The power contained within the sword flash entrenched itself in Taowu's body. It was filled with immense sharpness and destructive forces, causing his avatar to be repeatedly damaged.
To not die instantly from having an Intrinsic Connate Cardinal treasure penetrate him was already evidence how powerful Taowu's avatar was.
"Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!"
The sword flash tore through Taowu's flaming avatar repeatedly over Mt. Lightning Roar. In a blink of an eye, his body had been penetrated thirteen times. Although Taowu attempted to defend each blow in rage, he was unable to do so since Qin Yun's Misty Rain Sword at full force was redoubtable in strength. After the thirteenth blow, the Taowu avatar reached the maximum damage it could withstand. With a rushing sound, the burning Taowu avatar disintegrated.
Perfected Great Dao Chaos Godfiend Taowu's Bane avatar was destroyed!
"This Taowu's Bane avatar is purely an amalgamation of power, but its body is on the weaker side. Even so, I needed to combine my three swords into the complete Misty Rain Sword to be capable of killing his avatar." Qin Yun did not feel proud in any way; instead, he turned more wary.
If Taowu's real body had come today, with his powerful body and his possession of a Connate Pinnacle Numinous treasure, Qin Yun's Misty Rain Sword might not have been able to fend him off.
"Boom!"
A powerful will gathered anew as a gigantic face appeared above the clouds once again.
While Qin Yun was introspecting, Taowu, as one of the Chaos Three Banes, was rather embarrassed that his Bane avatar was killed by a junior.
"Qin Yun." The gigantic face above the clouds had a voice like rumbling thunder. "Your Intrinsic Connate Cardinal treasure has quite the means. But that was only an avatar of mine. If you have the guts, come to the Cold Valley Great World and fight my true body."
"I, Qin Yun, have been focused on protective array formations so as to withstand the Itinerant Immortal tribulations. That offensive sword art… was simply a lucky byproduct," said Qin Yun with a smile. "I just never expected that a chance enlightenment of a move or two was able to destroy your Bane avatar. It was something I never imagined possible."
"A chance enlightenment of a move or two?" The gigantic face in the sky turned even more enraged.
This Qin Yun was deliberately insulting him!
"My time is very precious, so I won't say much more to you." Qin Yun waved his hand as the clouds surrounding Mt. Lightning Roar rose and shielded it from external probes. It made it difficult for Taowu to see clearly.
"Qin Yun, how dare you." Taowu was furious, but also helpless. Finally, the gigantic face above the clouds dissipated.
Qin Yun turned back to shoot a glance at the gigantic face as it dissipated.
He was speaking the truth.
After obtaining the Intrinsic Connate Cardinal treasure, he was mainly focused on figuring out protective arrays while cultivating at home! In order to withstand the Itinerant Immortal tribulations, a protective array was essential! As for offensive moves? It was simply a fortuitous epiphany that he figured out the move—A Little Starlight—while taking in the Sword Dao of Heaven, Earth, and Man from his Intrinsic Flying Sword."
With just that move, he destroyed the Bane avatar.
"Grandfather! Grandfather!" Qin Yuluo shouted from afar. "Was that one of the Chaos Three Banes as recorded in the family's intelligence, Taowu?"
He saw Yi Xiao and the rest of his family walk over.
Upon seeing his wife, children, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, Qin Yun could not help but smile. A major reason for his cultivation was because of the people in front of him. Before his final tribulation, he planned to make proper arrangements for his family.
Qin Yuluo was extremely talented. With strength that matched a mighty figure, she was only second to Qin Yun in the Qin family. Naturally, she had read through the important intelligence the Qin family had, so she knew of the existence of the Chaos Three Banes.
"Taowu of the Three Banes." Yi Xiao's eyes lit up. Her husband was becoming stronger to the point that a perfected Great Dao expert had suffered a trouncing in front of him.
"A perfected Great Dao expert? An existence that can be said to be invincible in a Great World?" Qin Yiyi was alarmed. By her side, Han Lin was shocked. His father-in-law was just too astounding! He had reached this stage in just a few millennia of cultivation. He had indeed lived up to his name as a peerless sword immortal whose cultivation pointed straight to a perfected Great Dao. It was only because of his becoming of an Itinerant Immortal that his cultivation path was fraught with tribulations. If he was not one, he would have been a powerful and free Golden Immortal with eternal life… Perhaps the Heavenly Courts and various factions would have tried to rope him in. His situation would have been a lot pleasant than it was now.
Even so.
Qin Yun's killing of Taowu's Bane avatar probably shocked the eyes out of the Three Realms' sockets. They also had to reevaluate this Sword Immortal Qin.
"Look at all of you. It was only an avatar of his," said Qin Yun with a shake of his head. "If his true body was here, victory would be up in the air."
"It's only up in the air, right? Grandfather?" Qin Yuluo smiled.
Qin Yun smiled.
He had few offensive means at the moment, but his protective means were extremely powerful.
Ignoring Taowu, Qin Yun was confident that he could defend against ancient existences who had extremely powerful offensive means. He only lacked confidence against a few, such as half-step Heavenly Dao realm entities like God King Zhurong who was known for being overbearing. Qin Yun felt that he had no idea if Zhurong was capable of cracking his Misty Rain Array unless an attempt was really made. Of course, it was best he did not try if possible! Losing might very well cost him his his life.
As for Mighty God Hou Yi who was deemed to have the strongest attack below the Heavenly Dao realm, no attempts were needed. Qin Yun definitely could not withstand his strike! After all, he had seen Hou Yi's arrow; it's might was truly terrifying.
Perhaps only when he reached the perfected Great Dao could he use his Intrinsic Connate Cardinal treasure to set up a Misty Rain Array and have the confidence to withstand Hou Yi's blow. But now, he was still far from it.
…
"Nicely done of Qin Yun."
"Taowu's Bane avatar has about sixty percent of his true body's strength! To be able to kill his Bane avatar… Qin Yun's strength is about Taowu's equal."
"And just as he said, his offensive blows are ordinary, but his defensive moves are impressive. Before his Misty Rain Sword was a Connate Pinnacle Numinous treasure, the Misty Rain Array he cast was enough to withstand Patriarch Blood Sea's combat body. Now that his Misty Rain Sword is a Connate Cardinal treasure, the Misty Rain Array has definitely reached a brand new realm! Even among perfected Great Dao existences, probably only a handful can crack it."
"He now truly possesses the strength of a perfected Great Dao."
The ancient existences discussed among themselves as they watched remotely.
If Qin Yun was said to previously rely on the Qingping Sword to produce the strength of a perfected Great Dao by casting the Seven Stars Combo, that was only one move! His other means were lacking, putting him at the bottom among perfected Great Dao existences. Any of them in their true forms could trounce and even destroy him.
Even though Patriarch Blood Sea had heaven-defying life-preservation means to the point of being deemed indestructible, his offensive means were relatively weaker. However, if the former Qin Yun were to plunge into the Boundless Blood Sea true body, he would have no doubt been doomed. Even Patriarch Blood Sea's combat body with his Connate Cardinal treasure, the Negative Karma Fire Red Lotus, could eliminate Qin Yun.
The former Qin Yun was indeed weak among perfected Great Dao existences.
But now…
They had to admit every perfected Great Dao had something they were most adept in.
They were considered heaven-defying in that particular trait! For example, Patriarch Blood Sea's Boundless Blood Sea was considered indestructible. Patriarch Spirit Devouring's mouth was considered the best in the Three Realms. Mahamayuri's Five-colored Divine Light left perfected Great Dao experts apprehensive. There was also Emperor Polestar's inference and calculative array formations. All of them were adept at something, but fell short in other aspects.
Qin Yun was adept at defensive measures, something which could be considered most important!
"An Intrinsic Connate Cardinal treasure is truly impressive. It can actually allow a pinnacle mighty figure to leapfrog his realm and have strength equal to us."
"Qin Yun's strength is just short of the perfected Great Dao. He also has an Intrinsic Connate Cardinal treasure which explains his strength."
"If we possessed an Intrinsic Connate Cardinal treasure, perhaps we would have strength at the half-step Heavenly Dao realm."
"It even makes me wish to reincarnate for cultivation. Unfortunately, the Fiend Ancestor might take action once I undergo reincarnation."
"What are you even thinking? Even if he doesn't take action, you will not produce one under normal reincarnation! There are only that few schools of thought in the Three Realms that have Intrinsic Dharma treasures. Would you try to cultivate talisman amulets? Can a musclehead like you figure out something as complicated as talisman amulets? If you were made to refine artifacts, would you spend thousands or millions of years on it? None of that suits you."
"Don't belittle me."
The ancient existences discussed jovially.
However, all of them were very envious of the Intrinsic Connate Cardinal treasure. Everyone could tell that an Intrinsic Connate Cardinal treasure aided one's strength in a way far greater than a Connate Cardinal treasure. Unfortunately, even if they snatched the Misty Rain Sword from Qin Yun, it would only be an ordinary Connate Cardinal treasure in their hands.