A phantom of the evil beast demon king emerged behind Ling Xiao, and his body surface seemed to be clad in the armour of a deep-sea man-eating crocodile.
His entire form instantly grew enormous, standing six or seven metres tall, exuding an aura of malevolence.
In battle, Ling Xiao always employed martial techniques based on the situation, and now, unleashing the evil beast demon king martial soul was perfectly timed.
Shadow Transformation Sword Art. Raging Sea, Thousand-Layered Waves!
Transformed into a colossal demon, Ling Xiao swung his massive Rain-Covering Sword, and the sword energy morphed into layer upon layer of giant waves crashing forward.
These waves were razor-sharp, capable of slicing nearby buildings in half with ease upon contact.
“Monster!”
Luo Tianyu, though well-experienced, was utterly shocked by Ling Xiao’s transformation.
That ferocious, cold-blooded change.
That immense, towering longsword.
And that overwhelming, surging killing intent.
It completely overwhelmed him.
Wasn’t his opponent just a half-step Heavenly Venerable with twenty percent power? How had he suddenly become so formidable?
What was happening?
After a moment of stunned hesitation, Luo Tianyu channelled his true essence, and his body erupted in white light.
Behind him appeared the phantom of a rare white skylark.
The Skylark Martial Soul, no wonder he was so fast.
“Flying Cloud Strike!”
Luo Tianyu accelerated abruptly, his entire form seemingly transforming into a skylark, charging at the layers of massive sword energy with incredible speed.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!
Continuous collisions echoed as Luo Tianyu’s figure retreated, bloodstains appearing on his body.
He was injured, though not severely, but being wounded by a single sword strike from Ling Xiao was unacceptable to his pride.
“Bastard, I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!”
Luo Tianyu was furious.
His full-force strike couldn’t withstand a single sword technique from his opponent, an utter humiliation. If word got out, Luo Tianyu would be finished.
His Flying Cloud Strike came from the Heavenly King Sect, a move from the top-tier gold-grade martial arts.
He refused to believe that a mere core disciple of the Moonlight Sect could possess more advanced martial arts than him.
In his rage, Luo Tianyu completely lost his reason.
His figure began spinning in place, a fierce wind rising, his form moving faster and faster.
Boom!
“Flying Cloud Self-Destructive Strike!”
This was a near-suicidal move. Luo Tianyu, relying on his status as a half-step Heavenly Venerable with seventy percent power, believed his defence far surpassed Ling Xiao’s. Thus, he planned to use this terrifying attack to utterly annihilate Ling Xiao.
As long as Ling Xiao died, the others would be insignificant.
As Luo Tianyu charged at Ling Xiao, his entire body seemed to transform into a beam of white light, carrying surrounding debris and shattered metal towards Ling Xiao.
Even the air seemed to condense into deadly blades, aiming to pierce Ling Xiao’s body.
Ling Xiao stood there, his face calm as a still well, his eyes fixed on the Rain-Covering Sword, seemingly unconcerned by Luo Tianyu’s attack.
And indeed, that was the case.
Ling Xiao was reflecting on the effectiveness of his previous attack.
“Not bad in terms of power. Without incorporating the power of celestial phenomena or willpower, it managed to force back Luo Tianyu, a half-step Heavenly Venerable with seventy percent power, in a single move. A good technique. Now, let’s try incorporating the power of celestial phenomena.”
“Celestial Phenomenon of Wind. Raging Sea, Thousand-Layered Waves!”
A fierce wind rose, and the raging waves surged even more fiercely.
The thousand-layered waves were formed by thirteen sword soul clones, one wave following another, generating a powerful water-attribute attack.
Combined with the celestial phenomenon of wind, the waves’ power increased by at least forty to fifty percent.
Unlike the killing aura of “Sword Demon’s Descent,” the effect of “Raging Sea, Thousand-Layered Waves” was more sustained, each wave higher than the last, growing more terrifying the longer the technique was used.
One was an instantaneous, lethal strike.
The other was a persistent, accumulating technique.
Both were immensely powerful, neither superior nor inferior, depending on when they were used.
The fiercer sword energy waves surged forward.
Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom…
The sound of crashing waves was relentless.
Though Luo Tianyu’s technique was ferocious, he couldn’t get close to Ling Xiao. As soon as he approached, a wave knocked him back.
Then another wave followed.
He didn’t even have a chance to stand.
“What kind of terrifying sword technique is this? How is its power so immense and its duration so long? It’s far more terrifying than before!”
Luo Tianyu was utterly shocked.
He had thought two million mid-grade spirit stones would be easy money, but now the situation seemed far worse than he had imagined.
Splat!
A wave of sword energy struck Luo Tianyu’s left shoulder, leaving a massive gash, blood flowing freely.
“Feather Condensation!”
Luo Tianyu panicked, abandoning his attack on Ling Xiao and focusing all his true essence on defence.
The skylark phantom behind him glowed, suddenly growing enormous, its wings completely shielding Luo Tianyu.
Though the sword energy kept coming, it was blocked by the feathers, unable to cause any harm.
“This is bad. Luo Tianyu’s defensive technique must be an entry-level jade-grade martial art. Its defence is too strong. Junior Brother Ling is in trouble!”
Lan Yuer, with her broader perspective, recognised the opponent’s technique while others were still puzzled.
Hearing Lan Yuer’s words, Dai Yuling, Leng Hao, and others grew anxious.
Meanwhile, Chen Meng and Ao Chu, hiding behind the wall, were stunned.
“Senior Sister, how did Ling Xiao become so powerful? When he fought Tyrant Tiger, he won, but it wasn’t easy. Tyrant Tiger is nothing compared to Luo Tianyu, so what’s going on?”
Ao Chu couldn’t believe his eyes.
Chen Meng was equally shocked. “This Ling Xiao must have hidden his strength back then. Or perhaps he improved rapidly in this time? Luckily, we didn’t act ourselves, or we wouldn’t stand a chance against such terrifying sword techniques. We’d both be dead.”
“Indeed.”
Ao Chu nodded in agreement.
“But no need to worry too much. Luo Tianyu’s defensive technique is an entry-level jade-grade martial art from the Heavenly King Sect. No matter how strong Ling Xiao’s attacks are, he can’t break through. As time passes, Ling Xiao will exhaust his true essence and suffer greatly!”
Chen Meng smiled.
“Right. Luo Tianyu’s defence is so strong, and his cultivation far surpasses Ling Xiao’s. In terms of endurance, Luo Tianyu is definitely superior. In this fight, Ling Xiao is doomed!”
Ao Chu nodded, a look of relief on his face.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang…
The waves relentlessly struck the wings enveloping Luo Tianyu, sparking countless flashes like beautiful fireworks.
Yet no matter how fiercely the sword energy waves attacked, the wings stood firm, showing no signs of damage, not even a single mark.
