Chapter 423: Ta'e

And this Treasure Sword was none other than Ta'e.

The Lifebound Magical Artifact of Ancestor Dan Chen.

Shen Daoxing had seen it before. Back then, when that mysterious woman in yellow tried to sneak onto Pengze Immortal Island, she had been stopped by this very Divine Sword, Ta'e.

At the time, with just a single, simple move, Ta'e had shattered the woman's Golden Body Dharma Aspect.

But now, after appearing, Ta'e did not continue its attack on Shen Daoxing.

"Junior Brother!"

"Junior Brother!"

Just then, Wan Hai and Tang Yi also emerged from the Sword Intent Forest behind them. They too were slightly surprised upon seeing Ta'e.

At the same time, the Steward Elder appeared nearby, having arrived at some unknown moment, and began to speak slowly.

"This is Ta'e. I'm sure you are all familiar with it. It was the Lifebound Magical Artifact of my Ancestor Dan Chen. While it is not a Divine Weapon, it has followed the Ancestor for a thousand years and developed its own consciousness. It is not a Divine Artifact, but it rivals one—and may even surpass it. If you wish to become the Island Master of Pengpai Immortal Island, you must gain its approval."

"Your trial for this third stage is to last against it for the time it takes one incense stick to burn. If you have not been defeated by the time the incense burns out, you will have passed the trial. From that point on, you will be disciples of the Pengze Lineage."

The Steward Elder paused, then continued, "Alright, it's about time. You may begin. I will be waiting for you on the Immortal Mountain. I hope you can give me a pleasant surprise."

With that, the Steward Elder flicked his sleeve, and his figure vanished, leaping toward the summit of Pengze Immortal Mountain.

After the Steward Elder left, Ta'e, as if with a mind of its own, shot up with a WHOOSH. It flew in circles around Shen Daoxing, Wan Hai, and Tang Yi, as if sizing them up.

After flying for a moment, Ta'e raised its hilt, bobbed it up and down, and then shook it from side to side. It seemed both satisfied and disdainful.

Suddenly, Ta'e flew up again and positioned itself before the three of them. It tilted its tip, dipping toward them in a gesture of provocation.

"I'll go first!"

Wan Hai suddenly took a step forward, intending to be the first to challenge Ta'e.

Just then, however, Shen Daoxing suddenly reached out an arm to stop Wan Hai. "This time," he said calmly, "let me go first."

With that, Shen Daoxing lifted his foot and abruptly strode forward.

Four Symbols Sword Technique! Four Symbols in Place! Wind, rain, thunder, and lightning...

Instantly, several beams of Sword Intent flared, interweaving and shining with an extreme brilliance.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

At the same time.

One, two, three… more than ten streams of Sword Intent flew out simultaneously.

Geng Metal Sword Intent!

Thunder Sword Intent!

Aurora Sword Intent!

Countless dazzling lights flared, tracing beautiful arcs across the sky as they shot forward.

As for Ta'e, its blade suddenly trembled without warning, as if in excitement.

HUMMM!

Then, its blade lit up. With a light spin in the air, it too sent out wisps of dazzling light—similarly brilliant Sword Intents.

One, two, three… ten, twenty… It released even more Sword Intents than Shen Daoxing—a full twenty-odd rays of splendid light. Each one pulsed with an unstoppable aura; they were all high-level Sword Intents.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The twenty-odd brilliant lights streaked through the sky like dazzling meteors, then suddenly smashed down.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The splendid lights exploded, scattering seven-colored streams of light in all directions.

Under the bombardment of the high-level Sword Intents, Shen Daoxing's ten-plus Sword Intents shattered instantly.

Seeing this, Shen Daoxing quickly extended two fingers. A red light flared upon them, and his Extreme Fire Sword Intent erupted, incinerating everything it touched and bathing the brown earth in a crimson glow.

In response, Ta'e merely traced a graceful arc through the sky. With a point of its tip, it too sent a red beam of Extreme Fire Sword Intent flying. Everywhere it passed, things burst into flame, and the rolling waves of scorching heat seemed to warp space itself.

BANG!

The two streams of Extreme Fire Sword Intent collided.

Flames erupted and light scattered everywhere!

In an instant, Shen Daoxing's Extreme Fire Sword Intent shattered.

But Ta'e's Extreme Fire Sword Intent was completely unaffected. It continued straight onward like a meteor, smashing down toward Shen Daoxing.

Shen Daoxing paused for a split second before leaping into the air.

BOOOOM!

A deafening explosion rocked the area.

The ground beneath Shen Daoxing's former position exploded. Looking down, he saw that a deep crater, dozens of feet wide, had appeared in the earth, and a large patch of the surrounding brown soil had been melted.

WHOOSH!

Ta'e, in front of Shen Daoxing, immediately flew up to face him. It pointed its tip toward the sky and wagged it back and forth, as if to say, 'You're not good enough!'

Ta'e had followed Ancestor Dan Chen for over a thousand years and experienced countless battles. Its attainments in Sword Intent and the Sword Dao were naturally far beyond what the current Shen Daoxing could match.

'In that case!'

Suddenly, Shen Daoxing retracted all his Sword Intent. He abruptly pushed off the ground with his feet, launched himself high into the sky, and threw a punch straight down.

CLANG!

Caught off guard, Ta'e was struck. Its form faltered in mid-air, and it plunged downward, crashing into a giant boulder and embedding itself deep within.

After a good while, Ta'e wobbled back into the air. It pointed at Shen Daoxing repeatedly, as if accusing him of a sneak attack.

At the same time, the twenty-odd Sword Intents surrounding Ta'e suddenly shot up, soared high into the sky, then abruptly inverted to point straight at Shen Daoxing.

The brilliant light flared, and the twenty-odd Sword Intents fell like a sky full of meteors, descending with the force of a landslide.

Faced with this, Shen Daoxing neither dodged nor evaded. He simply raised one arm high. With a SIZZLE of black electric arcs, his arm shone with a brilliant light, transforming into a black-gold color, like metal.

"Venerable Arm!"

Shen Daoxing shouted, sweeping his arm out horizontally.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Countless sparks flew from Shen Daoxing's arm as the Sword Intents raining down from the sky shattered one after another with a CRACKLE.

Meanwhile, Shen Daoxing's black-gold arm flashed, completely unharmed.

BOOM!

Then, with a metallic groan, Shen Daoxing clenched his fist and viciously swung it, smashing it into the approaching Ta'e.

CLANG!

Sparks flew.

Ta'e's form faltered, and both it and Shen Daoxing came to a halt in mid-air. Man and sword paused for a moment, then both were violently thrown back.

Ta'e couldn't help but waver in the sky, swaying as if drunk, looking a bit dazed.

But Shen Daoxing's fist was completely unscathed.

Ta'e, the sword that had shattered the yellow-clothed girl's Golden Body Dharma Aspect with a single strike, was now inexplicably unable to break through Shen Daoxing's defense.