The mountain manifestation bore down on Black Chicken. Menban gripped his sword in his right hand, and a massive sword phantom of true qi shot straight at Black Chicken. Black Chicken could only retreat again and again as the manifestation of a black rooster appeared around him, its body jet-black, with only the comb atop its head standing out in a distinctive red.
Menban's heavy sword moved like ocean waves. With every move, every turn, he gathered force, kicked the sword, swung it up, swept it across, followed the momentum, and moved with the force.
Each revolution made the phantom of the Mount Tai Sword more solid and layered, while the gale of protective qi around Menban grew stronger. The sword's might became increasingly terrifying.
This was the self-created Mounting Mountains Sword Art of Menban.
The power of the heavy sword stretched endlessly like mountain ranges, accumulated bit by bit like sand and stones, and ultimately formed a towering mountain that could not be shaken.
With its power continuously stacking, none dared face it. It was invincible.
The unmatched force of true qi left Black Chicken unwilling to receive it head-on. It was not that he had never considered deflecting or blocking Menban's accumulating sword force. In fact, the greater the power, the greater the backlash.
Once the power slipped beyond control, once it exceeded Yue Shan's limit, or if his power was forcibly interrupted and he suffered backlash, that would be the moment of his defeat and destruction.
But there was simply no way to begin!
The transitions between Menban's moves were too smooth, his motions too fluid, and he constantly pressed close. There was truly no opportunity.
Several attempts to strike had all been crushed by the sword force of the mountains. Some of the sword's true qi had even surged into his body, leaving him badly injured.
He could only occasionally scratch at him with the Spicy Pickled Chicken Claws in his hand during brief gaps in his evasions.
Though most of them were blocked by the layered gale of protective qi around Menban, a few strikes landed, leaving several chicken-claw wounds.
Given a little more time, he would surely have torn off a chunk of flesh. But there was no helping it—the sword had already swung before him.
If he did not dodge, that sword would smash him into pulp.
On the other side, Ghost Servant and Gens were also locked in a fierce battle. Gens held a cross sword, sword qi crisscrossing as he thrust directly at Ghost Servant. Ghost Servant twisted his body and was already at Gens's right side.
The long braid on his head pierced through Gens's protective qi, carving a bloody mark across his face. True qi surged chillingly through Ghost Servant's right sleeve, which cleaved toward Gens's right arm like a black greatsword.
Gens reversed his grip on his sword and blocked the sleeve. When sleeve and blade collided, they rang like clashing weapons. Gens's face twisted viciously. Though true qi protected his body, the recoil still made his arm feel as though it were being torn apart.
Then the sleeve, which had been tough and straight, suddenly softened and wrapped around Gens's arm. Ghost Servant moved, as if intending to rip his right arm clean off.
Gens poured true qi into his right arm to protect it. Their true qi collided and battled. The two stared at each other, Gens's expression grave.
Gens swung his right arm, and sword qi erupted from the point of the blade he held in reverse, shooting straight at Ghost Servant's throat.
Ghost Servant released the sleeve and leaned backward. He kicked out, and Gens dodged to the side.
One sleeve braced against the ground. With a turn of true qi, Ghost Servant swept out with a spinning whip kick from his right leg. Dense, ink-black true qi swept across and slammed into Gens, kicking him flying.
Gens crashed to the ground. Before he could react, a massive true qi foot dozens of meters wide stomped down as if to crush everything.
Gens leaped up to evade, but the true qi blasted him away directly. Ghost Servant shot after him, and the braid behind his head cracked through the air with another sonic boom.
Though Gens's protective qi blocked it, the recoil of true qi still injured him internally.
Ghost Servant gave him no chance to catch his breath. His attacks came without end, and Gens could only dodge in panic. He had never encountered an assault like Ghost Servant's.
His speed was even faster than the force that had sent Gens flying.
Another kick shot straight at his face. Gens raised his sword to block, but Ghost Servant launched into the air and struck the blade repeatedly with his feet. Ink-black true qi shrouded his legs and collided with Gens's true qi, sending ripples of qi spreading in all directions.
After several consecutive kicks, the sword in Gens's hand had already begun to deform.
At this point, Gens felt fear rising in his heart toward the masked man before him, whose hands had both been severed.
He had to admit that at the same realm, even with an extra weapon and a pair of hands, he was still no match for this masked man.
In his control over strength, true qi, and rhythm, the masked man was flawless.
His speed was astonishing. Gens had never seen such speed among those at the pinnacle realm. Not even those freaks possessed speed like this. His leg techniques and sleeves were exceedingly fierce, while the braid atop his head was impossible to guard against.
With these legs alone, this masked man would have no problem carving out a path to the Heavenly Realm.
Gens's gaze sharpened. From his right sleeve, he drew a small black cross no larger than his palm.
Coming and going without a trace, peerless in lightness skill;
Sleeves as blades, hard and soft in perfect balance;
A long braid as a whip, moving with his will;
Though without both arms, my body is a weapon.
This was Ghost Servant's martial path. What he trained was his own body.
Everything about his body was his weapon. Though he had no arms, every move he made emphasized swiftness and ferocity, defeating his enemies with speed.
Seeing that both battlefields held the advantage and that the outcome had already been decided, Chu Xuanao shouted to Sledgehammer.
"Sledgehammer, move."
Upon receiving the order, Sledgehammer flung his hammer behind his back and used true qi to hold it against his back.
With his left hand, he lifted the table laden with food and wine. With his right, he raised the grandmaster's chair Chu Xuanao sat in above his head.
He then used true qi to hold the table at a suitable height, ensuring that his lord's food and drink would not be disturbed. Then he exerted force beneath his feet, stomping out a huge pit as he shot away like a cannonball.
Sledgehammer charged out at tremendous speed, yet the food and wine on the table did not shift in the slightest. Even the wine in the cups did not ripple.
Protective qi surged around him, controlled within a radius of ten meters. Ten meters was the boundary.
Within ten meters, all was calm. Flying dust, debris, and the force of aftershocks were blocked outside. Even several beams falling from above were bounced away.
In three steps, he charged out of the Lijing Pavilion, which covered more than a hundred square meters, and arrived at a pavilion. He slowly set Chu Xuanao down again.
The moment he sat down, two figures in the distance had nearly reached them.
A man and a woman stopped not far from Chu Xuanao. Two others stood there as well: the madam and Yaxin, one of the Four Great Beauties. Both were trembling with fear.
The madam in particular occasionally glanced at Chu Xuanao, her eyes seeming on the verge of tears.
After looking around, Chu Xuanao finally found his fourth brother to the left.
Just over thirty meters away, Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an stood there without moving. He merely glared at Chu Xuanao with eyes blazing with fury, bloodshot veins visible in their depths.
After exchanging a few words with the madam, the man and woman headed straight toward Chu Xuanao.
Upon reaching him, the two bowed.
"Greetings, Your Highness."
Then they looked helplessly at the prince before them.
Since Flower Gazing Pavilion had built this Lijing Pavilion, it had only been smashed twice in total. Both times had been because of the Sixth Prince before them.
The woman of the pair was exceptionally seductive. Swaying her alluring waist and hips, she approached Chu Xuanao, picked up the wine pot, and filled his cup before finally speaking.
"Your Highness, today you..."
Before she could finish, Chu Xuanao interrupted her.
"Sanniang, why must you make things difficult for me?
"Today, Fourth Brother opened the pavilion and hosted a banquet. I merely came to attend it. If there is anything, find my fourth brother."
Looking at the two before him, Chu Xuanao inwardly cried out, So you're keeping your eyes on me, huh?
Last time, you came looking for me first, and I accepted that. Last time, it was I, Chu Xuanao, who opened the pavilion and hosted a banquet.
But today, it was my fourth brother who opened the pavilion and hosted a banquet, yet you still came looking for me first?
Sanniang, known as Shen Sanniang, was the Shen Family's manager at Flower Gazing Pavilion. She was responsible for all of Flower Gazing Pavilion's affairs and could be considered its mistress.
Hearing this, Shen Sanniang exchanged a glance with the sword-bearing man beside her. Their gazes toward Chu Xuanao were filled with helplessness.
Chu Xuanao paid them no mind. He raised his left hand in a gesture of invitation, pointing directly toward where Fourth Prince Chu Xuan'an stood, and said:
"First, I only came to attend the banquet today.
"Second, I have no money. Find my fourth brother.
"Third, my fourth brother is right over there. Please."
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