23: Battle against the King of Withered Glory

Mental Space.

The Withered and Flourishing Sword King's gaze turned cold and sharp, and his figure vanished suddenly, too fast for even Li Jiangchen to track.

The next moment, a figure appeared behind Li Jiangchen.

Clang—

The Withered and Flourishing Sword King thrust his sword out, the Sword Qi cutting through the air like a white ribbon, explosive as fire.

'What an eerie sensation. Clearly, his aura was barely perceptible just a moment ago, yet the sudden burst is so powerful...' Li Jiangchen unleashed his Immortal Sword Intent and executed the Emerald Mountain Sword Technique. Instantly, an ethereal image of an emerald mountain surrounded him, coated in golden Immortal Sword Intent, shielding his entire body.

Bang! The Sword Qi struck the emerald mountain image, erupting with the sound of clashing metal and sparks flying everywhere. With a crisp crack, a fissure split open on the emerald mountain.

Seizing this opening, Li Jiangchen took a step forward, his body splitting into nine shadows. Nine crescent moons tore through the Void Realm, locking off all of the Withered and Flourishing Sword King's escape routes.

However, the Withered and Flourishing Sword King's figure seemed to become illusory, dodging all nine strikes of Sword Qi by a hair's breadth.

"My Withered and Flourishing Sword Intent: in the 'Withered' state, I can suppress my aura to the extreme, so that even if I stand right in front of an enemy, they still cannot detect me.

In the 'Flourishing' state, I can maintain my Peak at all times; even if I am severely injured, I can still maintain my Peak combat strength.

Between the withered and the flourishing lies the Dao of life and death."

The Withered and Flourishing Sword King's figure vanished again, his voice echoing from the Void Realm.

"So this is the effect of the Withered and Flourishing Sword Intent." Li Jiangchen swept his gaze around, but he still could not locate the Withered and Flourishing Sword King.

The opponent's aura was suppressed to the extreme, like a stone on the side of the road; who would notice the threat of a stone?

Moreover, being able to maintain Peak combat strength at all times is truly terrifying.

It means one could fully cultivate body-damaging secret techniques and use Sword Intent to record one's Peak combat strength in advance.

Afterward, even if the secret technique fades, one could still rely on the Withered and Flourishing Sword Intent to exert maximum combat strength.

This is a type of Sword Intent naturally suited for the path of assassination.

Of course, this Sword Intent is not without flaws; no matter how well the aura is suppressed, it will be exposed the moment one strikes.

That is the opportunity.

"In that case, I have no choice but to use this move." Li Jiangchen looked at his panel and saw that the seven sword techniques he had just comprehended had all vanished, transforming into a brand-new sword technique.

The third sword of the Thirty-Six Demon Slaying Swords—Meditation.

During the battle just now, he had consumed his Demon cultivation to fuse those seven sword techniques.

These seven sword techniques were originally split from an Aperture Opening sword technique, so it only cost him one year of Demon cultivation to comprehend them.

He then merged the Crescent Moon and Dragon Binding sword techniques into it, forming the third sword technique.

Its grade also reached the Aperture Opening level.

Whoosh—

The explosive Sword Qi attacked from behind again. This time, Li Jiangchen did not use the Emerald Mountain Sword Technique to guard his body; instead, he flicked his finger, and a mysterious grey-white Sword Light shot out, instantly shattering the incoming Sword Qi.

The Withered and Flourishing Sword King was slightly surprised. Just as he was about to escape, he felt a force of Seal solidify around his body, rendering him unable to move.

Pfft!

The Sword Light pierced straight through.

The Withered and Flourishing Sword King looked at his chest, where there was now a bowl-sized hole.

"Meditation... Hahaha, interesting. Back then, I split this sword technique into seven, but I never expected you to be able to deduce it in reverse, and even incorporate other sword techniques, adding a force of sharpness and sealing." The Withered and Flourishing Sword King's eyes were filled with appreciation.

During this assessment, the Withered and Flourishing Sword King's cultivation and sword technique level were suppressed to the Innate Peak. Even with his experience and the enhancement of the Withered and Flourishing Sword Intent, he could not transcend this level.

Meditation is an Aperture Opening Realm sword technique; that is why it could succeed in one strike.

"To be able to cross swords with a Genius swordsman like you after death can be considered a joy in life."

"It is a great pity not to be able to fight an opponent like you with no holds barred."

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Jiangchen immediately sensed an anomaly in the Mental Space. Countless specks of Sword Intent appeared in the Void Realm, and the next moment, like swallows returning to their nests, they all submerged into the statue of the Withered and Flourishing Sword King.

Now, the Withered and Flourishing Sword King was gathering all the Sword Intent left within the statue, using it entirely for this battle.

At this moment, an anomaly occurred in the outside world.

In front of the Withered and Flourishing Sword King statue, one after another, the Martial Artist swordsmen sitting cross-legged on white jade cushions were ejected from the Mental Space and woke up.

"What is going on? I was still comprehending the sword technique; how did I come out?"

"Damn it, I was only one move away from defeating the phantom."

"What on earth happened!"

In the first row in front of the statue, Chen Yanran suddenly opened her beautiful eyes: "Hmm? I only defeated five phantoms; why did the Mental Space dissipate?"

She glanced sideways and saw Li Jiangchen sitting still beside her, eyes closed in comprehension, and a doubt surfaced in her heart.

"Why is he the only one unaffected..."

At this moment, inside the Mental Space, the Withered and Flourishing Sword King was surrounded by Withered and Flourishing Sword Intent, his body solid, indistinguishable from a living person.

"Junior swordsman, your talent is exceptional; you have already far exceeded my assessment requirements.

This battle is not an assessment.

It is the lingering will of a swordsman yearning for a battle.

You may fight with all your might."

As soon as the voice fell, Li Jiangchen discovered that the Dao techniques and martial arts that had been suppressed were gradually becoming clear in his mind, and he could use them again.

However, he felt no joy at all; no longer being suppressed meant that the lingering will of the Withered and Flourishing Sword King before him would also become even more terrifying.

In an instant, the Withered and Flourishing Sword King's aura burst forth, and eighty-two brilliant stars appeared above his head.

Ziwei, Beidou, Tianshu...

The power of each star surged into his body, and the Withered and Flourishing Sword King's aura surged step by step. The next moment, he took a step forward—a seemingly ordinary step, yet it exuded a sense of Perfection.

"Sword Step, Nine-Kill Sword Formation!"

Nine stars transformed into brilliant Sword Light, cutting through the sky and circling Li Jiangchen. The Sword Qi connected, actually forming a sword formation.

The Sword Qi erupted, scorching like fire.

Inside the sword formation, Li Jiangchen felt as if the stars of the heavens were pressing down on him; his bones creaked, and his speed plummeted.

An ordinary Xiantian Realm Martial Artist would likely be crushed into meat paste under this move, let alone resist.

Bang, bang, bang!

One phantom after another was shattered, and the space for dodging became smaller and smaller.

Li Jiangchen gradually fell into a disadvantage, his expression grave.

On the path of the sword, the Withered and Flourishing Sword King's accumulation was too profound, but what he himself knew was not just the Dao of the sword.

Twelve beams of star Sword Qi converged into one, transforming into a giant sword that could slay the heavens, but Li Jiangchen's brows relaxed.

Whoosh, he opened his left palm, and instantly black Qi pervaded the area. An invisible, tide-like force field rapidly expanded, actually forcibly dispersing the sword formation.

"Peerless Grade Dao technique, and it seems to be of the Domain type..." The Withered and Flourishing Sword King was slightly surprised, feeling a powerful force field covering his entire body, suppressing even his Sword Intent.

Inside the Demon Kingdom in the Palm, the branches of a willow tree swirled, transforming into a wooden Dragon. The Dragon's head swam to Li Jiangchen's side, spitting out a precious sword.

It was the demon slaying sword nurtured by the Wood Nurturing Method.

At this moment, the sword body glowed with a cyan-green color, with peculiar runes growing on it, exuding an aura of Yimu Essence Qi.

Li Jiangchen probed with his mind and discovered that the demon slaying sword had actually nurtured three Yimu Restrictions within itself; previously, it had not had a single Restriction.

Immortal Sword Intent and Astral Essence covered the sword body, turning the demon slaying sword golden.

The next moment, he tapped his foot, vanishing from his spot and appearing beside the Withered and Flourishing Sword King.

Void Flash!

"Meditation!"

With the three powers of the Demon Kingdom in the Palm, Immortal Sword Intent, and Astral Essence added, a grey-white Sword Qi swept past, fiercely hacking into the Withered and Flourishing Sword King's body.

In an instant, the entire space seemed to freeze.

Bang! A crack appeared on the Withered and Flourishing Sword King's body, and then it spread crazily—a hundred, a thousand—the whole person became like shattered porcelain.

"Hahaha, satisfying. To be able to master a Peerless Grade Dao technique at the Xiantian Realm, I do not lose unjustly."

The next moment, the Withered and Flourishing Sword King's body shattered, breaking inch by inch.

At the same time, a surging Sword Intent poured into Li Jiangchen's body, and instantly, an ethereal image of a swordsman appeared on his body, reaching eight zhang in height.