360: Showdown with Clouds

[Of course, some people looked pale, their eyes full of complicated envy.]

[Especially those Golden Core Cultivators in the courtyard who were just sharing poems with you.]

[Xia Zhiwei looked up at the figure in the sky, her eyes shining astonishingly bright, murmuring softly:]

["He was just sitting next to me." Her tone held a trace of trance, which quickly turned into regret, "It's a pity... he still has to die."]

[Jiang He retracted her gaze, glared fiercely at Xuanyuan Yi beside her: "Look at him, then look at you..."]

[Xuanyuan Yi, however, showed no shame or anger at all. His expression was solemn, and his gaze toward the sky held an ardor almost like pilgrimage. He spoke word by word:]

["Cultivation... should be like this!"]

[Lin Feng looked toward the sky, the admiration in his eyes nearly overflowing, while secretly praising in his heart.]

["This child's Heart-Nature, courage, and foundation... are all top-tier." He mused internally,]

["If he can survive this calamity and focus on cultivation, his future achievements... are limitless."]

[However, this thought had just emerged before it was extinguished by reality.]

[His gaze swept across a certain spot in the Void as if unintentionally, where seemingly nothing existed, yet it caused a faint chill to rise deep within his Divine Soul.]

["What a pity..." Lin Feng sighed in his heart, feeling a long-lost sense of powerlessness,]

["If that Mahayana hiding in the shadows were not present... even if I risked this old life, I must ensure his safety."]

[He had cultivated for a thousand years, enduring countless hardships, and had long since seen through life and death.]

[However... not fearing death did not mean one should rush into death in vain.]

[Forcibly saving someone from a Mahayana Venerable?]

[That wasn't arrogance; it was wishful thinking.]

[He heavily exhaled a breath of stale air, as if trying to expel all the helplessness and regret from his chest.]

[Liu Xuanyin's mood was completely contrary to the astonishment of the others.]

[He stared at the spot where Xie Changkong's Clone had dissipated, his knuckles cracking audibly, his eyes filled with cold light that was almost tangible:]

["That old scoundrel Xie Changkong... put on quite a show!"]

[How could he not see that the opponent's retreat was almost like 'letting the current carry the boat'?]

[But he couldn't expose it—that sword had summoned the lightning of the Great Dao, its power terrifying. If a Void Refining Clone 'couldn't withstand' it without using its full strength, the logic held up.]

[Who would easily expose their true trump card for the sake of a Clone?]

[But Xie Changkong was no ordinary Void Refining expert; he was one of the top three powerhouses on Tailan Star, a mighty figure in the Void Refining Late Stage!]

[Liu Xuanyin repeatedly recalled that sword strike from before. The more he thought about it, the more shocked he became.]

["That sword strike... was truly outrageously powerful." He gritted his teeth internally, "A Soul Transformation Realm expert actually managed to unleash an attack that touched the Origin of the Great Dao... The immortal slaying sword truly lives up to its name."]

[He recalled the sword strike used when killing Liu Jinfeng last time, and an even more horrifying thought suddenly shot through his mind:]

["Wait... did he use two different immortal slaying swords just now?"]

["One to defend, one to attack... If he has a third, a fourth..."]

[A chill suddenly shot down Liu Xuanyin's spine.]

[The seven Soul Transformation Cultivators behind him were also experiencing turbulent emotions, unable to calm down.]

[One looked up at the figure in the sky, his throat bobbing as he spoke in a dry voice:]

["Being the same as Soul Transformation... watching him is like a Mayfly gazing at the blue sky..."]

[Another person quietly followed up, his tone complex:]

["When we heard he killed the Grand Elder before, I suspected someone helped him from the shadows... Now it seems we were living in a well."]

[One of the Soul Transformation Cultivators, standing on the far right and appearing the oldest, suddenly sighed mournfully, a barely perceptible tremor in his voice:]

["If this child does not die today... in the future, he will surely become a major hidden threat to our Liu Clan."]

[He paused, then squeezed out the latter half of the sentence almost through clenched teeth:]

["No... I'm afraid it's more than just a hidden threat."]

["If this child is not eliminated, our Liu Clan... is in danger!"]

[These Soul Transformation Cultivators were completely different from the Black Armored Guards.]

[The Black Armored Guards were subordinate to the Grand Elder Liu Jinfeng. Most of them started carrying out external missions from the Nascent Soul Stage, operating openly and honestly, serving as the Liu Clan's visible armed forces.]

[But these seven Soul Transformation experts before them were the Covert Guards personally commanded by the Grand Elder Liu Xuanyin.]

[The requirement for Covert Guards was the Soul Transformation Realm.]

[Of course, the Liu Clan's Covert Guards were not limited to just seven; no one knew the exact number of Soul Transformation experts they possessed.]

[These Soul Transformation Covert Guards were specifically responsible for assassination, pursuit, extermination, and dealing with the 'difficult problems' the Black Armored Guards couldn't handle.]

[The appearances they showed now were not their true forms—for experts at the Soul Transformation Realm, changing appearance and concealing Qi were common tactics.]

[True Covert Guards never showed their real faces when operating in the field.]

[Liu Xuanyin suddenly turned his gaze to Yun Miao: "Fellow Daoist Yun, I must trouble you!"]

["Fellow Daoist Xie has already severely injured him. With Fellow Daoist Yun's strength, subduing him should not be difficult, right?"]

[What Liu Xuanyin said was very clear: even if you are acting, you must first severely injure him, just like Xie Changkong did.]

[Yun Miao merely smiled faintly: "Since I promised Fellow Daoist Liu, I will naturally do my best."]

[As soon as the words fell, her figure flickered, like a light feather, silently hovering a hundred feet opposite you.]

[She was still dressed in snow-white robes, her aura cold and aloof. Her gaze fell upon you, but there wasn't much killing intent.]

["The move you used to defeat Xie Changkong just now was very interesting." Her voice was like the light striking of jade, clear yet indifferent, "I dislike protracted fights, so I won't beat around the bush with you."]

[She paused and looked directly into your eyes:]

["Use that move directly."]

["One move to decide the victor."]

[Your gaze narrowed slightly.]

[Since she said that, it was clear she was wary of your previous move, the Two Principles Rotation, or perhaps... she wanted to personally experience its profound mystery.]

["Please guide me!"]

[As soon as the words left your mouth, the Dao Patterns inside your body lit up again, and the Spotless Sword Body was activated once more.]

[The immortal slaying sword (gold) above your head lowered its sword aura to protect your body, while the immortal slaying sword (thunder) in your hand gathered lightning again. The hundred-foot lightning sword spanned the sky, its destructive Dao rhyme summoning a corresponding celestial phenomenon.]

["Two Principles Rotation—Slash!"]

[Identical to before, the giant lightning sword tore through the sky, carrying the unstoppable power of the Great Dao lightning, striking directly down at Yun Miao!]

[However, facing this sword strike potent enough to force Xie Changkong to retreat, Yun Miao surprisingly neither dodged nor retreated.]

[She simply hung still in the air. The moment your sword edge was about to touch her, her figure rippled slightly like a reflection in water, becoming illusory and transparent.]

[The lightning sword passed through, but it felt like slicing through air, lacking any purchase. It pierced through her illusory figure, shattering the space behind her, with lightning raging.]

[Did it miss?]

[Or did it kill her?]

[Your heart tightened.]

[What kind of Divine Ability was this of hers?]