The Immortal Ascension

Chapter 90: Flying Sword

From the scene, the frenziedly attacking man appeared to hold an absolute advantage. Yet no one knew that this seemingly invincible figure was secretly groaning in distress.

Though each of his punches dented the golden light slightly and made the entire golden shield tremble—as if tearing through this layer of defense was only a matter of time—who could have guessed that every time his limbs struck the golden radiance, he would suffer a resilient rebounding force? The more strength he exerted, the more severe the backlash became. His hands and feet were already in excruciating pain, and he suspected they would swell up the moment he relaxed his energy.

Moreover, this golden light was incredibly elastic. The dents he created would instantly restore themselves the moment he withdrew his fists, as if they had never been struck. Even if he relentlessly attacked the same spot, the deepest he could achieve was maintaining the dent—never penetrating further.

Thus, the burly man’s assault continued for quite some time, yet the golden shield remained in that precarious, trembling state, seemingly on the verge of shattering at any moment.

By now, however, everyone’s perception had done a complete turnaround. They all understood that this man could not break the protective barrier—his immense strength could only shake it slightly, never truly destroying it.

As a result, not only did Jia Tianlong abandon the thought of sending reinforcements, but even the dwarf himself regained his composure.

Yet, due to his earlier humiliation, Golden Light Senior’s expression darkened with fury, his gaze toward the man growing increasingly venomous. However, as he was still being jostled by the relentless attacks, he couldn’t steady himself enough to cast spells properly. Frustrated, he stopped forming hand seals altogether and instead fixed his eyes on his opponent, muttering curses in an obscure dialect under his breath.

The man, oblivious to these changes, continued his frenzied assault on the golden shield. Just as the onlookers assumed he wouldn’t stop until he collapsed from exhaustion—

Boom! Boom! Thud! —after delivering two full-powered punches and a kick, the man suddenly turned and bolted away. Despite his massive frame, his speed was astonishingly swift.

This abrupt action stunned the spectators, followed by an uproar.

Golden Light Senior was momentarily stunned but quickly flew into a rage. He hastily sat cross-legged, placing the black box horizontally across his lap, and began chanting under his breath. His fingers rose to his chest, forming an odd gesture as they trembled with visible strain—as if each finger bore the weight of a thousand pounds.

By now, the man was only a few steps away from the Seven Mysteries Sect’s formation, nearly reaching the safety of his allies. Suddenly, a thunderous shout of "Rise!" came from behind him. Then, he saw Wang Juechu and the others across from him suddenly pale, shouting almost in unison, "Watch out!"

His heart lurched. He instinctively leaped to the left while twisting his body to look back.

A murky streak of light, swift as lightning, grazed past where he had just been standing.

A chill ran down his spine, but he quickly reassured himself. Since he had dodged this hidden weapon, he could now regroup with his two Senior Brothers—safe and sound.Before he could finish this thought, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his right arm. He instinctively looked down, but before he could see clearly, another wave of exclamations erupted—among them the voices of his two Senior Brothers, filled with anxiety.

The man froze momentarily, utterly bewildered. At that moment, a glimmer of light flashed before his eyes, and a gray streak pierced through his chest. It was the same hidden weapon he had dodged earlier.

Shock and fury surged within him. He tried to speak, but his body collapsed with a thud onto the ground. Only then did he realize his right arm had been severed cleanly at the shoulder, blood gushing out in torrents.

"What... happened?" The man, drowning in confusion and unwillingness, felt his vision darken before losing consciousness.

Until his dying breath, the man never understood what had transpired. But the onlookers from the Wild Wolf Gang and the Seven Mysteries Sect saw everything clearly.

They witnessed the dwarf finish his chant with the word "Rise," and a gray streak shot out from the black box. After circling once above the dwarf's head, it followed the direction of his finger and darted straight toward the man.

Though the man cleverly leaned aside, narrowly avoiding the first strike aimed at his chest, the gray light grazed his shoulder—and his arm silently slid off. The cut was so clean and swift that he hadn’t even noticed it happening.

Then, something even more terrifying occurred. After missing its target, the gray streak suddenly made a sharp turn at the dwarf's finger flick, looping back and charging at the man again. This time, with no chance to defend himself, he was effortlessly killed.

Everyone was stunned into silence, their gazes instinctively drawn to the gray light hovering above the dwarf’s head.

"Flying Sword"—the term involuntarily surfaced in the minds of most. Though these people knew nothing of Cultivators, they had heard countless legends about Flying Swords in myths and tales.

This gray streak bore an uncanny resemblance to the legendary Flying Swords wielded by Sword Immortals—so much so that it seemed identical.

Could this unassuming dwarf truly be a Sword Immortal from legend? Most of the crowd now regarded Golden Light Senior with awe and reverence. After all, the title of Sword Immortal was enough to intimidate even the bravest of Mortals.

Golden Light Senior stood tall and proud, his chest puffed out with arrogance. He theatrically manipulated the gray streak, making it dance above his head like a coiling gray serpent. The Wild Wolf Gang erupted in gasps of admiration, while the Seven Mysteries Sect fell into a deathly silence, their morale crumbling.

If Jia Tianlong’s side was emboldened by the presence of a Sword Immortal, the Seven Mysteries Sect was thrown into disarray by this unexpected turn of events, their fighting spirit waning. Yet, among them all, Han Li was the only one whose heart surged with excitement at the sight of the gray streak.

He recognized it instantly—the chant and hand seals Golden Light Senior used to control the gray light were identical to the "Object Control Technique" he had learned. Though he couldn’t confirm whether the gray streak was a Flying Sword, there was no mistaking it: this was the very technique he had mastered.

Now, Han Li’s mind was consumed by thoughts of killing and plundering. His fascination with Cultivators had only grown stronger.

(End of Chapter)