Chapter 48: What True Swordsmanship Means!

Lin Xiaotian unleashed all eight forms of the Demonic Sword Sect in a single breath. Surging spiritual energy rolled outward like a spreading tide, vast and overwhelmingly mighty.

Terrifying sword radiance filled the entire firmament, causing the skies above the Demonic Sword Sect to instantly change color, wind and clouds churning amidst flashes of lightning and rolling thunder.

"Go to hell, you damned ant!"

Lin Xiaotian’s eyes bulged as he let out a ferocious and hideous roar.

The power of this strike had reached the ultimate extreme; it was his ultimate kill technique, having once defeated numerous cultivators of the same realm with this very move, leaving him without a rival anywhere near the vicinity of Lin’an City.

He was certain that, given the opponent's youth and strength, it would be utterly impossible to withstand this.

"Is this the true strength of the Sect Master? Too terrifying! It feels like even a mighty being of the Heavenly-Human Realm would struggle to block this strike!"

"Mighty is the Sect Master! Kill this arrogant punk! Hack him into pieces and show him the might of our Demonic Sword Sect!"

"A mere ant daring to cause trouble at the Demonic Sword Sect is simply courting death!"

The disciples of the Demonic Sword Sect were filled with high spirits, shouting in wild excitement.

Standing to the side, Ye Chen watched quietly. He wore no expression whatsoever, nor did he harbor the slightest trace of worry.

Naturally, he knew very well just how formidable his master's strength was; how could he possibly be defeated by a mere master of the Demonic Sword Sect?

Sure enough, the very next moment, his master's words made his entire body tremble.

"Such swordsmanship, and you actually have the nerve to brandish your clumsy skills in front of me? How laughable!"

"Now, I shall let you witness what true swordsmanship really is!"

Li Tianyuan stood proudly and loftily. A majestic and boundless sword intent soared straight into the heavens, riding high above all living beings as if intending to pierce right through the dome of the sky.

In truth, Lin Xiaotian's Eight Forms of the Demonic Sword were not entirely worthless; they could be considered top-tier supreme divine arts. But unfortunately for him, the person he had run into was Li Tianyuan.

Li Tianyuan, the generation's Sword God!

Even though his cultivation realm was a major grade lower than Lin Xiaotian's, he possessed the Heavenly Dao Creation Physique. Before such an peerless physique, this slight gap in cultivation realm simply ceased to exist.

Not only that, but his mastery of the sword was also more than enough to crush Lin Xiaotian completely.

"Sword, emerge! A single sword parts the celestial river!"

The words fell, and the very next moment, a dazzling ten-thousand-foot sword radiance soared into the sky above the Demonic Sword Sect.

Vast and mighty, it cut horizontally across the heavens and earth like a dazzling, breathtaking silver river.

Within this sword river, sword intent pierced the skies and the sound of swords rang out in endless succession. Vaguely, it sounded as though tens of thousands of charging troops were roaring and galloping, possessing a magnificent and overwhelming momentum.

"To think a single sword could manifest such a spectacle... Could this be what Senior Sister spoke of: 'A single sword parts the celestial river'?"

Ye Chen gasped in admiration. At this moment, he finally understood just how terrifying his master's true strength was.

"Impossible! Impossible! How could you possibly display a sword dao divine art of this caliber?!"

Lin Xiaotian's pupils contracted sharply, his expression resembling that of one who had just seen a ghost.

Not only was he a cultivator of the Nirvana Realm, but he was also a Sword Sage. His understanding of the path of the sword far surpassed that of ordinary people.

However, the opponent's single sword strike made him feel as though he caught a glimpse of the supreme intent of the sword dao itself within it. This level of swordsmanship completely transcended his understanding.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Amidst his shock, the ten-thousand-foot sword river came shooting down, carrying heaven-shaking might as it collided with the all-encompassing sword radiance.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Violent explosions erupted, and the ferocious shockwaves spread outward, causing the entire Demonic Sword Sect to shake violently.

In merely a single instant, every single sword technique unleashed by Lin Xiaotian shattered and disintegrated, turning into absolute nothingness.

In the sky, only a single brilliant river of sword Qi remained, cleaving the firmament asunder and ripping open a massive gash before slashing fiercely toward him.

"Ah! No!"

Lin Xiaotian let out a miserable scream. His figure was swallowed whole by the sword river, vanishing instantly from everyone's sight.

Seeing this scene, the disciples of the Demonic Sword Sect drew in sharp breaths of cold air. Before they could even react, the dignified Sect Master of the Demonic Sword Sect—a mighty expert at the Tribulation-Surviving stage of the Nirvana Realm—had not even been granted the chance to flee.

In a single exchange, he was utterly slain, leaving not even a bone behind.

"This... How can this be..."

"The Sect Master is just dead like that? And he was the pillar of our Demonic Sword Sect..."

The disciples of the Demonic Sword Sect exclaimed in disbelief, their faces plastered with expressions of utter horror.

Earlier, they had been mocking Li Tianyuan for overestimating his own capabilities, actually daring to forcefully barge into the Demonic Sword Sect to stir up trouble. But who could have possibly foreseen that the ending would turn out like this?

Sect Master Lin Xiaotian had been executed with a single sword stroke, leaving no corpse behind, dying a utterly wretched death.

"Quickly, go invite the Supreme Elder to make a move! Otherwise, our Demonic Sword Sect is finished."

Panic-stricken, the disciples of the Demonic Sword Sect lost their composure. In absolute terror, they scurried frantically back into the depths of the sect, desperate to beg the Supreme Elder to step forward and suppress Li Tianyuan.

However, no sooner had they taken a few steps than an extremely formidable aura surged into the sky from the direction of the back mountains, hurtling rapidly toward them.

"It's the Supreme Elder emerging from seclusion! Haha, we're finally saved! Our Demonic Sword Sect is saved!"

The disciples of the Demonic Sword Sect rejoiced boundlessly.

The Supreme Elder they spoke of was the person with the most formidable cultivation within the entire Demonic Sword Sect. The very reason their sect could reign as the undisputed overlord within a radius of three thousand miles around Lin’an City was entirely due to the Supreme Elder suppressing all directions.

Now that the Supreme Elder had made an appearance, he would undoubtedly be able to suppress this intruder and avenge their Sect Master.

Swish...

A wisp of green light flashed as an elderly man in gray robes stepped forward.

The old man had a full head of white hair, and his brows were filled with a sense of the vicissitudes of time, giving him an unfathomable aura.

"Welcome the Supreme Elder upon his exit from seclusion!"

"Greetings to the Supreme Elder!"

The disciples of the Demonic Sword Sect knelt down respectfully, every single one of them shaking with excitement.

In their minds, with the Supreme Elder appearing in person, Li Tianyuan would surely be scared out of his wits and no longer dare to act arrogantly.

Unfortunately, they had thought wrong.

For at this very moment, a faint smile hung on the corner of Li Tianyuan's lips. There was not the slightest trace of fear or intimidation toward the old man, and his profound, bottomless eyes remained terrifyingly calm.

"You are the Supreme Elder of the Demonic Sword Sect?"

Li Tianyuan sized the old man up twice before asking with an air of indifference.

"Indeed. This old man is the Supreme Elder of the Demonic Sword Sect. I wonder who Your Excellency might be? Why have you come to my Demonic Sword Sect to commit murder, striking down our Sect Master without even a word of discussion?"

The old man spoke in a deep voice, appearing exceptionally calm. It seemed as though he was not enraged in the slightest by Lin Xiaotian's death.

However, this was hardly a reflection of his composed demeanor; rather, torrential waves had already been stirred up deep within his heart, and he could barely suppress the profound shock he felt.

After all, he had witnessed Li Tianyuan's world-shaking sword strike with his own eyes just moments ago. Even with his own cultivation, he felt he might not necessarily be able to block that blow.

Precisely because of this, the old man was forced to treat the situation with utmost caution.

Moreover, the opponent still maintained such a nonchalant and breezy appearance, which clearly showed that he harbored no fear of him whatsoever!

Having lived for so many years, the old man had seen all sorts of grand storms and tempests. This told him that the person before him was definitely no ordinary figure.

Otherwise, he would have long since made a move to suppress and kill him outright; there would be no need for idle chatter.