Chapter 160: Burying the Sword

Bai Changqing was dead, completely and utterly fallen beneath that single sword strike of Long Yun. Everything about his physical form, including the long sword in his hand, was completely pulverized by Long Yun, leaving not even the tiniest trace behind!

Bai Changqing's death left Rong Pian too terrified to even meet Long Yun's gaze. Chen Chang, too, was gripped with trepidation; his father had still not arrived by now.

Chen Chang had completely lost all his faith. Cowering in place, his face was a mask of sheer terror and regret. For the very first time, he felt how close death truly was.

His usual arrogance vanished into thin air at this exact moment.

"Xiong Bin, step forward! Release his seal!" Long Yun pointed a single finger at Xiong Bin and said indifferently.

A jolt ran through Xiong Bin's heart as he felt the seals all over his body instantly vanish. Unable to hold back a cold snort, he stood up. Long Yun was merely at the Reaching Heaven realm; he refused to believe that a brat at the Reaching Heaven realm could possibly defeat him.

No matter how formidable Long Yun's combat prowess might be, it was all in vain. Within his own body resided great divine abilities, and the Heaven-Opening Axe in his hand was an extraordinary divine artifact.

In no single aspect did he fall short of Long Yun, so he had nothing to fear! Rising abruptly, his true qi circulated, suppressing the injuries within his body.

Although he could only channel about seventy percent of his usual true qi, he believed that was more than enough to slay the ignorant and arrogant brat before him!

With a sudden, ferocious roar, the Heaven-Opening Axe slashed through the air, carving out a fierce trajectory. This trajectory was slender yet sharp, rubbing against the air and producing a piercing, shrill shriek!

It looked like a flash of lightning splitting the firmament, twisting space itself, while the surrounding Heavenly Dao was almost entirely drained, fusing completely into this single axe strike.

Xiong Bin's combat style was devoid of any flashy techniques; his aim was simply to vanquish his opponent in one fell swoop using the most concise method possible. He never dragged his feet, and his battle with Long Yun was no exception.

Although he did not hold Long Yun in high regard, he would nevertheless go all out. Countless bloody truths had taught him that even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit, let alone when the opponent was far from being a mere rabbit.

This single axe strike had undoubtedly unleashed his utmost power. The wild and violent blow was one that even Long Yun dared not underestimate.

A massive Yin-Yang fish pattern emerged across his chest, and it instantly began to spin violently. That was the power of reincarnation emanating from the Wheel of Reincarnation.

Driven by Long Yun, it unleashed its full might. This was the first time Long Yun had employed the Wheel of Reincarnation in direct combat, and it was also his first time truly experiencing its vast and boundless power.

The boundless power of reincarnation instantly surged into his meridians, merging completely with the Heaven-Depriving true qi inside his body. A formidable and oppressive aura erupted from Long Yun's physical form.

"How powerful!" Qu Chong's gaze flickered as he looked at Long Yun. Originally, he had assumed that Long Yun's cultivation level must have dropped due to some unforeseen mishap.

However, witnessing Long Yun's current combat prowess and the oppressive aura permeating the air, Qu Chong shivered involuntarily. Although his elder brother had encountered some adversity that caused his cultivation to decline, it had proven to be a blessing in disguise.

Powerful though he once was, he had never been this effortless. The present Long Yun gave him an inscrutable feeling—a bizarre and profound mystery.

"Burying the Sword!" Two words escaped softly from Long Yun's lips, and the Qinghe Flawless Sword in his hand instantly flew out of his grasp. An inexplicable sorrow permeated the air among the crowd.

Every single long sword began to hum in unison, entirely immersed in this sorrow of the buried sword. A sword is like a brother; if a brother dies, a monument is carved in his memory, and if a sword breaks, one buries it in sorrow!

Long Yun's sword intent spread outward, covering a full span of over a hundred zhang. The sword intent transformed into a dense sorrow, causing the swords of everyone present to slip beyond their control, weeping softly.

The Qinghe Flawless Sword, having flown free from his grip into mid-air, traced a flawless arc without a single shred of brute force, colliding head-on with that streak of axe radiance!

"Boom—!" Radiance exploded. Long Yun let out a muffled groan, staggering backward as he barely managed to suppress the sweet taste of blood rising in his chest, steadying his stance. The Qinghe Flawless Sword transformed into a beam of light and returned to his palm.

On the other side, Xiong Bin was also blasted back by Long Yun's sword strike, retreating more than ten zhang. His protective true qi flickered erratically, his face as pale as paper, and his gaze locked onto Long Yun with sheer disbelief.

Finally unable to hold it in any longer, he spat out a large mouthful of blood, and the look he gave Long Yun now carried a hint of sorrow!

This move, "Burying the Sword," was something Long Yun had comprehended while in the Sword Stone space, sensing the mournful emotions of the Sword Stone's spirit. It was born from emotion, yet deeply integrated into emotion.

He had gained some insights previously, but it was only while at the temple that this comprehension was guided by a flash of inspiration, allowing him to create this move. Emotion and sword intent had fused together perfectly.

With a single thrust of the sword, that sorrowful emotion had infected everyone present, including Xiong Bin, who fought against him. However, Long Yun sighed inwardly; if not for the assistance of the Wheel of Reincarnation's power, he feared he would not have been able to execute this move so flawlessly.

Furthermore, once the true power of this move was fully unleashed, its might would definitely not be inferior to the Reincarnation Blade Art or the Creation Reincarnation.

Above all, this move genuinely belonged to Long Yun himself, rather than being learned from someone else.

This sword strike had a profound impact on Long Yun himself. The very instant the sword Qi burst forth, the trace of enlightenment in his heart deepened once again. Despite sustaining some injuries, his eyes were filled with wild delight.

"Burying the Sword! Burying the Sword! So this is what it feels like! Let's come again!"

In an instant, two piercing glimmers of light shot from his eyes. The Qinghe Flawless Sword flew out of his grasp once more, while he softly called out, "Burying the Sword!"

"Bastard! You're actually using me to test your technique!" Xiong Bin gritted his teeth and growled low. He could clearly sense that Long Yun's current move was extremely similar to the one executed earlier, yet slightly different.

It felt as though it had progressed, yet also as if some fundamental transformation had occurred. With no time to ponder further, he abruptly slashed the Heaven-Opening Axe through the air, fiercely meeting Long Yun's incoming sword Qi.

"It still feels a bit off, it seems!" As the two forces collided with a thunderous crash, both men were once again blown backward by the immense power. However, this time, the distance Long Yun was forced back was a full half less than the previous time.

"Indeed. To bury... the body is buried, but memories cannot be buried. All the sorrow in the world is contained within this single brush of the buried sword. Or perhaps, not the sorrow of the whole world, but one's own—the emotions of a single person!" The brilliance in Long Yun's eyes grew increasingly intense. This self-created swordsmanship technique was on the verge of success.

And this was not merely the success of a single sword technique; if "Burying the Sword" could approach perfection, Long Yun's insights would steadily rise by a whole level, and his grasp of sword intent would reach the realm of microscopic perfection.

Xiong Bin panted heavily, experiencing for the very first time the humiliation that stemmed from the depths of his soul—and the person inflicting this feeling upon him was merely a brat at the Union God realm.

To fight a Crossing Tribulation realm expert to a standstill at the Union God realm without being defeated, and instead treating the life-and-death battle as if it were a game to seek a momentary epiphany—such audacity was something ordinary people could never hope to achieve.

Long Yun's actions not even shocked the heaven-sent prodigies, but even the ancient beings who had lived through endless years within the Wheel of Reincarnation saw their expressions shift slightly.

If they had previously submitted to Long Yun's commands merely because they were under someone else's roof and trapped by the inescapable shackles of fate, then at this moment, they had begun to feel fortunate for those very shackles.

If Long Yun managed to survive, he would undoubtedly become a figure that captured the attention of the entire world in days to come!

"That's right, this is the feeling!" A smile finally bloomed at the corners of Long Yun's lips. The Qinghe Flawless Sword trembled violently, and the aura surrounding his body actually spread outward in visible ripples toward his surroundings!

Simultaneously, the long sword in his hand was hurled fiercely up into the sky!

"Let's try it one last time—Burying the Sword!"

The Qinghe Flawless Sword hovered and soared in mid-air, while an indescribable sorrow permeated the entire arena. Countless beams of radiance shot forth like lightning, and an unparalleled emotion began to silently ravage the surroundings.

Affected by this emotion, Leng Wuchang and the others unknowingly found tears streaming down their faces.

The absolute pinnacle of sorrow is complete oblivion! Long Yun had finally comprehended the final crucial key to Burying the Sword. With a furious, downward slash of the Qinghe Flawless Sword from the air, the very instant the blade descended, all sorrowful emotion instantly dissipated, replaced entirely by a state of ethereal emptiness!