Chapter 683: Zang Ku's Moment in the Spotlight

"Outrageous!"

Luo Yin was overwhelmed by a surge of anger.

Even though he was on a mission from Chao Luo Tian Gong and shouldn't easily offend the heirs of families above Tai Xu Shi Jia in Dong Tian Wang Cheng, he couldn't hold back any longer.

It was Luo Yin who had asked about Xu Shao's identity, and Xu Shao had completely evaded the question.

It was Luo Yin who had shown courtesy first, only to be met with sarcasm in return.

Moreover, once they entered Tian Luo Zhan, life and death were their own responsibility.

With that as a premise, even if the semi-saint families came looking for trouble afterward, Luo Yin had an excuse to deflect blame and the ability to completely extricate himself from any fallout related to Xu Shao's death.

Yes, in Luo Yin's eyes, this Xu Shao, who was still laughing uncontrollably with his back turned, was as good as...

Dead!

"Saba Shengti, activate!"

Luo Yin threw his head back, striking a bold and arrogant pose as his training robe fluttered in the wind, rustling loudly.

The void elements responded to his call, like stars suddenly brightening, surging into his qi sea in an instant and unsealing the restraints within his body.

In the next moment, a golden divine light burst forth from Luo Yin.

The light then converged, gathering onto his right arm.

In that instant, his right arm glowed with intense golden light, as if covered in the hardest crystalline armor in the world.

"Saba Zhan Quan!"

He threw a punch through the air, aimed directly at Xu Shao, who still had his back turned.

"Watch out—"

Mu Zi Xi was hiding in a tree.

She was right in the path of the golden light's trajectory, so she quickly grabbed Xiao Wan Feng and dodged, while shouting a warning to Xu Shao.

But as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized that all sounds around her had vanished.

In that moment, even the air itself was utterly silenced, and every element in heaven and earth had been completely devoured by the Saba Shengti.

That punch, which had turned the surroundings into a vacuum, unleashed all its energy under Luo Yin's furious outburst, ruthlessly targeting Xu Shao, who seemed utterly unprepared.

"Xu Shao..."

Xiao Wan Feng mouthed the words silently.

Although Xu Shao had treated him harshly, he was still the protective figure Xiao Wan Feng had sought out. Even if he'd been miserably abused before, Xu Shao had always stepped in to save him at critical moments.

So how could Xiao Wan Feng just stand by and let this seemingly unreliable but ultimately loyal Xu Shao die right in front of him?

Everything in his vision seemed to slow down.

The golden light from the Saba Zhan Quan stretched out a brilliant golden rainbow as it advanced.

But in Xiao Wan Feng's eyes, it transformed into something else entirely.

"A golden longsword..."

Xiao Wan Feng's pupils dilated in shock.

He suddenly thought that if he used the Zang Jian technique, he could slip behind Xu Shao, absorb the energy without taking the hit, and then redirect it back with a swing.

"This is the Dou Zhuan Xing Yi method!"

Xiao Wan Feng was excited.

He had no idea what was happening to him, but such bold ideas were forming in his mind.

Ever since the earlier Jian Ming over ten li, it felt like the way of the sword in the world was no longer hiding from him; it was clear and visible.

And for anything he wanted to try, his mind provided instant insight, as if guided by a divine force.

Think it, and it could be done!

"I can save him."

Xiao Wan Feng was absolutely certain in that moment. He instinctively struggled to free himself from Mu Zi Xi's grip and rush to the rescue.

But...

"What are you squirming for!"

Mu Zi Xi unceremoniously smacked him on the head and hoisted his half-lunging body back up.

Xiao Wan Feng felt like his waist was nearly twisted in two, the pain making him gasp.

But the critical moment had passed, and now it was too late to intervene.

"Boom—"

An explosion erupted from where Xu Shao stood.

The terrifying shockwave surged outward, engulfing and flinging unrelated competitors in the arena.

This blast was beyond what any innate-level participants could withstand.

Yet, the competitors in the arena couldn't see it.

From the audience seats, people could glimpse, with their focused minds, that Xu Shao seemed to vanish just before the explosion.

"Did he disappear?"

"Am I seeing things?"

"Did he teleport, or was he completely obliterated at the explosion's center?"

"Look... behind Luo Yin!"

With a soft thud.

As the sharp-eyed audience had seen, Xu Shao reappeared right behind Luo Yin after his disappearance.

For him, no matter how powerful the explosion, as long as it didn't shatter space and destabilize its rules, there was no technique in the world that could fully lock him down.

"You threw the first punch, remember?"

Xu Shao smirked, then unhesitatingly raised his fist.

Unlike Luo Yin's dazzling punch, Xu Shao's fist was utterly unassuming—no glow, no flicker of light. To a Lian Ling Shi, it contained not a trace of Ling Yuan.

—Pure physical strength!

"Is he joking?"

The audience jumped to their feet in surprise. Was that punch meant to tickle Luo Yin?

But outsiders see the spectacle, while insiders see the skill.

Luo Yin, who also cultivated his physical body, could clearly feel the terrifying power hidden in Xu Shao's plain punch.

"What kind of Shengti is this?"

"Explosive attributes, and this level of physical strength?"

Though puzzled, it didn't stop Luo Yin from dropping low in a flash and countering with an uppercut to meet Xu Shao's fist.

As Luo Yin threw his punch, he gathered infinite Ling Yuan in the blink of an eye, forming another Saba Zhan Quan.

The energy was released like an arrow from a bow, impossible to retract.

Just as Luo Yin thought this would be the start of a direct clash, right before their fists met, he saw Xu Shao grin with a "got you" expression.

In the next second, Xu Shao's body vanished abruptly.

"Boom!"

A brilliant golden light shot from the Saba Zhan Quan toward the sky, transforming into a golden streak that hurtled toward the audience seats.

The audience panicked.

But before the light could land, an elder appeared and casually waved his sleeve to contain the divine ability.

"Thud!"

Amid the chaos, another sound echoed from the arena, even though it was supposed to be a direct confrontation.

With that second boom, Luo Yin clutched his lower back and staggered back, his face full of disbelief as he turned, eyes wide with shock.

"Huff."

Xu Shao blew on his fist and chuckled, "You call yours 'Saba Zhan Quan', so mine... is 'Wu Di Shen Quan'. No need to be surprised."

Truth be told, Xu Shao was the one who should be surprised.

He knew full well the power of his punch.

Yet, a full-force strike from his Zong Shi body, even with a successful sneak attack, only made Luo Yin stumble back a few steps.

If it had been anyone else, they'd have been torn to pieces on the spot.

"Is Shengti really this strong?"

Xu Shao was a bit reluctant to clash head-on now.

This guy was ridiculously tough.

"What just happened?"

Unlike Xu Shao's realization, most of the audience was baffled.

It was supposed to be a head-on punch, so how come Xu Shao was fine, and Luo Yin was knocked back from his own punch direction?

It looked like Luo Yin had punched thin air.

Meanwhile, the real Xu Shao had already stealthily targeted his lower back.

"Teleportation?"

Luo Yin wasn't marveling at Xu Shao's power; he was astonished by the sudden shift in his footwork.

In that instant, though he felt no spatial fluctuations, Xu Shao had disappeared and then reappeared.

That meant his evasive move wasn't just one technique.

The spatial distortion from his previous unknown Ling Ji had completely masked it.

And if it really was teleportation...

Then this guy was terrifyingly formidable.

"Take your time guessing!"

Xu Shao said cheerfully, pulling out Zang Ku from his chest ring.

Honestly, physical strength wasn't even his strongest asset.

He couldn't use Ming Jian Yan Meng or the four ferocious swords, as that might expose his identity.

So, if he was going to use sword techniques, Zang Ku was his only option.

"Old buddy, long time no see!"

Xu Shao stroked the long-unused Zang Ku, a faint glint in his eyes.

This black sword, nurtured by Guan Jian Shu, had advanced to the rank of a seventh-grade Ling Jian, just like him, both at the innate peak level.

Even though it had its own name and quirky personality, to outsiders, it was completely unremarkable.

Even if someone traced it back to Tian Sang Ling Gong, there were likely many there with similar-looking Ling Jian.

"Buzz—"

As Zang Ku emerged, it vibrated excitedly, and every sword of the sword cultivators in the area trembled lightly in response.

Xiao Wan Feng gripped his shaking wooden sword on his back, his expression eager.

Though he hadn't saved Xu Shao earlier...

Now, thinking about it, he realized he had been impulsive.

Xu Shao was a true Jian Zong!

Yet, human emotions don't always align.

When Xu Shao drew his sword, everyone was puzzled again.

"So, is Xu Shao not just a Shengti user with explosive attributes, but fundamentally a sword cultivator?"

The audience was skeptical.

But seeing all the swords in the arena react, they had to believe it.

"This Xu Shao's sword dao intent is probably quite high."

"Yes, after all, even his subordinate awakened innate Jian Yi, so he can't be that weak..."

"Holy crap! He's not a Jian Zong, is he?"

The crowd suddenly realized the implications of the swords resonating, and Luo Yin caught on too.

"Jian Zong?"

He paused briefly, then lunged forward immediately.

So what if he was a Jian Zong? As long as it was close combat, even with a sword, he couldn't withstand a Shengti!

But as Luo Yin charged, Xu Shao vanished from sight in an instant.

"Teleportation again?"

Luo Yin halted abruptly, but with his Ling Nian, he spotted Xu Shao appearing directly behind him.

One step, two steps, three steps...

Xu Shao seemed to have overexerted his momentum. When he reappeared, he slowly walked three steps on the slightly damaged ground before sheathing his sword.

He appeared lost in his own intent...

He even had the leisure to brush a strand of hair from his forehead...

Then, in a calm voice, he said:

"Xi Feng Diao Xue."

As the sword fully entered its sheath, the guard clicked against the sheath's mouth with a soft sound.

Suddenly, Ling Yuan stirred around Xu Shao. He had finally used his Ling Yuan, but only to create a wind.

It was just to make it seem like a breeze was blowing, rustling his clothes, evoking a graceful sword intent and an otherworldly aura...

The audience and Luo Yin were both baffled.

That seemingly random sword strike was way too flashy!

"Clang—"

While everyone was still confused, a brilliant white sword light bloomed in a circular form around Luo Yin's neck.

Like a fleeting epiphyllum, the sword energy dissipated into the air.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Luo Yin suddenly clutched his neck and coughed violently.

It wasn't teleportation!

He was horrified to realize that Xu Shao had used incredible speed in that single sword strike to slash around his neck!

If he didn't have Shengti, he'd have been decapitated on the spot without even knowing it.

"Hiss—"

The audience also grasped the terror of that sword.

The white sword glow circling Luo Yin's neck was an unstoppable sharp edge; even a Zong Shi caught off guard would likely fall to it.

"What a fearsome sword!"

Xiao Wan Feng was stunned.

That dazzling sword discarded all the flashiness of Ling Jian cultivation, turning pure speed into the ultimate cutting force.

It was basically...

"A simplified version of 'Tou Dao'!"

Xiao Wan Feng exclaimed inwardly.

He believed that mastering just this one technique would let Xu Shao grasp the unbreakable "Tou Dao" from the three thousand sword paths.

"Xi Feng Diao Xue?"

On the other side, Luo Yin finally took that plain seventh-grade Ling Jian seriously.

He hadn't reacted at all to the sword's extreme speed earlier.

And he hadn't sensed even a hint of Ling Yuan in that cutting force.

That meant...

"You're an ancient sword cultivator!"

Only ancient sword cultivators could make ordinary Lian Ling Shi overlook moves that adhered purely to the sword dao.

"Couldn't break through?"

Xu Shao glanced back, surprised.

He had already struck his most poised finishing pose, but now it was awkward.

His strongest attack hadn't pierced the Shengti's defense...

"Good one, let's try again..."

Without hesitation, sensing Luo Yin preparing to guard, Xu Shao stepped forward and vanished once more.

"Again?"

This time, not just Luo Yin, but the entire audience was on edge.

"Where is he?"

"Afterimage..."

"Yes, follow the afterimage! That speed is insane—he didn't change moves. Look at the faint afterimage; it's the same sword as before."

"Is Xu Shao crazy? He should switch swords. How can a seventh-grade Ling Jian break Shengti's defense?"

"He's here—"

Everyone watched intently.

But everyone, including Luo Yin, could only catch a fleeting afterimage.

He had amped up his focus to the maximum, vigilantly scanning for any changes, yet he still lost track of Xu Shao after a brief discomfort at his neck.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

The slow footsteps sounded again.

Another unhurried three steps to sheathe the sword.

Another suave "Xi Feng Diao Xue" as it slid home...

Luo Yin was furious.

He had already fortified his neck with Ling Yuan; he wasn't afraid of Xu Shao's seventh-grade Ling Jian anymore.

Xu Shao's insistence on using that ineffective technique was clearly meant to humiliate him!

"You trying to provoke me?"

Luo Yin's eyes flashed with cold light as he said icily, "Sorry, that sword of yours has no effect on me... Ugh!"

Mid-sentence, he suddenly spat blood, his face veins bulging as his body convulsed in excruciating pain.

The next second.

"Sizzle—"

There was no clash of weapons this time.

Instead, as a white sword light bloomed in a circle, blood sprayed from Luo Yin's neck, splattering everywhere like a bizarre blood array.

"Sorry."

Xu Shao brushed his hair back, turned with a smile, and said, "I just wanted to test what level of attack could break Shengti's defense."

Yes, for that sword, he had used Jian Nian.

From months ago, nurtured by observing Zang Ku and held in reserve, waiting for the day to shine—Zang Ku's Jian Nian.

It succeeded perfectly. The seventh-grade Ling Jian Zang Ku reached the peak of its form in that moment.

One sword broke the Shengti's defense!