Chapter 65: Swords Like Flying Immortals, Men Like Flying Immortals
Translator: Krukist
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Lin Tiancheng stared dumbfounded at the saber hilt, now stained red from the shock that had shattered his grip. A look of disbelief flashed in his eyes.
Who was he? He was none other than the illustrious Sect Master of the Flying Feather Sect—a Peak Profound Sovereign expert! And yet, he had been repelled by a single strike.
For years he had taken great pride in his saber technique; in the entire Radiant Sun Empire, only a handful could rival him. Now, his cherished saber art had been thwarted by one move.
The major sect experts present were equally stunned. This was Lin Tiancheng—the Sect Master of the Flying Feather Sect—being driven back by a single blow. How could this be?
Chen Lie, who had been leisurely watching the spectacle, abruptly rose to his feet. Apprehension gleamed in his eyes as he regarded Xiao Shiyilang, who now stood with his saber at the ready.
Being a fellow practitioner of the saber, Chen Lie knew all too well the terror of that single strike—a seemingly simple draw that had unleashed a saber light so awe-inspiring it could seize one's very soul.
This was a master who had refined the saber to its ultimate pinnacle! Even Chen Lie admitted that under such a blow, not even Lin Tiancheng would fare any better.
Meanwhile, behind Wang Feng, Ling Feiwu and the others wore expressions of unbridled excitement. Here stood an elder of the Divine Immortal Sect, displaying such raw power! Only Monk Wunian, though deeply moved, directed his attention more toward the duel unfolding between Wuxiang Monk and Shao Chén, the Sect Master of the Four Directions Palace.
Wuxiang Monk clasped his hands together and, with a slight smile, regarded Shao Chén. "Four Directions Fist!" he declared.
Nearby, the fact that Lin Tiancheng had been repelled by that single strike weighed heavily on Shao Chén; he dared not show even the slightest laxity toward Wuxiang Monk.
Without delay, Shao Chén surged forward with his most formidable move. He thrust out a punch, channeling a wild torrent of Profound Qi into his fist so that it radiated a shimmering glow. The very void around his fist seemed to warp in response.
A ferocious aura burst from him as his massive fist aura shot forth like a resplendent sun, dazzling all who beheld it and sending shivers down their spines. That punch snapped the onlookers back from the shock of Lin Tiancheng's setback, and every eye turned toward the battlefield where Shao Chén now clashed.
In the face of this fearsome punch, Wuxiang Monk maintained his gentle smile. His bald head shone brightly under the sunlight, as if bathed in a halo of Buddha's light, evoking a sense of serene reverence.
Then, without any unnecessary flourish, he hurled the string of Buddhist beads from his hand. The beads spun rapidly as they flew, and in their whirling they burst forth in dazzling brilliance. Even as they rotated at an extreme speed like a beam of light, they collided with Shao Chén's fist aura.
Boom!
A violent shockwave of power erupted in all directions, causing the entire high platform to tremble. Were it not for the platform's special construction and the protection of the Empire's soldiers, it would have shattered completely.
The collision of these two Peak Profound Sovereign experts would have obliterated even a small hill if it had occurred elsewhere.
In the stunned silence that followed, the string of Buddhist beads, after a few heartbeats of contact with the massive fist aura, disintegrated it into countless specks of starlight that scattered across the square.
Without pausing, the beads hurtled directly toward Shao Chén. Their rapid rotation seemed capable of twisting the very fabric of the void, and they exuded an aura so terrifying it made one's blood run cold. "How is this possible?" Shao Chén cried out, his eyes widening in shock as he desperately attempted to block the assault.
He had believed that, having unleashed his full strength with utmost caution, he could withstand Wuxiang Monk's attack. Yet he had never imagined that a mere toss of a string of Buddhist beads could unleash such formidable power.
Bang!
The beads struck Shao Chén squarely. Despite the layers of Profound Qi he had deployed, his face turned deathly pale as his body arched under the impact and he was flung backward.
He tumbled through the void for several rotations before barely regaining his stance. Landing heavily, he staggered back several steps; with each step the platform cracked explosively.
Pfft! Shao Chén couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of fresh blood, his entire body trembling as he fixed a look of terror on Wuxiang Monk. The onlookers collectively gasped, their pupils dilated in inexplicable shock.
After all, Shao Chén was the Sect Master of the Four Directions Palace—a Peak Profound Sovereign expert whose strength, though perhaps not matching Lin Tiancheng's, was still formidable. And yet now he had been injured by a single move from Wuxiang Monk.
How could the Divine Immortal Sect be such a monstrous establishment, with every elder so overwhelmingly powerful?
Among the major sect experts, an elder of the Formless Sect—who had previously communicated telepathically with Monk Wunian—cast a deep, respectful glance at Wuxiang Monk, clasped his hands, and bowed from a distance.
Behind Wang Feng, Monk Wunian's eyes shone with brilliance; he had chosen the right path indeed—Divine Immortal Sect was truly the sect for him. Chen Lie's brows furrowed even further; he feared that the Divine Immortal Sect might become a thorn in His Majesty's side.
Shao Chén roared, "Impossible! My sect does not believe you are that strong!" and, channeling a mighty surge of Profound Qi into his fists, he resembled an enraged lion as he charged ferociously at Wuxiang Monk.
In response, Wuxiang Monk retracted his Buddhist beads and glided away with an air of calm that stood in stark contrast to Shao Chén's fury; his majestic figure seemed bathed in serene Buddhist light.
Elsewhere, Lin Tiancheng erupted in anger. Clutching his saber with both hands, he channeled his inner strength into the long blade and moved with such swiftness that he became as elusive as a shadow, slashing instantly toward Xiao Shiyilang.
Two battlefields now held the rapt attention of all present. Yet the duel between Ye Gucheng and the Sect Master of the Azure Sea Sect sent shivers down everyone's spine.
As the onlookers found themselves overwhelmed by the spectacle of Peak Profound Sovereign combat—a confrontation so rare it might only occur once in decades—the scene grew even more astonishing.
At that moment, Ye Gucheng stood with his sword in hand, his expression cool and detached as he regarded the Sect Master of the Azure Sea Sect, who in turn looked at him with grave determination.
The setbacks suffered by Lin Tiancheng and Shao Chén had filled Tian Sang—the ever-smiling, rotund master of the Azure Sea Sect—with apprehension; for the first time, that usually jovial man could not muster a smile. Although he was on par with Lin Tiancheng and even a cut above Shao Chén, the mysterious nature of the Divine Immortal Sect left him no room for complacency.
"Fight!" Tian Sang bellowed, his gaze fixed on Ye Gucheng as his voice reverberated throughout the square and captured the attention of nearly everyone present.
His shout served both as a personal rallying cry and as an attempt to intimidate Ye Gucheng. As his call faded, a mighty force surged from his rotund frame—as if he had been further inflated—while his chubby hands extended, enveloped in a majestic flow of Profound Qi that radiated a dazzling azure light.
"Nine Tidal Forms!" Tian Sang roared. His hands pounded continuously, delivering eight successive palm strikes, and then, amid a cascade of overlapping blows, he unleashed a ninth palm.
Nine layers of palm imprints, piled on top of one another like billowing waves, coalesced in an instant into a colossal palm imprint that surged directly toward Ye Gucheng.
The entire process—from the initial strike to the final palm—was blindingly swift. Even as the onlookers were still reeling from Tian Sang's roar, his palm imprint had advanced to within five meters of Ye Gucheng, beyond which a massive rift in the void had opened.
At that moment, Ye Gucheng moved. He extended his slender hand to grip the hilt of his sword; a flash of sword light streaked forth, leaving the onlookers momentarily dazed.
When they looked again, his hand still rested on the hilt as though he had not unsheathed his sword at all. Yet everyone knew that he had drawn his blade—so swiftly that it was imperceptible.
For in that instant, a brilliant, lightning-fast sword light, carrying a chilling sword aura that could freeze the very marrow, burst forth like a bolt and streaked across the heavens.
That sword light, striking from above with an edge so fearsome it was irresistible, was a world-shaking display of swordsmanship, capable of transforming at will and transcending mortal limits. In but an instant, it collided with Tian Sang's palm; before the eyes of all, his palm shattered into fragments.
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