The strike had come precisely when Lu Yunās strength was spent, right before he could recover. But he remained vigilant nonetheless, so the sneak attack from Sword Divine merely grazed past his left shoulder before landing on the Sovereign Arena, almost cleaving the giant edifice in two.
Blood flowed down Lu Yunās left arm, and inside Jadeite Manor, a sinister wound likewise appeared on the left shoulder of Lu Yunās real body.
āWhatās the matter! Where did that sword light come from?!ā shouted the immortals in Destiny City, including origin dao immortals. They hadnāt seen the attacker at all, nor could they tell where the sword light originated from.
āThereās a really formidable powerhouse inside the arena. We canāt even see him!ā Cold wracked the bodies of the already-eliminated cultivators as shivers coursed down their spines.
ā¦ā¦
Lu Yun turned his head to the left and observed the painful wound on his shoulder, surprised to find out he couldnāt immediately heal the damage with his current ability. Clearly, his true body had also been wounded.
The Sword Atlas appeared once again in a multicolored cloud of light that curled around him, a dense legion of illusory swords forming an impenetrable shield all around him.
Sword Divine slowly came into view. His figure was shrouded in hazy shadows that hid his true appearance. By comparison, the sword in his hand seemed exceptionally clear: the Sword of Chaos.
āI warned you not to meddle in my affairs.ā Somewhat hoarse, Sword Divineās voice had obviously been muffled on purpose to hide his identity. āBut you chose to interfere anyway, so I must get rid of you.ā
As his voice fell, he started moving once again.
Like a living thing, the Sword of Chaos streaked across the sky and hacked at Lu Yun. The Dusk lordās eyes narrowed as he cried out despite himself, āSimplicity is the essence of dao! An attack that contains the greatest of dao itself, who on earth are you?!ā
Simplicity was the essence of dao!
The same concept had been showcased by the long-haired black monster standing on the path of cultivation and preventing cultivators from entering the void realm!
However, from what Lu Yun knew, a weapon of dao was also required to perfectly execute such an attack. In the absence of said weapon, Lu Yun himself could at most blend the power of the great dao into his own sword technique in a pale imitation.
Yet Sword Divine had unleashed a perfect version of it!
Although thoroughly aghast, Lu Yun reacted at lightning speed. The moment the sword strike was about to land on him, the Sword Atlas curling around him fashioned a sword formation to block the incoming attack.
One couldnāt use supplemental daos in the Sovereign Arena, but Lu Yunās sword formation had evolved into an authentic combat art in its own right.
Boom!
Carrying with it the essence of dao, the Sword of Chaos struck the Sword Atlas and instantly shattered it!
The sword slash lost none of its momentum in the process. It crashed heavily onto Lu Yunās chest and sent him flying far away, an arc of spewed blood trailing behind him.
āThis is all you amount to,ā sneered Sword Divine. His figure suddenly vanished. By the time he reappeared, he was already standing in front of Lu Yun, his sword poised to stab down.
āMaster!!ā Silver radiance suddenly flashed across the sky as Yuan Tongās giant frame landed in front of Lu Yun, a giant shield shaped like a turtle shell in its hand.
Yuan Tong and the Silvermoon Wolfking had been keeping a close eye on Lu Yunās fight. While they couldnāt see Sword Divine, they could feel the terrible sword intent, so Yuan Tong had sprung into action the moment itād seen the young man sent flying.
It was calling upon the full might of its Scarlet Ape bloodline; the giant shield refined through shamanic arts flickered with rays of blood-red light as it clamped protectively over Lu Yun.
Boom!!!
At the same time, a sword slash landed heavily on the shield. Blood overflowed from Yuan Tongās mouth and its vitality decreased at an alarming rate, but there was a gleam of satisfaction in its eyes.
āIn this world, only two have ever treated me well and given me a sense of self-worth. One is the Wolfking, and the other my masterā¦ā it murmured even as its vision began to blur.
āTo think Iād die like this. I⦠really am dying,ā it uttered, conjuring the last of its strength.
āYouāre not going to die.ā Lu Yun quickly pressed his hands on the gorillaās chest, forcing its elimination a split second before the Sword of Chaos could land the killing blow. Then, he took the giant shield and hid behind it. Flung into the air again by the terrifying counterforce from the impact, he landed heavily on the ground.
This time around, he too had suffered critical damage. Countless bones in his body were shattered and he was almost completely immobilized.
ā¦ā¦
āIām still alive!ā Yuan Tong lay bonelessly on the ground like a bag filled with rags. Although its wounds were heavy, its life had been saved. And thanks to a pill Scarlet Ape fed it, it quickly recovered from the worst of its injuries.
āDid you see who the attacker was?ā Scarlet Ape asked. Beside them, Lu Yunās body was also dyed a bloody crimson. Although Ge Long was tirelessly providing first aid, the young manās wounds couldnāt be mended before his return.
āMaster called him Sword Divine, but I couldnāt see him.ā Yuan Tong shook its head.
The next moment, Silverblaze also regained consciousness with a wry smile on her lips.
She hadnāt been wounded; instead, sheād been eliminated by Qing Hanās sword. Her mistress had obviously been worried sheād follow in Yuan Tongās footsteps. The two of them had eliminated quite a few cultivators in the arena, so theyād earned ample rewards.
āTo think humans would protect monster spirits⦠Strange, how truly strange.ā Scarlet Ape looked at the distant Lu Yun in the arena, its eyes filled with incredulity. This wouldāve been utterly unfathomable back in its own era.
When Yuan Tong had taken the blow for Lu Yun just then, it wouldāve been easy for the young man to use this occurrence to escape completely unharmed.
But he hadnāt done so. Instead, heād struck Yuan Tong and sent him out. It was this very palm strike thatād caused him to miss the most optimal timing to dodge the incoming attack and condemned him to suffer the blow from the Sword of Chaos in full, leading to heavy injuries.
ā¦ā¦
āSidekick isnāt invincible, it seems. At the very least, the invisible powerhouse can kill him!ā Countless immortals cheered when they saw Lu Yun get wounded. He hadnāt eliminated many people, but each of them had been a matchless genius from one of the top clans. By now, heād offended all of the factions standing behind the ten lords.
More importantly, heād skinned quite a few powerhouses and refined their bones into shamanic weapons. While those cultivators hadnāt truly died, theyād gone through the very real experience of feeling their skins peeled off and their bones ripped away.
āJust now, I saw him betray the silverback gorilla that tried to help himā¦ā
āWhatever the case may be, the Sovereign Ranking battle will return to normal after heās out.ā
āWhat a shitstirrer!ā
ā¦ā¦
Meanwhile, Lu Yun lay on the ground. The giant shield had landed not far away from him, and Sword Divine was presently standing beside him. He could feel eerie two beams of murderous intent shooting out of the blurry face and stabbing viciously into him.
āIām going to die anyway, so before I do, let me see who you really are.ā Lu Yun heaved a helpless sigh.
āA soon-to-be ghost doesnāt need to know that.ā Sword Divine didnāt fall for it, lifting his sword instead and stabbing right at Lu Yunās forehead.
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Y'know, Scarlet Ape, maybe you should've taken a breather and gotten to understand your current world before reviving grudges from the Primeval Era...