Chapter 84: Formless Sword Qi in the Void

Shen Lian scoffed inwardly, his expression even more nonchalant than Chen Jianmei's just moments ago.

Daoist Shi's expression grew increasingly grave. Although this person had not yet returned to elixir stage, and his Yin spirit had not yet fully gathered its pneuma, the feeling he gave him could not be taken lightly in the slightest.

His ritual sword had already gained spiritual awareness, and countless experiences forged between life and death told him that this person was exceptionally dangerous.

A cultivator's spiritual perception had always been extremely accurate; furthermore, in the Western Wastelands, one who lacked such a sharp sense of danger would not live long, unless their strength was great enough to defy everything.

The Western Wastelands were chaotic and perilous, filled with barren mountains, wicked waters, and rampaging demons. Therefore, the cultivators who managed to establish a foothold here possessed particularly extraordinary prowess, at least in combat.

Daoist Shi was not panicked. Today, he had already cast aside thoughts of life and death, remaining free from fear and worry, his mind entering an exquisitely devout and subtle state. Otherwise, he would never have dared to boast that he could cause trouble for Chen Jianmei.

The evening breeze brushed the willows, the paths of the horizon were distant, and though Shen Lian stood close by, he seemed as though he were at the ends of the earth.

His voice was equally ethereal, leaving listeners unable to tell from whence he spoke. His aura had converged to such a subtle and abstruse state that anyone who saw him could perceive his form, yet could not truly determine whether it was merely an illusion or his real body, utterly blurring the distinction between true and false.

"I am a disciple of Qingxuan. Among the successive generations of Qingxuan heirs, my natural talent is likely quite outstanding." Shen Lian's words were enigmatic, leaving others puzzled as to why he would say such things right before facing an enemy.

Daoist Shi poured his spiritual power bit by bit into his ritual sword. Originally just a piece of mortal iron, it had never left his side for over a hundred years, constantly refined alongside his own life and soul, and had now become a rare magical treasure in this world, possessing a spiritual nature of its own.

The iron sword was covered in a cyan light film, rendering the entire blade as clear and bright as autumn water. None would dare to doubt the destructive might unleashed by this sword.

Daoist Shi remained silent, still probing for the true source of Shen Lian's elusive and unfathomable aura.

"The art I cultivate is none other than the Grand Void Divine Plan, renowned within Qingxuan as the most difficult to master. This Daoist technique is far harder to practice than Senior Brother Chen's Formless Sword Scripture, yet I have already achieved modest success in it. Since mastering it, I have never yet unleashed my full strength," Shen Lian recounted calmly, his aura growing increasingly misty and boundless.

"Of course, today I will not let you witness just how formidable the Grand Void Divine Plan truly is, because you are not yet worthy of dying by this pinnacle Daoist technique of the mortal world. Thus, today I shall use a sword." After Shen Lian finished speaking, those watching and listening did not find it laughable in the least.

Anyone with true insight knew just how terrifying the Grand Void Divine Plan was. It was said that when True Person Lu Jiuyuan of Elephant Mountain casually reviewed the world's Daoist arts in his spare time, he once remarked that this technique was not inferior to the Scripture of Achieving the Dao and Perfecting the Body. Although he later added the caveat that no one could surpass him using any existing Daoist method in the world, it was enough to prove just how terrifying the Grand Void Divine Plan truly was.

How could Daoist Shi have never heard of it? The person who commissioned him had long since detailed Qingxuan's top-tier Daoist arts and Chen Jianmei's divine abilities. That person had told him that Qingxuan indeed possessed someone who had mastered the Grand Void Divine Plan, but that person was a woman, and absolutely must not appear at this time and in this place.

Shen Lian could not possibly be lying, for there was no need; among figures of their caliber, hollow threats had not the slightest bit of effect.

Furthermore, Shen Lian was not yet prepared to employ the Grand Void Divine Plan. Instead, he intended for Daoist Shi to perish beneath a sword—a wooden sword. Daoist Shi's sword was an iron sword, which belonged to the element of metal in the Five Elements. Shen Lian's weapon was a wooden sword, belonging to the element of wood, and metal naturally vanquished wood.

At the same time, Daoist Shi's accumulation of spiritual power still surpassed Shen Lian's. For Shen Lian to counter him with a wooden sword was truly the worst possible strategy, yet he had actually done so.

What an arrogant gesture, yet Shen Lian's face did not reveal the slightest trace of haughtiness or conceit.

In the distance, there were also two figures: a monk and a Daoist.

The Daoist was dashing and unrestrained, his demeanor looking no less impressive than Shen Lian's. The monk's face was full of sorrow, and the straw sandals on his feet revealed his big toes, showing signs of severe wear and tear.

Looking out along the evening breeze, this was truly a supreme vantage point to observe the clash between Daoist Shi and Shen Lian.

The Daoist smiled faintly and said, "Qingxuan is truly a place where talents emerge in succession. As the Venerable Walking Envoy of the Asura King Temple, what are your thoughts on this young man?"

The Asura King Temple did not belong to the orthodox eight sects of Buddhism. In fact, ordinary people had only ever heard the name of this temple, and virtually no one knew its true location, much like the illusory and ethereal Great Thundersound Temple of Buddhist scriptures and legends.

Yet the Asura King Temple did indeed exist, because every hundred years, a walking envoy would emerge from the temple to traverse the mortal world. Without exception, these envoys were terrifyingly powerful, though they seemed to merely wander the world without any particular purpose.

Some had once attempted to track them back to find the Asura King Temple, rumored to house the scriptural treasures left behind by the Buddha, but every single attempt had ended in failure.

The highest attainment within the Asura King Temple was not an Arhat, nor a Bodhisattva, but an Asura King.

Therefore, these walking envoys bore another moniker—'Little Asura Kings.'

The monk pressed his palms together, chanted a low Buddhist proclamation, and remained silent.

The Daoist chuckled, knowing that the monk evidently chose not to evaluate the situation. This was not because the monk looked down on Shen Lian, but rather because the monk was uncertain of the outcome.

To be able to make even this Little Asura King hesitant was proof enough of extraordinary power.

Pity that while he could commission Daoist Shi to strike, he himself could only watch from the sidelines; otherwise, he would be breaking the rules, and if he broke the rules, others would follow suit.

On the other side, Shen Lian finally erupted with boundless momentum. He seemed to transform into a towering hurricane, and his terrifying spiritual pressure forced all the surrounding grass and trees to bow low.

Daoist Shi did not bow his head. His opponent wielded a wooden sword while he held an iron sword; with metal overcoming wood, his chances of victory were exceptionally high.

When the iron sword was raised, the clear, water-like radiance was enough to eclipse the setting sun, yet it failed to affect the howling hurricane by even the slightest fraction.

Shen Lian was never an peerless sword immortal, and the wooden sword in his hand lacked the blazing, blooming vitality of Daoist Shi's iron sword.

The wild tempest, the moment it brushed against the cyan brilliance of the iron sword, seemed to encounter its natural nemesis, dissipating into wisps of smoke and dust.

Daoist Shi's sword embodied the Dao of Pao Ding butchering the ox, moving through empty spaces with a blade of no thickness, precisely grasping the trajectory of the hurricane's rotation and the fundamental source of the power driving that rotation.

He sliced apart the storm's power as if peeling silk from a cocoon, rendering its attacks utterly useless.

Yet his face showed no hint of triumph, for Shen Lian had vanished.

It was not that Shen Lian had disappeared, but rather that he had ascended into the sky, plummeting downward with the might of his wooden sword.

Daoist Shi raised his head, watching Shen Lian's sword strike down as if it had flown in from beyond the heavens.

This sword strike left no trace; one only heard the void trembling as countless minute sword qi suddenly materialized right before Daoist Shi's eyes.

Clearly, Shen Lian's sword was still far away, and there was no visible trail of flying sword qi, yet how had the sword qi before him come into being?

The Daoist in the distance finally changed his expression, crying out in dismay, "How is he capable of formless sword qi born from the void?"

This name differed from what Shen Lian had heard from Mr. Su—Mr. Su had called it the 'Interdependent Sword Qi of Existence and Non-Existence'—yet looking at it now, the name used by the Daoist seemed far more apt.