247: Chapter 247 The Sword-Hanging Platform

Sikong Changhe laughed heartily, his voice shaking the surroundings as True Yuan erupted from his body, fully revealing his cultivation at the True Martial Fourth Level Peak.

The tempered iron spear in his hand shook, its tip trembling like the flicking tongue of a spirit snake, faintly emitting the roars of dragons and tigers; his Aura was staggering!

"Brother Ye, watch this move!"

Before his voice had even faded, his figure moved like a fierce general charging into battle. Man and spear merged into one, transforming into a streak of crimson light that carried a tragic, peerless, and world-dominating Spear Intent, aiming straight for Ye Tian's center!

The wind from the spear was sharp; before it even reached him, it forced Ye Tian's sleeves to flap loudly behind him, and the skin on his face felt as if it were being pricked by needles.

Seeing the ferocious momentum of this spear strike, its power already faintly touching the threshold of the True Martial Fifth Stage, Ye Tian did not dare to be even slightly negligent.

A sharp light flashed in his eyes as the liuguang sword in his hand sensed its master's intent. The azure sword light suddenly flared, and the Mind-Cultivation Technique of the Taiyi Light-Splitting Sword Art circulated rapidly through his body.

His footwork shifted slightly, and his figure instantly became illusory and ethereal.

"Splitting Light, Transforming Shadows!"

With a clear shout, his body swayed, and in an instant, he conjured three sword shadows that flickered between reality and illusion, making them hard to distinguish.

These three sword shadows did not meet the attack head-on but instead seemed to possess a life of their own, darting from the left, right, and above at tricky angles toward the dragon-like shaft of Sikong Changhe's spear!

The intent was to avoid the strong and strike the weak, using finesse to overcome brute force and disrupt the indomitable Aura of the spear technique.

Ding, ding, ding!

Three crisp, rapid sounds rang out almost simultaneously.

Each time the sword tip touched the spear shaft, Ye Tian felt a surge of overwhelming force travel up the blade, causing his arm to feel slightly numb.

However, his control over power had reached an exquisite and profound level.

The liuguang sword stuck, guided, led, and deflected, layer by layer neutralizing the fierce power attached to the spear and diverting it aside.

Simultaneously, his pervasive Sword Intent sought out the fleeting gaps within the flow of the spear's momentum in the blink of an eye.

Sikong Changhe felt as if his spear strike—which concentrated his entire cultivation and was powerful enough to split mountains—had plunged into a bottomless quagmire.

The majestic force contained within the spear was dissolved by ripples of flexible power, and the transitions of his spear techniques were restricted at every turn. That stifling feeling of having power but being unable to use it made his chest feel tight, almost making him vomit blood.

"Hah!"

He roared, and his spear move changed instantly.

The forward thrust came to a sudden halt. With power surging through his arms, he changed the thrust into a sweep. The spear whistled through the air like a giant steel python, swinging out with savage force in a move called 'Sweeping a Thousand Armies'!

However, Ye Tian seemed to have long expected this change.

His body was like a small boat on the waves as he used the wind from the sweeping spear to drift backward lightly.

The moment his figure retreated, he flipped his wrist and the liuguang sword stabbed out. A cold glint at the sword's tip pointed toward the opening at Sikong Changhe's right ribs, which had been inevitably exposed during the exertion of the move change!

Sikong Changhe never expected the counterattack to be so fast!

With his spear extended, it was too late to pull it back for defense. In his alarm, he could only take a sharp breath of Qi, gathering all the remaining True Yuan in his body and frantically surging it toward his ribs, intending to take the sword strike head-on!

Puff!

The sword tip struck the hastily condensed protective True Yuan, making a strange sound.

Sikong Changhe felt a sharp surge of energy penetrate his body. Although most of it was neutralized by his protective True Yuan, it still shook his blood and Qi, making his internal organs feel as if they had shifted out of place.

He could no longer stand firm and retreated three steps, 'deng, deng, deng,' before barely managing to steady himself. His face first turned pale, then an unnatural flush surged up.

Though he wasn't heavily injured, in that lightning-fast exchange, it was crystal clear who was attacking and who was defending, and who had seized the advantage!

In a head-on confrontation, he had actually been forced into a disadvantage by Ye Tian using finesse to overcome power!

Sikong Changhe steadied himself and stared blankly at Ye Tian for a moment before suddenly putting away his spear and laughing loudly. "Excellent sword technique! Excellent methods!"

"I, Sikong Changhe, am convinced!"

He had a hearty personality; he could afford to lose and knew when to let go.

Ye Tian sheathed his sword and returned the gesture. "Brother Sikong is too kind. Your spear technique is peerlessly fierce; I only won through a bit of cleverness."

Just then, another ripple came from the mist on the other side of the platform.

The figures of Jing Wutian, Ye Yiyi, and Zhao Chengzhi appeared almost simultaneously.

Just then, another ripple came from the mist on the other side of the platform.

The figures of Jing Wutian, Ye Yiyi, and Zhao Chengzhi appeared almost simultaneously.

They saw Ye Tian and Sikong Changhe on the platform, and especially sensing the energy fluctuations that had yet to settle on both of them, along with Sikong Changhe's hearty laughter and words, they immediately understood what had happened, and shock appeared on their faces.

Sikong Changhe had actually lost!

They knew Sikong Changhe's strength well; the ferocity of his 'Army Breaker' spear technique was something even Jing Wutian himself would have to deal with seriously.

Yet Ye Tian had used finesse to overcome power and forced Sikong Changhe to admit defeat in just a few moves. This level of strength had already exceeded their previous estimations.

"Brother Ye is truly... hiding his light under a bushel."

Jing Wutian was the first to speak, his tone complex as his gaze swept over Ye Tian.

He could feel that Ye Tian's Aura was more harmonious and restrained than when they were at the Suspended Sword Palace, clearly having made further progress on the ancient path.

Ye Yiyi covered her mouth and chuckled, but her eyes held a few more degrees of genuine wariness. "Even Brother Sikong has admitted defeat. Brother Ye's strength is likely no longer inferior to Big Brother Jing's. It truly makes this little sister admire you."

Her words were still seductive, but the intent to test and recruit him had faded significantly, replaced by the scrutiny one gives an equal powerhouse.

Zhao Chengzhi didn't speak, but his hand on his sword hilt tightened and then loosened before finally letting go completely. For the first time, a look of solemnity appeared in his cold eyes.

The sword technique Ye Tian displayed—that Realm of handling heavy things as if they were light and precise control—made him feel pressure, but it also stirred his competitive spirit.

Ye Tian took in everyone's reactions and cupped his hands. "Brother Jing, Miss Ye, you praise me too much."

"Brother Sikong's spear technique is overbearing; I only won through a bit of cleverness."

He didn't want to be too high-profile, but with his strength on display, excessive humility would instead seem hypocritical.

Sikong Changhe laughed, not minding at all. "Haha, a loss is a loss. I, Sikong, am not a sore loser!"

"Ye Tian, I've made you my friend!"

"If you ever need anything in Cangya County, just ask!"

Just then, lines of patterns suddenly lit up on the ground in the center of the platform, forming a massive sword-shaped design.

Simultaneously, the entire platform vibrated slightly, and the mist at the edges began to churn as if something were rising from below.

"Careful! Something's happening!"

Jing Wutian barked a low warning, and everyone immediately went on guard.

The mist at the edge of the platform parted to both sides as four slightly smaller stone platforms rose slowly like flower petals from around the main platform, eventually leveling with it and connecting via narrow stone bridges.

In the center of the main platform, a taller cylindrical stone platform rose. It was empty, yet it emitted a heart-pounding sensation!

"This is... the 'Hanging Sword Platform'!"

A sharp light flashed in Jing Wutian's eyes. "Ancient records state that this is one of the core trial grounds of the Ancient Sword Manor, used to temper Sword Intent and test one's willpower!"

No sooner had he spoken than the central stone platform suddenly erupted with blinding light!

A terrifying pressure descended with a boom, enveloping the entire platform!

This pressure was not aimed at the Physical Body but directly at the Soul, containing a sharp and peerless Sword Dao will!

It was as if countless ancient Sword Cultivators were swinging their swords here; their Sword Intent and their Dao had transformed into this eternal pressure!

"Ugh!"

Hou Xiaojie, whose cultivation was the weakest, bore the brunt of it. He let out a muffled groan, his face turning pale instantly, and his legs buckled as he was about to kneel.

Ye Tian was prepared and supported him, while simultaneously sending out a surge of True Yuan to protect his mind.

The Mini Dragon Ape also let out a low growl, its golden fur standing on end as pale white flames flickered on its body. It actually withstood the pressure, though its eyes became exceptionally wary.

Even True Martial Realm experts like Jing Wutian and Sikong Changhe saw their expressions change drastically. Their bodies shook violently, and they had to circulate their Cultivation Techniques with all their might, releasing their own Sword Intent and Spear Intent to resist and steady themselves.

Jing Wutian was surrounded by sword astral qi, Sikong Changhe planted his spear on the ground as his Aura soared, Ye Yiyi's movement became ethereal as poisonous mist flickered, and Zhao Chengzhi's Sword Intent was icy cold; all were struggling to resist.

However, before this vast and ancient Sword Intent, their individual wills appeared very small.

This pressure was not only testing their sword hearts but also tempering their willpower!