After Zhao Xiaoyu consciously backed away to a remote place, Lu Jiuyuan and Shen Lian unleashed their Qi dynamic without reservations. Any spiritual confrontation bore no great significance once it had reached their level. The true determining factor of the outcome lied in their individual acc.u.mulated source, and their grasp in subtlety during their fight.
This sort of confrontation was like both individuals had obtained forty-nine out of the fifty numbers from the Dayan’s divination. Whoever was able to find the missing one, would be declared victorious.
Otherwise, it would only fall into a long struggle with no release.
Therefore, since ancient times, every celestials confrontation that entered the State of Taiyi was a well-planned calculation. Finally, when these two individuals met, the results were quick and decisive.
But the real difference was definitely not as great as the result showed.
Shen Lian and Lu Jiuyuan were exceptions. The two have not sized each other up completely. Furthermore, Shen Lian and Lu Jiuyuan represented a completely different path of Taiyi.
Lu Jiuyuan was one with the heaven and earth, to put it plainly would be the core of Qing Xuan Earth and Star. It could also be said that it was Qing Xuan Earth and Star’s manifestation of the will of the laws of heaven. Just like Shen Lian’s imprint of Shangqing primordial spirit towards the painting of Mounts and Rivers of the Gods of Earth and Vale. It was just that, numerous thousand years down the road, Lu Jiuyuan and Qing Xuan Earth and Star was already inseparable; bounded together for good or bad.
For Shen Lian, it was a self-imposed heaven and earth. The seeds of the heaven and earth in his glabella were, without a doubt, extremely important to him. However, the two were not equal nor one. This kind of Taiyi was the right path of Xuanmen. It would not end up wounding an individual’s fundamentals due to the damage of heaven and earth. There would not be too much burden.
The one who struck first was Lu Jiuyuan, He made a gesture with both his hands, as if he was strumming the pipa. In an instant, a crystalline web of filigrees appeared in space. This Celestial Art was called out to be Xuantian Net of Smoke, born out of the Inescapable Net, but more troublesome and not as powerful.
However, it was unquestionably still equal to the state of Taiyi.
Although Lu Jiuyuan’s speed in taking action took no more than a split second. Had it been any other immortal zhenren, it would be expected that they would have already fallen into the net at that moment.
However, when it came to Shen Lian’s level, nothing escaped his scrutiny. Therefore, any attempts of an ambush would have no real significance.
His mind moved, the killing sword which was concise in the Netherworld was split-up into hundreds and thousands of gleams of sword. They cut towards the Xuantian Net of Smoke, and the endlessly dark universe lit up.
There was no air nor water in outer space, light traveled without obstacles, sword aura moved unobstructed. Its speed almost exceeding the perceptions of divine thoughts, even its power highly condensed.
Xuantian Net of Smoke was originally created by Lu Jiuyuan’s collection of heavenly essence and ground fire. Although it was took the form of an energy, in reality, it was as good as any hard magical talisman and instrument. But having encountered the Qi of killing sword, which was filled with Shen Lian’s State of Taiyi, a declaration of defeat seemed inevitable.
The sword gleams were imbued with spirituality. After defeating the Xuantian Net of Smoke, they were like the Milky Way that withered and fell, neverending. Murderous vibes directly pointed at Lu Jiuyuan, as if they were able to nail his primordial spirit that caused his body and spirit to collapse.
The swiftness of the sword gleams were sufficient in allowing Shen Lian to break through any immortal zhenren’s body in Qing Xuan Earth and Star, and send them back to another cycle of reincarnation. However, Lu Jiuyuan’s spiritual sense has far exceeded the state of a God. It was as if he had sensed it before Shen Lian acted.
In a short amount of time, a ray of sword gleam leaked from Lu Jiuyuan’s body, like smoke contained in cloud and water. And in an instant, it bursted opened, weaving an impregnable line of defense.
Only the fight between sword gleams were audible. Ripples were vaguely visible in the void, followed by an expansion and proliferation of the sword gleam. It was like an emotional meteor shower, cutting across the rim of the sky.
Lu Jiuyuan’s swordsmanship could be said to be infinitely magnificent. He was no less inferior than any master celestial of sword Shen Lian had ever seen. Only Chen Senior Apprentice-Brother’s Anattā Sword could overpower him.
However, Shen Lian’s heart was not distracted. In his mind, defeating the world’s first person was all that mattered. Although his killing sword was not as good as the Anattā Sword, it was still the absolute top in the world. Under the will of his mind, with full maneuverability, he was omnipotent.
Even if Lu Jiuyuan’s swordsmanship was strong, still he gradually retreated. The two were giving their all, displaying their individual swordsmanship in outer space. The spread/circulation/passing on of any of the sword techniques were sufficient in benefiting cultivators who were cultivating The nine states of cultivation.
Soon after, they broke into a huge group of meteoroids. Those meteoroids were as large as the mountains in the mortal realm. Small meteoroids were also three hundred meters large. The two traveled back and forth the crevices of the group of meteoroids, each displaying absolutely impeccable swordsmanship, unreservedly attacking their opponent where the divine Qi was weaker.
Once a meteoroid passed by, it would inevitably be fragmented and shattered into smaller pieces.
As the group of meteoroids was traveling at high speeds. Zhao Xiaoyu could only watch from the sideline, among the gaps, lest he added chaos by entering the group of meteoroid.
Up until now, although Shen Lian possessed the upper-hand in swordsmanship, to win against Lu Jiuyuan would still be a heavy task.
At that moment, Zhao Xiaoyu suddenly blinked, as if surprised.
Maybe Shen Lian was impatient, a blood-red killing sword appeared in his hand. It was an item left behind by Chen Jianmei. He could be seen piercing the void with the long sword, a small circle of Qi with high-speed rotation appeared one after another, exhibiting the colors of black and white. There was nothing that could stop the small circle of Qi in killing Lu Jiuyuan
Lu Jiuyuan’s expression finally changed. Shen Lian’s sword aura was not invincible because of his Killing Sword, but because of the law of heaven and earth revealed from the small circles of black and white.
It was a tactful, flawless and ultimate sword. If this sword could be evolved into a Sword Incantation, it would be sufficient for it to be placed in any sects’ most treasured Daoism scriptures. Once an insight was gained, even if it was of no use, it would still be a state of heavenly immortals.
Those meteoroids could no longer be a hindrance to Shen Lian. However, it obstructed Lu Jiuyuan’s actions and made him divert his attention at the meteoroids when he needed to counter to the boundless sword aura.
Lu Jiuyuan was Lu Jiuyuan. He had finally shown the true strength of the first in the world. A five-colored cloud could be seen flying out of his head. It did not establish a flower of vitality, but various magical talisman of all kinds of shape and sizes appeared. The Divine light of tens of thousand weight burst forth and enveloped him. Any meteoroids that passed by would be instantly disintegrated and turned into powder.
He was sheltered by those magical talismans like a turtle shell, rendering Shen Lian’s boundless Killing Sword useless as it could not break it with a blow.
After all, some of those magical talismans were as old as a thousand years, some even tens of thousand years.
It was expected that within Qing Xuan Earth and Star, better magical talismans would already be collected by Lu Jiuyuan.
Shen Lian used spiritual telepathy, laughed and said, “Old Lu were you planning to win by establishing a ground that you would not lose? Please forgive Shen Lian for disagreeing.”
Lu Jiuyuan’s mind and spirit was slightly moved. Immediately then, a scroll was seen flying out of Shen Lian’s body like the gradual galaxy. He paused to have a closer look, the galaxies had clear rivers and mountains, and they were another heaven and earth.
Without a word, Shen Lian sacrificed the painting of Mounts and Rivers of the Gods of Earth and Vale, and sent it towards Lu Jiuyuan. No matter how powerful the magical talismans were, it would never be as powerful as the painting of Mounts and Rivers of the Gods of Earth and Vale. Under the impact, the outermost magical talismans instantly turned into dust.