The battle between Chen Tian and Xie Ming continued, the entire space seemingly unaffected by the collision of the two. Chen Tian thrust his long sword directly forward, reaching Xie Ming. Xie Ming, familiar with Chen Tian's sword techniques, met the onslaught with claws empowered by concentrated strength. The claws and the sword body clashed, and with a sudden upward sweep of Chen Tian's sword, Xie Ming, anticipating the move, decisively changed his stance, crossing his arms. Chen Tian's sword descended, grazing the crossed arms and their armor, sparks flying. Xie Ming chuckled, "A weapon of this quality isn't enough to break my defense."
"We shall see," Chen Tian replied, his expression calm and unperturbed. He then unleashed two beams of sword energy, one after another, from his long sword, striking from left and right. The convergence of two different sword energies from a single individual was a testament to Chen Tian's monstrous talent. Xie Ming, well aware of Chen Tian's sword energy, saw the familiar forms and immediately cloaked his body in a black aura, empowered by his Evil Spirit energy. His Evil Spirit bloodline awakened, and his Evil Spirit Claws glowed with a deeper luminescence. Xie Ming knew better than to underestimate Chen Tian's sword energy; doing so would be a grave mistake.
In his first life, Chen Tian had already mastered over a hundred types of sword energy and sword intent, standing at the pinnacle of swordsmanship. There was no one in the entire universe who could surpass him. Chen Tian's talent in the way of the sword was unprecedented and likely unrepeatable. Even if heaven-defying prodigies emerged later, they might not be able to surpass Chen Tian's achievements. Mastering over a hundred sword intents and sword energies was beyond the scope of ordinary cultivators. For a typical sword cultivator, comprehending one sword energy and sword intent was already a sign of genius; two marked them as monstrous; three had never been achieved. Sword energy and sword intent had a relationship of mutual generation and restraint. For a single person to cultivate one sword energy to its absolute limit required a considerable amount of time.
Chen Tian's two sword energies were the Ling Yang Sword Energy and the Bi Shui Sword Energy. The Ling Yang Sword Energy was sharp and relentless, characterized by its unyielding forward momentum. Any being struck by this sword energy would be cleaved apart. If Xie Ming's defense were not high enough, he might have been bisected in a single blow. The Bi Shui Sword Energy, a supplementary type of sword energy, flowed with rippling waves, like the constant ebb and flow of water, hindering Xie Ming's movements. Though Xie Ming had acted preemptively, his speed was ultimately affected, delayed by a single second. This one second was enough to be fatal. As the sword energies bore down on him, Xie Ming's Evil Spirit Armor erupted with light, causing Chen Tian's sword energies to shatter and dissipate under its radiance.
As the light from Xie Ming's Evil Spirit Armor faded, Chen Tian, having anticipated this, continued to wield his long sword with rapid strikes. Sword energies formed a hexagonal cross-shaped blade that spun towards Xie Ming. Xie Ming's claws elongated, and with swipes of his claws, he created claw marks that extended and collided with Chen Tian's sword energy, generating shockwaves that swept through the area. Chen Tian erected a sword energy barrier in front of him, while Xie Ming's Evil Spirit Armor provided him with defense. The two were evenly matched. Xie Ming knew the lethality of Chen Tian's swordsmanship, having experienced its terrifying depths firsthand.
Chen Tian's figure split into three, and all three simultaneously hurled their long swords towards the sky. With hands forming mysterious hand seals, the seals materialized, and the swords in the air began to split, multiplying rapidly. A sword river, as vast as the starry sky, hovered above Chen Tian's head. Chen Tian clapped his hands together, and from the sword river, an endless stream of swords shot out, like the boundless ocean, its vastness matched only by the replenishment of any missing parts.
As the river of swords attacked, Xie Ming, clad in his Evil Spirit Armor, grasped the Evil Spirit Spear. This was the moment Xie Ming officially drew his weapon. With the Evil Spirit Spear in hand, he swung it, creating a storm of spear shadows, the spear shaft and tip working in unison. Xie Ming's figure transformed into a black streak of light, charging directly towards the vast sword river. The black light pierced through the long swords shot from the sword river, which Xie Ming considered trivial and incapable of inflicting substantial damage. His true target was Chen Tian's head. As Chen Tian watched Xie Ming approach, a smile played on his lips.
The other two clones merged back into Chen Tian's body. The sword river that had been hovering above Chen Tian's head suddenly transformed, coalescing into an unimaginably colossal sword. The spectral image of this giant sword targeted Xie Ming and descended. The moment Xie Ming saw Chen Tian's action, he sensed something was amiss. He had never seen Chen Tian use this move before, nor did he recall it existing. Xie Ming had no choice but to meet the attack head-on; retracting his force would result in a backlash.
The giant sword and the streak of light collided, creating an explosion. Xie Ming retreated three steps from the blast. In this exchange, Chen Tian emerged victorious, now holding the decisive advantage. Xie Ming's choice to engage head-on was within Chen Tian's expectations; such a confrontation would inevitably inflict injuries. Chen Tian, already in an offensive position, now had an even greater chance of winning.
Just as Chen Tian was about to make his move, a vortex suddenly appeared in space, and a voice slowly emerged, taunting, "Xie Ming, are you even capable? You haven't even dealt with Chen Tian yet?"
A figure stepped out; it was a child, appearing to be only six or seven years old, yet bearing the appearance of an Evil Spirit child. Seeing the newcomer, Xie Ming spoke, "You can give it a try. This guy is even more troublesome than before."
"Long time no see."
"Long time no see."
Anyone who didn't recognize the child might have assumed Xie Ming was facing an opponent with no combat strength. Chen Tian, however, knew who this newcomer was: the ninth of the Nine Evil Spirits, Xie Lei, possessing the power of thunder and devouring. Chen Tian's expression turned grave. Dealing with Xie Ming alone was already challenging; facing another would likely necessitate the use of his Samsara Body. Xie Lei looked at Chen Tian and said, "What a pity, what a pity. I did nothing wrong back then. I even resisted their ideas, yet you still... you still... personally..."
"Heh heh, do you think I don't know your intentions back then? What's the point of pretending now?"
Chen Tian's words immediately silenced Xie Lei. Xie Lei chuckled, "With your current strength, do you still have a chance against both of us?"
"You think I'm afraid of you? Laughable. Even if all eight of you came, I wouldn't show fear. Today, you will only know death, absolute death, never to be revived."
"It seems you've already dealt with one of my brothers. I wonder which one it was."
Chen Tian did not conceal the fact that he had killed others. The mention of eight remaining implied that Chen Tian had already eliminated one. The identity of that individual remained unknown.
Chen Tian remained silent. Unbeknownst to him, Xie Ming had appeared behind him. His claws extended, aiming to pierce Chen Tian. Xie Ming, impatient, found the leisurely conversation between Xie Lei and Chen Tian irritating. "Don't ignore me."
Chen Tian parried with a backhand strike, his sword flashing. In front of him was black lightning, and behind him, Xie Ming's claws. Chen Tian dealt with them all with ease and composure. His long sword struck the black lightning, causing an explosion. Amidst the blast, Chen Tian's sword shattered. This black lightning was no ordinary lightning; it was Cosmic Lightning, on par with the Three Cosmic Fires. However, Cosmic Lightning had only two forms: Heavenly Dao Cosmic Lightning and Cosmic God-Slaying Lightning. Xie Lei wielded the latter.
Chen Tian had once obtained this lightning but found it uninteresting. As a sword cultivator who had comprehended lightning sword intent, he could transform his lightning sword intent into any form of lightning when cultivated to its peak. He had given it to Xie Lei, perhaps because his name contained "Lei" (thunder), never imagining he would have to face him with it now.
Chen Tian's palm pushed with increased force, shoving Xie Ming away. Xie Lei's attack was imminent, and Chen Tian could not remain stationary. He stamped his foot, creating distance, and the three figures engaged in fierce combat within the space.