Lanke Chess Edge

Chapter 438: Heaven and Earth Crumble, Demons Fall Like Rain

Although the mountain peak where Ji Yuan was located was not at the center of the earth vein eruption, it was not far enough to be excluded from the range of the blast. Therefore, it was also impacted by the earth vein’s toxic energy.“Mr. Ji, run!”

“Mr. Ji, run away, quickly!”

“Beware of the toxic energy!”

Ji Yuan had initially used his sword to break through the fog, and repeatedly intervened in the battle afterwards. He stood atop the mountain to maintain order, which greatly diminished the arrogance of the demons. All the cultivators of Xianxia Island were grateful for his help.

When they saw that Ji Yuan was actually being attacked by the earth vein’s poison, even though they knew that this mysterious immortal must have extremely profound cultivation, they couldn’t help but shout loudly for him to get away.

But Ji Yuan had no intention of dodging. He had been exposed to the poisonous aura before, though not as intensely. He had already learned from experience that the poisonous aura couldn’t even get close to his Pure Body.

Therefore, at this moment, Ji Yuan completely ignored the approaching earth vein poison. He was more concerned about two other important points.

First was the Plum Blossom Array down on the ground. However, many cultivators from Xianxia Island were already rushing towards the ground with their escape techniques, presumably trying to rescue people. After all, it was almost impossible to seal off such a powerful eruption of the earth veins before it was fully released.

The second was the demonic, evil light that surged into the sky, accompanying the malevolent energy.

Ji Yuan originally thought that he would be coming with the cultivators from Xianxia Island just to watch them effortlessly slay demons and monsters as easily as chopping melons and vegetables. After all, the earthquake upheaval and the rupture of the earth veins, which triggered this surge of malevolent energy, would only attract demons and monsters from the nearby area, so it shouldn’t be too exaggerated.

The phrase he had hear from the Old City God of Ning’an County, “an Island of Immortals hidden deep in the clouds, housing the unparalleled Changjian Mountain…,” was practically Ji Yuan’s introduction to the immortal path.1 The power of Xianxia Island was etched into Ji Yuan’s subconsciousness.2

However, this fierce battle had continued for quite some time, and apart from the very beginning, the demons in fact clearly had the upper hand. The cultivators of Xianxia Island were only able to maintain their final victory by relying on their high cultivation level, good teamwork, and the profound nature of their formation.

However, the earth vein’s evil energy erupted again, directly disrupting the plans of both the inner and outer formations of Xianxia Island, and the inner formation was shattered by the impact.

Everyone had a temper, and Ji Yuan was no exception. He always preferred to believe that good would prevail over evil; since he, Ji Yuan, was not exactly at his wit’s end, how could he tolerate letting most of the powerful demons escape?

The larger formation of Xianxia Island was already complete, but the demonic energy had breached the overhead sky; he would plug that gap!

Ji Yuan’s body radiated a divine light. This was the first time that such a remarkable divine aura had appeared on him since he had first arrived on that mountain peak. It was like a gentle breeze swirling around a bright moon as it rose. Behind his back, his left hand gripped the the immortal sword horizontally away from his body.

Some cultivators from Xianxia Island originally wanted to warn Ji Yuan to leave the area impacted by the demonic energy, but seeing him standing alone on the mountain peak as the toxic energy automatically dispersed around him, his Taoist energy rising like the moon, they inexplicably fell silent.

If even immortal cultivators could react this way, one could only imagine how the fleeing demons felt.

The great demon with bat wings flew the fastest and highest, accompanied by a group of demon lords, while several powerful demons soared alongside him.

As if suddenly sensing something as he flew at high speeds, he looked down and saw a corner of light shining clear and bright like the moon, glowing in the endless vortex of evil energy from the earth vein.

“Not good! That powerful swordsman from Xianxia Island is about to make a move! Run!”

It was a palpitation that arose instinctively from just the sight itself, at a critical moment when they were about to escape.

In this situation, it wouldn’t be excessive to estimate that man’s cultivation level at heights they didn’t even dare imagine previously. Clearly, the act of detonating the earth veins caught these so-called immortals off guard, and the person on the mountaintop was also enraged.

“Hahahaha… No matter how powerful that immortal is, he can’t possibly capture us all. Let’s see who’s unlucky!”

Since the demon could still laugh maniacally, he accelerated again in his madness, transforming into a streak of eerie green light and veering towards the horizon. At this point, no one was willing to try and stop him; they were all focused on using their own supernatural abilities to escape.

They didn’t need to run faster than the Immortal Sword, just faster than everyone else.

Ji Yuan gripped the scabbard tightly. This was the first time he had ever seen such a grand scene of demons filling the sky, and he was still a little nervous. He might even embarrass himself. However, as in all aspects of life, there were those actions which should be taken, and those which should not.

“Do you really think that demons are always one step ahead?”

Letting out a cold snort, Ji Yuan used his right hand to trace the sheath and hilt with his sword fingers, slowly moving them upwards. As his sword fingers left the hilt and pointed towards the sky, the Green Vine Sword suddenly lit up with sword light. It was no longer the blazing white light of sword energy, but rather a clear and cold light with a sharp, penetrating quality.

The sword rang out. Its light shot into the sky in an instant, breaking through the vortex of earth vein poison in the air and soaring into the heavens with destructive momentum.

Many demons, upon hearing the sword’s cry, instinctively channeled their demonic and spiritual power, attempting to dodge or withstand the immortal sword. However, they found that the sword light vanished almost instantly before their eyes, soaring into the heavens.

‘It’s not here to kill us?’

More than one demon subconsciously thought. However, some of them quickly realized something and looked up at the sky.

At the same moment, Ji Yuan drew his sword downwards, and the Green Vine Sword, which was already in harmony with his will, arose from his heart alongside his manifestation of the Transformation of Heaven and Earth, containing boundless celestial power. Under this manifested inner world, the entire sky seemed to be drawn together into the immortal sword.

A soft hum spread throughout the surrounding area. All those who heard it, including the cultivators of Xianxia Island, felt a slight tingling, numbing sensation.

A profound sword intent, clear and flawless, with a sharp killing intent, was drawn and gathered together by a bright white light on the immortal sword. This was the convergence of Ji Yuan’s inner world and the Nine Heavens above.

At this moment, this deliberate act and his momentum overlapped and stabilized the divide between the real and illusory. The immortal sword hung in the air as if carrying the power of the heavens, and anyone who looked up felt an immense pressure on their mind.

The Green Vine Sword, too, embodied the convergence of intent and manifestation; its sword energy had not yet been released, but its boundless sword intent had already merged with the “heavens,” descending with unparalleled might.

In the mental realm of intent, the sky was shaking incessantly, creating a strong sense of oppression, as if the heavens were collapsing and the earth were splitting.

‘The sky is falling…’

Many powerful demons and monsters felt their hearts tremble and stop. The moment when they peered into the sky, they all had the terrifying feeling that the sky was about to collapse.

The sword hanging in the sky was indeed falling, but what fell was not just the sword, but also the sky itself, which collapsed alongside the force of this strike.

This mental weight was incredibly intense, and it grew stronger with every moment.

Demons and monsters trembled, and their spiritual power and demonic energy seemingly driven out of their control. Many demons could not hold on for long and fell from the sky as crushed by a heavy object.

Even the more powerful ones couldn’t withstand this pressure and dared not fly any higher. They simply descended, barely managing to stay upright despite the feeling of falling, and used their spiritual power to try to escape through the gap between the convergence of heaven and earth.

But the sky was infinitely vast, the earth infinitely large, and the journey infinitely long.

Some demons, after flying only a few li, mistakenly fell for the illusion that they had been flying for a very long time, over vast distances, yet they could not see the end of the collapsing sky. The sky was rapidly falling alongside that terrible sword strike, making them fly lower and lower until they too succumbed to the pressure, crashing into the nearby mountain with a loud “boom”.

The weaker demons had already been mostly terrified to death by the sword intent before even hitting the ground, their bodies shattered in its shadow. Even their souls were shattered in the sword intent, for in their hearts, they felt that they had already been slain.3

The sword was drawn and the heavens crumbled; demons fell like rain…

This was Ji Yuan’s second use of the Heaven-Rending Sword technique, ever since his initial sword strike all those years ago. A swordsman’s sword was always most intimidating when it was still sheathed, and the Heaven-Rending Sword technique had a similar effect. Or rather, this sword strike had already fallen, landing in everyone’s hearts.4

This sword strike was not aimed at the cultivators of Xianxia Island, as Ji Yuan could distinguish friend from foe within his inner realm. Even so, the power and oppressive force of this sword strike still made the cultivators of Xianxia Island lose control of their radiant light, falling one after another to the nearest mountain peak.

The six elders from Xianxia Island who had rushed to provide assistance also landed on a nearby mountaintop, staring at the sky in horror.

‘Is the sky about to fall…?’

At the summit of the central mountain, Ji Yuan had almost exhausted all his spiritual power. In his inner realm, in his alchemy furnace, the True Fire of Samadhi burned extremely intensely, frantically refining new red energy, which was continuously replenishing to his body through the illusory golden bridge, transforming his energy into more spiritual power.

Adhering to the principle that the strength of the sword intent directly correlated with the strength of the inner world, Ji Yuan truly exerted every ounce of his strength at this time. He also believed that now, having comprehended the profound mysteries of heaven and earth, his swordsmanship had grown far more powerful than before.

‘I once faced one god, and today I face countless demons. I, Ji, possess such heroic spirit!’

With this thought in mind, watching the demons fall from the sky, Ji Yuan felt a surge of pride. At this moment, although he was a cultivator, he had the spirit of a warrior and the chivalry of a hero. As a result, his usually reserved face revealed his arrogance and cold smile.

Each time his sword fingers slid slightly downwards, the pressure on all those facing his sword’s momentum increased tenfold. It was a despair on the verge of collapse, unmatched, insurmountable, unless one truly possessed the confidence to defy the heavens.

Many demons, even if their bodies were intact and unharmed, showed a blank expression and vacant eyes when they fell, their heart’s will already severed.

To Ji Yuan’s surprise, this sword strike, imbued with boundless mental power and the overwhelming force of the heavens, seemed to resonate with the earth’s malevolent energy. It was as if the earth’s veins were also being suppressed by the heavens, and the surging torrent of poisonous energy gradually ceased, and even reversed.

The poisonous aura that permeated the entire mountain range was also pressed down to the ground, and the world regained its brightness.

At this moment, Ji Yuan, having exhausted his spiritual power, slumped onto the mountaintop. However, he did not collapse. In addition to using his intent as momentum to break the opponent’s defenses, this sword technique was also intended to sever willpower.

In order to maintain its intimidating effect, Ji Yuan did not allow this sword to truly strike and kill. Otherwise, it would be easy to kill a few demons with this deterrence, but it would be a poor choice. Moreover, he simply did not have the strength to truly strike. If he allowed the Green Vine Sword itself to strike, even his deterrent intent would be lost.

Some of the more powerful demons that had fallen to the ground were merely paralyzed with fear, not dead. Therefore, even when Ji Yuan collapsed from exhaustion, he didn’t lie down, but rather fell tot he ground with his left leg extended and his right leg bent, his right hand resting on his knee to support his head.

Then Ji Yuan squeezed out a wisp of spiritual power, and an emerald green jade jug flew out from his sleeve. He held it in his left hand and slowly poured wine into his open mouth. It was the Ambergris from the Thousand-Dou Jug.

At that very moment, the Green Vine Sword flew back, returning to its sheath with a clang. It stood before Ji Yuan as he sat on the ground drinking.

When the sword was drawn, the sky seemed to collapse; when the sword was sheathed, he sat atop the mountain, carefree and at ease, holding a jug and drinking, regarding everything around him as if it were nothing.

T/n: Oh Ji Yuan, how I have missed your proficient bulls**tting

I have been politely requested to share more pictures of my cat. Being a Certified Simp for my sentient fluffball, I am more than happy to oblige.

Aaaaall the way back in chapter 33! T/n: the realization of a munchkin novel protagonist after the training montage T/n: OMAE WA MOU… SHINDEIRU! Bit confusing what he’s trying to say here. Essentially, it’s the principle that a swordsman is at his most dangerous when his for harm is greatest, not when he has already struck. Intimidation in a nutshell.

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