Chapter 468: Sword Slash (Si Wuxie, Alliance Leader)

Vanyu Sword Sect, Chenghua Hall.

A man in a Daoist robe leaned against a door pillar, his eyes slightly narrowed as he performed a divination. "The Green Pine Temple... it's much more relaxed now," he mused. "It seems the five True Monarchs didn't wait for the person they were expecting. They've retrieved the Silent Bell, so no matter how you calculate it, he won't appear. Naturally, they've dispersed."

He yawned, then suddenly grew serious. A rustling sound echoed from inside the hall. The middle-aged man was startled and quickly strode into the hall, reaching the high platform where a Daoist scripture lay. The scripture, with its dark blue cover and pale yellow pages, seemed ordinary, yet it began to flip through itself, rustling, even though there was no wind.

After flipping for a while, the book stopped on a page, emitting a bluish-white glow that illuminated several characters: "Green Ruler." A few lines below, two more small characters lit up: "Moon Gap." The bluish-white light flickered and finally vanished. The characters 'Green Ruler' remained somewhat bright, but 'Moon Gap' had already reverted to ordinary, dull grey ink.

The middle-aged man paused slightly, then murmured with a sigh: "The last trace of Moon Gap Sword Intent... it no longer exists in this world!" He frowned slightly, then a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes: "Perhaps there's still a wisp left with Young Master Wang, the Sword Immortal… Alas, he's currently cultivating under a True Monarch, and the Vanyu Sword Scripture can't divine anything about him!"

The sword strike Li Chirjing delivered back in Yishan City hadn't truly manifested; it had merely dissipated into a gentle breeze. That spontaneous strike, however, was still enough to surpass Chi Zhiyun, the young master of the Green Pond Sect at the time, scattering his fiery cloud sword energy and winning the match. The sword strike contained within the Green Ruler was one Li Chirjing had honed for several full years in his cultivation cave, making it far stronger than his previous spontaneous strike.

The Li family, having acquired this sword, didn't truly know its full power; even descriptions of its might came from others. Xiao Yuansi brought the sword home and, based on that past battle, judged that its sword intent could slay a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator. Later, he met Prince Wang Xun of Yinghua Commandery, who examined the sword intent and also stated it could kill a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator. At the time, the Li family didn't pay much attention, though they somewhat overestimated Wang Xun, placing him between mid and late Foundation Establishment. However, Wang Xun was the direct grandson of a True Monarch and the son of a True Person; his vision and strength were among the best in this realm. His assessment of 'mid-Foundation Establishment' likely referred to the standards of the Northern High Sect, Luoxia Mountain.

*This... is sword intent?* Li Yuanjiao poured all his spiritual energy into the strike. As he unleashed it, he felt the world's gentle breeze become intimate and the bright moon pleasing. A vague figure slowly appeared behind him, only to vanish after a mere instant. The sword intent surged forth, instantly solidifying into a crescent of bluish-white light that tore through the air. Yu Muxian seemed to have a trump card, clutching something in his sleeve, but his eyes were already filled with despair.

Too close! Only now did Yu Muxian understand why Tu Longjian had gone to such thankless lengths to shatter his golden cymbals spell. This person actually possessed an ancient Foundation Establishment spiritual artifact, and a rare one at that—a concealment artifact! He had also never imagined that someone wielding such powerful sword intent would stealthily approach him so closely before striking. He held a life-saving talisman in his hand and had three precious elixirs in his storage pouch, but there was simply no time.

The bluish-white light slowly expanded in his vision. Suddenly, he caught sight of Li Yuanjiao's eyes, entirely different from the respectful gaze he'd seen when collecting offerings by the lake years ago. These eyes were filled with deep ferocity and resolve. *To think I'd ultimately die... at the hands of that tiny Qi Condensation cultivator from back then!* The bluish-white crescent tore through the sea of clouds, slowly flying into the lower realm, only to be reflected and rise through the air once more, vanishing into the boundless night.

Yu Muxian's despair showed on his face for the first time, becoming forever frozen there. His body was severed; this single sword strike directly extinguished his life force, leaving him no chance to retaliate. With his death, his spell dissipated, and his body slowly fell. Tang Shendu, standing by, was dazed, his hands trembling as he slowly touched his cheek. Yu Muxian's blood had splattered his face, and an endless terror surged within him, almost instantly transforming into boundless rage.

Li Yuanjiao, his spiritual energy depleted, had only retreated a few steps when a long halberd thrust forward, arriving before him. A Foundation Establishment talisman, prepared in advance, sprang from his body, transforming into a white light shield. However, the Foundation Establishment talisman he possessed was no match for those of these immortal sect disciples. It merely slowed the halberd for an instant before shattering into points of light.

"Too close..." His sword strike had given Yu Muxian no time to react, but it had also left Li Yuanjiao directly in front of Tang Shendu's halberd. That brief obstruction offered him no chance of escape. Li Yuanjiao forcibly gathered some spiritual energy, and the sheathed Green Ruler sword leaped out again, emitting a bluish-white glow. This strike was not dazzling, and due to his exhausted spiritual energy, it was even weaker than his usual strength. Yet, it made Tang Shendu's eyelids twitch, nearly causing him to retract his halberd. But he was a seasoned warrior, and he firmly told himself: *That last strike must have been the sword intent stored within the sword! There's no way he can use it again! I absolutely cannot be bluffed!*

Indeed, Li Yuanjiao's sword light snapped abruptly, and his face turned pale. He executed the Rushing River Torrent Steps. Fortunately, Tang Shendu's brief hesitation allowed him to narrowly slip past the halberd by a hair's breadth. Tang Shendu was both delighted and enraged. As the halberd thrust at his back, Li Yuanjiao turned around, only to be met with an even more despair-inducing sight in the sky.

The 'Cease Hostilities' spiritual artifact, as if enraged for failing to protect its master, aimed its opening at him without needing human control. Residual faint grey flames surged from within the opening, pouring down all at once. Fortunately, Tu Longjian, though a little further away, had already directed his Six Dings Conjoined Fire Token forward. The flames reached Li Yuanjiao, scorching his robe to ash, but then hesitated and retreated, being absorbed into the token.

The 'Cease Hostilities' artifact refused to give up, but was once again entangled by the Conjoined Fire Token, bouncing restlessly in the air. Li Yuanjiao's hairs stood on end as Tang Shendu's spear arrived behind him. In the distance, Xiao Yongling and Tu Longjian, both wielding spiritual artifacts, were coming to rescue him. Tang Shendu stood between them, seemingly unguarded, yet the extended shaft of his spear somehow perfectly fended them off. Both attacked Tang Shendu simultaneously, but Tang Shendu ignored them completely, relentlessly thrusting at Li Yuanjiao. His eyes, a mix of anger and fear, seemed to be fighting for his own life.

Li Yuanjiao was already in poor condition. The Green Ruler sword in his hand merely clinked lightly against the halberd and bounced away. Li Yuanjiao's heart sank, and in almost an instant, he thought of another possibility: "Damn it! Since this golden hoop spiritual artifact is still attacking me, the short sword must also be coming!"