Chapter 560: Dharma Appearance Divine Might, Majestic Swordsmanship Primer

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“Kill, kill, kill!”

The waves of sound surged, one after another.

The magnificent sight of overwhelming demonic energy was truly astonishing.

As the decisive battle between the righteous and demonic factions, it appeared grand in scale, yet it was far from simple. On the surface, the righteous and demonic sides were poised for a fight to the death, which logically should involve their full strength. Yet, neither the external reinforcements nor the Dao soldiers made a move, hinting at a certain pretense. However, the lower-level cultivators were unaware of the true situation, only believing this to be an unprecedented great victory.

They were convinced it was the perfect opportunity for the demonic path to unify the cultivation world. Without a single word, their morale had already been boosted to its highest point.

So-called Dao soldiers were "cultivators" refined using secret methods. Regardless of their original aptitude or cultivation level, once refined into Dao soldiers, they were fixed at a certain realm, making it difficult for them to advance further in their lives.

Like Jin Manlou's suicidal assassins, they were consumables cultivated using unorthodox Core Formation pills. Even if they died, their Core Formation pills could be extracted and inserted into another person, allowing for the mass production of Core Formation cultivators.

Throughout the entire Ice Prison Realm, only the Grand Void Sword Sect, the Heaven-Refining Demonic Sect, and two merchant organizations possessed the financial resources to maintain Dao soldiers.

Cultivating them with unorthodox Core Formation pills was actually due to a lack of proper methods. True Dao soldiers were rarely seen by anyone.

It is said that the Sword Sect's Dao soldiers, named Sword Pawns, ranged from early to peak Core Formation, with their post-refinement cultivation determined by the refiner's skill and materials. Above Sword Pawns were Sword Commanders, comparable to Nascent Soul cultivators, serving as generals in military formations. Through Dao soldier secret techniques, they could gather the power of thousands of soldiers, temporarily granting the strongest Sword Commanders the mighty power of Soul Transformation.

They were the primary choice for quelling regional chaos and asserting the sect's divine might. Their current absence was not due to fear of demonic power.

These beings were essentially consumables, but according to ancient records, the numerous golden-armored divine generals who accompanied the immortals when they descended to the lower realms were, in fact, also a type of Dao soldier. These individuals were also the ancestors of the Ice Prison humans. The full extent of these secrets is difficult to explain in a short time.

Given the foundation of the Ice Prison cultivation world, it was not yet sufficient for Dao soldiers to replace cultivators in all dangerous tasks; simply put, their numbers were insufficient. This method, after all, belonged to the unorthodox path.

Dao soldiers also had a natural lifespan and could not survive through endless ages, but they were very suitable for use in the righteous-demonic war. One could be re-refined if one died, making them ideal for wars of attrition.

Returning to the main topic.

After Wang Yu agreed, he immediately cast the "Return to the Void Hidden Heaven Charm" and entered the spatial interstice, not revealing his true form, clearly not intending to follow the Heaven-Refining Demonic Venerable's command. The Demonic Venerable was well aware of this. As long as Wang Yu could assist a little when dealing with the Prison King Spirit Official, the "Demon Crossing Heart Charm" he gave would not be a loss. As time passed, the demons pressed in.

The Sword Sect's Soul Transformation cultivators finally couldn't sit still.

Female Venerables Poria and Miao Zhen, both Soul Transformation cultivators, made the first move. Sword light soared into the sky, transforming into seventy-two colossal swords, resembling mountains. They hovered directly above the seventy-two Sword Peaks. Disciples from each peak, led by their Nascent Soul peak masters, formed small sword arrays, ready to strike down the demonic scoundrels at any moment.

The Heaven-Refining Demonic Venerable waved his hand, and a large number of peak Nascent Soul demonic overlords, each leading thousands of troops, simultaneously launched an assault on the seventy-two peaks.

Lord Lan Xin, Lord Lei Xie, Fiendish Demoness, Evil Soul Ancestor, Ghost Blade Demonic Lord, Ghost Roc Bishop, Corrupt Daoist, Di Mingzi, Yin-Yang Demonic Lord, Three Corpses Daoist… and so on. Wang Yu himself recognized and was familiar with no fewer than ten of them. As for Immortal Maiden Ice Soul, Yan Ling, Yin Gui Demonic Lord, and others who were Wang Yu's direct followers, he had secretly instructed them beforehand to preferably not participate in this decisive battle. Those who trusted and respected him would find reasons to escape the conflict.

The Nascent Soul battle had begun. Upon their initial clash, a large number of demonic cultivators fell within the sword arrays. Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't withstand even a single strike, being cut in half by the power of the formation. Core Formation cultivators fared slightly better but were still at a significant disadvantage.

The Nascent Soul old devils could overwhelm the Sword Sect peak masters, but under the pressure of the formation, they chose to injure rather than kill, waiting for the first "early bird" to appear to test the power of the sect-protecting formation. For them, the chances of resisting a Soul Transformation array were zero; the main effort still depended on the Soul Transformation Venerables to bear and share the burden. When a Demonic Venerable bore the primary pressure of the formation, an eager "early bird" among them would naturally step forward!

At that moment, as soon as the decisive battle began, it transformed into the cruelest meat grinder. The deaths of numerous demonic cultivators did not extinguish their will to fight; instead, it made them even more frenzied. All sorts of demonic secret techniques and strange arts were unleashed.

Splattering flesh and blood, blood-like waterfalls, withered bones… all were collected by cunning individuals. Various ghostly mists and wails were incessant, and paper figures stuck to faces, asking the Sword Sect disciples, "Am I beautiful or not?" At first glance, it seemed as if all the ghosts from Fengdu City had been released to have a bonfire party, with the scene resembling a passing army of Yin soldiers, utterly terrifying.

Even more daring, some burrowed into the ground, attempting to erode the earth veins and shake the foundation of the entire grand array. The seventy-two Sword Peaks were seventy-two formation nodes; breaking just ten or so would cause the entire formation to collapse and self-destruct.

The sight of flying gore and blood made eyes twitch. The demonic cultivators, one after another, rushed forward like ants. When those at the front died, those behind eagerly pushed forward, truly showing no fear. Six-tenths of their motivation was to "collect" the relics of their comrades—storage bags, cosmos rings, even corpses had their uses. If they could pick up a Core Formation corpse from the front lines, it was no different from a great stroke of luck. The remaining four-tenths was a form of self-comfort, implying that they themselves were more fortunate and would not die in such a meat grinder.

Shifting focus from the lower-level skirmishes, let's look at the peak battlefield.

Crimson Heaven, Yellow Spring, and Blood Demon Hall Master had already charged into the sect-protecting sword array. The two female Venerables immediately cried out, "Demonic scoundrels, how dare you seek death? This Venerable shall grant your wish!"

Another heaven-piercing sword light pierced through the clouds, dispelling large amounts of demonic mist and dark clouds. Venerable Poria merged with the sword light, and her Dharma Aspect Divine Ability, combined with the power of the sword array, transformed into a chilling small sword.

Yellow Spring Demonic Venerable frowned, quietly shielding the two in front of him. "Blood Demon, this thing is too lethal, go entangle it."

The Blood Demon Hall Master heard this and showed no strong reaction, simply nodding in agreement. "Alright."

"Crimson Heaven fellow Daoist, let's both deal with the weaker Venerable Miao Zhen."

Although the latter didn't want to obey Yellow Spring, Yellow Spring had spoken before him, and what he said was also what Crimson Heaven was thinking. Thus, despite feeling stifled, he did not refute. For the sake of the greater picture, even hatred could be set aside, let alone a matter of pride. "...Alright."

Yellow Spring was secretly amused, but then saw the radiant sword light arrive in an instant. The Blood Demon Hall Master fully utilized the immortal characteristic of the blood path, transforming his body into a true sea of blood. It spread horizontally above the Sword Sect, covering all areas. In the sea of blood, numerous corpses floated. Blood corpses, each imbued with Blood Demon power, fell like dumplings from the blood river, like dirty projectiles, landing on the protective shield of the Sword Sect's array light. They dissolved into a bloody pulp, resembling the most defiling substances in the world, visibly eroding the spiritual light.

Instantly, the barriers of three sword peaks were destroyed. The demonic cultivators howled as they rushed into the once peaceful and quiet sacred cultivation ground. In close combat, a large number of Sword Sect disciples began to die. Their spilled blood dyed the earth red, even forming streams of blood that flowed through the mountains, quietly disappearing deep underground…

Looking back at the sword light that Poria had transformed into, it was now stuck in the sea of blood as if glued. All divine abilities in the world have principles of mutual generation and restraint. Sharp objects are most afraid of falling into such a situation. No matter how sharp the small sword was, it was entangled by the sea of blood. The more force it exerted, the deeper it would sink; the more it struggled, the worse its situation became.

How could Miao Zhen Daoist, a fellow disciple, bear to see her close friend captured? Though she blamed the other for not being careful enough, she still plunged into the sea of blood, wanting to help her. She conjured her destined spiritual treasure—the Demon Quelling True Martial Sword! With a flick of her slender jade finger against the sword body, the clear sword sound actually produced spatial ripples. Wherever the sword sound passed, the sea of blood shattered and fell as ordinary blood water, devoid of any divine power. Seeing Poria about to seize the opportunity to escape…

The Great Crimson Heaven Demonic Light arrived abruptly. Miao Zhen dodged sideways, but then a turbid torrent of Yellow Spring emerged from the void, intending to completely envelop her. The effects of the Yellow Spring Path were known to all; she certainly could not let it engulf her. She immediately formed a sword incantation with her hands, and the sword essence within her erupted with astonishing speed, rapidly absorbed by the Demon Quelling True Martial Sword. "—Demon Slaying Slash!" Seemingly containing some power that countered demonic cultivators, the sword light transformed into a sword net, forcefully cutting through the Yellow Spring turbid torrent. Countless wailing black smokes drifted out from the torrent.

Miao Zhen Daoist seized the opportunity to escape the encirclement and immediately cast her Dharma Aspect Divine Ability. In an instant, a thousand-zhang giant rose from the ground, possessing six arms, each holding a long sword. It wore a ceremonial crown, and its eyes were sharp! Its slightly slender body was draped in a demon-quelling cloak, with a True Martial jade belt around its waist and Taotie beast boots on its feet. Protected by an immortal and indestructible Dharma Aspect body, Miao Zhen Daoist swung her sword, simultaneously attacking the Yellow Spring Demonic Venerable, Crimson Heaven Demonic Venerable, and the sea of blood. Empowered by the sword array, despite only having Soul Transformation Second Layer cultivation, the strength she displayed was as fierce as a war god. Though dangerous, fighting one against three, she did not fall into a disadvantage.

As Crimson Heaven and Yellow Spring chose to avoid her sharp edge, a sword hum resonated within the sea of blood. Poria, finally escaping from the sea of blood using a secret technique, emerged. However, half of the seventy-two Sword Peaks, which had been enveloped by the sea of blood for a long time, were completely ravaged by the blood corpses descending from the sky. The shouts of battle and the flashing spiritual lights of divine abilities had already piled up into mountains of corpses and seas of blood, with an astonishingly high efficiency of slaughter.

She dared not delay and quickly cast her "Heaven and Earth Dharma Aspect." A similarly towering Dharma Aspect giant appeared beside the six-armed True Martial Dharma Aspect. Its name was Poria Nine Core Aspect; though humanoid, it had no arms, but rather nine sword cores arranged in a ring behind it. On its head was a Poria spiritual herb, emitting a strange fragrance. It was truly wondrous and extraordinary.

Crimson Heaven and Yellow Spring dared not be slow; their Rage Blood Dharma Aspect and White Bone Demonic God Dharma Aspect were simultaneously unleashed. In an instant, four Soul Transformation Dharma Aspects confronted each other within the sword array. The battle was about to enter its most intense phase.

Looking back at the intense battle on the Sword Peaks, with the assistance of the Soul Transformation Demonic Venerables, the pressure on the various Nascent Soul old devils was greatly reduced for a time. Although the seventy-two peaks of the Sword Sect all had Nascent Soul cultivators as peak masters, there was a distinction in strength. The top-ranked Sword Masters had late-stage or perfected realms and could deal with peak Nascent Soul devils. However, the peak masters of the lower-ranked sword peaks fared miserably; let alone matching a peak Nascent Soul old devil, even handling a late-stage Nascent Soul devil was incredibly difficult.

On the battlefield managed by Lord Lei Xie, the Heavenly Sword Peak Master's body trembled. He had been impaled through the back by the suddenly appearing Lei Xie, and sharp, lightning-wrapped claws emerged from his chest. He stared at Lord Lei Xie in disbelief.

"A Lei Xie at the perfected realm?"

This zombie was the lightning spirit corpse Wang Yu had acquired from the Lightning Descent Abyss back then. After turning into a zombie, it gained sentience and intelligence. Lord Lei Xie himself cultivated the zombie transformation art with his human body, refining himself into a Lei Xie. Essentially, both reached the same destination through different paths. They could even be considered of the same race. Cultivating a refined corpse was much easier than cultivating oneself, and coupled with the lightning spirit corpse's excellent aptitude, he had cultivated it to its peak in just a few hundred years. After refining it into an external incarnation, Lord Lei Xie virtually had two lives, and his combat power was unparalleled among those of the same realm. Facing him meant dealing with a two-on-one situation.

It was difficult for anyone to match him. If he could break through to Soul Transformation, he would surely become a renowned powerhouse across the realm, far surpassing ordinary Soul Transformation cultivators like Crimson Heaven. Among the peak Nascent Soul cultivators, there were many exceptional talents similar to him, but they all lacked the opportunity for Soul Transformation. Many had great potential.

While observing the peak battle, Wang Yu's distributed energy was mostly focused here. Lord Lei Xie had treated him well; in his weaker days, if he hadn't been able to use Lord Lei Xie's name, many things might not have been accomplished smoothly. Just the few conflicts in Guiling City, he might not have been able to resolve them easily. Lord Lei Xie was essentially his backer when he was weak.

In such a perilous battlefield, he naturally needed to pay extra attention and provide some protection. Seeing that the Heavenly Sword Peak Master was about to perish and Lord Lei Xie was about to become the first "early bird" to kill a Sword Peak Master in this battle, Wang Yu immediately extended his spatial silver locks using the "Chains of Heaven" secret technique, precisely at this moment.

A cold snort, like a sudden clap of thunder, resounded. The Sword Sect's newly ascended Soul Transformation cultivator, the Haoran Sword Master, appeared on Heavenly Sword Peak. His seven-colored Haoran Sword Qi forced Lei Xie back, protecting the Heavenly Sword Master's vital meridian and temporarily saving his life.

He then looked in the direction where the two Lei Xies stood together, saying with disdain, "Demonic scoundrel, how dare you act wildly in front of this Venerable?! —Die!"

Haoran Sword Qi had an even greater suppressive effect on demonic cultivators, naturally including zombies, ghosts, and beasts. Lord Lei Xie's eyes widened, feeling his life was surely forfeit. He regretted not bringing the Lei Xie zombie, thinking he could have relied on the Soul Transference Evil Art for rebirth. Now, he feared both his bodies and lives would be lost.

At this critical moment, two silver chains suddenly emerged from the void, firmly binding Lord Lei Xie and swiftly pulling him into the void. The Haoran Sword Qi whistled past, cutting down a large number of demonic cultivators who were recklessly plundering on Heavenly Sword Peak.

The Haoran Sword Master raised an eyebrow. "Who is that rat?"

Wang Yu chuckled lightly. "Sword Master has quite a temper, bullying Nascent Soul juniors. How about this Venerable plays with you instead?"

This mere first-layer Soul Transformation sword cultivator was perfect for him to "fake" a fight with.

Lord Lei Xie awoke as if from a dream. Pulled away into the void by Wang Yu, he quickly bowed and saluted, "Thank you, Extreme Law Demonic Venerable, for saving me."

Wang Yu shook his head, feeling very emotional. "Every cause has its effect, Lord Lei. No need for formalities."