Volume 1, Chapter 201 – Incarnation

Seeing the black phantom scene behind Shi Lan, a flicker of surprise passed through Wuxu’s eyes.

Phenomena like this were different from drawing upon the momentum of heaven and earth. Only a very small number of heaven-defying prodigies could cultivate them; they were treasures hidden within one’s talent and bloodline.

The moment Shi Lan unfolded her Black Domain, Guiyun Sword Sovereign’s incarnation seemed to receive some kind of stimulus. Its aura changed, as if it had come alive. Its hair flew wildly, its gaze deepened, and from that tall, slender body burst forth a tyrannical sword intent of invincible dominance.

A sword cry shot straight into the heavens, and its sword intent shook past and present alike.

Shi Lan was slightly startled. Compared with the mirror image in the system’s virtual space, the incarnation before her carried an additional, indescribable aura—something akin to a Dao she could not yet touch.

There was still a gulf like a heavenly chasm between an illusory simulation and a real incarnation.

Wuxu watched Shi Lan with calm eyes, somewhat expectant of what she would do next.

Every Sovereign had been the brightest legend of their era, suppressing all peers and reigning supreme in youth.

This incarnation of Guiyun Sword Sovereign was even stronger than he had been in his younger days. It was equivalent to a Sovereign who had already cultivated a Dao Fruit, suppressing his cultivation to the middle stage of the Earth Fiend Realm to fight Shi Lan.

Because of that, this incarnation’s strength was enough to look down upon the entire Earth Fiend Realm and battle upward against the Heavenly Astral Realm.

Shi Lan tightened her grip on the halberd, her gaze not wavering in the slightest.

A Sovereign was one of the strongest beings in the world. To truly fight such an existence at the same realm was, for her, a rare opportunity as well.

The aura around Guiyun Sword Sovereign’s incarnation grew more and more surging, as if the Sword Sovereign himself had stepped out of the ancient past, crossing the river of time. His eyes were as sharp as swords, locked firmly onto Shi Lan.

The incarnation slowly raised the three-foot-long sword in its hand and gently slashed down.

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“Cha—”

The entire space was instantly filled with violent sword qi, blotting out the sky and sun, brimming with chilling killing intent as it surged toward Shi Lan like a tidal wave.

Shi Lan narrowed her eyes slightly. Behind her, the Black Domain disintegrated all sword qi that entered within thirty feet into nothingness.

But the sword-qi storm was endless, while Shi Lan’s mind could not sustain such strain for long. The Black Domain quickly began to contract.

Sword qi came from all directions. A sky full of sword shadows had already completely enveloped Shi Lan, leaving her unable to determine where the incarnation was now.

If this continued, the attrition would only grow more unfavorable to her.

A slight furrow appeared between Shi Lan’s brows. She drew in a breath, lifted her halberd, and prepared to break the deadlock.

“Chi—”

A sound like cloth tearing rang out. A sword ray, like a long dragon, split open the Black Domain, and a figure radiating an aura of absolute supremacy beneath the heavens appeared before her.

Since awakening the Black Domain, this was the first time it had ever been broken. Shi Lan felt as though the back of her head had been struck by a heavy hammer, and her consciousness scattered for an instant.

The threatening sword light stung her skin. Shi Lan did not dare slacken. Forcing her mind back together, she raised her halberd and barely managed to block.

Deng!

Boundless divine force was contained within the sword blade. Shi Lan’s hands trembled violently, and her halberd almost flew from her grip. She was sent sliding backward over a hundred zhang by that single strike before she barely steadied herself.

Suppressing the throbbing pain in her mind, Shi Lan did not hesitate in the least. She stepped into the air, advancing instead of retreating. From above, a dazzling halberd light split the void and slashed down in blinding brilliance.

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Pale violet blood and qi surged into the heavens like a pillar reaching the sky. Her three thousand strands of black hair whipped wildly in the wind. Shi Lan was almost squeezing out every last ounce of strength she had, all to wrest back the initiative.

One step back led to step after step back. If she withdrew now, she would completely lose the initiative and be utterly defeated by Guiyun Sword Sovereign’s incarnation.

A promise once spoken could not be taken back.

“I said I’d defeat you in one try, and one try is all it will take!”

With a clear cry, Shi Lan’s eyes blazed with violet light, her aura reaching its peak.

Since she had boasted so boldly that once would be enough, then she would never allow herself a second chance to start over.

The halberd in Shi Lan’s hand was like Pangu’s heaven-cleaving axe, nearly splitting heaven and earth apart as it hacked down toward the incarnation.

The incarnation tilted its head slightly upward. A faint curve lifted at the corner of its lips. The long sword in its hand let out a thunderous hum as a colorless sword qi shot into the sky, stirring the highest heavens.

Before the sword qi even arrived, that invincible sword intent that seemed capable of slaughtering all things tore through the void and met the halberd light first.

The halberd light held for several breaths before being shattered by the sword qi. At the same time, the countless sword shadows gathered into one place, turning into a river of sword qi that swept toward Shi Lan like a raging torrent.

The mighty river of sword qi crushed across Shi Lan’s body. Though the Yueji Skirt was a top-grade dharma treasure, it still could not withstand it and was torn apart by strand after strand of sword qi.

Sword wounds appeared all over Shi Lan’s body, cutting three inches into the flesh, almost exposing gleaming, jade-like white bone.

Pale violet blood sprayed out across the void. Even the last time, when space itself had torn apart, Shi Lan had not been wounded to such a degree.

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Shi Lan paid no attention at all to the horrifying sword wounds on her body. Her eyes burned with scorching battle intent. Gripping her halberd tightly, she forcibly endured the river of sword qi, surged upstream against it, and slashed her way right up to the incarnation.

Boom!

The incarnation showed not the slightest intention of retreating. It raised its sword like a dragon bursting from the sea and met the pale white halberd blade head-on.

“Heaven-Scorching Three Halberds!”

As their weapons collided, Shi Lan stretched her muscles and bones to the limit and unleashed the first form of the Heaven-Scorching Three Halberds—Mortals Perish. A burst of shocking force was driven straight into the incarnation’s body.

The incarnation’s wrist trembled lightly, and its knee bent for a brief instant.

Shi Lan naturally would not miss such a fleeting opportunity. Halberd shadows swept across the sky as form after form poured out in a relentless torrent.

Clang clang clang clang clang clang!

Under that assault, as seamless as mercury pouring over the ground, the incarnation was inevitably forced to take one step back.

That single retreat gave Shi Lan another opening, allowing her to seize the chance and reclaim the initiative.

The spiritual qi in this space was incomparably dense, comparable to that of a true spirit land. Shi Lan’s Innate spiritual body was devouring immense quantities of spiritual essence at every moment, nourishing her body.

The Jade Tempering Art had also been pushed to the extreme. The sword wounds on her body gradually stopped bleeding, scabbed over, and even began to heal.

A divine radiance spread over Shi Lan’s body, crystal clear and translucent, making her no longer seem mortal. She was like a jade statue come alive and transformed into an immortal, waging war upon the world.

As the battle continued, her aura only grew more vigorous. Her blood and qi roared skyward, and she seemed to possess nearly inexhaustible stamina.

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Shi Lan no longer paid attention to the occasional new sword wound on her body. Her mind had become incomparably pure, containing only a single thought: victory.

Watching Shi Lan actually seize the initiative for a time, Wuxu’s eyes filled with astonishment.

Shi Lan’s performance had far exceeded his expectations.

Whether in understanding of the Martial Dao or in experience, Guiyun’s incarnation surpassed Shi Lan by more than one degree, yet she had still endured to this point and had even found a chance to win.

From within Shi Lan’s body came occasional crackling sounds. After each burst of crackling, her aura rose a little further, and another acupoint within her was opened.

But after several acupoints were opened in succession, Shi Lan had no choice but to begin suppressing the circulation speed of her true qi, preventing any more acupoints from being forced open.

Because every time her cultivation increased by even a fraction, Guiyun Sword Sovereign’s incarnation would rise with it, always keeping itself at the same level as her.

Although it remained at her level, every acupoint she opened caused the incarnation’s strength to swell by another margin.

That was because it did not need, like Shi Lan, to spend time adapting to newly increased true qi. No matter how much its cultivation rose, it could instantly unleash one hundred percent of its power.

So breaking through in the middle of battle was not actually a good thing for Shi Lan.

Simply because several acupoints had been opened in succession, the slight initiative Shi Lan had gained with such difficulty vanished completely, and the clash once more fell into a deadlock.

Guiyun Sword Sovereign’s incarnation also seemed to possess an endless source of energy. After fighting continuously for several days and nights, it showed not the slightest sign of exhaustion, nor did its physique display any decline in blood and qi.

Tempered by the sword qi, Shi Lan’s body grew tougher and tougher. The new sword wounds became shallower and shallower, and the speed of her healing gradually increased as well…