Chapter 1777 – Strongest Beneath The Top Ten
Chapter 1777 – Strongest Beneath The Top Ten
The phoenix cry from Zhang Yu’s body echoed incessantly, and his aura seemed to have been unsealed and began to rise rapidly. His body became red under the high temperature, accompanying this boost in his aura. Runes also began to appear on the surface of his body, and white smoke rose from the ground.
When Lin Yun looked at the ground, he realized that the high temperature was melting it.
“Scarlet Flame Cauldron!” Zhang Yu unleashed his trump card, executing the second form of the Divine Flame Fist, and the power of this attack was infinitely close to the limit of ghost spirit martial techniques.
His body was like a cauldron, and his dragon origin was the molten iron, using his Flame Intent to ignite his blood. When his physique reached the limit, his body felt like it would blow apart at any time. As he unleashed a ferocious roar, he released thirty-six punches.
Each punch was like a golden fireball, with thirty-six fireballs streaking across the horizon like meteorites dragging a long trail of flames. They had constructed into some sort of ancient mark. As the mark radiated brightly, the thirty-six fireballs combined into one, unleashing a massive aura.
This had a wide area of attack, enveloping the entire stage and not giving Lin Yun a chance to dodge unless he left the Thunderblood Battlefield. But if that was the case, this meant he had conceded.
A blazing aura swept out when the mark shone brightly, putting the entire Thunderblood Square at a high temperature. Everyone in the square was sweating profusely, and they couldn’t isolate the heat even if they covered themselves with their dragon origin. This made everyone feel as though they were being baked.
“Hmph. Lin Xiao, I prepared this strongest attack for the top ten. It cannot be dodged or destroyed even if you find the flaw. Let me see how you take this one!” Zhang Yu yelled, looking like a madman.
He knew very well that Lin Yun’s cultivation was only at the seventh-pulse Dragon Pulse Realm, but his swordsmanship was strong and his sword intent was terrifying. As long as Zhang Yu revealed even the slightest flaw, Lin Yun would seize it and keep widening it until even the most powerful trump card collapsed. That was why Lin Yun could fight across realms despite his low cultivation.
But Lin Yun’s expression didn’t show the slightest fear. In fact, it didn’t change at all.
“It looks like you don’t understand me, nor do you understand swordsmen. A swordsman who only knows how to look for flaws will never become a top swordsman. Every swordsman has his own invincible heart, and I’m no exception!”
As soon as he finished speaking, his majestic sword intent soared into the sky.
Lin Yun fused his Azure Dragon Intent with his sword intent. In that instant, the overwhelming sword intent distorted the space around him, causing ripples visible to the naked eye.
When his sword intent resounded endlessly like a dragon’s roar, Lin Yun took a step forward. He didn’t try to play any tricks. Facing the thirty-six fireballs falling from the sky, he swung his sword.
There was nothing fancy about this sword. It relied purely on his powerful Azure Dragon Sword Intent and his own cultivation. But this incomparably powerful sword intent forcefully pushed Lin Yun’s aura past the shackles of the seventh-pulse Dragon Pulse Realm, and it continued soaring until it was close to the Samsara Edict Realm.
This sword was unbelievably fast and earth-shatteringly strong. Even the battlestage soaked in saint blood seemed to tremble in fear. Lin Yun’s long hair danced wildly, and his brows radiated sharpness.
The momentum of his sword brought the artistic conception of the Scarlet Flame Cauldron to the verge of collapse.
Bang!
As the sword ray flashed past, a flawless crack split through the thirty-six fireballs.
Zhang Yu was sent flying by the sword ray. He spat out a mouthful of blood and flew out of the Thunderblood Battlestage.
The fireballs in the sky fell one after another, causing the ground to tremble incessantly, and the aftershocks splashed out like scalding molten iron. But Lin Yun didn’t move. Whenever these terrifying aftershocks came within ten meters of him, they were repelled by the momentum of his sword.
“Heavenly Dome Sword Intent?”
“I’m not mistaken, right? That just now seemed to be the Heavenly Dome Sword Intent…”
“It looks like it, but it also doesn’t. It looks more like he fused his Azure Dragon Intent with the Quasi-Heavenly Dome Sword Intent and unleashed the power of the Heavenly Dome Sword Intent at lesser mastery.”
“This guy is a monster. With his talent, why did he even bother with the Nirvana Banquet?”
After a brief silence, an uproar broke out in the Thunderblood Square, and everyone was greatly shaken.
Heavenly Dome Sword Intent!
Grasping the Heavenly Dome Sword Intent at the Dragon Pulse Realm was like something out of a myth, and it felt unreal. Even if they took a step back and assumed that he had only reached it by fusing two intents, it was still astonishing enough. Like a storm, all sorts of discussions swept across the Thunderblood Square.
In the holy lands’ pavilion, the Snow Master Lord looked at the Autumn Mountain Lord in surprise and said, “Is that really the Heavenly Dome Sword Intent? If it is, his talent in the sword dao would be considered top-tier even in Heaven Severing City and Sword Hiding Villa.”
The Autumn Mountain Lord shook his head. “It doesn’t look like it. It should just be a pseudo-Heavenly Dome Sword Intent. He achieved this effect by fusing his Azure Dragon Intent with his Quasi-Heavenly Dome Sword Intent. But I estimate that his Azure Dragon Intent is at the peak of the fourth grade.”
“Peak of the fourth grade!”
The expressions of the Four Young Masters of Heavenly Domain City gradually turned solemn.
The leading figures of the other holy lands also frowned slightly. This Lin Xiao had appeared out of nowhere and caught them off guard. At first, they had looked down on him from on high, thinking that he was just another prodigy. They never expected that even Zhang Yu would lose, and the strength he had displayed made it impossible for them not to take him seriously.
The Wind Edge Lord’s brows were furrowed in particular, and his expression changed unpredictably. Back at the West Garden Banquet, he hadn’t even placed this person in his eyes. How long had it been? And his edge had already become so terrifying.
The Heavenly Dao Sect’s Xiao Yuanqi suddenly smiled. “Wind Edge Lord, you don’t look too good. You’re not worried that Lin Xiao will challenge you, are you?”
The Wind Edge Lord raised his eyes and smiled. “I’d be happy to make a move and let him know what it means to be a frog at the bottom of a well. There isn’t a single swordsman in the top ten of the Dragon Pulse Ranking.”
On the Thunderblood Battlestage, Lin Yun sheathed his sword. His white robe was spotless.
Zhang Yu, who had been defeated, was in an extremely sorry state. When he saw that Lin Yun was completely unharmed, he got so worked up that he spat out another mouthful of blood. Just a moment ago, he had boasted that he would defeat his opponent within one move. But the slap to his face came too quickly. Lin Yun had forcefully shattered his trump card, giving him one resounding slap after another.
“How could I lose to someone who plays the zither? This doesn’t make sense. I’m an elite of a holy land, and he’s only first on the Nirvana Banquet…” Zhang Yu muttered to himself, looking wretched and lost.
“Zhang Yu, hurry up and come back. Stop deceiving yourself.” Ji Lingfeng said coldly.
He had known from the start that Zhang Yu would lose. It was only because Zhang Yu was so persistent and insisted on another move that he couldn’t forcefully stop him. Seeing him so dispirited now was simply too embarrassing.
“Heh, can’t the Divine Phoenix Mountain afford to lose?” The Heavenly Flame Sect’s Yan Chihuo sneered softly.
The Ming Cult’s Yu Wenxiu also looked at Ji Lingfeng strangely, with a hint of mockery.
“If Zhang Yu lost, then he lost. It’s not like the holy lands’ geniuses can never lose. Don’t let outsiders look down on us.” The Divine Dao Pavilion’s Lin Qingyang said.
He was very low-profile and hadn’t said much from the start until now. But when he suddenly spoke, he used the mental power in his soul palace, and his voice seemed to carry a magical power that gradually calmed Zhang Yu down.
Ji Lingfeng glanced over and heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you for your help, Brother Lin.”
Zhang Yu had actually become somewhat obsessed. If his emotions weren’t stabilized in time, it might turn into a heart demon in the future, which would be a huge problem. By speaking up, Lin Qingyang had spared Zhang Yu from future trouble. Lin Qingyang merely nodded and didn’t say anything else.
After Zhang Yu left the stage, Lin Yun remained standing on the Thunderblood Battlestage with no intention of stepping down. He had already won three consecutive battles, and none of the three were weak. In fact, each was stronger than the last. Zhang Yu in particular was already a ruthless figure in the top fifty of the Dragon Pulse Ranking, part of the most monstrously talented group in the entire Eastern Desolation.
“He’s not stepping down? What is he trying to do?”
“Could it be that he wants to challenge the top ten of the Dragon Pulse Ranking? Isn’t that a bit too arrogant?”
“He’s too full of himself. Any one of the top ten can easily crush him. That’s no longer just a gap in cultivation.”
Seeing that Lin Yun had no intention of stepping down, many people became angry. He was first on the Nirvana Banquet and had already stolen the limelight. Instead of quitting while he was ahead, he still wanted to keep fighting. Wasn’t he looking down on the Martial Dao Tea Party?
Lin Yun did stay on the stage because he wanted to challenge the top ten. He wanted to see just how strong he was at his limit. Besides that, he also sensed a powerful fighting spirit.
That fighting spirit came from the youngest of the top ten on the Dragon Pulse Ranking, the Myriad Lightning Sect’s Yi Feng.
Yi Feng was a monstrous genius whose fame had soared over the past two years. He was only in his twenties, yet his reputation was closing in on that of Ji Lingfeng, first on the Dragon Pulse Ranking. After Lin Yun defeated Zhang Yu, Yi Feng had shown an intense fighting spirit and was itching to try. The fighting spirit in his eyes burned like flames.
But in the end, he was stopped by his senior brother. His senior brother was very calm. Yi Feng had come to fight for first place, so there was no need for him to reveal himself against Lin Yun. Besides, making a move against Lin Yun would be lowering himself.
Lin Yun was slightly disappointed. Just as he was considering whether to take the initiative and challenge the Wind Edge Lord, a terrifying chill suddenly rose on the Thunderblood Battlestage.
A black figure silently descended. The newcomer was dressed entirely in black and held a long sword in his right hand. He possessed an incomparably sharp sword momentum, and a baleful aura visible to the naked eye permeated from him. Just one look at him was enough to send a chill down one’s spine.
“You defeated a mere Zhang Yu and want to challenge the top ten of the Dragon Pulse Ranking? Lin Xiao, aren’t you looking down on us too much? Do you really think the Martial Dao Tea Party is the Nirvana Banquet?”
The newcomer stared at Lin Yun and spoke with a hint of anger. He was Yan Tie, from a certain sword sect in the Heavenly Domain’s Evil Sea, and one of the three great swordsmen on the Dragon Pulse Ranking.
The other two great swordsmen were the Wind Swordsman and the Cloud Swordsman. The three of them were known as the strongest beneath the top ten of the Dragon Pulse Ranking. In the eyes of many at this Martial Dao Tea Party, all three had the strength to challenge the top ten, and they had a great chance of succeeding.
He was seventeenth on the Dragon Pulse Ranking, a few years older than Zhang Yu, and much stronger as well.
“The Azure Dragon Intent is, in the end, just a variation of the wind and thunder intents. We’re both swordsmen, so you don’t have many secrets in front of me.”
Yan Tie was disdainful of Lin Yun. Others thought Lin Yun was amazing and somewhat unfathomable, but to Yan Tie, this was normal. Swordsmen were naturally like this: sharp-edged and always pressing forward. There was nothing unusual about fighting across realms.