Chapter 549 - 545: Unstoppable
Faced with this Mountain-Splitting Stone-Shattering strike, Fang Han remained perfectly calm. His right hand shot up, gripping the hilt of the sword at his left hip.
"SHIIING—!"
The clear cry of a sword, like a dragon’s roar, suddenly rang out, drowning out all other noise in the area.
The Cloud Splitting Sword was unsheathed. Under the flickering firelight, its dark-green blade shimmered with a deep, restrained luster like flowing water. It wasn’t dazzling, yet it was deeply unnerving.
An intangible yet distinct Intent rose from Fang Han—nimble, ethereal, and all-pervading.
Wind Sword Intent!
In that instant, he channeled the Sky-Splitting Sword Technique to the Mastery Realm.
There was no dazzling explosion of light, only a flash of dark-green sword light, condensed to its absolute limit and moving too fast for the naked eye to follow.
Like an invisible fissure in the night wind, it silently yet decisively met the incomparably ferocious, dark golden Saber Gang.
The next instant—
"BOOM!!!"
This wasn’t the simple clang of metal on metal, but the explosive roar of two berserk streams of Qi Force colliding head-on.
A blinding light erupted where the sword and saber met, followed by a visible, grayish-white shockwave that instantly radiated outward in a ring.
The ground looked as if an invisible, giant plow had violently torn through it. Swathes of flagstones were ripped from the earth and pulverized.
Farther out, dust and rubble were swept dozens of feet into the air by the furious blast wave, kicking up a small sandstorm.
At the center of the storm, the ferocious look on Qi Zhen’s face froze, replaced by stunned disbelief.
He felt a sharp, concentrated, yet overwhelmingly immense force barrel savagely down the length of his saber.
The force wasn’t clumsy, but possessed a terrifying, tearing and piercing quality. His entire right arm, the one holding the saber, was instantly wracked with searing, numbing pain.
His burly frame staggered backward uncontrollably, each step stamping a deep imprint into the ground.
Only after stumbling back seven steps did he manage to steady himself by planting his saber into the ground, a surge of blood rising in his chest.
Fang Han, in contrast, hadn’t moved an inch after his strike, his body as if rooted to the earth.
The Cloud Splitting Sword in his hand was angled toward the ground, its blade humming softly. His green robes fluttered in the subsiding gale as he calmly gazed at Qi Zhen, dozens of yards away.
Dust slowly settled, swirling around him, yet not a single speck touched his green robes.
"You are...?"
Lan Daoxing gaped at the green-robed figure shielding him, his pale face filled with disbelief.
He recognized him. It was Fang Han of the Qingxuan Sect, first on the Celestial Pride List—the young prodigy who was on excellent terms with his daughter, Lan Yuexin.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but only managed to cough up a mouthful of dark blood.
"Pavilion Master Lan, leave this to me. Please fall back."
Fang Han didn’t turn around. His voice was steady, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.
Lan Daoxing didn’t try to put on a brave face. He dragged his wounded body backward.
"Fang Han?!"
Qi Zhen steadied himself, his gaze landing on Fang Han.
In the firelight, the young man’s face was clearly visible.
It was none other than the first-ranked prodigy on the Celestial Pride List, Fang Han of the Qingxuan Sect, whom he had met just a short time ago.
His brows slowly furrowed, his voice low and laced with suppressed rage.
"Fang Han, this is a dispute between my Tiejiang Gang and the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. It has nothing to do with you. Why are you interfering?"
Fang Han stood with his sword, meeting Qi Zhen’s gaze. His voice wasn’t loud, but every word was crystal clear.
"Patriarch Qi, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion has chosen to align with my Qingxuan Sect. They are now a subordinate power under our jurisdiction."
"As far as I know, while the Hundred Treasures Pavilion has expressed its intent to join you, nothing has been formally settled with your sect," Qi Zhen said grimly.
The Tiejiang Gang had chosen to strike at this exact moment because, although the Hundred Treasures Pavilion intended to seek protection, the two sides had not yet finalized the terms. Strictly speaking, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion was still an independent power.
A cold smile touched the corners of Fang Han’s lips.
"Patriarch Qi, you know the Hundred Treasures Pavilion has chosen to align with the Qingxuan Sect, yet you attack them regardless. You seem to hold my Qingxuan Sect in very low regard."
His voice was quiet, but it carried a chilling authority.
"If Patriarch Qi withdraws your men now, there is still room to resolve this peacefully."
Hearing the threat in Fang Han’s words, a cold glint flashed in Qi Zhen’s eyes as his gaze swept across the battlefield like lightning.
On the fire-lit battlefield, more than half of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion’s Martial Artists were dead or wounded. The twenty-odd survivors had formed a circle, back-to-back, desperately holding on against the Tiejiang Gang’s assault. Their defensive line was about to crumble.
Another fifteen minutes—no, perhaps less than ten—was all it would take for this entire property to change hands.
His gaze passed over Fang Han’s shoulder, peering into the heavy darkness behind him.
The streets were empty and the rooftops were still. Besides the sound of the wind, there wasn’t another soul in sight.
There was only this one young man in green robes.
"Fang Han, don’t think you can scare me with the Qingxuan Sect’s name! Tonight, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion will be annihilated, and no one can stop me!"
A bone-chilling smile slowly spread across Qi Zhen’s face, a smile filled with undisguised ridicule and killing intent.
The last words had barely faded into the night wind when his towering figure moved.
His dark-gold brocade robe let out a sharp WHOOSH as he tore through the air. He became a blurry golden line, his speed suddenly surging to nearly twice what it was before.
The dozens of yards between them seemed to vanish. In an instant, he had bypassed Fang Han with ghostly speed and closed to within three steps of Lan Daoxing.
The long saber in his hand tore through the air, brimming with premeditated, lethal killing intent—
This strike was utterly without flourish, simply all of his strength, speed, and killing intent condensed into one resolute line.
The dark-gold light compressed on the saber’s edge was blindingly bright as it shot straight for Lan Daoxing’s heart.
He intended to cut down Lan Daoxing before Fang Han could react, leaving the Hundred Treasures Pavilion leaderless.
However, he was fast, but someone else was faster.
Just as the saber’s edge was about to touch Lan Daoxing’s blood-stained clothes, a green-robed figure appeared—as if he had never moved, yet had always been there—materializing with perfect precision directly in the blade’s path.
Fang Han had somehow arrived, his expression perfectly calm. Only his sword-wielding right hand moved slightly.
"SWISH—!"
The Cloud Splitting Sword hummed, its clear tone filled with the determination to sunder all things.
Along the blade, the restrained, dark-green light flowed like water. Wind Sword Intent spread silently, and in an instant, the very flow of air within a few-foot radius of Fang Han seemed to become tangible and sharp.
He didn’t parry. Instead, facing the thunderous strike, he met it with a simple, direct thrust.
Tip to edge!
"CLANG—!!!!"
The explosive ring of the impact was sharp enough to tear eardrums.
This time, there was no massive shockwave. All the force was compressed into the single point where the sword and saber met.
A single, blinding spark erupted, instantly expanding into a fist-sized orb of white-hot light that was impossible to look at, completely engulfing the point where their weapons met.
The vicious smile on Qi Zhen’s face froze instantly.
What he felt coming from his saber wasn’t the immense force he expected, but an ultimate, absolute sharpness.
It was as if he hadn’t struck a sword, but a tangible, indestructible drill made of pure wind.
Moreover, a cold, sharp, and pervasive intent traveled through the vibration of the impact, savagely piercing his mind.
"VMMMM—!"
Qi Zhen felt as if a red-hot iron poker was being viciously stirred inside his brain. His consciousness went blank for a moment, and his vision filled with static.
It was a Spiritual Shock, far harder to defend against than any physical blow.
Normally, with his spiritual fortitude as a First Grade Martial Artist, he should not have been so easily affected.
But this was Grandmaster-level Swordsmanship at the Mastery Realm. The power of its Spiritual Shock was far beyond what it had been at the Entry Level.
And that momentary lapse was all it took!
Fang Han’s wrist flickered, and his thrusting Sword Momentum flowed seamlessly from a stab into an upward slash.
The Cloud Splitting Sword scraped along the blade of Qi Zhen’s saber, sending off a shower of sparks with a sound that set one’s teeth on edge.
The dark-green sword light was like a viper rearing its head, striking silently but viciously at Qi Zhen’s defenseless midsection.
At the moment of life and death, the instincts Qi Zhen had honed over years of bloody battles saved his life.
The instant before the blade made contact, he wrenched himself free from the Spiritual Shock.
With an inhuman roar, he unnaturally contorted his entire body to the side.
"RRRIP—!"
His luxurious, dark-gold brocade robe tore open, revealing the dark-gold Inner Armor clinging to his skin beneath, which gleamed with a faint metallic luster.
The edge of the blade scraped across the surface of the Inner Armor, producing an unnerving screech.
He seemed to have dodged it. But he hadn’t!
A portion of the sharp, condensed Hidden Force contained within the Cloud Splitting Sword had already penetrated the armor.
"Ugh!"
Qi Zhen grunted, feeling a cold sensation at his waist, immediately followed by a searing pain.
He stomped his foot, his body shooting back dozens of feet. He staggered upon landing, specks of dark red blood seeping through the robe at his waist.
He looked down and saw a clear white sword mark left on the Inner Armor at his waist.
Beneath the Inner Armor, his skin had been cut by the intangible Sword Qi, leaving a shallow gash. It was only a flesh wound, but a wound nonetheless.
He snapped his head up, staring intently at Fang Han, who stood holding his sword dozens of feet away.
On his dark, rough-hewn face, the previous ferocity had been completely replaced by an expression of incredible shock and gravity.
He touched the wound at his waist. The wet, slick feeling and the pain on his fingertips were so real.
"How can the Spiritual Shock from your Sword Intent be so powerful? Even I couldn’t withstand it?"
Qi Zhen’s voice was dry and hoarse, each word seemingly squeezed from between his teeth.
Fang Han didn’t answer, the Cloud Splitting Sword angled toward the ground.
The night wind made the hem of his green robe flutter. The firelight flickered across his calm profile.
It was as if he wasn’t the one who had, in a split second, forced back a powerful enemy and wounded him.
This silence, more than any words, made Qi Zhen feel an inexplicable pressure and... humiliation.
"Good! Very good!"
Qi Zhen laughed, his fury turning to mirth, but his laughter was filled with violence and madness.
Without another word, he took a deep breath, and a series of sharp cracks echoed from the bones throughout his body.
The vast Inner Qi of a Late-stage First Grade Martial Artist erupted without reservation.
"HSSSSS!"
Tangible, dark-gold Inner Qi surged from every pore on his body, coiling around him like blazing flames and making him resemble a Golden Armored Divine Being.
The gravel and dust at his feet were blasted away by this sudden eruption of Gang Qi, forming a clear, circular perimeter around him.
He gripped his saber with both hands and slowly raised it over his head. On the blade, Inner Qi frantically converged and compressed.
The light grew ever more brilliant. A terrifying pressure, as heavy as a mountain and as tyrannical as thunder, rapidly escalated, locking firmly onto Fang Han.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze, and even the distant battle cries from both sides seemed to fade.
This strike was his ultimate attack, holding nothing back!