Chapter 218: Shangguan Jingyun

Chapter 218: Chapter 218: Shangguan Jingyun

Everyone below craned their necks, looking up at the Divine Power Dragon in mid-air, its body completely covered in black scales.

Every scale on this black dragon was formed from Sword Qi. Flames flickered beneath the black scales, emitting an incredibly scorching, destructive aura.

At this moment, the Sword Qilin Flame Dragon was spitting flames from its massive maw. It carried Yi Xiaoyao on its head as it roared and charged toward Shangguan Jingyun in the distance.

"Yi Xiaoyao, he... he just defeated four peak experts of the Nascent Soul Fifth Realm!"

"Truly the number one genius of our Great Shang Dynasty!"

"He’s already slain six of the Cloud Transformation Sect’s seven Nascent Soul Realm experts."

"Yi Xiaoyao is heading for Shangguan Jingyun. Can he really defeat him and annihilate the Cloud Transformation Sect?"

Everyone marveled at Yi Xiaoyao’s strength, eagerly anticipating his annihilation of the Cloud Transformation Sect.

"Just as I thought. That kid Xiaoyao really is picking off the Cloud Transformation Sect’s members one by one," the Black Robe Hall Master said, nodding with a smile.

Elder Xing, standing behind him, was utterly shocked after seeing Yi Xiaoyao slay the six Nascent Soul Realm cultivators from the Cloud Transformation Sect one by one.

"I was wrong. You truly can’t judge this kid by ordinary standards," Elder Xing said, then added thoughtfully, "However, those old geezers from the Cloud Transformation Sect still haven’t shown their faces. They’re certainly patient."

The Black Robe Hall Master chuckled. "It would be useless even if they did. With those nine Nascent Soul Ninth-Realm puppets around, I’m afraid those old geezers wouldn’t dare show themselves."

"That’s true. It seems the kid has been holding his puppets in reserve, guarding against those old geezers," Elder Xing nodded.

Meanwhile, the King of Shang was watching Yi Xiaoyao ride the flame dragon toward Shangguan Jingyun, his face filled with amazement. "I believe that one day, Yi Xiaoyao will become the next Cang Tianxing, a man who can shake the world!"

Hearing this, the old man behind the King of Shang showed no disagreement. A sharp light glinted in his cloudy eyes. "That Yi Xiaoyao... the intent radiating from him right now is Sword Intent!"

The King of Shang shuddered at the reminder, the realization dawning on him.

Sword Intent!

It was a level of comprehension only an extremely small fraction of Sword Dao geniuses in the Nascent Soul Realm could achieve. No one in the Great Shang Dynasty had ever reached this level; even in the Great Xia Empire, likely very few had mastered Sword Intent.

And yet Yi Xiaoyao had managed to grasp and utilize it just after stepping into the Nascent Soul Realm...

"Sword Intent!"

Shangguan Jingyun cried out in alarm as he watched Yi Xiaoyao rocket toward him.

Shangguan Jingyun felt as if the youth before him, riding the flame dragon, was a sharp sword of utter destruction, intent on shredding him into countless specks of dust.

Of course, Shangguan Jingyun knew this feeling came from Yi Xiaoyao having reached the level of Sword Intent.

Such talent filled Shangguan Jingyun with dread. He couldn’t dare to imagine how powerful Yi Xiaoyao would become if given more time.

But Shangguan Jingyun knew with absolute clarity: if he didn’t kill Yi Xiaoyao today, he would never have another chance. This was his final opportunity!

Therefore, no matter the cost, he had to kill Yi Xiaoyao!

Otherwise, even if the Cloud Transformation Sect were to survive today, it would inevitably be wiped out in the future, and he, Shangguan Jingyun, would perish along with it.

At this thought, Shangguan Jingyun’s gaze turned cold. He drew a golden longsword from his back and charged at Yi Xiaoyao, who was now just a few hundred yards away.

"Yi Xiaoyao, you die today!"

Along with a roar that seethed with boundless fury and Killing Intent, countless golden Sword Auras erupted from before Shangguan Jingyun, forming a massive, gleaming golden net that shot forward.

Yi Xiaoyao’s eyes narrowed. He leaped into the air, and the Sword Qilin Flame Dragon beneath him charged forward with a shake of its head and a swing of its tail, rushing toward the golden net that was spreading out to envelop it.

The two forces collided, and in an instant, two immense powers erupted in a frenzied explosion.

RUMBLE~~~

The scene in the sky was like a black dragon breathing fire, struggling to break free from the golden net before it.

The very void trembled as terrifying power radiated wildly, filling the sky with scattered flames and Sword Qi.

Amidst the ceaseless roaring, the golden net began to dim rapidly. The Sword Qilin Flame Dragon, continuously sliced by the net, also faded. Ultimately, both dissipated into the void.

"Hm?"

Yi Xiaoyao was slightly taken aback. ’It seems contending with a cultivator at the Sixth Realm of Nascent Soul is my absolute limit for now,’ he thought.

While Yi Xiaoyao was merely surprised, Shangguan Jingyun was utterly horrified.

’How is this possible! I used my full power to cast the Golden Gang Sword Net, and it still wasn’t enough to defeat him?’

’He’s only at the First Realm of Nascent Soul, yet his power is this terrifying?’

Shangguan Jingyun’s previous worries had been correct. It seemed Yi Xiaoyao had held back considerable strength when slaying the other Cloud Transformation Sect elders.

’His Sword Intent... it’s no ordinary Sword Intent. And his Spiritual Power is several times stronger than that of a typical Nascent Soul cultivator.’

Shangguan Jingyun had immediately identified the root of the problem from their brief exchange.

But it still felt unbelievable, because he had no way of knowing that Yi Xiaoyao had not only grasped Destructive Sword Intent but also possessed Dual Nascent Souls.

"Your strength is indeed impressive," Yi Xiaoyao’s voice suddenly rang out. He stared at Shangguan Jingyun and sneered, "But if you want to kill me, you’re still a long way off."

Shangguan Jingyun’s eyes narrowed. He was completely on the back foot. If he delayed any longer, Yi Xiaoyao could just use those powerful puppets to kill him, and it would all be over.

’I have to end this quickly!’

But Shangguan Jingyun also understood that with his current strength, he was still far from being able to kill Yi Xiaoyao.

Then, a vicious expression crossed Shangguan Jingyun’s face. He said coldly, "Hmph! If I’m not strong enough to kill you, then I’ll just become stronger!"

The moment the words left his mouth, he immediately swallowed a blood-red elixir.

The next moment, Shangguan Jingyun’s cultivation aura plummeted for a moment, but then, it began to skyrocket once more.

In the blink of an eye, the aura of the Nascent Soul Eighth Realm radiated from his body.

When the crowd below noticed this, they were all filled with shocked suspicion.

"What kind of elixir can raise a Nascent Soul cultivator’s power by two whole layers?"

It was common knowledge that elixirs providing a temporary boost in cultivation could, at best, raise it by a single layer—and their effects diminished the higher one’s realm.

An elixir that could raise a Nascent Soul cultivator’s power by two layers was practically unheard of.

"That’s a Sacrificial Spirit Pill! After taking it, the user sacrifices a portion of their own Spiritual Cultivation. In return, they are temporarily granted a boost of an equivalent amount!"

"However, once the pill’s effects wear off, the sacrificed cultivation dissipates and can never be recovered. The more cultivation Shangguan Jingyun sacrifices, the lower his permanent cultivation level will drop. What’s more, he will never be able to advance his cultivation again in this lifetime."

Naturally, there were well-informed people in the crowd who recognized the elixir.

Hearing this, everyone sighed internally. For Shangguan Jingyun to be so ruthless to himself, he had practically severed all paths of retreat. It was clear he was determined to slay Yi Xiaoyao today at any cost.

At this moment, Shangguan Jingyun radiated a powerful cultivation aura, his eyes glaring at Yi Xiaoyao as if they could shoot fire.

"Yi Xiaoyao, to kill you, I sacrificed my future to reach the Nascent Soul Eighth Realm! You should feel honored! Now you can die with pride!"

As his voice fell, Shangguan Jingyun abruptly raised his sword. A divine golden blade, like a colossal, blazing sun, slashed furiously toward Yi Xiaoyao.

Yi Xiaoyao’s gaze hardened. He had no time to react further; all he could do was unleash a strike with all his power to meet the terrifying Golden Sun Sword Aura.

But in a mere instant, the moment the two attacks met, Yi Xiaoyao’s Flaming Sword Aura shattered completely.

’Not good!’ Yi Xiaoyao immediately brought his sword horizontal before his chest, hastily executing a Defensive Sword Technique to block.

With a tremendous bang, Yi Xiaoyao was thrown backward, looking utterly wretched. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face deathly pale.

"Oh? You survived that. Not bad. However, I wasn’t even using my full strength on that strike."

A cruel, surprised smile spread across Shangguan Jingyun’s face as he raised his sword once more.

"Next, I will use my full power. I will offer your blood as a sacrifice to the wandering souls of my fallen Cloud Transformation Sect!"

...