Chapter 1313: Sword Slave
"Six Harmonies Sword Formation... No, that's not it."
Zhang Ruochen stared at the six female saints, tracing their movements with his fingers before gently shaking his head. "There are more variations, the formation's flow is more profound. It can add or remove people at will, seemingly even more advanced than the Six Harmonies Sword Formation."
Whether in his past life or this one, Zhang Ruochen had pored over countless sword classics and was deeply familiar with the sword techniques and formations of the world. The Six Harmonies Sword Formation was already a highly sophisticated formation, capable of utilizing the power of six individuals to its utmost. When six saints executed it, the formation possessed the terrifying might to sweep through all six directions.
But the formation displayed by these six female saints seemed even more refined than the Six Harmonies Sword Formation. Zhang Ruochen had never heard of or seen anything like it before. Only after observing carefully for a while did he discern its intricacies.
The formation's power was immense. If not for the Great Saint remnant formation enveloping Wuyuan Island, the entire island would have likely sunk to the bottom of the lake the moment the six female saints unleashed it.
With Qiu Lanshan's formidable cultivation, once he fell into the formation, he was subtly suppressed, unable to break free and escape.
"Stop."
A reprimand carrying powerful saintly might pierced the ears of the seven saints locked in combat.
The voice was like a world-suppressing great bell. Qiu Lanshan and the six female saints all felt their vision go dark and their heads spin, as if their saint souls were about to leave their bodies. By the time they recovered, they had already been separated by a great distance.
Standing between Qiu Lanshan and the six female saints was a figure engulfed in flames, with a pair of fiery phoenix wings on its back. It had a tall, curvaceous form, crimson long hair, a long, snow-white neck, and exuded an aura of aloofness, holiness, and overbearing dominance.
Seeing that figure, a complex expression flickered in Qiu Lanshan's eyes.
The person before him was merely a junior, yet they exerted immense pressure on him, making him, a Tongtian Realm saint, feel inferior and unwilling to contend with them.
Finally, Qiu Lanshan withdrew his sacred sword. "Is the Female War Saint also going to protect him?"
Canglan War Saint stood proudly, like a rose amidst flames. "I once owed him a favor, so I hope Dean Qiu will also do me one. I will investigate this matter thoroughly and ensure that the saints of the Martial Market Bank did not die in vain."
"Since the Female War Saint has spoken, I will not pursue this matter further today."
Qiu Lanshan was not an unreasonable man. Since someone of Canglan War Saint's status had given him a way out, refusing to yield would only make Wuyuan Island his burial ground.
At the same time, Qiu Lanshan was intensely curious. Who exactly was this suddenly appearing spiritual power saint? How had he managed to capture Zhu Qingyi, and how could he be so close to Canglan War Saint and the White Feather Six Saints?
Could he be the lover of this foremost among the Mysterious Maidens?
"Farewell."
Fearing retaliation from Zhang Ruochen, Qiu Lanshan decided to leave. But just as he was about to go, he caught a whiff of blood. Moments later, a dense blood mist surged from ahead, blocking his path.
"Farewell? Where can you go from Wuyuan Island?"
From within the blood mist came a cold, sharp voice.
A man with enormous blood wings, wearing a skull mask, stepped out of the mist with murderous intent. He had four arms, each holding a blood sword, and four blood-red figures stood around him.
Though he was just one person, it felt as if five top-tier powerhouses had arrived simultaneously.
"Four Swords Blood Saint."
Qiu Lanshan stared at the man before him, then looked down to see a bloody head in Four Swords Blood Saint's hand. A look of terror crossed his face. "That's Cang Beiyu. You killed him."
Cang Beiyu was a Tongtian Realm saint from the Black Market First Class Hall, who had clashed with Qiu Lanshan for years, their cultivations evenly matched. Such a formidable evil overlord had fallen on Wuyuan Island, slain by Four Swords Blood Saint.
Qiu Lanshan felt no joy, only deep fear.
Four Swords Blood Saint let out a cold laugh. "Absorbing the blood of a Tongtian Realm saint will greatly boost my cultivation. And it's quite delicious. You're also a Tongtian Realm saint. I wonder how much your blood will increase my power?"
The blood-red figure standing to Four Swords Blood Saint's front-left was shrouded in a blood robe, but inside was a mass of crimson blood energy with no real body.
It charged forward, emitting a low roar from within the robe. From its right sleeve, it condensed a dark red blood sword and slashed diagonally downward.
Qiu Lanshan's pupils dilated as the sword's shadow in them grew larger. He quickly formed sword seals with both hands.
"Flying Star Buries the Moon."
The Underworld Serpent Sword traced a circle, forming a pattern of stars and a full moon, like a starry sky, surging forward to attack.
The blood-red figure's sword trembled slightly, undergoing subtle changes. It struck the moon mark, breaking through Qiu Lanshan's sword technique and colliding solidly.
"Boom!"
Qiu Lanshan's robes burst apart, and his body flew backward, nearly crashing into the formation inscriptions of the Great Saint remnant formation. Fortunately, Canglan War Saint intervened in time, saving his life.
"How can it be this powerful? With my cultivation, I can't even withstand an attack from one of his avatars?"
Qiu Lanshan's sword-wielding hand trembled as he stared at Four Swords Blood Saint, his fear deepening.
Although Qiu Lanshan had been somewhat careless and was knocked back by a single strike, the fact that even an avatar was this strong made one wonder how powerful the original body was. How could it not inspire fear?
Zhang Ruochen's gaze fixed on the four blood-red figures standing around Four Swords Blood Saint. "Those aren't avatars. They're four sword slaves refined from the sword spirits of sacred swords and the saint souls of saints."
Every sacred sword at the Thousand-Mark Sacred Artifact level contained a fully formed sword spirit.
By extracting a sword spirit and combining it with a saint's saint soul, then infusing it with the sword cultivator's own sword intent and using special secret techniques, one could forge a sword slave.
Sword slaves could grow alongside the sword cultivator.
Of course, the refining process was extremely cruel. True sword cultivators would never stoop to such methods, and over time, the secret art of forging sword slaves was lost.
For Four Swords Blood Saint to simultaneously command four sword slaves, each possessing the strength of a Tongtian Realm saint, indicated that his sword dao attainment was exceptionally high.
Four Swords Blood Saint's gaze locked onto Zhang Ruochen. His voice was hoarse. "A spiritual power saint actually knows sword dao secrets that even sword cultivators don't."
"You must have already cultivated Sword Six to Great Perfection, haven't you?" Zhang Ruochen said.
Four Swords Blood Saint didn't deny it. "Good eyesight. It seems you have a deep understanding of the sword dao. Are you really just a spiritual power saint?"
Four Swords Blood Saint stepped forward. With each step, the aura, sword intent, and saintly might emanating from him surged dramatically.
Even Qiu Lanshan, with his cultivation, could only retreat hastily, hiding behind Canglan War Saint.
Among the four Tongtian Blood Generals, Four Swords Blood Saint and Zhu Qingyi were the strongest. When they had besieged Canglan War Saint, it was he who had severely wounded her with a single strike.
Moreover, after absorbing Cang Beiyu's saint blood, Four Swords Blood Saint's cultivation had reached new heights.
"Boom!"
Canglan War Saint's eyes sharpened. She thrust her sacred sword into the ground. Instantly, sword shadows erupted from the earth all around, their tips pointing skyward.
Two powerful auras clashed against each other.
"A defeated opponent," Four Swords Blood Saint sneered.
"Is that so? In a one-on-one duel, can you defeat me?"
Canglan War Saint's eyes blazed with killing intent. That day, she had single-handedly fought four Tongtian Blood Generals, but in the end, she was outnumbered and severely wounded by Four Swords Blood Saint's sword.
Now, meeting again, Canglan War Saint naturally wanted to avenge that strike. She launched an attack, raising her arm. All the sword shadows on the ground flew up, forming a rain of swords that shot toward Four Swords Blood Saint.
"Swish, swish."
Four Swords Blood Saint's four arms moved simultaneously, forming a sword formation. Four swords merged into one, and four streams of Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force intertwined, turning into a torrent that met the attack head-on.
After unleashing the sword rain, Canglan War Saint followed through. A phoenix cry echoed from within her body, and a phantom of a fire phoenix appeared behind her.
Her sacred sword pierced through the torrent formed by the four streams of Thousand Ripple Annihilation Force, striking the center of the sword formation.
"Boom!"
Four Swords Blood Saint's body was pressed down, his bones emitting a series of cracking sounds. His feet sank into the ground. Even so, he was pushed back over twenty zhang before he could neutralize Canglan War Saint's power.
Between him and Canglan War Saint, a one-zhang-deep trench was left on the ground.
"As expected of the foremost among the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maidens. Truly formidable. Even without breaking through to the Tongtian Realm, you possess such strength."
Four Swords Blood Saint stood up again, his expression turning extremely serious. He summoned his four sword slaves to guard his surroundings.
Canglan War Saint's expression was also grim. "Absorbing the blood of a Tongtian Realm saint has boosted your cultivation this much. It seems that killing you today will require a bit more effort."
With a full-powered strike, Four Swords Blood Saint had blocked it without injury. Canglan War Saint was inwardly shocked.
The Undying Blood Clan's growth rate was terrifying. As long as they had high-quality human blood, they could advance rapidly.
Four Swords Blood Saint said, "Facing an opponent like you, how could I possibly fight alone?"
A loud laugh rang out, shaking the illusionary trees in the forest violently.
Miefeng Blood Saint's massive figure emerged, appearing behind Zhang Ruochen and the six female saints. "With my strength, I should be able to exchange ten or eight moves with Canglan War Saint, shouldn't I?"
Canglan War Saint remained composed. "Times have changed. You two can join forces, but don't I have helpers by my side?"
As long as the six female saints and Qiu Lanshan could hold off Miefeng Blood Saint for a moment, Canglan War Saint was confident she could severely wound Four Swords Blood Saint at top speed.
Then, she would be free to deal with Miefeng Blood Saint and the possibly lurking Kongqian Blood Saint, who might be waiting to ambush them.
However, just as Miefeng Blood Saint appeared, Qiu Lanshan turned into a blur and fled swiftly, disappearing into the forest.
"Damn it."
Canglan War Saint watched Qiu Lanshan vanish from sight, gritting her teeth in fury. A dean of the Northern Domain Sacred Academy was so cowardly and afraid of death.
How could the six female saints alone possibly hold off Miefeng Blood Saint?
Was she about to be trapped in a siege again?
"Haha! Is this your helper?"
Four Swords Blood Saint and Miefeng Blood Saint both laughed coldly, as if deliberately provoking Canglan War Saint to disrupt her state of mind, giving them an even greater advantage.
(Chapter End)