Chapter 406: Whose is Bigger?
Chapter 406: Whose is Bigger?
Yun Xiao turned towards the source, laying eyes on a figure that was a walking contradiction. A tall girl stood there, armored from head to toe in a battle gear that was as white as snow on a moonlit night.
This wasn't just any armor; it was a masterpiece adorned with the ferocious patterns of white tigers, each piece telling a story of raw power and the untamed wild. The chest plate boasted a white tiger in mid-roar, so lifelike you'd think twice before approaching.
This armor, with its cold light and aura of desolation, was clearly not your run-of-the-mill gear. It was a top-tier treasure, its presence alone dominating the room.
And there she stood, this warrior maiden, her figure both graceful and menacing, like a snow leopard poised for the kill. Her helmet hid eyes that radiated lethality, her gaze so piercing it could freeze you in your tracks.
Yun Xiao recognized that frosty face, and with it, the realization dawned on him. She had indeed interfered with the test for the fifth floor of the Primordial Pagoda. It was Huyan Pin!
Outside the pagoda, the buzz of the crowd seeped in, a mix of anticipation and debate. They were all eager to see who would come out on top in this clash of titans. As to whom they favored, that remained a mystery.
Most were vocal in their support for Huyan Pin, drawn to her fiery spirit and undeniable dominance. Yun Xiao, the newcomer, was still an enigma to them.
As he stood before her, Huyan Pin's icy demeanor melted away, replaced by a solemn air. She summoned her Sword Soul, transforming it into a Palm Sword with a flourish.
In her grip materialized a black greatsword, four feet in length and as wide as a man's palm, its hilt crowned with a golden sun no bigger than a coin. This was her sword's essence, shining brightly, lending the blade an otherworldly aura.
Her Sword Soul was a reflection of her—proud, cold, and ruthlessly dominant.
"The Condemner, a Lower Yang grade Sword Soul."Huyan Pin's lips curled into a slight smile, a prelude to the storm that was about to unfold.
A Yang grade Sword Soul was an Emperor among Sword Souls, a testament to her prowess. Her introduction wasn't just idle chatter; it was a calculated move, a psychological attack aimed at unsettling Yun Xiao.
As she fondled the hefty black sword, seven thick Sword Rings emerged, each unleashing a spectral demon, their combined might bearing down on Yun Xiao like a suffocating wave.
"Did you know?" Huyan Pin continued. "Five Calamities Realm Demons possess the power of natural disasters. That's why these Sword Rings are called Calamity Sword Rings. They're powerful enough to allow a Sword Cultivator in the Sacred Wheel Realm to challenge a master in the Five Decays Realm."
With each stroke of her hand, the ferocity of the seven demons was ignited, unleashing a maelstrom of elemental fury.
The crowd outside the pagoda erupted in admiration at her display of power, with whispers of congratulations for the Mysterious Sword Manor Master already floating in the air.
"Done with the introductions?" Yun Xiao's voice cut through the tension, his arm extending as his Sword Soul morphed into a three-foot-long azure blade, as elegant as it was lethal.
A storm of 300,000 layers of Sword Aura swirled around him, his white robe and black hair dancing in the tempest, his divine presence undeniable.
Huyan Pin's laugh, short and mocking, was a clear challenge.
This was the Primordial Ruins, the domain of the Three True Immortals, where no one dared defy the celestial order.
"To grant you even a moment more is to blaspheme the Three True Immortals!" she declared, her lithe figure launching forward like a tempest, her sword cutting through the air with the force of a mountain cleaving strike.
Yun Xiao's gaze remained unflinching as his azure blade met her greatsword's attack, clashing with the force of colliding titans.
Huyan Pin was in the Late Sacred Wheel Realm, with three sacred wheels rotating behind her, driving her sacred power with the force of a surging torrent! Her Condemner Sword Soul was unstoppable.
However, Yun Xiao's counter was swift and precise, his blade vibrating as he was sent spiraling through the air, executing a perfect thirty rotations before lightly touching down, as if he were merely skipping stones across a pond.
"Well, there's a clear gap between the Mid Genesis Spirit Realm and the Late Sacred Wheel Realm in terms of sheer power," Yun Xiao mused, his casual counterattack more of a litmus test than anything.
But to the onlookers outside, that first exchange, where Huyan Pin nearly steamrolled over him, was like a bucket of cold water on their heads. Then, the murmurs began.
"Hell, that Yun Xiao really had me fooled. I actually thought for a second that he could take on Huyan Pin!"
"We've been scammed!"
"I guess all Lian Xi cares about is looks… Ah, my poor naive goddess."
It was almost comical how quickly some of the crowd was to jump to conclusions, especially when they were scared of being proven wrong.
"He's only in the Genesis Spirit Realm, too weak," said Dharma Crown Qin, the woman in the silver robe, as if she'd seen this play out a thousand times.
"Without the foundation of sacred power from the Sacred Wheel Realm, all the fancy moves in the world don't amount to anything," the Manor Master added, his laughter light but loaded.
Their words were like a match to tinder, sparking smug grins among their disciples.
Inside the pagoda, Huyan Pin was quickly coming to her own conclusions about Yun Xiao's strength. "A tough Sword Aura, but the guy wielding it might as well be a wet noodle," she thought, her battle spirit waning but her intent to kill sharpening by the second.
"Think you can get away with murder here?" Yun Xiao suddenly piped up, his casual demeanor a stark contrast to the tension in the air.
"If I kill you, it's justice. If you kill me, it's your family's doom," Huyan Pin shot back, her voice as cold as the steel she wielded, her boots thudding against the pagoda's floor as she charged.
The pagoda itself seemed to quake under her fury as she leaped in the air, her Condemner Sword Soul glowing like the dawn's first light. The seven Calamity Sword Rings screeched, spinning into a whirlwind of demon magic around her blade, culminating in a tempest of terror.
Palm Sword Technique, Divine Radiance of the World!
This technique was passed down only to Mysterious Sword Manor Masters! She brought the full force of her greatsword's tyranny and ferocity to bear. The blade blazed like a golden sun, hurtling through the air, only to crash down in a devastating arc aimed straight at Yun Xiao.
The crowd was a mixed bag of emotions, some gloating, some silent.
However, Yun Xiao was completely calm, not a flicker of change in his expression. The Prison Warden Life Sigil on his forehead transformed into a majestic nine-headed dragon, their forms etching dragon patterns all over him, a sight to behold.
This wasn't just for show; the dragons boosted his power significantly.
As Huyan Pin's ferocious attack came barreling down, Yun Xiao sidestepped with the ease of a leaf on the wind and unleashed a barrage of thunderous fire dragons from his palm.
Their roars filled the air, overshadowing half the Primordial Pagoda's fifth floor and colliding with Huyan Pin's sword with a force that sent sparks flying.
"He's really a sigil and sword dual cultivator?!" Huyan Pin's confidence wavered.
The explosion of the thunderous fire dragons not only countered her strike but sent her flying, her armor scraping across the floor, sparks in its wake.
Huyan Pin's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in rage. "Playing possum, huh? That's a trick I ditched when I was three!" she scoffed, leaping back into action.
The crowd was abuzz, the Manor Master and Dharma Crown Qin exchanging glances, both intrigued by Yun Xiao's dual mastery of sword and sigil.
"What's this? My Lightning Prison Fire Dragon technique?" Lian Xi was dumbfounded, her worry turning to surprise as Yun Xiao seemingly pulled her signature move out of nowhere.
As the pagoda seethed with excitement, Yun Xiao prepared his next move. Conjuring a six-foot Sovereign Sword, he stood atop it, ready for flight.
"You wanted to see whose is bigger?" he quipped, a confident smile flashing across his face. With a cold glint in his eyes and a forceful stomp, he shot forward on his sword, leaving everyone questioning what he was planning.
Huyan Pin's laughter turned colder, her confidence unshaken even as Yun Xiao's Sovereign Sword came hurtling towards her. To her, the direct approach of the Sovereign Sword lacked the finesse of a Flying Sword or Palm Sword, ill-suited for a duel of this nature. She was ready to knock Yun Xiao off his high horse when her face went white with shock.
"What the HELL?!" she gasped, her eyes widening as Yun Xiao's sword burst into a radiant divine light, a tempest of azure Sword Aura swirling around it like a sun caught in a storm. It was a display of wind, azure, and radiance, all in one.
It was Huyan Pin's own signature move, Divine Radiance of the World, but with a twist that left her and even the Mysterious Sword Manor Master slack-jawed in disbelief.
"Impossible!" Huyan Pin's heart skipped a beat. This technique, known for its bold and expansive strikes, was somehow even more formidable when executed with a six-foot Sovereign Sword.
But it was the speed that truly caught her off guard. She barely had time to blink before the storm of Sword Aura was upon her, a fiery maelstrom threatening to engulf her.
With a roar, she countered with her own Divine Radiance of the World, but it was too late. The clash sent her greatsword flying, and Yun Xiao's massive blade struck her squarely in the chest armor.
BOOM! The impact was like a cannonball hitting a fortress, sending Huyan Pin flying like a ragdoll hit by a warhorse, her armor caving in, bones shattering in a gruesome display.
"NOOOOOO!" Red Moon wailed, covering his eyes from Yun Xiao's robe. "Another source of milk slain!"
Huyan Pin was sent crashing into the pagoda's walls, blood spraying in all directions.
In that moment, her eyes filled with disbelief, her face ashen, and the excruciating pain in her chest made it hard to even breathe, let alone scream.
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