Chasing Wind and Shadows, Embracing the Saber of Upside-Down Dreams

Cough!

The two longswords clashed, producing an extremely piercing and unpleasant sound.

The sword in the Wolf Head swordsman's hand had no physical form. At this moment, apart from the surface of the blade, which shimmered with a water-like gray-black luster, the overall shape of the sword was surprisingly stable.

Chu Tianshu's blade, however, trembled and struggled wildly, like an enraged dragon.

His hand, which was gripping the knife, was slightly sore and numb from the strain, and white lines appeared at the base of his thumb.

Although the tiger's mouth did not crack directly, the white marks on the skin were already a sign that it had been subjected to too much force and was about to collapse.

"Hey!!"

Wolf Head smiled, revealing his wondrous sword technique that manipulates gravity; the higher the density of an object, the more profound and obvious its effect.

The knife in Chu Tianshu's hand was clearly affected by an uncontrollable force.

The blade swayed wildly, its aura dissipated slightly, and it showed signs of fading from blood red back to silver-white.

Seizing the opportunity, the gray-black Great Saber suddenly flashed like a phantom across the Sanqi, slashing towards Chu Tianshu's neck.

Once one's cultivation reaches the Taboo realm, in close-range control, the sword and Sword Qi in one's hands can be both real and illusory, entirely at one's whim.

It can engage the enemy as a physical entity, or it can pass through obstacles as an intangible one.

However, when Chu Tianshu was wielding his sword, his Saber Intent and energy were extremely refined. He didn't care whether the opponent's sword was real or feinted. He was certain that with one strike, he could block or even cut the opponent's sword in half.

Only now, with his energy slightly scattered, can he not stop this sword technique that shifts between illusion and reality.

However, the Wolf Head swordsman's slash only tore apart an afterimage of Chu Tianshu left in place.

Chu Tianshu's true form had already flashed eastward, appearing to the left front of the Wolf Head swordsman, outside the circle of swords.

The Wolf Head swordsman suddenly gave chase.

Chu Tianshu ignored him and charged forward.

When the Wolf Head swordsman took up the spot he had just occupied.

Chu Tianshu had already rushed to the edge of the cliff, stepped onto the precipice, and sprinted upwards.

For a period of time, Chu Tianshu's lightness skill was not very good, but this was mainly because he was not light enough, and it never meant that his body movements and footwork were bad.

There's a saying in boxing, "If you practice boxing but not footwork, you'll get beaten up and cry for your master."

From the very beginning of Tongbei Fist, all fist techniques, stance training, and footwork are of paramount importance.

Stance training is static, footwork is dynamic; stillness and movement should always be balanced, together forming body movement.

He can usually leap dozens of meters in a single bound.

At this moment, he ran up the cliff, and in the blink of an eye, he took five quick steps to reach a height of ten meters, which shows how fast he could exert force and how frequently he could generate power.

Moreover, as soon as he reached a height of ten meters, his figure became like a floating phantom, a dreamlike sight in the clouds, and suddenly turned to face downwards.

The Wolf Head leaped from the water, soaring into the air in pursuit.

Chu Tianshu turned around and looked over. The sword energy in his hand spread out for more than ten meters, turning into a dazzling blood-red sword aura, which swept over directly.

The gray-black Great Saber clashed with the slender blade of energy.

The crimson blade energy shattered instantly, breaking into pieces until it reached the actual blade tip, which emitted a buzzing sound.

The Wolf Head swordsman was blocked in mid-air, and his figure fell back onto the water.

Just now, when Chu Tianshu was chasing the Wolf Head swordsman, he was basically chasing in a straight line, forcing the Wolf Head swordsman to retreat in a straight line.

But now, the situation has just reversed.

The Wolf Head swordsman wanted to pursue and kill his opponent, but encountered repeated setbacks and could not achieve a straight goal.

Even though his Overbearing Saber countered the opponent's Saber Intent, sword energy, and sword movements, it still possessed agility.

The opponent's movements were so precise, it was as if the heavens were drawing a brush or a bodhisattva were wielding a knife.

It appears simple, but its timing is masterful.

Wolf Head was unaware that the Vertical and Horizontal Simple Seal could disrupt the enemy's sense of time, and could also be a form of training for one's own sense of time.

When Chu Tianshu was practicing the "Tribulation Ash Sword Manual," a skill that was initially agonizing but later rewarding, he drew parallels and considered that he could also use some techniques from the Vertical and Horizontal Seal to hone his skills.

Taboo opponents can almost all withstand the deceptive effects of the Vertical and Horizontal Simple Seal".

However, the results of Chu Tianshu's self-training are something he can use at any time, against any enemy.

"Get down!"

Enraged, Wolf Head landed back on the water's surface, his feet creating ripples, and his left hand reached out to grab Chu Tianshu.

Chu Tianshu's feet were firmly attached to the cliff face.

The sunlight slanted in, casting his entire shadow on the cliff face, which was clearly visible and even longer than he was.

When the Wolf Head swordsman grabbed him, Chu Tianshu didn't feel any suction from internal energy, but he did feel a slight dizziness in his mind.

His shadow, projected onto the cliff face, somehow detached itself from the cliff.

Like a long, black cloth, and extremely resilient, it stretched even longer until the top was already in the hands of the Wolf Head swordsman.

Only the shadowy part of the feet remained, still connected to Chu Tianshu's feet.

The Wolf Head swordsman was already able to turn the wind into a sword, and now it seems he's even trying to turn shadows into swords.

Recently, the big-headed monster has been swallowing the Wolf Head's fingernails, hair, and dander, and even unknowingly swallowing some of the Wolf Head's blood essence.

This certainly allowed the Big-Headed Monster to achieve 90% of the progress of the Precursor.

However, this was also an effort made by the Wolf Head Swordsman in order to more thoroughly experience the Shadow Driving Divine Skill.

Chu Tianshu broke through to the Taboo during this period.

During this period, Zhang Tao learned how to use the Lightning Qi Wheel Transformation.

Wolf Head Swordsman has also made progress during this period.

However, he was not yet proficient in this method of capturing shadows.

In this moment of desperation, with his mind racing, he used whatever came to mind first.

Left hand grasps the shadow, right hand Overbearing Saber.

As long as Chu Tianshu can be pulled down, the Wolf Head Swordsman's Gravity Overbearing Saber can deliver a solid close-range strike.

Just as Chu Tianshu's figure flickered, before he fell off the cliff, he suddenly held the Sanqi upright in front of him, with the tip of the blade raised and the back of the blade pressed against his forehead.

"Ouch!"

The two words he suddenly uttered were extremely low and faint; when put together, they sounded like a short sigh, a murmured whisper in a daze.

This was not a groan of pain, but rather a cry for help.

A cry for pain!

The Heavenly Heart Sorrowful Demon Slash: sorrow is wound, pain is grief.

Although it is advocated to use the will of Heaven to ward off the demons of sorrow, the initial trigger for grief also originates from oneself; it is simply a matter of maintaining a bit of clarity amidst the sorrow.

Chu Tianshu's own experiences of grief were not numerous.

He was a content and happy person. He felt that he had hit the jackpot by receiving the help of the Youdu Token, and he was often overjoyed.

Even the memory of my grandfather's death is a more complex emotion than simple grief.

Therefore, although his swordsmanship was exquisite, he never truly reached the level of conjuring up a sorrowful demon within the Saber Intent.

But he actually has a way to try and reach that level.

It's about awakening painful memories of your dreams.

From the age of five onwards, he had no idea how many times he had died in his dreams, or how many different ways he had died.

The sensations in those nightmares were all incredibly vivid.

To protect himself, his brain will try its best to downplay the pain and blur those memories.

However, after breaking through the Taboo, he was able to control his brain, awaken those memories, and make them clear again.

Click!!

When Chu Tianshu's blade touched his forehead, he seemed to hear a soft sound in his mind. His face suddenly turned pale, his eyes became slightly sunken, and his black hair turned even blacker.

The Wolf Head swordsman's pupils contracted.

In his eyes, Chu Tianshu, who was perpendicular to the cliff, suddenly spread out a layer of ink-like shadow from his feet.

The shadows stained the cliff face, touched the water's surface, and spread rapidly along the water's surface.

In the blink of an eye, before even the Wolf Head swordsman could escape the area, the entire water surface had turned black.

A strange, chilling coldness lingered around my body.

The wolf's fur stood on end, its gaping mouth and bared teeth no longer conveyed a smile, but rather a wary growl erupting from its throat.

"What the hell?!"

Behind the Wolf Head swordsman, a python rose silently from the water.

The snake's head rose as high as a wolf's, then suddenly pounced.

Buzz!!!

With a hum, the Overbearing Saber in Wolf Head's right hand sucked the python into the blade, shattering it into hundreds of pieces.

At the same time, countless pythons and crocodiles appeared on the water from all directions.

There were even lions and tigers; I don't know how these wild beasts managed to run on the water.

The Wolf Head swordsman raised his Overbearing Saber, pointed it diagonally at the sky, and roared.

All the monsters that lunged at him uncontrollably crashed into the knife.

Imagine a single gravitational fluctuation condensed into a blade. The various force variations within this blade are unpredictable, strange, yet enduring and powerful.

Every monster that touches this sword will instantly shatter.

After shattering, it turned into black snowflakes, drifting lightly through the air.

Thump!!

Chu Tianshu's figure fell onto the black water, his feet creating ripples.

He looked up and saw a red mark on his pale face, running from his left ear across his entire face, over his nose, and down to his right ear. A deep red liquid, like paint, was seeping from the mark.

There were several more red marks like these on his limbs and torso.

Blood was slowly seeping from the clothes, bright red and sticky.

It was as if this body had long been dismembered and devoured, only to be pieced back together by him.

Upon seeing him like this, the Wolf Head swordsman disregarded everything and let out a roar.

Wolf Head felt a sliver of fear almost creep into his heart, and immediately suppressed it with a roar, gripping his knife with both hands and slashing down.

When!!!

The two knives clashed and clashed once more.

Overbearing Saber was still able to block Chu Tianshu's blade.

The Wolf Head swordsman felt a sharp pain, like lightning or a spider web, spreading up his two arms, as if steel blades were cutting into his muscles.

Once you acknowledge the pain, you are truly wounded.

Fish-scale-like wounds erupted from the Wolf Head swordsman's arms, his sleeves were completely torn, and blood mist splattered everywhere.

"No, this is fake!"

The Wolf Head swordsman had already realized what kind of sword technique this was; it was a technique that could convert mental illusions into real damage with extremely high efficiency.

Logically speaking, the most correct path is to confront it with one's own Saber Intent and spirit, as the Saber Intent of the Overbearing Saber is by no means weak.

But the Overbearing Saber only ever inflicts pain on others, unable to alleviate that pain.

The real damage has already appeared on the Wolf Head's head's body.

Chu Tianshu didn't utter a word, but cleaved his forehead with his blade, then slashed his shoulders diagonally, and finally cut him in half at the waist.

The Wolf Head swordsman blocked four blows in a row, and deep, fish-scale-like wounds had spread to his chest and back, covering his entire torso.

He sensed something was wrong, and suddenly, abandoning his defense, he thrust his blade directly at Chu Tianshu.

The gravitational fluctuations, constrained into a knife shape, are about to burst forward.

At the same time, Chu Tianshu thrust his sword forward and charged ahead.

This step was so swift that the man and the blade seemed to become one, as if they were a single piece, piercing directly through the Wolf Head's head.

Choke!!

Chu Tianshu appeared directly behind the Wolf Head swordsman, his momentum so strong that he rushed straight to the shore and stepped onto it.

Wolf Head stood on the water, and the Overbearing Saber in his hand, now freed from its restraint, transformed into streaks of chaotic gray-black blade energy that shot out and struck the cliff face, leaving crisscrossing wounds.

"I was careless!"

Wolf Head stared blankly, clutching his chest, then slowly turned around, looking regretfully at Chu Tianshu's retreating figure.

"I should have spied on you a few times first before challenging you to a duel..."

BOOM!!

The Wolf Head swordsman's body exploded with a bang, splattering blood everywhere.

Chu Tianshu didn't look back. He simply took a step, walked to the shore, and planted the knife in the grass.

The large patches of dark color polluting the cliff face and water surface rapidly converged in this direction.

The energy gathered at the small area beneath the man and the knife, swayed for a moment, and then returned to Chu Tianshu's body.

The strange bloodstains on his body disappeared, and the beautiful scenery behind him returned to normal, except that a large bloodstain remained in the emerald green water.

To draw close to those painful dreams in one's heart, to invert reality and illusion, to be influenced by both inner and outer worlds.

That's how he unleashed such swordsmanship.

Chu Tianshu's thoughts were currently blank.

When the Heavenly Heart Sorrowful Demon Slash is activated, this pain will be a real injury to the enemy.

For Chu Tianshu, it was simply pain.

But even just clearly recalling those concentrated feelings of pain.

After he cut off his target, he was in so much pain that he felt numb.

It took him a while to suddenly snap out of it.

"Hiss!"

Chu Tianshu touched his face, feeling uncomfortable all over his body.

As for the pain, the worst part is over now.

The lingering sensation in my body isn't exactly pain, but it's uncomfortable from my teeth to my nails, even down to the strands of my hair.

"This kind of tactic..."

Chu Tianshu turned back to look at the center of the water and composed himself for a moment.

"After the fight, I couldn't even enjoy the satisfaction of eliminating a bad guy. We still need to improve!"

His gaze shifted, following a lingering trace in the water, as he raced downstream.

(End of this chapter)