One person: Orochi, starting with Feng Baobao's Eight Heroes.

The man's Taoist hat was askew, his face was pale, and there was a bloody hole the size of a bowl in his chest.

It was Qingweizi, the Quanzhen Wuliu Sect elder who died in battle three months ago!

"Master Qingwei...?"

Chen Qi felt a tightness in his throat.

He had seen the corpse with his own eyes. At that time, Qingweizi's primordial spirit had been shattered, and there was absolutely no chance of survival.

The dead man slowly raised his head, his eyes burning with an eerie, blazing white light.

Chen Qi then noticed that the snow within a ten-zhang radius of Qingweizi displayed strange patterns—it was a Qimen Dunjia formation!

Chapter 278 Mountain-Shaking Palm

Moreover, it is the most superior "Heavenly Escape" transformation.

"Chen...Qi..."

The sound of the dead seemed to come from a distant valley, with heavy echoes.

"Didn't you... invite me here...?"

Chen Qi was deeply shaken.

Three months ago, he did indeed perform a ritual, praying for Zhenwu to manifest and impart the Demon-Slaying Sword Technique.

But that was a routine ritual of the Taoist sect, and they never expected to actually receive a response.

Before he could answer, the dead man suddenly raised his hand, and white mist rose up all around him.

Chen Qi felt dizzy and disoriented, and when he regained his senses, he found himself in a strange, white space.

There was no wind or snow, no cliffs, only boundless whiteness in this "June 23rd".

"How much of your understanding of swordsmanship have you grasped?"

The dead man had appeared three zhang away at some point, now holding a long iron sword.

Knowing that this battle was inevitable, Chen Qi immediately lowered his stance, mounted his horse, and placed his right hand on his sword.

"Since you have already departed this world, why linger here?"

The dead man's lips curled into a strange arc.

"Asking about the sword...not about life and death..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chen Qi suddenly sprang to his feet!

He formed a hand seal with his left hand and thrust out with his right palm, unleashing a palm wind that seemed to solidify into reality—it was the "Mountain-Shaking Palm," a secret technique passed down from Longhu Mountain!

"boom!"

The dead man neither dodged nor avoided the attack, but instead met it with a palm strike of his own.

As their palms clashed, a shockwave exploded, and Chen Qi felt a chilling, bone-piercing true energy surge upwards along the meridians of his arm.

He grunted, used the momentum to leap backward, and the long sword at his waist was drawn with a clang!

The sword light was like a waterfall, slashing towards the dead man's head with the force of splitting mountains and shattering peaks.

This sword strike is devoid of any fancy moves; it's a pure killing move that uses brute force to overcome skill.

The dead man raised his sword to meet them.

The two swords clashed, and the sound of metal striking metal echoed through the white mist.

To Chen Qi's astonishment, the seemingly ordinary iron sword of the other party was able to withstand the full force of his "Mysterious Frost Sword," the treasure of Longhu Mountain, without any damage!

"Excellent swordsmanship."

The voice of the dead suddenly became clear.

"Unfortunately...it's too heavy..."

Chen Qi did not answer, and his swordplay suddenly changed. In an instant, dozens of sword lights poured down, each carrying the power to split rocks and shatter monuments.

The dead man, however, moved like willow catkins in the wind, his iron sword drawing arcs that completely neutralized the attack.

"Of the 307 Demon-Slaying Sword Techniques, you've only grasped the form."

The dead blocked the way.

Where is God?

Chen Qi's anger flared, and with a long roar, he changed his sword moves once more.

This time, he held nothing back, his true essence surging wildly into the sword, causing the Xuan Shuang Sword to tremble.

Where the sword light passed, the white mist was torn apart, leaving marks that lingered for a long time.

The dead man finally took half a step back.

"That's true."

A burst of white light appeared in the dead man's eyes, and the iron sword suddenly became illusory.

"Alright!"

In an instant, the two were locked in combat. Sword shadows blurred, and energies surged.

Chen Qi fought with increasing ferocity, pouring his whole heart and soul into every sword strike.

He felt his sword intent constantly being refined in this life-or-death struggle, as if an invisible shackle was breaking.

"happy!"

Chen Qi laughed loudly, and his Xuan Shuang Sword unleashed a world-shattering vertical slash.

The dead man did not take the blow head-on; the iron sword, like a nimble snake, coiled around the frost and gently brushed against it.

Chen Qi suddenly felt an immense force pulling him towards empty space, his body involuntarily leaning forward...

Taking advantage of the moment, the dead man turned his sword and slashed a bloody gash across the man's left shoulder.

"Your sword lacks versatility."

The dead man said calmly.

Chen Qi didn't get angry; instead, he laughed.

"Come again!"

Three hundred rounds pass in the blink of an eye.

Chen Qi was covered in blood, but his eyes were even sharper.

He felt his soul being tempered by the clash of sword intent, and many obscure aspects of his past cultivation suddenly became clear.

Suddenly, the entire white mist space trembled violently. The Dead Man's Sword blasted Chen Qi away, the iron sword drawing a perfect arc in the air.

This sword strike appeared slow, but it was actually incredibly fast, its momentum surging like the Yangtze River!

Chen Qi hastily raised his sword to meet the attack, but with a "crack," the Xuan Shuang Sword was jolted out of his hand and flew away!

His chest was wide open, and the dead man's sword pierced straight in.

"puff!"

The iron sword pierced through his chest.

Chen Qi watched as the blood he spat out congealed into eerie droplets in the air. 3.9

He felt his internal structure collapsing, as if his internal organs were being pierced by thousands of steel needles.

"Why..."

Chen Qi knelt on one knee, blood continuously oozing from the corner of his mouth.

The dead man slowly drew his sword, yet not a single drop of blood stained the blade.

The white light in his eyes gradually turned golden, and his voice became solemn and majestic.

"I am the True Martial Emperor, resurrected in another's body. Three months ago, you opened an altar to pray for the Demon-Slaying Sword Technique. Today, I have come to test you."

Chen Qi was struck by lightning.

Zhenwu the Great! One of the Four Heavenly Emperors of Taoism, the Northern God in charge of subduing demons and monsters!

Chapter 279 The Milky Way Hangs Upside Down

"You...you..."

Chen Qi struggled to stand up and bow, but fell to the ground again due to his severe injuries.

The True Martial Emperor looked down at him.

"To test the sword with your own body is commendable. The last sword strike just now was the first move of the Demon-Slaying Sword Technique, Heavenly River Reversed."

Chen Qi suddenly realized what was happening and, enduring the excruciating pain, slammed his head to the ground.

"Disciple...humbly begs the Ancestral Master...to bestow a sword..."

“Your ancestor was Zhang Daoling, and you do indeed have a connection with me.”

The True Martial Emperor softened his tone and reached out to pat Chen Qi's head.

"Okay."

A warm current surged into Chen Qi's head, and he was horrified to see the blood from his wound flowing back into his body!

The penetrating wound healed at a visible speed, and the collapsed human body structure was restored to stability, even more perfect than before.

Even more miraculously, the surrounding white mist began to rotate counterclockwise, the suspended blood droplets flew back into the mouth, and even the Xuan Shuang Sword, which had been knocked away, returned to its sheath on its own—time was flowing backward!

Once everything was back to normal, Chen Qi found himself standing unharmed before the True Martial Emperor, as if the fierce battle had never happened.

Only the clear memories in my mind and the more refined sword intent proved that it was not an illusion.

"Master, please accept my three bows!"

Chen Qi knelt down and kowtowed without hesitation.

The True Martial Emperor stood with his hands behind his back, waiting for him to finish his greetings before speaking.

"The Demon-Slaying Sword Technique consists of nine forms. Today, I will teach you the first three. How much you can comprehend depends entirely on your destiny."

Chen Qi held his breath and focused his mind. He saw the True Martial Emperor point his fingers like a sword and draw a mysterious trajectory in the air.

The trajectory solidified and did not dissipate, transforming into golden runes that floated in the air.

"First move: The Milky Way hangs upside down."

The rune suddenly came to life and burrowed into Chen Qi's brow.

He suddenly felt countless sword moves appear in his mind, every detail clearly visible, as if he had practiced them a million times.

Before he could even process it, the True Martial Emperor drew a second trajectory.

This time the runes are more complex, weaving into a net-like pattern in the air.

"The second move, the Big Dipper shifts the stars."

Chen Qi felt a jolt in his soul, and a vast starry sky appeared before his eyes, with seven large stars arranged in a dipper shape, each star representing a subtle sword move.

He unconsciously began to mimic the gestures, his internal energy circulating on its own, opening up new pathways in his meridians.

Emperor Zhenwu nodded and made a third finger movement.

This movement was extremely slow, as if pushing a massive weight.

"The third move, the Five Sacred Mountains..."

Suddenly, the white mist space trembled violently, and its edges began to collapse. Emperor Zhenwu frowned and withdrew his hand.

"The time has come."

"Ancestor!"

Chen Qi called out urgently.

"This disciple has not yet..."

"To be able to obtain two of these techniques is already a stroke of good fortune."