Da Xuan Martial Saint

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Whoosh! Whoosh!!

In the stone cave, the power of the water veins transformed into numerous water swords crisscrossing everywhere, each water sword carrying strands of wind momentum, clashing fiercely with Han Guang's bamboo stick and the mandarin duck axes, iron ruler, and various other weapons wielded by the three stewards of the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion.

The encirclement formed by Han Guang and the others was gradually tightening inward as the battle progressed.

Amidst the intense clash, enduring the pressure from all directions, Meng Danyun's heart was suddenly flooded with various insights into the Kan Water Artistic Conception.

As a true heir of the Seven Profound Sect, she had long been lagging behind others in attaining the second step of Artistic Conception, considered behind by many since Conceptions like Xun Wind and Kan Water were simpler to advance in compared to other schools. But as a dignified true heir, her perception and talent were never lacking, being one in ten thousand.

What she lacked was tempering.

Or it could be said that almost all true heirs of the Seven Profound Sect lacked some tempering, lacking that enlightenment between life and death.

Because true heirs of the Seven Profound Sect rarely left Yu State in the past years, only descending the mountain for experience at the Five Viscera Realm. The greatest danger they encountered in Yu State was fifth or even sixth rank beasts, or sparring with fellow sect members.

Cultivation cultivation, has both "cultivation" and "action"; this journey down the mountain for experience, attacking the remnant evils of the Heavenly Corpse Sect, and coincidentally going through the tide disaster, all of it was accumulating experiences in her heart, waiting to gather into that final moment of inspiration.

At this moment.

Under immense pressure, Meng Danyun was pushing her Kan Water Artistic Conception nearly to the utmost she could, seemingly merging with the water veins. For a moment, she nearly crossed that boundary, about to touch that fine barrier.

But it was almost at this very moment.

Han Guang, who had been closely watching Meng Danyun, suddenly revealed a hint of treachery in his eyes. His bamboo stick fiercely descended towards Meng Danyun, with the Warm Spring Artistic Conception swirling around the top of his stick, abruptly intensified with a hint of scorching heat.

This hint of scorching heat,

went beyond the scope of Warm Spring Artistic Conception, no longer warm, but hot.

Midsummer Artistic Conception!

As a true heir of the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion ranked higher than Cheng Houhua, Han Guang had, at some unknown time, astonishingly realized the second of the Four Seasons Artistic Conceptions—Midsummer!

Although his Midsummer Artistic Conception was obviously only nascent and not as profound as the Warm Spring Artistic Conception, he had been holding back all along and chose to strike abruptly at the moment when Meng Danyun was most engrossed in the water veins and nearly understanding. The ferocity of the sudden attack was fully revealed, smashing the two water swords coming head-on with just one strike, the bamboo stick aiming straight for Meng Danyun's Heavenly Spirit!

"Not good."

Meng Danyun was forcefully brought out from her near-enlightened state, her expression changing. Han Guang's treachery was beyond her expectations. It seemed as though he deliberately pressured her to have insights, and then at that instant, he struck with his most fierce attack, not only disrupting her previous immersion but also striking close in the gap!

But she ultimately reacted, her Silver Water Sword drawing a water trail, blocking Han Guang's bamboo stick. The edge of the sword and the stick collided in the water, bursting silently.

Just at that moment.

The assassin from the Blood Hidden Pavilion, who had been hiding all this while, suddenly appeared from the water, the Emei Stab aimed at Meng Danyun's back from a tricky angle, seizing the flaw exposed in her hasty defense against Han Guang, striking at the most critical spot in an instant!

"…"

Meng Danyun sighed in her heart, understanding that none of these people were easy to deal with. Han Guang was self-explanatory, and if in the Seven Profound Sect, he would certainly be ranked ahead of her. The assassin from the Blood Hidden Pavilion had lethal techniques, with both strikes aiming at the most critical points. The other three stewards of the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion, although not as strong, were all incredibly stable, their coordination nearly flawless.

Just as Han Guang had said, she did have life-saving techniques, but once those secret techniques were activated, although they could forcibly enhance her Yuan Gang True Essence for a short time, they would also cause damage to the Five Viscera and meridians, requiring at least several months of recuperation afterward. Naturally, she was unwilling to use them unless absolutely necessary.

But at this moment.

With Han Guang's sudden strike to her front, forcing her into a hasty defense, her Yuan Gang's circulation showed a flaw.

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The assassin from the Blood Hidden Pavilion struck from the side, targeting a fatal vulnerability that allowed no time for recovery. It was too difficult to counter, and even a hasty defense would lead to injury. At this moment, it seemed there was only one strategy left: to use a secret technique to forcibly break through the encirclement and flee.

But just then,

a faint premonition stirred in Meng Danyun's heart, as if she sensed something. The restless Yuan Gang Inner Breath within her body stilled once again.

With a sweep of her left hand through the water, she created a stream of water mixed with momentum and met the Emei dagger aimed at her back. After slapping it once, she forcibly grasped it in her palm. A brief clash of murderous intent and her wind and water powers ensued, and her delicate hand immediately began to bleed. Still, she clenched the dagger tightly, significantly slowing its momentum until it barely reached her lower back, where it made a 'ding' sound as it pierced through the outer layer of her Taoist robe but was blocked by a golden threaded Inner Armor underneath.

Defending against this attack in her exhausted state, with Yuan Gang True Essence difficult to maneuver, was far from easy for Meng Danyun, and her complexion noticeably paled.

However,

after this strike, whether it was the assassin from the Blood Hidden Pavilion, the steward from the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion, or even Han Guang, all of their gazes shifted slightly, uniformly turning towards the passageway at the top of the stone cave.

They saw a surge of turbulent water within the passage, followed by a figure falling from within, landing in the stone cave and abruptly entering the battlefield.

Seeing the figure that had fallen, a hint of surprise flashed in Meng Danyun's eyes.

The aura she perceived was not mistaken.

It was indeed him,

Chen Mu!

Having arrived inside this stone cave, Chen Mu had undoubtedly stepped into the Five Viscera Realm. While this fact did not surprise her—after all, when she had guided Chen Mu in his cultivation long ago, she had noticed his robust Qi-Blood, clearly indicating he was at the Perfection of Bone Tempering Realm and only a step away from reaching the Five Viscera Realm. For him to now cross that threshold seemed perfectly normal.

With Chen Mu's arrival, the situation was now completely different. Even though Chen Mu was only just beginning to step into the Five Viscera Realm, he was someone who had cultivated the Xun Wind and Thunderbolt Artistic Conceptions even while in the Bone Tempering Realm. Once he stepped into the Five Viscera Realm, his strength would undoubtedly be formidable. As long as he worked together with her, it wouldn't be so easy for Han Guang and the others to encircle and kill both her and Chen Mu.

"Sister Meng."

Chen Mu, holding the Flowing Fire Blade, was now slowly descending from the water, his gaze sweeping over everyone present before noticing the trickles of crimson blood near Meng Danyun and the wounds on her left hand.

"Chen Mu."

At this time, Han Guang's expression also darkened.

One of the scenarios he least wanted had finally occurred.

"So you've really stepped into the Five Viscera Realm."

Since Chen Mu hadn't died, the ambush by Cheng Houhua must have encountered some mishap. Upon seeing Chen Mu, Han Guang's first thought was to consider what contingency plan Yan Jingqing had laid out, but he also thought about the possibility that Chen Mu had advanced to the Five Viscera Realm.

Chen Mu, a master of the Wind Thunder Artistic Conception, would have a much greater ability to flee than ordinary people once he stepped into the Five Viscera Realm. Unless caught in an ambush and encirclement, it would be very difficult to catch up with him once he fled.

Yet,

the fact that Cheng Houhua's attempt to assassinate Chen Mu had failed, and they hadn't promptly sent word to inform him, left Han Guang rushed off his feet all night long, scouring the area up and down along the Qingping River. He had even engaged in conflict with Hua Nongying and Gu Hong, leaving him no time to attend to other matters.

At this moment, Han Guang narrowed his eyes and discerned more closely. The nearby water had returned to calmness, with no one else approaching. Although Chen Mu possessed the Wind Thunder Artistic Conception, it wasn't easy to utilize underwater... It would be very difficult to capture Meng Danyun now, but there might still be a chance to catch Chen Mu, who had only just broken through and would undoubtedly be less prepared than Meng Danyun.

A thought crossed his mind,

and Han Guang quietly took up the bamboo stick in his hand and struck fiercely downwards, aiming at the back of Chen Mu's head.