Chapter 1297: Ji Ling Zhen

This sword light, like a meteor descending from the sky, froze space upon its appearance, rendering resistance impossible.

"Early Domain Realm?"

Zhang Xuan's pupils constricted to the size of a wheat awn, and his body stiffened. He hadn't expected this old man, hidden in the stream, to be a true Domain Realm expert, even stronger than Hall Master Yue!

More importantly…

"His comprehension of the sword was already comparable to Ma Minghai's, reaching the level of Half-Step True Understanding!"

His own strength was formidable, and his understanding of the sword was even more profound... With this person's strength, even an ordinary early Domain Realm expert would find it difficult to contend!

*Whoosh!*

Amidst his shock, the sword gleam had already reached him, clashing with his one-meter radius domain.

*Crack!*

The domain was like a piece of dough being sliced open; a gash appeared, and the sword gleam, without any obstruction or pause, continued forward.

"Stop!"

Controlling his domain, Zhang Xuan simultaneously met it with a palm strike. Under the sweeping sword qi, his face paled, and he was sent flying backward, his back crashing against a large tree. The opponent's casual strike, which he met with his full strength and even used his domain, couldn't even be blocked!

"No wonder Ji Lingfeng wasn't his match," the old man in the stream scoffed. "He has already comprehended a nascent domain. To achieve this at the peak of the Nascent Spirit Realm, he truly is a super genius!" Seeing that one sword strike hadn't killed the opponent, only injured him, the old man's eyes grew colder. "However, this means I must kill you!"

Such a genius must have a formidable legacy; since he had already made a move, he had to kill him. There was no turning back. Otherwise, the disaster would be even greater!

"Who are you?" Zhang Xuan gritted his teeth, struggling to his feet.

"You're going to die anyway, so there's no harm in telling you," said the old man, Ji Lingzhen. "I am Ji Lingzhen, the Clear Chirp Sword. The master of this black market is my younger brother, Ji Lingfeng, the Light Spirit Sword!"

"Ji Lingzhen?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. He had only been in the Qianchong Empire for a full day at most, and he had never heard either of those names...

"Good, you can die now!" After introducing himself, Ji Lingzhen chuckled, not bothering with more idle talk. Light once again flashed from his fingertip, as if holding a long sword, and he thrust it rapidly forward.

This move was even more terrifying than before. Even before it reached him, it caused the entire formation to tremble incessantly, as if this Level-8 formation could barely withstand it.

"Without even using a sword, it has this much power," Zhang Xuan thought. "How strong would he be if he used a weapon..." His face turned ashen; Zhang Xuan dared not meet it head-on. With a flick of his wrist, a formation plate appeared in the air. It was the very one Ji Lingfeng had thrown earlier and which he had refined.

*Boom!*

This time, instead of trapping the opponent, he enveloped himself. Zhang Xuan's figure flickered, and he had already vanished. A formation plate, capable of trapping others, could naturally also protect oneself, making it impossible for the opponent to detect him and find his trace for a short period. However, this was a reactive measure, a passive defense. Firstly, it would be easier for the enemy to break the formation from the outside; secondly, hiding within it was like being trapped in a cage, making escape impossible!

"Let's see how long you can hide!" With a soft laugh, Ji Lingzhen took a step forward in the air. His sword qi immediately landed on the mist emanating from the formation plate. Like a sharp knife cutting sticky rice cake, the mist formed by the formation plate was instantly split into two in the blink of an eye, unable to merge back together. A single glance was enough to tell that this formation plate was completely ruined.

Whether it was a formation plate or a formation, there were two ways to break it: first, understanding the principles and finding flaws or vital points; second, brute force. Ji Lingfeng's was only quasi-8-star; it could still trap peak Ethereal Soul Realm and Half-Step Domain Realm experts. But against a true Domain Realm expert who had also comprehended Half-Step True Understanding—a super expert—it was simply insufficient!

One sword breaks all methods! As long as one's strength was sufficient, any evil could be shattered with a single sword! Ji Lingzhen was precisely like this now. No matter how many tricks Zhang Xuan had, he couldn't use them against him.

Having split the mist in half, Ji Lingzhen swept his sword qi again. With a "crack!", the mist dissipated, and a formation plate, cut into two halves, fell to the ground like an old, discarded pot lid.

Without the formation's concealment, Zhang Xuan's figure reappeared before them. In just a few breaths, the fellow had actually changed his clothes. More importantly, his entire demeanor had become colder and more arrogant, with disdain that looked down on everything in his eyes, as if in this vast world, he was the only master. If his appearance and soul hadn't remained unchanged, one would suspect he had been replaced by someone else.

"Before true strength, changing clothes or demeanor is useless," Ji Lingzhen sneered. "As long as one's strength is insufficient, everything is futile..." Seeing this guy pull such stunts, Ji Lingzhen let out a cold laugh, raised his eyebrows, and pointed again.

*Whoosh!*

The air was split apart again as a cold gleam rapidly approached.

"Unable to defeat this trash," the "Zhang Xuan" sneered, "I'm truly degenerating..." "Zhang Xuan" snorted, shook his head, and didn't dodge, but his body suddenly flickered. In the blink of an eye, he vanished from his original spot, and the next moment, he had already appeared in mid-air.

*Whoosh!*

His fist raised, he threw a straight punch.

"Still trying to resist?" He hadn't expected the fellow, who couldn't even withstand a single move just moments ago, to actually try and resist. Ji Lingzhen's gaze turned cold, and his sword qi swept horizontally again. Clashing with the attack from the punch, the air vibrated intensely, and the formation shook continuously from the impact. The shattered sword qi shot out in all directions, piercing deep pits into the ground.

"Hmm?" Involuntarily retreating a few steps, Ji Lingzhen was stunned. Just moments ago, this guy, even when using that domain-like thing, couldn't block his moves. How could he, after changing clothes, seem like a completely different person and actually block his sword qi with his bare fist? Moreover, judging by the hardness of that fist... it was actually stronger than his sword qi?

"I don't believe a person's cultivation can increase this quickly," Ji Lingzhen muttered. "He must have used some method..." With a flick of his finger, the sword qi before him instantly transformed into countless streams, hovering in mid-air and emitting trembling sword cries, like an ocean.

Thousand Peaks Sword Sea! One of Sword Pool's strongest ultimate moves, it was not exclusive to Ma Minghai.

*Whoosh!*

The sword sea flew straight towards him. Wherever it passed, black lines appeared in the air, as if space itself was tearing apart.

"Mere petty tricks, not worth mentioning!" With a raised eyebrow, "Zhang Xuan" took a step forward, flipped his wrist, and brought his palm down from mid-air. The same palm strike was much more powerful than before. When the sword sea clashed with it, it was instantly like swatting a fly, offering no resistance whatsoever.

Having blocked the opponent's sword sea, "Zhang Xuan" flickered again, appearing directly opposite Ji Lingzhen, and unleashed another punch. Before he could even react to defend, he felt an overwhelming force surge towards him. Ji Lingzhen's chest tightened, his face paled, and he was sent flying backward with a "whoosh!" He crashed onto the ground, creating a massive crater!

"How can he be so strong..." Ji Lingfeng, severely injured and watching from the side, widened his eyes. This guy was just passively taking hits a moment ago; how did he become so vigorous and fierce in the blink of an eye? Ji Lingzhen had not only comprehended Half-Step True Understanding of the Sword Dao, but his cultivation had also reached the early Domain Realm, surpassing the scope of the Qianchong Empire... Such a powerful expert actually couldn't even withstand a single punch... Was this guy really just at the peak of the Nascent Spirit Realm?

"Damn it!" Flying out of the crater again, Ji Lingzhen no longer possessed his earlier elegance; instead, he let out an exasperated roar. He had thought he could easily kill him, but he never dreamed that after changing clothes, he would become so powerful.

"Damn it? You're nothing but a worthless dog!" "Zhang Xuan" sneered, "Watch me slay you!" Too lazy to bother with his anger, with a faint smile, "Zhang Xuan" stepped forward again. This time, it wasn't a fist or a palm, but a foot that came down from mid-air, kicking directly towards him.

"You..." In the blink of an eye, Ji Lingzhen felt as if heaven and earth were collapsing upon him, and everything would crumble at any moment. This kick from the opponent, although it didn't use any martial arts techniques or much skill, had simply too much power, so powerful that he was utterly powerless to resist.

"Damn it!" All the acupoints in his body opened, and countless sword qi surged forth, instantly forming a circle filled with sword qi around his body. Martial technique: Xiangjiang Sword Rain! This move was an absolute defense; once unleashed, sword qi would immediately form a sphere, like a domain, protecting the user from harm.

*Crack!*

The foot descended. Upon colliding with the sphere, a "creaking" sound was immediately heard, as if it could shatter at any moment. His face ashen, Ji Lingzhen gritted his teeth and held on.

"Hmph!" "Zhang Xuan" raised his eyebrows, and the force in his foot increased again.

*Boom!*

Unable to withstand it any longer, the circle exploded on the spot. Ji Lingzhen spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, flew backward again, and crashed to the ground, his face devoid of color.

"You, with this level, want to kill me?" Having kicked the opponent away, "Zhang Xuan" walked through the air again, his face stern, with his hands clasped behind his back, like an unbeatable war god.

"I..." His fists clenched, Ji Lingzhen retreated several steps consecutively. This guy was simply too strong. Although he didn't have a domain, nor did he use any powerful martial arts techniques, his strength was immense, and his body seemed utterly invulnerable. Continuing to fight would surely lead to death!

"What kind of being did this guy provoke?" Gritting his teeth, he secretly felt some regret. If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have agreed to Ji Lingfeng's request and taken on this messy affair. He had thought he was just a small fry who could be crushed at any moment, but he never dreamed he was a colossal dragon, impossible to contend with.

"With my strength, I'll be beaten to death sooner or later..." Ji Lingzhen thought. "Since that's the case, I can only try..." Stopping his retreat, Ji Lingzhen's expression turned solemn. Then he suddenly pointed a finger, and fresh blood gushed out wildly. As the blood reached above the stream, the latter immediately split open with a fissure.

*Sizzling!*

The more blood gushed out, the paler Ji Lingzhen's face became. The hair on his head, previously black, turned gray, becoming completely white in the blink of an eye. He aged significantly, as if his vitality was rapidly decaying due to the flow of blood.

"I have given you the Whispering Sword and the Clear Chirp Sword," he roared. "Over the years, I have also collected countless long swords to nurture you... And my blood, too, I've allowed you to devour... Are you still not going to emerge? Do you really intend to stay trapped here forever?"

*Rumble!*

The ground shook violently, the stream water seemed to boil, constantly churning, and the chaotic maze formation guarding the surroundings seemed on the verge of collapsing at any moment under the impact of the immense force!

"What is this?" "Zhang Xuan's" pupils constricted.