Before long.
A loud cry rang out from the sea of clouds:
"Let the contest begin!"
The proclamation from the sea of clouds was like a stone tossed into a still lake, stirring excitement.
Yet on the raised platform, there was an eerie "stillness."
Nangong Wenjian still stood with his hands behind his back, his white robes whiter than snow. His presence was harmonious and restrained, as though he had become one with heaven and earth.
His calm, unruffled eyes rested lightly on Shangguan Feihong, who faced him as though confronting a formidable enemy.
Shangguan Feihong drew a deep breath, forcing down the tremor in his heart.
As a fellow Spirit Transformation Realm sword cultivator, he could feel that invisible, mountain-like pressure more keenly than anyone below the platform.
Nangong Wenjian was merely standing there, yet the space around him seemed to warp slightly from his exquisitely pure Sword Intent. The air was filled with a sharpness that made the skin sting.
"Nangong Wenjian, please enlighten me!"
Shangguan Feihong gave a low shout, not daring to hold anything back.
Clang-!
His purple longsword let out a clear, ringing cry. Blinding purple lightning instantly coiled around the blade, crackling and snapping.
A fierce, forceful Sword Force soared into the sky, stirring the surrounding Spiritual Qi into a surging tide, faintly accompanied by the sounds of wind and thunder.
This sword strike was the culmination of Shangguan Feihong's lifetime of cultivation. Its vast Sword Force bore straight down on Nangong Wenjian, seeking to seize the initiative with the crushing force of thunder!
Quite a few cultivators on the spectators' platform nodded slightly. Such power was worthy of a True Disciple of Heaven-Reaching Peak.
Yet faced with this thunderous strike, powerful enough to tear mountains apart and sever rivers and seas, Nangong Wenjian finally moved.
He neither drew his sword nor made Hand Seals. He merely held two fingers together like a sword.
Hum-!
A terrifying Sword Intent, countless times more powerful than Shangguan Feihong's, descended without warning!
Space itself seemed to have its time frozen by this unparalleled Sword Intent.
Shangguan Feihong's mighty sword strike was as fragile as a branch waved by a child before Nangong Wenjian's casual thrust of his fingers.
His former resolve instantly turned to horror and despair. Reflected in his pupils was Sword Qi that filled his vision, impossible to evade!
Pfft-!
Before he had any time to react, the terrifying torrent of Sword Qi slammed into him. His flying sword was sent spinning away, unable to withstand the powerful attack.
Shangguan Feihong's body was struck as though by a massive hammer, and he let out a wail:
"Agh-!"
Like a kite with its string cut, he arced through the air and slammed heavily into the barrier at the edge of the arena.
He struggled to prop himself up, only to retch and spit out several mouthfuls of blood. His condition was quite dire.
In fact, Nangong Wenjian had held back and had not struck his vital points. Otherwise, he probably would not even have been able to stand now.
Nangong Wenjian slowly lowered his fingers, and the strand of sharp Sword Qi lingering at their tips quietly dissipated.
He still stood where he had been, his white robes unstained by a speck of dust, his breathing as steady as before. That astonishing thrust of his fingers seemed to have been as effortless and casual for him as brushing away a fallen leaf.
Deathly silence fell over the entire venue.
A pin could have been heard dropping.
From Shangguan Feihong drawing his sword amid wind and thunder to Nangong Wenjian raising his fingers and defeating him, the entire exchange had passed in the flash of lightning and the spark of flint!
Many cultivators with slightly lower cultivation had not even seen clearly how Nangong Wenjian had attacked. They had only seen a flash of silver light before Shangguan Feihong and his sword went flying.
Absolute domination! A crushing victory without the slightest suspense!
Nangong Wenjian's calm eyes swept over Shangguan Feihong, who lay unable to rise. There was no victor's arrogance in them, only the indifference of someone for whom the outcome was a matter of course.
As though defeating a Spirit Transformation Realm True Disciple of Heaven-Reaching Peak were a trivial matter.
"Hiss-!"
After a moment of deathly silence, gasps rang out one after another.
The sword-viewing platform erupted!
"One finger! Just one finger!"
"This... what a terrifying level of attainment in the sword Dao!"
"He didn't even draw his sword! Shangguan Feihong's Startling Swan is a sixth-tier flying sword. Is the gap really that great?"
"Even someone at the Spirit Transformation Realm is like an ant before him!"
"The greatest prodigy in Great Xia... he truly lives up to his reputation! With his strength, as long as no Void Return Realm mighty figure intervenes, he should be invincible among those at the same realm, right?"
The Heavenly Sword Sect's disciples were even more excited, their faces flushed with shared pride.
"Alas."
Lü Tianxing shook his head and sighed.
Battles between sword cultivators were simple. Among those at the same realm, they came down to attainment in the sword Dao, the quality of spiritual power, and the strength of sword techniques.
He could tell that Nangong Wenjian had even restricted his spiritual power to the same level as Shangguan Feihong's. But the gap between their sword Dao attainments was too great; their Sword Intent was no longer on the same level, making the fight look entirely one-sided.
Lu Fan was also dumbstruck. He had not expected the battle between experts he had anticipated for so long to end so hastily.
What could he possibly comprehend from that?
In his mind, the Devil Venerable's voice sounded at just the right moment:
"Fighting isn't a performance. If it were a battle to the death, it would have ended even faster. Still, the gap between those two was too great."
"I suppose so."
Lu Fan thought it over. When he fought Devil Cultivators, life and death were indeed decided in an instant; it simply depended on whose strength was greater.
At that moment, he looked at the lofty figure on the platform, clad in robes white as snow and seemingly standing apart from the entire clamorous world. The shock in his heart was beyond words.
Lu Fan clenched his fist hard. Far from being discouraged, he felt an even stronger fighting spirit ignite in his eyes.
"One day, I'll be stronger than him!"
On the raised platform, Nangong Wenjian ignored all the clamor.
He turned with his hands behind his back and calmly swept his gaze around him. His voice was clear and carried an unquestionable authority:
"There is no need for anyone else to come up. I hear the Divine Profound Sect has a Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable. I wonder if he would show himself so that we might meet?"
His voice was not loud, yet it clearly rose above all the discussion, like an icy sword edge pressed against everyone's throat.
For a moment, no one in the vast plaza amid the sea of clouds dared answer or step forward.
His words left the Divine Profound Sect's disciples feeling humiliated, but they could not refute him. In fact, they were hoping the Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable would step forward.
The many disciples began talking among themselves.
"I wonder if the Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable will fight."
"I don't think he'll dare come. If he shows up and exposes his true identity, he might bring the Heavenly Devil Cult's revenge down on himself."
"He's so strong. Even if he's exposed, the Heavenly Devil Cult can't do much to him, can they?"
"I heard the Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable is actually a Void Return expert of the Divine Profound Sect. The reason he hasn't shown himself is that the Divine Profound Sect wants to create the image of an unparalleled sword cultivator to raise its prestige."
"Nangong Wenjian is the greatest sword cultivator in a thousand years, unmatched below the Void Return Realm. If they really fight, it'll be a sight to see."
Lu Fan and the others were also standing in the pavilion, looking at the white figure on the sword-discussion platform.
"Will the Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable appear?"
Lu Fan said softly.
"I don't know."
Lü Tianxing felt rather helpless as well. In fact, he too had pinned his hopes on the Devil-Slaying Sword Venerable, that divine dragon whose tail was never seen.
Many disciples of Heaven-Reaching Peak stood behind him, their eyes full of anticipation.
Under everyone's watchful gaze, Nangong Wenjian suddenly moved, leaving only a few words behind.
"If it's inconvenient, you can follow me. I seek only a battle; I won't ask your identity."