The leader of the Tianji Sect stared numbly at the mighty River Sword Dragon charging forward. As a peak Human Emperor Realm expert, he could perceive it far more clearly than others. The thousands upon thousands of sword intentions contained within it were already terrifying enough.
And after Chu Xun's River Sword Intent fused into it, the sharpness of that river was completely ignited. The edge it revealed in that instant was sharp enough to cleave the heavens.
Thousands of waves.
Billions of droplets.
The accumulation of countless people.
All condensed into a colossal river sword dragon.
"Cut!"
Facing this sword dragon, Zhao Yong finally felt genuine pressure from the sword river. This was not a sword belonging to a single person—it was the crystallization of the cultivation of countless disciples of Donglin Holy Land over many years.
"You cheated!" Zhao Yong roared through clenched teeth.
He could clearly sense that Chu Xun's personal sword intent was not overwhelmingly strong. What truly supported this sword was the countless sword intents within the river itself, forcibly elevating this strike to a height far beyond Chu Xun alone.
But now, there was no point in arguing.
Water droplets, waves, and the endless river fused together, forming a massive sword of flowing water that stretched without end, slashing straight down.
"True Martial Law!"
Zhao Yong was no ordinary cultivator. To reach his current realm, he naturally possessed extraordinary methods. Threads of golden light erupted from his body, transforming into blazing flames. Amid piercing cries, a gigantic divine bird appeared.
The three-legged Golden Crow.
A phoenix-like cry shook the heavens as terrifying heat swept outward.
Boom!
In an instant, heaven and earth turned into a sea of fire. The water droplets in the river evaporated at a speed visible to the naked eye, transforming into vast clouds of steam that filled the sky.
"Gulp!"
The spectators were utterly stunned. They had thought Chu Xun's river sword was already shocking beyond belief, but Zhao Yong's manifested divine bird was even more terrifying, directly evaporating part of the sword river.
"Hmph!"
Chu Xun remained calm. He merely fixed his gaze on Zhao Yong and lightly chopped downward with his palm from afar.
The massive water sword followed his movement.
Even as the three-legged Golden Crow grew more tyrannical, it was still unable to resist. Its neck was severed in a single strike.
Screech!
The divine bird let out a shrill cry as it was cut down and destroyed.
Faced with the approaching aura of death, Zhao Yong's arrogant heart trembled violently. For the first time, he clearly felt the presence of death beneath this sword.
What filled him was not fear, but rage and unwillingness.
In the past, he admitted he could not defeat Chu Xun. But now, after Chu Xun had been crippled for sixty years, how could he still lose?
He refused to accept this.
Was Zhao Yong destined to be suppressed by Chu Xun for his entire life?
His eyes burned with intense flames. The fire in his chest surged wildly as the aura of death closed in. Just as the giant sword was about to fall, the power he had been suppressing to the extreme suddenly exploded.
Boom!
His cultivation surged.
A violent breakthrough.
The Eighth Realm of the Human Emperor!
A vastly more powerful aura erupted and swept across the battlefield. Lu Nantian, the leader of the Zhenwu Sect, who had been preparing to intervene, was startled, then overjoyed.
No matter the outcome, Zhao Yong's breakthrough alone meant the Zhenwu Sect had gained immensely.
"True Martial Law!"
After breaking through, the coldness in Zhao Yong's eyes deepened. His killing intent toward Chu Xun instantly reached its peak. His aura resonated with heaven and earth, summoning a terrifying Dharma form that merged with his body.
In front of him, a colossal figure gradually took shape.
Its face could not be seen clearly. Only a pair of ancient, indifferent eyes that inspired instinctive fear stared down upon the world. Wearing a crown and exuding boundless authority, the Dharma form swallowed the surrounding space.
With this Dharma form, Zhao Yong's combat power soared dramatically.
Boom!
Zhao Yong clasped his hands together. His face was ferocious, filled with killing intent. At this moment, he was like a god, unstoppable, protected by True Martial Law, fearless.
"Chu Xun," he said coldly, "I truly must thank you for the pressure you gave me."
If not for Chu Xun, how could he have broken through at the critical moment?
And gratitude,
Naturally had to be repaid with death.
To eliminate future troubles.
"It actually broke through…" Chu Xun showed a hint of surprise, but as he looked at Zhao Yong, whose aura continued to rise, he merely shook his head slowly.
"It's still a little lacking."
His sword was fused with the River Sword Intent, which had already been forcefully pushed to the Minor Completion level through a martial deduction card. The true depth of that sword intent was not visible on the surface at all.
Boom!
The moment the massive palm of the True Martial Dharma form collided with the surging river sword intent, a deafening explosion erupted. It felt as if everyone's ears had gone deaf as terrifying ripples swept across the sky.
"Retreat, now!"
Xiao Rongyu and the other Human Emperor Realm experts immediately withdrew, while the rest of the powerful cultivators followed suit. Even as they retreated, the strongest among them grabbed nearby cultivators and pulled them away.
Puff!
Yet some still failed to escape in time. They were struck by the aftermath, coughing up mouthfuls of blood.
What terrified the onlookers was that the one spitting blood was a Venerable Realm expert, and he was already far away.
If he had been closer, wouldn't he have been reduced to blood mist instantly?
"How terrifying must this clash be?" someone muttered in shock.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
The True Martial Dharma form trembled violently, unable to withstand the pressure. Strands of river sword intent invaded it, causing the colossal figure to grow increasingly illusory as cracks spread rapidly.
"How is this possible?!"
"How can this be?!"
"How can this be?!"
Zhao Yong's heart trembled violently. This was clearly his peak state. He had even broken into the Eighth Realm of the Human Emperor, yet he still could not match Chu Xun.
This was utterly unacceptable.
Sensing the cracks in his True Martial Dharma form, a sense of doom rose uncontrollably within him.
Bang!
Sure enough, before even a single breath could pass, the True Martial Dharma form completely shattered, turning into a rain of light that scattered across the sky.
Lu Nantian's pupils shrank as he shouted from afar, "You dare!"
But it was already too late.
Puff!
A sword swept down.
The boiling river sword washed over Zhao Yong's body, chopping him apart completely, leaving nothing behind.
A brilliant fist light came crashing down, launched by Lu Nantian, but Chu Xun did not even glance at him. He merely responded calmly:
"Why wouldn't I?"