Rumble!
The heavens shook and the earth trembled.
The coiled body of the Xuan Yin Gou She suddenly moved.
Large chunks of debris splashed out from beneath it, its hard scales grating against the ground with a piercing sound, occasionally sparking.
All the stone pillars outside the grand hall collapsed; before the Xuan Yin Gou She, they were as fragile as dry twigs.
In the blink of an eye, the Xuan Yin Gou She was in front of Ying Chen.
Its enormous head descended with lightning speed, its gaping maw biting down mercilessly.
It intended to strike a fatal blow, to swallow Ying Chen along with the sword that emanated a fearful aura, in one go!
"You are thinking too much."
Ying Chen seemed to see through its thoughts and said lightly.
Then, he gently swung the Xuan Pin Lei Yang Sword in his hand.
Instantly, a sword light composed of countless lightning bolts streaked forth.
It covered the sky and the earth, sweeping across the firmament.
The air was directly scorched by the sword light, emitting a milky white mist, and the entire night sky was illuminated by the brilliance of the sword.
The terrifying pressure was like the true thunder of the nine heavens descending upon the mortal realm, intending to exterminate all demons and evil in the world!
Crack!
The sword light collided with the Xuan Yin Gou She.
The colossal body of the Xuan Yin Gou She was actually forced back dozens of meters by the sword light!
A clear wound appeared on the Xuan Yin Gou She's abdomen.
Tiny electrical sparks spread from around the wound, and in an instant, they covered the entire body of the Xuan Yin Gou She!
The Xuan Yin Gou She's scales seemed to become excellent conductors, allowing all the electrical currents to connect, forming a cage of electricity that enveloped its body!
The Xuan Yin Gou She let out a sharp, mournful cry.
Its body thrashed and rolled wildly on the ground, large patches of scales curling and peeling off, its body turning black and charred.
But it could not extinguish the electrical currents on its body!
"The power of lightning contained within millennium-old thunder-struck wood is not something that can be easily extinguished!"
"I will give you one last chance: surrender to me! Become my mountain-protecting spirit beast!"
"And I will spare your life!"
Ying Chen held the Xuan Pin Lei Yang Sword and said coldly.
The Xuan Yin Gou She seemed not to understand Ying Chen's words, or perhaps it simply refused to understand.
Despite its body writhing in pain, its eyes were filled with boundless ferocity.
Its gaze towards Ying Chen held no trace of fear, but rather an increasingly intense madness!
As if in its eyes, it was the master of heaven and earth, the sole protagonist.
All others were merely destined to crawl beneath it, to be humble insects!
Even if there were to be submission, it should be Ying Chen submitting to it, not the other way around!
Seeing the Xuan Yin Gou She's expression, Ying Chen sighed deeply, "Stubborn and unrepentant, you are not worthy of pity."
Although this Xuan Yin Gou She was a rare anomaly born of nature, it completely lacked the awareness that such an anomaly should possess.
Whether animal or human, seeking advantage and avoiding harm, and assessing the situation, was the path to long-term survival.
Especially for anomalies like the Xuan Yin Gou She, which were born in defiance of heaven, they were destined to be suppressed by the world.
It not only failed to restrain itself but acted recklessly; it was hard to say whether its encounter with Ying Chen today was the will of heaven.
Perhaps heaven intended to use Ying Chen's hand to eliminate it.
"Roar!" The maddened Xuan Yin Gou She let out a fierce roar.
The next second, all its scales suddenly opened.
The electrical currents that had been transmitted through its scales were instantly disconnected, like a broken circuit. After a few flickers, they died down.
The Xuan Yin Gou She seemed not to expect that its unintentional action would have such an effect.
After a moment of stunned silence, its eyes revealed a sneer as it looked at Ying Chen.
It seemed to mock Ying Chen, its killing move broken, and wondered what else Ying Chen could use against it.
However, Ying Chen's attention was entirely elsewhere.
Ever since Ying Chen uttered the words "not worthy of pity," the Xuan Yin Gou She had already died in his heart.
At this moment, Ying Chen's gaze swept past the Gou She and landed on Cang Jue Zi.
"That you would actively court death to protect others is something I did not expect."
"Those who have erred should be punished; those who have achieved merit should be rewarded!"
"Watch closely, I will demonstrate only once!"
Ying Chen said lightly.
The next second, Ying Chen suddenly raised the Xuan Pin Lei Yang Sword in his hand.
A terrifying sword intent rolled from the hilt to the tip, emitting ripples around the entire sword, causing the very space to tremble as if boiling!
"Sword Art, Dao Takes Ten Thousand!"
"Sword Intent, I Am Bound Like My Body!"
Ying Chen coldly uttered twelve words.
In the next instant, the sword intent concentrated at the tip of the sword surged forth like an unleashed flood, carrying a heaven-shattering might!
The entire world was instantly filled with boundless sword intent, leaving no place untouched!
The dense sword intent intertwined in the air to form a sword net, and everything within the net was frozen and stagnant.
Including the Xuan Yin Gou She!
The sneer in the Xuan Yin Gou She's eyes abruptly vanished, replaced by profound terror!
It finally realized the terrifying nature of the person before it!
It turned to flee.
Unfortunately, trapped within the sword net, it could not move at all!
Swoosh!
The sword net suddenly tightened.
One sharp sword intent after another surged towards the Xuan Yin Gou She's body.
Its supposedly indestructible scales were like paper before the sword intent, shattering into pieces in an instant.
The sword intent penetrated the Xuan Yin Gou She's body without obstruction.
One, two, three, four...
In the blink of an eye, the surface of the Xuan Yin Gou She's body was covered in long, thin sword marks!
Beneath each sword mark lay a sword intent that had penetrated deep into its flesh and bone!
Only then did the Xuan Yin Gou She regain its mobility.
But it was too late.
All it could do was let out a tragic, mournful cry.
Then, large portions of flesh and blood peeled away from its body.
Gleaming white bones were revealed, starting from its tail, bit by bit.
Seconds later, there was not a shred of flesh or blood left on the Xuan Yin Gou She's entire body!
Only a massive head and a bare white skeleton remained!
The Xuan Yin Gou She lowered its head, glanced at its skeleton.
Then it looked at Ying Chen again, its eyes showing either regret or unwillingness.
Finally, with a thud, it collapsed onto the ground.
The light in its eyes slowly faded, officially declaring its death!
Blood and flesh covered the ground, emitting a foul stench that made one's stomach churn.
Yet, those present were unfazed, standing frozen as if under a spell.
After a long while, they erupted into cheers.
"We won! We won!"
"Ancestor is mighty!"
Some, having narrowly escaped death, knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Ying Chen!
The sound of repeated thuds echoed, as if this was the only way to express their gratitude to Ying Chen!
Cang Jue Zi, however, had a dazed expression, lost in thought.
"Is such sword intent truly of this mortal realm?"
"Sword Art, Dao Takes Ten Thousand; Sword Intent, I Am Bound Like My Body… what do these twelve words truly mean?"
"The Ancestor speaks of swords, yet I, his disciple, understand nothing! Damn it, how can I be so foolish? How can I be so useless?"
Cang Jue Zi grew more anxious and angry the more he thought.
He suddenly slapped himself in the face.
Slap!
The sound of the slap echoed throughout the grand hall.
He thought this slap would bring him enlightenment, but after the slap, Cang Jue Zi's expression changed drastically, as if he had lost his parents.