Chapter 596: Practicing the Three Ultimate Arts, the Sword Saint Comes to Fulfill the Appointment

Tianshan.

Tianshan was originally the headquarters of the Tianxia Hui.

After Xiongba went missing, it was occupied by Juexin.

After Juexin died, the Tianxia Hui was logically absorbed into the sphere of influence of Wushuang City.

The once desolate Tianshan was now frequently visited by martial artists carrying blades and swords ascending the stone steps. On the vast Three-Part Drill Ground, besides the hundreds of Wushuang City gang members maintaining order, there were many tables and chairs where martial artists who had come to watch the battle were seated. Of course, those who could sit were all sect leaders of considerable renown in the pugilistic world; most people, having no seats, stood like wooden stakes, yet they dared not voice the slightest complaint.

These people included famous figures from the righteous path, heroes from the underworld, and even representatives from local government forces... Even the Tianxia Hui, which once dominated the pugilistic world, might not have been able to gather so many heroes. And when such a complex mix of people gathers, it often leads to bloodbaths and vendettas.

But today, no one was so tactless; let alone seeking revenge or fighting, even their speech was hushed.

Today was the moment for the duel between Yu Liancheng and Dugu Jian.

Many martial artists looked from time to time toward the chair on the high platform of the Three-Part Drill Ground.

The chair was empty.

Yu Liancheng had not yet arrived.

And the Sword Saint had not yet arrived either.

Yu Liancheng was currently in a secret chamber within the Tianxia Diyi Lou.

The Tianxia Diyi Lou had been demolished by Wu Wudi in years past, and had been renovated since.

Yu Liancheng had arrived at Tianshan early this morning, and having nothing to do, he wandered casually through the Tianxia Diyi Lou, admiring the scenery, when he inadvertently discovered a rather hidden secret chamber.

Although the secret chamber was small, it was not lacking in priceless rare treasures and extremely rare medicinal herbs.

Of course, the most crucial thing was that Yu Liancheng found a hidden compartment on the wall, and after easily neutralizing the mechanism within, he took out a small booklet.

It was the secret manual for the Fengshen Leg, Paiyun Palm, and Tianshuang Fist.

Back when Bu Jingyun fought Xiongba to the death, Bu Jingyun had ultimately exhausted Xiongba to death, but it was a pity that Yu Liancheng had not had the chance to search for these three ultimate techniques; he had not expected to get his hands on them today.

Of course, as long as Yu Liancheng was willing, he could also view these techniques through the Jiukong Wujie and the Heaven's Cry, though it would be slightly troublesome.

Since the Sword Saint had not yet arrived, having nothing to do, he simply flipped through the manuals one by one.

The pages rustled as they were turned; with Yu Liancheng's current eyesight, he could finish an entire page in almost a glance or two, without missing a thing.

After spending a short time finishing the manuals, Yu Liancheng closed his eyes, and the contents of the manuals appeared in his mind. Not long after, he opened his eyes and exhaled slightly.

It was certain that these three manuals were genuine, but each one contained flaws; if one practiced according to them, one could indeed master the three ultimates of Wind, Cloud, and Frost. However, there were very subtle flaws in each martial art, and if one encountered the true three ultimates, one would be completely countered.

"I suppose Xiongba wanted to dig a pit, hoping to trap whoever he could... Unfortunately, he met me..." Although these three ultimate manuals had defects, with Yu Liancheng's current level of attainment, it was not difficult to rectify them.

After some deduction, Yu Liancheng sat cross-legged and began to practice these three ultimate arts. Half an hour later, wisps of cold air dispersed, the temperature plummeted, and frost condensed on the ground. In addition to the frost energy, a cloud-like aura swirled around his body, filling the entire room, making it cloud-covered and hazy.

Suddenly, a gust of wild wind swept through, clearing away the frost and clouds.

At the same time, the coldness of the frost, the dominance of the cloud, and the persistence of the wind—three distinct types of energy—condensed within Yu Liancheng's body, melting into a more violent force.

Then, red, blue, and green colors condensed on Yu Liancheng's index, middle, and ring fingers, which then spiraled out violently.

The finger force was vast and mighty, blending together, leaving a faint ripple in the air before slamming into the wall with a "bang," directly piercing through it.

If Xiongba were here, he would likely be so angry he would vomit blood.

The Sangi Guiyuan he had researched for many years had been so easily deduced and executed by Yu Liancheng.

"The three ultimates of Wind, Cloud, and Frost are already infinitely powerful, and with this Sangi Guiyuan, it can indeed be considered a marvelous art."

These three ultimate techniques originated from the Datang Military God Li Jing; although they appeared early in the Wind and Cloud saga, they never lost their value. Especially the Paiyun Palm, which accompanied Bu Jingyun in his campaigns, battling countless strong enemies.

The Fengshen Leg was second, yet it also played a huge role under Nie Feng's legs, while the Tianshuang Fist was gradually left unpracticed, which was a pity.

Of course, how a martial art performs ultimately depends on who is using it.

For example, Nie Feng's son, Yi Feng, could be called the "Prince of Devaluation"; he held the Evil Weapon Great Evil King, took the "Reversing Dao Universe" divine medicine that was even better than Dragon Essence, and practiced ultimate arts like the Fengshen Leg, the Evil King's Ten Tribulations, and the Formless Breaking Origin Qi, yet the result was that each one was more devalued than the last.

Just at this moment, Yu Liancheng's expression shifted.

He had already sensed a Sword Intent that could destroy heaven and earth slowly approaching. However, this Sword Intent revealed a sense of twilight, like the setting sun, like a flickering candle...

"Has he come!?"

Yu Liancheng rose to his feet and strode out toward the Three-Part Drill Ground: "Let me go and meet the Heaven-Destroying Earth-Shattering Jian Twenty-Three."

Below the stone steps.

A fire-red figure was walking slowly toward them.

"The Sword Saint!"

"He's here!"

【Line 48 is empty in source】

There were still many martial artists on the stone steps rushing toward the Three-Part Drill Ground, and they now recognized the identity of the old man in red. Immediately, everyone couldn't help but frown.

Because at this moment, the Sword Saint's hair was as white as frost, his gait was stiff, and a deathly aura emanated from his body. Rather than calling him the peerless Sword Saint who had been invincible for half a life and traversed the world, it was better to describe him as an old man in the twilight of his years, his life force like a flickering flame that might be extinguished by a cold breeze.

On the Three-Part Drill Ground, Wuming and Mu Yingxiong had also arrived.

"What is going on? After seven days of recuperation, the Sword Saint should have recovered to his peak..." Wuming felt something, looked toward the bottom of the stone steps, and frowned, then furrowed his brows further.

"No! The Sword Intent contained within his body has surged several times more than it was seven days ago. This aging body, I fear, cannot withstand that vast and majestic Sword Intent. And once this Sword Intent erupts, it will be like a volcano, annihilating everything."

"A fine Dugu Jian." Mu Yingxiong's voice was cold: "I originally thought this old fellow was using the seven days to adjust his state to the peak. I did not expect him to be staking everything on one throw, continuing to accumulate the peerless Sword Intent of 'Jian Twenty-Three'. But once this Sword Intent is triggered, his body will inevitably be unable to withstand it, and he will surely die."

In their early years, the Sword Saint had a history of grievances with the two brothers Mu Yingxiong and Wuming; Wuming had even once been stripped of all his cultivation by the Sword Saint, only recovering his cultivation and reaching a higher level after experiencing the Ten Thousand Sword Reincarnation within the Sword Sect.

Therefore, Mu Yingxiong had not the slightest affection for the Sword Saint. But seeing the Sword Saint risk his life for this battle, casting aside life and death, his tone also held a measure of respect.

"His Sword Intent is growing stronger and stronger, even the Heavenly Phenomenon has been stirred by it."

Wuming looked up at the sky; under the influence of the Sword Intent, the originally clear sky now had large swathes of dark clouds surging over, forming a vortex, black as ink, obscuring the sun and sky.

"We must let the martial artists on the drill ground leave as soon as possible, otherwise, if 'Jian Twenty-Three' erupts, I don't know how many martial artists will lose their lives."

At this time, Yu Liancheng had not yet walked out of the Tianxia Diyi Lou, so Wuming could only go to the Tianshan supervisor and demand that the martial artists be dispersed. Although some were willing to obey Wuming, the Martial Arts Myth, more people were unwilling to leave. Having traveled thousands of miles to get here, if they were to leave without even seeing the Sword Saint and Yu Liancheng, wouldn't they have come in vain?

"Hmph, how long-winded!" Mu Yingxiong did not care in the slightest about the lives of the martial arts practitioners, but seeing Wuming's anxious expression, he could not help but frown. He rose to his full height, pinched his fingers into a sword gesture, and with a surge of Sword Intent, slashed casually through the air; the sharp, surging Sword Qi instantly left the ground shattered and ruined: "Leave, or die!?"

Faced with such a hardline stance, the crowd of martial arts practitioners felt a slight tremor, but immediately after, a nameless rage flared up.

Many of them were sect leaders or masters of their own schools. Apart from City Lord Yu, who in the entire martial arts world could order them around?

The Three-Part Drill Ground was in chaos, and up on the Heavenly Stairs, a change was likewise occurring.

"Is this old man really the Sword Saint?"

"Why does he look so decrepit to me, like he's on the verge of death?"

"Heh, you say, if we kill him, could we make a name for ourselves?"

"Whether we can or not, we'll know if we try!?"

Seeing the Sword Saint in such a state, some were eager to try.

If one could kill the legendary Sword Saint, who was famous on the Pre-Shock Ranking, one would surely rise to fame. Most importantly, the Sword Saint looked so incredibly weak at this moment, as if even a three-year-old child could knock him down.

Finally, someone could not hold back, drew their sword, and thrust it toward the Sword Saint.

However, the moment their sword was thrust out, it froze in mid-air, and then with a "Bang!", the sword body exploded violently.

The activated Sword Qi surged wildly within their body, rampaging through their meridians, causing the person to immediately spit out a mouthful of blood, stumble, and turn deathly pale.

Several more longswords were thrust out in succession, but they likewise exploded, with Sword Qi running wild.

Yet, the Sword Saint had not even glanced at them, nor moved a single finger.

The crowd could not help but look at each other in dismay, especially those who had attacked; they felt that both the swords in their hands and the Sword Qi within their bodies were out of control due to fear.

As if...

As if the endless swords or Sword Qi were all afraid of the Sword Saint.

In reality, to be more precise, they were afraid of the heaven-destroying and earth-extinguishing, terrifying Sword Intent of "Jian Twenty-Three" within the Sword Saint's body.

There were still those who wanted to try using other weapons to see if they could attack the Sword Saint, but they soon lost the desire to do so.

Ssh!

A crack suddenly appeared in the Sword Saint's body.

And within the crack, it was not human flesh and blood, but a sheet of sword light, a vast, white sword light.

A wisp of sword light escaped from the crack and instantly transformed into the most terrifying existence in the world.

Wherever the Sword Qi passed, the Heavenly Stairs shattered in succession, smoke and dust flew, and the martial arts practitioners who stood in the path of the Sword Qi did not even have time to scream before they suddenly exploded, turning into a mist of blood.

One crack after another opened on the Sword Saint's body, and one wisp of Sword Qi after another escaped from within him, rushing and shredding in all directions. No matter what stood before this Sword Qi, there was only a dead end; it was impossible to resist.

"Run!"

"Run quickly!

"

The martial arts practitioners unleashed their light-body techniques and fled in a panic.

Yet the Sword Saint still moved his feet with difficulty, walking step by step toward the top of the Heavenly Stairs.

From beginning to end, he had never paid any attention to this group of martial arts practitioners.

"Must go to fight."

"Must let the people of the world see my 'Jian Twenty-Three'."

The Sword Saint gasped for air; his vision was dim, his body was exhausted, as if he had fought a powerful enemy for ten days and ten nights. His steps were heavy, and every time he stepped onto a stair, it felt as if he were exhausting all his strength. But strangely, in his mind, the concept of fatigue no longer existed; only a powerful belief was supporting him.

The cracks in his body grew more numerous, and before long, the entire person was like a broken porcelain Wawa.

Wisps of Sword Qi shot out from his body, and the Heavenly Stairs in all directions had already been reduced to smithereens.

Boom!

The Sword Saint's old, decaying body could finally no longer withstand the terrifying Sword Qi of "Jian Twenty-Three" and exploded with a roar, while an ethereal figure headed straight for the Three-Part Drill Ground.

On the Three-Part Drill Ground.

Yu Liancheng had arrived; he flicked his sleeve, and the scene quickly quieted down.

After listening to his subordinates' report, Yu Liancheng stated that those who wanted to stay could stay, and those who wanted to leave could go.

Wuming had already clearly explained the dangers to everyone; life and death would depend on themselves.

Afterward, he stopped paying attention to these martial arts people, sat in his chair, and closed his eyes to rest.

Suddenly.

His eyes opened.

It was as if two rays of divine light had exploded.

The Sword Saint had come.

Above the sky, which had originally been covered in dark clouds, a ray of light suddenly pierced through the clouds and shot down from the horizon onto the Three-Part Drill Ground.

But this light did not bring warmth; instead, it was bone-chillingly cold, as if falling into an abyss.

Because that was a sword light, a deep and terrifying sword light that could extinguish the heavens and the earth.

"Yu Liancheng, this old man has come to fulfill the appointment."