Chapter 989: Attack on Emerald Cove P3: Devil’s Den Destroyed

Kanis glanced at Rumaal but didn’t comment on the outcome.

Instead, the young true sword cultivator continued studying the gray dome with an expression of barely concealed excitement.

The True Sword Cultivators of Swordfall Realm were notorious throughout the Shinayin Empire for their peculiar approach to cultivation. While other factions developed a balanced collection of offensive, defensive, concealment, and support formations, Swordfall cultivators had a rather straightforward philosophy.

To them, a sword was the answer to all problems. When one sword wasn’t enough, they simply brought out more swords.

The Swordfall Realm domain possessed numerous offensive sword formations, some of which were powerful enough to overwhelm defensive arrays that would otherwise require considerable effort to breach.

With the sheer number of Swordfall cultivators accompanying Kanis, any offensive formation they deployed would undoubtedly possess greater destructive power than the Threefold Wind Halberd Formation Rumaal had just used.

Yet Kanis didn’t seem particularly interested in deploying one. Simply because there was no fun in that.

Kanis was a Half-step Nascent Soul cultivator. He had already taken a substantial step toward the next realm, and his Sword Intent was far more refined than that of an ordinary late-stage Lord. For someone like him, confronting an unfamiliar formation wasn’t merely a matter of overcoming an obstacle.

It was an opportunity to test his sword’s sharpness.

And Emerald Cove Island’s formation had just presented him with an irresistible challenge.

"Alright. Stay here and keep an eye on potential runaways," Kanis instructed his subordinates.

The Swordfall cultivators immediately stopped their movements. Although some appeared eager to participate, none dared to question their leader’s decision.

Kanis then turned toward Rumaal and his two wives.

"Allow me to try something on my own first. There’s no need to waste everyone’s efforts just yet."

Without waiting for a response, he flew toward Emerald Cove Island.

Rumaal watched him leave, his expression becoming increasingly complicated.

That sword lunatic really intends to challenge the island formation alone? Even after considering his half-step Nascent Soul realm, this was too ambitious. Especially after the formation survived the offensive power of Rumaal’s Threefold Wind Helbard Formation not just once but thrice in a row.

He wasn’t sure whether to admire Kanis’s confidence or curse his recklessness. However, a small part of him couldn’t help feeling relieved. If Kanis managed to break the formation with some semblance of difficulty, King Runiye’s faction might still have an opportunity to negotiate a better share of the spoils.

Kanis paid no attention to the thoughts running through Rumaal’s mind. He continued forward until he was only a short distance from the gray dome, then abruptly stopped in midair.

For a moment, he simply stared at the formation.

The rolling gray fog concealed the island behind it, its surface shifting in slow, almost lazy currents. There was no visible hostility in the barrier, no obvious response to his approach. It seemed to regard him as nothing more than another insignificant spectator who had no invitation to step inside.

Kanis’s lips curved upward.

"Lord Turtle, right? I hope you put up a decent struggle."

He extended his hand.

A sharp metallic hum echoed across the sky.

A sword emerged into his grasp, its blade gleaming with a cold, brilliant radiance. The moment his fingers closed around its hilt, the atmosphere around him changed.

His previously restrained aura erupted.

Sword Intent surged from his body, spreading across the surrounding sea in invisible waves. A large area around him was filled with a sharp, oppressive force, and the seawater beneath him began to tremble as though countless invisible blades were slicing through its surface.

Even the distant Swordfall cultivators straightened instinctively.

They were familiar with their leader’s strength, but seeing him prepare to confront an unknown formation still stirred their excitement. A True Sword Cultivator who had reached the Half-step Nascent Soul realm wasn’t someone who casually drew his sword for an ordinary opponent.

Kanis held the weapon loosely at his side, his gaze fixed on the gray dome.

The ferocity in his eyes remained suppressed, but it was only barely contained. His Sword Intent coiled around him like a sleeping beast waiting for permission to devour its prey.

Unlike Rumaal, who had approached the formation as a problem to be solved through careful testing, Kanis seemed eager to confront it directly.

To Kanis, this island formation was more like a stuck door that simply needed a good push. Or a solid kick.

He wanted to feel its resistance and understand how it responded to his sword. And, above all, he wanted to discover whether this mysterious formation could withstand the full might of a true sword cultivator in the half-step Nascent realm.

Kanis had already taken a substantial step toward the Nascent Soul realm. Although he hadn’t completed the transformation, his soul had begun forming a faint connection with the Sword Dao, allowing him to glimpse principles that remained beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.

That connection had brought about a qualitative change in his soul essence.

Even a peak Lord-level cultivator couldn’t compare to him in that regard. His soul essence had already surpassed the conventional limits of the Lord realm, and his comprehension of Sword Intent had advanced accordingly. What had once been confined to the boundaries of the 3rd Spirit realm had broken through those restrictions, reaching the 4th Spirit realm.

This was the advantage enjoyed by Spirit cultivators who did not diverge from their cultivation path. After every major realm breakthrough, they had the opportunity to catch up with other cultivators in the aspects in which the latter excelled.

The Nascent Soul realm was one such special realm in Spirit cultivation. It allowed Spirit cultivators to abruptly raise their soul essence capacity to the same level as that of Aether cultivators who had broken through to the 4th Aether realm. Even though Spirit cultivators might not be able to cast Aether Spells with their soul essence, their soul essence capacity was in no way inferior to that of Aether cultivators.

One could say that Kanis was on his way to attaining the same soul essence capacity as his Aether cultivator counterpart.

This was the difference between a cultivator who had merely accumulated sufficient power and one who had begun to touch the principles of a higher realm.

Kanis slowly raised his sword.

The moment he did so, the atmosphere around him changed.

A bone-chilling cold spread across the sea. The wind abruptly fell silent, and the waves beneath him began freezing at their crests. Thin layers of frost spread across the seawater before shattering under the pressure of the Sword Intent emanating from his body.

The temperature continued to drop.

Even the distant Swordfall cultivators felt the cold seeping through their protective barriers. Some instinctively circulated their Spirit Essence to resist it, while others stared at Kanis with undisguised admiration.

This was the Sword Intent of a Half-step Nascent Soul True Sword Cultivator.

More importantly, it was Sword Intent that had touched upon the 4th Spirit realm even if barely.

Kanis’s eyes narrowed as he examined the gray dome one final time.

No matter how mysterious your principles are, a defensive formation still needs to withstand the force directed against it.

He didn’t attempt to understand the formation’s structure or search for weaknesses. Rumaal had already tried that approach, and the results had been disappointing. Kanis had no intention of wasting time repeating the same process.

He would simply strike with enough power to overwhelm it.

His sword began to tremble.

A thin layer of frost formed along its blade, followed by a surge of pale-blue radiance. The cold radiance gradually deepened, transforming into an almost translucent layer of Sword Intent that clung to the weapon like an extension of its edge.

Kanis’s soul essence surged.

For an instant, his consciousness seemed to merge with the sword in his hand. The weapon was no longer merely a physical object empowered by Spirit Essence. It had become the vessel through which his comprehension of the Sword Dao manifested in the world.

He took a single step forward.

Then he swung his sword.

There was no elaborate stance, no prolonged accumulation of power, and no complicated sequence of movements.

Just one clean strike.

Yet the moment the blade moved, the world seemed to split apart.

SHIIIIIIIIING!

A colossal arc of icy Sword Intent shot toward Emerald Cove Island. It traveled through the air at an astonishing speed, leaving behind a long, pale-blue trail that stretched across the horizon.

The sea parted beneath its path.

An enormous trench opened across the water, exposing the churning depths below. Waves that had been rising moments earlier were sliced apart, their crests freezing into glittering fragments before being scattered by the violent pressure of the passing sword strike.

The sky itself seemed to tear.

Clouds split apart as the icy Sword Intent swept through them, leaving a vast, empty corridor in its wake. The surrounding air distorted under the sheer force of the attack, while a chilling atmosphere permeated the entire region.

The imperial cultivators watching from a distance fell silent.