Chapter 457: Chapter 399: Slaying the Fairy in Formation, Minor Paths and the Great Dao
The Nine Heavens Moonlight flashed and disappeared.
In an instant, it appeared hundreds of miles away.
Qu Ying, filled with boundless indignation, flew in the direction of the Nine Heavens Jade Tower.
This assassination attempt had ended in failure.
What made her feel even more humiliated was that Song Lin was simply too powerful. Not only had he managed to fight while undergoing tribulation, but he had also defeated her.
If word of this got out, it was likely no one would believe it.
"This time, you win."
Qu Ying thought to herself.
She had expended all her strength holding off Zhonghuang Zi, which left her unable to fight Song Lin at full power.
When the succession battle begins, the score would be settled then.
The speed of sword light flight was blindingly fast. Even Zhonghuang Zi, with his Primordial Spirit powers, could not keep up.
This was the might of the Sword Immortal Path. Speed and power were their hallmarks. Among cultivators of the same realm, those capable of defeating them were few and far between, and some could even fight across realms.
Qu Ying might not have been able to surpass Zhonghuang Zi in combat power, but besting him in speed was nothing unusual.
At this moment, eight streaks of sword light shot up from below.
It turned out Qingyu had taken action.
Qingyu and Wu Chen had roamed the world for five years, experiencing the suffering of all living beings and cultivating the Heavenly Hero Realm and the Eight Sceneries Dao, officially stepping into the Purple Mansion Realm.
However, to someone like Qu Ying, a master who had achieved Thunder Tribulation Perfection, someone in the Purple Mansion Realm was as weak as an ant.
With a spin of her sword pill, nine beams of brilliant light emanated, casting a net of sword energy over the surroundings.
She noticed the familiar Eight-Colored Treasure Swords and immediately recognized them as belonging to Song Lin. Despite her scorn, she treated them with due respect.
Not a single Purple Mansion cultivator would be able to withstand this strike.
Qingyu, faced with the murderous aura, did not panic. Instead, she closed her eyes to sense the Heavenly Heart.
Boom!
The moment the sword net descended, a bolt of thunder cracked across the clear sky!
The Eight Sceneries transformed into a single pure golden pillar of light.
Roar!!!
From within the pure golden pillar of light came the faint sound of a dragon’s roar.
The winds and clouds shifted dramatically.
This was Sword Intent—True Dragon!
Boom!
The True Dragon broke through the sword net and then detonated in front of Qu Ying.
"You—!"
Qu Ying’s eyes widened. How could this minor underling have broken her spell?
The True Dragon Sword Energy blocked her for only the briefest moment before being shredded to pieces by the sword pill’s energy.
But even in that brief instant, it allowed Song Lin to catch up.
Song Lin’s figure was bathed in crimson tribulation fire.
In his hand, he held the Emperor’s Sword, and the Eight Sceneries swirled around him.
With a casual wave of his sleeve,
whoosh!
The skies filled with black flags, blocking the four corners of the world, while a thousand-foot Fire Dragon cut off all retreat.
Rumble!
The Fire Dragon’s flames merged with countless bolts of lightning, weapons of all kinds, yellow clouds, Black Evil, and wolf-tooth iron pillars that anchored the land like Ocean-Stabilizing Divine Needles. Tens of thousands of demonic faces emerged, and the ground trembled ceaselessly.
The Xuantian Eight Techniques were unleashed in full force.
A sky full of spells inundated the three people.
Qu Ying’s heart surged with an overwhelming sense of danger. She retracted her Nine Heavens Sword Pill, which began rotating through the major meridians of her body with such speed that it formed an impenetrable metallic sphere.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The trembling was incessant.
The metallic sphere was shattered.
"Ah!!!"
"Senior Sister, save us!"
Two maidservants, beautifully graceful like flowers, were instantly reduced to ashes.
"I’m sorry."
Qu Ying’s eyes brimmed with tears. The sword ball contracted again; she could no longer protect the two and could only watch her maidservants, whom she cherished as sisters, perish before her very eyes.
Crack!
Song Lin’s sword shattered her defenses.
By this time, he had gradually withdrawn the tribulation fire. Clearly, he had transcended the Fire Tribulation and become a true Thunder Tribulation Cultivator.
Seeing this, Qu Ying knew the battle was lost. She gave up struggling, stood proudly in the void, and said, "Do what you will. Kill me or not; the choice is yours."
"Who are you? And why did you try to ruin my plans?"
Song Lin asked, then withdrew his Divine Skills as well, knowing she dared not escape.
"Qu Ying of the Nine Heavens Jade Tower. As for the reason for trying to kill you, it’s simple. You’ve blocked our path."
Speaking of this, Qu Ying’s tone hardened.
"I never intended to kill you, merely to force you out of the succession battle. What I’ve seen in Yinghua Land only proved my suspicions."
"You have some minor accomplishments. With a bit of talent, you’ve made your territory more prosperous than others. But if you become renowned, others will follow your ’little path,’ wallowing in false prosperity. The future of the Human Clan will be dark and bleak."
"Little path? Then what is your Great Dao?"
Song Lin was speechless. If her reason was tied to the succession battle, that would at least make sense.
But for a motive like this...
"The Great Dao is..."
Qu Ying suddenly froze. This matter was highly confidential, and no outsider could possibly know. If she told Song Lin, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Could it be another ’great vision’ nonsense? Can’t even manage small matters, yet always talking about the big picture. Why don’t you guys ever sacrifice yourselves instead of expecting others to?"
"And besides, if my path is a ’little path’ and there’s no secrecy around it, why shouldn’t others follow it?"
Song Lin countered.
Suddenly, nine sword pills pierced through the air, carrying unstoppable momentum.
The Geng Metal Sword Qi stung the eyes as if striking needles into them.
Clang!
Song Lin raised his sword to block.
The nine sword pills fell to the ground. This time, Song Lin showed no mercy and threw them directly into the Furnace of Eight Trigrams to be refined.
The sword pills were tied to the life essence of a Sword Cultivator. Qu Ying’s face turned ashen like paper, and she let out a piercing scream before crashing to the ground.
Song Lin followed her descent, landing beside her. Qingyu approached as well, offering a bow, accompanied by the ten-year-old Wu Chen.
"Palace Master,"
Wu Chen greeted obediently. It seemed the years of experience had matured her greatly.
Wu Chen, born with innate wisdom and formed from the Heavenly Court’s wondrous stone, lacked worldly experience but possessed comprehension surpassing most geniuses of her time.
Qu Ying murmured to herself, saying, "What kind of Sword Dao is this? Why is it so sharp?"
"Want to learn it? Mine is the Great Dao; your little paths may not comprehend it."
Song Lin chuckled.
The Swordman Dao differed fundamentally from the Sword Dao of this world. The Sword Dao of this world emphasized understanding one’s inner self. No matter what the inner self was, persistence brought strength.
Thus, Sword Immortals were often rigid and stubborn individuals.
This was the Dao of the Small Self.
But the Swordman Dao resonated with the heavens, the common people, and the nation.
It aspired to feel the heavens above and the people below.
This was the Dao of the Great Self.
"Small Self? Great Self? Little path? Great Dao?" Qu Ying laughed bitterly. "There’s no need to deceive me. Ours is not a little path. I simply lacked the skill. Once I achieve mastery, I’ll return to seek your guidance."
Truly stubborn.
Song Lin was exceedingly speechless.
"Don’t tell me you think you’ll survive this?"
Qu Ying abruptly raised her head, staring at Song Lin in disbelief.
Did he truly intend to kill her?
Did he not fear Qingchen Heavenly Master’s wrath? Or pursuit by the Building Master?
Whoosh!
Sword light flashed. Qu Ying suddenly felt a coldness at her neck.
Following that, she saw a headless body.
Flowing white robes. A graceful figure.
Was this not her own body?
Right before her essence was completely extinguished, she seemed to hear Song Lin’s mocking voice in her ears.
"Did you think you’d have a glorious future and couldn’t die? Just because you’re a fairy, with heaps of admirers, so everyone has to tolerate you?"
"You came to kill me, almost ruining my plans, and I shouldn’t kill you back?"
"Now you’ve realized the truth! Hahaha!"
A fairy?
Divine Skill achieved, a fairy slain in battle.
Song Lin could not help but feel jubilant.
He sheathed his long sword and gazed at the distant onlookers in the void.
"Donghua Great Master Song Lin has slain a formidable enemy here!"
The prying gazes immediately withdrew.
From that day forward, no one would remain unaware of Song Lin’s name.
"Let’s return."
Song Lin glanced briefly at the corpse, then retrieved it into the World in the Pot.
It wasn’t for haste but simply to see if there were treasures left behind. After all, they were spoils of war.
If they were useless, he’d bury them.
"Harvesting nine sword pills isn’t bad at all."
Song Lin thought to himself.
This time leaving seclusion, there were only months left before the succession battle.
With another formidable enemy slain, it was undoubtedly a good sign.
As for offending the Heavenly Master, he no longer cared.
After all, succession battles were inherently about offending others. Offending a few more people hardly made a difference.
He returned to adjust his Qi flow and prepare for the final succession battle.
During this period, Song Lin summoned the lords of the Eight Mortal Cities and appointed Wu Chen as the Lord of Eight Sceneries, conferring her the title of Human King. He divided the Nine States and ordered the construction of a palace at the world’s center, anchored by the Nine Tripods.
Wu Chen began cultivating the Qiankun Treasure and Xuantian Eight Techniques.
At the same time, Song Lin’s reputation spread far and wide.
There was no one in the world who did not recognize his name!
Because of the deep impression left by his Vajra Body, the people bestowed upon Song Lin an unexpected moniker.
(Seeking monthly votes)