CHAPTER 376: CHAPTER 376: BATTLE FOR POSITION (SIX)_1

BOOM!

The terrifying auras of the two erupted before the resonant clang of the bell faded!

No matter how much Tian Zhiyu failed to impress Peak Master Zhou Shili, he was still one of the top nine among the over one hundred thousand disciples of the Riverside Sect.

The pressure he exerted on Shen Mo was no less than that of the late-stage Class III Serpent-Eel Heavenly Demon.

"Junior Brother Shen, you could have waited a few more years before vying for a core seat. Why are you so eager to challenge me?" Tian Zhiyu asked. He held an earthen-yellow, one-handed mace defensively before him, in no hurry to engage Shen Mo.

"Why bother asking when you already know the answer?" Shen Mo replied indifferently.

Tian Zhiyu nodded, a cold light flashing in his eyes. His large mace, like a whip or a ruler, lashed out towards Shen Mo.

CLANG!

The Demon Slaying Sword rang out, its formidable sword Qi meeting the powerful aura of the mace’s shadow.

Amidst a deafening explosion, both attacks disintegrated.

The shockwave from their collision rolled outwards, leaving the forest between them shattered and broken.

Seeing the devastating power of their clash’s aftermath, the inner disciples and Deacons hovering mid-air on their swords quickly flew further away to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

The outer disciples in the Body Tempering Realm on the ground, who were not allowed too close to the battlefield, were consequently safe. However, they soon began to curse under their breath. The violent collision of the two cultivators’ Qi caused the battlefield to expand from the ground to mid-air, and among the mountains and clouds.

Those with insufficient cultivation found it incredibly difficult to even clearly see their exchange!

BOOM!

BOOM! BOOM!

Explosions like muffled thunder continuously echoed through the mountain range, spanning dozens of miles.

As the two streaks of light darted and weaved, dazzling sword lights and terrifying mace shadows flickered high and low, near and far, appearing constantly in different locations.

Only Spirit Sea Realm experts with expansive spiritual sense could fully capture their frenetic battle!

"Junior Brother Shen’s mastery of the Sword Path has actually reached such an advanced level!"

"He effortlessly summons various sword styles, and every move, every form, captures the very essence of the style."

Guo Xun, standing with Elder Huang Changqing and several other Elders from Stars Peak, watched the combatants intently, unable to suppress his amazement. "Even I would find it exceedingly difficult to counter his swordplay! His cultivation of the *All-Encompassing Sword Canon* must have reached Perfection!"

"It’s more than that!" Elder Huang interjected, exclaiming in wonder. "Merely cultivating a low-grade spiritual level swordplay to the Perfection realm isn’t enough to achieve this!"

"Old Nine Tian has also cultivated a low-grade spiritual level martial art to near-Perfection..."

"But look at him, struggling and barely able to withstand Shen Mo with just that."

"This young man, Shen Mo, must have cultivated the *All-Encompassing Sword Canon* to a level far beyond Perfection, a degree that ordinary people can hardly fathom."

"Such astonishing talent in swordsmanship... In the Heaven Sword Sect, he would undoubtedly be a preeminent Sword Master!"

Guo Xun’s insight was not, in fact, inferior to Elder Huang’s. However, he had subconsciously felt that he had already estimated Shen Mo as highly as possible.

He hadn’t expected that, from Elder Huang’s perspective, he had actually underestimated the strength of Shen Mo’s Sword Path.

Not long after they began fighting, they had already laid waste to large swathes of mountain peaks and forests; the battle was incredibly fierce.

Most cultivators below the Spirit Sea Realm were merely watching the spectacle!

However, the Spirit Sea Realm experts present had largely discerned their relative strengths. They found that Shen Mo’s combat power far surpassed that of Tian Zhiyu, the ninth-ranked core disciple!

Witnessing this, Tang Lv, the Peak Master of Rising Sun Peak, promptly fell silent. Only the slight twitch at the corner of his mouth betrayed his inner turmoil.

The five core disciples observing the battle also wore grave expressions.

Among the nine, apart from the chief and second-seated disciples who held an overwhelming advantage in strength, the gap between the other seven was not particularly large.

The battle for seats, held every three years, was always a fierce competition!

But if Shen Mo easily defeated Tian Zhiyu, it signified that they were about to face a formidable new rival.

The remaining three core candidates immediately extinguished any lingering hopes of capitalizing on an unexpected opportunity!

Guo Xun and Huang Changqing were correct; Shen Mo had Tian Zhiyu completely suppressed.

He had yet to employ many of his techniques. The Demon Slaying Sword alone, unleashing streams of All-Encompassing Sword Qi, was almost enough to overwhelm Tian Zhiyu, making him unable to even lift his head.

Damn it! How long has it been since he opened his Spirit Sea, and he already possesses such terrifying strength?

He’s even... no weaker than some of the top-seated core disciples. Does such a monstrous talent truly exist in this world?

Tian Zhiyu threw out several Grade IV defensive talismans. Their power deflected a wave of sword light, buying him a precious moment to breathe.

If this goes on, I won’t even get a chance to use the Ruyi Soul Stealing Needle...

A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Tian Zhiyu’s eyes. The large, earthen-yellow mace in his hand suddenly erupted with a blinding spirit light and, like a meteor, slammed down on Shen Mo with immense force.

This was his true killer move; if struck by it, no matter if one had skin of bronze and bones of iron, they would be smashed to a bloody pulp.

Shen Mo didn’t pay much mind to the incoming mace. He slashed out with a Starfall Sword Qi, intending to knock it aside.

But at that very moment, his Destiny [Danger Perception] began issuing frantic warnings.

Hm?

Shen Mo’s heart skipped a beat. Since engaging Tian Zhiyu, he had gained a fairly good understanding of his opponent’s capabilities.

He knew that with the martial arts proficiency Tian Zhiyu had demonstrated, even if he unleashed his killer move, it would be very difficult to truly injure him.

After all, although he hadn’t set up multiple layers of the Wall Palm for protection, the reforged Nine-Extreme Crystal Sand and the Auspicious Snow inner armor under his robe were enough to defend against most attacks.

Yet now, Tian Zhiyu had used some formidable technique that had actually triggered his [Danger Perception]!

In the next instant, under the effect of [Danger Perception], Shen Mo "saw" a long needle, as fine as a strand of ox hair, concealed within the spirit light enveloping the mace.

This needle’s sharpness was concealed, making it appear like an ordinary speck of dust.

His Dharma Eye could not distinguish it, and even his spiritual sense could barely detect this needle-like magic artifact, blending seamlessly with the light like dust.

Undoubtedly, what could evade his All-Encompassing Sword Qi and penetrate the Nine-Extreme Crystal Sand and the defense of his inner armor was not the imposing earthen-yellow mace, but this unremarkable flying needle.

A Spiritual Artifact! Shen Mo was secretly alarmed.

Although he didn’t know the properties and power of this needle, the mere fact that it could deceive his five senses, break through his Crystal Sand Energy shield and Auspicious Snow inner armor, was proof enough of its extraordinary nature.

Being pierced by it would undoubtedly have dire consequences!

He had a leeway of three breaths.

First breath.

Shen Mo activated the *Three-Heads Six-Arms True Immortal Technique*, manifesting the form of a fiendgod with three heads and six arms.

Simultaneously, his two newly-grown heads began to chant, and the four new arms rapidly formed hand seals, whirling deftly.

In a flash, he had laid down layer upon layer of the Wall Palm. Phantom images of Pig Badgers, shimmering with strange patterns, densely packed the area around Shen Mo, a defense a hundred times sturdier than any copper wall or iron barrier.

Second breath.

He brandished the Demon Slaying Sword, unleashing three streams of Starfall Sword Qi at the Ruyi Soul Stealing Needle, intending to destroy it.

Third breath.

Retracting his sword momentum, he executed the *Startling Swan Sword Technique*.

He transformed into a brilliant streak of sword light, shooting straight into the Nine Heavens, his body concealed within the unique domain carved out by the sword light.