Chapter 627 - 55: Life and Death Transformed within the Sword
Zhao Guangwu did not expect Zhang Yan to start fighting without warning, and he couldn’t help but be secretly surprised. In a hurry, he stepped back on the smoke, and at the same moment, a sword ball flew out, drawing a golden arc in an instant, blocking the incoming Star Sword Ball. Then, with a spell, he transformed into a Rainbow Light and flew to a distance.
He was also skilled in swordsmanship. When he was under Luo Qichen, he often sparred with Luo Yuanhua. He knew that when two sword cultivators faced off, if one side attacked first, the other should not rush to counterattack but should instead find a way to escape the battle zone, avoid the rapid onslaught like a storm, stabilize their position, and then plan the next move.
Zhang Yan, though unaware of his intentions, had never fought with a sword cultivator like Zhao Guangwu before. Upon this sudden encounter, he was thrilled at the hunt and would not miss such a good opportunity. Even if Zhao Guangwu made a gesture of retreat, Zhang Yan would not easily let him go. He also transformed into a long rainbow and used his sword escape to pursue.
Two Rainbow Lights chased each other across the sky, both fast as lightning, swift as shooting stars, and in the blink of an eye, they had gone several miles.
Zhao Guangwu had practiced swordsmanship since childhood and was confident in his skills. Before coming here, he thought that although Zhang Yan was also famous for his Sword Dao, he might not be on par with him, so he was full of confidence.
But he quickly found, to his amazement, that the speed of the other party’s sword escape was not much slower than his own, and even hinted at being slightly faster.
Seeing this, his gaze focused, but he was not panicked. He shouted, urging his sword light, making the tunneling light unpredictably fast and slow, left and right, making it hard to discern where he intended to go.
After flickering dozens of times, he arrived at a mountain peak, then deliberately threaded through the gaps between the mountain rocks, circling several times, finally creating a slight distance from the sword light behind him. Then, turning around, he stood in the air, shouted, and released his sword ball. In an instant, twelve sword lights formed a crescent wheel, flashing out.
He had also heard of Zhang Yan’s ability to control sixteen swords with one Qi, but he didn’t care. As far as he knew, both he and Zhang Yan had not yet mastered the Superior Sword Scripture of their sect and could not fully unleash the power of this method.
However, he was a bit different. Not only did he understand the Splitting Light Separation Method, but also, during his time cultivating under the Luo family, he often competed with fellow sword cultivators. His combat experience was rich, and even lacking a few sword lights, he was confident he could use fine sword techniques to make up for deficiencies.
He curved his lips slightly, urging his intention, causing these sword lights to split and merge, gather and disperse, seem to extend and contract, constantly dancing around Zhang Yan, unpredictably searching for a chance to attack. As soon as a gap was found, he could strike.
Seeing Zhao Guangwu could manifest twelve swords with one Qi, Zhang Yan was not startled but pleased. In his heart, he said "Good," and with a clear whistle, he also unfolded his sword light, with sixteen sword shadows flying out together, transforming into swaying glows, guarding before him.
It was rare to meet someone of the same path, and he intended to observe this person’s sword technique, so he was not in a hurry to take the offensive, focusing solely on defense.
Now wearing treasure clothes and with his God Contract practiced to the Third Realm, even if the opponent had a killer move and the Flying Sword got through, he was not afraid of being cut down.
Zhao Guangwu, seeing Zhang Yan trapped by himself, couldn’t help but display a face of joy.
He and Zhang Yan were fellow disciples, and without a challenge invitation in advance, this duel could only be considered as sparring. If anyone were to be injured, there would be no way to explain it, so he only hoped to defeat Zhang Yan and force him to admit defeat, so the opponent would have no face to compete in the great contest.
Therefore, he spared no effort to stimulate his True Yuan, driving the sword ball as fierce as rain, seeing a mass of golden rain-like brilliance wrapped in starlight, pouring down everywhere, seemingly trying to crush it.
The starlight, like a flying shuttle, although smaller than the brilliant silver glow by a circle, was extremely resilient. Under the continuous pressure, it repeatedly changed shape, seemingly on the brink of collapse, but always managed to handle the situation.
The two colors of brilliance collided, creating a pleasant sound, akin to the tinkling of a zither, heard even dozens of miles away.
Their battle unknowingly lasted half an hour.
Zhang Yan’s breath was long, and his Elixir Evil was vigorous, feeling no strain. Zhao Guangwu, after several attempts, had not managed to break into the sword net, starting to feel slightly tired. He was secretly alarmed, thinking, "Could Zhang Yan, even after fighting this long, still remain calm and composed, seemingly without effort? I heard he completed a First-class Elixir Formation. Could his endurance truly be this boundless?"