Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 76 A Finger Shatters Jade, the Embryonic Formation of a Sword Formation (Combined)

Dusk is getting darker.

Song Yan's faint breaths dissipated into the sound of the wind in the forest.

With the enhancement of the Hidden Sword's spiritual power, he seemed to have become a withered leaf in the forest.

"..."

His lowered gaze narrowed.

Discovered?

Something went wrong...

This fleeting thought of tracing back to the source was extinguished by Song Yan in an instant.

Now, he should be thinking about how to kill Shan Zifeng here.

Instead of reflecting on one's own mistakes, that's meaningless.

"Fellow Daoist, why hide..."

hum-

Before he could finish speaking, a jet-white flying sword came hurtling towards him at lightning speed!
Even though Shan Zifeng was prepared, he was still surprised by the speed of the flying sword.

They quickly dodged in all directions.

However, Shan Zifeng was still able to detect the fluctuations in spiritual power and sword energy of the flying sword.

He patted the Qiankun bag at his waist, took out three fire talismans, and hung them by his side.

A flash of fire appeared at his fingertips, and three fiery snakes shot out from the talisman, heading straight for Song Yan's hiding place.

They finally revealed themselves.

"who are you?"

Shan Zifeng looked at this stranger and didn't recognize him much; in fact, he was quite a stranger.

He didn't recall having such a person on his list of the spiritual objects he had seized.

"Did someone hire you to kill me?"

Dan Zifeng smiled coldly: "A bunch of insects and ants, they're incredibly stupid."

"They actually hired a cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining to ambush and kill me?"

"What? Is it that they don't have enough spirit stones?"

Dan Zifeng grinned maliciously, feeling a sense of exhilaration at having seen through the ambush.

"I have a lot of spirit stones here, would you like me to give you some more, anyway..."

"They were all taken from them."

"Hahahahaha..."

Shan Zifeng made no attempt to conceal anything from these low-level cultivators; on the contrary, he subjected them to extreme humiliation.

Song Yan remained calm and unperturbed.

The fact that the other party saw through the ambush did not make him panic.

the reason is simple.

Sometimes, cultivators who possess special treasures or supernatural powers, or even those whose five senses and six perceptions are more acute than ordinary people, can indeed detect traps and ambushes.

However, "detecting the trap" and "defusing the crisis"...

Those are completely different things.

thump.

The sound of dripping water came from Song Yan's hands.

A burst of spiritual light shone from his hand, and ripples like flowing water spread outwards.

Ren Water Transformation Talisman!
The aquamarine ripples spread out like waves, and the surging water-elemental spiritual energy almost overflowed here.

The fire elemental energy within a radius of fifteen zhang was momentarily stagnant, and then, like a flood, began to collapse and scatter.

At the same time, Song Yan lunged forward, and the black-white flying sword attacked again.

Dan Zifeng's expression changed drastically.

He made a quick decision, rushing out of the area covered by the Ren Shui Transformation Talisman while urging his spiritual power to summon a reddish bronze bell.

clang--

The flying sword slashed towards Shan Zifeng, but a flash of fiery red light deflected it.

Defensive artifact!

Shan Zifeng sneered inwardly.

Where did this hermit cultivator from the mountains come from? He has absolutely no experience in life-or-death battles with people.

Such a powerful talisman would be extremely dangerous if it were used as a killing move only after the user had exhausted half of his spiritual power.

Thus, as soon as the fight began, the opponent unleashed their talismans...

Even if one is unable to escape the range covered by the talisman while being pursued by the opponent, the duration of the talisman will have long passed by the time the spiritual energy is exhausted.

What a great opportunity, wasted.

The look in Shan Zifeng's eyes was filled with endless mockery and playful pity.

The water spirit field of the Ren Water Transformation Talisman fully unfolded, covering almost half of the forest clearing.

The thick fog lingered in the dense forest.

Song Yan was hidden among them.

"Hide your head and show your tail!"

With a roar, Shan Zifeng unleashed a burst of crimson spiritual light from his fingertips, forcefully activating the complete "Blessing Fire" manual.

Flames erupted from his palm, emitting a piercing hissing sound when they touched the water mist within the range of Ren Shui's spiritual transformation.

The fire snake, which was originally about a foot thick, has now shrunk to about an inch.

Ignoring the change, Shan Zifeng's spiritual power surged, and the blazing fire spirit struggled within the water mist, actually pushing the water mist spiritual energy away slightly.

The black-white flying sword suddenly pierced through the air, precise and ruthless, heading straight for Shan Zifeng's dantian.

"clang!"

The bronze bell, glowing with a fiery red light, once again blocked a sword strike for him.

The Unmoored Boat is merely the sword body that Song Yan left behind for his future natal flying sword. Even though he used the refining methods of a sword cultivator, his natal flying sword is not yet complete, and he is not a true sword cultivator yet.

Ultimately, the Unmoored Boat is just an ordinary flying sword.

"Hmph... save your breath."

Suddenly, Shan Zifeng bit the tip of his tongue, and his blood essence floated out. A jade pendant slowly rose up, and the blood essence dripped onto it.

"boom!"

The raging fire spirit briefly broke through the shackles of the Ren water, condensing into a fiery red phantom armor around him.

At this moment, fifteen breaths have passed since the Ren Water Spirit Transformation Talisman was activated.

Suddenly, the unmoored boat emitted a clear and melodious sword cry. Song Yan joined his left index and middle fingers together, and a chilling aura of wind and thunder condensed in his hand.

With a flick of the finger, it was no longer moored to the boat, and a thunderous sound suddenly arose!
His left hand immediately formed a hand seal, while his right hand swallowed a Qi-replenishing pill.

Having mostly tested the waters before, Song Yan had not yet exhausted much of his spiritual energy.

But he must always maintain his peak condition.

A surge of spiritual energy flowed into his meridians.

Nine white sword shadows, carrying golden lightning, pierced towards the weak points of the fiery red armor from all directions.

Dan Zifeng's expression was serious. This flying sword had changed quite a bit compared to before, and he dared not be careless.

His body surged with spiritual power, and his large hand, encased in crimson spiritual armor, slammed into the ground, unleashing a torrent of fire spirits along with the airflow.

"Bam—"

The water mist spread outwards again, and the water mist within a radius of about ten feet around Shan Zifeng instantly evaporated.

Instead of retreating, Song Yan advanced, taking half a step forward.

The black-white flying sword traced a tricky arc, aiming straight for Shan Zifeng's throat. However, it made a loud bang when it touched the red armor, sending out a few sparks.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Shan Zifeng leaped towards the edge of the talisman again, escaping the range of the water mist.

Withdrawing his sword and returning to defense, Song Yan leaped up, lightly touching the flying sword with his toes, and then jumped back to the top of the ancient pine tree.

Dan Zifeng sneered and looked at Song Yan at the top of the ancient pine tree.

"Fellow Daoist, did you enjoy your fight?"

"..."

Song Yan remained silent, his expression calm.

"What, are you thinking about how to beg for mercy...?"

The fire elemental energy around them began to surge and converge towards Shan Zifeng.

He temporarily put away the protective bell.

Feeling the surging fire spirit, a hint of enjoyment flashed across his expression.

The crimson armor phantom suddenly solidified!
boom! !

The talisman beside him burst forth with red light, and three fire snakes, each ten feet long, roared ferociously in Song Yan's direction!
Now that the restrictions of the Ren Water Transformation Talisman are gone, killing the other party is just a routine matter in Shan Zifeng's eyes.

"call--"

Song Yan popped another Qi-boosting pill into his mouth.

The already minimal spiritual energy was replenished to its maximum.

"Finally got in."

"Ok?"

Shan Zifeng's gaze sharpened.

Suddenly, a burst of spiritual light appeared all around, and six milky-white rays of light erupted with mysterious patterns, intertwined with each other.

"Trapping array?"

Dan Zifeng scoffed, his fire spirit surging wildly: "You think you can use this trapping formation to keep me here?"

"They're completely obsessed."

Crimson flames suddenly attacked Song Yan: "Die!"

Song Yan remained calm; at this moment, facing life and death, he was remarkably composed.

even……

There was a strange sense of excitement.

He slightly raised his right hand, and a dazzling luster gathered at his fingertips.

Suddenly, an extremely refined and chilling sword aura condensed at his fingertips, with golden lightning faintly flickering within.

Wind and thunder converge, the true essence of swordsmanship!
hum-

Shan Zifeng didn't even realize what had happened; the fiery red protective aura melted away like spring snow under that sword energy.

A small hole appeared on the chest of the crimson armor phantom.

The dense cracks spread outwards.

boom!
The phantom of the armor vanished in an instant.

Dan Zifeng stared blankly at the shattered protective jade in front of him, somewhat incredulous.

This jade pendant was obtained by his father from Wang Lin years ago, and he has worn it since he was a child.

Although it's not a particularly high-grade treasure, it's versatile in both offense and defense, and can be used with ease.

It was almost the most treasured magical artifact he had ever owned since he entered the world of cultivation.

Damn pigs...

His eyes were almost completely filled with a look of frenzied rage.

He formed a hand seal, and his eyes glowed with a fiery red light.

"May the spirit of fire be with you!"

Dan Zifeng was engulfed in flames, and his immense fire spirit energy condensed into a giant firebird in the air, sweeping in!

That incredibly sharp sword energy truly made him feel terrified and fearful.

However, he was also very clear that with the opponent's Qi Refining Level 6 strength, it was impossible for that level of sword energy to come a second time.

Sensing Song Yan's weak aura, he grinned arrogantly: "Now...it's my turn!"

In his eyes, the other person was already a dead man.

However, when I looked up...

Those eyes gave Shan Zifeng a sense of unease.

Undisguised indifference, and a sense of calm as if looking at corpses and insects.

It could be boredom or weariness.

Those eyes were drowsy, yet filled with a chilling killing intent.

Seemingly sensing some danger, Shan Zifeng subconsciously turned around to look.

"..."

Behind him, above the trapping formation, suddenly floated up a series of white talismans.

The sharp aura on the talisman went from dormant to at its peak in just a moment.

It gave Shan Zifeng a very familiar feeling.

Because he had just taken a direct hit.

The talismans shattered one by one, leaving behind only a dense array of white sword beams that hovered around the trapping formation.

Lightning flashed, and the wind howled with deadly force!

Song Yan's sword finger twitched slightly, and the first sword energy moved without warning.

hum!
Despite Shan Zifeng's best efforts to dodge, the sharp energy still tore through his protective spiritual energy and pierced through his shoulder.

"what--"

A sharp pain shot through him, and he screamed in agony, collapsing to his knees.

Shan Zifeng could sense it.

The power of these sword beams was far less than that of the flick of Song Yan's fingertip just now.

But the problem is...

There are just too many!!

There was no time for him to think, because he knew that the second sword beam was about to strike.

He summoned the bronze bell, and all the fire elemental energy around him surged wildly, causing the bell to glow with a brilliant red light.

clang! !

The second sword beam struck the bronze bell hard, producing a loud, crisp sound.

The third way...

The fourth way...

The light of that fiery red bronze bell gradually faded away.

The fifth, the sixth, the seventh!
The speed of the sword light increased faster and faster...

Finally, as the ninth sword beam was unleashed, the crimson aura on the bronze bell began to flicker erratically.

Finally, the light went out.

Dan Zifeng coughed up blood, staring blankly into space, his face somewhat dazed...

"Do not……"

"impossible……"

The effects of the Qi-replenishing pill had worn off, and now, beneath Song Yan's Dao-suppressing Sword Palace, a sharp sword light began to condense anew.

The sword finger popped out from the sleeve, and the sword energy quickly split apart.

Nine white sword shadows slowly swirled around Shan Zifeng.

"This is fake..."

"It's all fake..."

In a daze, Shan Zifeng's vision became somewhat blurry.

He only saw a somewhat familiar figure...

It overlapped with an image in his mind.

Only then did he awaken from his dream, filled with shock and horror.

Sword beams and shadows rapidly flickered around them.

The chilling sharpness at Song Yan's fingertips grew ever stronger...

"Song..."

hum-

It seemed as if they wanted to call out a name, but didn't have time.

He was completely engulfed by the overwhelming sword energy.

The sharp, piercing aura lingered for a long time.

The unmoored boat swept past Shan Zifeng's already scarred corpse, cleaving it in two.

He was genuinely frightened by the strange and unusual magical abilities and supernatural powers in the cultivation world.

There was even a slight worry that the slain cultivator might be resurrected through another's body.

"..."

He knew that compared to other cultivators, he lacked offensive methods.

Although there are many sword techniques in the essentials of swordsmanship, you can choose to specialize in one.

Therefore, no matter how many moves he makes, he can only rely on that one move, the Cloud Sword.

His natal flying sword is not yet fully formed, and in fact, considering the sword dao true essence, there are not many killing moves he can choose from.

but……

Two things gave him great inspiration.

Since the incident at Peach Blossom Village, he often recalled how the demonic cultivator used flying swords as the core of the formation while practicing sword control techniques.

The Essentials of Swordsmanship actually mentions something called "sword formation".

Multiple flying swords or sword energy combined with their control create an extremely powerful offensive force.

In fact, the Cloud Sword is an extremely simplified version of a sword formation.

However, since it uses sword energy to attack, it is more flexible but less powerful than a real sword formation.

The second thing is that after the true essence of the sword is condensed, it can be temporarily stored under the Zhendao Sword Mansion, suspended and not released.

that……

Can it be stored elsewhere, for example...?

Talisman.

After a little trial, it actually worked!
Although he could afford a large number of low-quality talismans, he had no understanding of talisman-making and applied them blindly.

The sword energy sealed within the talisman was greatly weakened.

Its advantage lies in its sheer quantity!

Furthermore, the sword energy is extremely restrained when it is not activated.

Hidden within ordinary trap formations, they are difficult to detect.

The Ren Water Transformation Talisman is nothing but a facade.

This killing formation formed from the sword energy is his trump card.

Even without the use of formations, simply piling up sword energy is enough to deliver a fatal blow to the opponent.

Xiao He had already searched the area around the corpse thoroughly, leaving no trace of the spoils.

Hanging from its tail was Shan Zifeng's Qiankun bag.

After catching his breath, Song Yan came to the side of the corpse.

The spiritual energy transformed into fire, burning the corpse to ashes.

With a flick of his finger, the earth and wood surged, burying the corpse underground.

"A cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining actually died by his own hand."

Looking back, it all seems like a dream.

"That battle just now was quite a commotion; let's leave as soon as possible."

Take care of everything.

Using up his remaining spiritual energy, he leaped a few times and disappeared into the forest.

I typed fast today! I'm done for! 8k more!

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(End of this chapter)