Chapter 673: Traceless Enlightenment

RUMBLE!

Thunder cracked across the sky, its deafening rumbles echoing through the heavens!

The entire cave abode Array seemed to tremble faintly, the commotion no less than if someone had broken through the Array Hub!

“Let’s go! We should go take a look too.”

Xiao Yingluo said cheerfully, then shot off the island at top speed.

Needless to say, the others all followed suit.

By the time they reached the edge of Lake Heart Island, the rumbling had suddenly stopped, and a complete silence had fallen.

Ke Dali stood atop a giant rock, gazing out toward the Cold Water Lake.

The group followed his gaze and saw a peerlessly beautiful figure in green robes, a hammer in one hand and a Long Saber in the other, standing silently upon the lake’s surface!

This person was, of course, Xiu Chen!

However, there was no sign of Ning Hao.

As they watched in confusion, Xiu Chen’s Long Saber lifted slightly. A gentle breeze immediately rose around him, transforming into ripples that stirred the void, emitting faint, tearing sounds!

The wind gradually grew fierce, howling and raging across a several-zhang area of the lake’s surface. It was filled with a murderous aura, within which flickered sharp glints of saber light!

The saber light vanished again, but the sharp aura only intensified. Even from over a hundred zhang away, the group could still feel a terrifying pressure!

This only made the group more curious!

“Senior Brother Ke, is Senior Brother Xiu Chen cultivating his Sword Intent?” Xiao Yingluo asked.

“Looks like it,” Ke Dali murmured.

Xiao Yingluo said, “What about Ning Hao? What happened to him?”

Ke Dali sighed softly. “He escaped.”

“Escaped?” Xiao Yingluo was taken aback, her confusion growing.

“With Senior Brother Xiu Chen’s power, wasn’t he strong enough to kill Ning Hao?”

Ke Dali thought for a moment, then said seriously, “That brute Xiu Chen is too ferocious. He could have killed Ning Hao in less than twenty moves.

“Although Ning Hao managed to escape, he’s already severely injured. He won’t be able to recover for at least ten days to half a month.”

Duanmu Xi couldn’t help but ask, “If that’s the case, why did Xiu Chen let Ning Hao escape?”

Xiu Chen had relentlessly pursued her before. If not for her Treasure Artifact and the geographical advantage of the Cold Water Lake to hide her tracks, he would have caught her and smashed her to death with his hammer long ago!

There was no reason for Xiu Chen to let Ning Hao escape when he had such a huge advantage!

The others also looked at Ke Dali in confusion. After all, with so many corpses still strewn about Lake Heart Island, Xiu Chen’s ruthlessness was plain to see!

“Sigh…” Ke Dali let out a long sigh and spread his hands. “To be honest, I’m still completely in the dark myself.

“Maybe the Sword Spirit of Ning Hao’s Sun and Moon Mirror Light Sword is far superior to that of an ordinary Yellow Tier Spiritual Artifact, and he had a deadly final move. Even if Xiu Chen could kill him, he would have been injured in the process.”

Duanmu Xi seemed to have a realization and murmured, “Perhaps in Xiu Chen’s eyes, Ning Hao posed no real threat, so he was unwilling to take any risks just to kill him.

“This cave abode is fraught with danger, so Xiu Chen’s choice was a prudent one. It just shows how frighteningly calculating he is!”

Ke Dali suddenly shook his head, his gaze fixed on the green-robed figure on the Cold Water Lake. He said,

“There’s another possibility. Xiu Chen didn’t continue chasing Ning Hao simply because he had a sudden insight into his Sword Intent during their life-and-death struggle. He had to seize that fleeting moment of inspiration to cultivate his Sword Intent.”

“Cultivating Sword Intent!”

The group gasped in unison once more!

They stared at the figure on the lake in utter disbelief. Then, their shock slowly turned into awe—an awe that came from the depths of their hearts!

The Xiu Chen before them possessed such tyrannical Martial Arts Power at such a young age, which was already terrifying enough!

But to have the presence of mind to comprehend Sword Intent and further improve his Martial Arts Power right after a fierce life-and-death battle… it spoke volumes about the firmness of his Martial Dao Will!

With both Martial Arts Talent and Martial Dao Will so tyrannical that others could only look up to him in reverence, just how terrifying would his future Martial Arts Achievements be?

Duanmu Xi, Xiao Yingluo, and Qi Jianming, in particular, felt a sense of defeat and powerlessness rise from the depths of their hearts.

As True Disciples of Major Sects, they were outstanding among the Martial Artists of their generation. Within their own Sects, they were figures whom many of their peers looked up to.

They had always held themselves in high regard, possessing the pride of genius disciples!

But after witnessing Xiu Chen’s prowess, how could they have even a shred of that pride left?

If they were geniuses, then the Xiu Chen before them was a genius among geniuses, someone they could only ever look up to!

Compared to Xiu Chen, Zhao Wuji, number one on the Earth List; Ji Lingxiao, number two on the Earth List; and Li Xuanqi, the head of the Great Dao Sect’s True Disciples, would all likely pale in comparison!

Just then, Xiu Chen suddenly took out a piece of Source Crystal Jade and activated all the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi within it, causing the concentration of Qi in the immediate vicinity to reach an extreme!

Although he used his Sword Intent to contain the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, a considerable amount still escaped.

“That damn spendthrift! What a waste!”

Ke Dali’s chubby face twitched involuntarily as he cursed out loud!

The others were also stunned speechless, and soon, like Ke Dali, they were filled with righteous indignation!

The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi in the cave abode was already extremely dense, making it much faster to comprehend various Realms than in the outside world. There was absolutely no need to activate a Source Crystal Jade!

“So Young Master Xiu Chen considers a Source Crystal Jade to be on the same level as a Low Grade Organ Refining Pill. He cares more about the jade’s effect on comprehending Realms.”

A Jianghu Wanderer clicked his tongue and sighed, his comment utterly ill-timed.

He had spoken without thinking, but to the others, his words carried a different meaning!

This was especially true for Qi Jianming, Xiao Nianci, and the others. They were so furious they almost coughed up blood!

After all, wasn’t the Source Crystal Jade that Xiu Chen was so wastefully squandering the very same he had extorted from them?