Chapter 238: Sword Spirit Clone

The Ice Phoenix Silk is an extremely unique weapon, similar to a whip but distinctly different. Some of its properties are entirely unique. Ling Yun had faced countless opponents, but this was his first encounter with a "silk" type weapon. He could tell that "entanglement" was one of its core attack methods, but Ling Yun never expected its binding to be so swift and powerful. A nearly irresistible force suddenly surged from his hand, catching him off guard and wrenching the Heavenly Drake Sword from his grasp.

Though startled, Ling Yun remained calm. He retreated like lightning, evading the Ice Phoenix Silk's attack. Extending his hand, sword energy surged, and the Heavenly Drake Sword, after a violent struggle within the Ice Phoenix Silk, quickly broke free and flew back into his hand.

"Sky Sword Lightning Extremity!"

Ling Yun swung the Heavenly Drake Sword, and a deafening crackle of thunder erupted as over a hundred sword lights, like bolts of lightning, hurtled towards Xia Qingyue. The Ice Phoenix Silk shifted from offense to defense, rapidly coiling around her body, blocking every lightning-infused sword strike. At the same moment, Ling Yun's desperate final blow, a sword beam seemingly hidden within a spatial rift, struck like a thunderclap, aiming directly for a tiny opening as the Ice Phoenix Silk moved.

Faced with this dangerous strike, the Ice Phoenix Silk, which had been winding like a snake, suddenly straightened and shot out, colliding head-on with the Heavenly Drake Sword. With a jarring *clink*, the Ice Phoenix Silk pressed tightly against the Heavenly Drake Sword. The long silk, originally soft as satin, now seemed to have transformed into indestructible steel, completely blocking Ling Yun's sword strike, which was imbued with potent sword intent.

"Bang!"

As an ice lotus exploded, Xia Qingyue and Ling Yun were both thrown backward. Xia Qingyue landed lightly, while Ling Yun's arms were encased in thick layers of ice crystals when he landed. He barely moved an eyebrow before shaking off the ice crystals, then stared at the snowy white silk with immense surprise.

It was clearly just a piece of silk, so how could it become as tough as a sword?

"To be able to wield the Ice Phoenix Silk, which is notoriously difficult to control, with such fluidity... How is this possible!" Ling Yuefeng cried out in disbelief. If he had known that Xia Qingyue had only been in possession of the Ice Phoenix Silk for a year, he might have fainted on the spot from shock.

"The Ice Phoenix Silk seals a portion of an Ice Phoenix's soul, making it incredibly difficult to master. The Palace Master back then took over thirty years to fully unleash its power. Yet, Qingyue can wield nearly seventy percent of its might in just one year. Such comprehension is truly unprecedented; it's unlikely our palace will see another like her in a thousand years," Chu Yueli praised.

The Heavenly Drake Sword is a Sky Profound Weapon, and the Ice Phoenix Silk is also a Sky Profound Weapon, but there are differences even among Sky Profound Weapons. Heavenly Sword Villa's Limitless Sword is a top-grade Sky Profound Weapon. The Heavenly Drake Sword and Heavenly Phoenix Sword are roughly mid-grade, while the Ice Phoenix Silk is a genuine top-grade Sky Profound Weapon. In terms of mastery, Xia Qingyue also appeared to be no less skilled than Ling Yun, who had possessed the Heavenly Drake Sword for three years. Therefore, Xia Qingyue held a distinct advantage in weaponry!

Ling Yun had subtly noticed this during their initial clashes. However, he wasn't afraid of the weapon disparity. What truly alarmed him was that Xia Qingyue's profound energy foundation was in no way inferior to his own.

"Hah!"

Ling Yun roared, the whites of his eyes rapidly receding as two sharp sword shadows appeared in his magnified pupils. He unleashed his sword intent without reservation, so intense it almost solidified. At a glance, it looked as if a cluster of transparent flames burned around his body.

Whoosh!

Ling Yun's sword shot out, stirring up a storm of sword shadows that filled the sky. Ling Yun's shifting sword momentum caused Xia Qingyue's delicate brows to twitch slightly. The Ice Phoenix Silk danced in mid-air, and a bone-chilling aura enveloped Ling Yun's countless sword shadows.

Boom!

The profound energy barrier personally erected by Ling Wugou shattered instantly as their profound energies collided. At this moment, the two super-experts of the Earth Profound Realm in this ranking battle finally entered a true all-out confrontation.

The sword was like a fleeting streak of lightning, while the silk sometimes flowed like mist, other times solid as profound ice. It could entangle, sweep, thrust, or slash… changing in countless ways. Yet, with all these variations, Xia Qingyue wielded it with effortless grace and no hesitation. A normal person facing such a weapon for the first time would surely be overwhelmed and unable to cope. But Ling Yun was, after all, Ling Yun. His sword techniques appeared to be rapid attacks, but were in fact all feints, seemingly offensive yet truly defensive. He used his eyes and mind to fully capture every change in the Ice Phoenix Silk. After over three hundred sword strikes, he had adapted, shifting from defense to offense, each sword aiming directly for the Ice Phoenix Silk's weaknesses.

Swish!

Sword light flashed, leaving over a dozen deep indentations on the smooth ground.

Boom!

The Ice Phoenix Silk gently swept the ground, and this seemingly soft motion created a deafening roar. A crack, accompanied by astonishing cold energy, rapidly spread, reaching Ling Wugou's feet and making him step back repeatedly in alarm.

Ling Yun leaped into the air, stepping on nothingness. Each step generated a vortex of sword blades. By the time he reached Xia Qingyue, over thirty sword-blade vortices were swirling towards her from different directions, each containing dozens of sword lights.

With Ling Yun in front and dozens of sword-blade vortices swirling around her, this was a terrifying, despair-inducing situation. Xia Qingyue's expression remained serene and unperturbed. As the Ice Phoenix Silk lightly danced, a magnificent, gigantic pale blue lotus bloomed beneath her feet.

"Ice Prison Lotus!"

Twelve pale blue petals burst open, emitting a brilliant, star-like radiance. But this time, the massive ice lotus was not used for attack or defense; instead, it spontaneously exploded.

Whoosh!

A dense flurry of ice crystals filled the sky, colliding wildly with the sword lights. Ice crystals shattered sword lights, and sword lights shattered ice crystals. Amidst the chaotic ice lotus and sword-blade storm, the Heavenly Drake Sword and the Ice Phoenix Silk clashed rapidly like a torrential downpour. Gradually, people could no longer discern the images of the Heavenly Drake Sword or the Ice Phoenix Silk. Eventually, even Ling Yun and Xia Qingyue were reduced to two rapidly flickering blurs. Only the intense sounds of collision and the endless dance of ice crystals and sword lights persisted.

More than half of the Sword Discourse Arena, a full hundred *zhang* in radius, was enveloped by sword lights and ice crystals. Even Ling Wugou was forced back a hundred *zhang*. The surrounding spectators were already dumbfounded. Some elders quickly erected profound energy barriers in front of their seats to prevent these unleashed forces from suddenly spreading and harming the sect's younger disciples. Watching the fierce battle on the arena, their shock was inexpressible… Was this truly a duel between two young people?

How could a battle of this magnitude possibly be happening between two youngsters?!

In the Azure Cloud Imperial family's seating area, Qin Wushang was also staring blankly, reminiscing about his own strength at twenty. He sighed, murmuring to himself, "These two will undoubtedly become sovereigns of the Azure Cloud Empire in the future… especially Xia Qingyue; she is truly unparalleled!"

Ling Yuefeng's expression grew increasingly grim. He had initially thought that since both were at the third level of the Earth Profound Realm, Ling Yun should have an absolute advantage, as crushing opponents of the same rank was easy for him. However, he watched as Ling Yun gradually exerted his full power, yet consistently failed to gain even a slight upper hand. For a moment, a hint of anxiety crept into his heart, as this turn of events forced him to consider a possibility…

The possibility of Ling Yun's defeat.

If Ling Yun were to lose, he would, like Ling Jie, be stopped in the semifinals, with the two brothers finishing third and fourth! Their sect's ranking would also fall to third place!

Heavenly Sword Villa, the Azure Cloud Empire's premier force, the unchallenged supreme hegemon throughout history, would only manage to be the third-place winner in this ranking battle! They wouldn't even secure second place! This had never happened in the history of Heavenly Sword Villa! This would be an unimaginably severe blow to Heavenly Sword Villa's prestige and reputation.

On the other hand, the reward for first place in this ranking battle—the Dragon Scale Armor—was a grand gift brought by Ling Kun from the Heavenly Might Sword Region and bestowed upon Heavenly Sword Villa. Its inclusion as the top prize in this ranking battle was merely a pretense. Before the competition, they themselves, and everyone else, were absolutely certain that first place would inevitably belong to Ling Yun, with no one else having a chance. Therefore, the Dragon Scale Armor would not only ultimately return to Heavenly Sword Villa, but it would also serve to showcase the Villa's "magnanimous" generosity to the world.

If Ling Yun were to lose, this Dragon Scale Armor would also fall into someone else's hands.

Neither outcome was something Heavenly Sword Villa could possibly accept.

Noticing Ling Yuefeng's reaction, Xuanyuan Yufeng comforted him, "Yuefeng, don't worry. Don't forget, Yun'er still hasn't used his Sword Spirit Clone. Once that's unleashed, Xia Qingyue will absolutely have no chance of winning."

"Heavenly Might Absolute Sword – Qiankun!"

A green sword aura surged wildly from the Heavenly Drake Sword, extending over twenty *zhang* away. From a distance, it looked as if Ling Yun held a massive greatsword, over twenty *zhang* long and half a *zhang* wide. Ling Yun raised both hands, and the green sword aura, like a sword of divine judgment, slammed towards Xia Qingyue.

Boom!

With a deafening roar, a colossal chasm, a hundred *zhang* long, over five *chi* wide, and seemingly bottomless, tore open on the Sword Discourse Arena, splitting it violently in two. Meanwhile, Xia Qingyue had appeared high in the distant sky. Ice spirits slowly drifted around her, and snowflakes leisurely descended from above. Initially, there were only a few scattered flakes, then they multiplied, and a cold wind slowly began to blow. Finally, the wind and snow merged into a raging blizzard that poured down.

"This is... the sixth stage of the Ice Cloud Art, invoking the Heavenly Snow Realm!" Ling Yuefeng exclaimed, his face paling with shock. To his knowledge, even Chu Yuechan, who was half a step into the King Profound Realm, had only just reached this level! While Xia Qingyue's talent was astonishing, no matter how gifted she was, how could she reach the sixth stage of the Ice Cloud Art with Earth Profound Realm level three profound energy? This wasn't about talent; it was limited by fundamental profound energy laws!

Such power no longer resembled mere profound energy; it was more like an irresistible force of nature. The snowflakes appeared delicate, but each one contained terrifying cold energy and the destructive power of the Ice Cloud. Ling Yun rapidly retreated but was still enveloped by the overwhelming blizzard. He swung his sword, rapidly cutting through the snowstorm, stubbornly resisting an attack that should not have belonged to the Earth Profound level. At that moment, a white light suddenly shot from in front of him. Though he detected it, defending against the Heavenly Snow left him no room to react, and the Ice Phoenix Silk gently brushed against his chest.

Thump!

Ling Yun spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, splattering it across the pure white snowflakes. At the same time, using the momentum from that direct hit, he propelled himself far backward, escaping the overwhelming blizzard's assault. After more than a dozen aerial rolls, he landed heavily on the ground, dropping to one knee, supporting himself with the Heavenly Drake Sword, and gasping for breath.

Ling Yuefeng suddenly stood up, reaching out to grab the Heavenly Phoenix Sword from Ling Jie's hand. He then flung it towards Ling Yun: "Yun'er, catch the sword!"

Ling Yun looked up, a painful struggle flashing in his eyes, but he still reached out and grasped the Heavenly Phoenix Sword. His gaze regained its resolve.

Earlier, during Ling Jie's fight against Yun Che, Ling Yun had provided him with a sword. Now, the exact same scene was unfolding for Ling Yun himself.

The Sword Discourse Arena was eerily silent; no one dared to boo. Everyone knew that Heavenly Sword Villa absolutely could not afford to lose this battle. For the Azure Cloud Empire's paramount force, the supreme hegemon, to fall to third place would undoubtedly be an indelible shame for generations of Heavenly Sword Villa disciples.

Ling Yun naturally understood this. Therefore, even though wielding two swords would hurt his pride and dignity, he did not refuse. Compared to the prestige of Heavenly Sword Villa, his personal dignity was utterly insignificant.

He had to win this battle.

With the Heavenly Drake in his left hand and the Heavenly Phoenix in his right, Ling Yun slowly stood up. The hand holding the Heavenly Phoenix Sword slowly relaxed. Strangely, the unheld Heavenly Phoenix Sword did not drop but hovered in place.

Ling Yun brought his hands together in front of him, and a strange, sharp light, like sword energy, pulsed in his eyes. A faint gray profound energy aura began to swirl around his body.

"Sword... Spirit... Clone!"