A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 432 Backhand
Inside the Sword Refining Pool, the battle continued. On the three stone pillars, Guan Yutian and Helian Ba ​​joined forces, their powerful energy pressing down on Gu Xu. However, Gu Xu remained unmoved, a Tai Chi pattern appearing around him, the Yin and Yang energies flowing around him, deflecting all the incoming attacks.

Guan Yutian stared grimly at the composed Gu Xu, his sword flashing as he slashed repeatedly. The fierce sword light converged into a giant sword that cleaved down fiercely. At the same time, Helian Ba ​​first unleashed several distracting palm strikes, and the Wind God Dharma Image appeared behind him. A violent gust of wind, like a tornado, crashed into the Tai Chi pattern.

Seeing this, Gu Xu's expression turned slightly solemn. He pointed forward, and a clear light appeared, merging into the Tai Chi pattern. The Tai Chi pattern instantly lit up and pushed forward, colliding with the towering giant sword and the tornado.

With a loud boom, Guan Yutian and Helian Ba ​​felt a tightness in their chests, as if a giant hammer had struck their hearts. They immediately lost their balance and took a step back. Before they could regain their footing, they heard the sound of a stone pillar cracking beneath their feet. Seeing this, the two quickly used the momentum to retreat, flipping over and landing on the edge of the pool. They watched as the broken stone pillar fell into the crimson lava pool with a few thuds and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"This Valley of Emptiness..."

Guan Yutian was shocked. He had used all his strength, but he still couldn't budge Gu Xu even a little. Could this person's cultivation really have reached the level of a celestial being?

Meanwhile, Helian Ba's face was extremely grim. Judging from the result of the fight, even with their combined attack, they had suffered a crushing defeat. He wondered who in the world could be his match.

Guan Yutian and Helian Ba ​​locked their gazes on Gu Xu on the stone pillar. After exchanging a glance, the two moved together, launching another attack with a sword and a palm strike.

Here, the aftershocks of the three's battle spread outwards, and the entire Sword Refining Pool was immediately affected by the energy. The lava in the lava pool even dropped half an inch. The five-colored energy shield protecting the Frost Sword changed its form several times, but finally withstood the impact. However, the eight jade tablets had dimmed their spiritual light, and their rotation speed became very slow.

Seeing this, Mu Songzi and the others' eyes lit up. They disregarded everything else and moved almost simultaneously. As if in tacit agreement, they unleashed their ultimate moves and attacked the eight jade tablets at the same time. With a crack, several fine cracks appeared on the jade tablets. This made Mu Songzi and the others even more anxious, and their movements became even more swift.

"Don't move!"

Liao Rushen rushed over and saw everyone attacking the eight jade tablets. His expression changed drastically, but his voice was quickly drowned out. As Mu Songzi and the others exerted their strength again, the Azure Rhinoceros Jade Tablet shattered, followed by the Black Tiger, the White Elephant, and finally the Twin-Winged Flood Dragon. After the five-colored aura slowly dissipated, the Frost-Slaying Sword, shimmering with golden light, came into their eyes.

"The Frost-Piercing Sword!"

Mu Songzi exclaimed in surprise, a flash of joy crossing his face. He moved with lightning speed to grab the Ling Shuang Sword, but suddenly a blue flying needle shot towards him. Mu Songzi's face darkened for a moment. He swept his whisk and deflected the flying needle to the side, but the opportunity was fleeting. He was originally closest to the Ling Shuang Sword, but this pause made him fall behind.

"You green corpse demon! I will not spare you!"

Mu Songzi roared, flicked his whisk, and charged at Ling Shuang Sword again. At this moment, Fu Xiao was the closest to Ling Shuang Sword. Looking at the gleaming sword, a greedy glint flashed in his eyes. Just as he reached for the hilt through the golden light, two more blue flying needles shot over. Fu Xiao was prepared. He calmly continued to draw the sword, while Chang Yangzi behind him stepped forward and swept his sleeve, knocking the flying needles away into the lava, turning them into two wisps of black smoke and disappearing.

"Old Taoist Changyang, get out of the way!"

The Green Corpse Demon roared at Changyangzi, who was blocking his way, and shot out several more Absolute Secret Needles. Meanwhile, the Black Heart Demon beside him swung his palm forward. A pungent smell made Changyangzi frown and hold his breath. He quickly made a hand seal and circulated his magic. His sleeve billowed as he flung it at the Absolute Secret Needles. With two soft hissing sounds, the Absolute Secret Needles pierced his sleeve, but they were also dissolved by the pure Yang true energy.

Just then, Black Heart Ghost's Black Poison Palm arrived through the air, striking the sleeve squarely. With a bang, the billowing sleeve was instantly shattered by the force of the palm, and countless fragments fell down.

Seeing that the opportunity was not to be missed, the Green Corpse Demon bit its arm with its teeth, and several bloody holes immediately appeared on its left arm. It threw it outwards, and the blood fell towards Changyangzi. Upon seeing this, the latter's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly dodged. The blood that missed its target fell to the ground and corroded the bluestone slab into pits of varying depths, with wisps of evil energy emanating from them.

"What an amazing thing."

Changyangzi knew that the two ghosts of the Southern Cave were formidable in their poison attacks, but what he saw with his own eyes still horrified him. If the blood of the Green Corpse Ghost were to get on his body, his flesh would certainly suffer.

The Green Corpse Demon forced Changyangzi back, and the Black Heart Demon seized the opportunity to strike at Fu Xiao, who was retrieving his sword. However, someone was a step faster than him.

Liao Rushen waved his feather fan lightly, sending blades of energy towards Fu Xiao. Turning to look at the Black-Hearted Ghost, he snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and gusts of wind dispersed the attacking Black Luo Palm. He leaped upwards and pressed down on Fu Xiao with his palm. The latter was currently fighting against the Ling Shuang Sword and was completely unprepared. Just as he was about to die, two sword lights suddenly shot out simultaneously. They were Lian Chixue and Bai Yu'er. Although their skills were insufficient, they were enough to buy them a moment's time.

With a flick of his wrist, Fu Xiao withdrew his hand from the hilt of the Ling Shuang Sword. In a flash, he moved to the side. Looking at the charred marks on his palm, Fu Xiao took a deep breath. This divine sword was indeed not something anyone could take away.

Just after Fu Xiao left, Liao Rushen's breathing quickened as he looked at the Ling Shuang Sword. Just as he reached out to take it, a long whip shot out and wrapped around him in mid-air. Sensing the familiar true energy attached to the rope around him, Liao Rushen knew what was going on. He slashed his feather fan downwards, and the long whip was cut in two. One half was still in Huangfu Changhen's hand, while the other half sank into the lava pool, emitting a plume of black smoke.

"Liao Ru Shen, how could you possibly lay a finger on the Ling Shuang Sword? The grudges between us are not yet settled. Tonight, let Huangfu Xiao Changhen cleanse the sect."

Huangfu Changhen flicked the last half of the long whip in his hand, and with a crack, the whip taut and stabbed towards Ru Shen. The latter was furious at the sight. If Huangfu Changhen hadn't ruined his plans, he would have already gotten his hands on the Ling Shuang Sword.

With both old and new grudges settled, Liao Rushen's brow furrowed in rage. Ignoring Mu Songzi who was rushing towards him from behind, he unleashed a devastating palm strike at Huangfu Changhen from his elevated position. The moment the palm struck, the surrounding space was frozen in place. Although it quickly recovered, Huangfu Changhen suffered a great loss.

Huangfu Changhen was unaware that Liao Rushen had actually cultivated the Heaven-Covering Palm. In a moment of carelessness, he lost his room to maneuver, and his Thousand-Mile Thunder Whip could no longer exert its full power.

They could only activate their protective shields, hoping to buy him a brief respite to recover his strength.

"go to hell!"

A fierce glint flashed in Liao Rushen's eyes, and he unleashed another Heaven-Covering Palm strike. The protective barrier shattered before it could even hold for half a breath, sending Huangfu Changhen flying backward as well. But at that moment, two melodies of the zither suddenly appeared in the arena, followed by a series of fierce and powerful energies that transformed into flying blades. After swirling around several times, they trapped Liao Rushen within them. The latter immediately felt as if his body was being cut by knives. Looking at the Master Sixin and her disciples who were walking through the air, a flash of killing intent appeared in Liao Rushen's eyes.

"Now is not the time to get entangled with them. Let's get the Frost Sword as soon as possible."

Liao Rushen reached out and threw out a black pill. When it landed, it exploded instantly, and plumes of black smoke spread in all directions. In no time, most of the sword refining pool was shrouded in black smoke, so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, and you couldn't see anything more than three feet away.

After activating the miasma pill, Liao Rushen immediately discerned the direction and rushed towards the Frost Sword.

At the same time, Gu Xu, who was confronting Guan Yutian and Helian Ba, saw the black smoke appearing in the arena and his eyes flickered slightly. Just as he was about to use his methods, Guan Yutian and Helian Ba ​​rushed forward without regard for anything else. The Mighty Dragon Palm and the Dividing Heart Palm attacked from the left and right respectively. When Gu Xu saw this, he stretched out his hands, and the Yin-Yang Taiji diagram in front of him transformed into a shield that enveloped his body. The two palm strikes only caused it to vibrate slightly, and then the vibrations gradually diminished until it was completely absorbed.

"Give it back to you."

With a calm voice, Gu Xu clenched his fists and unleashed two powerful punches towards Guan Yutian and Helian Ba. Guan Yutian's expression changed drastically when he saw the increasingly powerful Dividing Palm coming towards him. He used both his sword and palm to deflect the force. Helian Ba, on the other hand, was in a slightly disheveled state. He was struck on the left arm by the returning Mighty Dragon Palm and was in excruciating pain. He couldn't help but groan and was unable to move for a short period of time.

Gu Xu forced Guan Yutian and the other man away with a single move. Looking at the billowing black smoke, he drew a series of lines in the air with his fingers. A golden rune shone brightly. The moment the rune took shape, the golden light spread everywhere. The black smoke seemed to have encountered its nemesis and quickly melted away. In just a few breaths, the black smoke was completely dissipated, and the bewildered crowd suddenly felt their eyes light up.

"Incredibly insightful!"

Huangfu Changhen rushed forward, his broken whip aimed at Liao Rushen, who was holding the Ling Shuang Sword. However, the whip was stopped midway by Mu Songzi and Qing Shi Gui. Meanwhile, Master Si Xin and his disciples, along with Jian Yang, engaged Fu Xiaoyangzi in battle. Although Fu Xiao and Changyangzi's weapons were destroyed, they still possessed considerable fighting strength. While they couldn't defeat the three opponents, they could hold them off for a while. For a moment, the two sides were locked in a stalemate. Just as they were fighting with all their might, a shrill scream suddenly rang out. Upon hearing this familiar sound, Fu Xiao and Changyangzi's hearts sank. They turned around and saw that Zhao Qian had his arm severed by the four sword masters and Jian Xiong, blood gushing out.

"Not good!"

Fu Xiao and Changyangzi exchanged a glance, and then their attack was even faster, forcing Liu Yiyi and Jianyang to defend. Fortunately, their offensive lasted only three breaths. Just as Jianyang and the others were about to counterattack, they saw the two retreat at the same time, their figures flashing as they headed towards the place where Rushen and Huangfu Changhen were fighting.

"Chase!"

No sooner had Master Sixin finished speaking than Jianyang moved in an instant, taking the lead and catching up.

Master Sixin and Liu Yiyi followed closely behind, arriving at the place where Rushen and Huangfu Changhen were fighting. They felt a fierce wave of energy rushing towards them. With a flick of her hand, she dispelled the scorching heat. Master Sixin looked at the two figures flying up and down in the dust and the expression on her face became solemn.

"Yiyi, guard this Frost Sword well."

Master Sixin gave Liu Yiyi a word of instruction, and with Jianyang nodding, the two of them leaped into the air and instantly rushed into the smoke and dust. After a while, Liu Yiyi saw three figures forming a triangular shape and firmly surrounding Rushen.

"With my master and two seniors here, there shouldn't be any problems."

Looking at the Ling Shuang Sword floating in mid-air, shimmering with golden light, Liu Yiyi's eyes flashed with a dark light. Her feet unconsciously walked towards it. Just as she reached out to pick up the hilt, a sudden pain in her finger pulled her back from the illusion.

"This divine sword has the power to bewitch others. Is it a god or a demon?"

Liu Yiyi came to her senses, her back was covered in cold sweat, her face was pale, her fingers, cut by the strings, were stained red, and she looked at the Ling Shuang sword, which was still flashing with golden light, with apprehension.

With a soft "thud," Jianxiong's longsword pierced through Zhao Qian's body, while the four swordsmen's swords also pierced Zhao Qian's body at the same time. The latter, with bloodshot eyes, roared and grabbed a longsword. With a flash of red light, it shot out with a crack. Caught off guard, Feng Jianshi's arm was cut by the broken blade, almost slicing her neck. A shallow wound appeared on her shoulder.

A sharp pain shot through his hand, and he immediately released his grip on the sword. As he retreated, a burst of red light emanated from Zhao Qian's palm, and five longswords were instantly broken in two, the broken blades shooting off at the other four people.

"Red Sand Palm, watch out!"

With a sweep of his broken sword, Jian Xiong deflected the broken blade, gave a warning, and then spun around, the broken sword flashing with blood as it stabbed towards Zhao Qian.

The three swordsmen, including the Dragon Swordsman, were already on guard. Upon hearing the young city lord's reminder, the Lin Swordsman withdrew from the battlefield and helped the Phoenix Swordsman to sit down to the side.

"This is a detoxifying pill. That Crimson Sand Palm is poisonous. Take it quickly."

The Sword Master Lin took out a porcelain bottle, poured out a turquoise pill the size of a soybean, and handed it to the Sword Master Feng. The latter reached out, pinched it, and swallowed it. A cool sensation rushed to his head, and the burning pain in his shoulder was immediately relieved. He thanked the Sword Master Lin, sat down cross-legged, and meditated to circulate the medicinal power.

The Sword Master Lin watched as the Sword Master Feng closed his eyes to heal, and then glanced at the Sword Venerable who was still healing not far away. He became extremely vigilant.

“Young City Lord, Zhao Qian’s Crimson Sand Palm is extremely vicious. Ordinary weapons will either be corroded or broken when they come into contact with it. If only the Blood Fierce Sword were available.”

The Dragon Swordsman and the Tiger Swordsman each switched to a longsword, but these longswords did not last long before Zhao Qian seized the opportunity to break them with a palm strike. If they hadn't reacted quickly, the poison gas from the broken point would have traveled down the blade.

“Even without the Bloodthirst Sword, I can still kill him. You two stand guard and watch how I deal with him.”

After giving the order, Jianxiong charged forward again with his sword. Upon hearing this, the two swordsmen exchanged a glance and obeyed the command, standing guard on either side.

Although Zhao Qian's Crimson Sand Palm was quite powerful and effective against weapons, her broken sword never touched it. Instead, it always attacked Zhao Qian's left arm, forcing Zhao Qian to fight according to his own ideas. After exchanging more than ten blows, Jian Xiong's eyes flashed, and he thrust his long sword forward, aiming straight at the severed arm. He then gathered his strength in his left palm and unleashed a powerful punch, directly clashing with Zhao Qian's Crimson Sand Palm.

Zhao Qian watched as Jian Xiong recklessly challenged him to a palm strike, and couldn't help but sneer. Although he had lost an arm, he was still not someone Jian Xiong could withstand. However, the moment they met, Zhao Qian felt a powerful palm force rushing towards him, causing his body to tremble violently. By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late. With a loud bang, Zhao Qian screamed twice as the broken sword pierced his heart, and the left palm snapped his right arm. The backlash shattered Zhao Qian's bones, sending him flying into the air before crashing heavily to the ground, where he became a blurry mass of unrecognizable, mangled flesh.

"call."

Seeing Zhao Qian's gruesome death, Jianxiong took a deep breath and knelt down, leaning on his broken sword.

"Young City Lord!"

The Dragon Swordsman and Tiger Swordsman were shocked to see Jian Xiong kill Zhao Qian with such power, but then they realized that the sword technique used did not belong to the Sword Forging City, and they understood what was going on.

The two rushed to Jianxiong and helped him up. Jianxiong threw away the broken sword in his hand and looked at the red dot in the middle of his left hand. His expression was slightly solemn. Zhao Qian's Crimson Sand Palm had reached an extremely profound level. Otherwise, if the Taoist priest had taught him the Tai Chi Cloud Hands to convert most of the palm force, his half of his arm would have been crippled.

"It's nothing. Go see my father and Feng Jianshi." Jianxiong waved his hand. He was just severely depleted of his true energy. He would be fine after taking a Qi-replenishing pill.

Just as the three were walking toward the Sword Master and the Wind Sword Master, a group of black-clad swordsmen suddenly rushed in. The Dragon Sword Master was immediately alarmed. Each of these swordsmen possessed a formidable aura, and even he himself was ashamed of his own inferiority to the leader.

Jianxiong also saw the black-clad swordsman rush in. Before he could ask a question, the black-clad swordsman pointed in his direction, and six black-clad swordsmen immediately sprang out from behind him. Six snake-shaped swords flashed with green light and stabbed at Jianxiong and his two companions. The three of them were now fighting two against one, but because they had lost their weapons and had consumed a lot of their true energy, Jianxiong was already at a disadvantage after a few moves.

“Kill the Sword Master.”

The leader of the men in black looked at the Sword Master not far away and said coldly. Seven more people flew out from behind him and attacked with their swords. The Sword Master's face was very solemn at this moment, but before he could think about it, three swordsmen in black had already attacked. The Sword Master shouted and swung his broken sword. With his profound skills, he suppressed the three people opposite him.

However, the remaining four people crossed the defense line and headed straight for the Sword Master. But at this moment, the Phoenix Sword Master, who was healing with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes, stood up and struck a black-clad swordsman with a palm. The man did not have time to react and his body flew backward, crashing into the stone wall and dying instantly.

"waste."

The leader of the men in black roared, and the other two exchanged a glance. One of them dealt with the Phoenix Sword Envoy, while the other went straight for the Sword Master.

(End of this chapter)