Chapter 125: Defeating the Formation Spirit!

From within the stone door, a white-haired old man with a somewhat blurred face floated out carrying a sword. Streaks of green light poured into his somewhat incorporeal body, and the green light sword in his hand grew increasingly solid.

The phantasms in the previous fifty-three stages only had a rough outline of a figure, but the white-haired old man, aside from his obscured face, was clear and detailed in every way. He was almost indistinguishable from a real person.

His more defined appearance signified that in this battle, the phantasm would spare no effort in stopping Wang Sheng from taking the Shu Sword Sect's Sword-Controlling Art. Fortunately, the cultivation level of each phantasm that had appeared so far only exceeded Wang Sheng's by half a realm, and the white-haired old man was no exception.

This was the rule of the trial. It wasn't something that the formation spirit could alter at will.

Even so, Wang Sheng still felt oppressive pressure radiating from the old man. Moreover, the old man's sword intent was faintly suppressing Wang Sheng's Seven-Star Sword Intent. It had nothing to do with the sword intents themselves; the old man's understanding of the Dao of the Sword was simply far superior to Wang Sheng's.

As long as their cultivation levels were close, sword technique and swordplay mattered more than anything else. The phantasm was ultimately not a person—he was merely the spirit of the great formation guarding the Seventy-Two Swords. Even if he was left behind by the forefathers of the Shu Mountains, how could a living person like Wang Sheng lose to a mere remnant of spiritual consciousness?

Wang Sheng had to deliberately look down on his opponent a little to boost his morale. To be honest, ever since he had taken up the sword, this was the most pressure that he had ever faced. Moreover, of all his past opponents, the old man was the hardest to read.

"Please enlighten me!" Wang Sheng shouted as he released a few slashes of sword energy with his treasured sword.

The white-haired old man simply raised his sword and waved it casually. His moves appeared haphazard and unrefined, yet they perfectly blocked every strand of Wang Sheng's sword energy. Afterward, the old man slowly descended to the ground. Though he was incorporeal, he still made a faint thud.

In an ancient tone that sounded oddly similar to the local dialect, the formation spirit slowly said, "Twelfth Shu Mountain Sword Art: Autumn Departure."

Wang Sheng held his breath and refrained from attacking. Instead, he carefully watched the old man's slightest movements.

He could feel the old man's sharp gaze on him. However, the old man just stood motionless; he didn't initiate any attack. He had clearly observed Wang Sheng's swordsmanship for some time and was wary of the Heavenly Ziwei Sword. Hence, he just waited for Wang Sheng to reveal an opening.

Wang Sheng, however, had no intention of striking first and giving the formation spirit a chance to break through his technique. The opponent was certainly well-versed in all the sword techniques of the Shu Mountains. Considering the sophistication of their sword moves, it would be difficult for him to gain the upper hand.

To play to his strengths while avoiding weaknesses, he had to drag the opponent into a contest of sword intents. He absolutely could not show any openings in his sword technique.

Though neither had made a move, they were already in the midst of battle—a clash of auras and spiritual consciousness!

When experts exchanged blows, the smallest misstep could determine who would gain the advantage. Wang Sheng used to think that was just an exaggeration, but he now understood it deeply.

Time passed slowly. Neither Wang Sheng nor the formation spirit had launched their attacks, but a battle of endurance had already begun.

After more than twenty minutes, Wang Sheng's left foot quivered ever so slightly, and the aura around him grew slightly unbalanced. A dense green light immediately flared around the old man as he charged forward with his sword. The sword in his hand burst with brilliance, engulfing Wang Sheng in an instant.

Wang Sheng smiled faintly, showing a hint of slyness reminiscent of someone whose scheme had just succeeded. Finally released from the immense pressure, he also showed a hint of relief. However, the most striking about his smile was the quiet confidence it had.

Seven-Star Shift!

Specks of white light suddenly pierced the overwhelming green light. White beams then shot out like stars falling from the night sky, forcibly pushing back the surge of green light.

Blades clashed relentlessly.

Even with the old man's cultivation suppressed to the Foundation Establishment Stage, his Autumn Departure still exploded with incredible might. At the end of the day, it was still the Shu Mountains' forefathers who had left behind the formation spirit.

The old man's sword intent had the bleakness of autumn winds and the relentlessness of autumn rain. Moreover, it was imbued with a sorrowful, desolate mood that affected Wang Sheng's mental state.

To prevent Wang Sheng from obtaining the Shu Mountains' Sword-Controlling Art, the formation spirit revealed a realm beyond sword intent—the Realm of Sword Momentum!

Wang Sheng retreated swiftly to ease the pressure from the opponent's sword momentum. He then used techniques from his Reversed Seven-Star Sword Formation, clashing with the green light swords coming from all directions.

The sword momentum of the formation spirit intensified, turning the autumn drizzle into a torrential storm. In response, Wang Sheng let out a war cry. Though he retreated rapidly, he was becoming faster, even blocking the formation spirit's every attack. In a single minute, the two exchanged over a hundred blows.

Soon, however, Wang Sheng sensed a strange disturbance in the flow of air behind him. He had already been pushed back to the stone wall—he had no more room to retreat. Still, he remained calm. He continued to clash with the formation spirit, pushing his cultivation realm to the limit and unleashing wave after wave of sword phantasms arranged in the exact formation of the Big Dipper's seven stars.

While Autumn Departure was sorrowful and lethal, the Seven-Star Sword Intent swept away devils and suppressed the stars!

Wang Sheng suddenly changed his approach. The Reversed Seven-Star Sword Formation abruptly halted, allowing the green sword light to close the gap.

Each of his steps lit up a different star, and the pattern shifted with him as he moved away.

With a single leap, Wang Sheng tilted as he began to use the Seven-Star Footwork to run along the smooth stone wall. He dashed sideways, narrowly evading the simultaneous attacks of over a dozen sword phantasms.

A faint green glow lined the stone wall and completely rebounded the attacks, disrupting the old man's sword momentum. As the old man engaged Wang Sheng in direct combat, the grand formation continued blocking any stray techniques, preventing it from damaging the techniques carved upon the stone walls.

Wang Sheng bent his legs and kicked off violently, lunging straight at the elderly figure formed by the formation spirit. He swung his longsword with full strength, unleashing his three most ferocious attacks.

Sword of Violet Reverence!

Milky Way Slash!

Seven-Star Devil Executioner

Even with the boost of sword momentum, the formation spirit was forced to go on the defensive.

With the roles now reversed, Wang Sheng used the regular Seven-Star Sword Formation to launch a fierce assault. The old man used Autumn Departure to continuously defend himself as he retreated step by step under the pressure.

Wang Sheng felt no satisfaction or even a trace of joy in his heart. If anyone could peer into his mind, they would find it filled with nothing but sword techniques and sword phantasms streaking past like meteors.

Everything was cast aside. Only his sword and the enemy remained.

In an instant, the entire hall was filled with sword light and sword phantasms. From time to time, sword energy howled past, making the flames in the surrounding braziers tremble violently.

Unfortunately, Wang Sheng was experiencing the intense battle alone. There were no spectators, no witnesses.

Relying on the Seven-Star Sword Intent and the three-foot blade in his hand, he engaged in a fierce and evenly matched battle against the formation spirit's Autumn Departure Sword Intent. The two sword intents clashed relentlessly as the combatants alternated between retreating and advancing, sometimes racing side by side, with their sword techniques constantly clashing head-on.

The light curtain defending the stone walls flickered incessantly, leaving it no time to dissipate.

It was as if two actual swords had appeared above the battlefield, locking each other in a stalemate. No one knew how long the fierce duel lasted. The two relied on swift attacks and had already exchanged more than a thousand moves.

Wang Sheng bit down and crushed two alchemy pills hidden in his molars. He then switched sword styles again. After a flurry of ferocious strikes, he gave up his advantage and used Seven-Star Footwork to dash over ten meters to the side.

This kind of all-out battle was indeed exhilarating, but his true essence had been too heavily depleted. In here, the formation spirit's cultivation was inexhaustible. It showed no signs of decline. Taking that into consideration, he could no longer be content with trading blows back and forth with the formation spirit. He had to go all in for a final strike.

Against the formation spirit, Wang Sheng could not rely on any method beyond swordsmanship. His opponent was the "owner" of this place. He had to win with honor and by the sword.

The outcome would come down to this final move.

"You're not bad," the formation spirit commented. He was condensing his sword momentum once more as his aura—reminiscent of the bleak autumn wind—spread out. "Among those who have entered the Seventy-Two Swords, your comprehension and aptitude rank in the top ten. If you were a disciple of the Shu Mountains, I would have let you pass long ago. Unfortunately, you are not."

"I have another move." Wang Sheng breathed in lightly. "Allow me to dare present it before you, Senior!"

"Then come. Let me see where your limits lie."

The formation spirit charged at Wang Sheng. Autumn rain fell once more, this time accompanied by lightning and thunder.

Standing his ground, Wang Sheng made his true essence surge to the limit. He then swung his sword, unleashing one Reversed Seven-Star Sword Formation technique after another so swiftly that he left behind a trail of afterimages all around him.

However, before he could fully unleash his sword techniques, the formation spirit had already reached him. His longsword released dozens of light arcs toward Wang Sheng's vital points.

Completely immersed in his swordplay, Wang Sheng seemed unaware. His face was drenched with sweat the size of beans.

Just before the formation spirit could completely close in, brilliant starlight erupted around Wang Sheng. The sword phantasms seemingly came alive, shooting toward the formation spirit like arrows.

In response, the formation spirit instantly changed tactics. As his Autumn Departure Sword Intent surged to full power, their weapons clashed in a rapid storm. The formation spirit was forced back over ten meters.

At that very moment, Wang Sheng reached the climax of his sword formation.

Hundreds of sword phantasms shot toward the formation spirit like a sky full of falling stars. The formation spirit retreated quickly, but he could no longer escape.

The starlight surged like the sea, then suddenly gathered into a single sword. The countless falling stars in the sky were nothing more than illusions!

The formation spirit's blurred face appeared to solidify for a moment, revealing a completely astonished expression.

Ziwei Sword!

Wang Sheng would not let anyone stop him from obtaining the Shu Sword Sect's Sword-Controlling Art!