My blade movement instinctively halted; I knew then that I was trapped in a bottleneck of seemingly insurmountable difficulty. This was, arguably, the greatest impasse I had encountered in all my martial cultivation.
Perhaps only by achieving the seventh layer of the Nine Dragons Protection, the Huayu Zhijing (Feather Transformation State), could I finally shatter this barrier.
Yet, I was fully aware that reaching the seventh layer was no simple feat. The preceding breakthroughs to the fifth and sixth layers had relied heavily on sheer luck.
Just as my thoughts began to drift!
A strange fluctuation suddenly registered upon me!
What a potent aura!
I instinctively turned my gaze toward the source of the energy!
Through the hazy moonlight, two figures were slowly approaching!
Focusing my vision, I recognized them: Sui Yun, clad in white, her silver hair like snow!
Beside her was Seth, dressed in green!
These two seemed inseparable, no matter where they went!
“The Prince certainly has the leisure for practice,” Seth called out with a smile from a distance.
Sui Yun, at his side, wore an expression of intense scrutiny.
“Not at all. We march tomorrow,” I replied seriously. “I merely wished to adjust my state beforehand.” I then added, somewhat curiously, “But why are you two still awake so late?”
“Couldn't sleep, just walking around.” Sui Yun’s demeanor was peculiar; the qi in her eyes surged, and I could feel the energy within her on the verge of eruption—the look of a warrior eager for battle. “We sensed a strange ripple earlier and came to investigate, though I hope we haven’t disturbed the Prince’s practice.”
This woman, it seemed, was just as battle-hungry! I had long heard that the masters of the Snow Domain Continent were all exceptionally skilled in combat techniques. Perhaps fighting her would offer a clear assessment of my own strength.
In truth, the crux of this impending campaign rested on whether Sui Yun and I could effectively combine our efforts against Yue Che!
Though I knew Yue Che was powerful, I had absolutely no concrete concept of how powerful. Having a benchmark would be ideal.
Sui Yun was the undisputed strongest warrior of the Snowfield Tribe. Using her as a reference point might allow me to roughly gauge Yue Che’s might!
Moreover, there was another crucial point!
If we were to fight as allies, establishing a degree of synchronized coordination was essential, and that coordination had to be built upon mutual understanding!
The most direct and effective way to achieve that understanding was for the two of us to fight!
In a single moment, I grasped the real reason for Seth and Sui Yun’s appearance.
Clearly, their intentions mirrored mine.
After all, for both them and myself, most knowledge of the other’s strength came only from hearsay.
With the great battle imminent, a clear assessment of each other’s concealed power was necessary. Thinking this, I made up my mind. “Just practicing casually, trying to find my rhythm! But I can’t seem to settle into it!”
“Doesn't practicing alone feel a bit monotonous?” Seth seemed to read my mind. “You are both world-class experts. Why not spar a bit? It might aid in improving your own abilities.”
“Haha, the wise one speaks truly,” I inwardly rejoiced. “But perhaps the Great Chieftain would be interested in a friendly bout?”
“A worthy opponent is hard to find,” Sui Yun stated proudly. “I have heard many tales about the Prince, and now I truly wish to test them!”
“Excellent,” I said gravely. “Let us have a match now.”
“A spar, nothing more, stop when the point is made,” Seth advised as he backed far away.
“Great Chieftain, please show me the way.”
Sui Yun responded softly, drawing her sword and stepping forward deliberately.
Her sword was not broad; its design bore a slight resemblance to my Dragon Shadow Sword, unlike the common Frost-Condensing style found on the Mafa Continent!
From this alone, I could surmise that her swordsmanship emphasized lightness and swiftness! And this blade was clearly no ordinary weapon!
The blade itself was a crystalline, pristine white, within which a faint, liquid-like cold light seemed to continuously surge. This was accompanied by distinct auras and fluctuations!
It felt somewhat similar to the Dragon Shadow Sword I had used previously!
Could this be a sentient spirit sword?
I became inwardly cautious!
Sui Yun, in turn, eyed my Blade of the Hegemon with curiosity: “Strange. I heard the Prince was a master swordsman, undefeated with the Dragon Shadow Sword. Why wield a blade now?”
“Great Chieftain, do not underestimate this blade,” I countered. “This is the Blade of the Hegemon from the Demon Dragon Imperial family. Its power far surpasses the Dragon Shadow Sword, and before obtaining the Dragon Shadow Sword, I exclusively used blades.”
“Interesting,” Sui Yun mused. “Then I presume your blade techniques are also superb.”
“Hundred Battles Saber Technique! It is also one of my supreme skills! Great Chieftain, you must be careful!”
“Very well, let us begin.” Sui Yun wasted no breath and lunged with her sword!
White light flashed—a sharp, crescent-shaped sword energy swept toward me!
It was a common crescent slash, but in her hands, it was faster and sharper than anyone else’s! The intensity of the energy was astonishingly immense!
I dared not be careless!
I swiftly sidestepped sideways, narrowly dodging the fierce energy wave!
Sui Yun seemed to have anticipated my evasion path!
She moved her longsword!
Wielding it rapidly, she suddenly unleashed an immense, fan-shaped burst of sword energy, appearing like a giant rainbow spanning the moonlit sky!
Overwhelming, it surged toward me like a torrent!
Carefully feeling the flow and trajectory of this sky-covering energy!
I found that every single strand of this overwhelming sword energy was incredibly strong, offering no exploitable weakness or lesser link! More astonishingly, these myriad flying energies subtly altered their paths based on my body's movement!
They were like countless birds imbued with life, each one appearing in the position most difficult for me to defend!
Even with my famed speed, attempting to evade all these attacks was sheer fantasy!
Of course, if I activated Instant Invincibility, I would be absolutely certain of blasting through the blockade of these sword-energy birds!
But Instant Invincibility was my ultimate technique, and I wasn't sure if activating it would guarantee defeating Sui Yun! My intuition told me her true strength lay far beyond what she was currently revealing!
Therefore, I would not expose my trump card so easily!
Cannot evade, cannot shake her off!
But retreat was not an option!
The only path left was to meet it head-on!
Infusing my battle qi! The Blade of the Hegemon in my hand condensed into a five-meter-long qi greatsword, unleashing countless crescent slashes with terrifying speed!
Clash after clash!
The greatsword, flying up and down, acted as a massive shield, shattering every sword-energy bird flying toward me!
However, the moment I blasted away those energy birds, Sui Yun flashed forward like lightning, closing the distance!
The white sword light descended like a torrential storm! Thrusting toward my chest, abdomen, and face...
Every strike was wickedly angled, frighteningly fast, and packed with devastating force! Her killing intent was palpable!
The style felt eerily similar to my own fencing techniques!
I dared not slow down, deploying my own fencing footwork! Dodging left and right, the Blade of the Hegemon in my hand whipped up and down with astonishing velocity!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In that instant, steel rang against steel! Roaring explosions erupted! In the blink of an eye, I had parried over a hundred frantic strikes from Sui Yun!
I had to admit, Sui Yun’s speed and movement were ridiculously fast!
From start to finish, I couldn't gain the slightest advantage, nor did I even get an opportunity to counterattack with my blade!
Just as I felt a slight hesitation in Sui Yun’s assault, preparing to seize the chance to counter!
Sui Yun’s blurred form suddenly shot backward like lightning—instantly clearing my attack range!
The timing was flawless!
What’s more, while retreating rapidly, she flung out countless overlapping sword energies, surging like a wave! This time, the energy wasn't the wide-area crescent shape; instead, they were sharp, bullet-like projectiles!
A masterful move of advancing by retreating! I instantly recognized the terrifying penetration and impact contained within these sword energies!
The shape had changed, and the speed and force were exponentially greater—truly like bullets exiting a muzzle!
But I wasn't so easily dealt with!
With a long cry!
The qi in my body suddenly surged! My speed instantly skyrocketed! Like an apparition, I pierced through the layers of bullet-shaped sword energy! The dark blade edge flashed like lightning, pursuing Sui Yun’s retreating chest!
“Good timing!” For the first time, Sui Yun, who had been calm and composed, revealed a look of solemnity!
Her movement twisted strangely, like instantaneous teleportation! She vanished from my sight!
What—what was that technique!
I hadn’t even fully reacted!
Behind me, a piercing whistle suddenly echoed! A tragic killing intent, coupled with that sharp sword energy fluctuation, surged violently!
Ah! So fast! Even the Phantom Demon Eye could barely capture that slight anomaly!
I could not fathom how Sui Yun had circled behind me, and what horrified me more was that she had not only evaded but positioned herself perfectly behind me to launch this fatal strike!
This surpassed my imagination! Even a mage's Instant Shift couldn't achieve such a bizarre spatial conversion!
Mage Instant Shifts, even the smallest movements by Chi Ming or Chi Hao, covered at least thirty meters! It was completely unsuitable for this kind of close-quarters combat!
But Sui Yun’s footwork showed no such limitations!
Not Instant Shift! But something far more erratic and unpredictable than it!
She actually bypassed me to reach my rear!
Unavoidable! In that instant, I felt this fatal sword stroke, at my current speed, could not be dodged!
No, I absolutely cannot be struck!
My thoughts raced!
The strange qi within my body exploded outward!
At this moment, I had to activate Instant Invincibility!
Space solidified!
Time halted!
Yet, within this frozen time-space, I still felt a surge of pressure slowly closing in on my lower back!
Though slow!
It carried an unyielding, irresistible weight and oppression!
Even under these extreme conditions, I sensed that completely avoiding this strike would not be easy!
Fortunately, I had ample time to contemplate and devise a solution to the predicament!
My feet shifted subtly a small step to the left!
Though the distance was minimal, it was just enough to move my body out of the path of the sword thrust from behind!
Then, without even turning my head, the Blade of the Hegemon swept backward!
All this was executed in the near-slow-motion state of Instant Invincibility!
In terms of speed, angle, and even force, I was confident I had achieved absolute perfection!
However, to my astonishment, the sweeping counter-strike of the Blade of the Hegemon was evaded!
Although she dodged somewhat clumsily, throwing herself desperately to the left!
Yet, I was certain that in that moment! Sui Yun had seen through my blade movement, not only seen through it but reacted, and successfully evaded it!
This defied all belief!
Since mastering Instant Invincibility, this was the first opponent who could see through my maneuvers, react, and successfully neutralize my attack!
While Mo Luo Yin Feng had been spared a decade ago, that was only after I had killed several others while using Instant Invincibility, allowing him sufficient time to adapt!
But Sui Yun was completely different!
She saw through my movements the very instant I entered Instant Invincibility!
This was seemingly impossible!
However, years of constant campaigning had forged my mental fortitude to a state of unflappable calm! The Blade of the Hegemon, having missed its target, instantly unleashed a sword energy trail, drawing a graceful arc toward Sui Yun’s vital waist and abdomen!
In that instant, I even saw a flicker of horror in Sui Yun’s eyes!
Perhaps she hadn't anticipated my follow-up reaction speed after a missed strike!
But Sui Yun's reaction equally surpassed my expectations!
Though her airborne retreat was surprisingly slow, her left foot lightly tapped the ground with exquisite agility. Her receding form suddenly darted out in a bizarre S-shaped curve, as if flung away, while her longsword exuded a strange, vortex-like sword energy that coiled around the flying sword energy dragon I had launched!
Although her movements appeared slow, the sword energy dragon I launched moved as slow as a snail!
I could only watch helplessly as this certain-kill blow was swept toward the high heavens, caught in her nimble footwork and that bizarre vortex energy!
Boom!
Rumble!
A dull roar, like an awakening bell, forced me out of the Instant Invincibility state!
Before my eyes, I saw violently surging, scattered fragments of sword energy!
And Sui Yun’s figure descending lightly, like a willow catkin floating in the breeze!
“Universe Great Shift,” Sui Yun’s expression turned grim, as if she had witnessed something utterly unbelievable. “Where did the Prince learn this?”
“Universe Great Shift?” I was somewhat bewildered. “What is that?” The term sounded familiar; I felt I had heard it somewhere before!
The memory flashed and vanished! Honestly, this was the first time I had encountered someone who could keep pace with my speed!
But beyond the shock, there was a hard-to-describe impulse and excitement—the experts of the Snow Domain Continent were indeed formidable!
“Did the Prince not use the Universe Great Shift just now?” Sui Yun’s gaze was intensely serious. “Only someone who has mastered the Universe Great Shift could possibly see through my attack just now, and the Prince not only saw through it but immediately counterattacked—this proves unequivocally that what you used was the Universe Great Shift!”
“Universe Great Shift,” I exclaimed in alarm. “Did you mean the technique you used to suddenly disappear and reappear behind me just now was the Universe Great Shift?”
“What? You didn’t know?” Sui Yun was equally astonished. “Wasn’t the technique you used just now also the Universe Great Shift?”
“Incredible, the Mafa World actually possesses the Universe Great Shift,” I was nearly stunned. “My Instant Invincibility is actually the Universe Great Shift?”
At that moment, I recalled having heard about and understood the Universe Great Shift from my time in the modern world!
After all, the Universe Great Shift was Zhang Wuji’s signature skill in Jin Yong’s epic The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, and its function wasn't just simple instantaneous movement!
It was a supreme skill for transferring and absorbing power and reflecting damage.
However, in Legend of Mir, there was also a skill called Universe Great Shift, but unlike Jin Yong’s version, it was a skill allowing warriors to instantly shift positions.
Jin Yong's Universe Great Shift was an entirely different concept!
But even so, I always thought that the Universe Great Shift—this ultimate technique allowing warriors to vanish into thin air—was too overpowered!
And such a skill shouldn't exist in this world, even the miraculous Mafa Continent!
Yet, not only did this supreme skill exist, but according to Sui Yun, the technique I had always considered Instant Invincibility was actually the so-called Universe Great Shift!
“Does this mean the Prince was unaware that what he just executed was the Universe Great Shift?” This time, it was Sui Yun who was completely taken aback.
“To be honest, this is the first time I’ve heard the name of such a supreme technique,” I admitted awkwardly.
“How is that possible?” Sui Yun looked doubtful. “I haven't heard of it; how did the Prince master it?”