Chapter 171 - 200: The Sacred Artifact, the Vast Sea Bell! Crushed With a Single Hand
High above the clouds, Evil Qi surged and Demonic Qi roiled!
"Lingxiao Three Swords!"
The Celestial Sword Saintess let out a sharp cry. A sky-shattering Sword Qi erupted from her aquamarine longsword.
The Sword Qi was like an ocean, coalescing into a monstrous Sword Aura!
In an instant, it transformed into a blade of light hundreds of feet long, roaring as it slashed viciously toward the Black Demon Dragon before her!
The Black Demon Dragon spat out a great gout of eerie blue flames, forcefully melting the Sword Aura.
Then, with a great roar, it devoured all the immense Evil Qi within a ten-li radius, its body swelling to ten times its original size!
Its face was ferocious, and it bared its fangs and brandished its claws as it charged the woman in white!
"How dare you!"
A vicious glint flashed in the white-clad woman’s eyes as the light from her sword flared.
A powerful aura, rushing like a waterfall, emanated from her body. Her Sword Intent pierced the heavens!
At that moment, her aura was several times stronger than before!
The Sword Qi swirling around her fingertips did not even move.
Just the brewing and gathering Sword Intent alone was enough to make the Black Demon Dragon’s heart palpitate, its eyes filled with alarm and uncertainty.
The woman in white took a shallow breath, then slowly raised her right hand.
She then faced the Demon Dragon.
And slashed down with her sword!
"Lingxiao, the Sixth Sword!"
In an instant, the world itself seemed to shift. The sky and clouds warped, and an area a hundred li wide was completely enveloped in Sword Qi!
The grass, trees, soil, and rock on the island; the surging river water in the ocean currents.
All became Sword Qi, impossibly sharp!
The Celestial Sword Sect’s ultimate inherited swordsmanship, the *Nine Swords of Lingxiao*—each sword possessed Tongxuan Power. With nine swords, one could ascend the heavens and slay all heroes.
Although the woman in white had only cultivated up to the sixth sword, it was enough for her to dominate the Spirit Transformation Realm and rarely meet her match.
As this sixth sword slashed out, the woman in white was absolutely confident.
She was certain that the Black Demon Dragon, which had just been devouring the Demon Fiend’s aura in the sky, could not possibly withstand it. Its only fate was to have its body and soul obliterated.
Just as the incomparably magnificent blade of light descended, about to slay the Black Demon Dragon,
a hand shimmering with golden light descended from the sky, slowly reaching out.
It gently grasped the brilliant blade of light.
With a casual rub...
The killing technique she had spent so long brewing was completely crushed by that golden hand.
Along with it, the hundred-li expanse of Sword Qi also rapidly dissipated into nothingness.
The woman in white, longsword in hand, froze instantly.
When she saw that golden hand, she stood there dumbfounded, as if struck by lightning.
For a moment, she couldn’t process what had happened.
As she stood there in a daze, a hazy white figure appeared before her.
It was a young man in a white robe. His face was indistinct, and his aura was obscure and exceedingly mysterious.
When she looked up at him...
the woman in white felt like a mere mortal standing at the foot of a majestic mountain, unable to see its peak.
’It’s the Martial Arts Great Power who saved me before!’
Having guessed Su Bai’s identity, she felt a pang of fear.
Even her right hand, gripping the hilt of her sword, couldn’t stop trembling.
Su Bai looked at her calmly, then beckoned the Black Demon Dragon she had been trying to kill to his side. He rubbed its head as if petting a cat.
Then, Su Bai looked at her and said with a light chuckle, "Before you practice the sword, you must first practice your eye."
"If you cannot distinguish good from bad, or right from wrong, and act merely on impulse and intuition..."
"how can you possibly use the sword in your hand to carve out a world of righteousness and clarity?"
In an instant, it was as if ten thousand bolts of lightning had exploded in her mind!
Her body trembled. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but not a single word came out.
Indeed.
She had just seen the Black Demon Dragon in the sky, continuously devouring the Evil Qi.
And so, she had subconsciously assumed it must be a powerful Demon Fiend secretly raised by the Canghai Sect!
After that, she attacked without hesitation.
But in reality, she had not seen the Black Demon Dragon harm anyone, nor had she conducted any detailed investigation. She had acted solely on instinct and speculation.
After a moment of silence, the woman in white took a deep breath, then clasped her hands in a bow. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior!"
"This junior, Luo Jinghong, was fortunate enough to be saved by you before, which is how I escaped that calamity."
"Today, this junior acted rashly and feels deeply ashamed."
"I hope Senior will not hold it against me."
Su Bai didn’t mind.
The girl’s character was decent. She was devoted to vanquishing demons and defending the Martial Dao, and her talent was extraordinary. Through the Purification Tripod, Su Bai discovered that Luo Jinghong’s Sin Value was also extremely low.
She was simply inexperienced with the ways of the world and thought everything was black and white. That was what led to her sudden attack and this whole farce.
Su Bai was about to say something,
when a dense cloud of ghastly energy suddenly appeared in the distance.
An evil wind howled!
A powerful aura of the Divine Platform Realm churned the boundless Evil Qi in the sky, its momentum menacing.
"You little beast from the Celestial Sword Sect! You still dare to show your face!?"
The voice, filled with furious rage and mixed with a heavy, oppressive pressure, traveled from afar.
Luo Jinghong’s expression immediately turned grim. She spun around to face the direction of the approaching ghastly cloud, her blood-stained, fair hand tightly gripping her sword hilt.
She looked as if she were facing a formidable enemy.
Su Bai ignored the black, ghastly cloud. He thought of the Celestial Sword Sect’s Old Sword God, who had congratulated him on Entering the Saint Realm with Ten Thousand Miles Sword Qi.
So he asked, "Has the Celestial Sword Sect’s Sword God Ancestor taught you anything?"
Facing this Martial Arts Great Power, Luo Jinghong answered truthfully, "The Ancestor once taught me three great Sword Techniques, but this junior is dull-witted."
"To this day, I have only learned the barest rudiments."
As they spoke, the ghastly cloud was already less than ten li away from them.
An old man in a black robe shot out from within it!
He also ignored Su Bai, his darkened face fixed on Luo Jinghong with chilling killing intent.
The next instant,
he thrust out a right claw wreathed in Demonic Qi and spoke with venomous hatred, "You little beast from the Celestial Sword Sect! Surrender your life!"
Facing a life-or-death crisis, Luo Jinghong held her breath and focused, not daring to be the slightest bit careless.
However, before she could even make a move,
a flash of golden light suddenly burst before her eyes!
When she opened them again,
she saw that the Black Robe Elder, who just moments ago had been incomparably imposing,
was now being held in Su Bai’s hand.
Just like a baby chick!
His eyes were wide, and his whole body trembled violently!
His Heart Spirit quaked in terror!
"Perfect. I was just thinking of making a trip to the Canghai Sect."
"You can lead the way."
His life no longer his own, how could the Black Robe Elder dare to refuse Su Bai’s command?
He immediately and obediently pointed out the direction of the Canghai Sect for Su Bai.
SWOOSH!
The next moment, Su Bai transformed into a streak of golden light and vanished into the distance.
Luo Jinghong, trailing behind, grew curious about what this senior intended to do. She quickly transformed into a streak of sword light and followed him.
...
「North Sea Central Secret Land」
A vast, silver-white structure floated in mid-air.
Countless mountains stood tall here.
Inside the tallest pavilion,
a young man in a blue shirt and an old man in a white robe sat across from each other, drinking tea.
"Grandmaster! That Luo Jinghong from the Celestial Sword Sect has been outrageously arrogant lately. With just herself and her sword, she has destroyed thirteen of our sect’s Sealing Arrays and released several thousand blood-servants."
"And yet, the few Divine Platform Realm Elders we sent out have all returned empty-handed."
"Worse, two or three of them are still missing. I’m afraid..."
The blue-shirted youth’s face was grim, and he said no more.
But his meaning was self-evident.
The white-robed old man took a sip of tea, his expression calm as he said, "It is of no concern."
"That little girl is only at the Spirit Transformation Realm in her Cultivation. No matter how strong her combat prowess is,"
"when she encounters our sect’s Divine Platform Realm Elders, her only option is to flee in a panic."
"That may be so, but..."
The blue-shirted youth frowned, just about to say more,
when a wild wind howled in his ears, and a sound of something tearing through the air suddenly reached him!
Immediately after, his vision was flooded with boundless golden light, and he could see nothing.
PSSHT!!
In a daze...
a splash of deep red blood splattered across his face. It felt warm and smelled of iron.
BOOM—
Then came a deafening roar that echoed from behind him, lasting for several breaths.
When the golden light faded, he couldn’t help but turn his head to look toward the end of the ruined building.
As his gaze fell upon a mangled, bloody figure...
his pupils constricted, his face a mask of horror!
’This is...’
’One of our sect’s Divine Platform Realm Elders!?’
"Such audacity!"
The white-robed old man sitting across from him,
let out a furious roar!
His blood-splattered face was contorted with rage!
He slowly rose to his feet, his gaze fixed on the sky above.
The tyrannical aura emanating from his body was more than ten times stronger than the Divine Platform Realm!
Up in the sky, a hazy white figure stood with his hands behind his back, his aura obscure and difficult to read.
"You rat, hiding your face! You’re courting death!"
The white-robed old man roared in anger, then his figure flickered as he shot a deadly palm strike at the white figure.
But he never expected that the man would merely flick a wisp of True Qi, striking him like a bolt of lightning!
His entire body froze in mid-air, then shot backward, crushing an untold number of buildings.
His flesh was torn and mangled!
However, the white-robed old man’s strength was not to be underestimated.
He endured the piercing pain, flashed back into the air, and bellowed,
"Vast Sea Bell! Rise!!"
Wisps of black light coiled around the bones of his fingers!
His aura climbed steeply!
BOOM—
A breath later, he had activated the massive black bell situated in the center of the Canghai Sect!
The great bell shattered the ground, shot through the air, and hovered above the white-robed old man’s head.
Then, a cold and bloodthirsty voice slowly emanated from his lips.
"This object is my Canghai Sect’s Sacred Artifact!"
"It once suppressed a Dragon Mansion!"
"Today, this old man wouldn’t mind adding another to its count!"
After speaking, the white-robed old man’s eyes blazed with Evil Qi!
He frantically pushed the surging True Qi within his body, directing the massive black bell toward the white figure.
And sent it hurtling down to suppress him!
But in the next moment, the old man’s pupils shrank, a look of utter shock on his face.
BANG!!
The massive black bell, which radiated an immense pressure, was easily stopped by the man, who had simply raised his right hand.
The Black Bell let out a trembling hum.
At the point of contact, five fingers sank deep into its surface!
The clear imprints, like incomparably sharp Sword Auras, stabbed deep into the old man’s eyes!
He simply couldn’t believe what he was seeing!
Before he could even react, the man’s right hand suddenly clenched into a fist!
BOOM!
Accompanied by a deafening roar,
the Canghai Sect’s Sacred Artifact was crushed in an instant!
The massive Black Bell only had time to let out a mournful cry before it shattered into countless black fragments.
That scattered in all directions!
The white-haired old man’s gaze was vacant. He felt as if he were trapped in a dream.