Chapter 185: One Wrong Move, Total Loss
Chapter 185: One Wrong Move, Total Loss
Eleven coffins were brought out one after another, and inside each coffin lay a Temporal Immortal.
“Are you sure about this? I think it might be a trap.”
Chen Xiyi did not mind losing the Temporal Immortals. They were no longer of any use to him, so giving them away meant nothing.
“I have mastered all eleven sword moves. Wandering Light is pushing me forward. I wanted to delay, but I simply couldn’t. Only the final move remains. I must take control of the situation. If things truly become hopeless, I want you to send me away and take care of Mei Niang for me.” Lin Feng looked weary.
A year had passed since Chen Xiyi deciphered the Sword Art and the Ascension Ritual. Over that year, Lin Feng found that no matter how hard he resisted, he couldn’t stop the process.
In his dreams, the Sword Art played out, and even when awake, his eyes would blur, and he’d find the sword moves already begun in his hands without him knowing.
Even when he tied himself up, the moves still unfolded in his mind.
Mastering the eleven sword moves meant he had performed eleven rituals, with only the final one left.
“So, why do you need these eleven Temporal Immortals?” Chen Xiyi asked the crucial question.
“To sacrifice to the sword,” Lin Feng replied.
Chen Xiyi fell silent. Could this really work?
Theoretically, it seemed possible. These eleven Temporal Immortals were created by Lin Feng when he became Wandering Light.
Chen Xiyi casually took out the Wandering Light Sword. For a sword sacrifice, one naturally needed a sword.
But Lin Feng pushed it away. “I won’t use the Wandering Light Sword. I have a new sword.”
He didn’t say what the new sword was, but Chen Xiyi knew.
[Ability 4: Swordless Realm]
That was his sword.
Lin Feng wanted to break free from the identity of Wandering Light, so he had to abandon the Wandering Light Sword.
Chen Xiyi’s earlier explanation of the Nine Swords of Dugu concept had greatly inspired him.
To other martial artists, it might have seemed absurd, but as the precursor to the Sword Concept, Lin Feng had an extraordinary understanding of the sword. Even the seemingly nonsensical theories, he had achieved them.
Despite the mental torment of the past year, his sword heart remained unclouded, growing stronger with adversity.
Though he looked tired now, there was a sense of selflessness about him.
To Chen Xiyi, he appeared transcendent and extraordinary.
“Have you chosen a name for this Sword Art?” Chen Xiyi asked as Lin Feng approached the eleven coffins.
Lin Feng paused but did not turn around. “What about Peerless Sword? Unique in the world, unmatched by any.”
As soon as he spoke, the world fell silent.
The eleven coffins began to disintegrate, and the eleven individuals inside seemed to be erased by an invisible hand, gradually fading from existence.
It was like a colorful phoenix breaking free from its jade cage, or a dragon escaping its golden chains.
With the final sword move completed, Chen Xiyi narrowed his eyes, sensing a sharp edge.
It was as if the figure standing in the distance was no longer a person, but the very concept of the sword.
Crack!
A huge fissure split the sky, spreading a terrifying darkness.
Clang!
Two sword cries erupted instantly, and Chen Xiyi’s expression changed.
[You have encountered the clash of ‘Sword,’ Health Points reduced by 99%]
[Life-substitution Death Evasion took effect, leaving you with 1% Health Points]
[Dewdrop used Nectar Healing on you, restoring 100% Health Points]
In the sky, a long sword pierced through the heavens, heading straight for him.
Chen Xiyi had seen that sword before—it was the Wandering Light Sword in his hand, but the two were worlds apart.
The one he held was an ordinary sword, while the one tearing through the sky was immense, terrifyingly powerful, a divine sword that had traveled through history.
And at that moment, the Wandering Light Sword in his hand began to change.
[Item with Historical Connotation: Wandering Light Sword]
“There is only one Wandering Light Sword. What I hold is its shell, while that one is the sword’s spirit,” Chen Xiyi murmured as he gazed at the divine sword.
The next moment, a gentle breeze brushed across the grass.
Lin Feng casually gathered the drifting clouds in the sky, shaping them into a cloud sword.
“You are Wandering Light, and I am the Starry River. As vast as heaven and earth are, nothing surpasses them. How can a mere wandering light illuminate the boundless starry sky?”
The cloud sword was not large, but as it met the Wandering Light Divine Sword, it shattered its sharp edge bit by bit.
“You, who have not experienced the passage of time, are too arrogant. Though the heavens and the starry river are vast, what one can hold in hand is but a single wandering light.”
An aged voice echoed from the crack in the sky.
The distance between Lin Feng and Wandering Light was not just the visible fissure but thirty thousand years of time.
[The Immortal Lin Feng, Health Points: ???, State: Alert, Cautious]
[Ability 1: Concept · Sword]
[Ability 2: Embodiment of Rules]
[Ability 3: Soul Merged with Heaven and Earth]
[Ability 4: A Thought Across Eternity]
Chen Xiyi watched Lin Feng, who had soared to the heavens in one leap, with each ability more extraordinary than the last.
Even his Health Points had disappeared, much like Ji Shan’s before.
Chen Xiyi’s gaze shifted to the dark fissure, where he identified the other person.
[The Immortal Wandering Light, Health Points: ???, State: Enraged]
Apart from the name and state, the abilities were exactly the same.
Chen Xiyi couldn’t help but suspect that Lin Feng had now become a being spanning all of history.
The struggle between past and future had begun.
Yet the paths the two had taken were entirely different. Wandering Light had achieved the Way through the Wandering Light Sword, while Lin Feng had transcended swordlessness to surpass the sword.
Neither path was superior or inferior. Both embodied the concept of the sword, each walking a different road within that same concept.
Rip!
The entire Miaojiang was torn open by a massive gash from their clash.
On one side was Miaojiang, while on the other, rows of Martial Artists stood ready. As the fissure widened, they charged in.
Chen Xiyi’s pupils contracted.
Thirty thousand years in the future and thirty thousand years in the past were merging because of their battle.
“Damn, that old fox who lived thirty thousand years is utterly shameless. He planned this from the very beginning.”
Watching the two timelines fuse, with hordes of future Martial Artists armed with war machines developed from the Martial Way, Chen Xiyi knew they had lost. He had lost, and Lin Feng had lost.
What would happen when past and future intertwined, forming a curve?
Time would become a circle. When it reached thirty thousand years in the future, the next moment would return to thirty thousand years in the past.
Though time would move forward, it would always return to the starting point, trapped in an endless loop.
Due to the merging of the two times, Wandering Light escaped from what should have been an overwritten fate.
But that wasn’t the main point. The real issue was that the future was filled with Innate Warriors and Grandmaster Martial Artists. For the current era, where the strongest were only Innate Warriors and even their numbers were pitifully small, this was like an overwhelming dimensional strike.
Just one random person could crush an entire sect.
Not to mention a whole group of well-trained and well-equipped martial artists.
“We’re losing both people and face in this fight,” Chen Xiyi couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
From the very beginning, Wandering Light’s scheme might not have been to eliminate him or to make Lin Feng follow Wandering Light’s path. Instead, it was to connect the future with the past, allowing the future to relive its second spring.
After all, such a large-scale spread and training of Innate and Grandmaster Martial Artists required a massive amount of Nourishment Resources. That it lasted 30,000 years before running out showed how carefully Wandering Light had calculated.
And now, a completely undeveloped world from the past had appeared—rich in resources, weak enemies, and with Lin Feng, who could help him advance further.
A perfect resource world had emerged.
“Mei Yu, inform our own people in the Five Immortals Sect to prepare to retreat to the Five Immortals Cave,” Chen Xiyi said with a sigh as he watched the future martial artists scattering in all directions.
He couldn’t even protect the Five Immortals Sect in Miaojiang, let alone the entire region.
There were just too many of the enemy—conservatively estimated, at least in the hundreds of millions.
How many people were there in the entire Dayin Dynasty?
At most, a hundred million.
“No wonder there was an army of 100,000 sent to conquer Miaojiang. No wonder the Tiger Might Emperor became the second Temporal Immortal.”
From the start, Wandering Light had dismantled the greatest resistance. Not only was there no emperor to unite the people, but he also wiped out 100,000 of the living forces.
Wandering Light knew that with those 100,000 soldiers, Chen Xiyi could have trained 100,000 Gu Martial Artists at the Grandmaster level. They might not have been able to fight on equal terms, but they could have held their ground.
“What about Feng?” Mei Yu asked nervously.
“He’s fine. Go and do as I said,” Chen Xiyi replied. He had originally thought that at worst, Lin Feng would be replaced by Wandering Light.
But he never expected to lose so completely.
Mei Yu wasn’t the type to be sentimental. As someone who could become the leader of the Five Immortals Sect, she was surely capable. She could only nod and follow Chen Xiyi’s instructions.
‘Old Chen, I can’t hold off Wandering Light for long. Do you have any solutions?’ Lin Feng’s voice echoed in Chen Xiyi’s mind.
“What can I do? Do you think I’m a god? You’re stronger than me now. Hold on for a while, and I’ll…”
“…devour the enemy.”
Chen Xiyi’s tone was filled with a terrifying greed.
Hundreds of millions of martial artists, each one worth ten times the usual Nourishment Resources.
This was indeed a major crisis, but for Chen Xiyi, it was also a great opportunity.
How could the local forces win? They’d be knocked out one by one.
But from another perspective, with hundreds of millions of Nourishment Resources, Chen Xiyi’s Primordial Spirit would advance by leaps and bounds.
As long as Lin Feng held off Wandering Light, Chen Xiyi could single-handedly defeat the enemy.
With his Primordial Soul Martial Dao abilities, growing stronger with each fight was nothing special.
‘Alright, I’m counting on you. I’ll hold off Wandering Light as long as I can. He’s endured 30,000 years—I’m no match for him.’
Lin Feng didn’t ask how Chen Xiyi planned to devour the enemy. As a 5-star friend, Lin Feng trusted Chen Xiyi.
Yes, not long ago, Lin Feng had gone from 4.5 stars to 5 stars.
Otherwise, Chen Xiyi wouldn’t have been willing to help Lin Feng—he would have just run away. A 5-star friend was rare—only Li Zhao had achieved that.
The higher the Favorability level, the more Chen Xiyi was willing to bet on them.
At the very least, they wouldn’t betray him.
Not only would he bet heavily, but he would also help Lin Feng defeat Wandering Light and become the only one of his kind.
If they succeeded, Lin Feng’s Power would likely surpass even the strongest Qi Refiner, Ji Shan.
At the very least, Lin Feng could interfere with history and time—something Ji Shan couldn’t do.
Unfortunately, Lin Feng’s ability to leap to the top in one step was unique to him. No one else could replicate it.
Even if Chen Xiyi later created a template for The Immortal, it probably wouldn’t reach Lin Feng’s level. Lin Feng’s rapid rise wasn’t due to his Sword Art or Ascension Ritual, but because he was the embodiment of the concept and rules of the sword, drawing strength from across history.
Chen Xiyi turned and headed back. He needed to deal with the potential problems.
Specifically, he had to secure the Miaojiang Five Immortals Cave. Otherwise, Wandering Light would target Lin Feng’s weakness—Mei Yu.
If Lin Feng got distracted, who knows what could happen? Chen Xiyi’s plans might be affected.