Sword Aura to the Heavens
Chapter 98 - 97 Foundation Establishment?

Chapter 98: Chapter 97 Foundation Establishment?

Chen Yan stared at Li Fan. His Foundation Establishment cultivation naturally didn’t fear Li Fan of the Soul Emergence Realm, but what he dreaded was his Sword Intent.

Thus, he maintained a certain distance from Li Fan to avoid being suddenly killed by Sword Intent.

However, Li Fan seemed supremely confident in his strength, believing he could kill Chen Yan on his own.

*How naive!*

*This young Sword Cultivator’s confidence has crossed the line into arrogance.*

Given that, Li Fan could go ahead and die.

No matter how gifted he was, even with the backing of Li Mountain, once dead, he would be nothing.

Today, the Chen family was willing to risk everything. Even a Sword Cultivator from Li Mountain would not be spared.

Chen Yan watched as Li Fan turned into a blur of sword movement, surrounded by swirling Sword Aura. It seemed he had merged with nature itself, as if the forces of heaven and earth bent to his will. Chen Yan knew this was the Unity of Heaven and Man.

While he had to admit that Li Fan’s talent was exceptionally strong, so what?

*Talent? Tremendous skill is meaningless in the grave.*

As Li Fan charged forward and slashed with his sword, Chen Yan unleashed his mana in a sudden burst. His palm waved forward, and a wall materialized in front of him. As his palm struck the air, numerous handprints shot out from the wall simultaneously, hurtling toward Li Fan.

Li Fan’s sword slashed, tearing through the incoming handprints, shredding them to pieces. The sword split the wall apart, while Chen Yan retreated further into the alley.

Li Fan naturally wouldn’t let him escape and pressed the chase forward.

Seeing this, a mocking gleam appeared in Chen Yan’s eyes. *How arrogant!*

*Li Fan was just begging for death.*

As Li Fan pursued into the alley, he suddenly sensed danger. Emerging from the depths of the alley was a Demon, transformed into human guise, with an overweight body emitting foul Demon Energy.

"Kill him," Chen Yan said coldly, as the Demon thrust itself ferociously toward Li Fan, while Chen Yan steadily backed away, watching the battlefield.

"I thought you’d do it yourself," Li Fan retorted mockingly, casting a glance at Chen Yan. *Turns out, he was even more cautious and cowardly than expected.*

The transformed Demon charged at Li Fan with terrifying speed, its Demon Energy surging toward him. The horrific aura it emitted clearly indicated it was a peak Fourth Realm Great Demon.

Sword Aura erupted from Li Fan as he charged headlong. The Demon suddenly shifted into its Half-Demon form, its head morphing grotesquely, with horrifying tentacles sprouting from its body, lunging to trap Li Fan.

"Kill!" The Li Hen Sword unsheathed, slashing like lightning at the tentacles while aiming directly for the Demon’s throat.

A massive, fleshy hand blocked the blow. Li Fan’s sword plunged deeply into it, but even more tentacles emerged from that grotesque hand, curling toward Li Fan along the blade.

The ’Skywalker’ Sword sparked with thunderous Sword Intent, slicing the fleshy hand apart and severing the tentacles. Suddenly, the Demon transformed into its true form—a massive, mountainous mound of flesh. Its head grotesquely protruded from its stomach, defying any semblance of normality.

Enormous fleshy hands simultaneously clawed toward Li Fan. When his sword landed upon them, it sank into their grotesque mass only to be entangled by more tentacles. A peak Fourth Realm Demon was clearly beyond Li Fan’s current cultivation level to overcome.

From afar, Chen Yan watched coldly, a smile creeping across his face. His palm gestured, summoning shimmering light in the sky. High above Li Fan’s head, a Magical Treasure materialized.

The treasure released immense mana, enclosing the alley within its domain.

"Imprison."

As Chen Yan’s voice fell, the light curtain from the treasure morphed into a prison-like cage, trapping both Li Fan and the Demon within the alley, sealing off the battlefield.

At the same time, Chen Yan withdrew even further, retreating out of sight.

*This way, Li Fan would be forced to exhaust his Sword Intent.*

*Sacrificing a Demon along with a Magical Treasure to take Li Fan’s life... more than worth it.*

Li Fan glanced at the treasure and understood Chen Yan’s ploy. He noticed Chen Yan had already retreated to a point where he was effectively invisible, hiding far from harm.

*That fear of death—truly remarkable,* Li Fan thought with a hint of irony.

*If that’s the case, it leaves me no choice but to play along.*

Bound by the grotesque monstrosity that restrained his sword, Li Fan faced a hulking wall of flesh, countless hands clawing toward him, aiming to consume him entirely.

At that moment, Li Fan raised his head. From the center of his forehead, a flash of brilliant light radiated—a dazzling beam so bright it made the Demon squint reflexively, as an overwhelming killing intent engulfed its form.

The Demon shuddered with fear, realizing the impending danger. In its haste to escape, it released Li Fan from its grasp only to be consumed by sword light that devoured its massive body. The last thing reflected in its eyes was a sword.

"Boom!"

The Demon’s massive head exploded, spraying its vile-smelling fluids everywhere. Yet, Li Fan remained untouched, bathed in Sword Aura. The sword light cut straight toward the imprisoning treasure.

In the distance, Chen Yan observed a burst of radiant light from afar, followed by the destruction of his treasure.

A sliver of regret passed through Chen Yan’s eyes. *A Magical Treasure—gone to waste.*

However, alongside regret, excitement and bloodthirst gleamed in his gaze. *Finally, that Sword Intent, which had repeatedly threatened him, was no more.*

*And with that, Li Fan’s life was finished.*

Even so, Chen Yan didn’t rush over immediately. Only when the Sword Intent fully dissipated did he cautiously breathe a sigh of relief, dashing toward Li Fan’s location.

Mana surged from his body, and behind him appeared his Dharma Form—a towering rock giant.

Chen Yan specialized in earth-attribute Mana. With his Dharma Form summoned, his body was coated in rocky brilliance, fortifying his defenses until he resembled a stone golem.

"Without Sword Intent, what’s left for you to fight me with?" Chen Yan said coldly, hurtling directly at Li Fan. Above him, massive boulders rained down, each weighing thousands of pounds, aiming to bury Li Fan amid the rubble.

Chen Yan’s rock-imbued gaze burned fiercely. *If it weren’t for that bothersome Sword Intent, Li Fan would’ve been eliminated long ago.*

*And now this arrogant fool thought he still stood a chance against me?*

*How laughable.*

"Die!" Chen Yan roared, his killing intent fully exposed as he charged at Li Fan directly, even risking close combat without hesitation.

Earth-attribute Mana was his domain, and his cultivation technique supported close combat well. More importantly, he had an entire major cultivation realm’s advantage over Li Fan.

In the narrow alley, boulders crashed down, and Li Fan could feel the suffocating pressure of Chen Yan’s power. He recognized that in a normal fight, he was no match for Chen Yan.

But he wasn’t just any cultivator.

He was a Sword Cultivator.

Li Fan’s blood surged fiercely through his body, his very veins roaring. A faint dragon’s howl echoed within him, and a golden Jiao Long emerged, coiled and domineering.

Seeing this scene, Chen Yan’s eyes flickered with surprise. *A Jiao Long Martial Spirit?*

*He hadn’t seen this weapon in Lin’an County before. When had Li Fan forged such a Martial Spirit?*

*Was it tied to the Great Demon Yu Qing of Lin’an?*

*Originally, that Demon’s corpse had been his goal as the foundation for his ascension, only to have Li Fan seize it. Thinking of this infuriated him even more.*

But Li Fan’s aura continued rising. Entering the Realm of Sword Dao Celestial, his exploding energy melded Spirit, body, and mind into one as Sword Intent shredded all around him.

From his forehead, dazzling sword light sparkled brightly, an awe-inspiring brilliance pouring forth without restraint.

Wind and lightning surrounded him as Li Fan transformed into the embodiment of the sword.

When the tremendous boulders crashed down from above, his form weaved through them like the wind. The boulders failed to strike him, instead colliding with the alley floor, shattering the ground and scattering debris everywhere.

"Looking for death."

Chen Yan watched as Li Fan dashed toward him and sneered. *Even if Li Fan’s momentum had suddenly surged, how could it ever bridge the gap between their cultivation levels?*

A mighty pressure emanated from Chen Yan’s figure as his palm descended rapidly. Simultaneously, his Dharma Form mirrored the movement—its massive stone hands crashing down, shadows swallowing Li Fan’s form, intent on smashing him to pulp.

*"I only have one chance,"* Li Fan thought to himself.

As the massive palm strikes descended from above and the frontal shadow threatened to crush him, the golden Jiao Long behind Li Fan soared powerfully upward. Like a colossal Great Demon Flood Dragon, it challenged and combated the Dharma Form’s attack.

Meanwhile, Li Fan spun his body forward, unleashing a terrifyingly powerful strike with his sword—a move fueled by all his energy, igniting everything he possessed. It was the Heavenly Nine Declines.

"Kill!"

Lightning and wind infused the sword strike as Li Hen Sword Technique shattered space, flashing blinding brilliance in Chen Yan’s pupils. *Had he underestimated Li Fan after the Sword Intent disappeared? Had he grown reckless?*

It was too late. His mana surged desperately into his palms as he retaliated, sending the massive stone hands to crush Li Fan.

The sword light tore through the crushing palms, releasing a high-pitched screech. Terrifying energy caused Li Fan’s body to tremble, but his strike pierced through Chen Yan’s offense, slashing brutally across his rocky defenses. Blood splattered from the exposed wound.

As Chen Yan’s attack landed from above, the golden Jiao Long bore the brunt of the enormous pressure, quaking under the impact as if shredded apart by sheer might.

Yet Li Fan’s forehead sparkled brilliantly—a blinding beam erupting. His Sword Seed flashed into existence, crackling with lightning and inscribed with ancient runes, which descended upon Chen Yan at an unimaginable speed.

The distance between them was mere inches, leaving Chen Yan with no time to react. He had only enough time to channel his mana, shielding his vitals and withdrawing his Dharma Form in an attempt to avoid an all-out clash.

Chen Yan held the advantage in cultivation, certain Li Fan’s death was only a matter of time.

But for Li Fan, every move was life-or-death.

"Boom!" The Sword Seed struck Chen Yan’s head. His mana layers reinforced his skull with rocky defense—the hallmark of a Foundation Establishment-level cultivator’s durability.

Yet despite the protection, the Sword Seed’s overwhelming attack sent Chen Yan’s head reeling, knocking him nearly unconscious. His mind screamed for his Dharma Form’s return, desperate for unity between body and spirit to recover from the escalating damage.

As thoughts flooded Chen Yan’s mind, Li Fan’s Nine Swords swirled toward him, slicing the air with chaos.

Li Fan moved forward, his ever-growing momentum pushing him to embody the essence of an indomitable blade.

"Pierce!"

Chen Yan roared in agony as his body ached with sharp pain. Finally, his Dharma Form merged back with his being, reinforcing his presence.

Just as Chen Yan sighed in relief, Li Fan unleashed another strike.

The ruthless attack shattered Chen Yan’s rocky armor, cleaving through his flesh as blood splattered violently. His body was smashed backward, slamming into the nearby wall before crumpling to the ground, his aura fading rapidly.

Li Fan stood firm, sword in hand, staring coldly at Chen Yan. Although his own energy was quickly dwindling, his connection to the Sword Seed suspended midair remained strong.

"Foundation Establishment?"

Li Fan gazed ahead to see Chen Yan rising weakly, his hatred filled glare fixated on him.

"Chen Yan, your Chen family has committed countless atrocities. Today, not only you, but everyone from the Chen family present will die," Li Fan declared venomously, as the Sword Seed exploded forward once more.