“Golden Palace Heart Sword, slay!”
Lu Zheng’s gaze flashed. A magnificent sword of dazzling golden light abruptly materialised inside the burly man’s sea of consciousness.
“Hm!?”
The burly man in green had been guarding against Lu Zheng’s flying sword with his steel whip, never expecting his opponent to send a spiritual sword straight into his mind.
No matter the environment, spiritual techniques could almost always be employed. Unlike a certain monkey who only trained the body and neglected the spirit, Lu Zheng would never abandon his strengths.
Meanwhile, the burly man had instinctively released over a dozen water drills that were already streaking toward the Primordial Water Grand Array.
Whoosh!
The Silver Feather Azure Dawn Sword shot forth. In the next instant it burst into ten thousand rays of azure radiance, illuminating the entire underwater space as bright as day.
That radiance carried a distant, ethereal artistic conception. Sword qi filled the air, spreading through the surrounding area like invisible walls that instantly enveloped the incoming water drills.
Beneath the glow, the drills seemed to plunge into thick mud. Their speed plummeted, then they were steadily worn away, vanishing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
At the same moment, Lu Zheng had already closed in on the burly man.
The burly man had only just blocked the Golden Palace Heart Sword outside his consciousness when he saw Lu Zheng approaching. His expression hardened. He swung his steel whip downward in a crushing blow.
Lu Zheng drew a diamond-tipped eyebrow-level staff from his gourd and blocked with a backhand swing.
Clang!
The staff bent instantly.
Lu Zheng, “…”
Fine. Modern weapons really were useless in battles between high-level cultivators. Who knew how many rare materials and runes had been forged into that steel whip? It was impossibly hard and heavy; mortal weapons could not withstand it.
Of course, Lu Zheng had only been testing. He was not truly relying on the staff.
As the whip’s momentum continued unabated, Lu Zheng reached out lightly and grasped it.
Roar!
A dragon’s roar resounded. A True Dragon Grand Hand Seal no larger than a washbasin appeared in his grip and clamped firmly onto the tip of the whip.
The burly man’s pupils shrank. The next moment, another dragon claw materialised out of thin air and clawed straight at his head.
He slashed backward with the serrated blade. Three feet of serrated blade light flared without leaking any qi, colliding head-on with the dragon claw.
Boom!
The blade light shattered. The dragon claw merely turned slightly more transparent before continuing its descent.
The burly man paled in shock. His right hand shook the steel whip, barely wrenching it free from the True Dragon Hand Seal’s restraint, and he hastily retreated.
The next instant, a blade beam filled with true-dragon majesty slashed from behind.
The Lushui River God had arrived.
“Worthy nephew, let us take him together!” the River God called.
Since Lu Zheng had already joined the fight, the River God could hardly ask him to step back now, especially after failing to block the burly man’s earlier surprise attack that had allowed him to break free momentarily.
“Very well!”
Lu Zheng nodded. Instead of continuing to close in with martial techniques, he pointed with his sword finger. The Silver Feather Azure Dawn Sword traced a graceful arc through the water and stabbed toward the side of the burly man’s neck from behind.
The River God channelled his demonic power, stirring the surrounding water currents into streams that swirled around his body and blade as he slashed at the burly man.
The burly man now had to resist the constant restraints of the Primordial Water Grand Array, face a River God who was only slightly inferior to himself, and, most critically, deal with a scholar whose spiritual secret arts were formidable, whose flying sword was vicious, and whose cultivation might actually surpass his own…
Retreat rose in the burly man’s heart.
He parried the guandao, spun, and merged with the water current, slipping past the River God and evading the sword’s path as he fled toward a water channel behind him.
“Golden Palace Heart Sword, slay!”
The burly man was no weakling. If he truly reached the maze-like channels of the secret realm, neither Lu Zheng nor the River God could guarantee they could stop him.
Thus Lu Zheng decisively unleashed another Golden Palace Heart Sword while closing in. Both hands formed claws, True Dragon Hand Seals burst forth, and he tangled the burly man in close combat.
At the same time, the Silver Feather Azure Dawn Sword released waves of azure radiance filled with sword qi, forming a barrier between the battlefield and the rear channels, directly blocking the burly man’s escape route.
The burly man: (ノ°ο°)ノ
Unable to advance or retreat, his eyes bulged with fury. His body whirled and suddenly swelled.
The next moment, a massive crocodile six or seven zhang long appeared in the secret realm.
Revealing his true form, the great crocodile’s demonic power surged by another twenty percent. His presence was terrifying.
“Die!”
The crocodile twisted its body and lunged at Lu Zheng, countless sharp teeth and a stinking maw filling his vision. If those jaws closed, Lu Zheng would probably be shredded in an instant.
But…
You didn’t seriously think I only have one flying sword, did you?
Surely not?
There couldn’t really be such a naïve demon in this world, could there?
Lu Zheng pointed. A second Silver Feather Azure Dawn Sword shot from the gourd’s mouth and instantly flew straight into the crocodile’s gaping maw.
The great crocodile: ╭(°A°`)╭
No matter how high one’s cultivation, internal defences were always weaker than external ones. Moreover, the body usually only guarded against invading foreign true qi. Who would ever expect an actual physical flying sword to enter?
Feeling the sword inside him radiating ferocious sword qi and already wounding his organs, the great crocodile froze solid.
Now, let alone fleeing, he dared not even revert to human form.
The moment the sword qi flared, piercing pain stabbed through his heart.
“Hold your hand! I have words!” the great crocodile cried hastily.
He only circulated demonic power to protect his meridians and organs, not daring to provoke the sword further.
The River God flew closer. Seeing Lu Zheng had the situation under control, he held his guandao reversed and waited quietly to one side, still wary of any sudden outburst.
“What words?” Lu Zheng asked with a smile.
“I…” The crocodile blanked. What words did he have?
He was the one who attacked without a word. He was the one who tried to run when losing. He was the one now pinned and helpless.
Not wanting to die, he had hastily called for a pause, and they actually paused, even asking what he wished to say.
So, what now? What excuse could he use to be spared?
Online and waiting, rather urgently…
Of course, that was the modern phrasing, but it perfectly described the great crocodile’s current state.
His huge eyeballs rolled up and down, and he actually managed to find an excuse.
“Well, we actually bear no grudge or enmity. Isn’t this all just a misunderstanding?”
Lu Zheng, “…”
After a pause, the crocodile continued, “I was wrong just now. I thought you were helpers of that old turtle, so I spoke rudely.
But now that I think about it, that old turtle spends all his time in the Eastern Sea. How could he have any connection to the Lushui River God Mansion appointed by the Great Jing court? I panicked and jumped to conclusions. I apologise.”
The River God, “…”
“Ha… haha…”
The great crocodile gave two dry laughs. “Since it’s a misunderstanding, now that we’ve cleared it up, everything’s fine, right?”
Everyone, “…”
