Chapter 434: What Martial Virtue Does a Demonic Cultivator Speak Of?

“Impossible!”

In the next instant, the young man with the sword changed expression, his gaze locking rigidly on Ancestor Tingyou. “You’re already dead. True Lord himself personally beheaded you.”

There was no way Ancestor Tingyou could have survived!

Even taking a step back—suppose he truly had lived—how could he possibly have recovered to the peak of Foundation Establishment in just a few short decades? That defied all logic!

At least with the cultivation the sword-bearing youth had inherited, he was utterly incapable of comprehending what stood before him. All he could do was attribute it to Ancestor Tingyou being some sort of miracle. Yet the moment such a thought arose, the heart demon transferred onto him by Heaven-Bearing True Lord Zhengde intensified. What the hell was he even fighting for anymore?

He had no time to think further.

For before Ancestor Tingyou’s words even finished echoing, his figure had already taken a step forward. At the same moment, another divine ability flared to life, unfurling a vast curtain of goose-feather snow that reached sky and sun alike.

【Solemn Profound Frost】!

This was a 【Xin Metal】 divine ability—astonishingly, one of Ancestor Tingyou’s innate talents. And now, when unleashed, it was far more formidable than when Lü Yang had once used it!

In that instant, countless snowflakes whirled through the sky, freezing all within their reach. Spiritual qi, spells, divine arts—all fell silent under its chill. Even the invincible 【Sword Intent】 dulled its edge. The storm gathered and converged, about to envelop the sword-bearing youth and turn him into an ice sculpture.

Fortunately, the youth’s reaction was swift.

Clang! Clang!

With a ringing sword cry, he finally raised the long sword in his hands. The blade tore through the storm of snow and, in a flash of insight, cleaved once more toward Ancestor Tingyou!

【Heaven-Bearing Ascension to the Profound Observation Sword】!

‘That’s… a True Treasure!’

Lü Yang’s eyes blazed with fervor.

The wealth of Heaven-Bearing True Lord Zhengde was clearly even deeper than that of the luckless Hong Yun who had suffered for five thousand years—he had actually equipped his incarnate body with a True Treasure!

Almost simultaneously, divine light burst from the sword-bearing youth’s body.

【Qi Concealed Entirely】!

This was a divine ability Lü Yang had never seen before. It seemed to belong to 【Xin Metal】, yet it also harmonized with 【Chou Earth】, carrying a sense of sealing and containment.

In an instant, the radiance of heaven and earth dimmed. All flows of qi vanished. The once awe-inspiring duel between True Persons suddenly transformed into a mere contest of mortal strength, as if in a rustic village square—except one of them had wielded the sword arts for a thousand years, while the other stood barehanded.

All qi hidden—mysteries unseen!

In such a state, only 【Sword Intent】, which transcended all divine abilities, could decide victory or defeat. It was clearly a meticulously prepared killing strike!

Crack!

In a flash, Ancestor Tingyou’s robe was torn open. Yet in that fleeting instant, his fingertips ignited a spark of starlight.

He pinched a seal, chanted an incantation, and pointed to the heavens.

Dang!

His finger flicked forward, striking the sword’s edge that hovered a hair’s breadth away. In that instant, boundless mud and water surged forth, suppressing and sealing away the sword’s frigid gleam.

【Decree of Moving Mountains and Shifting Peaks True Law】!

This technique, preserved by the Holy Sect, specialized in suppression and sealing. Now, Ancestor Tingyou used it purely as an emergency measure—to avoid being cut in half in a single stroke.

Boom!

The next moment, the sword-bearing youth’s strike landed squarely on Ancestor Tingyou, sending him flying back and staggering several steps upon landing.

Yet upon seeing this, the youth’s face showed not triumph but a deep, iron-blue gloom. He had aimed to kill Ancestor Tingyou in one blow—but at the most critical instant, his opponent had locked the sword’s edge, turning a slash into a smash. The result? Merely a red mark!

‘No matter what—press the advantage!’

The youth’s mind turned sharply. He would never waste such a golden opportunity. Stepping forward, he shattered the muddy seal coating his sword.

But just as he was about to unleash his second strike—

Suddenly, the 【Qi Concealed Entirely】 seal was torn apart by an overwhelming surge of force. Mystical powers returned in full bloom, and a cold, majestic sword light reappeared!

【Tribulation-Pass Wave】!

【Proclaiming Might】!

‘Damn it—two against one?!’

Forced to halt his motion, the youth’s expression grew strained and indignant. He focused entirely on Ancestor Tingyou, completely forgetting Lü Yang.

Meanwhile, Lü Yang remained utterly unbothered.

‘We demonic heretics—what martial virtue do we need to talk about with you?’

‘Ancestor, let’s strike together!’

At that moment, Ancestor Tingyou also shattered the 【Qi Concealed Entirely】 seal upon himself, his expression turning oddly exhilarated—an inexplicable thrill in his heart.

The style of the Holy Sect—when one stood against it, it could make one feel utterly suffocated, as if choking on a lump of bitterness. Yet fighting alongside it was an entirely different matter. Being on the receiving end of shamelessness could drive one mad—but wielding such shamelessness oneself was exhilarating.

Rumble!

The next instant, Lü Yang’s long-prepared 【Tribulation-Pass Wave】 pierced straight into the youth’s brow, torrents of sword light surging forth with a roar!

『Newly Forged Dao-Plume Nirvana Sword Art』!

The sword light fell like a collapsing mountain, smashing down upon the youth. With a thunderous crash, streams of flame scattered, and boiling spiritual qi exploded all around.

Seeing this, the sword-bearing youth was not shocked but elated. ‘You dare to clash with me head-on, knowing that I hold a True Treasure? Even if my 【Heaven-Bearing Ascension to the Profound Observation Sword】 is an art sword empowered by divine abilities and not a mere weapon of war, no trivial spirit treasure’s sword light could rival it. This time, you’ve brought ruin upon yourself!’

But soon, his expression began to change.

For no matter how he poured his mana into the sword, he could not disperse the enveloping sword light. On the contrary, it grew ever stronger with each passing breath!

Because within it resided 【Sword Intent】—like grass upon the boundless plain.

Endless, unceasing, and eternally alive.

“You…” The sword-bearing youth’s expression shifted slightly as disbelief flickered in his eyes. “Could it be… you’re a True Person of my Sword Pavilion!?”

Lü Yang said nothing, merely pressing his sword downward with all his might.

In contrast, the sword-bearing youth’s sword light grew steadily dimmer, his divine power fading away. The balance shifted—one rising, one falling—until finally, a rift split open in the youth’s defense!

Crack!

In the next instant, the sword light broke through in full force!

Almost at the same time, Ancestor Tingyou had recovered his strength. Channeling his divine art, he unleashed 【Solemn Profound Frost】, filling the heavens with a storm of snow as sharp and cold as flying blades.

“You want to kill me? Foolish dream!”

Even now, the sword-bearing youth remained calm. He pushed the 【Heaven-Bearing Ascension to the Profound Observation Sword】 to its utmost limit and traced a light stroke beneath his feet.

He cultivated the 【Wall Earth】 fruit position—its imagery represented “qi residing in closure, things hidden within”—a mystic art of concealment and isolation, severing the inner from the outer. Now, infused with the power of the True Treasure 【Heaven-Bearing Ascension to the Profound Observation Sword】, he drew a prison upon the earth—a single sword stroke splitting heaven and abyss!

Lü Yang’s sword light and Ancestor Tingyou’s divine art were both cut off completely!

All the forces that struck toward him were swallowed by that single abyssal fissure. Though it looked no wider than a fingertip, it might as well have stretched across the edge of the world.

Strictly speaking, this had already half stepped beyond the Foundation Establishment realm.

It was the fruit power of the Wall Earth position!

When Heaven-Bearing True Lord Zhengde had crafted this incarnated vessel for him, he had deliberately sealed away a portion of this power as a life-preserving trump card for such a critical moment.

‘With such divine power, who could possibly kill me?’

The sword-bearing youth sneered inwardly, waiting for Lü Yang and Ancestor Tingyou to exhaust themselves after their futile strikes, at which point he would seize the moment and reverse his losses in one move.

But in the next second—he froze.

Though Lü Yang’s and Ancestor Tingyou’s attacks had indeed been blocked, leaving only a few shallow scratches on his body, a wordless dread suddenly rose in his heart.

Within his body, the golden nature inherited from Heaven-Bearing True Lord Zhengde began to scream warnings.

‘This is…!?’

Before the sword-bearing youth could react, an invisible image descended from the void. His vision blurred, and for an instant, he felt himself transformed into a dying True Dragon.

What met his eyes were the figures of True Lords from every lineage—

A thousand cuts and slices, his flesh devoured by the masses.

【Dragon-Flaying Platform】!

As the first sword light cleaved into his dharma body, the situation unraveled like an avalanche. His entire form began to collapse!

Puchi!

The sound of tearing flesh rang out again and again. Scalding blood spurted wildly, and in the blink of an eye, the sword-bearing youth was reduced to a miserable, blood-drenched figure.

Amid the crimson haze, one silhouette stood out with perfect clarity—

Ancestor Tingyou.

‘For the Witch Ghost Path… vengeance!’

This final Sect Master of the Witch Ghost Path—who had always maintained a calm, cultured composure before Lü Yang—now wore a ferocious snarl, his face twisted with killing intent.

In that moment, there was no divine art, no technique.

Just a punch.

A solid, merciless punch that landed squarely on the sword-bearing youth’s face, smashing his features askew and sending him hurtling through the air—yet his heart shone with sudden clarity.

‘In time to come, my true body may die by his hand…’

The thought flashed and vanished. The next instant, the youth’s already ravaged body could no longer withstand Ancestor Tingyou’s blow—it exploded midair!

‘Uncle Master… Master… Senior Sister… Junior Brothers…’

A thousand emotions surged within Ancestor Tingyou. Countless thoughts raced through his mind as the fury of a millennium found joyous release at last.

Rumble!

The power of incense faith dissipated, and Ancestor Tingyou’s spirit relaxed utterly. Brilliant divine radiance surged over his body as a fifth divine art illuminated his frame—

He had directly restored himself to the peak of Foundation Establishment!