Are You Kidding Me?!
"Cough cough..."
He tried to get up, supporting himself with his sword, but his arm trembled violently.
The two forces within his body completely spiraled out of control. The gray-black death energy and the emerald green vitality rampaged through his meridians, throwing his Soul Power into chaos, and causing his vision to blur intermittently.
Bai Yushan was also in bad shape. He knelt on the broken rocks, his body covered in sword wounds, blood staining most of his body, his heavy breathing accompanied by suppressed groans.
The power of the Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Origin was ultimately terrifying. He relied on his recovery ability to withstand it, but his internal organs were also shaken.
But he still managed to stand up little by little.
Blue and white electricity coursed through his body, and the gruesome wounds were scabbing over and healing at an astonishing speed. He raised his head, his eyes bloodshot and unfocused, staring intently at Long Qinghe in the distance.
Long Qinghe, supporting himself with his long sword, knelt on the reef and saw the whole scene clearly.
He knew he couldn't afford to delay any longer.
The boy's recovery ability was like a bottomless well; with each extra breath, his injuries healed a little more.
On the other hand, the life and death power in his meridians was still backfiring wildly, his Soul Power was less than three-tenths, and his Battle Armor was completely shattered.
If this drags on any longer, he won't even have the strength to draw his sword one last time.
Long Qinghe slowly lowered his head, looking at the hand that held the sword. That hand was covered with dry, wrinkled skin, the skin clinging to the bone, and it looked ashen and lifeless.
He suddenly chuckled.
"I've roamed the martial world for decades, do you think I'd die at the hands of a ten-year-old brat?"
He abruptly looked up, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "What a joke!!!"
The next instant, he raised his left hand, put two fingers together, and pressed them hard against his heart.
"Puff--"
A stream of scalding blood essence spurted from his mouth, splashing onto the blade of the Azure Firmament Sword. The sword vibrated and hummed as the blood essence flowed along its spine, being absorbed inch by inch.
Dense, blood-red lines appeared on Long Qinghe's skin, like flames burning in his blood vessels. The two raging forces of life and death within his body were forcefully suppressed by this burning essence, and his restless meridians instantly calmed down.
Azure Firmament Blood-Burning Technique.
This is a forbidden technique of the Long Clan, which involves burning one's own life essence and overdrawing one's future lifespan and potential in exchange for the power to return to one's peak in a short period of time.
The price was that after the oil from the lamp burned out, even a god couldn't save him.
But he had no other way to go.
A terrifying aura emanated from Long Qinghe, his crimson Soul Power soaring into the sky, forcing the surrounding sea breeze to swirl backward. He gripped his longsword tightly, slowly straightening his body, his eyes shining with a frightening intensity.
"Kid, get ready for this next sword strike."
Bai Yushan looked at Long Qinghe, whose aura was surging, and slowly grinned. There was no fear in his scarlet eyes, but rather an intense excitement.
"That's more like it."
He slowly raised his fists, his jet-black Armament Haki covering them, and his Conqueror's Haki will pressed out like a tangible force, Entanglement between his fists. Five hundred thousand volts of electricity surged within his body, and blue and white lightning crackled and exploded around him, shooting straight into the sky.
The clouds in the sky were moved by this force, and rolling dark clouds gathered from all directions, pressing down lower and lower, with faint flashes of lightning moving through them.
The sea breeze howled, and the waves crashed against the shore.
The two faced each other across a ten-foot-long reef, the air tense like a taut string.
Long Qinghe made the first move.
The rocks beneath his feet suddenly crumbled, and he transformed into a blood-red afterimage, thrusting his longsword straight out without any fancy opening moves.
First Soul Skill: Azure Firmament Sword Qi!
The azure sword energy enveloped the tip of the sword, moving so fast that it was reduced to a mere streak of light, heading straight for the throat of Bai Yushan.
Bai Yushan's pupils contracted, and he activated the Lightning Flash Step, shifting his body half a foot to the side while simultaneously sweeping his right fist across the side of the sword.
The fist and sword collided in mid-air, producing a dull thud.
Long Qinghe felt a strange force coming from the sword, and his thrusting sword was deflected by half an inch. But his reaction was extremely fast. He twisted his wrist and the sword slid past Bai Yushan's arm, slicing towards his ribs.
quick.
That's too fast.
Bai Yushan twisted his waist sharply, the blade grazing his side and cutting a bloody gash in his skin. But he used the force of the twist to slam his left elbow into Long Qinghe's chest.
Instead of retreating, Long Qinghe advanced, his shoulder sinking as he took the elbow strike head-on, while simultaneously thrusting his knee upwards, slamming it into Bai Yushan's abdomen.
The two were instantly pressed together, and sword strikes, elbow strikes, and knee strikes exploded one after another in the confined space, neither willing to take a single step back.
"Bang!"
The knee strike landed squarely, and Bai Yushan groaned as his body arched.
Long Qinghe's shoulder was also struck by an elbow, his blood surging and a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
In close combat, Long Qinghe and the swordsman were at a disadvantage, but he was willing to take a beating to stay close, clearly having calculated Bai Yushan's strategy to prevent him from creating distance and unleashing his thunderous moves.
Bai Yushan saw through his intentions at a glance, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.
He suddenly opened his arms and hugged Long Qinghe's waist. His muscles tensed, and his body, covered in Armament Haki, was like an Tieshan, forcefully slamming the man backward.
"Clang!"
Long Qinghe's back slammed heavily against a rock, sending rocks flying. His eyes sharpened, and he held his longsword between the two men, the blade slowly pressing down against Bai Yushan's shoulder.
Second Soul Skill: Light-Splitting Sword Shadows!
The sword trembled, and three sword lights lit up simultaneously, slashing towards the side of the neck, the shoulder, and the arm respectively.
At such close range, there was no way to avoid it.
Bai Yushan let out a low roar, and his jet-black fist slammed hard against the spine of the sword.
"Clang clang clang--"
Three loud explosions rang out in quick succession. Two of the three sword beams were deflected, and the last one still tore a deep gash in his shoulder, causing blood to gush out instantly.
But his fist had already broken through the sword shadow and slammed hard into Long Qinghe's chest.
Five Beast Way - Bear Style - Bear Palm Mountain-Shaking Strike!
A phantom image of a giant bear appeared behind him, merging with his fist.
"Bang--!!"
Long Qinghe's face turned pale, and he was blasted backward, crashing into the reef behind him and tumbling into the shallow sea, splashing up a large amount of water.
Bai Yushan stood on the reef, the wound on his shoulder rapidly closing under the stimulation of the electric current. He breathed heavily, staring at the sea.
The seawater burst open, Long Qinghe emerged from the water.
His clothes were torn to shreds, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes still shone with a frightening intensity; the power from the Blood-Burning Technique was still at its peak, showing no signs of waning.
"Happy!"
He grinned, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and charged forward again, sword in hand.
This time, Long Qinghe's speed was nearly twice as fast as before. The power of the Blood-Burning Technique was reaching its peak, and blood-red Soul Power surged around him. The seawater beneath his feet was shattered by his footsteps. He skimmed along the crest of the wave, his longsword hidden under his ribs, the tip of the sword trembling slightly, locking onto several vital points around Bai Yushan's body.
Bai Yushan's eyes narrowed. He didn't take the hit head-on, but instead activated his Lightning Flash Step, shifting his body to the side.
But Long Qinghe had already prepared a countermeasure for this sword strike. With a flick of his wrist, the longsword turned halfway through its trajectory, its spine slicing against his arm, forcing him to raise his hand to block.
"Clang!"
The fist struck the sword, but Long Qinghe used the force of the impact to leap into the air, his knee slamming down on the top of Long Qinghe's head.
Bai Yushan crossed his arms and braced himself against the force, his entire body sinking downwards as the rocks beneath his feet cracked and sprang to the ground. He let out a low growl, using the force to roll away, and then pointed a finger out with his backhand.
Five Beast Way: Crane Beak Void-Breaking Peck!
With fingers pointing like a crane's beak, blue and white currents wrapped around the fingertips, pointing towards Long Qinghe's knees where he landed.
Long Qinghe twisted his waist forcefully in mid-air, his longsword slashing downwards, sparks flying as the blade grazed his fingertips. The instant he landed, Bai Yushan had already closed in, his arm elongating half an inch in a strange way, his five fingers spreading out to grab his wrist.
Five Beast Way - Ape-Arm Star-Plucking Hand!
This move was both swift and cunning. Long Qinghe's wrist, which was holding the sword, was almost caught. He hurriedly pulled back and leaped, but a piece of his sleeve was still torn off, leaving five bloody marks on his wrist.