Mortal Cultivator: Lin Tianzun

Chapter 99: Tianshu Sword Might: Killing the Tribulation Cultivator
In a flash, several hours slipped away like quicksand on the fingertips. This private exchange, hidden beneath the hustle and bustle of the city, appeared calm on the surface, but undercurrents were surging. At this moment, it finally slowly came to an end.

Inside the venue, candlelight flickered, creating a crisscross of light and shadow. The monks participating in the exchange had varying expressions. Some beamed with satisfaction, clutching their newly acquired treasures tightly in their hands, their delicate gestures as if they were holding the world's most precious and rare treasures. Others looked forlorn, their faces etched with disappointment, clearly unsuccessful. They gathered in groups of two or three, whispering to one another. Then, one after another, their robes rustling in the wind, they rose and made their way towards the exit.

Lin Fan, immersed in the crowd, seemed like a hermit fading into darkness, his expression as calm as a bottomless, cold pond, unruffled. He walked at an unhurried pace, blending into the shadows of the crowd, unnoticed, and steadily exited the mysterious underground auction.

At the entrance, dim light poured down on him, outlining a slender silhouette. The next second, he disappeared into the night, blending into the thick darkness. Only the empty passage remained, quietly telling of the once bustling atmosphere of this exchange meeting.

However, Lin Fan was completely unaware of the deadly danger lurking behind him. Unbeknownst to him, two Jindan-stage cultivators had silently approached him like ghosts in the night. Their faces were as gloomy as the leaden clouds before a storm, their eyes gleaming with undisguised greed and ferocity, like hungry wolves, their eyes fixed on their prey. Their feet flashed like two streaks of black lightning, rapidly approaching Lin Fan with a menacing momentum, as if they were poised to devour him alive in the next second.

Not long after, amidst the whistling wind, two Jindan-stage cultivators caught up with Lin Fan in a flash. Leading them was a middle-aged man in the middle Jindan stage, clad in a dark robe embroidered with dark red flame patterns. As spiritual energy surged, the flames seemed imbued with life, faintly leaping and blazing, emitting a chilling, scorching aura. Hanging from his waist was a dark green jade pendant, carved with a ferocious beast head. The beast head was lifelike, its fangs bared and claws snarled, as if silently proclaiming its owner's extraordinary power.

Beside him stood an eagle-faced old man, at the early stages of the Jindan stage. He wore a worn yet textured gray linen robe, the hems of which rustled in the wind. At his exposed wrists, veins coiled like dragons. The wrinkles on his face crisscrossed like the furrows of time, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, emitting a chilling light that seemed to see through all illusions and the human heart.

The middle-aged man raised a malicious smile at the corner of his mouth, just like a cold star twinkling in the night sky, revealing a hint of coldness. He spoke first, his voice low and hoarse, with a bit of toughness that could not be refused: "Sir, you just spent a lot of money at the auction, and you must be wealthy. My two brothers are really short of money recently, and we would like to borrow some spirit stones from you to help us out." As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes slightly, and a trace of greed flashed in his eyes, like phosphorus fire flickering in the dark night, and the spiritual power around him fluctuated slightly, as if he was secretly threatening.

The hawk-faced old man snorted coldly and took a step forward. A chilling aura emanated from him, like a cold winter wind that could chill one's bones. He curled his lips and echoed in a sarcastic tone, "If you know what's good for you, hand over the spirit stone obediently. Otherwise, don't blame us for being ruthless!"

Lin Fan came to a steady stop in mid-air, his clothes rustling like flags in the wind. He slowly turned, his gaze, as if tangible, fixed on the two uninvited guests. His gaze was icy and piercing, as if he were staring at two lifeless corpses, revealing a chilling contempt.

"You two are truly tired of living. You actually dared to plot against me." Lin Fan's voice was low and cold, each word coming from the Netherworld, carrying a chill. As soon as he finished speaking, a fierce look flashed across his face, as fast as a meteor across the night sky, yet still chilling.

In an instant, Lin Fan opened his mouth, and a stream of light, laced with a sharp sword energy, shot out. Upon closer inspection, he saw a flying sword, its blade seemingly forged from the purest red gold in the world, clear and dazzling. In the sunlight, it radiated a blinding brilliance, like a star fallen to earth.

The entire sword was slender and straight, its lines flowing like a clear spring rushing down from the mountains, without a trace of stagnation. Every curve displayed a sharp edge, as if it could easily pierce the sky. A closer look revealed a dense mass of golden runes engraved on the blade. These runes seemed to be imbued with life, slowly moving and flickering along the blade's spine. With each movement, a mysterious wave of power emanated. This powerful aura seemed to announce the sword's extraordinaryness, making people feel intimidated.

Lin Fan's face was stern, his eyes as sharp as cold stars. He swiftly formed sword gestures with both hands in front of him. Instantly, the sword energy within his dantian surged violently like a ignited gunpowder barrel, emitting a dull humming sound as it poured like a raging torrent into his life-defining magical weapon, the Tianshu Sword, which hovered before him.

Empowered by the sword's energy, the Tianshu Sword instantly erupted with Gengjin sword energy. Sharp sword energy gushed out like a wild horse, roaring towards one of them with devastating force. Wherever the sword energy passed, the air seemed to be cut by a sharp blade, making a sizzling sound and distorting the space.

The two Tribulation Cultivators were no ordinary men either. Facing Lin Fan's thunderous attack, they reacted swiftly, without a trace of panic. Almost simultaneously, they each opened their mouths, and a streak of light shot out from them. In the blink of an eye, two life-defining magical treasures appeared in mid-air.

The middle-aged Tribulation Cultivator on the left, dressed in a dark robe, wielded a pitch-black spear. A strange black mist swirled around the spear, and from within it emanated the faint, shrill cries of ghosts, a chilling sound. The spear's tip flashed with a cold, eerie light, as if it could easily tear through anything that stood in its way.

The eagle-faced elder on the right summoned an ancient bronze mirror. Its surface was engraved with mysterious runes, which shimmered with a dark red light like flowing blood. Within the mirror, countless wronged souls seemed to struggle and roar, emanating an evil and powerful aura.

The sword light transformed from the Tianshu Sword was incredibly sharp, like a streak of golden lightning, wrapped in endless brilliance, crashing into the jet-black spear with overwhelming force. A resounding "crack" sounded, like thunder rumbling between heaven and earth, jarring the eardrums. Under this piercing sword light, the spear was like a fragile, withered branch, instantly shattered into countless fragments, metal debris flying everywhere, reflecting a chilling light.

The Tianshu Sword, however, did not stop there. Its remaining momentum remained undiminished, and it continued to thrust at the middle-aged robber cultivator with a powerful force. The middle-aged robber cultivator's expression suddenly changed, and a trace of fear flashed in his eyes. He had never expected that Lin Fan's attack would be so sharp, and that his own life-saving magic weapon would be so vulnerable to this sword.

Lin Fan, out of the corner of his eye, caught sight of the eagle-faced old man offering up an ancient bronze mirror, and a thought struck him as ominous. He knew full well that a life-saving magical weapon in the hands of a Jindan-stage cultivator must be truly extraordinary, and he dared not neglect it in the slightest. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled the Ice and Fire Shield from his storage bag. As soon as the Ice and Fire Shield materialized, it emanated a strange aura. The two contrasting forces of cold and heat blended together, forming a multicolored halo around the Shield's surface, resembling a dreamlike illusion.

Lin Fan's heart trembled, knowing that he could not hesitate at this moment. He immediately activated the spiritual power in his body, surging like a rushing river, and rushed towards the ice and fire shield frantically.

Instantly, the ice and fire shield erupted with blinding light, like a blazing star. The intense halo expanded outward at a speed visible to the naked eye, condensing in the blink of an eye into a solid shield, tightly enveloping him. Atop the shield, icy air and blazing heat mingled and circulated, transforming into dreamlike, multicolored patterns of light. This emanated a mysterious and powerful aura, silently declaring that no enemy could withstand the slightest challenge.

The hawk-faced old man snorted coldly, his voice like the cry of an owl on a cold night, tinged with a chill. His dry, stick-like hands gripped the bronze mirror tightly, and he spun it with a sudden force. Instantly, the already shimmering runes on the mirror's surface shone brightly, dancing wildly like ignited flames. Then, a dark red beam of light surged from the mirror, thick as magma, and with devastating force, it hurtled towards Lin Fan. Wherever it passed, the air instantly ignited, emitting a sizzling explosion and leaving a twisting, fiery trail.

"BOOM!" A thunderous roar erupted, distorting the surrounding air and causing even the distant mountains to tremble faintly. The dark red beam, swathed in an evil aura and as thick as magma, slammed into Lin Fan's ice and fire shield with overwhelming force.

The moment the two made contact, the surroundings were instantly enveloped in blinding flames, and billowing heat waves surged wildly in all directions like a surging tide. Yet, surprisingly, the dreamlike, multicolored halo surrounding the ice and fire shield merely rippled, a faint, almost imperceptible ripple, like a gentle breeze brushing across a still lake, before returning to calm in an instant. The multicolored halo remained firmly centered outside the shield, firmly blocking the devastating attack and protecting Lin Fan within it, as if silently proclaiming its unbreakable defensive power.

Elsewhere, the middle-aged man's face was filled with panic and resentment after his natal spear was shattered. Without time to dwell, he reached into his pocket again and pulled out a magical weapon from his storage bag. It was a small flag emitting a faint green glow, embroidered with strange runes. As he infused it with spiritual power, the runes flickered faintly, and the flag rustled even without wind, as if summoning some mysterious and powerful force.

After the middle-aged man madly injected spiritual power into it, the small green flag flew into the air with a "whoosh" speed, as fast as lightning, and accurately met the flying sword that was carrying a powerful sword energy.

"Clang!" A deafening roar, like the ringing of a huge bell, sent sparks flying from the collision of metal. This time, the small flag barely managed to block the sword's fierce attack. However, the immense force exerted by the sword still left a startling, deep scratch on the flag. The edges of the scratch were charred black, and wisps of green smoke rose, as if to testify to the intensity of the collision.

Seeing this, Lin Fan's gaze grew even colder, like a sharp blade in the cold night. Without the slightest hesitation, his hands rapidly shifted sword techniques. Instantly, the Tianshu Sword shimmered with light, emitting bursts of sharp humming sounds, as if demonstrating its power to the enemy. It arced through the air, once again carrying an endless radiance, whirring towards the middle-aged man. This time, the flying sword was even faster and more powerful. Wherever it passed, the air sizzled as the blade-like sword energy sliced ​​through it, leaving traces of distorted space in its wake, as if even the void could not withstand this terrifying force.

Lin Fan's hands moved like phantoms, his sword gestures pulsing through the air. Following his will, the Tianshu Sword traced dazzling paths through the air. Golden runes shone brightly on the blade, and the sword energy it released grew increasingly fierce, like a materialized blade, slicing through the air with abandon.

Facing another attack from the flying sword, the middle-aged man frantically waved his small flag, attempting to block it. However, his movements were incredibly slow and clumsy under the powerful attack of the Tianshu Sword. In a single encounter, the small flag was torn apart by the sword's energy, shattering into countless fragments that fell to the ground.

Seeing the situation was dire, the eagle-faced elder lashed out with his bronze mirror, attempting to gain a chance to escape. But Lin Fan wouldn't give him that opportunity. His gaze glared, and his sword gestures shifted. The Tianshu Sword suddenly accelerated, like a flash of golden lightning, instantly piercing the bronze mirror's defenses. The mirror cracked with a crackle, then exploded into dust with a bang.

Without the protection of their magical weapon, the two Tribulation Cultivators were like lambs to the slaughter under the attack of the Tianshu Sword, powerless to fight back. With a "swish," the Tianshu Sword, with tremendous force, slashed through the middle-aged man's body. He didn't even have time to scream before he turned into a pool of blood.

The eagle-faced old man watched his companion instantly turn into a pool of blood. The bloody scene hit him like a hammer, shocking him so much that his heart and liver trembled, his legs weakened, and he dared not linger any longer. He turned and fled. He frantically channeled his spiritual energy, his escape light flashing wildly under his feet, moving so fast that it caused a whistling sound in the wind, hoping to escape the threat of death behind him.

But the Tianshu Sword, like a deadly ghost from the underworld, clung to him and pursued him in the blink of an eye. With a sharp sword cry, a piercing sword energy flashed like lightning, instantly ripping through the air.

In just a moment, the body of the eagle-faced old man was like a fragile paper doll, instantly hit by the terrifying sword energy. With a "bang", it was torn into pieces in mid-air, flesh and blood splattered, and broken limbs and arms scattered down, gradually dissipating in the wind, leaving only a bloody smell, telling the outcome of this cruel battle.

Lin Fan quickly raised his hand and collected all the magic weapons, storage bags and other spoils left behind by the two robbers. His movements were clean and neat, without any delay.

Then, he quickly formed seals with his hands, and two blazing fireballs instantly condensed in his palms. The fireballs, wrapped in billowing heat waves, flew towards the two corpses with a roar. There were only two muffled "booms", and flames shot up into the sky, and the flames instantly engulfed the corpses.

Under the scorching heat, the two bodies turned into a pile of ashes in the blink of an eye. They were blown away by the mountain breeze and disappeared without a trace, as if they had never existed.

After dealing with all this, Lin Fan did not dare to delay even a bit. The spiritual power in his body began to circulate again. In the blink of an eye, he turned into a dazzling beam of light and flew away into the distance at lightning speed, leaving behind only an empty void, as if the thrilling battle just now was just an illusory dream.

(End of this chapter)