This Sword Cultivator is Somewhat Dependable

Lu Qingshan's eyes opened again, and the Oblivion River Sword had deeply pierced through Yuan Cang's glabella.

Within the glabella lies the sea of consciousness, and within the sea of consciousness resides the Cultivator's Primordial Spirit.

The Oblivion River Sword had already passed straight through Yuan Cang's Primordial Spirit.

He could afford to make mistakes twenty-four times, but Yuan Cang could not afford even one.

This time, Yuan Cang made a mistake.

Today, he traded six hundred years of his lifespan for the Heaven Suppressing Triple Swords, in exchange for combating the Sixth Realm from the Fourth.

Lu Qingshan did not withdraw his sword, but instead released his tight grip on the Oblivion River Sword's hilt with his right hand.

Then, with a whoosh, Lu Qingshan held a green peach blossom sword in his hand.

Lu Qingshan, with his consciousness already somewhat fuzzy, forced himself to control his trembling legs and stood up straight.

Puchi.

Yuan Cang, with a long sword piercing through his glabella, slowly lowered his head, only to see a green long sword thrust into his chest and out through his back.

All of the human body's strength requires direction from the consciousness to be harnessed.

With his Primordial Spirit pierced by the Oblivion River Sword, Yuan Cang, as a powerful Sword Cultivator of the Sixth Realm, still had immense element force within him. Nevertheless, it was like trying to scoop water with a bamboo basket, utterly unable to be summoned.

Lu Qingshan's eyes were as cold as ice daggers, and though his blood-covered face was serene, he revealed a calm smile to Yuan Cang, "All returned to you huh..."

He pulled the peach blossom sword out from Yuan Cang's body, shifted the position, then stabbed into Yuan Cang's heart and withdrew it again, repeatedly stabbing.

Puchi, puchi, puchi....

Heaven and Earth were silent, save for the continuous sound of the sword penetrating flesh.

One sword strike, another, and yet another, repeatedly, the peach blossom sword stabbed into Yuan Cang's body time after time.

Not until twenty-four horrifying bloody holes appeared upon Yuan Cang's physical body, blood gushing out, did Lu Qingshan finally nod in satisfaction.

Old fellow, you slashed me twenty-four times, and I return the favor with twenty-four of my own.

Not a single one less.

Finally, Lu Qingshan put away the peach blossom sword in his hand.

Puchi!

Another sound of a sword entering a body was heard.

Yuan Cang's eyes twitched.

Before his eyes, a one-inch red-hot sword tip emerged at his heart.

The Dragon Sparrow Sword, which had been thrust through Yuan Cang from behind, was slowly being pulled out.

This sword strike was delivered by an indignant Qin Yitian.

The young master reached the Nascent Soul stage within a mere twenty-one years, yet lost six hundred years of his lifespan over this old fellow.

Qin Yitian, weighing the situation, felt his eyes turning red.

"Young Master..." Qin Yitian, who withdrew the Dragon Sparrow Sword, felt apologetic for his impulsiveness.

Lu Qingshan cracked a smile and comforted Qin Yitian, "It's fine, I never make a losing deal; consider it earning one of his sword strikes."

"Still, it stings a bit," Lu Qingshan pondered and then mumbled to himself, "Six hundred years... that would have been enough for me to reach the Mahayana stage."

Yuan Cang, who was near at hand, heard Lu Qingshan's murmurings clearly. Had it been any other time, he would have dismissed such a statement from a Nascent Soul Cultivator as nothing but boastful bravado.

But not now.

"Mansion Master, you were wrong; compared to the 'Great Xia Scripture,' Lu Qingshan's life is far more valuable..." On the brink of death, Yuan Cang suddenly reflected on these words.

This was the assessment of one Sword Cultivator to another.

In terms of cultivation, Lu Qingshan was currently not his equal, but as a Sword Cultivator, he was far inferior to Lu Qingshan.

Setting aside his previous carelessness, even up till the last moment when Lu Qingshan explosively risked his life, Yuan Cang still had the opportunity to slay him.

As a Sixth Realm Cultivator, how could he not have a method to trade life for life?

But he did not make the trade.

Because in that split second, he believed he still had a chance to live.

To employ the life-trading technique would be to renounce that slim hope of survival.

He was not willing to trade this life!

And Lu Qingshan, from the moment he drew his sword, had forsaken everything else, betting all on his sword technique alone.

At the brink of life and death, as a Sword Cultivator, Lu Qingshan chose to press forward relentlessly, whereas another Sword Cultivator like him chose to stop.

That's why he was utterly defeated.

...

Although Lu Qingshan sheathed his sword, he had not yet fully retracted it.

He slowly lifted his hand, grasping the hilt of the Oblivion River Sword once more, and inch by inch, slowly pulled the Taoist Sword out.

As the Oblivion River Sword left his body, Yuan Cang's sea of consciousness began to churn.

As the long sword was completely drawn out from his Primordial Spirit, the spirit completely lost control and started to disintegrate with energy leaking in all directions.

This was like a sword piercing the body; if not removed, one might cling to life for a while, but upon extraction, it would lead to a catastrophic bleed.

His Primordial Spirit had shattered.

With a swipe of the Oblivion River Sword, Lu Qingshan completely severed Yuan Cang's head.

A trace of indistinct and invisible Spiritual Light flew out from Yuan Cang's body and returned into the body of the Oblivion River Sword.

"That really hurts," Lu Qingshan muttered to himself, as he directed the sword at himself.

Oblivion River Sword: Azure Fall.

A surge of vitality entered his utterly ruined body, laboriously mending the ubiquitous wounds.

His strength completely exhausted and even excessively overdrawn, he finally let out a breath as weakness manifested after the death of his formidable enemy.

He took out Healing Pills from his Storage Ring, poured them down his mouth in one go, then sat powerlessly on the ground, ravaged by gorges, gasping for air, not wishing to move a single finger anymore.

Qin Yitian advanced a few steps, gently wiping away the jet-black bloodstains on Lu Qingshan's face.

The sticky sensation of coagulated blood clinging to the face was uncomfortable.

....

Outside Mihe Peak.

Nearly ten Sword Sect Sword Cultivators, led by Xi Xiang, formed a rainbow of Sword Light that streaked across the sky.

When Xi Xiang saw from afar the desolate scene of Mihe Peak, like that of an apocalyptic wilderness, his heart trembled, "Could I be too late?"

He dared not contemplate further, speeding to the peak of Mihe Peak with utmost haste.

The speed of a Seventh Realm Sword Cultivator was extremely fast.

A distance of tens of miles was covered in just a few breaths.

The peak of Mihe Peak, once known for its beautiful scenery, was now covered in gorges, spreading in all directions like a spider's web, filled with countless pits and hollows.

At the center, next to the decapitated corpse of Yuan Cang, Lu Qingshan sat on the ground resting.

Bloodstains still clung to his face, and his whole body was soaked with blood.

Lu Qingshan just sat there, extremely weak, yet emitting an indescribable, awe-inspiring presence.

"It's Uncle-Master," Lu Qingshan said with a smile as he looked at the hurriedly arriving Xi Xiang.

From within his pitch-black eyes, a fiercely bright flame seemed to burn.

These old Sword Cultivators, having lived for a thousand years and weathered countless storms, were also slightly stunned by the scene before them.

What had they witnessed?

"Is this... a Divine Transformation Cultivator?" Xi Xiang's voice was a bit hoarse as he pointed at Yuan Cang's corpse and asked.

There was no need to ask, really.

As the saying goes, a wild goose leaves behind traces; the residue of Yuan Cang's Element Force aura was still lingering on the battlefield, very much obvious to the eye.

This was also the reason why high-realm cultivators from the Netherworld seldom made a move, because once they did, traces would inevitably remain.

A cultivator who used Element Force was at least a Divine Transformation Cultivator.

But Xi Xiang still asked.

Because he simply couldn't believe that a Divine Transformation Cultivator had perished under Lu Qingshan's sword.

Lu Qingshan tried to stand up to reply, but his trembling legs just couldn't support him in this action.

Abandoning the attempt, he looked at Xi Xiang with a wry smile, sighing, "Divine Transformation Cultivators truly are formidable. This time, I've really been put through the wringer."

The sun set in the west, casting a dim golden glow on Lu Qingshan, mingling with the crimson blood in a blurry and magnificent display.

....