NCCnovel Chapter 48 The Supreme Elders have all emerged from seclusion!
Chapter 48 The Supreme Elders have all emerged from seclusion!
The morning light, like a sword, pierced through the thin mist atop Qinglan Mountain.
On the Tianjian Peak training ground, ten thousand green flags fluttered in the wind, resembling a thousand troops arrayed in formation.
All eyes were focused on the center of the platform.
Li Wuhen and Mo Wentian stood facing each other.
For powerful cultivators like them, a distance of three zhang is nothing more than an instant.
Neither of them drew their swords.
But the invisible sword intent collided in mid-air, producing a sharp sound that was difficult for ordinary people to hear.
The air became thick, as if compressed by an invisible force, and even the light around the two people was slightly distorted.
"Junior Brother Li, please." Mo Wentian slowly raised his hand and made a starting gesture.
His movements were slow and steady, as if he were not competing in martial arts, but practicing a set of health-preserving Tai Chi.
The blue Taoist robe moved without wind, its sleeves fluttering.
Despite its calm demeanor, it possesses an unshakeable, weighty presence, like a mountain.
"Senior brother, I apologize." Li Wuhen's voice was still hoarse.
He slowly raised his right hand.
That hand was withered and thin like an eagle's claw, with bulging veins on the back of the hand and nails that were an unnatural dark red.
As he raised his hand, the crimson short sword at his waist began to tremble on its own, emitting a soft buzzing sound, as if a living thing was yearning for blood.
Below the stage, thousands of martial arts practitioners held their breath.
Even the seasoned sect leaders and patriarchs on the high platform, who were used to seeing all sorts of storms, looked solemn.
In a duel between experts at the Celestial Realm, every move could trigger extraordinary phenomena in the heavens and earth.
If the Qinglan Sword Sect hadn't been prepared and laid out numerous formations, this training ground probably wouldn't have been able to withstand the aftershocks of their battle.
"here we go."
Qin Mu leaned back in the rosewood chair, one arm still around Jiang Qingxue's waist, the other hand supporting his chin, his gaze fixed on the two people on the stage, his eyes full of interest.
Jiang Qingxue in his arms was stiff and pale, but her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the Northern Border camp below the stage.
There, Xu Longxiang was staring intently at the high platform, his fists clenched tightly.
Jiang Qingxue's heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, the pain making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
She desperately wanted to rush down and tell him: "Run! Qin Mu isn't what you think. He's hiding his true nature too well. You can't beat him..."
But she can't.
She could only sit here, nestled in Qin Mu's lap, playing the role of the favored and smug Xue Cai Ren.
Humiliation, pain, despair... a mix of emotions almost overwhelmed her.
"My beloved concubine, focus on watching the show." Qin Mu's voice rang in her ears, gentle yet carrying an undeniable authority.
Jiang Qingxue trembled, quickly averted her gaze, lowered her eyes, and whispered, "Yes..."
On the stage.
Li Wuhen moved.
His figure vanished from his spot like a ghost, and the next moment he appeared three feet in front of Mo Wentian!
So fast!
A collective gasp rippled through the audience.
Many martial arts practitioners with lower cultivation levels didn't even see how he moved.
Only a few experts could barely catch a faint blood-red afterimage.
Li Wuhen's right hand, fingers drawn like a sword, thrust straight at Mo Wentian's brow!
Before the fingertips even arrived, the sharp sword energy had already pierced through the air, emitting a piercing shriek.
That wasn't sword energy, but rather a tangible killing intent formed from sword intent!
The color was blood-red, carrying a strong stench of blood, as if it had just emerged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
The name "Blood Sword" is by no means undeserved.
Faced with this fatal blow, Mo Wentian remained unfazed.
He didn't even step back, but slowly raised his left hand, put his index and middle fingers together, and gently drew a line in front of him.
The movements were slow and gentle, as if plucking the strings of a musical instrument.
But with that seemingly casual stroke, the air in front of him suddenly froze!
A pale blue light curtain appeared out of thin air, as thin as a cicada's wing, yet indestructible.
"bite--!"
Li Wuhen's fingertips pierced the light screen, producing a crisp sound like metal clashing.
The light screen trembled slightly, rippling outwards, but it was not pierced.
The ground within a radius of three zhang around the two people silently sank three inches!
The rubble turned into dust, forming a pale yellow haze around the two of them, which was then stirred up by the sword energy and spun endlessly.
"good!"
Someone in the audience started cheering.
Immediately afterwards, cheers erupted like a tidal wave.
This is the Celestial Realm!
With every gesture, he could draw upon the power of heaven and earth, displaying astonishing might!
On the high platform, Qin Mu nodded slightly.
Mo Wentian's "Sword Qi Condensation Screen" technique, though seemingly simple, has actually reached a state of perfection.
Use your fingers as a sword, control your energy with your mind, and condense your energy into a screen.
This mastery of sword intent and the application of true qi have reached an unparalleled level.
As expected of the Grand Elder of the Qinglan Sword Sect and Xiao Tiannan's personal disciple.
Li Wuhen's attack failed, and he retreated abruptly, instantly returning to his original position.
It was as if it had never moved.
But his gaze grew colder, and the bloodlust in his eyes intensified.
"Senior Brother's 'Azure Cloud Sword Qi' is becoming increasingly refined," he said hoarsely.
"Junior Brother's 'Blood Killing Sword Intent' is becoming increasingly fierce," Mo Wentian replied calmly.
The two looked at each other, but there was no warmth in their eyes.
The next moment, the two moved at the same time.
This time, it's not a test.
Li Wuhen's figure transformed into a streak of blood-red light, moving rapidly across the stage at an extreme speed, leaving behind seven or eight afterimages!
Each afterimage adopted a different attack stance: thrusting, slashing, parrying, or hacking...
Seven or eight attacks came at Mo Wentian from different angles at the same time!
A gasp of surprise erupted from the audience.
"Phantom Clone!"
"Elder Li has actually mastered the 'Blood Shadow Step' to such a high level!"
"How...how can we block this?"
Even the sect leaders on the high platform looked solemn.
This move is not simply about speed, but about creating an illusion by utilizing visual persistence after reaching the extreme of speed.
Every afterimage could turn into a real attack, making it impossible to defend against.
Faced with the blood-red afterimages filling the sky, Mo Wentian finally drew his sword.
His sword was simple and unadorned, with a bluish-gray blade, no patterns or decorations, like a piece of unpolished iron.
But the way he drew his sword had an indescribable beauty.
It's slow and steady.
When the sword was drawn, there was no sharp sword aura, nor a piercing sword sound.
Only a faint blue halo rippled from the sword.
Where the halo passed, the air became clear and tranquil.
Then, Mo Wentian swung his sword.
It's a very simple movement: a sweeping motion with the sword.
The cyan sword light rippled outwards like water, gentle and soothing, as if a spring breeze were caressing the surface of a lake.
But it was this gentle sword strike that, upon colliding with the countless blood-red afterimages—
"boom--!!!"
A deafening explosion occurred!
The cyan and crimson sword energies exploded like fireworks, sweeping across the entire platform!
A violent shockwave emanated from the two individuals and spread wildly outwards.
The railing at the edge of the platform shattered instantly, sending wood chips flying everywhere.
The audience in the front row felt a gust of wind hit them, making their robes flutter and almost causing them to lose their balance.
"Form ranks!"
A deep shout rang out from the Qinglan Sword Sect disciples' ranks.
Dozens of disciples dressed in blue Taoist robes leaped up at the same time, forming hand seals and channeling their true energy.
A pale blue light shield rose from the ground, enveloping the entire platform.
The aftershocks of the sword energy struck the light barrier, producing a muffled roar. The light barrier trembled violently, but ultimately did not shatter.
"It's the Sword Sect's Azure Mist Mountain-Protecting Formation!"
"Fortunately, there was a protective array; otherwise, that attack might have injured quite a few people..."
The audience was still shaken.
On the high platform, the smoke and dust dissipated.
Mo Wentian and Li Wuhen remained standing opposite each other.
The ground beneath their feet was a complete mess.
Centered on them, all the bluestone slabs within a radius of ten zhang shattered, and spiderweb-like cracks extended outwards, a shocking sight.
Mo Wentian stood with his sword in hand, his blue Taoist robe spotless, his expression still calm.
Li Wuhen stood opposite him, an unnatural flush appearing on his gaunt face, but the bloodlust in his eyes intensified.
The attack just now seemed evenly matched, but anyone with eyes could see that Mo Wentian had a slight advantage.
"Senior Brother's Cloud and Water Sword Technique has indeed been passed down from Master," Li Wuhen said hoarsely, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Junior Brother's Blood Slaughter Sword Dao has also developed into its own unique style," Mo Wentian said calmly, "but its killing intent is too heavy, which is against the harmony of heaven and earth."
"A sword is inherently a weapon of death, so how can it be considered in accordance with the will of Heaven?" Li Wuhen sneered. "Senior brother is still so pedantic."
Before he finished speaking, he made another move.
This time, he drew the crimson short sword from his waist.
The moment the sword was drawn, a strong stench of blood filled the air, as if countless wronged souls were wailing within the blade.
The sword was blood-red, covered with strange runes, and was now gleaming with a faint blood-red light.
"Blood Drinking Sword!" someone in the audience exclaimed.
"Legend has it that this sword has drunk the blood of a thousand people and has become a demonic weapon!"
"Elder Li actually used this sword..."
Even the elders on the high platform had a slight change in expression.
The Second Elder, Liu Suifeng, frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "Third Junior Brother, why use this sword in a friendly spar?"
Li Wuhen turned a deaf ear.
He gripped the Blood Drinker Sword, and his entire demeanor changed.
If he was a sword hidden in its sheath just now, then now the sword is completely drawn, its sharpness fully revealed!
A blood-red killing intent rose from his body as if it were a tangible substance, condensing into a blurry blood-red phantom behind him.
The phantom was ferocious and terrifying, neither human nor beast, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, as if it came from the deepest hell.
"The true form of the Blood Demon!" Mo Wentian's expression finally turned serious.
He knew that Li Wuhen was about to get serious.
"Senior brother, be careful."
Li Wuhen's voice became erratic, as if it came from all directions.
He slowly raised the Blood Drinking Sword, its tip pointing at Mo Wentian.
Instead of attacking immediately, they were conserving their strength.
As he moved, the clouds above the training ground began to churn, and the sky gradually darkened.
A sudden gust of wind arose, whipping up clouds of dust.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged wildly toward the crimson short sword.
The crimson runes on the sword lit up one by one, as if they had come to life and were moving across the sword.
A terrifying pressure permeated the entire training ground.
Below the stage, many martial arts practitioners with lower cultivation levels were already experiencing difficulty breathing and their faces were turning pale.
The light shield on the high platform was also trembling violently, groaning as if it could not bear the weight.
"Oh no! The formation is about to collapse!" a Sword Sect disciple exclaimed.
Just then, the gate to the "Ancestral Master Hall," which had been tightly closed behind the platform, slowly opened.
Three aged figures slowly walked out.
All three were over a hundred years old, with white hair and beards, and withered faces, but their eyes were as clear as a baby's, and a faint halo flowed around them.
They walked very slowly, as if a gust of wind could blow them over.
With each step he took, the terrifying pressure on the training ground lessened a little.
After three steps, most of the pressure dissipated.
"It's the Supreme Elder!"
"The three Supreme Elders have all emerged from seclusion!"