Chapter 236: Chapter 224: One Sword Settles the Tripod (Part 2)

"You crippled Fengg Yu and Luo Tianxiang..."

As a fellow Ultimate Venerable Powerhouse, his strength might not have matched Nie Yun’s, but his eyes were still sharp. With a single slash from Nie Yun’s sword, the two peerless masters crumpled to the ground like wet noodles. No matter how foolish Mo Yanqing was, he knew their internal organs must have been shattered and their Qi Seas collapsed. They would never be able to practice Cultivation again!

’To defeat two great masters like this in a single move... This Nie Yun... how has he become so powerful?’

’Is he even human? Not long ago, we fought to a draw. After just a few days, he could surpass three of me, and after a few more... I’ll be left eating his dust!’

’What kind of Cultivation speed is this?’

’It’s laughable. I’ve been calling myself the number one genius, but compared to him, I’m not even worth a single strand of hair!’

’Flee!’

Knowing he was no match, Mo Yanqing wasn’t foolish enough to keep fighting. With a shift of his feet, he turned and fled.

"Trying to run? Do you think you can get away?"

Last time, Mo Yanqing had turned and fled after his defeat. Nie Yun wasn’t about to let him escape again. With a flick of his Profound Jade Sword, a streak of grey Sword Qi shot straight toward Mo Yanqing!

’Damn it!’

Mo Yanqing knew that if even Fengg Yu couldn’t block that Sword Qi, he certainly stood no chance. He let out an anxious roar, and with a swift dip of his body, he ducked behind a massive boulder over a hundred feet in diameter.

He reasoned that no matter how powerful Nie Yun’s attack was, its momentum would be greatly reduced after smashing through the boulder. He could then block the remnant force and his life would be spared.

"Dark Force!"

How could Nie Yun not know what he was thinking? He gave a faint smile as the Dark Force surged from his Profound Jade Sword. BOOM!

The boulder didn’t change at all, but the powerful Dark Force instantly penetrated it and struck Mo Yanqing.

SPLURT!

A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out. Mo Yanqing didn’t even have the strength to resist as all his internal organs were shattered, his entire Cultivation washed away.

Before, he had been able to fight Nie Yun. But now that the latter had comprehended Dark Force—an attack that surged with hidden power and completely ignored all Defense—it was simply not something his current strength could withstand.

"Good, good! To think I still underestimated you!"

From the moment Nie Yun defeated Luo Tianxiang and Fengg Yu with a single slash to when his Dark Force penetrated the boulder and shattered Mo Yanqing’s organs, only a single breath’s time had passed. Venerable Mi Hong hadn’t even had time to help before the three men he had brought with him were turned into complete cripples. His face flushed red with anger, and a fierce killing intent burned in his eyes.

"Underestimated? It was I who underestimated you! You dare to capture my parents and family? I will ensure that not even a chicken or dog of your Mi Tian Sect remains!"

Having dealt with the three nuisances, Nie Yun snorted coldly.

’In my past life, I single-handedly annihilated the Mi Tian Sect until not even a blade of grass remained. Since they dare to move against me in this life, how could I possibly let them survive?’

’If you don’t pull out the roots when you cut the weeds, they will grow again in the spring. To survive, I must be ruthless!’

"Annihilate my Mi Tian Sect until not even a chicken or dog remains? I was originally going to spare your dog’s life, but it seems that’s no longer an option!"

With a cold snort, Mi Hong flipped his palm, and a great saber appeared in his hand.

To be able to conjure a great saber out of thin air, it seemed Venerable Mi Hong, just like Nie Yun, also possessed a Storage Dantian.

"Who lives and who dies is not yet certain!" Nie Yun’s face was devoid of joy or sorrow, showing no emotion.

"You think you’ve surpassed me just because you took care of those three wastes, Fengg Yu and Luo Tianxiang? Ridiculous! Killing the three of them would be no harder for me than crushing an ant!"

Venerable Mi Hong sneered, a playful smirk in his eyes as he looked at Nie Yun as if gazing upon a dead man.

’His words are arrogant, but I know he isn’t bluffing. I fought him in my past life. He truly is the number one powerhouse of the Divine Wind Empire; his strength far surpasses others. Even with my recent progress, defeating him won’t be easy.’

"Then let’s do it!"

Nie Yun wasted no more words. His Ten Great Dantians spun wildly within his Qi Sea, and a torrent of thick True Qi instantly surged through his body, forming swirling, steam-like currents of air around him.

"Hmm? Ten Great Dantians? You actually have Ten Great Dantians? This... This is impossible!"

When a Dantian operates at full power, an "Absorption Vortex" forms above the head. As Nie Yun’s Ten Great Dantians spun at full capacity, Venerable Mi Hong immediately spotted them. At this sight, he let out a sharp cry, the color draining from his once-composed face.

’Everyone knows that even the Royal Family’s Top Grade Bloodline, the most supreme of all, culminates in only Ten Great Dantians. How could anyone possibly possess Ten Great Dantians?’

’This completely subverts everything that is known!’

In truth, Nie Yun had revealed the Absorption Vortexes intentionally. His opponent’s strength was no weaker than his own; to win, he had to throw his opponent’s mind into chaos!

"Nothing is impossible. Now, come down!"

Seeing that his goal was achieved, Nie Yun gave a cold laugh. He took a single step forward, and his entire body shot sideways more than ten meters to appear before Venerable Mi Hong.

This single step was practically like an Instant Teleportation. It was none other than the supreme Secret Technique from the Floating Heaven Continent’s Cloud Transformation Sect, Shrinking Inches!

All things have their own properties, and the earth that bears all things beneath one’s feet is no exception. The so-called Shrinking Inches didn’t truly shorten the earth, but rather ingeniously borrowed the earth’s properties. By utilizing the fluctuations of Qi between two points, one could cover the distance of ten normal steps in a single stride. To an outsider, it would look as if the distance itself had been shortened!

To give a practical example, if you take a ring, place a drop of honey at the 12 o’clock position, and then place an ant at the 6 o’clock position, you will find that the ant walks along the circumference of the ring, not across its diameter to take the shortest path.

The distance across the land is the same. In the eyes of an ordinary person, two points might be dozens of kilometers apart, but in the eyes of some supreme powerhouses, it is but a single step.

Shrinking Inches utilized this very principle. However, Nie Yun’s current strength was too weak. Even though he knew the Cultivation method for this Secret Technique, he had only learned the basics, allowing him to cover ten steps’ distance in a single stride.

"Trying to mess with my mind? No matter what crooked method you used, you will die by my hand today!"

As the number one powerhouse of the Empire, his will was incredibly firm; he wouldn’t be so easily scared witless by Nie Yun. Seeing the ten Absorption Vortexes appear on Nie Yun’s body, he was shocked at first, but he understood in an instant. With a long cry, the great saber in his hand still chopped down.

SWOOSH!

The single slash produced a flurry of afterimages. The saber light, formed from True Qi, instantly enveloped all of Nie Yun’s possible attack vectors. It seemed that no matter which direction he attacked from, he would be met with a powerful counterattack.

’So strong!’

Seeing the strangeness of this move, Nie Yun knew he couldn’t force an attack. If he did, not only would he fail to injure his opponent, but he would also put himself in a perilous position. Without hesitating, he tapped his foot and moved to Venerable Mi Hong’s side.

"Where do you think you’re going? Formless Celestial Saber!"

Seeing how decisive and wise the young man was—able to see the situation clearly in the blink of an eye, advancing and retreating freely, and not feeling discouraged by his failed assault—Mi Hong knew he had met a true opponent. The Qi in his chest roiled, and a sound like a frog’s croak erupted from his throat. With a great shout, he reversed his saber technique and slashed diagonally toward Nie Yun.

This slash was like a master painter creating an oil painting in the void. Chilling light radiated in all directions, filled with vitality in one place and killing intent in another!

Life and death are ever-changing. Existence is found in nonexistence, and from existence, nonexistence is found. This is the nature of Formlessness.

Formless Celestial Saber, the Mi Tian Sect’s strongest saber art, a Royal Family’s Top-Grade Martial Art. Once unleashed, it inverted order and chaos, rooted in nothingness and bound by no constancy.

’Retreat!’

Nie Yun exhaled sharply, his chest deflating by two inches as he dodged the rapidly approaching slash and retreated explosively!

This retreat did not use Shrinking Inches, but another Body Technique: Zhuang Sheng Butterfly Step!

Zhuang Sheng Butterfly Step was also a super Martial Art from the Cloud Transformation Sect. When used, one’s movements were like a fluttering butterfly, elegant and unrestrained, moving with the wind—a supreme secret for evading attacks.

After his rebirth, although Nie Yun hadn’t specifically practiced many high-level Martial Arts, he had used them countless times in his past life. In a crisis, he could use them at will, his mastery perfected to the point of being second nature, without the slightest hesitation.

It was like handwriting. When you write enough, it becomes a physical instinct. You can unconsciously produce a unique script that others cannot imitate, perfect in every stroke even if your mind is hazy.

This was the case for Nie Yun. Even though he hadn’t specifically trained in these moves since his rebirth, in a moment of crisis, they emerged from the depths of his memory like an instinctual reaction.

BOOM!

Nie Yun dodged, and Mi Hong’s saber slammed into the ground. The mountain peak before them split in two like a watermelon, sending shattered rock flying everywhere.

’How terrifying...’ Nie Yun was secretly astonished.

’I tried to take advantage of his shock to launch a surprise attack, but I haven’t even managed to execute a single move. All I’ve done is dodge and retreat. Venerable Mi Hong’s strength is beyond what I imagined!’

After dodging the attack of the Formless Celestial Saber, Nie Yun suddenly looked behind Venerable Mi Hong and let out a long cry.

"Master, this man is trying to kill your disciple! You must help me!" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Master?"

Venerable Mi Hong’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately felt an overwhelmingly powerful aura descending from the sky, as vast and mighty as a star falling to earth—something no mortal could possibly withstand.

"Senior, don’t..."

Sensing this aura, Venerable Mi Hong was startled. He hurriedly turned to look, and what he saw made his expression change once more.

Behind him, there wasn’t so much as a human figure, not even the shadow of a ghost!

’I’ve been had!’

Seeing no one there, Venerable Mi Hong immediately realized something was wrong. In the next instant, he felt an icy chill on the skin of his back as a terrifying power arrived right behind him.

’Run!’

He knew the young man must have used the opportunity to launch a sneak attack. Not daring to linger, he bent his body like a bow and shot forward like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey. In an instant, he had covered seven or eight hundred meters, his speed more than ten times faster than Fengg Yu’s Wind Spirit Heavenly Wings Technique.

"Get down!"

But as fast as he was, the young man behind him was faster. He only heard a faint, cold snort by his ear before a sweet taste rose in his throat and he stumbled forward. Immediately after, a surging wave of Clear Force mixed with Dark Force swept over his entire body, penetrating every inch of his bones and muscles.

THUD!

Venerable Mi Hong pitched forward, collapsing onto the ground in an ugly heap. His internal organs were pulverized by the rampaging Dark Force, damaged beyond any hope of repair.

With a single sword strike, the renowned number one powerhouse of the Divine Wind Empire was struck down by Nie Yun, left to lie on the ground like a dead dog.

A duel between two powerhouses, settled by a single sword!

PS: First, here’s a 5,000-character Chapter.

There will be another update at 8:00, one at 12:00, and one at 7:00 PM. If everyone casts a lot of monthly tickets, I’ll add a few more Chapters at midnight..

Today, Lao Ya wrote over twenty-four thousand characters, almost twenty-five thousand, *sweat*. But I only got about a thousand recommendation votes. Forget about making last week’s recommendation list, it’s just a miserable sight....

Lao Ya has delivered the updates, but everyone’s tickets aren’t enough! This won’t do. I’m Huang Shiren, so hurry up and give me the tickets you owe me! If you don’t, I’m going to have to use some of my meaner tricks...

Monthly Ticket Summoner, Grand Summoning Technique... (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)