Chapter 982: Three Great Flying Swords

The Little Demon Venerable was incredibly powerful. Among all the adversaries Chen Mobai had encountered in his hundred-plus years of cultivation, perhaps only Ming Zun and Qi Yuheng could rival it.

However, Ming Zun's Ghost Embryo was naturally countered by the Pure Yang Scroll, so he died at Chen Mobai's hands without much chance to demonstrate his full power.

As for Qi Yuheng, being a cultivator from the Immortal Sect, their sparring matches lacked any real killing intent.

Therefore, this opponent was arguably the strongest Chen Mobai had faced since his debut.

After drawing the Sea-Calming Sword, Chen Mobai released it. Under his Sword Control Art, this fifth-grade flying sword silently merged into the vast ocean high above.

At that moment, the Little Demon Venerable clenched his right hand, and lightning-infused scales flew from his back, instantly coalescing into a long lightning whip in his palm.

With a swing, the whip instantly straightened like a staff. Amidst a deafening roar, it swept up a torrent of water, wreathed in Heavenly Gang Thunder.

Like a suddenly emerging, narrow beam of light, it thrust forcefully towards Chen Mobai.

The Purple Lightning Sword also erupted instantly, slashing down from the sky. Its broad, thick blade acted like an insurmountable wall, blocking the Little Demon Venerable's lightning-water beam.

As the two opposing forces of lightning collided, a new sun seemed to blaze across the high heavens.

The Little Demon Venerable's expression subtly changed. He had attacked with full power, yet in this direct clash of strength, he couldn't break through the Purple Lightning Sword.

The purple lightning blade, suspended in mid-air, stood like a towering mountain before the Myriad Swords Dharma Body, gradually dissipating the incoming dark-blue lightning beam inch by inch.

This person's sword mastery was truly terrifying!

After refining the fifth-grade Thunder Pearl, the Little Demon Venerable could unleash fifth-grade Ren Water and Gui Water Divine Thunder, relying on his bloodline power. Ordinary Nascent Souls would be reduced to dust by a single strike.

Yet, Chen Mobai not only blocked it, but the Purple Lightning Sword's attribute, which should have been suppressed by the Little Demon Venerable, still managed to easily resist.

This demonstrated that in this exchange, the Little Demon Venerable was essentially slightly inferior.

The Little Demon Venerable found this hard to accept.

After achieving mastery in his cultivation, he believed that only True Monarchs of the God Transformation stage could make him wary. He even dared to approach Tongtian Peak, where Yuan Qingque, the top God Transformation expert in Eastern Continent, resided.

At the Nascent Soul stage, he should have been invincible.

Fifth-grade physical strength, fifth-grade scales, a fifth-grade inner core, fifth-grade thunder techniques, fifth-grade water techniques...

Adorned with fifth-grade attributes, the Little Demon Venerable felt he could even contend with weaker God Transformation True Monarchs. How could he now fail to suppress a mere Nascent Soul cultivator?

With that thought, the Little Demon Venerable let out a fierce roar, unleashing his full demonic energy.

The scales that had solidified into a staff in his hand scattered once more from his palm, then reformed into a long spear with a spiraling tip.

Amidst violent roars, heavenly thunder descended and the ocean raged. The two mighty forces of heaven and earth he commanded perfectly merged within the scaled spear, transforming into a terrifying radiance capable of piercing through the vast cosmos.

At that moment, with a soft *ding*, a strand of glistening sword energy appeared before the Little Demon Venerable, its arrival unnoticed.

The Second Nascent Soul on Chen Mobai's shoulder had a solemn expression. Performing the Primordial Yang Sword Art, it had already gathered the power of the Pure Yang Set, seizing the precise moment when the opponent's power was channeled into an attack, and unleashed this fifth-grade Primordial Yang Sword Fiend strike.

Faced with the attack of condensed sword energy, the Little Demon Venerable's lightning-patterned scales flew off piece by piece, under the control of his divine sense.

They formed a perfect defense; no matter how the glistening sword energy changed its attack direction, it would always be blocked in front of the Little Demon Venerable the moment it struck.

Amidst the clinking and clanging of brilliant sparks, several scales shattered upon clashing with the Primordial Yang Sword Energy.

This scene made the Little Demon Venerable's expression subtly serious.

The lightning-patterned scales were already comparable to fifth-grade defensive artifacts, but the destructive power of a sword cultivator's condensed sword energy was truly terrifying.

Fortunately, he had many scales.

Thinking this, the Little Demon Venerable multitasked, simultaneously controlling his scales to block the Primordial Yang Sword Energy while unleashing the radiance of his lightning-water spear, his most potent piercing attack, directly at the chest of the enormous Myriad Swords Dharma Body!

Although the Myriad Swords Dharma Body was powerful, its large size made it cumbersome to dodge.

However, Chen Mobai had no intention of dodging!

After discerning the true nature of the opponent's strike with the Inch-Square Book, Chen Mobai cradled the Five Extremes Sky Heart Pendant in his palm and channeled his Primal Chaos True Qi into it.

Thanks to the efforts of Zhou Wangshen, Chen Mobai had received a continuous supply of Five Elements Essence Qi, allowing him to accumulate Primal Chaos True Qi to the maximum extent his current cultivation level could withstand.

After Su Zilu was brought back by Ye Qing, Chen Mobai had also inquired about the cultivation methods of the One-Yuan Dao Palace and the divine abilities of Primal Chaos True Qi.

Restricted by her Dao Heart Oath, Su Zilu couldn't reveal everything, but her personal insights and understandings were unrestricted.

Among these insights was a trick for activating the artifacts left by True Monarch One-Yuan using Primal Chaos True Qi.

Only Primal Chaos True Qi could unleash the full power of artifacts forged by an ascended cultivator like him.

Examples included the Primal Chaos Bell, the One-Yuan Dao Palace's most treasured artifact, and the Five Extremes Sky Heart Pendant in Chen Mobai's possession.

With the added power of Primal Chaos True Qi, the defensive artifact instantly erupted in dazzling multi-colored light, transforming in an instant into a massive orb of light that enveloped the Myriad Swords Dharma Body, Chen Mobai, and his Second Nascent Soul.

The Little Demon Venerable's confident piercing strike, upon colliding with the multi-colored shield, erupted in a deafening roar.

But then the sound grew increasingly muffled, and the lightning-water spear's radiance dimmed under the influence of the Five Extremes Sky Heart Pendant.

After a few breaths, the Little Demon Venerable suddenly felt that the Water Element Heaven and Earth Power he had controlled had vanished from his spiritual perception.

As for the Ren Water and Gui Water Divine Thunder he had condensed, being a mixture of water and lightning spiritual energy, their structure naturally became imbalanced once the water spiritual energy dissipated.

With a crisp splash, the Little Demon Venerable's most potent piercing strike, the lightning-water spear, instantly disintegrated, like a basin of water being spilled and emptied.

"Isn't Primal Chaos True Qi only effective against Five Element spells?"

Witnessing this, the Little Demon Venerable was immediately incredulous.

"All things in heaven and earth, in their essence, are derived from Yin-Yang and the Five Elements. Although your two great thunder techniques incorporate heavenly thunder, they are still within the Five Elements."

Chen Mobai calmly stated, this was something Su Zilu had taught him.

As a sacred land, the One-Yuan Dao Palace had long perfected the application of Primal Chaos True Qi.

If opponents could simply use spells outside the Five Elements to nullify Primal Chaos True Qi, then True Monarch One-Yuan would have ascended in vain.

Breaking Five Element spiritual energy was merely the most basic application of Primal Chaos True Qi. Beyond that, as taught by Su Zilu, it involved using Primal Chaos True Qi to disrupt the Five Element structure within an opponent's spell.

The Five Extremes Sky Heart Pendant, originally a low-grade fifth-level defensive artifact, would have found it quite difficult, possibly even impossible, to block the Little Demon Venerable's spear.

However, with the enhancement of Primal Chaos True Qi, it only needed to resist for a moment before actively dispersing the water spiritual energy within the opponent's thunder spell.

This effortlessly defused the formidable strike.

Of course, achieving this was also due to Chen Mobai's Inch-Square Book, which had already established a combat model for the Little Demon Venerable during their previous exchanges.

After neutralizing the opponent's spear, Chen Mobai gave the Little Demon Venerable no respite. The Myriad Swords Dharma Body waved its sword-fingers, and the Purple Lightning and Azure Frost swords transformed into purple thunder and cold radiance, absorbing the endless Yin-Yang Qi from the high heavens. Amidst continuous rotation and transformation, a colossal purple-and-azure Yin-Yang Tai Chi symbol appeared above the Little Demon Venerable's head.

The Two Instruments Sword Fiend Array!

The Sword Fiend Collection, once belonging to Zuo Gong, now manifested in the Celestial River Realm through Chen Mobai.

The surging purple and azure sword energy resembled a raging torrent, or a celestial tribulation descending, conjuring thousands of bolts of thunder and frost. With power capable of destroying all life, it instantly crashed down upon the Little Demon Venerable.

"Desolate Thunder Armor!"

Facing this unprecedentedly powerful sword array, the Little Demon Venerable roared fiercely. Lightning-patterned scales flew off from all over his body, converging above his head into a perfectly round hemispherical shield, directly intercepting the thunder and frost generated by the Two Instruments Sword Fiend Array.

Amidst deafening roars, sparks flew from around the Little Demon Venerable. This was the Primordial Yang Sword Fiend being unleashed by the Second Nascent Soul, forcing him to constantly divert attention to resist, preventing him from going all out.

Yet, even under these circumstances, the Little Demon Venerable's formidable strength was fully displayed!

With a flick of his lower dragon tail towards the sky, the vast ocean he had gathered in the heavens surged like towering waves, responding to his command and violently crashing towards the Two Instruments Sword Fiend Array above.

Both these attacks represented the strongest conventional methods of the two combatants.

This time, however, Chen Mobai was on the offensive, and the Little Demon Venerable was defending.

The Purple Lightning and Azure Frost swords unleashed their most powerful forces here. Even if Qing Shi and Qing Jing were reborn, they would be awestruck by this sight.

This was a supreme realm, transcending the Grand Perfection stage of both the Purple Splendor Sword Canon and the Azure Firmament Sword Canon!

It was also the pinnacle of sword mastery that both had pursued throughout their lives.

Amidst the deafening roar, scales shattered and flew off under the Two Instruments Sword Fiend Array, but new scales immediately flew out to fill the gaps.

In this direct confrontation, the Little Demon Venerable also sensed Chen Mobai's extraordinary sword realm—an aura that could threaten his life. The number of refined scales was limited, and at this rate, they would eventually run out.

A hint of apprehension appeared in the Little Demon Venerable's eyes, but there was also an indescribable mix of excitement and fanaticism.

Since emerging from his seclusion, he hadn't faced an opponent who could make him feel a life-or-death crisis, which had led to a lack of accurate understanding of his own strength limits.

"Very good. I hope you can make me bleed and relive the trepidation of my weaker days!"

The Little Demon Venerable spoke, his fragmented golden pupils narrowing. The glistening blue inner core between his two dragon horns transformed into a teardrop mark and merged into his glabella, between his eyes.

The moment the inner core merged, his aura surged once more, seemingly breaking through the limits of the Nascent Soul stage and reaching the peak level of this realm.

Upon seeing this, Chen Mobai's expression remained unchanged, but the Little Demon Venerable model that had already formed in his eyes instantly dissolved. Then, new golden lines emerged, beginning to construct a new model based on the current situation.

After integrating the fifth-grade inner core, the Little Demon Venerable's strength surged dramatically. He directly swung his tail, controlling the towering waves, and charged his true body towards the Two Instruments Sword Fiend Array above!

He had realized that this sword array, with two fifth-grade flying swords at its core and under the control of Chen Mobai's Myriad Swords Dharma Body, could continuously absorb the surrounding Yin-Yang Qi. If the array wasn't broken, its power would only grow over time.

If the opponent were allowed to accumulate sufficiently potent Yin-Yang Qi, the thunder and frost that eventually erupted would shatter all his scales.

Although the Little Demon Venerable's physique was also at the fifth-grade level, he did not wish to directly face the Two Instruments Sword Fiend Array.

In the sky, the humanoid, dragon-tailed monster swept up a thousand layers of surging waves, condensing his scales into another lightning spear, which he thrust forcefully towards the purple-and-azure Tai Chi symbol!

Chen Mobai immediately controlled the Five Extremes Sky Heart Pendant, unleashing multi-colored radiance to dissolve and break the opponent's strike.

However, the Little Demon Venerable, having learned from a previous setback, condensed layer upon layer of lightning to block the multi-colored light.

This was pure thunder power; Chen Mobai's Primal Chaos True Qi had not yet reached the level where it could disrupt this.

The Inch-Square Book at this moment proposed an optimal solution: for him to use the Sea-Calming Sword to stabilize the thousand layers of massive waves controlled by the Little Demon Venerable, thereby reducing the opponent's attack power by thirty to forty percent.

But Chen Mobai immediately rejected this, deciding to save the Sea-Calming Sword for the decisive moment.

With a thunderous crash, the Two Instruments Sword Fiend Array was now pierced by the Little Demon Venerable!

The Purple Lightning and Azure Frost swords buzzed, unleashing all the accumulated Yin-Yang Qi as per Chen Mobai's instructions. Then, purple-and-azure flames ignited simultaneously on both sword blades.

These two flying swords had always possessed a single Dou Shuai Flame, and as the immortal flame originated from the same source as the swords, their combined power could also surge dramatically.

With the added power of two Dou Shuai Flames, the Two Instruments Sword Fiend Array, which had been pierced and was on the verge of collapsing, instantly unleashed an unprecedented and immense power.

Amidst the purple and azure fire, the lightning-water spear that the Little Demon Venerable had thrust into the heart of the sword array began to evaporate, wisp by wisp.

Then, the Purple Lightning and Azure Frost themselves plunged down from the eyes of the array's two poles. Their blades, burning with purple and azure divine flames, struck the Little Demon Venerable's scaled defense, instantly shattering and melting a dozen or so scales.

The Little Demon Venerable's expression remained unchanged upon seeing this. The lightning-patterned scales, already refined to his will, began to overlap in front of the two flying swords' blades.

One layer, two layers, three layers...

A total of seven layers of scales were stacked, finally completely blocking the Purple Lightning and Azure Frost swords, preventing them from piercing another inch.

But at this moment, an even more intense and surging heat wave rushed forth.

The Little Demon Venerable turned his head and his expression immediately changed drastically. He saw Chen Mobai, standing on the shoulder of the Myriad Swords Dharma Body, lightly shake the Dou Shuai Eight Scenery Lamp in his hand. In an instant, six more Dou Shuai Flames flew out, individually empowering the Purple Lightning and Azure Frost swords.

The Two Instruments Sword Fiend Array, which had been nearly stagnant, roared back to life in that instant, and the lightning-water spear stuck in its center completely disintegrated.

As for Purple Lightning and Azure Frost, empowered by so many Dou Shuai Flames, their blades glowed fiery red, subtly resembling transparent red crystal.

The seven layers of scales that had previously managed to restrain the two sword blades were instantly vaporized into nothingness.

Witnessing this, the Little Demon Venerable roared in anger, knowing that his Desolate Thunder Armor could no longer defend against these two fifth-grade flying swords, which were empowered by so many Dou Shuai Flames. He immediately unleashed his strongest power.

The teardrop mark between his eyes suddenly glowed with an eerie blue immortal light. Subsequently, all the water elemental essence within tens of thousands of miles seemed to be under his control, surging in continuously and transforming into a hazy blue mist, which then made contact with the fiercely burning purple and azure divine flames on the sword blades.

The fifth-grade immortal flames, representing the power of life, astonishingly began to extinguish little by little under the mist.

Chen Mobai saw this and knew that saving the Sea-Calming Sword for last was the correct decision.

Within the eyes of the Myriad Swords Dharma Body, the phantom of the Sea-Calming Sword flickered. This Immortal Sect flying sword, already merged into the surrounding ocean, emerged from beneath the Little Demon Venerable.

The moment the Sea-Calming Sword appeared, the golden tassel on the pearl at its pommel shimmered with spiritual light, activating the fifth-grade spell, Calming the Waves.

All three previous owners of this sword in the Immortal Sect were True Monarchs of the God Transformation stage; among them, Long Lian and Zhong Li were even at the peak of God Transformation, capable of attempting Void Refinement.

This Calming the Waves technique, empowered by their enhancements, could reach the peak of fifth-grade power.

Although Chen Mobai could only unleash it by relying on the spiritual energy accumulated over years in the sword's pommel pearl, it was still more than enough to deal with the Little Demon Venerable, who was not at the God Transformation stage.

The teardrop mark on the Little Demon Venerable's glabella flickered erratically, and then he felt he had lost control over the surrounding heaven and earth's water elemental power.

The hazy blue mist that was eroding the Dou Shuai Flames began to dissipate, and similarly, the thousand layers of massive waves that had been crashing against the Two Instruments Sword Fiend Array also began to calm.

In an instant, the high-altitude battlefield, which had been fraught with gales, heavy rains, and surging waves, suddenly transformed as if it were a placid lake.

Deprived of control over the world's water elemental power, the Little Demon Venerable instantly felt a chill in his tail.

This was because the Sea-Calming Sword, imbued with peak fifth-grade aura, was already aimed at him.

And above, although some of the Dou Shuai Flames had been extinguished by the hazy blue mist, the Purple Lightning and Azure Frost swords still burned with immortal fire on their blades, beginning to melt the scales piece by piece, irresistibly plunging towards his head.

"Three fifth-grade flying swords! As expected of the One-Yuan Dao Palace, renowned for its artifact refining, to possess such a deep foundation!"

Seeing Chen Mobai produce another fifth-grade flying sword that heavily countered him, the Little Demon Venerable couldn't help but speak with envy.

He, the dignified Young Master of Myriad Immortals Island, commanding nearly half of the Desolate Sea, possessed only two fifth-grade inner cores and his personally refined Desolate Thunder Armor.

Yet, in his battle with Chen Mobai, aside from three fifth-grade flying swords, there were also the fifth-grade Five Extremes Sky Heart Pendant and the fifth-grade Dou Shuai Eight Scenery Lamp.

Such a display of wealth filled him, a demon, with envy and jealousy, almost making him curse aloud.

But Chen Mobai did not respond to the Little Demon Venerable's words. Although the Myriad Swords Dharma Body was powerful, continuously activating three fifth-grade flying swords was becoming taxing; its originally substantial, towering form was now slightly transparent.

His cultivation was inferior to the Little Demon Venerable's, and prolonging the fight might lead to unforeseen complications.

With a thought, the Sea-Calming Sword shot out like an arrow from a bowstring. Coordinated with the Purple Lightning and Azure Frost swords, the three fifth-grade flying swords attacked the Little Demon Venerable from above and below!

Where the three swords passed, space itself seemed to tear, producing numerous fine, dark fissures.

The Little Demon Venerable roared, and simultaneously, the two fifth-grade inner cores, both within and on his body's surface, erupted with vast, ancient power.

He then adjusted his Desolate Thunder Armor, releasing his restraint on the Purple Lightning and Azure Frost swords. Scales gathered beneath him, preparing to block the Sea-Calming Sword.

His two dragon horns on his head assimilated and poured forth the power of the two fifth-grade inner cores. Wreathed in bolts of lightning and streams of water, imbued with primal heaven-and-earth power, they struck upwards against the plunging Purple Lightning and Azure Frost swords.

Among Chen Mobai's three flying swords, although the Sea-Calming Sword was of the highest grade, the Purple Lightning and Azure Frost swords, with their Sword Fiend Array gathering immense Yin-Yang Qi and the enhancement of Dou Shuai Flames, wielded even greater power.

Therefore, he intended to use his strongest and most robust parts to resist.

As for the Sea-Calming Sword, he trusted his Desolate Thunder Armor could fully block it!

On the shoulder of the Myriad Swords Dharma Body, the golden lines that had scattered in Chen Mobai's eyes instantly re-formed. A new model of the Little Demon Venerable appeared, simulating various scenarios of the three swords striking.

*Clang!*

The Purple Lightning and Azure Frost swords plunged simultaneously, blocked by the Little Demon Venerable's two dragon horns. The sword blades, burning with fiercely enhanced Dou Shuai Flames, left sword marks on both horns.

But the Little Demon Venerable no longer channeled the power of his fifth-grade water-attribute inner core outward; he poured it entirely into his two horns, stalemating the Dou Shuai Flames.

Since Chen Mobai did not primarily cultivate water-attribute techniques, Calming the Waves could not pacify or control this.

However, for him, the Purple Lightning and Azure Frost swords were not the decisive factor.

A series of water splashes erupted from the Sea-Calming Sword's blade. As the sword spirit had not yet awakened, Chen Mobai could only use the sword's inherent sharpness against his opponent.

With a *ding*, after a few scales of the Desolate Thunder Armor were shattered, it indeed blocked the Sea-Calming Sword.

At that moment, the Myriad Swords Dharma Body raised its right hand and unleashed a sword intent it had extracted but never before used.

It was Ye Qing's Drifting Clouds Sword Intent!

The sword arts of the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect were all water-attributed, perfectly matching the Sea-Calming Sword's attribute.

Under the enhancement of this sword intent, the Desolate Thunder Armor, which had been easily blocking the Sea-Calming Sword, suddenly seemed to turn into nothingness, allowing the Sea-Calming Sword's blade to pass through unhindered.

*Pffft!*

The Little Demon Venerable, fully concentrated on resisting the Purple Lightning and Azure Frost swords, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his tail. Then, the Sea-Calming Sword pierced into his chest. Amidst intense pain, he used his fifth-grade physique to forcibly expel the Sea-Calming Sword from his body.

Chen Mobai saw a gash open on the Little Demon Venerable's chest, and then, astonishingly, he directly reached into his own body and slowly pulled out the Sea-Calming Sword.

"Purple Lightning and Azure Frost swords!"

Chen Mobai immediately controlled the other two fifth-grade flying swords, enhancing them with Zhang Daosun's Dao Annihilation Sword. He had only grasped the rudiments of this sword art, but even rudimentary understanding was extraordinary in a Nascent Soul level confrontation.

But the Little Demon Venerable was now fighting desperately. As the Purple Lightning and Azure Frost swords blazed fiercely, his eyes became bloodshot, and his dragon horns continuously erupted with eerie blue immortal light, astonishingly blocking them once more.

With a muffled grunt of suppressed pain, the Little Demon Venerable pulled the Sea-Calming Sword from his chest.

Just as he was about to employ a technique to suppress this fifth-grade flying sword, he suddenly realized that the sword felt as if it didn't exist in his palm.

"The Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect's Unprepared Sword Art!"

At this moment, the Little Demon Venerable finally realized what was happening.

"Aren't you a One-Yuan Daoist Disciple? How could you also cultivate the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect's supreme sword art?!"

But Chen Mobai, expressionless, once again had the Myriad Swords Dharma Body activate the Drifting Clouds Sword Intent.

The Little Demon Venerable, who had just pulled out the Sea-Calming Sword, instantly felt a sharp pain in his chest as the Sea-Calming Sword once again manifested physically, piercing him right through.

Ye Qing's Drifting Clouds Sword Intent could ignore defenses, but when engaging the enemy's physical body, it had to materialize, otherwise it couldn't inflict damage.

If he had more experience, the Little Demon Venerable would surely have devised a countermeasure. But this was his first encounter with the Unprepared Sword Art. Even if he had heard of it and imagined ways to deal with it, he found them utterly useless in actual combat.

This was the supreme sword art of the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Sect, which dominated the Celestial River Realm!

Amidst intense pain, the Little Demon Venerable finally felt the threat of death.

For the first time, fear appeared in his eyes.