Chapter 1429: Ming is Obscurity

Beyond the Northwest Sea, North of the Scarlet Water, there lies Mount Zhangwei.Upon it dwells a divine being, with a human face and a serpent's body, crimson hued.His eyes are straight, his gaze penetrating.When he closes his eyes, it is night; when he opens them, it is day.He neither eats nor sleeps, nor breathes, yet wind and rain come at his bidding.He lights the nine darknesses, hence called "Torch Dragon."

Amidst the nocturnal embrace of the mountain-sea realm, Jiang Wang and Zuo Guangshu chose a direction whose purpose they knew not, and pressed forward in silence.

Their bodies were encased in potent Smoke Armor, rendering the oppressive environment of the mountain-sea realm powerless to impede their advance.

Yet, upon closer inspection, Zuo Guangshu's creation of the Unhindered Smoke Armor was intended to allow for freer combat within the mountain-sea realm. However, against the formidable alien beasts of this realm, whose power often rivaled that of the Divine Presence stage...

The utility of the Unhindered Smoke Armor seemed to lie in their ability to maintain peak condition... in order to swiftly retract the armor.

The night was devoid of stars and moon, and the ocean waves were tranquil.

The gentle ebb and flow of the tide resonated, possessing a power to soothe the heart.

"Alas, a pearl buried in the dust," Jiang Wang sighed thus.

Clutching the Rouge Mirror, he illuminated an area of fifty li around them.

This range was not small, yet within the boundless expanse of the mountain-sea realm, it truly covered little.

For instance, the floating mountains dimly visible within their line of sight appeared not far distant. To truly approach them, one knew not how many days it would take. It was akin to gazing at the sky, where clouds and mist filled the vision, yet the desire to touch them could not be fulfilled by merely soaring a few hundred zhang upwards.

As the saying goes, one tires the horse by gazing at the mountain from afar, let alone the clouds in the high heavens.

Flying over the sea, their vision was almost unobstructed, and the extraordinary acuity of a cultivator's sight extended beyond fifty li. In such an environment, the Rouge Mirror's detection ability found little use.

Zuo Guangshu, assuming Jiang Wang spoke of his Unhindered Smoke Armor, muttered, "I can incorporate some elements of concealment to make the smoke armor colorless and transparent, so it won't be so conspicuous."

Jiang Wang replied casually, "But doesn't the inherent power fluctuation of the Unhindered Smoke Armor attract the attention of powerful beings more than its appearance?"

"Then I shall add a section of Dao arts that conceals power fluctuations," Zuo Guangshu said.

To retain the original functions of the Unhindered Smoke Armor while adding elements of concealment and power fluctuation hiding, not to mention the difficulty of achieving this, the eventual bulkiness of the Dao art was readily imaginable.

Jiang Wang did not dismiss him, merely saying, "Then you will need considerable time... Best to discuss it after the mountain-sea realm concludes."

Zuo Guangshu then fell silent.

Indeed, without ten days to half a month, such a modification of a Dao art could not be completed. For the Unhindered Smoke Armor was already his most meticulous design, and any alteration was exceedingly difficult.

The day-night cycle of the mountain-sea realm was controlled by the Torch Dragon, who was also one of the realm's most powerful entities. With his eyes open, it was light; with them closed, it was dark.

During the day, all was well. But at night, both Jiang Wang and Zuo Guangshu dared not speak in loud voices, fearing to disturb the sleep of the Great Torch Dragon – though in truth, it was highly unlikely they could achieve this.

Had not that Kui Ox roared almost to the breaking of the heavens, yet still failed to awaken the Torch Dragon?

Night remained night, and eyes remained closed.

It was evident that not everyone, like the Smoke Armor duo, could so quickly learn humility.

Jiang Wang suddenly turned sideways, his gaze fixed on the distance.

Within his field of vision, two figures flew high in the sky, rapidly approaching, their aura formidable, almost completely unmasked, displaying immense self-confidence.

"Zhongli Yan!" Zuo Guangshu immediately warned.

At the same moment Jiang Wang and his companion spotted them, the opposing party clearly saw them too... and surged forward with renewed speed!

Not a single word was exchanged; combat commenced in an instant.

Zuo Guangshu clasped his hands together, pressing them towards the sea surface from afar. Amidst the surging waves, two azure water dragons leaped forth, roaring to the heavens!

Their horns, claws, and tails were all distinctly visible.

Separated by an immense distance, barely able to discern the faces of their opponents, his water-element Dao arts had already begun to display their might, biting at their adversaries.

In an environment abundant with water essence, the River Lord was indeed a god!

The two individuals charging towards them possessed extraordinary presence.

The person on the right, clad in loose robes and wide sleeves, adorned with a jade belt and fragrant pouch, held a folding fan in his hand. His eyes and brows were elegant, possessing the air of a somewhat dissolute young master – it was none other than the Tianjiao of Li Kingdom, Fan Wushu, a paragon of the Prodigal Son Returning to the Fold narrative.

Unfurling his folding fan, he descended lightly, stepping onto the head of a dragon.

*Crack, crack, crack.*

Starting from the sole of his foot, the azure water dragon rapidly solidified into an ice sculpture.

The ice spread with terrifying speed, instantly enveloping the other water dragon that had leaped and charged, and even the sea surface.

Two water dragons, a patch of sea, all turned to ice.

With that step of Fan Wushu's as the starting point, the icy surface continuously expanded, and a chilling frost rapidly surged towards Zuo Guangshu and Jiang Wang.

In an instant, frost slew a hundred li!

Freezing the nearby waters was undoubtedly the best way to restrict the River Lord's divine abilities in the mountain-sea realm.

But to achieve this, the power displayed behind it could not be underestimated.

And Zhongli Yan, with his short beard and hawk-like eyes, did not even glance at the two water dragons, completely entrusting the battlefield environment to Fan Wushu's clearing.

He simply charged forward.

The vast ocean, with a layer of frost as its boundary, was bone-chillingly cold above and surged with angry waves below.

Fan Wushu, who had frozen a hundred li and was truly a returning prodigal son, was undeniably free and unrestrained.

Zuo Guangshu, who commanded water and rode the waves, was even more so a noble son of Great Chu, outstanding among his peers.

Zhongli Yan, gripping a heavy sword with both hands, flew above the frost, like a hawk striking the sky.

Approaching his opponents with terrifying speed, his bones emitted a dense crackling sound like frying beans, thousands of sounds converging into one, and then a sword was raised high and slashed down—

All two hundred and six bones of his body sounded as one.

And he also gathered all the clashing forces into a single point.

Hence, the eruption.

This was the apex of strength.

It was the Mountain Collapse Heavy Sword.

Sword energy, thick as a mountain peak, tore through space, smashing towards Zuo Guangshu, who was continuously manipulating water to impact the ice layer.

Just as Zhongli Yan completely disregarded the two water dragons, Zuo Guangshu did not raise his head either.

For a figure in a green robe had already soared into the air, appearing before him, sweeping from left to right, drawing a line that divided heaven and earth.

A single sword drawn across!

Ten years of destitution, wiped away with a single sword.

This person's Dao sword style was unparalleled in its sharpness.

The heavy sword energy, thick as a mountain peak, split directly in half mid-flight, one half crashing into the sky, the other crashing down towards the sea surface.

Zhongli Yan, this Tianjiao who abandoned arts for martial skills and relentlessly pursued Dou Zhao, was in Jiang Wang's heart one of the few most threatening individuals from the Chu Kingdom side.

Anyone who could take Dou Zhao as their opponent must be a strong among the strong.

Therefore, he also held nothing back, completely without carelessness. In the first instance, he had already illuminated his Five Mansions, displaying the body of the Heavenly Mansion, clutching Changxiangsi in his hand, and shattering the green cloud, his person already close.

Sword clashes with Zhongli Yan!

Jiang Wang's swordsmanship was renowned throughout the world. At the River Viewing Platform, he could directly confront Qin Zhizhen's peak saber technique.

Facing such a person, such a sword.

Yet Zhongli Yan's demeanor was relaxed. His left foot retreated half a step, his body turned sideways, and the flat of his heavy sword was retracted—

Despite being a posture of retreating and retracting the sword, the tip of the sword touched the tip of Changxiangsi!

He evaded the moment of Changxiangsi's greatest sharpness, precisely intercepting it before it could achieve its purpose.

Then, his retreating left foot stepped forward, and he pushed his sword forward with both hands, directly knocking back Jiang Wang who had come charging with his sword!

He directly withstood the tragic and heroic sword of a weary old general, and pushed it back!

At the same time, the two halves of sword energy, which had clearly been cleaved by Jiang Wang and should have dissipated, one in the sky and one plummeting into the sea... exploded simultaneously!

They had never lost control, merely performed a brief show.

The half of the sword energy in the air, like a flash of lightning across the sky, instantly wove into a net of sword energy, covering Jiang Wang.

The half of the sword energy in the sea, like a blooming lotus flower, rose from below, intent on "supporting" Jiang Wang.

Heaven and earth converged.

And at this very moment, Zhongli Yan was still clashing swords with Jiang Wang, forcing Jiang Wang to resist with force, making it impossible for him to break free.

In just two exchanges, he trapped Jiang Wang in a desperate situation!

At the River Viewing Platform, Jiang Wang, relying on his innate swordsmanship talent and his constant efforts, was able to confront Qin Zhizhen's saber and Xiang Bei's halberd head-on with his own created swordsmanship. At that time, his swordsmanship had not yet reached the pinnacle level of the Inner Mansion realm, but it was already very close.

However, upon reaching the Outer Tower realm, those who inherited true peak battle techniques, such as Qin Zhizhen and Xiang Bei, were similarly able to quickly display peak saber and halberd techniques at the Outer Tower realm.

Jiang Wang, on the other hand, could only rely on himself to continue refining and perfecting his skills.

This was also the reason why, despite his swordsmanship in the Inner Mansion realm having later reached the pinnacle, he lost to Sword Guest Ning in the Outer Tower realm.

He did not lose to Sword Guest Ning, but rather to the foundation of a great lineage of swordsmanship.

Those endless variations of绝剑术 required him to compensate with countless sleepless days and nights.

The same was true for Zhongli Yan at this time.

In terms of talent, he abandoned arts for martial skills, and was still able to directly pursue Dou Zhao after starting over.

In terms of cultivation, Zhongli Yan had opened twenty levels of his spine, just one step away from the Divine Presence.

In terms of background, as a direct descendant of the Zhongli clan of Great Chu, he possessed countless peak martial techniques.

Hence, he was so at ease, and even in a single exchange, he was on the verge of establishing an overwhelming advantage!

But how could Jiang Wang be unaware of his shortcomings in swordsmanship?

He had suppressed his power and fought seriously time and again in the Illusory Realm of the Great Void. He only clashed with Sword Guest Ning using sword techniques, repeatedly reviewing and introspecting, all in order to hone his combat skills.

In the exchanges within the mountain-sea realm, he certainly would not be so arrogant as to believe that he could defeat Zhongli Yan with swordsmanship alone.

How clearly he understood the strength he had meticulously honed bit by bit!

Just as he had said at the Seeing Myself Pavilion, the number one Inner Mansion realm cultivator of all time was a thing of the past; the Outer Tower realm was a brand new journey.

Therefore, when his sword clashed with Zhongli Yan's, it was not just the sword that collided!

As Zhongli Yan's split sword energy exploded, one forming a sword net, the other a sword lotus, between heaven and earth, fire sparrows cried, fire flowers bloomed, and fire meteors streaked across the sky!

Within the world of mountains and seas, a world of fire was born.

This realm had its boundaries, but its future was boundless.

It enveloped the sword net, the sword lotus, and even Jiang Wang himself and Zhongli Yan, and even the silently controlling Zuo Guangshu, and Fan Wushu who was approaching across the ice.

And within this resplendent fire realm, Jiang Wang flicked his long sword,错开了 the edge of the heavy sword, drawing from left to right—

Within the fire realm, he unleashed the "Ren" (人) character sword stroke!

This was the sword that directly supported this realm, and also the sword that truly nurtured vitality.

With man between heaven and earth, all things are born.

He comprehended this transformation during his confrontation with Zhao Xuanyang, and gradually perfected it thereafter.

The "Ren" character stood tall and firm, making the fire realm more vibrant and stable.

Using the power of the fire realm to replenish this sword, this sword was therefore stronger, more peerless, and more complete!

It was not the swordsmanship of the Outer Tower pinnacle, but it possessed the power of the Outer Tower pinnacle.

*Crack!*

The sword energy net directly fractured, and the petals of the sword energy lotus withered one by one.

Only Changxiangsi continued to advance.

Within the entire fire realm, all the fire spirits fell silent, as if only this one sword remained.

A realm nurturing a single sword, who could bear this sword?

Fan Wushu was too late.

Only Zhongli Yan!

Could Zhongli Yan bear it?

In the almost suffocating atmosphere, the subtly trembling space provided the answer.

Zhongli Yan merely gripped his sword with both hands, coldly gazing at the ever-approaching Changxiangsi.

His terrifying power was already impossible to conceal.

Space itself was trembling for him!

The next sword would inevitably be earth-shattering!

Jiang Wang retracted his sword into its sheath, and with a casual grasp, withdrew the magnificent fire realm.

Heaven and earth abruptly returned to tranquility.

Everything came to a sudden halt.

"Nothing valuable has appeared in this mountain-sea realm yet," he said thus. "I believe there is no need for us to fight to the death at present."

Zhongli Yan's pupils constricted slightly.

He was not surprised by Jiang Wang's act of supporting the fire realm with a single sword, but this sudden retraction of his sword right before erupting astonished him.

He clearly saw the complexity of this sword strike; it was a perfect integration of swordsmanship, Dao arts, and divine abilities.

Yet such a complex, such a terrifying sword momentum, this Jiang Wang could control with such ease.

Such effortless mastery!

Where was his limit?

The astonishment in his heart remained, but the sword momentum outside his body had dissipated, and he casually placed his heavy sword behind his back.

"What you say is also true." He nodded thus.

Fan Wushu also put away his folding fan and walked forward with his wide sleeves fluttering.

This was an acknowledgment that the two of them had the qualifications for dialogue.

Based on the style of these two, who accelerated their approach as soon as they met, if Jiang Wang could not display sufficient strength, the fight could not have been stopped at all.

After all, everyone in the mountain-sea realm were competitors; killing one meant one less, there was no need to hold back.

Of course, Jiang Wang and Zuo Guangshu were also not intimidated in the slightest.

Strictly speaking, Zuo Guangshu was the one who made the first move.

Conversely, if Zhongli Yan and Fan Wushu had not displayed sufficient strength, Jiang Wang would not have minded casually eliminating them.

Only after recognizing each other's strength and understanding that the cost of the battle itself had sharply increased did the possibility of stopping emerge.

Both sides sized each other up.

It was then they discovered that during the previous confrontation, the two groups, who had appeared formidable, were in fact not in particularly good condition.

Jiang Wang and Zuo Guangshu, needless to say, had been continuously fleeing for their lives to reach this point. Although covered by Smoke Armor, upon closer inspection, their dishevelment was still undeniable.

And Zhongli Yan and Fan Wushu were not much better off.

The folding fan that Fan Wushu had suddenly put away clearly had a scorched section.

Zhongli Yan's left half of his long hair was unnaturally curled, which was not difficult to notice.

"You both look quite disheveled," Zhongli Yan said, glancing at Jiang Wang, then at Zuo Guangshu, with a hint of arrogance.

The two parties skipped the self-introduction segment, as they both had channels to know each other in advance.

"Just killed a few alien beasts," Jiang Wang said casually, tapping his sword.

He then scrutinized the two on the opposite side, and counter-questioned, "You two look like you've encountered some trouble?"

Zhongli Yan naturally refused to say that he and Fan Wushu had been almost killed by that Kui Ox, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he had specifically sought them out to see if there was an opportunity for revenge.

"Trouble? Heh, I really don't know what trouble... Did you notice the Kui Ox nearby just now?" He said calmly, "We were just chasing that Kui Ox, that's all."

Jiang Wang chuckled lightly, "If you were chasing it, weren't you keeping a bit too much distance? Wouldn't you really lose it?"

Zhongli Yan snorted coldly, "What do Qi people understand about hunting? Talk not worth a word more!"

He then directly soared into the air and departed.

Fan Wushu, however, smiled at Jiang Wang and his companion before quickly following Zhongli Yan.

Jiang Wang: ...

He turned his head and asked Zuo Guangshu, "You're from Chu, do you understand?"

Zuo Guangshu shook his head.