The tender little red flower swayed amidst the falling ice crystals.
The sword spirit gazed at it, as if seeing the most beautiful thing in the world. Its eyes were filled with fervor, and even the external blade began to hum, shaking off the frost.
After years of longing, its wish was finally about to be fulfilled. It would soon be reborn as a human!
"What 'Demon God Fuxi'? After I reincarnate with the memories of my past life, I will forge a new era, an era that belongs solely to me!"
The spirit of the Gan Jiang sword roared, and deep cyan mist surged towards the other shore flower.
It intended to absorb the flower now, and the latter had no power to resist, its massive stamens still frozen.
The sword spirit moved swiftly, seemingly about to succeed, but then, from an unknown source, a fierce wind suddenly blew.
The wind was heavy, carrying a terrifying aura of shattering and decay. Everything in its path was destroyed, and even the sword spirit's ethereal form dispersed, forcing it to halt its advance.
"Who is it!"
The sword spirit cried out in shock and anger. It found it hard to believe that anything could still threaten it in this space after its previous strike.
It swiftly coalesced its form and lunged towards the other shore flower.
It didn't care what strange presence was here; after all, it was closest to the flower.
No one could be faster than it, the sword spirit thought.
*Swish!*
A black shadow flashed by.
Wishes were beautiful, but reality was often cruel.
Someone was indeed faster, as the wind was caused by the person's movement. The other shore flower, now within grasp, vanished. The sword spirit was stunned, then enraged:
"Who did that!"
Filled with fury, it retreated into the Gan Jiang sword, scanning its surroundings.
Immediately, the sword spirit discovered a figure at the end of the wind's path.
The figure moved with incredible speed, ascending vertically, each stride immense, as if walking on level ground. A powerful aura emanated from it, and in its right hand, it held a halberd adorned with golden dragons.
Wherever it passed, rubble and ice crystals were mercilessly crushed.
And in its left hand, it tightly grasped a tender red flower.
"Other shore flower, give me back my other shore flower!"
Finally finding the flower, the sword spirit roared in anger. The Gan Jiang sword instantly soared into the sky and mercilessly unleashed a beam of sword energy towards the figure above.
The frost was bone-chilling, and the sword qi was razor-sharp.
Seeing this, Qiong Qi immediately unleashed his Samadhi True Fire.
Although this strike was not as potent as the previous one that froze everything, it still possessed the killing power of the Domain Lord stage. The ice essence contained within could freeze blood; he had to be cautious.
Sensing the incoming sword qi from below, the figure swung its halberd, stirring a gust of wind that made Qiong Qi's heart pound with renewed fear.
He wondered what rank this divine weapon, the halberd, was. The wind generated by its swing was so vast, it could perhaps even reverse the flow of a waterfall!
*Boom-crack!*
Finally, the heavy halberd collided with the sword light, erupting in an incredibly loud roar.
The power of destruction clashed with the sword qi, exploding outwards.
The immense force launched the figure high into the air, and without regard for injury, it used the momentum to ascend thousands of meters, reaching the same height as Qiong Qi.
Qiong Qi, standing on the frozen rock, was astonished. How was this possible?
"Another human, the fourth stage, truly monstrous!"
Qiong Qi cursed inwardly. This person was clearly a Lord, yet their innate energy surged with such power.
He would have needed his innate divine ability to block that sword strike, yet this person had met it head-on and sustained barely any injury. Truly monstrous!
"This place is about to collapse. Let's join forces and escape."
The man, his face covered in a beard, transmitted his voice in a steady tone.
Hearing the familiar voice, Yan Yu struggled to gather his senses and lifted his eyelids. He saw the tall figure.
Clad in armor and wielding a halberd.
Among the people he knew, only the young general liked to dress this way. Therefore, this must be Ji Chang.
Ji Chang took a step forward, arriving before Qiong Qi, his expression grave.
Having led armies and fought battles for years, slaying countless ferocious beasts in the Western Mountains, he understood the deep-seated hatred that these great demons held for humans.
The demon might be willing to fight alongside Yan Yu, but it might not accept him.
"Let's escape together."
"This place is collapsing. If we keep fighting like this, none of us will get out."
Qiong Qi was taken aback:
"What?"
He looked at Ji Chang, who had arrived uninvited, then at the Gan Jiang sword charging up from below, his face filled with dread.
Escape together, or none of them would escape?
If he had wanted to escape, he would have abandoned Yan Yu and teleported to the entrance long ago. Though, he had indeed considered doing just that... But what did he mean by luring the sword towards me? Forcing an alliance?
"Thief, die!"
Another sword light flashed towards Ji Chang. The latter instantly swung his halberd, pressing his left arm against the shaft, exerting half his body's strength. Under the pressure, an endless aura of destruction erupted.
*Boom-crack!*
Another terrifying impact. The space roared. Ji Chang grunted, his body instantly thrown high into the air. Frost spread across his halberd.
Ji Chang suppressed the sweetness in his throat and used the Great Dao of Destruction to shatter the ice essence.
"You won't escape!"
Seeing that his sword energy was ineffective against the human, the sword spirit accelerated its core form and charged directly.
It left a dazzling, cold white trail in the space, and the space it passed through froze.
Qiong Qi, running upwards, sensed the danger and quickly used his Samadhi True Fire to melt the ice. Immediately after, the sword narrowly grazed past him.
Qiong Qi's fur stood on end, filled with extreme fear. He hadn't even noticed the sword's movement, and thankfully, its target wasn't him. Otherwise, he would have lost at least half his life just now!
*Clang, clang, clang...*
Sparks flew, and countless impacts echoed in the air.
Ji Chang, surrounded by an unknown energy field, wielded his halberd and battled the Gan Jiang sword. Each collision caused the space to tremble.
They appeared evenly matched, but in reality, Ji Chang was heavily injured.
His armor was slashed with countless nicks by the sword's edge, and blood flowed like a spring.
This was unavoidable. No matter how strong Ji Chang was, he was ultimately a fourth-stage Lord, and his breakthrough had even been achieved while his body was controlled by a demon god.
He possessed exceptional talent and had dominated an era; it was already remarkable that he could hold on for so long.
Blood trickled from Ji Chang's lips. This sword already possessed the strength of a peak Domain Lord. If this continued, he would surely be defeated!
*"Crunch, crunch..."*
The impacts between the two caused the frozen earth of the surrounding mine to crack, threatening to collapse at any moment. Yet, the Gan Jiang sword pursued relentlessly, and Ji Chang could only react defensively.
"If you keep chasing me like this, aren't you afraid I'll destroy the other shore flower!"
Ji Chang held the other shore flower in his hand and brandished it towards the Gan Jiang sword, intending to use it to buy time. To his surprise, the opponent's assault did not lessen; it became even more ferocious.
"Are you an idiot?"
"The other shore flower itself is an object that transcends the cycle of reincarnation, the ultimate of life and death. How could it be destroyed by an attack? With your intelligence, you're unworthy of being human!"
The Gan Jiang sword transmitted its words mockingly, attacking fiercely. Ji Chang, unable to parry, suffered increasingly severe injuries.
*Thump!*
With a resounding impact, Ji Chang's right wrist bone cracked. Sword qi entered his arm, severing countless muscles and tendons.
Blood seeped from his pores. Ji Chang's right arm was practically useless, connected only by a thin layer of skin.
Yet, even in this state, he forcefully enveloped the muscles with his energy and swept his halberd, deflecting the sword strike aimed at his chest.
*Clang!*
Under the impact, the sword spirit was caught off guard by Ji Chang's remaining strength and was sent flying dozens of meters away.
*Screech!*
As he managed to stop himself and was about to attack again, Qiong Qi charged forward and swiped him into the side of the mine wall, embedding him deeply.
"Let's go together!"
Qiong Qi, carrying Yan Yu in his mouth, approached Ji Chang.
After an incredibly complex internal struggle, he had ultimately chosen not to abandon Yan Yu and instead stood with Ji Chang.
Seeing Qiong Qi's action, a trace of a smile finally appeared on Ji Chang's pale face.
He used this brief respite to switch the halberd to his left hand. Then, he glanced at the other shore flower in his right hand, and his expression became even more resolute.
Ji Chang and Qiong Qi moved forward together, continuing their ascent.
*Bang!*
Debris exploded as the Gan Jiang sword broke free from the wall. The sword spirit watched Ji Chang and Qiong Qi's retreating backs, filled with anxiety.
Their struggle had taken them tens of thousands of meters up; they were fast approaching the surface.
Once they exited this mine, he could continue his pursuit, but he feared they might have reinforcements.
The young generation of this era was terrifyingly strong. If they summoned a fifth-stage, or even a half-step Human King realm expert as escort, he would be completely out of luck regarding reincarnation.
With that consequence in mind, the sword spirit immediately unleashed its full power.
Thus, the frost and snow on the Gan Jiang sword were abruptly dispersed by an intense, sharp intent.
This sword, inscribed with tortoise patterns, was imbued with the scent of history and bloodshed, filling the space. It felt incredibly heavy, and an invisible sword intent slowly accumulated. The sharp cutting intent grew stronger, shredding everything it touched.
*Hum...*
Even before the sword was drawn, Ji Chang and Qiong Qi above felt fear.
Yes, fear. This sword intent was too terrifying; they knew instinctively that they could not block it without even trying.
But where could they flee? They were still ten thousand meters from the surface, and it would take at least ten seconds at their fastest.
At this moment, the Gan Jiang sword ceased its charge-up.
Stopping was also a beginning.
"With this strike, who can contend?"
The sword spirit silently recited, the favorite phrase of its former master, the Free and Unfettered Heavenly Venerate, uttered after every kill.
So now, he too recited it.
Because he had targeted the man and beast above.
In the next second, the sword would be unleashed.
But at that very moment, he suddenly sensed a sword intent.
The sword intent seemed to originate from the surface, and it was not directed at him. Yet, as the spirit of the Gan Jiang sword, he involuntarily felt a profound terror.
It was akin to the fear the Free and Unfettered Heavenly Venerate experienced before being struck down by heavenly tribulation.
Thus, the sword spirit began to tremble uncontrollably.
And the angle of its sword strike shifted slightly.
Therefore, its strike went wide.