Feeling the terrifying sword qi radiating from Jiang Zhaoxia, Ancestor Su Xing was both alarmed and exhilarated.
He completely cast Zhao Zhen to the back of his mind. At this moment, he had decided to seize Jiang Zhaoxia's body instead.
Jiang Zhaoxia's aptitude was clearly no weaker than Zhao Zhen's, and his cultivation was even higher!
Compared to Zhao Zhen's immortal-martial path, Ancestor Su Xing coveted Jiang Zhaoxia's sword qi far more. The paths of cultivation were countless, yet what he desired most was to become a sword cultivator.
"Junior, then let's see who's truly overestimating themselves!"
Ancestor Su Xing laughed savagely as he charged into the gale unleashed by Jiang Zhaoxia. A black iron umbrella appeared out of thin air in his hand. As he opened it, countless black insects poured out, like a dust storm sweeping across the shattered mountain wall.
Jiang Zhaoxia raised his sword and charged. Sword light flashed brilliantly as the sword soul swung together with his right arm. One man and one soul struck as one, unleashing two streams of sword qi that directly shredded the swarming black insects.
Ancestor Su Xing's expression changed slightly. He bent sharply at the waist, narrowly dodging the sword qi.
Before he could straighten up, Jiang Zhaoxia appeared above him and slashed horizontally, aiming to cut him in half at the waist. Ancestor Su Xing reacted with extreme speed, immediately raising the umbrella to block.
Clang!
Jiang Zhaoxia raised an eyebrow. His sword had been tempered by the Heavenly Works Hall and had already transformed into a true artifact. Even with sword qi attached, it had still been blocked.
This black umbrella was no ordinary item!
Even more extraordinary was this man himself. He looked extremely frail, yet he could still maintain such terrifying combat strength.
Could he be an existence beyond the ninth layer of the Nurturing Essence realm?
Jiang Zhaoxia's thoughts raced, yet the movements of his hands did not slow in the slightest. He maintained a fierce and domineering offensive, forcing Ancestor Su Xing to retreat step by step.
In the distance, Zhao Zhen watched the scene with deep admiration.
He had always known Jiang Zhaoxia was powerful, recognized within the sect as a top-tier expert, but this was the first time he had seen Jiang Zhaoxia engage an enemy in a one-on-one battle to the death.
Although Jiang Zhaoxia was a sword cultivator, Zhao Zhen felt that his physical body was no less formidable.
With each increase in cultivation realm, one's muscles and bones were strengthened. This alone proved how high Jiang Zhaoxia's cultivation truly was.
From the seventh to the ninth layer—it looked like only a difference of two layers, yet in truth, the gap was worlds apart.
At this moment, there was still another observer, a Spirit Management Hall disciple—Qiao Dingbei.
The Piercing Cloud Thunder had been released by him.
Using eavesdropping talisman paper effigies to observe the battle, Jiang Zhaoxia's arrival made him let out a breath of relief. He could not help but marvel at how powerful the sect truly was—there were capable people everywhere.
Jiang Zhaoxia's strength also delighted him, completely suppressing that terrifying old man.
"Since Elder Jiang has arrived, this person should be as good as dead, right?"
Qiao Dingbei thought silently. As his anxiety eased, he began pondering other matters.
This old man was clearly an immortal cultivator, and his cultivation was extremely high. Those spells alone left Qiao Dingbei dumbfounded.
Just who was this person?
Could it be that another immortal sect intended to oppose Qingxiao Sect?
Boom! Boom! Boom…
The banners controlled by Ancestor Su Xing reformed into an array once more. Thunder descended with terrifying speed, relentlessly pursuing Jiang Zhaoxia.
Jiang Zhaoxia ignored it entirely, maintaining constant pressure on Ancestor Su Xing. Around his body, eighteen sword phantoms formed and advanced together with him. These sword phantoms were as fast as meteors, killing so ferociously that Ancestor Su Xing grew increasingly panicked.
"The Supreme Sword Control Art! You actually obtained the Dao Lineage Inheritance of the Supreme Sword Alliance!"
Ancestor Su Xing gritted his teeth, his tone filled with jealousy.
He finally understood why Qingxiao Sect had been able to rise so rapidly.
Jiang Zhaoxia paid him no heed. He thrust his sword forward, sword qi surging like a long rainbow, crashing straight into the black umbrella.
The overwhelming sword qi pressed down so heavily that Ancestor Su Xing had no room to dodge and could only endure it head-on. The tiger's mouth of his hand split open, threads of black blood seeping out, forcing him to clench his teeth.
He had never expected to be driven to such a state.
If this continued, he truly might die at the hands of this junior.
If this were decades ago, before he had been gravely injured, a character like Jiang Zhaoxia could have been crushed with a single hand.
He no longer cared about preserving Jiang Zhaoxia's body intact. His gaze hardened as he leaped upward, forcibly suppressing the turmoil of blood and vital energy within him, rising into the air.
Jiang Zhaoxia's sword qi missed, rampaging along the mountainside for more than 330 meters, causing the surrounding terrain to tremble violently.
He looked up to see Ancestor Su Xing drifting in the sky like a vengeful spirit. One banner after another rapidly gathered around him, shifting swiftly as the formation's range expanded.
Rumble—!
The dark clouds overhead roared with deafening thunder. Bolts of lightning struck down one after another, intertwining with the banners. At this moment, Jiang Zhaoxia felt as though he were witnessing the scene of Li Qingqiu undergoing tribulation.
Amid the encircling lightning, Ancestor Su Xing's aura underwent a dramatic transformation, like a celestial sovereign of the nine heavens wielding the authority of the heavens. Lightning flared within his eyes, and his tattered robes fluttered like flames.
The world darkened as Ancestor Su Xing's presence surged higher and higher.
Jiang Zhaoxia suddenly hurled the treasured sword in his hand. The sword transformed into a streak of cold light, charging into the sky together with the eighteen sword phantoms. All the sword light converged, dazzling to the extreme.
This time, Ancestor Su Xing did not evade. He swung the black umbrella, and countless bolts of lightning gathered with it, forming something like a spear of thunder that blasted Jiang Zhaoxia's sword away while simultaneously dispersing the sword phantoms.
Jiang Zhaoxia's expression changed drastically. He immediately leapt aside as torrential lightning slammed down, bombarding the mountains. Even so, a bolt grazed his arm, instantly reducing his sleeve to ashes and scorching his arm black.
He landed more than 30 meters away, his feet carving two long trenches into the slope. Before he could steady himself, he looked up again, his eyes filled with dread.
He had not expected Ancestor Su Xing to be capable of unleashing such a spell. The disparity in vital energy between them had abruptly become immense—it felt as though he were facing the might of heaven itself.
"Junior, how will you face this overwhelming heavenly might!"
Ancestor Su Xing's voice rang out as he raised the black umbrella in his hand and swung it down once more. Tens of thousands of lightning bolts erupted from the sea of clouds, carrying the lightning of the formation as they crashed down. One mountain peak after another was blasted apart, dust billowing everywhere. Jiang Zhaoxia was forced to evade, yet no matter how he fled, the injuries on his body continued to worsen.
Those lightning bolts were clearly some distance away from him, yet they still managed to injure him.
The sword soul around him twisted its body and swung its sword. A sword qi more than 16.5 meters long surged upward, attempting to cut Ancestor Su Xing down from the sky, but it was blasted apart by lightning before it could even draw close.
"Cough, cough—"
Ancestor Su Xing coughed violently as black blood within his body poured uncontrollably from his seven orifices.
His expression turned manic as he suddenly dove downward.
Jiang Zhaoxia, who was dodging the lightning filling the sky, picked up a flying sword along the way—the very sword he had thrown earlier when rushing here.
Sensing the fierce wind behind him, he immediately turned around, gripped the sword in reverse, and slashed out. Sword qi ignited into silver flames, carving out a magnificent scene like an ink painting. However, behind him, there was no one.
His pupils contracted sharply. Instinctively, he twisted his head to look—and Ancestor Su Xing had appeared right behind him.
Those sharp fingernails slammed against Jiang Zhaoxia's forehead. Almost instantly, an icy-cold vital energy drilled into his body, freezing him in place.
Ancestor Su Xing landed and abruptly cast a spell. His soul detached from his physical body and plunged directly into Jiang Zhaoxia.
The two figures froze on the mountainside. Dust swirled all around them, while the lightning filling the sky suddenly came to a halt, and one banner after another fell from the air.
Zhao Zhen saw this scene, his pupils dilating.
He clenched his teeth and once again activated the Heavenly Firmament Golden Body Art. This time, blood sprayed from his entire body, turning him into a man of blood. Trembling, he forced himself upright, his steps growing faster and faster.
He charged through the wind and sand and rapidly reached Ancestor Su Xing's back. He threw a punch that pierced straight through Ancestor Su Xing's back, black blood splashing all over him.
Yet Ancestor Su Xing did not even let out a groan, remaining stiffly hanging on Zhao Zhen's arm.
Zhao Zhen's face changed drastically. He realized that Ancestor Su Xing was already dead.
He hurriedly shoved Ancestor Su Xing away and turned his gaze toward Jiang Zhaoxia.
Jiang Zhaoxia stood there blankly, his expression vacant and his eyes hollow. His right arm was charred black and still smoking, yet he seemed unable to feel any pain.
Zhao Zhen suddenly did not know what to do. He had never experienced body seizure before, nor did he understand soul techniques. All he could do was call out to Jiang Zhaoxia, hoping to awaken him.
"Caw—"
A piercing cry echoed through the heavens, startling Zhao Zhen into looking up. Joy immediately spread across his face as he saw a massive black eagle flying in from the horizon.
Immediately after, he saw a streak of cold light descend.
A sword fell from the sky and landed beside the two of them. Focusing his gaze, Zhao Zhen recognized it at once—it was his master's Tianhong Sword.
Had Master arrived?
He looked up, yet did not see Li Qingqiu's figure.
At the same time.
Within Jiang Zhaoxia's body, in a pitch-black void, Jiang Zhaoxia's consciousness was resisting Ancestor Su Xing's suppression.
Ancestor Su Xing stood before him like a mountain giant, radiating overwhelming pressure.
"Junior, you can no longer resist. Stop struggling!"
Ancestor Su Xing wore a greedy expression, his excitement reaching a fever pitch. He was finally about to seize a body—and one belonging to a rare genius of the mortal world.
If the body seizure succeeded, his future would be limitless. He might even become the sword cultivator he had dreamed of.
Jiang Zhaoxia gritted his teeth and resisted, yet felt utterly powerless. An indescribable numbness dragged at his consciousness, the sensation of being unable to exert strength making him feel as though he were trapped in a dream.
"Damn it… am I really going to stop here…"
When Jiang Zhaoxia thought that if he died, news would be sent back and his senior brothers, junior sisters, and junior brothers would surely grieve, and that sect disciples might even mock him, his heart shook violently.
No!
He absolutely could not fall here. His gaze turned ruthless as a faintly visible flood dragon manifested around him, roaring at Ancestor Su Xing.
Ancestor Su Xing was taken aback, unable to understand what this flood dragon was.
At that moment, a hand rested on his shoulder, making his soul shudder violently. He instinctively turned his head to look.
…
In the mountain ranges north of the Taikun Mountain Range, Li Qingqiu was repeatedly cultivating the divine ability Moving Mountains to Suppress the Divine. Countless rocks shifted rapidly with the movement of his palm, yet his expression was grave, his mind clearly elsewhere.
Although he had already dispatched Jiang Zhaoxia along with a group of true disciples, and even had Xiao Ba carry the Tianhong Sword over to guard against body-seizing immortal cultivators, he still found it difficult to calm his heart.
Just then, a notification popped up before his eyes:
[In view of Qingxiao Sect having a disciple break destiny and overcome a fated tribulation for the first time, you have obtained one Fortune Opportunity.]
Breaking destiny, overcoming a tribulation!
Li Qingqiu's expression brightened in an instant, joy surging within him. He immediately pulled up the Dao Lineage panel and located Zhao Zhen's avatar.
Moments later, his brows furrowed, because Zhao Zhen's [Fragile Destiny] fate had not changed.
It wasn't Zhao Zhen who broke destiny?
Then who was it?
Li Qingqiu suddenly thought of something and immediately located Jiang Zhaoxia's avatar.
Jiang Zhaoxia possessed two special fates: [Born Sword Maniac] and [Hidden Dragon in the Mortal World].
He had always remembered [Hidden Dragon in the Mortal World], because this fate indicated that Jiang Zhaoxia had a troubled background. If he resolved the tribulations in his destiny, he could transform into a flying dragon, his fortune becoming unstoppable.
Jiang Zhaoxia was his junior brother, so naturally Li Qingqiu kept him in mind.
He simply had not expected Jiang Zhaoxia's destined tribulation to surface during this incident.
He tapped Jiang Zhaoxia's avatar, and his eyes widened.
It had indeed changed!
[True Dragon of the Mortal World: The hidden dragon of the mortal world endures hardships, resolves the tribulations of destiny, and its fortune soars—henceforth, fortune flows like a dragon.]