This Sword Cultivator is Somewhat Dependable

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Then let's fight to the end, I wouldn't have it any other way!

Lu Qingshan muttered to himself in his heart.

He could feel in his heart a Blood Beast awakening, wildly burning his blood, his heart, making him unable to suppress the urge to fight and slaughter.

An extremely sinister and violent aura gradually emerged and burst forth from Lu Qingshan's body.

"Do I still have any strength left? Why don't you try and find out?" Lu Qingshan said mockingly.

As soon as the words fell, Lu Qingshan extended his left hand, palm facing the ground, shaped like a claw.

An inexplicable fluctuation, seemingly arising from nowhere, began to brew and flicker within him.

What is this?

The Golden-Maned Lion, which had already deemed Lu Qingshan as a lamb to the slaughter, felt the emergence of this terrifying power, and its fur stood on end.

The Power of the Mountains and Seas!

A Divine Skill one can master after completing the cultivation of the Returning Ruins Scripture.

A bizarre Divine Skill that allows one to draw upon and devour the Power of the Mountains and Seas to strengthen oneself.

Lu Qingshan had promised the Sect Master of the Mountains and Seas Sect that he would not use this Divine Skill lightly unless necessary.

He had always kept his promise until now, upon facing this life-or-death crisis.

It was also his last resort.

The ground under Lu Qingshan's feet began to tremble slightly but continuously, with ripples echoing outwards.

Some spots of light began to float up from the ground.

He started to draw upon the earth's power.

Buzz buzz buzz!

Just then, the Dragon Sparrow Sword suddenly emitted a rapid buzzing noise.

A beam of red light flew out from the Dragon Sparrow Sword, and an elegant and graceful figure appeared before Lu Qingshan.

The appearing Qin Yitian pressed down on the hand Lu Qingshan had used to draw the earth's power, causing the spots of light that had been suspended to fall back down to the ground.

Qin Yitian had stopped Lu Qingshan from using his Divine Skill.

"Young Master, please don't," Qin Yitian shook her head toward Lu Qingshan, advising him.

"Hmm?" Lu Qingshan's voice was hoarse and deep, his tone icy cold and extremely suppressed, sending chills down one's spine.

Qin Yitian was not surprised by Lu Qingshan's indifference.

She extended her delicate hand and placed her palm on Lu Qingshan's forehead; a cool and calming breath instantly transferred from Qin Yitian's palm, allowing Lu Qingshan's consciousness, on the verge of being lost, to awaken once again.

"You can't fight anymore. If you continue to do so, you'll be possessed by the demon, becoming a beast that knows only slaughter." Seeing Lu Qingshan regain some consciousness, Qin Yitian said softly.

Just like Dantai Qingrun earlier, in the Demon Spirit Tomb shrouded in evil auras, as long as one harbors murderous intent, the speed at which the evil auras seep into the Divine Soul increases exponentially.

And in just such a short period, Lu Qingshan, as an incarnation of the God of Slaughter, had slain dozens of demons, with the evil auras unnoticed seeping deep into his Divine Soul.

At this moment, all Lu Qingshan needed to do was to look inward slightly to realize that the human-shaped soul in his Sea of Consciousness was now completely engulfed by a strangely sinister evil aura.

Fierce blood patterns were emerging on his Divine Soul, making it appear utterly demonic.

His pupils had long since become completely different from that of humans; not only had the irises turned blood red, but even the whites of his eyes were filled with blood veins.

Presently, Lu Qingshan didn't resemble a Human Cultivator; he looked more like an evil demon of wicked nature.

Beneath the warm breath streaming from Qin Yitian's hand, a sliver of clarity finally returned to Lu Qingshan's eyes.

Having calmed down a little and realized his situation, Lu Qingshan, wary, glanced at the Golden-Maned Lion, who, out of apprehension, dared not make a move and was only watching from the side, hesitantly said, "But..."

Qin Yitian naturally understood Lu Qingshan's dilemma, "Young Master, you rest for a while. Leave the rest... to me."

"Ah?" Lu Qingshan was startled, puzzled.

Qin Yitian extended her wrist.
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Swoosh!

The Dragon Sparrow Sword immediately left Lu Qingshan's hand and flew to Qin Yitian.

"The second ability of the Sword Spirit is autonomous combat."

Qin Yitian's voice echoed in Lu Qingshan's ears.

"Are you saying you can face the enemy alone, just like a Cultivator?" Lu Qingshan was astonished.

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He had never heard of an Artifact Spirit being able to fight alone, just like a Cultivator.

Qin Yitian nodded lightly and explained further, "However, it's not as magical as you think."

"My strength comes from the Dragon Sparrow Sword, and the power of the Dragon Sparrow Sword depends on the Sword Master.

Therefore, the strength I can display now is only that of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator."

In other words, she was only as strong as Lu Qingshan was.

Lu Qingshan fell silent.

That gave him one more reason to become stronger.

"Moreover, my combat methods are not conjured from the void; I must learn and master them on my own, just like a Cultivator," Qin Yitian said with a light laugh, joyfully adding, "However, likewise, my talent is a copy of the Sword Master's.

So, Young Master, because of your exceptional talent in the Sword Dao, I found mastering Sword Techniques to be exceptionally easy."

"During this time, being by your side, Young Master, I've also picked up a move and a half, and I'd like to ask for your guidance." Qin Yitian held up the Dragon Sparrow Sword, and just like Lu Qingshan with a sword, a wave of flame arose on the blade.

Qin Yitian's demeanor underwent a huge change after taking up the sword.

Originally gentle and amiable beside Lu Qingshan, she now projected a heroic and cool aura, with eyes clear and cold, like glimmering glass beads.

Whoosh!

Qin Yitian's figure suddenly burst into motion, powerful strength erupting from her, and in the blink of an eye, she swept up to the front of the Golden-Maned Lion with her sword.

Her Sword Technique was swift as lightning, with layers upon layers of sword shadows, like tidal waves, continuously striking and slashing at the Golden-Maned Lion.

The Golden-Maned Lion staggered backward, clawing frantically in defense.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew in all directions with the sound of their collision unabated.

Qin Yitian wielded each sword faster and more domineering than the last, her Sword Technique exquisitely brilliant, stirring waves of emotion in Lu Qingshan.

Because the Sword Technique Qin Yitian was using was the very Falling Bright Sword Technique he had personally refined.

Qin Yitian had actually mastered the Falling Bright Sword Technique to such a perfect degree!

Her Sword Technique was swift as the wind, one move flowing into the next, forcing the Golden-Maned Lion into a frantic defense.

However, Qin Yitian's strength was ultimately limited, so after resisting dozens of sword moves in a row, although the Golden-Maned Lion was in a sorry state, it wasn't seriously hurt. Instead, it gradually grew accustomed to Qin Yitian's offensive rhythm, even starting to easily counter, seemingly about to turn the tables.

The elusive Sword Light flashed again.

This time, the Golden-Maned Lion casually swiped a claw in defense.

Based on previous encounters, this would have easily parried Qin Yitian's attack.

But the moment its paw touched the Sword Light, a mysterious sword shadow emerged atop the Dragon Sparrow Sword, delivering two waves of force far stronger than any before, numbing its entire body.

The Dragon Sparrow Sword blasted away its sharp claws and with a swift downward stroke.

A bloody wound appeared on its abdomen.

"Roar!" The Golden-Maned Lion let out a mournful shriek, its form flying backward.

It was afraid, truly afraid.

Having died once already, its fear of death hadn't diminished; on the contrary, it had multiplied countless times.

The woman before it was unfathomable, her fierce Sword Technique left it exhausted in defense, and most terrifying was the suffocatingly horrific wave of power it had just felt emanate from Lu Qingshan, which, though it vanished in a flash, kept it constantly on edge.

Before Qin Yitian could react, the Golden-Maned Lion rolled on the ground and sprang to its feet, then turned tail to flee.

Seeing the Golden-Maned Lion escape, Qin Yitian did not pursue it relentlessly but expressed with a hint of regret, "I still haven't completely mastered it, otherwise it probably wouldn't have had the chance to run away..."

The sword move she had just used was Lu Qingshan's Secret Sword Technique, Wind Slash.

However, as Wind Slash was one of the most difficult Secret Sword Techniques to cultivate, even with a Sword Dao talent comparable to Lu Qingshan's, Qin Yitian hadn't been able to fully master the Wind-Cutting Secret Sword in a short period of time.

When Lu Qingshan used Wind Slash, there would be two trailing Sword Technique shadows, but the Wind Slash she had just performed featured only one such shadow.

"No worries, I'll teach you later," Lu Qingshan said, coming back to his senses and smacking his lips.

"That would be most appreciated," Qin Yitian replied with a gentle smile.

[Sword Spirit]: The Spirit-Communicating Sword, its spirit reaching the heavens.

Information like this surfaced in Lu Qingshan's mind.

Only now did he truly understand what those four words, reaching the heavens, signified.

Is this… a Taoist Artifact?