"You are worthy of witnessing my true power!"
As these words fell, the Azurewood Tree Martial Soul swayed in the wind before erupting with a brilliant radiance. The scorching light, akin to the first rays of dawn, was so intense that Tang San and the others could not keep their eyes open.
As the light receded, a translucent figure slowly emerged from within the Azurewood Tree. It was an exact replica of Chen Xiaoming—only taller, with a silver glow enshrouding his entire being. His long silver hair cascaded behind him, and his eyes shimmered with ever-changing silver streams, resembling the fractured fabric of space itself.
The ethereal Chen Xiaoming floated in midair. As his foot gently touched the ground, the space beneath him trembled, rippling like the surface of a lake.
With an effortless motion, his right hand reached toward an outstretched tree branch. Instantly, a blazing red glow surged from the branch, enveloping it in a fiery radiance.
It was as though the branch had been tempered in an inferno—refined over and over again. In the blink of an eye, the once ordinary tree branch had transformed into a wooden staff, approximately two meters long. The staff glowed a deep crimson, pulsing with dense soul power.
"Tap."
His right hand lightly rested upon the staff. A silver gleam flashed through the eyes of the ethereal Chen Xiaoming and surged into the wooden staff. From the point of contact, streams of silver light spread toward both ends, intricately etching ancient patterns across its surface.
Dressed in flowing white robes, silver hair billowing in the wind, the ethereal Chen Xiaoming stood with his staff in hand.
The surrounding space wavered between reality and illusion. From afar, Tang San and the others focused their gaze on him, yet despite seeing him clearly, their minds were overcome by an eerie sense of distortion.
It was as if the figure before them was not Chen Xiaoming, but rather an ancient, towering tree that stretched endlessly into the heavens—its existence shifting between the tangible and the intangible.
With a calm, knowing smile, the ethereal Chen Xiaoming turned his gaze toward the incoming black sword aura. His wooden staff moved ever so slightly. Instantly, the space before him rippled like a turbulent sea. Beneath the waves, threads of darkness surfaced—not soul power, nor soul skills, but rather fragments of shattered space itself.
"Block."
A crisp, clear sound resonated. The turbulent spatial waves rolled forward, intercepting the first black sword aura just a meter away from Chen Xiaoming. As the space fractured, the first black sword aura was utterly annihilated.
Yet the force of the shattered space did not cease; like relentless waves eroding stone, the spatial tremors surged toward the second black sword aura. This time, the sword aura's brilliance intensified as it resisted the crushing force of space, pressing forward.
Before it could make any further headway, the third and fourth black sword auras followed closely behind, clashing directly against the tremors of space.
"Whizz."
The fifth black sword aura struck next, its terrifying power erupting forth. The previously locked space shattered instantly, revealing a dark fissure. But just as quickly as it appeared, the fissure mended itself, restoring the space to its original state.
Even so, this exchange proved one thing—the ethereal Chen Xiaoming's strike had been stopped. And now, the sixth black sword aura, even stronger than those before it, was hurtling toward him at breakneck speed.
A sharp and unparalleled sword intent filled the air before the attack even landed.
Chen Xiaoming raised his hand ever so slightly. The wooden staff, which had remained motionless until now, flickered with a brief flash of silver light. In the next instant, the light materialized directly in front of the sixth black sword aura.
"Boom."
A deep, muffled sound rang out. The silver light swept past, and for a brief moment, the surrounding space wavered. Before the devastating sword aura could fully unleash its power, it vanished entirely.
Such an eerie spectacle left Ning Fengzhi, Tang San, and the others momentarily dumbfounded. Even Grandmaster's expression deepened with confusion.
Even if it were a variant martial soul, how could an Azurewood Tree possess spatial abilities? How could this martial soul possibly have mutated in such an unimaginable way?
Not in his wildest dreams could Grandmaster have imagined that Chen Xiaoming possessed something akin to an external cheat—something beyond ordinary comprehension.
With a single effortless motion, he had neutralized six consecutive black sword auras. Now, Chen Xiaoming prepared to face the final strike of Sword Douluo, Chen Xin.
—The Seventh Sword: One with the Sword, Absolute Kill!
The seventh sword aura streaked through the air. Unlike the previous attacks, it was not overwhelmingly vast. Instead, all its power had condensed into a single black point of light.
At this moment, space itself seemed like a blank canvas, and this lone black point of sword energy cut across it, leaving behind a deep, inky mark.
The distance rapidly closed. When the sword aura was only ten meters away from the ethereal Chen Xiaoming, a strange fluctuation pulsed outward, enveloping him.
The Seven Kill Domain erupted! The sword aura condensed even further, merging with the very essence of the Seven Kill Sword, amplifying its power to the absolute limit.
However, rather than feeling threatened, Chen Xiaoming was intrigued.
The stronger Sword Douluo became, the more composed he felt.
A flicker of silver light flashed in the ethereal Chen Xiaoming's eyes. Finally, his right hand moved. With the simplest of gestures, he lifted the wooden staff and pointed it at the incoming sword aura.
"Buzz..."
A nearly imperceptible hum echoed through the air. The terrifyingly powerful sword aura collided against the wooden staff, yet it failed to penetrate even an inch.
For a moment, space seemed to freeze.
This scene was beyond anything Tang San, Ning Fengzhi, and the others had anticipated.
They had expected Chen Xiaoming to win, but they had imagined a desperate struggle, not such an effortless display of dominance.
One by one, they widened their eyes in shock, staring in disbelief at this surreal sight.
Even Tang San, who had activated his Purple Demon Eye to its fullest extent, could not see through the mysterious fluctuations enveloping Chen Xiaoming and Sword Douluo. Their duel was cloaked in an enigmatic force that defied comprehension.
If Tang San could not see through it, then there was no hope for the others. At this moment, everyone stood frozen in astonishment.
"Sword Grandpa..."
Watching Sword Douluo struggle, Ning Rongrong murmured in disbelief.
At the same time, Chen Xin—who had fused himself with his sword—was the most shocked of all.
With Ning Fengzhi's support, his soul power had already rivaled Chen Xiaoming's. He had broken past his limits, reached the pinnacle of sword mastery, and unleashed his strongest Seventh Sword. At this level, he had already touched upon the realm of Limit Douluo.
Even a god would hesitate to face such an attack head-on.
Yet, as he stared at the tip of his Seven Kill Sword, Chen Xin saw a single flicker of silver light. Tang San could not perceive it, but he could. That silver light was what had stopped his ultimate strike.
It was as though his sword had plunged into an endless ocean—stirring only the faintest ripple before vanishing into nothingness.
The black sword aura slowly dissipated. Chen Xin's figure reappeared, his Seven Kill Sword trembling slightly in his grip. His robes billowed, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Seeing this, Chen Xiaoming gently tapped his wooden staff. A subtle ripple pulsed outward, forcing Chen Xin to stagger backward. Within a few steps, he had retreated to Ning Fengzhi's side.
With a serene smile, the ethereal Chen Xiaoming gazed at him and spoke.
"You are the first to make me reveal even a portion of my true strength."
"You should be proud."
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