Sword Qi Cage!
When Lin Zhao swung his sword, the Sword Qi Cage descended from the sky, trapping a group of sword souls within. He then seized the opportunity, raised Zhan Lu, and unleashed a sword intent.
"Sunken Sword Style!"
The sword move from the Eternal Sword Scripture, used against an enemy for the first time!
In the air, streams of brilliant sword light converged, and then the sword tip pointed directly in the same direction, slashing down with a continuous "swish swish swish" sound, instantly causing the HP bars above the heads of the sword souls to fluctuate. The damage of the Sunken Sword Style was not generally high; it was even much higher than the attack damage of ten immortal swords.
Lin Zhao leaped high into the air, his fist descending from above. It was the fourth form of the Farmer's Nine Fists, the "Qi Swallowing Dream Marsh Style," and a majestic fist intent exploded in the air, sweeping across a large pile of sword souls on the ground.
"This damn thing!"
The sword soul, who had been giving orders earlier, roared incessantly, "He's not a pure sword cultivator, but a sword cultivator who cultivates both the way of the sword and fist. We were careless!"
"Charge up and kill him!"
A group of sword souls roared continuously.
Lin Zhao retreated rapidly with the Zhan Lu sword. In his spiritual void, ten immortal swords and twenty-four Great Desolation Ancient Swords all rushed out, standing in a line behind him, their tips pointing directly at the sword souls in front. With a thought from Lin Zhao, they tore through the air with "chichi" sounds, shredding the group of sword souls.
At the same time, the 36 Ephemeral Flying Swords from the orange gourd flew out, sweeping through the crowd like a gentle rain, constantly eroding the HP bars of the fierce sword souls. Just as a group of sword souls broke free from the cage and surrounded Lin Zhao with streams of sword qi, Zhan Lu flickered, and a new move appeared.
"Horizontal Sword Style!"
With a "swish," the Zhan Lu sword swiftly slashed horizontally. The moment Lin Zhao moved his long sword sideways, a transcendent sword intent burst forth from the blade. In the next instant, a sword from the Eternal Sword Scripture was unleashed. The sword light swept across, dealing excess damage and, with "peng peng peng" sounds, stunning the group of sword souls!
That was the desired effect!
Lin Zhao chuckled in his heart. With more skills now, he had more combinations. He could actually make a group of sword souls stop in their tracks. Indeed, with more methods, he could sometimes toy with opponents of the same level at will.
He pointed the sword tip forward, and the twenty-four Great Desolation Ancient Swords slashed through the air with "pupu" sounds. Lin Zhao, meanwhile, circulated his fist intent and continuously punched, sending the approaching sword souls flying. For a time, this young martial artist appeared exceptionally masterful, surrounded by sword intent and fist intent, as if invincible.
More than a dozen sword souls were stunned. Even if a few of them managed to get close and inflict some damage, most of that damage was mitigated by the Golden Armor Immortal Robe. In other words, these sword souls could not harm the current Lin Zhao at all.
On the contrary, Lin Zhao was becoming more enthusiastic. As the Zhan Lu sword flashed with the brilliance of a divine throw, and a sword soul was slain, his experience bar surged by a significant amount. It seemed... that a single sword soul provided about 2% of the current level's experience! This was incredible!
At the same time, Lin Zhao also noticed that when he killed demon souls with the sword techniques of the Eternal Sword Scripture, the proficiency bar of the Eternal Sword Scripture also increased to some extent. It could actually be replenished by killing monsters!? Of course, there was also a possibility that since they were sword souls, killing sword souls would provide replenishment. This possibility was also quite high.
For a time, Lin Zhao became extremely motivated. He swiftly dealt with the dozen or so sword souls before him, significantly increasing his experience and the proficiency of the Eternal Sword Scripture.
As those sword souls dispersed, faint sword intents gathered in the wind, as if a reward for defeating them. In an instant, these sword intents were all refined by Lin Zhao into his sword heart, becoming his own.
He was filled with excitement. This way, the cultivation in the Sword Tomb was truly a tempering that made one stronger through battle! He then continued forward with his sword for a short distance, and once again, streams of sword souls floated out from the ancient swords standing erect in the Sword Tomb.
"Oh my~~~"
A female sword immortal soul, wearing a red dress, swayed in the wind. She was exceptionally beautiful. With one hand on her hip, she chuckled, "Who said this young brother is inferior to Chi Zhong Yu? From my perspective, his killing intent is much more intense than Chi Zhong Yu's. He's also delicate and very elegant. He's clearly a Confucian sword cultivator."
"Hmph!"
On a nearby hill, an old sword immortal with a long sword on his back narrowed his eyes and smiled, "So what? Can he still get past our trial?"
"Indeed."
A man in a green robe with an ethereal demeanor emerged from an ancient sword and said with a smile, "Sword Immortal Cheng, this young man's sword dao foundation is extraordinary. The sword techniques he uses... have a sense of supremacy. We don't need to bother with any martial world rules. Let's three go together and take him down!"
"Agreed."
The woman in the red dress, a sword immortal, smiled and said, "That's what I mean too."
The old sword immortal chuckled, "Let's go?"
The next moment, three sword lights erupted in the Sword Tomb, and then dense, fine sword qi condensed in the heavens and earth, charging towards Lin Zhao with formidable momentum!
On the ground, Lin Zhao calmly swung his sword. It was still the "Hidden Dragon in the Abyss" skill. Instantly, an Eternal Sword Scripture sword intent barrier formed around him. These barriers were condensed from the sword aura derived from the Eternal Sword Scripture, making them very sturdy. Coupled with Lin Zhao's already decent attributes, they were exceptionally resilient.
"Break!"
The three sword immortal souls roared, and a rain of sword qi swept down.
Lin Zhao remained composed, "Block what comes, parry what is met." There was no need to panic.
Not long after, the Zhan Lu sword slew the three sword immortal souls. At the same time, three sword intents were left in the spiritual void. Lin Zhao did not want to move too fast, so he sat down cross-legged on the spot and began to cultivate the Eternal Sword Scripture, refining the three sword intents in his spiritual void. These three sword intents were very powerful. If he could refine them, it would greatly benefit the strength of his sword heart.
...
Outside the Sword Tomb.
Observing the commotion within, Lin Wanhua slowly stood up and said with a smile to Zhi: "There are still some matters to attend to in the city. I will return soon. I will leave this place to you."
"Alright."
Zhi smiled and nodded, "Don't worry."
"Mm."
Lin Wanhua gracefully departed, turning into a wisp of clear breeze as she left the Sword Tomb.
Zhi, on the other hand, sat down cross-legged, cultivating her sword intent on the spot.
"Tsk tsk!"
On the hillside, the old sword immortal Wei Yan, who was imprisoned by chains, looked at the peak twelfth-realm female sword immortal below and said with a smile, "Zhi, Zhi, you are such a talented sword cultivator. You could have founded a sect. Why do you remain at the Peak Villa, taking orders from others?"
Zhi frowned, "Does it have anything to do with you?"
"Nothing."
Wei Yan hugged his sword and leaned lazily against the mountain rock behind him, saying with a smile, "I just find it a bit ridiculous. You are sincere with Lin Zhao, and you are loyal to the Great Chen Dynasty. But who would know? Who would realize? Even if Lin Zhao knew you liked him, has he ever shown any reaction? He knows, but he pretends not to know."
The old sword immortal grinned and said, "Frankly, in Lin Zhao's heart, you, Zhi, have never been the first choice. He keeps you by his side only because of your twelfth realm. If you, Zhi, were merely a first-realm sword cultivator, do you think Lin Zhao would even glance at you?"
"Seeking death!?"
Zhi slowly pushed her sword hilt, and the Cheng Xin sword was drawn out by an inch.
"Hmph!"
The old sword immortal Wei Yan was completely unfazed and said with a smile, "Am I wrong about your thoughts, and you're getting anxious? Don't rush, there's more. As for the Great Chen Dynasty, it's a dynasty that has long since perished. Even Chu Huaixi, the last remnant of the Great Chen Dynasty, died out many years ago."
He chuckled and said, "You are so devoted with a pure heart, what's the use? Can Chu Huaixi see it? Or can Princess Yu, the deceased princess of the Great Chen Dynasty, see it? It's useless. The Great Shang has ruled the world for a long time. Go and see Yan Prefecture. Which of the former citizens of the Great Chen Dynasty still remembers the Great Chen Dynasty?"
Zhi slowly stood up and sneered, "Wei Yan, you want to break my spirit?"
"You want to make a move already?"
Wei Yan stood up with his sword, shook his wrists and the chains at his feet, and said with a smile, "But it's useless. I, Wei Yan, am a sinner of the Fusu Great Wall. What's the point of you defeating someone who is chained?"
"It doesn't matter."
Zhi smiled calmly, "If Sword Immortal Wei wants to spar, Zhi will oblige you. I also want to see how powerful a twelfth-realm sword immortal from the generation who followed Old Sword Immortal Lu Xinghe is. Are the sword immortals of the past more powerful, or the sword immortals of today?"
Saying this, she flipped her wrist, and four sword lights shot out. With a "clang," the four chains binding Wei Yan were all severed. Zhi lightly raised her sword and said, "Don't talk about a draw. If I kill you, it's deserved!"
"Hahahaha~~~"
Wei Yan laughed heartily, "Tsk tsk, you, Lin Wanhua, and that Su Qingjiu from Changming Mountain, I truly like the temperaments of these younger female sword immortals!"
"Like?"
Zhi's willow-leaf eyebrows rose slightly, and she said with a smile, "Alright, kneel and like! Elder Sword Immortal Wei is highly respected, and Zhi dares not be disrespectful. Please, Old Sword Immortal, strike first. It's also the attitude a junior like me should have."
"As you wish!"
Wei Yan let out a roar like thunder. Streams of lightning-wreathed sword qi surged to the sky. Then, he took a step into the air, and a fierce sword light descended from the sky, carrying dense lightning, as if it were about to tear the entire sky apart.
Back then, following Lu Xinghe, Wei Yan was indeed a prominent figure on the Fusu Great Wall. The power of this sword strike already showed his extraordinary momentum.
However, Zhi was at the peak twelfth realm. The battles she had experienced were no less than Wei Yan's, and her sword heart was extremely stable. Looking up, a majestic sword qi soared to the sky, and she swung her sword to meet it.
For a time, the mountain forest outside the Sword Tomb was filled with sword qi, and the two great sword immortals fought amidst lightning and thunder.
...
"Aunt!"
On the city wall, Qin Ran arrived on his sword, frowning, "Father says that Sword Immortal Zhi and Sword Immortal Wei are fighting at the Sword Tomb. Hurry up and go take a look!"
"I know."
Lin Wanhua was a little helpless. In fact, she was keenly aware of every disturbance at the Sword Tomb. It was indeed troublesome.
With a step, Lin Wanhua arrived outside the Sword Tomb and happened to see the afterimages of ten demon soul swords fluttering behind Zhi. The Cheng Xin sword in her hand unleashed a sword light dozens of feet long. The sword light was bent, and it ferociously struck Wei Yan into the mountain forest.
When Wei Yan rolled out, he was covered in wounds. Fine sword qi flowed from his wounds, indicating he was severely injured.