Chapter 094: Sword Intent

A faint blue sword aura coursed along the long blade, like a single gleam of light shining through primordial chaos, leaving everyone stunned.

Even the two proud girls from before were no exception.

No one had imagined that the girl in the most ordinary black illusionist robe was actually a Sword King.

Shen Duo looked coldly at the two girls, whose faces had gone pale and then ashen in an instant, and without the slightest hesitation, she charged forward. She had only just advanced, and this was the perfect chance to sharpen her skills.

The sword edge, brimming with violent power, came down upon the troublemakers from moments before with thunderous force, bearing down as though it meant to crush them flat and force all present into trembling submission.

The blade cut an arc through the air, carrying the formidable sword qi of a Sword King. At the tip, a strange crimson glint flashed by. Then, with a majestic, overwhelming presence and the speed of rolling thunder, it hacked straight toward the two girls opposite her.

That seemingly plain strike was heavy yet possessed an indescribable agility, as though it were alive. Wrapped in savage, domineering momentum, it seemed intent on severing the enemy at a stroke. Even the rogue illusionists standing nearby to watch the spectacle felt a different kind of suffocating pressure.

Wei Dong, standing behind Shen Duo, drew in a sharp breath. His eyes widened as he stared at her technique, and he could not help muttering, "Sword intent!"

Since childhood, he had studied the way of the swordsman under his teacher, and he knew this once-glorious profession of the Holy Radiance Continent all too well.

His teacher had told him that sword cultivation was difficult, that many ancient techniques had long since been lost, and that what survived today was but a tiny fraction of the whole.

In this era, a swordsman who could comprehend sword intent was rarer still.

Even the foremost swordsman of the continent, Lord Wei Lan, had only grasped sword intent upon reaching the Sword Sovereign realm, whereas Shen Duo was merely a newly advanced Sword King...

Wei Dong silently spat in his heart, utterly speechless. Damn it, what kind of freak was this?

As for Shen Duo, who had no idea she had already comprehended sword intent, she only felt that her sword techniques were now easier to use than before. The only downside was that fighting this way drained the sword qi within her body faster.

Still, with the Holy Radiance energy continually supplying fresh sword qi, she was not worried about running dry.

On the other side, Feng Jun looked at the slightly different Shen Duo, lifting his brows, but remained standing behind her without making a move.

After sending one strike out, Shen Duo glanced back at Feng Jun and nodded.

Then she rushed forward again.

Under the suppression of sword intent, the people opposite her could not even mobilize the spiritual force throughout their bodies.

Just as a terrifying sword light was about to hack down upon them, the young girl’s face turned deathly white. She glared resentfully at Shen Duo, and with great reluctance took a small silver disc from her storage pouch, holding it up before her.

The sword light struck the disc, and with a deafening roar, an enormous blast exploded in the air.

When the smoke and dust finally dispersed, everyone could only see the unharmed girl standing behind the cracked disc.

To be able to produce such a life-saving artifact in a moment of crisis was no small display of status. More importantly, the artifact had withstood a Sword King's strike infused with sword intent. That alone showed it was at least a sacred-grade artifact.

For someone to casually produce such a precious treasure, one could infer that this group’s background was absolutely extraordinary.

The onlookers immediately erupted into noisy discussion.

Faced with this reversal, Shen Duo’s eyes merely flickered slightly.

That strike had utterly enraged the two delicate beauties. In a burst of flashing light, the five of them each summoned their illusion beasts and, without pause, unleashed their signature illusion arts at Shen Duo.

One by one, their faces twisted with vicious hatred, wishing nothing more than for the girl in the black illusionist robe to turn to ash at once.

After advancing to Sword King, Shen Duo’s body had become far sturdier. The illusion arts of these Great Illusionists felt no different from an itch when they struck her.

Dodging left and right through their attacks, Shen Duo found an opening and slashed out with a sword-intent-laden Rending Wind Strike. The young girl’s whole body seemed to go rigid, and this time she could not even move.

The rogue illusionists nearby stared in shock, as though they were about to witness the frail-looking girl before them being cut cleanly in half in a spray of blood.

At this critical moment, a tremendous pressure suddenly descended from above.

Even Feng Jun beside her found it somewhat difficult to bear.

A deep blue radiance flew over and blocked Shen Duo’s sword technique. When the sword qi carrying sword intent collided with the blue glow, it struggled irritably for a moment, then vanished into the air the next instant, as though it had never existed at all.

Such formidable means left everyone present stunned.

Many people, overwhelmed by the pressure, unconsciously lowered their heads, and some lower-ranked illusionists even weakened at the knees and dropped to the ground.

Gripping her sword, Shen Duo frowned slightly and looked toward one direction.

Within her mind, Lou Jingbai’s disdainful voice sounded. "Little Duo, don’t be afraid. It’s only a high-level Sky Illusionist. I’ll burn him to the ground with one blaze."

"Don’t reveal your strength yet. Let’s see what this person wants," Shen Duo soothed.

Lou Jingbai snorted with contempt.

Shen Duo exchanged a look with Feng Jun behind her, then pressed down Wei Dong, who was furious and ready to strike.

The three of them looked toward one entrance of the market together.

Across from them, however, the faces of the others lit up with delight. They stared at Shen Duo and the others arrogantly, wearing the smug expression of people who knew disaster was about to befall their opponents.

At the entrance to the market, everyone stepped aside to make a path, and then a flamboyant middle-aged man came into view, dressed in a crimson illusionist robe with a ring of snow-white fox fur sewn around the collar.

He had a long face, short brown hair, a high nose bridge, and deep-set eyes, looking rather like a mixed-blood man from the modern world.

A smile was fixed on his face as though it had been grafted there.

The illusionists stationed in this market all greeted him respectfully as he passed, calling him Lord Anlan.

The two girls immediately clustered to his side, each hooking an arm through one of Lord Anlan’s and calling out sweetly, "Uncle Anlan."

The other three young men trailed along behind as well, flattering him in turn.

Shen Duo only watched the whole scene coldly.

Yet Lord Anlan’s expression did not change much. Only when he saw the three of them, and the long sword in her hand, did his deep-set eyes narrow slightly.

Neither side spoke. Shen Duo also remained silent. This Lord Anlan gave her a very strange feeling, not wholly hostile, but not especially friendly either, as though... yes, like a venomous snake hidden in the grass, lying in wait for something.

Shen Duo disliked that feeling. She was only staying one night at the port of Aisi, and with the Holy Radiance Continent being so vast, her instincts told her she did not want to become entangled with this man.

The girl beside him shook Lord Anlan’s arm and said coquettishly, "Uncle Anlan, you saw it too. If you had been a step later, Qingqing would have been killed by someone else. Uncle Anlan, you must avenge Qingqing!"

The girl on the other side held out her own scorched hand and said angrily, "Uncle Anlan, my arm was burned like this by that vicious woman. You must seek justice for me!"

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