Victory or Defeat

At the Three-Part Training Ground before First Tower, killing intent surged within a radius of a hundred meters, filling the air with bleak desolation.

Li Chenfeng and Xiong Ba stood facing each other. As time passed, both their auras rose to their peaks. An invisible storm sprang up between them, cracking even the white marble beneath their feet.

A trace of surprise flashed through Xiong Ba's eyes.

Li Chenfeng's performance had exceeded his expectations. The boy's aura was not as savage and domineering as Sword Demon's, that old monster who had cultivated for countless years, but the heaven-rending, earth-splitting sharpness contained within it still made Xiong Ba's heart tremble.

Had this brat been tempering the sword qi in his body since he was in his mother's womb? Otherwise, how could he possibly compare to an old monster who had cultivated bitterly for decades?

The two remained locked in stalemate for a quarter of an hour. Li Chenfeng was, after all, weaker in cultivation, and gradually began to lose ground in their prolonged contest of auras.

"I can't keep this up any longer!"

Li Chenfeng made his choice in an instant.

Facing Xiong Ba, even with the Snow Soul Divine Sword, it would not be easy to injure him. Thus, Li Chenfeng had not drawn his sword at the beginning, instead directly using Meridian-Severing Sword Qi infused with wind-attribute battle qi.

Swoosh!

A streak of green sword qi flashed past, reaching Xiong Ba's face in almost an instant.

What?!

Xiong Ba had not expected his opponent's sword qi to be so fast. Even Sword Demon had been far inferior in speed. By the time he reacted, there was nowhere to dodge!

With a furious roar, Xiong Ba neither dodged nor retreated. Three immense currents of true qi suddenly rose from his body: the long, unbroken power of the Wind God, the wild and domineering force of the Cloud-Purging Palm, and the supremely yin, frigid power of frost. The three distinct types of true qi circulated and fused together, finally forming a blue sphere of true qi that enveloped Xiong Ba entirely.

Pop!

With a soft sound, the green sword qi collided with the blue sphere of true qi. The sphere rippled like water, shedding all the sharpness from the Meridian-Severing Sword Qi.

When his attack failed, Li Chenfeng was not surprised.

Xiong Ba's Three-Part Return-to-Origin Qi was an absolutely top-tier cultivation art even in The Storm Riders World. In Battle Through the Heavens, it would certainly be an Earth Tier art. This outcome had long been within Li Chenfeng's expectations.

After that probing exchange, both sides had more or less gauged the other's strength, and the faint killing intent in Xiong Ba's heart dissipated.

He knew that although the boy before him was still not quite equal to Sword Demon of old, the difference was already negligible. Before his Three-Part Return-to-Origin Qi reached great completion, if he wanted to take Li Chenfeng down, the price he would have to pay would likely be substantial.

World Society was already somewhat unstable because of his earlier injuries. Moreover, Unparalleled City had profited greatly while World Society and Sword Worship Villa had been fighting bitterly during this period, and Dugu Yifang was now beginning to stir. Everything told Xiong Ba that now was not the time to fight Sword Worship Villa to the death.

With that thought, the killing intent in Xiong Ba's heart vanished completely.

However, not fighting desperately did not mean that either side would deliberately hold back in this battle.

Once the probing was over, Xiong Ba instantly transformed into a gust of wind and disappeared. Then, he collided fiercely in midair with the equally vanished Li Chenfeng.

The movement techniques they used were exactly the same: Wind God Leg. However, compared with Xiong Ba, who had studied Wind God Leg for decades, Li Chenfeng was naturally at a disadvantage.

Fortunately, Li Chenfeng specialized in swordsmanship. He had never intended to rely on Wind God Leg to contend with Xiong Ba, so the Snow Soul Divine Sword in his hand was drawn in an instant.

The moment the sword left its sheath, it became a killing move!

The final move of the Severing Sword Art: Sever Emotion and Sever Righteousness!

Li Chenfeng had used this move against Qin Shuang when he had first entered the martial world. Thus, the instant Li Chenfeng struck with his sword, Qin Shuang, watching from afar, shuddered violently.

This is bad!

Endless sword qi formed a vast net in midair, directly encircling Xiong Ba within it.

"Sword Demon's Severing Sword Art!"

Xiong Ba's expression also became solemn. Naturally, he knew the fame of the Severing Sword Art. It was considered an exceptionally ruthless and vicious sword technique in the martial world.

Moreover, the power Li Chenfeng displayed at this moment exceeded Xiong Ba's understanding. He believed that even if Sword Demon were still alive, he would not be able to unleash such a fierce and venomous move!

It was the sword in his opponent's hand!

Before the sword qi even arrived, its chill had already seeped into Xiong Ba's meridians.

This aura, even colder and more domineering than the Frost Fist, could not possibly come from his opponent's true qi or swordsmanship. If that was the case, then it could only be that nearly transparent ice-blue longsword in his opponent's hand.

A divine weapon no less formidable than the Fire Qilin Sword or the Snow-Drinking Saber!

A divine weapon that had never appeared in the martial world before!

"Could it be a divine artifact forged by Sword Worship Villa?"

Xiong Ba felt somewhat vexed.

Although all his cultivation arts centered on fists, palms, and legs, and weapons were not his specialty, who could refuse a legendary divine weapon like the Fire Qilin Sword or the Snow-Drinking Saber?

Now Ao Feng possessed one. Was this the foundation of those great powers with ancient inheritances?

As he thought about it, Xiong Ba suddenly felt that he ought to loot the Nine Great Sects from top to bottom. Perhaps he might gain some unexpected rewards then...

Li Chenfeng did not know that because of the Snow Soul Divine Sword in his hand, Xiong Ba had already set his sights on the Nine Great Sects.

But even if he had known, he would not have cared. He might even have eagerly watched the show.

Ever since the battle with Wuming years ago, the Nine Great Sects that led the righteous martial world had had their backbone broken. Now, they were merely homeless dogs living at the mercy of others. Neither World Society nor Unparalleled City, nor even Sword Worship Villa, regarded them highly anymore.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...!

Two figures flickered unpredictably across the training ground.

This time, both men unleashed all their power. Strands of sword qi shot more than ten meters away, splitting mountains and shattering stone, tearing long gashes through the ground with unstoppable force.

Xiong Ba was no less formidable. His attacks were even more domineering. With a single palm strike, everything within several meters was reduced to rubble.

Their battle continued from afternoon until night.

Night fell, and the jade rabbit was about to rise.

The cold wind atop Mount Tianshan was biting, yet it could not suppress the agitation in everyone's hearts.

The Snow Soul Sword in Li Chenfeng's hand suddenly accelerated. He alternated between the Severing Sword Art and Meridian-Severing Sword Qi. The Severing Sword Art was sharp and vicious, every move lethal; Meridian-Severing Sword Qi, meanwhile, was as elusive as an antelope's horn, leaving no trace to follow.

Xiong Ba relied on the speed of Wind God Leg and the tyranny of the Cloud-Purging Palm, fighting Li Chenfeng evenly.

"Meridian-Severing Sword Qi!"

Li Chenfeng unexpectedly unleashed another sword qi attack with all his strength. However, unlike the earlier green sword qi, this one was entirely crimson, containing an intensely explosive, scorching force!

"What?"

Xiong Ba, who had originally met it with a palm strike, suddenly sensed something was wrong. This sword qi had lost its former sharpness and agility, yet gained boundless violence.

When the two forces collided, a violent explosion erupted at once.

"Now!"

Li Chenfeng's pupils contracted. The sword qi around his body suddenly gathered together and flowed into his longsword as he unleashed the final move of the Frost-Lingering Sword Art that he had only just mastered—Cold Blade, Icy Heart!