This sword, carrying an incomparable killing intent, slashed at Ling Chen.
In everyone's eyes, under this kind of oppression, Ling Chen had undoubtedly fallen into a desperate situation.
"Ling Chen is going to lose."
Everyone held their breath and watched this scene without moving.
SWOOSH!
Just as the sword was about to pierce Ling Chen's skull, he suddenly lifted his head, his eyes swiftly filling with a blood-red color.
At this moment, Ling Chen's demeanor suddenly became strange and bloodthirsty, as if he had gone mad.
"What is this?"
Xiao Muyu and the others were shocked by Ling Chen's state. Was this some Secret Art?
"This doesn't seem like a Secret Art. It's more like Beastification." Qin Shan also stared at Ling Chen, surprise visible in his eyes.
"Beastification, isn't that a method of the Demonic Sect?" Ye Nantian had a grim face.
"Not necessarily. We have never seen true Beastification. We can't just assume that what Ling Chen is using is a method of the Demonic Sect. Isn't that absurd?" Zi Yun True Immortal said.
All the people on the platform were astonished; only one person was extremely excited, his eyes as though they were shooting out Flames.
It was Prince Tai.
Others couldn't see what method Ling Chen had used, but he knew clearly. Ling Chen was indeed using Beastification, a technique of the Demonic Sect. Beastification required absorbing the Essence Blood of an Exotic Beast. The power erupting from Ling Chen now was none other than that of the Black Devil Ape he had raised!
So the murderer who had killed his treasured pet those days ago was Ling Chen!
It's like finding something by chance after searching for it far and wide!
Prince Tai's eyes flickered intensely, not saying a word, seemingly plotting something.
"What kind of demonic technique is this? Ling Chen, you're indeed the son of a witch, still in cahoots with the Demonic Sect. Today, I'll act on behalf of heaven, slaying demons and supporting the Righteous Path!"
Yun Tianhe thundered, quickly coming up with an extremely grandiose reason, placing Ling Chen on the side of Evil Cultivators. This way, he occupied the moral high ground; killing Ling Chen now would be regarded as slaying a demon and was therefore justified.
"Blood Spirit Sword Technique! Bloodless Sword!"
Yun Tianhe launched the final move of the Blood Spirit Sword Technique. This sword strike, like gentle spring rain, concealed a murderous intent that killed without spilling blood. It was the strongest technique of the Blood Spirit Sword Technique.
At this moment, Ling Chen also swung out his sword.
His pair of blood-red eyes showed no emotional fluctuation, yet he hadn't descended into madness. This sword, filled with Slaughter and the scent of blood, met the attack head-on.
This kid can actually control the power of Demonic Ape Blood Essence.
Prince Tai's face was full of disbelief. The reason he hadn't absorbed the Black Devil Ape's Essence Blood was because he was afraid of the Violent Factor within it. He feared that his Realm wasn't high enough to suppress this power and that he would suffer a Qi deviation.
Ling Chen, a mere Seventh Realm warrior, was actually able to use this power without going berserk. This kid must have some secret.
He didn't know that Ling Chen was cultivating the Ling Tian Sword Scripture. With this divine technique, suppressing the Black Devil Ape's Essence Blood was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut—effortless.
The two swords crossed. In a fleeting flash of sword light, Ling Chen's blade was faster, appearing directly before Yun Tianhe. The latter had no time to react before the sword light streaked past his wrist.
A trace of fresh blood drifted in the air. CLANG! The Jinghong Sword fell to the ground.
Before Yun Tianhe realized it, Ling Chen had already appeared in front of him and slashed down viciously.
CRACK!
This sword sent Yun Tianhe flying, and fresh blood sprinkled like rain from the sky, covering half of the martial arts platform.
"Evil spawn, stop your violence!"
Ye Nantian couldn't sit still anymore. The last sword strike had disabled Yun Tianhe's ability to resist. If he didn't make a move now, Yun Tianhe would undoubtedly die at Ling Chen's hands.
"Ye Nantian, since it is a life-and-death duel, let fate decide. Are you trying to interfere?" Zi Yun True Immortal stepped forward to intervene.
"Get lost!"
A majestic blue True Qi erupted from Ye Nantian's body. He repelled Zi Yun True Immortal with a punch, then aimed his straightened index and middle fingers at Ling Chen.
WHOOSH!
A blue sword qi broke through the Void, landing ruthlessly on the platform before Ling Chen. It forced him to retreat and left a large crater on the martial arts platform—External Sword Qi!
Ling Chen felt the overwhelming aura spreading from the crater. It was an invisible oppression. Just a single strand of sword qi, yet it possessed such terrifying power.
It contained Ye Nantian's Sword Intent.
In the Martial World, typically only Grand Masters who cultivated the Sword Way could condense Sword Intent.
Before Ye Nantian, Ling Chen could probably be killed with a bare-handed strike, even from a hundred meters away.
"You brat, daring to use the Demon Clan's Evil Technique to harm our sect's Disciple! Your crime is unforgivable!"
Ye Nantian leaped into the air and landed squarely onto the martial arts platform. His eyes, full of killing intent, glared at Ling Chen.
"Today, I, Ye Nantian, shall Purge the Sect and exterminate you, Little Demon!"
As he spoke, Ye Nantian attacked Ling Chen. He pointed, and a distorted stream of sword qi shot out, heading straight for Ling Chen's forehead.
Upon seeing this, Ling Chen's expression turned grave. His initial worries had come true. Even if he won this battle, he was likely the one who would lose in the end.
He had been worried that an Elder might make a move on him, but he hadn't expected that person to be the Vice-Head, Ye Nantian.
Could it be that this man was related to the incident three months ago?
"Ye Nantian! You dare to try and kill a junior in front of so many humans and demons? Have you wasted all these years living like a dog?"
Zi Yun True Immortal also quickly darted in front of Ling Chen. He, too, pointed with his index and middle fingers, emitting a purple sword qi that shattered the sword qi Ye Nantian had launched.
"As the Vice-Head, it is my responsibility to Purge the Sect. Zi Yun True Immortal, do you dare stand in my way? Or perhaps, you too are colluding with the Demonic Sect?" Ye Nantian quickly tried to incriminate Zi Yun True Immortal.
"Say whatever you like. If you're determined to accuse someone, you'll never lack a pretext," Zi Yun True Immortal responded with a cold smile.
"Fine! You think you can stop me? Great Thousand Sword Array!"
Ye Nantian drew two semi-circular arcs with his hands. Around him, True Qi condensed into streams of blue sword qi. These strands of sword qi arranged themselves in a precise formation, radiating terrifying sharpness.
As his voice fell, Ye Nantian abruptly thrust out his palms. The dense barrage of sword qi instantly shot towards Zi Yun True Immortal.
"Purple Qi Eastwards!"
Zi Yun True Immortal looked solemn. He instantly mobilized his True Qi, and an immense ball of purple True Qi formed in front of him, like a purple sun.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sword qi blasted against the purple sun, creating a rapid series of explosions. With each impact, Zi Yun True Immortal was forced back a step, retreating more than a dozen steps in succession.
After all, Ye Nantian held the title of "Sect Sword Leader." Within the Divine Intent Sect, his Swordsmanship was second only to Ling Tianyu. Moreover, Ye Nantian was a Grand Master of the Nine Heavy Realm, while Zi Yun True Immortal was still in the Seventh Realm; there was a considerable gap in both their Swordsmanship and Cultivation.
If they were to truly fight, Zi Yun True Immortal wouldn't actually be able to stop Ye Nantian, which was why Ye Nantian had dared to act so directly.
After forcing Zi Yun True Immortal back, Ye Nantian gave a cold laugh. But just as he was about to make his next move, a figure flew down from the high platform like a wild goose and landed between them. It was none other than the leader of the Black Market, Qin Shan.
"Gentlemen, there's no conclusive evidence that Ling Chen colluded with the Demonic Sect. For my sake, could we reconsider this matter?" Qin Shan said with a calm expression, cupping his hands towards both of them with a smile.
Seeing Qin Shan intervening, Ye Nantian furrowed his brows. Qin Shan represented the Wind Nation's Black Market, and he could not disregard his words.
"Yes, I see that Ling Chen is filled with a righteous aura and doesn't seem to be colluding with the Demonic Sect. Perhaps he learned a Secret Art of the Demonic Sect by chance. This matter requires thorough investigation."
At this moment, another figure landed on the martial arts platform, speaking on Ling Chen's behalf.
Ye Nantian took a closer look. It was actually Prince Tai. His expression darkened, and he looked quite displeased.
Prince Tai was someone he had invited, representing the royal family of the Wind Country. He hadn't expected this guest to side with Ling Chen instead of supporting him.
What is going on?
"All three powerhouses are siding with Ling Chen," Gu Lingfeng, dressed in green robes on the other side of the training ground, commented with surprise.
"I'm not surprised that my master is helping Ling Chen. But it's really strange that the head of the Black Market and Prince Tai have chosen to protect Ling Chen one after another."
Xiao Muyu was puzzled. Protecting Ling Chen meant opposing Ye Nantian. What were these influential figures thinking?
Actually, it was simple. Qin Shan's intervention was naturally pre-arranged. As for Prince Tai, he couldn't let Ling Chen die here; otherwise, he would never get his Demonic Ape Blood Essence back.