Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

Ordinary words, spoken as if to discuss what to eat today.

”Slit my throat for you to watch?”

The dark-skinned Xiahou Gang, feeling a bitter resolve, coldly said, ”You, a sword cultivator, cower and dare not show your face, having already cut off your own path. What right do you have to demand our suicide?”

”Kill!”

Over a hundred years of cultivation and tempering had turned their hearts to iron, so even in such dire straits they chose not to flee but formed a five-person sword formation and launched an attack.

In an instant, sword qi filled the sky; five flying swords shone brilliantly, carrying intentions of flame, sharpness, and weight, suppressing the young man in green like a cage.

Clang!

Azure sword-light unsheathed, and in a flicker, four men and their flying swords paused, dazed, frozen in place.

Then, a gust of wind blew by.

”No... it’s not possible...”

A Mysterious Heavenly swordsman who had grasped the sharp sword intent uttered hoarsely.

A line of blood appeared on his brow.

The line quickly deepened and his body was evenly split in two.

Gallons of blood and organs cascaded down, and just before reaching midair, the azure sword qi burst forth, turning them into lifeless grey ash.

Around him, several of his comrades met the same fate, their blood filled with the will of sword dao and the scent of gore blanketing the sky in the blink of an eye, then swiftly turning to ashes and dissipating.

The four flying swords, nourished for over a century, shared their masters’ fate, split evenly from tip to hilt.

Their spiritual light gone, they fell from the sky.

Zhou Tian of the Xuanwu tiangong’s pupils shrank.

The sword cultivators from the Five Elements Heavenly Sect beside him trembled uncontrollably, especially the cultivator who had earlier proposed joining forces with the Mysterious Heavenly swordsman.

”It has been many years since I last fought with foundation-building cultivators.”

Jiang Ding sighed softly.

Chime!

The Taiqing Flying Sword returned, straining to contain its sharpness and sword intent, and with a single stroke it hit Xiahou Gang’s Flame Flying Sword, forcing it to retreat dozens of steps.

”Not bad, a Jing-level cultivation method. Your strength far exceeds that of a quasi-third rank, reaching the level where you can remain unbeaten in front of early-stage Golden Pill monks for an extended period.”

Jiang Ding nodded slightly.

”Come, tell me with your life how a true sword cultivator fights.”

The four dead sword cultivators all had the aura of Classics-grade practice methods.

The Nine Great Immortal Sects strictly control the inheritance of top-notch cultivation methods, not teaching them without great merit, great opportunity, or great background.

Indeed, it was quite extraordinary, with each one of them having quasi-third rank strength, any of them could easily suppress dozens of foundation-building cultivators.

As for this remaining person,

if born in any Small World, he would be a figure of shock and awe, able to fight against Golden Pill monks with just a foundation-building cultivation base, earning the title of an exceptional elite.

”Your flying sword, it’s not fair...”

Xiahou Gang enunciated word by word, a vast desperation growing inside him.

”Kill!”

He bit the tip of his tongue, hot blood spilled from his mouth, transforming into immense mana, all of which poured into his Flame Flying Sword that had been refined for hundreds of years.

With the explosion of the flame sword intent, red flames surged up by several feet, melting metal and burning iron.

The sword-light flickered again, and seven identical Flame Flying Swords took shape, descending in a sword formation.

”I’m aware of this, the first realm of sword dao, Sword-light Diversification.”

Jiang Ding nodded slightly.

The Blue-Gold Flying Sword was unsheathed, meeting it head-on. The sword-light was brilliant and extremely fast, and amidst its darting movements...

...it was battered relentlessly.

The Azure Flying Sword kept retreating, without any strength to fight back.

”...Is the gap this big?!”

Jiang Ding was stunned.

As the sword intent brushed past, he assured himself that he used the same intensity of sword intent and mana as his opponent, thinking at least he could put up a symbolic struggle.

But now, not a shred of dignity was left.

”You have absolutely no swordsmanship?!”

Xiahou Gang exclaimed in shock.

This was no longer a matter of the depth of swordsmanship or level of skill.

He simply did not have it!

”With this, even if your flying sword is sharp...”

Suddenly, Xiahou Gang’s heart surged with wild joy, glimpsing a ray of hope as the seven flying swords increased their speed dramatically and turned into seven streaks of flame, swooping toward the figure of the young man in green in the distance.

Clang!

The Azure Flying Sword’s speed surged, once again intercepting it, entwining in battle.

”What’s the use of superior swordsmanship?”

”I don’t care at all!”

Jiang Ding, flushed with anger and shame, released some of the restrictions on his flying swords and sword intent.

An Azure Flying Sword gleamed brightly amidst seven scarlet Flame Flying Swords, weaving and dodging. A single sword fought against seven, blade clashing against blade, ringing out constantly, sparks flying, and spiritual light flickered into and out of existence.

Xiahou Gang felt the pressure suddenly increase.

It was clear that the other’s sword techniques were fundamentally flawed, with huge openings between each move, but with the speed of the sword and the oppression of the sword intent, these flaws were utterly ungraspable. His Sea of Consciousness worked at breakneck speed, maneuvering his flying swords to counter the Azure Flying Sword’s repeated attacks.

”Sword control techniques...”

Jiang Ding also came to a realization.

”They are simply the piercing, chopping, circling, bursting, and tapping of the basic sword moves, encompassing the knowledge of the concentration and dispersal of sword qi, its eruption and retraction... Not useless, but a method to better utilize the flying sword, making it faster and sharper.”

”Xianmen Sect is indeed a barren desert of the Sword Dao.”

”These are just the basic sword moves.”

”Besides these, there are more complex Sword Arts that can further increase the power of a flying sword.”

Jiang Ding looked up, a hint of cold light appearing in his eyes.

”You, use it, or die.”

”Damn it...”

Just as Xiahou Gang was looking for an opportunity to use his killer move, his heart turned cold, his face flushed with blood, and an uncontrollable sense of humiliation surged within him.

”You’re the one who’s going to die!”

Xiahou Gang shouted lowly, ”Phoenix Blood Soul Ignition, Thirteen Swords!”

The seven scarlet Flame Flying Swords suddenly ingested the Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi from several kilometers around, the sword intent of the flames while commanding all directions.

Layers of fire-attributed spiritual energy converged, instantly forming lifelike flame phoenixes around the seven scarlet flying swords.

Screech!

The seven flame phoenixes shrieked, cutting through clouds and rending the skies, their claws as sharp and red as the sword qi imbued with the essence of flames, lunging toward the Azure Flying Sword at the center, creating a death cage with their talons.

Phoenix Blood Soul Ignition, First Sword, Split!

”Split!”

Xiahou Gang bellowed furiously.

The clanging sound was incessant, and then, an Azure Flying Sword, its aura even stronger, tore out from the trap of flaming sword qi.

”So that’s how it is.”

Jiang Ding thought for a moment, ”By manipulating the Heavenly Earth Spiritual Qi, one can add more power to their flying sword. That’s what sword techniques and Sword Arts are about.”

”Yes, it doesn’t quite match my combat style. This needs consideration...”

”Break!”

Xiahou Gang’s face turned crimson as he once again brought forth a surge of his essence blood to amplify the power between the sword moves.

Screech!

The seven flame phoenixes that the flying swords had transformed into screamed, then converged flames and sharpness at their beaks, lunging toward the Azure Flying Sword, ripping through clouds and cleaving the air.

Even a block of third-rank Spiritual Gold would be torn and melted!

Boom!

Repelled by a single strike of the Taiqing Flying Sword.

”Burn!”

”Devour!”

”Ignite”

”...”

Following that, Xiahou Gang’s seven flying swords danced and soared through the sky, each taking turns to execute various moves from the Phoenix Blood Soul Ignition Thirteen Swords passed down by the Xuanwu Heavenly Palace Sword Vein.

The seven scarlet flying swords sometimes became a burning orange flame that scoured all directions, other times a massive flame vortex, and yet at other times, a tornado that strangled everything...

In the end, everything settled down.

That Azure Flying Sword remained as before, with no change whatsoever.

”You are not a Sword Cultivator.”

”You lack the relentless, imposing majesty of a Sword Cultivator.”

Xiahou Gang, having burned his last drop of essence blood, his complexion ashen, his aura plummeted, bitterly cursed, ”You’re certain to become hopelessly mired in a bottleneck on this path, never able to take another step forward!”

”You are doomed to live a mediocre life and die!”

”Hmm, that’s your opinion.”

Jiang Ding nodded.

Whoosh!

The Azure Flying Sword flashed and pierced through Xiahou Gang’s forehead, its azure sword qi bursting forth, tearing his body and divine soul into countless gray-white fragments.