The Mountains-and-State Sword, formed by combining the Commoners Literary Platform with the Lip Spear and Tongue Sword, measured thirteen feet long and shone with a pale golden light. Majestic as the sun, boundless as the sea, solid as a mountain, it delivered only a single slash, yet seemed to split heaven and cleave the seas.
The Ancient Elephant King immediately lashed out with his enormous trunk, but the instant its armored surface struck the Mountains-and-State Sword, his expression changed drastically, and he tried to pull his trunk back.
It was already too late. The Mountains-and-State Sword severed the Ancient Elephant King's trunk in one stroke. Countless cracks then spread across the blade, its golden light collapsed, and a dull, lightless Lip Spear and Tongue Sword flew back into Meng Jingye's brow.
Meng Jingye swayed slightly and let out a soft breath of relief.
"Damn you humans!" the Ancient Elephant King roared in fury. His long trunk regrew at a speed visible to the naked eye, but the newly grown section lacked strength and would need several days to recover fully. This reduced his strength by nearly a tenth. More importantly, his treasure had been severed and could not be repaired, leaving him no choice but to be doubly cautious.
Meng Jingye said quietly, "I need to rest for a hundred breaths."
Beside him, Zeng Yue said, "Rest, Brother Meng. Your Mountains-and-State Sword has already attained the 'might of a province.' Only you could have seriously wounded the Ancient Elephant King."
Meng Jingye shook his head. "It hardly counts as a serious wound. To him, it's only a minor injury. Unfortunately, my Mountains-and-State Sword is still far from attaining the 'might of a nation,' or it would certainly have wounded him. Alas, my abilities are limited, and I could only refine