A quick note — starting from the 29th of this month, which is tomorrow, monthly tickets will be counted double. That means one ticket becomes two. I'm humbly asking all you readers: if you have any monthly tickets on hand, please hold on to them and vote for me tomorrow. Thank you so much…
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Sword qi surged in every direction. Qi Jianxing's figure streaked through the air like a rainbow piercing the sun, wreathed in sword light as he closed in on Yang Kai. His long sword flickered, weaving a curtain of blades that bore down from above, sealing off a dozen-zhang radius of space around Yang Kai.
A ceaseless chorus of metallic clangs rang out, as though someone in the void were strumming a pipa. Sharp whistles of displaced air hissed past, and visible threads of fine sword qi crisscrossed and interlocked, enveloping Yang Kai on all sides.
In the flashing of cold light, Yang Kai's expression turned grimmer than it had ever been. He furiously drove the full force of his Yuan Qi, his entire body radiating an oppressive, searing heat. Yuan Qi erupted from both palms and he shoved outward with all his might.
The two forces of Yuan Qi collided, and a thunderous boom echoed through the air. Hundreds of sword gleams were instantly annihilated.
Qi Jianxing's face turned cold. "Overestimating yourself!" he barked.
His sword swept around, and the remaining sword qi converged into a single shape — the form of a massive longsword — and cleaved downward at Yang Kai.
Yang Kai's eyes narrowed. His large hand shot open, and a single drop of Yang Liquid was forced out of his body. Guided by his will, it morphed into a blood-red shield that materialized before him.
A resonant crack rang out as the sword qi struck the shield dead-on. Ripples of crimson spread across its surface, and a hairline fracture appeared — but it held. Qi Jianxing's attack dissolved into nothing.
In that lightning-brief window, Yang Kai raised the blood-red shield before his face, pivoted on his feet, and lunged straight at Qi Jianxing. The latter let out a sharp cry and retreated rapidly, but Yang Kai pursued without hesitation. Both moved like bolts of lightning — one leveraging exquisite footwork, the other deep cultivation — and in terms of sheer speed, they were perfectly matched.
Their figures blurred and tangled, each unleashing devastating killing moves in rapid succession.
A flicker of surprise crossed Qi Jianxing's face. He had never expected a martial artist from a second-rate sect, at only the seventh level of the Separation-Union Realm, to produce such power. He couldn't bring the boy down in a short time.
Annoyance burned in his chest. His hands drove the sword even harder, the blade moving so fast it was nearly impenetrable. A three-inch tongue of sword aura at the tip of the blade flickered in and out like a serpent, its attacks shifting between real and feint with eerie unpredictability.
Trees toppled in waves wherever they fought. The ground churned, sand and stones spraying in every direction. The battle was ferocious beyond measure.
In the span of ten breaths, they exchanged thirty moves, and neither could gain the upper hand. But on the surface, Qi Jianxing held a clear advantage — eight out of every ten strikes were his.
With a cold sneer, Qi Jianxing flicked his sword into a spray of blossoming sword-flowers and drove a single thrust into Yang Kai's blood-red shield.
A sharp crack split the air. The shield of Yang Liquid could no longer withstand such concentrated assault and shattered into fragments.
Yang Kai's expression changed drastically. He tried to leap out of range, but would Qi Jianxing give him that chance?
The longsword seemed to possess a mind of its own. After shattering the shield, it curved directly toward Yang Kai's arm.
Swish swish swish… His sleeve disintegrated completely, fabric scraps whirling through the air.
Yang Kai bellowed in fury. Yuan Qi erupted from his body in a torrent, using the outburst as a shield. Instead of retreating, he surged forward and threw a devastating punch. Flames roared to life across his knuckles, so intense the air itself warped and twisted.
Sensing the terrifying lethality packed into that single punch, Qi Jianxing's eyes went wide with alarm. He thrust his sword into Yang Kai's shoulder, sinking it three inches deep, then used the recoil to spring backward.
But he was still a fraction too slow. Yang Kai's Blazing Sun Triple Burst had already detonated.
Thud thud thud thud… Qi Jianxing stumbled back over a dozen steps, channeling his energy to absorb the force of the blow. At the same time, he circulated his Zhenyuan to neutralize the scorching Yuan Qi that had invaded his body.
Several seconds passed before Qi Jianxing's face paled and he drew a deep breath.
The unstoppable Blazing Sun Triple Burst had been completely neutralized — not a scratch on him.
As for Yang Kai, the clothes on his right arm had been shredded to rags by the sword. His bare shoulder was latticed with countless tiny lines of blood, instantly turning crimson. The sight was horrifying.
At the same moment Qi Jianxing dispersed the Blazing Sun Triple Burst, Yang Kai let out a light pant. He shook his arm, incinerating the sword qi that had infiltrated his body until nothing remained.
"Heh heh…" Qi Jianxing's gaze turned cold and savage as he stared fixedly at Yang Kai. "Only the seventh level of the Separation-Union Realm, yet you possess this kind of strength! Truly impressive, truly impressive!"
As he spoke, he pointed his longsword from a distance. "You're the most powerful Separation-Union Realm martial artist I've ever encountered. Your Yuan Qi purity is already comparable to an ordinary Zhenyuan Realm cultivator — perhaps even on par with my own. But… inferior origins are still inferior origins. The sword techniques of my Nine Star Sword Sect hold boundless power. How could someone like you possibly hope to break them?"
His expression haughty, his voice frigid, Qi Jianxing continued in a low tone: "Just now, I was only using seventy percent of my strength. If I go all out, how long do you think you can last?"
Both hands gripping the hilt, he held the sword vertically before his chest. His expression turned solemn. Zhenyuan surged, and he roared: "Sword Manifestation!"
A resounding hum erupted as the longsword in his hands trembled without end.
A razor-sharp aura exploded from his body. He became like an unmatched sword himself, Zhenyuan spiraling around him in visible torrents. In an instant, his presence peaked. His long hair whipped about without wind, and countless tiny ethereal swords orbited around his frame.
To look upon him was to behold a man guarded by ten thousand blades.
The Nine Star Sword Sect's sword techniques were truly profound.