440: Chapter 440 Yin Wujiang

"I yield."

Li Xuanxiao withdrew his hand.

Tie Yan snapped out of it, his face flushing red with shame and lingering fear. He cupped his fists, picked up the half of his hammer that had turned into scrap metal, and stumbled off the stage.

"Hiss..." A collective intake of breath sounded from below the stage.

"My god, this Li Xuanxiao... has he become this much stronger since the Secret Realm?!"

"What kind of Sword Gang was that? It's terrifying!"

"How can anyone fight this? They're not even on the same level!"

On the high platform, many Sect Elders also showed looks of surprise.

The corner of the prim old man from the Heavenly Sword Sect's mouth twitched slightly, a hint of satisfaction appearing in his eyes.

"Next." Li Xuanxiao's gaze swept indifferently over the crowd below.

There was another moment of silence.

Li Xuanxiao's display was too frightening; for a moment, no one dared to step up.

"I'll do it!"

Finally, another person leaped onto the arena stage.

This was a Cultivator who used a spear. His movement was agile, clearly intending to use speed against speed to find a flaw in Li Xuanxiao's defense.

This time, Li Xuanxiao didn't even bother to use his hands.

He slightly lifted his eyelids.

The long sword at his waist left its scabbard by half an inch, and a flash of sword light appeared and vanished instantly.

"Crack!"

The spearhead, forged from refined steel, spun as it flew into the air.

The spear-wielding Cultivator's web of his thumb split open, the long spear flew from his hand, and he stumbled back seven or eight steps before falling onto his backside, his face full of bewilderment.

Another strike—no, the sword hadn't even fully emerged. Relying solely on Sword Qi, he had broken the opponent's weapon!

The crowd below went completely silent.

The gap was simply too large.

Next, a third challenger, refusing to believe his luck, steeled himself and stepped up. He was a Cultivator skilled in defense who summoned a shield Magical Artifact and hunkered down behind it, hoping to win a battle of attrition.

Li Xuanxiao seemed to grow somewhat impatient.

This time, he finally drew his sword.

He didn't use any Move; it was just a simple, direct thrust.

"Puff!"

A clear hole instantly appeared in the center of that shield, which had looked quite sturdy.

The Sword Qi pierced through the shield, leaving a bloody hole in the Cultivator's shoulder.

The Cultivator let out a muffled groan, the shield fell from his hand, and he surrendered with a deathly pale face.

Three matches, three strikes!

Or rather, a finger, a half-drawn sword, and one full strike to defeat three challengers.

Clean, efficient, and overwhelming.

Li Xuanxiao sheathed his sword. His disdainful posture made everyone realize that this Sword Son of the Heavenly Sword Sect had already left most of his peers far behind.

"Li Xuanxiao, three consecutive victories!"

The officiant announced loudly, "Do you wish to rest?"

"No need," Li Xuanxiao said flatly.

Below the stage, Ye Tian watched quietly.

Li Xuanxiao's sword was even sharper than before; the Legacy of the Juetian Sword Chapter was indeed extraordinary.

Moreover, Li Xuanxiao's cultivation... had also reached the Fourth Stage Peak of the Sea Transformation Realm, equal to his own.

This battle would not be easy.

Just as everyone thought Li Xuanxiao would sweep through the rest of the competition, a somewhat cold and sinister voice rang out:

"Hehe, the Sword Son of the Heavenly Sword Sect is indeed worth watching.

Since that's the case, let this seat test if your sword is sharp enough."

The crowd parted as a figure wearing a large black robe, with a hood covering most of his face and only revealing a pale chin and thin lips, slowly walked onto the stage.

He walked very slowly, but with every step he took, the people nearby involuntarily backed away, clearing a path.

"Who is this person?"

"Never seen him... I don't think he was on the rankings before?"

"What a cold aura, it feels quite uncomfortable."

The crowd whispered amongst themselves.

On the high platform, several Elders also frowned slightly and looked toward the organizing committee.

But it seemed no one on the committee recognized this person either.

The black-robed man came to a stop thirty feet away from Li Xuanxiao and looked up slightly. From the shadows of his hood, a faint green gaze seemed to sweep over Li Xuanxiao, and then...

He seemed to cast a subtle glance toward Ye Tian in the Liuli Xuan Sect area below.

Ye Tian's heart skipped a beat for no reason.

The chaos bead in his Sea of Consciousness moved extremely slightly, conveying a weak sense of repulsion and wariness.

This feeling... was somewhat familiar, like the aura he felt in the ruins core space when facing that pitch-black Abyssal Gate?

But it was also somewhat different...

Li Xuanxiao also sensed the other's strangeness and frowned slightly. "State your name."

The black-robed man chuckled lowly. "Yin Wujiang."

"Make your Move." Li Xuanxiao didn't want to say more, his sword already half an inch out of its scabbard.

"Young man, don't be in such a hurry."

Yin Wujiang raised a hand. It was pale and withered, but the fingernails were a strange dark green. "Let me see if your sword is qualified... to make me take this a bit seriously."

This arrogant display caused even the usually indifferent Li Xuanxiao to feel a surge of anger.

He thrust his sword out, faster than before, aiming directly for Yin Wujiang's throat.

It was clear that with this strike, he was playing for keeps.

However, facing this sharp strike, Yin Wujiang merely raised his withered palm and made a gentle clutching motion toward the sword light.

The seemingly indestructible sword light, upon reaching three feet in front of Yin Wujiang's palm, appeared to fall into a quagmire. Its speed dropped sharply, and its radiance quickly dimmed.

Even more unsettling was that the sword essence contained within the sword light seemed to be rapidly devoured by something. In just a single breath, it completely dissipated into nothingness.

Li Xuanxiao's eyes narrowed, showing a serious expression for the first time.

He could feel that the sword essence he sent out had been swallowed by a force the moment it contacted the opponent's strange field.

"Devouring True Qi?" someone knowledgeable in the crowd exclaimed.

"Interesting," Yin Wujiang smiled raspily and pushed his palm forward.

A gust of dark green yin wind was born out of thin air, howling as it coiled toward Li Xuanxiao.

Where the yin wind passed, a thin layer of black frost actually condensed on the arena floor.

Li Xuanxiao snorted coldly, and his long sword fully left its scabbard. A circular Sword Gang swept out, cutting through the yin wind.

But the parts of the Sword Gang that touched the yin wind also quickly lost their luster.

His figure drifted back, avoiding the direct path of the yin wind.

The two quickly exchanged several Moves on the stage.

Li Xuanxiao's sword remained peerlessly sharp, able to cut through or repel Yin Wujiang's attacks every time.

However, his sword essence consumption rate was clearly accelerating abnormally, and it was difficult to cause any effective damage to Yin Wujiang.

Yin Wujiang's Cultivation Technique was extremely bizarre, capable of constantly devouring the opponent's true essence and vitality. His attacks also carried a strong erosion of Death Qi, making them impossible to guard against effectively.

"This Yin Wujiang... what a wicked technique!"

"Li Xuanxiao's sword actually can't break through his defense?"

"He's wearing Li Xuanxiao down! If this continues..."

The crowd discussed fervently.

On the high platform, the prim old man from the Heavenly Sword Sect's expression darkened.

Prince Rong also narrowed his eyes slightly.

On the stage, Li Xuanxiao, unable to land a decisive blow and with his true essence consuming far faster than expected, let his gaze turn completely cold.

He took a deep breath, and the Sword Intent around him suddenly surged. A terrifying sword momentum rose up, and the long sword in his hand lit up with a blinding white light.

"Juetian Void Slash!"

A white Sword Gang that seemed capable of cleaving the void tore through the air, slashing fiercely toward Yin Wujiang!

This was one of the Moves from the Juetian Sword Chapter he had just comprehended.

Facing this strike, Yin Wujiang showed a grave expression for the first time.

He didn't dare to be careless. His hands quickly formed seals, and dark green Death Qi surged wildly, transforming into a dark green bone shield in front of him.

"BOOM!!!"

The Sword Gang collided with the bone shield!

The terrifying shockwave shook the protective light barrier around the arena violently.

After a moment, the light dissipated.

Everyone hurriedly looked over.

They saw the bone shield in front of Yin Wujiang covered in cracks, finally shattering and dissipating with a loud crack.

He himself had retreated half a step. A faint green light seemed to flicker under his hood, and his aura wavered slightly, but he clearly hadn't suffered a heavy injury.

As for Li Xuanxiao, he stood with his sword, his face a shade paler than before, his breathing slightly hurried.

That previous strike had consumed a massive amount of energy, yet it had failed to achieve its goal.

"Good sword technique."

Yin Wujiang clapped his hands. "Unfortunately, your Qi of Life is not yet strong enough.

If it were several times more vigorous, perhaps you could break my Nether Death Domain.

Now, it's my turn."

His figure blurred, transforming into several dark green afterimages that were hard to distinguish from the real one, pouncing toward Li Xuanxiao from different directions at an incredible speed.

At the same time, an even denser dark green Death Qi spread out, as if to turn that part of the arena into a Domain of death.

Li Xuanxiao swung his sword rapidly, sword light crisscrossing to destroy the afterimages one by one.

But with every strike, he felt his sword essence being devoured bit by bit, and his movements became sluggish due to the erosion of the Death Qi.

As one side waxed and the other waned, the situation began to turn against him.