That night, Qin Yun and Daoist Blackkill floated in midair, each sending their Dharma treasures at one another in a skirmish.
"Black Void Kill." Daoist Blackkill's voice was cold.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Black sword shadows spun like a bell, crashing down at Qin Yun from high in the sky.
Qin Yun remained unfazed while he stood in midair. He already had his Cyclic Sword Flash around him, one formed by the hundred sword components disassembled from the Heavy Water Sword. After studying numerous Sword Dao manuals in the Dao Seeking Sword Mansion, the Cyclic Sword Flash he conjured was truly like water. It swashed around in circulation, isolating both in and out! It was as though the barrier separated two different worlds.
"Hahaha, Brother Qin Yun, your sword array sure is impregnable when it comes to defense," said Daoist Blackkill with a loud laugh.
"Brother Blackkill, try this strike of mine too," said Qin Yun with a smile. "Waning Waxing Moons."
A wisp of misty rain flew out of the void as it shot towards Daoist Blackkill.
Daoist Blackkill also had six swords floating around him. They moved to block the misty rain's assault.
However, the wisp of misty rain was unfathomable. It kept attacking from every direction, frequently vanishing and appearing somewhere completely different.
"Heaven Earth Six Escorts." Daoist Blackkill was filled with confidence as the six swords floating around him created a shielding formation, completely blocking out any attack.
Both parties cast their sword moves, their defenses perfect and their attacks extremely ruthless.
"Fiend Hawk Kill." Daoist Blackkill cast the last strike of his seven major killer blows. The divine swords that surrounded Qin Yun formed a massive male hawk phantom that swooped down with its sharp claws.
Upon sensing the might of his opponent's sword array, Qin Yun remained composed as usual. If this was before he had studied the Dao Seeking Sword Mansion's manuals, he would've needed to use his Intrinsic Flying Sword to block the terrifying sword array attack. But now? Just the hundred sword components of the Heavy Water Sword were enough.
"Traveling in Solitude." Qin Yun's mind stirred.
"Boom!"
The hardly discernible wisp of misty rain suddenly transformed into a glaring sword flash. In that instant, it was the most eye-catching thing in the world! That one strike… was enough to repress the earth itself! That one strike similarly had the might to render the world asunder! Now, Qin Yun's strike had been elevated to a brand new level. When it blasted out, the entire space began trembling and tearing apart.
"Boom!"
When the magnificent sword beam cleaved at Daoist Blackkill's protective sword array, his expression changed drastically. His entire sword array quivered and began dissipating. Immediately, threads flew out from Daoist Blackkill's clothes and lingered around him.
"Return!" Qin Yun immediately retracted his Intrinsic Flying Sword when he cracked the sword array.
Daoist Blackkill heaved a sigh of relief and waved his hand. The black swords in the distance rapidly flew back.
"Brother Qin, your flying sword is indeed powerful, much stronger than mine. I'm impressed," said Daoist Blackkill with a smile.
"It's only a sparring of sword arts and not a life-and-death battle. If we were really fighting for our lives, it's hard to say what the outcome would be," said Qin Yun. He could tell that Daoist Blackkill, who was a Skyimmortal, likely had other powerful Numinous treasures.
"The sword array art that I'm most proud of isn't even your match. If we really fight with our lives, I might only be able to flee for my life," said Daoist Blackkill with a laugh. "With your strength, I believe you can defeat that Kuiniu tomorrow."
"And compared to Patriarch Goldensnake?" inquired Qin Yun.
"I'm not a Guardian myself." Daoist Blackkill laughed. "Patriarch Goldensnake is naturally stronger than me! But from my point of view, Brother Qin Yun, you definitely have some hope of winning."
Qin Yun smiled when he heard that.
Swoosh.
They quickly landed on the peak of the mountain.
As he looked into the starry night sky, Qin Yun could not help but think about his daughter as he looked in the direction of the Skywolf continent.
"Daughter, I will defeat that Skydemon Kuiniu tomorrow. Following that, I will defeat Patriarch Goldensnake to become a Guardian. When that happens, I can head to the Skywolf continent to find you," said Qin Yun silently. "Wait a little longer. I will soon be there."
"Brother Qin Yun, why do I have a feeling that you always have something weighing on your mind?" Daoist Blackkill landed at his side. "With your strength, you should be very confident about tomorrow's battle, right?"
"Something weighing on my mind?" Qin Yun said casually, "I don't have confidence in facing Patriarch Goldensnake after all."
"If you lose, all you need to do is survive and you can challenge other Guardians. With your strength and talent, you just need to spend more time training. I believe you will definitely become a Guardian one day," consoled Daoist Blackkill.
"Spend more time?" Qin Yun did not speak further.
Wasting more time was the one thing he didn't want to do. The earlier he rescued his daughter, the better. He was afraid any delay would lead to unforeseen tragedy.
The next day.
Dark Yin Gate.
As one of the top five sects in the Skywolf world, they had more than a hundred Skyimmortals and Skydemons. Dark Yin Gate Lord was also one of the twenty-nine Combat Generals under Yellow-robed Supremacy. Patriarch Goldensnake was the Dark Yin Gate's Grand Elder and held a very prestigious position.
One of the three swordmasters of the Dao Seeking Sword Mansion, Swordmaster Qin, had challenged Patriarch Goldensnake. In response, the Dark Yin Gate had arranged for Elder Kuiniu to fend him off first. It became an important matter between the two sects.
Hum!
The array formation had long been activated that day in Dark Yin Gate. It stirred the surroundings.
Large numbers of disciples were sent to patrol the area early on.
"Senior Brother, what happened? Why does it feel like something is amiss in the sect?" A human disciple that had just come out of seclusion found that the rules in the sect were a lot more stringent.
"Something huge happened!" A boar demon whispered to his side. "I heard that one of Dao Seeking Sword Mansion's three swordmasters, Swordmaster Qin from the North Plains continent, has challenged our Grand Elder! Elder Kuiniu is responsible for answering his challenge first. If he fails, our Grand Elder will have to personally fight this swordmaster."
"The Grand Elder has been challenged?" The human disciple was alarmed.
"Whoosh."
There was a commotion into the distance.
"We should go. I believe the people from the Dao Seeking Sword Mansion are here. This battle is not to be missed," said the boar demon immediately.
"Let's go!" The human disciple flew over as well.
They flew with a large bunch of disciples and, from afar, they saw a majestic warship slowly flying over from a great distance away.
Standing on the warship's bow were a few Skyimmortals and Skydemons. Their auras were either domineering or cold, and circled by them was a man dressed in linen clothes. His hair was let loose, his gaze focused. His aura was very ordinary and it seemed to be that of a mortal's.
A mortal man?
A few Skyimmortals and Skydemons were circling a moral man?
"A mortal?"
"Am I seeing wrong? The mortal appears to be of the highest standing there?" Many of the Dark Yin Gate disciples discussed in secret.
The warship gradually descended.
On the Dark Yin Gate's side, there was a similar group of Skyimmortals and Skydemons that flew over to receive them. They similarly flaunted their auras. The Dark Yin Gate had arranged for more than thirty Skyimmortals and Skydemons, a number far greater than the Dao Seeking Sword Mansion's group. They clearly appeared more powerful as a result.
"Fellow Daoists from the Dao Seeking Sword Mansion," greeted a pangolin elder with a smile. "We have been waiting for a long time. I believe this person in the middle is Dao Seeking Sword Mansion's Swordmaster Qin, am I right? Swordmaster Qin sure is impressive to rank as swordmaster with a mortal's body. I heard that Dao Seeking Sword Mansion's selection of swordmasters only tests one's skill in the Sword Dao, and not Dharmic powers or Dharma treasures… Swordmaster Qin, your battle with our Elder Kuiniu will be a life-and-death battle. It's a contest of true strength and not simply tricks."
"Pangolin, cut the crap. Battles are fought not said with your mouth. Quickly lead the way." The rhinoceros demon beside Qin Yun's voice boomed like thunder as he shouted.
"Fine, since you wish to seek death, we will not stop you." The pangolin elder curled his mouth. "Follow me."
Many of the Skyimmortals and Skydemons from the Dark Yin Gate held similar animosity against them.
After all, Qin Yun was challenging Patriarch Goldensnake… If he were to topple their Elder, he would be taking over his position as Guardian.
Both parties headed inside Dark Yin Gate.
Many ordinary Dark Yin Gate disciples followed from a distance behind to watch the battle. The Dark Yin Gate had many more disciples than the Dao Seeking Sword Mansion. After all, it was considered a large sect, not like the Dao Seeking Sword Mansion that only focused on the Sword Dao.
"A mortal man wants to challenge our Grand Elder?"
"This mortal must have an extraordinary background for him to become the Dao Seeking Sword Mansion's swordmaster. He might be some important figure's reincarnation."
The Dark Yin Gate disciples quickly rushed over as they discussed, waiting in anticipation for the battle to begin.
The battle was to be held in midair.
That would allow Qin Yun and Skydemon Kuiniu to engage in battle easily.
"Are you the new swordmaster of Dao Seeking Sword Mansion, Qin Yun?" Kuiniu had long been waiting. He had an ox head and a human's body but he did not have any ox horns on his head. He was about ten feet tall and his skin was of a grayish color. There were lightning patterns on his skin that occasionally flashed. His pair of ox eyes also had an eye-catching white light, as blinding as the sun.
Kuiniu had an extraordinary bloodline to begin with and he was innately good at controlling lightning.
After cultivating to the stage of Skydemon, his strength was naturally impressive. The Dark Yin Gate was very confident in him, which is why they sent him to battle Qin Yun.
"Greetings, Elder Kuiniu," greeted Qin Yun politely.
"In a while, if I can show you mercy, I will spare your life. But don't blame me if I ground you to mush with my hammers because the battle gets too intense." As Kuiniu spoke, he took a step forward. In midair, he extended his arms, each holding a massive hammer. Boom! Boom! Boom! Terrifying aura blasted out as it seemed to trigger the world's lightning. Numerous bolts of lightning descended and struck Kuiniu's body, yet he seemed extremely comfortable in the storm.
"Come, fight me!" Kuiniu shouted to the ground.
"Be careful!"
Following that, the Dao Seeking Sword Mansion's rhinoceros demon and Fairy Jun turned austere. The red-dressed Fairy Jun sent a voice transmission as a reminder, "Make sure not to engage in melee combat."
"Okay." Qin Yun nodded slightly. Without a word, he took a step forward and flew into the sky.