The dazzling sword light instantly arrived before Xiao Chenâs face. The Heavenly Roc flapped its wings, creating a strong wind.
Xiao Chenâs hair and clothes fluttered nonstop. To face this sword strike at peak speed, his saber quickly gathered the energy from the wind and clouds and blocked.
âBang!â
An intense shock wave burst forth. The thousand steps below the two shattered into rock fragments.
The vast energies of the two clashed in the air, giving off a blinding brilliance in the night sky.
Xiao Chen quickly circled around in the air, dissipating the force in the saber. He could only describe his opponentâs attack as fast.
The attack was so fast that the force that it carried was equal to a peak Superior Grade Earth Ranked Martial Technique. In fact, it might even be stronger.
âBoom!â
Suddenly, a peal of thunder roared kilometers high in the sky. Wind and clouds gathered from all directions. The first three moves of the Lightning Tribulation Saber Technique were finally completed.
âClouds from all directions gather, Lightning Wind Chop!â Xiao Chen shouted ferociously. Riding the huge momentum, he executed the Lightning Tribulation Saber Techniqueâs fourth move.
There was a total of nine moves in the Lightning Tribulation Saber Technique. The first three moves gathered momentum and energy, the middle three moves brought lightning, and the final three moves called down the lightning tribulation. This was the essence of the Saber Technique.
After this Saber Technique was executed, the mysterious phenomenon was like a true lightning tribulation. It slowly gathered and erupted in the end.
With the support of saber intent, Xiao Chen brought out the great might of this Lightning Wind Chop.
Winds blew, clouds drifted, thunder roared. Starting with the momentum of wind and clouds, the might of the lightning that erupted was the Lightning Wind Chop!
The saber vibrated and lit up with bright purple lightning fire. When the lightning illuminated the sky, Xiao Chenâs handsome face appeared stern.
The masked man smiled faintly. His expression under his mask was as carefree as before. He evaluated softly, âNot bad. Advancing with the wind, gathering momentum with the clouds, and using lightning as a spear. You have grasped the key points of this move.
âUnfortunately, you are still lacking in your comprehension of the state of wind. This is not how wind blows!â
The masked manâs gaze was as sharp as a knife; he was able to figure out the intricacies of this attack with one glance. Then, the golden light behind him became more dazzling. An intense state of light illuminated the night brighter than day.
âXiu!â
The masked man thrust his sword forward. In that instant, the boundless golden light gathered on the tip of his sword. The previously bright night became dark once again.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
In the darkness of the night, only the sword tip was boundlessly resplendent. The golden Heavenly Roc spread its wings and cried out, and a strong wind immediately blew. Then, the spot of golden light shot out from the tip of the sword.
The golden light fired out at Xiao Chen together with a strong wind. As the golden light moved, its intense energy made the surrounding space ripple.
Xiao Chenâs expression changed slightly. The strong winds from the golden Heavenly Roc unexpectedly suppressed his wind.
With his wind suppressed, the clouds above showed signs of dispersing. Without the wind and clouds, the might of the lightning would be twenty percent weaker.
âBoom!â
When that spot of light crashed into Xiao Chenâs saber, the state of light exploded out and the dark night scene lit up again.
Xiao Chen was knocked back like an released arrow. His internal organs were shaken, his Qi and blood surged, and blood trickled out of a corner of his lips.
The masked man held his sword as he stood upright. A sword intent circled around the sword, making it hum. He smiled faintly and said, âDonât display a newly learned Saber Technique before me. You should not play around with the Lightning Tribulation Saber Technique like that.â
Xiao Chenâs expression remained calm; he was not too concerned with what was said. Then, he replied, âDonât be so sure about that. As long as there is wind, the clouds will not scatter. With the wind and clouds, the momentum will not be lost.â
The moment Xiao Chen spoke, the strong wind that the golden Heavenly Roc created unexpectedly started spinning around him, under his control.
The clouds above began to gather again. Xiao Chen increased his momentum and immediately used the fifth move of the Lightning Tribulation Saber TechniqueâFalling Lightning Chop.
This move was not fancy at all; it simply used the might of heavenly lightning descending from the sky as it chopped down on the masked man.
âBang!â
The masked man was slightly astonished. Clearly, he had not expected Xiao Chen to react so quickly. Surprisingly, Xiao Chen used his opponentâs wind to regain his momentum.
âDang!â
In the time it took to strike a spark, the masked man quickly swung his sword. The blades clashed and sparks flew everywhere as a huge electrical force exploded.
This move forced the masked man to move back several hundred meters. Cracks spread through the golden Heavenly Roc behind him, as if the roc would burst at any moment.
âInteresting!â
The masked man smiled faintly and casually waved his hand. The golden Heavenly Roc behind him shattered and turned into nine pillars of light that descended from the sky, surrounding his body.
âDang!â
Xiao Chen did not give the masked man much time to react. He quickly leaped into the air and, utilizing the momentum of wind and lightning, he executed the Lightning Tribulation Saber Technique to attack once again.
âDang! Dang! Dang!â
After the golden Heavenly Roc scattered, the masked man seemed to have become stronger. With protection from the nine pillars of light, he remained rooted to the ground without moving at all.
A sword danced around him, giving off a resplendent light as it tightly defended the masked man. It blocked Xiao Chenâs attacks over and over again. When the masked man basked in the radiance, he looked holy and solemn.
As the intense saber and sword intents clashed, the shock waves demolished the vast castle around them, leaving it in ruins.
When Xiao Chen had raise his momentum to the limit, the thunderclouds finally started to surge. He executed the first of the Lightning Tribulation Saber Techniqueâs final three moves, shouting loudly, âEarthly Lightning Tribulation!â
All the lightning-attributed Spiritual Energy in the entire Heavenly Jade Mountain gathered at Xiao Chenâs saber, resonating with the thunderclouds above.
This move connected heaven and earth. It turned the boundless tribulation formed by the electricity of earth into a Saber Technique as it surged forward.
âBang!â
The ground everywhere except for one meter around the masked man exploded. A circular deep pit appeared around him.
Countless clods of dirt floated in midair, enveloped in electricity.
âHeavenly Lightning Tribulation!â
Xiao Chenâs expression did not change as he executed the eighth move of the Lightning Tribulation Saber Technique. At this moment, all the lightning-attributed Spiritual Energy in the sky turned into nine bolts of heavenly lightning and descended, gathering on his saber.
The nine purple bolts of lightning were like berserk flood dragons. They tore the night sky apart as they came down. Space shattered before this Saber Technique.
The golden radiance around the masked man turned into solid golden sand that danced around him. Like before, he did not move as he forcefully resisted this attack.
âBoom!â
The circular pit around the masked man rapidly enlarged. Soon, the entire mountain peak was blasted apart by this attack.
The electricity from the attack crushed all the rocks that flew up into dust.
As the cloud of dust settled, a rock pillar appeared under the masked manâs feet; this pillar was more than a kilometer tall. The surrounding mountain peak, the forest, and the castle had all been reduced to dust.
âThatâs enough!â
Seeing that Xiao Chen was going to execute the final move of the Lightning Tribulation Saber Technique, the masked man finally acted. He casually brandished his sword and the sky filled with a solid-looking light.
The light turned into a sword and fired towards the surging thunderclouds above Xiao Chen.
âHeaven and earth are righteous, overwhelming man. The stars are above and the mountains and rivers below. With the bright universe here, how can one fear demons?â
Suddenly, a resonant song came from the mountains and forests, like a choir of ten thousand people singing together. All of heaven and earth moved to the song.
Overwhelming Righteous Incantation! This is the official sword art of the Tianwu Dynasty. How does this fellow know this? Xiao Chen thought in shock.
The sword in the sky became brighter along with the singing. Eventually, it became so bright, it could not be looked at with the naked eye. Then, it immediately scattered the boundless thunderclouds in the sky.
Dispersing the thunderclouds naturally forestalled the execution of the strongest move of the Lightning Tribulation Saber TechniqueâDivine Lightning Tribulation.
Xiao Chen paled sightly as he calmly analyzed the situation. Although he still had the stronger Four Season Saber Technique, he guessed that he only had a fifty percent chance of victory over this mysterious masked man even if he used it. The masked man clearly still had more trump cards available.
The masked man smiled slightly and said, âStill going to stop me? Go back and prepare properly. With your strength now, it would be hard for you to enter the top ten of the Five Nation Youth Competition.â
As Xiao Chen watched the masked man disappear, he asked Ao Jiao, âDo you recognize the ancient patterns on his clothes?â
Ao Jiao thought for a while and said, âThat is the attire of the Tianwu Dynastyâs Royal Clan. These patterns are actually the writings of the Royal Clan; they are written using an artistic manner of calligraphy.
It was as Xiao Chen had expected. Then, he closed his eyes and thought for a long time before opening his eyes again. He said, âI know who he is already.â
The attire of the Tianwu Continentâs Royal Clan, the strong state of light, a surging sword intent, and an eternally carefree dispositionâwho else could it be aside from that person?
However, Xiao Chen had not expected this personâs strength to have risen so much after not meeting him for one year.
Ao Jiao said seriously, âThis person is very powerful. All the remaining Luck of the Tianwu Dynasty is in his hands. His potential is unlimited. He is your greatest enemy.â
Xiao Chen said calmly, âThere is no need to care about him. Letâs go.â
âTo where?â
âNow that weâve killed the big fish, it is time to roust the small fries.â
Xiao Chen summoned the scarlet throne and closed his eyes as he sat on it, replenishing his exhausted Essence. He quietly flew towards Mohe City on a raft of scarlet clouds in the dark sky.
Behind him, only a lone stone pillar remained of the largest mountain in Qizi Countyâthe Heavenly Jade Mountain. A cloud of dust shrouded the area, not settling for a long time.
After four hours, before twilight, scarlet clouds appeared a kilometer above Mohe City.
Xiao Chen opened his eyes. He had recovered from all his exhaustion. His eyes now radiated a brilliant flicker and his aura was completely withdrawn; everything seemed peaceful.
He stood up and walked to the edge of the scarlet cloud. Then he looked down and fixed his gaze on the imposing residence of the Zhang Clan.
âXiu!â
The scarlet throne turned into the a beam of red light and returned to his forehead. Then, he gently floated down.
In the darkness of the night, Xiao Chen landed and stood on the Zhang Clanâs walls without a sound. When he saw a group of patrolling cultivators, he flickered his fingers and sent out two clumps of purple flames. The purple flames flew out like arrows and bloody holes appeared in the foreheads of these cultivators. Then, they fell to the ground without a word.
Xiao Chen extended his Spiritual Sense and quickly discovered something unusual taking place in the hall. Hundreds of elite Martial Grand Masters, tens of Martial Saints, and the Zhang Clanâs Clan Head were all gathered here.
Some people were sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed, some chatted with one another, and some drank tea as they chatted. The atmosphere of the brightly lit hall seemed very strange.