Chapter 101 - Half-step Sword Intent

Lin Xuan swiftly executed his step technique and hurried forward.

He disliked Fan Chong and thus wouldn’t interfere.

Furthermore, he sensed the aura of the black-robed man ahead suddenly intensify, which worried him about Hu Man’s safety, so he rushed over there in haste.

Indeed, when he arrived, he found that Hu Man was struggling to keep up.

The black-robed man was enveloped in a dense black mist that roiled continuously, and four pitch-black chains extended from his sleeves like cunning, eerie poison snakes intertwining as they attacked.

“Hu Man Sister!” Lin Xuan performed the Illusion Thunder Step, pushing his speed to the extreme as his body turned into afterimages and in an instant appeared between the two.

Sword Qi swarmed, and Lin Xuan slashed at the dark chains.

Crash!

A strange occurrence unfolded—the sword did not cut through the chains, but instead, the chains wildly entwined around it.

Wisp after wisp of black mist reached out, constantly roaming over the sword body, eroding the longsword.

Lin Xuan’s pupils shrank, his longsword trembled slightly, and on the Dark Red Great Sword, rust fell off, and fire-red runes sparkled, emitting strands of light.

The next moment, golden arcs also rapidly surged out from his body, crackling as they raced towards the black-robed man.

Hiss!

The two forces collided, just like cold ice meeting raging fire, constantly merging.

“Brother Lin, be careful, this black-robed man has devoured the deceased You Shisi, and his power is continually climbing; his strength is now very close to the Spirit Sea Realm!” Hu Man called out as she waved her Jade Fan, producing a fierce wind.

“Kakaka, I owe you all a big thank you!” The black-robed man, You Shiyi, sneered sinisterly, “Don’t worry, I’ll give you a swift end!”

“Ghost Evil!”

You Shiyi’s body floated backward, his hands making strange seals, the black mist around him roiled, and a ghost head about the size of a house appeared.

The ghost head, the size of a building, constantly shifted shape in the air, emitting a terrifying aura.

“Wind Spirit Slash!”

Hu Man clenched her teeth, her Jade Fan enlarging as a dark green hurricane burst out, sweeping deep scars into the ground around.

Boom!

Clang!

The green hurricane collided with the ghost face, continually vanishing; the ghost face merely rippled slightly, oscillating like water, yet it remained unbroken.

“Devouring!” You Shiyi sneered coldly, his hand seals rapidly changing.

The dark ghost head suddenly dove down, opening its vast mouth and swallowing both Lin Xuan and Hu Man in one gulp.

Darkness enveloped them in an instant, and spiritual light emanated from their bodies, allowing them to see each other.

Countless slime-like substances continuously lunged at them, each mass carrying a thick corrosive smell, landing on their Protective Spirit Light and emitting a hissing sound.

“What do we do?

My Protective Defense is rapidly fading!” Hu Man exclaimed in panic.

“Hu Man Sister, stick close to me!” Lin Xuan’s eyes emitted sword light, seemingly capable of cutting through everything, his aura turning sharp and arrogant, as though it could tear apart anything.

“Is this…” Hu Man’s beautiful eyes showed shock, “Could it be Sword Intent?”

“Outer Heaven Flying Star!”

Dazzling light shone, illuminating the boundless darkness, and the soaring Sword Qi flashed by.

Outside, You Shiyi laughed arrogantly: “Having devoured these two, I should be able to fully advance into the Spirit Sea Realm!”

“By then, I will certainly be greatly valued!”

His pale face showed an excited smile, his expression very smug.

But the next moment, a sudden change occurred.

The ghost head the size of a house suddenly cracked open a small hole, as tiny as the tip of a needle.

However, the hole crazily expanded and finally tore into a huge fissure.

“Impossible!” You Shiyi screamed.

Swoosh!

Sword Qi surged and Sword Intent was astounding both in speed and impact as a thread of sword light, akin to a gold thread, swiftly pierced through his body.

“Sword…

Sword Intent!” You Shiyi’s pupils gradually widened as he fell to the ground with a thud.

Hu Man covered her mouth, her eyes filled with shock, her body trembling slightly, unable to accept what happened.

Lin Xuan, however, slung his great sword over his back and slowly exhaled.

His face was somewhat pale, as most of his Spiritual Power had been depleted, and performing Outer Heaven Flying Star twice in a short period had overwhelmed him, especially since the second time was in conjunction with Sword Intent.

Nevertheless, he had gained something; that instant had made him feel that the Sword Intent within him had strengthened slightly, and its power had greatly increased.

“Half-step Sword Intent,” Lord of Wine transmitted softly, “I believe you will soon master true Sword Intent.”

“True Sword Intent.” Lin Xuan’s heart surged with enthusiasm; currently, having mastered a trace of Sword Intent, his strength was comparable to the Ninth Rank of Congealing Veins.

Once he mastered true Sword Intent, he might even contend with a martial artist of the Soul Realm!

Putting his thoughts aside, Lin Xuan looked towards the fallen Black Robed Man.

He activated his Soul Power and searched the body, finding a token.

With a slight flex of his fingers and a mild exertion of force, a suction appeared in his palm, pulling the token into his hand.

The material of the token was peculiar, neither metal nor stone, yet incredibly hard.

On the palm-sized token was inscribed the character “You,” and on the back was a vivid, fierce black dragon, seemingly alive.

“Feng Brother hasn’t returned yet, let’s go take a look!” Lin Xuan put away the token, and the two of them transformed their shapes, sprinting off like shadows.

Feng Bufan was extremely frustrated; he had stayed back to help Fan Chong, but the Black Robed Man devoured his companion, his strength surged, and Feng Bufan and Fan Chong were plunged into crisis.

Fortunately, both were Ninth Rank of Congealing Veins.

Together, they could still hold their own for a while.

However, as time passed, the Black Robed Man grew stronger, and both he and Fan Chong were injured.

“Damn Lin Xuan, why hasn’t he come yet!” Fang Chong gritted his teeth.

From afar, two silhouettes rushed towards them, Lin Xuan and Hu Man.

Seeing Lin Xuan, a wave of relief and excitement arose in Fan Chong’s heart, a change he himself hadn’t noticed at first.

“Come quickly and help us!” Fan Chong shouted.

Lin Xuan took a step forward, pulling the long sword from his back, and struck with a slash.

The blue Sword Qi carried a trace of Sword Intent, its power astounding, creating a sharp breaking sound as it fiercely descended.

Pfft!

The Black Robed Man, under collective assault, was slain.

Lin Xuan used his Soul Power to search but found nothing.

He looked into the distance and said solemnly, “The Black Robed Men are all dead, let’s quickly meet up with Huang Wei!”

The three agreed without objection, nor did they dare to object.

After this battle, everyone’s view of Lin Xuan had radically changed.

They vaguely considered him their leader; even Fan Chong no longer dared to oppose him.

The four transformed into streaks of light, disappearing from the spot.

Before long, they met up with Huang Wei and quickly headed towards Beiwei City.

When Beiwei City appeared before their eyes, Lin Xuan took out a flare and shot it into the sky.

Dark Red smoke exploded in the air, visible within a hundred miles.

Seeing this signal, General Zeng and others fighting in Lishan City all laughed heartily.

They no longer lingered in battle; after a powerful strike, they transformed into several streaks of light and fled far away.

The Silver Eagle-man and several other Demon Beast leaders were exceedingly angry, and at this moment, they too received the news, their expressions suddenly becoming even more panicked.

“What, all the Netherworld Death Guards are dead!”