Immortal Sword Master

Chapter 181: Chapter 178: Flying Sword, Slay

Ning Jiang drew a snow-white sword. It was three feet nine inches long, with a strange blade that seemed to contain a series of vertebrae within it.

The moment the sword appeared, the entire area instantly grew cold.

Even the Martial Artists hundreds of yards away felt as if they had been plunged into an ice cellar, the chill piercing them to the bone.

”So cold.”

Many Martial Artists shivered, their teeth chattering as they stared in shock at the sword in Ning Jiang’s hand.

A white, frosty mist swirled around the blade, making it appear hazy and indistinct.

”Hm? A Spiritual Artifact!”

Lin Tiantian’s pupils contracted sharply. ”You actually have a Spiritual Artifact!”

Even he had never possessed something like a Spiritual Artifact.

”Good, good. It seems you have quite a few secrets. This Spiritual Artifact—I’ll be taking it!”

A fiery look burned in Lin Tiantian’s eyes. The difference in combat strength for a Spirit Realm Master with and without a Spiritual Artifact was immense. If he had one, his power would rise to a whole new level.

”Lin Tiantian, death is at your door, yet you’re still coveting my sword.”

Ning Jiang shook his head, his voice filled with ridicule.

”Brat, you think you can kill me just because you have a Spiritual Artifact? With your Innate Realm cultivation, can you even activate it?” Lin Tiantian was fearless.

Spiritual Artifacts could only be activated by Spiritual Qi. The Gang Qi of an Innate Realm expert was completely incapable of unleashing a Spiritual Artifact’s power.

”In your hands, this sword is a pearl coated in dust. You should just give it to me.”

With a great grasping motion, a giant golden hand materialized in the void. It blotted out the sky as it lunged for Ning Jiang.

”Anyone else truly wouldn’t be able to activate a Spiritual Artifact. A pity for you... you’re facing me.”

Ning Jiang gripped the Ice Soul Sword and slashed out.

SHIIING!

A white Frost Sword Aura shot forth, so intensely cold that the surrounding air condensed into tiny crystals of frost.

The Sword Aura swept past, slicing the golden hand in two.

”How is that possible?”

Lin Tiantian was in disbelief, and the other Martial Artists were all equally stunned.

Innate Gang Qi could activate a Spiritual Artifact?

What they didn’t know was that while Ning Jiang’s body contained Innate Gang Qi, the Gang Qi cultivated by the Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill was the king of all Gang Qi. In terms of quality, it was hardly inferior to Spiritual Qi.

’That one strike really consumed a lot of energy,’ Ning Jiang thought.

Although he could activate the Spiritual Artifact, it wasn’t easy. That single slash had just consumed one-tenth of his Gang Qi.

’I have to end this quickly.’

The Ice Soul Sword’s consumption was too great. If this dragged on, Ning Jiang would inevitably be at a disadvantage.

Even though his Heaven-Devouring Demon Skill could replenish his energy as he fought, the rate of recovery was nowhere near fast enough to keep up with the Spiritual Artifact’s consumption.

This Spiritual Artifact was like a bottomless pit; the current Ning Jiang was still unable to wield it as he pleased.

”Slash.”

With the Ice Soul Sword in hand, Ning Jiang’s combat power was now nearly on par with a Spirit Realm Master. After all, he had been able to temporarily suppress a Spirit Realm Master before, relying on a series of explosive bursts.

Now, with the Ice Soul Sword, his power was far greater than before.

The Frost Sword Aura formed an arc, slashing swiftly forward.

”Hmph, a petty trick. Let’s see how long you can keep this up.”

Lin Tiantian snorted coldly. He raised his hand and slapped the air, and a dazzling golden light condensed into a giant palm, shattering all the frost.

”Condensing Sword into Silk.”

Gripping the sword with both hands, Ning Jiang once again unleashed his previous killing move.

This strike could even break through Lin Tiantian’s Protective Spiritual Qi. Now, amplified by the Ice Soul Sword, it truly possessed the power to kill a Spirit Realm Master.

”Shattering Gold Finger.”

Lin Tiantian’s expression turned serious as he pointed a finger forward.

The golden finger beam was like a shuttle. The air tore with a sound like ripping cloth.

This Shattering Gold Finger was one of Lin Tiantian’s ultimate techniques.

In terms of rank, this was already a Spirit Level Martial Technique.

Martial Techniques were graded as Mortal, Profound, Spirit, Earth, Celestial, and Divine Level.

Only Spirit Realm Powerhouses could cultivate Spirit Level Martial Techniques.

He had previously looked down on Ning Jiang, thinking that taking down a mere Innate Realm cultivator would be an effortless task, but that underestimation had cost him dearly.

His use of the Shattering Gold Finger now meant he was finally taking Ning Jiang seriously.

CHIII!

The golden beam of light shot across the sky and collided with the white Sword Aura.

Like hot water on snow, the white Sword Aura was continuously annihilated, while the golden finger beam gradually dimmed.

After three breaths, both vanished into the air, evenly matched.

”Hmph.”

Lin Tiantian snorted, his greed for the sword in Ning Jiang’s hand growing even more intense.

”I can use Shattering Gold Finger dozens of times. How many more times can you use that sword strike?”

As he spoke, Lin Tiantian repeatedly jabbed his finger forward.

CH-CH-CH-CH—

The night sky shrieked as over a dozen golden finger beams shot out.

Ten Steps of Impermanence.

Ning Jiang’s figure flickered as he quickly dodged. He wasn’t stupid enough to face them head-on.

”You can dodge, but can they?”

A cold smile touched the corner of Lin Tiantian’s mouth. He once again sent out over a dozen finger beams, which pierced through the air and shot toward Kunlun and the others below.

With the power of a single finger from him, forget Ning Yu’an and her group; even the Vajra King and the Sword King would die on the spot.

Just as the finger beams were about to reach them, Ning Jiang appeared in their path. His expression was grave as he unleashed several slashes in quick succession.

The Sword Auras were torn apart, but the remaining finger beams continued their descent. Ning Jiang summoned his Great Sun Dharma Body to block them.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—

The supposedly indestructible Great Sun Dharma Body was ripped to shreds. Ning Jiang was thrown backward, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

This was the first time he had been injured in his fight against Lin Tiantian.

”Despicable!”

The Kunlun members were furious. Ning Yu’an’s beautiful eyes were filled with heartache and anxiety.

”Despicable? In battle, one must be unscrupulous,” Lin Tiantian said with contempt.

Some people liked to fight honorable, open duels. But in Lin Tiantian’s eyes, that was an utterly foolish way to act.

In battle, as long as he could defeat his opponent, he wouldn’t hesitate to use even the most despicable means.

The winner is king. As long as he could win, he couldn’t care less about the methods used.

”Lin Tiantian, you’re courting death!”

A cold light erupted in Ning Jiang’s eyes, not because he was injured, but because Lin Tiantian had threatened the safety of Yu’an and the others.

This was the first time he had truly become enraged during this battle!

When a common man is enraged, blood flows for five steps.

When a Venerable is enraged, a million corpses fall.

Ning Jiang’s gaze turned utterly frigid. The Gang Qi in his body surged continuously down his arms and into the Ice Soul Sword, which erupted with dazzling, concentric rings of white light.

Within the white light, countless runes swirled.

”Go!”

Ning Jiang threw his hand forward, and the entire sword shot from his grasp.

SHIIICK.

The Ice Soul Sword moved like a flash of lightning. It sped like the wind, spun once, and then shot violently toward the crowd on the ground, leaving a long trail of frost in its wake.

”AHH!”

Amid a cacophony of screams, numerous heads tumbled to the ground as blood sprayed into the air.

”HSSS!”

The many Martial Artists stared, dumbfounded. The sound of their sharp inhales was like a chorus of spinning pinwheels, echoing through the area.

”What kind of technique is this?”

The crowd was shaken. The sword had actually flown out on its own, like a living creature, and in a single instant, it had beheaded many of the Lin Family’s experts.

”What a ruthless move.”

Looking at the ground littered with the corpses of the Lin Family, many felt a chill run down their spines.

Just moments ago, Lin Tiantian had threatened the safety of Ning Yu’an and the others. Ning Jiang had immediately retaliated in kind, killing members of the Lin Family right in front of him.

”You bastard.”

Lin Tiantian was enraged, his eyes practically splitting with fury.

At the same time, his heart pounded with fear. He roared, ”A Flying Sword! That’s a technique only someone at the Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm should possess! How did you do it?!”

Looking at the Ice Soul Sword circling in the void, Lin Tiantian was utterly shocked.

A powerhouse at the Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm would have condensed a Primordial Spirit in their mind. They could infuse a wisp of their Primordial Spirit Power into a weapon, allowing them to control its flight.

But Ning Jiang was only in the Innate Realm!

This simply defied all common sense. If word of this got out, no one would believe it.

”A Flying Sword... That’s a technique of the Sword Immortals.”

The experts from the Sword Sects present, like the White Eyebrow Sword Sect and Gale Sword Sect, trembled in spirit, their reverence for Ning Jiang growing deeper.

This ability to control a Flying Sword was too terrifying.

Just imagine: Ning Jiang could stand there without moving a muscle and, just by controlling the Flying Sword, could take someone’s head with a single thought. How horrifying was that?

”Lin Tiantian, my methods are beyond your comprehension. Today, you will leave your life behind.”

Ning Jiang pointed his finger, and in an instant, the Ice Soul Sword tore through the air and shot forward.

The Flying Sword—this was the true source of his confidence to contend with a Spirit Realm Master!

In truth, with his current cultivation, he shouldn’t have been able to do this. But the secret lay in the Ice Soul Sword he had personally refined.

When he first refined the Ice Soul Sword, he had used his own blood to draw 99,999 Soul Refining Talismans inside the blade, forming the soul of an Ice Python.

It was precisely because of the Ice Python’s soul that he was able to use the Flying Sword technique.

Of course, compared to the Flying Swords of the Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm, there was still a huge gap.

A powerhouse at the Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm could attach a wisp of their Primordial Spirit to a sword, allowing it to fly a thousand miles away and take a head from that distance.

He, on the other hand, had a maximum range of ten miles.

However, a ten-mile range was more than enough.

The Ice Soul Sword streaked through the void, creating a sharp sonic boom. Like a white rainbow piercing the sun, it slashed toward Lin Tiantian.

From a distance, it looked like a bolt of white Thunderbolt had shot past.

”BANG.”

The Flying Sword was simply too fast. Moving at a speed Lin Tiantian could not evade, it slammed viciously into his body.

His Protective Spiritual Qi was shattered, and blood splashed into the air.

Lin Tiantian let out a pained grunt and was thrown backward. A bloody hole had been punched through his left shoulder. If he hadn’t managed to avoid a fatal blow, he would already be dead.

Furthermore, the biting, cold qi began to invade his body through the wound, causing his blood to stiffen.

’This is bad! This kid has too many tricks!’

Lin Tiantian had a bad feeling and lost his will to fight.

”SWOOSH.”

His body blurred, and he shot backward in retreat.

”WHOA.”

The entire crowd erupted in an uproar, staring at Lin Tiantian in utter disbelief.

A dignified Spirit Realm Master was actually beaten into retreat by Ning Jiang?

”Am I dreaming?”

Many people looked at each other, unable to believe their eyes.

”Lin Tiantian, no one I want to kill can escape. You’re not going anywhere.”

With a thought from Ning Jiang, the Ice Soul Sword let out a long cry.

A phantom of an Ice Python appeared in the air, swiftly giving chase. It coiled around Lin Tiantian, binding him tightly.

Then, the body of the Ice Soul Sword swept past.

”PFFT!”

「The fifteenth day of the eighth month.」

「Night.」

Ning Jiang, with his sword, had slain a Spirit Realm Master. The entire field fell into dead silence.