Chapter 1046: One Sword, Ninefold Shock
Chapter 1046: One Sword, Ninefold Shock
There were only three female contestants from the demon clans who had made it to the semifinals. Both Mei Gongzi and Lan Moqian had displayed astonishing strength in their previous matches, each securing two victories. This match would practically determine which of the female demon contestants would stand at the pinnacle; the other demon contestant, who was in the second bracket, had already suffered a defeat.
The judge of the match was still the Earthshade Nymph Emperor.
"Both sides, prepare."
Lan Moqian looked at Mei Gongzi.
She did not reveal her Behemoth form, choosing to maintain her human shape instead. One grasp at the void with her right hand, and a giant sword fell into her palm.
The blade was two meters long and about twenty centimeters wide. It was pitch black, and clearly immensely heavy. It also looked mottled and dull, as if whittled down by the passing of many millennia, yet at the same time, it emanated an ancient, majestic aura.
Lan Moqian gripped the hilt with both hands and drove the tip into the platform. She then closed her eyes and stood still, as if sensing something.
In that instant, Mei Gongzi had the illusion that she had vanished into thin air. Though standing right there, she seemed not to exist at all.
Was this the unity of human and nature? Her entire being had merged with the world, the force of heaven and earth becoming part of her own momentum.
Mei Gongzi's expression immediately turned solemn. And unlike in her previous two matches, she did not summon her Space Domain this time. A red glow flashed at her brow, and the Asura Shadow Sword fell into her hand.
An indescribable phenomenon followed. Mei Gongzi's entire being seemed to fuse with the Asura Shadow Sword.
Lan Moqian seemed to vanish, while Mei Gongzi became one with her sword, blade and wielder as one. At that moment, it felt as if there was only this one sword in existence between heaven and earth. As the spectators gazed at the Asura Sword, any darkness in their hearts involuntarily stirred with shame. Under the sword's aura, their bodies and souls trembled.
The Asura Sword was the sword of justice. All by itself, it was judge, jury, and executioner. Even in its divine realm, it was among the mightiest of transcendent divine items, if not the mightiest. In fact, in terms of status, it ranked even above Tang San's Sea God's Trident!
"Begin!" The Earthshade Nymph Emperor instantly declared the start of the match, not lingering for a moment longer than she had to. Both contestants' sword intents were already pressing against the barrier she had set earlier, and even with her cultivation, she felt discomfort.
Buzzzzzzzz~
The instant the barrier was withdrawn, Lan Moqian opened her eyes. Still gripping the hilt with both hands, she lifted the heavy sword sharply and struck upward!
A black flash seemed to swallow all light from heaven as it slashed toward Mei Gongzi.
Mei Gongzi's eyes shone brightly. She did not dodge; instead, the Asura Shadow Sword slashed downward in a flash.
The Asura Sword had never known retreat, no matter the opponent.
A piercing metallic clang instantly rang through the entire arena.
The next moment, cracking sounds came from the barrier covering the platform.
A deep blue light instantly descended from above, enveloping the shield. The Earthshade Nymph Emperor had acted, exerting her full strength to protect it.
A pure clash, sword versus sword! Neither side had used their domain powers or their bloodline power to any measurable extent, yet the shockwave of their clash was the wildest seen since the start of the tournament!
Mei Gongzi's long hair turned a dark red in that instant, her eyes shining with profound divine light. The Asura Shadow Sword in her hand radiated brilliant red light.
On the other side, Lan Moqian's heavy sword blocked Mei Gongzi's strike. The heavy blade did not cut; it really was as dull as it seemed. What it did, however, was vibrate continuously. Each vibration seemed to generate one sword shadow. These shadows shattered one after another under the Asura Sword's pressure.
BOOOM!!!
The heavy sword suddenly quaked violently, over a dozen sword shadows shattering at once. Lan Moqian staggered back, her sturdy frame unexpectedly showing signs of instability.
"What a sword!" Tang San exclaimed in admiration.
"Indeed, what a sword!" Ning Chen'en's voice carried utter shock.
Lan Moqian was his wife; of course he knew the sword she wielded.
Why did a Behemoth use a sword? It had much to do with the heavy sword in her hand.
The sword was named Grief. It was, of course, a divine item, an ancient artifact obtained by the Sky-Splitting Demon Emperor by sheer chance. The sword had only one ability: Shock.
What did that entail? To put it simply, it generated shockwaves, and each of these shockwaves carried the full power of the user's entire cultivation!
In other words, when Lan Moqian struck, Grief struck not just once, but multiple times, and each strike was as powerful as the one before. More importantly, they were not separate; once they were launched, they merged together!
The shock was nothing more than that: pure blunt force. But the Behemoth clan excelled in strength above all, so was there a user more appropriate for this sword than a Behemoth?
After long deliberation, the Sky-Splitting Demon Emperor had chosen Lan Moqian as the sword's inheritor. And Lan Moqian did not disappoint, displaying incredible talent, tremendous strength, and profound understanding of swordsmanship. She had even trained under the Sword Saint Demon Emperor, and even he acknowledged that she had an innate gift for the sword.
Since acquiring the sword, she had practiced with it until she reached the level of Ninefold Shock. That meant a single slash would generate nine shockwaves, each equivalent to a full-power strike. As a top Great Demon King of one of the strongest clans, when she wielded Grief, she was basically unstoppable. Not even Jin Anguo was capable of defeating her; at best, they would be evenly matched. Meanwhile, if she decided to give Ning Chen'en a well-deserved beating, he could only defend passively. He had no way of dealing with her other than his thick hide.
Yet this mighty sword had met the Asura Sword, and all nine shockwaves shattered.
The Asura Sword's unshakable intent of judgment could not be disturbed, not even by the Ninefold Shock. Instead, Lan Moqian felt Grief tremble and give in of its own accord, forcing her to retreat.
This was not a gap in cultivation. If anything, her cultivation was superior. It was a difference in the tier of their divine items.
What Tang San praised as a good sword was, of course, Grief. To clash head-on with the power of the Asura Sword without breaking showed its remarkable quality. It was certainly above the Radiant Dragon Spear in every respect.
What Ning Chen'en bitterly acknowledged as a good sword referred to the Asura Sword's overwhelming suppression of Grief.
With the Shadowfiend Sword as its vessel, the Asura Sword had become a true corporeal existence, many times stronger than the ethereal sword intent Mei Gongzi had displayed back in the day. With it in hand, Mei Gongzi was far more than a tiger with wings.
The moment their initial clash ended, both moved again. Grief turned into countless sword shadows in the air. The heavy sword had no edge, and great skill appeared clumsy—Lan Moqian was not one for brute force alone. In swordsmanship, she was among the absolute best of her generation.
Dozens of sword lights bloomed in the sky, each carrying tremendous shock power ready to explode at a single touch. In an instant, the sword shadows surrounded Mei Gongzi from all directions.
Is my sword inferior to yours? Is my divine item inferior to yours? Then I will suppress you with my cultivation, and I will suppress you with my swordsmanship!
Lan Moqian had observed Mei Gongzi's previous matches carefully and was certain that in terms of sheer bloodline power, Mei Gongzi was inferior to her. Both bore first-tier bloodlines, but as a Behemoth, a member of one of the strongest clans, she had great confidence in her bloodline power.
Facing the sword lights, Mei Gongzi did not choose to teleport away. The tip of the Asura Shadow Sword in her hand inscribed subtle circles in the air, as if following the trajectories of unknown stars.
Glimmers of starlight flashed in the sky.
Lan Moqian's sword was astonishingly fast. That seemingly weighty Grief was light as a feather in her hands, and every single move was executed with incredible speed.
Mei Gongzi's sword, by contrast, appeared slow, yet seemed to embody the ultimate truth of the heavens. With each small circle it drew, a number of sword lights was led astray. Not a single one was able to strike her.
The Peacock Demon clan's legacy divine technique: Star Shift!