Chen Ping could feel the spiritual energy in his dantian undergoing a qualitative transformation, faintly touching the threshold of the Ninth Grade Loose Immortal Realm.
With a roar, the giant skeleton, unable to land a hit on Chen Ping, grew increasingly frenzied. It slammed its rusted greatsword into the ground, forming hand seals as the malevolent energy around it surged violently.
The shattered skeleton remains, broken by Chen Ping, began to reassemble in the black energy, forming dozens of skeletal soldiers wielding bone spears, which shot toward Chen Ping in unison.
“Perfect timing!”
A glint flashed in Chen Ping’s eyes. Instead of retreating, he advanced, pushing the movement techniques of the “Sword Saint Scripture” to their limit, weaving through the gaps between the bone spears.
Raising the Dragon-Slaying Sword overhead, its blade shimmered with interwoven gold and black energy, forming a sword aura several yards long. This strike fused his comprehension of the Sword Tomb’s sword intent with the ferocious power of refined malevolent energy.
“Break!”
The sword aura descended like lightning splitting the night.
The incoming bone spears were instantly pulverised, and the dozens of skeletal soldiers behind them turned to ash under the sword aura.
Astoundingly, the sword aura’s momentum continued, slashing directly at the giant skeleton’s head.
Roaring, the giant skeleton raised its arms to block. Nourished by the black energy, its arm bones were pitch-black and incredibly hard.
A metallic clang rang out as the sword aura struck the arm bones. The giant skeleton was forced back, cracks appearing on its armoured bones, the ghost fire in its eye sockets flickering violently, clearly wounded.
Using the recoil from the strike, Chen Ping spun like a top, the Dragon-Slaying Sword forming a golden vortex in his hands.
The dispersed malevolent energy from the shattered skeletons was drawn to him again, flowing into his body along the spinning trajectory. This time, he wasn’t passively absorbing but actively guiding the energy to assault his cultivation barrier.
With a long cry, a crisp crack echoed within Chen Ping, like a shackle breaking.
The Eighth Grade Loose Immortal barrier finally shattered, and surging spiritual energy, mixed with refined malevolent energy, coursed through his body. His cultivation had stepped into the Ninth Grade Loose Immortal Realm.
“Now!”
Chen Ping’s eyes sharpened like a blade.
After his breakthrough, his mastery of sword intent became even more refined.
He could clearly sense a momentary disruption in the giant skeleton’s malevolent energy from the previous strike.
“Dragon Ascend Style!”
This time, the “Dragon Ascend Style” was no longer just dragon might but infused with the Sword Tomb’s killing intent and the ferocity of the malevolent energy.
The Dragon-Slaying Sword blazed with golden light, and a black dragon phantom, woven from sword intent and malevolent energy, spiralled upward, charging at the giant skeleton with earth-shattering force.
Sensing danger, the giant skeleton tried to retreat but found the surrounding space locked by an invisible sword domain.
It could only watch as the black dragon phantom opened its jaws, biting toward its skull.
With a dull sound, the black dragon pierced the giant skeleton’s skull, devouring the green ghost fire within.
Without the ghost fire’s support, the giant skeleton froze, then crumbled inch by inch with cracking sounds, reduced to a pile of scattered bones, blown away by the Sword Tomb’s wind.
As the giant skeleton perished, the remaining skeletons collapsed like puppets without strings, turning to bone dust.
The violent black malevolent energy gradually calmed, no longer attacking but flowing gently around Chen Ping like a tame stream, absorbed and refined bit by bit.
Outside the sword domain barrier, Mo Chen and the others watched in stunned silence.
They had witnessed Chen Ping break through in a desperate situation, slaying a giant skeleton comparable to a Seventh Grade Peak Earth Immortal with Ninth Grade Loose Immortal cultivation, turning the Sword Tomb’s peril into a tremendous opportunity.
“This… this kid…” Hu Mazi stood with his mouth agape, speechless.
