Chapter 356 - 166: Three Intents Suppress the Prodigy

Liang Cheng sat cross-legged, regulating his breath to recover from his injuries.

A faint, almost imperceptible killing intent washed over him from the side.

From the direction of the Seventh Peak, Gu Tianya was watching him.

His gaze was calm, even holding a hint of a smile.

But the bone-chilling cold in the depths of his eyes was impossible to ignore.

What was even more terrifying was the ink-black Sword Intent faintly circulating around Gu Tianya. It drew the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to converge, causing the clouds above his head to churn, vaguely forming the phantom of a colossal black longsword!

The Sword Intent had manifested!

It was even sharper, even more dangerous than Xiang Tian’s mountain phantom!

Sensing his intent, Liang Cheng opened his eyes and met his gaze directly, not looking away.

Their gazes met in mid-air, and it was as if invisible sparks flew.

A moment later, they both looked away. Liang Cheng resumed circulating his Pill Qi to quickly heal the injuries to his right fist.

’Gu Tianya...’

’This man isn’t even trying to hide his intentions. He’s probably waiting for me to recover before he challenges me directly.’

’He’s definitely far more dangerous than Xiang Tian.’

And while Liang Cheng was recovering, other great battles were brewing on the other tiers of the Heaven-Ascending Stairs.

In the direction of Tier Three, two piercing Sword Intents were rising madly.

It was Shen Du and Li Jianfeng.

In the last Inquiry Conference, both had entered the top ten, one placing sixth and the other seventh!

Now, meeting again after thirty years, their Sword Intents were already triggering celestial phenomena before they had even made a move!

Above Shen Du’s head, the clouds condensed into the phantom of a Sword Mountain, heavy and stable.

Above Li Jianfeng’s head, the clouds condensed into a formless giant sword, incomparably sharp!

Separated by a hundred zhang, the two Sword Intents had already begun to clash!

In mid-air, it seemed as if countless minute cracks flashed and vanished.

Those were the marks left by the tearing Sword Intents!

But Liang Cheng had no time to pay attention to the outcome of the battle between Li Jianfeng and Shen Du, because Gu Tianya had just landed in front of him.

"Junior Brother Liang, if you please."

Gu Tianya smiled and raised his hand, grasping.

A jet-black longsword appeared in his hand, its blade shimmering with a ghastly, cold light.

The Soul-Devouring Sword.

The moment Gu Tianya gripped the hilt—

BOOM!!!

The phantom of the colossal black longsword above his head suddenly solidified!

His Sword Intent surged at full power!

The heavens and earth changed color!

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi from a hundred-li radius converged on Gu Tianya like a crazed torrent. Within three zhang of him, the Spiritual Qi was so dense it had almost materialized!

But the moment that Spiritual Qi drew near, it was completely devoured by his Sword Intent!

The Sword Intent of "Devouring."

To devour all, to extinguish all!

Gu Tianya looked at Liang Cheng, his smile deepening and his tone gentle.

"Be careful, Junior Brother Liang."

As his voice fell, he thrust his sword!

The instant he thrust, it was as if the entire world went dark!

All light was devoured by his blade!

Wherever the light of the sword passed, even space itself became distorted and dim!

Liang Cheng’s pupils contracted.

The Zhenxian Saber flew from its sheath!

His Blade Intent surged at full power!

BOOM—!!!

Above Liang Cheng’s head, the clouds burst apart as an invisible Sword Aura shot toward the heavens!

The Blade Intent had manifested!

Gu Tianya’s Sword Intent and Liang Cheng’s Blade Intent clashed head-on!

RUMBLE—!!!

An earth-shattering boom!

The air between them exploded with a crackling sound as countless spatial rifts seemed to spread. Below the stage, some in the crowd were so shaken they bled from all seven orifices!

Liang Cheng stumbled back seven steps before steadying himself.

In the first exchange, Gu Tianya had the upper hand!

But a strange look flashed in Gu Tianya’s eyes.

’Considering my status, all the years I’ve been in the Penglai Sect, all the years I’ve immersed myself in Sword Intent... and yet Liang Cheng was only pushed back seven steps. The only explanation is that his talent is truly monstrous.’

"What a Blade Intent!"

"Again!"

The second strike!

The third strike!

The fourth strike!

One strike after another, each heavier than the last!

Every slash he made caused the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to converge wildly!

Every strike that fell seemed to tear through the void and shatter the greenstone stage!

Above the entire Heaven-Ascending Stairs, sword light and Sword Aura intertwined as the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi raged like a tide!

Ten strikes.

Twenty strikes.

Thirty strikes.

Liang Cheng was gradually being suppressed.

His aura was already depleted from fighting two consecutive battles, whereas Gu Tianya had been resting and conserving his strength.

With one waning and the other waxing, the gap between them became immediately apparent.

More importantly, Gu Tianya’s Sword Intent was "Devouring."

Devouring everything!

Utterly tyrannical!

When Liang Cheng’s Blade Intent slashed out, thirty percent of its power was devoured before it could even get close!

From within Liang Cheng’s body, Fist Intent suddenly erupted!

BOOM—!!!

Martial Dao True Intent shot toward the heavens!

Above Liang Cheng’s head, besides the invisible Sword Aura, a mountain-like phantom fist now also took form!

Blade Intent and Fist Intent, manifesting at the same time!

The two True Intents bore down on Gu Tianya!

Gu Tianya’s expression changed.

Xiang Tian’s defeat was a lesson. How could he possibly repeat the same mistake?

"Blade Intent and Fist Intent... truly remarkable."

He snorted coldly, pushing his internal Sword Intent to its absolute limit!

The ink-black Sword Aura flared, actually managing to withstand the dual pressure of the Blade Intent and Fist Intent!

"But Junior Brother Liang, you underestimate me!"

"So what if you have two kinds of Martial Dao True Intent?"

"In terms of Cultivation Realm, the difference between us is like that of a firefly to the brilliant stars."

"To say nothing of my Sword Intent, which was born to devour everything!"

With those words, he took a step forward and slashed!

This strike was stronger than any that had come before!

Wherever the sword light passed, it devoured even space itself, leaving a pitch-black rift!

Gu Tianya’s entire goal was to land a fatal blow on Liang Cheng at his strongest moment, to crush his will and ruin his life.

Seeing this, Liang Cheng’s expression changed, and his Blade Intent and Fist Intent erupted once more!

He slashed with his saber!

He threw a punch!

The saber and fist met the incoming Sword Aura simultaneously!

BOOM—!!!

With a tremendous bang!

Liang Cheng was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground!

He struggled to his feet, blood already trickling from the corner of his mouth.

Gu Tianya stood in place, sword in hand. The ink-black Sword Intent churned around him, and the phantom of the colossal black longsword above his head grew even more solid.