Holding the Crimson Sky Sword, Ye Xingchen used his inner energy to its fullest extent in an instant, and the battle between the two entered a white-hot state in a flash.
Boom... The floorboards were blown off the ground. If Ye Xingchen were to unleash his full power, he would be no less than a Saint-level expert.
The old man before them was mysterious, and his strength had already surpassed the Celestial Phenomenon Realm. He could break through to the next realm at any time if he wished.
The two men exchanged blows, one throwing a punch and the other a sword, both proceeding with extreme caution.
In the blink of an eye, a hundred moves had passed. Both sides retreated several steps and then cautiously looked at each other.
"The old man's strength far exceeds my expectations." Ye Xingchen held the Crimson Sky sword, his expression becoming somewhat solemn.
“You are the same.” The old man looked up at Ye Xingchen and smiled slightly. “I originally thought that I could fight you to a draw with 80% of my strength, but now I’m using 99% of my strength and I’m still only fighting you to a draw.”
"Your strength and realm are completely mismatched. You are fully capable of breaking through to the Saint realm."
"My thoughts are the same as the old man's," Ye Xingchen said with a slight smile. "A Dao heart must be tempered and refined a thousand times before it can reach its peak."
"Therefore, realm only reflects a person's level of understanding, and cannot truly reflect a person's strength."
"If a person cares too much about their level of attainment, it will actually cause their Dao heart to fall into a lower level."
"Good, good, that's exactly what I thought." The old man showed an approving expression: "All these years, I have been looking for a successor, hoping to pass on my mantle."
"But I haven't found a suitable candidate yet. You are quite suitable, but unfortunately we are rivals."
"It's fate, it's all fate."
“Even if we are not rivals, I would never accept your mantle.” Ye Xingchen shook his head: “Because your strength is on par with mine, you are not qualified to be my master yet.”
"Hehe, a touch of madness, not bad, really quite good." The old man looked at Ye Xingchen approvingly: "Now, you should get serious, right?"
"Well, if you break through to the Saint realm now, there might still be a glimmer of hope." Ye Xingchen nodded.
"It's not necessary." The old man shook his head and said, "Whether we take that glimmer of hope or not is actually unimportant."
"You're... seeking death." Ye Xingchen looked up at the old man and sighed softly.
This old man is quite strong, and he is already a Saint-level expert. If he were to advance any further, I would definitely not be his match. However, he seems to be seeking death and has no intention of advancing any further.
"I hope you will grant my request, young friend." The old man clasped his hands and bowed slightly to Ye Xingchen: "I will not become a saint, but I will do my best."
"Are you deliberately trying to make things difficult for me?" Ye Xingchen said, somewhat amused and exasperated. "You're draining my energy. If you want to die, you have a million ways to die. Why make things difficult for me?"
“It’s different. There’s a huge difference between dying at your hands and taking my own life. Besides, my ancestors were indebted to the Nalan clan. If I were to die like this and let you off so easily, it would be against my ancestral teachings.” The old man gently shook his head.
"So you're just going to stick to fighting me to the death?" Ye Xingchen was speechless.
"Therefore, I hope you will grant my request, young friend." The old man bowed respectfully to Ye Xingchen.
"Alright then." Ye Xingchen nodded, picked up Chixiao again, and a crimson stain appeared on his forehead.
"Since the old man is determined to die, I will be a good person this time and send you on your way."
"Thank you, young friend." The old man smiled slightly, slowly raised his head, and straightened his back.
The moment he straightened his back, his entire demeanor changed, as if he had become more than ten years younger.
Ye Xingchen knew that he had adjusted himself to the extreme, and the next battle would be even more difficult and arduous.
But he had no way out. The only way for him to escape unscathed was to defeat the old man. Once he defeated the old man, he could naturally pass through here.
Although Na Yuanzhen may no longer be here, at least he can find some clues here.
Everything has to have a beginning, right?
He slowly extended his right hand, and a palm strike formed in his palm. Then he raised his hand slightly upward, let out a loud shout, and then waved his right hand in the air.
The instant his hand raised and the knife fell, a buzzing sound was heard, and the void itself seemed to distort slightly.
Immediately afterwards, a monstrous sword intent, like a surging river, swept towards Ye Xingchen.
Although it was just a seemingly ordinary longsword, in Ye Xingchen's view, it contained boundless meaning of the Dao of Heaven.
Having reached the old man's level, he was only a hair's breadth away from breaking through to the next realm.
It could even be said that he could break through to a higher realm at any time, and he had already comprehended the Heavenly Dao, and in the darkness, he had already glimpsed a trace of the secrets of Heaven from the Heavenly Dao.
Therefore, his attack was no ordinary attack, but a fatal strike containing boundless power of the Heavenly Dao.
Faced with this attack, Ye Xingchen naturally dared not be careless. He raised his right hand, Chixiao, into the void, and the sky was immediately filled with endless lightning.
With a single, thunderous sword strike, all living beings trembled, and the sky was filled with countless bolts of lightning, each carrying the majestic power of heaven.
Boom... As a bolt of lightning descended from the heavens, the purple lightning condensed into an extremely thick electric snake, roaring towards the old man.
Thunder roared across the sky, forming in an instant.
With a deafening roar, the sword light that the old man had conjured was quickly engulfed by lightning.
Boom... A massive shockwave shot into the sky, and countless rays of light rippled outwards in all directions. The entire world seemed to tremble under this earth-shattering thunder.
I don't know how much time passed, but the world finally quieted down.
Everything around the villa was in disarray, trees were reduced to dust, and even the mountainside was bare.
However, the villa seems to have been protected by some kind of formation, which is why it was preserved.
The old man remained standing in the same spot, his hand still in an attacking stance, but the powerful aura around him had vanished without a trace.
He stared blankly at Ye Xingchen, a complex expression appearing in his eyes, but then his expression relaxed, and his face showed an unprecedented sense of relief.
“Old sir, you’ve lost.” Ye Xingchen looked up at the old man.
"Yes, I lost." The old man nodded gently, and then a look of relief appeared on his face.
"Good riddance, good riddance, haha, at least I won't have to bear that responsibility that wasn't originally mine anymore."
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