Chapter 674: Traceless Enlightenment

“Let’s go! I never want to see that bastard Xiu Chen again!” Xiao Nianci’s face was ashen as she grabbed Xiao Yingluo’s arm. She changed directions and sped away from Lake Heart Island.

The others felt the same and hurriedly departed as well.

“Sigh… It’s a good thing Xiu Chen didn’t agree to go to the Northern Plains with me. Otherwise, he probably would have squandered most of the resources we obtained!”

Ke Dali glanced at Xiu Chen, his stout face twitching involuntarily, before chasing after the others.

…

[Second Layer Qingfeng Saber Intent deduction progress increased.]

Above the Cold Water Lake, Chen Cheng was entering a wondrous state.

His mind was clearer than ever before. All sorts of enlightenments regarding his Saber Technique continuously surfaced in his thoughts, and the deduction progress for his Second Layer Qingfeng Saber Intent was advancing at an incredible speed!

This caused system notifications to appear one after another!

Activating the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi within the Source Crystal Jade to aid his comprehension of the Qingfeng Saber Intent was a natural reaction.

He felt that he needed denser Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi to match this pace and maintain this state for a longer period.

Entering such a state was, in itself, an extremely rare opportunity.

The life-and-death battle above the Cold Pool against Ning Hao’s Celestial Heart Fourteen Swords had given Chen Cheng immense inspiration. He had been particularly focused on sensing the Sword Intent that Ning Hao had kept hidden, waiting for the right moment to strike.

It wasn’t until Ning Hao executed the fourteenth sword, Sword Heart Returning to Origin, that this Sword Intent finally erupted.

This move, Sword Heart Returning to Origin, combined two streams of Sword Intent with the inherent power of the Sun and Moon Mirror Light Sword into a single strike—three swords in one.

It was equivalent to Ning Hao unleashing three full-power strikes at the same time, each with a Realm Power of over 8,000.

Had Chen Cheng chosen to face it head-on, he absolutely would not have been able to block it, which was why he had broken through the Cold Pool’s surface to evade.

Afterward, as Chen Cheng hunted Ning Hao down, the scoundrel used his Sun and Moon Mirror Light Sword to fend off the Nine Heavens Thunder Shocking Hammer Technique’s attacks while fleeing. Each of his sword strikes still possessed a power of over 8,000.

This prevented Chen Cheng from achieving absolute dominance and killing him in one fell swoop.

If Chen Cheng had been resolute, he certainly could have killed him. However, Chen Cheng faintly sensed that Ning Hao was once again gathering that hidden Sword Intent.

Moreover, it was likely being condensed within the Sun and Moon Mirror Light Sword, controlled by the Sword Spirit inside it.

Once such a Sword Intent erupted, the Sword Spirit would be completely expended. The Sun and Moon Mirror Light Sword would lose its Spirituality, and even the Array within it would be damaged. It was equivalent to self-destructing a Yellow Tier Spiritual Sword, so its power would naturally be terrifying.

Even if Chen Cheng could ultimately kill Ning Hao, he would inevitably be hit by the Sword Intent’s counterattack and suffer considerable damage.

After all, Chen Cheng’s Nine Heavens Thunder Shocking Hammer Technique was a close-quarters combat style, making it difficult to evade that Sword Intent.

Therefore, Chen Cheng decisively held back and allowed Ning Hao to escape.

This hidden Sword Intent within the Sun and Moon Mirror Light Sword had given Chen Cheng an even stronger sense of crisis, which ultimately led to an epiphany, allowing him to faintly grasp the Second Layer Qingfeng Saber Intent.

…

An unknown amount of time passed.

The fierce winds suddenly ceased, and the lake’s surface grew calm.

[Second Layer Qingfeng Saber Intent deduction successful.]

[Skills: Qingfeng Saber Technique (Perfection) (Qingfeng Saber Stance) (First Layer Qingfeng Saber Intent) (Second Layer Qingfeng Saber Intent 1/500,000)]

Chen Cheng smiled faintly. He suddenly raised the Long Saber in his hand, then casually slashed out, creating ripples that easily tore through the void and hid themselves around his body.

They were formless and traceless, yet could be mobilized at any moment to launch a fierce attack against an opponent.

‘If I had cultivated the Second Layer Qingfeng Saber Intent before, I could have killed Ning Hao without injury even with his hidden Sword Intent in the Sun and Moon Mirror Light Sword. What a pity!’

After this silent thought, Chen Cheng took advantage of the lingering enlightenment in his mind and continued his Cultivation.

[Second Layer Qingfeng Saber Intent Cultivation Progress increased.]

…

It wasn’t until the afternoon that the state of mental clarity finally dissipated.

Chen Cheng stopped his Cultivation and summoned his panel to check it.

[Skills: Qingfeng Saber Technique… (Second Layer Qingfeng Saber Intent 147,850/500,000)]

‘Whoa! It seems my enlightenment this time was quite profound. Not only did I deduce the Second Layer Qingfeng Saber Intent, but I also managed to increase my Cultivation Progress by over one hundred and forty thousand.’

‘It’s just a shame that such enlightenment can only be chanced upon, not sought. From now on, I can only rely on methodical Cultivation to make progress.’

‘Lose at sunrise, gain at sunset! I failed to kill Ning Hao but unexpectedly deduced the Second Layer Qingfeng Saber Intent. That’s not a bad trade-off!’

He glanced at the panel again.

[Skills: True Intent of Heaven and Earth (Small Success 6,101/50,000)]

‘Comprehending the Second Layer Qingfeng Saber Intent increased the value of my True Intent of Heaven and Earth by more than a thousand. Not bad at all!’

‘Right now, by combining the True Intent of Heaven and Earth with my Nine Heavens Thunder Shocking Hammer Technique, I can unleash a Realm Power of at least 10,000!’

‘Combining the True Intent of Heaven and Earth with my Second Layer Qingfeng Saber Intent, I can unleash a Realm Power of over 7,000!’

‘Although it’s slightly weaker than Ning Hao’s hidden Sword Intent, it’s a huge boost to my actual combat strength. It’s truly formidable!’

‘After all, the power of Ning Hao’s hidden Sword Intent was mostly enhanced by the Yellow Tier Spiritual Artifact, the Sun and Moon Mirror Light Sword.’

‘If I face Ning Hao again, I can seize the initiative with my Nine Heavens Thunder Shocking Hammer Technique and Second Layer Qingfeng Saber Intent. I could probably kill him in just two or three moves!’

‘Ning Hao is already that formidable just by wielding the Yellow Tier Spiritual Artifact, the Sun and Moon Mirror Light Sword.’

‘Ji Lingxiao, who possesses the Profound Tier Spiritual Artifact, the Lingxiao Sword, is clearly far more powerful!’

‘And that Demon Cultivator who could thrash Ning Hao… his strength can’t be underestimated either!’

‘Plus, there’s that Innate Realm Expert. He’s another powerful enemy!’

‘This trip to the cave estate is still fraught with danger. I can’t let my guard down!’

‘Time to get back to some intense Cultivation!’

…

「Several days later.」

In the Dui Palace quadrant to the west of the cave estate, several sheer, straight peaks stood amidst the vast mountains, looking as if they had been carved by blades and chiseled by axes.

When the members of the Dali Alliance arrived at the outer edge, they heard waves of earth-shattering roars coming from the central area of the peaks.

“It sounds like someone is already hunting the Pseudo Tier Six Demon Beast at the Dui Palace Array Hub. Looks like we’re a step too late.”

“From the sound of it, it seems to be a Tiger Demon. It doesn’t sound very injured—still in its peak condition!”

“How could a Pseudo Tier Six Demon Beast be so easy to kill? Let’s speed up. Maybe we can pick up some scraps.”

…

Everyone pushed their Primordial Gang True Force to its limits and sped through the mountain forest. Before long, they arrived at the foot of a peak.

There, they saw a figure in white holding a sword, standing on a massive rock at the summit and gazing into the distance.

That person was none other than Ning Hao.

‘Whoa! That bastard Ning Hao sure is fast!’

‘He’s not trying to fight for the Pseudo Tier Six Demon Beast, so the people hunting it must be extremely powerful. Let’s go up and see what’s going on.’

Ke Dali waved his hand and took the lead, flying up toward the summit.

Upon reaching the summit, they saw a valley several li away, filled with jagged rocks and enveloped by a massive Yin Yang Double Fish Light Shield.

The left fish of the light shield was crimson like molten rock, representing the yang pole, while the right fish was a deep blue like profound ice, manifesting the yin pole.

The interplay of Yin and Yang generated immense power!

A massive Tiger Demon, several zhang long, was trapped within the light shield. Its aura was monstrous as it roared and shrieked with all its might, ramming left and right, but it could not break free.

Ke Dali’s expression immediately turned ugly.

The members of the Dali Alliance who arrived behind him also fell silent upon seeing this scene.

The Battle Array in the valley was the Sutra of Ultimate Sect’s Yin Yang Joyful Array. The ones who had set it up were clearly the other alliance in the cave estate, the Sutra of Ultimate Alliance.

The Sutra of Ultimate Alliance was led by members of the Sutra of Ultimate Sect. With over ten members, its overall strength was no less than that of the Dali Alliance.

The trapped Pseudo Tier Six Tiger Demon was a Geng Metal Saber-toothed Tiger. Its physique was incredibly tough; even a sharp Pseudo-Spiritual Artifact Level Weapon would have difficulty piercing its defense.

Near the Dui Palace Array Hub, it could also condense a storm of sharp Sword Qi, which faintly suppressed the Eight Desolates Returning to the Source Array.

It would be extremely difficult for the Dali Alliance to hunt it!

The sharpness of Ning Hao’s Sun and Moon Mirror Light Sword could probably pierce the Geng Metal Saber-toothed Tiger’s defense, but killing it would still be very difficult.

However, the Sutra of Ultimate Sect’s Yin Yang Joyful Array was the perfect counter for ferocious and violent Demon Beasts like the Geng Metal Saber-toothed Tiger.

This was because the Array not only possessed the power of the Yin Yang Realm, but could also stimulate the Geng Metal Saber-toothed Tiger’s primal lust, causing it to erupt with all its potential for a short time before quickly becoming listless and weak.

Never mind Demon Beasts; even Ke Dali and the others were extremely wary of the Sutra of Ultimate Sect’s Yin Yang Joyful Array.

It was essentially like being fed a Strength Pill, making you incredibly powerful for a period of time, only to then fall into a state of weakness far greater than before, leaving you at the mercy of others!

Truly shameless!

“Sigh… We were too late after all. Let’s go somewhere else!”

Ke Dali let out a long sigh. He called out to his group, preparing to leave.

As for Ning Hao, he was completely ignored by Ke Dali.

However, Ning Hao turned around, cupped his hands in a salute, and said very amicably, “Brother Ke, please wait.”