Chapter Twenty-Three: The Sword of Immortality (Part Two)

The Longevity Sword let out a clear ring, as if it sensed its master’s excitement. Brilliant white light suddenly radiated from its blade, making the sword appear several times thicker, emitting a series of melodious notes as it shot like lightning straight toward Wei Wuke.

Fei Liguo acted, and Leyard responded at once. He had already prepared his incantation: a fourth-tier Shadow spell, Wall of Darkness, rose from the ground to block the Longevity Sword. This was the utmost limit of instantaneous Shadow magic he could cast, thanks to his talent and fortunate encounters.

Yet the outcome was deeply disappointing. Though Wall of Darkness was a fourth-tier spell and could at least withstand the attacks of battle energy from a great swordmaster, it immediately crumbled before the Longevity Sword. He had never expected it to withstand the arrogant Fei Liguo, but he hadn’t thought it would be utterly useless—the wall was destroyed in an instant.

Fortunately, Gamio, who had long fought alongside him, understood his intent. Gamio leaped up and, with all his strength, slashed from the side, aiming at the Longevity Sword.

Fei Liguo, suspended in the air, let out a cold snort—the sound hadn’t even reached their ears, but the sneer was visible on his lips. Suddenly, Fei Liguo vanished, transforming into a streak of golden light that flashed after the Longevity Sword. The sword’s radiance instantly doubled, like a comet blazing through the sky.

Gamio’s full-force slash landed squarely on this comet, and his blade shattered inch by inch. He crashed into a nearby sand dune, his body riddled with gashes, and lost consciousness.

Leyard grimly realized things had turned for the worse. Fei Liguo’s sword was terrifyingly powerful, likely no less than an attack from the leader at the Sword Saint level. Gamio, a warrior famed for agility, was at a severe disadvantage in this direct confrontation.

There was no turning back. Leyard could only press on, temporarily disregarding his companion. Still, Gamio’s desperate blow had at least slowed Fei Liguo’s celestial strike a little, giving Leyard the chance to unleash his seventh-tier Shadow spell.

Advanced Shadow Tentacle!

A massive black hand, formed from shadows, seized the flying Longevity Sword and pressed it toward the ground. Unlike the low-tier shadow tentacles used against Lantia’s secret agents—which were weaker, more numerous, and only nominally “hands”—the advanced shadow tentacle was a semi-summoned entity, created for a limited time, possessing immense strength and the attributes of the dark element. It could inflict additional effects of dimness, weakness, aging, and fatigue.

“A filthy thing like this dares to block me?” The Longevity Sword, gripped tightly by the shadow tentacle, suddenly erupted in golden flames, burning the advanced tentacle to ashes. The shadow recoiled from the golden fire like darkness fleeing sunlight, and the backlash of magic made Leyard’s face instantly pale.

The Longevity Sword, like an arrow shot by a deity, blazed with golden fire and pierced toward Wei Wuke.

Wei Wuke’s face had grown much more grave than at the start. He hadn’t thought much of Fei Liguo’s sword, even though Fei wielded a modified eighth-tier flying sword while he himself had no magical weapon. But Fei had also forged his Golden Core, which changed everything.

In the Daoist tradition of the Far East, beginners could cultivate martial arts or magic, divided into innate and acquired paths. Beyond that was the forging of the Golden Core—Wei Wuke himself was already among the few experts of the Daoist order. Typically, forging the Golden Core meant gaining a place within oneself to store and transform worldly energies. Those who reached this stage saw martial arts and magic simply as means to overcome opponents; the distinction mattered little. What they valued was the Dao itself—the path of evolving from forming the core to the transformation into the infant, which promised greatly extended lifespan and marked the way to further advancement.

Fei Liguo, who had formed his Golden Core, now merged himself with his sword, supplying it with extra energy directly from his core—a swordstroke Wei Wuke could not take lightly. Those of equal rank, naturally, were at a disadvantage without a magical weapon.

“You all, retreat!” Wei Wuke swept his left hand, pushing the Hegel couple at least a hundred meters away. The bear spirits fled the dangerous area in terror.

Wei Wuke’s Golden Core in his lower abdomen spun violently. A golden light surged from his belly, swiftly enveloping his entire body until he appeared like a radiant deity.

His golden-lit fist collided with the flaming sword. The tremendous force twisted the twenty meters around them, creating a massive pit—the bear spirits, even a hundred meters away, felt the wind gust by as if a hurricane had struck.

After the swordstrike, Wei Wuke lay low in the pit, unmoving. The Longevity Sword’s golden flames dimmed; Fei Liguo and his sword separated abruptly, his face oddly flushed then immediately pale.

“Senior brother, I’ll see you no further.” Fei Liguo did not look back; the Longevity Sword returned to its sheath on its own, and he strode forward.

Seeing this, the wild spirit leader gestured, and the remaining dozens of wild spirits encircled them. Though they had passed Fei Liguo’s blockade, they still faced these spirits.

Wei Wuke, sensing something, stood up from the pit. Just as he was about to turn, Fei Liguo, his back to Wei Wuke, suddenly sighed and said, “Senior brother, you may go. Let me see this through to the end.”

The Longevity Sword soared once more, instantly slaying a startled wild spirit. The furious wild spirit leader pointed at Fei Liguo: “What do you mean by this? I already yielded to you earlier. If you can’t defeat them, you should let us have this opportunity.”

Fei Liguo carefully cast the Five Sacred Mountains Incantation upon himself. Five mountain-shaped currents spun fiercely around him as he pointed at the wild spirits, laughing arrogantly: “How dare you try to take advantage of me, Fei Liguo? Cut them down!”

The wild spirit leader was enraged; the wild spirits surged forward to besiege Fei Liguo.

“Are you all right?” At this moment, Leyard supported the newly-awakened Gamio.

Wei Wuke’s complexion was little better than Fei Liguo’s. Though he had entered the Golden Core stage earlier and still had hidden aces unplayed, Fei Liguo’s sword, empowered by an eighth-tier flying sword and the energy of his core, had dealt him a serious blow. Yet, since Fei had not simultaneously used the Daoist arts imbued in the flying sword, Wei Wuke felt compelled not to use his own trump cards either.

Wei Wuke shook his head, his voice hoarse. “Let’s go—quickly, while we have the chance, cross the river to Gaul.”

Meanwhile, the wild spirit leader was locked in battle with Fei Liguo. This half-blood spirit was named Wildritan; because he possessed two types of spirit blood, he could wield multiple branches of magic, most at the level of a magus, with exceptional prowess in both dark and white magic. Altogether, he could already be considered a mage. It was his ability to barely withstand Fei Liguo’s sword directly, while the other wild spirits harried from the flanks, that made the fight so evenly matched.

The wild spirits attacked swiftly and precisely, coordinating seamlessly. Some launched ranged strikes with arrows and magic, while others followed Wildritan, engaging in close combat with powerful swordplay or battle energy. After only a few exchanges, the Five Sacred Mountains Incantation Fei Liguo had used for protection was worn down and exhausted by their relentless assault. Still, at least a dozen wild spirits were sliced in half by Fei Liguo’s Longevity Sword, their severed limbs and hands littering the ground.