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The intelligence gathered by the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was inaccurate.
Chen Xin only knew that there was a Sword-Winged Dragon in the Thunderclap Gorge with an age between 1,500 and 2,000 years—but he did not know that this Sword-Winged Dragon was the offspring of a 50,000-year-old Sword-Winged Dragon King.
After Ke Jie discovered the Sword-Winged Dragon and prepared to attack, the Sword-Winged Dragon King suddenly appeared.
Caught off guard, Ke Jie narrowly avoided being gravely injured. Fortunately, his Celestial Chessboard's massive size shielded him from the assault.
A 50,000-year-old spirit beast possessed strength equivalent to that of a human Soul Douluo. Additionally, as a control-type soul master, Ke Jie lacked direct offensive abilities. Although he could restrain the opponent, that was the extent of his capabilities.
"Damn those bastards from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family! They didn't warn us about the existence of the Sword-Winged Dragon King!" In his heart, Ke Jie cursed everyone in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family.
This was their territory—how could they not know about the Sword-Winged Dragon King?
Perhaps they intended to use this opportunity to ambush Ning Tianchen.
If Ning Rongrong hadn't insisted on coming, Ke Jie wouldn't have been sent out. With Chen Xin's sword expertise, dealing with the Sword-Winged Dragon King wouldn't be an issue.
However, if the battle became too intense, other spirit beasts would likely come to support it.
Under multiple threats, even someone as strong as Chen Xin could handle the situation, but Ning Tianchen would have no chance of survival.
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family is truly despicable. Thankfully, Miss has sharp eyes," Ke Jie thought angrily.
Even if the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family had indeed plotted such a scheme, they would never admit it. Even if the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect investigated afterward, they could easily evade responsibility with excuses.
This matter must be reported to the sect leader—it was imperative to expose the family's sinister intentions!
…
About an hour later, Chen Xin arrived with Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong.
Upon seeing the Sword-Winged Dragon King, Chen Xin immediately deduced the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family's trickery.
Snorting softly, he placed Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong in a safe area far from the battlefield.
"Tianchen, you two stay hidden here. Rongrong's safety is now in your hands," Chen Xin said, patting Ning Tianchen's shoulder earnestly.
With that, he quickly rushed to the battlefield to provide support.
The Thunderclap Gorge wasn't very large, and the commotion of the battle soon attracted the attention of other spirit beasts.
Among the spirit beasts raised by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family were two thunder dragons—one aged 70,000 years and the other 65,000 years.
These two beasts had already arrived above the battlefield.
To avoid prolonging the fight, Chen Xin immediately unleashed his true martial soul form.
From their safe vantage point, Ning Tianchen remained unaware that he had already fallen into the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family's trap. His eyes were fixed intently on Chen Xin in the sky.
"The 'Kill' word sword technique of the Seven Kill Sword!"
The "Kill" word sword technique was one of the most powerful sword techniques of the Seven Kill Sword. To master it, one needed at least the strength of a Soul Sage or higher.
Two consecutive "Kill" characters descended, completely neutralizing the attacks of the two thunder dragons.
"Grandpa Sword is amazing!" Ning Rongrong couldn't help but applaud.
After so long, this was the first time Ning Tianchen had seen Chen Xin unleash his full power. He stared unblinkingly, afraid to miss any learning opportunity.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake—something was emerging from underground.
Ning Tianchen snapped back to attention. The Seven Kill Sword martial soul materialized in his hand, and two yellow soul rings hovered around him.
"Second soul skill, Dragon Sword Guardian!"
The Seven Kill Sword plunged into the ground, transforming its soul power into countless spiritual swords. These formed a protective barrier of sword qi, enveloping both of them.
Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong, who had been observing the battle, immediately summoned her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda martial soul.
From beneath the ground, a 600-year-old earth dragon (resembling an earthworm) emerged. Its circular mouth bristled with rows of sharp teeth as it bit down on the barrier—but failed to break through.
"What a disgusting spirit beast! Tianchen big brother, hurry up and deal with it!" Ning Rongrong exclaimed, her face pale with fright.
"A 600-year-old earth dragon? There must be some extraordinary opportunity here," Ning Tianchen analyzed mentally.
From his studies in the sect's academy, he knew that earth dragons typically reached a maximum lifespan of only a few decades. Without natural predators and given enough time, they might become hundred-year-old spirit beasts.
But that was their limit—it was impossible for one to live for 600 years.
The creature before them was large enough to swallow an adult whole.
"Rongrong, give me a boost—I'll take care of it."
With a loud shout, Ning Tianchen pulled the Seven Kill Sword from the ground and charged toward the earth dragon.
Two yellow soul rings flickered beneath Ning Rongrong's feet. "The seven treasures turn into glazed tiles, each named after its attribute. One is strength, two is speed."
Two beams of seven-colored light entered Ning Tianchen's body, increasing his strength and speed by thirty percent.
Seeing its "prey" approach, the earth dragon's rear half emerged from the ground. It planned to lash out with its tail, critically injuring its target before devouring it.
"First soul skill, Azure Dragon Break!"
Sword qi surged forth, forming the shadow of an azure dragon.
As Ning Tianchen's soul power had increased, the potency of his first soul skill had also grown significantly.
The sword qi struck the earth dragon's body, effortlessly slicing through its chitinous armor and cutting it in two.
Earth dragons were peculiar creatures; while most spirit beasts would perish when split in half, the severed halves of an earth dragon seemed to gain autonomous consciousness, both attacking Ning Tianchen simultaneously.
Though only one of the two halves could survive long-term, Ning Tianchen was now undeniably facing what seemed like "two earth dragons" in the short term.
"Walking, turning, spinning, flipping—lightness, stability, swiftness, precision."
Through five years of training, Ning Tianchen had mastered the integration of footwork and swordsmanship.
His movements were swift and fierce, as gentle as the wind yet as steady as a mountain.
The gleam of the Seven Kill Sword flashed without a trace, like a breeze unseen.
The two halves of the earth dragon momentarily lost sight of their target, their attacks unable to reach Ning Tianchen.
The sword's light fell upon their bodies again, cleaving them further apart.
Earth dragons couldn't infinitely divide themselves. Once their bodies were severed, they would lose all vitality.
A yellow soul ring emerged from one of the halves.
Seeing the crisis resolved, Ning Rongrong finally exhaled in relief, curiously examining the earth dragon's corpse. "Tianchen big brother, is this really an earth dragon? How can this type of spirit beast have such a high age?"
Ning Tianchen didn't respond. At this moment, he dared not let his guard down.
The stench of the earth dragon's blood was likely to attract other spirit beasts. Their top priority now was to relocate immediately.
…
The scene on the ground caught Chen Xin's eye.
Initially, he had prepared to step in and assist, but upon seeing Ning Tianchen calmly handle the earth dragon's assault without hesitation, he felt reassured.
With his soul power at level thirty, Ning Tianchen was more than capable of handling ordinary thousand-year spirit beasts.
Turning his attention away, Chen Xin focused on Ke Jie.
At this moment, Ke Jie was surrounded by several 50,000-year-old spirit beasts.
Relying on the unique properties of his Celestial Chessboard, he was barely managing to hold the situation together.
But if this dragged on any longer, the outcome would be uncertain.
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