Chapter 149: Using the Vast Sea as a Sword

"We cannot afford to be careless, especially when we stop. The sword cultivators we will face from behind will only grow in number, and by then, even the Heavenly Sect will have to bow its head," said Qin Hong earnestly.

Fang Wang smiled and said, "It matters not. Let as many come as may, and as many shall die. When the time truly comes that we cannot defeat them, we shall simply flee."

Qin Hong did not try to persuade him further. Based on Fang Wang's speed just now and his effortless suppression of the ten-thousand-year sword soul, he knew he was by no means a match for Fang Wang.

Perhaps Fang Wang was not arrogant and boastful, but truly possessed the formidable strength to fear no enemy whatsoever.

The group of four flew into Biyou Island, where Xiao Zi, Zhao Zhen, and Zhu Yan came over to watch the commotion.

Landing on the beach, Fang Hanyu immediately crossed his legs and began to circulate his energy, and Qin Qin did the same.

After putting away his sword, Qin Hong looked toward the horizon with a grave expression and said, "It seems the deterrent power of the Heavenly Sect is lower than I expected."

Fang Wang likewise sensed the overwhelming sword intent in the distance. Those who dared to pursue and hunt down Fang Hanyu were all individuals of considerable proficiency in the way of the sword.

"Master, let me strike on your behalf when the time comes!" Zhu Yan said with a ferocious grin, rubbing his hands together in eager anticipation.

Although he had not sorted out the full sequence of events, he could sense the distant aura; a vast number of sword cultivators were approaching. For him, this was an opportunity.

Zhu Yan had long harbored a hidden worry—that he had not yet demonstrated his true might to Fang Wang, and thus he feared Fang Wang might underestimate him.

In truth, he was very strong.

"There is no need; I shall handle it. If you strike, even if you emerge victorious, endless troubles will likely follow. I intend to end this with a single battle, so that none shall ever dare offend us again," Fang Wang said calmly.

These words caused everyone to look at him, and Zhu Yan asked expectantly, "Will you use your sword, or your fists?"

Use a sword?

Qin Hong and Qin Qin were secretly startled. They had long heard the rumors of the Yellow-tier Sword Lord, and the Nine Dragons Subduing Heaven Fist had already shaken the four seas. They had subconsciously assumed the Yellow-tier Sword Lord was a body cultivator, but now it appeared otherwise.

It made sense, of course; since he was contending for the title of Yellow-tier Sword Lord, naturally he must know how to wield a sword.

"Since the enemies are all sword cultivators, I shall naturally meet them with the sword. I will take the boundless sea as my sword and see if I can bury their sword intent."

Gazing into the distance, Fang Wang spoke in a casual tone. Under his control, the thick fog surrounding Biyou Island maintained a massive gap, as if inviting the enemy right into the trap.

"It has been many years since I last saw you draw your sword. Do not disappoint me," Fang Hanyu said. He forced his eyes open, his gaze filled with eager anticipation.

Fang Wang raised his right hand, and the hilt of the Tianhong Sword materialized in his palm. He naturally closed his fingers around it; no blade manifested, only the hilt.

Qin Hong, Qin Qin, and Zhu Yan looked at the Tianhong Sword with quiet curiosity.

Was this a Natal Precious Spirit?

Zhu Yan thought of the Heavenly Palace Halberd; could his master possess a dual natal precious spirit?

At that very moment, an overwhelmingly powerful sword intent struck, causing the thick fog around Biyou Island to churn violently as if it would be dispersed at any second, while towering waves surged across the surface of the sea.

A streak of sword light hurtled through the air, rapidly coming to a halt high in the sky several hundred zhang away from Biyou Island. The sword light dissipated, revealing a man with a full head of white hair and a sturdy physique. With his hands clasped behind his back, his face was not particularly aged, save for his white beard. He wore a cyan robe that fluttered and snapped in the wind.

"Does the Yellow-tier Sword Lord also wish to lay hands on the ten-thousand-year sword soul?"

The white-haired man spoke, his tone carrying a potent oppressive aura.

Fang Wang's voice followed, "Why not wait a little longer for the others to arrive?"

Hearing this, the white-haired man narrowed his eyes slightly and did not immediately make a move.

Zhu Yan whispered, "Master, this person is the Great Elder of the Night Sword Sect, Daoist Qingying, cultivation at the second level of the Golden Body realm."

***

Fang Wang remained unmoved.

Soon, waves of powerful auras followed, rapidly gathering around Daoist Qingying, while a vast and imposing horde of sword cultivators came flying in formation behind them.

"May I ask the Sword Lord, is it truly necessary to protect the person being hunted?"

A voice reached Fang Wang's ears; it was precisely the sound transmission technique of True Immortal Linya of the Heavenly Sect.

Fang Wang could pinpoint True Immortal Linya's location—the fellow was hiding behind a cloud—and immediately replied via sound transmission: "The Heavenly Sect need not intervene. Just watch."

This was offering the Heavenly Sect a graceful way out. It was obvious that the Heavenly Sect did not dare to confront so many sword cultivators; doing so would make countless enemies regardless of victory or defeat.

Fang Wang, however, was not afraid. After all, his home was wherever he roamed.

Because Daoist Qingying and other great cultivators had stopped, the sword cultivators arriving from behind also halted, not daring to act rashly. The scale of sword cultivators stalled in the sky grew ever larger.

"Is that Biyou Island ahead? Is the island master the Yellow-tier Sword Lord who executed Night Canghai?"

"The Yellow-tier Sword Lord is backed by the Longevity Pavilion. It won't be easy to provoke him."

"What is there to fear? With so many of us here, can the Longevity Pavilion hold every single one of us accountable? As long as we slaughter everyone on the island!"

"There is only one ten-thousand-year sword soul; it won't be easy to seize."

"Facing our momentum, surely the Yellow-tier Sword Lord won't still insist on shielding Fang Hanyu?"

The sword cultivators discussed animatedly, their numbers continuously swelling. Soon, they broke the ten thousand mark and continued to grow.

Viewed from Biyou Island, the sword Qi of over ten thousand cultivators caused the vault of heaven to change color, while the waves below churned ceaselessly, whipping up fierce gales between sea and sky.

Zhu Yan came to Fang Wang's side, continuously introducing the identities of those powerful cultivators. There were a full five sword cultivators who had reached the Golden Body realm, over three hundred who had reached the Void Crossing realm, and even the lowest realm was at the Spirit Condensation stage.

The expressions of Qin Hong and Qin Qin grew increasingly grave. Qin Qin looked at Fang Wang, opening and closing her mouth as if she wanted to persuade Fang Wang to strike earlier and annihilate some of the enemies in advance, making it easier to face the ensuing danger.

Yet, seeing that Fang Hanyu showed not the slightest trace of anxiety—his pair of ruthless evil eyes even flashing with an excited light—she was filled with utter perplexity.

Could it be that the Yellow-tier Sword Lord had already surpassed the Golden Body realm?

"Yellow-tier Sword Lord, are you truly determined to defend Fang Hanyu to the death? What relation do you bear to one another?"

A sword cultivator shouted loudly. They saw Fang Hanyu cross-legged and practicing cultivation behind Fang Wang, which indicated that Fang Wang was not trying to monopolize Fang Hanyu, but rather that the two were already acquainted.

No wonder Fang Hanyu had fled in this direction!

"His surname is Fang, and my surname is also Fang. My name is Fang Wang. What relation do you suppose we have?"

Fang Wang's voice rang out, echoing beneath the vault of heaven. Though not thunderous, it clearly reached the ears of every single sword cultivator.

The tens of thousands of cultivators instantly erupted into an uproar, hurling angry curses.

"No wonder! So Fang Hanyu came to seek refuge with an elder!"

"Attack together! The ten-thousand-year sword soul! This might be the only opportunity in our lives!"

"Fang Wang? Never heard of him. I suppose his greatest title is merely the Yellow-tier Sword Lord!"

"Since he is not from an illustrious and prominent family, why should we have any misgivings?"

"Could they perhaps be father and son?"

Hearing the discussions from afar, Fang Hanyu's face quickly turned green. Qin Hong and Qin Qin seemed to realize something, their faces betraying looks of profound shock.

***

Suddenly!

Fang Wang slowly raised the sword hilt in his hand. Under the sunlight, a blade of brilliant white light extended outward from the hilt, instantly capturing the gazes of Zhu Yan, Qin Hong, and Qin Qin.

"Kill!"

Seeing Fang Wang raise his sword, Daoist Qingying shouted the order. The moment the word fell, he was the first to charge toward Fang Wang, followed instantly by the Golden Body realm great cultivators to his left and right.

Their sole target was to seize Fang Hanyu!

Fang Wang shifted his right foot a step aside. In an instant, his entire aura transformed drastically as he simultaneously unleashed the Heavenly Dao True Technique and the Heaven and Earth Sword Intent.

A vast sword intent swept across the expanse of sea and sky at a terrifying speed, leaving Zhu Yan and the others, as well as the tens of thousands of sword cultivators, with no time to react.

At that moment, all motion slowed to a crawl. The flying speed of tens of thousands of cultivators plummeted drastically; even those Golden Body realm cultivators grew as sluggish as crawling tortoises, while the Spirit Condensation realm cultivators appeared as though they had been pinned frozen in mid-air.

Dazzling white light illuminated the faces of Fang Hanyu, Zhu Yan, Qin Hong, Qin Qin, Xiao Zi, and Zhao Zhen.

The brightness and darkness of heaven and earth shifted. Their gazes were entirely focused upon Fang Wang, their mouths hanging open unconsciously, eyes wide with shock.

They saw Fang Wang's robes billowing violently, his entire body glowing with white radiance—the sword-glow of the Heaven and Earth Sword Intent—while the white Qi-flames of the Heavenly Dao True Technique blazed fiercely around him. His figure, etched into their retinas, resembled an immortal deity descending from the heavens.

Just like the tens of thousands of sword cultivators in the distance, they found themselves completely unable to move. An indescribable and immense pressure enveloped them, giving them the sensation that they were standing before the vault of heaven itself.

Immediately following, the pupils of Fang Hanyu, Zhu Yan, and the others shifted downward toward the ocean. They saw countless sword phantoms surging upward from the sea. Seemingly unbound by space and time, as all motion nearly stagnated, these swords enveloped every single cultivator in the sky at blinding speed.

Daoist Qingying's pupils constricted violently. He raised his right hand, attempting to resist the sword phantom hurtling toward him.

The other Golden Body realm great cultivators did the same, yet their movements appeared far too sluggish.

"Taking the boundless sea as a sword..."

Qin Hong's eyes widened, his pupils trembling as monstrous billows raged within his heart.

He had lived for centuries, yet this was the first time he had ever witnessed such vast and boundless sword intent!

Was this truly a realm that a sword cultivator could attain?

Accompanied by a burst of sword light erupting from the center of the heavenly battlefield—stripping all color from the world of sea and sky—Fang Hanyu, Zhu Yan, and the others closed their eyes. The moment they shut them, they felt their physical bodies regain their freedom, and they snapped their eyes open once more.

The sword light between heaven and earth had vanished, and they beheld a scene they would never be able to forget for the rest of their lives.

Sword cultivators burst into sprays of blood one after another, plummeting like rain. There was not even time for cries of agony as the churning surface of the sea was instantly dyed a brilliant crimson.

The five Golden Body realm great cultivators did not fall immediately, yet their bodies were riddled with countless sword phantoms. Their golden bodies were perforated with thousands of holes, and blood continuously spilled downward.

Daoist Qingying still maintained the posture of swinging his arm, using his finger as a sword!

The other four Golden Body realm great cultivators had just manifested their natal precious spirits—all of them swords. Their hands trembled as they looked at Fang Wang, their gazes filled with terror and despair.

"How... is this possible..."

A Golden Body realm elder stammered, feeling a tyrannical sword intent rampaging through his body, destroying his meridians and acupuncture points, and gradually dismantling his golden body.

Fang Wang's gaze was ice-cold. He raised the Tianhong Sword, pointing its blade at the five great cultivators. Almost instantaneously, the numerous sword phantoms embedded within the five great cultivators violently burst forth from their skin. At a glance, it looked as though those swords were being pulled out by an invisible hand, but in reality, they were ruthlessly piercing straight through those indestructible golden bodies.

The five Golden Body realm great cultivators exploded into mists of blood one after another, their physical forms turning to crimson vapor as their primordial spirits attempted to flee. But how could Fang Wang allow them to have their way?