Chapter 359: Feng Yan, Bing Yi (Part 1)

"Just now, that was spatial interference! His sword intent has become powerful enough to pierce space. Although it's only the lowest level, barely an introductory form of spatial interference, it's more than enough to deal with you." Jasmine said slowly in a cold voice, "You stand no chance against him!"

"Spatial interference? Interesting!" Yun Che lightly touched his chest, quickly stemming the blood flow from his wound. "The higher one ascends, the more boundless the world reveals itself to be. To think there's a sword intent in this world capable of piercing space... Ha, truly worthy of being called the Sword Saint, the foremost expert of the Azure Cloud Continent."

"But two strikes only caused me this insignificant, minor injury... That's all it amounts to!"

Though Yun Che's words were a whisper, Ling Tianni heard every single one clearly. He remained silent, taking a light step forward into the void, and slowly pointed his azure sword. Instantly, a seven-foot-long sword aura shot out from its tip, then in a flash, it split into two, five, ten, dozens of rays. By the time the sword auras reached Yun Che, they were overwhelming, completely filling and sealing the space around him.

Yun Che raised his face, his gaze deep, and slammed out with the Dragon Fault.

"Overlord's Wrath!!"

The roar of an enraged dragon echoed deafeningly within the azure sword formation, blasting a half-zhang wide gap through the terrifying array of sword auras. Yun Che used Star God's Broken Shadow to slip through the opening, sending Dragon Fault straight towards Ling Tianni.

His sword formation was so easily broken. A flicker of admiration crossed Ling Tianni's eyes, but he quickly returned to his detached demeanor, lightly thrusting his sword forward.

Clang!!

The tip of the azure sword collided with the thick, heavy end of the Dragon Fault. Under the immense pressure of the Dragon Fault, the azure sword instantly bent into a crescent shape. Yun Che's brows furrowed. Just as he was about to exert more force, he suddenly felt a terrifying, overwhelming force surge towards him from the front. The bent blade suddenly sprang back, forcefully knocking the Dragon Fault away. Yun Che's arm felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, instantly going numb. Dragon Fault nearly flew from his grasp, and he himself was sent flying backward with a muffled grunt...

Thud!!

Yun Che's body slammed heavily into the ground, cracking a large section of the earth beneath him. Dragon Fault finally slipped from his grasp the moment he landed. As he stood up, his entire right hand was covered in dozens of cracks, bleeding profusely. His internal organs churned violently, the pain unbearable, as if they had been torn apart.

The man before him was renowned as the foremost expert of the Azure Cloud Continent, and Yun Che certainly didn't underestimate him. But only after truly engaging him did he realize that Ling Tianni's power far exceeded his expectations. Perhaps, in terms of pure strength, Yun Che, who was comparable to a fourth-level Emperor Profound practitioner, wasn't overly outmatched by Ling Tianni, a sixth-level Emperor Profound practitioner, despite the significant gap.

However, the realm Ling Tianni occupied completely surpassed Yun Che's. It was a level that Yun Che, at his current stage, simply couldn't comprehend. His sword intent was incomparably mighty and infinitely mutable; it could be sharp enough to cleave through anything, vast as the endless ocean, and even interfere with space, leaving no room for defense or resistance.

In his fight with Ling Tianni, Yun Che was completely suppressed. His Dragon Fault hadn't even grazed Ling Tianni's clothes, yet he had already sustained multiple injuries.

But Yun Che's ingrained pride would never allow him to suffer such a crushing defeat!

He stood up, extending his blood-stained right hand. Dragon Fault spontaneously flew back into his grasp. Yun Che gazed coldly at the Sword Saint in the air. Far from showing any fear, his fighting spirit and rage ignited manifold.

"Impressive strength. You actually forced me to use seventy percent of my power to defeat you. No wonder you were capable of destroying the Burning Heaven Clan." Ling Tianni slowly descended from the air, the azure sword in his hand glinting with a cold light that no one dared to meet. "Such a world-shocking talent, yet one with such a malicious heart. Though it's regrettable, you must be eliminated today!"

Ling Tianni's voice, like a judgment, was low and soul-stirring. Its unusual penetrative power allowed most of the Imperial City to hear it clearly. As his voice fell, sword intent surged around him, and a seven-colored sword aura suddenly appeared on his azure sword. A terrifyingly immense sword momentum firmly enveloped Yun Che.

Just then, an azure shadow rapidly streaked from the direction of the Imperial Palace. It was a swiftly flying Galebird, carrying a boy whose expression was utterly anxious. Even from a distance, he shouted urgently, "Grandfather, stop at once!"

Ling Tianni's sword paused in mid-air, and his gaze shifted slightly, looking at the suddenly appearing boy. "Jie'er? Why are you here?"

The Galebird swiftly arrived, carrying Ling Jie directly between Ling Tianni and Yun Che. Ling Jie wiped the sweat from his forehead, clenching his hands nervously, his face pleading. "Grandfather, you can't kill him! I've known him for a long time; he's absolutely not the kind of evil person you think he is."

Ling Tianni's sword remained unsheathed, its seven-colored aura dazzling yet chilling. "You should be staying properly at the mountain villa, yet you came here just to shield this malicious boy? He slaughtered over seventy thousand people from the Burning Heaven Clan. For this single crime, even ten thousand deaths wouldn't suffice as atonement!"

Ling Jie shook his head vigorously, pleading, "No, Grandfather. Although his killing of everyone in the Burning Heaven Clan was... a bit excessive, I know the whole situation much more clearly than you do. The Burning Heaven Clan always provoked him first, and they even forced him to the brink of death for several days. He was pushed beyond his limits and only destroyed the Burning Heaven Clan in a fit of rage."

"Hmph! A personal grudge, yet he annihilated an entire sect! Even if half the Burning Heaven Clan members were wicked, should the other tens of thousands of innocent people just die in vain? You would actually protect someone with such a malicious heart? You've truly disappointed me deeply... Move aside at once!"

Ling Tianni held supreme authority in the Heavenly Sword Villa. Although Ling Jie was somewhat carefree and rarely took his father Ling Yuefeng's words to heart, he never dared to be disrespectful in front of Ling Tianni. Every word from Ling Tianni pressed on Ling Jie like a mountain, making him gasp with tension. His face turned red from holding his breath. He gritted his teeth, and a stubborn resolve surged through him. "Grandfather... he's the 'boss' I acknowledge, the only person I've truly bowed to in my life. If he were the kind of person you describe, how could I willingly accept him as my boss... Grandfather, I beg you, stop now, don't kill him... If you insist on killing him, then kill me first!"

"You!" Ling Tianni's eyes widened, and the hand gripping his sword trembled slightly. Yun Che's expression also stiffened slightly. He had never expected Ling Jie to say such words in front of Ling Tianni.

All the trouble stemmed from Yun Che himself. Ling Jie was willing to offend Ling Tianni and risk his life to protect him, which deeply moved Yun Che. But how could he allow Ling Jie to fall out with his own grandfather because of his affairs? He took a few steps forward, gently pressing Ling Jie's shoulder from behind, and smiled. "You stepped forward for me, and I'll remember it forever... but it's enough now. This is my matter, and I will resolve it myself."

Ling Jie turned his head, looking at him with immense worry. "But..."

"Don't worry," Yun Che said directly. "Although your grandfather is ridiculously strong, killing me won't be that easy for him. If my life were so easily taken, I wouldn't have survived until now. Step back now; I promise I'll be fine. Your presence here will only make things more difficult to manage, and it will put both me and your grandfather in a tough spot."

Yun Che's words always held a power that made Ling Jie instinctively trust him. He hesitated for a moment, then nodded. This time, he slowly retreated, but his eyes remained intensely fixed on the two of them.

At that moment, the seven-colored sword aura on Ling Tianni's sword finally erupted, carving a brilliant streak of light and illusion in the void, descending to envelop Yun Che below.

Yun Che slightly raised his head, a momentary flash of savage madness glinting in his eyes.

"Purgatory!!"

Yun Che's eyes instantly turned crimson. The Phoenix flames on his body violently burst forth, then burned furiously under the activation of the Purgatory Realm, making Yun Che himself resemble a blazing sun.

Rumble...

Around Yun Che, terrifying explosions of air erupted. His body's power surged wildly, then gathered entirely into his arms, causing his two arms to instantly become three times their normal thickness. The overflowing violent profound energy caused the air currents to churn wildly and space to tremble.

"Annihilating Heaven and Decimating Earth!!"

The moment Dragon Fault struck out, space severely warped. Spectators miles away all gasped for breath, as if in that instant, all the air in the world had been sucked away. Yun Che had once again unleashed the most terrifying strike among all his profound skills! The Sword Saint's power had exceeded his expectations, and his only chance of victory lay in this single, all-out, sudden strike!!

Faced with this sword strike, Ling Tianni's expression changed drastically.

As the foremost expert of the Azure Cloud Continent, Ling Tianni possessed unparalleled power within its borders. No one in the entire Azure Cloud Continent could possibly surpass him in profound energy.

However, the power erupting from Yun Che's sword at this moment clearly surpassed even his own limits!! It was a terrifying force that even he, with all his might, couldn't unleash! In that instant, Yun Che, within his pupils, faintly transformed into a fierce, ancient colossal dragon!

Nineteen years old... Earth Profound Realm, seventh level... How could he possibly unleash such power!

In his shock, Ling Tianni's muscles swelled, and his profound energy erupted with one hundred percent of its might, holding nothing back! He stepped with a strange gait, and a layer of milky-white radiance swiftly emerged on his body's surface.

A sharp, piercing sound ripped through the air! The seven-colored sword aura, imbued with immense sword intent, was effortlessly shattered into countless fragments by the Dragon Fault's violent power. The power of the Evil God and the heavy sword surged skyward, like a roaring colossal dragon soaring into the heavens, completely engulfing Ling Tianni. The moment it clashed with the milky-white radiance on his body, a bizarre roar reverberated throughout the entire Imperial City, drowning out all the stifled cries of alarm from the surroundings.

Faced with this terrifying power, even Ling Tianni had no choice but to fully defend himself. However, when the power of "Annihilating Heaven and Decimating Earth" collided with the Sword Saint's defensive power, under the dual suppression of the Evil God's power's intrinsic law and the sheer intensity of the force, the victor was immediately clear. That layer of milky-white radiance was rapidly destroyed and consumed, thinning by more than half in less than three breaths, on the verge of collapse... At that moment, two solemn sword lights flashed in Ling Tianni's eyes...

"Heavenly Sword Domain!!"

Ling Tianni spread his arms. Tens of thousands of swords appeared out of thin air around him, and began to dance, forming a massive storm of sword blades that furiously tore at the power of "Annihilating Heaven and Decimating Earth."