Chapter 649

Chapter 649: Longing

“Protection!”

Faced with Old Knife’s fierce counterattack, Wang Chen suddenly chanted a true incantation and raised his right palm to shield himself.

A nearly transparent shield abruptly materialized.

The Spirit Light Shield, the most commonly used protective spell among Purple Palace cultivators, boasts multiple spellcasting effects.

It can either enhance the caster or solidify into a shield.

Compared to body armor, the magical shield offers the strongest Defense!

Wang Chen had long mastered this Purple Palace level spell to perfection, instantly conjuring a shield composed of five layers, each brimming with dense, pure magical energy.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

In the next moment, sharp wind blades struck the shield’s surface, and the clash of two vastly different forces produced a deep, resonant sound.

Wang Chen’s magical shield quivered violently, seemingly on the brink of collapse.

However, upon closer inspection, it was evident that only the first three layers of the shield were significantly affected; the fourth layer showed much less impact, and the fifth layer remained completely undisturbed.

Old Knife’s spell clearly could not breach his Defense.

But Old Knife’s true ace in the hole was the swinging tiger tail aimed at Wang Chen!

Whoosh~

The long tiger tail sliced through the air with lightning speed, emitting a strange whistling sound, and struck Wang Chen’s magical shield with ferocious force following the wind blades.

Bang!

The impact was so intense that even Wang Chen could not fully withstand it.

The magical shield he held in his right hand suddenly shattered, and he was forced to stagger backward several steps.

He only came to a halt after retreating to the edge of the forbidden zone!

Impressive!

Wang Chen glanced at the palm of his right hand and noticed a faint white mark.

His tiger’s mouth felt slightly numb.

It is worth noting that his Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method had been cultivated to the seventh level, granting him an Immortal Body, making his physical strength comparable to that of a Golden Core cultivator. Ordinary spirit tools could hardly inflict any harm.

Many low-level spells were utterly ineffective against Wang Chen.

Old Knife’s strike was indeed formidable!

In reality, the one truly shocked at this moment was Old Knife; he could not fathom how a fellow cultivator of the same level could remain completely unscathed after enduring what he believed to be an unavoidable blow.

And this was a full-powered strike unleashed after activating ancient bloodlines!

Just as Old Knife was momentarily stunned, a cold voice echoed in his ear: “Fellow traveler, prepare yourself!”

One must respond to an attack with a counterstrike!

Wang Chen’s retaliation was a sword strike, the blade emerging from Longyuan!

A gentle sword light illuminated Old Knife’s tiger eyes in an instant.

He instinctively widened his eyes, as if witnessing something incredible. His gaze, once filled with aggression, anger, and pain, suddenly softened.

The Purple Palace cultivator, transformed into a fierce tiger, opened his mouth weakly and uttered two words: “Chun Ni…”

Chun Ni was Old Knife’s childhood nickname for his first love, a deep secret and tenderness buried in his heart.

Since embarking on the path of battle, Old Knife believed that his bloodthirsty and murderous self had long extinguished the innocence of the past.

Once, the beloved person he cherished most had become a tiny symbol in his memories.

A symbol consisting of just two words.

Yet at this moment, Old Knife realized he was wrong. He was horribly wrong.

In truth, he had never forgotten his childhood friend and had never abandoned the beautiful moments they shared.

Scenes from the past floated before Old Knife’s eyes, and the tenderness radiating from his face softened even the scars on it.

It turned out that Longing had already become part of his very being!

Hiss~

A sharp pain in his throat suddenly brought Old Knife back to reality.

He looked down in astonishment and discovered an elongated scar on his throat.

Crimson blood gushed out!

He had been struck by a sword!

Old Knife realized he had lost.

“Good swordsmanship.”

He murmured in admiration.

The sword intent contained in that blow not only shattered his battle intent and killing intent but also awakened the deepest memories of his soul.

Old Knife sighed.

His chest, abdomen, and limbs bore bloody scars, each deep enough to see the bone!

Blood stained his tiger skin, making him appear terribly tragic.

In just a few breaths, Old Knife fell resignedly to the ground, his once proud tiger head drooping, his gaze growing dimmer.

Anyone could tell he had reached the point of being entirely spent.

At this moment, Wang Chen held his sword and did not strike a second blow.

It was unnecessary.

Old Knife’s closed eyes suddenly opened again, and with his last ounce of strength, he raised his head to ask, “What is the name of your sword?”

“Longing,” Wang Chen replied. “Longing Sword.”

“I understand now.”

Old Knife closed his eyes once more, murmuring, “So this is Longing…”

His voice and breath grew fainter until they were undetectable.

The blood on Old Knife and the ground suddenly ignited, and the searing flames quickly engulfed his half-human, half-beast body, turning him to ashes in the blink of an eye.

【Heavenly Merit +800】

“Dust to dust, earth to earth, souls return to Thick Earth…”

Wang Chen silently recited the Rebirth Incantation.

This was a worthy opponent. If Old Knife had not used the Longing Sword Technique, it would have been impossible to end the battle so quickly—Old Knife surely had many hidden cards!

In fact, Wang Chen’s mastery of the Longing Sword Technique currently remained at the beginner stage.

This swordsmanship, taught by Changchun, was far more challenging to practice than the Four Seasons sword technique. Wang Chen had spent nearly two years trying to comprehend it.

His entry into this technique was rooted in the bond he shared with Xu Xinlan!

Longing is unpredictable. Though Wang Chen was not cold-hearted, he was also not infatuated; otherwise, he would not have arrived alone in the Haotian Realm.

Without infatuation, how would there be Longing?

Thus, Wang Chen’s progress in this sword technique had been arduous.

However, he had recently made some headway.

Yet, even at the beginner level, the Longing Sword had severed the Spirit and Will of a strong enemy!

After completing the Rebirth Incantation for Old Knife, Wang Chen released a few self-made Heavenly Secrets Talismans as usual.

He was unafraid of divination; he didn’t need the Heavenly Secrets Talismans, but using them was better, as they helped him conceal his presence.

Then, Wang Chen retrieved the bodies of Hu Qi and Zhu Jiu, scavenged their valuables and treasures, and set them ablaze.

The haul was surprisingly substantial.

These two fellows, who often banded together, had not hesitated to bully the lowest-ranking guards, and extorting newcomers had become routine, naturally accumulating quite a fortune over time.

“People die for wealth, birds die for food,” and cultivators were still human.

After destroying the bodies and cleaning up, Wang Chen continued to search for an escape route.

This time, the Yongle dungeon was in serious trouble. The Forbidden Prison Office had probably been completely disrupted, and things below were in complete chaos.

Wang Chen searched everywhere, exerting great effort to clear a blocked tunnel.

As a result, he encountered a team of guards that had organized themselves.

He naturally joined this little team.

What followed was difficult to explain. During their search for survival, the team was filled with all sorts of arguments and complaints, with everyone unwilling to yield to one another, lacking any spirit of unity.

Fortunately, the team’s luck remained relatively good.