The White Bone Relic was a skull the size of a bushel basket. Once Qian Chen hurled it out, its lower jaw clattered open and shut without ceasing, emitting all manner of eerie demonic sounds charged with a chilling, merciless demonic will. The sight of something so overtly sinister not only startled Sword Immortal Yan and Daoist Zhiqiu, but even General Lang took it with great seriousness.
The moment the White Bone Relic entered the blood river, nearly half the blood souls swarmed to entangle it.
The bloody light erupting from the wolf demon surged even more furiously. What had begun as a flowing river of blood had thickened beyond dispersion, boiling dark red like molten magma as countless bubbles welled from its depths. The surfaces of the bubbles distorted constantly before finally taking the shape of human heads.
Those heads wailed and howled furiously—screams of wrath, bewilderment, violence, despair, madness, terror, anguish, unbearable agony, horrific tragedy, heartbreaking grief, and bone-deep hatred that drove anyone who heard them near madness. Among them were mothers calling for their children, wives for their husbands, grandparents for their grandchildren, some begging for mercy, others pleading for their loved ones...
Birth, old age, sickness, death, meeting the hated, parting from the beloved, failing to obtain what was sought... all transformed into the blazing torment of the Five Aggregates, scorching the hearts of those who listened.
Countless bloody silhouettes intertwined, dragging the White Bone Relic toward that sea of blood and severed heads. Qian Chen gave full rein to the relic's ferocity, letting the fiend unleash its madness and thrash inside the blood sea. Meanwhile, he pointed a finger toward the rafters, where a spiritual precious mirror suddenly flared with dazzling brilliance. Its focused beam pierced the sea of blood and shone directly upon the struggling sword pill and Black Gold Baleful Hook.
Qian Chen shouted, "Brother Yan, follow the spiritual light and recall your sword pill!"
Sword Immortal Yan gave a long, hearty laugh and leapt into the air, plunging into the beam. With the mirror's aid temporarily piercing the blood river formation and the White Bone Relic drawing away most of its power, the sword pill flared its brilliance and abruptly divided into six, slashing downward to sever the entanglement of vengeful souls.
Following the beam of light, the sword pill shot forth and merged into one with Scholar Yan.
Sword Immortal Yan's true essence washed over the pill, instantly cleansing away the tarnish and foul filth so it blazed with light once more. Qian Chen seized the opening to retrieve his Black Gold Baleful Hook and cleanse it with his true qi. He unhooked the gourd from his waist, chewed a mouthful of spiritual spring water and spirit pills together into medicinal fluid, mixed it with his golden nectar and jade dew, and sprayed it onto the hook.
The hook blazed with intense light, its bloody foulness entirely expunged and its power temporarily surging by thirty percent.
"Sweep away misfortune, ferry all on the immortal barge. Scale the heavens and cross the seas, fleeting as a shadow, hidden from sight. Summon spirits to the void, command the directions afar, thunder and lightning, swift as a flashing bolt... Sword Light Differentiation, dispatch!" Scholar Yan roared.
Simultaneously, he sent a secret voice transmission to Qian Chen: "Little brother, attach your sword light behind my sword pill..."
"Your manipulation of the sword light is far too rigid. Follow my sword intent in a moment and harmonize your sword light through this method—the sword means resolution, severing. Internally, one must sever the seven emotions and cut away mortal breath, so that the three inner treasures may blend into pure yang—this is the internal Foundation Building of swordsmanship, making the inner core unblocked and steadfast. Externally, one must cast away despair and sever sound and traces, augmented by the marvelous variations of stances, practiced day and night, so that the three outer treasures become unified..."
Sword Immortal Yan swiftly recited the general outline of the sword mnemonic in several hundred words using the method of true words, blending his own sword intent into it to guide Qian Chen's spirit.
As a disciple of Louguan Dao, Qian Chen lacked superior sword mnemonics, whether from the Louguan true transmission he knew as the Dao Dust Pearl or the inheritances left by the Daoist Scriptures of Geng Yuanzi. Thus, while his Daoist arts and alchemy were exquisite, he lacked depth in the sword. Hearing this Supreme Clarity true mnemonic now, the obscure aspects of his sword dao vanished in an instant.
He channeled his sword light according to the method, attaching it behind Scholar Yan's sword pill.
At the same time, Qian Chen converted the emerald elixir qi hidden behind his head into pure Nine Heavens Pure Spiritual True Qi and channeled it secretly into Yan's sword pill.
The true qi of the two blended seamlessly—the profound mystery of Grand Clarity and Supreme Clarity uniting as the Three Purities.
With Qian Chen's true qi bolstering it, Sword Immortal Yan's sword light swelled further. He glanced back deeply at Qian Chen, his eyes filled with astonishment that said, *Fellow Daoist, you hid yourself so deeply.* Yet his expression remained impassive, everything understood in unspoken accord.
To break the deadlock, Qian Chen had willingly taken a risk. And only because Sword Immortal Yan was willing to lead his sword light into battle did Qian Chen have the chance to lend secret support.
As their sword lights merged, Sword Immortal Yan laughed aloud, his surging aura piercing the sky with matchless dominance. Once the sword momentum mounted to its peak, he leaped forward, merging once more with his sword. The light became a vast rainbow, cleaving straight toward the blood river with reckless abandon.
Like lightning tearing through the void, crisscrossing sword rays instantly annihilated endless bloody silhouettes.
The surging, tumultuous river of blood—with its undulating bloody light and tangled vengeful souls—was suddenly cleaved in two, a rift ten li long splitting across it. A breath later, rolling thunder echoed through the ten directions, rumbling on without end.
Beneath Heavenly Baleful Peak, all four quarters were shaken.
"Sword Qi Thunderous Roar!" someone in the distance murmured in a daze, watching the electric arc rip across the sky like lightning tearing through the dark.
"Sword Qi Thunderous Roar!" a young woman in pale ink-green robes murmured softly, leaning against a large yellow rooster as she watched the distant sword light.
"To think it is the Sword Qi Thunderous Roar..." An ordinary, inconspicuous man pondered for a moment. "The mission has only just begun, yet there is already a fellow Daoist capable of executing such terrifying, awe-inspiring swordcraft. What kind of formidable enemy could have forced him to use it? The momentum of this mission looks grim. I must prepare several more Lesser Teleportation Arrays... enough to flee several thousand li in a single breath, at least."
With that thought, the ordinary-looking cultivator stood up to arrange the teleportation arrays.
The moment the blood river was cleaved, blood sprayed from the wolf demon general's seven orifices. Bloody light gushed from his two crimson eyes as he let out a hoarse shriek of agony. "What kind of sword technique is this... Are you descendants of those seven?" His tone was filled with sheer panic. Taking advantage of the opening, Daoist Zhiqiu had already finished tracing his vermilion glyphs, clapping his hands together to strike with a divine talisman.
That burst of divine light, harboring the divine power of True Martial, struck while the wolf demon was severely wounded, nearly knocking its demonic core straight out.
Crimson lifebound demonic qi spewed from its mouth and nose, and its eyeballs bulged. The White Bone Relic seized the chance to lunge forward, swallowing half the severed blood river. The vicious White Bone Fiend gaped wide and tore into it, ripping away flesh and bone until it nearly burrowed into the wolf demon's chest. Qian Chen could have used the Five Poisons Divine Fiend to take its life on the spot, but he held back.
Though Zhiqiu saw the situation turning in their favor, he honored his promise and released the tiny bell, letting it flee.
Flying over to regroup with Sword Immortal Yan and Qian Chen, he thought to himself, *Though this fellow Daoist is covered in blood and dressed somewhat strangely, he proves surprisingly dependable at a critical juncture. Fellow Daoist Zhou, on the other hand, appeared warmhearted, yet... Sigh! A gentleman breaks ties without speaking ill. I have let petty thoughts arise again...*
The bell magical implement indeed sped away without sparing Qian Chen and the others a single glance, turning into a streak of light moving at startling speed.
Yet just as it flew out of the dilapidated Lanruo Temple, a hand reached out from the void and gently pinched the bell. From within, Shaman Zhou cried out in terror, "Fellow Daoist, spare me... In this mission, I am willing to obey your commands! We haven't even chosen our factions yet, so killing me will only..."
With a light squeeze of that hand, the bell crumbled to dust.
A look of solemnity flickered across Qian Chen's face. He sent a secret voice transmission to Sword Immortal Yan: "Brother Yan, lend me a sword!"
Sword Immortal Yan did not question him, simply ceding control of the sword light to Qian Chen. Though heavily wounded, the wolf demon grew even more ferocious—true to the saying that a wounded beast was at its most dangerous. Rolling up the remaining half of the blood river, it poured the gore into its own body, abruptly transforming into a giant wolf thirty yards tall.
It howled toward the moon, drawing down moonlight that merged with its demonic qi to nourish the ghastly wounds across its body.
Qian Chen, Sword Immortal Yan, and Zhiqiu knew that although they had dealt the monster a heavy blow, they had not harmed its foundation. Thus, they did not press the attack. Driving the demon wolf to desperation would be reckless; even ordinary guardian wolf demons possessed blood-escape methods, and if this demon king staked its life to launch a sudden strike against one of them, it would not be difficult... On the surface at least, neither Qian Chen nor Zhiqiu could hope to survive, save for Sword Immortal Yan.
Having reverted to its true form, the demon wolf suddenly spat out its demonic core, drawing upon the moonlight to empower it. Its true form was an exotic breed known as the Moon-Howling Heavenly Wolf, capable of cultivating a Lunar Demonic Core. Unleashing the core beneath moonlight boosted its might by thirty percent.
The core resembled a bright moon, its strike cold enough to freeze all creation.
Its momentum was fierce and unstoppable. Sword Immortal Yan expected Qian Chen to strike and cleave the demonic core, but Qian Chen kept his hand on his sword, unmoving, silently counting down in his heart: *Three... two... one. The time has come!*
The moment the thought crossed Qian Chen's mind, a sudden mutation overtook the White Bone Relic.
The White Bone Fiend's frame swelled violently. Countless bone spikes erupted beneath the skull, extending downward from a cervical vertebra, followed by the spine, then the ribs... In an instant, the White Bone Fiend's divine form was complete. Pouncing with its whole body, it pinned General Lang in place just as his demonic core left him.
Immediately after, three more White Bone Relics plunged from the void a beat later.
The four White Bone Fiends grew to thirty feet tall, grabbing the hundred-foot giant wolf by its four limbs and hoisting it into the air. Only then did a hand press down from the void, lightly resting atop the Moon-Howling Heavenly Wolf's head. A black-robed figure materialized above the giant wolf, five fingers hooked like claws. A large hand of black qi scooped gently through the air, plucking the demonic core from the sky.
"You're finally here!"
Guiding Sword Immortal Yan's sword pill, Qian Chen unleashed another strike of the Sword Qi Thunderous Roar. A vast sweep of sword light rolled forward amidst booming thunder. This time, with Qian Chen directing it, the sword light was only slightly stiffer than the last.
"After waiting so long, I'm finally getting my treasures back!" Miaokong smiled faintly, addressing Qian Chen. "You might not know who I am, nor why you have to die..."
Just then, the blossoming sword light struck without warning, giving him a fright. He had never expected Qian Chen to be so decisive. Facing someone who had suddenly stepped in to subdue his mortal foe, shouldn't Qian Chen have spoken a few words to test the waters? Who sought someone's life the very moment they met?
"...Why the hell am I wasting breath on you? Die in confusion, then! Little treasures, come back to daddy!"
Chapter 84