Liver into a martial arts legend: starting with Embroidered Spring Blade

Chapter 162 Witness the Rise of a Martial Arts Legend! [Two Chapters Combined]

The sword light flashed like thunder, piercing the night sky, while the two golden rings, like two golden lightning bolts, raced and tumbled across the night, beautiful yet carrying a breathtakingly dangerous aura.

Even from a great distance, people could hear the thunderous explosion and feel the energy fluctuations caused by the clash between the sword energy and the golden ring. The howling wind seemed to tear the night sky apart.

These are the powers of two Heavenly Realm Intents!
The two figures soared like wild geese or emerged from the sea like dragons, sometimes flying into the night sky to fight fiercely, and sometimes falling to the ground to bombard each other, kicking up countless dust and rubble. Each strike could cause indescribable and terrifying destructive power.

The two unleashed their power completely at this moment, without reservation, as if the world itself had lost its color.

Even many members of the Money Gang and the Netherworld who were engaged in a bloody battle nearby were drawn to the scene and looked on in horror.

"It's the gang leader! He's fighting someone!" a leader of the Money Gang exclaimed.

"Is that the Lord of the Underworld? He's so powerful, he actually forced the gang leader to take action!"

"And he can even be on par with the gang leader? How is that possible?!"

Many of the experts in the Money Gang were shocked and incredulous.

In their hearts, Shangguan Jin Hong was an invincible being.

For the past twenty years since its founding, no matter how powerful the enemy, none of them could defeat Shangguan Jin Hong in a single blow; almost no one could force him to use his full strength.

He single-handedly subdued seventeen masters listed on the Weapon Ranking and trained masters like Jing Wuming and Tang Du, who were no weaker than those on the Weapon Ranking, thus developing the Money Gang into one of the three major overlords of Jiangnan.

Even the other two top-tier forces, Divine Sword Manor and Sky Eagle Sect, at their peak, dared not challenge its might and could only shrink their sphere of influence, tacitly allowing the rise of the Money Gang.

But now, someone has actually managed to fight Shangguan Jin Hong to this point, evenly matched. How could this not move them?!
"Those people from the Netherworld are courting death, daring to trespass into our territory. Kill them first, then go help the gang leader!"

A leader roared, his sword flashing like a bolt of lightning as he charged towards a Netherworld assassin.

But the next moment, he was intercepted by another sword light, and with just one strike, his throat was pierced by the sword light.

He clutched his neck, staring in horror at the man in black before him. He tried to say something, but it was too late. He could only fall to the ground in despair, blood gushing out like a jet.

"Your opponent is me!"

Holding the 'Thirteen Deadly Swords', with a ghost mask covering half of his face, Yan Shisan charged into the crowd with his sword, his eyes filled with excitement.

With the increasing number of times he has used it recently, it seems that he has touched the soul of the fourteenth sword.

The thirteen swords combined into one, this is the fourteenth sword, a terrifying and deathly power.

When the sword is drawn, someone will surely die!
If he can successfully comprehend this sword technique, he will be able to take another step forward and enter the Heavenly Sword level!

At this moment, he wielded his sword and weaved through the crowd, specifically targeting experts above the level of the Money Gang leader to hone his skills. He felt that the Thirteen Swords technique was becoming more and more proficient, and he went completely berserk.

He had a feeling that the opportunity for the Fourteen Swords to be born was today!

On the other side, Tianji Laoren and Li Xunhuan retreated again and again, equally shocked by the strength of the two people in the center of the battlefield.

Shangguan Jin Hong's entry into the second stage of the realm of artistic conception had already moved them deeply.

However, neither of them expected that this 'Netherworld' Palace Master was also a second-step existence in the realm of intent.

"The intent of the Heavenly Sword? He's only been comprehension of sword intent for less than a year, how could he have already stepped into the second stage so quickly?!"

The old man of the heavens stared intently at the dark figure in the arena, as if trying to see through him.

He had previously suspected that this Lord of the Underworld was Jiang Xuan.

Jiang Xuan had broken through to a higher realm during the battle outside Yongzhou City, comprehending the second realm of intent and killing several grandmasters, including the White Lotus Sect Leader and Dongfang Bubai. Jiang Xuan knew about this.

But now, he doubts whether his guess is correct.

The realm of artistic conception is the limit of external martial arts. There are very few people in the martial arts world who can cultivate external martial arts to this level, let alone go further on this basis.

To reach the 'Heavenly Realm' level, one needs talent, comprehension, opportunity, and time... all are indispensable.

Shangguan Jin Hong had already grasped the essence of the realm twenty years ago, and now, twenty years later, he has only reached the second step of the Heavenly Realm, where he has a ring in his hand but no ring in his heart.

If this person is truly Jiang Xuan, how is it possible that he went from comprehending the essence of the realm to entering the Heavenly Realm in less than a year?!
“Perhaps, this is not him…” Li Xunhuan also shook his head, not believing that there could be such a monstrous talent in the world.

He was hailed as a genius in his youth, but it took him more than a decade to go from taking the first step to taking the second.

"No! It's him, a fifth-grade Grandmaster, his cultivation level matches! There can't be anyone else but him!"

The old man shook his head, but in his heart he was certain, and the greater the shock, the more certain he was.

When they first met in Yuezhou, he could tell that this young man was no ordinary person.

Unexpectedly, he still underestimated Jiang Xuan.

With such terrifying martial arts talent, it's likely that within ten years, this young man will have a place at the pinnacle of the martial arts world!

"To have witnessed the rise of a peerless martial arts legend in my lifetime is enough to make this life worthwhile..." The old man Tianji shook his head and sighed.

Li Xunhuan was unwilling to believe it, but at this moment he had no choice but to admit what the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets had said.

At this moment, the person in the arena seemed to be gradually overlapping with the brilliant figure who had once dominated the crowd at Xingyun Manor, beheaded Master Xinmei, and forced the four grandmasters of Baoding Shaolin to bow their heads and close their mountain.

In just three or four months, this person has already made further progress and reached a level where he can fight against a strong person like Shangguan Jin Hong?

Li Xunhuan suddenly felt a deep sense of frustration.

Tie Chuanjia and Sun Xiaohong stood to the side, listening intently as well.

Are they witnessing the rise of a martial arts legend at this moment?
Amidst the clanging of weapons, there was also the thunderous roar of clashing spiritual energies, shaking the heavens and the earth, like thunder.

The clash between two experts at the second stage of the Intent Realm was truly terrifying. The power of heaven and earth swirled around them, blurring their figures.

Outsiders could only see two figures entangled together, inseparable, with two dazzling lights, one white and one gold, captivating and mesmerizing.

Jiang Xuan gripped the fine iron longsword, his blood and qi surging, his true energy boiling, operating to its limit, his spirit tense to the extreme, unleashing the second step of the 'Overlord Sword Intent', using the power of heaven and earth to collide and clash with the Mother-Child Dragon-Phoenix Rings, causing the entire void to distort and collapse, as if it were about to be shattered.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged dozens of blows, their speed so fast that they left afterimages and had exceeded the speed of sound. Only after each attack was launched could a whooshing sound be heard in mid-air.

This was a pure clash of spiritual power. Even with the Vajra Body and the Vajra Indestructible Divine Art's Vajra True Qi protecting him, Jiang Xuan was still somewhat unable to withstand it. He felt as if his internal organs were being shattered, and his whole body felt torn apart.

The second step in the realm of artistic conception allows one to draw upon the power of heaven and earth to aid in combat. The higher the realm, the more abundant the power one can draw upon, and the stronger the power one can unleash.

It's already a miracle that he, a fifth-grade Grandmaster, could fight so fiercely against Shangguan Jin Hong, a Grandmaster.

While their artistic conceptions were similar, Shangguan Jin Hong completely outclassed him in terms of internal strength.

If it weren't for his advantages in narrowing the gap, such as his Vajra Body, the supreme internal skill "Indestructible Vajra Divine Art," and the ability to control the wind without shadows, coupled with the solid foundation he had built by honing his skills to the limit at every level since he first entered the martial arts world, he would have been unable to withstand it long ago.

Shangguan Jin Hong is too strong.

Both being grandmasters, the difference between the Great Joyful Bodhisattva whom he had killed outside Tang County was as vast as an insurmountable chasm, like the difference between a child and an adult.

But now that the battle has come to this point, there is no turning back.

Moreover, with Tianji Laoren and Li Xunhuan watching over him, he had no worries about his rear, and could fight or retreat at will. If he couldn't hold on, a one-on-one fight could turn into a group brawl.

However, he is far from reaching his limit; his true energy is still abundant, and he can fight again.

Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, Jiang Xuan went all out with every move, fully displaying the true meaning of the Overlord's Intent and tempering himself.

Rumble~
With each clash and exchange of blows, not only were his combat skills improving, but his progress in the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art and the Overlord Intent was also increasing rapidly at a surprising speed that caught Jiang Xuan somewhat off guard...

[Martial Arts: Indestructible Vajra Divine Skill (Minor Success)]

【Progress: 7455/10000】

……

Martial Arts: Overlord's Intent (Boundless)

[Progress: 9%]

……

While circulating the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill to enhance his blood and defense, Jiang Xuan also unleashed the Overlord Intent, feeling the increasing proficiency of the two martial arts techniques. The more he fought, the more excited he became.

Despite the displacement of his internal organs, the disruption of his meridians, the tearing of his muscles, and even the seepage of blood from the pores on his body, he experienced both pain and pleasure, seizing this rare opportunity to hone his martial arts skills amidst life and death!

Besides the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill and the Overlord's Intent, he is currently also practicing the Absorbing Power Technique and the Yi Jin Jing, both of which are advanced internal skills.

The Yi Jin Jing is a pure internal energy cultivation method, focusing on improving internal strength and forging meridians to enhance martial arts aptitude. However, it is currently only at the beginner level and cannot support a major battle of this caliber. Jiang Xuan dares not be overconfident and distracted by the battle to practice this internal energy method.

However, the Absorption Technique has already been mastered to a certain extent, and the order of the flow of true qi does not conflict with the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill. As long as true qi is not released to perform skills such as sword qi or knife qi, the two internal skills can be used simultaneously.

Jiang Xuan suddenly had a brilliant idea: could he practice and hone his two internal skills at the same time?
With this in mind, taking advantage of the brief separation during his renewed clash with Shangguan Jin Hong, Jiang Xuan immediately activated his Absorption Technique, holding his sword in his right hand and palming out with his left, aiming at Shangguan Jin Hong.

sigh~
Suddenly, a powerful suction force emanated from him, causing Shangguan Jin Hong to pause in his backward movement. A look of astonishment appeared on his face. He felt that his true energy and blood were out of control, as if they were about to burst out of his body, and even his mind was somewhat dazed.

"The Star-Absorbing Skill of the Sun Moon Sect, or the Northern Darkness Divine Skill of the Song Dynasty's Free and Unfettered Sect?"

Shangguan Jin Hong instantly recalled the two martial arts techniques that absorbed people's true energy. He was even more surprised that the Lord of the Netherworld Palace possessed such a miraculous skill. However, despite his surprise, he remained calm and composed, and used his internal energy to suppress the boiling true energy and blood.

In a battle between masters, victory or defeat can often be decided in an instant.

Just as he was suppressing his energy and spirit, his energy leaked out, and Jiang Xuan finally seized the opportunity. Using the suction power of the Absorption Technique, he took a step forward, moved more than ten feet in the void, and appeared in front of Shangguan Jin Hong in the blink of an eye.

Shangguan Jin Hong was instantly terrified, his sense of crisis increasing greatly. When he came to his senses, he saw a sword light rapidly enlarging before his eyes, its terrifying and domineering power carrying layers of heaven and earth power as it swept towards him.

Without a second thought, he immediately crossed the two rings and held them in front of him.

Ding! Boom!
A terrifying power erupted, causing Shangguan Jin Hong's body to tremble and his blood to surge. For the first time, he was forced back. Although the sword light did not injure him, it had briefly gained the upper hand.

Sure enough, the next second, Jiang Xuan's attacks came one after another like a storm.

Having achieved an unexpected strategic effect by distracting Shangguan Jin Hong with the Absorption Technique, Jiang Xuan was not about to miss this opportunity.

In an instant, the situation, which was originally evenly matched, or even one where he was being suppressed by Shangguan Jin Hong, was completely reversed.

A barrage of sword energies, each imbued with terrifying intent, exploded wildly. Shangguan Jin Hong had no chance to retaliate and could only defend himself. His figure retreated rapidly, and the aura formed from the golden ring intent surrounding him gradually weakened and dimmed.

Shangguan Jin Hong felt extremely frustrated and oppressed. He was actually being suppressed by a grandmaster.
Although both are at the second stage of artistic conception, how can a grandmaster be compared to a master?
The artistic power that the two can exert is on a completely different level.

But that's the truth.

This 'Netherworld Leader' is not only as fast as him, but his internal energy cultivation also seems to be top-notch, with abundant and pure true energy, making him extremely powerful.

Not only that, his physical defense was also terrifyingly strong. Even when his golden ring collided with it, it could barely break through the opponent's protective aura, but it could not break through the person's physical body.

The impact of the golden ring was like hitting steel, which seemed to be the legendary supreme body-refining realm of Buddhism—the Vajra Body!
In addition, this person's intent power is also very domineering and powerful. Unlike the sharpness and speed of ordinary sword intent, it is more like the power attribute of knife intent or hammer intent. However, it also has a faint penetrating sharpness like an arrow. Even his protective qi is difficult to resist. He can only strengthen his defense by embracing the power of heaven and earth with the golden ring intent.

He had never seen such a bizarre 'sword intent' before.

Moreover, in terms of understanding artistic conception alone, this person seems to be no less capable than him.

Other grandmasters could only unleash 30% of the power of the second-stage realm, but this person seemed to be able to unleash 50%... or even more than 70%.

Therefore, in terms of attack, this person's strange artistic conception was already capable of injuring him, making him dare not underestimate him.

In terms of defense, this person's physical body, true qi, and mental intent triple defense were able to withstand his golden ring mental intent.

This is also why this person has been able to entangle with him for so long.

Shangguan Jin Hong had to admit that, apart from being slightly weaker in internal strength, this person was better than him in every other aspect.

Despite this, Shangguan Jin Hong was still quite confident, believing that his internal strength alone put him in an invincible position.

No matter how strong this person is, if the war drags on, he will inevitably be unable to sustain it, and that will be the time for his counterattack and annihilation.

But to his surprise, after fighting for so long, this person's true energy not only showed no signs of weakening, but instead grew stronger and stronger, and he even had a trick up his sleeve, which he used to suppress him and leave him unable to cope.

Shangguan Jin Hong found it hard to believe, but was powerless to do anything about it.

Jiang Xuan's attacks grew increasingly fierce, making it difficult for him to defend himself. If he made a careless move, he would inevitably be injured by Jiang Xuan's artistic intent.

In other circumstances, he would not be afraid at all. Even if he was injured, he would be able to turn the tide and achieve a counterattack.

But the situation was not favorable for him at this time.

He hadn't forgotten that there was also the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets and Li Xunhuan nearby, who posed a great threat to him.

Therefore, he absolutely could not afford to be injured; he could only grit his teeth and endure this wave of attacks until Jiang Xuan's momentum weakened.

"You like being a turtle, don't you?"

Jiang Xuan sneered. He had naturally seen through Shangguan Jin Hong's scheme, but this suited him perfectly.

Taking this opportunity, he went all out, unleashing his Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill at full speed, each move displaying the domineering intent, smashing against Shangguan Jin Hong's golden 'turtle shell,' pressing forward step by step, forcing him to retreat repeatedly.

Feeling the growth of his internal strength and artistic conception, he was extremely excited and wanted to roar to the sky to express his feelings.

Honing martial arts skills in this way is much faster than practicing in seclusion.

"This...how is this possible? A Grandmaster defeating a Second-Step Grandmaster?!"

In the distance, the old man of the heavens and the others stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were seeing.

They were already prepared to act at any time.

But in the blink of an eye, Shangguan Jin Hong was suppressed instead.
"I must be dreaming..."

Tie Chuanjia rubbed his eyes, swallowed hard, rubbed them again to make sure he wasn't dreaming, and muttered, "Young Master, this person is far more terrifying than you were back then..."

“We are indeed witnessing the rise of a martial arts legend!” Li Xunhuan exclaimed, feeling inferior to him.

At the tender age of twenty, he has already managed to force a Grandmaster of the Art of Composition to this point; in the entire martial arts world, there is no other example like him!
Even Xie Xiaofeng and Ximen Chuixue, who have been famous for the past decade and have both defeated Grandmasters while holding the Grandmaster level, are not comparable!
"No need for ten years, from now on, he will have a place in the highest echelons of the martial arts world!" the old man of the heavenly secrets said solemnly, withdrawing his thoughts from not long ago.

In an era where sages are rarely seen, Grandmasters are already renowned figures in the martial arts world, representing the pinnacle of combat power.

Grandmasters like Shangguan Jin Hong, who have comprehended the second stage of the realm, are virtually unmatched among their peers.

Jiang Xuan's ability to fight him without defeat already places him among the top martial arts masters. Now that he has suppressed him, he has secured a place among the most powerful figures in the martial arts world!

Unless a celestial being or a top-tier grandmaster intervenes.

Otherwise, no one will be able to pose a threat to him!

"Is this the Netherworld Lord who forced Ximen Chuixue to retreat with a single sword strike? Even Shangguan Jin Hong couldn't stop him?!"

In the distance, the 'Celestial Venerable' group, who had just infiltrated Wenzhou City, arrived at the south side of the city.

Standing atop a pavilion, gazing at the two figures locked in fierce combat amidst the flames, everyone was awestruck.

Over the years, the power of the 'Celestial Venerable' has expanded rapidly, but when faced with the Money Gang, a behemoth in Jiangnan, they dare not challenge its might.

The main reason is that they are wary of Shangguan Jin Hong, the leader of the Money Gang, who is ranked second on the Weapon Ranking and possesses the "Mother and Daughter Dragon and Phoenix Rings".

But now, an assassin force that is similar to 'Celestial Venerable' and was even established after 'Celestial Venerable' dares to directly attack the Money Gang.

The fact that the Lord of the Netherworld Palace could suppress Shangguan Jin Hong single-handedly was unbelievable to them.

"Heavenly Sword Intent... This person's martial arts are so high that he is worthy of being ranked on the Great Ming Sword Dao Ranking. Such a person could not possibly be unknown in the martial arts world. Who exactly is this person?"

Murong Qiudi stood in the wind, gazing at the figure in the distance who was fiercely attacking Shangguan Jinhong with a sword. She frowned slightly, trying to guess the person's identity.

……

Rumbling--

The sword light blazed like fire, burning fiercely and illuminating the night.

Amidst the devastated streets, Jiang Xuan gripped his longsword tightly, slashing, thrusting, and sweeping like a peerless sword god. His ferocious Overlord Sword Intent launched relentless attacks, layer upon layer of assaults sweeping across the coast like hurricane waves, giving Shangguan Jin Hong no chance to catch his breath, and forcefully smashing him into the ruins.

In a short period of time, the progress of his Overlord Intent and Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill increased rapidly, equivalent to the progress of his months of hard training. This made him even more excited and his fighting spirit was boundless.

In an instant, he unleashed another ten or so sword energies. With the support of Vajra True Qi and Overlord Intent, the sword energies turned pure gold, displaying various wondrous scenes: the domineering ferocity of a tiger roaring through the mountains, the raging sea churning up towering waves, and a towering figure bending a bow to pierce the sky...

The various extraordinary forces seemed to be real, making Shangguan Jin Hong feel both trembling and incredulous as he struggled to resist them.

How could one cultivate so many illusory landscapes from a single state of mind? Is this still sword intent?

What kind of freak is this guy?!
Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. He was completely overwhelmed by Jiang Xuan's powerful aura and could not fight back. He was also unable to spare any attention to draw on more power from heaven and earth. As a result, the golden aura covering his body became increasingly dim, and he fell into an extremely dangerous situation.

For the first time in twenty years, he encountered such a formidable opponent and felt a crisis that threatened his life.

If this continues, his defenses will be broken in no more than a hundred moves, leaving him in dire straits.

At this moment, Jiang Xuan's offensive suddenly slowed down, and his power was no longer as swift and violent as before, giving him a chance to catch his breath and strengthen his defense. However, he still could not reverse the situation and had to switch from defense to offense, and could only passively take hits.

Shangguan Jin Hong naturally couldn't believe that Jiang Xuan had taken pity on him and given him a chance. His purpose in doing so was simply to prevent Jiang Xuan from breaking down so quickly, because he could sense that Jiang Xuan's attack rhythm was perfectly controlled.

"Are you using me to hone your artistic conception?"

Shangguan Jin Hong instantly saw through Jiang Xuan's intentions and felt utterly humiliated. He roared, "You brat, how dare you insult me?!"

He has always been a very confident and arrogant person. At first, he thought he could easily kill Jiang Xuan, but he did not expect that a momentary mistake would put him in a passive defensive situation.

Now, Jiang Xuan still has the energy to control his attacks and use him to hone his artistic conception, which clearly shows that he does not regard him as a mortal enemy.

The immense humiliation instantly ignited his anger, causing his blood and internal energy to circulate in a chaotic and stagnant manner.

"Oh!"

In a brief moment of disorientation, Jiang Xuan's attack struck again. This time, his already weakened protective aura could no longer withstand it and shattered instantly.

"puff!!"

Overwhelmed with shock and rage, and further mortally wounded, Shangguan Jin Hong immediately coughed up blood, his body spinning and flying dozens of meters away before crashing heavily into the bluestone street behind him, scattering countless fragments of stone.

The field fell into dead silence.

The crowd was in an uproar. Could it be that the second-ranked Grandmaster of the Weaponry Ranking had actually been defeated by a Grandmaster of the same level?
Jiang Xuan, however, remained solemn and did not relax his guard.

His sword strike only broke through Shangguan Jin Hong's defenses, briefly injuring him severely, but it was far from enough to kill him.

A master at the second stage of artistic conception is no pushover.

Whoosh! Not daring to give Shangguan Jin Hong a chance to retaliate, Jiang Xuan gripped his longsword, ready to rush off again and strike the fallen dog hard.

But at this moment, the longsword in his hand, forged from refined iron, could no longer withstand the hundreds of rounds of intense spiritual clashes. It finally fulfilled its mission and shattered inch by inch from the hilt down.

Jiang Xuan was stunned, then sighed, somewhat helplessly, finally realizing how important it was to have a handy weapon.

But at this moment there were no other suitable swords. He hesitated for a moment, then reached into the scabbard under his black robe and drew the Embroidered Spring Blade.

(End of this chapter)