1416 Fearsome Existence

Just as Senior Bai had mentioned, the spirit assumed the form of a human. Despite the distance between them, Yuan could discern that it bore the likeness of a slender female figure, its long hair being caressed by the gentle and ominous wind.

Yuan tried to take a closer look at this spirit, but there was an invisible force that blocked his divine sense from approaching it after a certain distance. It was clear that the spirit did not welcome his gaze.

However, after the initial attack, the spirit did not attack Yuan again, almost as though it was only trying to warn him—or so he thought.

The next moment, he watched as the spirit raised its arm before swinging it in his direction.

Sha! Boom!

A potent sword light lashed out at Yuan's location like a whip, carving another deep sword mark into the ground, stretching for miles.

"Brother Yuan, what are you doing?! We need to get out of here as soon as possible! That is not an opponent you can fight!" Xiao Hua exclaimed in a terrified voice.

Even with all the time he had spent with her, Yuan had never witnessed Xiao Hua display such evident fear before. This underscored the incomprehensible power and sheer terror that the spirit of the Giant's Sword wielded.

After confirming its fearsome existence, Yuan, not wanting to aggravate the spirit anymore, turned around and started running toward the Shadow Realm's entrance.

'Judging by the Giant's Sword view from my position, I should be very close to it!' Yuan thought to himself as he activated Vermillion Phoenix Dominating the Heavens.

Normally, he would test the water by throwing a few attacks at his aggressors, just like he did with the Black Death, but he truly did not want to find out what would happen if he were to attack this incomprehensible spirit.

'Although I couldn't sense it at first, its attacks are imbued with Enhanced Sword Aura, and they are even many times more powerful than mine!' Yuan glanced at the second sword mark that still lingered with the spirit's Enhanced Sword Aura.

If his Enhanced Sword Aura were to clash with the spirit's Enhanced Sword Aura, he would undoubtedly lose. Miserably, at that.

"..."

Yuan could sense the spirit's sharp gaze following him even without looking at it. He was moving at an extreme speed that would bewilder even Divine Realm experts, yet the spirit could easily follow his movements.

A few seconds later, Yuan was hit by another chilling sensation that sent shivers throughout his entire body.

He immediately halted his movements, not daring to move an inch.

BANG!

Four sword marks appeared around him the very next second. If he had continued moving, even changing directions, he would've perished to the spirit's attack, which anticipated even his escape routes.

The only thing the spirit hadn't anticipated was his sudden halt, which saved his life.

'This is fucking crazy!' Yuan cried inwardly as he started soaring toward the Shadow Realm's entrance once again.

The spirit, as though it was impressed by Yuan's performance, stopped attacking him for the time being, but its gaze remained fixated on him, watching his every movement.

A few minutes later, Yuan barely noticed a black portal in the distance.

'That must be the entrance to the Shadow Realm!'

Even though he was relieved to finally see the entrance, he still had to worry about getting there safely, as he hadn't forgotten about the spirit that was still watching him.

Sure enough, just as he was mere moments away from reaching the portal, he sensed the spirit's aura abruptly erupt, reaching the heavens.

Yuan's entire body trembled violently, as though it was warning him of his immediate demise.

With a strong sense of foreboding that he would not survive the incoming attack, Yuan didn't hesitate to unleash all of his hidden strength.

[Heaven's Supremacy!]

A majestic golden aura enveloped Yuan as an unfathomable power surged forth from the depths of his body.

When the Golden Immortal Physique detected the power of Heaven's Supremacy, it responded by manifesting a semi-

transparent armor that enveloped his entire body.

[Progress: 10%]

This golden armor did not obstruct Yuan's movements, nor did it have any weight to it. However, it further boosted Yuan's prowess to even greater heights, rivaling that of the spirit.

"?!?"

"Come! Empyrean Overlord!"

Yuan summoned his sword and activated God of War's Astral Arts.

"?!?!?!"

The spirit's figure visibly shook after seeing the Empyrean Overlord. It instinctively pulled back its attack, but it acted a little too late.

A massive amount of spiritual energy and Enhanced Sword Aura descended upon Yuan, surpassing the attack he used on Senior Bai several times.

[Nine Supreme Swords!]

Yuan used the Nine Supreme Swords, executing a series of rapid sword strikes in quick succession, each several magnitudes stronger than the last.

When Yuan's all-out assault collided with the spirit's attack, it generated a colossal ripple that rents space asunder and instilled fear in every existence within the Vanishing Valley that sensed it, regardless of their cultivation level.

It took six out of nine of the Nine Supreme Swords' strikes to obliterate the spirit's attack, leaving the remaining three to hurtle toward the spirit itself.

However, Yuan was not willing to wait for the results and immediately charged into the entrance to the Shadow Realm.

"Wai—!" The spirit raised a hand and extended it in Yuan's direction, but he had already disappeared into the Shadow Realm by that point.

The spirit remained in that position like a stone statue.

Just as the final three sword strikes from Yuan's Nine Supreme Swords closed in on the spirit, it nonchalantly swung its arm, effortlessly dismantling the most formidable attack Yuan could muster at that moment, treating it with nonchalance.

"That sword just now… it can't be…" The spirit muttered in a dazed voice as it recalled the image of Yuan's Empyrean Overlord inside its head.

It desired to pursue Yuan to confirm its suspicions, but its movements were constrained, unable to stray too far from the Giant's Sword. Furthermore, the entrance to the Shadow Realm lay beyond its travel range, rendering any efforts futile.