The clang of steel on steel echoed through the chamber as Mu Yan met Yang Yutian's assault. Initially, Yang Yutian's superior cultivation (Foundation Establishment Stage 6) allowed him to press the advantage, pushing Mu Yan back with each heavy swing. A triumphant, arrogant smile stretched across Yang Yutian's face, convinced of his imminent victory.
But slowly, imperceptibly, Mu Yan began to shift. The rusty blade in his hand seemed to hum, no longer an obstacle but an extension of his will. Familiar positions and tactical sequences, honed over countless lifetimes of battle, surged to the forefront of his mind. Each parry grew more precise, each counter-attack more economical. The flow of battle, once favoring Yang Yutian, began to inexorably tilt towards Mu Yan.
Yang Yutian watched in dawning horror, his sneer dissolving into a mask of disbelief as Mu Yan countered his every move with baffling ease. The sheer ferocity burning in Mu Yan's eyes, the way he met a cultivator two stages higher head-on, was shocking.
"Impossible!" Yang Yutian roared, his shock giving way to desperate rage. He channeled his full strength, Prana surging through him. With a desperate shout, he leaped back, and a vibrant azure Qi, shimmering like flowing water, erupted from his body, coiling around his sword. Taking a wide, powerful stance, he executed a technique: "Azure Slash Annihilation!" The blade became a conduit, slashing vertically and horizontally simultaneously, each arc leaving a trail of concentrated, razor-sharp water-attributed Qi. This was no ordinary Qi-enhancement; Yang Yutian had mastered the profound principle of water's "steep edge"—where softness could be sharpened into unparalleled cutting force.
Mu Yan's eyes narrowed. He instantly activated Iron Bone Forge. A deep, resonant hum vibrated within his skeleton, and he felt his bones harden, becoming as dense and resilient as wrought iron. The raw Prana that flowed through his newly expanded Nadis, supercharged by the Meridian Flow, surged. He didn't just stop there; with a fierce mental command, he directed this iron-forged Qi into the rusty blade in his hand. As the powerful Prana flowed, the dull metal seemed to drink it in, transforming. The blade pulsed, taking on a deep, blood-like crimson color, radiating an ominous yet powerful aura. His body moved with an instinctive grace, recalling a forgotten stance from a profound sword manual of his past life. He focused every fiber of his being, every drop of his 300 Jin base power, into a single, overwhelming strike. He poured his Prana into the blade until he felt it thrumming, on the verge of bursting from the sheer energy. "Overlord Slash!" he bellowed, directing the entirety of his reinforced strength and concentrated Prana into one devastating vertical attack, meeting the dual arcs of "Azure Slash Annihilation" head-on.
The clash was deafening. A thunderous explosion of Qi ripped through the surroundings, sending shockwaves that rattled the nearby houses. The crimson edge of Mu Yan's blade tore through the azure water-Qi diminishing along the way, an irresistible force meeting a formidable, yet ultimately weaker, defense. The combined power of Iron Bone Forge, amplifying his physical strength and the focused might of Overlord Slash, utterly overwhelmed Yang Yutian. He was flung back tens of meters, smashing into the stone wall with a sickening CRACK before skidding along the now blood-soaked cobblestones.
Mu Yan stood panting, his chest heaving. He wasn't seriously injured, but the sheer effort of that final, devastating strike had drained him completely. Despite defeating Yang Yutian, a lingering dissatisfaction gnawed at him. He moved slowly towards where Yang Yutian lay, coughing out gouts of blood, his luxurious robes torn and soaked.
"Do you still have anything to say?" Mu Yan's voice, though weary, was laced with an icy disdain.
Yang Yutian glared up, his eyes burning with undiluted rage, even in defeat. "How dare you treat me like this, you bastard?! Do you know who I am? I will kill you, and I will keep these bitches as my plaything!" His voice was a venomous rasp, still clinging to his arrogance.
A cold, terrifying fury ignited in Mu Yan. The last vestiges of his composure shattered. His master's stern lesson echoed in his mind: When facing evil, rip it out at the root. A palpable killing intent flared around him, his hand already rising to deliver the finishing blow.
Just as Mu Yan was about to end it, an old, wizened figure materialized from the shadows, appearing out of thin air. An overwhelming aura, oppressive and vast, pressed down on Mu Yan like an invisible mountain. This was the presence of a Core Condensation stage cultivator, beyond anything Mu Yan could currently contend with, without resorting to drastic measures. Mu Yan instinctively recoiled, swiftly retreating, putting crucial distance between himself and the old man.
"Third Elder, what took you so long?!" Yang Yutian shrieked, relief and renewed arrogance warring in his voice. "If you were a second later, I would be dead!"