Ascending to Godhood: I Can Foresee All Futures

Chapter 275: Chapter 161: Saber Intent! Saber Intent

Simple, yet deadly.

”A fine strike.”

Lu Xuanzhou let out a soft cry, finally shedding the last of his contempt. With a thought, the Cyan River Treasure Sword at his waist emitted a clear, ringing hum and leaped into his hand.

A flash of Sword Light, like a cyan rainbow piercing the sun, struck the side of the Cold-Intimidating Blade with pinpoint precision.

CLANG—!

The sharp, ear-piercing clang of metal on metal echoed across the field as sparks flew.

Chen Sheng had poured all his strength and Evil Qi into that one strike, yet Lu Xuanzhou had met it with a deceptively light tap of his sword, striking a vital point and causing its immense momentum to falter.

But the tremendous rebound from the blade sent a numbing shock through Lu Xuanzhou’s wrist. He drifted back several dozen feet, unable to stop himself, before he finally dissipated the chilling, domineering Force.

”It seems I’ve underestimated you.”

Lu Xuanzhou steadied himself, the gravity in his eyes deepening.

Though he hadn’t used his full power, the fact that Chen Sheng could force him back with a single strike—despite only having an Earth Fiend cultivation—meant his strength was far greater than anticipated.

He was especially wary of the chilling, corrosive nature of his opponent’s Evil Qi, which seemed to seep into one’s meridians. ’The Evil Qi Chen Sheng cultivates is no ordinary thing,’ he realized, growing vigilant.

But that was as far as it went.

Lu Xuanzhou’s gaze turned icy. He held nothing back, unleashing the full might of his Profound Gang Realm cultivation with explosive force.

The Cyan River Sword flared with brilliant light. With a faint tremor of the blade, over a dozen condensed, cyan Sword Lights branched out. They wove together in mid-air, forming a seemingly sparse yet inescapable Sword Net that sliced through the air as it descended upon Chen Sheng.

Chen Sheng let out a low roar. Instead of retreating, he advanced, his Cold-Intimidating Blade a blur that created a screen of frigid light to meet the Sword Net.

CLINK CLANK CLANG—!

BOOM! BOOM—!

In an instant, the two were a tangled storm of battle.

Saber flashes and sword shadows crisscrossed as cyan and gold light flared violently in the twilight, colliding and extinguishing one another.

Explosions of Qi Force rang out endlessly, punctuated by the heavy toll of a bell—the sound of Chen Sheng’s Protective Golden Bell enduring the barrage of Sword Qi.

The two figures moved like dragons, their battle taking them from mid-air to the edge of the plaza. Wherever the edge of the saber and the Sword Qi passed, deep furrows were carved into the flagstones, sending shards of rock flying.

Had Bai Qing not already covertly waved her sleeve, deploying a gentle but resilient True Essence Qi Wall that neutralized most of the stray Force, the surrounding halls and corridors would have surely been devastated.

Even so, the sheer, world-shaking power and the incomparably sharp killing intent of the battle left the watching members of the Danxia Sect stunned, drawing gasps of shock from them.

”Such terrifying power... Is this what a battle between the Ning’an Ten Heroes looks like?”

”Lu Xuanzhou really lives up to his reputation!”

”Chen Sheng is the one who’s truly earned his reputation! He’s being pushed back and is clearly at a disadvantage, but don’t forget—he’s only in the Earth Fiend Realm, yet he’s fighting an intense battle against Lu Xuanzhou, who’s in the Profound Gang Realm.”

”To fight someone a whole realm above him and not be immediately defeated... Captain Chen’s strength is simply astounding.”

”That’s right. Look at his Sword Skill. It doesn’t seem to have any special techniques, yet every strike is precise, vicious, and simple. He’s honed his Basic Swordsmanship to the Transformation Realm, giving it a sense of returning to the fundamentals...”

The current lead True Inheritor of the Danxia Sect gazed up at the two figures clashing violently in the sky, his expression complex. Beneath his sleeves, his fists were clenched tight.

’We’re from the same generation, both ranked among the Ten Heroes, but the gap between us... it’s just too vast.’

Bai Qing, too, was watching the battle with rapt attention. Her initial certainty that Chen Sheng was doomed to lose had begun to waver.

Chen Sheng was certainly on the defensive, parrying more than attacking. But to endure for so long against an opponent from a higher realm was itself a miracle. He could even occasionally launch a counterattack or two with Sword Skills that forced Lu Xuanzhou to take him seriously.

’This young man... is incredible.’ Bai Qing sighed inwardly, her estimation of Chen Sheng rising yet again.

...

In the air, the fierce battle raged on.

The roars of impact, the clash of weapons, and the sonic booms of Qi Force were incessant.

Chen Sheng was, indeed, on the losing end.

Lu Xuanzhou’s Profound Gang Qi was pure and potent, and his Sword Qi was as relentless as the tide, wave after wave crashing down and putting Chen Sheng under immense pressure.

But his eyes only grew brighter, his will to fight burning like a furnace.

’In fact, I haven’t even used powerful Cultivation Techniques like the Six Extremes Treasure Seal. I’ve even deliberately suppressed some of my Evil Qi’s power, relying mainly on my Basic Knife Technique.’

His goal was to use the immense pressure from Lu Xuanzhou to temper and polish his Basic Knife Technique.

He turned his focus inward. On the Celestial Book Panel, a number was slowly but surely climbing under the strain:

[Basic Saber Skill Perfection (1989/2000)]

...

[Basic Saber Skill Perfection (1994/2000)]

...

[Basic Saber Skill Perfection (1998/2000)]

...

’It’s working.’

’And it’s much faster than cultivating on my own.’

Meanwhile, Lu Xuanzhou was growing increasingly agitated and impatient.

He didn’t want a drawn-out fight. He didn’t want to just force his opponent onto the back foot. He wanted to crush him, to achieve a swift and overwhelming victory.

He needed everyone to see that the dignity of Luoyun Manor was not to be trifled with.

But they had already exchanged blows for over a hundred breaths. ’Even though I have the upper hand,’ he thought, ’I can’t seem to land a decisive blow. This is not the kind of ’victory’ I wanted.’

’I can’t let this drag on any longer!’

A harsh glint flashed in Lu Xuanzhou’s eyes. Using the repulsive force from a clash of their weapons, he shot dozens of yards into the air, flipping upside down.

The cyan lotus blooms, ten thousand blades descend!

With a silent roar, the Cyan River Sword in Lu Xuanzhou’s hand erupted with light. The surging Vast Sea Profound Gang around him churned violently, compressing and splitting into countless strands of cyan Sword Qi. Each strand was as fine as a hair, yet incomparably sharp.

These strands of Sword Qi were not a chaotic mess; they faintly coalesced into the phantom of an inverted cyan lotus, suspended in the air and slowly beginning to bloom.

The lotus spun, unleashing a torrent of ten thousand swords.

Compared to the same move used by Lu Maozhi, the power of this Secret Technique from the Cyan Lotus Sword Manual, as executed by Lu Xuanzhou, was several times greater.

Chen Sheng looked up at the downpour of cyan Sword Rain, his expression unchanged.