Chapter 594: Chapter 594: Return
"Return... return... return to the Guiyuan Heavenly Venerate? Is that you?"
Looking at the man who suddenly tore through the fabric of space, everyone was stunned for a day, and then directly struck dumb...
Duan Nong, an elder of the Jianling Sect, stood trembling at the corners of his mouth. He found himself unable to articulate his words fully.
Because this man’s appearance was exactly the same as Yang Tian!
But the problem was, Yang Tian was already trapped on the Immortal Battlefield. How could he possibly appear before them now?
"This Ancestor... commands all!"
As Duan Nong was lost in confusion, the man in white lightly parted the way before him.
Wanxiang?
Was he not the Guiyuan Heavenly Venerate?
Duan Nong stared, then looked again at the man in white. Indeed, some differences became evident.
Although the man in white had a face identical to Yang Tian, Yang Tian bore black hair and was clad in black garments.
But this man had white hair and was dressed entirely in white!
Just ten minutes ago, Duan Nong had encountered Yang Tian on the battlefield of the Fairies and Demons. Could an all-black ensemble be swapped so easily for all white? Black hair could not so suddenly turn to radiant white due to Yang Tian’s terror!
More importantly, the aura exuded by this person before them was utterly distinct from that of Yang Tian!
Yang Tian’s aura was suffocatingly dark, as though it beckoned one’s soul into a depthless abyss, devouring it whole with just a glance!
Yet this person’s aura carried an air of nothingness. Even without the disjointed spatial rifts before him, one would still feel unnerved at first sight, as though standing before an ordinary mortal devoid of strength. Yet because of fear, Duan Nong couldn’t help but believe that standing before him now was something beyond comprehension!
Without question, this abrupt arrival of Bai Pinting was undoubtedly tied to Yang Tian!
Was it a doppelgänger? Could it truly be a doppelgänger?
Regardless, as long as it wasn’t that terrifying Yang Tian!
Duan Nong let out a sigh of relief, then coldly snorted: "Your sudden arrival, sir, what could your purpose be?" Is it to rescue the Guiyuan Heavenly Venerate from the Immortal Battlefield?"
"No."
The man in white gently shook his head, denying Duan Nong’s words.
Hearing this, Duan Nong and the three individuals behind him sneered coldly.
To them, though this man in white exuded an eerie presence, he remained laughable. They knew that if he dared attempt to save Yang Tian, he would inevitably set himself against the three of them!
Even Xiao Daoyin cast a look laden with disdain and derision toward the man in white.
They knew how powerful, how arrogant Yang Tian was, yet how it was now utterly impossible for him to live forever!
But here stood someone with an identical face to Yang Tian, aware that Yang Tian was trapped and not daring to save him.
Compared to Yang Tian? The difference was as vast as sky and earth!
"If not, then step aside!"
Duan Nong’s tone was less direct than Xiao Daoyin’s gaze, yet his intentions were the same. He waved his hand, saying, "I have important matters to attend to now. If you block my path, don’t blame me for being merciless!"
With that, Duan Nong prepared to lead his party forward, moving step by step toward the "gate" of the Divine Sword.
Yet just as Duan Nong took a step forward, his brow furrowed again.
For the man in white remained motionless, standing in his way, showing no intention of moving aside.
Watching this, Duan Nong sneered: "What now? Did you not understand my words? Or do you wish for death?"
Speaking thus, an immeasurable oppressive force burst forth from Duan Nong, enveloping the man in white.
Though not Yang Tian, it was still amusing to Duan Nong to imagine someone with Yang Tian’s identical face kneeling helplessly before him.
Yet, under Duan Nong’s crushing aura, the man in white remained unperturbed, his expression unchanged. Slowly, he opened his mouth to speak: "This Venerate... will not step aside."
"Not stepping aside?" What is the meaning of this?"
Duan Nong sneered: "Do you truly wish to block our way? Do you seek death?"
"This Ancestor neither seeks to block nor fears to move forward!"
The man in white shook his head once more.
For a moment, Duan Nong was baffled, unable to grasp the man in white’s intentions.
At that moment, Xiao Daoyin, already irritated by the delay, unsheathed his treasured sword and said: "Brother Duan, why waste words with him? A single slash suffices."
With that, he raised his sword high.
In an instant, the sword came alive, spiraling powerfully in the air before aiming directly at the man in white.
"The Jianling Sect’s swordsmanship!"
Seeing this, Gongyang Yun, the emperor of the Qing and Han factions, beamed with delight.
The Sword Ridge Sect and Divine Sword Sect both hailed from martial traditions, but the former outstripped the latter, easily securing its place as one of the top three sects, while the latter barely ranked among the top four regions’ "gates."
Death... was it truly death?
The venerable elder of the Jianling Sect, Xiao Daoyin, who had once displayed imperial swordsmanship, met his end in such a baffling and bizarre manner.
Before their eyes lay a gory scene. The man in white, his palm gradually lowering, had struck a silence of sheer terror into the hearts of everyone present!
They had witnessed too many deaths!
But if the man in white had fought Xiao Daoyin for three hundred rounds, using overt and brutal techniques to slay him, they may have been shocked but never petrified like this—as if chilled to their very bones, trembling with utter dread!
What was the most terrifying thing of all?
The unknown was the most terrifying!
Now, Xiao Daoyin had perished right before their eyes, yet not one person understood how he had died!
It was as though... as though he had been crushed mid-air by the man in white’s invisible grasp.
Duan Nong stood still, blood pooling atop his head, staring blankly at the figure before him.
Who said this man was weaker than Yang Tian?
How could they have ever thought to belittle him so, even to the point of dismissing him as someone who wouldn’t dare rescue Yang Tian?
From the start, this person had regarded them with outright contempt!
It was as if, in the eyes of the man in white, they were nothing more than ants, ready to be crushed if he so willed.
"Form the Sword Array!"
Duan Nong knew the man in white was unequivocally his life’s greatest foe—one as dangerous, perhaps even more so, than Yang Tian, who remained trapped on the Immortal Battlefield.
Immediately, he gestured toward the disciples of the Jianling Sect. Swords drawn, the disciples took to the skies, initiating an intricate and enigmatic formation-like dance.
The disciples of the Sword Spirit Sect each brandished their respective swords, joining in synchronized movements as they surrounded their elder.
"The Infinite Sword Formation! Passed down through Zhan Sect since ancient times, it remains the strongest sword battle within the Cultivation Circle to this day!"
Duan Nong’s voice lowered coldly as he slowly took his place at the center of his disciples, plunging his own sword vertically into the ground.
What was strange was that even after he released his grip, the sword did not fall, but instead hovered at the formation’s heart.
At once, the disciples followed Duan Nong’s lead, planting their blades in an identical manner. The hovering swords began to align themselves, converging toward the very center where Duan Nong stood.
Gradually, the floating swords merged layer by layer into one another.
With each merging blade, Duan Nong’s sword radiated an increasingly dazzling sword light, its pressure escalating ever higher, as though each completed sword became one with the light itself.
In this instant, the sword light not only enveloped the entire Sword Ridge but pierced the heavens. Its size and power were beyond comprehension.
"Faced with the Guiyuan Heavenly Venerate, I was careless, never mustering my strongest sword techniques! But this time, pitted against you, we shall not hold back!"
At that, Duan Nong slowly raised his arm—then brought it down in one swift motion.
In an instant, an incomparably massive sword light crashed down, its impact shaking all to their cores, bearing down to obliterate the man in white.