223: Chapter 223 Nirvana Sword Intent

Her figure fluttered like willow catkins in the wind, twisting and turning within the impenetrable encirclement. As her skirt fluttered, she resembled a blood-bathed white butterfly, always managing to evade fatal attacks at the most critical moments.

As her longsword rose and fell, streaks of silvery-white sword light cut through the long night like meteors. Each swing of her sword brought forth a spray of scarlet blood, forcibly tearing open one gap after another in the encirclement of hundreds.

Yet the Cultivators of the Imperial Ancestral Temple were brave and feared no death—as one group fell, another would immediately rush forward to fill the gap!

The encirclement remained airtight, trapping her in the center like an iron barrel. The smell of blood permeating the air grew increasingly thick, so heavy it was almost suffocating, so dense it seemed as if it could drip blood.

Senior Young Master Yu Qingxuan constantly prowled the periphery of the battle circle.

His green robes snapped in the chaotic battle, appearing completely out of place amidst the surrounding carnage, like a vulture circling above a mountain of corpses.

His gaze was as sinister as a viper, fixed intently on every movement of Jian Tanghuang. His eyes, sharp as a hawk's, did not let a single minute flaw in her defense escape him.

Whenever Jian Tanghuang's Qi circulation faltered slightly, or her movements lagged, he would suddenly strike—a streak of cyan Protective Aura or a sinister Talisman would tear through the air, precisely disrupting her rhythm!

It was clear he intended to exhaust her Qi and then reap the rewards of their struggle.

That despicable demeanor of his, acting as if he were in control while watching coldly from the sidelines, made people grit their teeth in hatred even more than the Cultivators fighting face-to-face.

"Princess Jian, look out!"

Tuoba Ye's roar pierced through the deafening sounds of battle, carrying a desperate resolve, like a thunderclap!

He swept his giant axe horizontally, the wind from the axe howling like thunder, forcibly driving back the three Cultivators lunging from the left. The blood staining the axe blade sprayed out, carving a scarlet arc in the air.

Taking advantage of this brief gap, he reached into his robes and pulled out a translucent white Medicinal Pill—the pill emitted a faint fragrance and was a rare treasure for healing and life-saving, worth more than a thousand pieces of gold.

He flicked his finger! The Medicinal Pill transformed into a streak of white light, speeding toward Jian Tanghuang, carrying everyone's last hope like a meteor streaking across the battlefield.

The Medicinal Pill traced a graceful arc and was about to land in Jian Tanghuang's hand—but Senior Young Master Yu Qingxuan suddenly sneered.

The laughter was full of mockery and cruelty, like a cat playing with a mouse.

He flicked his finger, and a condensed cyan beam of finger energy tore through the air, precisely striking the Medicinal Pill.

"Crack—" A soft sound. The precious Medicinal Pill instantly turned into powder, quietly dissipating in the air without leaving even a trace of its medicinal effect.

"Do you trash really think you can protect her?"

Senior Young Master Yu Qingxuan curled his lips into a cruel smile and quickly formed hand seals. Dozens of cyan Talismans immediately appeared around him.

On the Talismans, runes flickered uncertainly, and the faint hissing of snakes could be heard. A cold, chilling aura permeated the air, making one's hair stand on end, as if they were trapped in a snake pit.

"Today shall be the day of your death!"

Before the words had even faded—the dozens of cyan Talismans simultaneously transformed into green snakes!

Flicking their forked tongues and hissing, they lunged toward Jian Tanghuang. They were densely packed, sealing off all her escape routes like a tidal wave!

A foul-smelling, toxic gas spread with the movement of the green snakes, corroding the surrounding air and even burning scorched, black pits into the ground.

Jian Tanghuang's eyes narrowed. She flipped her wrist, and her longsword whipped up a sky full of sword light, like a great silvery-white net, instantly severing several of the green snakes rushing at the front. The snake bodies dissipated into green smoke.

But just as her old strength was spent and her new strength had yet to arise—several Cultivators from the Imperial Ancestral Temple, who had been waiting for an opportunity, seized this fleeting opening. Holding blood-stained longswords, they lunged violently from her side and rear!

The blades flashed with a cold light, filled with a bloodthirsty malice, and slashed directly at her shoulder!

"Puchi—!" The sharp blade instantly sliced through skin and flesh, cutting deep into the bone!

Blood gushed out like a spring, instantly soaking her white clothes at the shoulder and dripping down her arm, striking the ground to form shocking flowers of blood.

The intense pain caused Jian Tanghuang's figure to falter. Her face turned slightly pale, her fingers gripping the longsword trembled slightly, and her Qi circulation became somewhat chaotic.

"You're courting death!" Chu Zhanxiao's eyes were wide with rage, his crimson eyes almost dripping blood!

Seeing Jian Tanghuang injured, a monstrous rage instantly clouded his reason, casting all his own injuries and exhaustion to the back of his mind.

Disregarding his own injuries that were already near their limit, he suddenly threw his head back and let out a roar—like a wounded Vicious Beast, his roar shook the heavens!

He forcibly burned the remaining Qi in his body! In an instant, brilliant lightning erupted around him, and purple arcs of electricity coiled about his body. His figure turned into a blurry afterimage, rushing toward those Cultivators like an arrow released from a bowstring!

Lightning gathered frantically in his hands, transforming into a ferocious giant hammer of thunder, carrying the might to destroy heaven and earth—he smashed it down fiercely!

"Boom!" The thunder exploded! The violent power of the lightning swept outward, and those Cultivators didn't even have time to scream before they were crushed into pulp by the force of the lightning!

Blood and shattered bones splattered everywhere; the scene was extremely tragic, and the air was filled with a burnt, bloody stench.

But this strike, which forcibly burned his Qi, also caused the Qi within Chu Zhanxiao's body to become completely chaotic. His Meridians felt as if they were being pierced by thousands of steel needles, and he felt a searing pain as if he were being torn apart.

He staggered back a few steps, his legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground. He had to use a trembling hand to steady himself against a broken sword nearby to barely support his swaying body.

Blood continuously spilled from the corner of his mouth, yet his gaze remained fixed on the direction of Jian Tanghuang, filled with worry and unwillingness.

"Junior Brother!" Jian Tanghuang exclaimed. Seeing Chu Zhanxiao's swaying figure, her composure instantly shattered, and the forced calmness she had maintained collapsed completely.

Just at this moment of distraction—a Cultivator from the Imperial Ancestral Temple seized the opportunity, thrusting his longsword straight out. The sharp tip instantly sliced through her left arm!

Blood dripped down her arm and onto the ground, making a "drip, drip" sound. It sounded exceptionally clear and jarring amidst the noisy battlefield.

Just at this life-or-death moment—a peerlessly clear and resonant sword cry suddenly rang through the entire battlefield!

"Hum—!" The sound of the sword cry was high-pitched and holy, like the cry of a Phoenix, piercing through all the roars of battle and soaring straight into the clouds! It made the eardrums of everyone present buzz, and even the heavens and earth seemed to stand still!

In the center of the encirclement, the longsword in Jian Tanghuang's hand suddenly erupted with boundless, brilliant rays of light!

Within the rays of light, a faint, colorful Phoenix phantom could be seen circling and dancing.

The Phoenix's wings shimmered with radiant light, and its tail feathers trailed gorgeous rays of light. It was lifelike, with every single feather clearly visible, as if it would break free from the sword's restraint in the next moment and soar into the Nine Heavens!

The majesty and holiness it radiated caused the surrounding Killing Intent to freeze, and a nameless sense of awe welled up in the hearts of all the Cultivators.

Jian Tanghuang slowly closed her eyes. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly in the rays of light, like the gentle fluttering of butterfly wings.

She chanted under her breath, and an obscure and ancient incantation sounded like the music of the heavens—ethereal and solemn, as if she were conversing with ancient ancestors, or summoning an ancient power sleeping deep within her Bloodline.

Her originally rapid and chaotic breathing gradually steadied, and a holy yet fierce aura radiated from her body.

The aura grew increasingly thick, spreading out like a tide, causing the surrounding Cultivators of the Imperial Ancestral Temple to involuntarily retreat a few steps. Their eyes revealed deep apprehension, they couldn't even hold their weapons steady, and some even had weak legs, nearly kneeling.

"This is... 'Nirvana Sword Intent'?!" Senior Young Master Yu Qingxuan's expression changed drastically, his pupils contracted sharply, and a trace of unbelievable apprehension and terror flashed in his eyes. His voice even trembled slightly.

He had once seen records in ancient books—the Jian Tang clan were descendants of the ancient Phoenix, and their Bloodline contained the true essence of the Phoenix!

In life-or-death crises, they could trigger the Nirvana power sleeping within their bodies, briefly breaking through their own limits and erupting with the power to destroy heaven and earth!

But the price of this power was a great loss of cultivation afterward, and it was even possible to fall in Realm and be unable to advance ever again—it was equivalent to trading one's future for a chance at survival in the present!

"Not good! Stop her!" Senior Young Master Yu Qingxuan shouted sharply. He no longer cared about hiding his strength, and his figure transformed into a streak of cyan light, lunging toward Jian Tanghuang regardless of everything!

He knew well the terror of the Nirvana Sword Intent—if Jian Tanghuang successfully triggered it, everyone present would die without a burial place!

But it was too late. Just as Senior Young Master Yu Qingxuan's figure was about to reach Jian Tanghuang—Jian Tanghuang suddenly opened her eyes!

It was as if a prairie fire was raging in her eyes, and two points of brilliant golden light danced in her pupils, like two small suns, radiating a scorching and majestic aura—making people afraid to look directly at her, their Souls trembling!

She slowly raised her hand and swung her sword. The movement seemed slow, yet it carried an indescribable rhythm, as if it contained the ultimate principles of heaven and earth. Every minute movement aligned with the Laws of nature, secretly conforming to the Dao.

The Phoenix phantom circling in the sword light let out a cry that pierced the clouds and shattered stone! The sound was high-pitched and resonant, shaking the entire battlefield, causing the ground to crack with fine lines, and sending shattered stones flying!

Subsequently, the Phoenix phantom soared into the sky, circled once in mid-air—and then dived down violently!

"Boom—!" Wherever the Phoenix phantom passed, wild winds raged, rays of light filled the sky, and a scorching aura swept in all directions!