushed the sword forward, and the mountain behind him blurred into the sword barrier, trembling with it.

He didn’t move his lips—yet immortal chants rang out amid the sword’s cry:

“A single man guards the pass, and none shall pass!”

It rang like a bell in the mountains, like a stone dropped into a dry well.

At the moment of impact between the fist shadows and sword barrier, a deep, ancient roar exploded outward.

That seemingly devastating strike halted abruptly, three zhang above his head.

Chenjian didn’t budge an inch—only waves rippled across its blade.

With each ripple, the sword curtain in front of him grew wider and denser.

When the second fiery fist came crashing down, the sword curtain had already stretched across the sky above Clearwater Pool, forming a towering wall over every cultivator’s head.

“Impressive! They say sword cultivators excel at offense, but this defense is top-tier too!”

Some cultivators breathed a little easier.

But the more experienced frowned.

“Not necessarily. Look carefully—every time one of the monk’s fists lands, that sword cultivator’s figure sinks a little. If all those fists fall, won’t he be crushed into the pool? Can he really block it all?”

Reverend Karma's expression turned cold as he watched his attack being stopped.

He stopped firing off beads and instead spread his arms wide and slammed them downward.

From the small world behind him, golden Buddhist light poured into his body like threads.

A terrifying momentum surged, linking him to all the fists in the sky.

Originally falling in sequence, they suddenly accelerated—striking the sword curtain with thunderous roars.

Even the sword curtain began to warp under the impact. From afar, it looked like a silver-white wall engulfed in a sea of fire.

“Bro, can you still hold on?”

Chen Huaian had been about to change his sword technique.

He had chosen to defend so that no innocent cultivators would die here.

It wasn’t out of kindness—saving people earned virtue points, which meant fewer penalties when burning through luck later.

Hearing Zhang Yibai’s voice now, his eyes glinted as he faked a pained groan:

“Aiya, Bro Zhang, I underestimated this bald b*stard. His natal artifact’s no joke. Too bad my own natal weapon’s busted—otherwise, how could he act so smug?”

Zhang Yibai was speechless for a moment, then muttered, “What were you thinking, choosing such a mediocre sword as your natal weapon?”

Chen Huaian recalled how back in the day he’d just followed what web novel protagonists did—he sensed Blackscale Sword was unusual, pricked his finger, and dripped blood on it.

From that point on, it became his natal weapon, slowly developing sentience.

He didn’t look down on Blackscale Sword. It was, after all, the first sword that warmed his bed.

“I was young and dumb,” he replied.

“I get it. Oh, I get it,” Zhang Yibai sighed. “Back then… My first natal sword was just a regular one too. Later, when I cultivated Yin-Yang Sword Intent, I forged another. Had plenty of chances to replace the first one—but just couldn’t bear to do it.”

“Well then, since you’re struggling, let me teach you a technique today!”

Chen Huaian smiled inwardly. Gotta love hometown bros.

“You plan to shift from defense to offense, right? Then I’ll teach you the perfect move for that—pay close attention!”

As Zhang Yibai spoke, a shadowy image appeared in Chen Huaian’s mind—

It was him, clad in Daoist robes, wielding twin swords.

The figure’s face was obscured, his whole body dark like an ink painting.

Suddenly, countless flying swords shot at him from the darkness.

He braced his stance, spread both arms, and a spinning Taiji diagram appeared beneath his feet.

The incoming swords hit an invisible barrier and began to spin, orbiting around him, gradually drawing closer.

Right before impact, the barrier exploded outward—

The spinning swords reversed and flew back even faster than before.

The figure vanished.

Zhang Yibai’s voice echoed in his mind:

【This move uses force against force, turning defense into offense. It blends both seamlessly.】

【Its name is Liyuan—“Birds roost in trees they know, fish never leave their depths.”】

【If Liyuan remains unbroken, a hundred rivers… will become the sea!】

His voice faded into crashing waves.

A new system prompt appeared before Chen Huaian’s eyes:

【Master of Zhenwu Holy Land—Zhang Yibai—is teaching you the Zhenwu secret technique: Liyuan】

【Accept learning?】

【Upon acceptance, you will gain: <Liyuan> – Initial Insight. Due to your Origin Dao Physique, you will automatically comprehend <Liyuan> – Mastery Level!】

Holy crap.

He had been wondering why fusing with the Origin Dao Physique hadn’t shown any perks.

No sudden cultivation boosts. No accelerated training.

Turns out—it was waiting for this.

No need to hesitate. Chen Huaian confirmed immediately.

【You have acquired the Zhenwu secret technique: Liyuan (Mastery)】

“Nice!” Chen Huaian burst into laughter.

Zhang Yibai’s voice still lingered:

【Bro, the fact that you’ve reached Void Fusion proves your talent. But my Liyuan isn’t easy to learn. You’ll probably only get a bit of the surface… but it’ll buy you time for sure!】

Chen Huaian said nothing—he simply spread his hands wide.

Mist rose from his spine. Profound Yin Sword Intent surged into his arms.

In the next second, the waters of Clearwater Pool rose under a mysterious pull, wrapping around him completely and forming a half-spherical water shield over the sword curtain.

Within the dome of cascading water that now blocked the sky—

One could faintly see a massive sword cultivator formed from water striking a Taiji pose.

Even fish swam lazily inside the current.

The fiery fists hurled by Reverend Karma froze upon touching the water shield.

As the watery figure turned, the punches were pulled into orbit around it.

The fists were drawn in tighter, accumulating like a snowball, getting larger and larger.

Seeing this, Reverend Karma’s scalp went numb.

He pulled out his supreme-grade artifact, a golden alms bowl, and gave it a shake.

No good—this wouldn’t block it.

Then he pulled out the spirit-grade kasaya he usually couldn’t bear to wear.

Still shaking his head—useless.

If both defensive treasures wouldn’t work, there was only one thing left: run.

But it was too late.

A killing intent, sharp as a blade, had already locked onto him.

“Like playing with fireballs, huh?” Chen Huaian bared his white teeth in a grin.

He pushed both palms forward—merging completely with the watery shadow.

The mountain-sized ball of condensed fire fists followed the motion and slammed downward with a roar.

“Then—take it all back!”

“Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!!!”

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