Chapter 114: Chapter 49: Expanding into the Unknown
The sky is vast, the wild is boundless, the wind blows the grass low and shows cattle and sheep.
At this moment, the “herd of cattle and sheep” was frantically fleeing in all directions, chased hither and thither by An Zhisu in the sky like a hunting falcon.
Ling Yunpo watched from behind, dumbstruck.
Whether it was demonic beasts as large as buffaloes or demons as swift as cheetahs, all were slain by Senior Sister An, scattering in panic.
If their hide was thick and flesh was tough, An Zhisu would target their weaker areas, thrusting her Flying Sword into their eyes, nostrils, or limbs;
If they were as fast as lightning, An Zhisu would use her Sword Qi to block off most of their escape routes, then deliver a fatal, unavoidable strike with her Frostfall Sword.
Such supremely precise changes in swordplay, Ling Yunpo had also seen under the tutelage of Lin Duanshan, but as Duan Fenhai said, “Compared to An Zhisu, it was far inferior.”
In fact, Ling Yunpo suspected that Senior Sister An’s swordplay was not purely based on calculation, but also relied on a certain level of “intuition,” a combat instinct only attainable at a profound level of mastery in the Seven Kills Sword Technique.
Without a second thought, each move she made and its timing were just right, precise and deadly.
Sometimes, when demonic beasts were driven to desperation, they would huddle and turn to launch a joint attack, sending a barrage of various dazzling demon arts toward An Zhisu and Ling Yunpo.
An Zhisu would then activate the Sword Dao Techniques of her Frostfall Sword, conjuring countless icy Sword Qi, extinguishing all the demon arts one by one.
The remaining Sword Qi fell like a downpour, piercing those rebellious demonic beasts, impaling them to the ground.
Having watched Senior Sister An for a while, Ling Yunpo realized her invincibility came from her exceptional strength in every aspect.
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Her True Qi was abundant and resilient, the rank of her Frostfall Sword was high, coupled with her rich combat experience and the special “battle intuition,” making the slightly less powerful demonic beasts face a one-sided slaughter in combat.
The nickname “Weed-Cutting Sword Immortal” wasn’t entirely unfounded.
As for how she would fare against stronger opponents, Ling Yunpo was not sure, for Senior Sister An was now the foremost under the Shushan Golden Core, and no Golden Core True Person would make a move against her, thus there was no chance to witness it.
The only indirect evidence was the time when Shi Ziming of the Administrative Hall used a secret technique to forcibly elevate his Cultivation Level to the False Core Realm, only to leave her severely wounded — at the cost of being killed by her on the spot.
From this, it can be seen that Senior Sister An wasn’t incapable of fighting battles where she had to win against stronger foes; it’s just that the enemies she usually faced were too weak, resulting in battles that were sheer overkill.
My Senior Sister, forever invincible!
“Do you want to give it a try as well?” An Zhisu suddenly stopped her swordplay and asked with a smile.
Her tone was as relaxed as if she wasn’t fighting with demonic beasts but as if she were hunting.
“Alright then.” Ling Yunpo drew out the Qing Ping and Thunderbane Swords.
He felt no pity for the demonic beasts below, as the creatures in the Death Gate region actively attacked humans, even relishing in cannibalism, and there were no compassionate Bodhisattvas around to preach about the equality of all beings.
We Shushan Sword Immortals are just that savage!
Ling Yunpo silently recited the incantation and then triggered the Sword Dao Technique “After the Rain in the Empty Mountains” of the Qing Ping Sword, creating countless long, sharp Water System Sword Qi, which he poured down densely below.
Compared to Senior Sister An’s exquisite swordsmanship, his method of attack was undoubtedly much more brutal.
He didn’t bother with weaknesses or vital points; seeing a demonic beast, he would just send a barrage of Sword Qi, and with “After the Rain in the Empty Mountains” having its own armor-piercing effect, disregarding the defenses of the demonic beasts’ shells, he slaughtered them as if chopping melons and cutting vegetables.
Occasionally, there were beasts that stubbornly resisted, refusing to sit still for death, launching demon arts at Ling Yunpo, who would simply point a finger, and immediately a golden lightning would strike, killing the opponent before they could react.
This was not the Thunder Method that Qiu Changtian possessed, but the innate Daoist Magic of the Thunderbane Sword, “Nine Heavens God Shocking Thunder,” characterized by long attack distance and exceptionally strong penetration, capable of killing enemies from afar.
The brother and sister pair bombarded the skies, quickly slaughtering all the demonic beasts within sight, with the remaining scattering and fleeing to places they could no longer find.
Just this for the Death Gate region?
Ling Yunpo felt disdainful, and the Kunlun Mirror, aware of his thoughts, reminded him:
“Think about it carefully. If these demonic beasts hadn’t run helter-skelter upon seeing your Senior Sister and instead grouped together to besiege you, would you still be able to kill as effortlessly?”
Ling Yunpo gave it some thought and realized it was true.
“If I were surrounded by so many demonic beasts, I’d have to devote half of my strength to self-preservation, such as casting ‘Green Mist Veil Over the Mountains’ to conceal my form,” he pondered.
Consequently, to avoid detection by the enemy, one naturally wouldn’t be able to strike at will.
“Senior Sister An,” Ling Yunpo asked knowingly, perplexingly, “why do these demonic beasts not resist and simply allow us to slaughter them?”
“After a certain Shushan tournament ended, the Demon Locking Tower was once opened,” An Zhisu explained, “I had been here at that time…”
“And then? Oh… I see, worthy of Senior Sister,” Ling Yunpo was slightly stunned, then he couldn’t help but laugh and say.
The title of the Weed-Cutting Sword Immortal was not only feared by the disciples of Shushan, but even the demonic beasts were terrified.
An Zhisu nonchalantly waved her hand and said:
“Actually, it’s nothing much, these creatures are all bullies who fear the strong. If you are weak, they will swarm you and bite; if you are strong, they can only scatter in a frantic escape.”
Ling Yunpo agreed repeatedly, truly convinced.
After the demonic beasts below were almost completely exterminated, the two descended with their swords’ light and began to clean up the battlefield.
These demonic beasts hadn’t reached the Transformation Rank and had no demon cores, only their bodily materials might be worth some money.
For instance, the giant lizard demonic beast “Yayu” they first encountered had scales that were exceptionally hard.
If made into inner armor, it could withstand a frontal stab from a Flying Sword… Although it would be damaged after three or four uses, it could still save one’s life at a critical moment.
After all, not every Shushan disciple has defensive magical treasures like the Divine Fire Mantle or the Jade Emperor Bell.
After roughly reaping the materials and putting them into a storage bag, the two set off on their return journey.
Arriving near the entrance of this space, in a certain valley, Ling Yunpo had yet to see the original passageway and was wondering when he saw An Zhisu suddenly summon the Frostfall Sword and activate the Sword Dao techniques on it.
Suddenly, thick snowflakes began to fall like feathers, covering the sky and blanketing the ground with a rustling sound.
Several demonic beasts stumbled out from behind a hill. They intended to take advantage of the moment when the two were searching for the entrance and let down their guard to sneak up and attack from behind. They didn’t expect An Zhisu to directly discern their locations.
Before they could escape far, the snowflake Sword Qi landed on them, tearing their flesh open, blood gushing like fountains, and they died on the spot.
“Demons cannot leave the space that confines them,” An Zhisu explained softly, “So, whenever there are demons near an entrance, these entrances won’t appear.”
“Therefore, when we enter a certain space, if there are demons nearby, the entrance will immediately disappear, preventing us from leaving… take note of this mechanism,” she said.
“Of course, you can also use this mechanism to detect if there are any hidden demons nearby.”
“I see,” Ling Yunpo expressed his eagerness to learn.
As the demonic beasts were killed, the entrance for the return path also emerged from the void.
The two rode their swords into the passage, through the long, dark corridor, and quickly returned to the original hall.
But in the hall, the atmosphere was tense as if drawn swords were at the ready, and when a few Shushan disciples saw An Zhisu and Ling Yunpo return from the passage, they immediately summoned their Life-bound Sword Artifacts and braced for battle.
Ling Yunpo frowned slightly, only to see An Zhisu’s eyebrows arching as she drew the Frostfall Sword, her whole body exuding an aura so fierce it almost pierced the sky, and she asked coldly:
“What are you trying to do?!”
“We’d like to ask what Qingluo Peak is plotting!” a Shushan disciple in the crowd roared, “Committing murder amongst fellow disciples, what is the punishment according to our sect’s rules?”
“Senior Sister An and I have been together the whole time, observed by all as we entered the Death Gate, and we have just come back from inside, how can there be any talk of murdering our fellow disciples?” Ling Yunpo quickly stopped Senior Sister An, who was ready to counterattack, and calmly asked in a deep voice.
“Our disciples from Red Sun Peak were not attacked by demons in the Wound Gate, but died at the hands of fellow Shushan disciples,” the disciple opposite them said with red eyes, filled with grief and anger, “Now that our master is not present, please have True Person Jinghua make a judgment for our Red Sun Peak.”
“The murderer is none other than the Peak Master of Qingluo Peak, Su Jian!”