Daqian Martial Saint

The Sword Aura pulsed with a terrifying power. Like the Grim Reaper’s scythe, it sliced through the air with a bone-chilling cold and an imperious edge.

Sheng Tingshan’s face filled with horror. The light at the center of his brow flashed erratically as he pushed the True Qi in his body to its absolute limit.

WHIRR... WHIRR... WHIRR...

The gears of the Blood Drop spun rapidly, creating ripples in the air. At a glance, it looked like a mass of blood-red light.

The sudden Sword Aura filled Sheng Tingshan with a profound sense of dread. His years of experience teetering on the edge of life and death prompted him to make the most sensible choice.

"Blood Shadow Shield!"

In addition to its incredible killing power, the Blood Drop also possessed remarkable defensive capabilities.

And the Blood Shadow Shield was the strongest Defense Secret Technique he had mastered after reaching the Profound Light Realm.

A blood-red shadow exploded outwards, intertwining in mid-air to instantly form a crimson barrier.

SWOOSH!

The eerie light, filled with a razor-sharp intent, struck the crimson barrier in an instant.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze.

The power within the Sword Aura sent ripples across the surface of the crimson barrier, causing it to tremble violently.

Sheng Tingshan’s face flushed red with effort. The light at the center of his brow blazed at its peak as he desperately maintained the flow of True Qi to the crimson shield.

But the might within the Sword Aura struck like a raging tempest, far exceeding the limits of what he could withstand!

After holding on for merely a single breath, the shield’s crimson light dimmed, and cracks instantly appeared in its once-stable structure.

BOOM!

The crimson barrier shattered, exploding into countless motes of light that scattered in all directions.

The eerie light flashed and slammed into Sheng Tingshan’s body.

Sheng Tingshan was thrown to the ground, his back slamming into the floor with a dull thud. The force of the Sword Aura was so immense that he couldn’t regain his footing, sliding backward and carving a long trench in his wake.

PTHOO!

Sheng Tingshan finally slid to a stop. He struggled to get up but instead violently coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Cough, cough... Profound Light... Profound Light Middle Realm!"

His Qi and Blood roiled within him as he gasped for breath, staring in horror at the distant man in black.

’He’s not dead?’

An ice-cold aura filled the hall. Xing Rongzi’s gaze was locked on Sheng Tingshan’s chest.

The Sword Aura’s strike had all but shredded the clothes on Sheng Tingshan’s upper body, revealing a suit of White Inner Armor.

’The man was actually wearing armor!’

Without this Treasure Armor, this Profound Light Realm cultivator who wielded the Blood Drop would already be a corpse.

’An ordinary cultivator in the Profound Light Realm could never have blocked his fully charged strike!’

’What a pity!’

A look of regret crossed Xing Rongzi’s face.

During his brief observation, he had already sized up the strength of his assailants. The few who hadn’t yet reached the Profound Light Realm weren’t even worth considering.

Three of them had reached the Profound Light Realm. In his judgment, the strongest of the trio was the man with the long saber. His cultivation was at Initial Realm Perfection, and he seemed to be on the verge of breaking through to the Profound Light Middle Realm.

After the saber-wielder, the next strongest was the bald, heavily-muscled man who fought with his bare fists and feet. He likely possessed the Profound Light Battle Power of a seasoned veteran.

The man he’d chosen to attack, however, was the weakest of the three, despite his impressive, sky-filling blood light. In truth, his combat power was only a little better than a newly advanced expert who had just entered the Profound Light Realm.

He had chosen to attack this man precisely because he wanted to eliminate one of them first and break the stalemate!

’But I never imagined he would be wearing a suit of Treasure Armor that blocked my strike!’

’My ambush has failed!’

’Now that I’ve lost the element of surprise, it will be much harder to create another opportunity like that.’

"Are you all right?"

Zhao Zhiteng and Chu Long rushed to Sheng Tingshan’s side, shielding him behind them.

"Cough, cough... I’m fine!" Sheng Tingshan clutched his chest as he got to his feet.

Sheng Tingshan glanced down at his chest. The White Armor was slightly dented, but it had ultimately blocked the fatal strike.

The memory of that eerie, luminous strike was deeply seared into his mind. Even now, thinking back on it made his heart pound with lingering fear.

If it weren’t for this Treasure Armor he had redeemed from the Qiankun Bureau’s Treasure Vault, he would probably be a dead man right now.

"Do you need a moment to recover?" Zhao Zhiteng asked with concern.

"It’s nothing, cough, cough... It just shook up my Qi and Blood a bit. A minor injury is no big deal!" Sheng Tingshan’s hand had already moved from his chest to grip his Blood Drop.

"All right! Just be careful!" Zhao Zhiteng’s gaze shifted from Sheng Tingshan to Xing Rongzi. "I never expected to run into an expert of your caliber here!"

Beside them, Chu Long sensed the powerful aura radiating from Xing Rongzi and said with a grave expression, "The Yin Tribulation Sword!"

Not far away, Chen Ping’an’s attention was focused on the Treasure Armor Sheng Tingshan was wearing.

This white Treasure Armor had piqued his interest. He had seen the power of that last strike firsthand—it was the full-fledged battle power of the Profound Light Middle Realm!

In fact, since his opponent had intentionally charged the attack, its Power of Slaughter even surpassed that of an ordinary Profound Light Middle Realm cultivator!

And yet, Sheng Tingshan’s Treasure Armor had managed to block the blow head-on! Of course, the Secret Technique he had used also played a part, weakening some of the Sword Aura’s might.

Even so, the armor’s defensive power was still commendable.

’I wonder... what would happen if that strike had hit me?’ Chen Ping’an thought to himself.

Ever since he began his Cultivation of the Vajra Unbreakable Divine Skill, he had never truly experienced its defensive capabilities firsthand. Even his previous battle against Fang Qixian had been a completely one-sided affair, ending when he obliterated the man’s head. He hadn’t truly felt the Divine Skill’s defensive power.

Back then, Chen Ping’an had barely reached the Minor Success Realm of the Unbreakable Copper Body. Now, however, he had cultivated the Vajra Unbreakable Divine Skill to the stage of Great Success! His Martial Arts Cultivation had even soared into the Profound Light High Realm!

’I’d really like to experience it for myself...’ A hint of anticipation crossed Chen Ping’an’s face.

Just then, Chu Long’s voice reached his ears.

"The Yin Tribulation Sword!?"

Chen Ping’an was taken aback.

He had heard of the Yin Tribulation Sword’s reputation. A somewhat legendary Loose Cultivator, he roamed the lands of Canglong Province year-round. The Yin Tribulation Sword’s aptitude for the Martial Dao was only average, but his talent for the Sword Dao was extraordinary. After stumbling upon a particular Swordsmanship technique by chance, his rise was meteoric. He broke through the Qi Blood Realm, Inner Qi Realm, and Profound Light Realm with unstoppable momentum.

Eventually, his Cultivation reached the Profound Light Middle Realm!

It was worth noting that the Yin Tribulation Sword had not cultivated any Divine Skill. Instead, he had relied purely on his own talent for the Sword Dao to modify a Top Level Superior Sword Skill, tailoring it to his own strengths. When he fully activated this Swordsmanship, the power he unleashed was in no way inferior to an ordinary Divine Skill.

For someone to rise from such humble beginnings and reach his current level step by step, the Yin Tribulation Sword could be considered an inspirational role model for all Loose Cultivators!

’But to think that a figure like him is also a member of the Celestial Net Sect!’