Chapter 693: A Battle of Swords!
Li Yun slowly raised his sword.
A crimson aura erupted from his body first.
The moment it appeared, the air around the arena turned cold.
This was not ordinary killing intent. It was terrifying Slaughter Sword Intent that had already reached thirty percent mastery at the Xiantian Stage. It was pure, merciless, and absolute, as though it existed only to cut down all living things before the sword.
A moment later, another Sword Intent emerged.
This Sword Intent was pale and bright. It carried an ancient sharpness that seemed able to endure forever. It was not violent like Slaughter Sword Intent, but its edge was even more profound. It seemed indestructible, undying, and eternal.
Twenty percent mastery at the Xiantian Stage.
Immortal Sword Intent.
The two Sword Intents appeared around Li Yun at the same time.
One was crimson.
One was pale.
One represented slaughter.
One represented immortality.
They revolved around his sword without fully merging, creating a strange and terrifying overlapping pressure.
The jade-robed powerhouse finally moved.
A sword appeared in his hand.
It was exactly the same as Li Yun’s sword. Even his posture was almost identical to Li Yun’s, as though he had perfectly reflected Li Yun’s sword stance.
Li Yun’s eyes narrowed slightly.
’As expected of the Innate Sword Body.’
He could feel it clearly.
The jade-robed powerhouse was not merely imitating the appearance of his sword. He was observing his Sword Intent, sensing his rhythm, and preparing to reproduce his sword arts through the natural talent of the Innate Sword Body.
Li Yun took one step forward.
"Ten Thousand Slaughter Sword Art."
As soon as his voice fell, the thirty percent Xiantian Stage Slaughter Sword Intent erupted.
Crimson Slaughter Sword Qi condensed around him at astonishing speed. One blood-red sword appeared beside him. Then another. Then dozens. Then hundreds.
Within a few breaths, hundreds of slaughter qi swords had formed around Li Yun.
Each sword was only a few feet long, but every one of them contained an icy killing power that seemed capable of piercing flesh, qi, and will at the same time.
Li Yun pointed his sword forward.
"Go."
The hundreds of slaughter swords shot toward the jade-robed powerhouse like a crimson rainstorm.
However, the jade-robed powerhouse’s expression did not change.
He raised his sword calmly.
In the next moment, an almost identical crimson aura erupted from his body.
"Ten Thousand Slaughter Sword Art."
His voice was calm and emotionless.
Hundreds of crimson slaughter qi swords appeared around him as well. They looked nearly identical to Li Yun’s swords, but there was one terrifying difference.
They were stronger.
Because of the Innate Sword Body, Li Yun’s sword power was naturally suppressed by thirty percent when facing him. At the same time, the jade-robed powerhouse’s copied sword art carried a smoother and more natural sword rhythm, as though heaven and earth itself were helping him wield the sword.
Boom!
The two waves of slaughter swords collided in the air.
Crimson Sword Qi exploded everywhere.
Li Yun’s slaughter swords destroyed many of the opponent’s attacks, but they were gradually overwhelmed. Several crimson swords broke through the collision and shot toward him.
Li Yun swung his sword repeatedly and shattered them, but the remaining force still pushed him back several steps.
His expression grew more serious.
The Innate Sword Body was even more troublesome than he had expected.
If he used an ordinary sword art, it would be copied.
If he used a powerful sword art, it would be copied and strengthened.
If he fought purely with the sword, he would naturally be suppressed.
This was the terror of the Innate Sword Body.
But instead of feeling discouraged, Li Yun’s battle intent became even stronger.
"Again."
This time, pale immortal light appeared around his sword.
"Eternal Immortal Sword Art, Undying Edge."
The twenty percent Xiantian Stage Immortal Sword Intent erupted.
A pale Sword Light condensed on the edge of his sword.
It did not look as overwhelming as Ten Thousand Slaughter Sword Art, but its sharpness was even more terrifying. The Sword Light seemed thin and quiet, yet it gave people the feeling that it could not be destroyed, could not be erased, and could not be stopped.
Li Yun slashed forward.
The pale Sword Light cut across the arena silently.
The jade-robed powerhouse immediately responded.
"Eternal Immortal Sword Art, Undying Edge."
An identical pale Sword Light appeared from his blade.
The two undying edges collided in midair.
There was no thunderous explosion this time.
Only a sharp tearing sound rang out.
The space between the two Sword Lights seemed to split apart faintly. For several breaths, the two Sword Lights resisted each other, both carrying the undying nature of Immortal Sword Intent. But soon, the jade-robed powerhouse’s Sword Light gained the upper hand.
His Innate Sword Body once again suppressed Li Yun’s sword.
The pale Sword Light tore through Li Yun’s attack and continued toward him.
Li Yun’s gaze became cold.
He immediately raised his sword and blocked, but the impact still forced him backward. A thin cut appeared on his shoulder, and a trace of blood flowed down.
He had been injured.
Li Yun lowered his gaze slightly and looked at the blood on his shoulder.
Then, he looked back at the jade-robed powerhouse.
The jade-robed powerhouse stood in place without moving, his jade robe fluttering gently. His expression remained calm, as if everything was within his control.
Li Yun understood.
If he used Slaughter Sword Intent alone, the opponent could copy and suppress it.
If he used Immortal Sword Intent alone, the opponent could also copy and suppress it.
Even if he used the sword arts born from those two Sword Intents, the result would not change much.
The Innate Sword Body was too sensitive toward sword techniques.
It could observe, imitate, and improve them in an extremely short time.
To defeat this opponent, Li Yun needed something that could not be copied so easily.
His eyes gradually became calm.
The crimson Slaughter Sword Intent rose again.
The pale Immortal Sword Intent also rose again.
This time, Li Yun did not keep them clearly separated as before. Instead, he began to let the two Sword Intents approach one another.
The moment they touched, the two powers trembled violently.
Slaughter and immortality were completely different paths.
One pursued absolute killing.
The other pursued eternal sharpness and undying existence.
Under normal circumstances, forcing them together was incredibly difficult. If handled carelessly, the two Sword Intents might even conflict and injure Li Yun instead.
But Li Yun did not retreat.
He had already used these two Sword Intents together before, creating an overlapping effect that increased the strength of his sword attacks.
But overlap and fusion were different.
Overlap only allowed the two powers to strengthen the same attack.
Fusion meant creating a new sword path.
A path where slaughter gained an undying edge.
A path where immortality carried the will to kill.
This was something Li Yun had not fully achieved yet.
But under the pressure of the Innate Sword Body, he began to touch that threshold.