Chapter 199 : Clash of Divine Swords and Serpents

However, it was ultimately merely a Third Rank Low Grade [the third lowest quality tier for magical treasures] magical treasure. Before the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss [a powerful magical sword imbued with the essence of Separated Flame], it was still somewhat inadequate.

In that instant, the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss erupted with a surge of sword aura, cleaving the azure dragon in two with a single stroke. Its remaining momentum, undiminished, swept towards the Verdant-Blooded Demonic Serpent [a powerful serpent demon with verdant-hued blood].

Yet, the power of this Law Sword [a sword imbued with the principles of the Dao, granting it special abilities] divine ability was indeed extraordinary. Even though the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss's might approached that of a Third Rank High Grade [the highest quality tier within the third rank] treasure, it was still depleted of seventy percent of its potency after being intercepted twice.

"ROAR—"

Seizing this opportunity, the Verdant-Blooded Demonic Serpent unleashed a furious roar and activated its divine ability, the Heaven-Devouring Serpent Art [a formidable serpentine technique capable of locking onto and devouring spiritual energy].

The power of this technique was astonishing. It instantly ensnared the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss, locking it in place. Though it could not swallow the sword whole, it held it suspended in mid-air, creating a stalemate.

Seeing the Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss temporarily restrained, a cold glint flashed in Eldrin Chen's eyes. He summoned the Luofu Diamond Seal [a defensive treasure seal renowned for its diamond-like resilience] to block the myriad incoming attacks, then unleashed two divine thunder techniques.

One was a verdant bolt of lightning—the First-Wood Divine Thunder [a divine thunder technique harnessing the essence of primordial wood]. The other was a golden flash—the Metallic Essence Divine Thunder [a divine thunder technique embodying the sharp, unyielding essence of metal].

The two divine thunders erupted with a deafening, majestic roar as they streaked towards the Verdant-Blooded Heaven-Devouring Serpent. The power contained within these strikes was formidable; even a cultivator at the Purple Palace, Mid Stage [the middle stage of the Purple Mansion cultivation realm] would need to muster their full strength to withstand them.

Witnessing the verdant and golden thunderbolts being unleashed, the other two Purple Mansion Demonic Beast [demonic beasts possessing power equivalent to the Purple Mansion realm] did not remain idle. They ceased their assault on Eldrin Chen and immediately turned to aid the Verdant-Blooded Demonic Serpent. This chapter is part of a larger work available at audi novel.com.

The Crimson Flame Serpent unleashed a divine ability and simultaneously drove its magical treasure, the Crimson Flame Treasure Rope, forward to block Eldrin Chen's Metallic Essence Divine Thunder.

The Frost Serpent radiated a chilling frost malignancy, a divine ability that partially neutralized the might of the First-Wood Divine Thunder. It then summoned a Third Rank Profound Ice Immortal Sword to parry the remaining force of the First-Wood Divine Thunder.

However, before they could catch their breath, Eldrin Chen struck again, unleashing several divine abilities in rapid succession.

"BOOM—"

In an instant, two divine thunderbolts crashed down, followed closely by a dazzling golden sword aura.

At this critical moment, the Verdant-Blooded Heaven-Devouring Serpent desperately reinforced the Heavenly Lake Treasure Boat, managing to withstand the two thunderous strikes. Yet, in the end, the Blazing Heaven Sword Divine Ability shattered its Defensive Magical Treasure.

Just as the defensive barrier of the Heavenly Lake Treasure Pearl was breached, before the human cultivators could even feel a surge of triumph, their expressions shifted to one of stunned disbelief.

Although its Defensive Magical Treasure was shattered, the Verdant-Blooded Heaven-Devouring Serpent immediately conjured a new shield—a dome of verdant, swirling protective aegis.

"Trouble! It's the 'Verdant Demon Tribulation Transcendence Divine Aegis Canopy'!"

The faces of the assembled cultivators paled slightly. None had anticipated that the serpent still possessed such a formidable defensive divine ability in its arsenal.

The Verdant-Blooded Heaven-Devouring Serpent [a powerful serpent demon with verdant-tinged blood] expanded its protective aegis, a cruel sneer flashing in its eyes. Though the divine ability unleashed by Eldrin Chen was immensely powerful, it came at a grievous cost to his mana reserves.

To unleash such a technique at full force likely consumed one-tenth of his mana. While Eldrin Chen had shattered its Defensive Magical Treasure, he had activated his divine ability five times in rapid succession—a staggering drain of roughly half his total mana.

In the serpent's view, no matter how formidable Eldrin Chen's strength might be, without mana, he would be nothing more than a fish upon the chopping block.

"BOOM—"

At that very moment, disaster struck once more.

The Seven Stars Demon-Slaying Boat, responsible for blocking one flank of the Demonic Beast horde, finally buckled under the strain. Its Defensive Formation, the Six Realms Divine Protection Formation, was pierced through. The thirty Foundation Establishment Cultivator aboard, now bereft of protection, were on the verge of being overrun.

"Catastrophe!"

Old Patriarch's pupils contracted sharply. If a large number of Foundation Establishment Demonic Beast broke through, they would wreak havoc upon the human Purple Mansion cultivators locked in combat.

Grasping the severity of the situation, he acted without hesitation. Channeling his Defensive Magical Treasure, he summoned forth the Crimson-Gold Banner of the Three Treasures and surged forward, plugging the breach with his own power.

With his Purple Mansion cultivation bolstering the Formation, he managed to stem the tide and stabilize the precarious line of defense, if only for the moment.

On the other side, Su Mingwei and Yang Yuanhe finally managed to suppress their injuries after taking the medicinal pills, regaining enough strength to rejoin the battle.

Although wounded, the two of them, joining forces against a single Purple Mansion Demonic Beast in its initial stage, still managed to hold a slight upper hand.

Yet, in that very instant, Eldrin Chen's pupils contracted sharply as he unleashed two more divine thunderbolts.

"Where does he get so much mana?"

The Verdant-Blooded Demonic Serpent felt a tremor of alarm in its heart. It had no choice but to forcibly activate its 'Verdant Demon Tribulation Transcendence Divine Aegis Canopy' to withstand the assault. The resulting impact caused its Defensive Magical Treasure to dim, its radiance fading by over sixty to seventy percent.

And in that same fleeting moment, Eldrin Chen struck again, this time with his ultimate trump card. Official source: www . audio-novel.com. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

"*Screech—*"

Instantly, a dragon-like cry of the sword echoed. A sword aura nearly a hundred Zhang-length [one Zhang-length equals three point three three meters] long cleaved through the vast expanse of lake water, shooting forward with unstoppable force to slash at the Verdant-Blooded Demonic Serpent.

After three years of tempering within the Sword-Cleansing Pool [a mystical pool used to purify and empower swords], the Great Metallic Immortal Sword's power had reached the pinnacle among Third Rank Immortal Sword [a high-grade enchanted sword]. It must be noted that refining this sword had consumed a full twenty percent of the spiritual liquid within that very pool.

Now, as the Great Metallic Immortal Sword shot forth with speed rivaling the chase of stars across the moon, a wave of sheer terror washed over the Verdant-Blooded Demonic Serpent.

In their frantic haste, the three demonic serpents sought to unleash their divine abilities and magical treasures to block, yet most of their methods could scarcely keep pace with the blinding speed of the Great Metallic Immortal Sword.

The Frost Serpent's Profound Ice Immortal Sword managed a feeble parry, but its material was comparatively brittle; it was cleaved clean in two by a single strike from the Great Metallic Immortal Sword.

In but an instant, the Great Metallic Immortal Sword sheared through all obstacles. Its blow shattered the Verdant Demon Tribulation Transcendence Divine Aegis Canopy, and its residual force tore a wound several Zhang-lengths deep into the body of the Verdant-Blooded Demonic Serpent.

Terrifying sword energy [the concentrated, destructive force projected by a cultivator's sword intent] raged within the Verdant-Blooded Demonic Serpent, causing the beast to convulse in violent agony.

"Now!"

Eldrin Chen's pupils dilated sharply. The Li Fire Sword of the Returning Abyss tore free from the serpent's divine ability's grasp, erupting in a dazzling radiance of sword light that shot forth, piercing and pinning the Verdant-Blooded Demonic Serpent through its vital seventh-inch point [a critical weak spot on a serpent, analogous to the heart].

"Hssss—"

This strike left all on both sides momentarily stunned. None had anticipated that even with three Purple Mansion Demonic Beast joining forces, the strongest among them could be slain by Eldrin Chen in such a brief span of time.

"ROAR—"

Seeing the situation turn dire, the Violet-Blooded Heaven-Devouring Serpent let out a furious roar, erupting with fearsome combat prowess. It actually managed to force back both Yang Yuanhe and Xu Darius.

The Violet-Blooded Heaven-Devouring Serpent was, after all, a formidable Demonic Beast at the ninth layer of the Purple Mansion [the third major realm of cultivation, where one forms a spiritual mansion within their dantian]. At its peak strength, it would likely require at least three or four cultivators at the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion to barely contend with it.

Although its injuries were not fully healed, the power it could unleash was still extraordinary. More critically, during the Beast Tide Calamity [a periodic invasion of demonic beasts], it had seized Yang Zhengyuan's Mountain-Cleaving Soul-Severing Axe.

Now, the Violet-Blooded Heaven-Devouring Serpent used the Third Rank High Grade [denoting the quality and power level of a treasure] magical treasure, the Purple Blood Pagoda, hovering above its head to block the full-force assaults of Percival Pan and Xavier Xu. Then, it summoned forth the Mountain-Cleaving Soul-Severing Axe and unleashed a devastating chop.

It understood clearly that slaying a formidable foe like Eldrin Chen, with his astonishing array of techniques, would be difficult. Therefore, the target of this strike was Yang Yuanhe.

The Violet-Blooded Heaven-Devouring Serpent reasoned that if it could eliminate the two injured Purple Mansion cultivators, it could free up the several Purple Mansion Initial Stage Demonic Beast to assist in killing Xavier Xu and Percival Pan. This battle might still have a chance to turn.

Even if it couldn't kill them all, as time dragged on, hordes of Low-Rank Demonic Beast would inevitably break through their blockade. No matter how powerful Eldrin Chen was, he would likely be worn down and consumed by the endless onslaught.

"Trouble!"

Seeing the Mountain-Cleaving Soul-Severing Axe cleaving towards Yang Yuanhe, the expressions of everyone present shifted to one of stark horror. Original English translation available at (audio-novel.com).