Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 369 Murderous Intention

The nine flying swords returned to the Endless Treasury one by one. Song Yan's gaze did not linger on Shen Yu's corpse or the other two Qin family members who came to his aid.

The previously sharp and incomparable aura around him quickly dissipated, as if it had never existed.

He looked up at the water curtain and waves of the Jianghe Daling Formation, and frowned slightly at the sky above the clouds.

That was a realm belonging to cultivators at the Golden Core stage.

Everyone understands that the real battlefield, where the lives and deaths of countless people below are determined, lies high above the heavens.

Zhang Cheng's hair and beard stood on end, his originally hunched figure was now tense, and his hands were constantly forming hand seals, drawing upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

The sword formation composed of nine flying swords clashed with the demonic blood flames, creating a powerful and imposing spectacle.

However, Song Yan's face was full of worry.

To outsiders, Senior Zhang Cheng and Qin Yang appeared to be evenly matched, locked in a stalemate. However, with his Observational Sword Eyes, he saw things much more clearly than anyone else.

Every time Zhang Cheng made a hand seal, every time his sword energy surged forth, it carried a sense of sluggishness.

The signs of aging and decline were long ago difficult to conceal.

His life was also hanging by a thread.

After the banquet in Jiangtian, Zhang Cheng had confided in him that he was over five hundred years old, which was nearing the end of his lifespan for a Golden Core cultivator, and his days were numbered.

His original spiritual power was exhausted, and his cultivation level had entered a low point.

In the current situation, to unleash all his strength and fight to the death with another Golden Core cultivator is tantamount to hastening his demise.

In contrast, Qin Yang stood atop the rolling black clouds, his black robes fluttering in the wind.

He was incredibly young, and demonic energy surged around him.

His palms flew, blood light poured out, transforming into huge bone claws that bombarded the sword formation and impacted Zhang Cheng's protective aura.

Each strike contained terrifying spiritual power, stirring up the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within a radius of dozens of miles into chaos, obscuring the sky and the sun.

His momentum was overwhelming, and his demonic flames surged to the heavens, completely gaining the upper hand and suppressing Zhang Cheng firmly.

"How can someone so young possess the cultivation level of the Golden Core Realm?"

Song Yan was a little puzzled. Judging from Qin Xijun's previous conversation with him, this person seemed to be her nephew, Qin Ying's younger brother.

Judging from this, this person is at most in his thirties or forties.

"Possession?"

That's practically the only possibility.

Zhang Cheng is still able to hold on for now largely thanks to the Zhenyue Sword Formation, which is both offensive and defensive, with its defensive capabilities even surpassing its offensive capabilities.

Although the sword formation was ingenious, its spiritual light visibly dimmed under Qin Yang's fierce and violent attacks.

He could only passively defend and dodge. Every head-on confrontation caused his already weakened body to tremble violently, and his exhaustion could no longer be concealed.

Qin Yang smiled, his attacks becoming increasingly fierce, the demonic energy and blood light completely engulfing Zhang Cheng's figure.

Song Yan's heart sank to the bottom.

He could see clearly that Senior Zhang Cheng was already at a disadvantage, and his defeat was only a matter of time.

But once Zhang Cheng falls, and Qin Yang gets a chance to make his move, the so-called chaotic battle below will instantly turn into a one-sided massacre.

What is late-stage Foundation Establishment, what is fake Core Formation cultivation? In front of a true Golden Core cultivator, they are nothing but clay chickens and earthenware dogs.

No matter how talented Song Yan was, without prior preparation, he would have had no chance of escaping from a Golden Core cultivator.

Everything on the battlefield below is an illusion; the outcome hinges solely on those two individuals.

We must support Senior Zhang Cheng at all costs.

Without much hesitation, Song Yan took out a uniquely shaped talisman from his Qiankun bag.

Its entire body is golden, with winding blue patterns and flowing sword energy.

It was Chen Linyuan's Golden Core Sword Talisman.

Song Yan put it into his sleeve and observed the battle in the air. At the same time, wisps of sword energy converged toward the talisman.

It surged into those strange patterns.

He knew that this talisman might not be able to quickly turn the tide, but it could at least give Senior Zhang Cheng a chance to catch his breath.

This was the only thing he could think of that might change the course of the battle.

However, just before Song Yan was about to focus all his attention on activating the Golden Core Sword Talisman.

Outside the great formation, Qin Feiyu seemed to have made up his mind and was unwilling to delay any longer.

He patted his Qiankun bag and took out a red and white pearl the size of a pill, radiating the spiritual power of thunder and fire.

The precious pearl hung in his palm, and spiritual energy flowed through his meridians, slowly pouring into it.

"Xuan Lei Pill!"

Among the Qin family's assistance, several people noticed Qin Feiyu's actions and recognized the item, which startled them.

The Xuanlei Pill is neither a pill nor a magical artifact. In terms of its nature and purpose, it is more like a talisman with a special shape.

To refine such a thing, one usually needs the cultivation level of the Golden Core Realm, or at least the Pseudo-Core Realm.

Cultivation level is secondary; the most crucial element is the material used to refine it. Cultivators need to extract the most spiritual lightning and fire from heaven and earth, and then continuously refine it for several years before it can be completed.

Therefore, compared to ordinary talismans, its value far exceeds that; the price of one is comparable to that of a low-grade spiritual artifact.

However, precisely because of this, each one is extremely powerful.

It's unknown how many of these items the Qin family prepared in order to ensure a foolproof capture of Nangong.

Perhaps noticing the gazes of these outsiders, Qin Feiyu said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, the Qin family has used every trick in the book for this mission."

"I urge you fellow Daoists to stop hiding your secrets and annihilate Nangong as soon as possible. Only then can the treasures promised to you by the Qin Clan be handed over more quickly, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a pseudo-core cultivator who had not made a move before and had been gathering spiritual energy suddenly opened his eyes.

He clasped his hands together, and spiritual energy surged around him.

A strong wind suddenly blew up along the Lingyang River, and the wind had a faint yellowish-brown hue.

"The Great Sacrifice of the Shifting Sands".

rustling—

But then, countless grains of sand and dust, obscuring the sky and sun, swirled and gathered outside the Great Mausoleum Formation of Rivers and Lakes, and as the man raised his hand, they were blown towards the wave curtain of water.

This already crumbling formation rapidly weakened.

"it is good!"

Qin Feiyu was overjoyed at the sight and shot out the Xuanlei Pearl in his hand without hesitation, which landed on the array restriction.

"Boom——!"

A deafening sound suddenly erupted from the battlefield on the ground.

The sky collapsed.

The thunderous roar of the lightning-based spiritual energy and the heatwave of the fire-based spiritual energy swept across the entire Nangong clan territory in an instant.

But then they saw that the Jianghe Daling Formation could no longer hold out.

The restrictions collapsed at that moment.

The waves stopped, and the water curtain poured down, extinguishing the flames that had burst open from the Xuanlei Pearl.

"puff--"

Nangong Jin was shocked and spat out blood.

"The third one!"

Nangong Ming's eyes were bloodshot.

"The great formation has been broken!" Qin Feiyu sneered, "Charge in! Leave no one alive!"

The Foundation Establishment cultivator outside the great formation had been feeling stifled for a long time, and now his anger and greed erupted together.

Dozens of figures, enveloped in the dazzling light of various magical artifacts and talismans, stormed into the Nangong family's territory, vying for position.

At this moment, both the cultivators of the Nangong family and the many guests remaining realized that the Nangong family was likely doomed today. "Quickly! Don't get dragged into this mess!"

Seeing that the great formation was broken and Nangong could not protect himself, many guests immediately tried to flee.

"What are you doing? I am Guan He, the Immortal Descending Gate..."

hum-

Three terrifying spiritual energies from the Pseudo-Core Formation Realm arrived in an instant, instantly killing the mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator.

This scene caused many guests to gasp in surprise.

It seems the Qin family really has no intention of letting them go.

Immediately, many cultivators abandoned their plans to escape and joined forces with the Nangong family to fight for their lives.

Led by Nangong Ming, the high-ranking members of the Nangong family were well aware that once the great formation was broken, the Nangong family would be doomed.

"I never imagined that despite my utmost caution and trepidation, the thousand-year-old foundation of the Nangong family would still be destroyed in my hands..."

He sighed deeply, his eyes filled with sorrow.

Ancestor Zhang Cheng and Qin Yang were evenly matched for the time being. Even if the ancestor could win, the cultivators of Nangong would probably have been slaughtered by the Qin family.

He now only hopes that the ancestor will win...

No, or we could take a few promising talents and flee now to preserve the Nangong family line.

In this way, when I meet my ancestors in the afterlife, I won't feel too ashamed.

At this point, everyone in the Nangong Palace knew that this was a moment of life or death, and they all fought with all their might.

Qin Xijun's heart sank, she frowned, and shouted, "Xiao Ju! Come to my side!"

Xiao Ju remained silent, knowing that at this point, she could no longer offer any help and that it was best not to cause trouble for her master and the others.

Li Yi had originally been able to suppress Xu Heng, who was at the Pseudo-Core Realm, but Qin Shi's aggressive approach forced him to divert some of his attention to protect the two Nangong sisters beside him.

Some of the guests who were on good terms with the Nangong family or who were relatively upright also brought out their magical artifacts and talismans to greet the Qin family cultivators who rushed in.

In an instant, swords flashed, spells roared, and blood and flesh flew everywhere.

Shouts of battle, screams of agony, clashing magical weapons, collapsing buildings...

The brief shock brought about by Song Yan's killing of Shen Yu was instantly overwhelmed by the even more brutal and bloody melee.

Yet, somewhere in this chaos, Song Yan's figure stood alone.

The terrifying strength this person had previously displayed made those Foundation Establishment and Fake Core cultivators afraid to provoke him first, and they all thought they would come and pick up the scraps at the last minute.

They were all just hitching a ride on the Qin family's ship to help Nangong Xing with his plundering; their primary goal was naturally to protect themselves.

To die here like Shen Yu would be a terrible loss.

Although Qin Yang was also giving it his all, his opponent was clearly going to give up much earlier, and the outcome was already decided.

He had no intention of killing his opponent. If he pushed him too far and caused the opponent to self-destruct his golden core, resulting in mutual destruction, that would be too troublesome.

He also enjoyed the thrill of seeing his opponent struggle to the death but ultimately succumb to his own hand.

However, Qin Yang kept one gaze fixed on the young figure on the battlefield below.

When he vaguely sensed a peculiar sharpness, a smile appeared on his lips.

"The wait is finally here."

In a fleeting moment.

A sharp edge slowly rose in Song Yan's hand as the sword talisman was activated.

Qin Yang showed no surprise whatsoever. He even relaxed his control over Zhang Cheng, allowing him to shatter his bone claw phantom.

By leveraging the momentum, a portion of one's mind and strength can be instantly concentrated.

A shawl entirely woven from black demonic feathers was unfurled and draped over Qin Yang.

A phantom image of a feather robe, shimmering with a dark, flowing light, instantly appeared on his body.

Countless tiny black feathers layered upon each other, swirling endlessly, radiating an indestructible defensive aura.

Defensive magic weapon!

Qin Ying had told him when she found him that Chen Linyuan's sword talisman was now in Song Yan's hands.

Therefore, he always kept a watchful eye on Song Yan's movements.

In fact, he had already begun to pay attention to Song Yan after Longtan Mountain, but only just now could he be sure of one thing.

This Song Yan is following the path of ancient sword cultivators!
He will never admit his mistake!

It was that strange, inexplicable inspiration that nearly caused him to perish completely, unable to enter the cycle of reincarnation, and wander for thousands of years before he was able to be reborn in another body.

As he unleashed his feathered robe, Qin Yang's true killing intent surged forth.

Zhang Cheng naturally noticed Song Yan's actions and quickly changed his sword formation, preparing to attack and kill him together.

The defensive stance of the nine sword formation suddenly changed, and it charged towards Qin Yang.

However, they discovered that the other party had no intention of resisting at all.

Zhang Cheng was slightly taken aback, then exclaimed in alarm: "Young friend Song, be careful!"

Qin Yang sneered, and countless demonic clouds and blood flames gathered at the tip of his right finger, pressing down towards Song Yan.

He actually had to withstand another Golden Core cultivator's magic weapon and killing move to kill Song Yan.

"Die!"

Qin Yang was extremely confident in his feathered magic weapon. So what if he withstood the sword talisman and Zhang Cheng's attack?

Zhang Cheng's strength was nothing special, and the Golden Core Sword Talisman, in the end, was nothing more than a full-force attack from a Golden Core cultivator.

This Thousand Illusion Feather Robe is not something that people from a remote and small country like Chu can possess...

hum-

As the sword light flashed before his eyes, Qin Yang's thoughts froze for a moment, followed by a sense of foreboding.

There was no terrifying sharpness; between heaven and earth, only a dazzling sword light rose from Song Yan's hand.

Three different sounds resounded simultaneously between heaven and earth.

The first one came from that Golden Elixir Sword Talisman.

A bluish-white sword light pierced the sky.

Pure killing intent, extreme murderous intent.

There was actually a trace of Chen Linyuan's sword intent within this sword talisman!

The seemingly indestructible dark feather only blocked the sword light for less than a moment before piercing through the feathered phantom and penetrating his left chest in Qin Yang's incredulous gaze.

The dim light of the treasure instantly dimmed, countless feathers scattered and cried out in despair, and the treasure itself let out a mournful cry, its spiritual power greatly diminished.

puff--!
Qin Yang felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood, his powerful aura becoming chaotic for a moment.

The second sound, however, came from Zhang Cheng.

Qin Yang was at a critical moment when his old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated. He had also suffered a severe injury and his mind was shaken. It was truly an opportunity that could not be missed.

Zhang Cheng's nine sword lights condensed into one, and had already reached Qin Yang.

"Damn it!"

Qin Yang cursed angrily and hastily reconstituted the spirituality of the feather robe.

However, the power of the sword talisman remained, leaving no time for any defense.

"what--"

Finally, the golden heavy sword, shrouded in mist, followed the trajectory of the sword light and plunged deep into Qin Yang's left chest, remaining there.

However, there was a third sound.

Even Qin Yang's distant finger still landed.

(End of this chapter)