Chapter 169 — The Demonic Beast
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 1 of 6
No sooner said than done—that sky-covering rain of swords had already reached him, the fierce wind stinging his face. In that very instant, the figure of the Beast Sovereign flickered and vanished, disappearing into the swirling black qi. It was instead the giant demonic beast beneath him that surged with black qi, leaping up with a thunderous crash, its bones rattling and cracking; shrouded in black qi, it was more terrifying than ever.
The demonic beast raised its head and howled at the sky, exhaling a breath that turned the wind and clouds; in an instant the earth beneath its feet flew into sand and stone, so violent that a man could scarcely stand. Amid the storm, black qi billowed and merged with the demonic creature, which in a heartbeat swelled to more than three times its size, and from the white bones of its demonic body grew dozens of projecting streams of black qi, swirling through the air like tentacles.
By now the Slaying Immortals sword-rain had arrived. A thousand-year sword formation was no trifling matter; the outer black qi surged up to meet it, only to be torn apart by the sword qi before it even came close, wiped clean without a trace, and the formation drove straight on down, plunging at that most hideous of beasts.
The demonic spirit howled without pause, shrieking again and again. Just as that irresistible volley of sword-rain was about to strike the giant demonic spirit, those dozens of living-tentacle-like streams of black qi suddenly flew up to meet it, blotting out clouds and sun and blocking the qi-swords' path.
In the blink of an eye the Slaying Immortals sword qi drove down and locked in battle with those strange black qi tentacles. Yet these tentacles formed of black qi were nothing like the outer black qi of moments before, which had crumbled at a single blow, nor were they like the shield of rigid hardness the Beast Sovereign had first wielded. Over a hundred Slaying Immortals qi-swords plunged down, and the tentacles, as though alive, wrapped them round and round; not only did their momentum slow, but the radiance upon the swords themselves was slowly worn away, dimming little by little until it faded to nothing.
Still, the Slaying Immortals swords were no ordinary things. Though formed of formless qi, in dissolving these qi-swords the surrounding black qi tentacles were plainly wounded by the immortal keenness, steaming away in no small quantity—yet from the demonic spirit the black qi seemed to pour out endlessly, replenishing the front in an instant. Before long, those hundred-odd heaven-shaking Slaying Immortals qi-swords had all been dissolved into nothing.
Upon the Heaven-Reaching Peak of Canglan Mountain, there was dead silence, still as death itself.
In midair, Dao Yan Zhenren's expression grew even graver, yet there was no fear in it. His immortal-boned figure stood erect among the clouds, holding the blazing, glittering ancient sword Slaying Immortals, like a god of high antiquity.
They saw him give a cold smile; holding the sword in his right hand, he thrust it at the sky and slowly waved it. As the radiance flickered blindingly along the ancient sword Slaying Immortals, a faint rumble of thunder began to sound in the heavens; across the whole vault of sky came a rolling roar, and the entire Slaying Immortals sword formation began to turn as one, the seven-colored master sword blazing especially bright, unbearable to look upon.
Amid the white light, a stream of purple qi suddenly rose from the ancient sword Slaying Immortals and shot up into the sky, straight into the Slaying Immortals formation; in an instant, within a ten-zhang radius, purple qi-swords gathered together. Then, one by one, the other six colors of radiance rose up, dazzling and flickering, flying into the heavens, and in a moment took the positions of the Seven Stars within the Slaying Immortals formation, each a giant single-colored sword formation, majestic and awe-inspiring.