Chapter 147: Heavenly Saint Sword Art: Seven-Star Formation

"The Wild Primeval World is overrun with rampant demons and evil spirits precisely because it is full of old fools like you!" Bi Fang unsparingly mocked. While others might cower before the status and cultivation of Sovereign Heavenly Punishment, an indomitable and unruly fierce beast like Bi Fang cared not at all.

"Insolent beast!"

When had the exalted Heavenly Punishment ever been humiliated by a feathered creature?

Unable to restrain his fury, he flicked his pristine arm forward through the void. Instantly, a potent aura of the primordial Returning Ruins Essence gushed from his palm, roaring fiercely toward the spot where Bi Fang hovered.

"Watch out!"

Upon seeing this, Bai Mu shouted a warning, pushing his palms flat ahead of him. A gentle wave of the supreme benevolence-like-water energy instantly surged from his hands, meeting the incoming Returning Ruins Essence head-on.

Boom...

A deafening explosion echoed from the mouth of the valley as two forces, both enlightened from the Great Dao, collided violently.

The powerful shockwave instantly snapped the surrounding trees with a flurry of cracking sounds.

Anticipating the clash, Bi Fang and Fire Liuli had already flapped their wings and soared high into the sky, thus avoiding the fate of having their feathers scattered in disarray.

Under the impact of the exchange, Bai Mu was forced back more than three paces by the opponent's dense Returning Ruins Essence. A burning sensation flared across his palms, and a heavy discomfort gripped his chest as his vital energy churned in rebellion.

Meanwhile, the elegant Heavenly Punishment merely swayed slightly, his white feathered robes fluttering high behind him in the wind. He suffered no tangible harm whatsoever.

Yet, his expression darkened at that moment.

His face was etched with bewilderment, and a quiet speculation stirred within his mind: "This mass-murdering fiend actually mastered Master Uncle Fansheng's Supreme Benevolence Art? Could he truly be Master Uncle's disciple?"

Upon second thought, however, it seemed rather unlikely.

Back when Heavenly Punishment was merely a young Daoist acolyte at the Returning Ruins Sanctuary, he had already known the illustrious Fansheng of those years.

In his memory, Fansheng had always been a person utterly detached from worldly affairs, showing virtually no interest in fame, fortune, or power.

Although his cultivation was by no means inferior to the God of War Fanxian, he had never entertained the notion of establishing a sect or taking in disciples—let alone accepting an apprentice, which was nothing short of a fairy tale.

Therefore, even if this young man understood the Supreme Benevolence Art, he was definitely not his master uncle's disciple.

That being the case, he could deal a fatal blow to him without hesitation!

Having resolved this, Heavenly Punishment placed both hands flat against his chest once more and chanted silently: "Returning Ruins Essence, Spirit of the God of War, Heavenly Saint Sword Art, Exorcise Demons and Repel Evil!"

Following the incantation, several white longswords gradually materialized behind him.

Every single sword was exceptionally slender. Although transformed from primal essence, Bai Mu, standing at a distance, could still feel their piercing, razor-sharp intent.

Daring not to lower his guard or underestimate his foe, Bai Mu slowly drew the Azure Dragon Sword in his hand, fixing his gaze on Heavenly Punishment as he awaited the next wave of attack.

By now, Heavenly Punishment had gathered his momentum. Guided by the movement of his fingers, the several longswords advanced toward Bai Mu from three distinct directions.

The essence-formed swords whistled sharply as they lunged at Bai Mu, constantly shifting their positions in mid-air until they spontaneously formed a Big Dipper formation, instantly sealing off almost all of Bai Mu's paths of retreat.

Knowing that escaping was no longer an option, he had no choice but to bite the bullet, raise the Azure Dragon Sword in his hand, and hack blindly toward the foremost essence sword.

Clang...

A metallic clash rang out instantly, nearly shattering Bai Mu's eardrums with its suddenness.

This Heavenly Saint Sword Art was simply absurd!

The sword bodies transformed from primal essence actually behaved just like metal blades, even producing the resonance of metal!

The most terrifying part was that when the Azure Dragon strike hit the incoming essence sword, it failed to shatter it as desired.

This was the first time Bai Mu had encountered such a situation amidst countless fierce battles.

In the past, regardless of who he fought, whenever an opponent's weapon met the Azure Dragon Sword, they would be forced to retreat three hundred paces.

Yet the essence-formed sword before him remained completely unfazed, and the rebound force transmitted through the blade even left the web of Bai Mu's thumb and forefinger slightly numb.

Taking advantage of Bai Mu's momentary distraction, the remaining swords of the Big Dipper formation stabbed fiercely toward him from various angles.

The sword energy occupying the Tianshu position thrust directly at Bai Mu's abdomen from the front, its blade aura crackling with the sound of wind and thunder—a sight chilling enough to unnerve the soul.

Just as the blade transformed into a streak of light about to pierce his body, Bai Mu hastily hoisted the Azure Dragon Sword, swiftly parrying the advancing Tianshu sword.

Although Bai Mu knew no sword techniques, he had wielded the Azure Dragon Sword for quite some time, and his timing in raising the blade was impeccably precise.

When the Tianshu sword was less than two inches from his body, he leveraged the Azure Dragon Sword to block the opponent's assault.

However, he could not afford to relax, for the sword energy occupying the Tianxuan position behind him had also darted forward, aiming straight for his vital gate acupuncture point.

The vital gate was one of the major fatal points on the human body. Bai Mu's physical form was neither immortal nor divine; he was merely a mortal of flesh and blood. If he were truly pierced, his soul would return to the netherworld within moments.

Seized with sudden terror, he kicked off the ground with both feet, leaping high into the air to narrowly evade the onslaught of the Tianxuan sword.

Before he could catch his breath, three more streams of sword energy—occupying the Tianji, Tianquan, and Yuheng positions—shot upward from beneath his feet, targeting his legs this time.

More terrifyingly, the sword energy occupying the Kaiyang and Yaoguang positions also lashed out simultaneously, pressing down from top to bottom toward the crown of his head.

Bai Mu's previous plan to fly away into thin air was thus thwarted, and with three streams of sword energy hunting him from below, he hung suspended in mid-air, not knowing what to do.

"Kid, can't you use teleportation?"

At the critical moment of life and death, the mysterious entity residing within his inner spiritual tripod spoke up with a reminder.

"Right! Teleportation!"

Hearing this, a flash of inspiration crossed Bai Mu's mind, and his figure instantly dissolved into several afterimages, dodging amidst the five streams of sword energy.

Ultimately, relying on his peerless movement technique, he narrowly brushed past the razor-sharp blade tips and escaped. However, his white outer robe was slashed to shreds in several places, instantly exposing his well-defined pectoral muscles to the golden sunlight.

Not until his feet touched the ground once more did Bai Mu finally let out a breath of relief, having barely survived the first wave of attacks.

Yet, a moment later, he found himself groaning inwardly once again.

The very second he landed, the seven streams of sword energy, under the distant command of Heavenly Punishment, automatically returned to the sword array and began re-forming their ranks.

Gazing at the Primordial Big Dipper Sword Array that once again enveloped him, a chill slowly crawled from the soles of his feet straight up to his scalp.

Could this truly be the legendary Heavenly Saint Sword Art?

Was it truly this formidable?