Chapter 1235: Red and Blue Two-Poles Sword

"What?"

His pupils constricted, and the hairs on Zhang Xuan's body stood on end.

The sword qi was incredibly fast, like lightning, and most importantly, immensely powerful. Even though his strength had recently increased significantly, he instantly knew that if he didn't dodge, he would be directly impaled and die on the spot.

With a swift movement of his foot, he executed the 'Boundless Traveler' technique. The space beside him seemed to compress, and he shifted over three meters sideways, pressing himself flat against the wall.

Whoosh! A cold wind swept past, and the sword qi pierced through from his side, disappearing from sight.

"That was close!" Fortunately, he had recently gained a deeper understanding of space and the Boundless Traveler technique. Otherwise, even if he hadn't died, he would have been severely wounded! What terrifying sword qi!

"Out of Aperture realm... initial pinnacle!" He clenched his fists.

Although it was just a single strike, he had already determined the opponent's strength. They had reached at least the initial pinnacle of the Out of Aperture realm, and were even skilled in swordsmanship. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to unleash such a powerful attack. Under a sneak attack, even he had almost failed to dodge it!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Just as he let out a breath of relief, he felt murderous intent surge again. Two more streaks of sword qi shot towards him, one after another, blocking all routes for advancement and evasion.

"Hmph!" Knowing the passage was narrow and he couldn't dodge like before, Zhang Xuan's expression darkened. He flipped his wrist, and the Ice Rain Sword appeared in his palm. With a gentle slash, two streaks of sword qi met the incoming ones.

Although the Ice Rain Sword was only a low-tier Saint artifact, its power, combined with his current strength, was immense. Like two flashes of lightning in the dark night, they collided with the incoming sword qi, instantly producing a dull sonic boom. The impact sent debris flying from both sides of the passage. The longsword bent slightly, almost breaking.

After repelling the opponent's sword qi with a single move, Zhang Xuan didn't pause and continued to charge forward.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! He was fast, but the opponent's sword qi was even faster. After only taking two steps, he felt sword qi tear through the air again. This time there were four streaks, each more powerful than the last. If he charged through, he would very likely be cut in half.

The Ice Rain Sword continuously slashed down, blocking the attacks. However, the opponent's power seemed to have an additive effect; each subsequent strike was stronger than the last. After four swords came six swords, and their power was even greater.

"It's a sword formation, or... a special sword art!" Although he didn't know who his opponent was, anyone capable of unleashing such attacks either possessed a unique martial art or was employing a formidable sword formation.

Discarding all hint of underestimation, his zhenqi roared as it circulated within him. His eyebrows rose, and he pointed a finger forward.

The space before him seemed to instantly become viscous, and the six streaks of sword qi halted mid-air, moving forward slowly, their previous threat gone.

He unleashed the Ice Rain Sword, breaking through the attacks one by one. Just as he intended to continue forward, eight more streaks of sword qi appeared from the other side.

The eight streaks of sword qi were even more powerful, far surpassing the previous six. Before they even reached him, the space he had fixed began to shake violently. With a 'whoosh!', it shattered.

Thump, thump, thump, thump! Suffering from the backlash of power, Zhang Xuan stumbled back two steps. He abruptly clenched his palm, and his profound zhenqi formed a spherical barrier, blocking the attack. He was inwardly shocked.

Having reached the pinnacle of the Embryonic Soul realm, his combat strength was comparable to that of a mid-tier Out of Aperture realm expert. With such power, to actually be forced back by a few streaks of sword qi meant the opponent's combat strength was beyond imagination.

"The sword qi is faster with each strike, and the power is greater with each strike... Could it be the famous Red-Green Two-Sided Sword from twenty years ago?"

His eyebrows shot up as a name leaped into his mind. Having read all the books in the Combat Master Hall, he was very familiar with certain historical anecdotes.

In the Combat Master Hall of Qingyuan Empire, the two most talented combat masters who wielded swords had once obtained a sword dao legacy in Qianchong Empire and created a unique sword formation, known as the Red-Green Two-Sided Sword.

When the two of them joined forces, even experts at the mid-tier pinnacle of the Out of Aperture realm couldn't withstand them.

However, these two had died over a thousand years ago, leaving no remains. Could it be that... their bodies were brought here and refined into soulless golden figures?

If that were true, it would be truly terrifying. Even he might not be able to win if he faced them directly.

"Without seeing the person, I can't discern the flaws in their moves. If I continue to be passive like this, the 'ruthless individual' might take the opportunity to escape, and that would be troublesome..."

Knowing that further delay would only lead to more trouble, Zhang Xuan exhaled. He flipped his wrist, and the enormous Golden Origin Cauldron appeared before him.

"Charge through!"

"Alright, master, don't worry! They're just clowns. Watch me, your magnificent Cauldron, smash them to bits..."

With a roar, the Golden Origin Cauldron flew up with a 'whoosh!' and charged straight ahead.

Clang, clang, clang! The sword qi struck its surface, emitting clear ringing sounds.

Having fused with the Gold Crystal Xuan Stone, the Golden Origin Cauldron's defensive capabilities had greatly increased. Furthermore, its strength had reached the late-tier Out of Aperture realm. Although the opponent's sword qi was formidable, it still couldn't pierce through it.

Seeing it easily deflect the attacks, Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. He followed closely behind it, striding forward. The passage was long and narrow, spanning seventy to eighty meters. Before long, they arrived at another hall-like area.

It was a dug-out underground palace with a diameter of over a hundred meters.

Upon entering, his spiritual perception was no longer affected by the formation. He spread it outwards and immediately saw two figures rapidly retreating.

These two, like the soulless golden figures outside, had bodies, skin, and hair indistinguishable from living people. However, they displayed no emotion whatsoever, revealing at a glance that their souls were gone.

"You think you can just leave after attacking me? Do I look that easy to bully?" As they attempted to retreat, Zhang Xuan let out a cold sneer. He flipped his palm and struck towards the two figures.

Boom! Power, like a dragon, surged forth with overwhelming force, rushing directly at them. Grand Compassionate Demonic Palm!

Sensing the immense power of the palm strike, the two golden figures hastily turned around and swung their longswords. However, without the cumulative power from before, their sword qi was only as strong as the first strike. Before they could fully exert their strength, the palm strike was already upon their chests. Immediately, the sound of cracking ribs echoed, and both golden figures were simultaneously sent crashing into the wall.

"Master, leave one for me..." Seeing Zhang Xuan instantly cripple both figures with a single move, the Golden Origin Cauldron hastily cried out.

Having recently increased its strength, it had finally found something fun to play with. Of course, it wanted to beat them up for some satisfaction.

"They're all yours..." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

He was looking for the 'ruthless individual'. These minor minions only needed to be incapacitated.

"Alrighty!" Filled with excitement, the Golden Origin Cauldron charged straight towards the two Otherworldly Demons, colliding with one of them with a single strike.

Splat! One of the soulless golden figures was instantly smashed into a meat paste, hanging on the wall like a painting.

"Fun, fun..." Filled with excitement, the Golden Origin Cauldron spun around again and slammed into the other one. The latter's expression changed in fright. It struggled to pull itself out of the wall and turned to flee.

"Can you escape when your Cauldron Master makes a move?" With a cold snort, the Golden Origin Cauldron zoomed forward with a 'buzz'.

The soulless golden figure hastily drew its sword to meet it, slashing down fiercely. The sword struck the cauldron, emitting a roar, and instantly broke into two pieces. The residual force surged forth, pinning the golden figure against the wall once more.

Crunch! All its bones were directly flattened, and like the previous one, it became a painting on the wall.

"Ugh..." Zhang Xuan shook his head.

He had been thinking that these two corpses were experts from the Combat Master Hall. He had wanted to leave their bodies intact so Hall Master Xing and the others could take them back. He hadn't expected the Golden Origin Cauldron to achieve this result the moment it attacked...

Never mind, it wasn't a big deal. The people were already dead anyway; a burial would suffice.

The people of the Combat Master Hall were not as rigid as those of the Master Teacher Pavilion. They didn't prioritize sentiment. On the battlefield, facing life and death, preserving one's life was paramount. There weren't so many ceremonies.

"Eye of Insight!" After slaying the two golden figures, Zhang Xuan once again followed the thin line with his gaze. He immediately saw it slowly extending underground.

He took a few steps closer, and his finger brushed against the ground. Sure enough, he discovered an entrance to a mechanism.

He brought his fingers together to form a palm and pushed gently. Creak! Creak! The mechanism opened.

"Come here for a moment..." Not rushing to enter, he called out.

"Coming..." The Golden Origin Cauldron flew straight over.

"You go in first and check for mechanisms and dangers!" Zhang Xuan instructed.

Just now, when he broke through the mechanism, a sword qi attack immediately came. If not for his recent surge in strength, he would surely have been killed. With the Golden Origin Cauldron here, he'd let this big oaf go in first to scout the path. That way, if there was danger, he would be prepared.

"Alrighty!" It responded, and the Golden Origin Cauldron charged straight towards the mechanism's entrance.

Thud! "Master, I'm stuck..." Zhang Xuan glanced at it, speechless. The thing was too large, and the entrance too small, so it was perfectly wedged inside, unable to move.

"Come out first..." Rubbing his forehead, he pulled it out and put it into his storage ring. Only then did Zhang Xuan circulate his zhenqi and slowly walk inside.

The passage was quiet, silent. Having experienced what just happened, he didn't dare to be careless. Holding his longsword in his palm, he advanced step by step.

It wasn't long before he reached the end of the stairs. This time, there were no attacks.

He took out a night-luminescent pearl and tossed it onto the ground, which immediately illuminated the room before him. Like the one above, it was also a spacious hall, very empty, with no one in sight.

He frowned. The thin line controlling the many golden figures disappeared in this room. He had thought the 'ruthless individual' would be hiding here. Unexpectedly, there wasn't a single person.

Creak! Just as he was about to search carefully for any other mechanisms, he heard the sound of machinery above. He looked up to see that the passage he had just opened had already closed.

Although it wasn't a Dragon-Slaying Lock, the mechanism was intricate. Once closed, it would likely not be easy to find the entrance without the Eye of Insight.

"This is to separate me from Hall Master Xing and the others..." He paused for a moment, then Zhang Xuan suddenly understood.

It seemed the opponent's goal was simple: to separate him from the group. That way, fighting alone, he would be easier to deal with.

He didn't try to open the passage. Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan looked around.

"Closing the mechanism means they're revealing their true intentions. Since that's the case, come out then..."

"Master Zhang is indeed clever..." As the voice finished, a faint voice echoed, and a tall figure subsequently emerged from within the wall, as if phasing through it.

Knowing it was the effect of some mechanism, Zhang Xuan paid it no mind. He looked at the figure, and with just one glance, his eyebrows couldn't help but furrow.

"You... you're not dead?" The one who appeared before him was none other than Vice Hall Master Tian Qing, whom he had soul-searched earlier in Qingyuan City and who the 'ruthless individual' had devoured... Emperor Qingtian!