Chapter 289 - 144: Nine Heavens Mountain-Breaking Saber
In the corridor, Liang Cheng had lost count of how many times he had swung his saber.
Sweat rolled down his forehead and dripped from his chin onto the White Jade Floor. His arms were sore, numb, and heavy. His Gang Qi was depleted time and again, only to be restored by Elixirs.
But there was no exhaustion in his eyes; on the contrary, they grew brighter and brighter.
He was gradually getting the feel of it.
The saber is but an extension.
Intent is the foundation!
’Let the saber carry the unyielding force of wind and thunder to fulfill the will of breaking mountains!’
Liang Cheng stopped swinging his saber, closed his eyes, and focused his spirit.
Time trickled by.
In the silent corridor, only the sound of Liang Cheng’s long, steady breaths remained.
At a certain moment.
He suddenly opened his eyes, and for an instant, a flash of lightning and the shadow of a mountain seemed to flicker within them.
No gathering of power.
He simply took a step forward, the Zhenxian Saber in his hand moving as he willed it, and delivered a diagonal slash!
The slash didn’t look fast.
But along the path of the blade, the air emitted a low hum like muffled thunder, as if some invisible, heavy object were being dragged and compressed!
Azure Gang Qi flowed over the body of the saber, and within it, one could faintly see fine arcs of wind and lightning erupting and flickering.
Weight and speed, two completely different qualities, were layered in this single slash, fusing together in a strange harmony.
The Blade Intent was like a mountain, locking onto its target and suppressing everything in its path.
The Saber Momentum was like thunder; once it erupted, it would arrive in an instant!
’I did it...’
Liang Cheng lowered his saber and stood still, feeling the strange fluctuations from that last slash lingering in the air. A smile finally touched his lips.
Although it was still crude and the fusion wasn’t yet seamless.
But he had found the path.
A mayfly lives but a day, yet it can seize every moment.
Aided by his Mayfly Life Chart, Liang Cheng had finally achieved his breakthrough.
He didn’t immediately challenge the incarnation again. Instead, he continued to practice, consolidating this new, fledgling Saber Realm.
A hundred times, three hundred times, five hundred times...
With every slash, he carefully savored the subtle sensation of the "Mountain-Breaking Intent" and "Wind and Thunder Momentum" merging, adjusting the rhythm of his Gang Qi and correcting the angle of his attacks.
Gradually, his Saber Momentum grew smoother.
The low rumble of thunder grew clearer, and the afterimages left by his blade grew more solid.
Finally—
[From Nine Heavens, Wind and Thunder are drawn; Mountain-Breaking shall decide the world’s fate.]
From the Nine Heavens above, wind and thunder are my guide; with mountains below, I shall sunder them with a single strike!
This technique shall be named: Nine Heavens Mountain-Breaking!
[Nine Heavens Mountain-Breaking Saber: Great Success (1/40000)]
’This technique was born from me, so it naturally reflects my state of mind. It was created directly at the Great Success Realm! Next, I just need to polish and refine it until it’s perfectly seamless!’
Liang Cheng lowered his saber, regulated his breathing for a moment, and brought his condition back to its peak.
He looked up at the empty corridor before him, his gaze as sharp as a blade.
’This time, I will break you.’
Then, he took a step forward!
Golden light converged in response, and the True Gang Incarnation condensed once more. Its aura was still perfect and flawless, a sliver stronger than his own current state.
The incarnation wasted no time on words. It moved the instant it appeared, its Zhenxian Saber kicking up a fierce Gang Wind as it flawlessly executed the Mountain-Breaking Saber Technique, striking straight for Liang Cheng’s vital points.
This time, Liang Cheng neither dodged nor evaded, simply raising the long saber in his hand.
He used the same move: Broken Mountain.
But this time, the moment he struck, the faint sound of wind and thunder echoed through the corridor!
The blade seemed slow, yet it carried a pressure as heavy as a mountain. The incarnation’s flawless Saber Momentum was actually suppressed by this intangible Blade Intent, causing it to falter for an infinitesimally small moment!
’Now!’
A sharp glint flashed in Liang Cheng’s eyes, and his Saber Momentum abruptly accelerated!
The once heavy and slow arc of light transformed in a fraction of a second, becoming a streak of azure lightning that tore through the air. It moved several times faster than before as it brutally slammed into the incarnation’s parrying blade!
CLANG—!!!
The sound of the collision was mixed with the roar of thunder.
For the first time, the incarnation was knocked backward by the force. Though it was only two steps, its perfect rhythm was completely broken.
Liang Cheng pressed his advantage, his body moving like wind and thunder as he followed up, his blade flashing once more!
Broken Wave!
The Saber Momentum came in overlapping layers like crashing waves, but each wave contained an explosive burst of wind and thunder.
The incarnation swung its saber to block, but with every collision, the instantaneous burst of power would scatter its Gang Qi and cause its movements to lag.
Thirty exchanges!
Fifty exchanges!
Liang Cheng fought with increasing ferocity, his brand-new Saber Technique rapidly being perfected and elevated through actual combat.
He discovered that this fusion wasn’t a fixed routine, but a state of being that allowed him to act as he willed.
’When my mind locks onto the enemy, my saber suppresses like a mountain; when my mind wills a kill, my saber strikes like a bolt of wind and thunder!’
Now heavy, now fast—the switch between weight and speed occurred in the span of a single thought. The incarnation’s previously perfect predictions began to fail.
"Break!"
With a low cry, Liang Cheng seized the instant the incarnation was knocked back again. He raised the Zhenxian Saber high overhead, concentrating all the Gang Qi in his body into this single strike.
The azure light on the saber’s body flared, silver arcs of lightning danced wildly around it, and the low rumble of thunder became a deafening roar!
The ultimate move of the Nine Heavens Mountain-Breaking Saber.
Broken Nine Heavens!
It was heavy enough to crush mountains, yet as swift as lightning!
The incarnation raised its saber in a perfect block, its Gang Qi pushed to the absolute limit.
However—
CRACK!
The spectral "Zhenxian Saber" in the incarnation’s hand was forcefully shattered by Liang Cheng’s strike!
The light of the slash dimmed slightly, but its momentum didn’t lessen as it viciously hacked into the incarnation’s chest!
BOOM—!!!
The golden light surrounding the incarnation trembled violently as countless cracks spread across its body.
It looked down at the deep gash on its chest, then looked up at Liang Cheng. A flicker of something seemed to ripple through its indifferent eyes.
Then, its entire body rumbled and collapsed, disintegrating into a sky full of brilliant golden motes of light.
This time, the motes of light did not simply vanish.
Instead, they swirled and gathered in the middle of the corridor, finally condensing into a thumb-sized drop of a strange, translucent liquid that shone like gold.
A stream of information flowed into Liang Cheng’s mind: