Chapter 945

On the mountain peak, Yan Buji was sitting with eyes closed, regulating his breath, when suddenly a sense of alarm rose in his heart.

He flung his eyes open, only to see dark clouds roiling in the distance on the horizon, a familiar chill rushing swiftly toward him.

"Old fiend, your vengeful spirit won't disperse!"

Yan Buji curled his lip in a disdainful cold smile; facing the sky‑covering dark clouds, he showed no fear, not only refusing to turn and flee, but instead rose steadily from his seat.

His right hand reached out slowly, as if in slow motion, finally resting on the newly forged Abni Sword. The moment the hilt touched his palm, an icy sensation spread up his hand, as if the sword had been dredged from the Nine‑Abyss Hell.

Even more astonishing, the instant he gripped the hilt, the seven tiny chains coiled around it—seemingly alive—automatically wound around his wrist. They caused him no pain at all, feeling like part of his own body, allowing him to wield the sword as naturally as an extension of his arm.

At that moment, the dark clouds that had been far away surged forward like lightning, instantly arriving above Yan Buji's head. The mass of clouds resembled a gigantic ghostly face, blotting out sky and sun, enveloping the entire space in darkness.

Suddenly, a thunder‑like boom echoed from the secret realm, ringing painfully in the ears: "Little thief, hand over the Soul‑Burial Sword, and I'll give you a quick death!" The voice clearly came from that ancient soul cultivator; even from far away, its fury and killing intent were palpable.

Yet facing the ancient soul cultivator's threat, Yan Buji showed no fear, his voice icy and firm: "Want it? Come take it yourself!" Before his words faded, he jerked the sword from its sheath; a flash of cold light sliced the air—the blade of the Abni Sword traced like lightning, leaving a lingering black scar, as if the void itself had been torn apart by that strike.

The clouds that had blanketed the sky suddenly contracted in an instant, as if kneaded by an invisible giant hand, swiftly condensing into the semblance of a gaunt old man. His eyes burned with soul‑fire, exuding an indescribable pressure.

"You… you actually refined the Soul‑Burial Sword?" The ancient soul cultivator was obviously shocked, staring fixedly at the Abni Sword in Yan Buji's hand, roaring in disbelief, "That… is it the Seven‑Slaughter Sword? How could the Seven‑Slaughter Sword of Youmingzi be in your hands?!"

"And that's not all—I've prepared a big gift for you!"

Yan Buji suddenly swung his sword in a horizontal slash, and a pitch‑black sword‑ray shot out soundlessly. Though it appeared slow, it was actually unimaginably fast, cleanly slicing space like cloth wherever it passed.

The ancient soul cultivator's expression shifted slightly; with a flourish of his sleeves he flung forth a white‑bone shield, its surface carved with ferocious ghost faces—an ancient demonic artifact!

Judging by its power, it is likely no weaker than an ordinary Eight‑turn Immortal Accumulation!

Hiss!

The sword‑ray struck the shield, producing no earth‑shaking explosion, only a soft sound.

The next second, the ancient demonic artifact reputed to block a full‑force strike from a Body‑Union cultivator was cut cleanly in half like tofu!

The countless resentful spirits sealed within the shield didn't even have time to scream before they vanished into ash and smoke.

"What?!" the ancient soul cultivator blasted back a thousand zhang, his gaunt face showing surprise for the first time.

Yan Buji himself was somewhat startled by the Abni Sword's power, but pressing his advantage, he shifted his sword momentum; the seven chains shot out from the guard like poisonous dragons, coiling toward the ancient soul cultivator.

These chains were more substantial than before, each link etched with fine crimson runes—clearly an upgraded version infused with the essence of the Seven‑Slaughter Sword!

"Trivial tricks!" the ancient soul cultivator snorted coldly, forming seals with both hands as seven emerald‑green fire lines surged toward the chains.

Yet a strange scene unfolded: the moment the fire lines touched the chains, they were directly devoured! The chains lost no momentum, and in the blink of an eye they wound around Xuan Yinzi's limbs.

"Ah!"

The old man let out a pained roar, feeling his primordial spirit power being frenziedly drained.

He bit his tongue hard, spitting a mouthful of soul‑blood: "Youming Disintegration Grand Method!"

"Boom!"

Xuan Yinzi's body suddenly burst apart, transforming into countless strands of dark light that scattered in all directions.

The chains instantly missed their mark, while a hundred li away in the sky, the dark light re‑condensed into the old man's form—though his aura was markedly weakened.

"What a vicious sword!" the ancient soul cultivator fixed his gaze on the Abni Sword in Yan Buji's hand, his eyes holding both wariness and greed, "But do you think this alone can stand against me?"

He suddenly flung his arms wide, and the entire Zanghun Shanmai began to tremble. Countless white bones crawled up from the ground, blood rain fell from the sky, and a massive formation covering a thousand‑li radius was awakening!

"The Youming Huangquan Formation?!" Yan Buji recognized this ancient lethal formation; it is said that when fully executed it can summon a projection of the Yellow Springs, and no one below the Great Vehicle Stage can survive.

"Now you know fear?" the ancient soul cultivator sneered wickedly, "I won't hesitate to burn a thousand years of my cultivation just to take you...... huh?"

His harsh words caught in his throat, for Yan Buji not only failed to panic, but instead revealed a strange smile.

"Old Gui, thanks for helping me test my sword." Yan Buji suddenly sheathed his blade, "For today, that's enough—I'll take your dog's life another day!"

Having said that, he tapped a finger on the sword‑scabbard; the Abni Sword instantly blazed with black light, the seven chains weaving into a net that tore open a spatial rift before him.

"You think you can escape?!" the ancient soul cultivator flew into a rage, driving the great formation downward. A colossal Youming ghost hand, blotting out sky and sun, descended from the heavens, rotting even space in its wake.

"Farewell."

Yan Buji stepped calmly into the rift.

As the ghost hand came down, the rift snapped shut just in time, leaving only Xuan Yinzi's furious roar echoing through heaven and earth......

In a valley a hundred li away, the previously tranquil space suddenly tore apart with a deafening boom. Immediately, a figure stumbled out of the spatial rift—Yan Buji himself, his face as pale as paper, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, clearly having just endured an extraordinarily fierce battle.

Yet despite his dire condition, Yan Buji's eyes sparkled with excitement. He muttered to himself, "Eight‑turn Immortal Accumulation, truly extraordinary!" For in that fierce battle just now, although he ultimately fell short against that ancient titan, he had managed to clash head‑on with him and even forced the opponent to resort to a self‑harming secret art at one point.

Had it been before, facing such a formidable foe Yan Buji likely couldn't have withstood even a single exchange, forced to flee in disgrace. But after this battle, not only has his strength markedly increased, more importantly he has fully grasped the true power of the Abni Sword in his hand.

This Abni Sword slices through flesh as easily as cutting rotten mud, and its damage to the primordial spirit is as effortless as snapping silk.

However, this sword is far from flawless. Yan Buji knows its greatest drawback is the enormous consumption. With his current cultivation, he can unleash at most three consecutive strikes; after that, his strength will be exhausted and he will be unable to fight further.