The flying sword was the venerated enforcer’s signature weapon. He’d tempered it with his life and wielded it for countless years; its absence meant that his strength was reduced by at least thirty percent. Now that Lu Yun returned it, he meant for the venerated enforcer to bring out his full strength when fighting Qing Di.
Alternatively, he wanted the venerated enforcer to wholeheartedly accept the defeat to come. He could tell that his little martial grandson didn’t think much of him.
……
After the venerated enforcer recovered his sword, he lifted his head and looked to the mountain’s peak.
“I will challenge you in full once more after I defeat Qing Di. I will personally defeat you, even if you are my martial grandfather,” murmured the venerated enforcer.
The zither’s music abruptly changed from the full notes of a mild and gentle creek to sharp blades edged with wild killing intent. Qing Di was one with the melody—he was the music, and the music was he.
Lu Yun wasn’t controlling the genius through the zither; he was using the instrument to guide Qing Di so that the latter could tap into his strongest potential and techniques.
This was also another kind of instruction.
Qing Di didn’t feel the slightest bit uncomfortable or unwilling about the situation—he was wholly absorbed in music that held almost the same meaning as his great dao. His sword and combat arts could be fully deployed through following the instrument’s notes.
Strains of music unfurled through the air in graceful serenity. Qing Di moved with them, performing a stunning dance of the sword with unparalleled poise.
Sword light began to fill the void—unavoidable and inescapable. The venerated enforcer’s eyebrows rose with surprise and he took a half step back.
However, this slight step proved the start of an irreversible momentum; he had to keep retreating! Qing Di was now systematically dismantling all of his merciless attacks.
“What’s going on? Qing Di’s the same as he was before. His combat arts, methods, and techniques are identical—so how is he forcing the venerated enforcer back?!” gasped some of the half step kings in the crowd.
“Is the zither music ambushing the venerated enforcer at the same time?” Jade Dragon wasn’t too certain of her conjecture. Though she’d audibly ventured forth that idea, she could clearly sense that the venerated enforcer was more frightening of the two, especially now that he wielded a flying sword.
If the zither really was meant as an ambush, then it would ensure that the venerated enforcer wasn’t able to do anything. Therefore, the music wasn’t meant for that purpose.
Though no one else understood what was taking place, the Immortal King’s disciples closed their eyes to carefully listen to the marvelous tones. Apart from Qing Di, they were the other benefactors of Lu Yun’s continued tutelage.
To them, the melody seemed to have been born of nature and was a harmonious whole with the world, something that helped them assess their own great dao and cultivation methods with greater clarity. After this song, their strength would collectively leap forward.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Two flying swords continuously collided with each other in the void, the additional impact of various combat arts and methods detonating the innate qi of the air.
Bam!
One of the venerated enforcer’s strikes shoved Qing Di back; the former took advantage of the respite to regroup and stab forward, summoning a purple dragon shadow from behind his back.
“Here it is!” Bloodclad’s eyes brightened and he called out hoarsely, “Dragonrise!”
Dragonrise!
The venerated enforcer had taught it to Dusksnow Morningstar, who’d then used the technique to defeat the Bloodclad Duke. Even now, he was unable to identify the best counter to this move. If he met it in battle again, he would be defeated, again!
He finally had a chance to observe the move executed at full force!
While the venerated enforcer had deployed it before, he’d only done so casually and not to his fullest capabilities. This time, he unleashed it to kill!
……
“Dragonrise!” Qing Di shouted his identification. “The Champion Duke invented your technique, but there were three hundred points of weakness when he made it. He’s fixed them all, yet there’s still three flaws in yours!”
“WHAT?!” General shock rippled through the crowd. The Champion Duke… the Immortal King… had invented this terrifying move??
Almost everyone thought that an unparalleled ninth step king was behind it, but the half step king Champion Duke was the creator instead??
The venerated enforcer remained unmoved and stabbed forward with indomitable momentum!
Zither music flowed like water into Qing Di’s ears, trickling into his heart and melding with his dao heart. It didn’t affect his mind, just gave general guidance for his cultivation realm and raising his great dao and combat arts to optimal condition.
Qing Di answered in kind. His flying sword shot out as three rays of sword light that tunneled into the weaknesses within Dragonrise.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Three muffled points of impact sounded as the three rays of sword light recoiled off of the weaknesses. Changes began to occur in the venerated enforcer’s attack.
The magnificently rising dragon head suddenly lowered back to the ground and dove downward. An enormous dragon tail appeared to crash down on Qing Di.
Dragonflail!
Lu Yun’s move had turned into Dragonflail in the venerated enforcer’s hands!
Clang!
Another collision.
Qing Di’s index and middle finger were placed together and pointing at a tiny intersection of the Dragonflail move. He pierced right through it!
Hazy azure sword light extended from Qing Di’s fingers and stabbed straight at the venerated enforcer’s forehead, stopping one inch away from the skin.
“I yield,” frowned the venerated enforcer.
“Mmhmm,” Qing Di nodded. “You didn’t yield to me, but to the Champion Duke.”
The venerated enforcer heaved a long sigh and didn’t respond to that. “I’d thought that deriving Dragonflail from Dragonrise would place me higher than him, that the student had exceeded the teacher. Who would’ve thought that my most vaunted accomplishment would be so flimsy to him?”
Qing Di had triumphed because he’d been inspired by the Champion Duke’s music. If it wasn’t for the zither, he would’ve been defeated long ago.
“That’s because you’ve chosen the wrong path.” Qing Di listened carefully to the lingering notes. “The dragon has already lifted its head, why does it need to flail around? It lifts its head to rise into the sky and soar through the nine heavens, not to slam its tail around in the mud. The dragon is quite unwilling to struggle with its tail after it’s lifted its head.”
His words struck a chord with the many dragon race members present.
Now that’s rather profound.
