A Moment of Life and Death
"Good lad, you've got quite a few tricks up your sleeve."
Long Qinghe's expression grew increasingly serious.
He discovered that the boy's moves were surprisingly diverse, with each type of force following a different path, and a slight mistake could lead to an opening being exploited.
But he also knew that his time was slipping away.
The Blood-Burning Technique only lasts for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. The previous series of battles had already depleted most of it. If it dragged on any longer, he would be the one to die.
Long Qinghe took a deep breath, and his Seventh Soul Ring suddenly lit up.
Seventh Soul Skill: Martial Soul Avatar!
"Buzz--"
The Azure Firmament Sword in his hand trembled violently, its blade swelling to several meters in length. A chilling white sword aura soared into the sky, and a massive sword shadow appeared behind him. Then, the sword shadow merged with his body, enveloping him in a layer of bluish-white sword light, his pupils turning into a cold, sword-like color.
Man and sword become one.
At this moment, Long Qinghe himself was a sharp sword drawn from its sheath.
He took a step forward, and the air was torn apart by the sword-like aura. Bai Yushan felt a stinging pain all over his body, as if countless fine needles were pricking him.
He dared not be careless, and activated his Third Soul Skill, causing pale purple lightning patterns to spread all over his body.
Third Soul Skill: Thunder Pattern Possession!
Long Qinghe had already reached them.
Without any warning, he pointed his fingers into a sword shape and aimed at Bai Yushan's heart, moving so fast that only a bluish-white afterimage remained.
Bai Yushan's Electromagnetic Clarity was frantic, and he crossed his arms, his Armament Haki covering him to the extreme.
"Clang--!"
With a flick of his finger on his arm, the terrifying sword energy penetrated his body, sending him flying backward. His chest heaved with blood and qi, and a gash appeared on the skin of his arm.
Before he could regain his footing, Long Qinghe's second strike had already arrived.
In his state of perfect harmony with the sword, every strike from Long Qinghe carried the sharpness of the Azure Firmament Sword; his fists and feet were all swords. He pursued closely, unleashing a series of elbow strikes, knee strikes, and palm strikes, each tearing through the air and forcing Bai Yushan to retreat repeatedly.
Bai Yushan tried to resolve the issue using the One Thought Way" technique to deflect the force.
One Thought Way; the Thought Passes Without a Trace!
His arm swept horizontally like ripples on water, deflecting a palm strike to the side. However, the sword energy was too condensed; even after most of it was deflected, a wisp of residual force still cut into his shoulder, leaving a bloody gash.
The two sides rapidly changed positions on the rocky beach, with the blue-white sword light and the blue-white electric current constantly colliding, creating a continuous roar.
Bai Yushan grew increasingly alarmed as the battle raged on.
In his Martial Soul Avatar state, Long Qinghe's combat power was far greater than before. His close combat was already fierce, and now with the added strength of his sword, ordinary methods of deflecting force could not restrain him at all.
If we continue to passively take hits like this, we'll eventually be worn down and killed.
Bai Yushan's eyes hardened, and he swept his left hand across his wrist, activating his Second Soul Skill. The Cold Iron Bracelet transformed into a torrent of black iron, condensing into a broad iron sword in his palm.
Second Soul Skill: Lightning Refinement Shaping!
He gripped the Cold Iron in his backhand and slashed hard at Long Qinghe's palm.
"Clang--!!"
The clang of metal rang out, and sparks flew.
Long Qinghe's eyes flashed with surprise when he saw the weapon in his hand, followed by a cold laugh, "Playing with swords? You're still a long way off!"
He flicked his fingers against the side of the iron sword, the sword's energy penetrating deep within. Bai Yushan felt a tingling sensation in his hand, and the iron sword nearly slipped from his grasp. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to hold it down, then swept it horizontally, crackling with electricity along the blade.
Thunder Way - Purple Lightning Fierce Slash!
The iron sword unleashed two intersecting purple lightning strikes. Long Qinghe dodged to the side, but the first strike struck the reef behind him, slicing the entire reef into four pieces.
However, he couldn't completely dodge the second strike; the electric arc grazed his side, scorching his robes black.
The two men separated by the impact, facing each other several feet apart.
Long Qinghe glanced down at the scorch marks on his side, his face darkening completely.
He knew he couldn't hold back any longer.
The Eighth Soul Ring slowly lit up.
Eighth Soul Skill: Azure Firmament Sword Domain!
"Buzz--"
Centered on Long Qinghe, the space within a radius of several dozen feet suddenly darkened, and countless fine blue-white sword threads emerged from the void, like a large net slowly closing in, enveloping Bai Yushan.
In this space, every wisp of air carried the sharpness of a sword. The moment Bai Yushan moved slightly, the sword threads around him tightened, cutting fine bloody marks on his skin.
He tried to use lightning to break the sword threads, but as soon as one batch of threads was shattered, a new batch would take its place, endlessly.
"In my realm of swordsmanship, your thunder is useless."
Long Qinghe's voice came from all directions, and his figure was faintly visible among the sword threads, making it impossible to lock onto him.
The next instant, a strand of sword energy pierced through his shoulder.
Then came the second and third rounds.
Bai Yushan groaned repeatedly as the number of bloodstains on his body increased rapidly. His movements were restricted by layers of sword threads, and his speed visibly slowed down.
Long Qinghe had been waiting for this moment.
He hovered in the center of the sword realm, his Ninth Soul Ring shining with a blinding light.
Ninth Soul Skill: Azure Firmament Limitless!
The sword strike was completely silent.
All the sword threads converged at that moment, condensing into a thin, hair-like bluish-white light point, which landed on Long Qinghe's fingertip. That point of light contained his life's worth of sword cultivation, even swallowing up the surrounding light.
He pointed it out.
The point of light pierced through the void, heading straight for Bai Yushan's chest.
It's unavoidable.
It's unstoppable.
For the first time, Bai Yushan's Electromagnetic Clarity failed completely in the face of this sword. He only had time to concentrate his Armament Haki and all the muscles in his body in front of his chest.
"Puff--"
The light spot silently disappeared into his chest.
Time seemed to stand still for a moment.
The next instant, a hideous crack exploded from his chest, flesh torn open, blood gushing out, and the bluish-white sword energy raged wildly within his body, severing meridians wherever it passed.
Bai Yushan's body slumped down, crashing heavily onto the rocks, blood gushing from his mouth, his chest heaving so faintly it was almost invisible.
His vision blurred, the sound of swords clashing in his ears grew fainter and fainter, and all the strength in his body seemed to have been drained away, leaving him unable to lift even a finger.
The sword realm slowly dissipated.
Long Qinghe landed in front of him, his face as pale as paper. The state of oneness with the sword was fading, and the time limit of the Blood-Burning Technique was also approaching. He was panting heavily, looking at the boy on the ground with a complicated expression.
"What a pity, kid."
He raised his hand, slowly bringing his fingers together, intending to deliver the final blow.
But just as his fingertips were about to touch the ground—
The blood-soaked body on the ground shuddered violently.
A faint wisp of blue-white electricity pulsed from the depths of the grotesque crack in his chest.
Then came the second and third strands.
Countless tiny electric currents, like sleeping stars, lit up one after another in his body on the verge of collapse. The 500,000 volts of Electric Current Push frantically on the edge of death, crackling and popping.
Bai Yushan's fingers moved.
He braced himself against the reef, slowly raising his head. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, and the crimson light in his narrow eyes reignited.