Swallowing the Stars: Heart of the Martial God

Chapter 48 Conquering Five Levels in Succession
Starting from the second level, Ling Xuan no longer needed to demonstrate the guards' combat power to Feng Lishuang and the others, and immediately began to unleash his full power.

The Vulcan Blade unleashed its third level of full power, eliminating the gatekeeper in a single round.

On the third level, the gatekeeper also used the third level of the Fire God's Domain Blade, but Ling Xuan's understanding of the laws was higher, and his moves were more flexible and varied. He easily defeated the gatekeeper after only a few exchanges.

On the fourth level, the gatekeeper uses the fourth level of the Vulcan's Domain Blade, a piercing slash.

Ling Xuan had mastered this move during his trial three years ago.

In these three years, I not only thoroughly understood the first volume of "Time and Space Essays", but I was also able to frequently ask the founder of Giant Axe for guidance.

With the consciousness of the Giant Axe Founder, even while roaming the cosmic sea, it would be an easy task for him to spare a sliver of his attention to guide this cosmic-level little guy.

His swordsmanship improved rapidly, and his mastery of the fourth level was far superior to that of the gatekeeper.

After several more rounds of fierce fighting, he finally slew his opponent, and the path to the fifth floor appeared beneath his feet.

Ling Xuan transformed into a streak of crimson lightning, piercing the sky and flying straight down to the next level.

The fourth and fifth levels are filled with howling winds, as they are extremely high. The bridge to heaven on the fifth level is so high that the naked eye can only see the gray, howling winds of the fourth level below, and cannot see the sea at all.

"The fifth level!" Ling Xuan's eyes were like torches as he stared at the enormous tornado in front of him, which was constantly spinning and exuding a terrifying aura.

The tornado seemed to be alive, emitting a deep and hoarse voice: "Choose a warrior, a controller, or an illusionist. Defeat your opponent to enter the sixth level."

"A martial artist!" Ling Xuan's answer was resolute.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sickening metallic scraping sound came from the center of the tornado.

"Swoosh~~" With a piercing sound of air being torn apart, a figure flew out of the tornado.

It was a burly man clad in dark black armor and boots, wearing a similarly black mask. He gripped a three-pointed, double-edged sword identical to Ling Xuan's, and was surrounded by a faint black mist, exuding a terrifying aura.

"A cosmic-level cultivator reached the fifth level on their first attempt at the Heavenly Bridge; their talent is quite impressive." Black Armor sneered. "However, that's about enough for you. Go back and cultivate some more!"

"Quite the boast." Ling Xuan's eyes narrowed, and as he stepped into his Cloud-Flowing Battle Boots, crimson flames suddenly surged around him.

He could sense that the aura emanating from the other party was several times stronger than that of the previous gatekeepers.

The man in black armor roared and his figure approached like a ghost, his three-pointed double-edged sword whistling as it slashed down.

The slash was incredibly fast; the air was torn apart by the blade, producing a sharp whistling sound.

Ling Xuan raised his sword to block, and with a loud "clang," sparks flew everywhere. The air rippled in visible circles where the two weapons collided.

The man in black armor used the momentum to spin around, and his blade swept horizontally. The three points of the three-pointed double-edged sword drew a half-black crescent moon in front of him, fiercely stabbing towards Ling Xuan's waist and abdomen.

This move was tricky; Ling Xuan pulled in his stomach and leaned back, twisting his waist like a bow, creating an incredible arc in his body.

The three-pointed double-edged sword in his hand swung upwards, and as the blade flipped, crimson flames spiraled up along the blade, colliding violently with the black-armored man's black crescent moon.

The two forces collided, creating a fireball a kilometer in diameter in the void. The scorching heat wave dispersed the surrounding gale into vortexes, and the explosive sound of the burning flames made people's eardrums hurt.

The man in black armor seized the moment when Ling Xuan hadn't yet withdrawn his strength and lunged forward.

With a flick of his wrist, the three-pointed double-edged sword suddenly shot out like a venomous snake, its three sharp blades almost simultaneously piercing towards Ling Xuan's vital points in the chest.

Ling Xuan's pupils contracted sharply, and he spun his arms rapidly, mobilizing the fire power of his entire body. The three-pointed double-edged sword in his hand danced into a fire wheel, and the crimson flames coiled around him like a giant python, protecting all his vital points.

This was an exquisite defensive move. The shield of flames collided with the black-armored man's three-pointed double-edged sword, producing a series of crisp metallic clangs. Each collision caused ripples to spread through the surrounding space.

Combining defense with offense, Ling Xuan used the recoil from the weapon clash to spin half a circle in mid-air the instant he parried. Using the momentum of the spin, the three-pointed double-edged sword was thrust out horizontally, slashing towards the black-armored man's neck.

Wherever the blade passed, the air was ignited by the scorching flames, producing a "poof" sound.

The man in black armor was forced to parry with his sword. The two three-pointed, double-edged swords collided heavily, and the energy released dispersed the howling winds around them, creating a vacuum.

"Sky-Splitting Moon Cleave!" Seeing that he could not gain the upper hand in close combat, the black-armored man suddenly roared and unleashed the fifth level of the Fire God's Domain Blade.

He gripped the three-pointed double-edged sword tightly with both hands, and frantically shook the blade, sending out three black, arc-shaped sword energies in a fan shape.

Wherever the blade's energy passed, the air was torn apart like rags, emitting a teeth-grinding "sizzling" sound, as if forming small black holes.

Ling Xuan's expression turned solemn, and flames around his body surged three feet higher.

He took a deep breath, and the crimson-gold patterns on the Fire God's Domain Blade shone brightly as he unleashed the fifth level of the Fire God's Domain Blade.

"Sky-Splitting Moon Cleave!"

Nine crimson sword energies roared out and collided violently with the black sword energy in mid-air.

In an instant, the energy that erupted was like a supernova explosion, and the dazzling light illuminated the entire fifth floor.

The spatial ripples surged and churned, forming ever-expanding, twisting vortexes. The bridge trembled violently, and the ancient runes on its surface flickered under this force, as if they might fall off the bridge at any moment.

Taking advantage of the fact that the black-armored man's old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated, Ling Xuan's figure flashed, transforming into a streak of crimson light as he approached.

He stepped on the fourth movement technique of "Soaring Dragon" and transformed into a crimson dragon, sweeping past the black-armored man in the blink of an eye, his three-pointed double-edged sword flying up and down in his hand.

Sometimes it's like a dragon emerging from the sea, the blade pointing straight at the face; sometimes it's like a tiger descending the mountain, the blade sweeping across the waist and abdomen.

This was a series of coordinated attacks. The sword shadows swept towards the black-armored man like a storm, each sword shadow carrying scorching flames and leaving long trails in the void.

The man in black armor roared and brandished his weapon, trying to defend himself. But Ling Xuan's sword strikes grew faster and fiercer, each strike carrying the power to split mountains and shatter rocks.

Under the relentless onslaught, the black-armored man's defenses gradually began to falter.

Ling Xuan seized the opportunity, turned his blade, and a crimson blade light containing powerful law energy flashed like lightning.

With a clang, the three-pointed double-edged sword in the black-armored man's hand was precisely knocked away, tracing a black arc in the air.

The black-armored man, now unarmed, looked terrified and tried to retreat, only to find himself surrounded by Ling Xuan's flames.

Before he could react, Ling Xuan had already unleashed "Sky-Splitting Moon Slash" once again.

This time, the crimson sword energy transformed into a giant crimson moon, carrying an unparalleled aura that instantly engulfed the black-armored man.

With a roar of resentment, the black-armored man vanished into the crimson flames, leaving only some black ash, which disappeared without a trace when blown away by the gale.

Fifth floor, cleared!
As the storm subsided, the path leading to the sixth level of the Sky Bridge was revealed, and Ling Xuan transformed into a streak of light and flew quickly ahead.

At this moment, Venerable Baffin, who was sending out mass emails, had already sent out the news that Ling Xuan had successfully passed through five levels of the Heavenly Bridge.

The powerful individuals who received Baffin's email did not react to it. Judging from Ling Xuan's combat strength, which allowed him to pass the seventh level of the Trial Tower, he was fully capable of passing the seventh level of the Trial Tower.

What they were concerned about was whether Ling Xuan would use that ability again when he crossed the Heavenly Bridge, and if not, what level Ling Xuan's true skill level was.

If used, then at which level is its limit?
(End of this chapter)