Chapter 107 : Interception and Assassination in the Profound Realm
Chapter 107: Interception and Assassination in the Profound Realm
“No guilt, then no regret!”
“When I draw my blade, I have no guilt; once the blade strikes, there is no regret. If I do not slay the enemy, then I shall slay myself!”
“Only then will my blade become faster and stronger!”
“In the past, I had too many thoughts and concerns.”
“Positions, hardships—none of that needs to be considered.”
“If it is an enemy, then the blade strikes without regret!”
Qi Feihong stood upright, blade qi surging sharply around him. Countless falling leaves had not even reached his body before being shredded into powder by the blade qi.
“Buzz!”
He opened his eyes, and an invisible blade radiance burst forth from his pupils, instantly tearing apart the drifting leaves before him.
The next moment, he suddenly drew his blade.
“Clang!”
The sound of the blade had just begun when a streak of cold light flashed past in an instant.
Yet the blade in his hand seemed as though it had never left its sheath.
“Buzz!”
An ancient tree more than ten meters away trembled slightly. Its trunk shifted faintly at the waist, revealing an incomparably smooth cut.
Then the entire trunk slid diagonally downward along the cut, crashing heavily onto the ground.
“Crash…”
As branches tangled and swayed, the whole ancient tree had already fallen.
Seeing this scene, all the guards inhaled sharply in unison.
They had been watching from afar the entire time, yet they had not seen the horizontal blade leave its sheath at all.
They had only seen a dazzling flash of blade light—and everything was already over.
If that blade light had struck them, they likely would not even realize they had been cut in half until the moment of death.
“What a fast blade!”
Wunian spoke, subconsciously scratching his bald head, his face filled with lingering fear.
Although he had grown up in the Buddhist sect since the age of ten, possessing abundant martial knowledge, great talent, and decent combat strength, his realm was not high.
He was only at the Middle Tier of the Qi Realm.
If he faced such a blade, he likely would not even have time to react before being beheaded.
“At this rate, it won’t take half a year before he steps into the Profound Realm.”
“A Profound Realm expert in his thirties!”
Wunian sighed, forced to admit that Qi Feihong truly had the qualifications to stand alongside the Sword Saint of Cangshan.
Of course, the Sword Saint of Cangshan had created the Sword Heart. Although he only broke through to Grandmaster at forty, his combat power was beyond doubt.
“So this is the so-called Blade Soul?”
In the distance, Li Yunqing blinked.
She had naturally heard of the Blade Soul—it was fundamentally different from the Sword Heart.
The Sword Saint had forged the Sword Heart by tempering will, sword intent, and belief into a sharp and unparalleled “heart-sword.”
To a certain extent, it could be called the sword within the heart.
In other words, one first forged a sword within the heart, allowing all sword techniques to gain terrifying lethality with ease.
But the Blade Soul of blade techniques was entirely different. Instead, it was more akin to the spear’s Spear Soul—essentially the same kind of concept.
This was because spears were primarily battlefield weapons. Like blades, they emphasized killing intent and momentum in combat—whether wide and sweeping, heavy force, bravery, or speed.
These traits—wide arcs, strength, courage, speed—lacked complex variations. Most moves were direct and straightforward, born from the techniques themselves.
Qi Feihong’s blade was speed—drawing and striking in one motion.
If one strike failed to kill the enemy, then it would kill oneself. This kind of overwhelming speed and resolve formed the soul, the essence—like a person’s spirit—it was the soul of the blade technique itself.
Thus, cultivating blades or spears meant comprehending the emphasis within their techniques—this was what was called Blade Soul or Spear Soul.
This differed fundamentally from the Sword Heart, which was centered on the self. Once the Sword Heart was formed, all sword techniques would undergo a qualitative transformation.
“What is the difference between the Sword Saint’s Sword Heart and the Sword God’s sword?”
“One is centered on the mind, while the other focuses on technique like blade and spear arts?”
A trace of doubt arose in Li Yunqing’s heart, but she did not dwell on it. She spoke instead, “Since everything is ready, pack up and continue the journey.”
Not long after, the carriage set off again, swaying as it moved toward the capital.
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, six days went by.
At dawn, Li Yunqing slowly opened her eyes and stepped out from a sea of flowers beside an ancient tree.
The panel appeared before her.
Name: Li Yunqing
Lifespan: 15/∞
Strength: Middle Tier of the Qi Realm
Frost Sword Intent: Mastery (87% → 95%)
True Intent of the Five Elements: Initiated (5% → 80%)
Yin Spirit: Major Completion (12% → 21%)
Skills: Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting (Perfection)
Traits: Undistracted Mind, Vigorous Spirit, Photographic Memory, Naturally Endowed with Spiritual Grace, Eight Tones Enter the Soul, Unparalleled Comprehension
Frost Sword Canon (Major Completion 621/10000)
Traits: Innate Sword Bones, Clear Sword Heart, Ice Soul Sword Body
Medicine King Scripture (Major Completion 2201/10000)
Traits: Glazed Medicine King Body
Five Elements Secret Manual (Minor Completion 935/1000)
Traits: None
Mingyu Divine Art (Major Completion 1236/3000)
Traits: Ice-Like Skin and Jade-Like Bones, Clear Mind, Pure Yin Body, Greater Yin Eyes, Clear Divine Mind
Formless Tribulation Finger (Initiated 888/1000)
Traits: Water and Fire Return to Origin
Wind and Cloud Movement Technique (Minor Completion 493/500)
Traits: None
Yuan Qing Spirit Refinement Technique (Initiated 937/1000)
Traits: None
During these six days, every night she used her Pure Yin Body to resonate with the earth, comprehending Frost Sword Intent and the True Intent of the Five Elements.
During the day, she spent most of her time cultivating the Formless Tribulation Finger, and a smaller portion on the Medicine King Scripture, Mingyu Divine Art, and Yuan Qing Spirit Refinement Technique.
Even so, both the Yuan Qing Spirit Refinement Technique and the Formless Tribulation Finger were nearly at Minor Completion.
Even the occasionally practiced Five Elements Secret Manual was only a step away from mastery.
As for the Wind and Cloud Movement Technique, although she had not focused on it fully, its progress was even faster—it might break through today.
“In two more days, all these techniques will advance another stage!”
“My Qi Realm cultivation will also reach the Upper Tier.”
“However, I should focus more on the Formless Tribulation Finger. This is likely the foundation for contending against Profound Realm Grandmasters without exposing my spell cultivation.”
The Five Elements cycle could break the Momentum of Heaven and Earth.
Based on her comprehension of the True Intent of the Five Elements, once it reached Minor Completion or Mastery, she might gain the ability to kill those in the Profound Realm.
If it reached Perfection and evolved into a Buddhist divine ability, then even against the Divine Realm, she would possess the power of a single decisive strike.
“In three or four days, we’ll reach the capital.”
“If those from the Jianghu intend to intercept and kill me, it will likely be within these few days.”
The royal family would not dare to act openly against her—they could only use Jianghu forces to assassinate her.
After passing the Taimang Grand Pass, there were many routes leading to the capital, interconnected in all directions, making her journey smoother and faster.
Inside the carriage, five-colored True Qi flowed across Li Yunqing’s slender fingers, cycling continuously.
The surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth was drawn in, even being dissolved into nothingness by the Five Elements True Qi.
This made her mind increasingly clear—this was likely the foundation of the Five Elements breaking the Momentum of Heaven and Earth.
The mutual generation and restraint of the Five Elements could dissolve all things!
“Formless Tribulation Finger experience +5.”
By noon, when the carriage stopped and the guards began preparing lunch, the text before her changed again.
“Formless Tribulation Finger experience +5.”
“True Intent of the Five Elements: Initiated (84% → 85%)”
“Five points in one morning. Including night cultivation, about fifteen per day—faster.”
Looking at the text, Li Yunqing stepped out of the carriage. Her figure moved like wind and drifting clouds, swiftly gliding through the forest beside the official road.
In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the text appeared again.
“Wind and Cloud Movement Technique experience +7.”
“Wind and Cloud Movement Technique (Mastery 0/1000)”
“Wind and Cloud Movement Technique has reached Mastery. Derived trait: Ethereal Cloud Mist.”
The moment the text appeared, Li Yunqing felt her body suddenly lighten, as if half of her flesh and blood had dispersed.
She became as light and elusive as clouds and mist, moving with the wind, increasingly soft and weightless.
“Whoosh…”
Her body trembled slightly, and within a ten-zhang radius around her, four cloud-like afterimages appeared.
With a light tap of her toe, she instantly entered one of the afterimages.
At that very moment, the other three afterimages dissolved like drifting mist, dreamlike and unreal.
“So fast!”
“And this Ethereal Cloud Mist creates four cloud-like illusions, adding a deceptive effect to the movement technique!”
Feeling the changes in her movement technique, joy flickered in Li Yunqing’s eyes.
With this ability, once she used her movement technique, four cloud-like afterimages would appear simultaneously, moving at will—enough to confuse any opponent.
“Tap, tap, tap…”
At that moment, the sound of footsteps and bodies cutting through the air rang out simultaneously.
In an instant, twenty to thirty figures surrounded her from all directions.
At the same time, a vast, illusory ocean rose, spreading through the air, carrying an invisible pressure as it surged forward.
Even the sun seemed obscured by that phantom ocean, and the entire sky dimmed.
It was like dark clouds pressing down upon a city—the entire world became oppressive.
“This is the Momentum of Heaven and Earth!”
“A Profound Realm Grandmaster!”
Li Yunqing’s heart trembled as she quickly looked up.
She saw a figure in a light blue robe, hands behind his back, stepping forward—covering several zhang in a single step.
Faster than the dozens of others, he surpassed them in the blink of an eye and arrived before Li Yunqing.
His cold eyes looked down upon her with scrutiny.
Then a slightly effeminate voice rang out:
“So you are the Sword Saint of Cangshan’s little disciple. You do have some beauty.”
“If the Sword Saint of Cangshan were to know that his little disciple became a plaything beneath me, I wonder what expression he would have?”