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Among the ten legendary divine swords of epic armaments, "Annihilator — Crimson Lotus," "Malevolent — Soul Devourer," and "Tyrant's — Dragon Slayer" were all directly or indirectly destroyed by Chen Xuanfeng. The "Divine Blade — Divine Retribution" and the "Sacred Blade — Holy Covenant" are respectively wielded by him and his wife, while the mightiest "Imperial Blade — Hero," which had lost all its power, gradually regained its strength due to his intervention. Counting them, the connections were indeed profound.

"Hmph, arrogance!" The Undead sneered contemptuously and launched an attack. The slender blade curved and flicked, tracing an arc as it thrust diagonally toward Chen Xuanfeng's throat.

Such a simple and unchanging attack, lacking even supreme speed, left Chen Xuanfeng baffled as to why the opponent would employ such an ineffective move. However, when he attempted to react, he realized something was wrong.

His hand couldn't lift; his blade couldn't thrust; his head couldn't turn; even his eyes couldn't shift their gaze.

...What's happening? My body can't move—no, it's not that. It can move, but so slowly it's almost imperceptible, a thousand times slower than my consciousness. Is this... time?

The thought flashed through his mind in an instant, but Chen Xuanfeng soon noticed that if the opponent's blade were moving at its original speed, it should have already pierced his throat by now. Yet, as he focused, he saw the incoming blade slowing down as well. By the time it reached half a meter from him, it was crawling at a snail's pace. Of course, it was still far faster than Chen Xuanfeng's own reaction speed—if the Undead's blade was a tortoise, Chen Xuanfeng's response was laughable even to a snail. He quickly estimated that, if nothing changed, by the time the "Demon Blade — Century" reached his throat, he'd barely manage to shift a few centimeters to the side.

In truth, it wasn't that the two had slowed down—time itself had slowed in the surrounding area.

Chen Xuanfeng could clearly see the ripples in the air as the blade pierced through, waves that normally spread at the speed of sound now almost motionless, like clouds on a windless day. With his sharp vision, he could even observe the dust particles in the air being slowly deflected by the blade's edge, confirming his suspicion—the Demon Blade's power was the manipulation of time.

Time had always been an exceptionally unique force. Its lethality wasn't particularly notable, but its near-impenetrable and inescapable nature made it troublesome. Whether it was the time-slowing effect the Demon Blade displayed now, the opposite time acceleration, or even further abilities like time stop or the legendary time reversal, all could operate unimpeded by other forces. The enemy could only endure, with no means to resist. Of course, such a rare ability was also notoriously difficult to master, with backlash far more severe than ordinary powers. It was said that the Chronomancer of the Twelve Sages was the least active in combat, having only cast a forbidden spell once in his lifetime—during the joint effort of the Twelve Sages on the Beastmen Wastelands—before aging overnight, nearly dying from exhaustion. Though rumors might be exaggerated, temporal abilities were indeed a double-edged sword, harming both foe and self. The fact that even the wielder of the Demon Blade was heavily affected by its power spoke volumes of its difficulty.

Despite knowing the opponent's formidable ability, Chen Xuanfeng felt no fear. Others might be helpless, but he was different—because he, too, possessed the power to control time. Only time could oppose time.

...Saint-Ice Thorn Aura, activate...

...Arcane Aura, activate...

Thought-activated moon-based powers naturally reacted faster than physical movements and were less constrained by time. Moments later, the two auras beneath Chen Xuanfeng's feet and behind his back activated. The Saint-Ice Thorn Aura, the strongest knightly divine art of Saint Spirit Mountain, inherently possessed the ability to freeze time and reduce the opponent's speed. Though its intensity paled in comparison to the Demon Blade's exaggerated effects, it also didn't affect the user. Meanwhile, the Arcane Aura was a speed-enhancing ability, broadly falling under the domain of time. With both auras now active, their effects manifested immediately—the incoming Demon Blade abruptly decelerated, while Chen Xuanfeng's body suddenly moved as if freed, albeit at an ordinary person's speed. Still, it was enough to escape the predicament of watching helplessly as the blade pierced his throat.

Seeing Chen Xuanfeng evade his attack, the Undead didn't pursue. Instead, he retracted the Demon Blade's power and nodded. "Impressive."

Chen Xuanfeng, nearly slain moments ago, burned with fury. "Your temporal tricks won't save you! Let's see what else you've got!" As he spoke, his Tiger Soul Blade whirled up a raging storm—the wind-magic-infused "Thousand Blades Skycleave."

Fearful of the opponent's temporal abilities, Chen Xuanfeng refused to close the distance, instead unleashing countless blade winds to besiege the enemy from all directions. Even with time manipulation, facing such an overwhelming assault would force the Undead into disarray, creating an opening for Chen Xuanfeng to strike.

"Underestimated, am I? Very well. Since you've resisted the temporal power of 'Century,' I'll show you my true swordsmanship." The Undead's lifeless voice now thrummed with energy, as if genuine battle intent had been roused. Yet, his temporal ability was so peculiar that he could leisurely finish speaking even after Chen Xuanfeng had already unleashed his blade winds, which now flashed toward him like lightning.

What met the overwhelming storm of blades were pale, shimmering rings.

Chen Xuanfeng's blade winds were sharp and swift, each capable of cleaving steel. Yet the Undead stood unmoved, his slender blade tracing overlapping arcs—ripples, or perhaps halos of blade light—that tangled with the storm of blades. Each time they met a blade wind, a subtle twist and turn redirected its course. A few rings working in tandem could even send a straight slash rebounding backward. The precision and mastery of his swordsmanship transcended mortal skill.