Chapter 4: Withering and Flourishing Heart Sutra

"Heh, Xiahou Jiang, you are injured and have been through numerous fierce battles, your physical strength is severely drained, you simply cannot be my opponent!"

"Could it be that, at this moment, you could achieve a breakthrough right in the midst of battle?"

Gazing at Li Jing, whose armor shattered and chest was blackened, the Sand Bandit King sneered disdainfully, curling his lips.

But what he didn't expect was!

Li Jing showed no fear at all, he nodded as if it were a matter of course, and said solemnly, "You're right!"

"I really can make a breakthrough right here!"

"Blood Killing Ten Forms upgrade!"

Following Li Jing's voice, the Skill template suddenly underwent significant changes.

"Spending Free Points 6!"

"Current Level of Blood Killing Ten Forms 4!"

Affected by the Skill Points, Blood Killing Ten Forms was forcefully elevated a level, myriad moves and myriad human-shaped sword shadows appeared in his mind.

Between Li Jing's palm and the Demon-slaying Sword, there was a kind of blood bond, a very peculiar response.

It seemed, at this moment.

The Demon-slaying Sword was no longer a lifeless object but an extension of his arm.

The originally quiet Longsword, sensing the presence of Li Jing, began to tremble non-stop, emitting bursts of humming. The sword blade, branded with symbols, emitted a dazzling light.

Moments later, it turned into tiny paper figures.

Xiahou ancestral spirits!

These paper figures were the ancestral spirits of generations past from the Xiahou family.

After dying in battle, they did not reincarnate but possessed the Demon-slaying Sword instead. It's because of their presence that the Demon-slaying Sword became ever so mystical.

But, throughout these years, with the decline of the Xiahou family, no one has been able to trigger the Demon-slaying Sword.

Man Sword Unity!

Li Jing never anticipated that just upgrading Blood Killing Ten Forms by one level would drastically enhance his understanding of swordsmanship by several stages.

The sword is still that sword!

The man is still that man!

Both the sword and the man are reborn, possessing some kind of spirituality.

"Heh—just posturing!"

"Don't think you can deceive me!"

Watching the trembling, humming longsword that emitted sounds like a dragon's chant, the Sand Bandit King's face involuntarily paled, his eyes revealing hard-to-conceal terror.

However!

He didn't believe that Li Jing could achieve a miraculous breakthrough at such a critical moment.

This is reality, not a fairy tale world.

How could there be so many miraculous adventures?

With this belief, the Sand Bandit King advanced instead of retreating, swooping like a night owl, after hovering a few times, his black, foul-smelling palms suddenly spread open, heavily pressing down towards the Baihui acupoint on Li Jing's head.

Once hit!

Even a Vajra Unbreakable Body would hardly escape death.

And Li Jing, at this moment, was immersed in the realm of swordsmanship. His body was stiff, like a wooden statue.

Looking at the unresponsive, oblivious Li Jing, the Sand Bandit King couldn't help but feel extremely delighted, secretly thinking: "Xiahou Jiang, it's your own choice to seek death, don't blame others!"

Thinking this, he exerted more force with his hands, increasing the speed of his descent.

Just as his palm was about to land the fatal blow.

Li Jing's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened.

The Sand Bandit King only felt a gaze sharp as a longsword piercing directly to the heart, and subconsciously raised his hand to shield himself.

At that moment.

The Demon-slaying Sword in Li Jing's hand suddenly unsheathed on its own.

Sword Qi soaring to the sky!

"Blood Killing Ten Forms!"

"Conquer the World!"

"Blood Flowing Paddle!"

One Sword Three Kills!

The longsword trembled incessantly in the air, buzzing continuously.

It seemed like only a slight movement.

In reality, in the blink of an eye, he had struck thrice with his sword.

The fierce wind carrying sand blew hard, tattered tavern flags fluttered.

Li Jing and the Sand Bandit King had already switched positions.

Neither Li Jing nor the Sand Bandit King made a sound, standing like wooden statues amid the sandstorm.

Just when both thought this would continue.

Peng!

Severe internal injury attacked, and the pale-faced Li Jing could no longer hold himself up; he fell to his knees. Blood slid from the corner of his mouth, slowly soaking the ground.

That sword just now!

It seemed effortless, but in reality, it exhausted all his strength.

However, there was an unprecedented satisfaction in his eyes.

He had no worries about the future.

"What a swift sword!"

"I'm not satisfied yet!"

"I still have…"

The Sand Thief King stood upright, struggling to turn his head as if trying to perceive the full extent of that sword strike.

But before he could turn his head completely.

A line of blood had already pierced through his neck.

Puff!

Following a soft sound.

The Sand Thief King's shriveled head rolled off like a watermelon.

Bright red blood gushed out, turning everything around into red…

Cough!

Cough!

After confirming that the Sand Thief King was truly dead.

Li Jing lay on the ground, swallowing a few mouthfuls of saliva before struggling to stand up, his movements agitating his injuries and triggering more coughing.

Saliva mixed with blood soaked his clothes.

"Damn Sand Thief King, trying to loot amidst chaos!"

"Luckily, I have my golden finger; otherwise I'd really be capsized in the gutter!"

After cursing resentfully for a moment, Li Jing staggered forward. He used the Demon-slaying Sword to push aside the external clothing to reveal the money pouch inside.

The Sand Thief King was beyond dead!

However, all his belongings were still on him. To leave the corpse in the wilderness for beasts to devour is indeed a waste.

And so he began to search the body.

As expected.

He found a hundred taels of patterned silver and a few silver notes in the Sand Thief King's money pouch.

Though not a fortune, they were enough to ease his immediate worries.

Experiences since the year 9012 taught him that regardless of the world, being penniless is absolutely untenable.

Most importantly, in a personal belonging of the Sand Thief King, he found the "Withering and Flourishing Technique" written in the script of an Exotic Realm.

Fortunately, the Sand Thief King had provided translations.

Otherwise, he would not have understood it.

After hastily reading through the entire "Withering and Flourishing Heart Sutra," Li Jing couldn't help but gasp in shock, feeling an indescribable sense of dread.

He had truly underestimated the "Withering and Flourishing Heart Sutra" and the Sand Thief King.

The "Withering and Flourishing Heart Sutra" consists of two parts.

Withered Wood Skill!

Flourishing Skill!

Practicing the Withered Wood Skill, vitality constricts within the body, skin resembling that of a dried corpse.

All vitality and blood are concentrated in the Shenting point.

The appearance of the Sand Thief King resembling a skeleton was due to this cultivation technique.

Unlike the constraining nature of the "Withered Wood Skill," the "Flourishing Skill" functions to burst forth. The accumulated vitality and blood explode instantly, transforming withered flesh into vitality, greatly enhancing combat power.

Its effect is comparable to the legendary "Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique."

It was only because the Sand Thief King was too careless that he was killed in one strike by me.

Had he burst forth, it's uncertain whose deer would have fallen.

This was also his main source of regret.

Thinking of this, Li Jing shuddered with hindsight fear.

Fortunately, victory was the outcome in the end.

However, his injuries were severe, and his vitality was drained.

But now, practicing the "Withering and Flourishing Heart Sutra" could not be more appropriate. After all, it allows conservation and protection of vitality, putting oneself in a state of suspended animation to preserve the body, immortal in death.

This bears a mysteriously similar technique to the Taoist's Fetal Breathing Dao.

Considering this, Li Jing hesitated no longer. Enduring the needle-like pain all over his body, he secured the surroundings. After ensuring there was no danger, he covered his body with mud.

Making sure there were no visible disparities from the outside, he then sat down cross-legged, beginning to operate the "Withering and Flourishing Heart Sutra."

An invisible breath rose from the Dantian, circulating ceaselessly within specific pathways…

His already pale face grew even more ghastly, and his heartbeat slowed, barely perceptible…