The Decisive Match

The Profound Heaven Sword Method is a sword technique that Li Fan obtained from Real Person Liang of Ink Bamboo Mountain Lou Guan Dao. It is not the kind of high-flying, colorful sword-wielding immortal technique that is popular in the Xianxia genre, but a pure martial arts style sword technique with a combat style.

According to Real Person Liang's speculation, this sword manual was probably a forgery created by later generations under the name of the Sword Ancestor Xuantian. It records a total of eighteen moves and is said to be able to break through the Blood Record Sword Scripture of the Divine Sect with the Beichen Sword Technique. Indeed, they are all exquisite sword techniques.

The Xuan Tian Ben Sword Intent is also officially certified, which means the author probably did see the proper Blood Record Sword Scripture, so he didn't completely dismiss it as trash. This shows that the sword technique does have some merit.

Of course, what Li Fan learned was the <True Profound Heaven Sword Method: Kun Remastered Version>, which was messed up by the sword intent and Kun, and reduced from eighteen forms to only five forms: Fenji, Qiluo, Chushou, Shandian, and Guying.

According to Li Fan, the Gu Yingshi is the most difficult to learn because it involves not only dual-sword combat but also lacks fixed moves. It emphasizes responding to the situation, making on-the-spot decisions, and adapting to changing circumstances. It requires responding to how the enemy attacks and how one counters, adapting to the situation, seizing opportunities, and striking after the opponent has moved. This not only demands a high level of experience, judgment, on-the-spot reaction, and comprehension from the swordsman but is also very difficult to practice in ordinary times.

Yes, the other four moves are all about attacking first and have their own routines. Even if the opponent is a mere weakling like Thunder Monkeys, they can still be used as targets for sword practice. But the Gu Yingshi is different. This move was originally designed to prepare for fighting against an enemy whose swordsmanship is on the same level, and even to see through the enemy's swordsmanship in order to counterattack.

To be honest, when has Li Fan ever encountered an opponent who could withstand three moves in a sword fight against him? With Thunder Monkeys's "roar" pounce, this defensive technique is completely useless!

This was the first time Li Fan had encountered a swordsmanship master like Penglai Shizai, so he hastily used this move to counter him. However, he never expected that his opponent would make the same judgment! He used the exact same move and began to dance with Li Fan's swords!

Although both of them were taken aback, they no longer had the energy to stop and exchange sword-fighting tips.

If they were to fight using the other four techniques, they might be locked in a bloody battle within ten moves, each with three cuts and six holes, resulting in one of them dying.

But the Gu Yingshi is different. Once activated, the entire body moves in tandem with the opponent's sword strikes. If you attack with your right hand, I counter with my left; if you parry with your left, I intercept with my right! Both sides are on the same level. A slight delay in your sword strike, coupled with skill, makes it incredibly difficult to subdue the opponent. There's no room for idle chatter; you must be fully engaged, using your Divine Sense to perceive the rhythm, fully understand your opponent, stay ahead, and surpass them to achieve victory and kill them!

The two then separated immediately, without another word, and began to wield their four swords with incredible speed, becoming a blur of light and shadow! In the blink of an eye, they attacked from the left and right, shifting positions like a pair of blue and green butterflies dancing together, controlling their swords to circle around them, sometimes clockwise, sometimes counterclockwise, sometimes left, sometimes right, making it difficult to discern their human form!

In this dangerous duel filled with Sword Light, fluctuating sword energy, and the exchange of hundreds of moves in an instant, Li Fan the weaker party!

Indeed, over 70% of the hundred moves were evenly matched, while 90% of the remaining moves resulted in a decisive victory, indicating that Shi Zai was superior!

The Penglai Divine Lord's swordsmanship experience far surpassed that of Li Fan Thunder Monkeys Slayer! His close-quarters swordsmanship was also superb, making him undoubtedly a first-rate swordsman in the Xuanmen! Even though he had temporarily switched to a dilapidated Dao body and was still using the Dark Underworld Qi Sword to clash with the Returning Dust Sword Qi, which was of a counter-attribute, he still shattered Li Fan's Sword Light several times and struck Li Fan's Dao body!

Fortunately, Li Fan had previously changed his skin and flesh, making him only weak to lightning and extremely effective against the Dark Underworld Sword Qi. Moreover, he had a bunch of Tai Su Dao Body to boost his health, and he was also taking the refined Donghua Changchun Pill from the Abbot to prolong his life! Therefore, although he suffered a temporary setback, being slashed more than twenty times by the Sword Light and leaving many cuts, they were all superficial wounds and not serious. Besides, his Gu Yingshi was not bad either; the key core of his Divine Court Inner Landscape Vision was well guarded by him, leaving no flaws!

Moreover, the advantage lies with Li Fan!

Although Shi Zai Godly Monarch struck Li Fan more times, Li Fan was not without room to retaliate. He also hit Shi Zai's body two or three times, but the damage was obvious! Even though Shi Zai also used the Donghua Changchun Pill to heal himself, the hastily changed Dao body, coupled with the high-intensity use of Qi Sword at the same time, meant that his recovery speed was far slower than that of Yinian Shenjun before! Blood could be seen seeping from the wounds!

The most crucial point is that after a hundred moves, Li Fan has seen through his opponent's swordsmanship! No, not only has he seen through his opponent, but he has even taken advantage of this opportunity to practice against the master Shi Zai! He has once again grasped the essence of the Beichen Sword Sect's Profound Heaven Sword Method Technique!

That's right! Shi Zai used the original eighteen forms of the <Profound Heaven Sword Method>! Moreover, these eighteen forms are the essence of the <Ordinary Sword Qi Transformation Sword Guide>, which are trash moves used for body tempering but can't be used to fight people with swords. They are the Beichen Sword Technique, which reveals its killing intent!

Gu Yingshi is the Beichen Sword Technique, a sword technique used in internal sect battles! If there is any set pattern, it is based on understanding the opponent's sword techniques and thinking, using one move in each hand, one hand to break the move, and the other hand to counterattack!

Therefore, to analyze the entanglement between Li Fan and Shi Zai, we need to understand that he used one hand to deflect the opponent's moves and break through the weaknesses in his sword style, while simultaneously using the other hand to launch a counterattack with four techniques: Fenji, Qilu, Chui, and Lightning!

Shi Zai's swordsmanship was just like that! But his counterattack wasn't a mere four moves, but seventeen! Thirteen more moves than Li Fan! It was because those thirteen moves of the <Profound Heaven Sword Method> had been deleted by those two scoundrels, Xuan Tian and Kun! Li Fan had never even seen them before! He could only try to break through them head-on! How could he possibly break through them in such a short time! So he was immediately hit with twenty-seven or twenty-eight sword strikes! It was absolutely outrageous!

However, Li Fan also possessed a photographic memory. Within a hundred moves, he experienced the complete routine of the <Profound Heaven Sword Method>. Relying on his refinement and comprehension of the <Profound Heaven Sword Method Kun Remastered Edition>, Li Fan saw through Shi Zai's entire sword path!

The deletion was indeed justified. The Thirteen Styles routine has too many tricks and variations. Too many routines lead to repetition, and too many variations create weaknesses. Using them once or twice might give you an advantage, but using them too often will allow someone to see through your moves and turn the tables! Just like Li Fan! He learned it after seeing it once!

The Profound Heaven Sword Intent has completely removed the thirteen moves, retaining only four. It's not that those four moves are particularly exquisite, but simply that they are sufficient to deal with different scenarios and kill the enemy first!

However, once it comes to a duel between fellow practitioners, both sides adopt Gu Yingshi! Knowing each other well and with similar strength, the battle becomes about who has the fewest weaknesses and makes the fewest mistakes! Too many fancy moves mean more errors and omissions!

So after a hundred moves, Li Fan changed his offensive! He fought faster and faster! He used both hands repeatedly! He didn't use the special moves like Fenji and Qiluo, which were only used in special situations and with special postures. He just defended while using the Lightning and Strike techniques to counterattack in turn! His offensive was fierce! Sword Light and shadow! He aimed straight for Shi Zai's head, heart, and Inner Landscape, three vital points!

Shi Zai, being a master swordsman, also realized that the black-clad man before him had thick skin and hard bones, making his attacks ineffective and unpleasant. Moreover, the black-clad man's swordsmanship was becoming increasingly refined, his Gu Yingshi -attacks more and more exquisite, intercepting and breaking through all of Shi Zai's sword moves, and he began a fierce counterattack. Most deadly of all was that the opponent's Profound Heaven Sword Method was ambiguous, with some moves similar to Shi Zai's, but when executed, it was faster, fiercer, and more ruthless! After a hundred exchanges of parrying and blocking, the sword style suddenly changed! Completely abandoning unnecessary fancy moves, he used only feints before launching lightning-fast counterattacks, relentlessly stabbing at the head, chest, and abdomen! Whether feint or real, every strike was filled with deadly intent and was extremely dangerous!

After being struck several times by Li Fan's counterattacks and covered in blood, Shi Zai knew that the Profound Heaven Sword Method had been broken by his opponent, so he changed his move!

"Blood Talisman Sword - Blood Wind Dance!"

Seeing that the opponent suddenly tried to break out of the Gu Yingshi sword dance, revealing a flaw, and shouted it out so loudly, Li Fan knew that there was a trap.

Besides, he's seen Blood Wind Dance before; it's not that kind of starting stance at all! This is clearly a completely different move!

As expected, Li Fan retreated instead of advancing. Instead of taking the opportunity to pursue and assassinate, he coordinated with the retreat, instantly giving up his position!

In the next instant, Shi Zai, who had just been struck by several swords and was covered in blood by Li Fan, suddenly surged up as if alive, his blood piercing through Li Fan like sharp needles! It swept past Li Fan, nearly turning him into a hedgehog!

Indeed! It is Blood Sea Sword Howl!

"What!!"

This ultimate move, meticulously planned and executed, actually missed its target! Shi Zai was also greatly shocked!

"Lightning Strike!" At this crucial moment, Li Fan disregarded everything else and roared!

Shi Zai instinctively swung his sword, unleashing a blood-red sword tide that surged across the screen like a blood dragon! The blood tide roared, meeting the lightning-fast thrusting sword path head-on towards Li Fan! But he missed!

Not bad! Li Fan can shout nonsense too! He shouted "Lightning Style" and directly used a rising and falling style! He stood up and used a big jump knife! Directly dodging the blood dragon's impact! He descended from the sky with a thunderous strike, heading straight for Shi Zai Tian Ting, slashing down with both swords!

"Haaah!!" Shi Zai truly lived up to his reputation as a divine lord skilled in sword fighting! Just as he exhausted his Qi, a deadly sword came slashing down on his head. With no way to dodge, he actually used some secret technique! Blood burst from his pores, and he instantly gained speed! He dodged Li Fan's attack...

With a sudden thud, Shi Zai crashed into an invisible force of energy. Startled, he looked down and saw that Li Fan had somehow managed to trap him by drawing a circle with the tip of his sword during his sword dance.

It wasn't actually a profound Cultivation Method; a simple hand seal could break it. But Li Fan had experienced it once and knew how frustrating it was to trip unexpectedly during a fight...

"Playing such a trick?!"

"Die!!"

"Crimson Vein Child Sword!!!"

Indeed! It is the Crimson Vein Child Sword!

The two butterflies clashed in the sword dance! Just as the battle seemed about to be decided, Xu Chengyang, who had been lying in wait for a long time, also made his move! But he no longer focused on interfering with Li Fan; he wanted them all!

So at this moment,

Li Fan's twin swords fell, cleaving Shi Zai into three pieces. Meanwhile, Xu Chengyang's eyes flashed with blue light, and his Sword Light flashed, cutting Shi Zai into six pieces! The momentum didn't diminish! It seemed intent on piercing through Li Fan as well!

But Li Fan knows this move too! Why can't he understand it? He can't kill him with the moves he's seen before!

Thus, in this life-or-death struggle, Li Fan also faced the direct threat of the Crimson Vein Child Sword and made a choice.

Li Fan decisively abandoned his attempt to finish off Shi Zai, shifting his body to the side and stepping to the side to avoid a fatal blow, taking the hit head-on! He allowed two Sword Light to slice off half of his body, a leg, and an arm! At the same time, with his remaining right hand, he threw out the Returning Dust Sword Qi, and with a flash of Sword Light, severed Xu Chengyang's neck!

Xu Chengyang's head flew up, his eyes flashing with Sword Light, and he let out a sword cry. Blue light burst forth, sweeping Fourth Department for a while before rolling to the ground, seemingly dead.

Stop pretending, you little bastard!

Li Fan was absolutely furious. Without giving this bastard another chance, he hopped over on one leg, pulled out a brick, and pounced on him, smashing the Golden Brick repeatedly against his head! He smashed the head seventeen or eighteen times, until it was smashed into tiny, bloody pieces before stopping!

'Li Fan defeats Hong Chenghui in the massacre'

Li Fan's mood improved slightly.

'Li Fan's mood cap has increased by 500'

Huh? Who?

"I remember that brick... I guessed you weren't from the cult, but I never imagined you were sent by a manifestation. This kid is really something, so cunning..."

Li Fan lay on the ground, panting, and turned his head to see blood seeping from the fragments of the corpse, pooling together to form a human shape.

Good heavens, why is this so hard to kill...? Seriously, what do I have to do to die?

Li Fan had no choice but to destroy Shi Zai's body again, which clearly cost him a lot of energy. The blood figure was slowly taking shape and did not immediately pounce. Moreover, Li Fan also noticed that the blood he had used as the Blood Sea Sword Howl was splattered on the ground like dead blood and did not gather together. Therefore, Shi Zai's blood shadow human form was much thinner than before, and it took a long time to form a head. It seemed that fighting in the first half and the second half of the overtime had taken a toll on him.

"Heh, truly, new talents emerge in every generation. Yan Xingyun, Qin Tianjue, Xianhua—I can't compare to any of these Xuanmen Dao Seed. It's one thing to have my Dao Heart shattered from defeat, but I never imagined that I would be no match for you Nascent Soul Stage juniors... Heh, heh, what a disgrace..."

There is no one as powerful as you in the word 'si' or 'yong'. Boy, are you Xia Chengming or Zhou Chengxue?"

Li Fan could tell that the other party was just using trickery to stall for time and create his Blood Shadow. However, he was also running out of steam. The sword fight had drained his energy too much, and he'd even been slashed by some unknown guy next to him, losing an arm and a leg. He was really exhausted and needed to rest. So he spoke up, "Why didn't you guess I was Gao Zhen, that Cheng guy?"

Shi Zai laughed, "At this point, is there still any need to test them? No need. I admit defeat. Cheng Chengzhi is also one of my Lingzhen people. I originally sent him to find an opportunity to disrupt Penglai, but I didn't expect this guy to be so courageous, daring to blow up the sect's alchemy workshop! And he actually managed to escape unscathed! I'm truly impressed. And those 'two' Xu Chengyang... Hehe, they are indeed more formidable than the other..."

It must be said that your generation, the Cheng generation, is truly a gathering of outstanding talents, with not a single one of them being easy to match. It really makes us, the older generation, feel that we are indeed getting old..."

"Of course," Li Fan sighed, looking at Xu Chengyang, who had been pounded into a meat patty by his subordinates. "They really fought until they were bloodied and bruised."

It seems Xiao Zhou is quite wise. If it were just one or two, he could have fought back, but who knew that everyone in front of him would be so cunning? He might as well just lie down. Sometimes, you have to take it easy and live a little more comfortably...

"Alright, then I admit it! I am indeed an undercover agent sent by the sect leader to infiltrate the Shenzhen Palace! Derun! Now it's my turn to ask you, where did you obtain your <Profound Heaven Sword Method>!"

As Shi Zai gathered his upper body, he said, "What kind of problem is this? It was naturally bought from Yuntai Peak. But speaking of which, although the Beichen Sword Technique is popular, most people learn the killing moves of the Sword Light techniques, while the ancient sword techniques are rarely sought after."

I lost to Yan Xingyun duel back then, which broke my resolve and ruined my path. That's why I've always wanted to crack his swordsmanship, studying it diligently, hoping to one day avenge my defeat. I never imagined that you could crack such an obscure and rare swordsmanship. It's truly unbelievable...

Are you really Derun, a disciple of Penglai? Someone from the De generation? How come you don't use the Nine True Lotus Technique or the Dark Underworld Qi Sword at all? Instead, you've mastered the outdated Gu Ying Sword Style so skillfully?

Moreover, upon closer examination, the Profound Heaven Sword Method you just used seems to be something else entirely. Although it lacks a few moves, it is even more refined and sharp, clearly indicating that you have received the true teachings of the sword!

"Your methods are insidious and underhanded; you're not the kind of disciple I'd teach. The Shenzhen Palace are nothing but withered bones and good-for-nothings. And judging from your moves and escape techniques just now, could it be... you're a spy sent by Qingcheng Mountain?"

Bullshit! Your grandpa is the true successor of Beichen!

"... Hehe, you guessed right, too bad there's no prize..."

Moon Soul, hurry up! Bei Chen, don't keep any more secret techniques to yourself! This guy has grown two arms! If we chat any longer, he'll come back to life on the spot!

Quickly teach me the method of severing the primordial spirit with sword intent! Otherwise, it will be too late!!

Moon Soul, "... No... Our Beichen Sword Sect does indeed possess this technique, but I haven't learned it yet..."

Damn it, what were you yelling about just now?! Okay, this is it...