Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 313 Coincidence

Chapter 313 Coincidence (Three-in-One)

Xie Chan's eyes turned cold, and she didn't waste any words.

With a light tap of his fingertip, countless streams of spiritual energy surged forth, condensing into three sword lights that swirled and danced two zhang away from him.

It was the Sword Control Technique of Suspended Sword Mountain, the Illusory Light and Fleeting Shadow Sword Art.

However, Xie Chan's sword-wielding techniques are somewhat different from those of ordinary disciples of Xuanjian Mountain.

With her left hand forming a hand seal and pointing remotely, she controlled the sword energy, while her right hand directly grasped the flying sword and charged towards Qin Zhifeng.

"Little tricks."

Qin Zhifeng scoffed, treating Xie Chan as a girl who couldn't even fly a sword properly.

What tricks can one play when fighting close combat with a flying sword?
With a flicker of his fingertips, a jet-black demon-head blade, whipping up a stench, slashed straight at Xie Chan.

clang--

Ok?
Qin Zhifeng let out a soft exclamation. Although he had only made eye contact with Xie Chan's flying sword, he felt a continuous vibration coming from the blade.

Releasing the remaining force had consumed a significant amount of his spiritual energy.

What alarmed him even more was that Xie Chan's movements were extremely graceful and agile; the spells cast by the other two cultivators couldn't even touch the hem of her clothes.

But her figure moved like a swallow darting through clouds and rain, advancing swiftly.

She moved ghostly between flames and ice spikes. The two Qi Refining Level 8 cultivators beside her seemed to have never fought a cultivator in close combat before. They were a little flustered for a moment, but quickly put some distance between themselves and her.

Xie Chan was born into the Xie family of Nan Hong. Her grandfather, Xie Xing, and his lineage were all swordsmen who roamed the martial arts world.

He was naturally drawn to swordsmanship from a young age.

Later, he entered Mount Suspended Sword, where he studied sword techniques and occasionally flipped through his family's sword skills to compare them with those of immortal sword masters.

However, the spiritual power of those in the Qi Refining stage is shallow, and wielding the sword technique consumes too much energy.

So she figured out this style of fighting on her own, using sword energy to attack from a distance and defend against enemies, and using her movement skills to get close and kill enemies with her sword.

Using qi to control the sword is essentially about extending the distance from which a sword technique can be executed.

In Xie Chan's view, the battles between ordinary Qi Refining stage cultivators were not particularly high-level; they were just about throwing spells and talismans at each other.

At most, it's a clash of magical artifacts between the two sides, where they find an opening to kill the enemy.

When one's own safety is guaranteed, in battles within the Qi Refining Realm, close combat allows one to bypass the interplay of spells and talismans and quickly kill the opponent.

Qin Zhiyan had never seen anything like this before, but he quickly realized what was happening.

Taking advantage of their numerical superiority, they coordinated with each other to slow down Xie Chan's offensive.

At the same time, he also wanted to end the battle quickly, so he immediately sent three people away: "You, go and capture that female cultivator."

He pointed to Sheng Yun, who was casting a spell not far away to protect Xie Chan.

He abruptly pulled back, feinting with his black demon-head dagger before unleashing a ghastly green light from the hollow end of the hilt.

The two cultivators at the eighth level of Qi Refining and the one at the seventh level of Qi Refining immediately understood.

One person unleashed a dark iron chain that wrapped around Sheng Yun's feet, while another person made hand seals, causing the earth and stones on the ground to shatter and slowly rise, condensing into several sharp stone cones that pierced towards her face.

"Sister Sheng!"

Xie Chan was startled and wanted to turn around to save him, but she was entangled by Qin Zhifeng's counterattack.

With two cultivators at the eighth level of Qi Refining and one at the seventh level, the three of them ganging up on a cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining, everyone thought that Sheng Yun was in grave danger.

"Don't worry about me, Xiao Chan!"

However, Sheng Yun was seen running away from the trapped formation while taking out three uniquely shaped talismans from her Qiankun bag.

This was a talisman given to her for protection when he secretly met her before he had built his foundation in Taoism in his prime.

I haven't been able to bring myself to use it.

This is a critical moment of life and death; if we don't use it now, it will go to the grave with us.

"out!"

But then a flash of light appeared at her fingertips, and the three talismans shattered instantly, swirling in the air before transforming into three streaks of black light that fell to the ground.

The black light condensed into three black humanoid phantoms. If you looked closely, you could vaguely see that these three figures were somewhat similar to Sheng Nian.

Three illusory figures stood silently beside Sheng Yun, motionless.

The three men, unaware of the nature of this magic, unleashed their full power and charged towards Sheng Yun.

Just as one of the magical artifacts approached Sheng Yun within two or three zhang, one of the phantom figures suddenly moved.

Black light surged and transformed into a horizontal sword in his palm.

The surrounding spiritual energy suddenly swirled and gathered, condensing on the illusory image of the horizontal sword.

hum-

With a flash of swords, the three men's attack suddenly faltered.

One of them even coughed up blood and flew backward!
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that under the flash of the blade, his magical artifact had been broken in two.

His protective spiritual energy shattered instantly, and a gash appeared on his chest from the aftershocks of the blade's energy.

Blood was flowing from his mouth and nose, but he was terrified and dared not stop. He forced himself to stand up and staggered backward.

"What kind of talisman is this!?"

Sheng Yun didn't know either; her brother hadn't explained it to her in detail, and of course, she hadn't asked.

Upon seeing this, Qin Zhifeng's heart sank, while Xie Chan breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Qin Zhiyan and the others soon discovered that as long as they ignored the female cultivator, the three black phantoms would not make any moves.

"Let's focus our attack and kill Xie Chan first!"

Apart from the injured Qi Refining Level 8 cultivator, everyone resumed their fierce attack on Xie Chan, and the pressure suddenly increased.

Sheng Yun gritted her teeth and leaped forward, wanting to risk her life to make the three shadows take action.

However, he was not controlling the talisman himself, and he was afraid that when Little Chan made her move, the three shadows would mistake her for an opponent.

Therefore, he had no choice but to keep a certain distance from Xie Chan.

This led to a stalemate, and Xie Chan would be captured alive once his spiritual power was exhausted.

It seems that talismans, being consumables, will eventually dissipate on their own over time, leaving them like fish on a chopping board.

With this thought in mind, Qin Zhiyan channeled his spiritual energy even more fiercely.

at the same time.

A slightly thin young girl was walking in the mountains.

She held a jade talisman in her hand, which seemed to be guiding her in some direction.

He reached out and brushed away the flowers and leaves from the bushes, then walked down the mountain. He was dressed in the Taoist robe of a disciple of the Dongyuan Sect, with a dark blue box on his back.

It was Xiao Ju.

More than a year has passed since she left the sect to travel down the mountain.

Master said that the path of sword cultivation requires comprehending the intent of the sword.

Therefore, it is extremely important to cultivate one's character during travels.

Although Xiao Ju also hoped that she could understand it, she always felt that those things were too mysterious and profound, and with her talent, she didn't know when she would be able to reach them.

Fortunately, she was good at playing to her strengths and avoiding her weaknesses. Her master said that she had a talent for array formations, so she had been studying this art.

I will thoroughly study sword control techniques and sword formations, striving to do my best in everything I am capable of.

Within this year, she also had some small opportunities, and her cultivation improved rapidly. In addition, she had a breakthrough pill that she had exchanged for the merit points she had accumulated in Red Maple Plain.

Now, he has successfully advanced to the late stage of Qi Refining.

Following Master's advice proved to be the right thing to do.

Upon reaching a secluded forest, he suddenly lowered his head and looked at the jade talisman in his hand.

"what?"

Xiao Ju frowned: "It's nearby..."

A few months ago, she arrived in Chunxi, a small county town near Nanhong.

The enshrined monk of Chunxi County is a disciple of the Dongyuan Sect named Zheng Zhong, an elderly cultivator over sixty years old.

At that time, Xiao Ju was at a critical moment of breakthrough, and it was under Zheng Zhong's warm hospitality and guidance that she found an excellent place to cultivate in seclusion.

But when she successfully broke through to the late stage of Qi Refining and came out of seclusion wanting to thank him properly, she found that the retainer had disappeared.

It was as if they had vanished into thin air, without even leaving a message.

In fact, the disappearance of these offerings has always been a problem.

Most of them suddenly realized that they were not cut out for spiritual practice, so they gave up and left.

However, in such cases, the sect is usually informed in advance, and a large sum of worldly gold and silver is received based on the year of the offering.

Of course, if such a figure disappears without a trace, usually no one will bother to investigate.

Just report it to the sect and get another one.

However, along Xiao Ju's journey, many of the local shrines nearby mysteriously disappeared, which was quite unusual.

Before he went into seclusion, this senior brother Zheng Zhongzheng told him that if he had the chance, he would like to go further and see if he could advance to the late stage of Qi Refining in this lifetime.

How could someone like that suddenly leave...?

Zheng Zhong didn't leave nothing behind; Xiao Ju discovered that he had left behind a special jade talisman that pointed in a certain direction.

Zhengzhong has a special instrument for assessing a child's spiritual potential, which can accurately detect the condition of a child of the appropriate age.

This jade talisman was originally a pendant on the mirror, but it broke during a fight a few years ago, and he then turned it into a jade talisman.

It's not very useful; it's just for my own amusement.

In case the mirror is lost, this jade talisman can be used to locate it and retrieve it.

Xiao Ju found this place by following this object.

She took a few steps forward and quickly realized something was wrong.

With eyes closed, he joined his middle and index fingers together, unleashing a faint wisp of sword energy that swirled and flowed in the air.

Very obvious formation marks...

The outer formation is an illusion array, while the inner formation is a trapping array.

There are still fluctuations of spiritual energy; are people still fighting here?
After pondering for a moment and thinking it over, Xiao Ju finally took out twelve array beads from her Qiankun bag.

"What a crude illusion array."

In her eyes, the illusion array was extremely crudely set up.

It's likely that not only were the formation techniques of the person who set up the formation extremely poor, but they were also in a rush.

Even ordinary mortals, with their mortal eyes, can make out some vague illusions if they observe carefully.

With a light tap of the fingertip, the array beads rose and fell in the air, slowly unfolding and hovering motionless in their respective positions.

Spiritual energy surged forth, and Xiao Ju pressed her two fingers downwards.

"Reversing the tide."

In an instant, all twelve array beads fell down, and strands of spiritual energy flowed into them.

Indistinctly, yet interconnected.

Until a certain instant.

hum-

A vast space before them flipped over like a mirror.

A refreshing breeze swept through, instantly dispelling the illusion.

The illusion shattered, and the fighters were all taken aback, their attacks slowing down slightly.

Qin Zhifeng was already furious, and seeing that the formation had been broken, he was about to explode.

But a quick scan with his divine sense revealed that this woman was also at the late stage of Qi Refining.

Suppressing his anger, he said in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist, we are dealing with some personal grievances here. We hope you will not interfere and will do us a favor."

"Leave quickly, lest you get burned."

Sheng Yun was overjoyed to see that someone had broken the formation. She hurriedly shouted, "Fellow Daoist, we two have no grudge against these thieves, yet they ambushed us here. Perhaps they want to kill us and rob us."

"Please lend a hand!"

A strange face suddenly appeared on the battlefield, and everyone's attention was drawn to her, wanting to know her intentions and purpose.

Xie Chan was slightly out of breath. She glanced casually at the newcomer and felt that he looked somewhat familiar.

However, they were still in the midst of a life-or-death struggle and had no time to recall the events carefully.

Xiao Ju frowned slightly. She was unwilling to get involved in the disputes between cultivators, but the jade talisman pointed in this direction, yet there was no sign of Zheng Gongfeng.

It seems the chances of survival are slim.

"Fellow Daoist,"

Following the direction of the jade talisman, Xiao Ju slowly raised her head and looked at Qin Zhifeng, her face expressionless: "Do you know a cultivator named Zheng Zhong?"

Qin Zhifeng was slightly taken aback, and his expression changed.

Just as he was about to make up a lie to get away with it, he saw the female cultivator slowly raise a jade talisman in her hand, its halo pointing directly at him.

Damn!

His expression immediately darkened.

They also lost patience to cover it up.

"Kill them all!"

The current situation is quite clear: capturing them alive is impossible; the only option is to kill them all and take them back.

Although the medicinal properties of the "medicinal herbs" will be somewhat weaker, it is still better than returning empty-handed.

Seeing Qin Zhiyan's reaction, Xiao Ju understood. It seemed there was no need for further words.

One of the cultivators at the eighth level of Qi Refining, wielding a magical artifact, was already attacking her.

"Although I am not familiar with Uncle Zheng, he has helped me a lot and is a good person."

Xiao Ju remained calm and composed, carefully storing the jade talisman into her Qiankun bag.

"Besides, he can also be considered a disciple of the Dongyuan Sect."

"I have to get justice for him."

Xiao Ju is not a reckless person; she has a clear understanding of the situation.

Although there was a slight difference in cultivation level between the two sides, she believed that she had the upper hand at the moment because she had been following her master and had been influenced by him.

A silver poisonous hook came flying at her, but Xiao Ju activated her Lingyun Intent, lightly tapping the ground with her toes, and instead of retreating, she advanced, avoiding the blade.

At the same time, she did not retaliate against the cultivator, but instead dodged and attacked Qin Zhifeng.

"Sister, let's join forces and kill this scoundrel first."

Hearing this person's voice, Xie Chan felt increasingly familiar with it, but this was not the time to think, so she immediately replied, "Okay."

Of Qin Zhifeng's four men, three, except for one who was wounded, wanted to come forward to help.

But Sheng Yun blocked his way.

The three black, humanoid phantoms were eyeing them menacingly.

"What are you doing! Ignore her!"

Qin Zhifeng roared furiously, "Come help me now!"

He already sensed that something was wrong...

This female cultivator at the seventh level of Qi Refining possessed incredibly sharp sword energy, and her spiritual energy was being rapidly depleted by it.

Xie Chan had a chance to catch her breath and was able to concentrate even more.

Qin Zhifeng was in unbearable distress.

"Don't think about it!"

With a clap of her hands, Sheng Yun produced a large number of colorful talismans from her Qiankun bag.

The three of them were also caught in a dilemma.

Never mind, those three black shadows can seriously injure someone with a single strike.

Regardless of her, these talismans are not for decoration; they're just taking a beating from her and won't help Qin Zhifeng at all.

Moreover, this woman's mind is quite abnormal; if they cast spells and use magical artifacts from a distance, she would dare to deliberately run into them.

One of the three had already narrowly escaped being infected.

However, they soon realized they no longer needed to worry about it.

Because Qin Zhifeng could no longer hold on.

But then Xiao Ju's sword energy surged, and three milky-white sword shadows swirled and circled around the opponent.

Xie Chan's illusory sword energy scattered in all directions, constantly slicing through Qin Zhifeng's body.
Xie Chan seized the opportunity, lunged forward, and angrily thrust his sword forward.

It instantly pierced through his protective amulet, leaving sword marks all over his body.

At the same time, three sword beams spun up and converged into the Twin Flying Sword.

Sword in the Clouds.

hum-

Light fell from the clouds, and sword energy whistled.

When the light faded, Qin Zhifeng was covered in wounds. He barely managed to drag himself backward.

"You...cough...you can't kill me..."

For some reason, this person named Qin Zhiyan, although he had the cultivation level of the ninth level of Qi Refining, was actually quite weak.

Based on this brief exchange, it can be roughly estimated that he is no different from an ordinary Qi Refining Level 8 cultivator.

In fact, if Yun Zhongjian had used his full strength, he would probably be almost dead by now.

But wanting to find out why the other party attacked Old Man Zheng, Xiao Ju deliberately held back.

"What are you all standing there for?!"

At this moment, Qin Zhifeng was covered in blood, and he faced the three men with a ferocious expression.

"Come and save me!"

The remaining people looked horrified, and then one of them shouted, "Run!"

They had no time to spare for him. Without hesitation, the three of them split into three directions, activated their spiritual power to the fullest, and fled from the place.

"You bunch of beasts!!!"

Qin Zhiyan roared, his face turning a strange crimson, his eyes bloodshot.

"Ah... ah ah ah..."

He struggled to prop himself up on one side, his robes stained with blood, his eyes filled with venom.

The negative emotions in my heart were gradually amplified wildly.

He is not willing!

Just when he was about to seize power in the family, he inexplicably fell from grace and ended up in this predicament.

what happened!

On what basis?!

"Let's die together!"

With a roar, a scarlet talisman appeared in his left palm.

We must perish together with these people!

Blood gushed from his two fingers as he held a scarlet talisman between them, suspending it in front of him. He channeled his spiritual power into it.

hum-

The talisman hasn't been activated yet.

All the crowd saw was a golden gleam flash across the field, piercing through the scarlet talisman in an instant.

He then pierced Qin Zhifeng's skull.

His expression was blank, his eyes gradually became unfocused, and he collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud, lifeless.

Xiao Ju slowly withdrew her two fingers.

The activation of the talisman is extremely rapid and difficult to interrupt under normal circumstances.

However, the speed of the sword's true essence was not something to be trifled with.

"Thank you for your help, fellow Daoist!"

"It's alright. I am Ju Luyi, a cultivator from the Dongyuan Sect."

The Dongyuan Sect is on good terms with the Sheyang Sect, but its relationship with Xuanjian Mountain is only so-so.

"You two should rest and adjust your breathing first. This person should have something belonging to a friend of mine. Let me take a look."

Xiao Ju walked over to Qin Zhifeng and began examining his Qiankun bag.

Sheng Yun and Xie Chan did not find anything wrong with it, and the other party's actions were an expression of goodwill, so they temporarily protected the two of them.

So he sat down cross-legged on the spot and took a short break to regulate his breathing.

Sheng Yun glanced at the back of this fellow Daoist Ju a few more times, and looking at the dark blue box, she felt a strange sense of familiarity.

During the Flower Festival, when I returned to my clan, I seemed to have seen someone who looked similar on Brother Yan.

However, after many years, she wasn't quite sure.

Xiao Ju casually wiped away Qin Zhifeng's mark from the Qiankun bag and began searching.

Sure enough, they found Zheng Zhong's mirror among them.

"Ugh……"

She sighed softly. What a kind man Old Zheng was.

To her slight surprise, this person seemed to be a cultivator from the Qin family.

Xiao Ju only took out Zheng Zhong's items from the Qiankun bag, intending to give him a proper burial.

She got up and walked over to Sheng Yun and Xie Chan.

"Gentlemen, this man is named Qin Zhifeng. He is a cultivator from the Qin clan of Southern Chu. This is his Qiankun bag."

After saying that, she waved the items that belonged to Zheng Zhong in her hand.

"This belongs to my friend, and I have already taken it."

Xie Chan initially wanted to decline, since the other party was the one who ultimately killed her, and the Qiankun Bag should rightfully belong to her.

But soon, she looked doubtful.

"The Qin family of Southern Chu?"

Xie Chan sized up Xiao Ju: "Fellow Daoist, aren't you a cultivator from the Dongyuan Sect?"

"I've heard that the Qin family is on good terms with the Dongyuan Sect. Now that you've killed him, won't you be implicated in some way?"

"Oh, it's alright."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ju shook her head indifferently: "Anyway, Master doesn't really like the Qin family."

Sheng Yun and Xie Chan looked at each other in bewilderment.

Master?

It seems that the internal strife within the Dongyuan Sect is not as peaceful and stable as it appears on the surface.

Xie Chan looked at Xiao Ju's face and heard what her master had said, and suddenly remembered.

"You...you are Senior Song Yan..."

On Longtan Mountain, Xie Chan once visited Song Yan, but he was cultivating at the time and did not receive any guests.

This is the person I met in the cave.

"Huh? It's you."

Xiao Ju recognized her too; after all, this lady was dressed in white, with an ethereal air, making her easy to spot.

"What a coincidence! This trip down the mountain was guided by my master, and I am heading south."

Xiao Ju murmured, "Could it be that Master had already foreseen that he would encounter an old friend?"

"Master?"

Now it was Sheng Yun's turn to be completely bewildered.

Xie Chan pointed to Xiao Ju and introduced, "Sister Ayun, this fellow Daoist Ju Luyi is Senior Song Yan's disciple. We met her at Longtan Mountain, so we recognize her."

Sheng Yun was somewhat surprised.

However, Xiao Ju was even more shocked when she learned that Sheng Yun was her master's sworn sister.

Is there really such a coincidence in the world?

However, she didn't believe everything people said; she seemed to have never heard of her master having a sworn sister.

Just as she was wondering, she heard a familiar name from Sheng Yun's mouth.

“He and my brother Shengnian grew up together, so I also call him brother.”

"However... now that Brother Yan is already a Foundation Establishment cultivator, should I call him senior when I go to see him this time?"

Sheng Yun touched her fair chin, looking thoughtful.

Xie Chan was unfamiliar with the name Sheng Nian; she had never heard of it.

But Xiao Ju's pupils dilated in shock upon hearing this.

prime of life...

Isn't that the name of that demon, Master's closest friend?
"..."