53: Blood Phoenix Stone

After tossing Liu Wuying aside in the canyon, the group continued forward. Di Qingge was somewhat worried: "Clan brother, those are all the top prodigies from various prefectures..."

"Perfect." Di Qianjie lightly caressed the Thousand Tribulations Sword. "I've just had an epiphany and need a whetstone."

Di Lingxiao shook his long spear, nine battle patterns glowing brilliantly: "According to what that Liu Wuying said, the Taixu Sword Child is claimed to be able to slay those in the Heaven-Reaching Realm? I really want to try."

Di Wushang suddenly smiled: "Three hundred miles to the southeast, there are intense spiritual energy fluctuations; someone should be fighting over a treasure."

"Let's go!" Di Qianjie took the lead. "Let's go meet these prodigies from various prefectures."

Seven figures shot toward the southeast like sharp arrows, their Battle Intent piercing the sky. They didn't know that a world-shaking battle sweeping through the entire Secret Realm was about to be ignited by their own hands... Three hundred miles to the southeast, a blood-colored pillar of light shot into the sky. When the Di Clan arrived, they saw two groups of people locked in a fierce battle. Over a dozen corpses already lay on the ground, and blood stained the entire valley red.

On the left was a group of Cultivators wearing blood-red robes, each with a hideous blood scar on their forehead—the mark of the Blood Demon Sect from Blood Fiend Prefecture.

The leading young man held a bone saber, its blade entwined with nine small blood-red snakes; every slash emitted a piercing ghostly howl.

This person was Xue Mu of the Blood Demon Sect, at the Tenth Level of the Purple Mansion Realm, practicing the 'Blood Scripture'.

On the right was a group of Cultivators dressed in colorful clothes, with Phoenix patterns embroidered on their sleeves. Disciples of the 'Heavenly Phoenix Pavilion' from Fengqi Prefecture formed a mysterious formation, shooting streaks of fire feathers like rain toward the enemy.

The leading girl held a Glazed Lamp in her hand, the flames within transforming into a Phoenix phantom with astonishing power. She was the Heavenly Phoenix Pavilion Saintess, Feng Qingwu, at the ninth level of the Purple Mansion Realm, possessing the Phoenix Bloodline.

In the center of the two groups, an entirely crimson crystal floated in mid-air, emitting heart-palpitating fluctuations.

"Blood Phoenix Stone!" Di Wushang said in a low voice. "A supreme treasure rumored to contain Phoenix essence blood! It's something one can only encounter by luck."

"I'll go meet the Blood Demon Sect." Di Qianjie's Thousand Tribulations Sword was already drawn three inches.

Di Lingxiao spun the dragon fall spear: "Then I'll handle the Heavenly Phoenix Pavilion."

The others tacitly dispersed to stand guard.

Two figures cut into the battlefield like lightning!

Xue Mu was just repelling three Heavenly Phoenix Pavilion Disciples with a saber strike when he suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold behind him. He instinctively turned to block, and the moment the bone saber collided with the Thousand Tribulations Sword, the nine blood snakes actually let out miserable screams!

"Who are you..." Xue Mu's pupils shrank; Di Qianjie's arrival made his heart palpitate.

Di Qianjie didn't answer, his sword stance changing: "Tribulation Heaven: Tribulation Cloud Style!"

Twenty-four sword shadows descended like dark clouds, each sword carrying a destructive aura like a Heavenly Tribulation. Xue Mu was struck with terror and hastily performed the Blood Demon Sect's ultimate technique 'Blood Sea Boundless', a phantom of a sea of blood appearing around him.

Squelch—

The sword light slashed into the blood sea, splitting it in two like a hot knife through oil! A wound deep enough to see bone exploded on Xue Mu's chest, and he staggered back.

"Impossible!" He roared, sacrificing his natal blood talisman, "Blood God Descends!"

A ten-foot-tall blood demon phantom appeared, but Di Qianjie's sword was faster!

"Tribulation Lightning Style!"

Twelve streaks of blood-colored lightning moved with the sword, and the blood demon phantom was struck apart before it could fully form. Xue Mu spat blood and flew backward, crashing heavily against the mountain wall.

Di Qianjie glanced at the sky and pointed his sword at the remaining Blood Demon Sect Disciples. "Come at me together."

On the other side, Di Lingxiao's dragon fall spear had already sent three Heavenly Phoenix Pavilion Disciples flying. Feng Qingwu's Glazed Lamp bloomed with dazzling light as a fire Phoenix phantom pounced.

"Army Breaker: Tian Xuan!"

A cold star lit up at the spear tip, instantly piercing the fire Phoenix's throat. Feng Qingwu groaned, blood overflowing from the corner of her mouth, yet she still stubbornly activated a hand seal: "Heavenly Phoenix Nine Transformations!"

Nine pillars of fire erupted from the ground, surrounding Di Lingxiao.

A soft laugh came from within the flames: "A bit interesting."

Silver light flashed as a spear shadow forcibly tore a path through the sea of fire. Di Lingxiao walked out unscathed.

He glanced at Di Qianjie, who had already finished his battle in the distance. "One last strike."

The dragon fall spear suddenly disappeared, and in the next moment, it was already against Feng Qingwu's throat. The spear tip was only a hair's breadth from her skin; the cold Killing Intent made her whole body stiffen.

"You..." Feng Qingwu's face turned pale.

"You lost." Di Lingxiao retracted his spear and turned around. "The lamp is nice, but unfortunately, the person using it is a bit lacking."

Di Qingge had already taken the Blood Phoenix Stone and, after checking it carefully, said joyfully: "The quality is excellent; this is the most important material for refining a 'Blood Phoenix Pill'!"

The Blood Phoenix Pill was a Saint-Grade Medicinal Pill; although Di Qingge didn't yet have the ability to refine Saint-Grade Medicinal Pills, this Blood Phoenix Stone was just as precious.

The Disciples of the two Sects helped each other up, neither daring to speak out in anger. Xue Mu clutched his chest and gritted his teeth: "You guys... very well! This grudge is settled!"

Di Qianjie glanced at him indifferently: "I await you anytime."

"These prodigies from other prefectures aren't all that much," Di Lingxiao mocked.

The group was just about to leave.

In the distance, a silver sword light sliced through the sky; the sharp Sword Qi made one's skin sting even from miles away. A truly powerful enemy was finally about to appear... Above the firmament, the clouds suddenly split open, and a white-robed figure stepped through the air. With every step, a sword lotus bloomed beneath his feet, supporting his frame. Before the person even arrived, a supreme Sword Intent swept across the field, as if ten thousand invisible swords had been drawn at once, stinging the skin.

"What powerful Sword Intent!"

Di Qianjie's Thousand Tribulations Sword suddenly unsheathed three inches on its own. Two completely different types of Sword Qi collided in the air, actually producing the sound of clashing metal!

The people from the Blood Demon Sect and Heavenly Phoenix Pavilion in the distance felt an unprecedented sense of pressure; that Sword Qi was as deep as an abyss and as vast as a sea, grand and majestic, actually causing the spiritual energy in their bodies to stagnate for a moment.

The white-robed man finally landed on the ground; he appeared to be a young man no more than twenty years old. He had a handsome face, features as sharp as swords, and his black hair was tied with a wooden hairpin. His white clothes were as pure as snow, untainted by a speck of dust.

The sheathless long sword at his waist vibrated slightly, its body transparent like crystal. Most striking was a silver sword mark on his forehead, which was currently emitting heart-palpitating fluctuations.

"Taixu Sword Sect, the last of the seven swords—Yu Qingchen."

The white-robed youth spoke indifferently. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly entered everyone's ears, like a sword blade sliding across ice, cold and sharp.

Di Qianjie narrowed his eyes. He could feel that this young man calling himself Yu Qingchen had a cultivation at the Purple Mansion Realm Tenth Level. The purity of his Sword Intent and the power of his pressure far exceeded that of an ordinary Heaven-Reaching Realm Cultivator!

"One of the seven swords of the top-tier Taixu Sword Sect in Tianxiao Prefecture?"

Xue Mu cried out in surprise, "Rumor has it that each of the Taixu Sword Sect's seven swords is a sword dao genius rarely seen in a thousand years. Although this Yu Qingchen is only the last of the seven swords, it's entirely because he entered the Sect later."

Yu Qingchen turned a deaf ear to the discussions of Xue Mu and the others, his gaze like lightning.

His gaze swept over everyone, pausing slightly when he saw the Blood Phoenix Stone in Di Qingge's hand, and then pierced straight toward Di Qianjie: "Hand over the Blood Phoenix Stone and all the treasures you've obtained in the Secret Realm, and I may spare your life."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire field went into an uproar.

A cold smile curled on Di Qianjie's lips: "You want it? Come and take it yourself."

A flash of surprise crossed Yu Qingchen's eyes, as if he hadn't expected a mere Purple Mansion Realm Third Level Cultivator to dare respond to him like that. He shook his head slightly: "Ignorant of the heights of heaven and depths of the earth."

Before his voice finished, the long sword at his waist suddenly emitted a clear sword chime and actually moved forward three inches on its own. A blinding sword light shot into the sky, completely slicing apart the clouds within a hundred-foot radius!

"When the Supreme Void Sword appears, ten thousand swords bow!"

Yu Qingchen gave a light shout, and all the swords of the sword-wielding Cultivators from the Blood Demon Sect and Heavenly Phoenix Pavilion began to vibrate uncontrollably, as if they had encountered the king of swords, wanting to leap from their sheaths to pay him homage!

But Di Qianjie's Thousand Tribulations Sword did not move at all.

"Hmm?"

Yu Qingchen raised an eyebrow, showing a serious expression for the first time: "To be able to resist the summons of the Supreme Void Sword, your sword dao attainments are indeed not bad. Unfortunately, today you are destined to fall here."

Di Qianjie wasted no more words, gripped the sword hilt with his right hand, and slowly drew the Thousand Tribulations Sword.

Clang—

The moment the sword left its sheath, a completely different Sword Qi filled the air. If Yu Qingchen's Sword Intent was like the vast starry sky, boundless and infinite, then Di Qianjie's Sword Qi was like the lightning of the nine heavens, overbearing and peerless!