Chapter 574: Sword Intent Like a Mountain, Yin and Yang Reversed

"Enough!" Ancestor Jianchi could finally no longer suppress the rage in his heart; his figure flashed, swooping down from high in the sky. The ancient sword "Dragon-Slaying" in his hand emitted a cold, chilling light, and the blade was covered in dense runes, each one representing an experience of life-and-death combat.

"Mere ants, daring to show off before this seat!" Ancestor Jianchi's voice exploded like thunder, and a terrifying sword intent erupted from his body, spreading in all directions like a landslide or a tsunami.

Those rogue cultivators who were still guerrilla-harassing instantly felt immense pressure, as if a mountain were pressing down on their hearts. The weaker rogue cultivators were even directly shaken into spitting blood by this sword intent and sent flying backward.

"Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin—Jian Qi Chang He!"

Ancestor Jianchi swung the long sword in his hand, and countless streams of sword Qi poured down onto the battlefield like a reversed Milky Way. Each stream of sword Qi possessed the power to split mountains and crack rocks; wherever it passed, the first line of defense of the Taiji Array meticulously laid out by Lin Xuan was instantly torn to shreds.

"Not good!" Lin Xuan felt the array being broken, and his expression changed. This first line of defense was the foundation of their entire defensive system; once broken, the subsequent defensive pressure would increase exponentially.

"Brother Zhang, quickly take the rogue cultivators and retreat!" Lin Xuan shouted to Zhang Wuji in the distance, "Do not fight head-on; preserve our effective strength!"

Zhang Wuji gritted his teeth; although he was unwilling, he understood that fighting head-on would only increase needless casualties. "Brothers, retreat!"

Under Zhang Wuji's lead, the rogue cultivators retreated rapidly, but how could Ancestor Jianchi let them go so easily? "Want to run? Have you asked my sword?"

He swung his sword again, and this time the sword Qi was even sharper, striking directly at the backs of the rogue cultivators.

"Audacious!" Lin Xuan shouted angrily, his figure flashing like lightning to appear before the rogue cultivators, his hands channeling the Taiji True Art to condense a massive Taiji Pattern before him.

"Taiji True Art—Universe Great Shift!"

Those sword Qi streams that were originally killing toward the rogue cultivators collided with the Taiji Pattern and were immediately pulled by an invisible force, changing direction and instead shooting toward the camp of the traditional forces.

"What?" Ancestor Jianchi was greatly shocked, not expecting his attack to be neutralized so easily.

"Hmph, mere petty tricks!" He snorted coldly, "Watch me break your crooked, evil ways!"

"Dragon-Slaying Sword Art—One Sword Breaks the Rivers and Mountains!"

This time, Ancestor Jianchi did not use the area-of-effect sword Qi again, but instead concentrated all his power into a single sword strike. This strike contained his cultivation insights from hundreds of years, the sword intent solidified like a mountain, as if it could truly sever rivers and mountains.

Facing this terrifying sword strike, Lin Xuan dared not be careless and immediately mobilized all his Taiji True Qi. "Taiji True Art—Yin and Yang Reversal!"

One could see the Taiji Pattern before Lin Xuan begin to spin rapidly, the Yin and Yang polarities alternating with each other, producing a strange power. This power was neither pure Yin nor pure Yang, but a perfect fusion of the two, forming a realm that transcended common logic.

Ancestor Jianchi's attack collided with this reversed Yin and Yang power and actually produced an unexpected effect. The originally sharp sword intent began to become sluggish, as if it had fallen into a quagmire, its power greatly diminished.

"This is impossible!" Ancestor Jianchi was shocked to the point of being dumbfounded, "How could my sword intent be suppressed by your cultivation technique?"

"Senior, this is the essence of Taiji," Lin Xuan said while panting, "It is not using power to resist power, but using wisdom to resolve violence. Your sword intent is strong, but it is too rigid and lacks change."

After hearing this, a look of contemplation flashed in Ancestor Jianchi's eyes, but it was quickly covered by anger. "Yellow-mouthed child, daring to lecture me on the Dao of the sword!"

Just as the two were locked in a fierce battle, on the other side of the battlefield, Ancestor Guisha of the Soul Refining Sect also began to exert his power.

"Since you of the Buddha Sect want to be my enemy, then let you see what true terror is!" Ancestor Guisha laughed hideously, "Ten Thousand Ghosts Pay Homage—Ligui Wang Appear!"

Accompanied by his incantations, dozens of massive black whirlpools suddenly appeared in the sky. From these whirlpools, dozens of Ligui Wang of various shapes slowly crawled out.

These Ligui Wang all possessed strength close to the Golden Core Stage; their bodies emitted dense resentment and killing intent, and their mere appearance caused the surrounding temperature to drop by more than ten degrees.

"Hehehe... the taste of living flesh... so fragrant and sweet..." A Ligui Wang shaped like an infant but with sharp claws licked its lips, bloodthirsty light flickering in its eyes.

"Amitabha, evil demons and heretics, go to your deaths!" Seeing this, Huiming Fangzhang dared not have the slightest carelessness and immediately began to prepare the strongest defensive method of Leiyin Temple.

"Qianfo Hushen Zhen—Buddha Light Shines Everywhere!"

Hundreds of monks from Leiyin Temple sat cross-legged simultaneously, chanting ancient Buddhist scriptures. As the chanting rose, golden Buddha statues condensed behind them one by one.

Some of these Buddha statues had kind and benevolent expressions, some were angry Vajras, some held Dharma Artifacts, and some performed hand seals to cast spells. Although their forms varied, they all emitted pure Buddha light, shrouding the entire Leiyin Temple camp in a golden ocean.

"Overestimating yourselves, bald donkeys!" Ancestor Guisha sneered, "Go, my darlings, let these monks see what true terror is!"

Receiving the order, the Ligui Wang immediately let out heaven-shaking howls and pounced toward the Buddha statue camp. Wherever they passed, even the air seemed to be corroded, emitting sizzling sounds.

The Buddha light and ghost Qi collided, immediately erupting with violent energy fluctuations. The golden Buddha light surged like a sea tide, while the black ghost Qi wove through like poisonous snakes. The two powers consumed each other, and a strange scene appeared on the battlefield—half was sacred golden light, and half was evil black mist.

"Master, we are here to help you!" Seeing that Huiming Fangzhang was under immense pressure, Shuiyun Xianzi immediately brought elite disciples from medium-sized sects like the Fenglei Sect to provide support.

"Five Thunders Strike the Crown—Thunder of the Righteous Path!"

Thunder clouds gathered in the sky, and several thick bolts of lightning descended from the heavens, striking directly at those Ligui Wang. The lightning of the Righteous Path was the natural nemesis of evil spirits; several weaker Ligui Wang were struck and had their souls scattered on the spot.

"Good!" Huiming Fangzhang was overjoyed, "Fellow Daoists, lend me a hand, and we will surely break this evil magic!"

However, just as the Buddha Sect and the Ghost Path were locked in a fierce battle, Ancestor Taixuan finally could not sit still. As the leader of the traditional forces, seeing his allies' offensive blocked, he could no longer maintain his detached posture.

"It seems I must take action myself," Ancestor Taixuan slowly descended from the sky and landed in the center of the battlefield.

When his feet stepped onto the land of Qinglong Peak, the entire mountain began to tremble slightly. This was not because of fear, but because the terrifying pressure radiating from his body had reached a level that even the earth could not withstand.