Chapter 228 - 131: Primordial Yin Cave Eternal Pearl

Chapter 228: Chapter 131: Primordial Yin Cave Eternal Pearl

When Xuzhuang killed Chu River with a single Anti-Primordial Slash, its profound ability to annihilate both form and substance shocked all the cultivators present. He Haojun shot to his feet, a divine glint in his eyes, and exclaimed, his composure broken, "A Magical Treasure Flying Sword?"

Magical Treasures in the Celestial Waterfall Realm were so rare they could be counted on one’s fingers. Most of them originated from the Five Domains Great Sects, passed down by their patriarchs. The few that had been forged under other circumstances were all renowned. The sudden appearance of the Taiyi Rainbow Sword immediately aroused He Haojun’s suspicions.

Of course, He Haojun wasn’t the only one with a discerning eye. In that moment, the various factions reacted differently. High-status sect masters privy to esoteric secrets, like Youming and Jiang Chengzi, immediately arrived at their own conclusions.

Jiang Chengzi, who had remained expressionless and aloof since his arrival, couldn’t help but let his gaze fall upon the Dragon Image Sect’s Jade Platform. Seeing Yang Bijie’s serene and composed expression, he narrowed his eyes.

In truth, though Yang Bijie appeared perfectly calm and confident on the surface, he was inwardly quite surprised. ’The Tai Su Orthodox Sect’s foundation is truly profound,’ he thought. ’To think they would bestow a treasure as precious as a Magical Treasure upon a disciple for their protection.’

Seeing Xuzhuang easily slay Chu River, Yang Bijie breathed a long, internal sigh of relief. ’At this rate, I shouldn’t have to use my last resort,’ he thought. ’If I can preserve the Patriarch’s lineage, I won’t have to face him in shame.’

At this thought, Yang Bijie almost involuntarily glanced toward Jiang Chengzi. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment. Yang Bijie impassively averted his gaze, looking up at the sky instead.

Xuzhuang neither knew nor cared about the speculations of the various factions. He calmly clasped his hands behind his back and issued his challenge, "Fellow Daoist He, are you not going to enter the fray?"

He Haojun’s expression darkened slightly. A flicker of doubt rose in his heart, but it was immediately replaced by resolve. ’Zhong Shenxiu’s swordsmanship is certainly formidable, but his duel with Chu River has already revealed much of its mystery. Not only am I in peak condition, but in terms of Dao techniques, I also believe myself to be far superior to Chu River.’

More importantly, for the sake of the Grotto Heaven position, he had not hesitated to betray his own sect and conspire against the Dragon Image Sect. There was no turning back.

He glanced at Jiang Chengzi on the high platform. Seeing the man’s expressionless face, He Haojun hesitated no longer. With a flick of his sleeve, he soared into the sky on a beam of light. He stared coldly at Xuzhuang and said, "Zhong Shenxiu."

Xuzhuang replied simply, "Precisely."

He Haojun’s voice was grave as he asked, "Fellow Daoist, you are not a member of the Dragon Image Sect. Why fight to the death on their behalf? If you concede now, whatever they have promised you, I will double it."

"Oh?" Xuzhuang smiled faintly. "And what makes you think," he asked, "that for me, fighting you is a battle to the death?"

"What?" He Haojun had expected a refusal. He had even held out a sliver of hope that his offer might work. But he had never expected such flagrant arrogance! Livid, He Haojun laughed. "Fine. Just fine! In that case, I hope you won’t regret your decision."

Xuzhuang was done with words. The Taiyi Rainbow Sword flew before him, its edge shimmering. "Please," he said indifferently. With that, he casually slashed out a wave of Sword Qi, initiating the duel.

He Haojun sneered and summoned his Gangyun. With a flash of dark light, a pitch-black hand exuding a bizarre aura flew out from it. It swelled as it flew, fast as a meteor, and snatched Xuzhuang’s Sword Qi from the air, causing it to dissipate instantly.

Xuzhuang frowned slightly. His first attack had been casual, so he wasn’t surprised that He Haojun had easily deflected it. However, he sensed there was more to his opponent’s Dao technique than just raw power.

Deciding to probe further, Xuzhuang unleashed a boundless torrent of Sword Qi. It converged in mid-air, coalescing into a colossal, brilliant beam of light that slashed down violently at the pitch-black hand.

He Haojun didn’t dare to be careless. He poured all his focus into his Dao technique, directing the pitch-black hand to strike. The beam of light scraped across the hand’s palm, causing the dark light around it to ripple, but with He Haojun sustaining it, the hand remained undamaged. Xuzhuang’s Sword Qi, however, was once again crushed.

Having his Sword Qi neutralized yet again, Xuzhuang wasn’t discouraged. He had finally identified the strange power emanating from the pitch-black hand. The moment it made contact with his Sword Qi, it generated a chaotic, disorderly pulling force that drastically weakened the attack.

’A force of attraction and repulsion? So this is the Celestial Permanence Dao Technique?’ Xuzhuang raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.

According to Xuzhuang’s plan, a confrontation with He Haojun was inevitable, so he had already gotten a thorough briefing on the Celestial Permanence Sect’s Dao techniques from Yang Bijie. But secondhand knowledge could never compare to firsthand experience. Xuzhuang suddenly felt an itch to test his own skills against it.

After some consideration, however, Xuzhuang suppressed the urge to test his Innate Tai Su Qi Grand Capture against He Haojun’s technique. As the pitch-black hand closed in, he leaped up, transforming into a beam of sword light and vanishing into thin air. When he reappeared, he had already bypassed the giant hand and was hovering directly above He Haojun. He brought his Taiyi Flying Rainbow Sword down in a vicious slash.

A Sword Cultivator is devoted to the sword and the sword alone, but that doesn’t mean they are inflexible. While they are masters of offense and killing, capable of shattering all techniques with a single stroke, they also understand the value of hit-and-run tactics. Xuzhuang was certainly no exception.

But He Haojun was prepared. In response to Xuzhuang’s sudden, form-shifting attack, his body simply trembled. Instantly, streams of dark energy cascaded down from his Gangyun, projecting the same chaotic, pulling force as before.

Xuzhuang instantly shifted his Swordsmanship, becoming intangible in an attempt to phase through He Haojun’s defenses. But the moment he touched the field of chaotic energy, he felt his Magical Power being drained at an alarming rate.

Xuzhuang frowned again. Shifting between tangible and intangible states was already incredibly taxing on his Magical Power. The drain depended on two main factors. The first was the inherent mass of the Flying Sword itself; in this respect, the Taiyi Rainbow Sword—refined from a mere wisp of rainbow light—was a far better fit for the Tai Su Swordsmanship than a dense, metal-based sword pellet. The second factor, of course, was the substance of the object one was attempting to phase through.