Chapter 517: A Thousand Li of Yellow Sand, Sword Qi Chilling

A shimmering glow of radiant light emanated from the Fire Bell Copper Fish, piercing through the clouds and shooting straight into the heavens, making Chen Hang appear as if engulfed in flames, with a crimson dragon coiled around him, his features blurred and indistinct.

Yet amidst the brilliant, blazing light, only those eyes remained gleaming with sharp brilliance, their edge unmistakable—even the fire and radiant light could not obscure them, like a divine blade freshly drawn.

Divine might, like a hellish court—fierce and unbearable!

The emergence of this Fire Bell Copper Fish had merely stirred the winds and clouds within a radius of dozens of li, causing a celestial omen.

Yet within the vast expanse of the Imperial Elder’s Social Chart, numerous Golden Core True Persons suddenly felt an inexplicable resonance; their small jade tablets grew scalding hot, humming incessantly.

Yu Huangshang, Pei Zhi, Lu Rong, Wei Lingjiang, Gu Yi…

The Golden Core True Persons in the arena simultaneously set aside their affairs and turned their gazes toward the direction of the Flowing Sands Mountain, each with differing expressions.

“The first Fire Bell Copper Fish?”

At the peak of a great snowy mountain, Yin Wujie, who had been sitting with closed eyes, suddenly opened them.

He surveyed the ten thousand mountains of ice and snow, the frozen heavens and frost-laden earth, his gaze pausing briefly on the direction of the Flowing Sands Mountain before lowering his eyelids once more, continuing to hold his breath and focus, silently cultivating his mysterious art.

Ten Fire Bell Copper Fish exist; even if one is seized, nine remain.

And Yin Wujie was confident that with his divine abilities, securing one Fire Bell Copper Fish was a matter of simple ease.

Even if surrounded, as long as he did not face those few, he had countermeasures—merely requiring a bit more effort.

Given this, he had no need to laboriously travel to the Flowing Sands Mountain.

He would simply wait…

“Who will be the first to seize the fish?”

Yin Wujie smiled inwardly, pondering briefly:

“The Flowing Sands Mountain must already be in turmoil—how many will be eliminated first in this clash?”

As Yin Wujie continued to lower his gaze and enter meditation,

at the Flowing Sands Mountain, the Golden Core True Persons in the arena each harbored private thoughts, the atmosphere tense.

Wang Xiu and Tian Fang exchanged glances, both seeing disbelief in each other’s eyes, finding Chen Hang’s action truly astonishing and unprecedented.

At present, besides Chen Hang himself, there were eight Golden Core True Persons in the arena.

These eight were no mere weaklings; each was an outstanding talent from their own sect.

Across the vast Nine Provinces, they were among the rarest top-tier Golden Core cultivators, wielding immense divine powers and formidable magic power!

Yet Chen Hang dared to face eight at once—

This deliberate provocation stirred anger in Wang Xiu’s heart; he felt himself belittled.

“To face many alone—who does this man think he is? Even Yu Yuchen’s former Dao Disciple, Junyao, the so-called number one Primordial Spirit of the land, nearly suffered a great defeat when besieged during the Golden Core Assembly!”

And Chen Hang is not even Yu Yuchen’s Dao Disciple—he still has Ji Fa Kai before him—and yet he dares act this way?”

Wang Xiu suddenly smiled, suppressing his emotions instantly, and silently transmitted a message to Tian Fang:

“Later, please guard me briefly—I need room to unleash that divine art!”

Tian Fang, having known Wang Xiu for years, naturally understood what he meant, nodding slightly to show he understood.

At that moment, a clear, ringing sword cry sounded as Shen Xingcui stepped forward first, bowing from afar.

“Chen True Person truly possesses great audacity. To be honest, Shen Mou also deeply admires this!”

Shen Xingcui said no more, only:

“But the Fire Bell Copper Fish is of great consequence—cannot be surrendered lightly. I beg to test your skill!”

Seeing someone willing to test Chen Hang’s abilities first, Tian Fang, Zhang Ping, and others had no objection—they were glad to watch.

Only Yuan Fayan and Guo Shaomi, who knew Shen Xingcui well, realized his words were merely an excuse.

He stepped forward solely to engage Chen Hang in a sword duel, seeking pure, exhilarating combat—nothing else.

The reason Shen Xingcui did not reveal his true intent was to avoid being scolded by his sect elders after exiting the Imperial Elder’s Social Chart for being reckless and violent, utterly lacking in strategy.

“Go ahead.” Chen Hang raised his hand, signaling Shen Xingcui to strike first.

Shen Xingcui drew a deep breath, his mind stirring, and a blade of light shot forth instantly, striking straight for Chen Hang’s face!

This strike came with blinding speed; a common Golden Core True Person would barely glimpse the swordlight piercing the clouds before their head fell in bloody ruin, their soul unable to escape.

The higher an swordsman’s sword realm, the greater his killing power.

Often, merely a single flying sword could obliterate a thousand divine arts and myriad spells.

No matter how intricate or mysterious the enemy’s transformations, once the flying sword hovered at the neck, all was useless.

With Shen Xingcui’s current sixth-rank cultivation, when he summoned his sword, even seasoned Golden Core masters like Xie Tan and Wang Xiu had to take him seriously.

One misstep, allowing the flying sword to close in, and he would be at a disadvantage.

He might even find his divine arts constrained and clumsy, risking a major defeat.

Facing the incoming flying sword, Chen Hang did not dodge; only as the blade neared his body did a crimson light flash from his third eye, halting it midair.

The two clashed in midair, and Shen Xingcui’s flying sword was forced back a full zhang, trembling slightly.

“Abhis….”

Shen Xingcui nodded inwardly.

He pressed his hand down, unleashing fully, employing the Sword Light Division Technique, splitting his blade into exactly thirty-six.

In an instant, thirty-six sword qi surged through the clouds, racing like lightning, forming a river of steel that charged toward Chen Hang.

“Only twenty-four?”

At this, Shen Xingcui saw Chen Hang had only manifested twenty-four sword lights—clearly not using his full strength.

Shen Xingcui felt no anger; instead, his expression grew more serious, his focus sharpening entirely.

In an instant, the piercing clang of metal on metal merged into a continuous din, killing aura filling the air, mournful winds rising from all sides.

The dense swordlight merged into a single blinding mass, indistinguishable, so intense that even from afar, it stabbed the eyes and sent a chill down the spine!

Within mere dozens of breaths, both sides had clashed over a thousand times.

Shen Xingcui initially believed his greater number of divided swordlights would grant him the upper hand in quantity, but Chen Hang’s battle experience far surpassed Shen Xingcui’s expectations.

He merely summoned one swordlight, yet could hold off three of Shen Xingcui’s.

No matter how Shen Xingcui attacked, Chen Hang held his ground, impenetrable as a storm.

As the battle intensified, Shen Xingcui’s assaults were gradually pushed back, sinking irreversibly into decline.

Seeing this, defeat became inevitable.

Chen Hang was also a swordsman; Shen Xingcui’s reliance on sword-dodging techniques was known to him—perhaps even mastered better than himself.

Resorting to the typical swordsman’s evasive tactics would be foolish—plainly exposing his weakness.

At this moment, Shen Xingcui’s eyes flashed; a blinding malevolent light surged from his third eye, resonating with his flying sword, forming an invisible secret blade that slashed violently at Chen Hang’s soul!

This was one of the sword arts of the Zhongyi Sword Sect, called “Extinguishing the Soul’s Fate,” capable of terrifying the enemy’s mind and damaging the spirit.

This “Extinguishing the Soul’s Fate” had no relation to magic power levels; it was less a divine art than a secret technique.

The higher the cultivator’s sword mastery, the greater the power of this sword art.

In Zhongyi Sword Sect, there was a legend: one of their sword immortals, still a Purple Mansion cultivator before achieving Dao, used this “Extinguishing the Soul’s Fate” to kill five Cave-Awakening Lianshi, rising to fame in the Eastern Hun region.

Shen Xingcui had not yet reached the sixth-rank level of spellcasting—he was just a hair’s breadth short.

But he was not without other skills beyond his superior sword technique; this “Extinguishing the Soul’s Fate” was the sword art he had mastered most thoroughly.

Once unleashed, it almost always succeeded.

Almost as the technique struck, Shen Xingcui roared aloud, his thirty-six swordlights blazing brilliantly, soaring through the air to form a rigid, deadly net that enveloped Chen Hang at the center, then slashed down!

A piercing clang rang out, like thunder in winter.

Shen Xingcui saw a flash of crimson light, then his cheek and left side of his body throbbed faintly.

He quickly stabilized his mind and retreated several li away.

Only then did he see that all thirty-six of his swordlights had been repelled.

And the residual force of Abhis had severed half his protective magic power before finally stopping.

Had he not dodged in time, it would not have been mere pain—he would have been wounded.

“Excellent sword art! Excellent combat!”

Shen Xingcui fell silent for a moment, then, without pondering how Chen Hang had blocked the “Extinguishing the Soul’s Fate,” bowed sincerely:

“Thank you, Chen True Person, for the instruction!”

Shen Xingcui had used his full strength—and still lost to Chen Hang.

Throughout this duel, Chen Hang had fought solely with sword techniques, never employing any other offensive divine art—clearly holding back.

“I’ve heard you once received instruction from your sect’s Qiao True Person, and even visited the Abyssal Golden Drum Cave?”

Chen Hang now calmly returned Abhis to his sleeve, smiling:

“I too received instruction from Qiao True Person.”

Shen Xingcui opened his mouth, then paused, thoughtful.

“You are destined to possess the Copper Fish—I have no objection. Within the Imperial Elder’s Social Chart, I shall yield to you.”

After bowing and speaking these words, Shen Xingcui ignored the other Golden Core True Persons, instead transmitting a message to Yuan Fayan and Guo Shaomi.

Yuan Fayan’s expression remained resolute, but Guo Shaomi’s showed slight hesitation, uncertain.

Shen Xingcui sighed inwardly, drew his sword, and suddenly shouted into the sky:

“Witch, let us duel!”

With that, he merged with his swordlight and charged straight at Guo Shaomi.

The two flew and clashed fiercely, appearing to fight with genuine fury—but once they reached a hundred li away, they halted as if by prior agreement.

“Your acting was terrible,” Guo Shaomi said, slowly landing atop a peak, shaking his head.

“If I hadn’t put on this show, you’d still be hesitating—and get swept out of the arena.” Shen Xingcui retracted his swordlight, slightly exasperated.

“Could Chen Hang really be that capable?”

“Stronger than you imagine. You won’t truly grasp the weight of his presence unless you face him directly!”

Shen Xingcui fell silent for a moment, then sighed:

“Facing him, I felt as if I were facing Zhou Xingling of our sect. Had it not been for Zhenjun Qiao’s intervention and his deliberate restraint, how could I still stand here so calmly?”

Guo Shaomi fell silent as well, and after a long pause, said:

“What about Yuan True Person?”

“Old Yuan is fine in every way—except his stubbornness. He never listens to advice. This time, he’s truly in trouble.”

Shen Xingcui chuckled dryly:

“Even if everyone must be eliminated eventually, there’s a difference between being eliminated first, last, or in what manner.”

“I say those at Liusha Mountain won’t fare well this time!”

Guo Shaomi was skeptical but not entirely dismissive.

Even though she and Shen Xingcui had left the arena, six Dan Yuan True Persons still remained inside—especially Xie Tan and Wang Xiu, both exceedingly formidable!

Remember, even ants can kill an elephant when they swarm.

And now—

Before Guo Shaomi could think further, she felt as if distant mountains had exploded—beneath her feet, a faint tremor spread, and grass and trees swayed lightly.

Vast clouds of dust instantly billowed out, thick and hazy, obscuring north from south!

“They’ve begun fighting!”

Guo Shaomi’s heart tightened.

…

…

The air rang with deafening battle cries, echoing across the land!

Facing the combined assault of six Dan Yuan True Persons, Chen Hang showed no fear. He merely raised his hand seal, and a five-colored giant hand rose, slicing down through the air.

Midway, the five-colored hand collided violently with six magic treasures, exploding into swirling clouds of light.

But before the six treasures could veer away, the smoke coalesced again—six giant hands, swift as thunder, each striking one of the treasures with full force.

“Where does he get such overwhelming magic power?”

Seeing his own ram-horn hammer collide with the giant hand and shatter with a metallic crack—not only failing to break through, but dimming its own spiritual glow—

Pei Hanzhang was startled. He barely began forming a hand seal when he met Chen Hang’s gaze, his pupils contracting as he sensed disaster.

Better to sever one finger than injure ten.

Someone as skilled in combat as Chen Hang would surely know this.

Among the six Dan Yuan True Persons surrounding Chen Hang, Pei Hanzhang was no weakling—but most of his strength lay in arranging formations, making him slightly inferior to the others.

Thus, Chen Hang naturally targeted Pei Hanzhang first, aiming to break through here and seize control of the entire situation!

Pei Hanzhang now realized he could not match Chen Hang directly. He sought to create distance, set up his formation, and then fight.

But though his movements were swift, Chen Hang’s were faster—in the blink of an eye, he vanished from his spot.

“Stop him!”

Wang Xiu frowned slightly; behind him, light flared, and a white shadow shot out, blocking Pei Hanzhang’s path.

Though the other Dan Yuan True Persons had not coordinated beforehand, they now moved with perfect synergy—some attacked Chen Hang, others shielded Pei Hanzhang.

“Rise!”

Pei Hanzhang’s expression was grave, but his footing remained unshaken, precise and orderly.

He stepped through the Eight Gates, aligning with Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, Dui.

Instantly, the earth trembled; veins of terrestrial energy erupted like fountains, forming a screen that fully shielded him at the center. Around him, miles of sand roared upward, swirling in spirals, obscuring all forms and shadows.

The next instant, a sharp sword-light slashed diagonally, appearing abruptly ten paces before Pei Hanzhang.

Uncanny, unfathomable—murderous aura soaring to the heavens!

Pei Hanzhang had barely raised his hand when he was violently flung backward; a crisp sound like shattering glass echoed from his waist as golden light dissolved in great bursts.

His hastily formed protective spell had not even fully manifested before being utterly cleaved away by a single sword stroke!

A few breaths later, within the world of sand:

Before the astonished gazes of those outside, a glowing jade light surged upward, enveloping Pei Hanzhang, who shook his head with a wry smile, and in an instant, he vanished from the map.

Now, only five Dan Yuan True Persons remained in the arena…