Immortal Sword Master

Chapter 170: Chapter 167: Defeat

BOOM!

The sky seemed to explode.

Meng Bubai gripped the Vajra Staff with both hands as Innate Gang Yuan erupted from his body with reckless abandon.

He and the staff became one as he transformed into a streak of iridescent light dozens of yards long, descending from above to smash down upon Ning Jiang.

Gang Qi surged around the golden staff, faintly forming the shape of a coiling dragon.

This was a killing blow.

He held nothing back!

The ferocious aura struck terror into the hearts of all onlookers. It felt as if even a dragon would be crushed and tamed by this single strike.

”Excellent.”

Duan Wuya’s eyes shot open as he uttered his praise.

”Ning Jiang, this is the strike I was saving for Sword King Chu Bai! Let’s see you take this!”

Encased in his armor, Meng Bubai was like a War God—fierce and unstoppable.

Brute force overcomes all skill!

This was the purest expression of physical might, using raw power to crush all opposition.

When power reached a certain threshold, one could slay gods and buddhas alike, sweeping away all obstacles.

The Vajra King, Meng Bubai, was born with divine power, setting him apart from all others. It could be said he was born for power—he was its incarnation, its very emissary.

”A worthy strike.”

Ning Jiang’s white hair streamed behind him as he threw a punch.

The punch was plain and simple, without any flourish. It was as straightforward as a child’s playful jab.

Yet this simple fist seemed to have transcended all technique, reaching a miraculous, almost divine, level.

The punch had no name. Ning Jiang had used it once before, against Young Master Qingjiang.

He had created it by channeling his comprehension of the world’s fundamental principles.

If an ordinary person’s punch was a mortal technique...

...then this punch of his was that of an Immortal, bordering on a Divine Power. It was transcendent, extraordinary, the pinnacle of its art.

BANG!

A deafening crash erupted.

The golden fist slammed into the Vajra Staff without yielding an inch.

It was a contest of pure power.

A clash of flesh against a Treasure Artifact.

An unstoppable force meeting an immovable object—a true clash of titans!

Countless Martial Artists held their breath, not daring to blink, lest they miss a single detail.

”Break! Break! Break! Break! Break!”

Meng Bubai roared, his eyes completely bloodshot. He gave it his absolute all, gripping the Vajra Staff and pouring every last ounce of his power into it without reservation.

Yet, Ning Jiang’s fist remained utterly motionless.

CRACK!

It seemed to last an instant and an eternity all at once.

A fine crack suddenly appeared on the dark gold Vajra Staff, starting from where it met Ning Jiang’s fist.

The crack then spread with terrifying speed.

Before Meng Bubai’s incredulous gaze, the entire Vajra Staff shattered like a piece of overburdened porcelain.

”A Top Grade Treasure Artifact was shattered!”

The crowd was dumbfounded.

That was a Top Grade Treasure Artifact!

Just how powerful had Ning Jiang’s physical body become?

”Heavens, with a physical body like that, it could probably rival the Spirit Body of a Spirit Realm Powerhouse, couldn’t it?”

The crowd gasped in amazement. Once a Martial Artist stepped into the Spirit Realm, their body would transform into a Spirit Body.

At that point, they were no longer made of mortal flesh.

Upon achieving a Spirit Body, one’s lifespan would increase to five hundred years, and they could sustain themselves through Qi Refining and Grain Avoidance, no longer needing to eat or drink.

”There’s probably still a gap when compared to a true Spirit Body. A Spirit Body requires an immense amount of Spiritual Qi. However, his physical body might just be the strongest one below the level of a Spirit Body!”

An expert from the Innate List analyzed.

As the Vajra Staff shattered, Meng Bubai was sent flying backward by Ning Jiang’s punch, crashing directly into the river below.

”The Vajra King has been defeated.”

Witnessing this, the countless powerhouses in attendance wore complicated expressions.

A King who had been on the Innate List for many years had trained bitterly in the Arctic Icefield for a decade to further enhance his Physical Power, yet he still couldn’t withstand Ning Jiang.

The new generation surpasses the old.

Who could possibly stop Ning Jiang’s rise now?

Duan Wuya’s expression was incredibly grave. ’This punch wasn’t just an explosion of physical strength, but a transcendence of Realm.’ In his eyes, Meng Bubai was exceptionally strong, his physical body having reached a pinnacle. He reckoned his own odds against Meng Bubai were about even, though he might hold a slight edge.

One could say that within the Innate Realm, Meng Bubai’s physical body had reached its absolute limit, with no room left for improvement.

But Ning Jiang was even more terrifying.

From start to finish, Ning Jiang had suppressed Meng Bubai with his Great Sun Dharma Body. Even when Meng Bubai brought out all his techniques and pushed his Staff Technique to the peak of his abilities, he was still no match for Ning Jiang.

The initial exchange had showcased Ning Jiang’s indestructible body, but that final punch revealed an extraordinary, otherworldly Fist Technique.

A punch like that seemed as if it didn’t belong to the Human World, as if it had reached the level of an art form of the Great Dao itself.

Even with all his experience, Duan Wuya had never seen such a divine Fist Technique. If he had to describe the feeling it gave him, it would be with a single word:

Unrivaled!

Duan Wuya replayed the scene in his mind again and again, finally coming to one conclusion: even he would not have been able to block such a punch.

In the face of that punch, all technique was rendered pale and powerless.

SWOOSH!

The Vajra King shot up from the Qingjiang River. He cut a pathetic figure, completely drenched.

”Ning Jiang, you truly are a prodigy the likes of which hasn’t been seen in a thousand years. In my life, I have only ever admired one person: Sword King Chu Bai. You are now the second! Your physical body... I fear it’s infinitely close to a Spirit Body!”

”I have lost this battle, thoroughly and convincingly.”

”You know how to win and how to lose,” Ning Jiang said with a nod. ’Losing itself isn’t frightening; what’s truly terrifying is being a sore loser.’

And the Vajra King was correct. His Great Sun Glazed Golden Body, now at the Great Success stage, was indeed infinitely close to a Spirit Body. It could be called the strongest body below that of the Spirit Realm.

If he could reach the Perfection stage, it would even surpass a Spirit Body.

At that point, slaying Spirit Realm Powerhouses would be a simple matter.

”Duan Wuya, it’s your turn,” Ning Jiang said, his white robes whipping in the wind as he turned to face Duan Wuya.

During his battle with the Vajra King, Duan Wuya hadn’t interfered in the slightest. This was the pride of a King. They could accept defeat, but they would not stoop to ganging up on Ning Jiang.

”Ning Jiang, I wish to experience your Shocking Sword Dao!”

Duan Wuya gripped his Tiger Soul Blade, his battle intent soaring.

His meaning was simple: he wanted a battle of blade against sword.

No contest of physical bodies, no contest of Fist Techniques.

”As you wish.”

Ning Jiang stood there, perfectly calm. He didn’t exude the peerless, sharp aura of a Sword Cultivator, but this very fact made him seem all the more terrifying.

In his tranquility, he was like a placid ocean, calm and serene. But when roused, he was a raging tsunami, capable of drowning the world.

”Ning Jiang, if you can take this one slash from my blade, I will acknowledge you as peerless in this world!”

Battle intent surged from Duan Wuya’s entire being, and the Tiger Soul Blade in his hand let out an earth-shattering tiger’s roar.

He slowly raised the Tiger Soul Blade. As Innate Gang Yuan poured into it, everyone felt as if Duan Wuya himself had disappeared, leaving only the blade behind.

Or rather, he and his blade had become one, entirely indistinguishable.

VSSSHHH!

The light of the blade shot toward the heavens like a long rainbow.

”Thunderbolt Slash!”

With that, a world-shocking arc of blade light that seemed to pierce through heaven and earth descended.