C456 Using All of His Strength!!
Yu Yuan had already surmised that the Chopping Moon cultivator likely hailed from the Sword Sect.
The sword soul etched into the bones of his arm was replete with a sword intent that was boundless, vast, and ancient. It was probably the Sword Dao True Spell unique to the Chopping Moon cultivator, embodying the essence of his Great Dao.
Yet, the sword scabbard extracted from the skull of a Dark Domain Asura, with its residual sword auras and intents, seemed to contain more than just the Chopping Moon cultivator's own insights.
It's quite possible that during his voyages across the stars, the Chopping Moon cultivator detected the lingering sword intent of a fallen comrade from his sect and gathered it into the scabbard.
Perhaps this was intended as a way to return these sword intents to the Sword Sect upon his return, ensuring that the profound swordsmanship of those lost in the vastness of space would not be consigned to eternal silence.
After all, a sword or a sword spell lacking in sword intent, or not fully grasping the true depths of the sword spell, could never manifest its ultimate strength.
Without an understanding of the sword spell's intricacies or knowledge of the sword intent, it's akin to possessing the technique of a Spiritual Sword without the infusion of Spiritual Qi—merely a shell without substance.
The infusion of a single sword intent can instantly endow a sword and a sword spell with a soul!
Take, for instance, the scene before us!
The delicate Spiritual Sword, called forth from the Niwan acupoint by a middle-aged cultivator of the Sword Sect, surged in might by tens of times upon merging with a wisp of golden sword intent.
A thunderbolt no larger than a thumb burst forth with enough force to grievously wound even Seventh and Eighth Level demons!
The yellow lightning pierced his meridians, eliciting low growls from the Chaos Roc.
His hands, bristling with spikes, clawed at the gory wound on his waist, further soaked by the electrifying bloodshed.
"Yu Yuan!"
Kong Banbi called out, drawing Yu Yuan's gaze. Once he had Yu Yuan's attention, he pressed, "Where did you acquire that sword sheath? How can the sword intent within it integrate so seamlessly with a sword from my Sword Sect? Yu Yuan, could this sword sheath... possibly originate from my Sword Sect?"
The other Sword Sect trialists were visibly shaken by his revelation.
Could Yu Yuan be a lost disciple of the Sword Sect, scattered across the land?
Perhaps a venerable Sword Sect cultivator, while journeying through the Profound Sky Continent, had chanced upon Yu Yuan in his city. Recognizing his potential, the cultivator imparted the Sword Sect's Sword Dao True Spell to Yu Yuan and even gifted him a protective artifact.
But then, why would Yu Yuan practice the Evil Body Refining Skill and win the favor of the Evil Cauldron?
"We'll discuss this later!"
Yu Yuan, under scrutiny, gripped the sword sheath tightly. He could feel streams of refined spiritual energy steadily infusing his dantian's Yellow Court.
The spiritual energy within his Yellow Court Little World was rapidly depleting.
Surprisingly, not a single trace of his Qi and Blood Mystic Technique seeped from his middle dantian.
His diligently cultivated Soul Forging Technique remained unaffected by the sword sheath, thanks to his Heavenly Soul's potent and acutely perceptive consciousness.
Yet, the spiritual energy was draining alarmingly fast, and he feared it would soon be exhausted.
He lacked the strength to explain further to Kong Banbi and the other Sword Sect trialists about the sword sheath and all that pertained to the Chopping Moon cultivator.
"Die!"
The emaciated elder, trapped by the sword light and impaled by the slender Spiritual Sword, grimaced in pain and pressed his hands to his wound.
"Slash!"
Suddenly, ancient demonic totem pillars on his back revealed inscriptions of an olden script.
Visions of dragons weaving, phoenixes ascending, Qilins breathing fire, and colossal elephants bellowing flashed momentarily.
Within the confines of the narrow cage, demonic energy surged tumultuously, the space thundering as if the heavens and earth were shattering.
The sword light encasing the Chaos Roc flickered in response to these apparitions, and the cage was forcibly stretched wider.
In that instant, the Chaos Roc's hands seemed to harness the totem pillars' power, causing the waters of the entire Ember Waters to halt in their flow.
Time and space itself fell into an inexplicable stillness.
His hands moved deliberately, pressing towards the darting yellow lightning and the needle-thin Spiritual Sword, perfectly attuned with its sword intent.
The totem pillars quivered violently behind the Chaos Roc, their tremors accompanied by the Demonic Beast's howls that thundered through the heavens!
Scales on the Chaos Roc's neck burst forth with blinding crimson and pearlescent lights, as if it were possessed by a deity!
"Crack!"
The Spiritual Sword, wielded by a middle-aged Sword Sect cultivator, was shattered in an instant by the force he applied to the bloody gashes on his waist and abdomen.
The Chaos Roc, with unyielding hands, then thrust the broken blades back into the wounds, mercilessly crushing them into fragments.
In that moment, the Chaos Roc, with a fierce glare, coldly eyed the bewildered sword cultivator. It let out a sinister laugh, "You dare to defy me, an insignificant ant?"
The sword cultivator's forehead burst open, his Niwan Palace acupoints collapsing into ruin.
His face was a grotesque mask of blood, his features twisted beyond recognition.
"Junior Brother Liu!"
"Senior Brother!"
Kong Banbi and the other surviving members of the Sword Sect cried out in horror at the sight.
The middle-aged sword cultivator crashed to the ground, his soul, body, and blood scattered in disarray. Devoid of any sign of life, he perished from the devastating backlash of his Spiritual Sword's destruction.
A Sword Sect sword cultivator often dedicates their life to a single sword, channeling the spiritual energy, blood, and soul from all three dantians into its care.
Their singular focus endows them with formidable lethality, yet it is this very dedication that leaves them vulnerable. Should their lifelong sword shatter, they risk grave injury or even immediate death.
As sword cultivators ascend from the Yin God to the Yang God and eventually to the Primordial Spirit, their chances of survival with each progression increase.
Yet, this cultivator was merely at the Penetrating Stage, not yet having achieved the Yin God level.
Moreover, the power of his sword had surged with the return of a sword intent, intensifying the backlash. His realm, body, and soul were ill-equipped to withstand such force, leading to his instantaneous and tragic demise, his vitality utterly extinguished.
"Hu!"
The gaunt elder who had obliterated the sword wore a grim and icy demeanor. No longer standing erect, he surprisingly took a seated position akin to that of a human cultivator.
Utilizing the ancient Fey totem pillar's power to obliterate the Spiritual Sword, imbued with sword intent, had evidently taken a significant toll on him.
He also required time to mend the gaping wounds in his waist and abdomen.
As he sat, the bloody holes in his body were being stitched together by his meridians, which writhed like pythons, and the chunks of flesh could be seen pulsating and regenerating.
The extensive wounds were rapidly being sewn shut by unseen sutures.
"This is just monstrous! His healing speed rivals that of a Ninth Level Great Demon!"
Du Huang of the Ancient Desolate Sect, rallying the remaining members of his sect behind him, urgently spoke to Yu Yuan, "We must devise another strategy! It won't be long before he's fully recovered. If we don't come up with a new plan, none of us will escape!"
"How about giving him the Evil Cauldron?" suggested a timid young girl from the Ancient Desolate Sect.
"Would you all just be quiet!" Su Yan's face was a mix of anger and bitterness, overwhelmed by a wave of helplessness. She felt incredibly weak, unable to offer any assistance in this dire situation.
"Silence!"
Du Huang shot the girl a stern look and huffed, "That old man is not one of us. He's been oppressed by the ancient demons for years, and his recent brutal actions have not gone unnoticed. Handing over the Evil Cauldron to such a cold-hearted creature wouldn't change a thing. All of us, including those from the Devil Palace, are likely doomed."
The girl turned ashen, her eyes brimming with despair. "First the Tears of Blue Devil, now this otherworldly fiend. What other secrets lie hidden in the Ember Waters? Every other trial has gone smoothly; nothing like this has ever happened before."
With the Chaos Roc's power overwhelming her Fallen Star Eyes, Lau Ying's Artifact Soul was gravely damaged, leaving her in a state of utter helplessness.
Following the destruction of the Spiritual Sword, the remaining cultivators were too apprehensive to make any sudden moves.
Du Huang was eager to lend a hand, but the prospect of even getting into the sword light prison seemed hopeless. He was at a loss for what to do next.
Yu Yuan, gripping the sword sheath in both hands, pointed at the Chaos Roc while sensing the sword light's ebb. Internally, he was growing anxious, racking his brain for a solution.
In the midst of his desperation, with no clear plan in sight, the "Evil Cauldron" within his Qi Dantian stirred once more!
From the Devil Palace, standing watch over the Ember Waters, Heixun's Soul Sound reached out again, "Yu Yuan, are you still among the living? After encountering the Chaos Roc, you ought to be dead, shouldn't you? Has the Evil Cauldron been seized as well?"
"Is it you, Yu Yuan, or is it the Chaos Roc?"
Heixun's inquiry came through tentatively, his Soul Sound faint and sporadic.
It was as if he feared that the current master of the Evil Cauldron might actually be the Chaos Roc.
He was concerned that the consciousness of the Chaos Roc might leverage the Evil Cauldron, using the Soul Sound he transmitted to pinpoint his location and track him down.
"I am still alive."
