Xin Chanzhen stood silently, stunned. That previous sword strike had already revealed that Zhang Yan’s skill surpassed hers.
If she wanted to win, there was only one way—to employ the sword array in combat. Thinking of this, she involuntarily tightened her grip on the Dharma Sword at her waist.
The disciples of the Yuan Yang Sword Sect were different from typical sword cultivators. They could rely on the "sword plate" to set up battle formations of swordsmanship and killing. This was one of the sect’s lethal techniques, but once unleashed, the battle would not end until one side perished.
When Chen Chizhong was expelled from the sect back then, his sword plate was confiscated. This was equivalent to cutting off an arm. When he fought Zhang Yan later, his combat strength was significantly reduced.
Otherwise, if it came to a duel using the sword array, Zhang Yan might not have won so easily.
At this moment, Xin Chanzhen had the mind to summon her sword plate, but after much deliberation, it only turned into a soft sigh.
She was perceptive and clever, and she could see that earlier, Zhang Yan’s sword strike had been swift and unparalleled. She herself had barely been able to evade it, and the only reason she survived was that Zhang Yan had held back and refrained from delivering a killing blow.
In her opinion, the restraint must have been out of consideration for their shared identity as disciples of the Ten Sects of Xuanmen.
Moreover, their encounter was merely a sparring match to compare techniques, not a fight to the death. Having lost one move, if she still didn’t know when to yield and insisted on clinging obstinately, it would be utterly disgraceful.
Thinking of this, she took a deep breath, bowed respectfully in mid-air, and softly said, "Brother Zhang, your swordsmanship is exceptional. I am utterly humbled and will not bring up the matter of the Seven Absolute Piles going forward. However, this treasure belongs to Brother Chou Kun of the Shaoqing Sect. Please take care."
Zhang Yan was slightly surprised and replied, "So this treasure belongs to Daoist Chou. Thank you for the reminder. But given Daoist Chou’s pride, even if he wants to recover this item from me, I suppose he will wait until the Sixteen Sects Sword Competition to do so."
Xin Chanzhen was taken aback and said, "So the two of you are already acquainted. It seems I was overthinking."
She gave Zhang Yan a long, meaningful look, then added, "I hope to meet you again at the Sword Competition."
Zhang Yan nodded with a smile.
Xin Chanzhen tilted her head slightly, noticing several tunneling lights approaching in the distance, led by Zeng Han. She hesitated briefly and pointed backward with her slender finger, saying, "Brother Zhang, this Brother Zeng Han specializes in the ’Xuanji Yin Mang Flying Needle.’ You must be extremely cautious."
Her hair had been cut during the fight, though it caused no harm. Still, she did not wish to be seen in such a state by Zeng Han and the others. After speaking, she paused no further, bade Zhang Yan farewell, and ascended into the clouds, transforming into a streak of white rainbow as she flew away.
Neither Zhang Yan nor Xin Chanzhen realized that while they were exchanging blows, a wisp of yin energy lingered in the sky above them.
Shen Minggu was hiding within, preparing to strike and kill them both at the critical moment of their battle to blood-sacrifice the blade in his hand.
But from beginning to end, neither Zhang Yan nor Xin Chanzhen ever unleashed a true killing move, so he never found a suitable opportunity to act.
As Xin Chanzhen withdrew, Shen Minggu couldn’t help but internally lament the missed chance.
His thoughts shifted as he noticed more tunneling lights approaching in the distance, so he chose not to leave in haste and instead continued to lurk, waiting for the right moment.
Zeng Han, Chu Jiu, Qiu Ju, and others had previously refrained from acting impulsively due to orders from their elders. As a result, they arrived slightly later than Xin Chanzhen.
Now that they had reached the area, they found that Xin Chanzhen had already departed in a flash of light, leaving Zhang Yan standing with hands clasped behind his back atop the palace. It was unclear who had emerged victorious.
Zeng Han furrowed his brows. He was well aware of Xin Chanzhen’s cultivation.
In a direct fight with her, while he prided himself on being able to win, he lacked confidence in taking victory in mere moments. Yet Zhang Yan’s demeanor hardly suggested he had been defeated, leaving him puzzled.
He had been cultivating for over a century, with solid foundations, and was only a step away from breaking into the Hua Dan Realm. In his view, among the disciples with Xuan Guang Cultivation from the Ten Sects of Xuanmen, he had few adversaries.
Since Xin Chanzhen was gone, he intended to step forward to challenge Zhang Yan and vie for control of the Immortal Mansion.
But as he glanced behind Zhang Yan, he saw Lu Mei Niang and her brother, along with Jun Yue Demon King, standing not far away.
The three of them were surrounded by swirling mist and clouds, unmistakably Hua Dan Cultivators. Zeng Han was shocked and suddenly understood, murmuring to himself, "Ah, so that’s why Junior Sister Xin left in such haste. It turns out Zhang Yan has the backing of these three Hua Dan Cultivators. She must have seen that further efforts would be futile and chose to leave early."
Faced with this situation, Zeng Han dared not approach recklessly.
Hua Dan Cultivators were not to be trifled with. Any one of those three could annihilate their entire group with ease.