A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 446 Dual Swords United
On the third floor of the Chess City, Guan Yutian asked Ren Qianxing with concern, grabbing his arm and asking, "Qianxing, what exactly happened?"

Ren Qianxing felt a warmth in his heart when he saw the concern in Guan Yutian's eyes, and then told Guan Yutian everything that had happened.

After the towering waves rose into the air, the lake water suddenly surged up, crashing down on Ren Qianxing like a tidal wave. Ren Qianxing felt the immense power of the waves and that his internal energy had been greatly depleted. He immediately abandoned the chessboard and was about to rush ashore when, as his toes touched the lake water, he suddenly felt a weight on his foot. Looking down, he discovered that his foot had been covered with blood-red ghost claws.

Ren Qianxing's expression changed slightly. Just as he was about to circulate his true energy to dispel the evil spirit, his true energy in his dantian suddenly stagnated. Unable to maintain his true energy, he was immediately grabbed by the blood-red ghost claws and pulled into the lake. As soon as he entered the lake, all Ren Qianxing could see were red ghost hands, surrounding him layer upon layer. The protective barrier only lasted for two or three breaths before it was broken. The ghost claws surged forward in a rush, and even the lake water turned crimson, looking extremely eerie. In addition, blood-red threads wrapped around Ren Qianxing's limbs, making him unable to move.

Just as he was about to be devoured, Ren Qianxing thought of the Ling Shuang Sword and immediately poured his last bit of true energy into it. The blood-red sword body glowed slightly, and a burst of sword energy shot out in all directions. There were mournful howls, and the layers of ghostly hands surrounding Ren Qianxing were instantly swept by the sword energy and turned into blood-red threads.

Ren Qianxing hurriedly surfaced from the lake and took a deep breath, but he did not notice that the blood threads seemed to have a spirit and were converging inwards, suddenly condensing into a ball, like a blood sphere, with a long blood-red tail hanging from the end. It drifted back and forth in the lake water. Looking around, the bottom of the lake looked like a blood-red algae. A fish swam by and was instantly swallowed by the blood sphere, leaving not even skin and bones behind.

"What the hell is this."

Ren Qianxing glanced at it unintentionally, his face turning pale as he stared at the strange creature, his heart filled with horror. Seeing the blood sphere swimming towards him, he immediately swam away with all his might, but he hadn't gone far when Ren Qianxing's heart sank. He thrust his demonic sword downwards, and a blood sphere immediately burst open, the blood being rapidly absorbed by the demonic sword. Then, the sword suddenly lit up, and a ball of red light enveloped Ren Qianxing.

When Ren Qianxing, who was swimming, saw the red light on his body, he was first startled, and then delighted, because his depleted true energy was constantly being restored.

"I never expected that this blood cell could replenish vital energy. It has really been a great help."

Ren Qianxing took a deep breath, paused, and sank into the lake. Watching the blood spheres rushing towards him, he swung his sword and unleashed a sweeping, incredibly sharp sword aura that instantly shattered the incoming blood spheres. Upon seeing this, a glint flashed in Ren Qianxing's eyes, and he charged into the scattered blood spheres. With a sweeping motion of his longsword, within a few breaths, all the blood spheres within a three-zhang radius around him disappeared, leaving only a few remaining in the distance.

"Not enough, still not enough, I need more." Ren Qianxing felt an overwhelming desire. If he could devour these blood orbs, his cultivation would reach a higher level, and he might even surpass Gu Xu and become the number one person in the world.

With this in mind, Ren Qianxing charged forward, his sword light clearing the way. All the blood orbs along the way were powerless to resist and became nourishment for the demonic sword, providing sustenance for Ren Qianxing's advancement.

As he continued to descend towards the bottom of the lake, the number of blood orbs dwindled. His protective aura was constantly deformed by the water flow, and a heavy pressure brought Ren Qianxing back to his senses from his frenzy. The crimson light in his eyes faded, his body relaxed, and he felt the pressure on him increase. Just as Ren Qianxing was about to dive upward, the Ling Shuang sword in his hand suddenly vibrated continuously, and a sword light suddenly pointed to a place at the bottom of the lake that emitted a faint light.

"That is?"

Ren Qianxing's heart stirred, and he immediately circulated his true energy, opened his energy shield, and swam towards that place. In no time, Ren Qianxing stood on the bottom of the lake, looking at a black boulder surrounded by swirling rapids. The faint light from earlier had come from this boulder. Without hesitation, Ren Qianxing slashed his sword into the water. The swirling water was immediately broken, but the sword light continued its momentum and struck the black boulder squarely.

With a snap, the black stone was neatly cut in two. Just as Ren Qianxing swam over, the broken black stone suddenly trembled, revealing a dark hole underneath. Caught off guard, a powerful suction force enveloped Ren Qianxing. Even though he tried his best to resist, after only two or three breaths, the suction force suddenly expanded, and Ren Qianxing was immediately sucked in.

"After I was sucked in, I woke up and searched around to make sure I had entered Chess City. Later, when you, Master, fought with the people from Sword Forging City, I was able to find my way here by following the sound."

After Ren Qianxing finished speaking, Guan Yutian remained silent, his brows furrowed. After a while, Guan Yutian relaxed his brows, glanced at Ren Qianxing, and asked, "Qianxing, after you entered Chess City, did you make any special discoveries?"

“There really is one, Master, come with me.”

After a moment's thought, Ren Qianxing's eyes lit up. He led Guan Yutian and his group to a hall shaped like a large hall. The hall was made entirely of bluestone, a very simple material. It stood out against the piles of gold and silver jewels. The most eye-catching thing was the two sword tablets, each about the height of a person, in the center of the hall. There were no words on these two stone tablets, only a sword-shaped groove. Judging from their appearance, they were clearly the shape of the Ling Shuang Sword.

"Master, look."

Guan Yutian approached and touched the two stone tablets, finding nothing special about them. After observing them for a while, Guan Yutian understood. Looking at the two grooves, Guan Yutian nodded to Ren Qianxing, who immediately handed the Heart Sword to Guan Yutian, while he himself stood in front of a stone tablet with the Demon Sword in his hand.

"These two stone tablets should unlock the door to the third level, and the Frost Sword is the key. Both swords must be placed in at the same time for it to open, Qianxing."

Guan Yutian placed the Heart Sword on the stone tablet and glanced at Ren Qianxing. Upon seeing this, the latter did the same. With a "release," Ren Qianxing and Guan Yutian simultaneously placed their swords into the grooves. Suddenly, two sword lights, one red and one blue, shone brightly. The two stone tablets rumbled and closed inwards, their red and blue colors flashing intermittently.

Finally, the light faded, and the two stone tablets merged into one. The Heart Sword and Demon Sword also transformed into a divine sword emitting white light, which flew into Ren Qianxing's hand with a whoosh.

"Alright, the divine sword recognizes its master, Qianxing. From now on, you are the true master of the Frost Sword. Even if an outsider obtains it, they will find it difficult to unleash its full power. With this assistance, and the advantage of the Chess City, the Sword Casting City and Helian Ba's group will not be able to leave here."

Guan Yutian was overjoyed. It was rare for the Ling Shuang Sword to recognize a master in the history of his clan. Every sword wielder who was recognized by the divine sword was exceptionally talented and unstoppable in his time. Qian Xing's strength had already far surpassed his own. After obtaining the treasure, he would give way to him and let him become the true supreme martial arts master and the ruler of the world.

"Alliance Leader, the third level."

After Guan Yutian calmed down, Mu Rongyi approached him and pointed to the caisson ceiling above the hall, revealing a portal of light. Upon hearing this, Guan Yutian's spirits lifted, and he called out to everyone. The group immediately used their lightness skills and entered the portal in no time.

Not long after they disappeared, the gate of light began to slowly close. At that moment, Gu Xu arrived with Sword Master and the others. Seeing the closing gate of light, Gu Xu pointed his finger and a burst of Ice Soul Mystic Light instantly sealed the gate of light.

"Walk."

Gu Xu took the lead, his figure flashed, and he had already rushed into the light gate. Sword Master and the others hurriedly followed. Just after Yan Cangfeng entered last, the Ice Soul Profound Light began to disintegrate under the pressure of the light gate, and the speed at which it closed suddenly accelerated.

"fast forward!"

When Helian Ba ​​and the others arrived, the gate of light had already closed halfway. Immediately, Master Changmo swung a fishing rod from behind him and pulled hard, the hook firmly catching the gate. Master Changmo nodded to Helian Ba, who flashed with light, and several demonic clones grabbed a group of disciples and led them inside. Zheng Jing, Lu Wen, the Skeleton Monk, the Child of Supreme Goodness, and Abbess Suyin followed closely behind. Just as Master Changmo entered, the gate of light slammed shut with a loud bang. "Daoist Master, why is this place so strange? It's empty and seems to have no end. Could it be another illusion?"

Looking out from the third level, the ground was made of transparent glass bricks, and the surroundings were a vast expanse of white. Even with their eyes focused, they still couldn't see anything inside, and they could all feel an omnipresent pressure surging towards them.

Gu Xu scanned his surroundings, his eyes lighting up as the situation behind the white mist became clearly visible to him.

It turns out that the white mist was actually made up of tiny white mosquitoes. Sensing the blood, they were immediately startled. At a rough glance, their number was probably in the hundreds of billions.

"careful!"

Although Gu Xu was not afraid of these mosquitoes, he could not stop the Sword Master and the others. He immediately had a thought and a bronze mirror appeared in his hand. He shone it on the surging white mist, and the clear light instantly refined most of the mosquitoes. The surviving ones became even more frenzied and rushed towards the Sword Master and the others without any order.

Sword Master and the others remained calm upon seeing this. They unleashed sword energy and zither music, weaving a protective aura. The mosquitoes that tried to bite them were all refined by Yan Cangfeng's Fire God's Wrath True Qi. After a short while, the mosquitoes disappeared completely, the white mist dissipated, and two magnificent golden halls came into view.

"This is the illusion. Keep moving forward."

Gu Xu retrieved the treasure mirror and spoke calmly. Everyone's hearts skipped a beat upon hearing this. They followed Gu Xu's footsteps and passed through the glass passage. What appeared before their eyes was a golden mountain, shining brightly and illuminating an area of ​​several feet. A warm feeling made everyone present feel very comfortable. At the foot of the mountain, there were seven or eight figures walking back and forth. They were Guan Yutian and others.

"Master, look."

When Ren Qianxing saw Gu Xu and his group walking towards them, he hurriedly called out to Guan Yutian, who was inspecting Jinshan.

Upon hearing this, Guan Yutian turned around and looked at Gu Xu and the others who were walking towards him. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he gave an order to everyone. Immediately, he ran up the small path on Jinshan Mountain.

"The central hub of Chess City lies atop this golden mountain. Once we control it, we can move the treasure out effortlessly, as if by magic. You should try to stop them and buy some time for this leader."

After saying that, Guan Yutian ignored Ru Shen's ugly expression and led Ren Qianxing, Jian Yin, Mu Rongyi, and the others to quickly run upwards.

"Heh, that's quite a clever plan. But since that's the case, I'll give you a hand."

Liao Rushen watched Guan Yutian and the others gradually disappear into the distance, snorted coldly, put away his feather fan, took out a compass from his sleeve, and casually fiddled with it a few times. The pointer stopped at a certain point. Seeing this, Liao Rushen pointed at it, and a wisp of true energy shot out in the direction of the pointer. With a hiss, a round hole appeared. Liao Rushen did the same thing again and made six more holes. From the side, the holes were arranged in the shape of the Big Dipper.

Then, Liao Rushen took out seven miniature swords from his pocket and placed them into the holes one by one, connecting them with a red thread. As soon as his true energy entered, the place instantly became cold and gloomy. Gusts of cold wind blew down the mountain path, and a thin layer of black mist and ice condensed on the nearby mountain walls.

"Although the Seven Fiends Formation is simple, it is not difficult to block for a moment. However, that is not enough. Not to mention Gu Xu, even Huangfu Changhen is very familiar with the formation methods of the Heavenly Mystery Sect. This time, we will make Huangfu Changhen suffer a setback."

Thinking of this, Liao Rushen drew out his feather fan and waved it at the Seven Fiends Formation. A gust of wind struck the formation, causing it to ripple. Instantly, the billowing turbid mist, following Liao Rushen's hand movements, slowly condensed into a giant skull. After it solidified, Liao Rushen let out a deep shout and waved his feather fan again. A beam of blue light entered his brow, and the skull retracted, leaving only a black mist so thick that one could not see their own hand in front of their face blocking the mountain path.

"The treasures of this Chess City can only belong to me, Liao Rushen!"

Knowing that Guan Yutian would not achieve his goal in a short time, Liao Rushen knew that he could weaken the opponent's strength, complete Guan Yutian's mission, and finally cause him some trouble. This plan was truly ingenious.

With a chuckle, Liao Rushen glanced at the operating formation again, his figure flickered, and he quickly ran towards the mountaintop. However, only a few breaths after he left, Gu Xu and the others arrived. Looking at the black mist blocking their way, Sword Master expressionlessly unleashed a Dragon Riding Sword Qi. The sword qi soared into the sky, and instantly, a scorching wave of energy surged. The black mist was almost powerless to resist and was instantly annihilated.

The enormous skull hidden within had only shown itself briefly before it was shattered to pieces by Huangfu Changhen's Wind and Thunder Whip. He retracted the whip, examined it briefly, and indeed, it was as if he knew everything.

"The most important thing in Chess City is located on the mountaintop; it must not fall into their hands."

Gu Xu waved his sleeve to clear away the turbid air in front of them, and the group quickened their pace and ran upwards.

The moment the formation was broken, Liao Rushen, who was on his way, changed his expression. Calculating the time, it had only been a dozen or so breaths before the formation was broken. Just how strong were Gu Xu and the others?

"Misstep."

Liao Rushen's figure darted forward, disregarding the depletion of his true energy. After a short while, he finally arrived at the mountaintop. At this moment, Guan Yutian was intently watching a chessboard with only two black and white pieces on it, but there were nine paths to the board. Only by solving this seemingly simple chessboard could the central control mechanism be deduced.

"what happened!"

Ren Qianxing looked at Liao Rushen, whose face was filled with anxiety, and asked in a deep voice.

"My formation was completely destroyed by the Sword Forging City forces within three breaths. At their speed, they will catch up soon."

(End of this chapter)