Chapter 64: Intent
Luo Sandao was a bit stunned.
Although he'd been sealed in the dungeon for five years, he hadn't slacked off in the slightest. His strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.
Just recently, he had finally broken through the bottleneck to the Primordial Mansion, becoming a genuine Primordial Mansion Realm Cultivator.
That was how he'd managed to escape.
After finally returning to the outside world, he was all set to wash the Luoyun Sect in blood.
But what he never expected was that he couldn't even defeat a mere Saint Heir, let alone the current Sect Leader of the Luoyun Sect.
Wasn't this the most ridiculous joke in the world?
"Has the Luoyun Sect really gotten this strong?"
"Or are you no longer the Saint Heir? With your level of strength, you'd be more than qualified to be the Sect Leader."
Luo Sandao struggled to his feet. He slowly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. The once-crazed man seemed to have been sobered up a bit by Ye Chen's slap.
"This isn't your true strength, is it?"
"Aren't you supposed to be a blade master? Why are you holding back?"
Ye Chen watched Luo Sandao, his expression placid.
"Hmph!"
At these words, Luo Sandao grew angry.
As a bladesman, he always fought with courage and valor, never shying away from danger.
Being taunted by a mere brat filled Luo Sandao with a deep sense of humiliation.
"I may have been gone from the Luoyun Sect for five years, but I am still your Supreme Elder."
"To speak to me in such a tone... Ye Chen, you, a mere Saint Heir, have gotten far too arrogant!"
Luo Sandao's gaze turned grim. He slowly drew a greatsword from his back, and in an instant, a sharp blade qi erupted from it!
Though he had yet to strike, the surrounding stone walls were already scored with invisible slash marks!
'This is... Blade Intent?' Ye Chen's expression flickered with surprise.
After drawing his blade, Luo Sandao's entire demeanor changed.
He was now like a priceless blade with a hidden edge, his aura incomparably sharp, as if ready to be unsheathed for the kill at any moment!
"Blade Intent?"
"Hmph! I'm surprised you even know of Blade Intent!"
Luo Sandao let out a cold laugh. "I'll be honest with you. My Cultivation Realm hasn't been my area of greatest improvement over the years."
"It's my swordsmanship!"
"I am only a single step away from comprehending Blade Intent!"
Blade Intent!
It was something only a peerless prodigy of the blade could ever hope to comprehend!
It was a conceptual state. Once comprehended, one's swordsmanship would ascend to an entirely new level!
Any bladesman who could grasp such a concept was virtually guaranteed a smooth path in their future cultivation.
Furthermore, wielding Blade Intent would cause one's combat prowess to skyrocket!
Legend had it that a young, genius bladesman at the Peak of the Spiritual Sea Realm was once being hunted by a powerful enemy.
In that moment of desperation, he had a sudden epiphany and comprehended Blade Intent on the spot.
Then, with a single slash, he killed the Primordial Mansion Realm Cultivator who was hunting him!
When word of this spread, it struck terror into the hearts of countless people.
Everyone knew the sheer size of the gap between the Spirit Sea Realm and the Primordial Mansion Realm.
Even for a Cultivator at the Peak of the Spiritual Sea Realm, an enormous, insurmountable chasm remained between them and a true Primordial Mansion Realm expert.
Yet, back then, that young bladesman had relied on Blade Intent to transcend realms and slay a Primordial Mansion Realm Cultivator on the spot.
This showed just how massive a boost comprehending a conceptual state could give to one's combat power!
That was why, upon realizing that Luo Sandao seemed to have faintly grasped a sliver of Blade Intent...
...Ye Chen had shown such surprise.
Of course, while Luo Sandao's swordsmanship was exquisite and his blade qi was sharp...
...he was still a ways off from comprehending true Blade Intent.
Nevertheless, Luo Sandao's strength was not to be underestimated. He was, at the very least, far beyond what an ordinary Primordial Mansion Realm Cultivator could match.
"You can be proud of yourself, junior, for forcing me to draw my blade."
Luo Sandao said coldly.
"Is that so?"
"Then I'll have to see this swordsmanship of yours for myself."
Ye Chen smiled faintly.
He suddenly noticed that deep within his mind, among the three small clusters of light slowly revolving around the Demon God Creation Skill...
...one of the small light clusters seemed to pulse slightly.
A stir went through Ye Chen's mind.
'That little cluster of light is reacting. Could it be because it sensed the Blade Intent?'
'The first cluster of light held a terrifying legacy like the Demon God Creation Skill.'
'So what kind of legacy does this one hold?'
A faint sense of anticipation grew in Ye Chen's heart.
"Then watch closely!"
Luo Sandao suddenly strode forward. His aura exploded as his Spiritual Sea churned and his Primordial Mansion loomed behind him!
He slashed out at Ye Chen, and in an instant, a fierce and domineering blade qi filled the narrow dungeon, crisscrossing through the air!
The dungeon, already half-collapsed, could no longer withstand the force. Rubble began to rain down.
Yet any debris that fell within a ten-meter radius of Luo Sandao was instantly pulverized into dust by an invisible blade qi.
Such terrifying swordsmanship would leave any Cultivator below the Primordial Mansion Realm utterly defenseless!
However, Ye Chen's expression remained serene.
He slowly raised a hand. Behind him, a golden Spiritual Sea churned violently as countless golden lights snaked toward Luo Sandao.
But without exception, the moment the golden light reached Luo Sandao, it was utterly shattered by the light of his blade.
One massive stream of blade qi grazed perilously close to Ye Chen's neck before bursting out of the dungeon and striking the ground outside.
If not for the Five Elements Extreme Dao Killing Formation and the Myriad Sects Origin Convergence Grand Formation protecting the sect, the area outside would have been laid to waste.
"What incredible blade qi!"
"What in the world is going on?! Who is fighting the Sect Leader in the dungeon?!"
Outside the dungeon, the expressions of the Old Ghost of Wushan Mountain and the others changed drastically.
They all realized that a powerful, blade-wielding enemy was likely fighting Ye Chen inside the dungeon!
"Hm?"
At that moment, a flicker of surprise crossed even Ye Chen's face.
'My own attack was blocked so easily by the blade qi Luo Sandao released.'
However, Ye Chen wasn't overly surprised.
The gap in their Cultivation Realms was already huge. He was only at the Third Layer of the Spirit Sea Realm, while Luo Sandao was at the First Layer of the Primordial Mansion Realm!
Moreover, Luo Sandao's swordsmanship was exquisite, to the point where he was on the verge of developing Blade Intent.
His combat prowess was likely among the very best of those at the First Layer of the Primordial Mansion Realm. Even an ordinary Cultivator at the Second Layer of the Primordial Mansion Realm would probably be no match for him!
'I never thought I'd run into such a powerful enemy in the depths of this dungeon.'
'Even if those four Primordial Mansion Realm Cultivators from Luoyun City attacked him all at once, they probably wouldn't be able to take him down, would they?'