Chapter 237: Sword Spirit Clone
The Ice Phoenix Qionghua Silk was an extremely unique weapon, similar to a whip, yet vastly different from one. Some of its properties were entirely its own. Ling Yun had faced countless opponents, but this was his first encounter with a "silk" type weapon. However, it was clear that "entanglement" was one of its core attack methods, yet he never expected its binding to be so swift and domineering. An almost irresistible force suddenly came from his hand, catching him off guard as the Tian Yuan Sword was directly snatched away.
Though startled, Ling Yun remained calm. He retreated like lightning, evading the Ice Phoenix Qionghua Silk's attack. Extending his hand, his sword intent surged, and the seized Tian Yuan Sword struggled violently within the silk before quickly breaking free, flying back into his grasp...
"Heavenly Sword Thunder Extreme!!"
The Tian Yuan Sword swung, and a thunderous roar of lightning claps erupted. Over a hundred sword beams shot toward Xia Qingyue like bolts of lightning. The Ice Phoenix Qionghua Silk shifted from offense to defense, rapidly spinning around her body to block every streak of lightning. Meanwhile, Ling Yun's lethal strike came like a thunderbolt, the sword light seemingly hidden in the cracks of space, aiming at the tiny flaw in the silk's movements.
Facing this dangerous thrust, the Ice Phoenix Qionghua Silk, which had been coiling like a snake, suddenly stiffened and shot forward, colliding head-on with the Tian Yuan Sword. With a sharp *ding*, the silk pressed firmly against the sword... The once soft, satin-like ribbon had transformed into unyielding steel, completely blocking Ling Yun's strike, which was filled with his Gale Sword Intent.
*Boom!!*
With the explosion of an ice lotus, Xia Qingyue and Ling Yun were both blasted backward. Xia Qingyue landed ethereally, while Ling Yun found his arms encased in thick layers of ice crystals. He furrowed his brow slightly before shaking off the ice, then stared at the white silk with extreme astonishment.
How could a simple ribbon become as tough as a sword?!
"To wield the Ice Phoenix Qionghua Silk with such ease and control... How is this possible!" Ling Yuefeng exclaimed in shock. If he had known that Xia Qingyue had only been in contact with the silk for a year, he might have fainted on the spot.
"The Ice Phoenix Qionghua Silk contains a fragment of the Ice Phoenix's soul, making it extremely difficult to control. It took our palace master over thirty years to bring out its full power, yet Qingyue has achieved nearly seventy percent of its might in just a year. Such comprehension is almost impossible for our palace to replicate in a thousand years." Chu Yueli praised.
The Tian Yuan Sword was a Heavenly Xuan Weapon, and so was the Ice Phoenix Qionghua Silk. But there were differences among Heavenly Xuan Weapons. Tian Jian Villa's Wuji Sword was a high-grade Heavenly Xuan Weapon, the Tian Yuan and Tian Yang Swords were roughly mid-grade, while the Ice Phoenix Qionghua Silk was a genuine high-grade weapon. In terms of mastery, Xia Qingyue seemed on par with Ling Yun, who had possessed the Tian Yuan Sword for three years... So in terms of equipment, Xia Qingyue held an absolute advantage!
In their brief exchanges, Ling Yun had also sensed this. He was not afraid of the disparity in weapons, but what truly shocked him was that Xia Qingyue's profound foundation was no weaker than his.
"Haah!!"
Ling Yun roared, the whites of his eyes rapidly contracting. In his dilated pupils, two sharp sword silhouettes were reflected. He unleashed his sword intent without reserve, condensing it to near-physical form. Looking at him, it seemed a cluster of translucent flames burning around his body.
*Riiip!!*
Ling Yun struck out with his sword, stirring up a storm of sword shadows that filled the sky. The shift in his sword momentum caused Xia Qingyue's delicate brows to twitch slightly. The Ice Phoenix Qionghua Silk danced in the air, and a bone-chilling cold surged toward Ling Yun's countless sword shadows...
*Boom!!!*
The profound energy barrier that Ling Wugou had personally constructed shattered upon the collision of their forces. At this moment, the two Earth Xuan Realm super-strong fighters of this ranking battle finally entered a true all-out duel.
The sword was like flowing light and lightning, while the silk was sometimes soft as clouds and mist, sometimes hard as profound ice—wrapping, sweeping, thrusting, slashing... ever-changing. Yet Xia Qingyue wielded it gracefully, with ease and fluidity. For someone facing this weapon for the first time, it would be dazzling and overwhelming. But Ling Yun was Ling Yun; his sword techniques seemed aggressive but were actually feints, appearing to attack while defending. With his eyes and mind, he fully tracked the silk's various changes. After three hundred exchanges, he began to adapt, shifting from defense to offense, each strike aimed at the silk's weaknesses.
*Shing!!*
Sword light flashed, leaving over a dozen deep marks on the smooth ground.
*Boom!!*
The Ice Phoenix Qionghua Silk brushed lightly against the ground. Yet this seemingly soft touch produced a deafening roar. A crack, accompanied by astonishing cold, spread rapidly, reaching Ling Wugou's feet and forcing him to retreat repeatedly.
Ling Yun leaped into the air, stepping across the void. With each step, he created a whirlwind of sword blades. By the time he charged before Xia Qingyue, over thirty such whirlwinds converged on her from different directions, each containing dozens of sword beams.
Ahead was Ling Yun; around her were dozens of sword whirlwinds—a terrifying, hopeless situation. Xia Qingyue's expression remained tranquil and unruffled. With a light flourish of the Ice Phoenix Qionghua Silk, a massive, pale blue lotus bloomed magnificently beneath her...
"Ice Prison Lotus!!"
Twelve pale blue petals unfurled in competition, radiating a brilliance like the stars. This time, the giant ice lotus was not used for attack or defense, but erupted on its own...
*Whoosh!!*
Countless ice crystals flew densely, colliding wildly with the sword beams. The ice crystals shredded the beams, and the beams shredded the ice crystals. Amid the chaotic ice lotus and sword storm, the Tian Yuan Sword and Ice Phoenix Qionghua Silk clashed repeatedly like a violent storm. Gradually, people could no longer see the sword and silk clearly, and ultimately, even Ling Yun and Xia Qingyue became blurry shadows flashing at extreme speed... Only the harsh sounds of impact and the endless dance of ice crystals and sword beams remained.
Over half the Sword Discussion Platform, a full hundred zhang, was engulfed by sword beams and ice crystals. Even Ling Wugou was forced back beyond a hundred zhang. The onlookers were stunned senseless. Some elders quickly erected profound energy barriers in front of their seats to protect their younger disciples from any sudden outbursts. Watching the fierce battle on the platform, they were beyond shocked... Was this really a fight between two young people?
How could such a battle occur between two youngsters!
At the Cangfeng Imperial Clan's seat, Qin Wushang was also staring wide-eyed. Remembering his own strength at twenty, he sighed and murmured, "These two will both become sovereigns of the Cang Feng Empire in the future... Especially Xia Qingyue—she is peerless!"
Ling Yuefeng's expression grew increasingly grim. He had thought that, both being at the third level of Earth Xuan Realm, Ling Yun should have an absolute advantage, since overwhelming those of the same level was easy for him. But as he watched Ling Yun gradually exert his full power without gaining any real advantage, anxiety crept into his heart. Such a situation forced him to consider the possibility...
The possibility of Ling Yun's defeat.
If Ling Yun lost, then he, like Ling Jie, would stop at the semifinals. The two brothers would place third and fourth respectively! In terms of faction ranking, they would also fall to third place!!
The Cang Feng Empire's number one force, Tian Jian Villa—an unshakable overlord throughout history—would only become the third-place winner of this ranking battle! Not even second place! This had never happened in Tian Jian Villa's history! It would be an unimaginably heavy blow to the villa's prestige and reputation.
Moreover, the first-place reward for this ranking battle, the Dragon Scale Armor, was a grand gift brought by Ling Kun from the Tian Wei Sword Domain for Tian Jian Villa. It was offered as the top prize only as a formality, because before the competition, everyone—themselves included—was absolutely certain that the first place would go to Ling Yun, and no one else. Thus, the Dragon Scale Armor would return to Tian Jian Villa anyway, while demonstrating the villa's "generosity" to the world.
If Ling Yun lost, the Dragon Scale Armor would fall into someone else's hands.
Neither outcome was acceptable to Tian Jian Villa.
Noticing Ling Yuefeng's reaction, Xuanyuan Yufeng comforted him, "Yuefeng, don't worry. Remember, Yun'er still has his Sword Spirit Clone. Once he uses it, Xia Qingyue has no chance of winning."
"Heaven's Might Supreme Sword—Primordial Chaos!!"
The blue sword beam on the Tian Yuan Sword surged wildly, extending over twenty zhang. From afar, it seemed Ling Yun was holding a colossal sword twenty zhang long and half a zhang wide. Raising both hands, the blue beam descended like a heavenly judgment blade upon Xia Qingyue.
*Boom!!!*
Amid the thunderous roar, a hundred-zhang-long, five-foot-wide, bottomless chasm split the Sword Discussion Platform, severing it cleanly in two. Meanwhile, Xia Qingyue had already appeared high in the sky at some point. Ice spirits drifted slowly around her, and snowflakes fell gently from above. At first, only a few scattered flakes appeared, then they grew in number. A cold wind began to blow softly, and eventually, wind and snow merged into a raging blizzard that poured down.
"This is... the sixth level of the Ice Cloud Art—the Heaven-Summoned Snow Realm!!" Ling Yuefeng was greatly alarmed! As far as he knew, Chu Yuechan, who was at Half-step King Xuan Realm, had only reached this level! Xia Qingyue's talent was extraordinary, but no matter how talented, how could she achieve the sixth level of the Ice Cloud Art at the third level of Earth Xuan Realm... This had nothing to do with talent; it violated the most basic laws of profound energy!
Such power no longer seemed like pure profound energy but rather an irresistible natural force. Each snowflake appeared fragile, yet each carried terrifying cold and the destructive force of Ice Cloud. Ling Yun retreated quickly but was still enveloped by the pervasive blizzard. He swung his sword, rapidly cutting through the storm, barely managing to withstand this attack that should not belong to the Earth Xuan level. At that moment, a white streamer suddenly flew toward him from the front. Though he sensed it, he could not spare attention while resisting the heavenly snow, and the Ice Phoenix Qionghua Silk gently brushed against his chest.
*Boom!!!*
Ling Yun spat out a mouthful of blood, splattering it on the pure white snow. At the same time, using the force of the frontal blow, he launched himself far backward, escaping the blizzard. After over a dozen consecutive rolls in the air, he landed heavily on one knee, supporting himself with the Tian Yuan Sword and gasping for breath.
Ling Yuefeng shot to his feet, reached out, and snatched the Tian Yang Sword from Ling Jie's hand, then hurled it toward Ling Yun: "Yun'er, catch the sword!!"
Ling Yun looked up, pain and struggle flickering in his eyes, but he still reached out and grasped the Tian Yang Sword. His gaze then regained its resolve.
Earlier, when Ling Jie faced Yun Che, the scene featured Ling Yun lending his sword. Now, a nearly identical scenario played out with Ling Yun himself.
The Sword Discussion Platform fell silent. No one booed. Everyone understood that Tian Jian Villa absolutely could not afford to lose this match. If the premier force of the Cang Feng Empire, the supreme overlord, fell to third place, it would undoubtedly become an indelible shame for the villa through the ages.
Ling Yun was naturally aware of this. So, even though using two swords wounded his pride and dignity, he did not refuse... Compared to the villa's prestige, his personal honor was trivial.
He had to win this battle.
Left hand holding the Tian Yuan Sword, right hand holding the Tian Yang Sword, Ling Yun slowly rose. He then let go of the Tian Yang Sword, but strangely, it did not fall. Instead, it hovered in midair.
Ling Yun brought his hands together before him, a strange light flickering in his eyes—as sharp as sword beams. A faint gray profound energy radiance swirled around his body.
"Sword... Spirit... Clone..."
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