Chapter 190 - 141: Sword Saint
Activating the Ancient Candle Dragon Bloodline, a third eye appeared on Lu Changfeng’s forehead.
The three eyes fixed on Pei Yuanshi, who felt as if he was being completely seen through.
Lu Changfeng raised his saber, and the Fengtian Saber Intent surged forth.
With the help of his Ancient Heroic Root Bone and the Fengtian Bone Refining Heart Method, Lu Changfeng’s Realm had already stabilized at the Silver Bone Realm.
Compared to six months ago, Lu Changfeng’s physical prowess had made another breakthrough.
"Annihilation, Heaven-Slaying Blade!"
A black Saber Aura dozens of meters long manifested before Lu Changfeng and slashed toward Pei Yuanshi with terrifying force.
Pei Yuanshi let out a great shout, his hand forming a sword seal as the True Unrivaled Spirit Sword came crashing down!
The black Saber Aura and the azure Spirit Sword collided between the clouds.
Pei Yuanshi shared a deep connection with his Spirit Sword.
He could feel a horrifying energy surging from the Saber Aura—a terrifying sensation that promised to annihilate everything.
As if in fear, the blade of the Unrivaled Spirit Sword began to tremble.
Pei Yuanshi tried to perceive the source of this power, but to no avail.
This energy of Annihilation was like a fundamental force of nature, pushing the might of Lu Changfeng’s strike to its absolute limit.
The moment a mere trace of that Annihilation seeped into the body of the Spirit Sword, Pei Yuanshi knew he was defeated.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Pei Yuanshi detonated the Unrivaled Spirit Sword, letting it unleash a final flash of Spiritual Light.
BOOOOOOM!!!
In the sky, clouds and mist scattered. As everyone watched with bated breath, the blackness gradually and completely devoured the azure light.
Pei Yuanshi shot backward, frantically condensing his Sword Intent into one slash of sword light after another.
Fortunately, the explosion of the Unrivaled Spirit Sword had already consumed most of the power behind Lu Changfeng’s strike.
Moreover, Pei Yuanshi’s Unrivaled Sword Intent, honed over several decades, was exceptionally formidable.
The lingering might of the Saber Aura was gradually blocked.
VMMMMM!
Pei Yuanshi’s face was pale. A mouthful of blood welled up in his throat, but he forced himself to swallow it back down.
Pei Yuanshi had blocked Lu Changfeng’s attack.
But his Spirit Body had clearly suffered considerable damage in the process.
The residual energy from the Saber Aura carved a jet-black scar hundreds of meters long into the ground behind him.
Pei Yuanshi forced himself to remain standing in the sky. His Spiritual Power was almost completely depleted. Most importantly, with his Spirit Sword destroyed, he could no longer unleash a strike like the one before.
’If Lu Changfeng risks losing an arm to launch another one of those attacks, I’ll be in mortal danger.’
’However,’ Pei Yuanshi mused, ’the Saint Master of the Saint Demon Sect, while unpredictable, always ensures his own safety before making a move.’
’He shouldn’t be willing to burn his bridges and launch a second strike, putting himself in peril.’
「On the other side.」
Lu Changfeng’s left arm exploded.
This time, because his physical constitution had improved after advancing from Copper Bone to Silver Bone within the Bone Refining Realm, his left arm hadn’t been severed clean at the shoulder. Instead, about half of his upper arm remained intact.
"Daliang Sword Saint, I acknowledge you as the greatest swordsman in the world," Lu Changfeng said slowly.
He was in agony, but to uphold the Saint Master’s reputation, Lu Changfeng wore an expression of complete indifference.
It was as if it wasn’t his own arm that had just been destroyed.
Pei Yuanshi didn’t look down on him in the slightest for his severed arm.
Having just experienced the might of that attack, Pei Yuanshi knew that in his current state, he had no chance of winning a direct confrontation with Lu Changfeng.
Keeping a cautious distance, Pei Yuanshi replied, "Thank you for your acknowledgment, Saint Master."
"I have other matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave now."
"When we meet again, I will surely seek your guidance once more, Saint Master."
The Daliang People always bullied the weak and feared the strong. Faced with Lu Changfeng’s might, Pei Yuanshi put away his airs as the Sword Saint.
Lu Changfeng gave a slight nod in response.
Pei Yuanshi clasped his hands in a farewell gesture and departed.
If he stayed a moment longer, he was afraid he would cough up that mouthful of blood. With so many pairs of eyes watching from below, he would lose all face.
With Pei Yuanshi’s departure, the menacing army of the Daliang Alien Race quickly retreated from the East City Gate of Jiangzhou Prefecture.
For the time being, it was unlikely they would return to Jiangzhou Prefecture City.
At least, not until Pei Yuanshi had recovered from his injuries.
Lu Changfeng watched Pei Yuanshi disappear into the distance.
Only then did he gently pat his Fire Qilin’s head.
The Qilin flew down, carrying Lu Changfeng into an empty, secluded courtyard within Jiangnan Prefecture.
Lu Changfeng dismissed the Yang Jingtian Clone.
He then deactivated the Ancient Candle Dragon Bloodline, activated the power of the Ancient Purple Lotus Demon, and initiated ’Purple Lotus Rebirth’.
After a few moments, Lu Changfeng’s left arm grew back completely.
However, the newly grown limb was incredibly fragile.
It would take another six months of work to restore the arm to its former level of power.
’I still need to hurry up and advance my Realm.’
’After I break through to the Rebirth Realm, my body’s tolerance for the Annihilation Value will increase dramatically. When that happens, defeating the Daliang Sword Saint will be a matter of a single strike.’
’And if one strike isn’t enough, I’ll use two. At least I won’t have to endure the agony of losing an arm again.’
Recalling the agony of his arm exploding moments ago, Lu Changfeng still felt a pang of fear.
Back in Jiangzhou City, Lu Changfeng’s appearance had bought the citizens who couldn’t retreat in time a precious window to escape.
Lu Changfeng had achieved his objective.
He leaped onto the Qilin’s back and set off on the road back to Qin City.
「Half a day later.」
Lu Changfeng reverted to his true appearance as he landed in Qin City.
He opened his communication missive. His subordinate Demon Generals were all praising him in the group, talking about how wise and powerful their Saint Master was.
Evidently, news of his battle with Pei Yuanshi in Jiangzhou City had already reached Yunyang Prefecture.
The Saint Demon Sect’s intelligence network had been gradually perfected over the years, and it was now on par with that of any major power.
Thanks to the missives, even though Lu Changfeng was in Qin City and his presence as the Saint Master was famously elusive, he could still stay updated on the development of Yunyang Prefecture and the Saint Demon Sect.
Under the leadership of the Saint Demon Sect and the management of Lin Erfeng, the economy throughout Yunyang Prefecture was now developing rapidly.
All Martial Arts powers had been brought under the Saint Demon Sect’s rule, and talented martial artists were emerging in an endless stream.
With a few more years of development, it was poised to become the most prosperous prefecture in all of Song Country, as well as the one with the greatest comprehensive martial strength.
He descended into the Hua Mansion.
Hua Yiran and Chunzhu, having heard the news, came to greet him.
"Why did you decide to go out and fight Pei Yuanshi again?" Chunzhu asked, her tone laced with concern.
The two of them, of course, knew that their husband was the Saint Master.
When news of the battle in Jiangzhou Prefecture City reached Qin City, they immediately knew where their husband had gone.
"I was just planning on revisiting some old haunts."
"But the people of Jiangzhou were being slaughtered by the Daliang Alien Race, and I couldn’t just stand by and watch," Lu Changfeng said honestly. Only with these two could he let down most of his guard.
"I knew you were the kindest of all, my love!" Hua Yiran exclaimed, throwing herself into Lu Changfeng’s arms.
"My father came out of seclusion yesterday. He’s hosting a banquet at the mansion tonight. Will you be there?"
"Oh? Your father had a successful breakthrough? That’s wonderful news. In that case, I’ll join him for a drink tonight."
In addition to Hua Yuelou, the other two Demon Generals of the Hua Family, Hua Zhuri and Hua Yulong, had also successfully broken through to the Rebirth Realm.
The Saint Demon Sect’s power had grown immensely once again.
"By the way, many old acquaintances have arrived in Qin City recently," Chunzhu said.
Lu Changfeng smiled. "From Jiangzhou City, I assume."
Chunzhu nodded. "Do you remember Yicao Hall? Wei Chun and his grandson fled to Qin City as well. They came to the Hua Mansion to pay their respects, but the servants politely turned them away."
"When I found out, I pulled some strings to find them a shop so they could reopen Yicao Hall. Of course, they paid for it themselves. More and more people are flocking to Qin City now, so shop prices have increased significantly."
"Wei Chun and his grandson? I remember the boy’s name was Wei He."
Lu Changfeng remembered. Although the boy, Wei He, had joined the Changle Martial Arts Hall, he himself had never had the chance to meet him face-to-face.
"You remember correctly. Also, many disciples from the Taihong Association and the Broken Moon Sect have come to Qin City as well."
"How do you think we should handle them?"
The Taihong Association and the Broken Moon Sect were both powers Lu Changfeng had established friendly relations with during his time in Jiangzhou.
He was related to the Taihong Association by marriage.
And he had once been a Supreme Elder of the Broken Moon Sect.
"Give them some assistance and bring them under the banner of our Holy Sect."
"The Righteous Dao in Jiangnan Prefecture is no more, which means the distinction between ’righteous’ and ’demonic’ in Song Country is effectively gone."
"Isn’t Lin Erfeng organizing the Holy Sect’s peripheral forces under the various Demon Sects right now? He mentioned wanting to consult the nine major Demon Sects to propose that their positions should no longer be fixed—the strong will rise, and the weak will fall."
"Our Holy Sect is just beginning to flourish. There are plenty of opportunities for everyone."