Chapter 86: That Flash of Blood-Red Sword Qi

The fallout of a clash on the spiritual plane having such immense power was enough to shock everyone present.

The True-Implementation cultivator of the Guangqing Immortal Sect and the wandering ascetic of the Mingwang Temple both wore solemn expressions. No matter what, if these two survived today, they would undoubtedly step infinitely close to the realms of Earth Immortals or Arhat Golden Bodies; given the accumulation of precious light, the monk might even achieve the Arhat state on the spot.

Chen Jianmei's spirit seemed to be immersed in towering, violent waves, yet up to this moment, no sword qi had erupted from him.

Monk Baoguang’s Great Spiritual Technique originated from the legacy of Moonlight Bodhisattva, but he had also deeply studied the Precious Moonlight King Scripture of his senior brother, Venerable Baoyue. By borrowing moonlight, he could form the Precious Moonlight King Body, pure as glazed crystal. Wielding the moonlight as his method, formless yet substantial, his entire spirit merged into the tranquil moonlight, using colored light to counter Chen Jianmei’s formless sword.

Therefore, Chen Jianmei adopted a defensive posture at this moment, engaging in the most fundamental Dao discourse with Monk Baoguang time and time again.

In a true discourse of the Dao, every time their spirits touched, they unreservedly unleashed their respective insights, launching a resolute impact upon each other's soul.

Chen Jianmei was long no longer the Chen Jianmei of the past. All he sought was the supreme sword Dao; even longevity was not his ultimate goal.

With the cultivation of a single lifetime, he would unleash one brilliant sword strike.

Everyone watched as, amidst the continuous spiritual clashes, Chen Jianmei stood up and began walking step by step through the void toward Baoguang.

The ocean waves below, caught in the fallout of the spiritual battle, churned into towering swells, yet they could not come within half a foot of Chen Jianmei’s feet, nor could they dampen his Dao robes. It was as if an invisible force prevented the waves from crossing that boundary.

Until the two were a hundred paces apart, Baoguang and Chen Jianmei simultaneously withdrew their gazing eyes. The sparks of their spiritual collision vanished accordingly, and the ocean waves began to calm, resembling the stillness right before a storm.

Suddenly, heaven and earth were filled with moonlight, as clear as accumulated water, surpassing the brilliance of the vast sea.

Even with his utmost focus, Shen Lian could not clearly discern Monk Baoguang, nor could he fathom Chen Jianmei’s current state of mind or his next countermeasure.

Out of the void, countless arrows the color of moonlight abruptly materialized. Only through profound mastery could one subdue demons using moonlight.

Master Baoguang sat upon the lotus platform, as steady as a towering mountain, while the moonlight naturally generated spirituality to protect him.

*My Dao is like the moonlight, endless and all-pervading.*

The arrows condensed from moonlight naturally did not friction with the air, yet they were not quite as fast as true moonlight. Light was the ultimate speed of the world; once one surpassed light, one stepped into an unknown realm.

The moonlight gathered by divine will and manifested through divine intent.

In the void, countless formless yet substantial little arrows emerged, whether near or far, all hurtling toward Chen Jianmei.

Yet, within ten feet of Chen Jianmei, they suddenly dissipated, turning into flowing silver.

The Formless Sword Technique, Formless Sword Qi.

Every single acupoint across Chen Jianmei's entire body moved with his heart's intent, capable of releasing formless sword qi. Like a drawn bow and a released bolt, the response was instantaneous. If those arrows had not been annihilated, no one would have even realized he had drawn his sword.

One must know that sword qi is formless, yet it possesses substance. But now, after Chen Jianmei’s sword qi was released, it was so formless that there was not even a trace of it piercing through the air.

In the void, a long dragon seemed to form, following the annihilation of the arrows, surging toward Baoguang.

That dragon was the convergence of formless sword qi. Though invisible to the naked eye, everyone could sense it, and that was enough to feel the overwhelming pressure it carried.

Master Baoguang let out a low sigh, uttering a Buddhist chant. Before him, the moonlight condensed into a saber. This formless moonlight, gathered into a blade, actually emitted a humming sound—something utterly unimaginable.

In Buddhism, there is the saying: "Put down the butcher's knife, and instantly become a Buddha."

This saber of moonlight was precisely the butcher's knife within Baoguang's heart, transformed by his thoughts into true substance.

Countless strands of moonlight and the vital energy of heaven and earth converged within it, completely overwhelming the amount of vital energy stirred up by Shen Lian's battle with Daoist Shi.

They were simply not in the same order of magnitude.

It was as if all the moonlight was sucked dry in a single instant by Monk Baoguang and condensed onto that terrifying blade.

The saber seemed demonic, faintly tinged with a bloody hue.

The grievances and resentment left behind by the many demons subdued by Monk Baoguang over the years seemed to be contained within it, and faint wails of evil ghosts could be heard, shaking one's soul.

Even with eyes closed and the five senses sealed, one could feel the endless intent to slaughter and the thoughts of resentment emanating from the blade.

It was precisely because of his great mercy and compassion that he could control this butcher's knife, rather than being controlled by it.

Shen Lian could not help but worry for Chen Jianmei; could such swordsmanship ever be matched by human might?

Master Baoguang was not merely swinging a saber; he was seizing this moment to release the demonic obsessions within his heart, using Chen Jianmei’s supreme sword qi to annihilate his inner demons and aid him in attaining the Dao.

This move was simply unfathomable, a stroke of divine inspiration.

Regardless of whether Chen Jianmei won or lost, it would help Baoguang subjugate the inner demons of his heart.

As the moonlight between heaven and earth was continuously absorbed by the approaching demonic saber, the void grew dark. Dark clouds gathered overhead, threatening rain, and the atmosphere became extremely tense.

The demonic saber finally collided with the formless sword qi that had transformed into a long dragon. Countless shards of moonlight scattered like sparks into the void and across the tranquil ocean water.

*A slight breeze ripples the waves, scattering them into a sea of stars.*

In the pitch-black night, those specks of moonlight seemed to become a form of solace.

At that moment, everyone felt an extremely terrifying explosion spreading outward from between Chen Jianmei and Baoguang. Before they even heard the sound of the explosion, the originally tranquil waters of the vast sea, having just received those scattered, dreamlike specks of moonlight, were impacted.

Abruptly, the shockwave of the explosion hit the sea surface first. Countless salty seawater droplets splashed outward; some spectators on the shore failed to dodge them, and the droplets even pierced through their clothing.

The bodies of demons were far sturdier than those of human cultivators, so they felt little, but some cultivators felt a long-lost pain.

A wide variety of protective dharmas were unleashed—some formed thin light membranes, others summoned umbrellas or delicate silk veils, alongside various other marvelous magical treasures and techniques. Only a very small number of people had no protection whatsoever.

Shen Lian looked toward the distant reef where a monk and a Daoist priest stood. Among all the onlookers, those two were the most composed and yet the most terrifying.

The monk cast a faint smile toward him, while the Daoist priest shot him a cold gaze, but neither took any further action.

Meanwhile, a small fraction of the moonlight, as the explosion dissipated, returned into Baoguang's body; it was not completely exhausted after all.

Yet Chen Jianmei, standing suspended in the void under the gloomy night, also revealed his strained state. His neatly tied Daoist hair bun was disheveled, his long hair hung loose, and his Dao robes were in tatters, riddled with numerous holes.

The dark clouds in the sky were thick, blocking both starlight and moonlight. This was the result of the two fighters' clash altering the spiritual energies of heaven and earth.

Amidst heaven and earth, a Daoist chant rang out: "Shen Lian, watch this sword clearly."

It was Chen Jianmei's voice. Even though Master Baoguang had still not exerted his full strength and Chen Jianmei was already injured, everyone heard in those words that Chen Jianmei seemed destined to win.

Chen Jianmei's formless sword qi had been broken, but he still had a sword. In his hand appeared a long sword, emanating an aura of endless slaughter. The moment this sword appeared, an infinite killing intent filled the void, far more terrifying than the blade formed by Baoguang's demonic obsession earlier.

A portion of that killing intent had indeed absorbed the demonic obsession of the magic saber, turning it into nourishment for this killing sword. No wonder Chen Jianmei had been willing to test the law with his own body, and no wonder his Dao robes had been torn to shreds.

It was not that he could not have blocked that explosion, but rather that he had made no defensive preparations whatsoever.

When the Formless Sword Technique reaches an extremely profound level, the heart itself becomes the sword. All the killing intent Chen Jianmei had accumulated over the years from slaying demons was gathered within this single blade.

Upon the long sword, a brilliant bloody light soared into the sky, tearing a crack through the dark clouds and scattering a fraction of starlight and a wisp of moonlight.

Shen Lian’s entire mind was drawn toward Chen Jianmei’s sword of the heart. The long sword in his hand seemed capable of cleaving even this vast sea asunder, should it so desire.

Chen Jianmei finally struck. At that moment, Shen Lian's heart surged with emotions.

The slaughter intent of this sword was clean and decisive. Under this sword, it seemed as though every injustice in the mortal world would be dissolved.

Moving from the void, Chen Jianmei and his sword merged into one. One could only see a bloody sword light stabbing straight through the air toward Master Baoguang. Even the void trembled and hummed, as if in fear.

Master Baoguang formed a hand seal, and a precious light materialized before him—purple on the inside, moonlight-yellow on the outside. This was the Jinguang Temple's supreme protective technique—the "Moonlight Precious Wheel," imbued with the collected faith and aspirations of believers.

Yet, no matter how Master Baoguang imagined it, under this single sword, the Moonlight Precious Wheel offered no resistance whatsoever. It was shattered as easily as a thin piece of paper, sliced apart by the bloody sword light without any defense.

The overbearing nature and sharpness of this sword far exceeded the expectations of the onlookers, and even surpassed Master Baoguang's own calculations.

Master Baoguang let out a roaring shout, like a lion's roar or thunder from the nine heavens, expelled from his mouth along with countless golden symbols of the swastika, which were the physical manifestation of his entire cultivation.

Yet, beneath the bloody sword light, these golden symbols were utterly insignificant, annihilated one by one.

Shen Lian felt no joy; his heart was filled with profound sorrow. A gap clearly existed between Chen Jianmei and Baoguang; how could he so easily pierce through all of Baoguang's defenses?

This was an act of defying the heavens, and naturally, it demanded a price.

That was why Chen Jianmei had told him to watch this sword clearly. Perhaps in this lifetime, he would never witness Chen Jianmei draw his sword again.

He used the blazing fury of his life to unleash such an unprecedentedly brilliant sword strike.

Unrecognized for half a lifetime of cultivation, yet known to the entire world the moment his Dao was attained—such was Chen Jianmei.

After tonight, among those who watched the battle, who could ever forget this man? Who could forget this sword of bloody light? Like fireworks, it would vanish at its most beautiful moment.

When the golden swastika symbols were completely annihilated, the bloody sword light did not pause in the slightest, slashing directly toward Monk Baoguang. Meeting no further resistance, the Precious Moonlight King Body instantly shattered into fragments, leaving behind no blood.

Only upon the vast sea, a monk emerged from the water, his life or death unknown.

After obliterating Monk Baoguang's Precious Moonlight King Body, the bloody sword light did not linger for even a half-moment. It soared into the sky, tearing through the dark clouds, until finally, only a brilliant bloody rainbow was seen stretching across the void before fading away and disappearing without a trace.

***

*(Note: Thanks to Baobei Luhan for the 588 tip, Songguoer Meiren'ai for the 588 tip, Benpao Woniu 007 for the 588 tip, and Kuzi Li Jinle Huangniba for the tip.)*

*(To be continued.)*