Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

Chapter 354: Chapter 353: The Gap

On the competition stage, Lian Shuang effortlessly shattered He Tianming’s tyrannical saber strike, and a sudden burst of Sword Aura forced him back.

”Lian Shuang’s control over the Sword Dao Mystical is truly powerful.”

”Her Five Elements Sword Lotus provides excellent defensive capabilities. It’s hard for the average person to contend with her.” On the high platform, several Elders stroked their beards and smiled.

”A true genius. To have refined her Five Elements Swordsmanship to this degree at such a young age... I’m afraid no one in the younger generation of our Lingyun Sect can compare to her. Even I couldn’t have reached this level back in my day!” Sect Leader Yuan sighed with emotion. Lian Shuang’s strength was truly beyond comparison with ordinary people.

Just as the crowd was marveling at the strength of Lian Shuang’s Control Power over the Sword Dao, He Tianming’s body moved like the wind, suddenly levitating into the air. With a single motion, Sword Qi gathered around the long saber in his hand. An astonishing aura erupted from within him as a low voice rang out.

Celestial Brilliance!

SWISH!

The long saber split the air, like a Sword River descending from the heavens, slashing down at Lian Shuang.

The power of this strike was even greater than the last.

SWISH, SWISH!

Saber auras descended like a colossal river, accompanied by countless more whistling down.

Every saber aura was immensely powerful, like a Sword River cutting through the Void, trailing resplendent light and kicking up a terrifying storm.

”So fast!” Seeing this, the Cultivators watching from below the stage were all stunned. Just moments before, they had been astonished by Lian Shuang’s power!

Who would have thought that He Tianming, who had seemed to be in retreat, could unleash such a thunderous strike in an instant?

Clearly, He Tianming’s mastery of the Sword Dao Mystical had also reached an extremely high level; otherwise, how could he have struck so quickly?

”This attack is just like the one he used to defeat Zhao Fan!” Yuan Chong muttered from the stands.

He couldn’t help but clench his fists, his face etched with worry.

’Can Lian Shuang withstand this sudden attack?’

But just as Yuan Chong was worrying, he suddenly noticed that Lian Shuang remained as serene as ever on the competition stage.

Not a single ripple of emotion disturbed her beautiful face.

Even her aura remained largely unchanged. She was still so placid, and her calmness was astonishing.

Amidst the crowd’s surprise, Lian Shuang finally moved.

”Five Elements Sword Lotus!” Lian Shuang murmured. A Sword Pattern flickered in her Dantian as a majestic Sword Essence swept out and condensed before her.

In a mere instant, five Sword Lotuses materialized and began to circle around her.

The five Sword Lotuses revolved around Lian Shuang, forming a Sword Qi Vortex, its sharp Sword Qi howling like a gale.

Instantly, the saber auras that had been howling toward her like a tempest were shattered one by one by the Sword Qi.

Once the Sword Lotuses had formed, Lian Shuang looked up at the Sword River descending upon her.

This Sword River was powerful, striking with such force that the Void itself trembled. It looked as though it would engulf Lian Shuang in the next moment.

”Five Lotus Transformation Vortex!” With that low cry, Lian Shuang guided her Long Sword, and the five Sword Lotuses shot forward with a howl.

WHOOSH!

The five Sword Lotuses represented the Five Elements. One flowed with the Mystical of Water, another with the Mystical of Gold...

Lian Shuang controlled each Mystical to the point of utter Perfection. It was easy to imagine just how formidable her talent was.

After all, mastering even a single Mystical was an incredibly difficult feat!

And she had mastered five.

The five Sword Lotuses whistled through the air, spinning in the Void to form a vortex that immediately ensnared the Sword River.

As the Sword River was trapped, the Sword Patterns on the Sword Lotuses churned and slashed at it, intending to break down its Power piece by piece.

The five Sword Lotuses spun relentlessly, and as the Sword Patterns whirled, they were accompanied by a terrifying Sword Wind. The Power within He Tianming’s Sword River was continuously weakened.

”This Sword Lotus is truly troublesome. Unless one can tear apart the Sword Patterns it emits with absolute Power, it’s impossible to harm her in the slightest.” From the stands, Ling Fei’s eyes narrowed as he spoke in a low voice. ’The Sword Lotus looks elegant and serene, but only when you probe it with your Heart Spirit Sensing can you discover just how terrifying its Sword Qi is.’

Every wisp of Sword Qi erupting from the Sword Lotus was incredibly sharp, as if it could tear through the Void.

When Ling Fei probed it with his Heart Spirit Sensing, even he felt his heart pound with fear.

He Tianming’s saber was openly tyrannical, but the edge of Lian Shuang’s sword was concealed. Only upon contact could one truly understand its terror.

BANG!

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the crowd saw He Tianming’s descending Sword River shatter into pieces.

”What a pity,” many people sighed.

He Tianming’s strike truly was powerful.

But unfortunately, Lian Shuang was even stronger. She had cultivated her Five Lotus Sword Technique to its peak, leaving it with no weaknesses.

”Mad Saber Three Techniques, the final technique, Celestial Rift!” Just as the saber aura dissipated, He Tianming suddenly flipped and soared high into the sky.

A low voice rang out.

SWISH!

A saber aura slashed down.

This strike streaked across the Void like a brilliant rainbow. In the blink of an eye, it appeared in the space above Lian Shuang’s head. Its aura was so powerful it seemed to have torn through the Void itself, piercing straight through. Its speed was so incredible that the naked eye couldn’t follow it. The Cultivators below the stage erupted in an uproar.

”What a fast strike!” Cries of astonishment echoed endlessly.

”Senior Brother He Tianming is actually this strong?” On the stage, Zhao Fan, who was regulating his breathing, felt his pupils shrink. ”He wasn’t even using his full power against me,” he said. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but sigh. He had always wanted to surpass He Tianming and become the second strongest member of the Lingyun Sect’s younger generation.

Unfortunately, he was only now discovering that the gap between him and He Tianming was even greater than he had imagined.

’No matter what, I won’t give up.’ After this internal sigh, the battle intent in Zhao Fan’s eyes grew even stronger.

’The stronger the opponent, the more challenging the chase.’

”But I wonder if Junior Sister Lian Shuang can take this blow,” Zhao Fan then murmured.

Could Junior Sister Lian Shuang dodge this strike? Tens of thousands of Cultivators held their breath, their eyes glued to the stage before them.

Everyone was extremely worried.

He Tianming’s strike was simply too fast.

When speed reaches its absolute peak, so too does its Power.

”Truly worthy of being a genius of the Lingyun Sect,” Ling Fei couldn’t help but praise.

”Excellent. It seems Tianming has made considerable progress recently.” The Elders of the Lingyun Sect were all thrilled.

For a genius of his caliber, every step forward is difficult. But once progress is made, it represents a qualitative leap in strength.

For the Sect, this was undoubtedly a joyous event.

The saber aura descended, instantly striking the defensive circle formed by the five Sword Lotuses.

BANG!

A ripple spread out. The saber aura passed through, tearing apart the vortex formed by the Sword Lotuses as if it were slicing through the Void.

In a flash of light, the saber’s gleam passed through the Sword Lotuses and appeared above Lian Shuang’s head, poised to kill her in an instant.

At once, tens of thousands of Cultivators held their breath.

”Senior Sister Lian Shuang, run! Get away!” someone shouted in warning. It was easy to imagine that if Lian Shuang hesitated for even a fraction of a second, she would be cut down.

But Lian Shuang stood as proud and unmoving as a sword, showing no intention of retreating.

Her gaze lifted slightly, directed at the saber aura that had torn through her Sword Lotus defense.

Even now, not a single ripple of emotion could be seen in her eyes.

Why wasn’t Junior Sister Lian Shuang even trying to dodge? This scene made the hearts of countless Cultivators leap into their throats.

He Tianming’s strike wasn’t just fast; its Power had also reached the absolute limit, making it unstoppable.

Unprepared as she was, how could Lian Shuang possibly contend with it without retreating?

It wasn’t just the other geniuses; even Ling Fei’s eyes were locked on Lian Shuang.

’She moved.’ Suddenly, Ling Fei’s eyes glinted.

Because Lian Shuang was now in motion.

But she didn’t retreat. She simply raised a delicate hand.

SWISH!

The blue Long Sword in Lian Shuang’s hand sliced through the Void, a flash of blue light emanating from it—a flicker of sword light.

But by the time one could perceive it, it had already crossed the Void and appeared above Lian Shuang’s head, striking the impossibly fast saber aura.

In fact, many people didn’t even see the blue sword light at all.

They only saw the tyrannical saber aura in the Void suddenly halt, accompanied by the crisp ring of a sword.

The next moment, they saw the saber aura tremble and then violently disintegrate.

As the saber aura crumbled, a streak of blue Sword Aura shot across the Void, appearing before He Tianming’s eyes like an arrow loosed from a bow.

He Tianming hadn’t even seen how the Sword Aura appeared before him; he only sensed a sudden flash of blue light.

Then, the chilling aura of death flooded his senses.

”This...” As the blue sword light drew closer, He Tianming’s pupils dilated, his eyes filled with utter shock.

”Such Swordsmanship... who below the Nascent Soul Realm could possibly compare!” On the high platform, Sect Leader Yuan’s eyes flashed. With a wave of his hand, that patch of the Void trembled. An invisible Power shattered the blue Sword Aura, while He Tianming’s body was violently thrown backward by an immense force.

But his eyes were vacant as he stared blankly at the young woman on the stage below.

He looked as though his very soul had been frightened out of him.

’How can this be? I’ve trained bitterly for the past six months just to break Lian Shuang’s Five Elements Sword Lotus. I finally comprehended the Mad Saber Three Techniques, and Celestial Rift in particular was a strike containing all my power! It should have been able to shatter her Sword Lotus... How could a strike like that be defeated so easily?’

’How could her sword strike be so strong?’ Waves of shock crashed through He Tianming’s heart, the astonishment from Lian Shuang’s attack refusing to subside.

It wasn’t just He Tianming; everyone in the arena couldn’t help but draw a sharp, cold breath.

”Thank goodness, Senior Brother He is alright,” someone said with a look of relief.

”How did Senior Brother He lose?” However, some of the Small Primordial Pill Realm Cultivators still didn’t understand how He Tianming had been defeated.

They hadn’t been able to clearly see how Lian Shuang had even drawn her sword.

’A casual strike, yet so powerful... Just... what Realm has she reached?’ Even Ling Fei couldn’t help but draw a deep breath.

Lian Shuang’s Swordsmanship was far beyond anything Ling Fei had imagined.

He could even feel, with stark clarity, the gap between himself and her.