A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 335 A Fierce Battle

With a casual gesture, Ni Qingfeng summoned the Soul-Cleansing Mirror, which radiated a clear, bright light. The mirror spun around, its light dimming, and obediently landed in his hand. With a thought, Ni Qingfeng's sword vanished instantly.

Grabbing the defenseless Shangguan Yun, Ni Qingfeng rushed towards the most intense battleground. He moved with incredible speed, and even with Shangguan Yun in tow, he was already standing on a tall rock in just a few breaths. He placed Shangguan Yun aside and kept his eyes fixed on Xue Wanshan and his group fighting below.

"Senior brother's Seven Absolute Swordsmanship is becoming increasingly refined. If he can break through to the seventh level in this battle, he will have a chance to become an Innate Realm cultivator in the future."

Ni Qingfeng saw that Xue Wanshan still had the strength to deal with the Sun and Moon Duo alone. If it weren't for the Scorpion Demonic Sound played by the Twilight Drum, the Sun and Moon Duo would have been defeated within a hundred moves.

As Xue Wanshan heard the demonic sound grow louder, his expression became slightly solemn. He reduced his attack by 70%, using only 60% of his strength to fight the Sun and Moon Duo, while using the remaining 40% to guard against a sneak attack from the demonic sound.

As soon as Xue Wanshan finished his practice, the Sun and Moon Duo, who had been struggling to hold on, felt much more relaxed. The two exchanged a glance, then quickly reached into their pockets and took out several Fire Thunderbolts. Taking advantage of Xue Wanshan's entanglement with the demonic sound, they threw them outwards. This time, to prevent Xue Wanshan from destroying the Fire Thunderbolts midway, the two of them each unleashed two palm strikes from the left and right, protecting the Fire Thunderbolts as they fell towards Xue Wanshan. As long as one of them hit his opponent, it would at least weaken his strength.

However, Xue Wanshan was prepared. Although the two sword lights given by Ni Qingfeng were used one after the other, there were only three fire thunderbolts this time, which he could handle. With a tremor of his longsword, a ball of dazzling white sword light flew away like thunder and lightning. The two palm energies that were protecting him were completely ineffective and were dissipated at the same time. The sword light was even more powerful. With a few soft cracking sounds, several fire thunderbolts were destroyed the moment they were detonated. But to Xue Wanshan's surprise, one of the fire thunderbolts had a hidden secret. The outer layer of fire mud was cut off, but a smaller fire thunderbolt was revealed inside, but its color was black with a reddish tinge.

"Red Crow Fire Thunder!"

Xue Wanshan's expression changed slightly. The Crimson Crow Fire Thunder was the treasure of the Heavenly Thunder Hall, and its quantity was extremely rare. Even a master of the Innate Realm could be blown to pieces if he was not careful. The hall had used up many of them in the hundred years since its founding. In his memory, the Heavenly Thunder Hall only had three or four left. This time, Shangguan Yun was able to obtain one. He wondered what price Shangguan Yun had paid.

The Crimson Fire Thunder was incredibly fast, closing in on Xue Wanshan by about ten feet in the blink of an eye. The latter immediately let out a deep shout, his long sword flashing with impenetrable speed. A dazzling white cloud of light enveloped Xue Wanshan's figure, and just as he finished doing so, the Crimson Fire Thunder exploded three feet in front of him with a deafening roar.

A deafening explosion rang out first, followed by a thick cloud of turbid air rising into the sky, plunging the surrounding area for miles into darkness. Only a single point of white light in the center flickered intermittently, seemingly on the verge of being extinguished at any moment.

Before the turbid air could dissipate, a series of muffled drumbeats seamlessly followed, the sound waves sweeping away the turbid air and surging towards the white light. At this moment, Xue Wanshan also encountered trouble. He had underestimated the power of the Crimson Crow Fire Thunder. The energy shield formed by eighty percent of his true energy only lasted for a few breaths before being torn apart by the energy waves. If he hadn't swallowed the Condensing True Qi Pill in time, which tripled his true energy in a short period of time, he would probably be seriously injured and unable to get up now.

Although he survived, most of his internal energy was depleted. Just as he was about to calm down before the turbid energy dissipated, he heard the Scorpion Demon's voice again. Xue Wanshan's expression turned even more grim. These Sun and Moon Twin Fiends were indeed skilled fighters, not giving their opponents even a moment to catch their breath.

Xue Wanshan gathered the remaining true energy in his body and firmly guarded his mind to prevent it from being affected by the demonic sound. However, this also slowed down his recovery of true energy. Over time, his energy could not keep up with his output, and the strength of both sides shifted, which was a great disadvantage to him.

Just as Xue Wanshan was racking his brains for a way out, the dull and sinister drumbeats outside suddenly grew lower and lower, gradually becoming inaudible after a few breaths, and finally disappearing completely. Xue Wanshan didn't know what the other side was up to, but he remained vigilant, holding half a broken sword in his hand, staring intently at the surrounding movements.

"Senior brother, I have captured Mugu. You can now focus on your recovery."

Upon hearing his junior brother's telepathic message, Xue Wanshan was initially startled, but then his face lit up with joy. Since Junior Brother Ni was able to spare a hand to deal with Mu Gu during his duel with Shangguan Yun, he must at least have the upper hand. Thinking of this, Xue Wanshan immediately accelerated the recovery of his true energy and swallowed a few more pills. In just a short while, his true energy had recovered to 60%. Although it was not yet at its peak, it was more than enough to deal with the Sun and Moon Twin Fiends.

Xue Wanshan swept away the thin, turbid air and dust with a wave of his sleeve, his eyes fixed on the fearful Sun and Moon Demons in front of him. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he immediately rushed forward. The light of the broken sword in his hand suddenly shone brightly, and a half-foot sword beam swept out horizontally.

When Ni Qingfeng saw Xue Wanshan come out, he withdrew his right hand, and the invisible force that had trapped the Sun and Moon Twin Fiends disappeared instantly. Looking at the unconscious Mugu at his feet, Ni Qingfeng sighed, then picked up Shangguan Yun in one hand and Mugu in the other, and disappeared in a few leaps.

The Sun and Moon Duo also realized that the power binding them had dissipated. Before they could even rejoice, a chilling killing intent was already upon them. The two of them were greatly shocked when they saw the dazzling sword light slashing straight at them. They both gathered all their true energy and fused it into one, forming a crimson palm energy, which they met head-on. The palm wind swirled and circled, while the sword light shone brightly. The two forces collided fiercely, and the sword light was more powerful, tearing through the palm wind and sweeping across the Sun and Moon Duo.

As the sword light passed, two screams were heard. The Sun Fiend, one of the Sun and Moon Fiends, was cut in half by the sword. Before the blood could flow out, it was blocked by the sword energy. His eyes were wide open, and he died with his eyes open. The Moon Fiend did not die on the spot, but his right arm was gone, and his body had more than a dozen sword wounds. Strands of blood flowed down and soon dyed his body red.

"puff!"

Seeing his brother's tragic death, Yue Sha's face immediately showed grief. He could no longer suppress his injuries and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Xue Wanshan casually tossed the cracked sword aside and slowly walked towards Yue Sha, whose power had been completely destroyed.

"You should retire from public life."

Xue Wanshan only said this one sentence before rushing off to other battlefields.

Yue Sha watched Xue Wanshan walk away, his expression desolate. He propped himself up, looked at his brother who had died tragically, silently gathered the bodies together, and then walked with difficulty towards the outer room.

At the same time, Shen Henian encountered the biggest crisis since the start of their battle. He had already given his all to fight three branch leaders by himself. Although he did not gain the upper hand, he did not suffer any losses either. But just now, six more people joined the battle. As a result, Shen Henian's pressure increased. In just over ten moves, Shen Henian had several wounds on his body. If it weren't for the sharpness of his Xuan Tie sword, which made his opponents hesitate, he would probably be decapitated by now.

With a snap, Shen Henian severed the thrusting spear in two with his sword. With a twist of his blade, he used a "go with the flow" technique to send the severed spearhead flying towards a man on his left. However, that man was no pushover. Seeing the spearhead coming, he immediately dodged. The man next to him stepped forward and raised his shield high. A clang of metal clashing rang out as the spearhead struck the shield, sending sparks flying, before being blasted away by the true energy covering it.

"These nine people are getting more and more skilled at coordinating. If this continues, I'll really be trapped here and die."

Shen Henian stared grimly at the four people who had surrounded him. He gripped his sword tightly and held it horizontally in front of him. A cold light flowed from the blade. Shen Henian shouted and thrust his sword swiftly. The move "Covering the Moon and Obscuring the Clouds" immediately enveloped two of them. However, the two did not dodge at all. Instead, they launched an even more rapid attack and completely abandoned their defense. At the same time, the other seven people attacked simultaneously. Hidden weapons, flashes of blades, whips, and spears immediately struck Shen Henian.

"Hmph!" Shen Henian's expression darkened. He gathered his true energy, opened a layer of energy shield, and his sword trembled, flashing and stabbing in a chaotic manner. A flash of cold light appeared, and two heads flew into the sky. However, the energy shield around Shen Henian was also shattered instantly. A long spear and a soft whip came at the same time, hitting Shen Henian heavily. He was only able to stagger backward and cough up blood.

"puff."

Shen Henian circulated his true energy to expel the stagnant blood from his body, and his pale complexion recovered slightly. However, these two deadly moves were not light, and now he only had less than 50% of his power left. To deal with these seven people would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

"Even if I die, I will take as many people down with me."

Shen Henian roared, shattering the Taoist crown on his head. He reached out and took out the medicinal pill, immediately swallowing it. His true energy suddenly surged several times, and a powerful aura locked onto the entire scene, leaving the remaining seven people horrified.

"He's going to fight desperately, everyone be careful!"

Sun, the leader of the gang, who was holding the whip, shouted loudly and then quickly lashed out with his green snake whip, aiming to bind the opponent before his energy was stable. The others also came to their senses upon hearing this. Shen Henian must have run out of tricks. At this moment, as long as they held on, they could win without a fight once the effects of the drug wore off.

A hissing sound came flying through the air. The other six people did not want to rush forward when Shen Henian was at his peak, so they released their hidden weapons in unison. When Sun, the leader, saw this, he cursed inwardly.

"If they are still hesitant and timid at critical moments, how can they achieve great things? It was really a waste for Chief Liu and Chief Zhao to die."

However, he couldn't care less about that right now. Something was better than nothing. With a flick of his wrist, the green snake whip flicked and sputtered like a ferocious beast, rushing straight at Shen Henian. Just as the green snake whip was about to wrap around Shen Henian's wrist, the latter's figure suddenly disappeared. The green snake whip and the attacking hidden weapon both missed their mark. At this moment, Chief Sun, who was exerting all his strength, struck empty air and his body involuntarily leaned forward.

"Master Sun!"

Suddenly, Chief Sun heard anxious voices from behind, but before he could turn around, a flash of sword light slashed across his neck. Chief Sun's eyes widened instantly, then the light gradually dimmed, and his body fell to the ground with a thud.

Shen Henian was at the height of his power when he killed Chief Sun with a single sword strike. He charged into the group of six men like a fierce tiger. The six men were stunned when they saw Chief Sun killed with a single sword strike. Shen Henian was extremely fast, and with each rise and fall of his sword, he reaped two more lives.

"Stop him!"

Seeing two more people killed, the rest of the group came to their senses and immediately formed a four-person formation, surrounding Shen Henian. Each of the four had a unique weapon: a sword, a spear, and an axe. Shen Henian noticed that his internal energy was dissipating rapidly, so he immediately moved swiftly and slashed with his sword, attacking Zhou, the leader who was holding a spear.

Although the leader of the guild is not the most skilled among the four, he is the most threatening to Shen Henian. The reason is that his spear technique is steady and reliable, which is most effective against Shen Henian's skillful Tianshan sword technique. This time, he wants to take advantage of the drug's effects and eliminate him first.

When Chief Zhou saw Shen Henian charging towards him, he was startled, but he quickly reacted. Instead of retaliating, he wielded his spear with impenetrable skill, creating a chaotic flurry of spear shadows. A yellow light appeared in front of him, and the other three immediately took action. Yu Rang, the most skilled among them, glanced at the two beside him with a sharp look. Then, Chief Song, wielding a sword, and Chief Qian, wielding an axe, attacked Shen Henian from the left and right respectively.

Shen Henian sensed the threat coming from his side. Ignoring it, a long sword radiating clear light danced like a dragon, soaring straight ahead. Its awe-inspiring sword power sent chills down people's spines, especially Zhou, the leader who was directly in front of him, who felt the pressure increase even more.

The yellow light formed by the spear shadow hissed under the pressure of the sword energy, and suddenly dimmed a bit. As the distance between the two became smaller and smaller, the area covered by the yellow light also suddenly shrank inward, and half of Chief Zhou's body was revealed.

"not good!"

Chief Zhou's expression changed, and he hurriedly turned around. However, it would have been better if he hadn't moved. As soon as he did, the spear shadow revealed a slight flaw. Such a flaw would not be a big deal to others, but it was an excellent opportunity for Shen Henian. Shen Henian let out a long roar, his speed increased, and his long sword flashed with cold light as he rushed away, leaving the two people beside him far behind, like a swift arrow.

However, just as Shen Henian's longsword pierced the yellow light, his mind suddenly stirred, and he slightly turned his body. A blade of light descended from the sky and struck Shen Henian directly. The latter retreated several steps, looked at Yu Rang's solemn face, and sneered. He swept his longsword around, and with a clear ringing sound, his figure shattered like glass, scattered on the ground, and then disappeared.

Yu Rang's expression changed drastically. He turned around and saw another Shen Henian sheathing his sword, while Zhou, the leader behind him, was dead with his spear broken and a clear sword mark on his neck, which made Yu Rang furious.

"Damn it!"

Yu Rang was willing to reveal a trump card in order to save Chief Zhou, but he did not expect that Shen Henian would use the Shadow Clone Technique in advance, and his "Thousands of Troops Repel" move was wasted.

Meeting Yu Rang's icy gaze, Shen Henian shouted loudly. His longsword hummed clearly, its light shining brightly like a beam of light, making it very conspicuous in the darkness. With a soft shout, Shen Henian turned his sword and thrust it swiftly at Yu Rang. The latter neither dodged nor evaded, but instead met the attack with a clang of his tiger-head saber. However, in this single exchange, Yu Rang was forced back several steps, his tiger-head saber cracked with several fine lines, and the tiger's mouth on his right hand split open.

Upon seeing this, Chief Song and Chief Qian's expressions changed, and they rushed forward, using their swords and axes to help Yu Rang stabilize the situation. However, it was clear to anyone with eyes that the three of them were now completely at a disadvantage. A dense cloud of sword energy wove into a large net, constantly shrinking the space for the three to dodge. Just as the three were beginning to lose their grip, Shen Henian frowned. At the critical moment, the medicinal power of the pill dissipated.

"drink!"

Yu Rang's senses were extremely sharp. He noticed that the sword energy around him was not as aggressive as before. He immediately shouted and slashed outwards with his tiger-head saber, tearing a gap in the dense sword net. Chief Song and Chief Qian were delighted and attacked at the same time, widening the gap further. In just a moment, the three of them finally broke through the sword net with their combined strength. They exchanged a glance and rushed towards Shen Henian together.

(End of this chapter)