Fang Han raised his eyes.
He felt the locked-on killing intent and immense pressure, but his eyes remained calm; only his hand gripping the sword became more steady.
The agile and graceful Wind Sword Intent around him was also quietly gathering and rising, standing in opposition to the opponent's domineering aura that was as imposing as a mountain in an invisible domain.
"Cut!!"
Qi Zhen gathered his strength to its peak, letting out a deafening roar as his arm muscles bulged and he slashed down furiously.
A massive Saber Aura, condensed to its extreme and almost transformed into a dark golden glass, detached from the blade and expanded in the wind, instantly becoming a terrifying streak several meters long.
Wherever the Saber Aura passed, the ground was cleaved into a deep trench by the dissipated sharpness.
The rubble, broken wood, and even the flames burning in the distance were all swept up, torn apart, and extinguished by this violent airflow.
This strike seemed to truly cleave the heavy night, crushing everything in its path into dust.
Faced with this devastating blow, Fang Han made a move.
Instead of retreating, he took a step forward.
The Internal Qi of Second Grade initial stage cultivator, combined with physical strength reaching 300,000 jin, erupted and was entirely poured into the sword.
The Cloudsplitter Sword emitted a clear, resonant tremor in his hand, and he pushed the Wind Sword Intent to the limit of his current control, perfectly merging it with the exquisite moves of the < Void-Sundering Sword Manual >.
Swords drawn!
There was no dazzling brilliance, only a condensed, almost invisible, dark blue line.
With a mysterious trajectory, it precisely "pointed" at a specific point where the immense power of the Saber Aura energy flowed—
It is neither the strongest nor the weakest point, but rather the point where its "momentum" connects and transforms.
"Bite--!!!"
A strange, crisp sound rang out, not a deafening explosion, but rather an unusually sharp one, piercing through the roar of the Saber Aura cutting through the air.
Then, something happened that left everyone speechless—
The immense, dark Saber Aura, seemingly capable of cleaving through anything, trembled violently the instant it came into contact with the subtle cyan sword light.
Immediately, a faint yet dense cracking sound came from inside the Saber Aura. Spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the surface of the Gang Qi that was originally as solid as glass.
The cracks spread rapidly, covering the entire Saber Aura in the blink of an eye.
The next moment, the terrifying Saber Aura, several meters long, shattered just three feet in front of Fang Han.
Transforming into Dark Gold specks of light that darted across the sky, like a dazzling yet dangerous golden rain, it created numerous pits of varying depths on the surrounding ground, yet failed to harm Fang Han in the slightest.
The condensed sword light that Fang Han unleashed, after "shattering" the Saber Aura, although dimmed considerably, still stubbornly pierced through the dissipating turbulence and struck Qi Zhen, whose face suddenly stiffened behind him.
Qi Zhen's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
He couldn't understand why his all-out attack with his Saber Aura had been broken in this way.
But his fighting instincts remained; in his shock, he instinctively swung his longsword to parry.
"Clang!!"
The remaining force of the sword light struck the blade, producing a muffled thud.
Qi Zhen felt that familiar, penetrating, sharp force return to his arm, along with a slightly weaker but still present mental ache.
He grunted and stumbled back three steps.
Each step left a footprint about an inch deep on the bluestone ground, and the surrounding stone slabs cracked in a spiderweb pattern.
He managed to steady himself, his right hand, which was gripping the knife, was numb as if it no longer belonged to him, and his entire right arm was trembling slightly uncontrollably.
The wound on his waist also felt like it was being torn apart due to the exertion.
He suddenly looked up and stared ahead.
Bathed in the firelight and scattered golden light, Fang Han stood holding his sword.
Apart from the hem of his green robe swaying slightly in the strong wind, and a few pieces of the blue bricks beneath his feet quietly breaking when he released the force, his figure remained as steady as a rock, and his breathing did not even show any obvious disturbance.
The young face, bathed in the flickering light and shadow, possessed a serene calm that was almost unsettling.
"No... impossible!"
Qi Zhen's hoarse voice trembled slightly, a tremor he himself was unaware of.
Having devoured more than ten Upper Third Grade artists with his demonic powers, his cultivation level had already reached the First Grade Late Stage.
He had used all his strength in that last strike, without holding back.
Even if they were both martial artists at the First Grade Late Stage, it would be impossible for them to defeat each other so easily, let alone defeat each other with skill and without any injury.
But this Azure Profound Sect True Disciple, who looked to be no more than twenty years old, not only accomplished it, but even managed to injure him in return.
"Impossible! You couldn't possibly have that kind of power!"
Qi Zhen growled, his eyes filled with surprise, anger, and a barely perceptible... fear.
Fang Han still did not answer.
He merely flicked the blade, and then he moved again.
This time, he took the initiative to attack.
"Whoosh--"
The green shadow seemed to completely blend into the night and the wind, blurring until only a faint trace remained.
Fang Han combined the Wind God Step with the Wind Sword Intent, and his speed exceeded the limit of Qi Zhen's naked eye perception, as if he was attacking from several directions at the same time.
Qi Zhen felt a chill run down his spine, a sense of crisis washing over him like ice water.
He roared, forcibly suppressing the distracting thoughts in his mind.
He channeled his Dark Gold Internal Qi into his longsword, creating an impenetrable curtain of blades that completely protected him.
"Clang! Clang clang clang! Clang--!"
The next moment, a deafeningly dense chorus of metal clanging together erupted like a storm.
Each collision was accompanied by sparks flying and a muffled thud as the air exploded.
The cyan sword light and the dark Golden Saber clashed and annihilated each other wildly. The two figures moved, crossed, separated, and collided at high speed within a radius of more than ten feet.
Gravel, dust, broken weapon fragments, and even burning planks were swept into the air by the terrifying energy emanating from their clash, only to be pulverized by even finer forces.
A thick cloud of dust formed, enveloping the heart of the battlefield.
Two blurry figures could be vaguely seen flashing at an astonishing speed, and the continuous, increasingly intense explosions could be heard.
Amidst the dust and mist, Qi Zhen grew increasingly alarmed and terrified as the fight progressed.
Fang Han's sword was too fast! Too cunning! Too sharp!
Each sword strike seemed to anticipate the direction of his Blade Intent, stabbing from the most unexpected and painful angles.
The tearing power contained in the sword light made him extremely cautious with each block, requiring him to expend even more Internal Qi.
What bothered him even more was the mental impact attached to the sword!
In this high-speed and intense exchange of blows, the constant, needle-like mental interference continuously assaulted his mind.
It made it difficult for him to concentrate, and his reactions were always a tiny bit slower.
That slight difference can be an insurmountable chasm in a duel between masters!
"Sizzle!"
A streak of cyan sword light pierced through the gap in the blade barrier, grazing past Qi Zhen's right arm.
The leather of the arm guard and lining cracked instantly, and a cool sensation ran through my forearm.
Then came a sharp pain, and a shallow wound, about half a foot long, appeared, with drops of blood seeping out.
Qi Zhen felt the pain, and his Blade Intent faltered.
Just as the old power was exhausted and the new power had not yet arisen, Fang Han his second sword strike.
As if they had been waiting for a long time, they arrived quietly, following the slightest, almost imperceptible flaw.
This sword strike was faster and more refined than any of the previous ones.
A glint of cold light flashed at the tip of the sword, rapidly magnifying in Qi Zhen's rapidly contracting pupils!
The shadow of death instantly enveloped him, and his blood almost froze.
Under the shadow of death, his Internal Qi exploded beyond its limit.
His body arched backward in an almost contorted posture, while his long sword slashed back recklessly.
The sword's edge barely grazed the skin of his neck.
The sharp Sword Qi drew a thin line of blood on his neck, chilling to the bone.
However, Fang Han parried his counter-attack with a seemingly slow but actually swift horizontal sword.
"Clang--!!!"
This time, the sound of the collision was as heavy as mountains crashing together.
Qi Zhen felt an immense force of recoil emanating from the blade, and the sharp, hidden Hidden Force contained within it surged forth relentlessly, piercing through the blade and his arm, and crashing into his body.
"Bang--!"
A sweet taste rose in his throat.
He was struck as if by a heavy hammer, his feet left the ground, and he flew backward, almost dropping his long sword.
He gripped the knife handle tightly, his feet grinding violently against the ground, carving out two furrows several feet long and several inches deep.
It smashed through several artificial rocks along the way, and finally crashed hard into a half-collapsed courtyard wall before barely stopping its backward momentum.
"Cough cough!"
He leaned on the ground with his knife, knelt on one knee, and coughed violently.
Looking down at his right hand, which was gripping the knife, he saw that the web between his thumb and forefinger was cracked and dripping blood.
His entire right arm trembled uncontrollably from the violent impact, numb as if it had lost all feeling.
He looked up in horror, peering through the billowing dust ahead.
Fang Han, sword in hand, had only a few specks of dust on his green robe. His stance, holding the sword, was like a pine tree or a cliff, exuding immense pressure.
A pair of cold eyes silently watched his disheveled state, their gaze remaining calm, as if the storm of attacks just moments before were merely casual actions.
The night was deep, the flickering firelight illuminating the ravaged battlefield between the two men, as well as the undisguised horror and deep-seated fear in his eyes.
Just how strong is this young man?
"Is Qi Zhen at a disadvantage?"
Retreating to the edge of the battle, Lan Daoxing's pale face was filled with disbelief.
In terms of age, Qi Zhen is at least twice as old as Fang Han.
In terms of cultivation, Qi Zhen is already First Grade Late Stage martial artist. Although Fang Han overpowers the younger generation and stands at the top of the younger generation, making him a monstrous talent, he is only at the early- Second Grade, with a gap of nearly two major realms between him and Qi Zhen.
However, in their fight, it was not Fang Han who was at a disadvantage, but Qi Zhen.
The leader of the Iron River Gang, a First Grade Late Stage Rank expert, was actually being overwhelmed by a young man in his early twenties.
" The Hundred Treasures Pavilion is saved!"
Lan Daoxing muttered to himself, his voice hoarse, filled with the joy of surviving a calamity.
Seeing a glimmer of hope, he took a deep breath, forced his injured body to move, and began to rescue the Guard and Guest Elder of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion who were in dire straits and on the verge of collapse.
"Whoosh!"
With a swift movement, he lunged at a Deacon from the Iron River Gang who was about to kill two Guard from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.