Chapter 48: A Clash of Mystic Arts

The sword qi not only cleaved the dharma form apart, but also circulated with a sharp intent within it, seeking to destroy Sailatu from the inside out.

Seeing that his sword strike had been successfully executed, Xie Peiling felt not a shred of joy. The opponent’s cultivation realm surpassed his own; it was impossible to dispatch him so easily.

He suspected there was more to the situation than met the eye. Moreover, recalling how Hui Feiran had previously deflected his sword strike, it was clearly not because he had failed to react in time. Coupled with the fact that Sailatu had also struck a blow, it was simply impossible for close comrades fighting a common enemy to behave in such a manner.

Instantly, he trod the constellation steps of the Big Dipper and retreated rapidly. He then chanted an incantation, and billowing thick smoke engulfed the surrounding area.

Hui Feiran, having shattered into countless pieces, reassembled in a flash, actually drawing all that sword qi back into his body and converting it into nourishment to momentarily elevate his strength to a whole new tier.

With a gentle smile, his entire person resembled an unsheathed sword. He extended his right hand, brought his index and middle fingers together, raised them high above his head, and then slashed straight down.

Sailatu’s dharma form reformed once again, hands pressed together, as a fierce gale swept through, revealing Xie Peiling who had been concealed within the thick smoke.

Hui Feiran’s finger was incomparably sharp. The moment Xie Peiling took a step, that sword-finger carved a deep trench into the ground where he had just been standing.

Xie Peiling felt a lingering fear; had he not reacted swiftly, that sword-finger would surely have slain him on the spot.

"Suppress!"

At that moment, the dharma form high above the firmament formed a seal, accompanied by a thunderous roar.

The cloud canopy of this micro-realm seemed to collapse as a golden palm the size of a small mountain materialized, blocking the exact direction where Xie Peiling had just retreated.

With no time to flee, Xie Peiling abruptly halted his advance and countered with "Moonlight's Edge," the very sword technique he had previously used to severely injure Chu Yizhu. In an instant, moonlight bloomed behind him, his blade shining like autumn water. The sword qi pierced straight through the terrace-like palm. Though the sword qi was not completely neutralized, Xie Peiling gritted his teeth and was forced to meet the remaining pressure with a palm strike.

He dropped to one knee and coughed up a mouthful of blood. A massive crater formed with him at its center, dust billowing into the air.

Without a moment's hesitation, enduring the agonizing pain right after blocking the blow, he sensed Hui Feiran’s position and lashed out with a counter-strike sword.

Hui Feiran’s hands, resembling those of a Buddhist vajra, actually seized the blade that Xie Peiling was thrusting toward him. Grasping it tightly, he jerked his hands upward to fling the weapon aside. Then, channeling the crimson sword qi Xie Peiling had previously unleashed, he condensed it into a long sword and thrust it straight back at Xie Peiling.

Xie Peiling let out a muffled groan. As he regained his grip on his long sword, the seven points beneath his feet connected into a single line. Suddenly, it felt as though he were walking across a river of stars; a rising wave eroded his footing, and he instantly materialized a hundred meters away within a glowing bubble.

High in the sky, Sailatu threw a punch toward the spot where Xie Peiling had landed. The violent fist aura pierced right through the starry river mapped out by the seven-star line, utterly peerless.

Xie Peiling extended a hand, and an cyan talisman was pinched between his fingers before he even knew it. Immediately, a barrier materialized before him.

"Crack!"

That punch was immensely powerful. Even behind the barrier, the terrifying pressure forced Xie Peiling to take a few steps back.

Sailatu did not relent. Punch after punch rained down, and soon, stepping back and gathering his strength for a ferocious blow, he struck again. The barrier became riddled with fractures like a shattered mirror, finally bursting apart amid a cacophony of clanging sounds and dissolving into beams of light.

At that moment, Xie Peiling felt as though a thousand mountains and rivers surged within his heart. He softly uttered the incantation of the *Daoist Master's Supreme Taiji Pulsing Profound True Dao Heart Transmission*, and as if standing in absolute harmony with time and place, his single sword strike seemed to stir a blazing sun from beneath the waters, while a flurry of blood-red maple leaves drifted upward.

This sword strike was within Sailatu’s expectations, yet he showed no intention of dodging, throwing another punch instead. Xie Peiling hurriedly tilted his blade, retracting the sharp edge to meet the blow with the flat of the sword.

Realizing something was amiss, Hui Feiran shouted out in warning, "Retreat quickly! Beware of a trick!"

Alas, it was already too late. High-spirited and utterly disinclined to heed anyone's words, Sailatu merely thought Xie Peiling was foolish. Knowing the blade's edge could not harm him, Xie Peiling was apparently trying to leverage the flat of the sword to flip his body over.

To everyone's surprise, amidst the flash of light, a talisman was bound to the flat of the blade. Catching sight of it, Sailatu tried desperately to withdraw, but it was too late. His momentum was too great, and unable to check his advance in time, his body collided directly with the sword.

Thud.

Xie Peiling held his sword with both hands to block the iron fist. The tremendous force dragged his feet across the ground for several meters, leaving a continuous trail of overlapping marks.

The talisman plastered itself onto Sailatu’s body, and a surge of electrical current coursed through him, instantly paralyzing his dharma form where it stood.

Seizing the opportunity, Xie Peiling thrust his sword straight into the chest of the dharma form and wrenched it upward. The space surrounding the blade's edge collapsed violently, and he unleashed another sword technique that pierced right through Sailatu’s true physical body. Just as he attempted to withdraw the weapon, he was grabbed by a hand from within.

Gritting his teeth, Xie Peiling simply abandoned the sword and thrust his hand forward. As the enemy grabbed the hilt, Xie Peiling used his bare hand to brutally tear off one of the adversary's arms, using the recoil to leap backward out of harm's way.

The long sword dropped to the ground.

Having slightly recovered his mobility, Sailatu brought his foot down and crushed the blade to pieces.

Xie Peiling smiled with a sense of release, feeling instantly lighthearted.

Every single fragment of that shattered long sword was actually an ink-stained character, which now glowed a brilliant crimson as a beam of light struck the crown of his head.

Crack!

The dharma form crashed to the ground with a resounding thud.

Overjoyed, Xie Peiling drew another long sword from his robes, raised his head to look in Hui Feiran’s direction, and smiled. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed Hui Feiran wearing an air of serene detachment, unhurriedly remarking:

"I never imagined your so-called grand and righteous path would amount to nothing more than this. We thought you intended to defeat us in a fair fight, but it turns out every turn is fraught with calculation. Only after experiencing the offensive power of that long sword firsthand does one truly understand what kind of slaughter it is capable of."

Xie Peiling calmly replied, "One of your companions is already dead; what more is there to say? What is the meaning of speaking like this? Could you be stalling for time while waiting for reinforcements from your allies?"

Hui Feiran countered, "Then why aren't you attacking? Could it be that you, too, are waiting for your allies?"

"Ah, that reminds me. I recall a certain cultivator from who-knows-where who ruined our grand plan at the City God Temple. Was that person you?"

Xie Peiling said, "If I told you it wasn't me, would you believe it?"

Hui Feiran replied, "Of course I would."

Xie Peiling sneered, "Really?"

Instead of answering, Hui Feiran shifted the topic: "By the way, have you heard a rumor?"

"What rumor?"

"A group of cultivators has joined forces to form an alliance. At their head is an exceptionally beautiful young woman. Her cultivation is formidable, her actions erratic and following only her whims. No one knows when she might turn on them, and no one knows when she might stab someone in the back."