Chapter 1651

The Sunken Water Sword could emit a one‑inch blade glow in Xie Changliu's hand, but in Ji Feihua's hand it was another scene entirely. Ji Feihua raised the Sunken Water Sword and fearlessly charged toward the towering wave of sword light ahead. As soon as her feet left the ground, her body spun like a top, and the Sunken Water Sword rotated swiftly with her motion, leaving a trail of sword light that formed a huge spearhead before her. Her movement stirred the surrounding wind and snow, which began to dance wildly. From afar, a white vortex half a zhang in diameter, spawned by the blizzard, appeared—its tip flashing with cold light, like a high‑speed spinning drill, rushing to meet the glittering sword‑light wave.

Sword light floated and layered, hundreds of Sword Palace disciples formed an impregnable wall of sword light—impregnable in defense, devastating in attack.

Sword Palace Master Qiu Xian'guang's eyes were filled with chilling killing intent; to him, Ji Feihua's actions were no different than a moth flying into a flame, seeking death. The technique Stars Shift, Battle Turns is the most powerful move in the Sword Net Heavenly Net Formation, and its might is far more than just this grand display.

Turn!

The massive wave of sword light almost simultaneously twisted counterclockwise, and a huge vortex appeared on its surface.

The white vortex that Ji Feihua had summoned now shot straight toward the center of the vortex, its powerful suction trying to pull her into its depths.

Ji Feihua remained unfazed; wind and snow swirled wildly around her, the Sunken Water Sword and her body having become one. Before everyone's eyes remained only light and shadow—this white radiance rapidly expanded as it entered the vortex, the sword's edge extending forward at astonishing speed, a white light thrusting straight into the vortex's core.

Converge!

Vast sword light pressed inward from all sides, enclosing the white vortex; two immense forces met in silence. The enormous sphere of sword light compressed inward, then quickly expanded, revealing tiny cracks through which white light streamed. Finally the gaps widened, accompanied by a gush of shocking blood mist spraying out with the white light.

Boom! A deafening roar rang out, snowflakes flying everywhere, blood mist filling the sky, dozens of severed limbs mixed with flesh scattering across the ground. Within the blood‑light, the white vortex remained unstained, transforming in midair into a human shape—from illusion to substance—Ji Feihua's proud figure appearing outside the sword formation.

Yet the sword formation lay shattered. A Sword Palace disciple glanced at his own hands and feet, inwardly relieved they were still there—until a sudden thought struck him. He lowered his gaze and saw a bowl‑sized hole torn through his chest, through which the scene behind him was clearly visible. He wanted to speak, but not a single word escaped; his eyes widened in shock as they fixed on Qiu Xian'guang not far off, then he toppled straight over.

Qiu Xian'guang's right hand trembled slightly—not from fear, but because in his recent sword clash with Ji Feihua, her formidable inner force had shocked his arm into numbness, a condition that still persisted. He realized he had misjudged, having assumed she was the weakest link among his opponents, never expecting her martial prowess to be so overwhelming.

Qiu Xian'guang finally understood why the other side dared to storm the Sword Palace with such strength—glancing across the entire sect, there was simply no one capable of stopping her.

Ji Feihua gazed at the blood‑soaked ground, her eyes cold, her heart harder than iron—not because she herself was cruel, but because these opponents failed to cherish their own lives. She calmly fixed her gaze on Qiu Xian'guang: "Hand over Qin Yutong, and I will spare your life."

Ren Tianqing's figure flickered unpredictably as he drifted straight toward the Sword Palace's forbidden ground, Myriad Ren Mountain; Hu Xiaotian's movement was astonishing, yet he could never close the distance between himself and Ren Tianqing.

Ren Tianqing's silhouette vanished into Myriad Ren Mountain.

Hu Xiaotian halted at the foot of Myriad Ren Mountain. The mountain was not natural; it was an artificial pile, layer upon layer, interlocking like canine teeth, resembling a red stone forest sprouting from flat ground, its treetops already whitened by flying snow.

Hu Xiaotian stared at the Sword Palace's forbidden ground ahead, his heart hesitating—Ren Tianqing had obviously lured him here on purpose, as the saying goes, "Never enter a forest." This layered stone forest likely concealed some mechanism; once inside, he might easily lose his way.

From within Myriad Ren Mountain came Qin Yutong's startled cry: "Master, what are you doing?"

Hu Xiaotian's chest tightened; although he still harbored doubts, deep down his concern for Qin Yutong outweighed them. He bit his lip, felt the hilt of the light sword at his waist, and silently resolved: even if the place truly was a labyrinth, he could cleave a path with his light sword.

Hu Xiaotian stepped slowly into Myriad Ren Mountain, observing his surroundings as he went. The peaks rising from the ground resembled swords pointing to the sky—some under three feet tall, others reaching ten zhang, each stone peak inscribed with large characters.

Hu Xiaotian heard another scream, followed the sound to its source, but found no one there. As he scanned the area for any trace of Qin Yutong, a gloomy voice from above called out: "Kid, you dare trespass the Sword Palace's forbidden grounds—have you grown tired of living?"

Hu Xiaotian looked up and saw a figure standing atop a five‑zhang‑high stone peak, clad in a green robe, wielding a pitch‑black wooden sword, eyes coldly fixed on him—it was Sword Palace Elder Qi Changguang. Hu Xiaotian and Qi Changguang had crossed paths before; in his quest to seize the Seven Heaven‑Slaying Swords, Qi Changguang had pursued Hu Xiaotian and Huo Shengnan all the way from Da Yong to Lingyin Temple. Had it not been for Master Yuanmu's intervention, the two would likely have perished at his hands—though on that occasion Qi Changguang himself had his right leg shattered by Master Yuanmu and was forced to spend three years chanting sutras and paying homage to the Buddha at Lingyin Temple.

Hu Xiaotian immediately recognized Qi Changguang, though the elder did not recognize his current appearance. He sneered: "I'm looking for someone—you'd better not meddle."

Qi Changguang snorted: "Hu Xiaotian, will you peel off that mask yourself, or shall I do it for you?"

Hu Xiaotian's heart skipped a beat—he had not appeared in his true form, yet Qi Changguang somehow knew his real identity; Ren Tianqing evidently knew as well, so it seemed Qi Changguang had learned the truth from him. Hu Xiaotian mused silently: the Sword Palace originally belonged to Li Chenzhou's faction, while Ren Tianqing was colluding with Xue Shengjing; Ren Tianqing's presence here might indicate that the Sword Palace had defected to Xue Shengjing's side.

Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Elder Qi Changguang, you truly are shameless—last time you tried to harm me when my true qi went awry, and now I wonder what chance you still have."

Qi Changguang held his azure steel sword askew, pointing it at Hu Xiaotian, its blade cloaked in a bluish haze. Unlike Xie Changliu, who favors precious swords, Qi Changguang prefers to pick up whatever lies at hand; having trained his swordsmanship to a certain level, he can wield even grass or wood as an unstoppable blade.

The azure steel sword in Qi Changguang's hand emitted a humming sound, as if it had suddenly come alive, his breath infused into the blade, and the sword trembled slightly.

Before Qi Changguang could draw his sword, Hu Xiaotian already delivered a heavy punch onto the stone peak where Qi Changguang stood; the stone peak was five zhang tall, but its base diameter was only three chi, and Hu Xiaotian intended to shatter the peak with one punch, forcing Qi Changguang down from above.

To Hu Xiaotian's surprise, his punch striking the stone peak did not break it, for the peak was not stone but cast from refined iron; its exterior was decorated so cleverly that even at close range it looked like a cluster of stones, and he could not tell that the entire Wanren Mountain was actually forged from refined iron.

Although this punch did not shatter the iron peak, it caused the iron peak to tremble violently; Qi Changguang did a hand‑spring flip and fell straight down from above, his azure steel sword pointing at Hu Xiaotian's crown, the sword qi tearing the air with a hissing sound like a snake spitting its tongue; although Hu Xiaotian's martial arts were now nothing like before, facing Qi Changguang's strike that gathered his whole body's power, he also chose first to avoid the sharp edge, his steps shifting, he unleashed the Dog‑Dodging Eighteen Steps, Hu Xiaotian's body darted out, leaving only an afterimage where he stood.

Qi Changguang's thrust missed, and he quickly withdrew his power; the sword tip tapped the ground, producing a crisp 'clang!' sound, which Hu Xiaotian heard and immediately recognized as the clang of metal striking metal, indicating that not only the peaks but even the ground of Wanren Mountain were forged from refined iron.

After the azure steel sword's blade struck the ground and formed a bent arc, its good resilience quickly straightened it; taking advantage of the momentum, Qi Changguang leapt into the air, tapped the iron peak with his toes, and used the rebound to swoop down toward Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian caught Qi Changguang's movements in his peripheral vision, he shifted his steps and pushed the Dog‑Dodging Eighteen Steps to the limit, for a moment his afterimages filled the area, the unique terrain of Wanren Mountain gave him ample room to maneuver, and Qi Changguang's successive thrusts all struck air.

Unexpectedly, Hu Xiaotian burst forth from behind him, throwing a punch as swift as a thunderbolt straight at Qi Changguang's back.

Seeing Qi Changguang show no reaction, Hu Xiaotian felt overjoyed, believing this punch would surely land, but an inexplicable sense of danger welled up inside him, the hairs on his neck standing on end; he instinctively dodged to the right, and even the punch he was certain to land was abandoned.

A soundless sword qi swept past from his left; Hu Xiaotian dodged just in time, his sleeve torn by the qi, and he turned back in shock to see a silver‑haired, gray‑robed old man standing less than one zhang behind where he had just been, gripping a narrow longsword; the old man was He Changsheng, one of the three remaining elders of the Sword Palace, and now that Xie Changliu had just been slain by Ji Feihua, the Sword Palace's last two elders were both present here.

Hu Xiaotian watched the two men forming a pincer attack, silently cursing them for disregarding their status and acting so vilely, and he sneered, 'How dare you, as senior figures of the Sword Palace, be so despicable and petty.'