Demon Immortal



Jiang Chen's face became dignified when he realized the nature of Duncan's demand.

Compared to Lu Tianxin who acted righteously all day long and secretly schemed, a sword cultivator like Duncan was someone worthy of his respect. Jiang Chen didn't have any illusions that he was a good guy. He knew he was opportunistic and tended to look out for himself most of the times.

But, it didn't mean he didn't understand the type of pride a true cultivator must have. He had even tried to foster that pride within him. Unfortunately, his innate character made it hard for him to be like those cultivators.

Even though Duncan was his enemy, at this moment Jiang Chen respected Duncan a lot more than his two allies. He didn't look down on Duncan because he was an evil cultivator. This kind of respect was something that was born deep in the heart. No one can instill it within someone else.

Jiang Chen understood the nature of the request and the pride hidden behind it. He knew what Duncan was asking for. He could feel Duncan's pride in his sword cultivation in that simple word. It made him realize that this fight was going to be incredibly hard even if they all combined all their trump cards.

"Fellow Daoist, My name is Jiang Chen. I am the first disciple of the White Plume Sect," Jiang Chen said solemnly. "I will fulfill your request."

Duncan looked at Jiang Chen and nodded slightly, "Duncan, Heavenly Demon Sect!"

The two exchanged a nod. Lu Tianxin and Wu Dongmin by the side looked at the strange exchange between the duo and frowned slightly. Wu Dongmin's very nature made it hard for him to understand these subtle things. 

He was someone very straightforward in his approach. He loved fighting and was brash to a certain extent. While he understood how to navigate the cultivation world and gain advantages, these subtle things flew right over his head.

Strangely enough, this made him an ideal fit to cultivate Saber Dao. Saber Dao had an innate feature of rigidity and stubbornness to it. His character suited such a dao well. His cultivation of the Saber Dao was the best in the current generation of young talents.

On the other hand, Lu Tianxin was someone who played tricks a lot. Unlike Wu Dongmin, he understood the hidden significance of the exchange between the two. It wasn't an exchange of greeting between equals. But, it was an acknowledgment of sorts between the two.

That underlying exchange of respect made him frown a bit harder. Of the three of them who were fighting Duncan, it was him who disliked Duncan the most. The news that Duncan could generate swordlight was something he couldn't stand. His dislike stemmed from his jealousy of Duncan. 

Seeing Jiang Chen give a nod of respect to Duncan, he felt incredibly uncomfortable. He scowled at Jiang Chen but didn't say anything. He wasn't foolish enough to alienate Jiang Chen at this juncture. Right now, they all were in the same boat. Respect or not, only one side could walk away with their life. So, there was no use in digging deep into this.

But, he would remember this. He wouldn't forget how Jiang Chen approved of Duncan. One day, he would make Jiang Chen pay for this bit of disrespect towards him. Sneering inwardly, Lu Tianxin waved his hands. 

A small sword that was not much larger than his palm appeared in his hand. 

The moment the sword appeared, Duncan felt his eyes prickle. He could feel a tyrannical sword energy emanating from it. Duncan's eyes narrowed as he realized that this small sword was most likely this swordsman's trump card.

Even Jiang Chen and Wu Dongmin's faces became dignified upon seeing the small sword.

"This is a small token my master had gifted me with," Lu Tianxin boasted proudly looking at Duncan. "It has the attack power of peak Violet Palace realm. Do you want to try this as well?"

Duncan narrowed his eyes. He could hear the ridicule in the sword cultivator's words. He also understood the significance of the attack power mentioned by his opponent. Obviously, it wasn't something he was confident of taking on. 

But, looking at the sword cultivator's smug face, Duncan didn't want to retreat. Duncan's hand on his sword tightened. The battle intent in him surged and his eyes became brighter. A small smile graced his lips.

"Why not?" Duncan replied simply and unsheathed his sword.

Brandishing his sword at the sword cultivator, Duncan smirked and spoke,"I told you that you weren't qualified to make me use my sword. However, that sword is qualified enough. Come, let's see whose sword is sharper."

Hearing Duncan's words, Lu Tianxin flushed in embarrassment and shame. 

"You will regret this!" Lu Tianxin shouted angrily and prepared to attack Duncan.

Just then, a strong saber aura exploded from beside him causing Lu Tianxin to look over. Wu Dongmin was holding a small saber ideal to Lu Tianxin. The saber aura that came out of it was no lesser than the sword aura from Lu Tianxin's small sword.

"Count me in as well," Wu Dongmin smirked and looked at Duncan provocatively.

Duncan looked at the two small weapons in the hands of his opponents and became serious. Combined with the seal that had almost killed him, he knew that this upcoming fight was going to be far tougher than he anticipated.

This also let him know that fighting elite disciples who had their sects backing them was no small matter. He didn't have any such incredible weapons. His master wasn't as generous as theirs. He would have to use his own skills to contend against these weapons.

Seeing the trio looking at him with serious expression, Duncan felt a strange sort of determination flood his mind. His heartbeat started to rise rapidly for a small moment before becoming subdued. A slow throbbing started emanating from his heart. A yearning filled his soul as if he wanted to test himself against this.

Duncan's eyes slowly started to become red. A red hue began to envelop him as the battle intent in his heart soared to unprecedented heights. He didn't want to just compete. He didn't want to just test if his sword could take this on. 

No!

He wanted to smash these things with his sword. When he was in the Greenwood Forest, he was already able to contend with attacks at mid-stage Violet Palace realm. The difference between him then and now was also big. His cultivation had become sublimated to an unprecedented degree. His body had been strengthened as well.

So, what was his limit now?

Duncan wanted to see it. Duncan wanted to smash these things and prove to everyone present here that he doesn't need these external helps to emerge victorious. With a grunt, Duncan fixed his determined eyes on the trio and spoke.

"Let's begin!"

The next moment, Duncan vanished from his spot. He was like a red blur in the eyes of the assembled cultivators. Even the spectators watching from the distance couldn't see Duncan's figure clearly when he started moving.

Duncan utilized <Wind Chasing Steps> and rushed towards the trio. He wanted to take them off-guard and gain an advantage in this battle. This battle was the real deal. Duncan didn't take it likely.

The trio had been on guard the moment a red hue started emerging from Duncan's body. They figured that this might be Duncan's trump card and were already vigilant towards him. 

So, unlike the other cultivators, the trio weren't caught off-guard by Duncan's speed. Even then, Duncan was far faster than they expected. His speed made him almost a blur in their eyes as well. 

The first to bear Duncan's attack was Wu Dongmin. He swung his saber and unleashed his signature technique. Duncan smashed through it without any effort and sent the saber wielder flying into the distance.

By now, Jiang Chen had already attacked Duncan with his seal. He didn't dare to take Duncan lightly at all. So, when he attacked, he attacked with full power. Just as Duncan sent the saber wielder flying, the attack from the seal came.

Duncan didn't even hesitate this time. With a small roar, he unleashed an Absolute Severance slash towards the seal. Swordlight combined with his own martial technique rushed towards the heavy seal that was approaching him.

BANG!!!

A large sound echoed across the battlefield and Duncan went skidding back a few steps from the impact of the blow. But, there was a bright smile on his face. He was able to contend with the seal that almost took his life. This made him more confident and giddy in his heart.

Jiang Chen, on the other hand, groaned and took a few steps back. He looked at Duncan in fear and shock. He never expected Duncan to be able to withstand the attack after he unsheathed his sword. Deep in his heart, he still believed that Duncan wouldn't be able to do that.

The backlash from using the seal was making him sweat as well. The seal was a weapon at the stage of the Violet Palace realm. Operating it when he was in the Spirit Sea realm was incredibly difficult. It ate a lot of spirit qi and extracted a toll on his body. 

Calming the internal turmoil caused due to the backlash, Jiang Chen took a look at the fight. The moment he looked over, his eyes shrank.

Taking advantage of the clash between Duncan and him, Lu Tianxin attacked with his trump card. A bright sword light engulfed the entire battlefield as the small sword in Lu Tianxin's hands moved across the battlefield with the intent to cut down Duncan.

Duncan had only barely recovered from his clash with the seal when he felt the sword light coming at him. He turned and looked at the sword light with a fierce glint in his eyes.

With a roar, Duncan slashed continuously at the sword light three times in succession.

*****

A/N: Check out my other stories and let me know your thoughts...

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