173: The war ended

"Clang, clang, clang!"

The dense, sharp sounds of metal clashing pierced the firmament, shaking the clouds until they rolled violently.

High above, the Golden-Scaled White Flood Dragon condensed by Lu Tao bared its fangs and brandished its claws. The gilded scales covering its body shimmered with a piercing cold light, clashing crazily against the Calamity Wind Disaster formed by Luo Qianjie's sword threads.

The platinum Sword Qi exhaled by the White Flood Dragon was the very essence of the Great White Void-Breaking Sword Art.

By tempering sharpness with the power of Metal, at a high level, one could break the Void Realm with a single sword strike, allowing the trajectory of the Sword Qi to merge into the Void Realm, rendering it untraceable.

However, limited by his Nascent Soul cultivation, Lu Tao could currently only achieve the Sword Qi form, failing to unleash the Void-Breaking ability.

Luo Qianjie's Calamity Sword Art was even more bizarre. Countless cyan-black sword threads, as fine as ox hair, intertwined and wove together, evolving into a wind of disaster that blotted out the sky.

Within the wind pillar, there was not only the cutting power of the sword threads but also the bone-eroding Evil Qi of calamity, eroding everything in its path with inescapable persistence.

If not for the fact that Lu Tao's Immortal Golden Body Art had reached Minor Achievement and his Physical Body was far stronger than his peers, he would have long since been pierced through his Meridians by this Yin Evil Qi and defeated on the spot.

"Roar!"

The Golden-Scaled White Flood Dragon suddenly broke free from the entanglement of the wind disaster. Opening its giant mouth, it spat out a condensed pillar of platinum Sword Qi, forcibly tearing through the barrier of the gloomy wind and soaring into the high sky with the momentum of thunder.

Lu Tao's sword art changed abruptly at his fingertips. His Battle Intent surged, and his roar shook the surroundings: "Luo Qianjie, let's decide the victor with one move!"

As his words fell, the massive phantom of the White Flood Dragon collapsed with a boom. The platinum points of light filling the sky, like birds returning to their nests, crazily gathered toward his palm.

In an instant, a zhang-long, incandescent sharp sword took shape. Gilded patterns flowed across the blade, and its edge was razor-sharp. Even the aftermath caused fine spatial cracks to appear in the air.

Unlike the Qingming Sword Sect's sword Dao of long-range attacks, which advocated for 'taking a head from a thousand miles away', the method Lu Tao inherited from True Lord Lu Feng retained the grace and elegance of a Sword Cultivator while hiding the fierce bravery of close-quarters combat.

Now, with his body and sword united, he was merging both aspects into one.

"Good!"

Luo Qianjie's figure swayed as he steadied his center of gravity. A flash of ruthlessness crossed his eyes, and he responded without hesitation.

The cyan Flying Sword in front of him vibrated violently, emitting a buzzing sound. Countless threads of Evil Qi and gloomy wind poured into the sword body like a tidal wave.

The originally clear sword body was gradually dyed a cyan-black color, and the aura of calamity lingering on the sword became increasingly intense, swallowing the surrounding light until it was dim and indistinct.

The two confronted each other from a hundred zhang apart, their auras already clashing and throwing off sparks.

In the next second, both simultaneously channeled their lifelong cultivation and unleashed their sword arts!

Lu Tao stepped on the Void Realm, his figure merging completely with the incandescent sharp sword, turning into a brilliant stream of light that vanished in a flash.

It was as if he had instantly merged into the Void Realm, leaving only a faint platinum trajectory behind as he headed straight for Luo Qianjie.

At the same time, Luo Qianjie flipped his wrist, and the cyan-black Flying Sword turned into a bizarre cyan-black stream of light. With a shriek that tore through the air, it carried the sky full of gloomy wind and Evil Qi, crashing straight toward that incandescent beam of Sword Qi!

Both sides moved so fast that they exceeded the limits of the naked eye. Neither could avoid it, nor had they ever intended to dodge.

"Boom!!!"

The moment the massive Sword Qi exploded, the platinum sharp light and the cyan-black Evil Qi collided like two opposing torrents, setting off an energy storm that destroyed the heavens and the earth in mid-air.

The sharp metal Sword Qi and the Evil Qi splattered everywhere. Wherever they passed, mountain rocks turned to powder, and vegetation instantly turned to ash.

At the core of the collision, Lu Tao was sent flying backward, his feet carving two incandescent scratches into the Void Realm.

When he barely steadied his figure, he felt a bone-chilling, immense force coming from the incandescent sharp sword in his palm.

That cyan-black Evil Qi was actually able to penetrate the defense of the sharp metal Sword Qi, eroding along the blade and drilling into his Meridians like a maggot on a bone.

Lu Tao spat out a mouthful of blood, which instantly dissipated into wisps of evil energy.

He operated his Immortal Golden Body Art to the extreme, a layer of pale golden halo appearing on his body surface, forcibly expelling the remaining Evil Qi.

Luo Qianjie fared no better.

As soon as that cyan-black Flying Sword collided with the incandescent sharp sword, a tiny crack was split by the sharp metal power, and most of the Evil Qi on the sword dissipated instantly.

His life-bound Flying Sword was connected to his heart and spirit; he felt as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer. He was sent flying backward for dozens of zhang, crashing through a layer of clouds before barely steadying his figure.

His chest heaved violently, his breath was chaotic, and the cyan-black Flying Sword swayed precariously in front of him. The cracks on the sword body were being widened by the continuously eroding sharp metal power.

"Pfft..."

Luo Qianjie spat out a mouthful of blood and casually wiped the corner of his mouth. "The Great White Void-Breaking Sword Art is truly well-deserved!"

His eyes were full of astonishment, but even more so, unwillingness.

Lu Tao was just a Sword Cultivator who had switched paths halfway, while he had been immersed in the sword Dao since he first stepped onto the path of cultivation.

He hadn't expected that this all-out strike would result in a draw.

"Luo Qianjie, although your Calamity Sword Art is bizarre, it cannot block my Great White Void-Breaking power!"

Lu Tao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his life-bound Flying Sword trembling slightly beside him, pointing at Luo Qianjie. "You have lost!"

"Ridiculous!"

Luo Qianjie's eyes turned sharp. He suddenly threw out the cyan-black Flying Sword, which exploded in mid-air, turning into countless cyan-black sword threads and condensing into a massive hurricane beside him. "Although you have the Immortal Golden Body, you ultimately cannot withstand the erosion of my Yin Evil black wind... If we continue to fight, you will surely die and your Dao will dissipate!"

"If you don't believe it, you are welcome to try!"

"Heh, that depends on whether your life-bound Flying Sword can still hold on."

Lu Tao let out a sneer, the light of his Flying Sword surging.

He looked ready to fight.

"Don't worry, it's enough to kill you!"

Luo Qianjie snorted coldly, and the Yin Evil black wind moved slowly.

Seeing that the Evil Qi around both of them was surging, and they were on the verge of fighting to the death, a majestic and grand voice suddenly came from the depths of the Void Realm, like thunder rolling past, resounding through every corner of the Nether Prison Plane:

"The Seven-Nation Mixed War is terminated immediately!"

"Cultivators of all factions, return to the central city immediately. You are not allowed to fight anymore! You are not allowed to linger!"

"Those who violate the order will be dealt with according to the laws of the Seven Sects and will be killed without mercy!"

The voice carried no emotion, yet it contained an irresistible supreme pressure.

It was like a heavenly decree, causing even the Void Realm to ripple with fine waves.

In an instant, the mana within every Cultivator fighting was forcibly suppressed by thirty percent.

They stopped fighting one after another, looking at the sky with astonishment.

"What is going on? The Seven-Nation Mixed War clearly has nearly thirty years left before the deadline. Why did it terminate suddenly?"

A young Core Formation Cultivator looked around, confused.

"Damn it! I just risked my life to promote to Nascent Soul, and I was planning to take advantage of the momentum to slaughter everyone and impact the top of the points list. Now it's all ruined!"

In the base city, a newly promoted Nascent Soul Cultivator with a majestic aura had an extremely ugly expression.

"Heaven has eyes! It's finally over! If we keep fighting, my life will be lost here. It's good to be able to go back alive!"

On the other hand, another Loose Cultivator at the Core Formation stage was ecstatic.

"Haha, it ended just in time! The materials I've harvested this trip are piled up like a mountain. If I go out and find a good price to sell them, it will be enough for me to impact the Nascent Soul Bottleneck and add another thousand years of Lifespan!"

A decrepit Peak Core Formation Stage Cultivator laughed endlessly.

"Actually... it ended just like that? I haven't had a chance to show off my skills, and many goals haven't been achieved..."

"Sigh, it's still a bit lacking. I didn't manage to squeeze into the total points list. I'm afraid I won't have a chance to be favored by the Seven Great Sects."

"I wonder if the sudden termination of the National War will affect the Sect selection? If I could be favored by the Seven Sects, this immortal path would be smooth!"

"..."

Everywhere in the Nether Prison Plane, countless Cultivators were discussing, with various emotions.

But no matter what, the end of the National War was already a foregone conclusion.

A moment later, one Flying Boat after another rose into the air, flying straight toward the base city.