Chapter 159: Sweeping Away the Filth to Clear the Dust

Although the red sphere remained stationary, the patterns upon its surface were spinning rapidly. Pure wisps of aura gradually spread outward, dispersing the murky smoke. The white froth ceased its boiling state and calmed down.

The bubbles gradually converged, condensing into a single drop of milky-white liquid. Soon after, wisps of black aura were expelled from within this droplet, until it became crystal clear, completely transparent, and pure.

Seeing this for the first time, Lin Zhan did not know that this was the miraculous innate talent of Wu De working hard to restore himself—or perhaps it was not called restoration at all, but rather that the red sphere inherent within his body was the true catalyst enabling him to rise from the dead and even manifest something from nothing.

The white froth had originally been formed from Wu De's own body, accumulating his final essence within it. At this moment, the poison of the Red-Tailed Scorpion Queen lingering in the essence was forced out, making this single drop of liquid the fundamental basis for his resurrection.

Lin Zhan had no time to continue observing the changes in the sphere and that droplet of liquid, because Wu Shan finally could not hold back any longer and launched an attack.

Wu Shan did not know Wu De's exact condition, but as long as there was the slightest glimmer of hope, he had to help him create the final conditions for survival.

He had witnessed Lin Zhan's strength and luck, so there was no alternative left except to fight; he could no longer stand aloof as a spectator.

"Lin Zhan, I'm afraid you won't have such good luck today!" Wu Shan swooped down like a soaring Roc, the dust-whisk sword in his hand drawing out a long, resonant hum as it was unsheathed.

The thirty-six forms of the Dust-Whisk Sword Technique wove together into an all-encompassing sword net that descended from above.

Every single ray of sword light radiated a dazzling and piercing murderous intent.

Lin Zhan grasped the Ink Sword, soaring upward into the sky with towering battle intent.

"Luck? Since you know I'm lucky, why won't you give up? Are you a fool?"

Burial Sword Peak, passed down from Peak Master Sword Slave, possessed a set of foundational Burial Sword Peak techniques and sword arrays. However, depending on each disciple's individual strength and destiny, those who gained the recognition of a certain treasured sword within the Sword Graveyard could acquire the sword technique inheritance of those legendary handed-down blades, much like Fan Ning's Thousand Flower Sword Technique previously, each with their own unique traits.

Therefore, the Dust-Whisk Sword Technique wielded by Wu Shan at this moment came from the inheritance of the sword in his hand.

"Sweep away all the filth of the world, wipe away the dust within the heart..."

Wu Shan chanted the incantation of the Dust-Whisk Sword Technique, his sword stances shifting repeatedly. He executed the full cycle of thirty-six sword stances in just a short moment, and the accumulated energy was enough to make one's heart tremble.

A sudden surge of heroic spirit welled up in Lin Zhan's heart. Vast is heaven and earth; after this battle, he might die, but if he survived, what could possibly be deemed unworthy?

Thinking back to when he first arrived in the Blue Ice World, starting from the moment he fell into that ice cave, he had lived in trembling anxiety just to survive and stay alive. Yet when he watched the duels of cultivators, he had felt incomparable fear and envy, believing that he belonged to an entirely different world from such people...

He had joined the Qin family's remnant legion, then entered Blazing Flame Peak, only to be reduced to a menial disciple. Yet today, he was actually capable of engaging in such a grand and imposing battle against someone!

"There are no two separate worlds! I, Lin Zhan, can do this too!"

Even though Wu Shan's realm was as high as the fourth grade of the Yellow Tier, even though dozens of Yellow Tier experts from Burial Sword Peak were eyeing him covetously... so what?

This surge of heroic spirit shattered a certain invisible psychological restraint within Lin Zhan. Even the sense of powerlessness he felt toward Ning Wanqing vanished like smoke in the crisp air at this moment.

"Heh, what 'sweep away filth and wipe away dust'? Who do you think you are?"

Lin Zhan stroked the body of the Ink Sword as if conversing with an old friend.

The Ink Sword trembled slightly, emitting ripples of joyful aura.

Lin Zhan needed battles to elevate himself, and the newborn sword spirit residing within the Ink Sword must surely feel the same way.

Battle was the very meaning of survival that they yearned to embrace the most!

"Little Black, let's go fight!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Without fixed moves or forms, facing the all-encompassing sword net, Lin Zhan swept the Ink Sword and casually unleashed three strikes.

For the first strike, the explosive sword radiance was restrained, its pristine brilliance resembling moonlight, dotted merely by tiny points of golden starlight, peerlessly dazzling. Yet it was precisely this silent purity that caused the distant Burial Sword Peak disciples watching the battle to involuntarily squint their eyes, as if it were the most glaring light capable of melting their eyeballs.

The moment the pristine sword radiance slashed across the sword net, it was as though heaven and earth paused for a brief second. Then, a gaping tear ripped through the center of the sword net, and countless chaotic dust-whisk sword images burst forth, triggering brilliant, firework-like dazzling displays all over.

Before these sword-qi fireworks could dissipate, Lin Zhan delivered his second strike!

This strike crossed at an angle to the direction of the first. This time, the pristine brilliance receded, and golden light erupted with peerless blinding intensity, completely overpowering the radiance of the sky-covering sword net. With mighty momentum, it whipped up a towering surge of energy right from the flat ground; wild winds howled, the earth roared, and dust was kicked up alongside ice shards, snowflakes, stones, and trees, all swept up together.

"Didn't you want to sweep away the filth and dust of the world? Go ahead and sweep it for me to see!"

This was simply the kind of person Lin Zhan was. He felt the utmost disgust toward those like Wu Shan, who considered themselves senior brothers, put on self-righteous airs, bullied the few with the many, committed vicious deeds, and still maintained a righteous and unperturbed facade.

If someone was unattractive, even if they were a bit sneaky like the menial senior brothers, or full of wicked schemes like Golden Lion, as long as they owned up to their actions and valued loyalty and affection, Lin Zhan would greatly admire them and consider them worth fighting beside until his very last breath.

If someone committed every evil deed under the sun while wearing an aloof, peerless face, Lin Zhan would naturally strike them down to the very end.

Deliberately whipping all sorts of debris into the sky was also Lin Zhan's targeted response to Wu Shan's Dust-Whisk Sword Technique.

Of course, Lin Zhan also knew that the so-called dust-whisk was naturally meant in a spiritual sense—if there is no dust in the heart, there is no dust in the world. It seemed to be a Buddhist mantra or aphorism, something not meant for someone like Wu Shan to comprehend, nor could Lin Zhan himself.

Behind the dust-whisk sword net, Wu Shan's heart turned to ashes. His strongest sword dao had already been unleashed with all his might, bringing out all thirty-six forms of the dust-whisk sword. He had originally intended to use thunderous strikes to ensure Lin Zhan would at least be stripped of a layer of skin even if he didn't die, or failing that, to buy a little time to secure Wu De's rebirth.

To be honest, he had lost confidence from the very beginning. Otherwise, he would not have repeatedly ordered others to make the first move. Surrounding and attacking a single opponent of the second or third grade of the Yellow Tier with a dozen or twenty people had already put them at a psychological disadvantage. Moreover, up until now, Lin Zhan was completely unscathed, while their side on Burial Sword Peak had suffered over half casualties, which was a tragic sight to behold. The remaining junior brothers, upon seeing their state, had likely lost their fighting spirit long ago.

Strike while the iron is hot; otherwise, momentum would drain away like a collapsing flood.

Lin Zhan's third strike contained astonishing sword intent and energy, as if endowed with conscious life, sweeping past like leaping flashes of flowing light to launch a merciless, destructive blow against the critical weak point of the sword net.

Creation sword force, tidal spiritual waves, and explosive silver and golden light all converged together, finally merging into a single brilliant sword-qi罡 (qi blade) that blasted Wu Shan and his dust-whisk sword into dust and ashes...

Perhaps this truly was sweeping away the filth of the world and wiping away the dust within the heart.

The dust-whisk sword fell, and the heavens wept! (To be continued.)