246: Chapter 246 Sword Formation Like Rain, Chen Xiaodao's Heroism

Deep in the cave, a narrow crack split open in the rock wall, and a figure shot out like an arrow.

Chen Xiaodao landed soundlessly, and with a tap of his toes, his whole body leaped into mid-air.

The longsword in his hand was not yet unsheathed, but his Sword Intent was already like muffled thunder before a rainstorm, pressing down layer by layer within the cave.

Blood Butcher still stood five zhang in front of the shield, arms hanging low, his gaze gloomy.

He didn't move, nor did he look back.

But his back tensed slightly, as if he had sensed something.

“Swoosh—!”

The first sword light slashed down, so fast it left only an afterimage.

Blood Butcher suddenly dodged to the side, and a line of blood exploded from his shoulder, black blood splashing onto the rock wall with a sizzling sound.

He finally turned around and saw Chen Xiaodao suspended in the air, the tip of his sword pointing directly at the space between his eyebrows.

“Nine Stars Alignment,” Chen Xiaodao spoke; his voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

Before his voice had even faded, his wrist flicked, and the sword tip trembled slightly, instantly splitting into nine afterimages.

Every strike accurately slashed toward Blood Butcher's vital points, the Sword Intent as sharp as a knife, tearing nine white streaks through the air.

Blood Butcher's pupils constricted as the Blood River True Qi within his body erupted.

Twelve blood lines crawled out from under his skin like dancing snakes, quickly weaving into a blood net that protected him in the center.

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

Nine sword shadows struck the blood net one after another, sparks flying everywhere.

Three blood lines snapped on the spot, and the rest vibrated violently, nearly breaking.

Blood Butcher's feet slipped as he took half a step back.

He looked down at the broken blood lines; black blood slowly seeped out from the breaks.

The injury wasn't heavy, but it made his heart sink—these blood lines were the projection of his core Meridians from the Blood River Demonic Art; ordinary attacks couldn't even touch them, let alone sever them.

“You...” He looked up and stared at Chen Xiaodao, “When did you arrive?”

“From the first time you struck the shield.” Chen Xiaodao landed, holding his sword in one hand with the tip pointing diagonally at the ground. “The way you stood there in a daze was like a dog whose hamstrings had been pulled.”

Blood Butcher's face darkened.

It wasn't that he hadn't heard insults before.

For three hundred years, the number of Cultivators who had died by his hand was in the thousands; those who cursed him, those who damned him, and those who begged for mercy—he had heard it all. But no one dared to speak to him like this.

Especially not a nineteen-year-old youth.

“So young, yet so bold,” he sneered. “Do you know how many Geniuses I've killed? Golden Core Stage, Nascent Soul Stage—I've even slaughtered three Soul Transformation old monsters. What do you think you are?”

“I'm nothing special.” Chen Xiaodao raised his eyes, his gaze like a blade. “I am a member of the Chen Family.”

As he spoke, his left hand formed a seal, palm facing the ground.

The cave floor shook slightly as a long-abandoned Spiritual Vein was forcibly activated.

The residual Spiritual Qi surged toward his sword blade like a stream, and the edge of the sword immediately glowed with a silver-white halo.

Blood Butcher narrowed his eyes. “Borrowing the terrain? You have some tricks.”

“More than that.” Chen Xiaodao took a deep breath, tapped his toes, and spun upward, sword light pouring down like a waterfall. “It's to suppress you!”

Sword shadows once again blanketed the sky, faster, denser, and more ruthless than before.

Blood Butcher snorted coldly, and all twelve blood lines shot out like strangling chains to meet the overwhelming rain of swords.

“Ding! Ding! Ding!”

Sword and blood lines collided repeatedly, sparks flying in all directions.

Chen Xiaodao's sword speed grew faster and faster as the ninth form, “Mountain Breaker,” was being prepared. If this strike succeeded, its power would be enough to split a small mountain.

But just as the sword momentum was reaching its peak, the corner of Blood Butcher's mouth suddenly curled up.

This was the moment he had been waiting for.

“Kid, did you think I was just defending?” he growled. “I was watching!”

Before he finished speaking, the remaining nine blood lines suddenly contracted, actually condensing into a blood shield in front of his chest.

At the same time, two deeply hidden blood lines launched a surprise attack from underground, lunging straight for Chen Xiaodao's feet.

Chen Xiaodao's reaction was extremely fast; he tapped his toes against the rock wall and flipped through the air.

But those two blood lines followed him like shadows, wrapping around the armor on his left leg and pulling hard!

“Crack!”

The armor split, and blood threads took the opportunity to climb up his calf, black Qi instantly spreading.

Chen Xiaodao groaned and gritted his teeth, biting the tip of his tongue and spitting a mouthful of essence blood onto the sword's edge.

“Break—for me!”

“Boom!”

The sword light surged, and the ninth form, “Mountain Breaker,” instantly reached Perfection. A silver-white sword rainbow slashed down from above, striking the blood shield dead center.

“Bang!”

The blood shield exploded, and three blood lines snapped on the spot, black blood gushing out.

The two blood lines wrapped around his leg were also shattered by the Sword Qi, turning into drifting ash.

Blood Butcher staggered back, his right arm dripping with blood.

He looked down at the wound, a look of wariness appearing in his eyes for the first time.

This was no ordinary Sword Cultivator.

This kid's Sword Intent was terrifyingly pure, and he was willing to risk his life.

Sacrificing essence blood to the sword—one slight mistake could damage his Origin or even lead to Qi Deviation.

Yet he did it without hesitation.

“Aren't you afraid of death?” Blood Butcher stared at him.

“I am,” Chen Xiaodao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his voice raspy. “But I'm even more afraid of the Chen Family falling.”

He slowly stood straight, thrust the broken blade into the ground with his left hand, and knelt on one knee, yet he did not lower his head.

“Where this sword points is the gate of the Chen Family!” he declared loudly. “If you want to step over it today, you'll have to ask my sword first!”

The airflow inside the cave suddenly stagnated.

It was as if some kind of resonance had been awakened.

Behind Chen Xiaodao, a translucent phantom of a giant sword faintly appeared, its blade flowing with silver light like a meteor—it was the first sign of the Meteor Sword Intent he had attained through an Epiphany in his early years.

Although it couldn't be fully released, that Aura was already like a falling star from beyond the heavens, making people's hearts feel heavy.

Blood Butcher stood in place and didn't move again.

It wasn't that he didn't want to move. It was that he didn't dare to act rashly.

The youth before him was no longer that Junior he could crush at will just moments ago.

His sword, his intent, and his life were all forged into the words “Chen Family.”

This kind of person was the most terrifying.

Being unafraid of death wasn't scary; what was scary was that he had entrusted his life to a conviction.

Blood Butcher slowly raised his hand and wiped away the black blood splashed on his face.

He didn't speak, nor did he make any threats.

He just quietly looked at Chen Xiaodao, his eyes filled with complexity.

He knew that in this battle, he could no longer afford to be reckless.

He had cultivated the Blood River Demonic Art for three hundred years, reaching the top through slaughter and establishing his prestige through bloodshed.

But today, for the first time, he felt that there were some things that couldn't be suppressed just by killing.

Like the look in a youth's eyes when holding a sword.

Like that sentence, “Where this sword points.”

He slowly took half a step back, the Blood Array completely extinguished, and the broken blood lines retracted into his body as his wounds began to heal slowly.

But he didn't leave.

Nor did he admit defeat.

He just stood there like a wounded beast, coldly staring at his prey, waiting for the next opportunity.

Chen Xiaodao remained kneeling in place, his chest heaving violently.

His physical strength had reached its limit, and a deep gash had been carved into his left shoulder by a snapped blood thread, with blood dripping down the edge of his armor.

But he didn't move.

His sword was not withdrawn.

His eyes did not close.

His gaze was like a torch, staring directly at Blood Butcher.

Between the two of them, across a distance of five zhang, it was so quiet that one could hear the sound of blood dripping onto the rocks.

One drop.

Another drop.

Deep in the cave, the shield continued to hum, the blood was not yet dry, and the Sword Intent had not dissipated.

The battle was still ongoing.