Chapter 1279
Ying Zhou unleashed the "Compassionate Body Precept Thunderclap," his body spinning like a top, his groin pierced by sword Sword Qi shooting in from all directions. However, his mind wavered, making it difficult for him to exert his full strength. Sword energy would occasionally pass through the wall of Sword Qi, adding sword marks to his body.
"Why."
Xia Guanxue's eyes turned cold. He raised his sword to the sky, his figure appearing and disappearing in a flash. The dark sword shadow devoured the light, plunging the already dimly lit valley into complete darkness. Then, he conjured up many afterimages, thrusting his sword swiftly from different angles.
With his ears ringing and his sword flashing in all directions, Ying Zhou blocked one after another of the afterimages. However, with each block, he was forced to take a step back. The continuous pressure gradually built up his anger until he could no longer restrain himself.
"Why!"
With a single move, Cloud Thunder Drums and Lightning Flashes tore through the darkness, and the blade's energy swept across all directions with thunderous roars, ravaging everything tangible and intangible. Ying Zhou swiftly located Xia Guanxue's true form and immediately unleashed a furious slash. Wherever the blade went, the air was pushed aside, creating a spectacle resembling the splitting of the ocean. Xia Guanxue did not dodge; her sword shot out like an arrow, her power concentrated at a single point, thrusting out in direct confrontation.
As swords and blades clashed, their energy exploded, and both men were torn apart by the Sword Qi and blade energy, leaving crisscrossing wounds.
"Why is that?!"
Ying Zhou pressed him for an answer, as if he wouldn't give up until he got it, because the pain of betrayal was far more intense than the physical wounds he suffered, making it unbearable for him.
Why would someone you firmly believed would stand by your side choose to become your enemy at this crucial moment?
Swords clashed again. Because they knew each other so well, they could guess each other's moves even with their eyes closed. During the exchange, they could find the weaknesses in each other's moves and figure out how to defend against each other's attacks. Both of them chose to attack the weaknesses without any defense!
The wounds were spreading at a visible rate, and blood was gushing out without restraint. In the blink of an eye, the two of them were covered in wounds and blood.
Why?
Xia Guanxue didn't understand why. Sacrificing the few to protect the many was something he hated most, so why was he now sacrificing one of his few friends in the world?
--Why should my parents be sacrificed? Why should you, who killed innocent people, become a hero? I absolutely do not agree with this! You blood-stained executioner!
--When will this cycle of revenge end? Whether you sacrifice more to save fewer people or vice versa, it will always breed resentment. But I believe that if sacrificing yourself could have saved everyone, Senior Yan would have done it without hesitation. It's just that he didn't have that opportunity then, but I do now.
Confusion, struggle, bewilderment—past memories flashed through his mind, gradually becoming clearer with each swing of his sword.
Ultimately, what appeared in Xia Guanxue's mind was the image of a hero wielding a broken sword, slashing at the enemy, refusing to retreat even half a step, even at the cost of his life.
--By the way, ever since I was a teenager, I've always wanted to be a great hero like him, and I still have his poster hanging in my room.
--It turns out, I've become the kind of person I used to hate the most.
"Because you're too naive."
Who is the naive one?
Is it Ying Zhou, or her past self? Xia Guanxue can't tell anymore. The splattered blood blurs her vision, but the sword in her hand becomes even sharper. Without a trace of confusion, she is determined to sever the past and the friendship that is more precious than life itself.
"Pointing the halberd, glaring angrily, I cleave the crimson clouds!"
His usual moves were easy to spot, Ying Zhou decisively used his sword and blade techniques, employing the somewhat rusty "Heart-Severing Sword Technique".
An irresistible, vast sword aura burst forth with fury, forming a roaring azure Azure Dragon that surged and swept away, its momentum like a thousand troops galloping at once. Although his moves were clumsy, his State of Mind perfectly aligned with the intent of the move, allowing him to fully unleash its power.
There were no gaps, no openings, and no way to avoid it. Faced with such a dragon of blades, there was no other way but to withstand it head-on.
"Silver Brush Strokes Chill a Thousand Mountains!"
Xia Guanxue made the same judgment and used the rarely used "Eight Forms of the Divine Edge". However, he usually practiced it diligently, so when he made the move, he was much more skilled than Ying Zhou and did not seem rusty.
The Listening to the Rain Sword gathered silver light, instantly transforming into something resembling a lightsaber. Xia Guanxue lightly touched the ground with her toes, her body moving like a swallow, soaring like a winged bird, forming a wave-breaking sword light that roared towards the Azure Dragon, merging into the blade's momentum.
Immediately afterwards, a silver light began to shine through the Azure Dragon's body, and it shattered with a mournful cry. The Listening to the Rain Sword forcefully pierced through the dragon's body, creating a streak of light that streaked across the sky. The air swirled and the sword's edge instantly reached Ying Zhou.
Faced with this One Sword, Ying Zhou did not retreat but advanced instead. His eyes turned bloodshot, and his Asura Bloodline was activated. His body, which had become empty after using his ultimate move, surged with new power, and he slashed out with a furious slash.
The blade cleaved through Xia Guanxue's shoulder, then slashed downwards, instantly disemboweling her.
The sword pierced his chest, and silver Sword Qi shot out through his back, tearing apart Ying Zhou's internal organs. He was also thrown backward by the impact, leaving a trail of blood in his wake, until he crashed into three large trees and came to a stop.
"Ha, ha, ha ha..."
Ying Zhou paid no attention to his injuries. He stuck his knife into the ground, burst into wild laughter, and even bent over laughing, tears streaming down his face, while punching the ground repeatedly.
"You actually called me naive? You knew perfectly well that Senior Yan had his own compelling reasons, yet you still chose to seek revenge against him for personal reasons, and you call me naive? Hahaha, that's utterly ridiculous! This is simply the most absurd thing in the world!"
The laughter abruptly stopped as he stood up, pointed at the other side, and roared, "Anyone in this world can criticize me, but you, Xia Guanxue, have no right to do so!"
Xia Guanxue ignored him, stuffed his exposed intestines back in, sealed the wound with his Sword Qi, and coldly said, "Without the resolve to kill me, your blade cannot protect Murong Wu."
"You forced me to do this!"
Ying Zhou closed his eyes first, then opened them. The whites of his eyes were completely stained red, indicating that his Asura Bloodline had been fully activated. Now, he was only filled with madness and bloodlust.
The renewed conflict was an even more brutal battle, with both sides attacking each other and using strength to overcome strength. Neither side had any intention of backing down, and every move was aimed at vital points without mercy, like two mad beasts fighting each other.
With a flash of light, Xia Guanxue's left ear, along with a portion of her scalp, was sliced off.
The sword flashed horizontally, tearing open Ying Zhou's cheek, from the corner of his mouth all the way to his earlobe.
Every move draws blood, every strike leaves a wound; the final, bloody battle culminates in a clash of ultimate techniques that decide life and death.
"A lone sun shines on the broken bridge, its green hues shrouded in mist!"
Xia Guanxue unleashed her extraordinary speed, her figure Blink unpredictably, weaving through the wind and clouds, seemingly faster than thunder and lightning. At such high speed, she created thousands of afterimages, leaving long trails of ink, layer upon layer, trapping Ying Zhou. Each one contained Sword Intent, exuding a chilling killing aura, making it impossible to distinguish them from fakes.
"Heart-Rending, Lung-Splitting Piercing Thunder!"
Qianzhang light shone forth, and the force of the blade surged forth. Ying Zhou spun his blade horizontally, unleashing a torrent of dazzling lightning. The powerful suction force swept away all the afterimages, annihilating them one by one. He secretly gathered divine power, determined to deliver a fatal blow the moment he found the true form.
However, even after all the afterimages disappeared, Xia Guanxue's true form was still nowhere to be seen. The afterimages that were shattered by the lightning left behind dark halos in the air. When they overlapped, a pitch-black darkness enveloped the valley, so dark that even lightning could not penetrate it.