Chapter 839: Sword Demon Soul

XuanYuan Wentian put the hand holding his sword behind his back. With his other hand extended towards Fen Juechen, he calmly said, "Lord Devil, I have fully witnessed the surprise you brought me. This game, it is time for it to end."

Fen Juechen: "???"

XuanYuan Wentian's strange gesture and words received no response. The Heavenly Sin Divine Sword, clutched in Fen Juechen's hand, pulsed with dense black light.

XuanYuan Wentian's outstretched palm slowly clenched, and his brows furrowed. His seemingly self-muttering voice suddenly turned cold: "Lord Devil, what is the meaning of this? Have you forgotten who spent a thousand years of painstaking effort to remove all the seals placed upon you by the Eternal Night Royal Family!? And who, even at the risk of alarming the entire continent, orchestrated a Demonic Sword Assembly to break the final Evil God seal on you! Now that your wish has been granted... are you actually planning to be ungrateful, abandon me, the Sword Master, and submit to this brat instead?!"

"What are you talking about!?" Fen Juechen gnashed his teeth.

"Hmph!" Still receiving no response, the sword in XuanYuan Wentian's hand, which had been behind his back, glowed anew. "It seems there's been a slight mishap. In that case, the rules of the game must change slightly. Fen Juechen, your strength has indeed grown immensely, but to think you can kill me, the Sword Master, with your current power... that's a fool's dream!"

*Clang!!*

The slender sword in XuanYuan Wentian's hand hummed with a tremor. As white light flickered, the sword tip thrust straight towards Fen Juechen's face. This time, XuanYuan Wentian initiated the attack, and though the strike appeared ordinary, it concentrated his full, unreserved power.

The sword blade was perfectly straight, yet the profound energy in the surrounding ten-mile radius was completely stirred, boiling like water.

Fen Juechen roared and swung his sword. Each of his strikes would darken the sky and earth, filling the surrounding world with endless gloom and hatred.

*Rip!!*

Space shattered, and countless spatial fragments shot out like steel needles, piercing and slicing through everything they touched. Both figures paused simultaneously, then burst forth again. Dazzling sword light and sinister black energy collided violently in the air, creating a series of thunderous explosions.

Fen Juechen's face was as menacing as a ghost or deity. The Heavenly Sin Divine Sword, boiling with dark energy, unleashed every strike with unyielding force. Each blow concentrated his most extreme resentment, each blow intensely desired to blast XuanYuan Wentian into fragments. Dark Profound Energy was inherently a negative form of profound energy; the more intense Fen Juechen's killing intent and hatred, the greater the destructive power of his dark profound energy.

He almost entirely ignored the sword light coming from XuanYuan Wentian, fighting with desperate abandon, sword by sword, like a madman... He had fought in the same manner against Yun Che on the Eastern Sea several months prior.

Overwhelming killing intent and dark aura suppressed XuanYuan Wentian. The black energy on the Heavenly Sin Divine Sword continuously intensified, and as it swung, the gloomy sound of it tearing through the air resembled the wailing of countless ghosts.

XuanYuan Wentian retreated step by step, appearing completely suppressed. The light of his profound energy was far inferior to the dark aura surrounding Fen Juechen. Yet, his expression remained as calm as still water.

"Ugh, ahhh!!"

Fen Juechen let out another howl like a starved wolf. The Heavenly Sin Divine Sword, imbued with a demonic aura, tore through all sword light and struck directly towards XuanYuan Wentian's head.

This time, however, XuanYuan Wentian did not evade its edge as before. He slightly raised his eyes, and an intensely chilling sword intent appeared in the air. Instantly, the slender sword in his hand suddenly unleashed a hundred-zhang sword light, dazzling and piercing like a cold star in the dark night, then swept horizontally towards the black light descending from above.

*Rip! Boom!*

Following the thunder, there was a colossal roar as if the sky had collapsed. Two forces at the peak of the Sovereign Profound Realm collided head-on. The power of the profound energy explosion instantly transformed dozens of miles of the world into a complete vacuum. Dazzling white sword light and black energy shattered in the air, and both XuanYuan Wentian and Fen Juechen were simultaneously thrown back a hundred zhang.

*Puu...*

Fen Juechen, who had just stopped, swayed and then violently spat out a large mouthful of blood. Although most of XuanYuan Wentian's sword qi was neutralized by his power, about ten percent of it still broke through his profound energy defense and surged into his body, injuring him both internally and externally.

In contrast, XuanYuan Wentian, despite being knocked back the same distance as Fen Juechen, maintained a normal expression and showed no signs of injury. Only a small portion of his sleeve had been consumed by the dark demonic aura.

Fen Juechen's power had grown explosively in a short period, seemingly reaching a level comparable to XuanYuan Wentian's. However, this collision fully exposed his weakness.

If one's profound energy surges due to a certain opportunity, then for the subsequent period, one must focus entirely on laying the foundation and stabilizing it. This is considered common knowledge in the profound way—just as Yun Che, after using the Tyrant Emperor Pellet to enhance the profound energy of all disciples of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, personally ordered them to dedicate at least one month to consolidating their foundation, without practicing any profound arts.

Yun Che's power had also undergone several explosive increases, but with his Dragon God's Body and the power of the Desolate God as his foundation, his body had never failed to adapt to the surges in power.

Fen Juechen, however, was different. His desire for revenge was too intense, and his power had increased too rapidly. The most direct consequence was his extremely unstable control over this power. Furthermore, his body had not yet been tempered to a strength commensurate with his profound energy level, as it had only recently begun to carry such immense power. Therefore, while he could match XuanYuan Wentian in offensive power, his defensive capabilities were vastly inferior.

Consequently, both endured a profound energy explosion of the same intensity, but XuanYuan Wentian remained largely unharmed, while Fen Juechen was severely injured. More serious than the injury itself was that, under the impact, his control over his power became even more erratic. Both his internal profound energy and the boiling black aura around him showed clear signs of disorder.

XuanYuan Wentian showed no surprise at Fen Juechen's sudden change in state. He pointed his sword forward, and with a sweep, spatial fragments spun like flying knives, creating hundreds of large and small spatial vortices.

Fen Juechen panted heavily, his aura in disarray. Facing XuanYuan Wentian's sword, he was unable to gather enough power in his haste. With a loud *boom*, the black light exploded, sending Fen Juechen flying sideways. Over a dozen bursts of blood blossomed on his body, and his internal qi and blood churned violently. The chaotic dark demonic aura, like a rampaging beast, broke free of his control and surged wildly within him. He stopped himself, desperately gasping for breath, but he couldn't suppress it for a long time.

"Heh heh," XuanYuan Wentian chuckled, calmly stating, "Eighteen hundred years ago, I achieved a breakthrough, becoming an Emperor at the age of one hundred seventy-three. Two hundred eighty years later, I reached the sixth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm... which is the same realm you were in when we last met. It took me a full fifteen hundred years to go from the sixth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm to my current power level. And you, you only took nineteen days."

"What a terrifying feat."

"It's a pity, though your power intensity is no less than mine, you lack over a thousand years of foundation!"

Before XuanYuan Wentian's voice faded, his figure suddenly became ethereal, and a suffocating force descended upon Fen Juechen from above.

Fen Juechen's eyes nearly burst from their sockets. With a furious roar, the Heavenly Sin Divine Sword stirred up a colossal wave of darkness, striking upwards... But his sword was only halfway through its swing when a deafening boom echoed in his ears. His arms instantly lost all sensation, and he flew out like a piece of duckweed. The black energy around him dissipated, and the Heavenly Sin Divine Sword flew from his grasp.

XuanYuan Wentian was the foremost swordsman on the Profound Sky Continent, but this did not mean his abilities were limited to swordsmanship. As one of the four individuals on the Profound Sky Continent who had reached the pinnacle of the Sovereign Profound Realm, a single profound energy strike from him, without employing any profound art, could overturn seas and shatter mountains.

XuanYuan Wentian, having blasted Fen Juechen away, did not pursue. Instead, he calmly extended his hand and drew the Heavenly Sin Divine Sword, which was flying high, into his grasp.

He grasped the sword hilt, looking at the pommel, his eyes narrowed into extremely thin slits. "Lord Devil, now, you should finally have something to say to me, shouldn't you?"

Black mist swirled around the Heavenly Sin Divine Sword, and it trembled slightly in response to XuanYuan Wentian's questioning. Just then, a powerful tearing force emanated from the sword body. Without sufficient defense, the Heavenly Sin Divine Sword flew directly from XuanYuan Wentian's hand, then streaked across in a perfectly straight dark line, returning to its true master's grasp.

Fen Juechen was covered in blood. His hands clutched the Heavenly Sin Divine Sword tightly, and his eyes were as sinister as a devil's. His tattered black robe billowed wildly, and his black hair flew up, dancing chaotically within the surging black energy.

His speed in regaining mobility surprised XuanYuan Wentian. Even more astonishing was that the black energy around him had become even denser, and his sinister aura was several times more potent than before. Though severely wounded and with his aura in disarray, he now resembled a demon god suddenly awakened from the Nine Netherworlds, reappearing before XuanYuan Wentian with terrifying darkness and killing intent!

XuanYuan Wentian's pupils contracted slightly... *This is the power of a demon god at its highest level!?*

A sudden unease rose in XuanYuan Wentian's heart. Without hesitation, he fiercely pointed the sword in his hand at Fen Juechen. Profound energy burst from the sword tip, reaching Fen Juechen's eyes in an instant.

This single strike directly carved open a spatial tunnel, truly transcending space.

*Puff!!!*

This sword strike demonstrated what it meant to be the foremost swordsman on the Profound Sky Continent!

Fen Juechen, like a newly awakened demon god, showed no reaction to this sword. He was stabbed in the chest... but the sword did not pierce straight through his heart. Instead, it released countless sword lights that penetrated Fen Juechen's body.

The black energy that had just surged quickly receded and dissipated. Fen Juechen's pupils dilated, blood streamed from his seven orifices, and his body slowly tilted backward, then plummeted lifelessly from the air like a statue, crashing onto the ravaged ground below, where he lay motionless.

XuanYuan Wentian withdrew his arm and then subtly exhaled.

"It seems the power of the demonic path cannot be understood by conventional means," XuanYuan Wentian murmured. Fen Juechen's previous state had left him with considerable lingering fear.

Beside Fen Juechen, a black shadow shot into the sky... This time, the Heavenly Sin Divine Sword spontaneously appeared before XuanYuan Wentian. XuanYuan Wentian looked at it and calmly said, "Lord Devil, your previous silence... I hope it doesn't mean you're abandoning your thousand-year promise!"

Within the swirling black mist, a pair of narrow, demonic eyes slowly opened on the sword hilt. In XuanYuan Wentian's mind, a sinister, hoarse voice echoed: "Of course not. It's just that the situation isn't what I expected... completely different!"

"Different?" XuanYuan Wentian's brows twitched. "What happened?"

"He awakened the power of the demonic blood within him through me, and I gradually revived and reborn through the nourishment of the demonic blood. But just as I prepared to destroy his soul, I discovered that his willpower was extraordinarily terrifying... Not only did I fail, but I was defeated and became his puppet!" The demonic spirit within the sword roared, unwillingly.

"What!?" XuanYuan Wentian's face darkened.

"Now, not only is it impossible for me to take his demonic blood for myself, but I can only exist by relying on him. I cannot resist his commands. If he dies, my demonic soul, which has only just begun to revive, will completely turn to ash! If you hadn't injured him into unconsciousness, I wouldn't even have been able to transmit this message to you!"

XuanYuan Wentian's face was as black as pitch, and his knuckles cracked. His lips twitched, forming a ferocious, twisted smile: "So, my thousand years of painstaking effort have not only been completely in vain, but I've also... prepared a wedding dress for someone else..."

"No," the sinister tone of the demonic spirit within the sword suddenly shifted. "The opportunity is not entirely lost. There's another method, one that can grant you far greater power than merely obtaining the demonic blood. However, it's also far more dangerous. It depends on whether you... dare to gamble!"