Immortal Sword Master

Chapter 261: Chapter 257: Golden Lion, the Ancient Hall’s Gate Opens

"Another strange, ancient serpent."

Everyone looked on in shock. The serpent wasn’t large, but it was hideous, and its speed was uncanny.

If Ning Jiang hadn’t acted in time, someone would have surely been struck and killed by it.

"Be careful. Its power is likely on par with the Young Giant Level."

Everyone’s expression turned grim. The serpent had only bled slightly after taking a punch from Ning Jiang—a testament to its formidable power.

SSSHHHK.

The water rippled again as a dark green shape shot forward like an arrow.

"There’s another one here!"

Liu Bingxue struck just in time. With a slap of her fair hand, a wave of Extreme Cold Qi spread out, flash-freezing the nearby lake water and trapping a serpent solid within the ice.

BOOM!

The lake water erupted, Fist Force saturating the air. On another side, Li Kuangba had made his move, sending a serpent flying.

"Damn it, how are there so many?" the crowd exclaimed in alarm.

In just a few moments, a dozen more of these serpents had appeared. Tang Lin went to engage one, only to be knocked back.

Although he had advanced to the Young Giant level, his foundation was still somewhat shallow.

"Don’t get bogged down. I’ll clear the way. Liu Bingxue and Li Kuangba, you take the rear."

Ning Jiang made a swift decision, drawing his Ice Soul Sword. One or two of these serpents were manageable, but casualties were inevitable if their numbers grew.

To be safe, it was better for him to get serious.

"Autumn Withered."

A sickly yellow Sword Qi swept out.

SCHLICK.

It parted the lake water and sliced through a serpent, instantly splitting it in two and spilling dark green blood.

"Watch out! The blood is corrosive."

As the blood met the lake water, a loud TSSSSS filled the air.

Overall, however, the group wasn’t in any real danger. With Ning Jiang clearing the path, he drew the attention of over seventy percent of the serpents, leaving the others to handle the rest. Despite the creatures’ formidable power, they couldn’t threaten them.

As they advanced, they saw that other Sects were also being assaulted by these serpents. Those with insufficient strength were already suffering casualties on the spot.

「At the very front.」

Madman Tu sneered. "What is this trash, daring to block my path? Die!"

As he spoke, his eyes flew open. Two gray beams of light burst forth, sweeping in a circle around him. Any serpent touched by the light shrieked in agony as its flesh instantly rotted away.

"Senior Brother Tu’s Eye of Evil Spirit is getting more and more powerful."

"I think if Senior Brother Tu can just break through to the Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm, he’ll be able to contend with those monsters from the Six Eastern Provinces."

「On the other side.」

Duan Lengya of the Withered Blade Sect grasped the hilt of his blade. Instantly, an invisible Sword Qi radiated from him, its tendrils slicing through the surrounding water.

"Slash."

A gleaming waterfall seemed to unfurl, cleaving a massive gash in the lake. All the serpents in its path were shredded by the Sword Qi.

"Senior Brother’s Sword Intent is growing ever purer. Given time, he’ll surely be able to grasp the complete Sword Intent."

「Not far from them.」

Du Bing of the Earth Gate didn’t even attack the serpents. An earthy yellow light enveloped his body. When the serpents crashed against it—BAM! BAM! BAM!—they were simply repelled.

Attacks comparable to those of a Young Giant Level cultivator couldn’t even break through his Body-Protecting Light Shield.

The members of the Beast Taming Sect had it even easier.

The lead disciple, Yao Yingkuang, was accompanied by several Demon Beasts, all at the Young Giant Level. The moment a serpent drew near, one of them would simply swat it away.

The Star Sword Sect and Fire Cloud Sect were also attacked, but they joined forces. With Jian Xinghe, the Twin Sword Sons, and Yuwen Chi among them, they faced no real danger.

Aside from these exceptionally powerful Sects, all the others suffered inevitable casualties.

"This is brutal. We’ve been seeing bodies the entire way."

The disciples of the Yanyue Sect stuck close to Ning Jiang. They had already been advancing through the lake for half an hour.

In that half-hour, the number of casualties had reached as high as fifty percent.

It was an astonishing figure. After all, everyone who could enter the Profound Celestial Ancient Land was a young genius of considerable strength.

"Haven’t we reached the Profound Celestial Ancient Hall yet?"

Both Liu Bingxue and Li Kuangba frowned. Constantly fighting off those serpents along the way had taken an immense toll on their energy.

What truly unnerved them, however, was Ning Jiang.

Ning Jiang had been charging at the very front, dealing with more than half of the serpents. By all rights, his energy expenditure should have been the greatest, but he appeared perfectly calm, his aura stable, as if he had expended no energy at all.

"Just a little longer. We’re almost there," Ning Jiang said calmly.

A few minutes later, the Profound Celestial Ancient Hall finally came into view.

The hall was magnificent and ancient, radiating a grand, imposing aura. It was built from some unknown material that resembled gold but was not, and looked like jade yet was not.

A white barrier of light surrounded the palace, holding the lake water at bay.

"A palace built underwater... The power of a Heaven-Reaching Realm expert is truly unimaginable," the crowd marveled.

"That’s nothing. I’ve heard that beyond the Six Eastern Provinces lies a vast ocean, and within those waters, there are even Dragon Palaces."

"Dragon Palaces? I’ve heard of them, too. But such matters are far too distant for the likes of us."

Forget the vast oceans beyond the Six Eastern Provinces; the Six Eastern Provinces alone were immense. Many people went their entire lives without ever leaving Qing Province, let alone seeing the wider world.

"Let’s go in."

Although the barrier held back the water, they passed through it effortlessly, meeting no resistance.

The palace floor was paved with White Jade. They found themselves on a vast, open plaza.

Members of the various major Sects gathered on the plaza. In that instant, the atmosphere grew tense.

The Profound Celestial Ancient Hall represented the greatest of all opportunities, but those opportunities were limited. How could there possibly be enough for everyone to get a share?

Thus, the Profound Celestial Ancient Hall also meant conflict and slaughter!

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE.

Just as the atmosphere grew taut, the ground began to tremble. All eyes turned toward the source of the vibration, and pupils contracted violently.

A huge side door of the palace suddenly swung open, and from within, a golden lion emerged.

"ROAR."

The golden lion was as large as a small hill. With a single roar, a pale golden shockwave of sound spread out like an avalanche. It struck the many Martial Artists present, causing their qi and blood to roil and their faces to turn pale.

"Could that be a Golden Lion?"

The members of the Beast Taming Sect were stunned.

"What’s a Golden Lion?"

"The Golden Lion is an Ancient Demon Beast, one of the most famous and highly ranked of its kind. It’s said that a mature Golden Lion is powerful enough to rival a Celestial Martial Realm King." The speaker was Yao Yingkuang, the lead disciple of the Beast Taming Sect.

Everyone was visibly startled by this revelation.

"This is not a Golden Lion," Ning Jiang said calmly. "It’s a Golden-maned Lion. It has some Golden Lion blood in its veins, so it can only be considered a descendant."

"What do you mean by that, boy? Are you questioning the authority of our Beast Taming Sect?" a member of the sect demanded, giving Ning Jiang a sideways glare.

They dealt with Demon Beasts day in and day out; they knew every type of Demon Beast like the backs of their hands. If they were wrong, wouldn’t that be a tremendous loss of face?

"Some people just love to pretend they know everything, only to make a fool of themselves. Pay him no mind," Yao Yingkuang added coldly.

"If you don’t know what you’re talking about, shut up," Ning Jiang retorted bluntly.

"What did you say? You’ve got a lot of nerve! Are you trying to declare war on the Beast Taming Sect?"

"Forget it. He’s just a buffoon from Qing Province; I doubt he has any real knowledge. No need to stoop to his level." Yao Yingkuang waved a dismissive hand. "The Golden Lion is coming. It seems we won’t be getting into the Profound Celestial Ancient Hall until we deal with it."

"Everyone, let’s join forces."

"Agreed."

The major Sects nodded in agreement.

"Hmph, these people from Lei Province are so arrogant." Liu Bingxue and the others were indignant. Yao Yingkuang’s tone made it sound like he looked down on them all for being from Qing Province.

"Pay him no mind. Let’s deal with the Golden-maned Lion first," Ning Jiang said, his expression neutral.

The aura radiating from this Golden-maned Lion had reached the Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm. Moreover, with the blood of a Golden Lion in its veins, its combat prowess was immense. Five or six cultivators at the Primordial Spirit Fourth Tribulation Realm combined would probably not be its match.

"Attack!"

The Martial Artists present attacked almost simultaneously, unleashing a barrage of techniques.

In an instant, the entire area was flooded with multi-colored light.

"ROAR!"

The Golden-maned Lion let out a furious roar. A massive sonic wave, like a storm compressed to its absolute limit, suddenly erupted, obliterating the barrage of attacks.

This moment revealed the true disparity in their strengths. Fewer than ten people had launched attacks powerful enough to pierce the sonic wave and strike the Golden-maned Lion.

"GRAAH!"

In pain, the Golden-maned Lion threw its head back and roared.

The blood within its body suddenly began to boil, emitting a rumbling sound. Immediately after, a golden light erupted from its body, soaring upward like a great flame. A phantom image materialized above its head.

It was a lion of pure gold. Every strand of its fur was like a golden needle, impossibly brilliant. Its pupils were dazzling, like twin golden suns.

Compared to this phantom, the Golden-maned Lion was like a flood serpent before a true dragon—they were on completely different levels.

"So that’s a true Golden Lion, huh?"

"It seems this lion really is just a Golden-maned Lion. This vision must be the result of it activating its latent bloodline power, creating an atavistic projection."

Everyone now came to the same conclusion, realizing that Ning Jiang had been telling the truth.

Seeing this, the faces of the Beast Taming Sect disciples turned grim.

"Hmph! I don’t care if you’re a Golden-maned Lion or a Golden Lion. If you dare to block my path, there is only one end for you: death!"

Madman Tu let out a long cry and shot into the sky. Two gray beams of light, seemingly capable of piercing through anything, shot from his eyes toward the Golden-maned Lion.

"Face my blade!"

Duan Lengya moved as one with his blade, unleashing a slash that produced a hundred-zhang-long Sword Aura, so sharp it seemed to slice open the very void.

"Hmph."

Jian Xinghe snorted coldly and drew his sword. A mountain-like Sword Aura appeared, as if to compete for supremacy.

Not to be outdone, Du Bing and Yao Yingkuang each unleashed their own powerful techniques, attacking the Golden-maned Lion.

Ning Jiang also gripped his Ice Soul Sword, and his execution of Winter’s End sent a chill of shock through everyone present.

"So strong... The Golden-maned Lion is actually being suppressed."

A collective gasp went through the crowd.

This Golden-maned Lion was at the Primordial Spirit Realm and had even activated its bloodline power, yet it was being completely suppressed by these few individuals.

"Everyone, keep up the pressure! Let’s finish the Golden-maned Lion in one fell swoop!"

As blood continued to spray from its body, after the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the Golden-maned Lion let out a final, mournful cry. Its enormous body collapsed like a mountain, crashing heavily to the ground, its life extinguished.

"CREAAAK."

The door opened!