Chapter Eighty-Eight: Clash of Sword Intent, A Deadly Predicament

Boom!

This sword seemed to slice through a real ocean wave, the terrifying force splitting it in half as it crashed forward, leaving a strip of dry land between.

“Excellent!” The man with dragon horns could not help but exclaim, a serious look appearing in his eyes as he moved.

He began to wield his sword on his own, conjuring streaks of blue-white sword light in the air, gradually weaving together a sword-dragonfish identical to himself. It rolled and tumbled, mimicking the playful movements of fish in water.

To the onlookers, it was as if an illusion unfolded before their eyes—they found themselves amid a boundless sea, where a dragonfish sought to transform into a true dragon, endlessly bursting from the surface, aspiring to soar.

Though the dragonfish clan possessed a faint trace of dragon blood, granting them exceptional talent and making them nobility among water dwellers, they remained, in essence, fish. To become a dragon was a near-impossible feat!

The act was almost laughable, yet his will was as steadfast as iron, unshakeable. For that reason, an indomitable spirit surged forth—a refusal to accept being merely a fish, a yearning to ascend as a dragon—captivating all.

“This is... sword intent!” Behind, Mi Tianjian was shocked, murmuring to himself.

Han Chong had not expected that among the vengeful spirits, such a demon existed, one who had already touched the threshold of sword intent!

A sword without intent is like a host of dragons without a leader, lacking cohesion and, consequently, power.

At that moment, the sword-dragonfish suddenly leapt skyward, its mouth agape in a silent dragon’s roar, plunging down toward Han Chong like a falling star from the heavens—sharper and fiercer than the descent of the iron-shark demon commander before.

Han Chong’s expression was as calm as water. So this was the power of sword intent. Though the dragonfish demon commander was formidable, he had not yet reached the rank of the nine great vengeful spirits, and yet could manifest such a swordfish—truly astonishing!

Watching the entire process of sword intent unfold, Han Chong gained some insight. Perhaps the Demon-Slaying Sword Technique and Azure Dragon Sword Technique could also possess sword intent.

But the Demon-Slaying Sword Technique was too profound; he had only recently begun to study it. The Azure Dragon Sword Technique, though immensely powerful and similar in essence to the technique used by his opponent, required more preparation time.

With no other choice, Han Chong’s body was clad in cold, silver armor; he gripped the dark celestial sword, furrowed his brow, and leapt into the air, slashing upward with all his strength.

At the same time, his avatar appeared beneath him, channeling energy ceaselessly, striving to imitate the sword intent of the dragonfish and condensing a green sword serpent.

A trace of sword intent sprouted in Han Chong’s heart. As the image of the azure dragon riding clouds and mist reappeared in his mind, it quickly grew and flourished, diverging from the dragonfish’s unwillingness to remain a mere fish, embodying instead an unyielding will against the heavens.

In truth, every swordsman who attains sword intent does so through different experiences and mindsets, leading to vastly different insights and perceptions.

Han Chong’s previous comprehension of the Azure Dragon Sword Technique had come as he awakened within the net of vengeful souls, then condensed a sword aura serpent to break through, naturally planting in his heart a spirit of resistance, a refusal to yield to heaven.

Only at that time, he had just acquired the sword technique and knew nothing of sword intent. Now, triggered by the dragonfish’s sword intent, his own had grown dramatically!

A sharp crack echoed overhead—the falling swordfish flexed its tail like a carp, knocking Han Chong’s celestial sword from his grasp. It crashed to the ground, gouging a deep pit, dust billowing.

The dragonfish was about to charge downward once more, but a surge of fear—so intense it was terrifying—rose from deep within its bloodline.

Though Han Chong’s avatar’s sword aura was limited by his insufficient realm and shallow comprehension, it remained only a serpent.

Yet, within it was mingled the azure dragon’s unyielding will, and so a mysterious pressure swept upward, startling and stopping the sword-dragonfish!

Nearby, the dragonfish demon commander’s hair stood on end, while the iron-shark demon commander felt nothing.

The reason was simple: this ancient dragon might’s legacy was beyond the iron-shark’s ability to sense, but the dragonfish demon commander felt the fear of the swordfish as keenly as his own!

Finally, Han Chong’s avatar’s sword serpent took shape. Though only five yards long, it was more agile than before, as if truly alive, its eyes matching Han Chong’s own, filled with unyielding spirit!

Above, the swordfish, forced by the dragonfish demon commander, reluctantly charged downward, already defeated in spirit.

The green serpent rose, twisting upward like a swimming dragon, plunging headfirst into the dragonfish’s mouth.

A tooth-grinding, grating sound echoed through the air as the sword aura serpent burrowed entirely into the fish’s belly, the latter contorting and swelling to twice its size.

A bulge appeared, crashing against the sides of the fish’s abdomen.

At last, a ripping sound was heard—the serpent’s head burst from the fish’s belly, swiftly coiling around it, tearing and devouring it bite by bite until nothing remained.

The dwarf and iron-shark were terrified, fleeing without hesitation, each using their supernatural powers. The dragon-horned man clenched his fists, hesitated briefly, then followed.

“Where do you think you’re going!” Han Chong rose from the pit, sword in hand, chasing them down. He stabbed the slowest iron-shark demon commander in the belly, twisting viciously—blood and scales flying.

The iron-shark only managed a few agonized struggles before falling limp on the sword, lifeless.

The dwarf ghost commander and dragonfish demon commander glanced back, shocked and enraged.

The former flapped his bat wings wildly, trailing ghostly smoke as he fled. The dragon-horned man transformed into his dragonfish form, plunging into the lake, vanishing without a trace.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have slain an iron-shark demon commander! You have reached the third stage of the mid-phase of Qi Refinement and Spirit Transformation. Your current energy value is 5,242,880 points!]

Under the effect of the God-Slaying Life Pursuit Curse, the host’s lifespan has dropped to sixty-two percent!

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have gained a skill point. You may select a new skill or upgrade an existing one!]

The iron-shark demon corpse’s essence blood was drained away by the Bloodshadow Serpent, and the avatar returned to Han Chong’s back, merging into his body.

Standing alone atop a peak, sword in hand and eyes closed, Han Chong’s invincible presence terrified thousands of demons and ghosts into fleeing; the entire manor island was restored to peace.

...

Yet, just as Han Chong relaxed, exhausted and weary, a jet-black light shot out from within the celestial sword, instantly plunging into Han Chong’s brain, into the palace of the mud pill.

Possession!

A terrifying word flashed through Han Chong’s mind—it was the Demon Lord!

This fiend truly knew how to choose his moment. But why did the power of merit within him not block this?

He instantly focused himself and entered the mud pill palace, where the Demon Lord’s form was already taking shape, yet not a trace of demonic aura clung to him, appearing as a pure soul. No wonder the power of merit did not react.

This fiend was cunning—first wounded and hidden within the celestial sword, then waited for the sword to be freed and acquired by Han Chong, and finally, at his moment of exhaustion, abandoned his demonic cultivation and launched an assault straight for the heart!

“Jie jie jie, boy, your flesh is superb. I’ve been eyeing it greedily. Time to take over your nest—wahahaha!”

The Demon Lord laughed, hands on hips, about to pounce upon Han Chong’s soul sphere.

“Despicable! Never!” Han Chong shouted in rage and alarm. This fiend was utterly abhorrent!

But now, his soul remained a sphere, while the other’s soul was not only condensed in form but ten times larger—this was a battle he was doomed to lose!

Possession is the greatest calamity for any cultivator. No matter how long you have cultivated, how many powers or treasures you possess, when possessed, all is lost.

If the soul is devoured, one will not reincarnate, a fate far worse than death in a duel.