Ling Tian Sword God

”One hundred and sixtieth!”

With his left hand wielding his sword to resist the strike of a Swordsman construct, Ling Chen swung his right hand, Sword Light spraying forth as the opponent’s head was sent flying.

THWACK!

As he killed the opponent, Ling Chen shifted his position, dodging the Sword Light attacking him from behind. Although the Sword Light missed Ling Chen, its aura left a noticeable mark on his shoulder.

”One hundred and sixty-first!”

Slanting to avoid most of the incoming Sword Light, Ling Chen drew the other Treasure Sword from his waist. With a twirl in mid-air, his hands, wielding Twin Swords, spun like two wind wheels. Intersecting Sword Lights sprayed out, riddling the ground with holes and scarring the Void wherever they passed, creating a scene of utter devastation.

POOF!

The Swordsman construct closest to Ling Chen was engulfed by the dense, intersecting Sword Lights, torn into dozens of pieces, and dissipated into nothingness.

I’ve consumed too much energy!

After performing this move, Ling Chen looked slightly pale, veins bulging on his forehead. The power of this construct was not infinite. From the first stage until now, he had killed over four hundred Swordsman constructs, each possessing strength comparable to his own. Killing each one was not easy, especially in the ninth stage, where one kill was equivalent to two or three in the eighth stage. The difficulty had more than doubled, and the energy consumption was exceptionally high.

Even if his True Qi was very dense, he could not withstand such consumption.

Fortunately, these Swordsman constructs also consumed energy, and their condition would deteriorate. Otherwise, if this continued, Ling Chen would also find it hard to persevere.

His figure shot backward as Ling Chen took a deep breath, pointing his sword towards the densely packed Sword Light rushing towards him.

BANG!

The beam-like Sword Light met strength with strength, explosively neutralizing the threat.

”One hundred and sixty-eighth! One hundred and sixty-ninth!”

Borrowing power from the Void, Ling Chen advanced instead of retreating. At extreme speed, his body flickered, transforming into dozens of shadows that engulfed two Swordsman constructs. Sword Light flashed, and the two fell to the ground.

「 」

Around the Ten Thousand Years Green History Wall, a series of gasps echoed.

”He’s been testing for eight hours already!”

”Even if he doesn’t pass the ninth stage, he’ll definitely rank in the top five.”

The expressions of everyone present changed. Most of them had stopped at the fifth stage; only a scant few had reached the sixth. If the sixth stage was already so difficult, the ninth stage was, by extension, unimaginably so. Otherwise, over the past five hundred years, among the countless geniuses, why would only Taibai Sword Immortal and Empress Yunyao have managed to conquer the ninth stage, standing above all other talents in the world?

This person is actually such a monster!

When Ye Ming had arrived, he was highly confident in his own aptitude. But now, his confidence was so utterly crushed it was shattered. It wasn’t just him; Yuwen Jie and Dong Yaotian felt the same. Their current rankings were simply not worth mentioning.

Dong Yaotian watched Ling Chen, who was seated cross-legged before the Green History Wall, his eyes narrowed slightly. ”Yuwen Jie, we can’t let a talent like this slip away. We must recruit him to our faction.”

Although these geniuses had the backing of their respective powers, they also formed their own factions and organizations.

Countless geniuses gathered in the Nine Provinces Land; one could encounter some in any given city. Geniuses were inherently proud. When they met, friction would inevitably occur, leading to mutual animosity. Over time, minor conflicts would gradually escalate into hatred, instilling deep-seated enmity.

The adage ’strength in numbers’ is an eternal truth. One might wish for a fair fight, but opponents might not reciprocate. To avoid being disadvantaged, one needed their own group, their own faction. This way, regardless of fairness, others couldn’t easily bully them.

The organization they belonged to was called the ”Green Mountain Association.” Among the many Genius Factions, it enjoyed some renown, though it wasn’t considered top-tier.

A monstrous talent like Ling Chen, once known to other Genius Factions, would undoubtedly become highly sought after and admired by countless individuals.

「 」

”One hundred and seventieth!”

Using the momentum of his descent, Ling Chen plummeted from the sky, his sword fiercely striking a Swordsman construct on the crown of its head. The blade sliced down through its brow, splitting the construct in two.

PHEW!

With only about eighty Swordsman constructs remaining, Ling Chen seized the opportunity to take a deep breath, easing his extremely taut nerves.

WHIZZ! WHIZZ! WHIZZ! WHIZZ! WHIZZ!

Five Swordsman constructs, fearless of death, attacked Ling Chen from five angles. Before they even arrived, their brutal sword qi, like bone-scraping steel knives, slashed viciously towards him.

”Speed Sword Domain!”

Following an incredible trajectory, Ling Chen spun, swift as a fleeting white steed, slipping through the gaps in the sword qi. He plunged his sword into the neck of a Swordsman construct to his side. Withdrawing the Long Sword, it traced a dazzling arc in mid-air, shaving off the top of another Swordsman construct’s head.

By this point in the battle, Ling Chen was nearly exhausted. The power within his mental projection was almost depleted, no longer vigorous. However, the power of these Swordsman constructs had also diminished significantly. They lacked true consciousness, so as their power waned, their combat effectiveness weakened proportionally. This, paradoxically, made them easier for Ling Chen to kill.

”Back!”

His Twin Swords crossed, one striking openly, the other subtly. Two crescent-shaped sword qi merged into a hemisphere, knocking back two advancing Swordsman constructs. Simultaneously, the little finger of his right hand, gripping the sword hilt, flicked. A beam-like sword qi shot out, aiming for another Swordsman construct’s forehead. At the critical moment, that construct shifted, taking the blow to its shoulder instead of its forehead.

SCHLICK!

The shoulder wound only caused it to pause momentarily; it felt nothing. It lunged at Ling Chen with deadly intent, its Long Sword weaving a flawless defense.

”Die!”

With a flick of his right wrist, Ling Chen showed no mercy and bisected the Swordsman construct.

His exhaustion grew more severe. Gritting his teeth, Ling Chen shot forward, his body skimming the ground, long hair flying wildly.

One of the two remaining Swordsman constructs charged, its Long Sword clashing with Ling Chen’s. However, Ling Chen’s momentum was too fierce. He pressed his advantage, overwhelming the construct and driving it back for several li, a brilliant shower of sparks erupting between them.

In his exhaustion, Ling Chen’s potential instead flared. He abandoned defense for offense, unleashing his final reserves of strength.

With a flurry of attacks, he cut down a dozen more Swordsman constructs. Planting his left-hand Long Sword into the ground for support, Ling Chen took a deep breath. His previously exhausted body found a surge of new strength. It coursed through his virtual meridians and into his arms. His biceps bulged instantly, becoming as defined and hard as cast steel, as if sculpted by a blade or axe.

BANG!

There were no fancy techniques, only a direct, downward chop.

Ling Chen gripped his sword with both hands and slammed it down, driving the Swordsman construct before him into the earth. Half of its body was buried before it could react. Another chop descended. This strike was simple, yet it seemed to carry the entirety of Ling Chen’s focus and spirit, instantly shattering the Long Sword the construct raised above its head.

CRACK!

A head flew high into the air.

Sheathing his sword, Ling Chen stood and surveyed his surroundings. The boundless, barren land was a scene of utter devastation. If these Swordsman constructs had physical bodies, corpses would undoubtedly litter the ground, and rivers of blood would flow.

Twenty or thirty Swordsman constructs still remained, but Ling Chen had stopped. Killing these last twenty or thirty would allow him to successfully pass the ninth stage.

But now, Ling Chen was utterly spent. His body felt numb and heavy as stone. Still, if he held onto this last shred of willpower, he might yet clear the stage.

Forget it. The tallest tree attracts the wind. If I clear all of it, my ranking will probably soar to an extremely high level.

Ling Chen chose not to continue the fight. Instead, he allowed an incoming Sword Light to pierce his body, causing his construct to dissipate into nothingness.