Chapter 82: Clever Art

Mu Yuan grasped that Mount Shu disciple’s Immortal Sword, his joy immense. However, his momentary distraction controlling the Primordial Qi Grasp allowed the opponent to break free from the Great Reincarnation Sword Formation of the Heavens. Sword Qi threads pierced his body. Thankfully, the Great Purity Qian Flame Divine Thunder possessed vast power, protecting his life.

The man before him appeared extremely young, likely similar in age to Mu Yuan, with refined features. But now, his hair was wild and disheveled, his body stained in many places with blood. His face contorted with savagery. Having his Immortal Sword taken by Mu Yuan, his fury was indescribable. He ignored his wounds, focusing the Great Purity Qian Flame Divine Thunder into a thin line that cracked and sizzled as it shot towards Mu Yuan. Simultaneously, he silently chanted a sword art to recall his sword!

Facing this overwhelming tide of thunder and flame, Mu Yuan didn’t dare slack. Though injured, this disciple hadn’t lost his foundation. Such Mount Shu Thunder Methods were far more potent than those of a sect like Longevity Palace. Luckily, the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force inherently excelled at manipulating thunder and lightning. The condensed Purple Heaven Immortal-Slaying Thunder was tyrannically powerful, blocking the enemy’s attack!

With this Mount Shu disciple recalling his Immortal Sword, despite being bound by the Numinous Jade Belt and Primordial Qi Grasping Hand, locked within the Black Water Gourd, Mu Yuan still felt his Dantian jolt wildly. The Black Water Gourd itself seemed ready to burst from him! Mu Yuan cursed inwardly at its power. He used the Longevity Sword to seal the gourd, finally suppressing it, at least temporarily.

Seeing the Mount Shu disciple look utterly crazed, Mu Yuan felt infinite sympathy. But then he thought, “Better him than me! Why flaunt such a dazzling sword? It disturbed my flawless Dao Heart! To clarify my own Dao state, I had no choice but to steal your sword to round off my state of mind!”

The disciple’s Great Purity Qian Flame Divine Thunder continued battering Mu Yuan’s Dragon King’s Dynamic Force, and he simultaneously unleashed Sword Qi. But wielding an ordinary flying sword now, his combat power had diminished immensely. Mu Yuan simply wrapped the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force around himself, various strange lights flickering. He radiated Purple Heaven Immortal-Slaying Thunder, exploding the surrounding spiritual energy into turbulent waves, appearing rather inattentive.

Seeing his opponent still recklessly charging forward, oblivious to the danger, Mu Yuan lowered his voice. “Fellow Daoist, why be like this? Too much dazzles the eyes. Too much noise deafens the ears. I merely sought to remove the dust on your Dao Heart, to part the dark clouds and let the bright moon shine through. Why not accept this kindness? Why persist in harassing me instead?”

This Mount Shu disciple no longer posed a threat. Mu Yuan mused inwardly that powerful Magical Artifacts truly enhanced fighting strength. This Cultivator had fought him fiercely before. Losing merely one Immortal Sword created this vast gulf. He glanced aside and saw Chu Yunfei still embroiled in a tough battle. Though the Demon Banner was formidable, it couldn’t penetrate the opponent’s Primordial Five-Colored Mirage Light. That disciple was practically a moving tortoise shell! Chu Yunfei tried everything, repeatedly exploding the opponent’s five-colored light, causing it to shimmer intensely, yet was helpless against their deep and thick Zhenqi reserves that constantly replenished it. The disciple occasionally countered with his Flying Sword, giving Chu Yunfei a headache, too!

Mu Yuan experimentally shot out a Purple Heaven Immortal-Slaying Thunder towards the Primordial Five-Colored Mirage Light. It struck, causing the colored light to churn violently, yet still failed to pierce the defense!

“As expected of a technique proclaimed alongside the Great Purity Qian Flame Divine Thunder,” he muttered. “Breaking their defense won’t be simple.”

Mu Yuan’s heart sank slightly. The Mount Shu swordsman fighting Chu Yunfei abruptly soared into the air, speeding towards his own Immortal Sword. Chu Yunfei blocked him high and low, preventing him from closing in. Mu Yuan’s original opponent, realizing reclaiming his sword wouldn’t be easy, instead charged towards his comrade!

“If those two join up, they’ll become troublesome opponents!” Mu Yuan had tasted the Great Purity Qian Flame Divine Thunder and knew its power. Immediately, he unleashed a volley of thunderflame. The Great Reincarnation Sword Formation of the Heavens bloomed densely around the Mount Shu disciple engaged with Chu Yunfei, isolating him from his fleeing ally and stopping their meeting.

Trapping that disciple, Mu Yuan activated the sword formation. Sword light poured down like rain. He wrapped himself in Longevity Sword Qi, enhanced by the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force pulsing with purple radiance, countering the other disciple’s persistent Great Purity Qian Flame Divine Thunder strikes!

The disciple trapped within the Great Reincarnation Sword Formation of the Heavens wasn’t a fierce attacker and couldn’t break Mu Yuan’s formation quickly. Seeing this, Chu Yunfei abandoned his struggle against the swordsman and shot upwards. His Demon Banner unfurled like a dark sky-curtain and whipped towards the Immortal Sword glowing in mid-air. His Profound Yin Gathering Beast Banners and Profound Yin Black Fiend Great Capture surged forward all at once.

Watching Chu Yunfei begin subduing the sword, Mu Yuan remained relaxed. He employed the Brilliant Salvation Curse. Six Talismanic Seals orbited and struck, irritating the Great Purity Qian Flame Divine Thunder user immensely. Whenever he attacked Mu Yuan, clashing hard with the Purple Heaven Immortal-Slaying Thunder, Mu Yuan’s six curses would latch onto him. His Sword Qi couldn’t shred them; he was forced to recall some thunder back for defense. Mu Yuan didn’t pressure him. The other disciple within the sword formation felt equally vexed. His Immortal Sword was being captured; he sensed its struggle. His attempts to break free were consistently blocked by piercing sword light. His Primordial Five-Colored Mirage Light, though immensely defensive, constantly drained his Zhenqi. Mount Shu’s Great Purity Pure Heart Formula cultivated Great Purity Zhenqi, known for purity, not vast reserves. Already strained fighting Chu Yunfei, and now trapped within Mu Yuan’s relentless sword formation, his inner Zhenqi felt stretched thin, inadequate. Panic stirred!

In terms of pure Zhenqi depth, Mu Yuan surpassed everyone present. The Longevity Qi itself was inherently dense and profound. Further bolstered by Tide True Qi, and the Forge Furnace Art integrating both core cultivation methods, Mu Yuan’s Zhenqi reserves vastly exceeded ordinary Cultivators of his level. Furthermore, thanks to a past unique feat, the Longevity Sword functioned as a bridge, linking his Longevity Qi to the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force. Despite the protracted battle, he felt no strain!

Before long, after considerable effort, Chu Yunfei used the Profound Yin Black Fiend Great Capture to temporarily snare that Immortal Sword, pulling it inside his Demon Banner. Seeing Mu Yuan so unbothered, he flew over and asked, “What about these two? Kill them or cripple them?”

Mu Yuan genuinely held no murderous intent towards these two disciples. Everyone had trained hard. They were also from righteous sects. He couldn’t be as ruthlessly decisive as Chu Yunfei. Hearing the question, his thoughts weren’t on punishment but intense curiosity about their techniques!

The Great Purity Qian Flame Divine Thunder was potent, yes, but Mu Yuan wasn’t lacking there; his Purple Heaven Immortal-Slaying Thunder was comparably tyrannical. It was the other technique, the Primordial Five-Colored Mirage Light, that truly fascinated him! Its defensive might was terrifying. To date, Mu Yuan’s treasures mostly comprised swords. The Black Water Gourd stored things but was otherwise useless, a poor defender and a weak attacker. This “gift-wrapped” technique stirred keen envy!

“Let me probe a little first!” Mu Yuan called to Chu Yunfei, instructing him to handle the disciple outside the formation. He then ducked and slipped into the Great Reincarnation Sword Formation of the Heavens!

Watching Mu Yuan walk away so casually, Chu Yunfei cursed inwardly. Immediately, the remaining Mount Shu disciple’s Great Purity Qian Flame Divine Thunder hammered towards him. This pure Yang, immensely potent Thunder Method inflicted severe harm on Profound Yin cultivators. Mu Yuan, a righteous disciple himself, shielded by the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force, a top-tier thunder manipulation art, barely noticed the pressure. Chu Yunfei, however, felt its crushing force instantly! Like Mu Yuan’s Primordial Qi Grasping Hand and Jade Belt being tied up by the captured swords, Chu Yunfei’s Demon Banner and Profound Yin Black Fiend Great Capture were now useless, occupied containing that Immortal Sword. Only a few Profound Yin Gathering Beast Banners and his Yin Element Sword remained. The banners, without the Demon Banner’s amplification, were underwhelming. His swordsmanship also wasn’t top-tier. Instantly, he was hard-pressed!

His Profound Yin Zhenqi discharges scattered instantly upon clashing with the Great Purity Qian Flame Divine Thunder, costing him heavily. Infuriated, Chu Yunfei yelled, “You little wretch! Think I lack Thunder Methods?”

Chu Yunfei inhaled a huge breath of spiritual energy. Thunder-like roars erupted from within his chest. He fiercely threw out several pulsating clusters of thunderflame, glowing in variegated hues: the Profound Yin Sect’s Five Fires Yin Thunder!

Where the Great Purity Qian Flame Divine Thunder destroyed things with pure Yang power, the Five Fires Yin Thunder gathered and concentrated terrestrial Yin evils, embodying the Yin principle. As they collided, one sought annihilation, the other dispersion and deflection. Though Chu Yunfei was disadvantaged, he at least managed to hold back the Mount Shu disciple!

Mu Yuan advanced deep within the Great Reincarnation Sword Formation of the Heavens. In every direction, the formation focused dense Metal Qi energies, unleashing them as howling Sword Qi. Everything was misty and obscured, permeated by fierce Qi. Though Mu Yuan controlled this formation, his actual understanding of it was shallow. He merely copied the arrangement and activation method; the underlying principles remained mysterious to him. He used it to trap or kill enemies, never bothering with deep study. If he ever got caught in an identical formation by an enemy… he’d be truly stuck!

For now, though, he could simply collapse the formation if things got too dangerous. That was his sole fallback plan!

The space inside was vast. Set up externally over merely a few feet, the interior unfolded endlessly. Mu Yuan smiled bitterly. His cultivation of the Primordial Qi Grasping Hand was similar—assembling materials by rote, adjusting Zhenqi accordingly. Modern Cultivators rarely followed the ancient path of meticulous mastery and slow progression. Young practitioners like Mu Yuan, with decent cultivation, often grasped the ‘how’ but not the ‘why’. Finding himself lost within his own formation felt frustratingly inevitable!

A flash of light appeared in the distance! Seeing swirling Sword Qi and drifting strands of five-colored illusory light there, Mu Yuan instantly recognized the Mount Shu disciple’s location. He sped forward!

Although this disciple lacked the Great Purity Qian Flame Divine Thunder ability, he possessed the Primordial Five-Colored Mirage Light for defense. He also employed the Sword Qi Soaring Art, unleashing considerable power. Mu Yuan surveyed the area—Sword Qi crisscrossed savagely and fiercely. He simply willed the attacking formation Sword Qi to vanish, then materialized gracefully before the stunned pupil. Smiling calmly, he addressed him. “Fellow Daoist, how about we talk a deal?”