Chapter 238: Domain Termination
Behind the Tianyang Sword, a phantom figure suddenly appeared. As Ling Yun softly chanted and his Profound Force surged throughout his body, this shadow rapidly solidified. In the end, it transformed into a human figure with no sense of illusion at all—clothing identical to Ling Yun's, body shape identical to Ling Yun's, even the face and gaze were exactly the same. He reached out and grabbed the Tianyang Sword in front of him, instantly releasing a sword momentum completely identical to Ling Yun's, without any discount.
Two Ling Yuns stood together, and aside from the swords in their hands, there seemed to be no difference whatsoever!
Yun Che's mouth opened slightly, his eyes filled with shock. Was this... an illusion? A residual shadow? No! If it were an illusion, there would be no such thing as "sword momentum." But this figure clearly radiated an aura that was in no way weaker than Ling Yun's. It was as if it were another real Ling Yun!
Two Ling Yuns!?
Everyone present was instantly stunned, especially the younger Profound Adepts, whose eyes were bulging like oxen's. What technique was this? How could there be such an incredible technique in the world... It was like a magic trick! And even the weakest Profound Adepts could feel from the "second Ling Yun" an aura that was in no way inferior to the real Ling Yun.
"This is a Sword Spirit Clone! It is a special sword intent technique that can only be unleashed when one's understanding of sword intent has reached the pinnacle!" Qin Wushang said with a furrowed brow. "This Sword Spirit Clone is formed from Ling Yun's sword intent. Not only does it not consume or disperse Ling Yun's own power, but it possesses Profound Force, techniques, and skills completely identical to Ling Yun's—it is essentially another identical Ling Yun! However, the Sword Spirit Clone greatly depletes mental energy. When the Sword Spirit Clone disappears, Ling Yun will inevitably become extremely exhausted... But given Ling Yun's sword intent, this Sword Spirit Clone should last at least half a quarter-hour!"
"In that half a quarter-hour, Xia Qingyue will be facing two Ling Yuns simultaneously. One Ling Yun is already terrifying enough, two Ling Yuns... let alone half a quarter-hour, even lasting sixty breaths will be extremely difficult for Xia Qingyue."
As Qin Wushang spoke, Ling Yun's Tianyuan Sword thrust straight forward, a single sword strike like a shooting star. That sword seemed to slice through space itself; even if a mountain stood in its path, it would be enough to cut it clean through.
Xia Qingyue's white ribbon danced, meeting the Tianyuan Sword. With a series of explosive sounds, sword shadows and white shadows collided, producing a terrifying noise like the simultaneous roar of thunder and lightning. At that moment, the other Ling Yun had circled behind Xia Qingyue, and the Tianyang Sword stabbed forward with equally fierce momentum...
Unless she used power that broke the normal rules, Xia Qingyue's Profound Force could only barely match Ling Yun's evenly. But using power that transcended the rules would undoubtedly come with a huge cost and could not be used frequently. Xia Qingyue could contend with one Ling Yun, but she absolutely could not face two Ling Yuns at the same time.
Ice lotuses exploded, and Xia Qingyue swiftly repositioned, but the two Ling Yuns followed like shadows. A cyan and an orange Heavenly Xuan Sword wove two huge sword nets, firmly sealing Xia Qingyue within. The power of the Tianyuan Sword and Tianyang Sword naturally complemented and enhanced each other. Now, with two people and two swords united, the increase in power was far more than just double.
Crack!!
The entire Sword Discussion Platform shook violently. The stone beneath was cracked into large spiderweb-like patterns. Ice lotuses bloomed around Xia Qingyue, but they were instantly shredded by the cyan and orange sword energy. Gradually, the attacking ice lotuses dwindled, and the defensive ice lotuses increased. In the end, all the ice lotuses focused solely on defense. The Ice Phoenix Qionghua Ribbon also shifted to full defensive mode, rapidly swirling around Xia Qingyue's body to fend off the unending sword energy from the two swords.
Even so, danger followed every moment, as she was steadily forced back by Ling Yun.
"I didn't expect that Ling Yun could already use a Sword Spirit Clone... Sister, I remember back then, you were also defeated because Ling Yuefeng used that bizarre Sword Spirit Clone technique," Chu Yueli spoke, her voice calm, her expression cold. Although Xia Qingyue had fallen into absolute disadvantage, she did not seem anxious.
Chu Yuechan's face was cold as frost, and she did not answer.
Chu Yueli closed her eyes and sent a soul transmission: "Qingyue, it seems there's no other choice. Use the 'Domain.' I believe the Palace Master will not blame you for using the Domain, given that Ling Yun can use a Sword Spirit Clone."
Xia Qingyue, who was struggling against the two Ling Yuns, paused in her movements. Suddenly, ice spirits drifted around her, and a huge "Ice Prison Lotus" exploded beneath her feet, forcing both Ling Yuns back at once.
The two Ling Yuns retreated ten zhang, but immediately closed in like lightning. At that moment, Xia Qingyue's body suddenly emitted a large amount of ice-blue light. Her eyes closed, her face as serene as snow and ice. As her arms slowly spread, her pitch-black hair drifted without wind, and a bitterly cold wind suddenly howled down from the sky...
"Ice... Cloud... Domain..."
A soft murmur slowly spilled from her lips. In an instant, it was as if the world before her had switched. The space a hundred zhang around her turned completely ice-blue. Within this vast ice-blue domain, the air became as cold as a purgatory. Countless frost flakes silently fell, and the water elements in the air rapidly crystallized into countless ice particles, soon covering the ground with an increasingly thick layer of shining white...
Both Ling Yuns' movements halted simultaneously, ice rapidly forming all over their bodies. Their faces revealed deep terror.
"This is... this is... this is..."
"Domain!?" Before Ling Yuefeng could exclaim in shock, Xuanyuan Yufeng grabbed his hand and shouted in a lost voice.
Ling Kun's expression also shifted. After a moment of shock, he murmured lowly to himself: "Truly worthy of... the law-defying Nine-Xuan Exquisite Body!"
"D... Domain!?"
"Impossible! It's impossible! Isn't a Domain the power of a Throne!?"
"But this is clearly Domain Force! And a complete Domain at that!"
This time, not only the young Profound Adepts, but even the elders were all stunned. A Domain was still too distant for the young ones, but these elders deeply understood the concept of a Domain... And this kind of power was the highest goal they pursued in their entire lives!
"Domain... Domain..." Ling Wugou stared blankly at the ice-blue world before him, his face frozen in a daze. He was now at Level 8 of the Heavenly Profound Realm, and the possibility of breaking through to the King Profound Realm in his lifetime was extremely slim. Being able to use a Domain was a hallmark of a Throne's power. But for him, it was only a dream he could never reach... Yet this dream was now being fully manifested in a seventeen-year-old girl.
Xia Qingyue's Ice Cloud Domain was naturally inferior in power to the one Chu Yuechan had used back then, but its completeness far surpassed it. After all, Chu Yuechan, who was at the Half-step King Profound Realm back then, could only barely manifest half an Ice Cloud Domain, while Xia Qingyue's was completely whole!
Within the Ice Cloud Domain, the cold, flying snow, frost, ice mist, and biting wind all transformed into elements beneficial to Xia Qingyue, while simultaneously severely restricting Ling Yun in every aspect. The terrifying cold pierced to the bone, freezing Ling Yun's body from the surface to the core. The blizzard and ice mist obscured his vision... At first, he could barely hold on, but gradually, his body grew stiffer and stiffer. Both his movement speed and sword speed dropped drastically. Even his sword momentum weakened, as if being frozen solid...
Ding!
All of Ling Yun's sword radiance was frozen mid-air. Even the Tianyuan Sword and Tianyang Sword quickly became covered in thick ice. The world of the Ice Cloud Domain was like an ice hell. Without an equally powerful Domain to counteract it, the suffering was that of sustained ice prison torment... Ling Yun, at Level 3 of the Earth Profound Realm, could not build a true Domain even if there were two, or ten, or a hundred of him.
As Ling Yun panicked in horror, thick ice had unknowingly formed beneath his feet and on his chest. The Ice Phoenix Qionghua Ribbon struck through the air, but his stiff body no longer obeyed him, moving with agonizing slowness...
Bang!!
The ice on his chest shattered. Xia Qingyue did not hold back with this strike, sending Ling Yun flying far away, a hundred zhang, landing outside the Ice Cloud Domain.
Thud!!
Ling Yun slammed heavily into the ground. The Sword Spirit Clone vanished the moment he landed, and the Tianyang Sword dropped weakly to the ground. Within the Ice Cloud Domain, he had been frozen not only in body but also in Profound Force. When attacked, his Profound Force defense was extremely weak. This strike caused him considerable internal injury, and the collapse of the Sword Spirit Clone severely wounded his soul power. The world before him was a blur; his body struggled for a moment, but he could not get up.
"Young... Young Villa Master!"
Ling Wugou rushed over and helped Ling Yun up. The moment he touched him, he found his body cold as ice.
"I... concede..." Slowly opening his eyes, Ling Yun struggled to utter these two words he had once thought he would never say in his life. Then his head lolled to the side, and he fell unconscious.
At first, he was evenly matched with Xia Qingyue. After using the Sword Spirit Clone, he had gained a great advantage. But as soon as Xia Qingyue's Ice Cloud Domain activated, he was utterly defeated in an instant... Because this power transcended the laws of Profound Force, it was something that should not have appeared at the Earth Profound Realm. He had no way to contend with it.
Ling Yuefeng heavily sat back in his seat, then let out a long breath and silently closed his eyes. The moment the Ice Cloud Domain appeared, he knew Ling Yun had lost, and Tian Jian Villa had lost... There was not a trace of hope.
"She is only at the Earth Profound Realm. How could she... how could she..." Ling Yuefeng murmured in a daze, still unable to accept what everyone had witnessed with their own eyes.
"Ling Yun concedes... Bing Yun Fairy Palace's Xia Qingyue wins, advancing to tomorrow's final battle!" Ling Wugou stood up and announced this result, which no one had expected before the match, in a voice tinged with obvious pain.
Ling Yun... lost...
Ling Yun had actually lost!!
They could hardly imagine what a massive sensation this result would cause when it spread across the Cang Feng Empire.
And if news that a Profound Adept at the Earth Profound Realm could use a Domain was to spread, the shock... would undoubtedly shake the entire Tian Xuan Continent!
Among experts at the Half-step King Profound Realm, some with exceptional talent could forcibly use an incomplete Domain, but it had never been heard of for someone at the Earth Profound Realm to unleash a Domain, and a complete one at that!
The ice-blue Domain slowly faded. Under the shocked and incredulous gazes of everyone, Xia Qingyue floated down from the air. Upon landing, her body swayed slightly. Her high chest heaved violently, and her face was covered with an abnormal pallor... Using a Domain that belonged to a Throne with only Earth Profound Realm power—one could imagine the immense consumption it caused. This brilliant Ice Cloud Domain, even at her peak, she could only barely sustain for twenty breaths.
The Mysterious Stone was re-erected at the center of the Sword Discussion Platform, displaying the two combatants for tomorrow's final battle...
Cang Feng Imperial Clan's Yun Che — versus — Bing Yun Fairy Palace's Xia Qingyue!
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