History's Number 1 Founder
chapter-444

Much like an imprisoned beast that had been filled with bloodlust but unable to satisfy its needs, it was finally released from its binds to feast on fresh blood. The ferocity of the sword inside the casing was tremendous, even though only a third of its brilliance had been unleashed.

Especially when its prey were sword cultivators like the Guanchong Swordmaster and the Mountain-Breaking Swordmaster, the fearsome sword was like an arrogant ruler faced with insubordination from his subjects and becoming even more violent as a result.

After a single strike, it was forcefully shoved back into the sword casing. One could imagine its reluctance and frustration.

The casing was the size of a tiny mountain, and it began to tremble and make loud noises. Like the crumbling of a mountain, the tyrannical essence of the sword was hurtling around inside the Heavenly Cosmic Ray World.

This was bad news for the Golden Crow Grandmaster who was imprisoned beneath the sword casing. He was already being tortured by the surging of the sword aura, and now he had to suffer an unwarranted calamity as he became the scapegoat of the sword’s wrath.

"I can still use it two times." Lin Feng calculated in his mind. Before he met up with Yan Mingyue and the others, he predicted that the Mount Shu Sword Sect was likely to interfere in the matter.

Therefore, he took early precautions and merged Mount Yujing with his own soul, soul that he could directly retrieved the fearsome sword from within the Heavenly Cosmic Ray World, and subsequently channel the power of Mount Yujing, the Black Heavenly Treasure Tree as well as the Heaven-Revolving Purple Clouds to force the sword back into the casing so that he did not lose control of it.

This sword was especially fearsome. When Lin Feng called on its power and unsheathed it, he obtained a deeper understanding of the sword aura within.

It was a sword that was made to kill. Not only was it murderous, it was ferocious and brutal, along with extra characteristics of a deep, dark and gloomy concept of power.

The term ‘murder’ typically referred to a particular living being. However, this sword seemed to treat the entire world, along with all its fates and destinies, as a single living entity. It harbored the desire to take this life and lay it to complete ruin.

The Immemorial God Slayer Sect’s way of the sword was called the Heaven Defying Sword of Fatality. However, in comparison to the sword aura embodied within the fearsome sword, the former seemed like an infant child.

The "Heaven Defying" part of the Heaven Defying Sword of Fatality referred to going against the world and murdering everything. On a fundamental level, it still held respect for nature and the world and admitted that the way of the world was far greater – except it wanted to go against the superior force, like a rebellious child.

On the other hand, this fearsome sword simply wanted to decimate everything under the sky, including the ways of the world and all the fates and destinies of living beings.

It did not care about a single living thing under the sky. All living beings were just collateral damage in its path to destroy the world.

It was not the same as the Mount Shu’s way of the sword, and was not the same as any other sword in the world that was meant for killing. This otherworldly sword was a world-destroyer!

At this point in time, it had yet to mature and its true brilliance was only just starting to develop. However, when it had completely forged itself and its true essence was released, the explosive glory in its entirety would shock the entire Grand Celestial World.

Lin Feng mulled over the meaning behind the sword and thought to himself, "If I wish to truly control this sword, I still need to put in a lot more effort."

He was thinking in his mind, but his expression was a plain one and he calmly looked at the Guanchong Swordmaster and Yan Mingyue and the others in front of him.

However, the other party may not be so calm. At least for the Guanchong Swordmaster, he had completely lost his stoic charisma. His eyes sparkled with chilly light and stared straight at Lin Feng.

Much like Shi Zongyue, he could clearly feel that Lin Feng’s strike was not a complete one and the what he experienced just now was not everything.

As a sword cultivator, his experience was much deeper and more profound. He could faintly feel that Lin Feng’s sword was unbelievably sharp, but the understanding of the swordplay was incomplete.

Still, it was because of this incomplete understanding of the sword that Lin Feng did not channel its full power but chose to hold back. Even so, this strike was frightening enough.

The entirely of the Guanchong Swordmaster’s cultivation was invested upon his sword. He pondered about the meaning of Lin Feng’s sword and imagined the explosiveness of its power when it was not being held back. It came as a surprise but he could feel that his originally unshakable and stoic soul began to tremble.

Somebody tried to investigate discreetly to find out if Lin Feng only had the strength to make this one move, but discovered that when faced with Lin Feng’s composure he was unable to detect his depths.

This shocked everyone on the inside. "This is only possible if he has some energy left. This is the only reason why he can completely repel our probing, and with such intricacy. He did indeed hold back!"

Lin Feng calmly opened his mouth and said, "So, do your words represent yourself or for the whole of the Mount Shu Sword Sect?"

Ning Lang’s face turned black. How could he not understand what Lin Feng was trying to say? If he was representing himself, then Lin Feng would have murdered him right here and now.

The Guanchong Swordmaster raised his hand and stopped Ning Lang from speaking his mind.

The old man raised his eyes and looked at Lin Feng. "Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders – you are indeed impressive. Mount Shu concedes that you are worthy of participating in the conquest of Qiong Qi."

Lin Feng heard his words and began to chuckle as he shook his head faintly. "You can receive my strike, so I also agree that you are worthy of accompanying everyone."

He turned to look at Ning Lang and smiled plainly. "But him – he is not worthy."

Ning Lang erupted into anger. Even the Guanchong Swordmaster was stunned and temporarily rendered speechless.

They just admitted that they would take a step back, but Lin Feng did not see it that way. Along with the formidable strike that he just unleashed, the initiative was shifted into his hands.

It was now his turn to decide who could tag along in the conquest of the Qiong Qi. For some people, he just wanted them to scamper back to wherever they came from.

Lin Feng gazed at Ning Lang quietly and said casually, "The Mount Shu Sword Sect is the number one holy ground for the way of the sword, and I am very aware of your reputation. However, if some people choose to believe that they can do what they want just because they have the backing and the blessing of the Mount Shu Sword Sect, then I wouldn’t mind taking action and teach him a lesson."

"A thousand years of hard work to form the immortal soul has indeed been a long and difficult journey. However, it is very simple to lose it," Lin Feng continued, "Ning Lang, you are not even worthy of me unsheathing my sword for you. Still, I made an exception for you just because of your status as a sword cultivator."

"If you can rely on your own abilities and defend yourself against my strike without dying, then I shall grant you the right to tag along. If not, please disappear from my sight right now."

Ning Lang’s body was trembling as it was charged with mana and sword Qi. He recalled that not long ago, he said similar things to Lin Feng.

If he did not leave now, then he would never leave.

The Guanchong Swordmaster frowned a little, and Lin Feng’s plain gaze shifted towards him. "You, Guanchong Swordmaster, have the ability to protect yourself, but you cannot protect him. The strike I unleashed just now was intentionally left for you."

From the beginning, he did not intend to go for Ning Lang. That was why Ning Lang was still alive.

The Guanchong Swordmaster began to think. He agreed with Lin Feng, that if he released the entirety of his power he could definitely rival Lin Feng and play around, but if Lin Feng wanted to kill Ning Lang then he no longer had the confidence that he would be able to stop him. The difference between killing someone and protecting someone is too great – the individual making the killer moves had complete control of the initiative.

Yan Mingyue suddenly said, "The Mountain-Breaking Swordmaster’s mana and energy are no longer stable. He should not participate in the battle anymore – he should return back to Mount Shu to treat his wounds."

Shi Zongyue also said slowly, "The Qiong Qi demon tribe have the Nine Luminaries Heaven-Crushing Formation in their control. They cannot be underestimated. We need to enter this battle as one and work together. If somebody with dissents and ulterior motives tags along, then it will hinder us rather than help us."

Once the two of them spoke their pieces, Ning Lang’s expression became even darker.

Cold radiance shot out from the Guanchong Swordmaster’s eyes. At this point, he suppressed the sparkle in eyes as he returned to his original state of indifference and unwavering composure.

"Mountain-Breaking Swordmaster, you shall return back to the mountain at once. Between you and me, only one person is needed. Go back and truthfully convey your experience with the Leader of the Celestial Sect of Wonders to our sect in detail." The Guanchong Swordmaster voice-projected a separate message to Ning Lang with his mana, "Your actions have not been wasted. Lin Feng appears to be adept at swordplay – this is something that far exceeded our expectations. You need to feedback immediately."

Ning Lang took a deep breath. Previously, he outrageously picked on Lin Feng and one of the thoughts he had in mind was to harm his reputation. However, he was more interested in testing Lin Feng’s abilities and probing his background.

From the looks of it, he managed to force Lin Feng to expose a secret that nobody knew of before – one could say that he had attained his initial goal.

What Ning Lang did not expect was that Lin Feng possessed such formidable mastery of swordplay and very nearly murdered him on the spot in one blow.

After this, Ning Lang himself along with the rest of the Mount Shu Sword Sect were humiliated and this made him terribly guilty.

The Guanchong Swordmaster said quietly, "Today is not the day. There will be opportunities to take your revenge in the future. The humiliation that the Mount Shu Sword Sect suffered today will be repaid in kind – and with the blood of this man."

Ning Lang grunted, and his whole being transformed into a ray of sword radiance as he ripped open the void and flew away without looking back.

Lin Feng watched his departure in silence. His soul was linked with Mount Yujing at the moment, and he heard Shi Tianhao’s voice appear in his head. "Master, you’re going to let him go just like that?"

The battle they just had was displayed in real time by Lin Feng on Mount Yujing. As they witnessed the destructive force and domination of the sword that Lin Feng just unleashed, everybody in the Celestial Sect of Wonders were stirred up and their emotions became turbulent.

Lin Feng smiled and said, "He’s just a little clown."

He returned his focus back from Mount Yujing and turned to face Yan Mingyue, Shi Zongyue, the Guanchong Swordmaster and the Stellar Holy Man and slowly said, "Everyone, let’s move."

Yan Mingyue twirled her sideburns and said, "Master Lin, the importance of the Qiong Qi demon race and the Nine Luminaries Heaven-Crushing Formation is undeniable. I have arranged with the other elders that once we enter the middle world and we have determined the exact location of the Qiong Qi and the Nine Luminaries Heaven-Crushing Formation, I will immediately set up the magical formation to allow the entry for my seniors and elders."

Even though she was not explicit, Lin Feng understood what she was trying to say.

If they wanted to defeat the Qiong Qi Grand Sage, who was in the second level of the Undying Demonic Soul, along with the Nine Luminaries Heaven-Crushing Formation, their current line-up was still not strong enough. They needed a third-level immortal soul stage cultivator if they wished to stand a better chance.

The Mount Shu Sword Sect and the Great Qin Empire had similar thoughts.

Yan Mingyue said slowly, "If my elders and seniors were to enter the middle world directly, it may cause unnecessary commotion and stir things up. If the Qiong Qi are hiding inside, they will be alerted to the threat and they may tuck tail and run. If we have not sealed off the world, then they will escape our grasp."

Shi Zongyue nodded his head. "That is a fact. We are but scouting ahead and doing reconnaissance work."

A bunch of immortal soul stage cultivators of both the first and second level were only responsible for scouting and reconnaissance work. If people knew about this they might just be frightened to death. However, the Nine Luminaries Heaven-Crushing Formation was one of the most powerful magic formations of the demon world, and it deserved the emphasis and respect from the world of cultivators.

Lin Feng watched Yan Mingyue in silence. Yan Mingyue returned his gaze with a faint smile, but her eyes were respectful and solemn.

However, to what degree of ulterior probing and investigation did she wish to do under that respectful and solemn gaze?

Lin Feng laughed inside, but his expression was still casual and plain. "Even if we enter the middle world, the Qiong Qi will never find or learn about me."

His words were highly ambiguous. On one hand, it could be because his level of mastery was not yet at the third-level immortal soul stage, so he would not cause any stirring on the Middle World so the Qiong Qi would not find out about him. On the other hand, it could also be because he was so powerful that he could suppress the ripples of the entire world to cloak them from discovery. This was all up to Yan Mingyue and the others to interpret.

Yan Mingyue’s eyes sparkled. If she heard this before Lin Feng engaged in battle with Ning Lang, she would have concluded that the reason was because Lin Feng was not strong enough without hesitation.

However, after witnessing the fact that Lin Feng managed to defeat the Guanchong Swordmaster and Ning Lang even though he held his power back, Yan Mingyue was a little shaken and her beliefs wavered.

When a complete picture of Lin Feng was becoming clearer, everything was reversed and suddenly became murky once more.

The green-clothed young lady flashed a sweet smile and said quietly, "If that’s the case, then it’s up to you."

Lin Feng returned a smile and opened his palms. A talisman appeared in the center and began to flicker with light and tore a hole in the void – subsequently, a tunnel much like a black hole appeared in front of everyone.