Chapter 35: Grit

While Chu Tianxiong was lost in thought, Lu Jin’s attack had already slammed into the Snake-Python Duo.

The pair was startled. Though they knew Lu Jin would be formidable, they hadn’t expected his moves to be so sharp and overbearing. If they didn’t meet this majestic offensive with everything they had, they might truly meet their end in an unexpected place.

“Work together!”

Boom!

The two did not hesitate. Their movements were perfectly synchronized; they had clearly fought side by side countless times.

As they struck, Elder Chen Hong was instantly forced back by the surge of their power. As the duo flickered through the air, the massive phantoms of the snake and python manifested once more, lunging frantically toward Lu Jin’s stream of a hundred swords.

The serpent and python were hideous and dominating. Both masters had long since entered the eighth grade of the Jindan Realm. Combined with their seamless coordination, their combat power was far beyond that of any ordinary eighth-grade expert.

A thunderous explosion erupted.

The stream of a hundred swords collided with the duo’s beastly phantoms, unleashing a world-shaking roar. Even Elder Chen Hong, standing to the side, was left dumbfounded.

The strength Lu Jin unleashed gave off the faint illusion that he was already superior to the Elder himself.

Swish!

When the hundred flying swords shattered completely, the snake and python phantoms also blew apart. Because of the vast difference in cultivation, Lu Jin was sent flying back. His retreat was not graceful: he tumbled several times through the air before finally stabilizing his footing.

In the eyes of the crowd, he had undoubtedly fallen into a total disadvantage.

Yet even so, the fact that a mere Spirit Pearl could explode with such horrific combat power left everyone speechless.

Lu Jin, however, felt quite relaxed. Although he had been shaken back while the opponents had only retreated a few steps, he was fighting two against one. Furthermore, with his Dragon Runes defense, he looked disheveled but had actually sustained zero damage.

A genius capable of such a feat was one in ten thousand.

“Brat, you seek death!”

Sensing Lu Jin’s terrifying potential, the expressions of the Snake-Python Duo turned incredibly ugly.

“Kill him!”

The two locked eyes and immediately condensed their beastly phantoms again, refusing to give Lu Jin a single moment to breathe.

Lu Jin’s gaze darkened. The hundred-sword stream of the Ancestor Art was clearly not enough to defeat their combined efforts. A cluster of crimson flame instantly ignited in his palm: he was about to unleash the Sin-Fire Prison-Suppressing Sword.

“You dare touch a disciple of my Ten Thousand Swords Sect!”

Suddenly:

A roar like a clap of thunder echoed through the air. As the void vibrated, a figure descended from the heavens. It was Chu Tianxiong!

“What? Chu Tianxiong?”

The Snake-Python Duo’s faces paled. They had only dared to attack because they hadn’t detected Chu Tianxiong’s powerful aura earlier. They never expected him to appear so suddenly.

The moment Chu Tianxiong landed, the group of Elders and disciples grew visibly excited.

“The Sect Master has arrived in person!”

“The Sect Master’s combat power is unfathomable. The Snake-Python Duo won’t escape now!”

“This is the second time the Sect Master has personally intervened for Senior Brother Lu Jin. I’m so jealous…”

While the crowd chattered, Chu Tianxiong ignored everyone else. His eyes were fixed on Lu Jin as he spoke with a heroic, towering air.

“Lu Jin, look closely! This is how you use the Ten Thousand Swords Prostrating to the Ancestor Art!”

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Before his voice had even faded, spiritual Qi roared out from his body with a sharp, piercing sound that left everyone frozen in terror. As those sharp whistles sliced through the air, each sound heralded the formation of a flying sword. They surged above his head until a dense, overlapping web of three hundred swords was suspended in the sky. Then, they suddenly blasted toward the duo!

“Not good! He intends to kill us!”

The Snake-Python Duo were horrified.

“Quickly, use the Dragon Transformation Secret Art!”

Boom!

Boom!

Facing that majestic pressure, the two no longer held anything back. Chu Tianxiong’s power was deeply ingrained in their minds; they were already nervous. Seeing those three hundred swords charging at them, they immediately triggered their ultimate trump card!

Even though this trump card was incredibly difficult for them to maintain, and they would surely suffer a backlash once it was over: they didn’t care. To save their lives, they abandoned all restraint.

Roar!!!

Spiritual Qi erupted from their bodies. The auras of the serpent and python changed instantly as they merged into one, forming the phantom of a dragon!

“With just the two of you, you think you’re worthy of becoming dragons?”

Chu Tianxiong’s aura was magnificent. The three hundred flying swords pierced down like lightning. Every sword that collided with the opponent’s phantom exploded into a chaotic current of energy. The sheer destructive power of the explosions was a horrific sight: the duo was forced back continuously.

Watching this, Chen Hong and the others were thrilled. In their eyes, the Sect Master was an invincible existence. They had never truly witnessed his world-class techniques before. Seeing them today left them all deeply invigorated.

During this process, Lu Jin continued to devour the violent, chaotic currents to increase his own cultivation. However, as he looked at Chu Tianxiong’s silhouette, a strange feeling suddenly bubbled up within him.

Wait. The Sect Master’s aura… something is wrong!

In that same heartbeat, the attacks of both sides fully collided.

BOOM…

The violent aura was even more powerful than before. Under the continuous bombardment of the three hundred swords, the dragon phantom was completely blown apart. The Snake-Python Duo were sent flying back in a pathetic state, vomiting blood as their auras withered instantly.

However:

Just as the sect disciples were about to celebrate, they watched in shock as Chu Tianxiong also spat out a mouthful of blood. His aura became even more withered than that of the duo.

“Sect Master!”

Chen Hong and the other Elders rushed over immediately. After a quick inspection, their faces turned pale.

“The Sect Master has been poisoned!”

“How can this be? Did the Snake-Python Duo use a hidden poison?”

While the Elders debated, Chu Tianxiong waved his hand. He spoke with great difficulty:

“Do not speak of my poisoning to anyone outside!”

“Act now. First, deal with the Snake-Python Duo. Kill them on the spot!”

Hearing this, Chen Hong’s expression shifted. He frowned and asked: “But Sect Master, their identities are significant, and they have ties to the Holy Land. If they truly die in our Ten Thousand Swords Sect…”

Right then:

Two screams suddenly rang out.

The crowd turned their heads in a hurry, only to see the heads of the Snake-Python Duo flying through the air. The scent of blood spread instantly.

The one who had killed them was Lu Jin.

“This…”

The expressions of the crowd became incredibly complex. Chu Tianxiong watched the scene, showing no worry. Instead, a satisfied, hearty smile appeared on his face.

“Elder Chen, it seems your grit is inferior even to a disciple’s…”

Chen Hong took a deep breath and said nothing. After Lu Jin finished the duo, he collected their spatial rings and flew over to Chu Tianxiong.

“Sect Master, how do you feel?”

Lu Jin’s eyes swept over him. A thread of mental power permeated Chu Tianxiong’s body, and his gaze filled with worry. After being tempered by the mental pressure wheel, his perception was now extremely sharp. Having detected the horrific aura of the poison within Chu Tianxiong, his brow knit tightly together.