Helping each other with countless me.

Chapter 549 Sword Qi
Meanwhile, the battle on the other side had also reached a fever pitch.

Under the combined assault of Qu Yang's ear-piercing vocalizations and Sang San Niang's all-pervasive poisonous fog and hidden weapons, Linghu Chong's pressure increased dramatically!

Although his swordsmanship was exquisite, he used the Dugu Nine Swords techniques, including the "Arrow-Breaking Style" and the "Palm-Breaking Style," to deflect and neutralize the incoming hidden weapons and poisonous sand. However, the music of the zither disturbed his mind, the poisonous mist corroded his body, and Sang San Niang's movements were as elusive as ghosts, making it difficult for him to lock onto his target. For a time, he was suppressed and could only defend, unable to effectively counterattack, and was in grave danger.

"Brother!"

After defeating Xiang Wentian and Tong Baixiong, Li Zhongren noticed Linghu Chong's predicament, his eyes turned cold, and he was about to step forward to help.

"Your opponent is us!"

Xiang Wentian suppressed his injuries, let out a fierce shout, and pounced on Tong Baixiong again!

This time, they learned from their mistakes and no longer fought head-on. Tong Baixiong swung his giant axe with wide, sweeping movements, creating a whirlwind and using his powerful axe energy to block Li Zhongren's movement. Xiang Wentian, on the other hand, displayed exquisite footwork, his two fleshy palms as red as branding irons, his palm shadows flying, striking, cutting, and tapping, targeting Li Zhongren's joints, acupoints, and vital points. Every move was ruthless, like a malignant sore that clung to the bone! The two, one strong and the other skillful, cooperated closely, tightly binding this humanoid beast.

The battle raged fiercely both inside and outside the ruined temple.

The two prodigies of Mount Hua were each caught in the crossfire of the top experts of the Demonic Sect.

Flames crackled, the zither wailed, the axe wind howled, palm shadows danced, sword light crisscrossed, and iron maces roared!
The shattered temple teetered on the brink of collapse under the onslaught of this violent energy.

In the deepest, most unnoticed shadows, a pair of cloudy yet sharp, hawk-like old eyes calmly observed everything.

Feng Qingyang was very pleased, extremely pleased.

Despite the intense fighting, every move and every stance is a life-or-death struggle; a single mistake could result in serious injury or even death.

But his two beloved grand-disciples showed not the slightest panic.

Li Zhongren goes without saying, but the so-called Heavenly King Xiang Wentian and the mighty prodigy Bai Xiong, together with their followers, could only restrain Li Zhongren.

To be honest, choosing that iron mace as a weapon was the right decision.

The suggestion was made by myself.

No matter how powerful the Hunyuan Gong is, it's still just a pair of fleshy hands. In the end, you still need to use a weapon. The iron mace is easy to carry, powerful and heavy. Most importantly, this iron mace is made of black iron. Although it is not a divine weapon, it has only one advantage: toughness.

In this world, there may be people who can cut this iron mace, but there will be no more than a handful.

Therefore, Li Zhongren, wielding this weapon, could unleash his power tenfold or even a hundredfold.

It's like a person walking slowly and bumping into someone; at most, the person will take a step back.

But what if this person runs and bumps into someone else?

He didn't understand mathematics, but he knew this principle.

Then, there was his true disciple, Linghu Chong.

The Dugu Nine Swords are not known for their protracted combat; generally, battles are decided in a very short time.

But what if the other person doesn't want to get close to you?

This is the biggest drawback of the Dugu Nine Swords.

In a sense, this is a sword technique that achieves the goal of striking first after the opponent has moved later.

Therefore, when he encountered Qu Yang and that woman, both of whom were experts in using poison and at medium to long range, he was unable to unleash the full potential of the Dugu Nine Swords, as his internal energy was not yet at its peak. The ultimate technique of the Arrow-Breaking Style was to reflect the enemy's hidden weapon back at ten times the speed.

At present, Linghu Chong cannot do that.

Meanwhile, the constant dodging and weaving were also depleting the sword energy of the Dugu Nine Swords within Linghu Chong's body.

Normally, Linghu Chong, who is unable to launch an effective attack, will eventually be defeated.

However, his grand-disciple was also quite clever.

He chose a method he hadn't even considered; though it wouldn't guarantee victory, it would give him a chance to catch his breath.
Lying on the floor.
Lying directly on the ground, seemingly unable to move, the Dugu Nine Swords' sweeping sword technique allows one to move across the ground as if on ice, thanks to its unique power generation method.

Whenever he was about to exhaust himself, he would use this trick to slip between the legs of some member of the demonic cult.

Then, that follower became his shield.

Although there is a bit of...
However, in the world of martial arts, only the living are qualified to become heroes.

Therefore, Feng Qingyang abandoned his plan to take action temporarily. After all, the current situation was the best training ground for the two of them, especially Linghu Chong, which would allow them to accumulate experience in the Dugu Nine Swords at a rapid pace.

However, Feng Qingyang had already begun to secretly gather his strength, and would step in to help Linghu Chong once he found that Linghu Chong could not hold on any longer.

"Ok?"

However, it was precisely at this moment that...

Feng Qingyang's gaze sharpened!

He felt a slight sting.

This is a perception that only top-tier swordsmen possess.
He was over eighty years old after all, and he usually kept his qi and blood in check, so his range of perception was not very large. But now, when he was fully circulating his profound skills, he discovered that a sharp pain that he could feel was threatening was coming from somewhere behind the Demonic Sect!
"call"

Feng Qingyang took a deep breath.

Without a doubt, someone used underhanded tactics. This unique stinging sensation must have come from a top expert outside of Mingzhou, and most likely it was Zuo Lengchan's doing. This guy is a ruthless and cunning man who never considers the so-called rules of the martial arts world.

Fortunately, Yue Buqun had considered this. He told me that after deceiving Zuo Lengchan and dealing with Lao Denuo, he would use the characteristics of the Zixia Divine Skill to travel day and night to get there as quickly as possible.
However, Yue Buqun is not currently within his perception range.

"This is a bit..."

"etc.."

Suddenly, Feng Qingyang raised his eyebrows and a smile appeared on his face.

"After mastering the Purple Cloud Divine Skill, its perception range actually far exceeds that of the Dugu Nine Swords. Perhaps, that kid is currently in a more distant place, playing the role of the last mantis stalking the cicada."

Linghu Chong's ground-lying movement combined with the sweeping sword style of the Dugu Nine Swords allowed him to move like a slippery eel in the chaotic battlefield, repeatedly dodging Sang San Niang's deadly poison darts and Qu Yang's sonic attacks at the last second. He also used those unfortunate members of the Demonic Cult as human shields. Although he was in a sorry state, he managed to hold off the siege of the two elders and dozens of cult members.

However, after years of roaming the martial arts world, how could Sang San Niang have ever been so thoroughly mocked?
Seeing Linghu Chong crawl between the legs of another cult member, causing her poisoned dart to strike one of her own men, her once charming face instantly twisted, and her eyes flashed with extreme resentment!
"You little bastard! Let's see where you can hide now!"

Sang San Niang let out a piercing scream, completely losing her mind!

No longer caring whether she might accidentally harm her own followers, she suddenly reached into a bulging leather pouch at her waist and instantly pulled out two large handfuls of strangely colored poisonous sand mixed with purplish-black powder!
Elder Sang, you mustn't!

Upon seeing this, Qu Yang frowned, and the music on his zither paused.

Although he was an elder of the Demonic Sect and acted ruthlessly, he was still displeased by such indiscriminate attacks on his own people. "Get out of my way! I don't care about that!"

Sang San Niang, as if possessed by a madwoman, poured her inner strength into her arms and suddenly flung the two handfuls of extremely poisonous sand towards the large area where Linghu Chong was, like a celestial maiden scattering flowers!

"call--!"

A thick, purplish-black poisonous fog, exuding a nauseatingly sweet and fishy odor, suddenly erupted!

The poisonous fog covered an extremely wide area, almost enveloping most of the ruins of the dilapidated temple. It not only completely enveloped Linghu Chong, but also the members of the Demonic Cult who were patrolling the perimeter and trying to coordinate the attack.
"Ah! My eyes!"

Elder Sang, spare my life!

The screams of agony rose and fell! Those cult members shrouded in the poisonous fog had their skin instantly fester and ooze pus, their eyes felt as if they had been corroded by strong acid, and they screamed as they rolled on the ground, losing their fighting ability in an instant, or even dying on the spot!

Wherever the poisonous fog passed, even the remaining flames hissed and dimmed as they were corroded by the deadly poison.

Linghu Chong was the first to be hit!
Although he was prepared, this poisonous fog was Sang San Niang's most potent and insidious poison, capable of penetrating any opening and possessing extremely strong corrosive properties! Even more fatal was that the poisonous fog obscured his vision, making it impossible for him to see the location of Sang San Niang and Qu Yang, and also depriving him of the space to use the terrain and corpses to dodge! His ground-lying movement technique was completely ineffective!

"good chance!"

Although Qu Yang disliked Sang San Niang's methods, the opportunity had presented itself, so how could he miss it?

The sound of the piano suddenly rose to a high pitch, becoming sharp and piercing, like thousands of steel needles pricking the eardrums!

At the same time, he moved like lightning, taking advantage of the moment when Linghu Chong's vision was obstructed, his mind was captivated by the demonic sound, and his protective aura was weakened by the poisonous fog. His five fingers were like hooks, filled with cold internal energy, and he grabbed Linghu Chong's vital point in the back of his heart!

Sang San Niang also held her breath, her figure blending into the poisonous mist, and several bone-piercing nails coated with deadly poison shot silently toward Linghu Chong's major acupoints!
The situation instantly became completely unbalanced!
Linghu Chong was trapped in a highly poisonous fog, his sight and hearing severely damaged, and the deadly attacks of the two elders of the Demonic Sect were already at his back!
Even with his divine swordsmanship, he felt a deadly chill and powerlessness at this moment!
At this critical moment!
"Hmph! You demonic cultists, how dare you presume that Mount Hua has no one to rely on?!"

A cold snort, aged yet imbued with supreme authority, exploded in everyone's ears like a thunderclap from the heavens!

The sound wasn't loud, but it instantly overwhelmed Qu Yang's demonic voice, Tong Baixiong's axe wind, and Xiang Wentian's palm roar!
A gray shadow, faster than the limits of vision, suddenly shot out from the deepest darkness!

There was no earth-shattering momentum, only a gray sword aura that was condensed to the extreme and seemed to be able to pierce through all illusions!
This sword energy was not aimed at Qu Yang, nor at Sang San Niang, but rather it was precisely aimed at the space between Linghu Chong and the killing moves of Qu Yang and Sang San Niang!

"puff!"

As the sword energy swept past, the dense, impenetrable, poisonous purplish-black mist was instantly cleaved in two as if by an invisible giant hand, revealing Linghu Chong's astonished figure and the ferocious faces of Qu Yang and Sang San Niang!
This is the ultimate effect of the sword energy of the Dugu Nine Swords, annihilating...
Wherever the sword energy pointed, everything was reduced to ashes.

Sang San Niang felt an incomparably sharp sword intent that seemed to be able to cut off all her life force, which terrified her so much that she lost her soul. She could no longer care about attacking Linghu Chong. She screamed and desperately used her lightness skill to retreat backward!

Qu Yang's ghost claws were also blocked by the invisible sword intent barrier. The claw wind was like hitting a copper wall and an iron wall. His five fingers were in excruciating pain, and his attack came to an abrupt end!

His eyes were also filled with shock. This was Feng Qingyang?
The legendary sword god?

So, he couldn't help but look at Xiang Wentian in the distance, thinking that if this guy was unreliable, the four elders of the Demonic Sect might not be able to escape.
Fortunately, Xiang Wentian is reliable.
At the very instant that Feng Qingyang unleashed his sword energy and revealed his figure!

"Zheng——!"

A clear and melodious sword cry, seemingly capable of freezing the soul, resounded from the top of that ancient pine tree, extremely high and far away!
A solitary, cold, and pure white figure, like an icy meteor streaking across the night sky, carrying a terrifying sword intent that could freeze everything, tore through the sky at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, heading straight for Feng Qingyang!
Ximen Chuixue!

He finally moved!
His only target is Feng Qingyang!

That pure and extreme sword intent seemed to freeze and cleave this space!

He had been waiting for this moment for far too long!
Faced with this attack, Feng Qingyang's figure flashed and disappeared beside Linghu Chong, because if this sword had gathered here, the aftershocks alone could have killed Linghu Chong.

However, his departure gave Qu Yang and Sang San Niang a pleasant surprise.

"Chance!!"

It swept in again, rushing towards Linghu Chong, who was almost exhausted.

And just then.

Another sword aura attacked from afar.

This sword energy was condensed to its extreme, dazzling and brilliant!
Like purple lightning tearing through the night, it suddenly shot out from the dense forest dozens of meters away from the dilapidated temple!

This purple sword energy was incredibly fast, striking first despite being launched later!

It wasn't aimed at Ximen Chuixue, nor at Feng Qingyang, but rather at Sang Sanniang, who had just been forced back by Feng Qingyang's sword energy and was still in shock!
The sword energy was dazzling, and the purple mist was swirling around it, carrying the righteous energy unique to those who had mastered the Purple Cloud Divine Skill, which purified all evil and filth!

Yet it possesses an incredible speed, a speed almost identical to Ximen Chuixue's sudden advance just now.

Sang San Niang only felt a flash before her eyes before the sword energy arrived in front of her.

"Pfft!!"

As the sword energy swept past, Sang San Niang was instantly cleaved in two.
This scene made Qu Yang's eyes widen in astonishment!

No longer caring about anything else, he desperately channeled his inner strength, striking out with both palms in an attempt to defend himself!

"boom!!"

"puff!!"

With a mouthful of blood gushing out, Qu Yang was sent flying backward.

However, he looked relieved. Perhaps because the sword energy had passed through Sang San Niang and lost its initial power, he had actually managed to block it.
"Bang!!"

Then, Qu Yang fell heavily to the ground, but he did not lose his fighting ability. Instead, he rolled and immediately merged into Xiang Wentian's group. Xiang Wentian was even more perceptive. Upon seeing the sword energy, he gathered the crowd, withstood Li Zhongren's iron mace, and then retreated to a place with the others.

“Who is that??”

For a moment, the members of the Demonic Sect couldn't help but look curiously into the darkness.

A figure dressed in a blue robe, with a refined face and a calm and composed demeanor, had quietly appeared atop the broken wall of the dilapidated temple.

He was surrounded by a purple aura, like a banished immortal descending to earth; he was none other than Yue Buqun, the leader of the Huashan Sect!
His gaze was gentle as he swept across the battlefield.

In the distance, Uncle Feng and the expert from outside Mingzhou had disappeared from sight. Only the occasional sword energy could be felt, but the momentum remained undiminished. It seemed that Uncle Feng would be fine in the short term.

His young apprentice, Li Zhongren, was breathing heavily, as if the battle had never happened.

However, the eldest disciple, Linghu Chong, was in a rather disheveled state.

But I can't blame him.

Ultimately, internal energy is a weakness. It's not that Linghu Chong's internal energy is not deep enough, but rather that his recovery speed is too slow, which leads to this situation when he can't break through after a prolonged attack.

(End of this chapter)