The emergence of this technique not only stunned the elites of the Dongfang clan but also left the cultivators with expressions of utter disbelief.
However, the 'Lightning Sword's' thrust would not halt due to the crowd's reaction. Its blade sliced through the residual wind and flowing fire, piercing precisely through the black tunic on the sect leader's chest. Following that, a sword plunged directly into his heart!
Blood splattered.
"Sect Leader!"
"No, impossible, the Sect Leader cannot lose!"
Two disciples, their faces smudged with dust, wore expressions of despair. They stumbled backward, only to be tripped by the fallen disciples behind them. They looked back to see their companions, with whom they had spent countless days and nights, either dead or wounded. The once solemn altar square had transformed into a veritable hellscape.
More than half of the Twelve Guards had fallen. The remaining ones, seeing that the situation was hopeless, abandoned their resistance and conceded by sheathing their swords. The disciples, realizing the tide had turned, collapsed onto the ground, their faces blank as they watched the Sect Leader, impaled on the altar by a long sword, nailed to the wooden post.
"It's over."
The 'Lightning Sword's' hair danced in the wind. Thunder and lightning flickered in the sky, and the interplay of fire light stretched his silhouette. He abruptly struck the pommel of his sword, driving the long sword entirely into the Sect Leader's chest, completely pinning him to the wooden post.
He sneered, the cheers of the crowd surging into his ears like a tidal wave.
He had killed the arrogant Sect Leader, and naturally, his own status would skyrocket!
This kill would accompany him for the rest of his life; everyone would know it was his sword that ended the Sect Leader's life!
This was supreme honor, enough for him to boast about for a lifetime.
However, his gaze was now entirely captivated by the Sect Leader's mask.
Indeed, this man had perished by your sword, yet you didn't even know your opponent's appearance. This was highly irregular.
His expression gradually turned excited, and he slowly extended his right hand towards the mask.
But just then, Dongfang Ji, having unleashed his powerful move, let out a near-shriek!
"Don't go near him! Retreat quickly!"
But, being called the 'Lightning Sword,' his speed was certainly not slow. The moment his hand touched the mask, he felt as if he had touched a child's skin!
Even more terrifying was that the mask instantly generated an immense suction force. His hand, as if by inertia, passed through the Sect Leader's mask, or rather, his entire head!
This scene was truly bizarre and instilled a sense of inexplicable dread in the man.
However, the dread did not cease with this peculiar sight. The Sect Leader's body then slid down like a piece of tattered cloth, leaving only his own slender sword blade on the wooden post.
The disciples and the Twelve Guards, who had lost the will to fight, instantly revived from their despondency!
They even began to blame themselves. The Sect Leader's strength was unparalleled in Yun Jin City. How could they have lost faith so quickly and believed that the move just now could kill the 'god' they held in their hearts?
"What, what is going on?"
The 'Lightning Sword' man's face turned pale. He stumbled back several steps, as if witnessing the most terrifying sight of his life. He had even forgotten his innate instincts as a warrior.
"How laughable. As a warrior, you've abandoned your sword. People like you don't deserve to be warriors!"
This voice seemed to come from afar. At that very moment, the thick clouds churned, and a strong wind howled. A bolt of lightning that split the heavens illuminated the entire altar. The thunderous roar made hearts tremble and eardrums pound, and the entire altar swayed and shook as if it were a small boat adrift at sea!
"It's the Sect Leader! He's indeed alright!"
"Of course! Who is the Sect Leader? To think of defeating him with just two or three dead fish and shrimps is pure fantasy."
The disciples below the altar looked on with devout expressions. Everyone had ceased their fighting, seemingly awestruck by the celestial phenomenon before them!
"Retreat!"
Dongfang Ji could only utter these two words, as if the surge of power had exhausted all her strength.
As soon as her voice fell, the 'Lightning Sword' man seemed to be seized by an invisible force, his movement speed drastically decreasing.
And what could suppress the 'Lightning Sword's' proud speed could only be abilities of a higher level than his own, such as 'Instant'!
But this was an ability exclusive to Dongfang Ji!
While everyone was still in a state of confusion, the long sword, plunged into the large wooden post, shot back like a swift electric current and pierced the 'Lightning Sword' man's chest. The force was so great that the 'Lightning Sword' man was blasted off the altar by the sword. Blood gushed from his seven orifices, and the massive wound on his chest was shocking, making him look like a warrior nailed to the battlefield, filled with resentment.
And his own sword seemed to stand like a tombstone on a grave.
"In this life, time flows like clouds and dogs, a fleeting beauty."
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man standing atop the giant wooden post, clad in immaculate white, his presence as dignified as a sword!
"To be killed by your own sword is also a form of shared fate. Now, Dongfang Ji, how do you wish to die?"
The man stood with his hands behind his back. His aura did not resemble that of an eighty-year-old man, and though his face was weathered, it exuded an indescribable majesty.
Who else could possess such an aura but the Sect Leader himself?
"How is that possible?"
The Sect Leader descended like a wisp of white smoke.
"What do you mean, 'how is that possible'? Are you asking how I escaped your 'Instant'? Or are you wondering when I learned 'Instant'?"
The Sect Leader's voice grew softer, but his pressure was like thunder that spanned the heavens, shaking people to their core!
Upon witnessing this scene, the disciples and the Twelve Guards all prostrated themselves, shouting praises for the Sect Leader's divine powers. In an instant, the tide that had been turned by Dongfang Ji and the others completely vanished.
"I know that your Chixiao Sect possesses a secret technique called the 'Cicada Molting Method,' which not only preserves youth but also allows one to be reborn like a cicada shedding its skin." With each word Dongfang Ji spoke, her expression grew more grim. The contrast between the two made it difficult to imagine they were nearly the same age.
The Sect Leader stood with his hands behind his back, his face filled with an arrogant, haughty, and unconquerable demeanor. He then burst into laughter, and the lightning in the clouds seemed to grow more rampant with his laughter, as if trying to tear the very sky apart.
"So, you can't understand how I obtained 'Instant,' can you?" The Sect Leader suddenly pointed at Xiao Chong, who was bound to the wooden pillar, and laughed wildly. "Speaking of which, I must thank this man for the ability he possesses. You might not believe it, but this unremarkable fellow actually has the 'Copy' ability, such an astonishing power!"