At the moment when the dragon scales collided with the Sword Light, sparks burst out like a meteor shower, scorching holes into the Cloud Sea.

The Flood Dragon suddenly arched its body, its four claws swelling three times in size, with faint space wrinkles appearing at the claw tips — precisely the result of Chen Sheng's year-long rigorous training in the Great Wilderness Heaven-tearing Hand.

"Roar!"

The desolate dragon's roar shook the clouds into a tumult, and the Flood Dragon's right claw swept down with a sharp whistle that seemed to tear through the void.

The claw mark was as black as ink, devouring even light in its path; the silver-net-like Sword Light shattered instantly, fragments of broken swords falling like kites with snapped strings.

A space fissure about ten feet wide cracked open in the clouds, revealing the turbulent gray airflow behind it, which was instantly smoothed out by the dragon breath the Flood Dragon exhaled.

"Congratulations on finally mastering it, fellow Daoist!"

Amid the wreckage of the Sword Light, Master Shi Fang's figure appeared, floating on an Escape Light of a Talisman Paper.

His bare feet dripped Spirit Wine from the Red Gourd through his fingers, forming a Wine Sword phantom mid-air. Observing the spatial ripples left at the claw tips of the Flood Dragon, he exclaimed in wonder:

"This Great Wilderness Heaven-tearing Hand truly has impressive might!"

The Red Blood Flood Dragon lifted its giant, bone-spurred claw, its dragon head gently shaking as its voice rolled like muffled thunder across the Cloud Sea:

"I only just touched the threshold. Now I realize the mystery of Void Power is far beyond my reach."

When the Great Wilderness Heaven-tearing Hand is cultivated to Perfection, it can steadily Control a small area of void.

Over the past year, aside from his daily Cultivation, Chen Sheng devoted his efforts to comprehending this Divine Technique, with Master Shi Fang as his sparring partner, barely reaching the level to display it.

To reach Perfection and Control Void Power, there is still a long way to go.

The black claw mark at the claw tip was fading at a visible speed; to steadily tear a small piece of void requires at least another ten years of arduous effort, not to mention the subsequent challenges...

Master Shi Fang tucked the Red Gourd at his waist and boldly waved his sleeve:

"If Void Power were so easy to grasp, how could Nascent Soul True Monarchs be worthy of being called Great Divine Power Users? I've finished my sparring for today; now it's your turn to spar with me in Sword Refining!"

Before the words had finished echoing, the enormous body of the Flood Dragon suddenly shrank, the Red Gold scales transforming into flowing light merging into its form, ultimately condensing into the figure of Chen Sheng.

His Purple-Blue Daoist Robe was still tainted with wisps of chaotic spatial gray aura, which ignited into sparks and vanished at the flick of his fingers:

"Then please, go ahead."

Since Master Shi Fang learned of his mastery of Sword Heart and Sword Intent, he often dragged him into sword duels.

For Chen Sheng, this mid-stage Golden Core Sword Cultivator was also the best sparring partner to polish his Swordsmanship, without the slightest resistance.

"Bring it on!"

Master Shi Fang suddenly tore open his robe, revealing his bronze skin engraved with Sword Talismans on his chest.

With a flick of his fingers, the red Flying Sword suspended at his waist suddenly expanded, the sword blade covered in dense Thunder Rune Talismans, its Sword Cry exploding like thunder:

"Taste my 'Red Thunder Sword'!"

The Flying Sword drew a red arc in the air, stirring the air into a vortex, instantly forming a rushing river of Sword Qi.

The river was composed of millions of tiny Thunder Swords, the crests crashing with crackling explosions, even charring the clouds black.

Chen Sheng remained calm and unhurried, the Sword Pill in his Dantian suddenly accelerating its rotation.

Countless Purple-Blue Sword Qi, as thin as cowhair, burst out, weaving into a Sword Gang about ten feet wide in front of him, the Gang Wind wrapped in star-like light specks, merging into the Sword Intent of the "Star Shattering Slash."

"Boom——"

At the moment the Sword Gang collided with the Thunder River, the entire Nine Cloud Peak trembled violently.

The Purple-Blue Sword Light cleaved through the Red River like a sharp blade, shattering the crest of the Thunder Swords into pieces, with remaining Thunder Arcs sizzling chaotically mid-air.

A sharp gleam flashed in Master Shi Fang's eyes, his form suddenly merging with the Red Thunder Sword, transforming into a streak of red light piercing through the heavens and earth.

The Sword Light, while speeding, continuously divided, splitting into two, then into four, and in an instant, it turned into thousands of Flying Swords, each sword blade burning with orange-red flames, setting a corner of the sky ablaze.

"Kill!"

Thousands of Fire Swords simultaneously issued a dragon's roar, some transforming into fierce Fire Dragons, others dispersing like scattered fireflies across the sky, blocking all escape routes as they advanced and retreated.

Where the Fire Wave passed, even the void was scorched and distorted, testifying to its extreme temperature.

Yet Chen Sheng remained calm and composed.

Although Master Shi Fang's Sword Speed was fast, he was not adept at moving the sword vertically; he always remained within the range of Chen Sheng's Divine Sense.

With Sword Heart Clarity, he had long since discerned the weakness in the sea of fire — within that seemingly chaotic cluster of fireflies was the hub maintained by Master Shi Fang's Mana.

"Break!"

Chen Sheng opened his mouth to spit out a Purple-Blue Flying Sword, the sword blade streaming with starlight-like luster.

He moved with the sword, transforming into a purple rainbow and streaking through the sea of flames. The Fire Dragons approaching to spew fire were shredded into sparks by the Sword Light.

The Flying Sword, as if it had eyes, penetrated the Flowing Firefly Formation and accurately struck the hub.

"Puff—"

The Fire Sword Array instantly collapsed, and Master Shi Fang staggered out from the dissipating red light, shaking his head helplessly:

"Defeated again."

Chen Sheng sheathed his sword and waved his sleeve, scattering the fire sparks in the air:

"Why cling to a pure sword contest, Dao Brother? That is the Way of Ten Thousand Swords, not our way."

"Your art of the Talisman Sword is already enough to reign supreme, using the sword as bone and the talisman as soul, and it can also be invincible."

Master Shi Fang burst into hearty laughter upon hearing this, his laughter shaking the Cloud Sea:

"Well said! Then today, let me show you my true skills!"

He formed hand seals rapidly with both hands, and the Red Thunder Sword suddenly shattered into billions of crimson Talisman Papers, forming an endless Talisman Sea in the void.

These Talisman Papers were engraved with sword-shaped runes, producing a sound of clanging metal when the waves crashed, perfectly blending Sword Gang with Talisman Power.

Chen Sheng's eyes brightened at once, Master Shi Fang's Talisman Dao talent indeed far surpassed Sword Dao!

Those Talisman Papers in midair formed a towering sword wave, retaining the invincible sharpness of the Flying Sword and the unpredictable nature of Talismans. Each rise and fall of the waves derived different Sword Techniques, dazzling to behold.

Chen Sheng tentatively wielded a Purple-Blue Sword Light that pierced the heavens and the earth, not expecting that just as the Sword Light pierced into the Talisman Sea, it slashed down a figure of Master Shi Fang.

As the figure dissolved into Talisman Paper, several identical figures suddenly emerged from the Talisman Sea, each holding a Red Thunder Sword, their fluttering robes making it difficult to discern the true from the false.

"This move is called Hundred Talisman Incarnation, can you recognize my true form, my friend?"

Master Shi Fang's laughter came from all directions, making the Talisman Sea churn even more violently, even preventing Chen Sheng's Sword Heart from locking onto the true figure.

"Your technique of 'Hundred Talisman Incarnation' is indeed mysterious, Dao Brother."

Chen Sheng laughed heartily, and the Purple-Blue Sword Light suddenly split into hundreds of strands, shooting towards the Talisman Sea like a torrential rain:

"No matter how many incarnations, slaying them all resolves it!"

Where the Sword Light descended, the Talisman Sea continuously exploded, and the figures dispersed one after another.

But every time a figure was obliterated, three new figures would emerge from the Talisman Sea, seemingly endless.

Chen Sheng simply pointed his sword to the sky, unleashing a torrential Sword Essence around him, instantly forming a Wind and Thunder Sword Array covering a ten-mile radius.

As the array erupted with thunder and lightning, gusts howled, countless sword shadows transformed into Cyan Dragons and White Tigers, locking the entire Talisman Sea in the center.

The Talisman Sea was continuously constricted by the Sword Light, seeming about to collapse, when Master Shi Fang suddenly formed a seal with both hands, causing countless golden Runes to surface in the Talisman Sea.

"Break!"

The Runes formed a giant key shadow, which, upon inserting into the array's node, caused a severe flicker of light and pried open a gap about a zhang wide.

Master Shi Fang's figure slipped through the gap, throwing a Red Gourd into the air, the wine from which transformed into Talisman Paper to seal the gap:

"A Tier Three High Grade Forbidden-Breaking Talisman, what do you think, my friend?"

Chen Sheng quickly formed a seal to change the array, instantly transforming the Wind and Thunder Sword Array into a Star Array Sun-Drawing Array.

Within the array, starlight twinkled, sword shadows surged, pulling the just-escaped Master Shi Fang back in, while twisting the surrounding Spiritual Power space, forming the Nine Palaces, Eight Trigrams, and Seven-Star Linked Array, layer upon layer like a thousand-layer pancake.

"Interesting!"

Master Shi Fang dashed left and right within the array, gathering Sword Qi at his fingertips, continuously deriving Forbidden-Breaking Rune Patterns to flick towards the array's edges.

He never used brute force to break the array; simply ripping open a small fissure at the edge allowed him to travel freely through Talisman Power, and the techniques of a Tier Three High Grade Talisman Dao Grandmaster frequently revealed flaws in Chen Sheng's Linked Array.

The two sparred in the air for a full three hours!

Just as Chen Sheng's Sword Array was about to shred the Talisman Sea, a Forbidden-Breaking Talisman tore open an opening, and as Master Shi Fang's Talisman Sea was about to drown the Sword Array, it was trapped at the center by the space-twisting Star Array.

Ultimately, Chen Sheng dispersed his Sword Array, Master Shi Fang withdrew his Talisman Sea, and the two stood facing each other, both slightly disheveled in breath.

"It seems to be a draw."

Chen Sheng brushed off the talisman ash from his robe corner, but his eyes sparkled with excitement, having just unravelled the Path of Vertical Sword and discovered the Sword Array's shortcomings against the Forbidden-Breaking Talisman; this spar happened at a perfect time.

Master Shi Fang took a swig of Spirit Wine and wiped his mouth:

"Your path of the Sword Array is truly exquisite, if not for my familiarity with the Forbidden-Breaking Talisman, I might have fallen today."

Chen Sheng clasped his hands and smiled:

"Dao Brother's art of the Talisman Sword is truly unfathomable; one day I must learn the method of combining Talisman Arrays."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.