Chapter 558: My World, A Piece of Darkness

"The space barrier... it's about to give way..."

Xin turned back within the Hong Yi group, his throat feeling dry and hoarse.

He wasn't afraid of the power from these young talents.

It was simply the sheer scale of their actions—rivals to that of Wangzuo level—that shocked him.

In the past, encountering even one genius capable of challenging higher realms was already fortunate.

But now, they kept appearing, each one stronger than the last.

There was He Yuxing, who could wield the "You Si Jian";

Gu Qing San, who could transform into a suspended heavenly sword;

And that Bao Jian Ke, whose sword, barely two fingers wide when drawn, could sever the heavens and earth...

"This doesn't make sense!"

"Is this even crossing realms? It's more like leaping an entire major boundary—Grandmaster level, rivaling Wangzuo?"

Xin's gaze fixed on the Bao Jian Ke, his eyes filled with even greater doubt and surprise.

This was far beyond just rivaling; with that single sword strike earlier, an ordinary Wangzuo wouldn't stand a chance against him.

"Call in a few more people to bolster the defenses. Use some energy to stabilize the space around Li Jian Grassland and prevent it from shattering further."

Lan Ling remained expressionless.

She knew this was only the beginning. Turning her head, she said, "Zhi Wen girl, could I trouble you for a moment?"

"You should have deciphered the Seal Heaven Array by now, right? Use it to temporarily protect this space."

Originally, if Yu Zhi Wen hadn't come, the responsibility of managing the spirit array would have fallen to Lan Ling herself.

But now, with a substitute, she could step away.

Though this girl had modest cultivation, her understanding of spirit arrays was on par with Lan Ling's own.

With someone else handling the task, Lan Ling was free to act independently.

After all, if she had to manipulate the "Thirty-Six Heavenly Seal Array" while directing the entire Hong Yi team...

She could manage it, but her thoughts wouldn't be as clear as when commanding alone.

"Understood."

Yu Zhi Wen nodded gently.

She wasn't skilled in direct combat anyway.

The "Thirty-Six Heavenly Seal Array" was a Tianji array, and this was a rare opportunity for her to step away from the battlefield, ponder it, and fine-tune the array.

"If it gets too much, remember to call for me. Don't hurt yourself." Lan Ling noticed Yu Zhi Wen was already drenched in sweat and offered a word of caution.

"Mm."

The "You Si Jian" landed.

The standoff lasted only a few breaths before it was broken.

Gu Qing San, who had reformed into human shape in midair, suddenly dove down, aiming straight for the ominous sword.

But at that moment—

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Several figures shot out from all directions.

In the pit below, Xu Xiao Shou pressed down on his little junior sister, Mu Zi Xi, as she tried to spring up, effectively dousing her excitement.

He stared at the "You Si Jian," just a few zhang away, and couldn't help swallowing hard.

"Stay put."

"Master!" Mu Zi Xi was anxious. "But the 'You Si Jian' is right there..."

"Quiet."

Xu Xiao Shou could see the "You Si Jian" perfectly well.

But the more critical the moment, the more he had to resist the temptation.

Just look at who had charged out: Gu Qing San, He Yuxing, Bu Le the little monk, Lei Shuang Xing...

Each one was from the younger generation.

Clearly, the words from the Hong Yi side had struck a chord with them.

If they could avoid a bigger conflict and take the "You Si Jian" away under the guise of Bai Ku trial participants, even the storyteller probably wouldn't intervene.

After all, if it succeeded, he wouldn't need to get involved.

And if the Hong Yi broke their promise later...

Well, that would be on them.

They were already planning for the worst-case scenario.

If the Hong Yi went back on their word, the storyteller stepping in would be the expected outcome.

But if they honored it, they'd come out way ahead.

Xu Xiao Shou could totally relate to their mindset.

The only thing keeping him rationally in check was that among those who rushed out, there was no representative from the ghost beasts.

He shifted his perception.

Xin Gu Gu was hiding nearby.

Clearly, if he wanted to seize the sword, that distance meant nothing.

But that guy was a Wangzuo.

Once he showed up, forget his status as a stowaway—the wanted poster that Xin had scattered earlier had his face on it.

That would trigger a frenzy from the Hong Yi for sure.

"Can't move. Xu Yue Hui Gong hasn't made a move yet; they must have some trump card."

"Going out now would just be walking into the line of fire!"

As he pondered, the ground suddenly shook violently.

The first to reach the "You Si Jian" wasn't Gu Qing San descending from the sky, but Bu Le the little monk, who was closest on the ground.

"Hee hee hee, then this poor monk won't hold back!"

Bu Le grinned foolishly at the sky, then extended his right hand glowing with Buddhist light and grasped the hilt of the "You Si Jian."

Boom!

The ground trembled, and black demonic energy rippled outward.

At the same time, demonic patterns crawled up Bu Le's entire right arm from his palm.

But he was stubborn as ever. Amid grunts of pain, golden "wish force" surged toward his right arm, forcing the demonic energy back to his elbow.

"You insolent brat!"

Gu Qing San's roar from the void made even Xu Xiao Shou, underground, feel dizzy.

Where did this guy pick up that line?

"Ah—"

Bu Le ignored it all. With a strained shout, he yanked the "You Si Jian" from the ground.

Then, he swung it at Gu Qing San hurtling from the sky.

Whoosh!

A massive black sword energy burst forth in an instant.

Gu Qing San's face turned green.

He hadn't expected the "You Si Jian," which he'd worked so hard to knock down, to be snatched by someone else first.

"You little brat, get out of the way!"

With a furious roar, Gu Qing San phased through the black sword energy, his two fingers extended, stabbing down from the heavens.

"It's useless?"

Bu Le felt the powerful force in his hand contrasting with Gu Qing San's unscathed state, and his mouth twitched.

"Move aside!"

"This vile demonic sword—let this poor monk bear it alone."

"If I don't enter hell, who will?"

He hoisted the black sword, taller than himself, and swung wildly in all directions.

In an instant, dozens of demonic sword energies scattered from the center, some even tearing through the ground right above Xu Xiao Shou.

"This little troublemaker..."

Xu Xiao Shou was furious.

Undoubtedly, this chaotic swordplay wasn't really swordplay at all—just wildly hacking with a black sword.

But under these circumstances, it was surprisingly effective.

Not everyone had Gu Qing San's "Ultimate Sword Dao Body" and mastery of "Swordless Technique."

Faced with the oncoming black sword energy, even Lei Shuang Xing and the others had to dodge.

For a moment,

As Bu Le swung with abandon, his only remaining opponent was Gu Qing San descending from above.

"A finger technique from the heavens?"

Bu Le knew his "You Si Jian" couldn't harm Gu Qing San in the slightest.

So, he thrust the sword into the ground, formed seals with his fingers, and glared upward in fury.

"Little Angry-Eyed Buddha!"

Golden light blazed.

With that command, Buddhist light radiated from Bu Le, instantly condensing into a three-zhang-tall illusory Buddha statue.

Xu Xiao Shou was startled.

This illusion wasn't as grand as the one he'd seen before.

But its power was fully under Bu Le's control.

"Command!"

Bu Le pointed one finger to the sky and one to the earth.

With a thunderous boom, the Angry-Eyed Buddha illusion exploded in golden light, directly shattering the surrounding space.

"Whoa!"

Gu Qing San was taken aback.

He could turn ethereal, but with space breaking apart, his current "Ultimate Sword Dao Body" couldn't withstand the spatial fragments if he continued downward.

"Good move!"

Unable to help himself, Gu Qing San flipped in the void and marveled, but then he heard the "You Si Jian" beside Bu Le hum and vibrate.

"Hmm?"

Bu Le turned to look.

He saw that He Yuxing, the only one who had touched the "You Si Jian" before, was covered in blood but standing dozens of zhang away, summoning the ominous sword with his sword intent.

Whoosh!

Compared to the conflicting Buddhist light, the "You Si Jian"—a weapon of ultimate malice—responded immediately, shooting straight toward He Yuxing.

"Ah, my sword!"

Bu Le panicked. He didn't dare dismiss the Buddha illusion and leaped out of the shattered space in one step.

"Scoff, your sword? What a joke!"

He Yuxing sneered, catching the flying "You Si Jian" with one hand.

Compared to the other sword cultivators present, he had one undeniable advantage: he had handled the ominous sword before.

With their origins aligned, he could slightly guide the "You Si Jian" with his sword intent.

"Sorry, this sword still belongs to me..."

Before he could finish, He Yuxing felt a chill on his back.

Tap.

Tap.

Sounds came from behind.

He turned in horror to see a blind man with an extremely ugly, blurred face standing there.

And in his hand, a slender sword like a needle was pressed against He Yuxing's throat.

"When did you..."

He Yuxing's pupils shrank in disbelief.

His spiritual sense swept behind him.

But the spot where this figure had appeared was now fading into a shadow, gradually dissipating.

An illusion?

"Gulp!"

Knowing he shouldn't swallow at that moment, He Yuxing couldn't help it, and a thin line of blood appeared on his neck.

"Sorry, not an illusion."

Lei Shuang Xing's raspy voice rang out. "And the sword isn't yours either."

With a gentle push of his right arm—

Boom!

Dozens of zhang behind He Yuxing, rubble suddenly exploded.

Everyone's eyes were drawn there, thinking something had happened.

But in an instant, they sensed something wrong and whipped their heads back.

Only after that sound did He Yuxing grunt, his face full of disbelief as he was flung backward.

A horrific wound gaped at his throat, blood gushing out.

Hiss.

The whole scene fell silent.

"Illusion Sword Technique?"

Gu Qing Er looked at his senior brother in surprise.

That incredibly realistic blind man had been an illusion formed by the Illusion Sword Technique?

"Yes."

Gu Qing Yi nodded slightly.

"So strong. Now our junior brother has a real opponent."

Gu Qing Er was stunned.

As one of the nine great sword techniques, the hardest to master, his understanding of the Illusion Sword Technique was only superficial.

In the entire Zang Jian Tomb, the only one who inherited it was his senior brother before him.

And yet, this blind man had reached such a level?

"It's not just the Illusion Sword Technique. That sword of his..." Gu Qing Er hesitated. "Point Dao?"

Gu Qing Yi nodded silently.

Gu Qing Er was even more shocked.

Who was this sword guest?

An obscure figure from Can Yue Immortal City?

While he was still thinking, Gu Qing Yi spoke:

"It's not just Point Dao..."

"In the Three Thousand Sword Paths, he's also mastered Penetration Dao, Binding Dao, and even Shock Dao to a great extent."

"This ancient sword cultivator is very strong. Even if you went against him, you might not win."

Gu Qing Er's face turned pale.

So many sword paths, and a peak Grandmaster at that.

Where did this monster come from?

Was there really a place in the world that could nurture such a freakish ancient sword cultivator?

"Oh my god!"

Hidden in the shadows, Xu Xiao Shou was floored.

This seemed to be his first time seeing Lei Shuang Xing fight without treasures, revealing his sword path strength.

But it was way too powerful!

He hadn't even clearly seen how that sword struck.

Just a casual thrust, and the man was pierced?

Pierced and all, it was like a hundred-step shot—or wait, several hundred steps?

Looking at the boulders exploding dozens of zhang away, even his Grandmaster body probably couldn't withstand that sword without a huge hole.

"Oh man, how are we supposed to get the 'You Si Jian' now?"

"They're all monsters!"

"Mom, I want to go home..."

"Did it miss?"

Lei Shuang Xing tilted his head, as if listening intently.

After a long moment, his brows furrowed.

He knew that at the critical moment, He Yuxing had turned his head slightly, saving half his life from that fatal strike.

However, the suppressive force of the Three Thousand Sword Paths was even more terrifying than pure heavenly dao power.

That guy was probably out of the running for the "You Si Jian."

Sure enough,

He Yuxing, who had crashed to the ground, clutched his throat desperately, unable to utter a word.

Spiritual energy churned wildly in his body, just trying to suppress the wound.

But at the wound, that condensed and compressed terrifying sword intent was the most lethal thing he'd encountered—aside from the "You Si Jian" itself.

Like a persistent maggot, the sword intent not only refused to dissipate but also eroded away, stuck firmly in his throat, leaving him no spare energy for anything else.

Tap.

Tap.

The frightening sounds echoed again, making He Yuxing's body tremble, his face ashen.

He finally understood.

A sword Grandmaster like him from a small place, no matter how talented, was only exceptional relative to a mere county.

That suspended heavenly sword, that Bao Jian Ke with his two-finger-wide blade, and now this man...

All Grandmasters, yet the gap was as vast as heaven and earth.

He didn't even know what kind of sword technique had pierced him, let alone how to counter it.

The difference was insurmountable!

Utterly hopeless!

Listening to the "tap, tap" sounds approaching like the footsteps of death, He Yuxing's body shook violently.

Each step drew closer, and he was powerless to stop it!

Tap.

The sound finally stopped in front of him.

Through his blurred vision, he vaguely saw the blind man slowly extending his hand, as if to grasp his throat.

In despair, He Yuxing closed his eyes.

Sorry, Lan Xianzi... I let you down...

Clang—

A sword hum rang out beside him.

He Yuxing's eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes.

As everyone watched, Lei Shuang Xing held the "You Si Jian" in his left hand and the "Chou Shen Staff" in his right, slowly raising his head.

They're looking at me...

Lei Shuang Xing gripped the dual swords, as if savoring something.

After more than a decade, he finally stood once more before the Sheng Shen Hall.

But my world... is already dark...