Lu Yin was not alone in his confusion, as not even Shang Qing could fathom where the sword attack had come from. All the first Honor Chosen knew was that there were only two things that one could do against such an attack: avoid it in advance or resist it head on.
Yao Xuan exclaimed in surprise when he saw the Eleventh Sword. The Sword Sect really did live up to its reputation as the “King of Swords.” Nowhere in the Neoverse or the Astral Beast Domain did anyone else possess sword techniques that could compare to the Sword Sect’s Thirteen Swords.
Many of the Sixth Mainland’s cultivators were thoroughly shocked, as they had not expected the Fifth Mainland to contain a sword technique of such caliber.
Wang Yi’s expression turned to one of awe. Origin’s Crack, Origin’s Crack… So this is what it looks like. How interesting…
In the past, Lu Yin would have utterly been powerless against this Eleventh Sword, and he could have only tried to dodge it preemptively. However, at this moment, that was completely unnecessary.
Once an individual’s strength reached a certain level, forces that had once been unbearable would instead become ordinary. Even though Lu Yin still did not understand this sword technique, its power did not pose enough of a threat for him to bother dodging.
He raised a hand, and the purple-red lines above his hand from his nine lined battle force glowed brightly. With a single swift motion, he grabbed at the Eleventh Sword’s sword qi and unleashed his Overlaying Stacks Path with a full 150 stacks. Under the terrified eyes of countless spectators, Lu Yin let out a low grunt as he hurled the Eleventh Sword’s sword qi towards the distant Xia Jiuyou.
Farther away, another battle had erupted at the bottom of another flight of stairs. The fight between Lu Yin and Liu Tianmu no longer occupied the undivided attention of the entire audience.
The match between Ling Gong and Xia Jiuyou had started at the same time as Lu Yin’s fight.
However, Ling Gong had been acting subdued and on the backfoot. Back in the Mountains and Seas Zone, Xia Jiuyou had sliced her Skycastle apart with nothing but his Triple Blade Will, and he had already seen all of Ling Gong’s methods at that time. Her Skycastle, Soulsplitting Technique, and spear techniques had all been factored into Xia Jiuyou’s calculations, and he had strategically suppressed her strengths right from the start.
Even if Ling Gong wanted to aim for mutual destruction by utilizing a clone from her Soulsplitting Technique, it would be futile.
Just when Xia Jiuyou was about to defeat Ling Gong with one more Yōu Reinforced Palm, the Eleventh Sword came flying at him from a distance, causing chills to run down his back. He hurriedly turned around and raised a hand to use the Triple Blade Will to block the approaching sword qi. Despite that, his body was still sent flying a few thousands of meters away after being struck by the Eleventh Sword, and even his wrist went numb.
He glared, furious, at where the sword qi had come from, and incidentally made eye contact with Lu Yin.
Lu Yin glanced at Xia Jiuyou with cold eyes before simply ignoring him.
He had purposely sent the attack over that way. Even if Lu Yin was caught up in his fight with Liu Tianmu, he still had enough leeway to pay attention to his surroundings.
He had seen that Ling Gong was being overpowered by Xia Jiuyou, so the Eleventh Sword had been Lu Yin’s gift to Xia Jiuyou. Sadly, that was not enough to help her turn the tides, and Ling Gong was bound to be defeated.
Ling Gong also caught sight of Lu Yin’s move and snorted at him before focusing back on her fight against Xia Jiuyou. This fight was definitely not in her favor, and more importantly, no one had managed to see through anything at all regarding Xia Jiuyou’s Nine Clones Secret Technique, which was the scariest part.
The fact that Lu Yin had taken the time to mess with Xia Jiuyou not only pissed off Xia Jiuyou, but it also completely enraged Liu Tianmu. Realizing that Lu Yin had the capacity to watch others’ fights while fighting against her was a huge slap to Liu Tianmu’s face. Lu Yin was clearly looking down on her.
After barely dodging the shockwave from Lu Yin’s fist by using the Sixth Sword, Liu Tianmu felt a numbness overcome half of her body, but Lu Yin still seemed completely unaffected. In a surge of rage, Liu Tianmu unhesitatingly unleashed the Twelfth Sword.
The Eleventh Sword was known as Origin’s Crack while the Twelfth Sword was called Fathomless. Like the Eleventh Sword, this attack could not be read either, and it also disregarded any sort of distance. However, it was nearly a hundred times more powerful than the Eleventh Sword.
Lu Yin could definitely use one of the secret techniques that he had comprehended to shift himself away and avoid the attack, especially given his current strength. However, he did not do so.
Everyone had their own favored style of fighting. Lu Yin had experienced a great deal throughout his cultivation journey and when he had first heard of the Thirteen Swords. At the present moment, he was facing Liu Tianmu’s Thirteen Swords, and his battle experience was incomparable to the past. Lu Yin had learned from his countless experiences and brushes with death, and he was not one to hide. Rather, he directly faced his obstacles.
He was going to overcome the Thirteen Swords head on.
The instant the Twelfth Sword appeared, a warning immediately rang out in Lu Yin’s heart. He reflexively covered his entire body with his nine lined battle force and gathered his full strength before unleashing a palm strike with 250 Stacks. He was using Vacuum Palm, and it was about to clash with the Twelfth Sword: Fathomless, which had suddenly appeared from nowhere.
Sparks lit up and shot out everywhere. These specks of light filled the entire void in their battlefield, as every single spark was capable of tearing through the void. The power of these sparks, along with a powerful shockwave, swept through all of Zenith Mountain.
No one could determine just how powerful the shockwave from this clash of battle techniques would be, nor did they know where the sparks of sword qi had come from. At this moment, all anyone knew was that they were also about to be caught up in the aftermath of the battle between Lu Yin and Liu Tianmu.
These sparks of sword qi light fell upon Jin He’s and Unseen Light’s battlefield, and both of them hurriedly avoided all of the sparks.
Wen Sansi erected a barrier around himself as he warily observed from the distance.
The three streams of qi swirling about Shang Qing’s body protected him from the force of the shockwave and the sparks of sword qi, but he still had a look of shock as he gazed at where everything had come. During the battle in the Mountains and Seas Zone, not even he had been able to react quickly enough to counter the Twelfth Sword, but Lu Yin was actually able to directly face off against such an attack.
On the first layer, Ku Wei’s face blanched from fear, and he constantly moved to dodge the sparks.
The fish on Xi Qi’s head began angrily swearing.
Yuhua Mavis stood in place, as the shockwave from the violent clash of attacks could not affect her. This was Lu Yin’s strongest attack, Vacuum Palm, and she was already familiar with its power.
Little Arrow Saint had almost been killed by just one of Lu Yin’s Vacuum Palms, and not even the Secret Technique of Resurrection had been enough to save him. That showed just how powerful Lu Yin’s Vacuum Palm was, not to mention after it was reinforced with his battle force and improved with even more stacks. On top of everything, he was confronting the twelfth of the Thirteen Swords: Fathomless.
The feeds shown on the broadcasts were all distorted. In the Innerverse, away from Zenith Mountain, Liu Qianjue’s face was solemn. Elder Li sat beside the Sword Sect’s master and exclaimed, “Within the younger generation, there is basically no one else who can take a full on attack from the Twelfth Sword. That Lu Yin really is a monster.”
Elder Lianxin spoke up as well. “Throughout the history of the Sword Sect, there has also never been anyone who was able to comprehend the Twelfth Sword at such a young age. It would appear that all of these formidable characters are making their appearance in the current era.”
Liu Qianjue sentimentally commented, “The times have changed. I remember being more than a hundred years old before I managed to cultivate the Twelfth Sword.”
“If Liu Tianmu had been born a generation earlier, then the Sword Sect surely would’ve been able to enter the Neoverse,” Elder Li said indignantly.
Liu Qianjue shook his head. The Sword Sect had shone the brightest in its entire history during the current age, after the passing of Progenitor Chen and the Rune Progenitor. If Liu Tianmu had not been born in this era, then she might not have become this powerful, as there had been no formcast models before this.
“I’m just hoping that Tianmu’s Thirteenth Sword can overcome Lu Yin,” Elder Lianxin added on.
Hundreds of thousands of Sword Sect disciples nervously watched the battle; the Thirteen Swords was their highest goal, and it could not fail.
In the Outerverse, Madam Nalan maintained a calm face, though her eyes revealed a bit of conflict. What she had dreaded had still ended up occurring; Lu Yin was facing off against the Thirteen Swords.
The Thirteen Swords had held its title as an unconquerable technique for far too long, and many had already become numb to its invincibility. However, seeing Lu Yin clash head on with the Twelfth Sword had reignited hope within the hearts of many. Perhaps he would be the one to shatter the legend of the Thirteen Swords.
There were even some cultivators from the Innerverse who hoped for the Thirteen Sword’s legend to be demolished during ZENITH.
Liu Shaoqiu also wore a complicated expression as he stood atop Zenith Mountain.
Beneath a flight of stairs, the Twelfth Sword was shattered, though the force of Lu Yin’s Vacuum Palm had also been completely dissipated.
Lu Yin had initially believed that just his Vacuum Palm would be enough to completely crush the Twelfth Sword, but it was a shame that it was just barely enough to cancel it out.
Across from Lu Yin, Liu Tianmu’s face became a bit paler. For Lu Yin to directly clash with the Twelfth Sword was something that not even Shang Qing had been able to do in the past.
Even Shang Qing had been wounded by the Twelfth Sword since he had been unable to endure and fully counter it, but Lu Yin had just smashed the Twelfth Sword apart with brute force. One needed more than just overwhelming strength to do this, as an impeccable timing was also crucial.
Other than their raw power, the most enigmatic and puzzling aspects of the Eleventh and Twelfth Swords was their ability to transcend space. These attacks were not moves that could be dodged by just anyone.
The fact that Lu Yin had been able to directly shatter the Twelfth Sword with a head on attack meant that his physical strength had surpassed the power of her Twelfth Sword. There was only one way left for Liu Tianmu to defeat this person: the Thirteenth Sword.
However, the chances of that sword succeeding were highly dependent on Lu Yin.
Lu Yin was capable of unleashing more than one Vacuum Palm, and he was even able to use that technique at any time at all, which implied that he was capable of defeating Liu Tianmu whenever he chose, as it was impossible for Liu Tianmu to endure the power of Lu Yin’s Vacuum Palm.
It had to be acknowledged that there was almost no participant in all of ZENITH who could come out unscathed after being hit by Lu Yin’s Vacuum Palm.
That was something that many were keeping in mind, including Liu Tianmu herself.
Still, she calmly stared at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin intently stared back, wondering whether or not he should allow Liu Tianmu the chance to unleash the Thirteenth Sword.
If he was honest, even if he wanted to overcome the Thirteen Swords head on, facing the Thirteenth Sword was still a little intimidating. The Thirteenth Sword was completely different from the Twelfth or Eleventh Swords, as there was no way to block it. Even Shang Qing had been seriously damaged by the Thirteenth Sword after suffering a direct hit.
Distance was also not an issue for the Thirteenth Sword.
Lu Yin was also unable to weaken the Thirteenth Sword by using Truesight to erase some of the attack’s runes.
The reason why Lu Yin had been able to fight against Yuhua Mavis head on was because he was able to observe her strength, and therefore, he was able to weaken it. However, the Thirteenth Sword was different.
Liu Tianmu was certainly inferior to Yuhua Mavis when it came to absolute power, but the Thirteenth Sword was truly incomprehensible, and that was its most terrifying aspect. Even if Shang Qing had released the full power of his Tri-Yang Technique, at best, he could only forcibly defend himself against the Thirteenth Sword.
Lu Yin had not needed to erase any of Liu Tianmu’s rune lines when he was receiving the Twelfth Sword, but for the Thirteenth Sword, even if he wanted to, he was not capable of doing so. It was an extremely infuriating technique.
Lu Yin needed to secure the position of ZENITH’s champion. His master had ordered him to do so, so he had to win. It would be bad if he ended up injured due to taking a direct hit from the Thirteenth Sword, and he would also suffer a terrible loss if he was expelled as Mister Mu’s disciple due to his arrogance.
One shortcoming of the Thirteenth Sword was its long preparation time. Shang Qing had given Liu Tianmu the time that she needed when the two had faced off, but if Lu Yin was unwilling to do the same, then a single palm was all he needed to end this match. He could surely enter ZENITH’s top ten without getting so much as a scratch.
At that moment, Lu Yin’s eye caught sight of Shang Qing. Shang Qing was climbing up the stairs one step at a time, but Qiu Shi did not make any move to stop him.
Lu Yin’s expression turned slightly grim. He was right—ZENITH’s ten finalists would not be decided so easily. Qiu Shi’s behavior indicated that she knew that she still had a chance since she was not showing any signs of fighting against Shang Qing. This most likely meant that she could challenge another one of the contenders for the top ten even as the loser of her own match.
Shang Qing seemed to feel Lu Yin’s gaze, and he turned to look at Lu Yin. His eyes exuded a sense of arrogance that was mixed with a feeling of both indifference and contempt.
Did it matter if Lu Yin had defeated Yuhua Mavis? Did it matter if Lu Yin had overpowered the Twelfth Sword? Shang Qing could not care less about such things.
He was the only candidate who deserved to step onto the peak of Zenith Mountain. Even powerhouses like Bu Kong would have to bow down before Shang Qing.
Lu Yin frowned as he met Shang Qing’s eyes; what a disgusting expression. With this thought, Lu Yin turned to look back at Liu Tianmu, and he asked, “Where’s your Thirteenth Sword?”
The moment he uttered these words, the countless spectators instantly went silent. The Thirteenth Sword was coming.
The only people who had actually witnessed the Thirteenth Sword for themselves were those who had competed for the Cosmic Five in the Mountains and Seas Zone. They were also the only ones who knew that Liu Tianmu was capable of using the Thirteenth Sword even though they were unable to see through it or even slightly understand it.
Even Shang Qing, who was hailed as invincible within his generation, had been injured by the Thirteenth Sword.
Lu Yin was not the only one who was quick-witted, as everyone else had realized the same thing when they saw Qiu Shi’s behavior towards Shang Qing. They were all hoping to see Liu Tianmu unleash the Thirteenth Sword so that they could quickly see the Thirteen Swords’ trump card.
Liu Tianmu shut both eyes and cleared her mind of any extraneous thoughts. Her dedication to the sword was all that she had held onto; that dedication was her emotion. The Thirteenth Sword was the sword known as Emotion.
Mortal lives were characterized by familial ties, love, and friendship, but Liu Tianmu had never experienced any of that. She did, however, possess her own emotions, which only revealed themselves in her dedication for the sword.
A sword could be forged as long as emotion existed.
