Chapter 786: Sword Saint Duel
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen's hairs stood on end, and sweat continuously beaded on his back. He felt an extreme sense of danger. His identity could be exposed at any moment.
"No matter what, I absolutely cannot stay in the Liangyi Sect any longer. Right now, everyone hasn't reacted yet, but soon, someone will definitely guess it's me," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Xuanji Sword Saint also clearly realized that Zhang Ruochen's situation was extremely dangerous. So, he let out a cold snort and said, "Nine Nether, according to you, you are the most innocent person in this?"
Nine Nether Sword Saint smiled and said, "Xuanji, we have been rivals our entire lives. Don't you know me yet? Am I the kind of person who dares to do something but doesn't dare to admit it?"
Xuanji Sword Saint was silent for a moment, then said, "I would rather believe that you said this just before the decisive battle to disrupt my state of mind."
The reason Xuanji Sword Saint said this was actually to protect Zhang Ruochen, hoping to guide everyone present to doubt the truth of Nine Nether Sword Saint's words.
Nine Nether Sword Saint still wore a faint smile and admitted it very frankly, saying, "That's right, I am trying to disrupt your state of mind. How about you guess whether your disciple was really killed by me or not?"
A wave of curses rose from the crowd.
Second Senior Brother Zhu Hongtao clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, saying, "Despicable, truly despicable. At such a critical moment, Nine Nether Sword Saint actually uses Little Junior Brother's death to disrupt Master's state of mind."
"The person Master loves most is Little Junior Brother, and he had high hopes for him. I hope Master can maintain his state of mind and not be affected by Nine Nether Sword Saint's words," said First Senior Brother Qingxiao Saint, his expression grave.
Except for Huang Yanchen, none of the senior and junior brothers knew that Zhang Ruochen was still alive.
To a certain extent, Xuanji Sword Saint's challenge to Nine Nether Sword Saint was also a way to protect Zhang Ruochen, to prevent anyone from suspecting he was still alive.
Just like now, even if Nine Nether Sword Saint said he didn't kill Zhang Ruochen, everyone would doubt the truth of his words.
This black pot, Nine Nether Sword Saint had no choice but to carry.
Next, the two Sword Saints fell completely silent, confronting each other, and the aura they emitted grew stronger and stronger.
Regardless of whether Nine Nether Sword Saint had killed Zhang Ruochen or not, this battle was inevitable.
Because both Nine Nether Sword Saint and Xuanji Sword Saint wanted to use this battle to break through to the realm they dreamed of.
If they couldn't reach that realm, they would completely fall a hundred years later when their lifespans ran out.
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
Almost at the same time, Nine Nether Sword Saint and Xuanji Sword Saint transformed into two beams of sword light, shooting straight up into the clouds.
Then, they stepped on the void, standing in midair, and powerful sacred Qi surged out from their bodies without reservation.
On the ground, all the younger cultivators felt a tremendous pressure. Their legs trembled uncontrollably, as if they were about to be forced to their knees by the sacred might radiating from the two Sword Saints.
The duel between the two Sword Saints would inevitably cause massive destruction. Even Saints, if they approached within a hundred miles, would be in danger of falling.
"Activate the Taiji Ancient Formation." Ning Xuandao immediately gave the order.
The next moment, in the Ancient God Mountain, seventy-two ancient formation platforms began to operate, shooting out seventy-two white light pillars that flew high into the sky and connected together, forming a huge Taiji pattern.
With the Ancient God Mountain as the center, the area within a thousand miles was completely covered by the formation.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen was also extremely nervous. He clenched his fists, looked up, and stared intently at the two Sword Saints.
"Master must win."
Zhang Ruochen had never cared so much about winning or losing as he did now.
Because losing meant death.
If not for Xuanji Sword Saint, Zhang Ruochen would never have reached the Supreme Extreme Realm on the Ruins Realm battlefield. He would likely have been killed by the evil experts of the Black Market long ago.
If not for Xuanji Sword Saint, Zhang Ruochen would definitely have been captured by Wan Zhaoyi and brought before Chi Yao, as a loser, an ant, a coward, and would eventually be suppressed to kneel before Empress Chi Yao.
Perhaps, she would even kill him a second time.
To Zhang Ruochen, Xuanji Sword Saint was not just a master who passed on the Dao, taught skills, and resolved doubts, but also an elder who cared for him deeply.
One day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father.
It could be said that besides his parents, Xuanji Sword Saint was the person Zhang Ruochen respected the most.
Not only Zhang Ruochen, but also the other senior and junior brothers—Qingxiao Saint, Zhu Hongtao, Wan Ke, and others—were all very nervous and deeply worried about their master's safety.
In the sky above, the two Sword Saints stood in the north and south positions, twelve miles apart. The sword intent, aura, and sacred might radiating from them had reached their peak.
They were still standing in place, not yet starting to fight.
But the void between them kept rumbling with loud sounds, as invisible sword Qi clashed against each other.
In fact, the two of them had already begun a fierce confrontation.
However, since the two Sword Saints were using sword intent to duel, their moves were invisible to the naked eye.
"Boom."
Suddenly, a loud noise came from above. A ring of white energy, like ripples on water, surged out from Xuanji Sword Saint's body, shaking Nine Nether Sword Saint back several hundred zhang.
Clearly, in the duel of sword intent, Xuanji Sword Saint was superior and had gained the upper hand.
"Sky Soaring!"
Seizing the opportunity, Xuanji Sword Saint naturally pressed the attack. He formed hand seals, summoned the Sky Soaring Sword, and pointed a finger toward Nine Nether Sword Saint.
The Sky Soaring Sword dragged a beam of light nearly a hundred meters long, like a bright meteor, swiftly crossing the sky.
In a duel between sword cultivators, one must strike with all one's might to break through like splitting bamboo. There must be a belief in certain victory.
When Xuanji Sword Saint used his sword intent to repel Nine Nether Sword Saint, he not only boosted his own momentum but also suppressed Nine Nether Sword Saint's.
With this momentum, the balance of victory would quickly tilt in Xuanji Sword Saint's favor.
Zangyue Sword Saint looked up at the sky and nodded, saying, "In today's battle, Xuanji Sword Saint already has a seventy percent chance of winning."
"In the last hundred years, Xuanji Sword Saint has always focused his energy on the Sword Dao. However, Nine Nether Sword Saint has been entangled in the mundane affairs of the Black Market, so he naturally began to fall behind," Ning Xuandao said.
Zangyue Sword Saint added, "Among the three Sword Saints of the Eastern Domain, Xuanji's Sword Dao is the best. Even without this decisive battle, he should have had the opportunity to break through to that realm within his lifetime."
Thinking of that realm, Zangyue Sword Saint and Ning Xuandao both showed looks of longing. Without great fortune, even they might never break through in their lifetimes.
Unless they could also fight as desperately as Xuanji Sword Saint and Nine Nether Sword Saint, they might still have a chance.
"Whoosh——"
The southern sky completely turned pitch black.
Wisps of black smoke, like long dragons, gathered at Nine Nether Sword Saint's feet, emitting a chilling, sinister aura.
From Nine Nether Sword Saint's brow, nine black ancient swords flew out in succession, arranged in nine directions around his body.
The nine swords spun rapidly and finally merged together, shooting forward in a single sword strike, colliding with the Sky Soaring Sword unleashed by Xuanji Sword Saint.
"Boom."
At the point of collision, dense sword Qi was born, surging outward like waves in all directions.
Some of the sword Qi even flew a thousand miles away, falling to the ground, still unleashing powerful force, leaving craters dozens of meters in diameter on the ground.
The martial artists of the Liangyi Sect and the Divine Platform City also saw the sword Qi flying across the sky. Each sword Qi was like a meteor streaking across the sky, making a piercing sound.
Those who didn't know better thought a star from beyond the sky had fallen, inspiring fear and causing them to kneel and kowtow immediately.
Gradually, the figures of Nine Nether Sword Saint and Xuanji Sword Saint completely disappeared, shrouded entirely by sword Qi, leaving only the continuous sounds of battle.
Only figures at the level of Zangyue Sword Saint and Ning Xuandao could continue to watch the battle.
This battle lasted an entire day, and even as night fell, it still hadn't ended.
Suddenly, Zangyue Sword Saint's expression changed slightly, and she said with some confusion, "Something's wrong, something's wrong. Xuanji Sword Saint clearly had the absolute upper hand, so why did the power he unleashed suddenly weaken so drastically? Did something unexpected happen?"
Zhang Ruochen's heart tightened, and a bad premonition arose. He immediately walked toward Zangyue Sword Saint and asked, "Sword Saint, what exactly happened to Xuanji Sword Saint?"
"Boom."
Before Zangyue Sword Saint could respond, Xuanji Sword Saint fell from the sky, crashing heavily to the ground and creating a huge crater.
The crater was a hundred meters in diameter. The ground around it was completely shattered and bulging upward.
At the center of the crater, Xuanji Sword Saint lay with a black giant sword embedded in his chest. His aged eyes stared straight at the sky, and his lips uttered the last two words: "Old... Four..."
Then, he completely lost his breath.
But his voice was too weak; no one heard it except himself.
In the sky above, the black clouds gradually receded, revealing a bright moon. Rays of moonlight fell on Xuanji Sword Saint's corpse, making the scene even more desolate.
At this moment, time seemed to stand still.
Nine Nether Sword Saint was covered in blood. He flew down from the sky, appeared beside the crater, glanced at Xuanji Sword Saint's corpse, and a look of confusion appeared in his eyes.
Even he couldn't understand why Xuanji Sword Saint's strength had suddenly declined so severely, to the point where he couldn't even block one of his sword strikes.
But regardless, he had finally won this decisive battle.
"Whoosh!"
Nine Nether Sword Saint waved his arm and withdrew his sacred sword.
"Master!"
Qingxiao Saint, Zhu Hongtao, Wan Ke, Feng Han, Lingshu Half-Saint, and Huang Yanchen immediately rushed into the crater and surrounded Xuanji Sword Saint.
Even though some of them had already become Saints, they still knelt on the ground, all weeping in grief.
"Mas... ter..."
In the Liangyi Sect's camp, Zhang Ruochen felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His heart ached violently, and he couldn't stop the tears from welling up in his eyes. He bent his legs and knelt toward Xuanji Sword Saint.
(The death of the master, the black pot king Nine Nether Sword Saint will definitely continue to carry the blame. So what is the truth? Will Zhang Ruochen discover the truth? Please look forward to the next volume of "The Ancient God Emperor," titled "Heaven Overturning and Earth Reversing.")