Chapter 309 - 170: Celestial Thunder Suppresses the World, Nine Tribulations Celestial Sword Array

Inside the One-Star Tower, the sky was as black as ink. The clouds, as thick as mountains, stretched on without end. The oppressive blackness blanketed everything in sight, carrying the weight of a million black-armored horsemen thundering past, creating an unseen, terrifying pressure. A fierce wind howled, sweeping across heaven and earth, its gusts of Powerful Qi signaling that a tempest was about to break.

At this moment, Gu Yun floated in the air. His clothes billowed without wind, and his long hair danced wildly. A sharp, blade-like glint flashed in his eyes as he gazed at the colossal beam of sword light, like a river of stars, crashing down on him from the sky. With a wave of his hand, he unleashed a blast of Sword Qi that radiated an ancient aura and tore through the void.

The massive blast of Sword Qi shot upward, like a meteor streaking across the heavens. With an incomparably sharp edge, it slashed toward the brilliant, river-of-stars-like sword light!

BOOM!

The two powerful attacks collided in the void, releasing a deafening blast that echoed across the sky. Space itself warped and shook violently for dozens of miles around, like a tsunami. A powerful storm swept outward for hundreds of miles, filling the air with a deafening shriek!

"Interesting. As expected of the genius who defeated that big lug. You do have some skill," Qin Wushuang praised aloud when he saw his opponent could withstand a strike of his Sword Qi.

His hands, however, didn’t slow down. They grew even faster. With eyes as sharp as blades, Qin Wushuang moved like a bolt of lightning, tearing through space to appear before Gu Yun in a flash.

He thrust his silver-gleaming Longsword forward, the strike piercing through the air. A dazzling silver light radiated from its tip, like a white specter coming to claim a soul!

’Fast, but I’m faster!’

The instant Qin Wushuang thrust his sword forward with incredible speed, Gu Yun reacted. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. He swung the Flame Soul Thunder Saber in a powerful horizontal arc, a slash that seemed capable of annihilating everything, and instantly parried the incoming strike.

CLANG!

The blades crashed together an instant later, sending a sharp clang echoing across the sky. Terrifying shockwaves radiated from the point of impact, spreading outward like ripples on a lake.

"Kill!"

Gu Yun’s eyes narrowed. With a reverse-grip flick, he swung the Flame Thunder Saber upward. The razor-sharp edge tore through space as he slashed straight at Qin Wushuang!

"Child’s play!"

But Qin Wushuang, a man of seemingly endless combat experience, was ready. The instant Gu Yun moved, the corner of Qin Wushuang’s mouth curled into a smirk. He pulled back his Longsword and met the attack with a horizontal slash of his own. His Sword Qi sundered the sky, and the dazzling silver light from his blade seemed powerful enough to rip space itself apart!

CLANG!

Another clash of blades. The crisp ring of steel, as loud as a great temple bell, echoed beyond the Nine Heavens. The shockwave was so powerful it thinned the thick, dark clouds, allowing faint rays of sunlight to pierce through and cast down slivers of gold.

’He’s strong—much stronger than the Gatekeeper of the 8th Layer!

It looks like I won’t get through this layer so easily unless I bring out the big guns.’

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Gu Yun shot backward to create distance. He moved like a silver flash of lightning, vanishing from his spot and reappearing high above Qin Wushuang. A gleam of thunder sparked in his eyes, which now crackled with electricity and radiated a terrifying power.

An immense Thunder Power erupted from his body. Coiling Thunder Arcs, like writhing serpents, wrapped around him, radiating an astonishing might.

RUMBLE!

With a deafening roar, the area for hundreds of miles around instantly transformed into a Thunder Domain. Countless serpents of lightning danced and writhed in the void, and from time to time, a powerful bolt of Thunder would crash down from above.

Gu Yun had comprehended Thunder True Intent some time ago. Empowered by it, his Thunder Techniques became immensely more powerful, even taking on a hint of the aura of Celestial Punishment.

"Celestial Thunder Hand!"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Gu Yun thrust a hand toward the sky. In an instant, the boundless lightning condensed into a colossal Thunderous Hand that stretched for hundreds of miles, crackling with innumerable arcs of electricity and radiating a brilliant light!

In the next instant,

The Thunderous Hand blotted out the sky, its descent crushing space itself. Like Divine Power descending upon the mortal world, it pressed down on Qin Wushuang with overwhelming might!

’He’s cultivated his Thunder Technique to such a degree?’

A look of surprise crossed the face of the sharp-eyed Qin Wushuang. He hovered in mid-air, his posture as straight as a pine, his black robes and white hair whipping wildly in the wind.

And yet, as he gazed at the Thunderous Hand blotting out the sky—a veritable Celestial Punishment descending with enough vast Divine Power to shatter the void—a flicker of excitement, not fear, lit up in Qin Wushuang’s eyes.

"It’s been so long... so long since I’ve felt anything like this!"

"I hope you can give me a real fight. My gate is not so easily passed, after all!"

A sharp glint of sword light flashed in Qin Wushuang’s eyes. A Heaven-Reaching Sword Intent erupted from his body, causing the void around him to tremble violently. The mere aftershocks of his Sword Qi were enough to shred the space for dozens of miles around to pieces!

"HRAAAGH!

Qin Wushuang gripped his silver-gleaming sword. The blade was exceptionally sharp, and a blindingly brilliant light bloomed at its tip.

In the next instant, Qin Wushuang raised his Longsword high, concentrating his entire Sword Intent into the blade before unleashing a vicious slash at the sky.

Instantly, a massive and razor-sharp beam of light tore through the sky. The brilliant silver Sword Qi was like a star falling from the Nine Heavens, shattering everything in its path. Stretching for hundreds of miles, this colossal wave of Sword Qi was like the heavenly river itself descending to sweep away and destroy everything!

BOOOOOOM!

The Celestial Thunder Hand, crackling with terrifying lightning and blotting out the sky, collided with the massive slash of Sword Qi that streaked across the firmament like a river of stars. In that instant, an earth-shattering explosion erupted. Shockwaves, like ripples on an ocean, spread out from the center of the collision and expanded in all directions.