Chapter 173 Sword Intent

Around Tian Ruichi, faint, illusory runes began to appear, rustling and indistinct, as if drawn by the sound of sword sharpening, slowly approaching.

As the runes drew closer, Tian Ruichi felt his inner sword embryo resonate with them, his body acting as a medium between the two, constantly producing a harmonious echo.

The three seemed to fall into a strange state of equilibrium.

Insights into the sword path flooded his mind!

Sword intent soared!

Just then, the first shadowy creature, sliding up the city wall from below, reached Tian Ruichi…

*Bang!*

The shadowy creature near Tian Ruichi exploded without warning, turning into a pile of broken branches.

This, however, was like a pebble breaking the surface of still water, sending ripples outward in layers.

*Pfft!*

Tian Ruichi suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

His faceless face seemed to crack, countless fissures appearing in a crisscrossing pattern, as if he had been sliced a thousand times, horrifying to behold.

Tian Ruichi staggered and fell to the ground, blood staining the earth red.

His panicked, weakened voice echoed through the quivering air.

"Failed again…"

Then, the shadows, surging over the city wall, engulfed him like a tide.

The shadows, like starving beggars seeing a jar full of honey, poured into the cracks on his face, scrambling to get inside his cheeks!

Aaaaaaaah!

A scream shook the air, Tian Ruichi's body convulsing violently, blood and foam erupting from his fractured face.

Tian Ruichi's heart beat faster and faster, his body in a perilous state, his mind already hazy, but his hand still gripped the Maple Needle Sword tightly.

With the sword, there is life.

Without the sword, there is death.

This was the sword path his master had taught him, and he would not let go, even in death.

As the shadowy creatures poured into Tian Ruichi's body, filling him completely, the remaining ones, finding no room inside, began to wrap around him layer upon layer.

Soon, a giant black cocoon formed around Tian Ruichi.

The black threads on the cocoon spread, quickly covering the corner of the city wall.

When Fang Yue rushed to the west gate, he saw this very scene: a giant black cocoon standing on the city wall.

Shadowy creatures continued to pour into the cocoon, becoming its nourishment.

"What the hell is that?!"

Fang Yue paused, slightly stunned.

He thought he saw a figure on the wall from a distance, but now that he was closer, it had turned into this thing.

Could this be the true form of the shadowy creatures?

The shadowy creatures' avatars were all humanoids made of strange branches.

This kind of avatar was completely different from his previous assumption that a [Gui Zhi] (Strange Knowledge) directed the army to break through the city.

Strictly speaking, there was only one strange creature breaking through the city from beginning to end.

"Break the cocoon, destroy what's inside, and everything will become clear."

As the thought crossed his mind, the black wheel of the Autobiography behind Fang Yue suddenly stretched out black silk threads like tentacles, pressing firmly against the ground. The reactive force propelled Fang Yue high into the air, landing him on the city wall.

As if sensing his presence, black threads erupted from the cocoon, lashing out at Fang Yue like branches.

If it were Dou Hongyi facing such an attack, he would likely be skinned alive even if he survived, but Fang Yue simply whispered two words.

"Gui Yi (Strange Garment)!"

The revolving black ring of the Autobiography immediately adhered to Fang Yue's body, forming close-fitting black clothing.

At that moment, the black threads descended, lashing out.

*Da da da da da!*

Unexpectedly, the black threads were quite powerful, hundreds of them lashing continuously, causing Fang Yue's body to tremble slightly.

But that was all.

Because the numbers appearing above Fang Yue's head were…

"-0!"

"-0!"

"-0!"

"-0!"

The more frequent the black threads lashed, the faster the '-0' numbers appeared.

If a player were watching, they would see nothing but '-0' notifications flashing madly above Fang Yue's head.

The frenzied lashing, the constant attacks, were all in vain.

Fang Yue gained a rough understanding of the [Gui Yi]'s defensive capabilities: under normal circumstances, strange creatures and martial artists of the same level would likely be unable to break through the [Gui Yi]'s protection!

This was a terrifying ability, practically absolute defense.

Among those of the same level, it was a symbol of invincibility, always placing him in an unbeatable position!

However, Fang Yue had always faced enemies who were significantly stronger than his apparent level, so whether the [Gui Yi] could fully defend against them was still unknown.

For example, he had previously provoked a cheater who was an immortal.

He would definitely have to deal with cheaters in the future, and now that the first cheater in reality had awakened, the others would not be far behind.

It was still difficult to say whether the cheaters were friends or foes. Mei Yu was relatively friendly, but Su Bai Rong, without any checks and balances, would only become an enemy.

"Immortals… I still need to become stronger!"

Far away were the immortal cheaters, and close at hand was the Phoenix Organization of the capital.

He needed to increase his strength to face both of them.

The [Gui Huan] greatly enhanced his strength, but his foundation still lay in martial arts.

He needed to learn the core three techniques of Lord Han's legacy as soon as possible.

In the past, Fang Yue found it very difficult to learn Lord Han's legacy, and his learning efficiency was very low.

Because he couldn't just learn it by snapping his fingers, he needed to study, understand, and apply it himself to truly comprehend it.

When his comprehension was low, this was a great burden and a high demand for Fang Yue.

But now, Fang Yue couldn't wait to go back and cultivate, to learn new techniques, because he was now a peerless genius, one in ten thousand.

And that required him to resolve the current trouble as soon as possible.

Staring at the black cocoon in front of him, he launched a black silk thread, slicing horizontally at the black cocoon.

*Zzzzzzz*

The black silk smoothly cut a gap in the black cocoon.

Black mist poured out like a gas leak, and within this black gas, Fang Yue sensed an unusual power.

Mysterious and strange, familiar and unfamiliar, it was like what Lord Han had mentioned in his legacy…

"Sword Intent!"

Fang Yue focused, gathering the black silk threads and weaving them into a black broadsword. He aimed at the center of the black cocoon and slashed down from above!

*Chiiiiii*

The black cocoon was instantly cut in half, revealing the faceless man inside, imprisoned with his limbs wrapped in the cocoon. Only the rise and fall of his chest indicated that he was still alive.

As the cut opened, black mist poured out, completely covering Fang Yue!

The sword intent grew stronger and stronger!