Chapter 126: Moon-Worshipping Sword Sect

The Moon-Worship Sword Sect is a school dedicated to the art of the sword. In the Eastern Underworld, swords are no longer the prominent artifacts they were thousands of years ago, having been relegated to the category of rather obscure instruments. Consequently, the influence of such sword-wielding sects is not particularly vast.

However, even within a sword sect, the prowess of individual disciples cannot be underestimated. Liu Xiayuan is a true-lineage disciple of the Moon-Worship Sword Sect, specializing in Earth-type Nether Arts. His high standing within the sect is entirely due to his Earth-type Nether artifact: the Nine-Turn Rock-Soil Sword.

The Nine-Turn Rock-Soil Sword is the most prominent treasure on the island of Huangmuqiao, where he resides. Although Huangmuqiao is barren, it produces rock-soil. While slightly inferior to hard-soil, rock-soil is a rare Earth-type material, ranking among the top three of its kind.

The predecessor who crafted this artifact spent five years in seclusion, refining nine thousand catties of rock-soil to finally forge the Nine-Turn Rock-Soil Sword. When the blade took form, the entire island of Huangmuqiao trembled, and countless auspicious celestial phenomena appeared. The entire sect was shaken, and from that moment on, they firmly established their footing in the Samsara Sea. In those days, the sect did not possess the arrogance they show today; while they had many experts, some of whom held significant weight in the Samsara Sea, they lacked profound financial backing. It was only after the appearance of this White Nether Sacred Artifact that the sect began to rise and secure a place for itself.

By Liu Xiayuan’s generation, the sect reached an unprecedented peak of prosperity. Through the continuous refinement of generations of predecessors, the Nine-Turn Rock-Soil Sword has developed a hint of spirituality, gradually approaching the level of a Cyan Nether Sacred Artifact. This is one of the reasons why organizations like the Langya Chamber of Commerce and other ancient sects remain so powerful. Even if a sect like the Moon-Worship Sword Sect has seen its strength decline, it is like a centipede that dies but does not fall; its roots are deep, and with such high-grade artifacts, it remains formidable.

At this moment, Liu Xiayuan holds the Nine-Turn Rock-Soil Sword, his expression stern as he pours his Nether power into it like a surging tide. The sword is earthy yellow and unassuming, covered in intricately complex patterns that lend an exquisite air to the otherwise unremarkable blade. A faint brown radiance flashes from these patterns, and suddenly, the sunlight seems obscured. This feeling of blotting out the sky leaves Jiang Feng feeling suffocated. The air is filled with yellowish-brown earth energy, like a mist threatening to envelop the entire island of Huangmuqiao.

Jiang Feng casts a fleeting glance and immediately feels an immense, invisible pressure squeezing in on him. His expression shifts; these tiny, dust-like particles of yellowish-brown soil are incredibly heavy, and he cannot be certain if they will explode upon contact. He feels as if he has been plunged into the depths of the ocean, where the crushing pressure is inescapable, making it increasingly difficult to breathe.

Just then, a man in silver robes standing beside Liu Xiayuan speaks: "This is our senior brother, Liu Xiayuan, the chief true-lineage disciple of the Moon-Worship Sword Sect. I am the second disciple, Silver Shark."

With a cold sneer, he opens his hand. Suddenly, a mercury-like heavenly river erupts above his head, flowing through the air and transforming into a massive mercury palm that reaches out to snatch the White Emperor Glazed Tripod beside Jiang Feng.

"Such powerful Nether energy!" Jiang Feng is startled. "How unlucky to run into two such formidable characters in a row! Where did these people come from?"

Seeing the surging mercury river and the colossal hand reaching out to blot out the sun with overwhelming Nether power—likely at the eighth or even peak ninth stage of the Void Nether Realm—Jiang Feng knows they are dangerous. Of course, they are not as formidable as Liu Xiayuan.

"I am a disciple of the Langya Chamber of Commerce!" As Jiang Feng stands at a loss, the voice of Duan Xingyun rings out. He flies out from within the White Emperor Glazed Tripod, forcing a calm tone. "Do not attack, fellow brothers, we are from the Langya Chamber of Commerce."

Jiang Feng follows suit, "Yes, we are disciples of the Langya Chamber of Commerce!"

The mercury hand does not withdraw; instead, it lunges forward, its five fingers vibrating to seal off the air within a fifty-mile radius. The atmosphere solidifies, becoming as heavy as mercury. Jiang Feng is horrified. He secretly attempts to activate the spatial displacement formation of the White Emperor Glazed Tripod, only to find it forcibly halted. It seems this mercury-like hand, despite its cold appearance, is also a form of Earth-type Nether art.

"Langya Chamber of Commerce? Who in the Samsara Sea doesn't recognize this tripod? I suspect that apart from the Central Sea Market, you dare not wander anywhere else in the Samsara Sea for fear of your identities being exposed. Hmph, it is a pity that we happen to know the origin of this tripod," the youth called Silver Shark says with a faint, mocking smile. "This is the White Emperor Glazed Tripod. While you do have ties to the Langya Chamber of Commerce, they are of a negative nature. You are Jiang Feng and Duan Xingyun, the enemies of the Langya Chamber of Commerce in Lingbo Town!"

Every word he speaks is etched into Jiang Feng's heart. He never imagined he had become such a focal point in the Samsara Sea.

"If it weren't for the fact that the people of the Lingbo Town branch are all out seeking revenge against the Demon Commander Mo Linhai, your lives would have ended long ago," Silver Shark continues, his demeanor brimming with confidence, treating Jiang Feng and Duan Xingyun like mere foot soldiers.

This look of disdain and mockery makes Jiang Feng deeply uncomfortable, yet he is surprised. According to Silver Shark, it seems that by killing the three true-lineage disciples of the Lingbo Town branch and successfully framing the Demon Commander Mo Linhai, he has inexplicably triggered a war between the righteous and the evil paths!

Jiang Feng smiles bitterly and asks, "Since you have identified us, do you intend to let us go, or kill us?"

The question causes the atmosphere to turn icy. A frigid wind blows; the weather, which should have been pleasant for resting, is now saturated with a lingering aura of slaughter brought on by the confrontation.

"Naturally..." Silver Shark looks at the expressionless Liu Xiayuan beside him and sneers, "Kill you."

As the words fall, the mercury hand changes its offensive, squeezing down ruthlessly. Jiang Feng knows Silver Shark is a formidable opponent whose cultivation far exceeds his own. Knowing he cannot fight head-on, he relies on his Nether arts, mobilizing all the power in his body, arranging and evolving it into runes that transform into a sky full of serrated, wavy threads, which he fires outward. This is a cutting Nether art simulated through the 'Wood Emperor Nether Power.'

Although Jiang Feng has not yet elevated his Nether power to the level of the True Nether Realm, his internal reserves are vast, and the quality of the Wood Emperor Nether Power is exceptionally high. The simulated cutting art is incredibly powerful. Furthermore, protected within the White Emperor Glazed Tripod, he can exert his full strength without reservation, having no need to hold back energy to defend himself.

However, he fails to notice that Liu Xiayuan's gaze has shifted ever so slightly as he looks at the White Emperor Glazed Tripod.

*Chi-chi, chi-chi!* The serrated lines cut into the mercury palm without any flair. The massive hand develops cracks, its Nether power scattering and splashing everywhere. Seeming to suffer, it recoils, and in the process, the hand twitches.

*Boom!*

It actually reflects all of Jiang Feng's Nether power back at him! Not only that, but Jiang Feng’s body shakes violently. He had not expected the opponent to ignore the defenses of the White Emperor Glazed Tripod, reflecting the power back while using the Earth-type Nether energy to follow his own power into the tripod, shattering his internal organs and rendering him unable to continue driving the royal vessel. He is struck with utter shock.

His body, tempered by the Ice Soul Liquid and honed through countless trials, is tougher than a flying sword. Yet, this backlash causes internal injury; if it were an ordinary expert like Duan Xingyun, the backlash would likely have reduced their body to a bloody pulp, resulting in instant death.

After calming his Nether power for a moment, Jiang Feng realizes that relying on his own power alone is not enough to defeat Silver Shark. Once his energy stabilizes, he pours it into the White Emperor Glazed Tripod, activating ten of its major formations at once.

The ten formations vibrate in unison, and the entire royal tripod lets out a hum. A series of ripples appear in the air around it, and in the blink of an eye, it appears at the edge of Silver Shark’s position. Imagine a furnace the size of a house, weighing over a hundred thousand catties, surging forward at a speed exceeding that of a flying sword—the momentum is cataclysmic.

"Hmm? You can actually control the White Emperor Glazed Tripod?"

Silver Shark uses his Nether arts to manipulate the mercury-like Earth-type power, having just managed to subdue Jiang Feng’s attack, but he did not expect the opponent to counter-attack so quickly with such a fierce maneuver. The massive furnace flies toward him, pressing down with such force that he has no place to hide.

At this critical moment, a sudden aura manifests in the air, and the entire White Emperor Glazed Tripod seems to freeze in space.