Tonight happened to be a stormy night thick with endless dark clouds.
“Thunderous Sword Intent.”
As Chen Ning gripped the Noble Scholar's Sword, an invisible yet sky-piercing Sword Intent swirled upward.
Though the White Sword was trapped inside the fish demon's body, it vibrated in unison with the Black Sword, drawing down the thunder.
In the dark night, endless storm clouds completely enveloped the entire Qingtian Temple.
Within the pitch-black clouds, thunder roared incessantly like wild beasts.
Thunderous Sword Intent was precisely a Sword Intent that harnessed the natural elements.
Above all living beings, the Heavenly Dao reigned supreme.
Amidst the majestic and surging flashes of lightning, the fear in the fish demon's heart magnified uncontrollably without bound. It opened its mouth wide and roared in rage.
“Bastard! I'll take you down with me!”
At that exact moment, Chen Ning swung his sword.
Boom!
Heavy rain poured down in torrents as a thunderclap exploded from the clouds.
Lightning cascaded down from the Nine Heavens like a thunder dragon roaring toward the sky. Massive pillar-like bolts of lightning slammed into the hall that reeked of demonic presence.
What on earth is wrong with this human?!
The fish demon had no way to dodge at all. In an instant, it was swallowed by the blinding thunderbolts, its scale armor turned to charcoal under the fierce barrage.
The terrifying lightning flickered, obliterating its body inch by inch.
Yet at the same time, the remaining fifty-plus mermaid hearts within the fish demon's body went to work.
Its cells regenerated, and its blood flowed anew.
Though the pain was agonizing, it still had a chance of survival!
“Human! I will tear you into a thousand pieces today!”
“Tear me into a thousand pieces? You had better survive first before making such promises.”
Chen Ning sneered coldly as layers of Sword Intent swirled around him once more.
Just as he had expected, the power of Thunderous Sword Intent was indeed impressive.
However, it could become even stronger.
The Black Sword in Chen Ning's hand and the White Sword inside the demon began to vibrate softly in unison.
At the same time, a potent surge of Sword Intent slowly merged into the lightning.
“A mere Confucian scholar... How can he summon such natural phenomena?!”
A sudden chill washed over the fish demon.
Just struggling to keep its body from falling apart was taking everything it had.
This human's actions instilled an irresistible sense of terror deep in its heart!
“You were the one who said earlier that your skin was itching for a beating. Why chicken out so soon?”
Chen Ning chuckled coldly, completely ignoring the fish demon's frantic cries.
“Sword Shakes the Nine Heavens!”
Buzz!
In an instant, the Black Sword in his hand and the White Sword trapped inside the fish demon vibrated at the same time.
The swords vibrated to the ninth layer.
Waves of Sword Intent stacked upon one another, pulling even the flashing thunder in the sky toward a single point.
Fierce winds howled violently, and torrential rain poured down.
The ultimate Sword Intent reached its absolute peak at this moment.
Thunder brewed in the Nine Heavens, capable of purging all things under heaven.
No matter how powerful a demon or ghost might be, before this majestic and roaring thunder, it would be unable to resist the urge to drop to its knees in submission.
Millions of cells within the fish demon's body trembled simultaneously, and its remaining fifty-plus hearts could no longer withstand this immense pressure.
“Spare me! I don't want to die! I was supposed to be immortal!”
Devoid of its former arrogance, the fish demon begged desperately for mercy.
Yet in the next moment, every single mermaid heart inside the fish demon burst at once.
Stripped of its powerful regenerative ability, the fish demon was quickly obliterated in the lightning, turning completely into ash.
【Fish demon slain】
【Congratulations Host, obtained Noble Qi * 1,000】
【Noble Scholar's Sword upgraded to Earth Grade, Mid Rank】
The fish demon's own inherent strength was not particularly high; it had only managed to achieve such combat power through the mermaid hearts.
Yielding 1,000 Noble Qi was already quite good.
Chen Ning opened the system panel.
【Chen Ning】
【Noble Qi: 1,100】
【Red Lotus Divine Pupils: Drifting Sea of Illusions (Layer 2) (0/1,000)】
【All Manifestations: Mountains and Rivers: Rivers Manifestation (Layer 2) (0/800)】
【Demon-Suppressing Pagoda (0/2,100)】
【Divine Phoenix Bloodline: Layer 5 (0/5,000)】
【Poem and Wine Sword Art: Sword Shakes the Nine Heavens (Layer 2) (0/2,000)】
One thousand Noble Qi could only upgrade one Divine Ability.
Between Red Lotus Divine Pupils and All Manifestations: Mountains and Rivers, Chen Ning chose the latter.
【Congratulations Host, All Manifestations: Mountains and Rivers upgraded to Layer 3】
【All Manifestations: Mountains and Rivers: Dragon-Slaying Golden-Armored Army (Layer 3) (0/1,500)】
The third layer of All Manifestations: Mountains and Rivers could actually materialize phantom projections of a hundred-thousand-strong Golden-Armored Army!
Dragons were divine beasts of ancient times, entities that looked down upon the heavens and earth and stood proudly above all races.
Yet rumor had it that a Martial God had once led a hundred thousand soldiers to slaughter a divine dragon.
After slaying the dragon, those hundred thousand soldiers bathed in dragon blood, standing invincible across the world for decades.
Even after death, they became heroic spirits, roaming the canyon where they had slain the dragon to protect humanity.
The hundred thousand soldiers that the third layer of All Manifestations: Mountains and Rivers could materialize seemed to be this very Dragon-Slaying Golden-Armored Army!
With 300 Noble Qi remaining, Chen Ning pondered briefly and upgraded the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda by one layer.
【Demon-Suppressing Pagoda: Layer 2 (0/300)】
After the upgrade, the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda was now able to house two demons.
If he had wanted to, Chen Ning could have held back ten percent of his strength just now to suppress the fish demon formed by the Qingtian Temple Abbot inside the pagoda.
However, that fish demon's conduct was truly repulsive; causing it to undergo complete Soul Dissipation felt much more satisfying.
This layer of the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda would just have to wait for another demon.
...
“The demonic monks of Qingtian Temple... are actually all dead...”
Standing in place, the bamboo-hatted Water Ghost was unable to recover from his shock for a long time.
For so many years, he had suffered endless hardships to save his wife, even coming close to falling into a Specter several times.
He had never expected that this day would finally come!
“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and save her.”
At that moment, Chen Ning glanced at the bamboo-hatted Water Ghost.
Only then did the bamboo-hatted Water Ghost snap out of it. He rushed over to the pillar and pulled out the blades and chains trapping the mermaid woman.
“Husband, you've finally come.”
“I'm sorry for making you suffer for so long, my wife...”
“How could you say that? As long as you came for me, I am already content.”
After many years, the former lovers were finally reunited.
Once a human and a demon, they were now a demon and a ghost.
They held each other tightly in an embrace, unwilling to part for a long time.
The bamboo-hatted Water Ghost recounted everything that had happened along the way to the mermaid woman.
Upon hearing his tale, the mermaid woman could not help but show a look of deep gratitude, bowing respectfully toward Chen Ning.
“Thank you, Young Master. Were it not for your help, the two of us might never have been reunited.”
Chen Ning waved his hand. “I was merely completing a task given to me by the Grand Confucian of the academy and happened to do it along the way. There's no need for thanks.”
However, the mermaid woman shook her head and said:
“Regardless of the reason, your great kindness is something I could never repay in a thousand lifetimes. I only hope Young Master can grant me an opportunity to repay you.
“I am willing to tell Young Master everything I know.
“Including... the secret to immortality: the Spring of Undying.”
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