Chapter 338: SLAY CHU!

The sword light, like thunder, ripped through the black mist with a deafening crash.

This thick sword slash carried the force of ten thousand jin, crushing the air into explosive roars; the moment its razor edge met the azure iron blade, a piercing metallic screech erupted, as if a mountain had collapsed, shaking their eardrums with pain.

In the human altar teeming with malevolent energy, Ji You's body surged with searing heat, like a raging beast, forcibly pushing Chu Xian back three steps.

Between breaths, Chu Xian's hand gripping the blade trembled uncontrollably, the blade humming incessantly, as if ready to fly from his grasp at any moment.

Only when he gritted his teeth and slammed the blade downward did he crush that surging force—his previously healed wounds tore open again, blood oozing steadily from between his fingers.

And a flicker of shock swiftly passed through his eyes.

Then, sword and blade clashed again.

Two figures—one purple, one white—collided repeatedly within the thick black fog.

Ji You, wreathed in blazing flame, his arms swollen like steel, unleashed explosive power from every bone and muscle; as his Dao sword slashed down, it carved blinding ripples through the void.

Above the walls, Zuo Qiu Yang and the others narrowed their eyes.

The situation unfolded exactly as expected—the malevolent energy severely restricted Ji You.

Since his initial strike failed to kill Chu Xian, Ji You's spiritual energy had steadily weakened, nearly neutralized.

In fact, many guards watching from the perimeter had already lost hope upon seeing this, but only Zuo Qiu Yang and Chai Hu continued to watch the battle closely—until the black light trembled again, drawing countless gazes back.

The spiritual energy's enhancement to his swordplay kept fading, yet Ji You's sword slashes did not weaken; instead, they repeatedly tore open Chu Xian's old wounds as Chu Xian's aura surged.

"He uses spiritual energy so sparingly—yet his combat power hasn't dropped much?"

After a long silence, Zuo Qiu Yang spoke: "That's pure physical strength, augmented by the sword intent of Lingjian Mountain."

Chai Ze's eyelid twitched: "So the spiritual energy's boost to Ji You's combat power has never been as strong as we assumed?"

"We assumed too much. He never trained in spellcraft."

Chai Hu fixed his gaze, understanding the unspoken implication in his senior's words.

Ji You's combat power doesn't come from outside—it comes from within.

Thus, external forces can hardly restrict him much.

This was something no one had anticipated, for in the Qingyun world, where martial power is drawn from the Dao, one's own strength is negligible compared to heavenly might.

Swordlight cascaded like a waterfall, like moonlight pouring from the nine heavens, crashing violently into the vast blade energy!

Ji You kept clashing with him; his surrounding spiritual energy dwindled further, yet the cracking of his bones grew louder and more intense.

After entering the Heavenly Book Academy, he learned of spellcraft and had pondered one question:

Where does the power of spellcraft originate?

And the answer was only two things: speed and strength.

Whether it was Zuo Qiu Yang's Heavenly Book technique or Chai Hu's force-field art, when they struck, they ultimately manifested as power and speed.

So he understood: the key was power and speed; how they originated or manifested didn't matter.

His fierce sword slashes surged like moonlight cascading, colliding violently with the grand blade energy, accompanied by countless bursts of black light and the crushing descent of the Great Seal Art.

Both figures accelerated rapidly, tearing through the air with brutal force, emitting piercing, mournful shrieks.

Where they passed, the white jade tiles shattered inch by inch, shards shooting like rain, then violently embedded into the thick surrounding walls by the shockwaves.

The once-smooth training ground was instantly scarred with grotesque craters, as if ravaged by a monstrous beast.

"ZOOM!!!!"

The massive seal conjured by Chu Xian shattered under the blinding swordlight; Ji You, channeling all his strength and the four sword intents of Zhengyang Elder, drove his Dao sword forward—its friction with the air igniting scorching flames as it shot forth.

Even if spiritual energy gave him little boost, his combat power had still weakened.

Under this extremely unfavorable situation, his only chance was to seize the offensive rhythm, leaving no opening for his opponent to counter.

Because once Chu Xian gained distance, he'd have no chance in this lopsided duel.

With a thunderous crash, like a monk striking a bell, the power bursting from his body poured out like a dam breaking.

Chu Xian raised his blade to meet it—and felt a torrent of force surge through his body, his bones trembling violently.

At that moment, Ji You drew a sword from the wind, releasing the accumulated sword qi once more, following the same motion as his previous strike to slash diagonally downward.

This was one of the rare moments he once again gathered thick spiritual energy.

The sword qi met and merged with the fierce sword intent, exploding in a deafening roar that shook the universe, then plummeted toward the falling Chu Xian.

He had no time.

Or rather, his stubborn ghost had no time.

He didn't need to ask—he knew: the immortal-attuned demons had gone to retrieve the Sacred Artifact, and Yan Shuyi, who never admitted defeat no matter what, would never flee alone.

The battle outside must be a matter of life and death—differing by only a breath could change everything.

Beneath the furious sword slashes, the five upper realms' peak cultivators atop the walls widened their eyes.

They hadn't expected Ji You, in such a disadvantageous position, could seize a perfect opening through relentless, rapid assaults.

There's an opening!

BOOM!!!!

With a sharp scream, Ji You's Dao sword shattered outright, and his entire body was flung backward.

Amid the tidal wave carved by the sword qi, a pair of crimson eyes snapped open—Chu Xian's body swelled several times larger, every bone in him cracking with a series of pops.

In an instant, the elegant Chu Holy Son vanished, replaced by a towering, grotesque demonic spawn.

At this sight, the hope that had just ignited instantly died in everyone's eyes.

"I've never liked this form—it makes me feel like I'm no longer myself."

"You should understand, Ji You. People like us carry our own pride. Just like when I first met your Dao sword, I insisted on meeting it with my iron hand—that was because of this pride."

"The power of Immortal Affinity is indeed great, but it's still external. I always felt that even with my own talent, I wouldn't lose to anyone."

Chu Xian now resembled a corpse decayed for a thousand years—his withered flesh radiating death, his mouth opening and closing as he spoke in a chilling tone.

This was truly his belief.

Because defeating an opponent through external power—even if he won—felt like losing to him. It bored him.

His current task was merely to guard the Dao Altar, waiting for his father and grandfather to kill each Immortal-attuned one by one—he had plenty of time.

After holding high positions for so long, finding a worthy opponent was not easy.

But he found that without external power, the more he fought, the angrier he became.

It wasn't because Chu Xian couldn't beat him—it was because Ji You had forcibly seized the entire battle's rhythm, and every one of his sword strikes felt like an insult. So he decided to end this fight.

"You're proud of what, exactly?"

"?"

Ji You stared at him with icy eyes: "Leave the human altar. Fight me outside?"

The fully corrupted Chu Xian narrowed his eyes—murderous intent flashed instantly, then he slammed down a palm-seal with crushing force.

Ji You's words suddenly made him realize: this battle had been unfair from the start, because his opponent fought him while suppressed by malevolent energy.

"BOOM!!!!"

With a thunderous crash, the heavy seal descended like a force crushing all beneath it.

Chu Xian was no longer the Qi of the Boundless Realm—he had already crossed the threshold into the Divine Travel Realm, his murderous aura surging wildly.

Ji You was flung through the air, blood spraying across the sky, crashing straight through a tower within the human altar.

Amid the roaring collapse, massive chunks of stone slammed down, the dust cloud mixed with malevolent energy swallowing half the altar.

Ji You's hardened physique granted him exceptional defense—Chu Xian's seal could obliterate anything at the same realm, yet it did not kill Ji You.

Even so, his chest was now drenched in blood.

The White Book Academy's robes were white at base; the bloodstains had once looked like delicate accents.

But under this cataclysmic blow, red became the base color, and the few remaining white patches became mere accents.

On Huangyun Mountain, peaks collapsed; a towering figure wreathed in malevolent energy rose with a roar, gazing down at the ruins below.

Above the Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion, the white jade cliffs were soaked in blood.

Along the shores of the Xuan Sea, Lingjian Mountain trembled as the iron pestle struck, dust exploding outward.

Knowing Immortal-attuned ones were seizing the Sacred Artifact, countless noble families of the Immortal-Slaying Sect fled in panic—but others were reduced to black ash by falling heavenly fire.

Those within Risheng City had seen masses fleeing and received reports from their sects—their faces pale with dread.

The countless five upper realm peaks atop the human training ground froze, sighing faintly.

The entire situation had been a dead end from the start—only when Ji You tore open the Dao Altar had a sliver of hope appeared.

But now that Chu Xian had transformed into a demonic spawn, his power risen to the Divine Travel Realm, they felt even that sliver had closed again.

Within the trembling altar, Chu Xian soared into the air, deciding to hold nothing back.

Infinite malevolent energy surged into his body, coalescing into a single, howling killing blade.

ZOOM!!!!

Ji You's eyes flashed with resolve—he swiftly swept his sleeve and summoned sixteen spirit swords.

Their faintly glowing blades "hummed" as they pierced the void, trembling violently.

Seeing this, the five upper realm peaks atop the walls frowned.

Spirit-sword control? No—it's useless.