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Hun Zhang took out a single-handed sword that was a bluish-green color and didn't look sharp, resembling a toy sword a child might carve from wood.
Xiao Zhan's gaze lingered on his weapon for two seconds, then the two figures vanished from his sight.
Intense energy fluctuations came from the sky; he and Hun Xiao were protected by Hun Qiu and didn't need to directly face the impact of that energy, so relatively speaking, they might not have felt it as directly as others.
However, judging from the dense spatial cracks in the sky and the constantly pulverizing rocks, they had engaged in a very fierce confrontation from the start.
Hun Zhang's figure suddenly appeared, and he slashed forward with a green sword light.
Hun Jing appeared on the other side, extended his right hand, forming a giant black energy palm that crushed the sword light, then continued forward.
Hun Zhang's figure suddenly split into countless copies, each seemingly indistinguishable from the true body; they dispersed, evading Hun Jing's lock-on, then immediately converged, condensing into a slightly panting figure.
At their level, the cultivation techniques and Dou Techniques they practiced were basically top-tier, and there wouldn't be any particularly poor combat skills or awareness, so there was almost no possibility of fighting above their level... unless certain unconventional secret methods were used.
Hun Zhang had fallen into a disadvantage in the previous exchange, but he wasn't disappointed; instead, he reminded, "Senior Hun Jing, you'll need to be careful next."
"Come on then, let me see what kind of growth and progress you've made," Hun Jing's aged voice revealed a hint of anticipation.
Hun Zhang's expression suddenly became extremely serious, and his gaze grew solemn.
He swung his sword upwards and forwards; as the wooden sword moved forward, he released his grip, and the wooden sword shot out, flying forward.
"Obscuring Soul Sword!"
A strange fluctuation rippled from the sword body, and a mist-like light emerged, causing Hun Jing's consciousness to blur for a moment.
Hun Zhang had already taken out a second sword; this was a purple-gold short sword, with faint dragon scales appearing on its blade.
He held the sword in one hand and thrust it forward; the short sword also left his right hand and flew out.
"Imprisoning Soul Sword!"
Space began to solidify, and the cracks caused by their battle quickly healed; Hun Jing seemed to fall into a mire, and all his movements became slow.
Hun Zhang, panting, took out a third sword; this was a seven-colored greatsword, very similar in appearance to the sword Hun Dan carried on his back.
Seeing this, Hun Qiu and Hun Dan's eyes lit up; they knew what Hun Zhang was going to do next.
Hun Zhang gripped the greatsword with both hands and flung it out again.
"Devouring Soul Sword."
A power that seemed capable of devouring everything emanated from the greatsword.
The three swords floated in three different directions in the sky, forming a massive array.
Behind the bluish-green wooden sword, a gigantic ancient tree's phantom appeared; the purple-gold short sword transformed into a coiled Taixu Ancient Dragon; and the final seven-colored greatsword changed into a Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python with a dark, gaping maw.
He used these three special swords to unleash a simplified version of the sword array that only the Three Sword Saints could use in conjunction!
Hun Zhang looked at Hun Jing, who was trapped in the array, a wide smile on his face:
"These three swords exhausted my painstaking efforts, made respectively from a branch of the Bodhi Ancient Tree, the demon core of a ninth-rank Taixu Ancient Dragon, and the demon core of a ninth-rank Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python."
"Some time ago, a change occurred in the Nether Serpent Earth Vein, the dwelling place of the Nine Serene Deep Earth Python Tribe. I went to investigate and was lucky enough to encounter the remains of an ancient Sky Swallowing Python, which allowed me to perfect this move."
A hint of surprise appeared on Hun Jing's aged face, and his expression also became solemn; he truly felt a strong threat from this sword array.
He took a deep breath, his aura strengthening by a few points, and activated a burst-type secret method with minor side effects, while simultaneously forming complex and profound hand seals with both hands.
Silver cracks appeared on Hun Jing's hands, like shattered mirror fragments; he praised, "A very powerful move, but I wonder if it can block my move… Shattered Mirror Great Hand Seal!"
A silver palm covered in mirror-like cracks pressed towards Hun Zhang; wherever it passed, space shattered inch by inch, and the cracks began to spread outwards, revealing the void, which was black with swirling multicolored hues.
Hun Zhang smiled and said, "I still have one more sword…"
Saying that, he raised the last slender straight sword in his hand and lowly shouted, "Extinguish Soul Sword!"
With one thrust, everything seemed to dissolve; under this sword light, it was as if nothing could exist. From the sword array formed by the three swords, new sword shadows continuously merged into it, making this sword light increasingly sharp and vast.
On the highest peak of the Soul Clan, a pair of exceptionally bright eyes gazed at this scene, showing a rare hint of admiration.
The sword light dissolved the silver giant hand, covered in mirror-shattered cracks, and continued its momentum, rushing towards Hun Jing.
Hun Jing wanted to dodge, but the surrounding space seemed to have solidified.
Is this the influence of the Imprisoning Soul Sword? This thought flashed through his mind.
Just as the sword light was about to strike Hun Jing, a ghost-head broadsword cleaved through the void, a dark, gloomy light shattered the mist-like light, and a black energy palm suddenly appeared in front of him, extinguishing the greatly weakened sword light.
Hun Jing escaped the battle, his face covered in cold sweat as he gazed at the three distinct swords floating in the sky, then quickly regained his composure.
His tone was complex, carrying a mix of relief and disappointment as he said, "I lost."
"Tsk, the reputation of us Four Demon Saints is going to be surpassed," Hun Kill said with a surge of murderous aura, his tone quite displeased.
"Why don't you go up and fight him?" Hun Jing said.
Hun Kill fell silent; he knew that Hun Jing, aside from desperate measures with severe side effects, had already used all his techniques. The Four Demon Saints were almost equal in strength, and if he went up, it would likely be the same result.
Hun Jing sighed, "He caught me off guard with that move, but even if I knew his trump card beforehand, I could at most hold out a bit longer… Heh heh, they truly have grown up."
Hun Zhang put away the sword array, and for once, dropped his carefree demeanor, respectfully cupping his hands with a solemn tone, "Thank you for the lesson, Senior Hun Jing."
As the battle concluded, figures successively flew from the mountain peak and scattered in various directions. Xiao Zhan then realized with a start that there were far more strong cultivators watching than he had initially estimated.
These were only the ones he saw; there should have been many more eyes hidden in the shadows, peeking at this place.
The slight complacency he had felt due to the Xiao Family's growing strength vanished without a trace, replaced by mountain-like pressure.
...
Deep within the energy-surging void, Amon, wearing a pointed soft hat and a black classical robe, stroked his monocle, a smile forming on his lips: "An array, huh… Interesting. I should study it when I have time."
...
The commotion in the Soul Realm had not yet subsided. Although the "Three Sword Saints" were a hidden force of the Soul Clan, their existence was not a secret within the Soul Realm.
It was just that most people were unaware that their strength was already enough to rival the Four Demon Saints… even those Dou Venerate-level spectators. The battles between Seven Star Dou Saint had already exceeded their comprehension; they only knew that the Three Sword Saints were very strong, and the Four Demon Saints were even stronger!
After all, Hun Zhang and the other two had repeatedly lost battles before, appearing more like they were using it as a means of tempering themselves.
The Four Demon Saints also didn't seem like challengers, but rather senior figures guiding their juniors… which was pretty much the case.
But this time, the outcome was different.
The onlookers all felt as if they were witnessing history. They personally felt that times were changing… even the Four Demon Saints, whose might had suppressed ancient clans, would have a day when they were replaced. And while feeling emotional, they also developed more awe for Soul Emperor and Void Swallowing Flame.
The former had already governed the Soul Clan for thousands of years and still showed no signs of decline, while the latter had protected the Soul Clan since ten thousand years ago, ensuring the continuation of their bloodline power.
Just as they were leaving with various thoughts, a calm but incredibly clear voice echoed in everyone's ears:
"The result of today's battle must not be revealed to anyone, including the clan's descendants."
This was Soul Emperor's voice!
Everyone stopped in unison, turned around, faced the direction of the highest peak, bowed slightly, and respectfully replied, "Yes, Clan Leader."
Hun Zhang came to Xiao Zhan's side, his face a bit pale; that last move had been a huge drain on him as well.
After catching his breath, he said to Xiao Zhan with an exaggerated expression, "See? I didn't embarrass you… I beat that old guy. My sister's status is definitely worthy of Xiao Yan."
Xiao Zhan thought this was something the Amon avatar had previously arranged with Hun Zhang, so to avoid giving himself away, he could only mumble his agreement.
Additionally, he was also worried that if he didn't appease this guy, the other party would directly head to the Black-Corner Region to harm Xiao Yan… The current Xiao Clan had no strong cultivators capable of matching him.
Thus, Xiao Yan's marriage was formally decided.
"Oh, by the way, Dad, when do you think would be a good time? How about we pick a wedding date for them?" Hun Zhang said with a smile.
"Huh? Wedding date?" Xiao Zhan felt a headache coming on.
He should have known better than to establish a mental link with this Amon avatar; what kind of mess was this!
But since he already knew about this situation, he couldn't just directly withdraw.
He hesitated for a moment, then tentatively said, "How about we talk about it later? The children are still young."
Although he wanted to have grandchildren and looked forward to Xiao Yan starting a family, if the woman was from the Soul Clan… the Soul Clan… it didn't seem impossible!
If Xiao Yan put in some effort, he might be able to win over Hun Xiao and thereby influence Hun Zhang's stance.
As a clan head, out of consideration for the clan's interests, he didn't mind using some less-than-honorable methods, and besides, this was called reciprocity!
If the Soul Clan could use Hun Xiao as a bargaining chip to win over their father and son, then why couldn't he use Xiao Yan as a bargaining chip to turn Hun Zhang and his sister against them?
As he thought about it, Xiao Zhan's eyes lit up.
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