The phantom of the Ancient Sword Immortal possessed the combat power of a Deity Transformation cultivator, and its terrifying aura pressed down on Lu Junxing, making it difficult for him to break free for a moment.
Under normal circumstances, Lu Junxing wouldn’t have cared much about the phantom of the Ancient Sword Immortal.
Firstly, the Deity Transformation combat power of the Ancient Sword Immortal was somewhat hollow. Simply put, it had the strength but lacked the skill to wield it effectively. The Ancient Sword Immortal had the cultivation of a Deity Transformation cultivator, but it was controlled by eight Nascent Soul cultivators.
Secondly, the sword techniques used by the Ancient Sword Immortal were ancient. In the cultivation world, there were countless sword cultivators, and the path of the sword was constantly evolving. Ancient sword techniques had become outdated by now.
Especially for a sword prodigy like Lu Junxing, who had started learning from ancient sword techniques, then moved on to contemporary techniques, and finally developed his own unique style.
For such a genius, if he couldn’t surpass the giants whose shoulders he stood on... that would be simply unacceptable.
But now, he was poisoned.
The poison had taken a severe toll on him, making it difficult for him to move.
The Ancient Sword Immortal walked forward with a simple, unadorned gait, looking down at Lu Junxing from above, and with a backhanded slash, brought its sword down!
"Clang!"
The phantom sword of the Ancient Sword Immortal clashed with the sword barrier of the Mountain and River Sword, producing a deafening metallic crash.
"As expected of Lu Junxing, he can still withstand a strike from a Deity Transformation cultivator..." Long Qiqi said with a hint of envy.
Qin Ran hovered in mid-air, carefully collecting a bottle of eerie-colored mist with a jade vial before landing on the ground.
Hearing Long Qiqi’s words, he glanced at her and said, "Everyone has their own unique talents. If you try to climb a tree with the talent for swimming, you’ll surely fall hard.
"Your talent lies in alchemy and poisons. Why envy the combat power of sword cultivators? You’re just creating problems for yourself. Look at me—I don’t even know how to use a sword."
"That’s why you’re so sneaky!" Long Qiqi shot him a glare, clearly annoyed.
Qin Ran rolled his eyes at her, deciding not to console her further.
"Focus on figuring out this poison. You’ll be responsible for refining the antidote later..." he said as he walked towards the research building.
"Again?! It’s always me who has to take responsibility!" Long Qiqi reacted as if a snake had stepped on her tail, her plump body springing up as she angrily retorted, "Why do I have to handle everything? What are you going to do?!"
"I’m going to break the formation!" Qin Ran replied confidently. "Or would you rather do it instead?"
"What does that have to do with me?!" Long Qiqi stomped her foot in frustration, following Qin Ran towards the research building. "Do I owe you something? I’m not even a member of the Dao Sword Sect!"
"Then return the Dao Sword Sect identity token to me!" Qin Ran shot back. "Who was the one whining like a victim all day? 'I want the identity token, I want the identity token.' If it weren’t for that, would I have swallowed my pride and asked the sect leader for it? Am I that shameless?"
"Chase the Wind!" Long Qiqi crossed her arms, giving her answer, her steps growing heavier as she walked behind Qin Ran, each step thudding loudly. "I didn’t do that."
"Sure, sure, you just take advantage of Chase the Wind’s simplicity."
"I think you’re the simple one. That guy is just pretending, can’t you see it?"
The two bickered back and forth as they entered the alchemy room, starting to study the eerie poison mist using various methods.
When the first sword strike failed, the Ancient Sword Immortal’s sword lit up with a sword glow, and it struck again!
One strike after another, nine strikes in total, finally taking advantage of the moment when Lu Junxing was too preoccupied to control the Mountain and River Sword.
"Crack!"
The sword barrier shattered!
The Mountain and River Sword, which had hung above the Dao Sword Sect for over two years, was sent flying with a single strike!
"Pfft!"
Lu Junxing couldn’t hold back, spitting out a mouthful of dark red blood.
His body was drenched in blood, his flesh severely damaged.
But at this moment, he knew he couldn’t wait any longer.
Although his spiritual power was immune to the poison, he could still control his body. Lu Junxing used his spiritual power to forcibly lock his body in place, flipped over, and in a flash, appeared in front of the Mountain and River Sword, gripping it tightly.
With his lifebound sword in hand, he felt slightly better.
Holding the sword, he turned his back to the Ancient Sword Immortal, communicating with the sword, quietly comprehending its essence.
On the cloud ship, Qiu Huahui saw the sword barrier break and Lu Junxing being forced to retreat. She raised her hand and coldly commanded, "Kill!"
In an instant, the remaining thousand or so cultivators of the Hengduan Mountain Alliance took to the air, a dark mass of figures, all charging towards the Dao Sword Sect.
"Hold on!" Lu Junxing, clad in blood-stained robes, turned his back to the Hengduan Mountain Alliance and declared loudly, "If you wish to see the Dao Sword Sect, why not first take a look at the mountains and rivers beneath my sword?"
After speaking, he turned around, a faint smile on his face as he looked at the countless cultivators in the sky—dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators, over six hundred Golden Core cultivators, and countless Foundation Establishment cultivators. He raised his sword and enunciated each word clearly:
"Mountain! River! Scroll!"
The Mountain and River Sword, with its black hilt and white blade, began to move. The tip of the sword drew out black and white sword qi, each strand of qi flying out, using the heavens and earth as a canvas. Stroke by stroke, seemingly slow but actually fast, in the blink of an eye, it painted a landscape of mountains and rivers, trapping all the cultivators of the Hengduan Mountain Alliance within it.
He intended to face the entire alliance alone!
Once the Heaven and Earth Mountain River Scroll was unleashed, Lu Junxing paid it no further attention. Instead, he looked at the phantom of the Ancient Sword Immortal, nodded with a smile, and then walked towards it, chanting as he went, "Sword Walking Through Mountains and Rivers!"
The pain in his body was unbearable, as if it might fall apart at any moment, making him stagger like a drunkard, each step leaving a bloody footprint in the air.
The Ancient Sword Immortal raised its sword, its figure disappearing and reappearing instantly in front of Lu Junxing, slashing down with its sword.
Lu Junxing’s staggering speed suddenly increased, and he floated along with the Ancient Sword Immortal’s sword, stepping onto the giant blade.
The Ancient Sword Immortal swung its sword with great force, but it couldn’t shake Lu Junxing off.
Lu Junxing appeared unsteady, as if he might fall at any moment, but he seemed glued to the Ancient Sword Immortal’s sword.
No matter how hard the Ancient Sword Immortal tried, it couldn’t dislodge him.
He even began to walk along the blade.
Lu Junxing didn't respond. He didn't agree with Qin Ran's words, but he didn't argue.
"Oh, by the way," Qin Ran's voice came again, "This poison is immune to spiritual energy and attacks the physical body, but it has no effect on the soul. I hope this information is useful to you."
Lu Junxing shook his head, "It's useless to me. I haven't cultivated a soul yet."
"What a pity." Qin Ran flew to the location of the Dao Sword Sect's protective mountain formation.
By now, a colorful and extremely vivid barrier had already appeared there.
The barrier was spreading poisonous mist into the Dao Sword Sect.
Qin Ran closed his eyes, and his soul flew out from between his brows, diving into the formation barrier to begin unraveling its foundational structure.
After taking the antidote, although the injuries caused by the poison couldn't heal immediately, the poison was at least suppressed, no longer tearing apart his body. The pain in his body lessened, and he regained some of his spiritual energy, increasing his strength by a fraction.
Lu Junxing looked toward the Ancient Sword Immortal and saw that it was now only a little over ten feet tall, having lost half of its form to his Devouring the Mountains and Rivers.
Lu Junxing took a deep breath, feeling a sharp pain in his lungs, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He spoke, "What other tricks do you have? Bring them all out!
"Or you won't get another chance."
The Ancient Sword Immortal flickered and disappeared from its spot.
Seeing this, Lu Junxing shook his head, "How boring!"
He gathered his sword energy and turned, slashing the Ancient Sword Immortal in half as it reappeared.
After all, it was just a shadow of the Ancient Sword Immortal. What more could be expected of it?
It had a teleportation skill and the cultivation strength of an Ancient Sword Immortal, which was already impressive. It could fight on par with Ao Yi and chase after the Wind Chaser like a dog.
It just happened to run into Lu Junxing.
The Ancient Sword Immortal, now split in two, became two half-sized shadows, continuing to attack Lu Junxing.
But if its full strength couldn't harm Lu Junxing, what use would splitting into smaller forms be?
Lu Junxing unleashed his Sword Walking Through Mountains and Rivers technique, and waves of mountain and river sword energy appeared, attaching themselves to the Ancient Sword Immortal. As the sword energy increased, the Ancient Sword Immortal multiplied, growing smaller and smaller.
Until finally, the Ancient Sword Immortal was completely engulfed by the mountain and river sword energy.
...The Ancient Sword Immortal was no more!
After an endless period of unconsciousness, Shi Yu suddenly sat up in bed, gasping for fresh air, his chest heaving.
Confusion, bewilderment, and a mix of emotions flooded his heart.
Where was this?
He instinctively looked around, only to grow even more bewildered.
A single dormitory room?
Even if he had been rescued, shouldn't he be in a hospital room right now?
And his body... why was it completely unharmed?
With these questions swirling in his mind, Shi Yu quickly scanned the room, his gaze finally settling on a mirror on the bedside table.
The mirror reflected his current appearance: a young man of about seventeen or eighteen, quite handsome.
But the problem was, this wasn't him!
The person he had been before was a handsome young man in his twenties, already established in his career.
Now, he looked like a high school student...
This change left Shi Yu stunned for a long time.
Please don't tell him the surgery was a success...
His body and face had completely changed. This wasn't about surgery anymore—it was magic.
He had become an entirely different person!
Could it be... that he had traveled through time?
Aside from the mirror, which was clearly placed in an inauspicious position according to feng shui, Shi Yu noticed three books beside it.
He picked them up and read the titles, which instantly left him speechless.
"Essential Guide for New Beast Trainers"
"Postpartum Care for Pet Beasts"
"Guide to Evaluating Beast-Eared Girls of Different Races"
Shi Yu: ???
The first two titles were normal enough, but what was up with the last one?
"Ahem."
Shi Yu's expression turned serious as he reached out, but his arm froze mid-motion.
Just as he was about to open the third book to see what it was about, a sharp pain shot through his brain, and a flood of memories surged forth like a tidal wave.
Icefield City.
Beast Training Base.
Beast Tamer?