Chapter 107: The Sword Phantom Appears

"And who might you be?" Yin Tianfang asked, his expression cold as he gripped his black longsword and looked toward the man known as Mad Blade standing opposite him.

"Hmph, still so stubborn when death is at your doorstep." With a cold snort, Mad Blade’s long saber let out a faint hum. A brilliant radiance erupted from the blade, shining so intensely that from afar, it resembled a scorching sun, completely swallowing Mad Blade’s figure in its light.

With a sharp whistle, Mad Blade stomped his foot against the ground, his momentum like a thunderbolt as he charged straight at Yin Tianfang. His immense pressure whipped up a gale-force wind.

*Clang!*

Yin Tianfang raised his black sword, meeting the long saber in a violent collision. An invisible ripple expanded from the point of impact, scattering fierce gusts of wind as the ground beneath their feet fractured and cracked.

Yin Tianfang’s body shook violently, and he let out a muffled groan as he was sent flying backward instantly. His heels carved two deep trenches into the earth, and he only regained his balance after skidding back a hundred meters. A trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and his expression turned grave.

Demonic cultivation is characterized by fierce and aggressive power. Through his Soul-Seizing technique, Yin Tianfang had managed to break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage in a short time. Yet, even so, his strength was still no match for the Golden Core stage cultivation of Mad Blade.

"Die!" Seeing his first strike fail, Mad Blade moved again. A faint black mist surged from his body—a mist distinct from the one Yin Tianfang wielded. Yin Tianfang’s mist was true demonic energy, while the mist wreathing Mad Blade carried a gray hue, thick with the scent of death.

As the blade swung, the darkness churned. Saber intent tore through the air, slashing down ruthlessly toward Yin Tianfang.

Yin Tianfang leaped, transforming into a series of afterimages to evade the sharp blade beams. Simultaneously, he formed hand seals, and a black skull condensed from demonic energy surged toward Mad Blade.

*Boom!*

The peerless saber beam struck the black skull, shattering it instantly without losing any momentum. The beam suddenly expanded to dozens of meters in size, slicing through the air with a lethal strike toward Yin Tianfang.

*Boom!*

A thunderous roar echoed. The brilliant saber light seemed to cleave the very heavens. The earth shattered, dust filled the sky, and a terrifying chasm appeared in the ground, several meters wide and bottomless.

From within the swirling dust, a figure was sent flying out in a wretched state. In mid-air, Yin Tianfang spat out a mouthful of blood, his face as pale as paper; he had been severely wounded by that strike.

Recovering his balance, he landed on his feet, but the terrifying impact forced him to retreat continuously. He plunged his sword into the ground to steady himself, but it was in vain. Only after retreating several hundred meters did he finally come to a halt.

Leaning on his sword, he knelt on one knee, blood dripping from his lips onto the ground. Yin Tianfang looked utterly battered; his clothes were torn, his aura was withered, and the hand gripping his sword trembled incessantly.

Foundation Establishment and Golden Core are worlds apart. Even reaching the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment would be insufficient before a Golden Core expert, let alone Yin Tianfang, who had not even reached that peak.

"A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator dares to wander into this place? You have a death wish! I shall send you on your way now. If you are fortunate, perhaps we shall be companions in the afterlife." Watching Yin Tianfang with icy eyes, the cold voice echoed through the sea of mist. Mad Blade raised his saber and brought it down, the sharp blade light arriving before Yin Tianfang in an instant.

"Touch Old Yin and I will take your life!" A sharp shout rang out, and a beam of sword light, like a comet, pierced through the mist, seemingly slicing the entire sea of fog in two.

*Boom!*

The blade light shattered, dissipating into specks of spiritual energy. A longsword pierced the ground, and a figure stood upon its hilt, radiating an imposing presence.

"And who are you?"

"My name is Sword Ghost, a man unlike any other!" With a flick of his toes, he beckoned, and the longsword flew into his hand.

"Yellow Springs Awakening, Sword Ghost’s Six-Fold Charge!" Wielding the blade, the Sword Ghost rushed toward Mad Blade like a bolt of lightning. In the blink of an eye, he was before him, his keen sword light stabbing ruthlessly toward the center of his brow.

*Ding!*

Mad Blade’s expression remained cold. He raised his saber to block the strike, but the force of the blow caused him to stagger backward.

The Sword Ghost retreated, said nothing, and hoisted Yin Tianfang up. Turning into a streak of light, he fled with haste. The sword carried them both, emitting a faint white glow that caused the surrounding mist to slowly dissipate wherever they passed.

After an hour of flight, the Sword Ghost finally brought Yin Tianfang out of the range of the mist sea.

"Cough, cough..." Upon landing, Yin Tianfang began to cough violently, blood sliding from his lips, his face deathly pale.

"You have a death wish, wandering into a place like that!" the Sword Ghost said, clearly agitated.

"I didn't die, did I?" Yin Tianfang managed a faint, forced smile. "By the way, I asked you to help me find someone—why did you show up there?"

The Sword Ghost scratched his head. "Well, I did find someone who matches your description perfectly, though I’m not sure if it’s the right person."

Hearing this, a surge of joy filled Yin Tianfang. He had sent the Sword Ghost away to find Nuolan as a distraction, but he never expected the Sword Ghost to actually succeed.

"Father did not lie to me. Nuolan is truly alive."

"Whether it is her or not, you can take me to see her later," Yin Tianfang said.

As they spoke, the mist sea in the distance churned, and footsteps began to echo from within.

"Go!" Yin Tianfang’s expression changed slightly, and he whispered. They moved, bolting toward the horizon. Yin Tianfang had already witnessed the eerie nature of that mist. Those things that were neither man nor ghost had caused him great trouble; had the Sword Ghost not arrived in time, he likely would have perished there.

Not long after they left, the mist sea parted, revealing a path. A man in a gray robe walked out slowly, followed by several others—Mad Blade and the mountain-like giants.

"Commander, shall we pursue them?" Mad Blade asked the man in the gray robe.

The gray-robed man’s expression was indifferent, his gray-white eyes devoid of any emotion. He looked toward the direction where Yin Tianfang had fled, remained silent for a moment, and said, "Return. As long as he does not enter this place again, he is of no concern to us."

With that, the gray-robed man turned and vanished back into the mist. Mad Blade and the others followed, and as the mist surged once more, the area returned to silence.

In a scenic place by a river, Yin Tianfang washed up and changed into clean clothes before returning to a nearby grove. The Sword Ghost was there, hugging his sword and leaning lazily against a tree.

"How did you find me?" Yin Tianfang asked, looking at the Sword Ghost with confusion. Even if the Sword Ghost had found Nuolan and returned to tell him, how could he have known Yin Tianfang was in that strange sea of mist?

Moreover, that mist consumed divine sense, forcing one to rely on the naked eye to navigate. Yet, when the Sword Ghost brought him out, Yin Tianfang had clearly seen the fog automatically dissipate along their path.