Chapter 144: Grandmaster Battle, Encountering the Martial Spirit Again

Lu Yan took a few swift steps, his final step landing heavily on the hilt of the Crimson Blood Saber. The weapon sprang upward, caught instantly in Lu Yan's grip, and he countered with a swift, backhanded slash.

Clang!

This strike collided with Zhao Yi's razor-sharp claws, producing the sharp ring of striking metal. Both men staggered backward simultaneously.

Swish!

Before he had even finished retreating, Lu Yan lunged forward again. Aided by the momentum, he brought the Crimson Blood Saber down in a fierce, cleaving arc.

Another metallic clash echoed through the air, and Zhao Yi was forced back once more.

Certain martial arts possessed effects that could stack.

Take Cloud-Treading Steps and saber techniques, for instance.

With the boost of velocity, the faster the footwork, the higher the speed of the saber technique at the same level.

Or consider the Vajra Indestructible Art and saber techniques.

The Vajra Indestructible Art was a body-tempering discipline that endowed the practitioner with immense physical strength. The greater the strength, the more devastating the force behind every swing of the blade.

With the saber in hand, Lu Yan's combat prowess reached its absolute peak.

Lu Yan rained down blow after blow, filling the air with overlapping blurs of steel as he unleashed a continuous torrent of strikes.

Zhao Yi fought desperately to defend himself, but he was gradually overwhelmed, reduced to fumbling clumsily in defense.

Sizzle...

Seizing an opening, Lu Yan brought his blade down hard across the other's chest, only to be met with a shower of sparks as if he had struck solid iron.

Zhao Yi's clothes were shredded by the concussive force of the bone energy, revealing a layer of pitch-black scales beneath.

The Crimson Blood Saber had left nothing more than a faint white scratch upon them.

"Such astonishing defense."

Lu Yan felt a jolt of secret alarm.

A defense of this caliber unquestionably surpassed the limits of the Vajra Indestructible Art.

Even under his own full-powered strikes, the Vajra Indestructible Art could never achieve such resilience.

"With just the likes of you, you cannot kill me."

Zhao Yi let out a low roar, his eyes feral as he raked his claws toward the top of Lu Yan's head.

Lu Yan tipped his toes against the ground, his body drifting backward like a phantom to evade the lethal swipe.

Then, brandishing his saber, he charged back into the fray.

After a few more exchanges, Lu Yan landed a fierce slash on Zhao Yi's neck, but it still failed to breach the defense, blocked entirely by the black scales.

Zhao Yi's expression turned grim. Realizing he could not kill Lu Yan today, he leaped onto a nearby stone wall and began scrambling upward toward the exit.

However, Lu Yan had no intention of letting Zhao Yi escape.

Bounding forward, he lashed out with five consecutive slashes aimed at Zhao Yi's face, targeting his eyes specifically.

No matter how formidable one's defense might be, one could never temper their own eyeballs.

Left with no choice, Zhao Yi dropped down from the stone wall, swinging his claws to protect his face.

Suddenly, Lu Yan abruptly changed the angle of his blade and slashed downward.

This was a feint—making a sound in the east while striking in the west.

While it appeared he was aiming for Zhao Yi's eyes, his true target was Zhao Yi's crotch.

Rip!

The Crimson Blood Saber swept through the lower air, accurately striking Zhao Yi's most vital spot, and a dark, fleshy stump mixed with blood fell to the ground.

As expected, this Divine Dragon Body art could not temper the fifth limb; scales could not cover that area.

Judged by this single flaw alone, it was still inferior to the Vajra Indestructible Art.

Once the Vajra Indestructible Art was fully activated, even that region would turn golden and become as hard as steel.

The muscles on Zhao Yi's face spasmed violently before he let out a piercing, agonized roar.

Rip!

Lu Yan thrust his saber forward, plunging it straight through the enemy's wound deep into his viscera. With an upward wrench, he ripped the torso open, shattering internal organs into dust with his bone energy.

"You... despicable..."

Blood bubbled endlessly from Zhao Yi's mouth, filled with bitter resentment. He took two stumbling steps forward, collapsed heavily to the ground, and breathed his last.

"You only have yourself to blame for your half-baked cultivation."

Lu Yan said indifferently. He walked over to deliver a final, confirming blow with his blade, and then began considering how to handle the aftermath.

Zhao Yi was a high-ranking member of the Zhao clan, possessing combat power at the absolute apex just beneath Grandmasters.

If anyone discovered that Zhao Yi had died within the Pure Blood Cave, Lu Yan would undoubtedly become the prime suspect.

The corpse had to be disposed of.

Lu Yan dressed himself properly and stepped out of the cave, finding the surrounding area completely deserted.

Faint, rumbling vibrations echoed from the fortress in the distance.

"Could the fiends and monsters have broken through to this place?"

Lu Yan was startled, but immediately dismissed the thought. With so many formidable masters gathered in Lingwang City, breaching it was no easy task.

Most likely, it was a phantom.

Lu Yan hurried back into the blood cave, kicked Zhao Yi's severed member into the blood pool, picked up the corpse, and left the Pure Blood Cave. Traveling a few miles away, he dug a shallow trench in the soft earth with his Crimson Blood Saber and buried Zhao Yi's body.

"A fierce battle is raging in the Zhao clan fortress. This place is no place to linger; leaving is the wisest course of action."

Lu Yan turned, preparing to head down the mountain, when a sudden premonition made his heart skip a beat. With a single leap, he concealed himself amongst a patch of jagged boulders.

Boom! Boom!

No sooner had Lu Yan hidden his form than a violent roar echoed from nearby.

It sounded like two primordial beasts colliding with savage fury. Even across a distance, one could feel the fierce gales of wind sweeping over, while shattered rocks flew like bullets—some whistling overhead, others smashing into boulders and reducing them to powder.

Crash!

Immediately afterward, a figure shot backward like a cannonball from afar, landing hundreds of meters away from where Lu Yan was hiding.

Upon hitting the ground, the figure continued to slide backward, tearing a trench several dozen meters long into the earth.

It was a powerfully built old man with a bald head, white whiskers like a lion, and an awe-inspiring aura.

"To think you still had a Grandmaster left behind. I'll kill you first, and then raze your ancestral nest."

In the distance, a figure drifted over like a phantom.

A phantom!

An immensely powerful phantom, appearing in the guise of a middle-aged beauty, yet exuding an overwhelmingly terrifying aura, her entire body wreathed in thick, foul miasma.

The female phantom struck out with a palm toward the bald old man.

The bald old man threw a punch in counter-attack. The two tyrannical, overbearing forces collided with a thunderous explosion, sending shockwaves rippling outward. Centered on the two of them, the ground looked as though it had been plowed through, a layer of soil shaved off entirely while debris flew in all directions.

"A presence at the Grandmaster level..."

Lu Yan's heart pounded with trepidation. He had never expected to stumble upon a battle between Grandmasters here, let alone one happening so close to him.

If he were sucked into the vortex, he would be done for.

Powerful though his combat strength currently was—capable of slaying peak Martial Marquises—facing a Grandmaster was still a matter of being swatted to death with a single slap.

Clearly, the bald Grandmaster was slightly weaker in strength, being suppressed by the female phantom. After a few exchanges, he retreated another several hundred meters, widening the distance between them and Lu Yan's hiding spot.

"Just a single Grandmaster-level phantom, and you dare plot against my Zhao clan? We've been waiting for you."

The bald old man sneered. Though he was on the losing foot, he showed no panic.

"What do you mean?"

The female phantom furrowed her brows slightly.

The bald old man did not answer; the reply to her was a flying metal spear.

At some unknown moment, a stalwart figure had appeared not far away—a middle-aged man with unkempt, flowing hair, gripping a metallic spear.

He first leaned back, his arm bending like a bow, and then hurled the spear forward with tremendous force.

Whoosh!

The spear tore through the air, piercing straight toward the female phantom's head.

Startled, the female phantom retreated rapidly to dodge the weapon.

"Kill!"

The bald old man roared, his fists enveloped in a layer of crimson inner Qi as he slammed them toward the female phantom.

Having thrown the spear, the middle-aged man closed the distance at blinding speed, caught the spear mid-air, leaped dozens of meters into the void, and swept downward at the female phantom with overwhelming momentum that surpassed even the bald old man.

"The Fiend King launched an all-out assault on the city. I clearly saw eight Grandmasters leave to reinforce the walls earlier—how can there still be two Grandmasters here?"

Shocked and enraged, the female phantom fought with all her might.

The Zhao clan possessed a total of ten Grandmasters. Two had always remained stationed at the North City, and eight had left. Logically, the blood vein should have been left defenseless.

How could there still be two remaining?

They had fallen for a trap.

The eight who had left earlier were not all Zhao clan Grandmasters; most likely, masters from other major clans had been mixed among them.

Furthermore, according to their calculations, with the Fiend King leading the fiends out in full force, the Zhao clan would have to defend with all their might, making it impossible to spare Grandmasters to guard the blood veins.

Yet now, not only had they left guards, but they had left *two*.

Moreover, the second Grandmaster to appear possessed astonishing combat power, far exceeding the average Grandmaster by a wide margin.

Caught between the two Grandmasters, the female phantom was no match. After a dozen-odd moves, she was swept by the spear, blasting a massive gap in her body.

The edges of the wound rippled and squirmed rapidly, healing before long.

However, Grandmaster-level powerhouses wielded inner Qi, possessing terrifying destructive force far beyond bone energy. Though the female phantom had regenerated, she still suffered severe repercussions, her aura weakening considerably.

She turned and fled.

The two Grandmasters pursued her relentlessly, vanishing into the distance in the blink of an eye.

Hah!

Lu Yan let out a long breath.

The night breeze blew, chilling him to the core as he realized a cold sweat had soaked his entire body without him noticing.

The close proximity of several Grandmaster-level powerhouses battling exerted an unbearable pressure upon him.

That oppressive aura hung over his head like a massive mountain; if it fell, he would be crushed to powder.

After waiting a little longer to confirm that the Grandmasters had truly departed, Lu Yan crawled out from the pile of rubble.

The ground was littered with craterous depressions and dozens-of-meters-long trenches gouged out by the spear, leaving a scene of utter devastation.

"Grandmaster-level combat power exceeds my expectations. It is far too superior to a peak Martial Marquis."

"Even though I have cultivated the CloudTreading Steps to the realm of Man and Saber as One, if I truly encountered a Grandmaster, I might not escape with my life. I must keep a low profile. Until my cultivation reaches the fifth stage of the Martial Marquis realm, I must never cross paths with a Grandmaster."

Lu Yan thought to himself, then broke into a rapid sprint toward the foot of the mountain.

As he neared the base, Lu Yan slowed his pace because a figure was hurtling toward him from the front.

It was a young man in his thirties with a face carved like a knife, sharp eyes, and a long saber slung across his back.

The other party spotted Lu Yan as well.

"Brother, a major battle seems to have broken out atop the Zhao clan's blood vein. What is the situation now?"

The young man walked toward Lu Yan, cupping his fists and asking politely.

"It's fine, the situation is under control. I'm heading to the North City to reinforce them. How are the defenses at the city walls?"

Lu Yan replied.

"Also fine, the situation is under control. The Grandmaster sent me to investigate the situation at the blood vein. Brother, why don't you accompany me?"

The young man said, stepping closer to Lu Yan as he spoke.

When the two were merely ten meters apart, the young man suddenly drew his saber, channeled strength into his legs, and slashed fiercely at Lu Yan.

Lu Yan had been on guard all along, fearing the man might be possessed by a phantom. The moment the other moved, he too drew his saber and unleashed a counter-strike.

Clang!

The blades collided in a shower of sparks. Both men stepped back twice, then simultaneously exerted force and charged at each other again.

Both excelled in saber techniques, moving their blades like lightning with breathtaking speed. In the blink of an eye, they exchanged dozens of blows without a winner emerging.

"Such formidable bone energy! This man is only at the fourth stage of the Martial Marquis realm, yet his bone energy is on par with mine."

Lu Yan felt a jolt of secret shock.

To possess such potent bone energy at the fourth stage of the Martial Marquis realm meant he was undoubtedly an innate or acquired martial body.

At that moment, the young man's saber technique shifted, turning even more vicious and aggressive like a tidal wave of ceaseless offensive pressure.

It was an entirely suicidal fighting style—ignoring defense completely in pursuit of relentless offense.

"What kind of saber technique is this?"

Lu Yan narrowed his eyes, defending intently.

Ordinary martial arts were balanced between offense and defense, often leaning more toward defense—three parts offense, seven parts defense.

Even pure offensive martial arts maintained a five-fifty split at best, while desperate styles managed seven parts offense and three parts defense.

Because going all-out on the attack left oneself wide open to flaws; if one failed to kill the enemy within a few strikes, any counterattack upon being caught in a vulnerability would leave the fighter defenseless.

Yet the saber technique the youth deployed was ten parts offense and zero parts defense.

Lu Yan focused on parrying, searching for vulnerabilities in his opponent's technique.

"Such powerful saber artistry. This fellow has most likely cultivated a top-tier martial art to the realm of perfection."

Lu Yan thought to himself.

Drawing upon his profound comprehension of saber techniques, Lu Yan deflected all of his opponent's onslaughts.

After dozens of moves, Lu Yan finally caught a flaw in the youth's rhythm, and the Crimson Blood Saber cleaved through the air.

Rip!

The young man's waist was struck, nearly cut in half. Blood splattered everywhere, and his internal organs were exposed.

"This is..."

Lu Yan gasped in shock and retreated rapidly.

For the youth's waist had been slashed open, yet he seemed completely unfazed; dark mist billowed from the wound, and the severed flesh squirmed, rapidly stitching itself back together.

"Flesh and blood... not a phantom. A Martial Spirit!"

Lu Yan's pupils constricted.

"You noticed? Then go to hell!"

The young man wore a ferocious expression, stomping his feet to lunge wildly at Lu Yan. His saber chopped down frantically, filling the empty air with flashing blades.

Refusing to be bogged down, Lu Yan employed his Cloud-Treading Steps to dodge the onslaught, materializing to the young man's right flank.

"Die!"

The young man roared softly, twisting his torso to lunge at Lu Yan once more with extreme velocity.

Yet no matter how fast the youth was, he could not outpace Lu Yan, who had mastered the Cloud-Treading Steps to the realm of Man and Saber as One.

Lu Yan stepped casually, moving as gracefully as a stroll in a courtyard, his form as fluid as drifting clouds and flowing water, maintaining a constant distance from the youth.

He was searching for his opponent's fatal flaw.

After launching more than a dozen futile charges, the young man grew impatient and flustered.

Seizing another opening, Lu Yan hesitated no longer. He drove his Cloud-Treading Steps, Vajra Indestructible Art, and Nine Heavens Saber arts to their absolute limits.

The nine strands of bone energy within his body erupted with maximum power.

Swish!

In the dead of night, Lu Yan transformed into a fleeting phantom. With a single flash, he closed in on the young man, his blade sweeping across the void.

The young man's head flew high into the air.

Yet, astonishingly, no blood spurted from the severed neck.

A faint shadow flickered from the youth's body, bridging his detached head and torso. The flying head snapped backward, reconnecting with the neck as the wound healed instantaneously.

"Monster..."

Lu Yan felt his hair stand on end, hurriedly putting distance between them once more.

A Martial Spirit was simply too bizarre.

Phantoms were strange enough, difficult to harm with ordinary attacks, yet vitality and bone energy could still inflict massive damage upon them, growing noticeably weaker with every successful strike.

Martial Spirits, however, though they weakened slightly, did so by an almost imperceptible margin.

Unless one possessed an absolute, overwhelming suppression of sheer strength.

"You die... I want you... to die!"

The young man's eyes bloodshot, veins bulging visibly, his body began to twist and contort. The muscles across his frame writhed like thousands of crawling insects trapped beneath his skin.

Then, two snakes protruded from either side of his neck.

Actual snakes, roughly the thickness of an adult's arm, half of their bodies exposed as they flicked their forked tongues, while their lower halves fused seamlessly into the youth's torso.

Furthermore, a serpentine tail sprouted from his tailbone—over two meters long, pitch-black and gleaming, covered entirely in dark scales.

Swish!

With a single bound, the young man lunged at Lu Yan once more, his speed vastly superior to before.