Daqin Zhentiansi

The water ripples on the Azure Water Sword suddenly shone with a deep blue light, and the boundless water elemental power of the icy valley and cold pool was activated and resonated.

At the same time, within his sea of ​​consciousness, the profound mysteries of the Tide Sword Technique—the rotation of water and fire, the harmony of ice and fire—flowed like stars!
He held his hands in a circle in front of his chest, his left palm surging with a cold, icy current that condensed into a phantom of ice crystal sword energy, while his right palm activated the nascent form of the Burning Star Blazing Sword Law, causing it to blaze with intense heat.

In an instant, the vast and boundless Chaos True Essence surged forth and transformed into the core axis!
"boom!"

A small but exceptionally stable "water and fire in harmony" domain, imbued with the principles of nature, was forcibly opened up in front of him!

The area shimmered with a faint light, like an unmoving reef amidst raging waves.

On the edge of the raging, icy, and annihilating ice and fire domain, a relatively stable "gap" barely large enough for a few people to pass through was ruthlessly torn open!
Spatial turbulence crashed against it, creating ripples, and the other end of the gap vaguely revealed a fourth layer of scenery.

"You are not Lord Wu'an!"

Zhang Yuan's voice was like a thunderclap, resounding in everyone's soul.

That grand will forcefully pierced through the roars of demonic thoughts and the wails of the battlefield.

His towering figure stood tall, his gaze like a sharp sword piercing Bai Qi's projection: "Lord Wu'an's killings are for the protection of the country's territory, not for the destruction of the foundation of humanity!"

"You are nothing but a murderous demon born from the fiery flames of the evil sword, stealing its past form to deceive the world and steal a reputation!"

Zhang Yuan and Lord Wu'an Bai Qi disguised themselves and traveled together in the East Sea. How could Zhang Yuan not know Bai Qi?
Bai Qi was ruthless and cruel, but he did not kill innocent people indiscriminately.

Bai Qi disdained the so-called human sacrifice.

What was before him at this moment was merely a divine thought of Bai Qi, possessed by the malevolent sword intent of this place.

Of course, this also means that Bai Qi is indeed unable to suppress the Sword Tomb.

The thirteen malevolent swords, located at the bottom of the ninth level of the Sword Tomb, are truly about to break free from their seal.

The crimson projection visibly froze for a moment, then erupted in a deafening, maniacal laugh: "Hahaha! What a sharp-tongued brat! Does it matter whether it is or not?"

"To be able to wield such world-destroying power is enough!"

"Since you dare to reveal the secrets of heaven, then use your flesh and blood to consecrate my sword first!"

The demonic intent manifested as a surge of killing intent that suddenly reached its peak!

"boom--"

Three hundred-foot-long blood-red blades, formed from pure calamity fire and the malevolent power of vengeful spirits, instantly tore through the space in their path, carrying terrifying power that could annihilate souls and erode all things, and slashed towards Zhang Yuan in a triangular formation!

The power enveloping this long sword was simply earth-shattering.

This is the power of the murderous sword; even the slightest enhancement is so dazzling and magnificent that it is impossible to look directly at it.

The moment the three long swords appeared, the area within a thousand miles almost froze.

That was the suppression of the Great Dao; even a Saint Realm expert would have their body stiffen.

The cultivators from all sides standing before the Ice and Fire Corridor were all unable to move.

Xuan Chengzi and the others looked at Zhang Yuan, who was standing in front of them, their expressions extremely solemn.

That attack was too powerful.

Ahead, Zhang Yuan narrowed his eyes.

"town!"

Zhang Yuan's words were like thunder in spring, and the Yuanyue Heavy Sword hanging beside him seemed to have a spirit, emitting a dragon's roar, which he then pulled out with a backhand!
The sword was simple and unadorned, yet it carried the weight of eternal chaos as it met the three deadly blood blades!

Clang! Clang! Boom—!!!
The sound of swords clashing was like stars exploding!
A terrifying energy shockwave spread outwards with overwhelming force, tearing space into countless tiny black spiderwebs!
Many low-level cultivators who were nearby were directly blown away, spitting out blood.

Zhang Yuan's black robe fluttered as he took three steps back, leaving deep pits in the hard lava rocks beneath his feet, and a trickle of crimson blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

He was not fighting against Bai Qi's incarnation, but against the malevolent sword that controlled the Great Dao of the Sword Tomb.

Even though his physical body had transformed into that of a Great Sage, he still couldn't withstand the Sword Tomb Dao and the Ferocious Sword.

But his sword-wielding arm was as steady as a rock, and he actually managed to keep those three ferocious blood blades, which were enough to kill a half-step Saint Realm expert, in place!

The terrifying chaotic true essence and the blood-red tribulation fire clashed and annihilated violently around him, making him look like a blood-soaked war god.

At the same time, a cold glint burst forth in his eyes like a cosmic storm.

His divine sense traversed the void, precisely merging the undying obsession of Li Chunfeng's remnant soul guarding the sword tomb, the pure battle intent of the same origin Flowing Cloud Sword Cleansing Pavilion flowing in Cheng Yue's body, and his own magnificent and overwhelming Chaotic Emperor's might that suppressed all evil!

"Li Chunfeng! The heroic spirit of Zhao Zhou! Their duty to protect the righteous path of humanity cannot be allowed to be wantonly desecrated by evil demons!!!"

The voice was direct, resounding in the deepest part of the consciousness of Li Chunfeng and the other sword slaves.

The eyes of Li Chunfeng and the other sword slaves, which were like solidified blood crystals, suddenly fluctuated violently. A fierce struggle and supreme clarity pierced through the evil influence!
"Guarding...the Sword Tomb...isn't like this...ah—!!!"

A roar containing both liberation and heart-wrenching pain shook the world!
Like a final burst of energy before death, the power of the indomitable spirit of our ancestor Zhao Zhou was ignited at the critical moment between life and death!
"Om-"

The most powerful remnant souls of the sword slaves, led by Li Chunfeng, were surrounded by uncontrolled ice and fire energies that were compressed and expanded to the extreme like a supernova!

They abandoned their defenses, transforming into several spheres of destructive light that pierced the darkness. With boundless tragedy and determination as they burned their last true spirits, they disregarded spatial distance and threw themselves at the core of Bai Qi's demonic incarnation!
"You wretched creature—how dare you!!!"

The demonic thought manifested as a horrified and furious howl that resounded through the sky, filled with unbelievable panic.

"Boom—!!!!!!!!!!"

It was as if countless stars had vanished at once!

A massive, earth-shattering explosion erupted at the edge of the annihilation zone!

A destructive torrent of ice and fire, mixed with the tragic will of Zhao Zhou's heroic soul to break free from its constraints and protect his descendants, crashed down on Bai Qi's demonic projection like a celestial river overturning!
"Ugh—!"

The crimson projection let out a painful howl, violently twisted and deformed by the explosion, flickering incessantly like an image with an unstable signal. Its originally solid body instantly disintegrated by more than half, and the rich crimson light dimmed to the extreme!
The invisible blood shackles that had been enveloping the other cultivators crumbled inch by inch, like a broken hemp rope!
The enormous energy from the self-destruction impacted the chaotic vortex of the Ice and Fire Annihilation Domain, creating a brief but intense clash that momentarily halted the chaos in the entire space!
In that split second, the "water and fire in harmony" domain that Zhang Yuan had created seized the moment and burst out with intense light!
"Now, come with me!"

Zhang Yuan's voice transformed into a clear command of will, instantly spreading to everyone on his side.

The Yongtianzhou army was already poised for battle at the command of Wu Daoling, the Nine Yang Sword Immortal. "Form the Wedge Formation!"

The three thousand Xuanjia sword cultivators responded in unison, as if guided by an extension of their own limbs, and instantly transformed into an extremely condensed crimson-gold sword-shaped energy body, using Zhang Yuan as the sharpest arrowhead, and crashed into that fleeting passage!

Cheng Yue took a deep look at the remaining embers of ice and fire after the explosion, where his grandmaster's last figure could be seen.

Without the slightest hesitation, he unleashed his fastest speed to follow Zhang Yuan's sword formation!

A complex mix of shock and lingering fear flashed in Xuan Chengzi's eyes. He shouted in a low voice, "Follow me!"

His body shone with a burst of pure and mysterious light, which swept up several core disciples of the Qingxu Temple behind him and transformed them into a stream of light that rushed into the passage.

"Run away!"

Xiao Zhengtian, who had managed to break free from his chains, the disheveled leader of the Blood Wolf Alliance, the remaining elders of the Lichen Palace, and a few cultivators who had survived the bloody battle, were like drowning people seeing driftwood. They unleashed their survival potential and rushed into the soon-to-disappear life channel, pushing and shoving each other!

The space shifts, revealing the fourth-floor Ice and Fire Sword Corridor, a scene where coldness and heat intertwine.

The brief silence of death was broken, and the gasps of survivors could be clearly heard.

Almost everyone's gaze, complex and indescribable, involuntarily focused on the figure in black robes standing at the very front, with his back to the exit of the passage—Zhang Yuan.

Xuan Chengzi looked at Zhang Yuan, his eyes still showing a deep sense of apprehension, but in the end he solemnly clasped his hands in a salute: "Fellow Daoist Zhang... Qingxu Temple will forever be grateful for your kindness in breaking through this predicament and guiding us!"

His disciples held him in even greater awe and reverence.

Cheng Yue stood to Zhang Yuan's side and slightly behind, clasped his hands in a fist salute, nodded slightly, and said in a slightly hoarse but clear voice: "Thank you, Lord Marquis, for helping my grandmaster's spirit to be released and for washing away the shame of my Zhao Zhou Liuyun Sword Pavilion! This kindness will never be forgotten by my fellow disciples of Zhao Zhou!"

The surviving disciples of Zhao Zhou beside him, such as Sun Ming and Zhou Yue, also had sorrowful faces but respectful eyes, and bowed in unison.

The leader of the Blood Wolf Alliance had half his face burned, the scars grotesque. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Those eyes, burning with deep-seated resentment, were fixed on the Yuanyue Heavy Sword behind Zhang Yuan and the faint, cold light of the Youquan Sword.

He let out a hoarse laugh, like a beast's growl: "Hehehe... Good! Well done, 'Qingyang Marquis' of Yongtian Continent! Tough as nails! Plenty of treasures! I... Blood Wolf 'Scarface' Tu Qianxiong, I'll remember you!"

"The lower levels of this sword tomb... let's take our time and have some fun!"

On the other side, Xiao Zhengtian's face was ashen, like a still pond. Although his golden-patterned Taoist robe was disheveled, he had regained his composure.

He secretly transmitted his voice to the remaining confidants of Zixiao Palace, his voice icy and chilling: "This person has grown powerful, his mind is like a demon, and his strength... is unfathomable! He has become the biggest obstacle for all the sects of Yangtian Continent to seize the treasures of the Sword Tomb! Notify Yuding Danzong and Lingyun Sword Palace at all costs!"

"We must join forces...to eliminate them!"

Those scattered cultivators who had miraculously survived the ordeal, such as those from small sects like Jinxia Island and Yinsha Sect, as well as the disciples from Tianhuo Valley and Xuanbing Palace behind the Ice Rock, all looked at Zhang Yuan with pure, almost godlike awe.

Many people even subconsciously lowered their heads, not daring to look him in the eye, their bodies trembling slightly.

The terrifying power that had just torn apart the annihilation domain, slain the demonic shadow with three strikes, and even guided the heroic souls to self-destruct, had imprinted the name "Zhang Qingyang" deep within their souls, representing an invincible abyss.

They moved silently away from the core of the major powers. The passage that Zhang Yuan had torn open was not only a way out, but also a silent declaration that absolute power could crush everything!

Zhang Yuan seemed oblivious to the gratitude, apprehension, scheming, and awe projected upon him from behind.

He slowly raised his hand and gently wiped away the streak of crimson blood from the corner of his mouth with the pad of his thumb, his movements as calm as brushing away dust.

Their gaze pierced through the distorted ice and fire corridor as if it were a tangible object, and was cast into the deeper and darker unknown land of the Sword Tomb.

There, the frenzied pulse of the Fiery Blaze Sword became even clearer.

There, the other twelve dormant or awakened malevolent sword auras, like lurking ancient beasts, emitted low, menacing threats.

There, the gaze of that skeletal, malevolent sword, hidden in the ultimate darkness and radiating extreme chill and ominousness, seemed to pierce through endless space and fall coldly upon him.

Deep within his sea of ​​consciousness, the Chaos Furnace was operating silently, forcibly pulling in a wisp of dark red, malevolent energy originating from his shattered demonic thoughts and containing the fierce intent of calamity fire.

The dizzying sensation of the shifting spaces subsided, and the post-disaster clamor at the entrance of the Ice and Fire Corridor was temporarily shut out.

Zhang Yuan stood alone before the crowd, his black robe stained with a glaring crimson bloodstain, yet this did not diminish his increasingly imposing and awe-inspiring aura.

His mind was not focused on the gratitude, fear, or schemes directed at him from behind, but rather instantly immersed in the vast universe within his body.

The Chaos Furnace emitted an unprecedentedly violent roar from the depths of the sea of ​​consciousness, and on the furnace wall, two clear Dao patterns were slowly but firmly engraved as imprints.

The Ice Crystal Mystic Pattern originates from the Ice Crystal Mystic Sword that froze countless ages.

The furnace releases wisps of cold air, not to freeze and crack the flesh, but to decompose and purify the profound principles of "absolute stillness" and "freezing of time and space".

What Zhang Yuan comprehended was a sword principle of "using stillness to control movement" and "all things returning to silence" in the realm of extreme cold. It was not simply coldness, but an order that caused the energy of all things to fall into eternal stagnation.

This is completely different from the cold and malevolent power he drew from the Nether Spring Sword. The latter focuses on soul erosion and poison, while the former is a prototype close to the "Origin of the Frozen Great Dao"!

He could sense that if integrated into his own swordsmanship, it would possess terrifying power, whether it was the ability to slow down and seal enemies or to instantly freeze offensive energy during defense.

The Crimson Star Mark originates from the Blazing Star Sword, which resembles a star core filled with molten lava.

Dark red flames rose from within the furnace, bringing not the pain of burning, but the true meaning of destruction: "violent annihilation" and "burning the stars." The essence of this flame lies in its catastrophic destruction that ignores the structure of matter and strikes directly at the core of energy.

What the furnace reveals is a terrifying law of extreme explosion and the pursuit of instantaneous and complete disintegration of the material world.

It shares the same violent origin as the Blazing Fire Sword, but is more direct and pure, symbolizing an extreme destructive power!
If one can master this intention, the sword's edge will not only sever the physical form, but also directly trigger the "implosion" of the opponent's true essence, flesh and blood, and even protective qi!
This power is domineering and unparalleled, but it is also full of danger. If you are not careful, you will be devoured by the will to burn the stars.

These two extremely opposing sword intent patterns, like two roaring ice and fire dragon souls, surged and clashed within the chaotic furnace, stirring up monstrous waves.

However, the core of the Chaos Furnace shone brightly, like a stabilizing force, forcibly maintaining a delicate balance.

The point of "harmony between water and fire" that I realized when I opened a passage at the edge of the annihilation domain.

The furnace is attempting to thoroughly integrate the fundamental mysteries of ice and fire into the very foundation of its own chaotic path.

The terrifying shockwave from directly clashing with the three blood-red blades formed from Bai Qi's demonic avatar went far beyond just affecting the internal organs. (End of Chapter)