Chapter 421: Battle with the Ancient Sword

With a roar like a dragon, the long sword was drawn from its sheath. Rod said nothing more—this battle was inevitable. The Ancient Sword was a formidable opponent; at least, he was far better than those two brothers who were still fighting each other unaware of what was going on.

The cold wind howled, mixed with the strong scent of blood. On this intense battlefield, both men remained calm, as if the entire world consisted only of them two.

With a loud cry, Rod moved first, seizing the advantage. He transformed into a streak of white light and vanished from his original position.

The sacred sword in his hand, Xuanyuan, emitted a humming sound under the power of combat energy, trembling slightly as if sensing Rod’s fierce fighting spirit, radiating an overwhelming aura.

The Ancient Sword, not wanting to fall behind, also moved the moment Rod did. Duan Chang swung its blade under the moonlight, creating a silver glow that stretched dozens of meters before slashing at the void ahead.

A sharp crack echoed—slightly harsh—as the blade scraped against the air, sparking faint flames.

With a clink, their first clash produced a clear sound and sparks. Both men stepped back several meters before stabilizing. Without giving each other a chance to catch their breath, they rushed forward again.

Leaping into the air, they moved in a swift arc before charging forward once more.

Dragon Roar! Without hesitation, Rod immediately unleashed his powerful Dragon Roar technique!

A low rumbling sound, like a dragon’s roar, filled the air. His long sword, fueled by combat energy, transformed into a massive greenish-gray dragon dozens of meters long, with a ferocious head and an open maw, as if ready to devour everything.

“Soul-Link Sword!” A soft voice was heard. The Ancient Sword didn’t hide its strength either. In this life-or-death battle, both used their strongest moves, as if determining the outcome of the fight.

At this moment, Duan Chang displayed a completely different appearance from Xuanyuan. Its blade was covered in dark purple light, pulsing gently, appearing calm—almost insignificant compared to Rod’s dragon-like head.

The moonlight seemed dimmer at this moment. The two men became the center of the world, the brightest points on the battlefield.

With incredible agility and speed, in the blink of an eye, they collided again.

Boom… Finally, they collided in the next instant.

Vaguely, it seemed as though one could hear the roars and wails of dragons, see stars filling the sky, and observe dazzling spots of light. An endless shade of blue-gray enveloped and swallowed the seemingly tiny black-purple entirely between heaven and earth! Everything suddenly came to a halt, falling silent. In the distance, as everyone was stunned, just when they thought the ancient sword had been consumed, Hu Ran, within the blue-gray light, the faint dragon head suddenly emitted an extremely subtle black-purple ray. It then continued to spread and expand, growing larger—more and more such subtle black-purple rays began to emerge, like silver needles piercing through the air from the dragon head. In the blink of an eye, they transformed into hundreds of brilliant beams on the city walls. “Break through!” A deep roar was heard, and the rays suddenly moved, gathering strength before unleashing a powerful blast. Boom… The deafening noise shattered the dragon head under such circumstances, and a figure appeared before everyone. As the light faded, that tiny figure suddenly grew tall and majestic. Holding a sword in one hand, standing mid-air, he stared solemnly at Rod across from him, the ancient sword looking extremely serious. Rod was somewhat surprised that his own dragon roar could be countered in this way. Looking at the ancient sword, his expression grew even more serious. Its strength exceeded his expectations, almost costing him dearly. Rod’s heart sank—he realized this battle was far from as simple as he had thought. “I never expected the pro-war faction to have just such a person!” On the distant battlefield, an old man sighed softly, his voice heavy. “Grandpa Melon, what’s wrong? Is that ancient sword very strong?” Lucy and Ada asked anxiously. Although they hadn’t seen much from this move, they could tell the ancient sword was extremely powerful—at least their brother’s attack was terrifyingly fierce, yet it couldn’t harm it. “Very strong! I’m no match for him!” With a sigh, Melon said bitterly. Who would have thought that the usually unremarkable Third Prince of the pro-war faction could be so powerful? Could he withstand that magnificent sword? Melon wondered, but all he could do was shake his head in frustration, unable to think of a way to resist. “What about our brother?” Seeing Melon’s serious expression, Lucy grew worried.

“Don’t worry. That guy seems to be at the Yang Xuan realm, so he has the upper hand in strength. Although the Ancient Sword is powerful, there shouldn’t be any problems!” Aida clenched her hands and spoke softly to comfort him, though concern was evident in her eyes.

“Rod has the advantage in strength. As long as nothing drastic happens, it should be fine!” Melon said in a deep voice. After all, Rod’s strength was well-known! Yet the Ancient Sword still surprised him. He never expected this third prince, who favored warfare, to have grown to such a level.

On the other side, the Wolf Emperor and the others, seeing the Ancient Sword in action, felt ashamed. That stunning sword strike had left a deep impression on them, one they could not easily forget.

“If given a few more years, this kid might become another Rod!” The Wolf Emperor sighed after a long while, speaking with a bitter smile.

Indeed, if given a few more years to develop, he might truly reach the Yang Xuan realm. Even now, he was already at the later stage of the Yin Huang realm. He was the true strongest among those who favored warfare. To achieve such success at such a young age was nothing to underestimate.

“It’s a shame for the war faction!” The Dragon Clan’s Grand Elder’s words were simple, but filled with deep emotion, mostly concern for the Ancient Sword. Facing Rod, his fate seemed doomed to be tragic.

“Dragon Roar to the Heavens!” Failing with his first strike, Rod launched another attack. With a loud roar, he soared into the sky, his Xuanyuan Sword emitting an even brighter light, making the moonlight seem dim in comparison!

In the next moment, a pillar of light connected heaven and earth, centered around Rod, shooting straight into the clouds.

The moonlight in the sky strangely gathered into a brilliant beam that descended from the sky, finally converging on Rod’s Xuanyuan Holy Sword.

“One Sword to Conquer Nine Provinces!” murmuring, Rod’s gaze was solemn as he swung his sword at the Ancient Sword below.

In an instant, the world became dark, with only the dazzling light from the sword shining brightly. This was a sword technique Rod had mastered after entering the Yang Xuan realm, and it was his first time using it.

Perhaps due to the difficulty in controlling it, Rod’s forehead was covered in sweat.

Below, the Ancient Sword’s expression was solemn, devoid of any emotion, making it impossible to guess his thoughts. Seeing Rod’s attack, the Ancient Sword quickly retreated backward along the ground, clearly realizing the terrifying power of this move. Instead of fighting head-on, he moved swiftly backward while waving his sword, causing elements to surge around him, with winds howling and dust filling the air.

In the blink of an eye, a tornado formed, tightly enveloping his body as it continued to grow and spread.
“The Wind God Sword!” The howling wind and swirling sand made it impossible not to close one’s eyes. The intense sword energy wielded terrifying destructive power; those who failed to dodge were covered in hundreds of tiny wounds, bleeding profusely, with cries of agony filling the air.
Once again, the dazzling beam of light intersected with the fierce tornado at a single point.
There was no explosive sound as expected—instead, there was continuous absorption and merging. The beam descending from the sky and the dark wind rising from the ground became one at that moment, entwined together. Instantly, a path connecting heaven and earth appeared, leaving everyone watching in awe, too stunned to speak.
All they could feel was awe—Rod remained as powerful as ever, and the dominance of the ancient sword was unsurpassable. The clash between these two strongest young men in the land, or perhaps the strongest men overall, had conquered everyone’s hearts.
Even a proud and unruly warrior like the Wolf King was silently subdued, acknowledging the two and placing them on equal footing with himself.
At that moment, the battlefield fell silent. Everyone forced themselves to open their eyes and watched the distant battle with all their might. The beam of light and the swirling sand intertwined, devouring and pressing down on each other, creating a bizarre yet magnificent scene.
The silver beam coiled around the massive yellow-black tornado like a dragon, the two constantly entwined—yellow-black mixed with silver, silver mixed with yellow-black, creating a dazzling display of colors!
The tornado twisted and grew larger. At this point, Rod relied on heaven, while the ancient sword relied on earth—this could be considered a battle between heaven and earth.
Seemingly sensing this energy, heaven and earth also refused to be outdone. For the first time in hundreds of thousands or millions of years, they engaged in battle. The moon in the sky dimmed, pouring all its energy into the light screen without hesitation. The Earth Mother likewise poured her energy into the tornado, using the two as vessels in their struggle. At this moment, the essence of the battle seemed to change, as did its protagonists. Perhaps the only constant was the ultimate outcome—whichever side won would be considered the victor.

At this moment, in the face of nature, the two of them seemed utterly insignificant; they could only compete as vessels, with their true strength set aside, leaving Rod with no advantage at all.