Chapter 55 - 47: Killing Intent Takes Form, Six-Petaled Cyan Lotus

Chapter 55: Chapter 47: Killing Intent Takes Form, Six-Petaled Cyan Lotus

The Seven Kills Sword Array was a very common and practical Sword Array within the Cyan Cloud Sect’s Sword Concealment Peak.

Its greatest feature was its ability to allow the seven people forming the array to pool their killing intent, merging it into a single, cohesive entity. The array master at the core could then freely distribute this killing intent, controlling it as easily as moving their own arm.

To Cultivators of other schools, killing intent might just be an intangible, ethereal concept. However, for Sword Cultivators who specialized in offense, killing intent was a special, tangible force they could utilize. Once this killing intent condensed to a certain degree, a Sword Cultivator could fuse it with their own Sword Intent to form a unique power. This power could both intimidate enemies and significantly boost their own might.

At this very moment, Lu Chen was experiencing the sheer terror of this power. While the oppressiveness didn’t quite match the Foundation Establishment Stage, it was dangerously close.

On the first floor of the Sword Pavilion, seven Sword Demons assumed a coordinated strike formation, sealing off all of Lu Chen’s possible retreat routes.

Lu Chen’s Cyan Lotus Pupil spun frantically as he searched for a weak point in this Seven Kills Sword Array. In his vision, a phantom Sword Map hovered conspicuously above the heads of the seven Sword Demons. The patterns on the Sword Map intertwined in an incredibly complex matrix. Though Lu Chen couldn’t decipher the Sword Map itself, he could clearly see the seven motes of light within it. The largest of these lights represented the Elite Level Sword Demon stationed at the center of the Sword Array. Without a doubt, these lights corresponded to the seven Sword Demons forming the array below.

Backed by his Infinite Resurrection, Lu Chen simply chose not to dodge. Instead, he prepared to face the Sword Array head-on to find its weaknesses. Moreover, a mere Seven Kills Sword Array was enough to allow seven Qi Cultivation Stage Sword Demons to exude an aura comparable to the Foundation Establishment Stage. If he could learn this Sword Array, then in the future, whether it was the Cyan Profound Puppet or the Ink Spirit within the Ink Flood Dragon Sword, they could completely replace the Seven Sword Demons before him to form his very own Seven Kills Sword Array. If he succeeded, his Power would undoubtedly soar to the next level.

Therefore, Lu Chen wasn’t just thinking about how to defeat the Seven Sword Demons in front of him; he was also plotting how to secretly learn their Sword Array. And the best way to learn a Sword Array was, without question, to experience it firsthand.

It was just that the price for this lesson... was not small.

BOOM!

As the Seven Sword Demons closed to a certain distance, Lu Chen instantly felt a crushing pressure, as if a colossal mountain were bearing down on him. He knew this pressure wasn’t just psychological; it was a physical manifestation of their pooled killing intent. The sudden onset of this killing intent suppression made Lu Chen stumble, nearly causing him to pitch forward into the ground.

The Seven Sword Demons gave him no chance to adapt. The two Sword Demons closest to him launched an immediate assault. Under the immense pressure, Lu Chen could only clumsily execute the Flowing Cloud Step, barely evading one of the Sword Demons’ attacks before swinging his sword at the other.

CLANG!

The instant the vibrating Ink Flood Dragon Sword clashed with the Sword Demon’s Evil Sword, Lu Chen felt as though his strike had hit a massive mountain. He couldn’t shake his opponent in the slightest. Enhanced by the Cyan Lotus Pupil, Lu Chen clearly saw that his attack had been dispersed by the Sword Demon in some mysterious way. Without a doubt, this was an Effect of the Seven Kills Sword Array.

There was no more time for Lu Chen to think, as the rest of the Sword Demons were already swarming him. In an instant, Lu Chen found himself besieged by six Sword Demons. As for the Elite Level Sword Demon in the distance, it adopted a spectating posture, patiently observing Lu Chen’s weaknesses without rushing to strike.

A minute later, having grown slightly accustomed to the Seven Kills Sword Array, Lu Chen finally found fleeting opportunities to counterattack, occasionally landing a retaliatory blow on the Sword Demons surrounding him. Though these strikes barely scratched them, it was still a crucial step forward.

At this point, Lu Chen had roughly figured out the Sword Array’s Effects. First was the almost tangible suppression. It condensed killing intent into an invisible mountain that pressed ruthlessly onto anyone trapped within, preventing enemies from exerting their full strength. Second was the collective unity of the array casters. Any attack from an enemy was dispersed evenly across the Seven Sword Demons, making it impossible to defeat them one by one.

Combined, these two aspects meant that despite his Power, Lu Chen could exert at most fifty percent of his capabilities. This feeling of having strength but nowhere to apply it was excruciating.

"This won’t do. I can’t let this continue," Lu Chen thought.

As the saying went, a prolonged defense inevitably leads to a breach. Although he hadn’t yet found a flaw in the Seven Kills Sword Array, Lu Chen knew this initial probe had just about reached its limit. If he let the situation drag on, he might not even be able to land a single effective counterattack, let alone find a way to break the array.

"ROAR!"

Accompanied by that signature Dragon Roar, the Ink Flood Dragon Sword in Lu Chen’s hand began to tremble violently. Streaks of silver-white Sword Qi radiated from his body, quickly coalescing into a magnificent silver-white Flood Dragon.

Whether it was due to the increase in his own Cultivation, or because he was currently wielding the Divine Weapon known as the Ink Flood Dragon Sword, Lu Chen’s Sword Qi Flood Dragon exhibited subtle changes compared to before. In the center of the Sword Qi Flood Dragon’s brow, a black Dragon Scale had unexpectedly appeared, bestowing the Sword Qi Flood Dragon with an unprecedented, divine aura.

The emergence of this Sword Qi Flood Dragon actually forced back the surrounding Sword Demons temporarily, diluting the pressure shrouding Lu Chen.

Seeing this, the Elite Level Sword Demon—which had held back until now—finally made its move. Taking a step forward, the Meat Tumor Evil Sword in its right hand opened a bloody maw, spewing out massive amounts of eerie, blood-red energy. In mere moments, the energy materialized into a grotesque, blood-red Giant Sword.

Lu Chen and the Elite Sword Demon locked eyes, then launched their attacks almost simultaneously.

BOOM!

The Sword Qi Flood Dragon and the blood-red Giant Sword collided, scattering countless shards of Sword Qi in every direction. After a brief stalemate, the previously unstoppable Sword Qi Flood Dragon finally shattered into a sky full of Sword Qi, failing because Lu Chen lacked the Spiritual Power to sustain it.

However, the Elite Sword Demon’s blood-red Giant Sword didn’t fare much better. Not only was its blade riddled with sword marks, but the Seven Sword Demons forming the array also vomited blood. If they hadn’t shared the brunt of Lu Chen’s attack, that single strike would have been enough to claim the Elite Sword Demon’s life.

"One against seven, especially when they’re in a Sword Array... relying solely on myself is still a bit lacking," Lu Chen mused.

He looked up at the blood-red Giant Sword crashing down toward him, his expression perfectly calm. Although he had failed this time, he had also largely figured out the ins and outs of the Seven Kills Sword Array. As long as he could pinpoint its weakness, breaking the array would just be a matter of course.

BOOM!

As the blood-red Giant Sword finally struck, Lu Chen, his Spiritual Power completely drained, was buried beneath the ensuing rubble.

[You died.]

...

"Phew, it really has been a long time since I tasted death," Lu Chen exhaled.

Standing resurrected before the gates of the Sword Pavilion, he began to analyze the reasons for his recent failure, just as he had done previously in the Ancient Cultivator’s Tomb Dungeon. Much like traditional instances, the Dungeons in True Cultivation followed a standard ’stage-clear mode.’ Only by completely clearing a ’stage’ could one obtain all the rewards within it, quite similar to the game ’Dungeon Fighter Online’ that Lu Chen had played in his past life.

Therefore, even though he had resurrected and reset the Dungeon, the reset only applied to the interior of the Sword Pavilion. The ordinary Sword Demons out in the plaza did not respawn.

Recalling the battle, Lu Chen slowly came to a decision. To break the Seven Kills Sword Array, he needed to understand it more thoroughly, and the existence of the Cyan Lotus Flower Pupil allowed him to better observe the traces of the Sword Array’s operation. In that case, he just needed to raise the Level of his Cyan Lotus Flower Pupil and exchange blows a few more times. That should be enough to find a way to break the array.

Thinking of this, Lu Chen immediately checked his Experience Points and the Skill Level of the Cyan Lotus Flower Pupil.

[Cyan Lotus Flower Pupil: entry-level 10/1000]

[Current Experience Points: 3402]

...

[You consumed 990 Experience Points. Cyan Lotus Flower Pupil leveled up to ’Proficient’...]

[Current Experience Points: 2412]

...

PS: Damn it, WBG actually lost the first match. The second update will be uploaded a bit later.