Chapter 95: Sword Crafted for Four Months; None Can Withstand the Sword When It Emerges!

Lu Changsheng's path in martial cultivation had been smooth so far. From Blood Strengthening, Bone Tempering, and Organ Refinement Stages, and all the way to the Divine Strength Realm. Whether in cultivation or combat, he had encountered few obstacles.

However, Guo Jiuling had rendered almost all of his techniques unusable.

This was unprecedented for Lu Changsheng. The Divine Dragon Transformation, Threefold Waves, and the Wave Intent were incomparably strong. Even facing six opponents at once, he wouldn't have even the slightest fear.

Unfortunately, Guo Jiuling's Nine-Character Mantra rendered all of his methods useless, making him feel suffocated.

Guo Jiuling's Nine-Character Mantra is capable of stunning me instantly. It's a mental-type attack—one that even the Wave Intent can't block.

If it's just him alone, it'll be manageable... but I have to deal with those Divine Strength experts from the Myriad Poison Cult as well.

Lu Changsheng carefully pondered what he could do. In a head-on confrontation, he believed these people weren't his match.

Wait, I still have one more martial art.

A flash of inspiration passed through Lu Changsheng's mind. Indeed, he still had another technique, one he had forgotten until now. The Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique. He had never used it, which was why it had slipped his mind.

Unbeknownst to him, the secret technique had been accumulating power on its own, crafting a sword of blood qi in silence. At this point, it had been accumulating strength for four full months. Once unleashed, it could erupt with the strength of four hundred cauldrons.

It wa a terrifying level of strength that Guo Jiuling, Wang Jiudu, and the rest combined could not possibly withstand. Moreover, the Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique required only the guidance of his consciousness.

A single thought was enough. It required no elaborate mental manipulation at all. No matter how fast Guo Jiuling's Nine-Character Mantra was, it could not be faster than Lu Changsheng's thought.

With that realization, Lu Changsheng abruptly looked up and stared straight at Guo Jiuling. All his thoughts were made in the span of an instant; no real time had elapsed.

Guo Jiuling stood behind the Myriad Poison Cult members. Even though there were four Divine Strength experts around him, his unease remained unassuaged under Lu Changsheng's gaze. In fact, Guo Jiuling became even more wary.

Lu Changsheng was disguised as Zhuang Shisan at the moment, and he needed to maintain the bearing of a great hero. He took a deep breath, looked straight at Guo Jiuling, and said word by word, "I have one sword that was crafted for over four months, and I have never shown it to anyone.

"I must say your Nine-Character Mantra is indeed profoundly mysterious. I wonder if you can take this sword of mine?"

As soon as his words fell, his thoughts shifted. He activated the blood qi sword inside him.

"Lin!"

Once again, the Nine-Character Mantra rang out like a tolling great bell.

Lu Changsheng's mind blanked out once more. Guo Jiuling's reaction could not have been faster. If Lu Changsheng had been using the Divine Dragon Transformation, the Wave Intent, or any other martial technique, it would have been interrupted by the technique.

However, the Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique was different, as it required only a single guiding thought to activate.

Whoosh!

From within Lu Changsheng, a blood qi sword shot. The sword was extremely short. It possessed neither a sharp edge nor any overwhelming aura.

Wang Jiudu and the others were momentarily stunned at the sight of it. They had been wondering what kind of divine weapon would require four months of crafting, but now, they finally understood what Zhuang Shisan was trying to say.

What Zhuang Shisan meant by crafting a sword was precisely this sword condensed from blood qi. However, what use could such a blood qi sword possibly have?

The blood qi sword moved extremely fast. The moment it appeared, it was already before Guo Jiuling. He did not even have time to dodge. Even so, he reacted on instinct. Before the blood qi sword could reach him, his fist had already lashed out.

This punch was also a projection of blood qi. He intended to shatter the blood qi sword to prevent it from striking true. When his punch landed on the blood qi sword, however, everything changed.

BOOM

.

The blood qi detonated. The true strength of Lu Changsheng's blood qi sword did not lie in sharpness, nor in any strange or mysterious quality. Even its speed was secondary, serving only to prevent the opponent from evading it.

The blood qi sword's true might was the resulting explosion.

Four months of accumulated blood qi with a full four hundred cauldrons' worth of strength. How terrifying would that explosion be? Everyone heard a deafening roar as everything before their eyes turned blood red. It was like the sky itself was suddenly suffused with boundless blood qi.

This blood qi covered a vast area, creating a magnificent and breathtaking sight. No one had ever seen such dazzling blood qi before. The vast expanse before them contained terrifying power. The immense force released at the moment of explosion crushed everything within several

zhang

in all directions.

I should retreat too!

Lu Changsheng retreated immediately. In truth, he had already been quite far from Guo Jiuling, beyond ten

zhang.

Even so, he still felt a scorching aftershock surging toward him in a vast tidal wave.

He watched everything before him with a grave face. Gradually, the blood qi dissipated. The crimson haze before his eyes vanished without a trace. It was only when everything became calm once more that he managed to take a good look at the scene before him.

Guo Jiuling was no longer recognizable. His body was blasted apart into chunks scattered across the ground. Wang Jiudu and the three guardian elders also lay dead in pools of blood as well. Their bodies were riddled with holes as if they had been pierced and shredded by countless invisible swords.

The four Divine Strength martial artists of the Myriad Poison Cult were merely caught in the explosion of the blood qi sword. Lu Changsheng had only intended to kill Guo Jiuling to prevent him from interfering, but who could have imagined that merely crafting the sword for several months would allow it to unleash such terrifying might?

It was only four months of crafting, to boot. What if it were crafted for a year, or even ten years?

Compared to Lu Changsheng's own astonishment, those from Miaoshou Garden were dumbstruck.

What had they just witnessed? They could still comprehend the earlier exchanges between Divine Strength experts, but Zhuang Shisan's blood qi sword was completely beyond their understanding.

Could that even be considered martial arts? A single sword slew five Divine Strength martial artists. What kind of technique could possibly be

that

terrifying?

"They are... dead?"

"Most probably. They're riddled with holes. How could they survive that?"

"Is Great Hero Zhuang truly a Divine Strength martial artist?"

Many people fell silent. However, this silence was a good thing. Great Hero Zhuang had won, and it meant they would live. It was far better than witnessing the Liyang Cavern or the Myriad Poison Cult emerge victorious from this fight.

"Thank you for saving our lives, Great Hero Zhuang!"

Zheng Renxin led the people of Miaoshou Garden in kowtows of heartfelt gratitude. Lu Changsheng glanced at Zheng Renxin but paid him no heed.

Right now, he no longer cared about the bearing of a great hero and began looting the bodies. He could ignore the others, but Guo Jiuling's remains were something Lu Changsheng would never pass up because the Nine-Character Mantra seemed closely related to his own Nine-Character Thunder Chant.

Guo Jiuling's body was blasted into several pieces, and Lu Changsheng searched each chunk. He truly hoped that Guo Jiuling's Nine-Character Mantra had not been destroyed by the blood qi sword.

The search yielded some results. Many of Guo Jiuling's possessions were broken, yet a beast hide of unknown material remained completely intact.

Lu Changsheng opened the beast hide and looked inside.

The Nine-Character Mantra!

Sure enough, the beast hide truly contained the Nine-Character Mantra. Lu Changsheng immediately tucked it into his robes. After that, he searched the bodies of the Myriad Poison Cult members and likewise retrieved a manual from Wang Jiudu, the

Myriad Poison Scripture

.

Lu Changsheng had already obtained the

Myriad Poison Scripture

from Zhao Xing, but the version on Wang Jiudu seemed different and more complete. Lu Changsheng did not let it go and collected it as well.

"Great Hero Zhuang, you..."

Zheng Renxin was about to say something, but Lu Changsheng did not even glance at him before vanishing into the night. At that, Zheng Renxin revealed a strange face.

Just then, an Organ Refinement martial artist of the Zheng Clan softly said, "Patriarch, the lining beneath Great Hero Zhuang's black clothes just now seems somewhat similar to the attire worn by physicians of Miaoshou Garden..."

"

Shhh!

" Zheng Renxin's expression darkened, and he made a discreet gesture for silence. Then, he said in a low voice, "Don't think about it, and don't investigate it. Pretend that we discovered nothing. Having Great Hero Zhuang in Nanyang is Nanyang's fortune, and it is also the fortune of Miaoshou Garden!"

The Organ Refinement martial artist of Miaoshou Garden was momentarily taken aback, but he quickly came to an understanding. With the patriarch's shrewdness, how could he not have noticed it? Yet Zheng Renxin had not mentioned it at all, which meant he clearly had his own considerations.

"Yes, Patriarch."

After that, everyone cleaned up and tended to the injured. Lu Changsheng made a round on the grounds and quietly returned to the courtyard of Miaoshou Garden. He even helped treat the wounded under the identity of Lu Changsheng.

By the time everything was settled, night had already fallen.

Lu Changsheng murmured, "Zheng Renxin seems to have noticed something..."

He looked down at his clothes. Earlier, when people from Liyang Cavern suddenly began slaughtering people throughout Miaoshou Garden, Lu Changsheng could only disguise himself and change outfits in haste. He couldn't remove the physician's clothes from Miaoshou Garden underneath and had merely covered them with black clothes. Zheng Renxin had to have noticed

that

.

However, Zheng Renxin was very clever. He said nothing and made no effort to draw attention. In truth, this was not a big deal. With Lu Changsheng's current strength, it no longer mattered whether his identity was exposed.

Lu Changsheng was a Divine Strength martial artist; he was no longer someone a mere Miaoshou Garden could restrain. Hence, Zheng Renxin chose to remain silent. As long as he stayed within Miaoshou Garden, they stood to benefit the most.

Zheng Renxin even hoped that Lu Changsheng's identity would never be exposed. Otherwise, it would become far more difficult for Miaoshou Garden to keep Zhuang Shisan.

Lu Changsheng paid no mind to Zheng Renxin's small schemes. He immediately took out the Nine-Character Mantra. After carefully reading it, Lu Changsheng realized that Guo Jiuling had come to Nanyang Prefecture not merely to avenge Li Ji. His greater goal was to obtain the Nine-Character Thunder Chant in Lu Changsheng's possession.

It turned out that the Nine-Character Mantra was incomplete.

Yes, Guo Jiuling's Nine-Character Mantra was a Divine Strength offensive secret technique, and an extremely wondrous one at that, but it lacked a portion. The missing part was precisely the Nine-Character Thunder Chant.

Guo Jiuling had to have wanted to obtain the complete Nine-Character Mantra. Even in its incomplete form, it possessed astonishing strength, and Lu Changsheng knew that personally. If it were complete, would it not be even more terrifying?

Lu Changsheng took out the Nine-Character Thunder Chant and compared it with the Nine-Character Mantra. The incantations of the two secret techniques actually complemented each other. In the end, Lu Changsheng merged the incantations of the two techniques into one.

The complete Nine-Character Mantra appeared profound and obscure, but thanks to Lu Changsheng's Perception exceeding eight hundred points, he managed to achieve the Active level in just two hours.

Lu Changsheng activated it and finally understood the terrifying nature of the Nine-Character Mantra. The Nine-Character Mantra was actually extremely complex. On the surface, it appeared to be soundwave art.

In reality, it was a secret technique that acted upon the mind by employing various mental-type attacks. Once mastered, it could be executed using the nine characters as a pivot to shake the enemy's mind and plunge them into brief mental confusion.

As for the duration of the mental confusion, it depended on how far the Nine-Character Mantra was cultivated. Since it incorporated the Nine-Character Thunder Chant, the true Nine-Character Mantra could not only confuse the opponent but could also rattle their blood qi and internal organs.

A soundwave assault and a mental-type attack made a devastating combination. An expert capable of employing such a combination was virtually unstoppable, even within the Divine Strength Realm. No wonder Guo Jiuling was so confident and didn't pay those Divine Strength martial artists any heed.

Lu Changsheng immediately called up the status panel.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Perception: 840

[Techniques and Arts]

Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique: Sword Crafting 0 days

Wave Intent: Progress 8%

Celestial Treasure-Refinement Secret Technique: Second Level

Ninefold Carp Dragon Ascension: Third Level

Nine-Character Mantra: Active

As expected, the Nine-Character Thunder Chant had merged with the Nine-Character Mantra.

However, Lu Changsheng had just activated it. Bringing this secret technique to the level of Perfection did not seem easy. Even with Lu Changsheng's Perception exceeding eight hundred points, it would still require a long time to perfect it.

He looked at the Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique against. Previously, it was crafted for four months, but now, he had to start all over again. However, the recent incident had allowed Lu Changsheng to truly recognize the formidable power of the Blood Qi Sword Crafting Secret Technique.

Unless absolutely necessary, it could not be used lightly. Once used, however, its might would be cataclysmic.

The next day, everyone in Miaoshou Garden mourned in grief. Far too many people had died; far too many apothecaries and physicians had perished.

Of course, the incident could not be kept secret from Master Wu Jing. When Lu Changsheng went to visit Wu Jing, he found that Wu Jing's complexion was very poor. Many of the deceased physicians were his old acquaintances, after all.

In the days that followed, Wu Jing's condition worsened by the day. He even fell unconscious many times. Had it not been for Lu Changsheng's superb medical skills, he wouldn't have been revived. Yet Lu Changsheng knew very well that Wu Jing's body was already at its limit, and he likely did not have much time left.

In the blink of an eye, another month passed. Today, Lu Changsheng went to visit Wu Jing as usual. As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, an apprentice anxiously shouted, "Physician Lu, hurry inside! Old Wu is not going to make it..."

Lu Changsheng immediately entered the room and went straight to Wu Jing's bedside.

Just then, Wu Jing suddenly obtained an astonishing level of strength. He grabbed Lu Changsheng tightly and said, "I have no regrets in this life. I traveled north and south all my life, saving countless people. At death, I even have a disciple to inherit my mantle. That's enough. After I die, send me back to my hometown so I can be laid to rest where I was born..."

Upon saying that, Wu Jing smiled faintly and ceased to breathe.