Chapter 205: Testing the Sword (Part 1)
Where the Demon Lord had stood, there was once a tree.
That tree had now been reduced to nothingness by the Blind Qin Master’s zither music and Chen Changsheng’s sword intent. As the zither notes and sword intent descended, a green leaf on the slenderest tip of the highest branch was caught by the wind, carried away, and fell.
That green leaf landed on the closed eye of a stone statue beside the back gate.
Neither Chen Changsheng nor the Blind Qin Master had noticed that stone statue, and logically speaking, it was impossible for them to notice the statue opening its eyes. But the moment the statue’s eyes opened, that green leaf was flicked away, drifting lightly into the wind.
The Blind Qin Master’s ears twitched slightly. He flipped his hands, positioning the ancient zither horizontally before him, and with a surge of true essence, he blasted Chen Changsheng away.
No sound rang out, but suddenly a gleam of light appeared in the night.
That gleam was a slender, elongated point of light, looking like a needle.
That light needle moved incredibly fast, like true light itself. A moment ago, it was deep in the darkness; the next, it was before the two of them.
With a soft *pfft* sound.
That slender light needle effortlessly pierced the ancient zither held horizontally before the Blind Qin Master, penetrated his left shoulder, and then vanished again into the night.
The Blind Qin Master’s face turned deathly pale. Blood gushed out like pulp. His hands, clutching the zither, trembled violently, as if they might fall limp at any moment. That slender light needle had left only a tiny wound on his left shoulder, yet it seemed to have gravely wounded him.
The sound of tearing air grew dense. Over seven hundred swords flew back from the night sky, encircling Chen Changsheng and the Blind Qin Master in protection.
Countless sword tips faced outward, making them look like a fruit covered in countless fine spines.
This was the most stable defensive sword formation within the Nanxi Zhai sword array.
The Blind Qin Master’s mind relaxed slightly. Unable to bear the pain any longer, he grunted and set down the ancient zither.
That slender light needle had only pierced his left shoulder, but the sacred yet eerie aura attached to it was relentlessly corroding his meridians. Even with the Blind Qin Master’s half-step sacred cultivation, even with all his true essence unleashed, he could not expel that aura with his divine sense.
What kind of aura was this? And what was that slender light needle?
Chen Changsheng and the Blind Qin Master’s gazes, passing through the rain of swords, fell upon that stone statue.
The stone statue had already opened its eyes and stood up.
Its gaze was utterly indifferent, devoid of any emotion—no love, no hate—only a coldness, as if it were not a living being.
Yet the powerful aura emanating from the depths of its eyes was so real and vivid. If one looked deeper into its eyes, they might see the purest wisdom, the very principles of heaven and earth.
Without a doubt, this stone statue was a real, living entity.
But it was unlike any life form that had ever appeared on this continent, whether in its mode of existence or its origin.
The Blind Qin Master could not see the statue’s naked, perfect body or its holy wings.
But he could clearly sense its presence.
His face grew even paler.
The stone statue slowly raised its right hand.
The night shrouded the courtyard in deep darkness. Even Chen Changsheng could only rely on his divine sense to probe the surroundings.
But when the stone statue raised its hand, it extracted some light hidden in the cracks of space from the deepest darkness.
Those rays of light gathered in its hand, gradually forming a bundle, then taking on a concrete shape.
It was a spear condensed from light.
The Blind Qin Master listened intently, hearing the faint sounds of space being pierced and annihilated by those rays of light. Strangely, his face no longer paled.
He had stopped thinking about anything, so he no longer felt alert or uneasy.
He hugged the ancient zither with trembling hands and said to Chen Changsheng in a low voice, “Go.”
That single slender light needle had left him powerless to resist, let alone the light spear they now faced!
Chen Changsheng understood the Blind Qin Master’s intention.
The Blind Qin Master was prepared to sacrifice his own life to block this light spear and the possible pursuit of the Demon Lord, buying Chen Changsheng time to retreat from this night.
As long as Chen Changsheng could leave the courtyard, he could reach the eye of the Li Palace’s grand formation.
Even if they couldn’t defeat these two immensely powerful beings from another continent, they might at least gain a few more chances to survive, or at least more time.
Chen Changsheng did not accept the Blind Qin Master’s plea.
At this point, even gaining more time wouldn’t necessarily bring more chances to live.
And he wouldn’t leave the Blind Qin Master here alone.
He had already prepared for this.
He knew that when he killed the Demon Lord, he would very likely encounter a second Holy Light Angel.
That is, the stone statue that had come to life.
According to Bie Yanghong, this Holy Light Angel governed judgment, with the sacred name of Hidden Thunder, and was even more terrifying than the Holy Light Angel currently confronting the Li Palace’s grand formation.
Chen Changsheng drew the Stainless Sword and connected it with its sheath, then gripped the hilt with both hands.
With this motion, the string of stone beads he had been holding in his palm slid onto the sword hilt.
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Watching this scene, the distant Demon Lord raised an eyebrow slightly.
He naturally knew what this meant.
Now the entire continent knew that when Chen Changsheng connected his short sword with its sheath, it became a long sword.
That only happened when Chen Changsheng was fighting for his life.
The question was, Chen Changsheng should know who his opponent was.
The Demon Lord knew that Chen Changsheng knew, so he didn’t understand why Chen Changsheng still came to kill him, insisted on standing his ground, and refused to retreat.
Did he really think he could obliterate a powerful life form from another continent?
Did he really think that fighting for his life would be useful when facing an inescapable dead end?
Chen Changsheng appeared very calm, showing no trace of passion or impulsiveness.
The night-shrouded courtyard naturally lacked any tragic or heroic atmosphere.
He knew very well that the Holy Light Angel was terrifying.
And for some reason, these two Holy Light Angels today were even more powerful than when Bie Yanghong had encountered them.
But he still wanted to try.
Just like Wang Po had done back then in Xunyang City, facing Zhu Luo’s sword and the moonlight in the wind and rain.
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The Holy Light Angel’s gaze was indifferent.
In the night, the over seven hundred famous swords, like a torrential rain about to fall, were ignored by it.
Its gaze fell upon Chen Changsheng.
Its eyes gradually changed.
Growing colder, harsher, more terrifying.
But what was truly shocking was that these were emotions.
This was an extremely rare occurrence.
What did this Holy Light Angel see in Chen Changsheng?
Or rather, what did it sense within Chen Changsheng’s body?
An extremely strange syllable burst from the Holy Light Angel’s lips.
It was as if countless thunderclaps echoed between heaven and earth.
Hearing this sound, the Demon Lord’s expression turned somewhat peculiar.
Chen Changsheng’s expression was the same.
Without needing the principles of heaven and earth to translate on their own, he vaguely understood what the other meant.