55: The God-Slaying Sword Formation? Dispersed in a single breath! The Holy Mother of Yaochi was filled with deep regret!

Li Hanyue's malicious words, filled with the implication of "moral coercion," were like a giant boulder violently smashing into the calm lake of the Yaochi Holy Land disciples' hearts, stirring up a thousand ripples.

The smile completely vanished from Elder Yuheng's "kind" face.

Her well-maintained, beautiful eyes slowly narrowed. For the first time, she meticulously scrutinized the youth—Lin Chen—who had remained silent throughout, seeming like an outsider, examining him with a gaze full of assessment and scrutiny.

And behind her.

The female disciples of the Yaochi Holy Land, whose temperament was as ethereal as the Guanghan Fairy, also began to whisper amongst themselves.

Their discussion was not filled with the murderous intent and contempt that characterized the Myriad Sword Pavilion's group.

Instead, it carried a meaning that was... more "realistic" and more "twisted."

"Hey, Senior Sister, quick, look, that man... he really is handsome."

"Yes, yes, his skin is even better than ours, and those eyes look like they can talk. No wonder... that group of arrogant women from the Purple Cloud Holy Land chose him as their Saint."

"Hmph, what good is being handsome? Men are men, after all. How strong can his actual power be? Doesn't he just rely on his face and... skill in bed to please women?"

"Hehehe, you don't understand, Junior Sister. Sometimes, a man's 'bed' strength is far more useful than his 'arena' strength. Look at him, he has those women from the Purple Cloud Holy Land completely captivated; even their Old Ancestor supports him. This... this is his 'ability'!"

They subconsciously attributed his success to his "appearance" and "body."

Completely ignoring the true strength and wisdom he might possess.

Just as the Yaochi Holy Land disciples were of various minds and wavering,

Li Hanyue of the Myriad Sword Pavilion spoke again!

This time, she put away all her murderous intent and malice, forcing out a smile she believed to be "sincere."

She knew that relying solely on "moral coercion" would not truly win over the Yaochi Holy Land.

There must be sufficient... profit!

"Elder Yuheng," she bowed slightly toward Elder Yuheng, adopting a much humbler posture than before.

"This junior knows that we have put you in a difficult position."

"This junior also has no intention of making an enemy of your esteemed sect."

"Today's matter is a private grievance between my Myriad Sword Pavilion and this man."

"As long as the Yaochi Holy Land stands by and watches, and does not interfere in the 'fair duel' between us."

"I, Li Hanyue, can swear an oath here on behalf of the Myriad Sword Pavilion!"

"During this session of the hidden dragon list Grand Competition, my Myriad Sword Pavilion will owe your Yaochi Holy Land... a favor!"

"If we meet inside the Secret Realm, not only will we absolutely not be hostile towards your esteemed sect, but we can even... join forces once to eliminate a... major competitor!"

Boom—!!!

An open scheme!

A naked exchange of interests through an open scheme!

She knew that she absolutely could not contend with the combined forces of the Purple Cloud Holy Land and the Yaochi Holy Land alone.

Therefore, she had to first use profit to stabilize, or even win over, the Yaochi Holy Land, the "third party"!

The weight of this promise of a "favor" and "alliance" was undeniably heavy!

Enough to tempt any sect!

Sure enough!

Upon hearing this, a trace of almost imperceptible... temptation flashed across Elder Yuheng's shrewd eyes!

She glanced once more at Lin Chen, who was surrounded by the Myriad Sword Pavilion disciples.

In her view, although this man was somewhat peculiar, he was ultimately just an "outsider."

To offend the powerful Myriad Sword Pavilion and give up such a massive favor for an "outsider."

This trade... seemed unprofitable no matter how she calculated it.

She had already made her decision.

She looked at Luo Bingli, whose beautiful face on the Purple Cloud Holy Land side was already pale with anger, and put on that "kind" smile again, filled with "helplessness."

"Junior Sister Luo,"

She spoke slowly, her voice full of "regret."

"Look, this... is ultimately a private grievance between your Purple Cloud Holy Land and the Myriad Sword Pavilion."

"As outsiders, it is indeed... difficult for us, the Yaochi Holy Land, to interfere."

She chose... to watch from the sidelines!

For the sake of profit, she chose to tacitly approve the Myriad Sword Pavilion's... siege and killing of Lin Chen!

Seeing this, the Myriad Sword Pavilion disciples all revealed smug smiles!

Meanwhile, the hearts of all the female disciples on the Purple Cloud Holy Land side instantly sank to the bottom!

It's over!

Without the restraint of the Yaochi Holy Land,

they alone could never be a match for the Myriad Sword Pavilion's terrifying sword formation!

However.

Just when the Purple Cloud Holy Land disciples had fallen into despair,

and just when the Myriad Sword Pavilion disciples thought victory was guaranteed,

the man who had been treated as "cargo," a "pretty face," and "trouble" to be traded back and forth by everyone from beginning to end,

finally moved.

He simply raised his head slowly.

He let out a soft sigh, his tone filled with "regret."

"Alas..."

"I originally wanted to keep a few more 'fertilizers' around."

"It seems there won't be much opportunity today."

Lin Chen's words, full of "regret" and sounding like a devil's whisper, caused everyone present to freeze instantly.

Immediately after!

A burst of maniacal laughter, louder and more saturated with killing intent than any previous sound, erupted from the Myriad Sword Pavilion ranks!

"Hahaha! 'Fertilizer'?!"

Li Hanyue seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world. She pointed at Lin Chen, laughing so hard she was doubled over, yet her eyes were filled with icy killing intent!

"You dare to spout such nonsense when death is imminent?!"

"Exactly!" Zhao Qian beside her also sneered, "Brat! We admit you're a bit wicked! Our Senior Sister was just too careless earlier and fell into your trap!"

"But now..."

Li Hanyue's voice suddenly turned chilling!

"In front of our Myriad Swords Returning to Origin Formation! You don't even qualify to be 'fertilizer'!"

"You will only turn into... meat paste!"

"Stop wasting words on him!"

A female disciple holding twin swords, whose aura was the most violent, shouted sternly!

"Junior Sisters! Activate the sword formation! Send him and this bunch of trash from the Purple Cloud Holy Land straight to the Western Paradise!"

"Die!!"

"Buzz—!!!"

As the words fell!

The terrifying sword formation, formed jointly by dozens of Golden Core Experts, was instantly activated to its maximum potential!

Black sword qi capable of tearing space frantically gathered and compressed within the formation!

It finally condensed into a hundred-zhang-long Black Death Greatsword that seemed capable of splitting the entire sky in two!

The pure, terrifying power of total destruction emanating from the greatsword caused everyone present to feel waves of numbness on their scalps!

"Alas..."

On the Yaochi Holy Land side, Elder Yuheng looked at the black greatsword radiating the aura of death and sighed softly.

Immediately after, she slowly turned away.

As if she couldn't bear to watch the bloody scene that was about to unfold.

And behind her.

All the Yaochi Holy Land disciples also closed their eyes or turned their heads away in unison.

"Master... are we... really not going to intervene?" a soft-hearted young disciple asked reluctantly.

"Intervene?"

A trace of bitterness and apprehension appeared on Elder Yuheng's face.

"How can we intervene?"

"Do you know how terrifying this Myriad Swords Returning to Origin Formation is?"

Her voice became extremely solemn.

"Thirty years ago, a Prince of the Great Yan Dynasty, renowned for his defense and at the Early Nascent Soul Stage, relied on his powerful physique and attempted to force his way into the Myriad Sword Pavilion's mountain gate."

"The result was that he was trapped by the Myriad Swords Returning to Origin Formation, which was composed of thirty-six Golden Core disciples at the time."

"After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn..."

"That Nascent Soul Prince, along with all the Dao artifacts on his person, was forcefully shredded into the most primordial... dust of heaven and earth!"

"Not even a wisp of his soul managed to escape!"

Boom—!!!

As soon as this secret was revealed, all the Yaochi disciples simultaneously gasped!

Their beautiful faces were filled with boundless shock!

Even... even a Nascent Soul True Monarch died under this sword formation?!

Then that man... they dared not think any further.

In their eyes, Lin Chen was already... a dead man.

Inside the sword formation.

Li Hanyue and the others looked at the figure who appeared so minuscule and "vulnerable" beneath their Death Greatsword.

Cruel, victorious smiles appeared on their faces!

"Brat! To die under the strongest sword formation of my Myriad Sword Pavilion!"

"This is the... supreme honor that we bestow upon you, this 'pretty face'!"

"Supreme honor!"

"Die!!!"

They roared in unison. The Black Death Greatsword, which concentrated the entire power of dozens of Golden Core Experts, descended with world-destroying might, violently... slashing down toward the man who remained standing motionless in place!

However.

Just as the Death Greatsword was about to touch Lin Chen's head.

Just at the moment everyone thought everything was about to end.

The man whom everyone had sentenced to death.

He finally raised his head slowly.

There was no trace of fear on his face.

Only a boundless sense of... annoyance.

As if he was impatient with this "farce" that had dragged on for too long.

"Too noisy."

He said softly.

And then.

Facing the Black Death Greatsword, which was capable of "slaying a god."

He opened his... mouth.

Gently.

He blew... a breath.

A single breath.

Yes, just a single breath.

That breath seemed so "soft," so "insignificant."

There was no fluctuation of spiritual energy.

There was no trace of Dao Law.

It was like the most ordinary puff of air a mortal might exhale after a meal.

Yet!

The moment this "breath" made contact with the Black Death Greatsword, which contained the combined power of dozens of Golden Core Experts and was capable of "slaying a god"!

Time seemed to completely freeze.

"Buzz..."

A faint hum, seemingly originating from the fundamental source of the Great Dao at the dawn of the universe,

resonated deep within everyone's soul.

Immediately following!

A miraculous scene unfolded, shattering the worldview and collapsing the Dao hearts of everyone present, an image that would be impossible to erase for eternity!

The hundred-zhang-long, magnificent Black Death Greatsword that seemed intent on splitting heaven and earth in two,

actually... starting from the tip... silently... dissolved inch by inch, like a sand sculpture being eroded by the wind!

There was no earth-shattering explosion!

No world-destroying impact!

Only a deathly, absolute, suffocating... silence!

That terrifying sword formation, capable of slaying a Nascent Soul.

Right before the stunned, numb, and ghost-seeing eyes of everyone present,

was casually... dispersed... by that man... with a single breath?!

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft—!!!

As the sword formation was broken and the qi connection severed!

Li Hanyue, Zhao Qian, and all the Myriad Sword Pavilion disciples who formed the formation were simultaneously struck as if by lightning!

They violently spat out large mouthfuls of blood and fell miserably from mid-air, like kites with severed strings!

They did not let out screams of terror.

Nor did they utter angry curses.

They just stared blankly and dazedly at the man who slowly walked toward them, stepping through the void from the flying boat.

Their minds were completely blank.

Their worldviews had utterly collapsed.

How... how could this be?

That was... the Myriad Swords Returning to Origin Formation... that was... the pride of the sect, capable of slaying even a Nascent Soul True Monarch... How could it be... dispersed... with a single breath?

What exactly happened?

What kind of power is this?

This man before them... what... what exactly is he?

They couldn't even manage to muster a thought of resistance or escape.

Because once an ant witnesses the power of a "god" firsthand,

all that remains is the most primal, purest, soul-deep... numbness.

In stark contrast to the deathly silence of the Myriad Sword Pavilion,

was the volcanic eruption that followed the brief silence aboard the Purple Cloud Holy Land's flying boat!

"We... won?!"

"My heavens! We... won?!"

Someone, the first to recover from the extreme shock, screamed out in a trembling, broken voice!

This scream was like a spark dropped into boiling oil, instantly igniting the emotions of all the female disciples of the Purple Cloud Holy Land!

"We won! Saint won!!!"

"A single breath! He dispersed the Myriad Sword Pavilion's sword formation with just one breath!!"

"Saint is invincible! Saint is invincible!!!"

The ecstasy of surviving a catastrophe!

The relief of having their dignity restored!

And the supreme honor of having such a heaven-defying "god" emerge from their side!

At this moment, the last trace of resentment toward Lin Chen in the hearts of all the female disciples, stemming from "gender bias," completely vanished!

It was replaced by the most fervent and purest... worship and faith!

Their eyes shone as they looked at the back of the man walking toward the enemy like a deity!

This is the man of our Purple Cloud Holy Land!

A god... who can create miracles!

On the other side.

After a brief period of petrification, the people of the Yaochi Holy Land erupted in sounds of disbelief and sharp gasps!

"Ma... Master... did... did I see that correctly? Just now... that was... a single breath?" the soft-hearted young disciple stammered, asking her Master, Elder Yuheng.

"That... that was the Myriad Swords Returning to Origin Formation! Didn't they say it could kill even a Nascent Soul True Monarch? How could it...?"

The chatter of the disciples finally pulled Elder Yuheng, who was also in a state of petrification, back to reality.

The color instantly drained completely from her well-preserved, graceful, and beautiful face!

She looked at the man who was walking step by step toward the defeated dogs of the Myriad Sword Pavilion. Her beautiful eyes, previously full of shrewdness and calculation, were now completely... filled with an emotion called "regret"!

Others couldn't understand.

But she understood!

As a peak Golden Core stage cultivator, she saw more clearly than anyone else!

That wasn't just "breath" at all!

It was a torrent of pure power, formed by compressing and refining one's own strength to the absolute extreme, capable of annihilating all laws!

It was a higher-dimensional... Reduction Attack that completely exceeded the scope of her comprehension!

She finally understood!

She finally understood what a ridiculous and foolish mistake she and everyone present had made!

They had misunderstood the most fundamental... dimension from the very start!

This group of self-proclaimed "experts."

In the eyes of this man, they were probably... no different from... ants on the ground!

And she... what had she just done?

For the Myriad Sword Pavilion's vague, illusory "favor."

She actually chose... to stand by and watch?!

She actually stood by and watched the Myriad Sword Pavilion besiege... this future... deity?!

She missed it!

She personally pushed away a monumental opportunity that could have allowed the Yaochi Holy Land to ascend to heaven and achieve great success!

"I... I..."

Regret!

Endless regret, like the most venomous snake, frantically gnawed at her heart!

Making her feel as if she was about to spit out a mouthful of old blood right there!