Chapter 2021: Breakthrough to True Immortal

"Spatial power?"

Zhang Xuan's face fell, and the hairs on his body bristled. Most people, even True Immortals or ordinary Immortal Monarchs, might not recognize what was happening before his eyes. However, Zhang Xuan, having come from the Master Teacher Continent and long mastered spatial power, immediately understood the cause of this phenomenon! It was the use of spatial power to completely seal off the surroundings! In other words, he had been trapped within a unique spatial dimension. Here, no matter how much commotion he caused, no one outside would notice.

On the Master Teacher Continent, even an Ancient Sage could freely manipulate spatial power. Yet, in the Firmament, not even an Immortal Monarch might be able to achieve this! He had been caught and dragged in here. Could it be that... He quickly looked towards the approaching figures. There were four of them, all clad in black robes that obscured their faces. A cold aura emanated from them, giving the impression that they were emissaries from hell.

"Three peak True Immortals and one Immortal Monarch?" A chill ran through Zhang Xuan. He was only at the peak of the Virtual Immortal realm. Even if his Heaven's Path divine art was invincible and allowed him to contend with True Immortals, he couldn't possibly withstand three peak True Immortals and an Immortal Monarch! Who were these people? Why were they ambushing him?

"Are you here to kill me?" His mind swiftly cleared, all traces of panic vanishing. With an emotionless expression, Zhang Xuan asked with a frown. The killing intent emanating from them was palpable; even an ordinary person couldn't conceal it, let alone escape his Eye of Insight.

"He's yours. Remember the master's words!" Without further explanation, the Immortal Monarch looked at one of the peak True Immortals nearby and instructed. "Yes!" Upon receiving the order, one of the True Immortals swayed, appearing before Zhang Xuan, his five fingers splayed as he exerted pressure from above.

A violent power, like a hurricane, swept towards him. Before it even reached him, Zhang Xuan felt a tightness in his chest, struggling to breathe. "So powerful!" His pupils contracted, and his scalp tingled. Although he had never truly fought a True Immortal, he had sparred with disciples from the Hall of Gods, the Elder Council, and other higher-ranked experts in sword arts at their respective levels, giving him a clear idea of their cultivation. Despite being a Virtual Immortal, he could use his Heaven's Path divine art and true qi to contend with a peak True Immortal without issue. Yet now, he was finding it hard to breathe... This person before him was definitely no ordinary True Immortal! Their true strength was likely on par with, or even surpassed, that of an average Immortal Monarch!

"Retreat!" The situation was critical, leaving no time for hesitation. He sharply recoiled, retreating rapidly, while simultaneously forming his fingers into a sword and pointing forward. *Whoosh!* The sword qi, formed from Heaven's Path true qi, was almost tangible. In the blink of an eye, it shattered the incoming attack and shot towards the black-robed True Immortal's glabella. His opponent clearly intended to kill him, and with an Immortal Monarch present, Zhang Xuan held nothing back, unleashing his strongest power from the very start. The sword qi was incredibly sharp, imbued with his understanding of the Sword Dao, and its appearance was so sudden. Without a doubt, this person would be easily slain. As long as he killed this one, he could find a way to escape the spatial封锁 before the others surrounded him and make his getaway.

"You have some skill after all. It seems this trip won't be entirely boring!" Just as the sword qi was about to pierce the opponent's glabella, the black-robed figure opposite him chuckled softly. He pinched his fingers forward, and the rapidly incoming sword qi was instantly caught, like a rattlesnake seized at its weak point. No matter how it struggled, it couldn't escape. Zhang Xuan's scalp prickled, and his expression darkened.

Although his sword qi didn't contain the Divine Sword Intent, he cultivated the Heaven's Path divine art, making its power extremely formidable. If he had unleashed that sudden strike earlier, even a core disciple of the Lingyun Sword Court would have been instantly killed... Yet, the opponent had simply pinched it with his fingers, as if catching an insect... Just how strong was he?

"Go!" While Zhang Xuan was still in shock, the black-robed figure chuckled again. The sword qi he had just captured suddenly reversed direction and shot straight back at Zhang Xuan. Zhang Xuan hastily retreated, his body once again contracting. *Puchi!* A cut appeared on his shoulder, and blood slowly flowed out. His own sword qi, meant to attack the opponent, had been caught and redirected, injuring him!

"Quite quick on your feet..." Seeing that he hadn't been killed, the black-robed figure seemed surprised, and a hint of admiration appeared in his eyes. "Flaws!" Suppressing the shock in his heart, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath and quietly uttered in his mind. The opponent's strength was truly bizarre. Only by finding and exploiting their flaws could he hope to break through this perilous situation.

*Buzz!* The Library of Heaven's Path trembled but did not produce any books. "What?" Zhang Xuan's muscles tensed. The Library's failure to produce books meant that... either the opponent transcended the Heavenly Dao, or they possessed a special method to obscure the Heavenly Secrets!

"Could it be this folded space?" He had encountered a similar situation in the Master Teacher Continent at the Seer Guild. Now that he was in a folded space, it was highly probable that the opponent was using the same method! With the Heavenly Secrets obscured, the Library of Heaven's Path would be useless. Trying to find the opponent's flaws would be futile! Could it be that the opponent knew he possessed the Library and deliberately set this ambush?

"It's likely... they fear being discovered by others, especially the Lingyun Sword Court, which is why they deliberately obscured the Heavenly Secrets!" He quickly understood. No one knew about the Library of Heaven's Path except Luo Ruoxi. It was impossible for the opponent to act based on that. Their action was probably to prevent the experts of the Lingyun Sword Court from discovering and intervening.

"I heard you're skilled with a sword. Let's see how my sword techniques measure up!" As these thoughts raced through his mind, the black-robed figure before him flicked his fingers. *Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!* Five streaks of sword qi shot out from his five fingers, like colorful rainbows, striking towards five vital acupuncture points on Zhang Xuan's body. Zhang Xuan tapped his toes on the ground, his figure gliding to the side. His Heaven's Path movement technique was as elusive as a phantom.

He was fast, but the five streaks of sword qi were faster. No matter how he dodged, they followed relentlessly, as if locked onto him, impossible to shake off. "Such incredible control..." Zhang Xuan held no more illusions. At his cultivation level, he naturally knew that the opponent's move wasn't merely the sword qi following him, but rather sword intent locking onto him! The opponent had used their sword intent to lock onto him, so... no matter how he tried to escape, he couldn't dodge it! He also knew this move, but he needed to use Divine Sword Intent to achieve it. Yet, the opponent could execute it with such ease. Their sword techniques were actually more formidable than even those of Bai Ruanqing and her peers!

The Lingyun Sword Court was renowned throughout the Firmament as the most skilled in sword usage, its sword arts considered unparalleled! Even those who could contend with the top core disciple there were not as proficient as this person before him... Who exactly was he? Where did he come from, and why did he want to kill him?

"Are you from the Hall of Gods?" Remembering something, a chill settled in Zhang Xuan's heart. Previously, Sect Leader Han Jianqiu had specifically warned him that his identity must not be revealed, or the Hall of Gods would surely target him, and he might even be killed! At the time, he thought it was an exaggeration, probably not true! Now it seemed... it was highly probable! Otherwise, how would the opponent know his identity, and how could they have arrived so quickly, confirming it without any doubt?

Without answering, the black-robed figure flicked his fingers again, sending several more streaks of sword qi flying towards him. These new streaks, combined with the previous five, more than doubled in power, clearly poised to break through his defense and pierce his body. "Break!" Zhang Xuan's chest suddenly swelled as true qi burst forth from his acupuncture points, meeting the incoming sword qi. As the two forces collided, the explosive sound of qi reverberated outwards.

"I can't wait any longer..." He staggered back several steps, a burning pain in his chest. To block the opponent's sword qi, he had compressed his internal true qi and forced it out, sustaining a minor injury from just that one clash. Seeing the opponent's ease and realizing they hadn't even used their killing move yet, Zhang Xuan knew that any further delay would mean certain death. He took a deep breath, immediately pulled out a high-grade Immortal Essence Pill, and swallowed it. *Gurgle! Gurgle!* His body surged with energy, like a boiling cauldron.

"Hmm?" Seeing that he was about to be killed, yet instead of fleeing, he swallowed a pill, the black-robed figure paused in surprise. Just as he was about to continue his attack, he felt the true qi within the young man's body reach its peak and then suddenly erupt! With a thunderous roar, Zhang Xuan's cultivation, at the peak of the Virtual Immortal realm, broke through in the blink of an eye. Zhang Xuan's strength had long since reached the peak of the Virtual Immortal realm; had he possessed a cultivation technique, he would have already been a True Immortal. With the situation critical, he cast aside all other considerations, prioritizing his cultivation breakthrough.

"A breakthrough in battle? Interesting!" The black-robed figure paused, but rather than shock, his eyebrows arched in amusement as he attacked again. If he couldn't even kill a Virtual Immortal brat... he wouldn't get any more assignments in the future. *Boom!* This attack was even stronger, the sword qi sharper. Although he used no weapon, the power from his fingertips seemed to double, piercing through the air in an instant, heading straight for Zhang Xuan's heart.

*Whoosh!* Standing rooted, Zhang Xuan exhaled a turbid breath. The True Immortal realm was indeed vastly more powerful than the Virtual Immortal realm. If the immortal energy of the Virtual Immortal realm were likened to snowflakes piled into a mountain, a heavy object dropped onto it would still create a large pit. The True Immortal realm was different. The snowflakes would melt, forming a river. Although its density still wouldn't match stone or steel, its continuous flow would increase its power by more than double! Furthermore, not only did their power increase, but their soul and physical body were also tempered, making their reactions swifter and their thoughts sharper.

Seeing the sword light approaching, ready to pierce his chest at any moment, Zhang Xuan finally swayed lightly, dodging the attack, and thrust his finger forward. *Whoosh!* A cold gleam appeared, as thick as an arm, surging towards the black-robed figure. Though also a sword gleam, this force was countless times more powerful than before, like a surging flood.

"Hmph!" The black-robed figure snorted coldly, flipping his palm and striking down through the air. It was an unknown technique, several times more powerful than the previous sword qi. The air was torn apart in an instant, and Zhang Xuan's sword qi disintegrated inch by inch before it even reached its target. Although his cultivation had broken through to the True Immortal realm, he was only at the early True Immortal stage, still a significant gap from his opponent's peak.

"It's time to end this..." With a single move, he shattered Zhang Xuan's sword qi. A cold sneer appeared on the black-robed figure's face as he bore down with his full power, just about to capture the young man. Suddenly, he felt all the pores on his body tingle instantly, and a sense of extreme danger flooded his mind, making his hairs stand on end. He hastily looked forward, only to see that beneath the shattered sword gleam from the young man's fingertip, a long sword had, at some unknown point, been concealed and was now already at his chest!