Chapter 8: What Does ‘Death’ Mean?

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

“That’s true. Peak Master Ji Yaoyue won’t just stand by and watch her beloved disciple be killed, and besides, the Saintess is favored by Elder Chiyue of the Scarlet Moon Holy Land.” 

“At this point, the truth of the matter is no longer important. Strength is the foundation of everything!”

…Hearing the surrounding chatter, Liu Ruyan’s face was livid, and she gritted her teeth with hatred. The image she had painstakingly built up over several years had completely collapsed in this moment!

“Heh! For Myriad Sword Sect to make a sanctimonious wretch like you their Saintess is truly the greatest farce!”

Clang!

Lu Jin finished speaking, and the nine hundred flying swords surged out again!

And after the first wave of flying swords shot out, the Spiritual Energy in his body violently erupted again, followed immediately by another nine hundred flying swords!

At this moment, the entire venue was in an uproar. Everyone was completely petrified with shock!

“This Lu Jin, he’s insane!”

“Nine hundred! Another nine hundred flying swords!”

“Absolutely terrifying! I’ve never seen anyone with such profound Spiritual Energy!”

“He’s practically inhuman!”

…Everyone’s scalp tingled!

Even the experts from the distant Ziyang Sect and Wild Blade Sect were dumbfounded.

“What kind of monster has appeared in Myriad Sword Sect?”

“I recognize the martial art he’s using, it’s Myriad Sword Sect’s Hundred Sword Slash. But even on their Sect Master, Chu Tianxiong, this Master has never seen the Hundred Sword Slash executed with such divine mastery!”

“A monster! If this person doesn’t die today, he is bound to become a major figure in the future!”

“For the sake of this child, this Master doesn’t mind wading into Myriad Sword Sect’s muddy waters!”

“This Master has the same intention…”

…At this time, a figure appeared silently behind the spectators. This person was none other than the Sect Master, Chu Tianxiong, who had previously emerged from the depths of Myriad Sword Sect’s forbidden area!

“Good boy, you finally didn’t disappoint your Shizun’s nurturing. Such talent qualifies you to conspire in great matters with this Master!”

Chu Tianxiong looked at Lu Jin, who was displaying the Hundred Sword Slash with peerless skill, then lowered his gaze and rubbed his wrist. A crescent-shaped mark was clearly visible on his wrist. His eyes were deep, lost in thought…

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“A mere fifth stage of Spirit Pearl! You still can’t defeat me!”

As the nine hundred flying swords swept over again, Liu Ruyan’s eyes were grim. She spat out a mouthful of vital blood, which instantly melted into the Golden Solar Sword!

Buzz!

The golden light burst forth again, rushing directly into the massive, overwhelming formation of flying swords!

Amidst the vibrating space, Lu Jin’s eyes were cold, and he suddenly chanted a magical incantation!

“The right hand swears by the sun, the left points to the moon, Yin and Yang merge, burning all sins, Infernal Flame Prison Sword… by divine command, manifest!”

Boom!

In the chaotic battlefield, a scarlet flame suddenly surged. The moment this crimson fire ignited, everything around seemed to momentarily pause!

“Hm?”

At this instant, Liu Ruyan’s heart trembled, giving rise to an inexplicable bad premonition.

Her offensive suddenly intensified, and hundreds of spiritual swords whistled down, overflowing with murderous intent! The earth trembled, and the void roared, her attack had reached its peak!

Swaths of flying swords were shattered. Liu Ruyan’s battle intent surged, completely overwhelming Lu Jin’s offensive!

However!

The moment a sword phantom wreathed in scarlet flame flashed, all her attacks came to a screeching halt!

The instant the Infernal Flame Prison Sword appeared, the Golden Solar Sword’s momentum plunged sharply!

Bang!

A tremendous roar echoed. When the two swords clashed, the Golden Solar Sword actually exploded directly!

“What? This is impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

Liu Ruyan’s eyes were wide with terror. She simply couldn’t believe Lu Jin had directly destroyed her Earth-Grade war-weapon!

However, under the incredible gazes of everyone present, the phantom of the Infernal Flame Prison Sword had already pierced through the layers of sword phantoms and slashed toward Liu Ruyan!

“Swish!”

Enveloped by the terrifying sword light, Liu Ruyan bit her lip. The next second, the phantom of the Supreme Bone rushed out, swelling against the wind, attempting to block the Infernal Flame Prison Sword’s attack! The power of the Supreme Bone was her ultimate trump card!

But…

The next moment, a strange sense of submission rose up! The Supreme Bone, just as it erupted with vast spiritual power, was instantly suppressed! All the spiritual power she poured in was like pouring water into a sponge, utterly unable to create a ripple!

And the Infernal Flame Prison Sword, with its chilling sword light, was already slashing closer!

“Fox Master, save me!”

In her desperation, Liu Ruyan tried to communicate with the mysterious Fox Master again.

But this time, the Fox Master did not appear. Instead, Ji Yaoyue, who had been watching the fight, instantly materialized!

“You evildoer!”

Boom!

Ji Yaoyue’s figure flickered, appearing in front of Liu Ruyan in a blink. With a sweep of her arm, a gust of Spiritual Energy roared out from her sleeve, drastically reducing the speed of the Infernal Flame Prison Sword phantom!

“Still won’t surrender!”

Ji Yaoyue’s eyes were filled with killing intent, but she was also quite surprised that her single attack failed to shatter the opponent’s fire sword phantom!

“Get lost!”

Lu Jin roared suddenly. The Infernal Flame Prison Sword abruptly changed direction, actually bypassing Ji Yaoyue and stabbing toward Liu Ruyan again!

“What!”

Ji Yaoyue was stunned! She hadn’t expected Lu Jin to be so stubborn, nor did she anticipate that a mere sword phantom would possess such eerie power!

Gasp!

While Liu Ruyan was reeling in shock, all the Spiritual Energy in her body surged in reverse, meeting the Infernal Flame Prison Sword head-on! Fear gripped her heart. She had never felt death so close! It was true, this sword phantom made her sense the profound aura of death!

However, the Infernal Flame Prison Sword seemed unstoppable. Even with all her Spiritual Energy rushing out to counter it, she could not block the sword’s advance!

Just as the sword phantom was about to pierce through all her defenses!

Clink!

A spiritual light flashed from Ji Yaoyue’s finger, and a jade hairpin struck the sword phantom.

Swish!

The sword phantom was deflected, slicing past Liu Ruyan’s neck and leaving a trail of blood on her fair skin!

Boom!

The next second, the sword phantom slammed into a giant rock behind them, which instantly exploded into dust that scattered across the sky!

Gulp!

At that moment, everyone swallowed hard, their throats bobbing! No one expected that, even with Ji Yaoyue intervening, Lu Jin had almost taken Liu Ruyan’s life!

“I… I’m okay?”

Liu Ruyan gasped heavily, touching her neck, her eyes wide with terror. Lu Jin had truly almost killed her!

Clench!

Lu Jin, seeing that the strike had failed to kill Liu Ruyan, couldn’t help but grit his teeth. The Infernal Flame Prison Sword was immensely powerful. Though it was only a phantom, it had nearly drained all the Spiritual Power from his body! Coupled with the continuous use of the Hundred Sword Slash, the consumption of Spiritual Power in his body was severely high!

However, with the Burial Heaven Coffin active, he quickly channeled a thousand spirit stones into it, allowing the depleted Spiritual power to be replenished. But he couldn’t return to peak combat power instantly…

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

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

“I’ve already proven the Supreme Bone on her belongs to me. You saw it yourself!”

“Peak Master Ji, the truth about my framing three years ago has now been revealed. So, will you continue to protect her?” Lu Jin’s voice was icy.

“What are you! How dare you commit murder on my Saintess Peak!” Ji Yaoyue gave him no chance to speak. “For forcefully intruding on Saintess Peak and attempting to kill my disciple, Lu Jin, this Master thinks you don’t know what the word ‘death’ means!”

Boom!

Before Ji Yaoyue’s voice faded, she pointed a finger, and a streak of Spiritual Energy instantly condensed into a blue light longsword, thrusting toward Lu Jin!

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

“Rumor has it that Peak Master Ji’s Sparkfire Sword has only been used ten times, and every time it is unsheathed, it takes a life!”

“Lu Jin is definitely doomed!”

…The crowd was astonished, and even Lu Jin’s expression changed drastically! The Sparkfire Sword was a High-Grade Earth-Tier war-weapon, a much higher grade than the Golden Solar Sword! Moreover, her Sixth-Grade Golden Core cultivation completely surpassed Lu Jin’s. The gap between them was like a chasm!

“Hmph!”

Lu Jin coldly snorted. The surging Spiritual Power in his body condensed again, and the Infernal Flame Prison Sword phantom reappeared! With this strike, he clearly felt his body begin to weaken. Even with the Spiritual Power feedback from the Burial Heaven Coffin, the rapid depletion was taking its toll on his physical body!

But sitting still and awaiting death was not his style!

Swish!

The void vibrated. The Infernal Flame Prison Sword instantly collided with the Sparkfire Sword! Sword chimes echoed, sharp and piercing!

What surprised everyone was that a mere phantom of the Infernal Flame Prison Sword could actually stalemate the Sparkfire Sword for several breaths!

“My heavens! This Lu Jin can still contend with Sixth-Grade Golden Core Peak Master Ji?”

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

“If we hadn’t seen it with our own eyes, no one would believe this was true!”

…Everyone was dumbfounded. Luo Jiu and the other Elders felt a chill run down their spines again! Did this Lu Jin grow stronger the stronger his opponent was? What level was his cultivation truly at?

Amidst the shock, Lu Jin’s Infernal Flame Prison Sword was violently shattered under the absolute suppression of the Sparkfire Sword! Sixth-Grade Golden Core was too powerful. Even with Lu Jin’s many methods, he was utterly defeated at this moment.

The Sparkfire Sword‘s chime rang in his ears, and the chilling sword light was right before his eyes. Lu Jin did not sit still and wait for death. The dragon-scale membrane formed by the Great Evolution Dragon Transformation Art instantly condensed at the tip of the sword, preparing his final defense!

“Such a powerful defense! It’s a pity your strength is too weak to unleash the true power of this defensive martial art!”

Ji Yaoyue’s expression changed, and a hint of greed flashed in her eyes. The next second, the longsword’s Spiritual Power surged, and dense cracks instantly spread across the dragon-scale membrane defense!

“Stop!”

Just then, a shout rang out. The voice wasn’t loud, but it was filled with supreme majesty, making everyone present’s scalp prickle!

Whoosh!

A figure silently dropped into the field. He gently raised his palm and, completely unarmed, caught Ji Yaoyue’s Sparkfire Sword in his hand, then tossed it aside as if it were a common object!

“Sect… Sect Master?”

Ji Yaoyue was astonished. She clearly hadn’t expected the Sect Master, who was rarely seen, to appear at such an event!

Everyone present was equally stunned. They also hadn’t expected the Sect Master, who was seldom seen even during major sect competitions, to suddenly appear!

“Your defense isn’t bad either. This Master quite likes it.”

Chu Tianxiong looked at Lu Jin, flicked a finger, and shattered the dragon-scale membrane defense into pieces!

At that instant, Lu Jin’s heart jolted! Chu Tianxiong’s brief action made him feel that this man was unfathomable!

“Sect Master! This child killed our Sect’s Elders and disciples, and now he’s trying to murder the Saintess. His crime deserves ten thousand deaths!” Ji Yaoyue, seeing the look of pleasure in Chu Tianxiong’s eyes when he looked at Lu Jin, frowned and spoke coldly.

“This Master is aware of the matter.” Chu Tianxiong nodded slightly: “I also now know that Lu Jin was framed three years ago. Therefore, let the misunderstanding end here today.”

Hearing this, Ji Yaoyue froze: “Sect Master, this matter cannot simply be dropped! He killed Myriad Sword Sect’s Elder. According to our sect rules, he must be executed immediately!”

Hearing this, Chu Tianxiong raised an eyebrow:

“You mean, stick to the rules and kill Liu Ruyan as well?”