Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 353 Mirror Image (Part 1)
Xin Shan Sanren remained expressionless, and with a casual flick of his finger, his spiritual energy surged, forcing the approaching corpse puppet A Yuan back.

In an instant, countless chaotic spiritual energies, sword energy, and the corpse fiery of the corpse puppet A Yuan collided and surged within the valley.

"cough."

Xin Shan Sanren grunted, but a mocking expression suddenly appeared on his face.

His cultivation level did not decline at all, and his strength remained, only his soul was severely damaged.

Dealing with a mid-Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator and a corpse puppet would still be a piece of cake.

With a casual flick of his wrist, crimson spiritual power instantly condensed at his withered fingertips, and three chaotic bursts of energy shot out in succession.

Simultaneously, the knife was stabbed at three points: the man's brow, dantian (lower abdomen), and right wrist where he was holding the knife.

Painful bleeding finger!
Sheng Nian's expression hardened, as if he had realized the terrifying power of this technique.

He raised his sword horizontally, and his spiritual power surged forth, merging with the water flowing along the blade.

Suddenly, a burst of spiritual light appeared on the blade, and the blade light transformed into a water dragon, sweeping horizontally along the momentum of the blade.

throat--!
A dragon's roar rose from the valley, severing two of the blood-red fingers. However, due to the speed, the other finger was too fast to defend itself.

Just then, A Yuan stepped in and his tall body slammed into the finger.

The wind pierced through A Yuan's shoulder blade, and his flesh instantly withered and dried up, revealing his bare white bones.

"This sword...an ancient treasure?!"

Xin Shan Sanren's eyes widened, and for the first time, he showed a look of discomposure.

"You're only at the Foundation Establishment stage, how could you possibly use an ancient treasure!?"

In that brief moment of distraction, a dark aura swirled around the horizontal blade, and Sheng Nian pressed forward, the blade flashing.

"No comment."

hum-

The blade whistled and the wind howled, cutting down Xin Shan.

At the same time, a phantom image, exactly the same as Sheng Nian's, slowly condensed in the spot where he had originally been.

Xin Shan Sanren looked down at the indelible blade light on the spiritual energy in front of him and suddenly laughed.

"Hmph, ho ho, ha ha ha..."

His smile was almost manic: "Good!"

"How wonderful, my good apprentice, to give me such a surprise."

"I am very pleased."

Xin Shan Sanren slowly emerged from the lingering aura of sword energy.

His sleeves billowed, and the chaotic spiritual energy and ashes of corpses in the valley were stirred by the crimson vortex of spiritual power swirling around him, emitting a shrill, ghostly wail.

"However, I am quite curious..."

Xin Shan Sanren's voice was hoarse, and his words carried a playful, cat-and-mouse tone.

"With your meager skills and this half-crippled corpse puppet, you actually dare to attack me?"

The crimson vortex suddenly expanded, and the violent suction uprooted boulders and trees from the ground.

Sheng Nian and the corpse puppet A Yuan retreated rapidly.

"There's nothing I can do, Master."

Sheng Nian stared intently at Xin Shan Sanren: "Only one of us can survive. Right now, you've been severely injured, so this is the best time for us to make our move, isn't it?"

Before he finished speaking, his figure suddenly blurred, moving swiftly along the edge of the storm like a ghost, leaving behind a lingering afterimage with each flash.

"Seek death."

Xin Shan Sanren's lips curled into a smile, naturally noticing Sheng Nian's unusual behavior.

He had previously secretly observed his disciple fighting and battling with others.

In ordinary life-or-death battles, he believed in no regrets once the sword was drawn, rarely uttering unnecessary words, and never explaining his motives.

Right now, it seems like they're just stalling for time.

Xin Shan was burning with murderous intent. Regardless of what kind of change this kid was waiting for, it was best to nip it in the bud immediately to avoid any unforeseen complications.

He held nothing back and suddenly clasped his hands together!

Bloodbath Storm.

"boom--!"

A massive storm suddenly formed, and a blood-red tornado several meters in diameter shot into the sky, completely shattering the spring-like scenery at the bottom of the valley, withering the vegetation, and causing the spiritual spring to evaporate.

A violent suction force swept in, engulfing Sheng Nian and A Yuan without warning.

"Roar……"

Beneath the mask, the corpse puppet A Yuan let out a deep roar, and the corpse fiery flames on his hands blazed fiercely, merging into his tall figure.

He then plunged headlong into the edge of the storm, where the corpse demon and blood energy clashed fiercely and were consumed by each other.

It emitted a sizzling sound like a branding iron being plunged into water, forcefully tearing a brief gap in the Bloodbath Storm's array.

In that instant, the six figures left behind by the fleeting youth suddenly converged, and a pure black light condensed on the blade.

hum-

He drew his sword horizontally.

An elusive boundary appeared out of nowhere amidst the bloodbath storm.

Only at this moment, as the blade flashed across the room, did Xinshan Sanren vaguely sense a life-or-death threat.

He frowned, and his palms and fingers instantly turned an eerie purplish-black, with veins bulging out.

"Cursed Blood Finger".

Boom!
The man in his prime suddenly swayed, as if struck by a heavy hammer, and was sent flying backward, bleeding from all seven orifices.

The corpse puppet A Yuan fared no better. It was struck by the suddenly intensified Bloodbath Storm, half of its body turning crimson before it collapsed to the ground.

The gap between the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and the Pseudo-Core Formation stage seems to be too large.

The nameless sword technique only managed to cut a slit in Xinshan Sanren's Taoist robe.

"..."

Xin Shan Sanren lowered his head slightly, looking at the knife wound on his abdomen. The injury was neither minor nor serious.

"My good apprentice."

He gently raised his hand, wiped it across his abdomen, and removed the aura of the blade.

"cough……"

His injuries began to heal quickly.

"With your mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation, to be able to do this much against a Pseudo-Core cultivator, you already have something to be proud of."

A morbid greed and ecstasy surged across his face: "All my years of hard work have not been in vain."

With a casual flick of his wrist, he dispersed his spiritual energy and slowly walked towards his prime.

"From now on, I will take over this body."

High up on the cliff face in the valley, on the branches of an ancient, gnarled tree, a jet-black raven stands quietly, its golden eyes reflecting the bloody scene at the bottom of the valley.

Didn't Lao Song reply to the message? Why hasn't he arrived yet?

In his prime, his expression was solemn, and the blood and qi in his meridians surged and gathered in his dantian.

"Do whatever you want."

With a casual flick of his wrist, Xin Shan Sanren dispersed the gathered blood energy.

"Now that things have come to this, don't even think about running away."

But then Xin Shan Sanren took a step forward and arrived in front of the seriously injured Sheng Nian. The power of the blood curse on his palm had not yet dissipated, and he grabbed Sheng Nian's crown.

At this critical moment.

"Gah——"

A sudden cry of a crow echoed throughout the valley.

Xin Shan Sanren's heart stirred, and he looked up.

The bloodbath storm in the valley had not dissipated, but one tree branch remained unusually still as a crow flapped its wings.

It easily traversed the blood storm and landed on the fallen body of the corpse puppet A Yuan.

Boom, boom.

It pecked at A-Yuan's mask twice, as if trying to wake him up.

"..."

Xin Shan Sanren frowned, looking at the crow, a strange sense of unreality rising in his heart.

Gah——

Another cry of a crow.

In an instant, alarm bells rang.

At this moment, Xin Shan Sanren was shocked to find that everything in his eyes was beginning to collapse.

A dizzying sensation swept over him, and he fell uncontrollably to the ground, but the moment he hit the ground, he seemed to sink into another world.

Not only him, but also Sheng Nian, the corpse puppet A Yuan, and even that crow were all like that.

hum...

The bloodbath storm suddenly dissipated, and Sheng Nian's injuries were completely healed.

Even the crimson corrosion spreading across the corpse puppet A Yuan receded like the tide.

"What?!" The scene was like someone falling from the sky into the water and suddenly discovering that the world beneath the surface was the real one.

Everything has been restored to the original state of the valley, except that there is one more person here.

Xin Shan Sanren stared intently at the uninvited guest. Although he was extremely wary, there was a hint of amusement in his words.

“Who am I…”

"Oh, it's an old acquaintance."

Song Yan stood in front of Sheng Nian and the corpse puppet A Yuan, looking calmly at Xin Shan.

"Mr. Song."

A Yuan looked at his once-broken body, now restored to its original state, and was somewhat bewildered.

But that's a good thing.

"Damn it, he only just arrived now, and he's going to make me get a beating..."

Upon examining himself, Sheng found that his body was completely intact, without any injuries whatsoever.

"……beat."

It was as if nothing had happened.

Song Yan felt a little guilty at this moment, so he pretended not to hear and did not offer any explanation.

In fact, when he received the urgent message from his good brother, he was skeptical.

Because he was facing a cultivator at the Pseudo-Core Formation Realm, he even considered waiting until he broke through to the late Foundation Establishment Realm before coming here.

However, he also considered that Gou Sheng often pushed himself to the limit. Last time at the Yijiang River, if he had arrived even a moment later, Gou Sheng would probably have died in front of him.

So they rushed over in a hurry.

It almost turned into a major accident.

However, after several attempts, something surprised Song Yan.

Xin Shan Sanren seems to have little resistance to the special effects of the Mirror Flower Water Moon Sword Intent.

It should be noted that even Fan Dongchen on Longtan Mountain back then was able to discover the irrationality of the illusion on his own.

Although those illusions were still quite immature at that time.

According to the message Gou Sheng sent him, Xin Shan Sanren had somehow suffered a severe injury.

Song Yan guessed that the serious injury must have been caused by a problem with the soul.

This is undoubtedly great news.

“On Dragon Pool Mountain, I killed you once, Song Yan.”

Xin Shan Sanren said, "I don't know how to make you escape like a cicada shedding its shell, so I'll let you off this time."

"You actually dare to come here to seek death."

"That's incredibly impolite..."

He laughed in his anger, a fierce and cruel expression on his face.

Although his soul was injured, his cultivation level was still far superior to everyone else present.

In an instant, the pressure of the Pseudo-Core Formation Realm expert was no longer held back and erupted with a roar, making the spiritual energy in the entire valley suddenly heavy.

"boom--"

Xin Shan Sanren let out a fierce shout, and his withered body instantly swelled up, with dark red spiritual power surging wildly from his seven orifices and every pore of his body.

That immense spiritual pressure pressed down hard, greatly increasing the pressure on Song Yan and the other two.

The spiritual energy swept through, and wherever it passed, the grass and trees withered and turned black instantly.

Three crimson tentacles, formed from filthy spiritual energy, reached out from all directions, attempting to bind the three tightly, devour their essence and spiritual energy, and completely suppress them.

The full power of a Pseudo-Core Formation cultivator is something that ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot directly confront.

However, there were no ordinary cultivators present.

But then Song Yan bent his sword finger and summoned several flying swords.

The next moment, a blazing white light rose out of thin air in the valley, and a blazing sun was forcibly moved into this small space.

The blazing sun, scorching and fierce, unleashed a torrential downpour of crimson sword energy.

Almost simultaneously, beneath Song Yan's feet, the cool moonlight flowed out, condensing into rings of silvery-white sword rims, layer upon layer, rotating silently.

A bright moon slowly rose.

In an instant, heaven and earth merged, and the sun and moon shone together.

Sword formation, swallowing the sun and moon.

The entire valley seemed to have sunk into a world of sword energy.

Countless sword energies, some blazing hot, some icy cold, crisscrossed within the sword formation.

The violent spiritual power of the Blood Curse Technique was momentarily halted within this sword formation.

The surging sword energy completely enveloped Xinshan Sanren.

The pressure on everyone eased instantly.

Standing at the center of the sword formation, Xin Shan Sanren felt his spiritual energy being eroded by the surging sword energy.

However, he was, after all, a pseudo-core cultivator, and his spiritual power was far superior to that of a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

The dark red protective aura around his body fluctuated violently, flickering unpredictably, yet it consistently managed to withstand the onslaught of sword energy.

"Haha, that's all."

A flash of blood-red light appeared at Xin Shan's fingertip as he pointed a finger from afar.

"Then I'll kill you again."

A dark red line of blood instantly pierced through the sword formation and struck Song Yan between the eyebrows.

puff!
There was a soft sound, like a bubble bursting.

Upon being struck, Song Yan's figure suddenly became blurred and distorted.

However, the scene that should have been filled with blood and gore, and agonizing screams, did not occur.

Song Yan's figure, like a reflection in water shattered by a pebble, turned into a thin mist and slowly dissipated in place.

It blends seamlessly with the misty moonlight.

The mockery on Xin Shan Sanren's face froze instantly, turning into astonishment and doubt.

"what?!"

His pupils suddenly contracted, and alarm bells rang in his mind.

"Still under the illusion?"

How can this be.

He had clearly sensed Song Yan's aura and spiritual energy fluctuations just now, and even the divine sense that the other party used to control the sword formation was real.

He's a Pseudo-Core Formation cultivator!

How sharp is the perception of divine sense? Even now, with its soul damaged, it is by no means something that ordinary illusions can deceive.

"Impossible... How could such a powerful illusion exist in this world?!"

Xin Shan Sanren let out a low growl, a chill rising from his spine and rushing to the top of his head.

"What kind of sorcery is this?!"

He subconsciously looked around, his gaze sweeping over the crisscrossing sword energy in the sword formation, and the menacing Sheng Nian and the corpse puppet A Yuan.

It swept across the pitch-black crow.

Everything before my eyes seemed shrouded in a veil of unreality.

The stinging pain deep within his soul intensified abruptly due to this shock and doubt.

"Do it!"

Sheng Nian's voice was icy, and the horizontal sword in his hand erupted with an unprecedentedly fierce sword aura, as if the water flowing on the blade had come alive.

This strike was as fast as lightning, its blade cutting across the ground.

At the same time, the corpse puppet A Yuan's entire body transformed into a gray shadow and rushed straight towards Xin Shan Sanren.

"Get out of here!"

A blood-red finger was pointed out, and the surging spiritual power was unreserved, instantly piercing through the corpse puppet A Yuan from head to toe.

However, just like Song Yan, in the next instant, A Yuan's body vanished like a dream.

"..."

Xin Shan Sanren frowned and paused for a moment.

But at that moment, the peak of his life arrived with a flash of sword light, slashing a gash through Xin Shan's blood-red aura.

At the same time, a shadow similar to that of a prime-age figure was left behind in the same spot.

Behind Xinshan Sanren, in the moonlight flowing across the ground, a pale yet strong hand reached out.

……

Yeah.

It's amazing.

Within Young Master Song's sword formation, I felt as if I would never die...

Although I died long ago.

(End of this chapter)