Chapter 27
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Fengyun Wuji turned a blind eye to the five generals of the Demon Realm, dismissing the sudden troubles that had befallen him as if they were of no consequence. The formidable figures he had encountered since ancient times paraded through his thoughts, their images freezing in time as two particular silhouettes seized his focus.
Ximen Chui Xue, the epitome of swordsmanship, prized precision in his strikes over the complexity of his techniques. As he professed, he wielded a single move, a solitary strike that, once unleashed, was an unstoppable force. Yet, a nagging sensation told Fengyun Wuji that there was a significant flaw in Ximen’s approach, one that danced just beyond his grasp, elusive and frustratingly vague.
On the opposite end of the spectrum stood Yi Yun, the leader of the Zi Xiao Sword Sect, whose movements were as swift and as fleeting as the shadow of a passing thought. His afterimages were so lifelike that they confounded the eye, blurring the boundary between illusion and reality. Fengyun Wuji was left to wonder if the two girls, Xi’er and Zi Xiao, had embraced the true form of Yi Yun or merely a mirage when they held him. Yi Yun’s “State of Forgetful Slaughter” was an enigma, powerful yet flawed in Fengyun Wuji’s eyes.
Ximen Chui Xue and Yi Yun, one distant, the other vacant, seemed to duel within the arena of Fengyun Wuji’s mind. When Fengyun Wuji imagined them clashing, a thunderous echo resonated within, and a door within his psyche swung open.
A torrent of potent sword intent surged forth, awakening Yi Yun and the generals of the Demon Realm who were on the verge of departure. Stirred by the sensation, they turned their gazes towards where Yi Yun and his companions stood.
Yi Yun, with the most refined swordsmanship among them, sensed the burgeoning sword intent before it fully manifested. With one arm around Zi Xiao and the other around Xi’er, he leaped away from Fengyun Wuji with a grace that belied his incredible speed.
“Eureka,” Fengyun Wuji exulted inwardly, “Ximen Chui Xue’s swordsmanship transcends the body, reaching the pinnacle of human potential. Yi Yun’s, conversely, transcends the sword, perhaps valuing the act of killing above all. Both follow the path of the sword of slaughter, yet they are as different as night and day. Ximen Chui Xue lacks Yi Yun’s agility, and Yi Yun lacks Ximen Chui Xue’s alacrity in striking!”
This realization illuminated Fengyun Wuji’s mind like a bolt of lightning. The sword intents of these two masters replayed within his thoughts, and unlike others, Fengyun Wuji’s Ideation Sword Body* transcended the need to adhere to the form of his opponents’ swordsmanship. With a single observation, another facet of the Ideation Sword Body* revealed itself: the capacity to assimilate the sword intents of others!
Unwittingly, Fengyun Wuji channeled the sword intent of the Ideation Sword Body*. Propelled by the sword intents of Ximen Chui Xue and Yi Yun, it ascended from the first tier of the Refuting Sword through to the Earth Demon Sword intent, and in one leap, it reached the second tier of the Heavenly Demon Sword.
Spurred by the sword intent, Fengyun Wuji’s true qi swelled dramatically! The torrential elemental energy of the cosmos poured into Fengyun Wuji’s body at a visible rate, causing his long robe to billow and his hair to writhe like serpents under the impact.
“Yi Yun, this man also treads the path of swordsmanship. What do you make of his situation?” Xi’er inquired, pointing to Fengyun Wuji below and the translucent ripples encircling him.
Yi Yun sighed, glanced at Zi Xiao, then allowed a wry smile to touch his lips: “This man’s talent is truly unparalleled, perhaps even on par with Zi Xiao. Recall the countless days and nights we spent to attain our current abilities. I once believed that mastery was the result of unending practice through lonely nights, while others indulged in love, family, and friendship, we cultivated in solitude. Now I realize there are those who do not need endless toil, but a single epiphany can lead to a surge in power. Zi Xiao is one, and so is this Fengyun Wuji!”
“Yi Yun, are you saying he’s as clever as me?” Zi Xiao looked disdainfully at Fengyun Wuji and challenged.
Yi Yun affectionately patted her head, remaining silent.
Xi’er’s eyes flared with a fierce light: “Yi Yun, if I’m not mistaken, his sword intent now contains the unique sword intent of your Northern Fall Zi Xiao! Keeping this person is a great disaster; it’s better to kill him!”
“Are you jealous of him?” Yi Yun returned to his indifferent and vacant expression, and seeing that Xi’er did not deny it, he continued: “I admit I’m jealous of him. But if we were to kill everyone whose talent surpasses ours, we’d have to slay more than half of the ancient beings. In fact, who knows, our talents might be exceedingly ordinary. Instead of killing him, it’s better to do him a favor. His talent will surely rival the masters of the Demon Realm and the Blade Realm in the future. Today, while his strength is still modest, let’s befriend him. In the future, our Northern Fall Zi Xiao Sword Sect will have gained a friend, an ally.”
“Hmph! You think I don’t know, you speak so sanctimoniously,” Xi’er glanced at Yi Yun sarcastically, “Look at him now, his power seems to have surged in a short time, and with his strange movement technique, even if I don’t use the Heavenly Demon Qi Field to disrupt his inner energy, I can’t do anything to him, let alone, he is obviously breaking through a bottleneck now, and it’s impossible to defeat us, but if he wants to escape, with that strange movement technique, you and I can’t do anything about him. Moreover, I have heard that when the Lord of the Destruction Dao broke the peak, he forced him to kneel down with his prestige, and he once gritted his teeth and said that he would wash this humiliation in the future. Although many people come for the Xuanming Scroll this time, the Xuanming Scroll is on him, and it was first spread out from the Lord of the Destruction Dao. Regardless of whether this matter is true or false, if there is nothing on this person that makes the Lord of the Destruction Dao extremely fearful, with the status of the Lord of the Destruction Dao, how could he be willing to fall for a newcomer who has been promoted for less than three years and do such a thing.”
“You are always smarter than me,” Yi Yun tightened his hand around Xi’er’s waist, seemingly thoughtful, “Your meaning is that this matter of the Xuanming Scroll may be false?”
“Not necessarily, but it does not rule out the possibility of the Lord of the Destruction Dao using someone as a knife to kill someone else!”
“In that case, we can’t start with Fengyun Wuji! Although we have forced back the five generals of the Demon Realm this time, the real heavyweight masters of the Demon Realm have not yet appeared,” Yi Yun looked down and said, “The Xuanming Scroll and such treasures, I’m afraid the Demon Realm will not give up easily, no matter whether this matter is true or false, as long as there is a glimmer of possibility, the Demon Realm will never give up, let alone this time, it is the most true and possible legend.”
Ah!
Fengyun Wuji suddenly spread his arms wide, and an even more majestic sword intent burst out from his body like a tide. It seemed as if there was an invisible giant hand behind him, forcibly pulling him horizontally towards the sky behind him, like a great bird ascending, ever upward, until he vanished into the clouds above.