48: The power of the spiritual sea
That crimson palm print appeared far too suddenly, and its speed was pushed to the extreme, as if it had transcended the shackles of space! Before the palm print even arrived, the terrifying high temperature—capable of incinerating all things—had already ignited the air around Ye Chen, and the bluestone ground beneath his feet instantly melted and vaporized! A strike from a Linghai Realm Cultivator in their fury was powerful enough to move mountains and fill seas!
The shadow of death, like an icy tide, instantly submerged Ye Chen!
His entire body's blood seemed to freeze at this moment, and his Divine Soul was screaming warnings frantically! Facing this absolute crushing power, whatever movement techniques or sword skills he had all seemed to lose their meaning!
However, at this critical juncture, this split second between life and death—
Ye Chen's combat instincts, tempered through countless life-and-death struggles and already as tough as steel, along with the extreme calm brought by the Luminous Sword Heart Realm, came into play!
He could not retreat! Retreat meant certain death!
He could not take it head-on! Taking it head-on meant certain destruction!
The only way to survive lay in that supreme wisp of—Nirvana Sword Intent!
"Buzz!"
Within Ye Chen's Sea of Consciousness, that wisp of Nirvana Sword Intent, which had reached the "Well-Versed" stage, began to circulate frantically at an unprecedented speed! It was no longer a passive defense or an auxiliary attack; instead, like an enraged monarch, it erupted with a terrifying will to annihilate everything!
At the same time, the zhutian sword soul fragment seed, which had been dormant deep within his sword heart, seemed to be stimulated by this extreme crisis. It trembled slightly, emitting a trace of supreme resonance that was imperceptible yet seemed capable of slashing through eternal time and space!
Internal and external forces converged, and a flash of inspiration struck!
Ye Chen didn't even have time to think. All his mind, will, and even his life Origin followed his instinct, pouring entirely into the qingfeng sword in his hand. He channeled that wisp of Nirvana Sword Intent and stabbed out resolutely toward the sky-burning, sea-boiling crimson palm print above him!
There was no sound, no brilliance.
Only an extremely restrained pitch-black sword tip—one that seemed capable of swallowing all light and life, even causing space to distort and collapse—emerged from the qingfeng sword and met the sky-blotting crimson!
"Chiss—!"
A sound so faint it was almost inaudible, like a red-hot iron being dipped into ice water, rang out.
Under the gaze of countless terrified eyes, the crimson palm print, which was powerful enough to vaporize a small mountain in an instant, met its nemesis the moment it touched that pitch-black sword tip. Its center began to melt, crumble, and annihilate at a speed visible to the naked eye!
It wasn't shattered, nor was it blocked, but... completely erased! It was as if the center of that giant palm had been forcefully gouged out by an invisible hand!
Although the vast majority of the crimson palm print's power still existed and continued to press down with destructive force, its core and most concentrated node of power had been forcibly "erased" by this single strike of Nirvana!
It was like a surging river where a section of the riverbed had suddenly vanished; though its momentum remained fierce, its form was already scattered!
"What?!" Hidden in the shadows, Elder Lie Huo let out an incredulous cry of alarm.
Having lost its core power support, the crimson palm print's power was greatly diminished. Although it still slapped down, it could no longer lock onto Ye Chen's aura!
"Flowing Wind Fleeting Shadow!"
Ye Chen endured the intense stinging pain and sense of emptiness in his Divine Soul from over-activating the Nirvana Sword Intent. He pushed his footwork to the limit, his figure turning into a wisp of insubstantial smoke as he narrowly threaded through the gaps at the edge of the now-loosened palm print, whose power was barely a tenth of what it had been!
"BOOM!!!!"
The remaining crimson palm print slammed violently into the spot where Ye Chen had been standing, producing an earth-shattering explosion! The ground shook violently, and a charred crater over ten zhang in diameter and bottomless appeared on the spot. The rocks at the edges were melted into a glass-like state by the high temperature! A violent shockwave, mixed with scorching fire-attribute spiritual Qi, swept in all directions like a storm!
Although Ye Chen had avoided the core area, he was still struck by the edge of that terrifying shockwave. He felt as if his back had been hit by a volcano. His throat sweetened as he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood. He was thrown forward like a broken kite, falling heavily dozens of zhang away. The qingfeng sword also flew from his hand and stabbed into the ground nearby.
He struggled to stand up, but felt as if every bone in his body had fallen apart. His internal organs felt displaced, and his Meridians throbbed with needle-like pain—signs of excessive spiritual power overexertion and Divine Soul damage. That life-risking sword strike just now had nearly drained him of everything!
Silence!
A deathly silence enveloped the entire field!
Everyone seemed to have been hit by a freezing spell, staring blankly at the charred giant crater, then at Ye Chen, who was struggling and coughing up blood in the distance. Their minds were a complete blank.
He... he blocked it?
Ye Chen... he actually blocked a strike from a Linghai Realm Elder in their fury?!
Although he was seriously injured and in a wretched state, he... survived!
With a cultivation of Kaiyuan Realm Sixth Level (in everyone's eyes), he had survived a sneak attack by a Linghai Realm Elder!
This was simply a miracle! No, it was a divine feat!
"Little beast! You actually dare to destroy my palm print?!" Elder Lie Huo was both shocked and enraged in the shadows. He never expected his killing blow to be broken in such a bizarre way by a junior in the Kaiyuan Realm! Although the opponent was seriously injured, to him, this was a supreme humiliation!
An even more terrifying and violent aura rose from the void. Clearly, Elder Lie Huo was truly enraged and was about to disregard his status to strike again and completely crush Ye Chen to death!
Ye Chen felt that killing intent locking onto him like a prehistoric Vicious Beast, and his heart turned cold. That sword strike just now had almost exhausted his trump cards. Now that he was seriously injured and his spiritual power was drained, how could he possibly block an enraged Linghai Realm Elder again?
Was he really going to fall here today?
He was unwilling! He still had a great vendetta to settle, his sword Dao was not yet complete, and there were secrets concerning the heavens waiting for him to explore!
Just at this moment of despair—
"Lie Huo! You've gone too far!"
A gentle yet indisputably authoritative voice, like a spring breeze turning into rain, instantly dissipated that suffocating killing intent and heat. Elder Liu Qingfeng's figure appeared before Ye Chen at some unknown point, shielding him.
With a light flick of his sleeve, a gentle force propped up Ye Chen and stabilized his injuries. At the same time, he looked calmly toward a certain spot in the void: "To use such a heavy hand against a junior, and a sneak attack at that—how do you still have the face to call yourself an Elder?"
"Liu Qingfeng! You want to protect this little beast?!" In the void, Elder Lie Huo's figure slowly emerged. He wore crimson robes, his hair and beard were flared, and fire burned in his eyes. "He crippled both of my Disciple's arms; he is cruel and ruthless. He even used an evil technique to destroy my palm print. What use is there in keeping such a wicked creature?!"
"Evil technique?" Liu Qingfeng gave a faint smile. "That was a supreme Sword Intent; you're just too short-sighted to recognize it. As for crippling your Disciple's arms, it was a fair duel. If his skills were inferior, who can he blame? Is it only permitted for your Disciple to kill, but not for others to fight back?"
Though his tone was flat, every word pierced the heart. He specifically mentioned the words "supreme Sword Intent," causing Elder Lie Huo's pupils to shrink and the surrounding Disciples to break into an uproar!
Supreme Sword Intent? What level was that?
"You!" Elder Lie Huo was so angry his whole body trembled, but he was momentarily speechless. He was indeed in the wrong; first his Disciple provoked someone and was counter-attacked, then he himself disregarded his status to sneak attack a junior. No matter which point it was, he couldn't justify it.
"I will report this matter to the Law Enforcement Hall and the Dean for a decision." Liu Qingfeng stopped looking at him and turned to help Ye Chen up, channeling gentle spiritual power into his body to help stabilize his injuries. "Follow me back to heal first."
Ye Chen gave Liu Qingfeng a grateful look and nodded. With Elder Liu present, Elder Lie Huo probably wouldn't dare to act so brazenly again.
Liu Qingfeng took Ye Chen and, ignoring the iron-faced Elder Lie Huo and the shocked crowd, turned into a streak of light and vanished from the spot.
The storm temporarily concluded with Ye Chen being seriously injured and Liu Qingfeng's forceful intervention.
But everyone knew that things would definitely not end here. The terrifying potential Ye Chen had shown, that so-called "supreme Sword Intent," and the deadly feud he had formed with the Lin faction and Elder Lie Huo's lineage all destined his future path to be filled with endless blood and storms.
And after this battle, Ye Chen's name would no longer be confined to the Outer Court; it would completely shake the entire Tianfeng Academy and even spread to further places!
A Prodigy who could survive a strike from a Linghai Realm Elder with only a Kaiyuan Realm cultivation—who could predict his future?
The undercurrents would only grow more turbulent... Inside Liu Qingfeng's residence, in a quiet cultivation room.
Ye Chen sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, his face pale, but his breathing had already stabilized significantly. Liu Qingfeng had used pure Linghai Realm spiritual power to soothe his disordered Meridians and had fed him a precious healing Medicinal Pill.
"You were too reckless this time." Liu Qingfeng looked at him, his tone carrying a hint of reproach, but more of it was admiration. "Nirvana Sword Intent... I didn't expect you to be able to touch such a level of power. But in the future, unless it's absolutely necessary, you must never use it lightly, and even less should you reveal it before outsiders, otherwise it will surely invite disaster!"
Ye Chen solemnly replied: "This Disciple understands. Thank you, Elder, for saving my life!"
Liu Qingfeng waved his hand: "You are the future hope of our Tianfeng Academy; naturally, I would not sit by and watch. However, Lie Huo is a man who holds a grudge over the smallest slight, and the Lin family's influence in the academy is not small either. You must be more careful in the future."
He pondered for a moment and said: "The Inner Court Assessment is imminent. You should stay here to close up and heal. I have set up a Restriction here; no one will dare to disturb you. Once you've healed, your cultivation may even take another step forward."
Ye Chen was moved and thanked him again.
After Liu Qingfeng left, Ye Chen closed his eyes and began to fully operate the Qingyuan Sword Foundation, absorbing the medicinal power to repair his injuries.
This life-and-death clash with a Linghai Realm Elder, though a narrow escape, had also benefited him greatly. He had gained a deeper understanding of the use of Nirvana Sword Intent, and his cultivation barriers had loosened further under the pressure of life and death.
"Linghai Realm... one day, I too will reach it!"
The conviction in his heart grew ever firmer.
While he was immersed in healing, he did not notice that deep within his Divine Soul, the zhutian sword soul fragment seed had become slightly more solid after experiencing that extreme crisis and eruption. Its activation progress had quietly risen to... 4%.
An even greater storm was still brewing.