The Innate Sword Body's greatest strength lies in its wielder's ability to effortlessly embody the sword, achieving unity between man and blade, which greatly amplifies the power of any sword technique used thereafter.
At this moment, Lin Xueyan was precisely in such a state. With her strength unleashed, she instantly entered the realm of man-sword unity.
A domineering sword aura surged towards the heavens. Lin Xueyan rose, brandished her sword, and slashed down at Shen Xin.
"Wind Spirit Quadrant!"
Lin Xueyan let out a delicate shout, and her sword body, imbued with astonishing power, collided with Shen Xin's attacking strike.
Amidst the deafening roar, residual energy surged in all directions. Lin Xueyan's sudden, unexpected blow had actually repelled Shen Xin!
Seizing the opportunity, Lin Xueyan, with the might of thunder, cornered Shen Xin, leaving only the final blow.
"How is this possible?!"
The scene stunned the onlookers below, leaving their mouths agape.
The sheer power displayed far surpassed their comprehension.
All eyes focused on Lin Xueyan, who had achieved man-sword unity. Many discerning individuals recognized her instantly.
"This… another spiritual body?!"
Yu Wenya, observing from the martial stage, twitched her eyelids, unable to conceal her shock.
One Profound Ice Body was already astonishing, and now an Innate Sword Body had appeared!
Were Ye Yun's disciples all monsters?
Chen Wuyi was also shocked by Lin Xueyan's outburst, his eyes filled with killing intent.
"It's actually the Innate Sword Body. If I had known, I should have killed her at the Lin family's residence regardless of the cost!"
Only now did he understand why Lin Xueyan's swordsmanship was so exceptional; her physique was the key.
However, Chen Wuyi quickly regained his composure. Seeing Lin Xueyan gathering power for another attack, Shen Xin's situation looked grim.
With no other choice, he issued a command to Shen Xin.
"Use your trump card! You must defeat Lin Xueyan!"
Given the circumstances, he recognized Lin Xueyan as the greatest threat in this Four Sects Tournament. He deemed it worthwhile to use a trump card against her.
On the martial stage, Shen Xin, cornered, seemed to have been stimulated, his burning black flames growing even fiercer.
Beneath the black flames, his flesh appeared somewhat ferocious, his muscles bulging. The chilling aura he exuded became increasingly terrifying, and in an instant, the entire martial stage was enveloped by this oppressive black mist.
On Shen Xin's sword tip, the black flames seemed to have become substantial, with violent profound energy continuously gathering.
The chilling black mist surrounding him caused many below to frown.
"Doesn't it feel like this guy's methods are a bit like those of an evil cultivator?"
"Exactly, I feel the same way. This oppressive, wicked aura is something I've only felt from some evil cultivators!"
"Could it be that Shen Xin is an evil cultivator?"
"Impossible, isn't it? Although the Nine Nether Demonic Sect has 'demonic' in its name, they wouldn't actually be associated with evil cultivators, would they?"
Across the continent, evil cultivators were universally reviled for their bloodlust, their penchant for using innocent people as sacrifices for cultivation, and their practice of devouring others to grow stronger. As a result, they were practically hunted by everyone.
While there were no rules prohibiting the cultivation of evil cultivator techniques, most were too ruthless and prone to disrupting the cultivator's mind, leading few to practice them.
However, it was undeniable that due to the unique nature of their techniques, evil cultivators' profound skills generally possessed greater power than normal profound skills when at equivalent cultivation levels.
In contrast, Lin Xueyan's gathered power was also not to be underestimated, with profound energy surging along her sword body and an increasingly terrifying aura of pressure.
At this moment, the martial stage fell into a brief silence. Shen Xin was forced to gather his strength against Lin Xueyan, striving to crush her in the imminent, all-out explosion of power.
But this was precisely what Lin Xueyan desired most. She wanted Shen Xin to unleash this same desperate, all-or-nothing strike!
After all, in a head-on clash of titans, she was invincible!
"A Heaven-tier profound skill, is it…"
Yu Wenya, knowledgeable and experienced, quickly recognized the extraordinary nature of Lin Xueyan's profound skill, deeming it at least high-grade Heaven-tier, if not top-tier.
She was greatly surprised, unable to fathom how Ye Yun, given his background, could possess such a formidable profound skill, let alone have it passed directly to Lin Xueyan.
Despite her astonishment, Yu Wenya still didn't believe Lin Xueyan could win decisively. The reason was simple.
"No, it's still not enough. The oppressive force is not sufficient to crush Shen Xin."
Yu Wenya frowned. At this current level, she could indeed contend with Shen Xin, but she might not be able to defeat him in a single blow.
While Shen Xin's profound skill might not be as powerful, for some unknown reason, his cultivation was steadily rising. If Lin Xueyan couldn't finish him in one strike, she would inevitably lose due to excessive profound energy depletion.
It could be said that this single strike would determine the victor, but the outcome might very well be unfavorable to Lin Xueyan.
However, when she looked towards Ye Yun in the audience, she saw him sporting a confident smile, which left her utterly perplexed.
"Ye Yun, oh Ye Yun, could it be that you have some other means to ensure she wins this blow?"
But on the martial stage, as both sides' power accumulation reached its peak, Lin Xueyan remained still, seemingly determined to defeat Shen Xin with this very strike.
Everyone in the audience held their breath, their gazes intently fixed on the two figures. The entire peak of Mount Thousand Blades fell into silence.
This was, naturally, the final moment of calm before the storm!
"Blood – Demon – Slash!"
As Shen Xin let out intermittent roars, he clearly completed his charge first, unleashing an attack with the might of ten thousand demons destroying the world towards Lin Xueyan.
Black light descended like a meteor, and the surging black mist, carrying a terrifying pressure, pressed down on Lin Xueyan simultaneously, akin to the full might of an entire world.
At that moment, the martial stage became an ocean of black mist. Lin Xueyan, enveloped within, was like a fallen leaf in a tempest.
Under the eyes of all, at this critical juncture, Lin Xueyan smiled.
Just as everyone thought she had gone mad, with a mere thought from Lin Xueyan, a sharp aura erupted from the Qingyun Ancient Sword. In an instant, it tore through the oppressive black mist.
From within the black mist, Lin Xueyan's clear cry echoed.
"Storm Blade!"
Brilliant sword light instantly dispelled the black mist. Lin Xueyan stood in place, her sword tip imbued with the power of the raging storm.
Accompanied by the extremely sharp sword intent, her robes billowed and her long hair danced wildly in the wind.
At this moment, Lin Xueyan's aura reached its zenith; she had fully unleashed her power.
"Sword Intent?"
Mo Chenyu, who had remained calm from afar, abruptly stood up, his gaze fixed intently on the silhouette on the martial stage.
"What kind of joke is this?!"
It wasn't just him; the moment Lin Xueyan's sword intent appeared, it thoroughly shocked everyone in the audience.
Whether it was people from other Heavenly Sects or those from the Three Great Immortal Palaces, everyone stared at her with wide eyes, filled with disbelief.
The significance of sword intent for a sword cultivator was self-evident. To comprehend sword intent at just fifteen years old was enough to proclaim Lin Xueyan the foremost sword cultivator genius in a thousand years!
In a flash, her eyes flashed with golden light. She swung her Qingyun Ancient Sword, radiating a brilliant golden glow, and with overwhelming force, met Shen Xin's Blood Demon Slash head-on.
A thunderous roar erupted from the martial stage.
Gold and black, two terrifying auras converged, colliding with the relentless outpouring of their dreadful power.
The violent winds that raged on the stage swept down to the audience, forcing many to condense profound energy for defense, lest they be blown away.
Observing the martial stage, now completely covered by violent profound energy, the expressions of those below were peculiar.
"Seriously, can two juniors fighting create this much commotion?"
After a few breaths, Lin Xueyan gritted her teeth, her sword-wielding hands releasing profound energy with all their might. Her strike, imbued with the power of the storm and amplified by sword intent, quickly shattered Shen Xin's Blood Demon Slash!
Finally, the power contained within the Qingyun Ancient Sword breached Shen Xin's defenses. Lin Xueyan's figure, like an afterimage, lunged towards him, her golden sword tip instantly piercing his body.
"It's over."
Lin Xueyan's gathered sword intent had yet to dissipate. She coldly gazed at Shen Xin, whose face still held a look of astonishment, and drew her Qingyun Ancient Sword, drawing a trail of blood.