Chapter 826: Forcing a Breakthrough

In an instant, four Lingjian Mountain disciples shot into the air with swords drawn and moved to intercept him, joining forces in a coordinated attack.

Niu Youdao showed neither shock nor fear. He pressed straight ahead.

The sword in his hand flashed free.

In an instant, countless sword-auras burst forth like the shadow of a gorgeous lotus blooming in midair.

His first move was a killing move.

The four interceptors had underestimated the strength of the man coming at them.

Caught unprepared, they were struck head-on.

Metal rang violently in the air. Blood and flesh flew amid several screams.

Under the tremendous force of the collision, Niu Youdao borrowed the impact to launch himself higher. He shot into the sky, then tipped forward into a diving glide straight toward the area shrouded in mist.

"Heavenly Dragon Sword Formation!"

Chu Fengping's voice suddenly exploded like thunder, brimming with uncontrollable fury.

Every Lingjian Mountain disciple carried three swords.

They were known as the Heaven, Earth, and Human swords.

The three swords differed slightly in form.

Two were crossed over the back, while one hung diagonally at the waist. The way each was controlled also differed.

When the Heaven Swords joined together, they could form the Heavenly Dragon Sword Formation.

When the Earth Swords joined, they formed the Earth Dragon Sword Formation.

And when the Human Swords joined, they formed the Coiling Dragon Sword Formation.

At Chu Fengping's command, every Lingjian Mountain disciple swept a hand out and released the Heaven Sword.

Dozens of streaks of cold light burst from the forest into the sky.

In midair, they formed an interlocking sword formation.

The mass of flying swords moved in concert like a dragon soaring through the heavens, nimble and swift, surging forward like thunder.

Against a single Niu Youdao, Chu Fengping had ordered dozens of Lingjian Mountain disciples to form the Heavenly Dragon Sword Formation together.

His determination to kill the man was obvious.

No matter how powerful the sword formation might be, Niu Youdao had not come here to tangle with it.

He did not care whether it was a Heavenly Dragon, Earth Dragon, or Coiling Dragon formation.

His fingers flipped.

A talisman appeared in his hand.

He shook it open.

The tremendous power of a Heavenly Sword Talisman erupted in a violent surge.

Around the mist, Misty Pavilion cultivators looked up toward the sky.

People stationed in the other directions appeared as well to watch.

Yan Li was among them.

They saw the mass of sword-light rise and twist upward to kill.

Niu Youdao, high in the air, suddenly shot downward in reverse, directly colliding with the sword radiance.

The corner of Yan Li's mouth twitched violently at the sight.

Buzz!

A gigantic projection of sword-force erupted into being, as though a heavenly sword had broken through the sky and plunged straight toward the earth.

Clang!

With a violent crash and a chaotic ringing of metal, the interwoven net of flying swords was smashed into complete disorder.

Niu Youdao's figure whistled through the gap he had torn open.

The slightly scattered swords immediately transformed into streaks of light and shot downward after him.

This time, they came even faster.

They attacked from every direction at once.

"Coiling Dragon Sword Formation! Earth Dragon Sword Formation! All three formations as one!"

Chu Fengping's voice thundered again.

The Lingjian Mountain disciples controlling the swords swept their hands out and flicked their weapons upward.

One streak of cold light after another flew free.

The Coiling Dragon Sword Formation took shape.

A mass of flying swords wound and spiraled upward, curling around the man descending from above.

The Earth Dragon Sword Formation surged upward beneath the Coiling Dragon.

Then swords shot diagonally from every direction toward the man trapped within its coils.

At the same time, the Heaven Sword formation descending from the sky attacked inward from every side.

In an instant, agile sword-light flashed wildly in every direction.

Under the sunlight, the spectacle was dazzling enough to shake the heart.

Niu Youdao thrust his sword back into its sheath at his waist.

Both hands flew.

His fingers stabbed out again and again.

One gigantic projection of Heavenly Sword force after another erupted in every direction like enormous crystal shoots bursting from the ground.

The incoming sword formations were blasted apart again and again.

Roaring impacts mixed with the harsh ringing of metal.

Surrounded by explosive sword-force on all sides, Niu Youdao hurtled toward the mist like a spiked crystal sphere.

He was about to succeed.

He was about to plunge into the fog.

No one dared charge head-on through the violent power of the Heavenly Sword Talisman to stop him.

"Die!"

Chu Fengping roared and shot through the air.

With a sweep of his hand, he tore open a talisman of his own.

Another Heavenly Sword Talisman.

A gigantic sword-force strike thundered toward Niu Youdao.

Niu Youdao's heart went cold and heavy.

He had not expected Chu Fengping not only to have Lingjian Mountain's disciples join forces in sword formations against him, but also to be willing to waste an immensely valuable Heavenly Sword Talisman just to kill him.

The misty exit was already right in front of him.

He could not allow everything he had done to collapse at the final step.

His own Heavenly Sword Talisman had already expended most of its power breaking through the sword formations.

Caught in the rush, Niu Youdao drew out the very last sword-force strike remaining within it.

Boom!

The two gigantic sword-force projections smashed into each other and exploded apart.

The earthshaking detonation rolled through the forest.

Niu Youdao seized the instant and shot into the mist.

Buzz!

Chu Fengping's second sword-force strike was already roaring toward him.

Niu Youdao had entered the fog and had no time to evade.

His hands moved with incredible speed.

Swish!

He drew the sword at his waist and thrust it horizontally forward with both palms, using it as a barrier.

Chu Fengping attacked with both hands as well.

His fingers stabbed forward repeatedly.

One gigantic sword-force strike after another shot into the mist, as though he meant to grind Niu Youdao into powder.

Boom!

The sword Niu Youdao held crosswise bent into an arc beneath the tremendous impact.

Then it straightened violently and sprang back.

Pfft!

Inside the mist, Niu Youdao's cheeks bulged.

A mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips.

The fog churned violently around him.

There was no time to hesitate.

Once more, he thrust both palms forward against the sword and blocked the second sword-force strike.

Boom!

Niu Youdao was blasted away like a meteor.

This time, blood erupted wildly from his mouth.

The power of the Heavenly Sword Talisman was simply too immense.

His Qiankun Art had already dissipated two enormous impacts in succession. The second tremendous force came too quickly for him to fully neutralize.

The tie holding his hair burst apart.

The sword in his hands twisted sideways.

Its edge slashed across his palm, tearing flesh open to the bone.

As the enormous impact drove both his arms backward, the sword-edge sliced through his palm and then ripped a bloody gash across his chest.

The flesh there too split open deeply enough to expose bone.

As Niu Youdao flew backward, the world before him suddenly brightened.

...

In Tiangu, the void at the exit suddenly rippled chaotically.

A muffled roar came through.

Everyone in the valley turned their attention toward it.

A sword suddenly flew out of the void.

It spun through the air and clattered to the ground.

Then a human figure burst out after it with a whoosh.

The man smashed onto the ground and rolled.

Pools of blood marked the earth wherever he tumbled.

At last the rolling figure came to rest face-down, motionless.

His clothes were in tatters.

His face could not be seen clearly.

Wei Duo, who had remained bitterly waiting outside the exit, stared wide-eyed.

He flashed over, turned the man onto his back, and brushed aside the loose hair covering his face.

A startled cry immediately escaped him.

"Master Dao! Master Dao..."

Ximen Qingkong had been standing at the mouth of a cave in the cliff.

Startled, he flashed down and landed nearby.

One careful look confirmed that the disheveled, blood-covered man really was Niu Youdao.

He was about to reach out.

Niu Youdao's eyes suddenly opened.

Dense killing intent filled them.

He raised one hand and knocked Ximen Qingkong's hand away.

The two stared at each other for a moment.

Then Niu Youdao looked left and right at his surroundings.

He also shoved away Wei Duo, who was trying to help him up.

"Master Dao!" Wei Duo staggered back a step, deeply worried.

"Get lost!" Niu Youdao barked.

His hair hung loose around his blood-covered face.

He turned and walked away.

Wei Duo tried to follow.

Ximen Qingkong placed a hand on his shoulder and held him back.

"You can't help him through this hurdle."

Under countless watching eyes, Niu Youdao stumbled forward.

From time to time he shook his head.

His ears were still buzzing incessantly, and his mind remained somewhat dazed.

He staggered over to where his sword had fallen.

Slowly, he bent down and picked it up.

Planting the sword on the ground like a cane, he leaned on it and rested for a moment.

Then with his other hand he slowly drew the scabbard from his waist.

He slid the sword back into it and once more planted the sheathed weapon on the ground.

Raising a hand, he brushed aside the loose hair obstructing his vision.

His fingers smeared blood through the strands.

His gaze dropped to his palm, split open and drenched in blood.

He looked at it for a while.

Then he slowly lowered his head and looked at the gaping bloody wound across his chest.

With a sigh, he muttered to himself, "Fighting and killing are dangerous. Don't fight and kill... and I still couldn't hold myself back."

He was blaming himself for taking this risk.

After all the preparation he had made beforehand, he clearly had a safer method of getting out.

He had known that the method he had just used carried danger.

Yet faced with the enormous gains and losses at stake, because he was unwilling to surrender control of Nanzhou, he had still failed to restrain himself.

He had still gambled with his life.

"Cough, cough..."

He coughed.

Another mouthful of blood choked out.

He slowly spat away the obstruction in his throat.

His hand lowered to his belt and began feeling around inside it.

At last he dug out a small pellet.

He crushed the wax shell, placed the medicinal pill inside into his mouth, and swallowed.

It was the Heavenly Succor Pill Guan Fangyi had prepared for him.

Afterward, he slowly circulated spiritual power, sealing acupoints and stopping the bleeding.

Alone, he stood there "licking" his wounds.

Misty Pavilion's people and the disciples of the three neutral sects who had come out earlier all stared at him in astonishment.

Once they confirmed that the man really was Niu Youdao, the surprise on their faces became obvious.

None of them had expected Niu Youdao to emerge alive.

Even less had they expected him to come out this quickly.

One thing, however, was obvious.

He had clearly faced a lethal interception while forcing his way out.

Bai Yulou flashed down and landed in front of him.

He looked Niu Youdao up and down, marveling inwardly.

This bastard had actually come out alive.

"Can you speak?" Bai Yulou asked.

Niu Youdao slowly raised his head.

Blood stained his smile.

"What instructions does sir have?"

Bai Yulou pointed toward one side. "Take the Spirit Seeds you brought out over there for counting and verification."

His gaze could not help traveling over Niu Youdao again.

No matter how he looked, the man's body did not seem capable of concealing many Spirit Seeds.

Over there, the three neutral sects that had emerged first had just finished having their Spirit Seeds counted.

Niu Youdao glanced back.

His voice was weak and drained.

"My Spirit Seeds are still with my companions. I have to wait for them to come out."

Bai Yulou had no objection.

People forming groups inside the Secret Realm was perfectly normal. Misty Pavilion permitted it.

"Then I'll wait for your good news."

Bai Yulou left the words behind and turned away.

Whether they were sincere or sarcastic was impossible to tell.

He did not make things difficult for Niu Youdao.

Afterward, he even had someone bring clean white cloth for bandaging wounds.

Niu Youdao slowly walked to the foot of a cliff wall.

There he sat down alone and began tending his wounds bit by bit.

In his wretched state, he looked almost like a beggar.

...

Inside the Secret Realm, Chu Fengping finally stopped after blasting twelve sword-force strikes from his Heavenly Sword Talisman wildly into the mist.

Broken earth and stone rained down in a clattering torrent.

The fog, thrown into chaos by the violent currents, surged and twisted before slowly gathering back into its original shape.

It was as though this place possessed some strange power that drew the mist toward it.

Chu Fengping clenched both fists.

His face was icy as he stared at the uncanny fog.

Even he did not know whether that furious bombardment from the Heavenly Sword Talisman had finished Niu Youdao off.

On Qi's side, Ghost Mother stood beneath a tree, staring blankly.

Yan Li's face was half frozen and half twitching.

This was Niu Youdao's supposed method of getting out?

He had thought the man possessed some clever means of escaping.

Only after seeing it with his own eyes did he realize Niu Youdao had actually fought his way out alone, single-handedly.

The bastard was simply insane.

He cared nothing for his own life!

Everyone who had witnessed Niu Youdao's forceful breakthrough remained stunned for a long time.

All of them wanted to know whether Chu Fengping's wild bombardment had actually killed him.

One Misty Pavilion man hauled up the iron chain used to communicate with the outside.

It had been blasted apart.

He looked back at Chu Fengping.

In the end, he said nothing.

Chu Fengping beckoned two disciples over and instructed them in a low voice.

"You two go out first. Search the mist carefully. If you discover that he's badly wounded inside but still alive, kill him immediately!"

[End of Chapter 826]