Book 5: Chapter 16 – Severing Wind: Fifteen Swords!
The white-robed, handsome Gong Liang Yuan helplessly said, “I’ve just become a Saint recently. Thus, my combat power will be relatively weaker. But precisely because of this, my Qi avatar will suffice in examining your combat power! Brother Dong Bo, even though I would really like to help you, in front of the many Transcendents – especially those Demigods with incredible power, I could not easily let you win.”
“Elder Gong Liang, please don’t hesitate,” Xue Ying replied.
“I’ll do my utmost to defeat and stop you,” Gong Liang Yuan said, “If you can’t even win against this Qi avatar of mine, the next matches – the fifth and the sixth – will bring your great danger of possibly perishing.”
“I understand.” Xue Ying nodded.
“Come.”
Gong Liang Yuan stood there.
In turn, Xue Ying was cautiously observing the distant Elder Gong Liang Yuan who had tinges of Qi streams moving on his skin. He thought, ‘Elder Gong Liang Yuan always carry with him a divine sword. If it isn’t because of his eccentricity, then I highly believe it must be related to the secret technique he trains in!’
That time when he chose the ‘Magic Dragon Force’ at Water Daoist Faction Secret Technique Pavilion, he had utilised the opportunity to read through the huge volumes of mid and high grade Qi secret techniques. Even though he did not decide to learn them, at the very least, by reading more, he would gain more experience and broaden his horizons! Thus, he knew that there were actually many unique secret techniques that required one to carry a weapon on one’s back.
Furthermore, during this half year period which he chatted with the many Transcendents around him, he understood that one should be even more careful of those who carried a weapon on their backs.
Hong~ Xue Ying moved at a thought.
At that moment, the power of Water from the World, within the entire battleground, started moving and accumulating into endless waves! These tempestuous waves of water engulfed about three quarters of the entire battleground, transforming it into a gigantic maelstrom with undercurrents surging within.
Gong Liang Yuan responded with a frown, before laughing, “Brother Dong Bo, you’ve just recently become a Transcendent, and yet I find the Profound Mystery of the Water of Myriad Existences quite intriguing.”
After saying that, unseen power of wind revolved around him which easily separated the layer of undercurrent from his body. After all, he had higher comprehension of the Realms than Xue Ying!
“Brother Dong Bo, please make your move. Standing there foolishly is not enough to win against me.” Gong Liang Yuan did not move as he awaited Xue Ying to make his instead.
“Alright.”
Initially, Xue Ying did not want to move as he waited for his opponent to reveal a weaknesses.
But according to the rules, he could only win by defeating his opponent!
“Sou.”
Xue Ying treaded across the water. The moment he made his move, he did it lightning-quick! With the flicker of his shadow, he appeared in front of Gong Liang Yuan.
Strangely, Gong Liang Yuan, who was standing there all the time empty-handedly, had the divine sword behind his back suddenly appear in his right hand, as if he had been holding the hilt of the sword for a very very long time. But Xue Ying clearly seen that when he rushed forward, his opponent’s hands were still by the sides… and strangely, as if time slowed down for him, the hilt of the sword appeared on his right hand.
Qiang! The sound of the divine sword coming out of its scabbard rang out.
Following that unsheathing move closely, a cold and bright ray of sword-light, bringing with it streams of gale, flashed in front of his eyes.
“Dang.” Xue Ying’s expression changed. Immediately blocking the attack with the black spear in his hand, he retreated rapidly after that!
Severing Wind: Fifteen Swords!
Apparently, Elder Gong Liang Yuan had trained in the high grade secret technique – ‘Severing Wind: Fifteen Swords’. This type of secret technique was especially suitable for those who comprehended the Profound Mystery of the Wind of Myriad Existences, and especially so for those who used swords as their main weapon! Xue Ying had previously seen this high grade secret technique within the Pavilion of Secret Techniques. Usually, Qi secret techniques were either specialised in attacking or in defending.
Even if the Qi secret techniques were specialised in defending, usually, there would be some attacking techniques associated within them.
But this ‘Severing Wind: Fifteen Swords’ was a kind of extreme, high grade secret technique that was used solely for attacking! Even if the technique did not aid in one’s defence or agility, the increase it would bring to one’s attacking power was extremely terrifying.
Training in this particular secret technique would require one to constantly nurture the divine sword. At the same time, the moment when he attacked with the sword leaving the scabbard, using the ability of wind, each incoming sword would be faster and faster! Like how waves superposed on each other, the might of the sword would constantly stack and increase. Of course, the demand for one’s comprehension of the Profound Mystery of the Wind of Myriad Existences was great… with only those who reached the great perfection being able to display all fifteen swords!
Of course, Elder Gong Liang Yuan had just become a Saint, and thus, he could not reach the Realm of Fifteen Swords in this particular secret technique. But even still, being able to release five or six swords would be terrifying already.
Escaping would be the best decision when facing such secret technique
Xue Ying could not let the opponent release the series of sword in one breath! As long as the secret technique of his opponent had a momentary break in waves of swords, he would be required to start from the first sword all over again.
One sword after another came flying, there seemed to be no end in sight in this onslaught of swords.
“You can’t escape, Brother Dong Bo,” Gong Liang Yuan said. At the same time, endless gales appeared around Xue Ying, hampering his movement.
During the period when Xue Ying was rapidly retreating, Gong Liang Yuan had already released his second sword in the air.
And right now, the fourth sword had already appeared in front of Xue Ying, giving him no chance of evading it anymore.
Since he could not dodge, then he would face it head-on!
Against the ‘Severing Wind: Fifteen Swords’, using defending by attacking was one of the methods he could use to get rid of the layering of his opponent’s technique.
Dang. The spear in Xue Ying’s hand was surrounded in ferocious flames as it came stabbing right at his opponent. At the juncture, when it clashed against the divine sword, the divine sword borrowed the force in rebounding back smartly with an even more frightening fifth sword! This sword carried with it only a small amount of gale, yet it was faster and more concise.
The impact from the clash of weapons previously was very weak.
That impact made Xue Ying uncomfortable as he used a ferocious attack. Yet his opponent retreated after a light touch and then rebounded back with an even stronger force. This allowed Xue Ying to feel how it was like to be oppressed in Realm techniques. Even though Gong Liang Yuan was not as powerful as Xue Ying when he just became a Transcendent, he had already cultivated for many years after transcending, and becoming a Saint had further evidenced his prowess.
Under ordinary circumstances, only one out of ten Sky Realm Transcendents could enter the Saint Realm!
Fortunately, Xue Ying had long understood the principle behind ‘Fragility after Hardness’. His Profound Mystery of the Fire of Myriad Existences contained within softness, allowing him to rotate his spear for an easy conversion from Fire to the Profound Mystery of the Water of Myriad Existences – retreating with his spear while narrowing down the area of defence.
“Pu.”
The spear narrowly blocked the fifth sword.
The divine sword once again collected back its energy after touching, before following up with an even faster sixth sword… and it was so fast that Xue Ying could only see a vague blur of it. Gritting his teeth, he could only try his best to block the attack. He believed in his own spear technique’s defensive ability in using both the Profound Mysteries behind Water and the Fire of Myriad Existences.
Hua~ The spear moved in a circle, as if it was trying to seal and close off the space. Strands of water streams revolved around the spear tip.
Hong!
This single sword was not a light floating sword like before.
It was, instead, the accumulation of sword after sword and the release after building up its full might. Actually, honestly speaking, the speed of this Qi avatar could not even compare with the speed of that previous Thunderbolt native Transcendent! But right now, during the display of the sixth sword, it was so fast that Xue Ying had to parry against it with his instinct. Furthermore, the power of this sword was so forceful and frightening.
Xue Ying felt that his spear absorbed a strong impact force. He hurriedly rotated his spear in order to absorb and unload the force, yet that impact force still returned back and smashed on to Xue Ying’s body even after rotating the body of the spear.
“Pu.”
Xue Ying flew backwards while spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Even though he had spit out blood during his flight, Xue Ying felt excited. He had blocked the attack! If he had not blocked that sword, and instead, it landed on his body, Xue Ying would have most likely lost a limb from the impact. And even if he did not lose his life in this fourth match, he would still be injured too heavily, which would count as a defeat for him.
Following that last attack, Xue Ying landed on top of the water, looking at the distant Gong Liang Yuan.
Gong Liang Yuan did not chase after him?
When he was flying backwards, Xue Ying was always facing his opponent. He was on alert all the time to continue blocking any incoming attack. According to logic… this should be the best chance for his opponent to attack him.
“Mn?” Xue Ying realised that that white-robed Gong Liang Yuan’s skin was becoming more and more transparent, with the Qi stream becoming more conspicuous.
“Brother Dong Bo, congratulations. You’ve won! It’s such a pity that I can only use the most ordinary sword provided by the Infernal Palace.” Gong Liang Yuan stared upon the sword in his hand, “And that I have not interacted much with it. Thus, the power I can display is much weaker and the most is six swords.”
His true combat power lay at being able to display eight swords!
And that represented a small success within the Severing Winds: Fifteen Swords.
“Elder Gong Liang, I’d a hard time defending against your attacks previously. Why did you not make use of the chance to continue your attack?” Xue Ying asked.
“The Transcendent Qi this avatar has isn’t that much, and that I can only display up to the sixth sword.” Gong Liang Yuan smiled. The energy required to display every increasing sword within the Severing Wind: Fifteen Swords, exponentially increased. Due to the fact that the Qi contained within his Qi avatar was limited, he could only continue to display another one or two swords at the start. Such attacks were not threatening, at all, to Xue Ying.
“It’s such a surprise that you can even block my sixth sword at the first level of Myriad Existences.” Gong Liang Yuan laughed.
