Chapter 597: Annihilating Heaven and Earth Sword Twenty-Three

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

Sword Saint slowly descended from the sky.

In an instant, countless gazes converged upon Sword Saint.

He remained calm and composed, his red robes like fire and blood. He seemed no different from usual, yet his feet did not touch the ground, and his entire being was light and airy, as if he had no weight at all.

The crimson mark between his brows was even more profound, cold and desolate like blood.

"This old man has only one sword; if you can receive it, you shall be considered the winner." Under the gaze of the masses, Sword Saint stepped toward Yu Liancheng. And at the same moment he took his first step, a "humming" sword sound erupted from within his body, like a great bell tolling. Simultaneously, a sword light that pierced the heavens and shook the earth burst forth.

Countless sword Qi erupted from Sword Saint as the center, spreading in all directions like a raging tidal wave, like volcanic magma, instantly shrouding the entire Three-Part Drill Ground to form a sword Qi Sword Realm.

And within this sword Qi barrier, everything was like a movie frame pressed on pause; all movements and expressions were completely frozen.

A wine cup overturned in terror on the table, the liquid already flowing across the surface, about to drip off the edge, yet it remained suspended in mid-air. A falling leaf had been curling with the wind, but at this moment the wind stopped, and the leaf was fixed in mid-air.

At this moment, everything that had been moving was now still.

Everyone felt a chill throughout their bodies; not only were they unable to move, but a sense of dread gripped their hearts, feeling as if they were surrounded by swords on all sides, liable to be pierced through by ten thousand swords at any moment.

This should not be called a sword Qi barrier.

"Sword Heart Purgatory" would be a more fitting name.

This was a purgatory driven by Sword Saint's sword heart.

Within this sword Qi barrier, no one could move.

Wuming could not move.

Mu Yingxiong could not move.

Yu Liancheng could not move either...

Not even a single finger could move.

—Except for Sword Saint.

The master of this Sword Heart Purgatory.

He could dictate the life and death of everyone.

No, or perhaps, once this Sword Intent was unleashed, even he himself could not control it.

Because this was Jue Tian Mie Di Jian Jian Twenty-Three, the Sword Twenty-Three that represented infinite death and killing intent.

It was not the controllable Sentient World Sword Twenty-Three.

Once this sword was born, it was meant to slaughter all living things, and Sword Saint was merely its vessel, just like Yan Shisan when he realized the Fifteenth Change of the Life-Taking Thirteen Swords back then.

Sword Saint stepped forward; he walked very slowly, and with every step, he brought about a sound of sharp blades cutting, and dense sword marks suddenly appeared all over the bodies of the frozen martial artists.

If one observed closely, these sword marks were all moves from the Holy Spirit Sword Technique.

Sword Saint ascended the steps, calm and elegant.

With a tap of his toes, he leaped into the air, joined his fingers together, and thrust toward Yu Liancheng.

At this moment, Sword Saint was already a non-human existence.

He was a sword.

A sword that would exterminate all life.

"I wonder if I can withstand this."

This Sword Twenty-Three was clearly more terrifying than the original path; Sword Saint had completely abandoned his physical body, seeking only to unleash the power of this destructive strike to its peak.

Even Yu Liancheng had to treat it with gravity.

Fortunately.

This was Jue Tian Mie Di Jian Jian Twenty-Three, not Liu Mie Wu Wo Jian Twenty-Three.

And while Jue Tian Mie Di Jian Jian Twenty-Three could freeze the physical body, it could not freeze the Primordial Spirit and consciousness.

Yu Liancheng sat on the long bench, his mind stirring.

From the Tianxia Diyi Lou, which was not yet shrouded by the Sword Heart Purgatory, an object shot out—it was a jade pendant. This jade pendant seemed no different from an ordinary one, except that four small characters were carved on its front.

—Heavenly Dao Limitless.

Heavenly Dao Limitless transformed in mid-air, suddenly taking the form of the Peerless Good Sword, and with a "whoosh," it pierced the sky to meet Sword Saint's sword finger.

Once this Heavenly Dao Limitless entered the "Sword Heart Purgatory," it should have been frozen, but Yu Liancheng had covered it with a layer of "Heavenly Phenomenon Jielie."

"Heavenly Phenomenon Jielie" also formed its own world; although it could not freeze time and space, it was still able to move freely within the Sword Heart Purgatory. And this sword not only condensed the power of "Heavenly Phenomenon Jielie," but also the Flying Sword Technique from the "Snow Sword Stride" world and the "Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin" of the Sword Sect, so the might of this sword could not be underestimated by anyone.

Including Sword Saint!

Boom!

The sword finger thrust by Sword Saint finally collided with the sword finger thrust by Sword Saint.

A massive roar erupted instantly, and sharp, peerless force surged out from all directions; the air boiled, making a rushing sound like flowing water. Some martial artists who were closer were directly blown away.

Yu Liancheng was positioned on the high platform.

This high platform was built of marble, solid and sturdy.

But under the successive bombardment and cutting of the sharp force, it emitted a series of "crack, crack" sounds, and spiderweb-like cracks spread rapidly; it was tottering, and finally, with a "boom," it collapsed abruptly, dust flying.

And Yu Liancheng, who had been frozen and should have been buried in the pile of rubble, suddenly shook his arms and rose sharply.

He was the primary target of the Sword Heart Purgatory's freezing effect, so it was difficult to use the Heavenly Phenomenon Jielie to break free.

But at this moment, Sword Saint was clashing with Heavenly Dao Limitless, weakening the power of the Sword Heart Purgatory, and he used the Heavenly Phenomenon Jielie to strike, finally regaining control of his body.

Yu Liancheng pinched a sword seal and pointed forward.

Heavenly Dao Limitless, which had been in a stalemate with Sword Saint, let out a "humming" vibration, and the sword Qi erupted once more, not only shattering Sword Saint's sword finger but also piercing through his chest.

"This old man... has lost..."

Sword Saint looked at the huge hole in his chest and muttered to himself.

This Heavenly Dao Limitless had the ability of "Annihilation of Body and Soul"; once it pierced the Primordial Spirit, it was a fatal wound.

"That's right, you have lost!"

"

Yu Liancheng's face was slightly pale.

This battle was extremely perilous; even for him, it left lingering fears.

"No! Juedi Jue Tian Jian Twenty-Three is not the end... there must be an even stronger Jian Twenty-Three... I am not reconciled!

I am not reconciled!"

"

Sword Saint let out a roar of unwillingness, his form gradually fading.

In the end, there was only a faint sigh; his Primordial Spirit completely shattered, turning into wisps of green smoke and scattering away.

With Yu Liancheng's keen eyesight, he faintly saw the remaining Sword Intent of "Jian Twenty-Three" preserve the Sword Saint's last wisp of Residual Soul, escaping into the void and vanishing without a trace.

Yu Liancheng's eyes flickered: "Perhaps, the Mysterious Yin Twelve Swords is not the only sword technique that possesses consciousness. This Jian Twenty-Three has entangled the Sword Saint for lifetimes; the three generations of Sword Saint were glorious because of Jian Twenty-Three, and likewise met tragic ends because of Jian Twenty-Three..."

Grasping the last wisp of the Jian Twenty-Three aura, a radiance bloomed on Yu Liancheng's forehead; that was the Heaven Cry, which recorded all secrets.

His mind immersed itself within the Heaven Cry, searching for the legendary Six Extinctions Secret Manual through the aura of Jian Twenty-Three.

The Six Extinctions Secret Manual contained the record of the Liu Mie Wu Wo Jian Twenty-Three, but the power of the Six Extinctions Secret Manual was too strong, actually blocking the investigation between the Heaven Cry and the Jiukong Wujie.

Now, relying on the aura of a wisp of Six Extinctions Sword Twenty-Three, Yu Liancheng was finally able to locate the Six Extinctions Secret Manual.

On the Three-Part Drill Ground, because the Sword Saint had died and the Jian Twenty-Three had been broken, the Sword Heart Purgatory no longer existed. Those frozen martial artists were finally able to move.

However, the very moment they regained control over their bodies, the martial artists who had previously been grazed by the Sword Saint saw sword marks all over their bodies as blood gushed out like a fountain; their limbs were severed, and in an instant, it became a river of blood, with hundreds dead or injured.

Cries and wails filled the air; had it not been for many people listening to Wuming's words and avoiding the area in advance, the number of deaths this time would have been immeasurable.

Furthermore, those sitting in the front rows were all big figures like sect leaders and Gang Leaders; the martial arts world, which had only just shown signs of prosperity, nearly fell into decline once again because of today's battle.

"Jian Twenty-Three, Jian Twenty-Three, what a magnificent Jian Twenty-Three that freezes the void and destroys heaven and earth..."

Mu Yingxiong's brows were tightly furrowed, his expression slightly cold.

Under that strike of Jian Twenty-Three, he had actually been unable to move, forced to let himself be slaughtered.

Of course, Jian Twenty-Three was not unbreakable. For instance, like Yu Liancheng, even if the body could not move, one could control a sword with intent. Or, for instance, by not engaging the Sword Saint in close combat, but instead using Qi to control a sword, or attacking with Sword Qi; after all, the range covered by the Sword Heart Purgatory was limited...

But regardless, this was all hindsight.

Previously, when facing that Jian Twenty-Three, the feeling of having no choice but to be slaughtered made Mu Yingxiong feel extremely angry and humiliated...

"Big brother, the sword has no limits; there has never been a perfect sword move. You and I have spent half our lives and have yet to reach the pinnacle of the Sword Dao, so why be so dejected?" Wuming saw Mu Yingxiong's unwillingness and patted his shoulder as he spoke.

Mu Yingxiong only nodded with a cold face.

Immediately, he looked toward Yu Liancheng, his entire body erupting with Sword Intent.

Having watched such a brilliant sword duel, how could he not be filled with fighting spirit?

Moreover, there was the possibility of witnessing the Sword Realm, which was rumored to gather all the Sword Dao wisdom of the past and present.

And it was at this moment that Yu Liancheng opened his eyes, a trace of a smile spilling from the corners of his mouth; he had finally found the location of the Six Extinctions Secret Manual. He then turned his gaze toward the two brothers, Mu Yingxiong and Wuming.

"Alright, it is your turn."

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