Chapter 8: How Do You Write the Word ‘Death’?

“So what? Do you actually think Lu Jin can kill the Saintess?”

“That is true. Peak Master Ji Yaoyue would never watch her prized disciple be killed. Besides, the Saintess is someone Elder Chi Yue of the Blood Moon Holy Land has his eye on.”

“At this point, the truth doesn’t even matter. Strength is the only foundation for everything!”

Hearing the whispers around her, Liu Ruyan’s face turned the color of pig liver. She ground her teeth in pure hatred. The image she had painstakingly built over the years had collapsed in a single instant!

“Heh! For the Ten Thousand Swords Sect to let a hypocritical bitch like you be the Saintess is the world’s greatest joke!”

Ceng!

As Lu Jin’s voice fell, nine hundred flying swords shot out once again!

After the first wave launched, the spiritual Qi within his body erupted recklessly. Immediately after, another nine hundred swords manifested! In this moment, the entire field was in an uproar. Everyone was shocked into total silence.

“This Lu Jin… he’s insane!”

“Nine hundred! Another nine hundred flying swords!”

“Terrifying! I have never seen someone with such a vast reserve of energy!”

“He isn’t human!”

Scalps tingled across the mountain. Even the experts from the Ziyang Sect and the Mad Blade Sect watching from afar felt their jaws drop.

“What kind of monster has appeared in the Ten Thousand Swords Sect?”

“I recognize that technique. It is the Hundred Sword Slash. But even from their Sect Master, Chu Tianxiong, I have never seen it reached such a level of perfection!”

“A monster! If this boy doesn’t die today, he will surely become a titan of this world!”

“For this child, I wouldn’t mind wading into the muddy waters of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect myself.”

“I was thinking the exact same thing…”

At that moment, behind the observers, a figure appeared silently. This man was the very person who had walked out from the depths of the sect’s forbidden grounds: the Sect Master, Chu Tianxiong!

Good boy. You haven’t failed your Shizun’s cultivation. With this talent, you are qualified to conspire with me on my great plan.

Chu Tianxiong watched Lu Jin, who was utilizing the Hundred Sword Slash with supernatural skill. He lowered his head and rubbed a crescent-shaped mark on his wrist. His eyes were deep, hiding unknown thoughts.

“A mere fifth-stage Spirit Pearl… you still cannot defeat me!”

As the nine hundred swords swept forward again, Liu Ruyan’s expression turned dark. She spat out a mouthful of essence blood, which merged into the Golden Sun Sword!

Buzz!

Golden light erupted once more, charging directly into the massive array of flying swords. Amidst the vibration of the void, Lu Jin’s gaze was freezing as he suddenly began to chant a mantra.

“Right hand vows to the sun, left hand points to the moon. Yin and Yang intersect to burn all sin. Sin-Fire Prison-Suppressing Sword… By the law of the command!”

Boom!

In the middle of the chaotic battlefield, a burst of crimson flame suddenly rose. The moment this red fire burned, everything in the vicinity seemed to freeze!

Huh?

Liu Ruyan’s heart skipped a beat. An inexplicable sense of dread washed over her. She increased her offensive power; hundreds of spiritual swords shrieked downward in a display of murderous intent. The earth trembled and the void roared. Her attack had reached its absolute limit.

Scores of flying swords were shattered. Liu Ruyan’s fighting spirit surged, completely suppressing Lu Jin’s offensive. However!

The moment a sword phantom wreathed in crimson flames appeared, all her momentum came to a screeching halt. The instant the Sin-Fire Prison-Suppressing Sword manifested, the Golden Sun Sword’s attack plummeted!

Bang!

A massive roar echoed. The moment the two blades clashed, the Golden Sun Sword actually exploded into pieces!

“What? This is impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

Liu Ruyan’s eyes were filled with terror. She couldn’t believe Lu Jin could destroy her Earth-grade weapon directly. Yet, under the disbelieving eyes of the crowd, the phantom of the Sin-Fire sword broke through the remaining blade shadows and slashed toward her!

Ceng!

Under the shadow of the terrifying sword light, Liu Ruyan gritted her teeth. In the next second, the phantom of the Supreme Bone shot out, growing as it met the air. It attempted to block the Sin-Fire sword’s advance. The power of the Supreme Bone was her ultimate trump card.

But in the next second, a strange sense of submission rose within her! The moment the Supreme Bone exploded with majestic spiritual power, it was instantaneously suppressed. All the energy she poured into it felt like it was hitting a sponge, failing to create even a ripple.

The Sin-Fire Prison-Suppressing Sword continued its charge, carrying a lethal chill!

“Master Fox, save me!”

In her desperation, Liu Ruyan reached out to the mysterious Master Fox. However, Master Fox did not appear. Instead, Ji Yaoyue, who had been watching the entire time, manifested instantly!

“Wretch!”

Boom!

Ji Yaoyue’s figure flickered, appearing before Liu Ruyan in the blink of an eye. With a wave of her sleeve, a surge of spiritual Qi roared out. The speed of the Sin-Fire sword phantom was drastically reduced.

“Surrender now!”

Ji Yaoyue’s eyes were full of killing intent, though she was also quite surprised. Even with her intervention, she hadn’t managed to shatter the fire sword phantom immediately.

“Get lost!”

Lu Jin gave a violent roar. Suddenly, the Sin-Fire sword took a sharp turn, bypassing Ji Yaoyue and charging at Liu Ruyan once again!

“What!”

Ji Yaoyue was shocked. She hadn’t expected Lu Jin to be so persistent, nor did she expect a mere sword phantom to possess such a bizarre ability.

Crack!

As Liu Ruyan stood in shock, her spiritual Qi surged in reverse, meeting the Sin-Fire sword head-on. Fear gripped her heart. She had never felt death so close. Truly, this sword phantom made her feel a thick, suffocating aura of death.

However, the Sin-Fire Prison-Suppressing Sword seemed unstoppable. Even with her desperate counterattack, she couldn’t halt its progress! Just as the sword phantom was about to break through her final defense:

Ding!

A flash of spiritual light flickered from Ji Yaoyue’s fingers as a jade hairpin struck the sword phantom.

Swish!

The sword phantom was knocked off course. It grazed Liu Ruyan’s neck as it shot past, leaving a thin line of blood on her snow-white skin.

Boom!

In the next second, the sword phantom slammed into a massive boulder behind her. The rock was instantly pulverized into fine dust.

Gulp!

Every onlooker swallowed hard. No one had expected that even with Ji Yaoyue’s intervention, Lu Jin had almost taken Liu Ruyan’s life.

“I… I’m okay?”

Liu Ruyan gasped for air, clutching her neck. Her eyes were filled with an immeasurable amount of terror. Lu Jin had truly almost killed her.

Lu Jin gritted his teeth as he saw the sword fail to finish the job. The Sin-Fire Prison-Suppressing Sword was immensely powerful, but even as a single phantom, it had almost drained his spiritual reserves. Between that and the constant waves of the Hundred Sword Slash, his consumption was severe.

Fortunately, he had the Heaven Burial Coffin. He funneled another thousand Spirit Stones into it, replenishing his spent energy. However, he couldn’t return to his peak combat power instantly.

“Wretch! You dare try to kill my disciple right in front of me!”

Ji Yaoyue looked at Lu Jin, her eyes blazing with fury.

“The Supreme Bone in her body… I have already proven it is mine. You saw it with your own eyes!”

“Peak Master Ji, the truth of my framing three years ago is now clear to the world. So, do you intend to continue protecting her?” Lu Jin’s voice was like ice.

“What kind of thing do you think you are? You dare commit murder on my Saintess Peak!” Ji Yaoyue didn’t give him a chance to speak. “Barging into my peak and attacking my disciple… Lu Jin, I think you’ve forgotten how to write the word ‘death’!”

Boom!

Before her voice even faded, Ji Yaoyue pointed a finger. Spiritual Qi condensed into a longsword of blue light, piercing toward Lu Jin!

“The Spark Sword! Peak Master Ji is actually using the Spark Sword to kill him!”

“Legend says Peak Master Ji has only used that sword ten times. Every time it is unsheathed, a life is taken!”

“Lu Jin is dead for sure!”

Everyone was shocked. Even Lu Jin’s expression changed drastically. The Spark Sword was a high-grade Earth-grade weapon, far superior to the Golden Sun Sword. Furthermore, her sixth-grade Jindan cultivation placed her in a completely different world compared to Lu Jin. The gap between them was a vast chasm.

“Hmph!”

Lu Jin gave a cold snort. The spiritual power within him gathered once more as the Sin-Fire Prison-Suppressing Sword phantom reappeared! As the sword emerged, he felt his body grow weak. Even with the coffin’s feedback, the rapid drain was taking its toll. But waiting for death was not in his nature.

Ceng!

The void vibrated as the Sin-Fire sword clashed with the Spark Sword! A ringing sound echoed, sharp and ear-piercing. To everyone’s surprise, Lu Jin’s sword phantom managed to hold its ground against the Spark Sword for several breaths.

“My heavens! This Lu Jin can actually compete with the sixth-grade Jindan Peak Master Ji?”

“Incredible! I feel like I’m dreaming!”

“If I hadn’t seen it myself, I would never believe this was real!”

Luo Jiu and the other elders felt another chill run down their spines. Did Lu Jin actually grow stronger as his opponents grew stronger? Just what level was his cultivation really at?

Amidst the shock, Lu Jin’s Sin-Fire sword finally shattered under the absolute suppression of the Spark Sword. A sixth-grade Jindan was too powerful. Despite all his methods, Lu Jin was currently no match.

The ring of the Spark Sword echoed in his ears; the lethal light was right before his eyes. Lu Jin did not give up. The Dragon Membrane of the Great Derivation Dragon Transformation Art condensed into a single point on the tip of the incoming blade for a final defense.

“Impressive defense! Unfortunately, your strength is too low to unleash its true potential!”

A hint of greed appeared in Ji Yaoyue’s eyes. In the next second, the spiritual power of her sword surged. Densely packed cracks appeared across the Dragon Membrane!

“Stop!”

At that exact moment, a shout rang out. The voice wasn’t loud, yet it was filled with a supreme majesty that made everyone’s skin crawl.

Swish!

A figure landed silently in the center of the field. He raised a hand and—with his bare palm—caught Ji Yaoyue’s Spark Sword. Then, as if he were simply moving a common object, he tossed it aside.

“Sect… Sect Master?”

Ji Yaoyue was stunned. She never expected the usually elusive Sect Master to appear in a place like this. The crowd was equally dumbfounded. No one thought the Sect Master, who rarely appeared even for the Sect Tournament, would suddenly show up!

“This defense isn’t bad. I quite like it.”

Chu Tianxiong looked at Lu Jin. With a flick of his finger, he shattered the remaining Dragon Membrane defense. Lu Jin’s heart shook. With just a minor move, Chu Tianxiong had proven himself to be unfathomable.

“Sect Master! This brat has slaughtered our elders and disciples. Now he even tried to kill the Saintess. He deserves ten thousand deaths!”

Seeing the look of appreciation Chu Tianxiong gave Lu Jin, Ji Yaoyue’s brow furrowed as she spoke coldly.

“I am aware of this matter,” Chu Tianxiong replied with a slight nod. “I am also now aware that Lu Jin was indeed framed three years ago. Therefore, today’s misunderstanding ends here.”

Ji Yaoyue froze. “Sect Master, this cannot simply pass! He killed an elder of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect! According to our rules, he should be executed immediately!”

Chu Tianxiong’s brow rose. “So you mean to say we should follow the rules and kill Liu Ruyan as well?”