Chapter 125: Heaven Heart Sword Talisman

Yan Feng was the strongest opponent Chen Mobai had faced in the combat competition so far. All previous opponents had been defeated by his Heavenly Sea Sword Qi in a single move. After learning about Yan Feng's formidable strength from Yan Bingxuan, Chen Mobai harbored no illusions of an easy victory in this round. He brought his most powerful talisman.

Clasping his hands together and then parting them, he revealed a long, rectangular talisman hovering in his palm, its yellow paper base adorned with red lines. It was the Three Crimson Flame Swords Talisman! The talisman featured three crimson, trident-like sword patterns. As Chen Mobai injected his spiritual energy, they began to burn. One sword pattern leaped from the talisman, transforming into a nearly two-meter-long crimson flame greatsword.

"Go!"

Chen Mobai made a grasping motion with his right hand, his spiritual sense connecting with the flame greatsword. Using Yan Feng's locked aura on him, he counter-locked onto his opponent! With a roaring sound, the Crimson Flame Sword Qi erupted, unleashing a formidable might no less potent than Yan Feng's Heavenly Sea Sword Qi. As it soared, it cleaved through the air, and an invisible, scorching current even scoured the arena floor, kicking up dust. With a terrifying, all-consuming might, it slashed down before Yan Feng.

"Good, you're quite capable." Yan Feng, whose face was usually stern, burst into laughter. He no longer dodged the powerful Crimson Flame Sword Qi. The Heavenly Sea Third Sword, which had just shattered the ice blade, pulsed like a spiritual serpent at the tip of his right index finger. Fuelled by his fervent fighting spirit, it glowed with an unprecedented, vast ethereal radiance.

*Boom!*

The Crimson Flame Sword Qi collided with the Heavenly Sea Third Sword. The two incompatible spiritual energies, like fire and water, erupted in a tremendous shockwave the instant they met. Spectators below the arena saw only a blinding flash of crimson flame sword qi the moment of impact. Then, as if consumed by the ethereal radiance, it gradually dimmed, eventually transforming into wisps of smoke that dissipated into the air.

"It's over!"

Yan Feng was indeed formidable; his Heavenly Sea Third Sword, unleashed with a power akin to that of a sword talisman, had utterly defeated the Crimson Flame Sword Qi in a head-on clash. He raised his finger, from which the third sword qi, now with only half of its spiritual power remaining, shot directly towards the motionless Chen Mobai.

"This is bad, Old Chen, surrender quickly!" Below the arena, Lu Hongsheng broke out in a cold sweat as he witnessed the scene. Song Zheng, Mo Simin, Yan Bingxuan, and their other classmates also showed expressions of deep concern.

Just then, the roaring sound of Crimson Flame Sword Qi erupted once more. Chen Mobai waved his hand. The central sword pattern on the talisman before him ignited and leaped forth, once again forming a flame greatsword. It slashed down heavily towards Yan Feng, who was now close. Caught off guard, Yan Feng could only raise his right finger-sword to forcibly block the Crimson Flame Sword Qi, which was now slashing down directly in front of him.

"It's not over yet!" Chen Mobai's other hand then made a grasping gesture. The final Crimson Flame Sword Qi also ignited and surged forth, and with a flick of his wrist, it rapidly struck at Yan Feng, whose finger now only held a faint wisp of ethereal radiance.

"I can't block this!" Yan Feng made his assessment the instant the third Crimson Flame Sword Qi appeared: his third Heavenly Sea Sword Qi had less than ten percent of its spiritual power left. Activating his fourth sword qi would take time, meaning this was the greatest predicament he had faced since the combat competition began.

Fortunately, Yan Feng had anticipated such a situation and had prepared a defensive talisman. A common "Golden Light Talisman" lit up in his palm. After the third Heavenly Sea Sword Qi was completely depleted by the Crimson Flame Sword Qi, the talisman perfectly blocked the Crimson Flame Sword Qi for two crucial seconds. Seizing these two seconds, he retrieved his ultimate trump card: a talisman. It was a simple piece of paper with just a single sword mark drawn upon it.

But the instant this paper appeared, the relaxed expressions of the Daoist Academy representatives, and even the composed Red Robe True Immortal, subtly shifted. "The Heavenly Heart Sword Talisman! I can't believe he possesses one!" "This talisman is an utter waste on a Qi Condensation cultivator!" "Such a squandering of rare treasures!"

White paper, black ink, with a stroke as sharp as a sword's edge! A flicker of reluctance crossed Yan Feng's face, but he ultimately hardened his resolve, injecting spiritual energy to activate this "unranked" Heavenly Heart Sword Talisman. Although a prodigy, he had already mastered the three sword qis of the Qi Condensation chapter of the *Heavenly Sea Thirteen Swords*. However, to cultivate the fourth sword qi, one needed to reach the Foundation Establishment realm.

However, the immortal sects possessed countless extraordinary techniques and arcane artifacts. Some talismans and magic tools could allow cultivators to wield powers beyond their current cultivation realm. The Heavenly Heart Sword Talisman was one such artifact. A millennium ago, two Rank 4 talisman masters from the Heavenly Scroll Academy and Mountain Sea Academy collaborated to create this talisman. They designated it as "unranked." This was because the Heavenly Heart Sword Talisman could be used by any cultivator. It would automatically adjust to the user's cultivation level, unleashing power one realm higher than their own. For instance, as a ninth-level Qi Condensation cultivator, Yan Feng could, after activating this Heavenly Heart Sword Talisman, unleash Foundation Establishment-tier sword qi for a short period! And if a cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment used this talisman, they could similarly unleash powerful Golden Core-tier sword qi. However, the talisman had its limits; it could at most unleash power equivalent to the Golden Core realm. It was precisely because the Heavenly Heart Sword Talisman could unleash power across three realms—from Qi Condensation to Golden Core—depending on the user's cultivation, that it was designated as "unranked."

The Daoist Academy representatives found it utterly incredible that Yan Feng would use this talisman for the combat competition. There was absolutely no need for it. Although the method for refining the Heavenly Heart Sword Talisman was passed down in both academies, no new ones had been created since the two originators passed away. Throughout the entire immortal sect, likely fewer than twenty such talismans remained. They were incredibly precious.

While the Daoist Academy representatives expressed their regret, Chen Mobai, standing on the arena, directly faced the sword talisman and felt an unprecedented pressure. It felt as if a violent sword qi, capable of tearing him to shreds, was brewing within the talisman at Yan Feng's fingertip. He didn't know the talisman's origin, nor did he dwell on it. Instead, he simply pushed the talismans he could wield to their absolute limit!

Biting his finger to draw blood, he followed Wang Yuanwu's instruction and infused a drop of his essence blood, combined with all his remaining spiritual energy, into the talisman hovering before him.

"Three Crimson Flame Swords, Purple Sun Sword Array!"

Chen Mobai's spiritual sense erupted completely. The Crimson Flame Sword Talisman, from which all three sword qis had been unleashed, then absorbed his essence blood and spiritual energy, and began to generate a powerful reverse suction. This pulled back all the Crimson Flame Sword Qis that Yan Feng had defeated and dispersed. In a flash, the talisman erupted into raging flames. The flames were initially crimson, then deepened in color, eventually transforming into a faint violet. These violet flames seemed to possess immense heat. The instant they appeared, they utterly consumed the talisman. Finally, a long, ribbon-like streak of violet flame emerged, which he held in a phantom grip with both hands.