The path of cultivation is difficult and perilous. The Body Tempering and Nascent Yuan realms were for strengthening the physique, allowing it to better absorb yuan qi into the body, which would ultimately gather in the dantian for one's own use. The Yuan Sea Realm, however, required one to gather and condense the yuan qi within the dantian until it was like a vast ocean. Only then could one be considered a true Yuan Sea Realm cultivator.
But right now, Lin Yun's condition completely baffled Duan Heng. The yuan qi gathered in Lin Yun's dantian had already exploded, which should have meant that all his previous efforts were for naught. Yet, who would have thought that not only had Lin Yun not become a cripple because of it, but he was also continuously transforming.
"This kid... he must have gotten another opportunity from somewhere. I can't just stand by and watch any longer."
Duan Heng looked at Lin Yun, made up his mind, and charged forward with his sword. "You brat, you actually dared to swallow a Tribulation-Crossing Divine Pill at the Nascent Yuan Realm to forcibly break through? No matter what other tricks you have up your sleeve, I cannot allow you to live today."
As he spoke, he slashed out with his sword.
Lin Yun's brow was tightly furrowed, his face pale. He was in great agony but didn't struggle. According to the panel he had viewed earlier, he had already gathered all the elements needed to change his fate. He would not die today. On the contrary, he would obtain an even greater opportunity because of this.
It was just that Lin Yun had to be seriously injured by Duan Heng first. Perhaps this was a case of "without destruction, there can be no creation." But for Lin Yun, this was nothing. The most terrifying thing at the moment was that he was like a giant vortex, and the surrounding yuan qi was gathering towards him at an incredible speed. At this rate, even if Duan Heng didn't kill him, Lin Yun was very likely to be burst apart by the immense amount of yuan qi.
But facing the charging Duan Heng, even if Lin Yun wanted to block, he was simply unable to. Instead, the Cold Flame Sword, as if telepathically linked to him, used its own spiritual nature to forcibly block the blow.
BOOM!
Lin Yun was sent flying as if hit by a train. He slammed heavily into the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood. But the yuan qi was still gathering towards him endlessly. If a normal person's dantian was a vast ocean, then the yuan qi accumulating in his was already beginning to show signs of developing into a sea of stars.
At the same time, some of the yuan qi was seeping into every single cell of Lin Yun's body. Although the violent energy would instantly kill these cells, new ones would be born at an extremely fast rate afterward. This process, however, was excruciatingly painful, like being sliced by a thousand cuts. No ordinary person could withstand this kind of pressure.
Duan Heng was also shocked that his one strike hadn't killed Lin Yun. The Cold Flame Sword was actually able to spontaneously block his attack?
"How is this possible? How can a Nascent Yuan Realm disciple possess such a treasure? Only Dharma Artifacts and above have the ability to protect their master. Could it be that this sword..."
Duan Heng looked at the Cold Flame Sword, his face revealing his greed. Lin Yun was able to control the Cold Flame Sword at only the Nascent Yuan Realm. If he could kill Lin Yun and seize such a treasure, wouldn't that be a double blessing?
"Haha, Junior Brother Lin, you truly are my lucky star. To think you'd bring me so many benefits one after another."
At this moment, Lin Yun could only forcefully circulate the "Primordial Chaos Sword Embryo" technique to barely stabilize the situation inside his body. He looked at Duan Heng and gripped the hilt of the Cold Flame Sword with one hand. The sword trembled as if it had a spirit of its own.
"Lucky star? I'm your damn grandpa! You thieving bastard, are you just trying to scratch an itch? Put your back into it!" Lin Yun endured the pain, continuously provoking Duan Heng.
Seeing Lin Yun still talking tough even after being injured, Duan Heng grew even angrier. "You brat, still running your mouth when you're about to die? I'll send you to your death right now!"
He suppressed the rage in his chest and thrust his sword forward. The yuan energy around his body solidified, piercing towards Lin Yun like a long spear.
Lin Yun wasn't deliberately trying to change his fate. The moment he swallowed the Tribulation-Crossing Divine Pill, he had a feeling that, in the unseen world, a pair of great hands was pushing the development of events. This, perhaps, was destiny!
"Old friend, this time, it's all up to you," Lin Yun whispered to the Cold Flame Sword in his hand.
The Cold Flame Sword let out a clear ring. The next moment, Lin Yun swung his sword and charged.
"The waters of the Great River come from the heavens."
"Until red is seen, there is no return."
In an instant, a fierce wind howled. The entire Sunset Glow Valley was filled with a terrifying concentration of yuan qi. With just one move of the Great River Sword Art, Lin Yun had vented a great deal of the energy from his body.
It really works! Using combat to alleviate the ever-increasing yuan qi in my body. But... Senior Brother Duan, you have to hold on!
This was clearly an unexpected joy. Lin Yun muttered to himself, his actions no longer hesitant. He had indeed been very grateful to Duan Heng for helping him several times before. But now, he wanted to kill him. In that case, Lin Yun would not be merciful.
Duan Heng had thought that killing Lin Yun would only take an instant, but this Great River Sword Art move truly surprised him. The white sword light tore through the air, and several small hills were flattened in an instant.
"Good kid, you're even stronger than you were at Chen Family Fort. The effects of that Tribulation-Crossing Divine Pill are truly marvelous." Duan Heng said with a smile, but there was no surprise in his eyes. The flying sword in his hand met the attack head-on.
Two completely different sword qis collided. The white sword light began to fracture. Lin Yun's Great River Sword Art was, in the end, still weaker than Duan Heng's. He was only able to contend with him now thanks to the endless supply of yuan energy.
But as time went on, Duan Heng's sword qi was inherently stronger, so the sword qi from the Great River Sword Art began to be pushed back steadily. At this rate, the situation was likely to become even more difficult than they had imagined.
Duan Heng sneered, "Junior Brother Lin, relying on the Tribulation-Crossing Divine Pill to have such an effect is already quite good. You should just surrender!"
Lin Yun did not answer. At this moment, an extremely strange situation had formed on the battlefield. Facing Duan Heng's assault, Lin Yun not only did not retreat but was constantly upping the ante. A continuous stream of yuan energy was being poured into the Cold Flame Sword. At the same time, the scale of the sword qi released by the Great River Sword Art was also growing larger and larger. Combined with the Cold Flame Sword, the icy flame energy had increased the power of the Great River Sword Art considerably.
Although Duan Heng spoke with ease, they were from the same sect after all. He couldn't break the move!
"What a troublesome fellow." Duan Heng freed one hand to control his flying sword. His other hand was pierced by his own yuan energy, and blood flowed freely as he quickly drew a ferocious and strange symbol in the air.
A quarter of an hour passed in the blink of an eye. Lin Yun was circulating the "Primordial Chaos Sword Embryo" technique on one hand while simultaneously using the Great River Sword Art to confront Duan Heng, managing to create a kind of balance. For the moment, his life was not in danger.
But at this moment, he saw a blood-red skull suddenly fly up.
Jie Jie...
With a ghastly cackle, thick, viscous blood rained down from the sky. The moment it touched the Cold Flame Sword, white smoke immediately rose from it, and it began to tremble violently. No matter how much yuan energy he injected, he could no longer drive it. The sword qi that had been released also dissipated into nothingness in an instant.
"In the end, it's just power gained from an external force. You want to deal with me? You're still far from it." Duan Heng smiled smugly and attacked again with his sword.