inspire-indiana Chapter 185 Earth Martial Arts Slaying Demons
Chapter 185 Earth Martial Arts Slaying Demons
The silver light within the palace slowly subsided, like the receding tide revealing a dried-up beach. The light that had surged from the walls and floor receded inch by inch into the cracks and patterns of the stone, gradually dimming until only a faint sliver of light remained in the center of the platform, circling a few times before dissipating. When Lin Chen's feet touched the ground, the sound of his boots striking the stone echoed through the empty hall before gradually subsiding. The instant he straightened up, the ground around him seemed to be solidified by some unseen force; within a few feet of him, the fine stone chips and dust on the stone slabs shifted slightly towards the edges. The pressure of the Earth Martial Realm spread outwards from his body like mercury, heavy and even, spreading along the floor and walls of the hall, lasting for several breaths before being drawn back into his body. A few small fragments broke off from the cracks in the stone pillars due to the pressure, rolling a few times on the steps before coming to a stop.
The Bloodbone Demon remained standing. His body leaned slightly forward, as if he had been frozen in place before he could take his next step. Between the joints of his bone armor, the bloodthirsty energy became unstable, dissipating intermittently like smoke blown about by the wind. His gaze shifted from Lin Chen to the vanished ball of light on the platform, then returned to Lin Chen. The bone claw hovered in mid-air for a moment before slowly lowering, its malevolent energy instantly diminishing by half.
"Impossible." His voice was lower than before. "How could the Star Martial Origin recognize you as its master?" He wasn't using a question. He was repeating a statement, and when his voice was pushed out from the bottom of his chest, it had lost the heavy, oppressive quality unique to a Void Breaking Realm expert. His bone claw knuckles spasmed near his shoulder blades, then were forced to relax. He looked up at Lin Chen standing in front of the high platform, his reddish eyes filled with crimson astonishment.
Lin Chen didn't answer. He raised his hand and grasped the hilt of the sword. The Star Sword automatically sprang up from the hard stone surface in front of the platform, accompanied by a shower of fine stone chips and a faint silver light. It spun half a circle in the air before landing steadily in his palm. The moment the blade touched his fingertips, it emitted a deep, lingering hum, like an artifact long sealed away recognizing its old master. The Star Qi of the Earth Martial Realm flowed along his arm into the sword. The silvery-white light on the blade's surface quickly spread to the spine, the bright silver light merging with the ancient patterns, emitting a rhythmic pulsation, like a heartbeat.
"I don't believe it!" The Blood Bone Demon took a sudden step forward, the fascia at his bone joints taut, and dark red evil power surged from his body, spreading outwards along the ground in all directions. Above his head, the crimson evil power condensed into a gigantic bone demon phantom, its skull clearly defined, eye sockets hollow, fangs protruding, and bone claws outstretched, aimed at Lin Chen's location. He had used that kind of evil technique many times before, each time enough to destroy all the defenses of a martial artist of the same level. At this moment, he poured almost all the last of his evil power into it, and the bone demon phantom expanded to almost touch the top of the hall, the ground trembling as it pressed down.
Lin Chen stood still. He raised his sword, holding it horizontally in front of his chest, the tip pointing forward. He didn't gather his strength, didn't retreat, and didn't even change his stance. When the giant maw of the Bone Demon phantom pressed down half a zhang in front of him, he thrust his sword forward.
Sword light surged from the tip of the sword, rapidly condensing into a silver arc that swept across the hall. The arc was smooth, fast, and wide-ranging, striking the head and jaws of the Bone Demon phantom almost simultaneously. Where the arc passed, the evil energy, like frozen oil cleaved by a hot blade, split in two, wisps of white smoke rising from the broken surface. The phantom rapidly disintegrated after splitting, turning into countless tiny black fragments that scattered in all directions, turning to ashes before even hitting the ground and being swept away by the subsequent shockwave. The Blood Bone Demon's protective evil armor developed its first crack the instant the silver light touched his body. The crack spread from the center of the breastplate to both shoulder blades, then along the ribs to the waist and abdomen. His body lost its support, and the Blood Bone Demon collapsed to the ground. The bone blade in his hand flew out, struck a stone pillar, bounced, rolled a few times, and came to rest at the edge of the steps.
The silver arc of light inside the hall dissipated rapidly after completing the strike, leaving only a faint trail of light in the air.