There was a thirty minutes break before the final match. The Tao tribal clan took this opportunity to hold a ritual and a prayer before the ancestral artifact was taken out.
The ritual involved slaughtering a cow and the dancing and chanting by two witches, who had their faces smeared with cow blood.
A witch took out the Tao tribal clan's female sword component of the ancestral artifact and washed it with blood.
This was a necessary ritual the Tao tribal clan used when taking out the ancestral artifact. It was not needed when practicing or demonstrating. But the ancestral artifact would see blood when used against an enemy; hence, they had to hold a ritual to honor the souls of their ancestors within the ancestral artifact.
It could be said to be odd because, when the female-sword was immersed in a copper bucket filled with cow's blood, the cow blood suddenly bubbled as if it were boiling. In a while, the entire bucket was dry. It gave the feeling that the blood had been absorbed by the sword!
"That sword…is a bit malevolent…" Yi Yun frowned slightly. He had originally thought the ritual did not do a thing because it stemmed from the superstitions of the vast wilderness. But he did not expect that the female sword of the Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact would absorb the blood.
After feasting on the blood, the female sword looked redder, as though an invisible force circulated on the sword's body. From the looks of it, the Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact was extraordinary!
After the ancestral artifact tasted blood, the Tao tribal clan's witch carefully wiped the sword dry before handing it over to Tao Yunxiao.
Tao Yunxiao genuflected and raised both his hands above his head to accept the female sword.
After he received the female sword, Tao Yunxiao felt his body brimming with energy. He looked towards Yi Yun with eyes burning with battle flames.
"Yi Yun! Get on the stage!" Tao Yunxiao said as he jumped into the arena.
Yi Yun gave a meaningful glance at that female sword before working his way into the arena.
The sun began to set in the vast wilderness, its bright glow dyeing the western sky red.
There were tens of thousands of people watching Yi Yun and Tao Yunxiao, who stood a hundred feet apart. They all held their breath and paid full attention. They did not want to miss any interesting moments of the duel.
This was a battle using the Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact!
The Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact was no trifling matter; many people of the Tao tribal clan had never even seen the ancestral artifact, even at an old age. Some did not even know what the ancestral artifact looked like.
How could they not feel excited about seeing the ancestral artifact's power today?
"Young Master Yunxiao is sure to win! Long live the Tao tribal clan!" shouted someone in the audience. This shout slowly turned into a tumultuous wave, with each succeeding wave being higher than the last.
It was a battle that determined their future!
Yi Yun wanted to become a Kingdom Knight because he knew that the best among the Kingdom Knights could enter the Divine Kingdom's royal capital, and enjoy the cultivation resources of the Kingdom, practicing the "Tai Ah Sacred Technique"!
Becoming a Kingdom Knight was an important step on his martial path.
Not only that, Kingdom Knights' had their own territory. So, Yi Yun could bring his sister Jiang Xiaorou to the heartlands and lead a comfortable life.
He would include people he received favors from like Aunt Wang, Uncle Zhou and the delicate and touching Zhou Xiaoke. Yi Yun wanted to bring these people into the heartlands, letting them bid farewell to the uncertain life of the Cloud Wilderness.
"Yi Yun, you and I do not have any feud, but the sword is blind. Don't blame me if I were to hurt you accidentally. I'll give you another warning. With the female sword in hand, my strength is at least doubled!" Tao Yunxiao said in high-spirits while embracing the female sword with his arms crossed.
"It's meaningless talk, make your move!" Upon saying those words, Yi Yun opened up his arms to fight bare-handed with Tao Yunxiao's female sword of the ancestral artifact!
The desert wind was fluttering, blowing Yi Yun's linen clothes. Yi Yun's figure and aura left a deep impression in the eyes of many.
Some girls from the Tao tribal clan suddenly had a subtle change of heart when they saw Yi Yun looking like this. The girls of the vast wilderness worshiped heroes; the current Yi Yun was a hero in their eyes!
He was a genius and he had a great future ahead of him. He showed no fear as he faced Tao Yunxiao's sword bare-handed!
This arrogance tormented the hearts of these girls. They looked at Yi Yun's back, and some of their faces blushed red as their heartbeat increased in speed.
If Yi Yun beat Tao Yunxiao, they could follow him to the Kingdom Knight's territory in the event Yi Yun showed them mercy. They could escape the poor and dangerous vast wilderness and to serve Yi Yun for life wasn't a bad thing…
The thoughts of these girls were not known to Tao Yunxiao. If he knew, he would have gone mad from anger. He only felt Yi Yun's aura growing stronger, with a grunt, the female sword he embraced had been unsheathed!
"Clang!"
The female sword flew to Tao Yunxiao's hands as if it were alive. Tao Yunxiao could not wait to defeat Yi Yun.
Time seemed to freeze as tens of thousands of people watched Tao Yunxiao attack!
His body suddenly appeared as a line of shadows and the people could only hear the sounds of his steps and the sword cutting through the air!
"Cha!"
The female sword sliced through the desert wind; it was so fast that people could not see clearly.
"Such a fast sword!"
"We can't even see Young Master Yunxiao's sword, how can it be avoidable?"
When a person attacks with a sword, compared to using fists, it would increase the attacking range, attacking power and the attacking speed as well.
The speed difference between a slash of the sword against a punch from the fist was very different.
"Whew!"
Tao Yunxiao had quickly moved in front of Yi Yun and his female sword had gone straight for Yi Yun's throat!
If this sword were to hit, Yi Yun's throat would split apart. Even if the Jin Long Wei's doctor was nearby, he was unlikely to be saved.
The people exclaimed but Yi Yun remained calm.
He had seen the 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven' before!
Last night, he had seen Lin Xintong's full version of the 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven'. Compared to Lin Xintong's swordplay, Tao Yunxiao's 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven' was not worthy of mention.
Although Yi Yun had never adapted to Lin Xintong's sword, he could see the flaws of Tao Yunxiao's swordplay. It was not a problem.
Just at the moment, Tao Yunxiao was about to pierce through Yi Yun's throat, Yi Yun suddenly moved backward and dodged the killing blow. The sword's tip was less than an inch away from Yi Yun's throat!
"Huh!?" Tao Yunxiao was not pleased that Yi Yun managed to dodge his first attack in an extremely serene manner, and he quickly responded with a second attack.
He was using the 'Flowers of the Storm' stance of the 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven'. When this stance was practiced to the extreme, a sword could stab out over a hundred times in the time it takes one breath!
Tao Yunxiao could not reach that level, but he could thrust a few dozen strikes out. From afar, Tao Yunxiao's strikes were a spectacular light show.
The 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven', when brandished, was so tightly bound that it could prevent water from entering. The sword beams around Tao Yunxiao's body together with sword Qi would form a protective boundary. Tao Yunxiao was in the early stages of this state.
When this dense sword beams hurled at Yi Yun to envelop him, Yi Yun's body turned into shadows that people couldn't read.
This feeling was the same illusion Zhang Yuxian gave off when he demonstrated 'Elephant Swallowing Technique'. They did not know what moves Yi Yun was making, but all they felt was that the arena was covered with afterimages!
The sword beams and afterimages were dazzling!
But there was no doubt that Tao Yunxiao's strikes had failed to hit their target!
A person with a sword had issued a dense rain-like attack, while the other was avoiding barehandedly. It was clear who was better!
"What!?" Tao Yunxiao's face turned a flustered red. He knew that Yi Yun would be a tough fight, so he had requested permission to use the ancestral artifact against Yi Yun. But he did not know that fighting Yi Yun would be much harder than he expected.
He had practiced his swordplay for several years, where his sword was as if a part of him; yet, he could not even touch the sleeves of Yi Yun!
"Yunxiao, don't be anxious!" The voice of Tao Yunxiao's father came into his ears. He could tell that his son was turning distraught from facing Yi Yun.
"I know, Father. Since he has such strength, I have no choice but to use the ancestral artifact's strength!" Although Tao Yunxiao was haughty and arrogant, he wasn't a fool who couldn't tell Yi Yun's strength. He knew that Yi Yun had withheld a lot of hidden power during his battle with Lian Chengyu. Still, Tao Yunxiao had the confidence to beat Yi Yun, because he could borrow the ancestral artifact's energy!
"Yunxiao, are you sure…?" Tao Yunxiao's father was worried because using the ancestral artifact's energy was no trifling matter.
Tao Yunxiao did not respond because he hit himself in the chest.
"Puah!"
Tao Yunxiao spat out a mouthful of blood onto the female sword.
And just like before, the female sword absorbed Tao Yunxiao's blood like the cow's blood and soon turned red and sinister!
This scene transfixed the audience.
They knew the Tao tribal clan had an ancestral artifact, but for what it was or its powers, they had no idea.
"Using blood to honor the ancestral artifact… Yunxiao really is desperate." The grand elder frowned. The Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact had some sinister side to it. Just using it as a sword gave one immense strength.
To use the Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifacts greatest power, the artifact had to be fed with blood. And it was most effective if the blood was the swordman's!
But to use the swordman's blood to feed the ancestral artifact would cause great harm to his Yuan Qi. By doing this blood ritual, Tao Yunxiao might take about half a year to recover which was extremely precious for a young warrior like Tao Yunxiao.
Tao Yunxiao had laid his bets; if he did not win, it would be a huge blow to him!
"Buzz——"
After the female sword fed on the blood, it began to emit a hum across the entire area. The people of the Tao tribal clan were stunned.
They did not know that such a scene would happen after the Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact was fed blood.
Although an ancestral artifact that fed on blood seemed sinister, there was no doubt of its power. One could tell just from the hums of the ancestral artifact.
The ritual involved slaughtering a cow and the dancing and chanting by two witches, who had their faces smeared with cow blood.
A witch took out the Tao tribal clan's female sword component of the ancestral artifact and washed it with blood.
This was a necessary ritual the Tao tribal clan used when taking out the ancestral artifact. It was not needed when practicing or demonstrating. But the ancestral artifact would see blood when used against an enemy; hence, they had to hold a ritual to honor the souls of their ancestors within the ancestral artifact.
It could be said to be odd because, when the female-sword was immersed in a copper bucket filled with cow's blood, the cow blood suddenly bubbled as if it were boiling. In a while, the entire bucket was dry. It gave the feeling that the blood had been absorbed by the sword!
"That sword…is a bit malevolent…" Yi Yun frowned slightly. He had originally thought the ritual did not do a thing because it stemmed from the superstitions of the vast wilderness. But he did not expect that the female sword of the Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact would absorb the blood.
After feasting on the blood, the female sword looked redder, as though an invisible force circulated on the sword's body. From the looks of it, the Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact was extraordinary!
After the ancestral artifact tasted blood, the Tao tribal clan's witch carefully wiped the sword dry before handing it over to Tao Yunxiao.
Tao Yunxiao genuflected and raised both his hands above his head to accept the female sword.
After he received the female sword, Tao Yunxiao felt his body brimming with energy. He looked towards Yi Yun with eyes burning with battle flames.
"Yi Yun! Get on the stage!" Tao Yunxiao said as he jumped into the arena.
Yi Yun gave a meaningful glance at that female sword before working his way into the arena.
The sun began to set in the vast wilderness, its bright glow dyeing the western sky red.
There were tens of thousands of people watching Yi Yun and Tao Yunxiao, who stood a hundred feet apart. They all held their breath and paid full attention. They did not want to miss any interesting moments of the duel.
This was a battle using the Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact!
The Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact was no trifling matter; many people of the Tao tribal clan had never even seen the ancestral artifact, even at an old age. Some did not even know what the ancestral artifact looked like.
How could they not feel excited about seeing the ancestral artifact's power today?
"Young Master Yunxiao is sure to win! Long live the Tao tribal clan!" shouted someone in the audience. This shout slowly turned into a tumultuous wave, with each succeeding wave being higher than the last.
It was a battle that determined their future!
Yi Yun wanted to become a Kingdom Knight because he knew that the best among the Kingdom Knights could enter the Divine Kingdom's royal capital, and enjoy the cultivation resources of the Kingdom, practicing the "Tai Ah Sacred Technique"!
Becoming a Kingdom Knight was an important step on his martial path.
Not only that, Kingdom Knights' had their own territory. So, Yi Yun could bring his sister Jiang Xiaorou to the heartlands and lead a comfortable life.
He would include people he received favors from like Aunt Wang, Uncle Zhou and the delicate and touching Zhou Xiaoke. Yi Yun wanted to bring these people into the heartlands, letting them bid farewell to the uncertain life of the Cloud Wilderness.
"Yi Yun, you and I do not have any feud, but the sword is blind. Don't blame me if I were to hurt you accidentally. I'll give you another warning. With the female sword in hand, my strength is at least doubled!" Tao Yunxiao said in high-spirits while embracing the female sword with his arms crossed.
"It's meaningless talk, make your move!" Upon saying those words, Yi Yun opened up his arms to fight bare-handed with Tao Yunxiao's female sword of the ancestral artifact!
The desert wind was fluttering, blowing Yi Yun's linen clothes. Yi Yun's figure and aura left a deep impression in the eyes of many.
Some girls from the Tao tribal clan suddenly had a subtle change of heart when they saw Yi Yun looking like this. The girls of the vast wilderness worshiped heroes; the current Yi Yun was a hero in their eyes!
He was a genius and he had a great future ahead of him. He showed no fear as he faced Tao Yunxiao's sword bare-handed!
This arrogance tormented the hearts of these girls. They looked at Yi Yun's back, and some of their faces blushed red as their heartbeat increased in speed.
If Yi Yun beat Tao Yunxiao, they could follow him to the Kingdom Knight's territory in the event Yi Yun showed them mercy. They could escape the poor and dangerous vast wilderness and to serve Yi Yun for life wasn't a bad thing…
The thoughts of these girls were not known to Tao Yunxiao. If he knew, he would have gone mad from anger. He only felt Yi Yun's aura growing stronger, with a grunt, the female sword he embraced had been unsheathed!
"Clang!"
The female sword flew to Tao Yunxiao's hands as if it were alive. Tao Yunxiao could not wait to defeat Yi Yun.
Time seemed to freeze as tens of thousands of people watched Tao Yunxiao attack!
His body suddenly appeared as a line of shadows and the people could only hear the sounds of his steps and the sword cutting through the air!
"Cha!"
The female sword sliced through the desert wind; it was so fast that people could not see clearly.
"Such a fast sword!"
"We can't even see Young Master Yunxiao's sword, how can it be avoidable?"
When a person attacks with a sword, compared to using fists, it would increase the attacking range, attacking power and the attacking speed as well.
The speed difference between a slash of the sword against a punch from the fist was very different.
"Whew!"
Tao Yunxiao had quickly moved in front of Yi Yun and his female sword had gone straight for Yi Yun's throat!
If this sword were to hit, Yi Yun's throat would split apart. Even if the Jin Long Wei's doctor was nearby, he was unlikely to be saved.
The people exclaimed but Yi Yun remained calm.
He had seen the 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven' before!
Last night, he had seen Lin Xintong's full version of the 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven'. Compared to Lin Xintong's swordplay, Tao Yunxiao's 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven' was not worthy of mention.
Although Yi Yun had never adapted to Lin Xintong's sword, he could see the flaws of Tao Yunxiao's swordplay. It was not a problem.
Just at the moment, Tao Yunxiao was about to pierce through Yi Yun's throat, Yi Yun suddenly moved backward and dodged the killing blow. The sword's tip was less than an inch away from Yi Yun's throat!
"Huh!?" Tao Yunxiao was not pleased that Yi Yun managed to dodge his first attack in an extremely serene manner, and he quickly responded with a second attack.
He was using the 'Flowers of the Storm' stance of the 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven'. When this stance was practiced to the extreme, a sword could stab out over a hundred times in the time it takes one breath!
Tao Yunxiao could not reach that level, but he could thrust a few dozen strikes out. From afar, Tao Yunxiao's strikes were a spectacular light show.
The 'Nine Mysterious Swords of Heaven', when brandished, was so tightly bound that it could prevent water from entering. The sword beams around Tao Yunxiao's body together with sword Qi would form a protective boundary. Tao Yunxiao was in the early stages of this state.
When this dense sword beams hurled at Yi Yun to envelop him, Yi Yun's body turned into shadows that people couldn't read.
This feeling was the same illusion Zhang Yuxian gave off when he demonstrated 'Elephant Swallowing Technique'. They did not know what moves Yi Yun was making, but all they felt was that the arena was covered with afterimages!
The sword beams and afterimages were dazzling!
But there was no doubt that Tao Yunxiao's strikes had failed to hit their target!
A person with a sword had issued a dense rain-like attack, while the other was avoiding barehandedly. It was clear who was better!
"What!?" Tao Yunxiao's face turned a flustered red. He knew that Yi Yun would be a tough fight, so he had requested permission to use the ancestral artifact against Yi Yun. But he did not know that fighting Yi Yun would be much harder than he expected.
He had practiced his swordplay for several years, where his sword was as if a part of him; yet, he could not even touch the sleeves of Yi Yun!
"Yunxiao, don't be anxious!" The voice of Tao Yunxiao's father came into his ears. He could tell that his son was turning distraught from facing Yi Yun.
"I know, Father. Since he has such strength, I have no choice but to use the ancestral artifact's strength!" Although Tao Yunxiao was haughty and arrogant, he wasn't a fool who couldn't tell Yi Yun's strength. He knew that Yi Yun had withheld a lot of hidden power during his battle with Lian Chengyu. Still, Tao Yunxiao had the confidence to beat Yi Yun, because he could borrow the ancestral artifact's energy!
"Yunxiao, are you sure…?" Tao Yunxiao's father was worried because using the ancestral artifact's energy was no trifling matter.
Tao Yunxiao did not respond because he hit himself in the chest.
"Puah!"
Tao Yunxiao spat out a mouthful of blood onto the female sword.
And just like before, the female sword absorbed Tao Yunxiao's blood like the cow's blood and soon turned red and sinister!
This scene transfixed the audience.
They knew the Tao tribal clan had an ancestral artifact, but for what it was or its powers, they had no idea.
"Using blood to honor the ancestral artifact… Yunxiao really is desperate." The grand elder frowned. The Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact had some sinister side to it. Just using it as a sword gave one immense strength.
To use the Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifacts greatest power, the artifact had to be fed with blood. And it was most effective if the blood was the swordman's!
But to use the swordman's blood to feed the ancestral artifact would cause great harm to his Yuan Qi. By doing this blood ritual, Tao Yunxiao might take about half a year to recover which was extremely precious for a young warrior like Tao Yunxiao.
Tao Yunxiao had laid his bets; if he did not win, it would be a huge blow to him!
"Buzz——"
After the female sword fed on the blood, it began to emit a hum across the entire area. The people of the Tao tribal clan were stunned.
They did not know that such a scene would happen after the Tao tribal clan's ancestral artifact was fed blood.
Although an ancestral artifact that fed on blood seemed sinister, there was no doubt of its power. One could tell just from the hums of the ancestral artifact.
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