At times, Chen Ping thrust his sword plainly, yet it contained a thousand intricate variations, piercing through the skulls of several skeletons at once. At other moments, his sword strikes turned heavy and fierce, like cleaving mountains, reducing clusters of skeletons to dust.
Under the tempering of slaughter and malevolent energy, his sword intent grew increasingly refined and domineering, showing faint signs of breaking through the sword intent barrier.
Outside the barrier, Mo Chen and the others watched in stunned silence.
“He’s… absorbing the malevolent energy to cultivate?” Ling Xue covered her mouth in shock. “How is that possible? The malevolent energy is utterly sinister. One misstep could lead to madness!”
A flash of understanding crossed Mo Chen’s eyes as he murmured, “Of course. His sword intent carries the might of a dragon, pure and unyielding, perfectly suited to suppress the sinister nature of the malevolent energy. Moreover, he’s comprehending the ‘Sword Saint Scripture.’ Perhaps the malevolent energy of the Sword Tomb is the key to his breakthrough!”
At that moment, the ground trembled even more violently. A colossal skeleton, ten feet tall, rose from the deepest fissure.
Clad in tattered armour and wielding a rusted greatsword, its body was enveloped in solidified malevolent energy, clearly the remains of a cultivator of immense power in life.
With a roar, it swung its greatsword with overwhelming force, aiming straight for Chen Ping’s head.
Chen Ping looked up, a cold glint in his eyes.
He took a deep breath, fully merging the refined malevolent energy with his spiritual power. The golden light of the Dragon-Slaying Sword now bore faint black patterns.
“You’ll be my stepping stone to a breakthrough!”
Chen Ping leaped, becoming one with his sword, transforming into a streak of interwoven gold and black light, charging toward the giant skeleton’s greatsword.
A deafening boom echoed within the sword domain barrier as the gold-black streak collided with the rusted greatsword, sparks flying everywhere.
The golden light of the Dragon-Slaying Sword clashed fiercely with the black energy of the rusted sword.
Chen Ping felt an immense force surge through his sword, numbing his arms instantly. Had his strength not surged from the fusion of malevolent energy and spiritual power, that strike would have sent him flying.
“What incredible power!” Chen Ping thought, startled.
Though only bones, this giant skeleton retained the martial imprints of its past life, exuding the pressure of a peak Earth Immortal with every move.
Roaring, it pressed the rusted sword downward, its black energy coiling like venomous snakes, attempting to erode the golden light of the Dragon-Slaying Sword.
Chen Ping’s eyes sharpened. He crushed a skeleton’s skull underfoot, using the momentum to flip backward, dodging the greatsword’s heavy pressure.
With a flick of his wrist, the Dragon-Slaying Sword traced a cunning arc, striking at the gap between the giant skeleton’s ribs, where the malevolent energy flowed weakest.
With a sharp sound, the golden light pierced the bones, drawing out a wisp of dense black energy.
The giant skeleton roared in pain, swinging its rusted sword in a sweeping arc. Chen Ping tapped the ground lightly, floating back like a willow in the wind, evading the powerful strike.
The rusted sword struck empty ground, carving a trench several yards long, scattering debris.
“I can’t fight it head-on!” Chen Ping quickly assessed.
The giant skeleton’s strength far surpassed the ordinary skeletons, its body armoured by condensed malevolent energy, rendering normal attacks ineffective.
But he noticed its movements were sluggish, and each sword swing stirred its internal energy, causing the green ghost fire in its eye sockets to flicker, a flaw in its power flow.
With a flash of thought, Chen Ping ceased direct confrontation.
He darted like a spectre through the Sword Tomb, dodging the rusted sword’s pursuit while slashing at the surrounding ordinary skeletons.
The golden light of the Dragon-Slaying Sword flashed repeatedly, each strike scattering bone fragments, and the dispersing malevolent energy surged toward Chen Ping as if drawn to him.
As he continued to refine the malevolent energy, his aura grew denser.
The barrier of the Eighth Grade Loose Immortal Realm, like a dam battered by waves, began to show more and more cracks.
