Volume Two: Travels in the State of Qi - Chapter 168: The Might of the Sword Saint

Regaining his footing, Zhang Heng activated his Lesser Aurora Phantom movement technique and rapidly rushed toward the direction where Dugu Bai stood.

In the previous clash, Dugu Bai had gained the upper hand.

Right now, the physical body of Ye Wuji, the Sect Master of the Yin Spirit Sect, was already fractured.

The Demon Venerable, having abandoned Ye Wuji's body, had vanished.

Dugu Bai stood indifferently in mid-air, surrounded by boundless demonic black Qi. The essence of the Demon Venerable was hidden within this dark fog, appearing to be everywhere at once.

With the iron egg shattered, the endless demonic Qi had dispersed between heaven and earth. Many cultivators, upon seeing this, wished to step forward and investigate.

The Qi Emperor and the masters of various major sects hurriedly dispersed to block the approaching onlookers, preventing anyone else from trespassing into this region of space.

After all, this group of Heavenly Origin realm powerhouses represented the pinnacle of strength throughout the entire Qi State. Even they could not withstand the aftermath of the battle.

If anyone else came here, they would undoubtedly be throwing their lives away.

"Human warrior, I truly admire you. If your cultivation could reach the absolute peak, this venerable one might not necessarily be your match. However, your cultivation is far too low right now. Since you have encountered this venerable one today, death is your only outcome." The voice of the Demon Venerable echoed from all directions within the black Qi.

Dugu Bai made no reply, fixing a cold gaze upon the surroundings. His spirit had left his physical form and drifted into the open air.

He knew the Demon Venerable was deliberately attempting to disrupt his state of mind.

Yet such a tactic was far too crude; as an unparalleled powerhouse, how could his state of mind be so easily shaken?

"To kill you just like this would be a terrible pity. Why not join our Demon race? Only then will you have ample room for growth." The Demon Venerable continued to speak incessantly, attempting to stall for time. As long as he could recover just a fraction more of his strength, he would be able to crush Dugu Bai completely.

Dugu Bai cast a cold, sharp glance outward. At this moment, the barrier of the Immortal Spirit Spring had been breached, and their present location was now fully connected with the outside world.

Therefore, this matter had to be dealt with as swiftly as possible. Otherwise, this demonic entity would inevitably plunge the world into chaos.

Dugu Bai stood holding his sword, making no sudden moves. Suddenly, however, the Demon Venerable sensed something was amiss as formless sword Qi radiated in all directions, sinking deep into the fabric of heaven and earth.

"What is it?" Zhang Heng looked perplexed at Mu Wanqing beside him. The young woman's expression at that moment appeared rather peculiar.

Mu Wanqing did not answer Zhang Heng; instead, she gathered all her strength and channeled it into her spatial ring.

Yet it was entirely futile.

Her spatial ring kept trembling incessantly. Suddenly, every single sword stored within her spatial ring seemed to respond to a certain summons. Slipping beyond her control, the swords broke through the spatial barrier on their own, materialized right before her eyes, and then soared toward Dugu Bai in the distance.

At that moment, Zhang Heng's spatial ring also malfunctioned. The chaotic pile of swords he kept inside his ring all flew out autonomously of their own accord.

Their target was likewise Dugu Bai.

Zhang Heng was dumbfounded. Were spatial rings not controllable solely by their owners? For someone else to take the items inside, they usually had to wait until the owner died and the connection with the spatial ring was severed.

He never expected Dugu Bai to be so domineering, capable of forcibly summoning swords from the spatial rings of others.

Not only them, but every single sword held in anyone's hand or stored within anyone's spatial ring flew out uncontrollably.

They stared upward in astonishment at the distant sky, completely bewildered.

Before long, swords of every shape, size, and variety appeared in the space where Dugu Bai and the Demon Venerable stood.

To offer a rough estimate, there were easily several millions of them.

They blotted out the sun, radiating supreme sword might.

The sword intent soared to the heavens, looking down upon the entire world with supreme arrogance.

At this juncture, Zhang Heng was so awestruck he could no longer utter any witty remarks, reduced instead to frantic internal complaining.

*Holy shit, that is a lot of swords.*

Witnessing this scene, even the Demon Venerable was startled.

"Human powerhouse, I never imagined that despite your youth, your comprehension of the sword path had already reached this realm."

"Demon race, the Immortal Cultivation Realm is not a place where you belong."

Dugu Bai's voice was utterly calm. At this moment, he seemed to have merged completely with the surrounding space.

He gently waved the sword in his hand.

In an instant, all the swords spanning the heavens reacted in unison, swaying continuously in rhythm with the blade in Dugu Bai's grip.

Shortly after, Dugu Bai located the physical manifestation of the Demon Venerable. Every single sword pointed directly at the Demon Venerable, carrying the crushing pressure of world annihilation.

The Demon Venerable was taken aback and hurriedly materialized a physical form in the distance, his hands moving in a continuous blur. All the demonic Qi blanketing the sky converged rapidly upon the Demon Venerable's body.

Dugu Bai raised his sword high. In a flash, every sword in the sky shifted its orientation, pointing fiercely at the Demon Venerable.

Faced with the torrential rain of swords, the Demon Venerable chose not to meet the attack head-on, opting instead for a defensive posture. Demonic Qi formed successive layers of dark barriers around him, sealing him safely within.

Dugu Bai made his move, gently sweeping the sword in his hand across the air.

It was just a light, effortless motion.

Yet every sword suspended in the sky instantly responded.

For a moment, millions of swords surged simultaneously toward the Demon Venerable, filling the entire realm between heaven and earth with fierce sword Qi.

The sword might possessed the power to shatter heaven and earth.

Zhang Heng stared in absolute blank astonishment.

This was an incomparable, soul-shaking spectacle.

An unparalleled sword saint was indeed terrifyingly powerful beyond measure.

Everyone held their breath, fixing their unblinking gazes entirely upon this single sword strike.

Countless swords cascaded toward the Demon Venerable at terrifying speeds.

Zhang Heng noticed that these swords were actually reforming mid-air into a single blade—a colossal, unimaginably massive sword radiating supreme, unyielding sword might.

The saying that a single sword stroke could traverse thirty provinces was truly no exaggeration; armed with this single strike, Dugu Bai could undoubtedly rival a peak Holy Master.

One had to bear in mind that Dugu Bai was currently only at the early stage of the Tribulation Crossing realm. How terrifying would he be should he ever cultivate to the perfection of the Tribulation Crossing realm?

At this moment, Zhang Heng could not help but exclaim once more: *Holy shit!*

He was merely a rookie who had just stepped out of the novice village, yet he was being forced to watch a battle between other players equipped with ultimate divine gear and a supreme grand boss.

How could his fragile little heart possibly endure this?

Beside him, Mu Wanqing similarly kept her eyes glued to the epic battle. Her gaze was filled with boundless shock, yet mingled within that shock was a faint trace of yearning.

The vanguard of the swords collided with the Demon Venerable, instantly shattered by the potent demonic Qi.

However, Dugu Bai had amassed over a million swords. As more and more blades poured in, the Demon Venerable gradually found himself unable to hold his ground.

At last, the protective barrier of demonic Qi was pierced, and countless swords drove straight through the Demon Venerable's body.

When every single sword had passed completely through, the boundless demonic Qi surrounding the Demon Venerable had vanished entirely, leaving behind only a pitifully small, tattered shadow of dark mist.

Seeing this, Zhang Heng was once again compelled to blurt out:

*Holy shit!*

Over a million swords had pierced right through the Demon Venerable's body, and he still wasn't dead?

Dugu Bai withdrew his sword, then stepped forward, walking step by step through the air toward the Demon Venerable.

No spiritual fluctuations emanated from his body, yet he radiated a formless, boundless pressure.

With Dugu Bai's control lifted, Mu Wanqing finally recalled her own sword.

Zhang Heng tried as well, but he could summon nothing back. Those swords were never his to begin with; he had simply scavenged them from the spatial rings of cultivators who had perished in the Dragon Burial Abyss.

Never mind, he could just wander over later and pick up a few random ones; plenty of swords were still unclaimed anyway.

Dugu Bai turned his gaze toward the Demon Venerable.

The Demon Venerable at this moment was exceptionally weak.

"You are indeed formidable," the Demon Venerable rasped.

Dugu Bai gave no reply.

"Yet my original stance remains unchanged: this realm is a place I come and go as I please. You cannot keep me here."

Dugu Bai simply repeated his earlier words: "You may try."

The Demon Venerable wasted no more breath on idle talk, for his demonic Qi was currently extremely unstable and required urgent recovery. If he stayed here any longer putting up a front, he truly might not be able to leave.

Thus, the Demon Venerable decisively chose to flee.

The onlookers watched as the dark mist comprising the consciousness of the Demon Venerable slowly dissipated into the air.