nownovels Chapter 110 Earth-Rank Evil Shadow Sword
Chapter 110 Earth-Rank Evil Shadow Sword
The wind in the valley suddenly changed.
Just moments ago, leaves were still drifting down, one or two at a time, falling slowly. The moment Qin Hao and his men surged in from the valley entrance, those leaves seemed to be held down by an invisible hand, suspended in mid-air, motionless. Even the air seemed to thicken; inhaling it felt suffocating, as if something was pressing on your chest.
A dozen or so people. They weren't standing in the previous scattered formation, but rather spread out in a fan shape, the distance between them precisely calculated, blocking all possible paths in front of the cave entrance. Each person's hands glowed with true energy—red, blue, and yellow—intertwined like a slowly tightening net. No one spoke, no one rushed forward; they just stood there, waiting.
This was completely different from their previous encounter. Last time, they underestimated their opponent and were careless, with each of the seven fighting independently, allowing Lin Chen and his group of five to defeat them one by one. But this time, Qin Hao was clearly well-prepared—all fifteen of them were at the Meridian Opening Realm, forming a military encirclement formation.
The crowd parted to make way for Qin Hao, who stepped out.
He was holding a sword in his hand.
The sword, entirely black, hovered three inches above his palm, slowly rotating. Wisps of black mist rose from its blade, like smoke or water, flowing down his arm and staining the grass at his feet black. The sword gleamed with a dark, cold light, not the shine of metal, but the darkness of an abyss, so intense that it seemed to draw one's gaze in if stared at for too long.
This is not martial arts true qi. Even the most subtle true qi contains a righteous spirit. The power on this sword is cold, decaying, and aggressive, like a living thing, like a venomous snake coiled on the blade, ready to pounce and bite at any moment.
Shadow Sword.
Earth-grade magical artifact.
The rules of Xingwu University are clearly stated—high-level evil-attribute magical artifacts are prohibited during the freshman secret realm trial. But Qin Cang is the vice principal; school rules are just a piece of paper to him. He can stuff whatever he wants into his grandson's hands.
Su Muyue's battle flag trembled. It wasn't her hands that were shaking, but the runes on the flag—the silver patterns, like startled snakes, coiled, twisted, and flickered uneasily. The Martial Emperor's Guardian bloodline within her was frantically issuing warnings, and a chilling sensation shot from her spine to the back of her head, as if someone were pressing a knife tip against the back of her neck.
"I thought you could roam freely in the secret realm just because you broke through to the late stage of the Meridian Opening Realm?" Qin Hao's voice wasn't loud, but it echoed in the valley, each word bouncing back, layer upon layer, as if many people were speaking at the same time. He lightly flicked the spine of his sword with his finger, and the black blade emitted a hum. The sound wasn't sharp or harsh, but it was like a needle, piercing straight into everyone's ears.
"I admit you have good talent. Coming from a poor family, it's not easy to get this far."
He looked up at Lin Chen. There was no anger or impatience in his eyes, only a gloom that had been suppressed for too long—like a jar of moldy wine; when the lid is lifted, what comes out is not the aroma of wine, but the smell of decay.
"But talent is worthless in the face of absolute suppression from magical artifacts."
As soon as he finished speaking, the black mist on the Evil Shadow Sword suddenly surged.
It exploded like a black sun. The black mist spread wildly outward from the sword's blade, polluting spiritual energy, devouring pure energy, and draining the life force of plants wherever it passed. The Ice Soul Orchid at Lin Chen's feet withered at a visible speed, its petals turning from pale blue to grayish-white, then to charred black, and finally turning into a pile of powder that was scattered by the wind.
A cloying, rotten smell filled the air, like something was decaying, or like charred bones soaking in water. Taking a breath made my throat tighten and my stomach churn.
Su Muyue's Star-Suppressing Array was already activated. Twelve array flags unfurled in mid-air, their golden array patterns covering the five people like an umbrella, blocking the oncoming black mist. However, the edges of the array patterns were smoking—when the golden light touched the black mist, it sizzled like water droplets falling into a hot oil pan, and the edges were corroded and dissolved at a visible speed.
"A level-earth magic artifact comes with its own domain suppression." Chu Fan squatted on the ground, speaking at a speed like a machine gun. His hands were constantly forming hand seals and setting up arrays, layer upon layer of array patterns superimposed on Su Muyue's array, reinforcing, patching up, and extending it. His forehead was covered in sweat, and his glasses had slipped down to the tip of his nose, but he didn't have time to push them up.
"Qin Hao's cultivation level hasn't changed; he's still in the late stage of the Meridian Opening Realm. But his magic weapon is too powerful; we can't hold out for long. However—" He suddenly looked up, his eyes behind his glasses flashing with an alarming light, "His physical body hasn't changed, his cultivation technique hasn't changed, but his weaknesses are significant. As long as we can break through the magic weapon's aura at close range, his combat power will be halved!"
Leng Feng didn't participate in the discussion. He had already made his move.
He pounded the ground with his feet, leaned forward, his battle sword held horizontally before his chest, and his brownish-yellow protective aura condensed into a thick layer of armor. He walked forward step by step, his pace slow but firm, each step sinking deep into the soil, leaving deep footprints. The black mist enveloped him, scorching his skin with fine, bloody marks, like being pricked by needles or burned by fire, but he didn't even flinch.
"I'll break the aura." His voice was deep, like a stone hitting the ground. "You guys find your chance."
Su Ling'er took out three pills from her pouch. They were pure white and emitted a warm glow. These were Purification Pills, third-tier, her most prized possession. She had spent two months gathering the materials and had only managed to refine five of them, which she had been reluctant to use. She distributed the pills to everyone, her voice trembling slightly, but her hands were steady.
"Hold it under your tongue. It can ward off evil spirits and protect your meridians from corrosion. It won't take long, about half an incense stick's time, that's enough."