Two sword masters struck simultaneously. For a time, countless sword energies crisscrossed the heavens and earth, sword shadows interwove. Yu Jian Zhen Xian's cultivation surged, each move imbued with immense power, capable of splitting mountains and parting seas.
In contrast, Zhang Fan's swordsmanship was elegant and seemingly effortless, yet incredibly condensed. Each strike easily broke through Yu Jian Zhen Xian's techniques, leaving him feeling like his efforts were in vain.
Both moved with lightning speed, their figures indistinguishable to anyone below the Half-step Soul Transformation stage. Countless afterimages collided in the air. After hundreds of exchanges, a muffled groan echoed. Yu Jian Zhen Xian was sent flying back tens of miles, a fist-sized bloody hole in his chest. He was severely injured.
"The perfection of rules is truly terrifying. To suppress a peak Soul Transformation realm expert like Yu Jian Zhen Xian so soon after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage… with a little more cultivation, he might soon enter the Spirit Refining realm," Giant Que Zhen Xian said in a low voice, a hint of panic in his heart.
"Hall Master need not worry. Even if Senior Brother Yu Jian is outmatched, he can still protect himself. Moreover, I am a disciple of the Boundless Dynasty. Even if Zhang Fan enters the Spirit Refining realm, would he dare to oppose the Boundless Dynasty?" Qin Yun stated.
Seeing Qin Yun's composure, Giant Que Zhen Xian nodded, feeling considerably reassured.
As Qin Yun had said, the Boundless Dynasty was a powerful empire ruling an intermediate star domain, teeming with Spirit Refining realm experts. With Yu Jian Zhen Xian's status, he could easily enlist the help of several Spirit Refining realm cultivators if he paid enough, so why would he fear Zhang Fan?
"Again!"
The bloody hole in Yu Jian Zhen Xian's chest healed at an astonishing rate. Despite knowing the power disparity, he fought with increasing ferocity. Engaging in a life-and-death battle with a cultivator who had perfected the rules of the sword gave him profound insights and showed him the path forward. Every sword strike from Zhang Fan brought him new understanding. Such an opportunity was rare, and he would not let it go to waste.
"Trying to use me as a stepping stone?" Zhang Fan smiled upon seeing this and drew his sword again. This time, he held nothing back.
After only a few dozen exchanges, Yu Jian Zhen Xian was covered in sword marks. When he tried to circulate his Soul Power to heal his body, he discovered that each sword mark was being eroded by a sharp sword energy filled with destructive power, making it difficult for the wounds to heal quickly.
Sensing this, Yu Jian Zhen Xian felt a growing unease. He had indeed sought an opponent who could pressure him for training, but Zhang Fan's swordsmanship was far superior. When Zhang Fan attacked with full force, he felt no training, only a one-sided thrashing.
In a battle of swordsmanship, the situation was entirely one-sided. Yu Jian Zhen Xian, naturally unwilling to attack an opponent's strength with his weakness, suddenly retreated. He sheathed his bronze sword, a grim smile on his face.
"Heavenly Annihilation Boundless Body!"
Without hesitation, Yu Jian Zhen Xian unleashed his strongest divine ability. As torrents of his cultivation surged, a colossal phantom form coalesced above his head. It stood tens of thousands of feet tall, its mere presence capable of blocking out the sky and shrouding Zhang Fan in its shadow, exuding a terrifying aura!
Witnessing Yu Jian Zhen Xian use this divine ability again, Dong Ji Zhen Xian of the Myriad Mountains Sect sneered. While the Heavenly Annihilation Boundless Body was powerful, it was merely a seventh-grade divine ability.
Zhang Fan could teach his disciples an eighth-grade divine ability, which indicated how powerful his own cultivated abilities must be. Yu Jian Zhen Xian's attempt was akin to showing off in front of a master craftsman, inviting disaster.
"A battle of divine abilities?"
"I too wish to test it. After entering the Soul Transformation stage, what power will this divine ability possess when I use it again?" Zhang Fan's cultivation surged like a sea. The page containing the mysterious power of the Sky-Rending Gash was illuminated.
"Sky-Rending Horn!"
As Zhang Fan uttered a soft cry, an even more solid phantom of a Sky-Rending Gash appeared above his head. It also stood tens of thousands of feet tall, but as it solidified, everyone couldn't help but tremble.
"This is the chaotic ferocious beast, Sky-Rending Gash?"
Neither Dong Ji Zhen Xian nor Yu Jian Zhen Xian had expected Zhang Fan to be able to wield such a divine ability. The phantom, appearing as real as any creature, simply standing there sent chills down the spines of those in the Nascent Soul realm.
Overwhelming ferocity permeated the entire Myriad Mountains Continent. An ancient aura seemed to transport everyone back to the time of creation, the primordial chaos.
"Is this a ninth-grade divine ability? How can it be so terrifying?" Qin Yun and Giant Que Zhen Xian were both awestruck by the Sky-Rending Gash's phantom. Had Yu Jian Zhen Xian not been fighting, they would have fled the scene.
"Go!"
With a movement of Zhang Fan's hand, the Sky-Rending Gash stomped through the void, its sharp horn raised, charging towards Yu Jian Zhen Xian. It suppressed space, its aura locking onto him. Yu Jian Zhen Xian felt the surrounding space about to solidify. Even with his cultivation, he couldn't tear through it to escape.
"Heavenly Annihilation Boundless Fist!"
Unable to flee, Yu Jian Zhen Xian could only grit his teeth and fight back, using his tens of thousands of feet tall phantom to unleash a move from the Heavenly Annihilation Boundless Body, intending to contend with the chaotic ferocious beast.
"How could a mere Nascent Soul realm cultivator possess such a divine ability? It's all an illusion!" Yu Jian Zhen Xian tried to convince himself, refusing to lose his fighting spirit.
But that was merely his wishful thinking. When the two collided, the tens of thousands of feet tall phantom was like paper before the Sky-Rending Gash, shattering on contact. Yu Jian Zhen Xian's phantom dispersed, and he was sent flying backward as if struck by a heavy blow, spewing blood from his mouth.
"Die!"
Seeing this, Zhang Fan pressed his advantage, intending to kill him with one strike. He unleashed the full power of his lightning sword rules, instantly traversing space to appear above Yu Jian Zhen Xian, and brought his sword down.
A lightning sword energy, nurtured by his Nascent Soul, erupted from the blood-red longsword, cleaving the heavens and earth, intending to split Yu Jian Zhen Xian in two. Under such a continuous and swift attack, Yu Jian Zhen Xian had no way to evade. By the time he regained his senses, the sword light was less than three feet from his head.
Boom!
The sword light fell. At the critical moment, Yu Jian Zhen Xian raised his ancient bronze sword to block it. However, the sharp sword light still pierced through the bronze sword's defense, with over fifty percent of its power landing on Yu Jian Zhen Xian.
A massive sword mark was etched from the top of Yu Jian Zhen Xian's head downwards. The wound was extremely deep, and blood poured out like a waterfall, instantly turning Yu Jian Zhen Xian into a bloodied mess.
He endured the intense pain in his Soul and body, struggling to escape into the distance. Although severely wounded, almost losing half his life, the power that erupted from him in the face of death was astonishing, his speed even surprising Zhang Fan slightly.
Seeing this, Qin Yun and Giant Que Zhen Xian in the distance dared not linger. They tore through space and fled the scene.
Zhang Fan ignored them. They were merely two cultivators in the middle Nascent Soul stage. Once he dealt with Yu Jian Zhen Xian, he could easily dispatch them.
...